by Rayne Reilly
"Right now shifters are attempting to instill fear of vampires, while there are Pure Ones who are searching for a way to kill shifters. What you must understand is that the gods also created the thoughts of those troubled souls as well. As I have told Oroc, it is not your job to stop the rising crisis between the species. It is for the Golden One to do this.
"The reason I wanted to meet with you in person is to share something that you do not know, something that you will share with your daughter when the time is right."
Alel turned and began to rummage through an old chest of drawers.
"Here it is," she said to herself as she pulled out a thick scroll and turned back to face them.
She held the scroll out in front of her and Xander took it.
"What's this?" he asked.
"It is the only surviving copy of the truth about Pure Ones and Shifters. It speaks of their origins...our origins. In it, you will find all the knowledge you seek. Even some knowledge that you did not want to know. Share this with the Golden One and she will know instinctively what to do with it. Do not let anyone else know you have it, nor let them see it. Many have died protecting our history. Many more will die until it is made known again."
"I don't understand. What does the history of the Pure Ones have to do with what is happening now?" Julie asked.
Alel tilted her head as Julie spoke.
"White tiger shifter...correct?" Alel asked.
Julie felt a shiver go down her spine. "Yes...how do you know that?" she asked the woman.
"I knew your ancestors," Alel said softly.
Julie felt confusion at what she was saying. "I was taught that shifters were a superior race of beings. I have never heard any mention of Pure Ones...until recently. I find this new knowledge very disconcerting. My entire life as a shifter has been filled with lies. How could you have known my ancestors?" she asked with genuine curiosity.
"Read the scroll. You will understand. Now, if you have nothing further to ask, I must beg you to leave. It seems they are coming for me," Alel said with a hint of anxiety edging into her voice.
"Who is coming for you?" Oroc asked with concern.
"Please leave now. Before they find you here," she said as she pushed them toward the door.
Xander grabbed Julie's hand and headed out into the hallway in the direction they had come. Oroc hesitated.
"Oroc, we need to keep Julie safe. Come on," Xander said firmly. He clutched the scroll tightly in his hands as they hurried down the hallway.
Oroc pursed his lips and sighed before walking toward them. Julie noticed his face looked distressed. "Whatever happens to her now, she knew it. She told us to leave," Julie said sadly.
The three of them escaped the building unseen and hurried to the car that would take them back to Oroc's private plane and home to France.
***
Xander held the scroll in his hand the entire journey home. His heart thumped in his chest at the thought of what it might reveal. His mind raced with anticipation of reading it. Alel had told him it was the only surviving history. Now he and Julie were in charge of seeing that it was disclosed to both their kinds.
Back in Oroc's home in France, the three of them sat waiting for Xander to open the scroll and read its contents.
Carefully, Xander unrolled the two reels that were tied together with one piece of tattered cloth. Rolling them out on the table, the contents could be seen.
Xander glanced at Julie and Oroc. Both of them looked on eagerly, waiting to hear what the scroll said. Xander gazed down at the first bit of writing. It wasn't written in English. Xander scanned more of the writing. None of it was in English.
"I can't understand the language. It looks Sumerian or something," Xander said in frustration
"It's older than that," Oroc said knowingly. "May I see it?"
Xander nodded and turned the scroll reels to face Oroc.
"It is written in the language of the gods. It is the language I spoke when I was a child. I can understand it," he said sounding relieved.
Xander guessed that Oroc knew all along that it would not be in a common language. He sat back and held Julie close while she held a hand to her belly.
"Please read it to us?" Xander asked Oroc who was only too happy to oblige.
Oroc glanced over the first couple of paragraphs and then explained what it said.
"It looks as though the scribe who wrote this was called Djehuti. He was the scribe to the first Pharaoh of Egypt. You two may have heard of the name Thoth?"
"Yes. In Egyptian mytholgy, right? He was the deity of scribes, not a scribe himself?" Julie said.
"I beg to differ. He is the first scribe. He says so right here. It appears that what we know as Egyptian myth is, in fact, the true origins of shifters and Pure Ones," Oroc said in a serious tone.
"What does it say about them?" Xander asked impatiently.
"It appears to have been written nearly ten thousand years ago. The scribe goes on to talk about life at that time and what he knew of the creation of shifters and Pure Ones. I will have to paraphrase some of it so that it makes sense." Oroc paused a moment and then began to read aloud.
"In the beginning, there were untamed humans wandering the earth without governance or guidance. Then the gods came and created us, telling us to watch over the humans. The creatures worshiped us and did whatever we asked. We were able to change into animal form as we liked and the humans believed us to be greater than they were. The desires of my people were to control humans and use them as servants to do our bidding. It went well for some time.
"It appeared long ago that the gods were not the only creators on this planet. There was something older here. They, too, created beings and called them the Pure Ones. These creatures looked like we do but could not change into animals the way we do.
"The jealousy between our races created a bitter rivalry. The humans saw them as gods but we did not. These tall, white-haired beings with pale skin, in spite of living under the sun with us, are as strong as we are. They proved capable of stopping the humans from worshiping us. It was up to us to stop them from doing so. Their creators made a male and female of each of their kind. Ours did not.
