The Rose Trilogy Box Set

by Tish Thawer

  I squinted and ran my hands over the entire area. I could make out similar images to the ones in the cave in Virginia: tribesmen farming and herding animals, stars and comets filling their night skies, and adults caring for their children. But it was the warriors posed with spears pointing towards a winged creature that held my full attention.

  The carvings were worn but I could clearly see this beast was humanoid except for the massive wings protruding from its back. I followed the image to the right, trying to decipher the ancient story laid out before me. The warriors used spears and arrows to keep the beast at bay, but it wasn't until another winged being fought with it in the sky, that the creature actually left the village in peace.

  * * * * *

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  The Greatest News

  (Meredith)

  "Grandma, I'm sorry this upsets you, but I hoped you'd be able to help me understand what's really going on."

  "I don't know what you want me to say, Meredith. I told you that drinking human blood was going to affect you and the baby. I can only assume the connection you're describing is due to the link the baby has to its father. It's causing a bond between the two that is leaving Jeremy feeling very paternal and protective from the sounds of things. But as to exactly how it works...I have no idea."

  Well, shit. While the information was vaguely what I needed, it wasn't exactly the greatest news. It seemed the initial lie I'd told Jeremy about the baby developing a bond to him was essentially coming true. The bond may not be required for its survival, like I'd falsely indicated, but it was certainly one that was making Daddy very "alpha-male."

  "Thank you, Grandma. That's all I needed to know. I guess it makes sense that the males of our race would develop a protective nature towards their children. Was Grandpa like that with Mom?"

  "No, Meredith. My pregnancy was as normal as any other human's. That's what I'm trying to explain. You, my dear, are experiencing something completely unique, and whether that's good or bad, is something only time will tell."

  The tone of her voice and the sadness layering her features portrayed just how disappointed in me she was. My heart began to break. But as she turned to walk away, the fissure stopped––my anger sealing it closed instead.

  How dare she be mad at me! I was doing something no other demon had done in centuries. I was ushering our race back into a time of legends and Gods. A time where demons didn't hide their existence but lived openly, practicing the traditions that made us a race to be feared.

  As my anger continued to grow, my fists clenched and I felt my eyes flaring red. I moved to confront my grandmother with these very thoughts when it hit me, This is your grandmother.

  Now I was the one struck by fear. What is happening to me? How could I even imagine hurting the woman I'd loved my whole life? Not wanting to do that very thing, I raced from the house, tears filling my eyes. I knew this was the last time I'd be speaking to my grandmother...for her own sake.

  People say when you're pregnant your hormones are out of control, but what scared me the most...what if it wasn't my hormones at all? What if it was the fact that I was becoming something I couldn't even control myself?

  * * * * *

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  Day and Night

  (Rose)

  It had now been three days since I'd settled into my new home. The cave served me well, as my meals––I mean the tourists–– walked straight into my lap on a daily basis. I had stopped trying to use my sedative, as I simply couldn't get past the euphoric feeling caused by my kills. Instead, I simply enjoyed the feeling of the blood as it fueled me, boosting my immortal essence. I had also started exploring the surrounding forest both day and night. The tall trees and fern-covered ground were filled with life and death and I felt as if I fit right in. The only thing that continued to disrupt my existence were the reoccurring nightmares I had each time I slept, which lately had become more and more often.

  It was as if I was being forced to watch a historical documentary of horrific proportions. One that left me feeling the need to search and destroy everything and everyone in my path. The strong desire to replicate the events had taken on a life of itself. Every time I woke from the terrible dreams I found myself almost flying out of the hole in the cave, searching for the nearest village to exact my wrath upon. The feelings were so vivid, so tangible, it took hours after waking to shake them. And at times, my back even ached as if I had been the one flying the night sky, delivering death and destruction.

  At the thought, I circled my shoulder blades in an effort to ease the tension building between them, then stretched my arms high into the air. I couldn't understand why I felt so sore and heavy. It was then that I felt something skittering along the ground beside me. When I looked down to my left I noticed something black, moving on the dirt floor. I jumped to the side in an effort to stomp on the creature, but was shocked when it moved in pace with me. I spun in a circle, trying to pinpoint its location.

  It matched my movements, spinning and darting with every turn. I felt like I was moving in slow motion, like I was stuck in a dream state where everything remained just out of reach. In an effort to protect my back from the curious critter, I moved to the closest wall. As I flattened myself to the stone surface, the realization of what was happening settled in.

  Staring at the black creature now lying still upon the floor, I understood it wasn't a creature at all. It was me. The black shredded looking things pooled at my feet were actually dangling from the bottom of my wings.

  The last thing I heard before falling unconscious was my own scream, filling the vast cavern.

