by Tish Thawer
I didn't want to let her down. "Let's wait until the others are done feeding and we'll go down while they open the club. Rose, you don't have to be there with us. You can wait in our room if you'd like, or stay up here with Dax and the others." I didn't want her bearing witness to any more death than she already had.
"Okay. I'll just stay up here with the others." She squeezed my hand and smiled at me with reassurance in her eyes. She knew I was nervous without me even needing to say so. God, I love her.
We sat in Evie's office and continued to talk about all the recent events while we waited for everyone to re-emerge from the pit: Terrance being in love and drifting back; Balam's and the elders' assumption that creating a hybrid was the answer to our demon problem; Meredith's reasons for creating her army; and everything else that had come up lately.
Finally, we heard the stage lock into place, indicating that everyone was once again upstairs and starting to open the club. Rose stood up, kissed me, hugged me tight, and then walked out of the office without saying another word. I think she was just as nervous about this as I was.
"Are you ready?" Evie asked.
"Yes." And I was. I'd finally started to trust and enjoy my new abilities. I knew without a doubt how to deliver the true death, even though I'd never done it before. I also knew without a doubt that we had no choice. Kennedy wasn't going to drift back.
I walked to Evie's bookcase and pushed the button to open the door to her secret entrance into the pit. We remained silent as she followed me down the stairs.
Once we reached the cell, we found Kennedy crouched on the floor finishing off the remainder of his blood bag. I didn't hesitate or try to make conversation. I just flew into the cell and grabbed the vampire by the throat and struck.
As I sank my fangs into Kennedy's neck, I released the poison of true death into his system. I pulled away as the poison began to spread through his veins.
As I backed out of the cell to stand next to Evie, I watched as the dark green poison crept across his skin, paralyzing him while turning his body to stone. When I reached her side she said nothing, but instead took my hand as we continued to stare at the green tendrils that were making their way to his heart.
Once the poison reached and solidified his heart, he simply turned to dust. The chains clattered to the ground and Kennedy was gone.
"He didn't suffer, Christian. Once the poison takes hold, it paralyzes them and they don't feel anything." Evie was trying to pull me away from the cell, but I wasn't ready to go just yet.
"I know, Evie. Thank you. But can you please just give me a moment? I'll be up shortly."
She hugged me and left me alone. Or what I thought was alone.
"So, you're officially the new Sire now?" Terrance came sauntering down the hall from the direction of the supply room. I guess not everyone had finished feeding and returned to the club. Damn.
"I suppose the evidence speaks for itself." I pointed to the dust pile that used to be Kennedy. I hoped Evie was right about Terrance, and he no longer retained any connection to Meredith through that fucking mind bond. I really didn't want to have to kill him too.
"That's good. I'm glad. You'll make a great Sire, Christian."
His response caught me off-guard. I thought he'd be an asshole about it, but then I realized this new Terrance must be coming from the calming effect Loraine had on him.
My god, that's it! That explains why he was able to fall in love with her despite Meredith's manipulations.
Loraine's ability allowed Terrance to retain that connection to his soul, and therefore fall in love with her. He must've always felt at peace when he was near her, which led to him developing feelings for her. In spite of everything, it was a blessing that Loraine had been the one Terrance had targeted. If it'd been anyone else, we would have lost him for sure.
I smiled and thanked him for his kind remarks, and silently sent a thank you to Loraine as well.
"Evie wants to keep it under wraps though, so we can use it to our advantage against the demons. I need you to not say anything to the rest of the clan."
"No problem, but if you want to use your command to guarantee it, I'm okay with that." Again, his response wasn't something I expected, but it seemed genuine so I decided not to use my Sire abilities to guarantee his silence. Besides, this could be the test that proved whether he was still under Meredith's influence or not.
As he followed me up into Evie's office, I began to wonder why Loraine wasn't here with Terrance now. She said that she always appeared when someone was specifically thinking of her, so I figured that's why she'd been drawn to Terrance so much lately. He was probably always thinking about her.
As I shut the bookcase behind us, I suddenly got the overwhelming feeling that something terrible had just happened. As we emerged from Evie's office into the club, I noticed Rose was standing in the middle of the room while everyone else was busy doing their usual prep work.
She was speaking on her cell phone, and in the next moment Loraine appeared above her with a terrified look on her face. Rose threw her phone across the room and it smashed to pieces against the far wall. Then she let out a scream that was so loud, it had everyone frozen in shock.
I watched in horror as the love of my life started throwing chairs and upending tables in a fit of rage I never thought her capable of. "Rose, my god, what's wrong?"
When she spun in my direction, my heart dropped into my stomach. Her eyes were glowing a fiery red.
