Smoothing a hand over his freshly shaven head, he turned in time to witness the flash of a white light that overtook his small office.
Four warrior females of different nationalities and cultures stepped out of the light, all carrying varying forms of weaponry ranging from unsheathed swords, crossbows, and daggers strapped to their ankles and thighs.
Their leader, a darker-skinned warrior with locks piled high above her head in a complicated chignon, calmed his racing heart with warm and inviting amber eyes. “My name is Aklia,” she said, extending her palm for him to accept. She was nearly as tall as his six-five frame, her athletic build a complex structure of toned and hardened muscle. She looked like a specially carved masterpiece mysteriously brought to life as living, breathing art. “You are Archer, Sanaya’s primary Guardian.”
“I-I-I am,” he stammered, searching each woman’s face for an explanation.
“There is not much time to explain,” Aklia said. “My sisters are in the midst of battling an ancient and terrifying evil. Take me to Sanaya.”
“Who are you exactly?” Archer asked, standing.
“We represent the Council of Slayers,” Aklia said. “We act as guides and the power source for every new generation of Slayers. We are also her protectors.” She pointed to a brunette, who sported a short blade strapped to her ankle and a crossbow. Her peachy skin glowed underneath the low lighting as she bowed in his direction. “This is Natasha, Sanaya’s spirit sister and her mentor.”
“Natasha.” Archer studied the woman. “I remember reading about you. You were born almost a thousand years ago toward the end of the Roman Empire. You led a team of Guardians safely out of Rome and sealed off Cain’s first and only surviving heir in the caves of Mount Sinai.” He looked into the leader’s eyes. “And you,” he whispered. “You are …”
“Cain’s sister and the very first Huntress to hunt him,” Aklia said. “And Sanaya is my direct descendant. She needs our help. Where is she?”
“She’s probably asleep,” Archer said.
“Take me to her,” Aklia demanded.
Sanaya had barely drifted off to sleep when an incessant knock at her door woke her. Too sleepy to conduct a mental scan, she knew Maya was trapped in the advanced stages of REM. “I’ll get the door,” she said. Pushing her blankets over with a shove, she staggered out of her room to answer the front door.
“Sanaya, it’s me.”
Archer? Sanaya thought. What could he want?
She opened the door and saw four insanely beautiful and heavily armed women who looked as if they were on their way to a Cosplay convention.
The door to Charlie and Lisa’s room creaked open, and they rubbed their eyes as they came out to investigate the noise.
Sanaya stepped to the side to allow Archer and his four guests to enter. They greeted her with warm smiles and nods, their presence swallowing up the small living room space as Archer took center stage.
When Charlie and Lisa looked to Sanaya for answers, Sanaya shrugged.
Archer turned his attention to Charlie, whose green eyes stared back at him curiously, her wild red hair an untamed catastrophe that she struggled to smooth away from her face.
“Team meeting,” he said. “Go wake up Maya.”
Charlie and Lisa made their way into Sanaya’s room to wake up her friend, while Sanaya leaned against the couch.
“Sanaya,” the beautifully built dark skinned woman breathed, bowing before her. “We spent years searching for you, and the moment we located your energy signature …” Crystal tears filled the woman’s eyes as instant recognition filled Sanaya’s senses.
“You’re Aklia!” Sanaya exclaimed. “You are Cain’s sister! How?” Dizzy from the realization and a bit discombobulated, she fell off the arm of the couch and into the seat.
“These ladies are members of the Council of Slayers, kid,” Archer said. “Live long enough to fight hard enough, and when you die you will become a member.”
“We thought we’d lost you,” Aklia said, taking Sanaya’s hand. “But as you grew older, so did your energy. It was bleak at first and we were unable to tell if you were a Guardian or not, but that night your father came home as a vampire, you tapped into that part of yourself that alerted us to your whereabouts and we were able to send immediate help.”
“But you didn’t come fast enough!” Sanaya remembered the night her father murdered her mother.
