“What are you doing?” I screamed.
Panic rose in me, growing into a fever pitch until I thought I was going to explode. My first instinct was to turn on the fire and burn him, I was beginning to see red with anger and that wasn’t a good sign. It usually wasn’t long after that, that I would become unhinged.
“Both of you will stay right there. I can make this easy on her, or I can make it hard. I need her blood. I wanted to wait until she was older so I could have more, but time is running out and so this will have to do.”
Gavin’s eyes were as dark as coal, his voice trembling with fear. “Give her to me,” he spat out. “You’re not going to hurt her.”
Kenzie growled at Gavin, unmoved. “I’m older than both of you put together. I’d like to see you try and stop me. I can make this quick or I can bleed her out slow. Either way, you’re both going to stand there and let me do what I need to do.
Gavin took a step forward and at the same moment, Kenzie raised the knife dragging the blade across her little cheek, drawing blood. Jade howled in pain, big fat tears falling from the screaming baby.
In the moment that followed the blood filled the air, the smell wafting through the room and finding its way to my stomach like freshly baked bread. The sweet, pure aroma caused all of my feeding instincts into high overdrive and I completely forgot where I was and what was going on. Having turned Leiv without replacing the blood into my system I was starving. Growling like an animal I bolted forward in the direction the smell was coming from. I lost sight of everything. I didn’t care where the blood was or who it belonged to. I only knew that I wanted it, and I wanted it now!
Gavin caught me after two steps forward, wrapping me in his arms, gripping tightly as I struggled. “Rachel!” he screamed. “No, you can’t.”
It was as if watching the whole thing play out from afar. As Gavin held me back to save his daughter’s life, he watched Kenzie, raise the knife once more and aim this time for her neck. He looked at me, and then back at Jade, who was still wailing. She saw the blade coming for her and was frantic to get away from the object that had hurt her already, the anticipation of the pain causing her to squeal in terror.
Gavin made the only decision he could make, and the only one he knew I would have wanted him to make. With all his force he flung me through the air, sending me crashing through the upstairs window and falling the two stories to the ground. I landed on my back, the glass and wood coming down, both with me and on top of me.
The fall knocked me to my senses and the blood hunger was quieted in place of being stunned, at least momentarily. I shook my head to clear the cobwebs and then stood, listening to what was happening from outside. There was screaming and crashing from the room upstairs. The sound of more glass breaking and growling, and Jade... Jade was silent.
My world spun out of control. I couldn’t pick her up on my distance hearing. No heartbeat, no cry, nothing even as small as a breath from her tiny body. Then again I couldn’t seem to pick anything up at all. The only sound was the blood rushing in my ears as my heart pounded frantically in my chest. I had to get to her. I had to get to Gavin.
Running back inside I leaped over the broken door, avoiding the bits of splintered wood and landed smack in the middle of the kitchen floor. That was the final stand for the old kitchen. The floorboards creaked heavily underneath me one last time before giving way, sending me crashing down into the basement, down into the blackness.
I jumped, pushing off with all my might and was about to emerge from the musty basement and back up into the kitchen when all at once there was a shudder. The whole house groaned and shook with a huge tremor. Half a second later the entire structure came down, sending me right back down to the basement, the entire house falling in on top of me.
Chapter nineteen
The wood had fallen in on top of me in jagged shards. It took a moment for my night vision to kick in, but when it did, I could see that getting out of this was not going to be an easy task, even for a vampire. I was pinned and any piece of broken wood may happen to serve as a very nice makeshift stake. It would have been easy for me to accidentally pierce my heart, turning to dust in the process. As much as I didn’t want to, I had to go slow.
I opened my ears listening for something, anything before I stared, to let me know Jade and Gavin were ok. There was nothing, not even the sound of fighting that had consumed the house moments ago. I turned it off and focused on the task at hand. I couldn’t help either one of them if I was stuck there, and so, with a steady, careful hand I moved the pieces of wood that were sitting on top of my chest up with my arms as if to bench press them off me.
