“Why would he have that file? It must have meant something. Same with Baltimore.” Dixon repeated “W. Minster” a few times. “For some reason the name sounds so familiar.”
William looked over to him. “How do you spell the last name ’Fynwent’?”
Dixon spelled the last name but focused on the initial and middle name. Just then, the answer came to him. Mud had been on Charles’ boots and in the car. Dixon knew where the blood was! He slapped his hand on the table, which caused Julian and half the vamps in the room to jump — the two babies, who were sleeping, were now stirring.
Sterling and Sulie immediately went about calming the babies. Dixon smiled when he heard Sterling say, “Uncle Dixon didn’t mean to wake you up. Shhhh…”
Uncle Dixon. Dixon liked the sound of that. Since everyone waited for him to continue, he added, “Charles hid the blood at the Westminster Hall. It’s located in Maryland.”
“But Westminster was only the first part of the name,” William mentioned. “What about Fynwent?”
“It could be something around the Hall,” Sterling speculated as he calmed baby Conner down.
“Wait. The name of the cord blood company was a Welsh word. What if Fynwent is also a foreign word?” Dixon guessed.
“Charles’ family does have a Welsh background.” Raymond typed on his keyboard. “Bingo.” He let out a chuckle. “The word means cemetery. Is there one near the Hall?”
“There is,” Dixon snapped. “The burial grounds of Westminster Hall. I went there on my 5th grade field trip. The cemetery was established around 1786 and it has famous and important people, like Edgar Allen Poe, buried in it.”
Typing away once again, Raymond brought up a directory of the burial grounds and displayed the information on the wall. He scrolled through the names and plot locations until he found a listing under Charles Townsend. “A crypt. Purchased in 1788.”
Sulie nodded. “He was alive back then.”
“On my field trip, we walked around the grave sites. There are some sizable crypts. I’m guessing they’re large enough for blood storage and possibly a solar powered generator to keep a cooling unit working.”
“Well then,” Raymond said, “Alex, Brandon and Daniel will watch over the president. Sulie, Dixon and I will declare Charles dead, and Julian will claim his family line.” He glanced over at Brandon for confirmation of the schedule. “That leaves Ben and William to check what is in Sulie’s new crypt.”
“Sounds good,” Brandon acknowledged.
Chapter Forty–Three
Sulie led Sterling into Raymond’s private office at Fang Manor where she found Dixon, Alex and Raymond already seated at the table. In the last few days, the team had uncovered a wealth of cord blood in the crypt and had laid claim to a sizable fortune in money and lands for Sulie, but neither of the three sitting at the table appeared happy.
“Close the door Sulie,” Raymond said in a grim voice. “This is a family matter.”
Sulie took a seat next to Dixon, leaving the remaining chair across the table for her nephew. She watched as Dixon, Alex and Raymond exchanged glances.
“Our family has suffered a lot at the hands of Charles and Trudy,” Raymond began. “The recent kidnapping, assault on our team members, and the murder of Dixon aside, there have been other atrocities.”
“You have more information about Mom’s murder,” Sterling blurted out.
“Yes, and some other affronts as well,” Alex said.
Sulie’s face tightened with apprehension. She had no idea what her brother was going to share with them, but she had only seen this stern look from him a few times — and death was always involved. She reached over and took Dixon’s hand. He gently put his arm around her shoulder as she prepared for the worst.
Raymond gestured towards Dixon. “First the good news. We were questioning Julian for more details from when he was younger, back when Sulie and Charles were engaged. We experienced an interesting turn of events. We discovered Dixon has a talent.”
Sulie’s eyes lit up. “You do?”
Dixon smiled sheepishly. “Nothing super cool.”
“Don’t be so modest,” Alex chided.
“Dixon has an extreme recollection of events. He has always been able to remember minute details,” Raymond said.
“His photographic memory,” Sterling said.
“Yes,” Dixon answered.
