I think he likes me ‘Naya, Maya teased.
Sanaya shrugged. He IS fine…But let’s get out of here before Archer comes in with reinforcements. You know how he is.
Chapter Seven
Daemon relaxed idly on the black leather sectional, directly across from the freshly lit fireplace, legs crossed, dressed in an all-black Armani suit and a pair of slip on calf-skins from the line’s recent inventory. He sipped from his wine glass filled with blood, still warm from the recent kill and eyed the master vampire standing next to the bar curiously. Ronan was the vampire’s name, and one of Daemon’s protégés, and perhaps the most ambitious of them all.
“I found her sire,” Ronan announced after a moment of silence.
“I know,” Daemon replied coolly before taking another sip of blood.
“I have even mind locked with her,” Ronan added carefully. He shifted his position against the bar and waited for Daemon’s response.
“Foolish move Ronan,” Daemon sighed. “The Guardians will come for you and I am not in the position to create any more masters!” Daemon tossed the wine glass, still filled with blood and watched it shatter against the pristine white walls of the master’s apartment.
Ronan recoiled and prepared himself for an immediate extermination by the ancient vampire, but when Daemon remained in his seat, Ronan relaxed only slightly. His instincts still kept him on the edge. Daemon was not one to bestow acts of mercy and in this case, there was still the ever present possibility that this may be his last night of existence.
“We can use this to our advantage,” Ronan began carefully. “We can use this to draw her out. We can infiltrate The Academy through her being that she is still young and gullible. We can cause division in their ranks.“
“And what will you do should she come to you of her own will? Answer me this Ronan: she is immune to our bites, so she will not turn. She has not, however, reached the age of maturity where there is a window of fertility that renders her vulnerable. The most you can do is kill her, which is not exactly within the agenda of our Dark Lord. So what will you do Ronan?”
“I…uh...”
“Have acted foolishly. I simply instructed you to watch, not mindlock with her and implement your own strategy!” Daemon dematerialized from the sectional and reappeared in front of Ronan in less than a blink and slammed the weaker vampire against the glass counter of the bar, shattering it.
“Give me one reason why I should not exterminate your incompetent ass this moment, and please, entertain me,” Daemon growled, pressing his now almost seven inch fangs against the master’s jugular.
“I can use her to lure the other young guardians,” he rattled off quickly. “Those who are not immune to our bites, we can diminish the Guardian ranks by targeting the fledgling Guardians, thus weakening her resolve. If we do this steadily, by the time she turns twenty- one she will be emotionally and spiritually broken and easy targets for whatever the Dark Lord’s plans are.”
Daemon relaxed his grip and retracted his fangs. “Your suggestion has merit. However, we already have someone in place to infiltrate and break her spirit as you have mentioned, but targeting the younger inexperienced Guardians will definitely have The Academy divided.” Daemon released him and took a step back to allow Ronan to collect himself.
Ronan adjusted the collar of his navy button down and smoothed out his slacks and cleared his throat. His pale citrine eyes met the abysmal darkness that illuminated from Daemon’s and smiled wickedly. “I can pick the guardians off one by one,” he offered. “And when the time comes for her to choose, she will not have much to choose from.”
“I give you full permission to terrorize The Academy,” Daemon concluded. “would result in tossing your carcass into the streets at dawn, or worse. The Guardians have proven themselves throughout the centuries to be worthy adversaries, and now is not the time for the empire to lose valuable resources.”
“I understand sire.”
“Good. And Ronan?” Daemon quizzed as he transformed into vapor.
“Yes?”
“I will be watching you very closely. Try to mate her before it is time and I will personally rip out your entrails and feed them to the wolves. Understood?” With that, Daemon disappeared into the night on a mission to continue the agendas of the Darkness Organization, but his own.
Sanaya and Maya met with Eve just outside of the hall, and as promised, both were met with a full Guardian escort ushering the two girls into the center of the group. All nationalities and races were represented by the seven Guardians, which made Sanaya wonder what each of their own personal stories were. One of the Guardians in particular being a huge six foot nine giant, with the nickname Congo, who guarded her from her right. Dark as the African sky on its blackest night, with a scar running vertically from his left eye to his cheek; he walked with the quiet cool swagger of a man who’d seen it all and done it all but was fortunate enough to talk about it. She’d seen him in passing a few times, and she knew he worked with the guardians responsible for dealing with the high level entities such as werewolves and vampires. He kept his eyes focused ahead of them, armed with several blades strapped to his utility belt, and dressed in military fatigues with his semi-automatic assault rifle, Sanaya knew without a doubt he would be one of the guardians on the hunt for the master vampire, and cringed at the thought.