Small, sharp bits of debris rained down on my head as the massive heap of wreckage began to move. Both of my legs had been broken in the fall and I steadied my upper body, holding the wood above my head while working to straighten my legs out so they could heal properly. I winced as the bones worked themselves back together, cracking loudly as they started to fuse, and finally, heal. I wiggled them about a few times making sure they were good to go and found myself losing strength in my upper body.
My guts twisted with hunger once again, although not as badly as before, and my arms weakened, my elbows bending as the mass of wood came back down, inching closer to my chest. I had to get out. With one final breath I took all the strength I had left, which wasn’t much, and gave a final heave. This was it. I was either going to get out with this push, or fail and pass out from blood loss until someone hauled me out, and depending on who it was that could be very bad.
Shaking and screaming I pushed the carnage forward, working with my legs as well as my arms to get it up. With a lot of effort I finally was able to push it up and away. I crawled out of the fallen house and made my way on hands and knees to the tree line, collapsing and rolling over on to my back. The heavens were dark that day. An overcast early spring sky with clouds gloomy and ominous were threatening to burst. The sight of them filled my vision and for a moment the world spun. I tried to sit up but then fell back down onto the soft earth, something heavy and weighted on my chest.
Kenzie was on top of me, holding me to the ground by my shoulders, pinning me down. “I don’t know why you were so attached to that one. You can have more. Don’t worry, you’ll have a chance to save your son, if I can see my way fit to letting you live before I leave this place with your daughter’s blood.”
His hands were around my neck now, squeezing gently as a threat to do it harder. “What?” I croaked.
“You heard me. It was a lucky coincidence that brought you to me. A little bit of serendipity. You see my son is about to turn fifteen in a few weeks. His mother died not long after his birth and we had no time to create a sacrificial child. Too bad she won’t yield much, but I should have enough, at least I hope so. Anyway, my boy is waiting for me, and so I must go. There’s something I need from you first though. I know I’ve imposed a great deal but there’s just one more thing.”
His words barely registered. Did he just tell me that he had taken Jade’s blood? If that was the case my daughter was dead. I opened my mouth to scream as the horrible understanding hit me, but there was no sound. His hand was crushing my voice box and so I lay there, hot tears streaming down my temples and onto the ground wishing he’d just finish it and kill me. I had no thoughts for Gavin or Ryan or Leiv. If Jade was dead I didn’t want to live anymore. Asking a mother to live in a world without her children, I had decided, was utterly inhumane.
“Nod so that I know you understand me, ok?”
I didn’t move, paralyzed by his revelation I lay helpless underneath him. I had given up. He lifted me up by the neck and slammed my head into the ground, dirt and dust embedding themselves into my scalp with the impact. “Wake up!” he screamed at me.
His anger snapped me back into reality and I nodded furiously. I came back to the realization that I had to protect whoever was left. Gavin was nowhere to be seen but that didn’t mean he was alright. He may have been hurt
or even dead for all I knew. Agreeing with whatever Kenzie wanted was the quickest way to prevent another loss. I nodded.
“You tell all of your friends here that they are not to come after me. They are not to come looking and disturb me or my boy. You’re a parent, Rachel. You’ve vowed to do anything and everything you’ve had to do to keep your children safe. I’m only doing the same, but where you’ve failed, I plan to succeed. Understand?”
I nodded once more. “I’m going to let go of you, and then I’m going to leave. If you don’t come after me I won’t kill you, but if you do you’ll be dead before your hand even touches me. Got it?”
I nodded for a third and final time and he let go of my neck, spreading his arms wide as he stood slowly. The hate I had for Kenzie at that moment was greater than I’d had for anyone. It was greater than any hate I’d had for Samuel, or Christina, or Daniel, or even James. I wanted to spring up and take his throat out, or burn him with my fire. I didn’t have the physical strength to do any of those things, but I swore that once I did I would hunt him down and make him pay for what he’d done. Make him pay with his pathetic life.
