His knuckles crackled with a black charge of electricity as the scene in his head played out. Annalia, I command you to stop! He mentally shot to his protégé.
I have not heard a whisper from you and now as this so called Slayer meets her fate you decide to issue commands? She shot back.
Release her Annalia, Cain growled.
Not before I do this…
Cain cursed as Annalia sunk her fangs into Sanaya’s throat, ripping through flesh and tearing into muscle. Watching Sanaya struggle against Annalia’s hold before going limp, Cain unleashed a roar into the wind. The sky darkened from his rage, and a stroke of lightening flashed across the sky. Annalia would indeed pay for her transgression, whether by the silver antibodies that would definitely attack Annalia’s vampire cells with a vengeance, or by him; whatever came first. The only saving grace he found was the fact that Sanaya would survive because as a huntress, her body was created to withstand bites of any kind.
He severed the mental connection the instant Sanaya’s body hit the ground, releasing a menacing growl that ripped into the night. The urge to hunt, kill and eventually fuck something into submission, was what he needed to take the edge off. It didn’t matter that he had enemies watching and waiting for him. Perhaps it was time for him to come out of hiding.
It was time for a reckoning.
****
Selene did little to hide the huge grin that threatened to reveal itself as she waited seated next to the head of the table in the boardroom of the large corporate office in New York. The other head members of their organization had yet to arrive, including The Beast. It had been a magnificent thirty days, with the full moon shining brightly overhead in the night sky. The streets bled with Guardian blood, and with over a hundred and fifty freshly turned Guardians at her command, her army was complete. The Beast would be pleased and would assuredly use her as a vessel for his prophesized heir. She would lead The Darkness Organization into nights of victory and all will be set. The world would then become her oyster just as it was centuries ago.
The familiar dark scent of an entity she cared little for entered her nostrils. Petronius emerged from a black mist, dressed as always for business. He offered a cool smile as he casually stuffed his palms into his pockets and smoothly crossed the room.
“Good evening Selene,” he purred. “As always it is a pleasure to be in your presence.”
“Greetings Petronius,” Selene said, offering her own grin. “The night suits you well.”
“Ah, the night has been more than good to me…” He took a seat across from her just as Alex and Daemon materialized into the room at the same time. The two vampires glared at each other for a moment, before dismissing each other. Alex approached the table, his gait much slower than before, as he took a seat beside Petronius. Daemon calmly strolled to the available seat next to Selene as the tension in the room thickened.
“Daemon,” Selene began, turning to face him.
“Yes Mistress?” Daemon replied, as he admired the red plunging V-neck styled dress that fit her body like second skin and split all the way down to her navel.
“I believe you have something to tell me…some good news at that.”
Daemon’s smile grew. “But of course, my queen. I think it is only fitting that we wait until after our meeting to discuss the ‘good news’.”
“Excellent darling! I always knew I could depend on you.”
“Well if Daemon has news to share,” Petronius grumbled. “Then as one of the founding members of this organization, and next to the oldest of original vampires, it is only fair that you allow us in on the good news Daemon.”
“It has been centuries since I’ve been exposed to any kind of good news,” Alex wheezed. “So indulge us please.”
Daemon leaned back, chuckling to himself. “I think there are more important issues to be discussed…”
The hard sound of expensive shoes tapped against the linoleum floor in a slow, deliberate approach, silencing everyone at the table.
“Speak of the devil,” Daemon mumbled.
The tall handsome figured strolled in through the door, dressed in a black business suit as he maintained a cool demeanor. Dark features with eyes that seemed to be ever present. The Beast slowly made his way to the head of the table, acknowledging the anxious glances of the members of the Darkness Organization and took a seat.
“We need more members,” He growled. “This is exactly why vampires have become a joke in the supernatural hierarchy. So what do you simpletons have to report?”
Selene was the first to speak. “Your army of freshly turned Guardians is ready for your command.”
The Beast smiled, exposing a long row of razor sharp fangs. “Beautiful. Abso-fucking-beautiful. Selene, you are amazing. Do what you will with them. How many Guardians exactly?”
“One hundred and fifty Guardian souls are up for grabs darling,” Selene boasted.
“Excellent! Now let’s see what those pricks in the higher realms have to say about that.” The Beast leaned back in his seat, examining the other three faces that stared back at him.
Selene smiled. “We will attack The Academy tomorrow night-“
The Beast’s darkened expression stopped Selene midsentence. “Too soon Princess. I received word that one of the remaining fallen huntresses known as The Seven launched a surprise attack last night. The school is being heavily guarded by those insidious Light Warriors. As much as I would like to burn that campus to the ground, I am too heavily invested in this fucked up game against the Light. Attacking now would be a death sentence for all of you, and life for me would be much more difficult than what it is now. I still need to create the perfect volatile atmosphere to produce an heir.”
“My Guardians grow restless my liege,” Selene pleaded. “Besides we had a deal.”
“The deal still stands, Princess. But from the looks of it, things have changed. I need more players in this game, and you still have yet to deliver Cain to me. I am picking up a vague beacon coming from one of the Seven and I am debating if I should lend her my assistance or not….”