“And even though I can’t compel him because of the subroutine, his thoughts are always clear to me. Actually, in vivid detail.”
Sulie noticed Raymond glance towards her and then look away. She wondered what types of graphics Dixon projected onto her brother.
“When we were questioning Julian, he had trouble remembering events. That’s when Dixon touched him.”
“All I did was touch Julian’s hand,” Dixon said. “Just to reassure him. Right away, his memories came back more alive and descriptive.”
Raymond nodded. “I could read Julian and dig into his memories for whatever I wanted.”
“What happened to Julian,” Sterling asked.
Alex shook her head. “He was fine.”
“And we got a lot of information from him. But keep in mind, he was a child when this took place. He heard things, but was too young to process what they meant. If it weren’t for Dixon’s ability, I never would have been able to retrieve this info.”
“And,” Dixon added, “Julian does feel bad about what his family has done. Please remember he wasn’t responsible for any of it.”
“He was always a sweet child,” Sulie said, remembering Julian back when she used to babysit him. “Please, Raymond. Just tell us what you found out.”
“Trudy murdered my wife,” Raymond said, looking at his son. “You were born a few weeks early, Sterling. From what Julian overheard, your mother was poisoned and went into early labor. Trudy wanted to kill her before you were born.”
Sterling closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Sulie noticed his jaw tighten, and he crossed his arms over his chest.
“So, the poison was slow to act or what?” Sterling asked. “She still gave birth to me. She still held me.”
Raymond’s expression softened. “No. She never held you. She died while trying to give birth to you.”
Sterling furrowed his brow and held up his hand. “You’ve always told me that she held me in her arms and died hours after my birth.”
“Yes. I told you that, but it isn’t true.” Raymond glanced over at Sulie.
Sterling’s face tightened, and he bit his lip. “What really happened?”
“I came home and your mother was in early labor. The midwife was already there. Your mother died while you were still within her.”
Several moments passed and Sterling’s expression grew to one of hurt. “This entire time, you lied to me.”
“I never told you because I assumed your mother’s human body was too weak to give birth to you. I was afraid you might think you were the cause of her death. I didn’t know your mother was poisoned.” He made eye contact with his son. “She lay dying with poison in her body and I never knew.” A tear escaped and rolled down Raymond’s face.
“She never held me,” Sterling said in a soft voice.
Sulie put her hand on Raymond’s back in support. “No, Sterling. She never did.”
Dixon reached over and touched Sterling’s shoulder.
“I’m sure she wanted to Sterling,” Alex said reassuringly.
Raymond held out his hands and looked down at them. “As your mother lay in my arms dying, I confessed to her exactly what I was.” Raymond shook his head. “I only scared her with the truth. This happened before my Jahrling Year, so I had no fangs to prove what I confessed to her, but when I cut my wrist and forced her to drink my blood… she panicked.”
“You tried turning her? You never told me that,” Sulie said. “You can’t turn a pregnant human. You end up killing the baby because its heart isn’t strong enough to withstand the turn. The mother usual
ly dies as well.”
“What other choice did I have?” Raymond countered. “She lay dying. Sterling was about to be born. I thought I might have a chance to save them both. Of course, my blood was too weak for the turn. She did swallow some of it, but I know now that she probably died of poison, not because she had bled out. The turning would never have worked.”
Raymond glanced over at his son. “Your mother died in my arms. I was surprised at how fast her body grew cold.” He closed his eyes. “She was gone, and I knew it. Trudy left before your mother’s last heart beat. I sat alone with your dead mother, but I couldn’t grieve. I only had minutes to save you, Sterling. I plunged my dagger into her belly and saved your life. Trudy didn’t know you survived. She found out later.”
Sulie reached over to the desk to get a tissue and she handed it to Sterling.
“And then, after Sterling was born, there was the problem of your engagement to Charles,” Dixon said to Sulie.
“What about it?” she asked.