I felt the darkness swirling in front of me. I was about to pass out when a large rumble filled the air. Heavy footsteps were running toward me at full speed and I turned my head to see Gavin, Duncan, Alexander, and Angus coming toward us, the ground shaking under them as they barreled down on Kenzie.
Kenzie reached down in an attempt to grab me. For what purpose I’d never know because Gavin was on top of him before he had a chance to do anything. Duncan and Angus were older and faster, but something in Gavin had given him twice their speed that day. He got to Kenzie first, knocking him down and they rolled end over end in the dirt until coming to a stop with Kenzie positioned on top.
Gavin growled in rage, baring his fangs at Kenzie who was doing the same. The older and stronger vampire aimed for Gavin’s chest, a piece of sharp, broken wood in his hand seeking to end him. Quicker than I’d ever seen him move before, Gavin took hold of Kenzie’s hand, twisted it back around until it was pointed toward Kenzie’s heart and gave a strong thrust. A moment later Kenzie was no more and Gavin lay on the ground as Kenzie’s ash rained down on him.
The other vampires barely had a chance to do anything and looked at each other in surprise at Gavin’s sudden strength and speed. Without any thought for himself or what he’d done he scooped me up in his arms, looking me over as I still lay on the ground, too weak and hungry to move.
I felt myself passing out once more and there was no stopping it this time. Gavin’s sad eyes looked down at me and he pressed his forehead against mine gently as everything went black.
Chapter Twenty
I was dreaming of my little girl. Her blue eyes looking up at me innocently as she reached up with her cubby little hand, resting it on my cheek as she had always done when I’d held her. A gesture of, ‘I love you,’ touch being the only language she could speak. She looked at me with warmth and trust. She had trusted me with her little life and I’d failed. I took in her face as if knowing it was the last time I’d see her. I wanted to memorize every dimple, every little nuance, every curl. She was so beautiful. I wanted to stay there in that moment with her forever. The feel and warmth of her was so real that if I failed to leave that make believe place of dreams it would never matter. I was with her and that was all I wanted. All I ever could want. I wasn’t ready to let her go and I made up my mind that I’d never let her go. I clutched her to my chest as tightly as I could, her small body snuggled up against mine. I closed my eyes for a moment drinking it all in, but when I opened them again, my arms were empty and Jade had turned to dust.
The soft grey matter fell through my fingers and onto the blanket, and a moment later, so did I.
***
“Easy there girl,” I heard a familiar voice say when I opened my eyes. My cheeks were wet and he was over me drying them. “Wake up gently now. Everything is alright.”
I didn’t understand how he could possibly say that. Surely Duncan knew that Jade was gone. I didn’t know how long I’d been asleep but it felt like forever so he must know by now. “How long?” was the only thing I could get out.
“Just a day lass. Everything’s been sorted. No need to worry about anything. You just get your bearings.”
The door opened just then and Gavin came in, sitting down next to me, smiling wide. “Hey, I thought I felt your station coming on,” he said, tapping his finger to his temple. “Holly said you can come home as soon as you feed.”
I lay down again and turned my back to them both, shaking my head ‘no’. “I don’t want to go home right now. I don’t think I can stand it.”
The two men were silent for a moment. “What are you saying?” Gavin asked. I could hear the confusion in his voice as he put his hand on my shoulder, forcing me to look at him. “Why wouldn’t you want to come home?”
“I just can’t be there without her. I don’t know how we go on.”
Gavin’s expression dropped and he ran his hand over his face in some kind of insight. Without a word he stood up and left the room. I lay my head back down and pulled the blankets up over me, never wanting to come out again. I felt like the ash that had run through my fingers in my dream. I was dissolving. Falling to pieces, never to be put back together again.
It’s astounding how your whole world can change in a mere moment. The sound of footsteps making their way back to the bed and Gavin’s weight on the mattress, along with something extra, something I couldn’t place. I opened my eyes to see what was going on and that’s when I saw her. Jade was sitting there on Gavin’s lap, her eyes fixed on me, arms outstretched wanting me to hold her.