They first walked to Maya’s dorm where she was told to grab a few of her things before heading to Sanaya’s room where she was instructed to do the same. Afterwards, they headed to the main building, next to the main chapel of the church and they were quickly ushered inside to the second floor. Sanaya shot Maya a nervous glance when they were finally left alone with just Eve and Congo in a spacious room, decorated with a small dining table, a flat screen facing a small sectional with two adjoining rooms offering a shared bathroom between the two.
Looks like a hotel room Maya, Sanaya mentally shot to her best friend.
I know right? I guess this is where we will be staying, Maya responded as she dropped her black and yellow duffle bag on the freshly polished hard wood floor.
“So ladies,” Congo began, crossing his massive arms against his chest. “This is where you two will be holed up until the situation is resolved.”
For some reason, the subtle reminder that a master vampire was tracking her brought on a new sense of dread. Sanaya eased her bag onto the floor and wrapped her arms around herself, leaning against the door frame.
“We’re going vampire hunting,” Congo declared, offering her a reassuring grin. “This will all be over before you know it.”
“I hope so,” Sanaya slowly exhaled, still leaning against the door frame.
“Alright, well I’m out. Gotta strap up for tonight,” Congo said, smoothing a palm over his bald head.
“Thanks Congo,” Eve replied warmly, flashing him her perfect grin.
“Keep smiling at me like that Eve and I-“
“Let’s remain appropriate in front of our impressionable slayer and young guardian,” Eve scolded playfully, ushering the megalith of a human out of the room.
“I’m just saying Eve. Archer is gonna have to-“
“Archer is gonna have to do what?”
Sanaya’s eyes widened when she heard the voice of her mentor approaching from the hall. Her eyes met Maya’s instantly. So there is something going on between Archer and Eve…
Maya simply nodded, her eyes lit with amusement as they both continued to watch Congo tease Archer.
“Archer is gonna have to do what?” Sanaya’s guardian repeated.
Congo barked out a laugh. “All I’m saying is this bro, you are slippin’. I will risk a vein any night-“
“Thanks Congo,” Eve interrupted before all of the playful banter disappeared. Eve gently pushed Congo from the doorway, encouraging him to go on his way. Archer remained in near the entryway, his expression hard and Sanaya knew that Archer was far from amused. Fortunately, Congo was intelligent enough to continue wi
th his exodus, lest Archer decides to take it a step further.
“Ok, ladies well as Congo said, this is where you will camp out for the time being,” Eve stated as she collapsed on the sectional, crossing her long legs.
“This is one of the many guest rooms The Academy hosts for visiting Guardians when the need arises. The two windows which overlook the campus are barred, which means nothing can get in or out unless the individual is crazy strong and,” Archer glanced at Sanaya. “As talented as you are, I am confident that you are not that damn strong yet.” He waited for Sanaya to respond and when all she did was roll her eyes, he continued. “The room is armed with a few silver tipped stakes that are hidden underneath the floor boards in the bedrooms. All water that is filtered in here is blessed, coming through silver pipelines. Each room has a mini fridge, and you are welcomed to whatever is in it. Eve and Tia have first watch, while a small group of us begin tracking.” He cleared his throat and ran an anxious hand over his freshly shaved head. “So that is it in a nutshell I guess.”
“If the vampire cannot breach the school,” Sanaya began, striving to sound as calm as possible. “Why all of the precautions?”
Archer swallowed thickly and looked away. “Eve is better suited to explain that part to you. Just trust me when I say it is for your own safety.” Without another word, Archer excused himself from the room leaving Eve alone with the two teenagers.
“Well,” Eve said after a beat. “That was interesting…a lot to process.”
“So let’s cut to the chase,” Maya pressed, placing a hand on her hip. “What’s up with this vampire? If he can’t appear on campus and attempt to snatch ‘Naya, then what do we have to worry about?”
