Enduring Service

by Regina Morris

  From the corner of his eye, Daniel could see the Beast, but he remained steadfast in the crowd watching. The President would be safe once inside the car with its bulletproof glass, reinforced armor, and anti–terrorist safety features. Daniel counted off the President’s footsteps. Four more steps and the human would be safe.

  With his acute hearing, Daniel could hear a gun cock and a bullet entering its chamber from off in the crowd. Fearing for the President’s life, Daniel sprung into action. He was unsure which direction the bullet would come from, but he did know the exact location of the President, and that’s all that mattered. Daniel pushed past the two human Secret Service agents nearest the Beast and stood directly behind the President, sandwiching the man between the opened car door and himself.

  A moment later, Daniel heard the shot and then a bullet streaking through the air. His sense of smell picked up the scent of gunpowder in the air as he towered over the President.

  The crowd screamed. Agents quickly pulled their guns, surrounding the President.

  Daniel stood tall, holding out his arms to protect the Commander and Chief. A bullet whistled past the outer line of defense and continued its deadly path. The hot lead missed its intended mark, but hit Daniel in the jaw where it traveled through his neck before lodging in his spine.

  Pain caused Daniel to cry out. His purple blood sprayed from the wound covering one of the nearby agents, the cement sidewalk, and the inside of the still open car door. Involuntarily, his head flung back, removing any hope Daniel had of spotting the shooter.

  A mass frenzy of human agents was able to jump the shooter as a second shot was fired. Daniel felt his knees grow weak. He took a step backwards, away from the President. In the earbud com unit, he heard frantic orders for the Beast to leave. Evacuate. Keep the President safe.

  Daniel stumbled, then righted himself. He turned and pushed President Harriman into the vehicle. He noticed an agent from within the Beast grabbing the President, pulling him to safety, as well. The sudden tug caused Daniel to further lose his balance. A Secret Service agent, standing on the sidewalk and covered with Daniel’s blood, roughly pushed him in after the President in a desperate attempt to close the still open limo door as quickly as possible.

  His head hit the President’s knee and caused more searing pain. Daniel lay on the floor of the Beast as it sped from the auditorium and entered the streets under police escort. Blood poured from his wound onto the President’s pants and soiling the floor. He detected two bullets, but didn’t know if the President was also hit.

  The President pulled himself into one of the seats. “I’m fine,” he said repeatedly. The man’s face was white with fright and Daniel heard the man’s speeding heart rate. He heard every human heart beat in the car. His eyes blackened and his fangs extended to their full–length. He needed to feed. Feed, or die.

  Daniel listened as the President continued to proclaim he was fine. Relief washed over Daniel. He had done his job. But if someone didn’t remove the President from within his reach, Harriman would be his next meal.

  Sulie inspected the President and declared him healthy. She had been the President’s private physician for his entire tenure, just like she had been for all the presidents since Lincoln. She was another member of The Colony, a covert team of vampires who have protected presidents for well over a century. She was also a vampire, just like Daniel. She moved from the President and now sat next to her fallen team member on the floor. “Daniel,” she began, “I need you to look at me. Focus on me.”

  Daniel’s initial aged appearance had been in his late sixties. His purple vampire blood pooled on the floor. The blood darkened, his body growing old before their eyes. In the moments since he had been shot, he had aged ten years.

  Sulie leaned over, sealing the entry point in his jaw with a lick, but Daniel knew the wound was bad. The determined, yet sad, expression on Sulie’s face told him as much.

  “You can see his jawbone,” Brandon the Colony Director said.

  Daniel’s eyesight began fading, but he looked over to Brandon. He was human. He had blood in his body. Blood that Daniel needed.

  “It will heal,” Sulie insisted. “The bullet is lodged in him. It’ll work itself out soon.”

  Daniel counted the number of syringes of human blood Brandon injected into him. He felt the human red blood pouring out his wound and knew it was mixing with the dark purple pool on the floor.

  “We need more blood,” Sulie cried out.

  Weakness overpowered Daniel, and he could no longer see. Brandon injected another syringe of blood into Daniel’s thigh. The hiss of the syringe was slight compared with the sound of Brandon’s beating heart.

  Before he lost consciousness, Daniel managed to say, “I really loved my life.”

  Books by

  Silkhaven Publishing, LLC

  Eternal Service by Regina Morris

  Growing Up Lately by Sue S Morris

  Facebooking with Mona by Sue S Morris

  United Service by Regina Morris

  The Story of Jane by Sue S Morris

  Due Out 2014

  Enduring Service by Regina Morris

  William’s Tale by Regina Morris

  Time Historian: Mystery at Preston Hall by Lillian Kendall

  Reliant Service by Regina Morris

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Vampires Live Among Us

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Chapter 40

  Chapter 41

  Chapter 42

  Chapter 43

  About the Author

  Other books by Regina Morris

  Acknowledgements

  Eternal Service chapter excerpt

  United Service chapter excerpt

  Willian’s Tale chapter excerpt

  Reliant Service chapter excerpt

  Other Books by Silkhaven Publishing, LLC