Blood Rite Saga, Season One Box Set

by Dylan Keefer

  “Your blood,” Mei said.

  “A long time ago, in the early times of the supernatural beings, the Summoners created a spell to put on every Summoner’s blood including future Summoners. Our blood is poisonous if ingested by any normal or regular supernatural being, but for the Dominion and those bonded to them, it is deadly to the touch.”

  Mei wasn’t sure that she wanted to ask, but she wanted to know. “What are the Dominion like?”

  Madi looked at her curiously. “You really don’t know anything about your people?”

  Clayton looked at Mei. She knew that he didn’t want her to trust too many people, but Madi knew information that she needed. Yes, they just saw her obliterate a vampire in front of them, and she could easily destroy Mei. Still…

  Mei dove into her story, and Madi listened intently. Not once did she interrupt. When Mei finished with some help from Clayton, Madi sat back with a concerned look.

  “Part of me is fascinated by your story, Mei. You are obviously very important.” She glanced at Clayton. “I can’t help you though.”

  Mei frowned. “What do you mean? Why can’t you?” Madi bit her lip. “Because the Dominion are my enemy, and I can’t take the chance. If you are important to them, I can’t help you.”

  “Please,” Mei said. “The Dominion may be your enemy, but I am not your enemy. You might be the best hope I have in finding out who I am?”

  Madi stood up nervously. “What if who you are is not who you want to be? Mei, I know a lot about supernatural history. Vampires don’t have babies. Humans don’t have vampire babies. If what you’re saying is true than—you’re gonna draw more danger to me than I already have.”

  “She is not the creature that you may think she is,” Clayton said. “If she was, she would have finished you on the street.”

  “Clayton!” Mei started to protest. Suddenly, the lights blacked out. Mei found herself on a small beach. The waves crashed upon the shore and ended just as it reached her feet. She knew this place. The seagulls. The smell of the water. The humming. The humming? Mei turned around and listened to the melody being sung.

  “Sweet princess. You are mine. You are mine. For all of time. As deep as the ocean and wide as the sea is my love for you.” The woman’s voice was beautiful. Her voice sounded clear and crisp as the waters surrounding her. Her feet dug into the soft sand as she made her way up into golden straws of long grass that lined the shore. The voice was coming from somewhere.

  “Hello?” Mei called softly. The singing stopped. Mei started to panic. “Hello! Please! Who are you?”

  “We are the dead,” came a whisper. “You will help us live.”

  Mei woke up in Clayton’s arms. She blinked several times and sat up quickly. Madi raised her eyebrows. “That was one of those visions?”

  “Yes? Mei, what did you see?”

  Mei closed her eyes. “A beach. The ocean. I heard a woman singing a song. And then whispering.”

  Madi shook her head. “I can’t help you. I have my own quest.” She looked at the clothes she was wearing and groaned. “And I have no money to pay you for these clothes.”

  “Keep them,” Mei said sitting up. “We are going to see you again, and we will help each other. I know it.”

  Madi gave a sympathetic smile and started for the door. Clayton followed her out. “Hey! Listen,” he grabbed her shoulder, and Madi turned around quickly smacking his hand away.

  “You should be careful. I don’t want to hurt anyone, but I will. Even you.”

  “Listen, I know about the Summoners. They were destroyed a long time ago. Every last one of them wiped out.” He narrowed his eyes. “And then there’s you.”

  “Yes, there is me. Then there’s you,” she countered. “Involved with a half breed vampire. You love her, don’t you? I know what you are. I can feel it. Does she know that you’re going to have to kill her eventually?”

  Clayton clenched his teeth. “That’s not going to happen.”

  Madi sighed and started to walk to the hotel elevator. “Keep thinking that, Clayton. Keep thinking that.”

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Mei woke up to a cool breeze flowing through an open window. She really didn't get the chance to take in the hotel room that they had secured. The king-size had felt good to crawl into, and she immediately fell asleep. Her human side needed recharging. She could feel that. Clayton had come back into the room after speaking with Madi, and she knew that he hadn't made any headway.

  She turned her head and saw that he already had a cup of coffee in his hand. He leaned against the wall by the door leading out to the small balcony that looked out over the city. She listened to his heart beat. It was slow and steady. She could get used to waking up in a bed knowing that he was around. It felt good. She had wanted to have that picture with Milo, but it wasn't the same.

  Clayton's muscles flex a little as he stood there in just his shirt and a pair of shorts. Mei's eyes traced his body as her head remained sunken in the pillow. Their Boston journey had already started off rocky, but she wasn't worried. He was strong, and even though she was a vampire, it was nice to not have to be the strong one if she didn't need to be.

  Slowly, Mei rolled out of bed and let her feet touch the floor. Clayton turned to see her walking up to him. Her hands went around his waist as she rested her neck on his shoulder. The city was beautiful.

  “See that building over there?” He pointed with his free hand. “That is Fenway Park. It's a baseball stadium.”

  “Baseball? That's the sport where you get a ball thrown to you, and you have to hit it and run around in a circle. Right?”

