“I agree with Richard,” said Lucius. “Attacking Lord Taranas now would be a grave mistake. I’m going to head back to the Vampire Council and inform them of what happened.”
“But what am I supposed to do?” I said, rubbing my neck again. “The thirst is so bad … I can barely contain it. I want to be normal again.”
Lucius’s expression softened. “I understand. I felt the same way when I first transformed. It gets easier after a while, but you never fully get over it.”
“I think Tara needs to be trained,” said Dad, though he sounded reluctant.
“Trained?” I said, looking at Dad again. “What do you mean?”
“Training in magic,” Dad replied. “And, perhaps, in learning how to control your blood lust and vampiric abilities, too, if Lucius is willing to help.”
Lucius turned toward Dad, a frown on his face. “Did I hear you right? Is the legendary Hunter asking me, a vampire, for help?”
Dad scowled. “Don’t get the wrong idea, Lucius. Until we can learn if it is possible to cure her of her vampirism, I just think that Tara needs to learn how to control her new powers. That way, she’ll avoid causing a scene or getting herself into trouble.”
Lucius smirked. “I understand, Richard. I was just amused that you would even consider asking me for help. I remember how you treated me when we first met and—”
“I said don’t get the wrong idea,” said Dad. “The only reason I’m asking you is because you’re the only vampire I know and trust to help.” He looked at me. “Tara, what do you think about receiving training from Lucius in how to control your blood lust and new vampire powers?”
I knew that ‘training’ in this context meant how to control my powers, but I just couldn’t get over the fact that that would inevitably require me spending time alone with Lucius. And, though I didn’t know Lucius all that well yet, I could think of a number of worse ways to spend the next week or two or however long our training would last.
“Sure, Dad,” I said without hesitation. “I’d love to train on—uh, I mean with Lucius. Yeah.”
I felt embarrassed by that near Freudian slip, but luckily, Lucius did not seem to notice, because he said, “Very well. I’ll be back tomorrow to begin training. Right now, I need to head back to the Council and give them a report on what happened.”
“Will you mention Tara’s … condition to them?” said Dad.
Lucius shook his head. “No. The Vampire Council would likely want her dead if they found out about her condition. There are ancient laws which state that half-vampires must be put to death wherever they are found. Until we find out what Lord Taranas is doing, however, I won’t tell the Council about Tara. I’ll tell them that she was attacked but not bitten.”
I looked at Lucius in surprise. “You’d lie to your bosses to keep me safe?”
“Not to keep you safe,” said Lucius, “but to ensure that the Council doesn’t act rashly. There’s still much I don’t know about Taranas’ plans, and until I find out, I don’t want anything happening to you.”
“Won’t they get mad if they find out?” I said.
Lucius simply shrugged. “Vampires are not known for their honesty, especially us Order members. Besides, I’m far too valuable for them to even think about getting rid of. It would be too much trouble for them.”
Lucius flashed me a playful smile when he said that, which made my heart skip a beat despite myself (did my heart still work even though I was technically part-undead?).
Then Lucius stepped into the shadows of a nearby corner and vanished without a word, causing me to almost jump out of my bed in surprise.
“Did he just …” I looked at Dad. “Did he just disappear into the shadows?”
Dad nodded. “Yes. Vamps can travel through shadows like that. You’ll get used to it.”
I supposed Dad was probably right—and if I was really part vampire, then maybe I would learn how to do that myself at some point—but given all of the surprises and shocks that I had endured so far, I wasn’t as certain of that as Dad was.
One thing I was certain of, though: My life had changed, forever. And not in a good way.
CHAPTER SIX
I couldn’t sleep that night. Literally. Every time I closed my eyes to rest, I wouldn’t feel even remotely tired and my eyes would just flip open again. Dad told me that it was because vampires don’t sleep and that they are actually more active at night than at day. He said that my lack of sleep would probably not negatively affect me, though given how I was technically half-vampire, I wondered if the rules for normal vampires actually applied to me or not.