"We feared that the Pure Ones would breed too often and out-number our kind. Our mates were not provided at our creation, we had to seek them out. Sometimes they were human and sometimes they were like we were.
"We implored the gods to stop them from creating more of their own offspring. They answered our requests by forcing these creatures into darkness, away from the sun lest it harm them. What we did not expect was that the gods would also force them to drink the blood of our servants, the humans. Soon these beasts were killing humans and reducing their numbers. It was decided that we would fight back by destroying them."
Oroc looked up from the manuscript, his eyes filled with what Xander and Julie could only interpret as pain.
Julie sat up straight and folded her arms across her chest. "Let me get this straight. Shifters were created first? Then Pure Ones? This scribe is saying that shifters tried to control humans?"
"They didn't just try,they succeeded," Xander said ruefully.
Both Julie and Xander shook their heads. Xander could not believe what he was hearing, and it was bound to get even more unbelievable. "Go on," he said, motioning to Oroc to continue.
"It looks like he mentions what we now call the purification wars," Oroc stated looking up at them.
"What are they?" Julie interrupted with a fearful look on her face.
"The shifters hunted and slaughtered Pure Ones for thousands of years, until most of the Pure Ones or their mates were dead. They didn't know that the female Pure Ones that were born were unable to have children. When some shifters had enough of the fighting, they helped arrange a treaty between both our races. The killing of humans by vampires stopped. Everything changed," Oroc responded before returning to the scroll.
"It looks as though someone else has written this piece," he continu
ed. "The writing changes slightly. I am not sure why. It says, the gods have become angry with us. Our oracles tell us that we failed the tests put before us. We did not know that only the first born generation of Pure Ones could procreate. The gods have decided to punish us in ways that we never imagined.
"We have been told that humans will one day no longer see us as gods. How can this be? It seems impossible since they do not have our power and strength. The Oracle said that in the future our kind will create offspring with the Pure Ones. For this heresy, the Oracle was put to death. We must not allow ourselves to lay with these beings that feed on blood."
Oroc paused a moment and tucked his hair back behind his ear. Xander could see that Oroc was as surprised as he was about the revelations.
"The Pure Ones have found a way to blend themselves with humans and create a lesser version of themselves," Oroc read.
"Turned-vampires," Xander spoke aloud. Oroc nodded.
Oroc ran his finger across the page and moved the reels to open more of the scroll. Finally, he found something that shifted his energy. He smiled as he read it out loud.
"Many years after the last entry someone records here, there was a meeting between the most powerful shifter families and the most powerful Pure Ones in the world. During the meeting, it was mutually decided that shifters would write the Pure Ones out of their history so that they could live in peace. The Shifters agreed to never again try to wipe out the Pure Ones so long as the Pure Ones did not reveal themselves to the public."
"I wonder if that's why the shifters have revealed vampires, so that they have the grounds to now hunt and kill them again?" Xander asked.
"What I don't get is how someone as strong as a Pure One can be killed by a shifter?" Julie asked.
Oroc raised his eyebrows and pressed his thin lips together. "Pure Ones use their hands to fight. Not weapons. Shifters figured this out pretty quickly and would wound the Pure Ones with projectile weapons. Once the Pure Ones were incapacitated, they would swoop in and behead them. The first ones made it easy because they simply refused to fight. That is why so many are now dead. There are less than ten thousand of us alive today.
"I had no idea that the warring between our two races went back as far as Egypt. This comes as a deep shock to me. As does the knowledge that the gods wanted the shifters and Pure Ones to mate. Let me finish this passage. I think you will find it of interest Julie," Oroc said with a nod of his head.
"One of the families in attendance at the meeting where the final treaty was signed was a family of white tiger shifters. They went on to take the name Williams as their surname several hundred years later. The Pure Ones had several families at the meeting as well. One of those families happened to be the parents of Dimitri Megalos."
Xander heard an audible gasp from Julie. "But my grandparents were killed in the wars, weren't they?" he asked.
Oroc nodded. "Yes, just as the wars were ending."
Both of their ancestors were at a crucial meeting that tried to bring peace to the warring races. Now here they were, all these years later wanting to bring about the same peace.
"Oh my God," Julie said in a breathy voice. "This is so unbelievable. It's like we were destined for one another," she said as she grasped Xander's face with both hands. He smiled at her as he felt himself warm to her touch.
"Indeed," said Oroc warmly. "It would seem that the gods had a plan and you two are part of it."
Xander kissed Julie and turned to Oroc. "I think we have heard enough for today. I wish to bond with my mate before the day gets any later."
Julie was grinning happily when Xander gazed at her lovingly.
Oroc stood and bowed. "I understand. I will leave you two alone."
"Don't run off!" Julie laughed.
Xander grinned. "We will be doing a Pure Ones ritual as well as a shifter bonding. We would like you to marry us."
Both Xander and Julie stood. Oroc smiled and took a step toward the happy couple. Julie threw herself at Oroc and hugged him tightly. Xander waited until she stepped back and he stretched out his hand to Oroc, who shook it happily.