  Clayton gave an amused smile. “I think that every baseball fan would find that description completely offensive, but I think that it's cute.” He took a sip of his coffee.

  “I would love to discover more about this city,” Mei sighed. “This isn't Salem, though.”

  “No. Salem is farther north. I'm not sure where to start if we go there. All we have to go on is Serge or Sergio and the boy. And now, we have this new vision and the Dominion.”

  Mei nodded. “Maybe we should take some time and just enjoy today. It's a beautiful day, and we could have a picnic somewhere.” She swallowed. “Food sounds good. Now that I've gotten rest, I'm ready to eat something.”

  “Yeah,” Clayton looked down at the cup in his hand. “This wasn't very good coffee anyway. Boston should stick to tea.”

  “Oh, is this place known for tea?”

  Clayton nodded. “Something like that.”

  The morning was spent taking the train to different areas of the city and walking around hand in hand. Clayton gave her a history lesson about the Revolutionary War, the Boston Tea Party, and Paul Revere. She found the history fascinating and seeing the actual places where everything happened made it seem more real.

  “I think that it's great that we are surrounded by such wonderful reminders of freedom,” Mei said wistfully. “Sometimes, I wonder what it would have been like if I had just been alive for it all.”

  Clayton nodded. “I know you were in the dark for most of your life. I can't imagine what you feel like. Everyone has grown up with all of this. You are experiencing this for the first time.”

  “At least I have the right person to experience it with,” Mei squeezed his hand. She pointed to the body of water that they were now approaching.

  “Boston Harbor,” Clayton said. “The one with the tea.”

  Mei looked out over the water and watched seagulls glide over the water. Dozens of adults with children, and some by themselves, were enjoying the place just like she was. The warmth made her feel great, and she could imagine just sitting around and drawing at this place.

  Clayton chuckled. “You're face.”

  She frowned. “What's wrong with it?”

  “You look like a kid in a candy store. I like it,” He marveled. “I love it.”

  Mei couldn't explain the look that she saw in his eyes. There was joy there, and she hoped
that it wouldn't leave. Part of him looked so burdened over the past several days. Well, she was sure that she looked that way too.

  “I have a fun idea,” Clayton said. “While you were in the bathroom of the one shop we stopped at, the owner told me that there is museum that talks all about the Boston Tea Party and does reenactments.”

  “A museum?” Mei tried to search through her mind to remember exactly what that was.

  “It's a place that gives you a visual look at history. A live history book.” Clayton smirked. “And this one lets us go onto a ship.”

  “I'm in,” Mei gleefully agreed. “Take me.”

  There was so much. Mei felt like she was drinking in culture and history that she never knew existed because she was technically not alive. It was strange. From what she heard and saw, little things began to make sense in her mind. It was the ship that did it. Something about the water always made her feel a little wary, but once she saw the ships and started to walk onto it, she touched Clayton's shoulder.

  “Are you okay?”

  She nodded slowly. “I'm remembering something. Something about being on a ship just like this one.” She touched the side of it and looked over into the water. “I remember the sound of the water lapping against the boat and the up and down. The somber mood. I think I was on a ship.”

  She turned back to Clayton and froze. Clayton wasn't there. Instead, Mei was looking into the dark, piercing eyes of an older gentleman. Mei gulped. She couldn't look away.

  “Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you.” Mei couldn't see the man's mouth move at all, and she was right next to him. “We will find you.”

  “Who are you? Who sent you?” She asked quietly. The man cocked his head to the side.

  “We are the power. We are the glory. We are forever. Amen.”

  And then it was over. Mei watched as the man's eyes changed back to normal coloring. Then Clayton stood in front of her. His hand on her shoulder.

  “Mei, who were you talking to?” Mei shook her head.

  “The old man. He was right here.” She twisted her body around to see if she could see where he went.

  “Mei, there was no old man,” Clayton assured. “You must have been having some sort of vision. What did the man say?”

  Mei shook her head. “He said they were going to find me!”

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Madi’s footsteps echoed in the large church. It was too early to be up considering the events of the past night. She felt sore. While she could heal thanks to her powers, she wasn’t able to escape pain, or the lasting ache that it seemed to bring.

  She opened the creaky door and closed it behind her while she plopped down on the seat. Madi waited for a moment before she heard movement on the other side of the wall. The small sliding down opened, and she jumped into it.

  “Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned. It’s been sixty-three days, twenty-two hours, and five minutes since my last confession. My sins really haven’t changed.”

  “So, repentance is the thing we need to work on, my child.”

  “It is still really awkward having you call me your child when we made out the very first time we met. Was that a sin I should have confessed?”

  She heard a small snicker and smiled. “Madi, I think we should take this a little more serious.”

  “You’re right,” she said. “You know what I’m up against though. Last night, I hacked into the computer of someone who is deeply involved in the Dominion, and I stole some information. I think they’re onto me because when I was going home last night, there was a vampire that tried to kill me. He got pretty close.”

  “Madi, you need to be more careful! You can’t do this alone anymore, it’s not safe! I don’t care what kind of powers you have!”

  “I can’t trust anyone, Eric,” she shifted in the seat so that she could look through the hole. “I might be the last Summoner who can stop them.”

