by Rayne Reilly
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Julie was sitting on the tailgate of the van when the team arrived. Xander had managed to bring not only Jake and a few task force members but an entire S.W.A.T. team.
Jake called out to a few of the agents, "Cover the perimeter now."
Xander rushed over to Julie and wrapped her in his arms. He smoothed her hair and pulled himself back to get a better look at her.
"Are you okay?" he asked.
"I'm fine. I'm glad to see you," she said.
"Ditto," he said with a sexy grin.
Jake approached the two of them.
"How did you get yourself abducted?" he asked.
"They got me as I was getting out of my car at home. I didn't have a chance to fight."
"How did you get out of the van? Did they restrain you?" Jake looked confused by her answer.
He looked her over and shook his head.
"Yes. I...someone stopped and helped me...he left before I could ask his name." She glanced at Xander and back to Jake. She could tell Jake wasn't buying her story. "I'll catch you up later after all this is done. Right now we need to get inside that building and find out what the hell is going on."
Jake nodded and motioned for the team to come close. "We don't know what we're walking into, so everyone stay alert."
Julie and Xander exchanged a knowing look. Xander passed Julie a gun and helped her put on body armor. Both of them followed the team of people that were preparing to enter the building.
They stood back as a couple of the men proceeded to break down a door to the facility. It gave way easily under the pressure of the battering ram. The agents ran through the door guns raised, in single file.
"F.B.I. on the floor now, hands behind your head!" Jake yelled.
Several people in lab coats stared wide-eyed as the uniformed men and women burst in, pointing guns at them. Each of them fell to their knees with their hands up. Agents moved in, cuffed them and removed them from the building.
Jake, Julie, and Xander rushed to the few beds that had shifters on them.
Julie approached a young woman on a cot. The woman was barely conscious. Julie checked for a pulse. It was faint but steady. She pulled the intravenous tube out of the woman's arm and pulled back the sheet that was covering her. The woman's body was frail and emaciated. Julie felt nauseated at the sight.
"We need an ambulance! Now!" she yelled.
There were two men and another female shifter in a similar state. Jake approached Julie and frowned.
"I don't understand. Where are all the shifters?"
Another agent approached them. "That's it. We've checked everywhere. There's no one else here."
Julie, Xander, and Jake stood outside shaking their heads at this late night turn of events.
As they watched the last ambulance leave, Xander turned to the other two and said, "So where the hell is Green? I talked to a bunch of white coats and no one even knows what he looks like."
"Shit! There must be another facility," Jake snapped. "There are at least another twelve missing shifters."
***
After the crushing disappointment of not finding all the shifters or Doctor Green, the group returned to the office to interview suspects, fill out paperwork, and debrief.
Around two o'clock in the morning, Julie felt herself growing sleepy. She laid her arms and head down on her desk and closed her eyes. Moments later she felt a hand on her upper back and smiling weakly, turned to look up at Xander.
"You've had a very eventful night. Jake has told us to go home. Let me drive you."
Julie stood wearily, and Xander put an arm around her waist. Together they walked to Jake's office to say goodnight.
"Good night, you two. Good job, Julie. I'm glad you're okay. I don't expect to see you two in here tomorrow. But call me in the afternoon."
Nodding at Jake, Xander escorted Julie to the elevator. He held her close to his side while they waited for the elevator. Julie smiled at his display of affection toward her. She pushed herself firmly up against his side.
He looked at her, "Would it be too forward of me to ask if you would mind if I stayed at your place tonight? I don't like the idea of leaving you alone after everything that's happened. Dimitri is still out there and has probably heard about our raid on the laboratory," Xander whispered.
Julie smiled and gave him a squeeze. Looking up at him she said, "I don't mind, and at least we don't have to work tomorrow. I would enjoy your company."
Xander grinned. The elevator opened, and Julie piped up, "I hope you don't snore," she teased.
When the pair arrived at Julie's apartment, both of them made themselves comfortable on her sofa.
Julie felt a little more awake than she had thirty minutes earlier. Now that she and Xander were completely alone, she wanted to find out more about him and make the most of their time together.
Xander sat back on the sofa with his arm across the back of it. Julie snuggled up against him.
"Can you tell me what it's like being a vampire? I've been curious ever since you told me," she said.
Xander chuckled. "I guessed you would be curious. I'd be surprised if you weren't. What exactly would you like to know?"
Julie pulled back and sat looking at Xander. "Why do Pure One's like Dimitri and Oroc look only as old as you and I?"
Xander grinned. "Because they are immortal and they don't age. It would seem that once they reached an age of about thirty-something, the process of aging stopped for them. I have looked the way I do for around one hundred years already. However, being part-human I don't know if I am immortal." He spoke softly.
Julie felt her eyes widen as she gasped. "You're more than one hundred years old already? And you don't know if you're immortal?"
Xander laughed and smoothed her hair down as he spoke tenderly. "Aren't shifters long lived?"
"Yes. Our life span is longer than a regular human. Though some of the people on the S.A.C. look pretty ancient." She laughed, then asked. "What abilities do you have?"