  * * * * *

  (Meredith)

  After leaving my grandmother's and wallowing in the state of my situation for the next few hours, I'd received a call from Lupé verifying the plans for tonight's meeting at her house. The thought of getting together with the rest of the demons who supported my cause, brightened my mood considerably. Reaffirming that what I was doing was for the good of us all, left me feeling rejuvenated. I had just enough time to return home and change my clothes to go along with the change in my attitude, and to grab a bite to eat.

  After passing security, I rode the elevator up to our apartment on the twentieth floor. Jeremy was going to be working late, which was customary whenever I had a meeting to attend. He'd always said, "If you're not going to be there, what's the point of me being home alone?" It melted my heart. But as I stepped through the door, I heard a rustling coming from the back of the apartment, instantly peaking my curiosity.

  "Jeremy, is that you?" I regretted announcing my presence the moment I heard more vigorous shuffling and muffled voices. Quickly dropping my things on the living room floor, I crept down the hall towards my bedroom and suddenly found myself face to face with two vampires.

  * * * * *

  (Evie)

  It was the night after I'd received Christian's call and his odd request. The club was open and the beat of the music was keeping time with my hammering headache. I sat at my desk, staring at the phone, wanting nothing more than to pick up the receiver and dial Christian's number. But, since I hadn't heard back from Balam I truly didn't have anything to report; and if Christian had any good news for us, I'm sure he would have called by now. Forcing myself to move on with our daily activities, I'd sent Dax to ask Renard and Loni to join me in my office.

  Walking in hand-in-hand, they both took a seat on the couch and waited for me to begin.

  "I've recently secured accommodations for you in Masen. We need the two of you to go back to the location of Meredith's meetings and keep an eye on her. I want to know her every move and exactly how far she's gotten with her plans to feed her people human blood."

  "No problem, Evie. We'll leave right away. Where exactly will we be staying?" Loni asked.

  "It's a high-rise downtown, here's the address." I handed them the scrap of paper I'd written the information on. "It's not a hotel, but since it's a new structure they have unoc
cupied apartments that are being rented out for long-term leases. I've secured one on the fifteenth floor for the next two months."

  Renard's eyes went wide. "Two months?"

  I laughed out loud at his reaction. "I don't expect you to be gone that long, no. But it was the shortest lease I could get. Besides, once all this mess is over, I may just end up keeping it for getaways and to have a backup location in case we ever have to abandon The Rising Pit for any reason."

  "Whew." Renard wiped his brow with the back of his hand. "You had me bloody worried there for a moment."

  After we settled the remaining details of their stakeout, including a two-week supply of blood bags, I watched as they drove away in Dax's blue SUV.

  Returning to the club, Dax guided me through the crowd and back towards my office. "Don't worry, Evie, they'll be fine. And soon, we'll have the upper hand and know just what that bitch is up to."

  "I hope so, my love. I hate feeling so useless, and waiting for Balam's response has left me on pins and needles for reasons I don't even understand."

  "Well, it's only been one day since you asked Balam to look in the caves. You have to give him some time to complete the task, Evie. Worrying about something that you can't control does no one any good," he said as he placed a kiss on the top of my head. "Patience, my dear, patience."

  Listening to Dax rationalize my frustration was rubbing me the wrong way. I knew he meant well, but hearing that I just needed to sit and do nothing, wasn't helping my mood. So, in an effort to rid myself of my headache and my irritation, I left the club in Dax's capable hands and made my way downstairs. Perhaps a nice long bath would help to wash away my stress. Did I really think it would work? No...but it was worth a try.

  * * * * *

  (Loni)

  The drive to Masen was quick going as rush hour ended hours ago. In just under two hours we pulled into the underground parking lot of the new building in downtown Masen. It was a pretty impressive high-rise, but to be honest, I was a little concerned. The whole thing seemed to be made of windows and while we didn't burn in the sun, I just wasn't use to being so exposed while I slept.

  "Don't fret, love, we're on the fifteenth floor. Any bugger catching a peek up there would have to either be a window washer, or the Amazing Spiderman. Besides that's what they make drapes for." Renard's flippant attitude reminded me of why I loved him so much. He always had a way of putting things into perspective for my overly stimulated brain.

  "You're right, of course. Let's get settled in and then head over to Meredith's meeting facility. We still have a good eight hours before sunrise," I suggested.

  "Sounds perfect, pet."

  We quickly made our way to the fifteenth floor and found our apartment at the end of the hall. The decor was nice, with replicas of fine art hanging on the walls and beautiful vases residing in lighted niches. The kitchen boasted granite counter tops and stainless steel appliances, and the large jacuzzi tub in the master bath had me hoping our stakeout took all two months and then some. The place was gorgeous!

  "Wow, swanky," Renard teased.

  "It's nice, yeah?"