  “And what happens when they realize that the girl who passes off as just a grad student bested a vampire in a dual? They will know that you aren’t just a girl. And they will kill you.”

  “You sound worried about me?” Madi tucked her hair behind her head. “It’s been a long time since anyone was.”

  “You should talk to your family.”

  “You mean my dad,” Madi snorted. “He hasn’t given me one thought since I was a child, and my mom—probably thinks about me too much. Let’s not even mention my brother.”

  Madi heard him shift around nervously. “Have you been up there to visit her?” He asked.

  “Not since the holidays,” Madi sat up straight. “Listen, you don’t have to—care. I told you all of that when I was completely wasted. We’re not dating, and no offense, I’m not sure a priest and a witch should be together. Pretty sure that’s being unequally yoked. I just need a favor.”

  “What is it?”

  “I need to know more about the Vampire Bible.” She winced as she heard the door on his side open. Taking a deep breath, she stepped out of the booth. Eric came around the corner with a stormy look in his eyes.

  “Madi, we talked about this. You don’t mention the book. You have no idea what it represents, and…”

  “I do know. I know what it means, and I know that with it I can defeat the Dominion, and I’m so close to discovering where their location here is. If I can, then maybe I can get in there.”

  “I can’t talk about it,” Eric shook his head. “Even if I knew more about it, which I don’t, I wouldn’t tell you.”

  “You know who does know. Father Gregory. And you know how he can be found,” Madi pleaded. “Just give me a hint? I’m begging you. I will leave your name out of it.”

  The priest clenched his fist in frustration as he stared into her eyes. “Madi.” She grabbed one of his fists and held it in her hand.

  “Please. Just a name.”

  Eric shook his head. “Father Elias Moore. He lives on the Cape. He would know how to find Father Gregory.”

  Madi smiled. “Thank you. I’ll contact him.” She dropped his hand and looked around. No one else was there; so, she leaned forward and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. “Gotta go to class.”

  “Be safe,” he nodded.

  CHAPTER SIX

  The whole day was spent walking about the city and visiting different places. Mei hadn’t had a day of just fun without thinking about the troubles or her fragmented memory. Sure, there was that incident on the ship, but she attributed it to another one of her crazy visions. She was very excited about the history that she had learned as well. History made sense to her because history was her present day. It was her life.

  “We’re going to have to find a place to get you blood,” Clayton said as they walked back to the hotel. “We don’t have a place to store anything though.”

  “I’ve gone to butcher shops before,” Mei said. “We can do that again.”

  “Or, we could go to a blood bank or hospital,” Clayton said. Mei started to protest, but he stopped her. “I know you don’t want to deprive people of blood, but we can take what we need. That’s all.”

  “I’d rather not steal it. At least with the Butcher’s, I could buy it.” Clayton nodded.

  “What if I can get the blood donated.” Mei looked at him quizzically. He patted her hand. “Just trust me. I want you to get what you need; not some leftover stuff.”

  “But I don’t want anyone to be hurt,” Mei said.

  “That’s what I love about you,” Clayton said. Mei felt her heart skip for a moment. She knew what he said, and she assumed what he meant, but the word ‘love’ was thrown out there. Her mind picked it up. He must have noticed her reaction because he blushed a little. They were in front of the hotel, and he pointed to his phone. “I’m just going to make a phone call, and I’ll be up.”

  She nodded and made her escape into the building. Charlotte was the only one she could really talk about this. Me
i needed to talk to her, and not just because of what was happening. She missed her friend.

  Mei walked up to the elevator of the hotel and hit the button. She was still fascinated by the moving box, and admittedly, a little afraid of it as well. There was still a lot that she was getting used to, but it wasn’t as overwhelming now.

  As the numbers above the elevator doors changed in a descending order, humming could be heard from somewhere. Mei frowned as the humming became louder, and the tune became more familiar. Where did she recognize it?

  The doors opened, and a young gentleman stepped out and walked past her. He was humming. She followed him with her eyes until she remembered. Her vision the other night. The woman in the tall grass was singing the exact same melody.

  “Wait!” Mei called to the man. She rushed after him, but he was quickly walking out of the front door. She pushed through and into the outdoors again. He was gone. No! Mei saw him walking down the sidewalk a little way ahead. She ran after him and saw just as he rounded a corner. For some reason, she could not keep up with him. The song still echoed in her head. Mei stopped in front of a building that he walked into and read the sign on the window. It was a bar. She opened the door and was greeted by the haunting melody which would have been beautiful except everyone in the bar was humming it. Mei heard the door close behind her. All eyes were focused on her. Mei felt chills on her spine as the only sound that could be heard was humming. She looked around the bar. Men and women hummed the melody in perfect harmony. Then her eyes stopped. There was one child in the bar. She had streaks of red, blonde, brown, and black hair that covered her face. The girl walked over to the bar and lay on top. Every person in the bar stood up and turned to the girl on the bar. A hooded figure emerged from the corner of the bar with a knife in hand and walked to the bar. Mei’s eyes widened as she realized what was going on.