Xander rubbed his chin back and forth. "Some of my senses are enhanced. Probably a lot like you in fact. My hearing and eyesight mostly."
"You're pretty bloody strong too!" she exclaimed.
"Yes. I guess I am," he said with a laugh.
Julie was surprised when Xander put his hand to her cheek and caressed it. She felt herself go warm inside. She quivered at his tender touch.
"I was so worried that you wouldn't be able to accept me that I hesitated to ask you out. I wish I hadn't doubted myself. I've lost valuable time with you that we can never get back. If anything had happened to take you away from me, I can't imagine what I would have done," he said sweetly.
She wasn't quite sure how to respond. No one had ever spoken to her the way Xander just had. It was a little outside her comfort zone. She grinned at him feeling a little embarrassed. She didn't want to spoil the moment with a joke, so she reached out and touched Xander's face, mimicking what he had done.
Xander laughed.
"You haven't had many people declare their feelings for you, have you?" he asked.
She shook her head a couple of times. "I like it, though. And I like you even more," she said as she pulled his face down to meet hers. This time the kiss was far more passionate, and she wasn't going to let him get away so easily.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
1899 London England - Estate of Dimitri Megalos.
Grace Bachman was a voluptuous human woman with long dark brown hair and bright brown eyes. Dimitri had never been attracted to humans but Grace had managed to get his attention. From the moment he found her alone and destitute, he knew that she would provide him with more than the blood he required to stay alive.
She did not fear him in his natural state, as all other humans did. Like so many Pure vampires Dimitri had centuries to assure his financial security and his privacy through the properties he owned. Long ago, the Vampire High Council had forbidden their own kind from killing huma
ns to feed their need for blood. Many Pure Ones did not care to follow the Council's rule but Dimitri did.
He hoped that one day he would have the chance to sit on the Council himself and there he would get the vengeance he desired. The war with the shifters may have ended long ago but the killing of his parents was still fresh in his mind. He would see that all shifters paid for what they had done.
Living alone in the huge mansion, Dimitri spent his days reading and avoiding the sunlight. At night he would venture to the streets via horse and carriage. The smell of humans and the power he felt over them kept his feelings of superiority strong. When he saw Grace and took her for himself, he expected he would have to lock her up to feed on her.
To his surprise she was not only unafraid but she was happy to have him come to her aid. She had not wanted to live on the street and even though she had not been there long enough to sell her body, she held him in high esteem for what she perceived as a rescue.
Dimitri had thought about turning her into a vampire so that they could be together forever but the risk to her was too great. Not all humans could survive being turned. Many would survive the bite and drink his blood only to die in agonizing pain. He did not want to risk that with her. He could not bring himself to do it, even though it meant that she would one day die and leave him.
"How can you be pregnant? It's impossible?" Dimitri asked as he embraced Grace.
"I don't know. Perhaps it is God's way of blessing our union?"
Dimitri scowled."God does not care about Pure Ones."
"My lord?" she said taken aback.
"I'm sorry Grace. I know I should be happy. But this just isn't possible. We can only bring immortality to the living and even then, only to those that the gods feel deserve it. The unfairness of this...I want to be happy but I fear this will end things for us...this child cannot be real."
She rubbed her rounded belly. "But it is. I am having your child." She smiled and took his hand, placing it on her stomach. Dimitri held it a moment and then withdrew it with a look of sorrow on his face.
"My kind simply cannot create new life..." his voice trailed off and he smoothed his hair back.
***
Estate of Dimitri Megalos - Several months later
The evening air was damp with the threat of rain and the smell of peonies filled the air. Dimitri and Oroc walked through the gardens after sunset. Oroc and Dimitri had been friends since the early days of the Pure Ones in Egypt. The memory of childhood was faint and distant but the experiences since then had cemented the friendship to one of brothers.
Oroc avoided human contact even more than Dimitri and lived a life of quiet solitude in a small cottage in the middle of England. His visits to the city came about only several times a year and this most recent visit was due to the fact that Oroc felt it was time to leave England and venture to new lands.
"It is good to see you, Oroc. I am pleased that you have finally met Grace. She is a pleasant woman, is she not?"
Oroc turned to glance briefly at his friend before turning to face the path they were walking.
"Indeed. She is a fine human woman. I have to admit my surprise at your feelings for her. It is something unexpected."
Dimitri grinned and nodded. He had never fallen in love with a human before and finding out that she was pregnant only made him feel more perplexed.
"I too, did not expect to feel anything for a human or anyone. The loss of my beloved parents so long ago had left me feeling as though I would spend eternity alone." He said wistfully.
"I am pleased for you, brother." Oroc announced. The men embraced the evening air and the solitude of the gardens. They continued to walk without speaking for several more minutes.
Oroc stopped walking and moved to sit on a bench near a bed of roses and peonies. Dimitri joined him, and placing his hands on his lap he turned to look at his friend.
Oroc smiled as he spoke, "I have booked passage on a vessel that is headed to the New World. No one there knows about our kind; many of us have sought refuge there. We are planning to create a new life for ourselves in America. Perhaps you and Grace should join me? We can create a Vampire High Council as we discussed.