“Masters are different than the run of the mill vampire. Not only are they stronger, faster and armed with seemingly unlimited powers and abilities, they are extremely sensual. As a matter of fact since we are on the subject, vampires and sexuality are essentially one and the same. Every action taken from the stalking of their prey to the actual delivery of the bite offers a high level of eroticism for them. A master’s power comes from the darkest of sources, and all levels of sexuality stems from that. We are concerned about Sanaya for many reasons. One, they are not supposed to know that you exist and we may have accidentally tipped our hand in their favor and alerted them to your presence. It is one thing to kill a regular vampire, but another to fight a master.” Eve paused, mentally examining the girls before continuing. She noticed Sanaya’s deer in the headlights expression and knew she’d hit the nail on the head. “Two, the fact that he has mind locked with Sanaya, he has a sort of supernatural GPS on her, so let’s say if she did leave the campus tonight for any reason, she would not be safe. He would track her, and kill whoever was in her company. The great thing is he can’t turn her but, there are other ways you can be killed or worse, he can attempt to hold you hostage until you mature, and…there is just a whole lot he can do to you to promote his own agenda.”
“So basically, this all boils down to sex?” Maya asked.
“Maya!” Sanaya scolded, burying her face in her hands.
Maya shrugged. “Well is it?”
“Yes and no,” Eve responded calmly. “Sanaya, he is going to do everything in his power to seduce you out of The Academy. It is another tactic masters use on their prey. Once locked in your mind he is going to become the object of your sexual fantasies to the point of madness and you will do anything to break out of here and find him. He will become your beacon of relief and will remain so until he is exterminated.” Eve bit her lip nervously. “That is why I’m here. I know how to lessen the tie energetically, and to make sure that should he decide to call you,” Eve met Sanaya’s gaze. “You don’t run.”
The silence that accompanied Maya’s gasp reiterated to Sanaya that her nerves were on edge, and she needed to be in motion. Pushing herself from the door frame, she swiftly slipped into the first bedroom, locking the door behind her. A moment was all she needed, at least that is what she told herself. Sinking to the floor, she folded her knees, wrapping her arms around them in a huddled position as she’d done when she first arrived to The Academy. People were going to die. She knew it. Guardians weren’t invincible. She was the one destined to hunt masters and all of the stronger levels of darkness, and yet here she was yet again in another position where she felt…helpless. Sucking in a deep breath, she allowed the anxiety to wash over her.
What is wrong with me? She swallowed thickly and rested her head against the door. Why is this-
“’Naya?” Maya’s concerned voice interrupted Sanaya’s thoughts followed by a soft rap on the door.
“Naya? Are you ok?”
“Yeah,” Sanaya said pushing herself up off of the floor. “I just needed a moment to digest everything.”
“Can I come in?”
Sanaya slowly reached for the handle and opened the door. Eve was still seated on the couch, but was heavily engaged on her cell, while Maya slipped in taking a seat on the edge of the queen sized bed in the center of the room.
“You know they won’t allow that vampire to get to you, right?”
Sanaya exhaled sharply. “That is not what I am worried about Maya. I’m the one that is supposed to kill him-“
“But you’re not ready! We are not ready-“
“People are going to die Maya!”
Maya flinched at Sanaya’s panicked outburst. “They are Guardians ‘Naya. They have been doing this long before we were even born and have done so throughout the centuries when there wasn’t a slayer.”
“But this time Maya,” Sanaya began as she paced the room. “This time I think things are different.”
“How so?”
“I don’t know…I just do. Something’s telling me that all of this just ain’t right.”
Suddenly, the door swung open drawing both girls’ attention. Eve poked her head in with a warm smile.
“Are you girls alright?”
“Yeah, uh…we’re fine,” Sanaya said mentally pleading for Maya to remain quiet.
“Just know that are you are safe Sanaya,” Eve assured her. “Things will be back to normal before you know it.”
“As if any of this is normal,” Maya mumbled underneath her breath.
“Well, I will be in the other room if you need me. Tia is on her way and…” Eve held Maya’s gaze. “If anything out of the ordinary happens, call me.” Eve closed the door behind her, leaving the two girls alone once more.