Time stood still as Loraine explained to me that yes, Rose and Jeremy were both demons, but that they'd only found out recently, and that's why Rose had been pulling away. She wanted to protect me and my clan by leaving. She continued to fill me in on why Rose's anger had finally been released; Jeremy was choosing to stay with Meredith because she was pregnant with his child. Their demon child.
The next bit of divine knowledge I received was from my own psychic abilities. I knew unequivocally that turning Rose was the only thing I could do. To save her, to save us, to save her dad.
Without a moment's hesitation, I flew across the room and sunk my teeth into her neck.
Everything started to become hazy as I heard Evie scream in the background. "Christian, NO!!!"
* * * * *
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
Decision
(Christian)
I always knew Rose would become my consort, but what I didn't know until the decision was made, was that by turning her...she would also become our hybrid.
As I drank from Rose, bringing her to the brink of death, all my thoughts were fuzzy from the effect her blood was already starting to have on me.
I knew for Rose to become my consort I needed to perform the consort ceremony while delivering the sedative of eternal life. So as I settled into my subconscious, I began to think the words that would seal our consort bond, layering them with my Sire command. "Your life to me, my life to you, through this bond our love is true. Whatever shall come, we share in whole. Life to death, eternity our goal."
I felt the scanning ability snap into place for Rose as I fell to the ground with her in my arms.
* * * * *
(Rose)
After leaving Christian behind in Evie's office, I started to help set up the tables and chairs in the club. Suddenly, I felt my phone vibrating and looked down to see my dad's number.
The relief I felt was so overwhelming that I snapped the phone open, buzzing with excitement. "Dad. You're alright?"
"Yes, Rose. I'm fine."
"Oh, thank god. I was so worried that crazy bitch would hurt you when you told her you were leaving. Are you on your way to The Rising Pit now?"
A knot in my stomach started to form when the line remained silent for just a little too long. "Rose, I need you to listen to me, baby. I know this will be hard to understand, but...I'm staying with Meredith. We're having a baby."
No words could flow past the anger now rising within me. I knew without a doubt Meredith had somehow tricked my da
d into staying with her. That bitch is going to pay.
I didn't even bother hanging up the phone, but instead threw it across the room and watched it smash into tiny pieces.
I knew this was the end for me as I couldn't control my demon side any longer. I started seeing red as I threw chairs and smashed tables. I didn't care if everyone knew, because the second I left here, I'd be going to kill Meredith and would probably never return anyway.
Suddenly from behind me I heard Christian's voice. "Rose, my god, what's wrong?"
I spun around, trying to catch my breath and stared at him with my glowing red eyes. Even though I was angry, the sight of him had me wishing I had time to explain and apologize for everything. But I didn't.
Everyone was staring at me, and just as I prepared to run for the door, Christian was flying at me with his vampire speed.
The next thing I knew was the feeling of his fangs sinking into my neck as I heard Evie scream, "Christian, NO!!!"
I had no control over my body going limp as the man I loved drank the life from me. Suddenly I heard Christian's voice layering my mind. "Your life to me, my life to you, through this bond our love is true. Whatever shall come, we share in whole. Life to death, eternity our goal."
As I started to take my last breath, I felt a strange snap in my mind as we fell to the floor. The last thing I heard was Christian's voice inside my head. "Rose, I forgive you."
Death of a Black Rose
(Book Three of The Rose Trilogy)
* * * * *
PROLOGUE
(Rose)
After leaving Christian behind in Evie's office, I started to help set up the tables and chairs in the club. Suddenly, I felt my phone vibrating and looked down to see my dad's number.
The relief I felt was so overwhelming that I snapped the phone open, buzzing with excitement. "Dad. You're all right?"
"Yes, Rose. I'm fine."
"Oh, thank god. I was so worried that crazy bitch would hurt you when you told her you were leaving. Are you on your way to The Rising Pit now?"
A knot formed in my stomach when the line remained silent for just a little too long. "Rose, I need you to listen to me, baby. I know this will be hard to understand, but...I'm staying with Meredith. We're having a baby."
No words could flow past the anger now rising within me. I knew without a doubt Meredith had somehow tricked my dad into staying with her. That bitch is going to pay.
I launched the phone across the room and into a wall. It smashed into a million pieces. I threw chairs and crushed tables, seeing nothing but red from behind my glowing eyes. I couldn't control my demon side any longer. I didn't care if everyone knew, because the second I left here, I was going to kill Meredith and would probably never return.
Suddenly from behind me I heard Christian's voice. "Rose, my god, what's wrong?"
I spun around and stared at him through a crimson haze, trying to catch my breath. Even though I was angry, the sight of him had me wishing I had time to explain and apologize for everything. But I didn't.