Selene’s beautiful smile melted away to cold, emotionless glare.
“Bring me Cain and I will give you an heir,” The Beast continued. “Next on the agenda, I am curious to know what three of you seemingly worthless vampires have been up to…starting with you Daemon.”
All eyes shifted to Daemon, who then cleared his throat and shifted around in his seat. “I have busied myself doing some research…do you know anything about The Prophecy?”
The Beast leaned forward forming a tent with his hands and laughed. “Clearly you must have forgotten who the fuck I am and where I come from. But go on. Intrigue me. Which ‘Prophecy’ did you stumble across?”
Daemon noticed Selene’s beautiful green eyes turn to slits as she glared at him.
“In conducting my usual night to night business, I came across The Prophecy that speaks of two futures: Your heir and The Slayer,” Daemon said calmly.
“Ahhh yes, that Prophecy. Interesting. Well at least you were engaged in something productive and hopefully whatever scheme you are concocting in your head leans toward creating the right environment for my heir.”
Daemon nodded which to his fortune was good enough for The Beast, as he turned his attentions to Petronius and Alex.
“And I hope you two old farts have been managing your time well,” The Beast sighed.
“Indeed we have,” Petronius volunteered. “We have been doing some empire building-“
“Fine, fine,” The Beast said waving them off as he rose to his feet. “I expect to see evidence of this empire building the next time we convene. But alas, I must be on my way. Corrupting humans, damning souls, wars, famine…duty calls.” The Beast rounded the table, the four vampires exhaling in relief just as he reached the door.
“But before I go,” The Beast said, standing in the doorway. “I think it is best to inform especially you Daemon, and Selene, that the fallen hun
tress…what is her name? Ah, yes…Annalia. This has your hand writing all over it, Selene. I have been searching for at least one of the surviving Seven for centuries, and who would have thought that your treachery would have led me directly to her? And Daemon, you might have received an elevated position had you bossed up and told me. Once again, you fucked up. Too bad.”
The Beast dematerialized into thin air, as his sinister laughter still clung to the air long after he disappeared.
“Well that was interesting,” Petronius said after a beat.
“I think it is best that we return to our respective lairs,” Alex suggested, pushing away from the table to stand. “Before he returns and annihilates us all.”
“Looks like you better find Cain,” Daemon snickered.
“Fuck you,” Selene spat before disappearing into mist. “We are not finished Daemon. Trust that.”
“Indeed we are not, Princess,” Daemon mumbled to himself as he watched Petronius and Alex disappear without a word. “Indeed we are not.”
Chapter Twenty
Sanaya slowly awoke to the beeping sounds of her heart monitor. Nausea immediately claimed her, followed by the acidic burn from the flow of her own blood within her veins. The side of her neck where the vampire had ripped through flesh and muscle throbbed relentlessly. She struggled to sit up, but the combination of dizziness, nausea and pain forced her to stay flat on her back. With a long groan, she blindly searched for the small remote usually found in the patient bed to summon a nurse. Stretching out her hands as far as she could, she found the plastic call button and hit “NURSE”, and waited for one of the attending hospital staff members to come to her rescue. A few minutes rolled by, and in came an elderly nurse surrounded by none other than a large group of Guardians, including her own team.
The nurse burst through the door, the deep frown she wore behind her bifocals was clearly evident of her annoyance.
“You Guardians are going to have go back into the waiting room until her Primary Guardian arrives,” she scolded, shaking the clipboard at none other than King.
“Well she is my girlfriend- uh Guardian Mate,” King argued. “So I should have automatic rights to see her-“
“You will turn around and head back to the waiting room young man,” the nurse continued, “along with the rest of you.”
“But-Came Maya’s protests.
“No buts!” The nurse fussed, King, forcing Maya and the rest of the team behind her. “Now get out! You are making too much noise!”
Sanaya smiled weakly at the image of her best friend in life and forever and the man of her dreams try to force their way into her room.
When the door finally closed shut, the nurse hurried over to her, wiping her brow and mumbling, “Guardians are always such a handful!” She adjusted Sanaya’s I.V drip, and carefully examined her neck wound. “Such a brave girl,” She said softly. “Is there anything I can get you?”
“Do you mind helping me sit up?” Sanaya croaked. “I…I…just need to-“
“Certainly! Here…"The kind nurse pressed the button on the remote to gently ease the bed into a sitting position. Sanaya grimaced but fought through the pain.
“Dear child!” said the nurse. “Let me get you something to ease the pain.”
“I’m nauseated too…” Sanaya whimpered.
“Vampire bites are nothing nice,” the nurse said shaking her head. “Very few Guardians with strong immune systems were able to fight off the virus -very few. Most of them die within a few hours before waking up three days later as a creature of the night. You are fortunate to be everything that you are.”
“I don’t feel like it…” Sanaya mumbled.
“It has only been a few hours since the physician stitched you up and you are healing. Your neck was ripped to shreds honey, and had I not known who you are, I would have sworn that you my dear were not going to make it.” The nurse gently patted Sanaya’s shoulder. “I will have the food service staff bring you some crackers and ginger ale. I will bring you something for the pain. Be right back.”