“They discovered Sterling survived.” Raymond shook his head. “They told lies to Julian. Lies such as the baby had died, that I forced the engagement to be called off… Lots of lies. The truth was that they needed the engagement canceled because you had grown fond of Sterling and were helping me to raise him. They didn’t want a half–breed in their family. You were nowhere near your Jahrling Year. That was the problem, but also the solution.”
Sulie thought back to how her mother had explained the contract to her upon the engagement. “The marriage contract could only be dissolved in three cases. If either party developed a questionable ability after their Jahrling year, or if the bride was said to be pure and later was deemed otherwise, or if either party were dead.”
She closed her eyes and rested her head onto the palm of her hand. “Purity. Charles took my virginity during my sixteenth birthday party. Afterward, he spread rumors about me being a whore.” She looked up at her brother and then to Dixon. “I swear I only slept with him that one time. But I guess my indiscretion was enough to break the contract.”
Raymond cleared his throat. “No, that wasn’t it.”
“It had to be,” she protested. “I was years away from my Jahrling Year.”
“That was plan B,” Alex said, “which did get you out of the contract.”
“I don’t understand.” Sulie looked from one team member to the next.
Dixon gently rubbed her shoulder. “They tried to cancel due to another reason.”
Sulie’s heart sank. Trudy had already confessed the truth to her. She took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “The fire.”
Sterling looked at his father. “The fire that killed my grandparents?”
“She was years away from transitioning and as weak as any human.” Raymond took a deep breath. “Sulie, you were at my home, helping me take care of Sterling. He had developed a fever.” He looked over to Sulie. “You weren’t home when Trudy set fire to the house in the middle of the night and killed our parents.”
Sulie’s stomach twisted and a heart breaking cry escaped as she crumpled against Dixon. With her kidnapping and the marriage to Charles, she barely had time to consider that she was the cause of her parents’ deaths. It wasn’t that she was meant to die with her parents — she was the target and they were collateral damage.
“Sulie,” Raymond said to get her attention. “You are alive. Our parents would have died to protect you.”
Dixon held her tighter. “If you had been home, you would have been killed, too.”
It was now Sterling who handed over a fresh tissue from the box. He also took one for himself.
Sulie looked from Dixon to Raymond and over to Sterling. Her family had suffered too much already from Charles and Trudy. It was too much.
“Trudy stole your wife from you, Raymond,” Dixon said as he held Sulie. “She stole Sterling’s mother from him; and not only did she kill your parents, she tried to kill my darling Sulie.” Dixon’s gaze grew cold. “What’s our next step?”
“Julian knows Trudy’s routines, her hiding places, and even her trusted friends. The last time she saw him, he was tied up and our prisoner. Even though he claimed his family line and is still alive, there’s no reason for her to believe he’s working with us.” Raymond smiled. “Julian’s very eager to help us.”
“Help us with what?” Dixon asked.
Raymond’s jaw tightened. “Revenge!”
THE END
About the Author
Dear Readers,
I hope you enjoyed reading my novel, Enduring Service (Book Three of The Colony series). Please take a moment to leave a review on Amazon, Goodreads, and/or Barnes & Noble. Reviews encourage me to improve my craft and to continue writing this series. Thank you.
Please visit my website (http://www.reginamorris.com) for more information about the other novels in the Colony Series. Feel free to contact me through my website, through my social media sites (see my website for the list) or by email at mailto:[email protected].
I live in Austin, Texas with my husband and two children. I graduated high school in Germany and I attended the University of Texas at Austin where I received a degree in Computer Science with a minor in math. After enjoying a career in software engineering, I discovered that writing is in my blood, and had to put pen to paper!
The opinions I express in my novels are my own. My stories are my own intellectual property. Copyright (c) 2014, Regina Morris
Sincerely,
Regina Morris
Other Books in the Colony Series
by Best Selling Author Regina Morris
Vampires exist among us. They can be our neighbor, best friend, our child’s teacher…
They alter their aged appearance based upon the amount of blood they consume. They move to a new area, drink a lot of blood, and appear young. Slowly they limit their intake of blood and age, right in front of our unsuspecting eyes. After decades, they fake their death, move, and do it over and over again.