“Sanaya what are we gonna do?” Maya asked, nervously picking her nails.
“I don’t know…I think I should convince Archer to take me on the hunt and allow me to put him down.“
“But Sanaya, you’re nowhere near ready to go up against a master!” Maya gasped. “Are you insane? If I can recall everything correctly, Archer and Eve had to bring you back.“
Sanaya yanked off her scrunchie that held her thick hair in a single ponytail and threw it at the wall in frustration. “Ugh! I know!”
Maya stood up and walked over to her friend, wrapping her arms around her and resting her head on her shoulder, something she instinctively knew to do whenever Sanaya is in panic mode.
“Just chill out ‘Naya,” she whispered. “We will be kicking vampire ass in no time. But, we can’t take unnecessary risks that could get more Guardians killed. You think you’re having issues now? Imagine how you’d feel if more of them got hurt because we did something stupid. Just let them do their jobs.”
It was rare that Maya offered such sound and rational advice. However, Sanaya welcomed it. She knew her friend was right. Even if Archer did allow her to go out, she was not experienced enough yet to not be a liability of the team and she definitely did not want to be labeled as that. She gently eased her friend away and ran her fingers through her hair.
“Sleeping in here with me tonight in case I get a little coo-coo?”
“You should have known that already,” Maya chirped.
“Alright then, well I got first
dibs on the shower. I think the SyFy network has some sort of a werewolf marathon coming on in an hour. We might as well get comfortable.”
“Girl, you and those freakin’ werewolf movies,” Maya chuckled shaking her head.
Sanaya paid her friend no mind as she dug into her duffel and pulled out a pair of purple sweats, a tank and her personal toiletries and made her way into the hotel styled bathroom, sending a silent mental prayer of protection around the guardians with the hope that each of them make it back by dawn safely. However, her intuition told her otherwise…
Chapter Eight
Archer eyed the team of seven guardians that stood before him, sending a silent prayer to the heavens that each one of them makes it back to the campus at dawn in one piece. This was not his first time tracking a master level vampire.However, for two of the members of his team; it was pretty close to it. Shoving his Berretta into its holster, he took one last look at the group of men and women before nodding his head for them to follow him. Times had definitely changed, not only for the Vatican but for the guardian teams around the world. The Slayer was alive and well on the planet during this millennium, not to mention a few years shy of selecting members of her own guardian team and the shit had not even hit the fan yet. It was one thing protecting students and staff from low level vampires, a few demons here and there, and maybe a werewolf gone feral…but now, the threat level had increased tenfold with a master vampire in such close proximity to the adolescent slayer. The stakes had definitely been raised. No pun intended.
They walked quickly, each member hanging closely behind the other only to separate once outside in the parking lot to their own means of transportation. They knew when and where to meet along with the rest of the rules of the game such as no solo hunts or no bringing anything home with them unless it passed the daylight inspection. Two members of the guardian team decided to accompany him to the destination: Halo, the newest addition to the Guardians and fresh out of the Vampire Hunters Academy; a young African American woman in her twenties with a head full of long, platinum dyed locks standing at 5’4”, deep mahogany skin with the body of life. Gifted as a tracker, she probably had the best nose on the planet, able to break down scents to their compound levels. Plus, the girl was a master in various styles of martial arts which would indeed render her effective in a fight against the Darkness. The other newbie to the team, an arrogant and former apprentice of a wizard from the dark arts, Stefan, was also new to the battlefield with a master level vampire. The kid was in his mid-twenties and was used by the Vatican more often than not to handle business affairs for the local parishes. Why the Vatican decided to add this kid to the team was a mystery to him, but according to Tia, the kid had some serious skills in hand to hand combat. However, Archer secretly suspected that this kid may end up being the weakest link. Physically, the kid looked like he was born for the warrior class: standing at almost six feet, with a lean swimmer’s build from years of participating on the swim team and running track. He kept his dusty brown hair swept back, making sure to keep it no longer than the base of his neck. The kid didn’t have any troubles in the lady’s department; from what Archer could remember the kid was the talk of the school for quite some time. However, Stefan was a recluse and tended to prefer his own company…and Halo’s. Still, whatever skills this kid had at his disposal, he better put them to use tonight.
The Vampire Hunter's Academy: The Darkness Page 6