The nurse quickly scurried out of the room, once again leaving Sanaya alone with her thoughts. The last thing she remembered was facing off with one of The Seven before having her throat ripped out in front of the Council Slayers, her team, the senior Guardians…Maybe Archer had been right all along. She simply was not ready.
Only minutes rolled by before the door swings open again, and this time instead of the nurse, Archer limps in escorted by Eve, who looked better than ever and followed by Congo. Their expressions grim, especially Archer’s as they crossed to the far end of the room where Sanaya rested.
“I’m glad to see you awake, kid,” Archer said taking a seat on the edge of her bed. “This is the second time you had us all scared shitless.”
“That was incredibly brave of you to face off with that particular entity,” Eve added. “I owe you my life.”
“But also incredibly stupid,” Archer fussed. “That entity could have easily killed you. If she wanted to, she could have bit your head clean off, and there would have been nothing any of us could have done about it!”
“Easy bro,” Congo said, glancing at Sanaya. “She did what she is supposed to do, hunt.”
“I know that is what she is supposed to do, but I keep trying to tell you people she is not ready yet. Now, you see why I am the way I am? Jesus! I feel like I need a damn drink!”
“Archer,” Sanaya said weakly. “I’m sorry.”
“Awww, Sanaya,” Eve said rushing to her side. “You don’t have to apologize for-“
“You just can’t go rushing off into danger like that kid,” Archer interrupted. “We almost lost you. The world needs you too badly right now.”
“Hey,” Congo began. “She got her ass kicked like many great fighters do. She survived and the next time she faces off with that old bitch, she will beat the fu-”
“It is important for warriors of Light to be careful with the words that they used,” came Aklia’s voice, as she stepped out of the vortex of purple light. “But you are right Guardian Congo—she did what she was born to do. Any of us would have done the same thing, even at her age. It is nature running its course.”
“Hi Aklia,” Sanaya grimaced as another wave of pain consumed her.
“Greetings, Slayer! It pleases me to see you in a much better, although extremely uncomfortable position, than what you were in but a few hours ago.” Aklia said, offering a slight bow. “Your sister Slayers are in the higher realms collecting the much needed healing medicines and herbs to bring to you to help speed up the process.”
“Do you have something for the nausea?” Sanaya asked. “Like seriously, I feel like I am about to puke any moment.”
“That is the unfortunate result of vampire venom being purged from your system,” Aklia reported. “And as a Slayer, it is important for you to understand how crucial it is to guard your throat. The virus is a nasty one, feeding off of the host while transforming the victim at the same time. Because you were born with a natural immunity to vampire, werewolf and demon viruses, your body is working overtime to cleanse your system.”
“Someone please get her a wastebasket,” Archer said. “She looks like she is turning green.”
Eve quickly dashed to the bathroom where a small white wastebasket sat next to the tub and brought it to Sanaya’s bedside. And just as quickly as Eve sat it down, Sanaya turned over on her side, and emptied what was left in her stomach into the trash bin.
“No more human drugs,” Aklia commanded. “It will only slow down the process.”
The mere mention of drugs forced Sanaya over the edge of the bed again. Eve gently rubbed her back while she continued to dry heave over the bin. Archer looked away while Congo kept his eyes glued to the ground. It took some time before Sanaya was able to stop dry heaving and lay back against the hospital bed. Eve took the trash bin, tying up the plastic bag and left the room to discard it.
“Sanaya,” Aklia continued. “We have
some very important questions to ask you.”
“Like what?” Sanaya groaned.
“Like how long have you been mentally communicating with Cain,” Archer growled, facing her. “And what kind of deal did you make with him?”
“Cain started buzzing around in my head a little over a month ago,” She admitted finally. “He was the one who warned me about the Reapers in Louisiana…”
Eve’s gasp sliced through the room, cutting deeper into Sanaya’s wound of guilt. “He told you?”
“He wanted to gain her trust,” Aklia stated matter-of-factly. “And you managed to keep it from us for quite a bit of time until recently-“
“I’m sorry you,”-Sanaya sniffed.
“Sweetheart,” Aklia continued rushing to Sanaya’s bedside. “You only did what you thought was right. You were trying to protect those you love.”
“Yeah baby girl,” Congo added, inching closer. “No one is blaming you for taking on that burden. Cain was banking on your fear, plus the fact that you lack the experience of a matured Slayer.”
“That is a heavy burden to carry.” Aklia then gently wiped away a tear that ran down Sanaya’s face and continued, “But one that you do not have to carry alone. I just need to know what else happened betwixt the two of you. Annalia’s impromptu visit, was not exactly impromptu my dear and we need to rule out all possibilities.”
“When was the last time Cain communicated with you?” Archer demanded.
Sanaya took in a deep breath, recalling the moment when Cain invaded the very intimate space between herself and King. Rage threatened its hold once again, but the pain from her current bite wound reminded her that she was not out of the woods of recovery yet.
The Vampire Hunters Academy: The Reckoning Page 11