In any case, I stayed at Dad’s house, rather than go back to my apartment in Greensboro, which was about an hour from here. Dad insisted that I stay with him until I get my powers under control and understand the full extent of what I could do and what happened to me. I didn’t object to that, necessarily, but it would be a bit problematic because my boss, Tony, was expecting me to come into work tomorrow morning and would be wondering where I was if I didn’t show up. Additionally, my cat, Frederick, would also be wondering where I was and I had no idea who would feed him and make sure his water bowl was full. I would just have to call my boss tomorrow and let him know I would have to take time off.
Lying in bed that night, I just stared at the ceiling. The blood lust in my mouth was hard to ignore. All I wanted to do was sink my fangs into the neck of someone and suck all their blood from their body, but I forced myself to stay put. Dad said that my blood lust could make me get up and sneak out into the middle of the night to feed, though he also said that my blood lust might not be as strong as it could be due to my unique nature. Maybe Dad was right about that, but I could tell that if I didn’t get some blood soon, I wouldn’t be able to control my thirst anymore. I thought about how Dad was just a couple of rooms down and how I could potentially drink his blood, but I stayed where I was, because the idea of sucking out the blood of my own Dad was just too horrific for me to even contemplate.
What was even worse about not being able to sleep were the thoughts that plagued my mind. I kept wondering what being a half-vampire meant in regards to my salvation as Christian. I didn’t recall a single Bible verse that discussed what happened to Christians who became soulless killing machines that were apparently the spawn of Satan. I knew that the Bible spoke of believers never losing their salvation, that nothing could snatch us from the hand of God, but would God still want me if my body and maybe even my soul were corrupted by Satan’s touch? Would I be condemned to hell when I died? Hell, could I die at all anymore? Would I live forever unless some ‘vampire hunter’ (which was another one of those terms I would have to ask Dad to explain to me) killed me?
Even worse, could I still have children? I had had dreams of becoming a mother at some point. I just hadn’t found a man I thought would make a good husband yet. Could vampires breed? And even if we could, what man would want a creature like me? Would any children I have also be vampires or would they be normal?
My grim thoughts were interrupted by a sudden ringing sound on the desk next to my bed. I looked over and saw that someone was calling me on my phone. Picking up my phone, I looked at the screen and was relieved to see the familiar face of my best friend in the world, Jane Gardner, displayed. Though Jane was only a year younger than me, she was very short and young-looking to the point where she was often mistaken for a teenager by people who didn’t know her well. We got along great, however, and she always knew how to make me forget about my troubles.
I put the phone against my ear and said, “Hi, Jane. You’re up late.”
“Tara!” said Jane’s high-pitched, nervous voice over the phone. “Are you okay? You sound weird, husky and stuff. You aren’t sick, are you?”
“Uh, I’m fine,” I said, though I knew that was a lie. “Why do you think I’m in danger?”
“Well, I just saw an article on Facebook about the attack on your dad’s church in South Side,” said Jane. “It didn’t
say much except that a big crazy guy broke into the church and attacked someone at the pulpit. I remember you told me you were going to visit your Dad in South Side and I wanted to make sure you got out of the church safely.”
I rubbed the part of my neck where the Bloodseeker had bitten me. “Yeah, um, I was actually the person attacked.”
“Oh my god!” said Jane in genuine shock. “Are you okay? There weren’t any pictures of the attacker, but I saw comments from people at your church who said that the guy was as big as a bodybuilder.”
“I’m fine,” I said quickly. “He didn’t break any bones or stab me or anything. I got a few bruises, but that’s it. I didn’t even need to go to the hospital because my dad took him down pretty quickly. It was just the shock of the attack that hurt more than anything.”
“Are you sure?” said Jane. “Well, I’m glad to hear you’re all right, but the news report said that the police have confirmed that the attacker escaped the church and is still at large. They’re asking everyone in South Side and the surrounding area to keep an eye out for a big guy in his mid-thirties who has pale skin and red eyes. What if he comes back to finish the job?”