“We were too late, indeed, to save them,” Aklia admitted. “For that we are truly sorry. But worry not, we are here to inform you to call on any one of us should you need help.”
“Why are you doing this now?” Sanaya asked.
“Because there is a greater threat than the Master Vampire we proudly watched you destroy,” said the warrior Sanaya soon learned to be Natasha.
“You are the only one capable of finding him before he finds you,” Aklia said, releasing her hand and glancing in Archer’s direction. He nodded in response to whatever mental message shared with him, and then she returned her gaze toward Sanaya. “Cain. You’ve already connected with his memories, which will be a beacon to you, and soon he will connect with your own memories. Only a living Slayer can defeat Cain.”
“And then there is Selene,” came the thick accented voice of a dark-haired warrior who rested against the small dining table.
“Yes, Cain’s malevolent daughter,” Archer spat.
Aklia sighed. “We do not have much time. If Selene is freed from her prison, she will wreak havoc on this world like never seen before. This is probably why you will enter Slayer maturity before twenty-one. We will strengthen not only you but those you have chosen as members of your team. Also, we are preparing a new location for you to fall back to should The Academy be breached again. Remember, call on us for help. Natasha is your spirit guide.”
The three women gathered around Aklia and joined hands. “Soon you will have everything you need to defend yourself and those around you.” The women vanished in a ball of white light.
Archer shook his head. “This job just gets more interesting by the minute, huh, kid?”
“I knew the vision I had in class had to mean something,” Sanaya whispered. “I just hoped that it was nothing more than that.”
“What I don’t understand is why you did not tell me,” Archer said.
Before she could respond, Maya emerged from the room rubbing her eyes with a yawn. “So, what did I miss?”
Chapter Six
Daemon awoke to Selene’s seductive grin in the center of his bed surrounded by countless bodies of drained humans.
Selene had completely regenerated to her full beauty: jet black, deep set eyes with high cheekbones to match, even brown skin as rich and dark as the soil that lined the Nile River. Standing at five-seven with coils of raven dark hair that fell to her waist and curled at the tips, she looked absolutely radiant.
Daemon’s shoulder still burned continuously from the silver, and his throat charred with thirst. He attempted to sit up, but Selene eased him back onto the mountain of pillows for comfort.
“Rest, darling,” she cooed. “After what you’ve done and all that you risked to save me, your worries are now mine.” She gently touched his shoulder where the silver lit up as soon as it detected her presence.
Daemon hissed in pain.
“This will eat its way through the bone until it makes its way to your heart.” She unsheathed a dagger he kept tied at his waist. “Those bitches will pay for what they did to me.” She admired the sharpness of the blade. “They will all pay for what they’ve done to you.”
Her normally coal-black eyes flashed a crimson red as she stuck the knife just above the silver and cut deep into his flesh. He screamed in pain and slashed at her with his other hand, but she would not be deterred. She sliced around the silver scorched flesh, removed a chunk of rotting meat, and cast it to the fireplace where it torched on contact. Daemon remained on the bed, sputtering up blood and curses. Flattening her palm against his che
st to calm him, she bit into her other wrist until an even flow of blood spilled from the wound and pressed it to his mouth.
He nursed like a newborn kitten, latching on with his fangs. “Yes,” she hissed. “Feed. Grow strong from my blood, and together, the world is ours.”
Dawn crept over the horizon, The Academy casting shadows as the sun climbed its way into the sky. Sanaya awakened by degrees, a new process her body had acquired when she became aware that she was a Slayer.
So much to process, Sanaya thought. Last night, I meet the Council of Slayers and the original Huntress who started it all, received word that Cain was still alive and that some female vamp named Selene is a new threat, and all of this only six days before my eighteenth birthday.
Yay, me.
Birthdays at The Academy were not exactly a big thing, but Sanaya wanted to maintain birthday customs even if they killed her. She needed something to remind her of normalcy as she trained and prepared for a future that would either be bleak or bright.