I had the same feeling of falling to pieces again, only this time it was in the best way possible. I took hold of her, crying tears of relief and joy as Gavin and Duncan looked on. They were doing their best to keep their manly composure, and failing miserably.
“Kenzie told me he…” I couldn’t get the rest out.
“No, Rachel. After I threw you out the window I managed to get hold of her and take off. I got her back to the sanctuary and when I went back for you, Duncan, Alex and Angus came with me.”
I held Jade out in front of me, looking at her as if I couldn’t believe she was real. Taking her in I noticed something was different about her. Her cheek, where Kenzie had run the knife across her face, was scarred. The mark was a bright red now, would fade to be more subtle in time. I ran my thumb over it. This scar, I knew, was more than a scar, it was a sign. Jade may very well be sought out for her blood again by anyone who knew the secret, and this mark would always be our reminder of that.
“Ok, that’s enough,” I heard Holly say sternly from the doorway. “I don’t want her to hold her again until she feeds. The donors are ready.”
Duncan reached for Jade and took her, giving me a wink. “You go on. Grampie wants a cuddle anyway.”
Jade cooed at him as I handed her over and Gavin helped me out of bed. “Donors?” I said.
“Yes. We have three on hand. That should be enough. We had them brought in. Some of Leiv’s friends.”
“Leiv!” I had completely forgotten about my progeny. “I have to go to him. I have to be there when he wakes up. He’s not awake yet is he?”
“No,” Holly said. “But it will be any time now. You have a big job ahead of you so go feed.”
Holly stood in the doorway and moved quickly out of the way as I came through. “Holly,” I said. “I don’t even know what to say.”
Her anger was palpable, thankfully I didn’t feel it was directed at me. “You don’t have to say anything, Rachel. It is what it is.”
“I wish things were different,” I said.
“Me too,” was all she said before turning away.
Gavin placed his hand on my shoulder. “Come on. Let’s get you fed.
Chapter Twenty one
We gathered at Leiv’s bedside and waited for him to wake up. Everyone was there except
for Margie, who was with Ryan. I was anxious to get home and see him. I was sure he must be wondering why everyone had disappeared for a few days. For now I had a more pressing job.
Waking up reborn as a vampire, especially as one who was created without proper procedure, always comes with it a need for great support. For me it was really only Gavin, but looking around the room at all the faces of the people who cared about Leiv and Alexander, I could see he was going to have a kind of network I hadn’t had upon awakening. Many would support him, I, of course, was going to be the most necessary and important.
Leiv had of course wanted this, but after having been denied I wasn’t sure if he’d given up on the idea or not. I was kicking myself for not keeping tabs on him over the last little while, but there was nothing I could do about it now.
Alex sat on the bed holding Leiv’s hand, stroking it lovingly, never taking his eyes off him. Leiv still looked as if he were dead. There was no breath and no movement, almost as if he’d ceased to exist. Then, without warning, he drew in one sharp breath, his chest rising and falling heavily once, twice.
“It’s happening,” Holly said.
All of us were fixed on the boy as he struggled to wake up. His breath became laboured as his lungs fought to work for the first time and I could hear his heartbeat, irregular but strong, kicking back to life.
Then in dramatic fashion his eyes snapped open and he sat up instantly, looking at the world around him as if he’d never seen it before. He looked at Alexander, studying him, and I knew he was seeing him in a way he never had. Alex sighed, relived, as he took both of Leiv’s hands in his.
“Leiv, honey, how do you feel?” He turned his head to face me and I caught sight of his new eyes. The tell-tale darkened ring around the outside, signaling that he was only just beginning his transformative year, was apparent. He blinked once, as if processing the question.
“Rachel, you’ve changed me, haven’t you?”
“Yes,” I said, “I have.”
The Vampires of Soldiers Cove: Progeny Page 12