  "Absolutely. But don't get any ideas, poppet, I don't want to be here any longer than necessary. The Rising Pit is our home, and I don't like being away from the family while all this stuff with Christian and Rose is playing out."

  He was right, again. This wasn't a honeymoon, and it certainly wasn't a replacement home; it was just a means to an end, and that end was getting the low down on Meredith and her demons.

  "Let's go," I said, feeling a renewed sense of determination.

  Locking the front door and stuffing the key into his pocket, Renard grabbed my hand as we made our way back to the elevator. The doors opened and we stepped in, pushing the button for the ground floor. Unfortunately the elevator was making its assent, so we'd have to wait for its skyward journey to end before we could be on our way. We should have taken the stairs, I thought to myself.

  We stood in silence, bored as the people moved in and out of the box, entering and exiting onto their chosen levels. It wasn't until we reached the twentieth floor that something caught my attention.

  * * * * *

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  Trapped

  (Christian)

  I continued to study the petroglyphs in front of me, following the story they told over and over. It still left me no discernible information relating to Rose, though. However, I did feel trapped by the appearance of Loraine, as if leaving the only place I'd recently seen her would be a mistake.

  "Justin, Jillian? Can you hear me?" I shouted.

  It took a few minutes before I heard movements from above.

  "Christian, where are you?" Justin asked, obviously confused.

  "I'm down here. In the sink hole. I've found some more carvings and think that since it's getting close to sunrise we should just stay here tonight."

  "Do you want us to come down there with you? Is there a way out?" Jillian called.

  "No. Just stay up there. We are far enough off the beaten trail that no one will venture in this far." My claircognizance was kicking in and I knew we'd remain undiscovered while we slept.

  "Okay. Sounds good. Neither of us found anything in our areas either, by the way," Justin added.

  "I didn't expect you would." I tried not to sound disappointed. It wasn't their fault we were on a wild goose chase.

  "Don't worry, Christian. We'll find her soon." Jillian's reassuring words help a bit, but as I settled down onto the hard ground, the shards of shale poking into my sides, I concentrated on Rose, hoping something would spark. Unfortunately the only sensation I got was that of our bond being stretched far beyond its limits. My body began to shake uncontrollably and it was in that moment, I wondered if I'd actually survive this situation after all.

  * * * * *

  (Evie)

  After soaking my troubles away, I was headache free when Dax joined me once the club had closed. My evening was topped off by a much appreciated massage and the sensual attentions of my beloved mate before we fell comatose for the day.

  The following evening, we woke and headed straight to the cooler. Everyone else had already fed and made their way upstairs, so it was just Dax and I in the storage room when my cell phone began to ring.

  "Hello."

  "Hola, Evangeline. I'm calling with news," stated Balam.

  His serious tone put me on edge immediately.

  "Just a moment, Balam. Let me get to my office so that I may take notes." I nodded at Dax and flew down the hall and up into my office in a matter of seconds, sealing the bookcase behind me.

  "Apologies, Sire. Please continue."

  "After searching the past two nights in the caves below, we did discover some ancient drawings in one of the oldest areas."

  While I was excited to learn what they found, the hesitation I could sense in his voice had me worried that "excited" wouldn't be the appropriate word for what I was about to hear.

  "Evie, I'm not sure if what we found will be of any help to you or your new Sire, but to say that we have discovered some very important information about the demons, is putting it mildly."

  The air rushed out of me and I began to rapidly drift as my Sire explained to me the extinction of an entire race.

  * * * * *

  (Loraine)

  The terror was now something I couldn't escape. I was stuck in this hellish ether, forced to witness the end of a civilization over and over again. The images played continuously, until bits and pieces of information started to accompany them. Information I wish I could now forget.

  The story had been laid out before me; the demon princess Ixtab, the daughter of Yum Camil, was the Mayan Goddess of Death, Sacrifice, and Suicides. After reveling in her duties as the Death Goddess for centuries, she became bored and jealous of her brother, the bat-God Camazotz. She wanted to have wings and be able to fly like him. So, in an effort to do so, she performed magick chants, offered many sacrifices and finally�
��–in a bizarre ritual––bit Camazotz, becoming the first ever hybrid––his vampire blood mixing with her own.

  At first, nothing happened except her desire to drink human blood, but as she continued to perform her godly duties, killing more and more, she eventually developed wings and a thirst for nothing but blood and destruction. This was the hybrid's way of drifting dark.

  After leveling villages and slaying her people, Ixtab left Xibalba and began her world-wide killing spree. Yum Camil sent his son, Camazotz, to stop her. He tracked her all over the world, engaging her in fight after fight as he tried to protect the innocent people of the human realm. Eventually, he successfully brought Ixtab back to Xibalba. When she realized she was trapped and could no longer leave their realm, she killed her brother and father in a fit of rage, effectively ending the Mayan race.