A ray of light forced its way through the blinds and burned right onto her face. With only one class and group training, she had a full day to learn as much as she could about the pending threat. Before he left, Archer told her there would be a mandatory team meeting with a few of the senior Guardians to discuss the next course of action. Wiping her face, she eased out of bed to get dressed and get ready for breakfast. She listened to Lisa and Charlie moving about in the bedroom, discussing last night’s events with excitement. Turning the gold handle of the faucet, Sanaya waited for the water to warm before washing her face.
Thoughts of Cain and what they may be up against tugged at her psyche. No one on her team had enough experience to fight anything stronger than a lower level vampire. Hell, they just went against their first werewolf clan the other night! To fight an original vampire, the original vampire, no—that fight could not possibly be hers. Why didn’t the Council of Slayers team up and go after him?
By the time Sanaya was ready, Maya had finally risen. Her hair, usually a soft profusion of curls that only required gel and a good brush, was all over her head. Her large, doe eyes were filled with crust, and she had a drool line that extended from the corner of her mouth all the way past her cheek.
“Morning, sleepyhead,” Sanaya chirped. “Ready for the day to begin?”
Maya groaned. “More like ready for it to end.”
Eve burst through the door all smiles. “Good morning, ladies.” She smirked at Maya. “Maya, you look like hell.”
“I feel like it,” Maya grumbled, dragging herself out of bed and heading toward the bathroom.
Eve shook her head. “She is definitely not a morning person.”
Sanaya shook her head. “Agreed.”
“I heard about last night’s visit,” Eve added. “That was a first. They’ve never made an appearance at The Academy before, not since the school was built. Usually they introduce themselves to a fully matured Slayer once she has proven herself in countless battles. But, things are different now. Anyways, when you guys are ready, I will escort you to breakfast and then the meeting starts at nine.”
“Okay, we will be ready.”
Eve bounced out of the room, her lengthy ponytail bobbing behind her, leaving Sanaya with the sound of Eve’s boots pounding the hardwood floor.
Sanaya plopped down on her bed with a huff, silently praying that her friend did not spend all morning in the bathroom.
It took almost an hour before Maya was fully functional and looking alive before they made it to breakfast. King and Bullet had already selected a table and were waiting for them when they arrived. Trent was seated at a table a few meters away. He raised his head just in time for his eyes to meet Sanaya’s, and she nodded for him to sit with the group at what had become known as “their” table. She watched him hesitate before grabbing his tray as she slid next to King. The group watched him take an empty seat next to Maya, who slightly bristled when his elbow made contact with hers.
Clearing her throat and wanting to divert the growing tension, Sanaya said, “We have a team meeting at nine.”
Bullet released a groan. “Man, what happened this time?”
“Something you would not believe,” Charlie said, yanking her hair back into a ponytail. “We got a visit from the Slayer’s Council!”
“What do you mean a visit from the Slayer’s Council?” King asked, glancing at Sanaya.
“The Council Slayers,” Sanaya said with a grin. “You know, the Slayers of the past. They exist in the higher realms working against The Darkness. They act as guides for current Slayers and select Guardians. O-M-G! Aklia! Aklia introduced herself to me.” Sanaya gasped. “I met the original Slayer, the very first, y’all, and she is baaaaaaaaad.”
“Whaaaaaaat?” King said. “What she look like?”
“Dark skin with the tightest dreads I’ve ever seen,” Sanaya said. “And dressed like an African warrior queen. She’s pure fire.”
“She came in with three other Slayers,” Lisa added, her slanted eyes filled with excitement.
“And they all were amazing,” Charlie said.
“And they came down for only a visit?” Bullet asked with a frown. “Doesn’t seem like a social call to me.”
“That is what the meeting is about,” Maya scowled. “I was asleep when they made their appearance so I don’t have the full scoop. But from what ‘Naya told me, this definitely wasn’t a social call.”
“So what does it mean?” King studied everyone at the table. “We gotta go on a mission or something? I mean, we ain’t even full Guardians yet.”