Remembering what Dad had told me about lying to the police about the Bloodseeker, I said, “Oh, I don’t think that’s going to happen. My dad is good with a shotgun and if anyone came to our house with the intent to hurt me, they’d get their chest blown up. I think the creep is probably going to leave me alone, especially with so many people now on the lookout for him.”
“I hope you’re right,” said Jane with a shudder. “I was stalked by a crazy ex for over a year before he tried to attack me, though the guy I was dating at the time protected me and made sure the crazy ex got arrested. Granted, this guy who attacked you wasn’t an ex, but still. Why did he attack you, anyway?”
“I … don’t know,” I said. “As far as I can tell, he’s just a crazy guy who likes to break into churches and hurt pretty young woman. Maybe he gets off on it or something.”
I had almost told Jane that my attacker had bitten me and tried to turn me into a vampire, but then I remembered the Secrecy Pact that Dad had told me know about and I changed it at the last second. Technically, I hadn’t sworn to any pact yet, but I wasn’t sure if it was wise to tell Jane that I was half-vampire. I was still processing all of yesterday’s revelations myself. There was no way I could explain it all to Jane, especially not over the phone. She’d probably think I lost my mind or was lying to her or maybe both. And the last thing I needed was my best friend in the world thinking I was a crazy liar.
“So creepy,” said Jane. “Will you be coming back to Greensboro tomorrow?”
I shook my head. “No. I’m going to stay with Dad for a while. The attack really shook me up and I’m still afraid that my attacker will come back at some point. I don’t know when I’ll return.”
That was the truth. At this point, all I knew was that I was going to receive training with Lucius tomorrow and maybe Dad would also teach me more about my magical powers, but I had no idea how long any of that would take and didn’t want to say anything to get Jane’s hopes up.
“I understand,” said Jane. “I’ll feed Frederick for you until you get back. He likes me, so I don’t think he’ll mind, but I think Tony is going to wonder where you are.”
I grimaced. Tony was my boss from work. While he was generally a pretty cool guy, he was also very stern and didn’t take well to employees who didn’t show up on time, especially if they didn’t let him know in advance. I had seen him fire people who were late for work even just one time and, while I didn’t think he would fire me immediately for tardiness due to my excellent track record of showing up on time, I couldn’t deny that that was a real worry of mine.
“I’ll call Tony myself tomorrow morning,” I said. “Don’t worry about him. You just focus on feeding Frederick. And don’t worry about my rent, either. I already paid it this month and have enough in savings to pay for next month, too, if necessary.”
Oh, boy. That was another thing I just realized I would need to deal with. If I couldn’t go back to work because of my condition, then I would eventually run out of savings and be kicked out of my apartment. Dad would probably let me stay at his place like I was currently doing, but the thought of losing my place due to circumstances I couldn’t control just added onto my already high stress levels.
“Well, if you say so,” said Jane. “But I didn’t call you just because of the Facebook article I read. Something happened tonight that made me want to check on you.”
I tugged at a strand of my hair absentmindedly. “What happened? You weren’t attacked yourself, were you?”
“Thank God I wasn’t,” said Jane. “But someone showed up at your apartment asking if you were around. A real creepy guy, too.”
I paused. “Who was this guy and why did he want to see me?”
“He didn’t tell me his name or why he wanted to see you,” said Jane. “I just heard knocking outside my apartment and looked out because I thought someone was knocking on my door. Turned out the guy was knocking at your apartment door across the hall from mine. He stopped as soon as I opened my door, though. I think he was trying to force open the door at first, but gave up when I saw him.”
I gulped. “What did he do after that?”
“Turned around and asked me if you were home,” said Jane. “I told him you were probably still out, but I didn’t say where because my spider senses were tingling like crazy around this guy. He thanked me for the information and left, but I followed him without him noticing just to make sure he wasn’t some kind of criminal. I lost track of him in the parking lot, however. He just seemed to disappear into thin air, like a ghost.”