Dimitri was surprised at the suggestion and had to admit he felt ready for a change. His dream of sitting on the High Council was not something he wanted to ignore. However, traveling while Grace was pregnant was too risky. They could not leave England just yet. Dimitri shook his head.
"I cannot go." He stated firmly.
"Why not?" Oroc tilted his head.
"Grace is pregnant...with my child." Dimitri's voice was low and steady.
"But how?" Oroc's face betrayed his shock at the news. He paused for only a moment,"Have you told anyone about this?"
"No. I have not. I fear for the child and for Grace. I do not know how this is possible." Dimitri felt his insides begin to hurt at the thought of anything or anyone take Grace away from him. The idea of her being pregnant had left him afraid of what that might mean for him.
"Nor do I..." Oroc paused for a long moment before adding, "There is one thing you may not have considered."
"What is that old friend?" Dimitri asked, hopeful that Oroc might have an answer to ease his troubled heart.
"The prophecy of peace." Oroc said.
"Don't tell me that you believe in such things? The first Pure Ones made up that prophecy to make sense of the purification wars...to reassure us and try to make sense of what had just happened. To give us hope after so many were killed. That is all." Dimitri said.
"If that is true, how do you explain Grace being pregnant?" Oroc expressed.
***
Grace's screams could be heard reverberating throughout the mansion. Dimitri paced outside her room folding and unfolding his arms in worry. He could hear the midwife whispering to Grace to push. Grace's breath was faint and Dimitri's chest was tight. 'Please don't take her.' He pleaded to the gods as he raised his head skyward. 'I cannot lose another loved one.'
With one final scream he heard the faint cry of a child. Excitedly, he opened the door and burst into the room. The midwife quickly turned her head toward him.
"My lord, you cannot be in here."
Ignoring her he fell to his knees at the side of the bed. Taking Grace's hand in his it was limp and lifeless. He gently turned her face toward him. She was not breathing. The midwife was wrapping the child and placing him in the crib next to the bed. Dimitri stood and pointed down at Grace, his hand shaking.
"Help her! She isn't breathing!" He yelled.
The midwife hurried to Graces side and wiped her forehead. She frowned as she looked at Grace then leaned down to listen to her chest. She shook her head as she rose and looked at Dimitri sadly.
"She lost a lot of blood, my lord, I am sorry, there is nothing I can do." She left the room with her head lowered.
Dimitri sat on the bed next to Grace and pulled her toward him. She lay limp in his arms. He pushed her wet hair, damp with sweat, away from her neck and peered at her milky skin.
"Maybe if I bite you, you will come back to me!" he whispered.
Even as he bit into her neck he felt life had already left her body. Slicing his wrist he let drops of blood fall to her slightly parted lips in hope that he could revive her, make her immortal like he was. She didn't move. Gasping with grief he crushed her upper body to him, holding her tightly. Grace was dead.
In that moment of intense pain that he prayed he would never have to endure again, the baby began to cry. Dimitri's head turned quickly toward the sound. Slowly, he released his human lover and stood. His body trembling with unspent emotion, he approached the crying child. Carefully, he pulled back the blankets to reveal the tiny naked infant. The cool air caused the child to shiver. Dimitri's upper lip peeled back in horror.
"How can this be? You look human! You look nothing like me!" He said aloud to the infant.
He turned to look at the body of the woman he had allowed himself to love, then he turned ba
ck to the screaming child. "You killed her! You abomination, you killed her!" Dimitri put his hands toward the child, about to wrap them around its tiny throat when suddenly, it stopped crying and moved its eyes to his.
Dimitri froze, his mouth agape. He had not heard the midwife enter the room and rush toward the child.
"The child needs to be fed and cared for, I will take care of him. You will need to decide a name for the child, my lord." She picked up the baby and left the room quickly.
Dimitri stood, his eyes fixed on the empty crib. Tears filled his eyes, threatening to spill down his cheeks but he didn't notice. His body felt numb and cold. "Name him? I have a son? No...this can't be true...That would mean..." He murmured to himself, unable to comprehend the implications of the prophecy being true.
***
With the loss of Grace, Dimitri felt only hatred and bitterness for life and humans. He refused to see his infant son or spend any time with him until the child was old enough to walk and talk. It surprised him that the boy was aging almost as rapidly as Pure One children once had done. His son was only half Pure One but he had grown and matured far more quickly than a human child.
Dimitri did his best to keep an eye on his son while plotting the future he would have when he was appointed a seat on the Vampire High Council.
***
When Xander was a teenager he accompanied his father to America where Dimitri was finally given a seat on the Vampire High Council, thanks to his close friend Oroc Bestile. Oroc quickly took Xander under his wing when he saw the way Dimitri treated the young man. He educated him and trained him as a Pure One even though he looked human.
"You are an intelligent and capable young man" Oroc said after one of Xander's lessons.
"Thank you. My father doesn't agree..." the young man paused for a moment. "Oroc?"
"Yes, Xander?"
"Why does he hate me so much?" The boy asked sadly.
"Your father does not hate you."
"He does. He has told me so."
Oroc pressed his pale lips into a thin line.