Everyone was staring at me. I prepared to run for the door but Christian flew at me with his vampire speed and gripped me tightly. Before I could move he sank his fangs into my neck as I heard Evie scream, "Christian, NO!!!"
I had no control over my body going limp as the man I loved drank the life from me. Suddenly Christian's voice layered my mind. "Your life to me, my life to you, through this bond our love is true. Whatever shall come, we share in whole. Life to death, eternity our goal."
As I took my last breath, something snapped inside my mind as we fell to the floor. The last thing I heard was Christian's voice inside my head. "Rose, I forgive you."
Rose’s eyes open and then she's gone.
My life will be over before too long.
* * * * *
CHAPTER ONE
Scared
(Christian)
The moment the sun set, I awoke––alone. Rose was nowhere in sight.
"Rose, are you here?"
When I received no response I crawled out of bed and made my way into the bathroom. I looked from side to side, hoping to find some clue as to where she could be. The last thing I remembered was falling to the floor with her in my arms while our consort bond sealed her scanning ability into place. I felt the connection when it happened and sent my thoughts directly into her mind. I'd told her I forgave her, and I did. So the question remained...where was she now?
"She's gone, Christian."
I looked up into the mirror to see Loraine––Rose's mother––hovering behind me.
"I know. I can feel it. It's like our bond is being stretched." I sank down onto the bench where Rose always sat to do her makeup. I could still smell her scent in the air and my heart began to ache.
Loraine, who'd been killed by Meredith––the very demon that was currently bedding Rose's father––had recently started to appear in her ghostly form whenever she was needed or thought about. However, so far, I was the only one she could actually communicate with.
"Tell me what happened, Loraine."
"Well, after the two of you passed out upstairs, Evie had Dax and the others carry you both down to your room. They said it was too late to stop the process and that Rose would have to feed from you to complete the transition once you woke. You both remained unconscious for the rest of the night and all day today, but hours before sunset...Rose started to stir."
My head snapped up. "That's impossible. If she was finishing her transition she shouldn't have been able to wake until the sun went down. We should have woken at the same time."
"I know, Christian. I followed everyone down here last night and stayed with the two of you the whole time. Initially I was shocked when I saw her start to wake, but what I came to understand is that her demon side allows her to rise before the sun sets. Demons aren't confined to the night like vampires, and therefore neither is Rose. Once she'd risen, it was like she knew exactly what to do to complete the process." Loraine shook her head, ever so slightly. "I watched as she drank from you."
My hand flew to my neck and I could feel two small puncture wounds. Apparently Rose hadn't figured out how to use her sedative to heal me. That was something every Sire was supposed to teach their new sons or daughters, or in our case...wife. "She completed the process? She's a full vampire now?"
"I think so, but what I saw next scared me so much I must have disappeared. I only just came back when I felt you thinking of Rose."
I jumped up from the bench, my fists clenching and unclenching as my panic rose. Glancing back at the mirror I caught sight of myself; my hair and eyes had drifted dark. "Tell me everything, Loraine. What did you see that scared you?"
Bright silver streaks flowed down Loraine's cheeks and I realized she was crying. "She's bad, Christian. After she drank from you, I watched as my daughter's beautiful blonde hair turned dark as night, and her eyes became the deepest crimson I've ever seen. She's the hybrid now, and I'm scared for us all."
* * * * *
CHAPTER TWO
Lost
(Christian)
The decision to turn my girlfriend into a vampire was something I'd been planning to do for over a year. But what I hadn't planned on was turning her the moment I found out she was a demon. Talk about a shock. It had been a huge surprise and yet another secret she'd kept from me. But in that moment, I didn't have time to be mad; the instant I'd seen Rose's eyes glow red, I'd been flooded with the information about her heritage and the unwavering knowledge that turning her into the hybrid was the right thing to do––the only thing I could do. But now, as I stood frozen in place, looking into the depths of my inky black eyes, I hoped I hadn't made the wrong decision.
"Loraine, what happened next?"
"She rushed around in a frenzy, throwing stuff into a bag, and then flew out of the club. I haven't felt a pull toward her since." Loraine sobbed, causing my heart to break even more.
I paced back into the bedroom, feeling completely lost–�
��lost without Rose, lost in what I should do...just completely and utterly lost. Suddenly a knock on the door stopped my depressive spiral.
"Christian, may we come in?" called Evie.
I wasn't in the mood to face everyone right now, but knew I didn't have a choice. "Yes, come in."
The door slowly opened and Evie and Dax hesitantly entered. I was relieved it was just the two of them. They eyed me cautiously as I sat down on the bed and buried my head in my hands.