Most live quiet lives in an effort to blend in.
Some, however, want power and control.
The Colony is an elite group of vampires sworn to protect the President of the United States from these rogue vampires.
Eternal Service (Book #1)
Amazon Top 100 Bestseller
978–0–9888222–0–7 (ebook)
978–0–9888222–1–4 (paperback)
When Agent Raymond Metcalf, vampire coven master of the Colony, teams up with a human female operative–who has no idea that vampires even exist–will his mission or his heart be compromised first?
Career military woman, Alex Brennan, is being offered the promotion of a lifetime, and with it a romance that she has desperately been seeking. Does she dare accept the position as Director of the Colony, an elite group of deadly creatures of the night and risk a dangerous romance with a man who isn’t even human? Together, can they save the President?
United Service (Book #2)
Amazon Top 100 Bestseller
978–0–9888222–6–9 (ebook)
978–0–9888222–7–6 (paperback)
Sterling Metcalf is a modern–day vampire who clashes with his father’s antiquated ideals. Being the half–breed of the Colony group, Sterling hates being the team’s weakest link. He jumps at an opportunity to do some fieldwork rescuing kidnapped vampire children and is accompanied by Kate Spencer, the nanny of one of the children. Kate is a purebred vampire with a secret of her own. Can Sterling put aside his bad–boy ways and woo the lovely Kate? Will Kate accept the advances of a half–breed? Together, can they save the children from a religious cult who wants to kill them?
William’s Tale (Novella #1)
978–0–9914034–4–8 (ebook)
Available Summer 2014
Fifteen years ago, Colony Agent William Wardell met his future wife Jackie Pearlman. She’s sexy, opinionated, and finds him to be a mockery of the American dream of equality for all. Can a past Freedom Rider and raci
al activist from the 1960s, now turned vampire, prove to the love of his life that he’s not just a political puppet?
Reliant Service (Book #4)
978–0–9914034–2–4 (ebook)
978–0–9914034–3–1 (paperback)
Available Fall 2014
After faking his death from an assassination attempt on the President, and retiring his first and only alias with the Colony, Daniel Brighton discovers the mandatory sabbatical to be less than exciting. He chooses to do a favor and act as a security guard for a fading pop–singer, Lori Austin, whose career is winding down. He travels across Europe with her and discovers her past to be one of deception and intrigue with a history leading directly back to the Colony itself.
Lori Austin is struggling to keep her career alive, and is willing to do what is necessary to save it. From bad press and scandalous stories, she travels across Europe on a relief tour to revitalize her career, but doesn’t realize she is traveling with a vampire. Discovering a hidden family secret, she realizes that the one man who can save her is the handsome security guard she fought so hard not to hire.
Acknowledgements
Special thanks to my husband and our children for their love and support; to my sister for believing in me and encouraging me to follow my dream.
Many people have helped me in the creation of this novel. Special thanks to:
My Beta Readers: Chelle L. of Literal Addition and Lynn W. of the Paranormal Romance Guild
My Content Editor: Selena W.
My Line Editors: Sue M. and Kathryn Z.
My Proof Readers: Pennie B, Jean G., Rorie S, and Deb T.
I’d also like to thank my Street Team of supporters – For the Love of Fiction Team.
The support you have given me gave me the courage, strength and resources to complete this novel. Thank you!
ETERNAL SERVICE
Colony Series, Book #1
Chapter One
Raymond recoiled from the sight of the woman’s blood on his hands as he struggled to keep the exhausted blood–soaked forger pinned to the cold hard ground. “You son of a bitch,” he scowled. The crisp dried leaves crunched beneath his prey. “That woman had a life, and a family who cared for her. You killed her like she was nothing.”
Enduring Service Page 23