“What did he look like?” I said.
“Creepy,” said Jane. “He was really tall and muscular, but his skin was so pale that I thought he was sick. He had thick sunglasses over his eyes and his teeth seemed to be pointed, but I didn’t see them very well because he didn’t open his mouth much when he talked.”
My eyes widened. That sounded like a vampire. Was it one of Lord Taranas’ minions? Maybe Lord Taranas had sent one of his minions to check on me and make sure that the Bloodseeker had succeeded in attacking me and Dad. I guess they must not have realized I hadn’t returned to my apartment yet, though they now knew thanks to Jane.
“I don’t recognize him,” I said. “He didn’t give you a name or anything?”
“Nothing,” said Jane. “He didn’t seem to be with the government or anything. I think he was just a creeper trying to break into your apartment to steal your stuff and only came up with that lie about being your friend to make me talk, but I—”
“Wait, what did he say about being my friend?” I interrupted.
“Oh, didn’t I mention it?” said Jane. “Guess I must have forgotten to mention it earlier. The creeper told me that he was just an old friend of yours who hadn’t seen you in a while and wanted to visit you since he’s in town on business.”
“He doesn’t sound like any friend I’ve ever had, old or otherwise,” I said. “And what kind of ‘business’ was he on?”
“Acting like a real creep,” said Jane sarcastically. “Seriously, though, I don’t know. He just gave me such bad vibes that I didn’t want to spend even one more minute in his company. He had really bad breath, too, like blood, and I should know what blood smells like because I’m a nurse and deal with that crap every day.”
Definitely a vampire, then, and most likely one of Lord Taranas’ minions. I didn’t know what kind of ‘business’ a vampire could have in Greensboro, assuming that wasn’t just a lie he made up to avoid blowing his cover. Given how bloodthirsty vampires are, I was amazed that he had let Jane live at all. Maybe he thought it would attract too much attention if he killed her.
“Well, thanks for calling me and letting me about this,” I said. “I think I’m going to stay at Dad’s house a little while longer, but if you see anything suspicious around the apartmen
t, don’t hesitate to call me and let me know.”
“Sure,” said Jane. “And I’ll make sure that Frederick is kept fat and happy, which is sort of his default state, but you know what I mean.”
I smiled, which was the first time I’d smiled in what felt like a lifetime. “Yeah, I know. Thanks.”
I ended the call and put my cell phone back on the desk, but my mind was still on the phone call. Jane clearly didn’t understand who that guy was, but in her defense, I only understood the situation barely better than her.
What this revealed to me was that maybe Lord Taranas hadn’t been trying to kill Dad after all, but had deliberately sent one of his minions after me. It was a scary thought, to be the target of a Vampire Lord, if Taranas was as dangerous and powerful as Lucius said he was.
And with this information in mind, even if I could have slept, I doubt I would have. I just stayed up all night long until the first rays of the sun started to creep in my room through the window opposite me, never letting myself close my eyes for even a second in case the vampire who tried to break into my apartment came here and tried to get me.
CHAPTER SEVEN
When the first rays of the sun flooded my room, my eyes started to hurt like crazy and I yelped in pain. They felt like they were going to melt out of my sockets, so I jumped out of my bed, rushed over to the window, and closed the curtains shut. As soon as I did, the room became almost pitch black, with only the soft, dulled glow of the sun from behind the curtains to provide illumination.
Still, I rubbed my eyes with my hands, because they continued to hurt even with the light dimmed. It felt like the time I had gotten soap in my eyes as a kid, except even worse. Luckily, the pain was going down fast now that I had covered the window, but I had a feeling it would be a while before it went away entirely.
Suddenly, the door to the room burst open and Dad appeared in the doorway wearing his green bathrobe, saying, “Tara, are you okay? I heard you scream and wanted to make sure you weren’t hurt.”
The Vampire Sword (Vampire Sorceress Book 1) Page 4