“She came to warn us,” Sanaya said, scooping up some mashed potatoes. “Remember that vision I had in class that I told you about, about Cain? Apparently that mofo might be alive somewhere, along with his daughter Selene, and none of that is good news, especially for The Academy.”
Silence followed as the group slipped into their individual thoughts, picking at their food as they processed the news of the potential threat.
Sanaya watched them, extending her senses and infiltrating their emotional grids. Trent was still on the outskirts, and she knew that whatever was coming for them, they needed to act as one. Old beefs had to die.
“And one more thing,” Sanaya said. “I think we need to let go of old issues. If I can let go of old stuff, then we as a group can, too.” She shrugged. “I’m just saying we have to act as one, even if we don’t see eye to eye.”
“I already know where this is goin’, boo,” King said evenly, eyeing Trent. “But in some situations, it is what it is. If a person can switch sides without a second thought on some punk shit stuff, why should I expect for that same individual to have my back against some werewolves or vampires?”
“Word.” Bullet reached across the table and pounded King in agreement.
“I ain’t switch sides!” Trent protested, glaring at King.
“Then what did you do?” King asked, meeting his glare. “You ditched us, you ditched your team, to play house with a chick that probably wouldn’t know what to do if she saw her first pair of fangs. And for what? Money?”
“Listen, guys,” Sanaya said, “there’s no need to—”
“Naw, it’s cool, Sanaya,” Trent interrupted, standing and grabbing his tray. He turned his attention Maya and her doe eyes. “I’m sorry, Maya. You have no idea how sorry I am. See you at the meeting.” Trent walked off, carelessly dropping his tray into the cart and attracting glances from some Guardians before disappearing through the exit.
“Good riddance,” Bullet mumbled.
“Fo’ sho’,” King added.
Lisa and Charlie frowned while Maya focused on the door Trent exited. Sanaya slumped back in her seat and sighed.
“Y’all ain’t right,” Sanaya said, shaking her head.
Chapter Seven
Daemon woke many hours later fully sated, surrounded by a swarm of bodies sacrificed for his regeneration.
Raising his head, he searched the room for S
elene, and when he could not detect her presence, he pushed away the lifeless body of another runaway and stretched. He stepped away from the king-sized bed and stretched once more, opting to walk instead of dematerializing to the bathroom to shower. His shoulder no longer burned from the strike of that cursed blade of the Slayer. He felt centuries younger, rejuvenated, better than ever. Flexing his arms and using his will, Daemon turned on the shower and waited until the room filled with steam before stepping in. He was concerned that he could not sense Selene’s presence in his lair, which meant she might be out in the human world, gorging herself on blood, and that could lead to Guardian intervention—or worse. With a new Slayer on the planet, things could go awry, and with the Council of Slayers making earth plane visits, Daemon needed to put a plan in place and quickly.
He allowed the water to rinse away the dried blood that crusted and stained his skin. He would need to go out into the human world soon. He heard from his familiars that the Beast made an impromptu appearance at one of Petronius’s meetings, a valuable meeting he did not attend. Now he had no idea what either of his peers were up to, which placed him in a vulnerable position a vampire of his age and standing need not be in. However, he was allied with the one other entity that Petronius would probably give his eyeteeth for, and with Selene’s help he would be the sole ruler of The Darkness Organization and bring the world to its knees. Darkness would prevail, especially when the Slayer breathed her final breath and he had bled dry every single Guardian.
Stepping out onto the granite tiles, he materialized a Tom Ford business suit and slicked his hair back, exposing his perfectly symmetrical cheekbones. His full pink lips could pull back into a deceptive grin hiding viper-like eyeteeth that when lengthened, capable of ripping a throat in half. With himself and Selene out in the world operating at full capacity, they would rebuild the vampire kingdom to its former glory; appease the Beast with a blood sacrifice of the most recent Slayer, and terrorize humanity beyond eternity. But first Daemon needed to find out what dear old Alex and Petronius were up to before concocting his own plans.
The Vampire Hunters Academy: The Shadows Page 4