***
Julie stood before Xander dressed in a pale blue, billowy cotton dress that accentuated her figure, while Xander wore a fine Italian suit that made him look even more handsome than usual. The staff had done a beautiful job creating a wedding for the couple in spite of short notice. Xander filled Julie in on what to expect for the vampire part of their bonding ceremony. After learning some of the truth of both their histories, they knew that no harm would come to Julie if Xander bit her and offered her his blood.
In fact, they found that the scroll had mentioned that by doing so, it would make their daughter more powerful because of Xander's half-Pure One blood. Julie would become immortal and live forever with Xander. Just the way that the original creators had intended.
Oroc smiled as he stood before the couple. He, too, had changed into a priest-like garment for this most special occasion. "We unite these two souls in an eternal bond," Oroc announced to the couple and the handful of staff that stood as witnesses to the ceremony. Oroc picked up a glass of red grape juice that had been substituted for red wine due to Julie's pregnancy.
He passed the glass to Xander and in a deep voice, asked, "Do you, Xander, swear to uphold the laws of the Pure Ones and honor your love bond with Julie for eternity?"
Xander stood tall and proud as he responded, "Yes. With my entire being I swear to remain with you and uphold the laws of the Pure Ones." He spoke directly to Julie, took a sip from the glass and passed it back to Oroc.
Julie beamed back at him, her eyes filling with tears of joy.
Oroc held the glass out for Julie. "Do you, Julie, swear to uphold the laws of the Pure Ones and honor your love bond with Xander for eternity?"
"Hell, yes! I do, for eternity." Julie held the glass to her lips and sniffed before taking a drink.
Xander and Oroc both chuckled as Julie passed the glass back to Oroc.
Oroc held out his hands, the glass still in one of them. "The bond is sealed. The witnesses present and I acknowledge the love-bond between Xander and Julie. You will be forever as one."
Xander reached into his pocket and pulled out a beautiful gold wedding band. He reached for Julie's hand, noticing that it trembled slightly. His chest filled with pride as he spoke. "I pledge my life to you, always and forever."
Xander placed the ring on her finger.
Julie flushed slightly as she gazed back at him. "I pledge my life to you, always and forever," she said.
Xander put his fingers to her chin and tilted her face toward him. "I love you, Julie Williams Bachman." He leaned down and kissed her softly on the lips. When he pulled back, Julie had tears streaming down her cheeks. Xander wiped them away with his fingers and held her head tenderly.
Julie licked her lips and stared at Xander for a moment in disbelief. He realized that it was the first time he had told her that he loved her. His heart was leaping with joy at having finally spoken the words.
"I love you so much Xander! You make me the happiest woman in the world!" she said through happy tears.
Xander pulled her close in an embrace as everyone in the room clapped.
Oroc politely excused himself after the congratulations. Even the staff became scarce suddenly. Xander couldn't wait to retire to their room to complete the bonding ritual. He knew that Julie would bite him during their moment of passion followed by him biting her as well.
The only difference would be that he would give her some of his blood to drink after he bit her. Surprisingly, Julie did not seem reluctant about the idea and was quite excited. It aroused Xander to know she felt that way. Until recently he had avoided feeding on donated human blood in front of her, not wanting to upset her. Again she was completely understanding about him having to do it and it only made him love her more.
He turned to Julie and kissed her passionately while pulling her close to him. His voice was filled with passion.
>
"Now for the fun part," he whispered to her. Julie laughed and pulled him toward the bedroom.
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
Epilogue - Oroc's Estate, France - almost three months later
Julie was soaked in sweat as the labor pains came and went. The midwife was busy instructing her to breathe, while a male doctor monitored her vital signs. Xander stood holding her hand and rubbing her forehead as she cried out.
They didn't expect any problems to occur. So far the pregnancy had been normal and nothing out of the ordinary had occurred. Julie's belly had ballooned quickly after the first few weeks of pregnancy. She was looking forward to giving birth and wondered on more than one occasion how human women managed to go nearly nine months being pregnant.
Another labor pain shot through her and she moaned in agony. Xander silently offered his support as she squeezed his hand.
"Get ready to push Julie, you're doing great! Okay, now push!" the elderly midwife instructed.
Julie let out a scream as she bore down, she could feel the baby moving through the birth canal. She continued to push, closing her eyes she imagined the baby she would hold in her arms...the beautiful result of the love she and Xander had for one another.
Moments later, she was told to push again. This time it was enough for the eager newborn to enter the world. Julie held out her arms eagerly to receive her child. Tears and sweat rolled down her cheeks as the midwife wrapped the newborn and placed her in Julie's arms before stepping aside.
The doctor congratulated the new parents. Xander's eyes were filled with tears as he peeked at the swaddled child in Julie's arms. His wife felt Xander's lips on her forehead and looked up into his face. "We did it! We made a baby! A beautiful baby!" His voice was choked with emotion.
"We did!" Julie said with a small nod. Her heart felt as if it would burst with the love she felt for Xander and the new life they created. She pulled the baby close to her face and watched as the infant stopped looking around and fixed her eyes on Julie. Chills ran through Julie as she realized that the daughter she was holding knew who she was.