The Scarlet Drop: The Vampire Legacies Book One

by Sarah Beth James

  I let the sword vanish, “I’m listening.”

  “Vicky!” he hissed, “Don’t listen to them, trust me just this once.”

  “Just touch one of us and the deal is done. You will be free.”

  I reached towards one, the man tried to pull me back. I didn’t let him stop me; I knew what I was doing. My hand drew closer, almost touching. Just as contact would have been made, thunder rolled one last time around me. Lightning dancing around my body, destroying every shadow stood there. Or at least sending them back to where they should be.

  “What happened?” he asked.

  I turned on him, the sword back in my hand pointed at his throat. “Exactly what I wanted to happen if you had stopped interfering! I am not stupid enough to listen to the squawks of the between realms! My lands were safe, I made sure. You brought them with you, from where ever you came. Go back there, right now!”

  “I can’t, I came to help you and I shall.” He said firmly.

  “Very well.” At my nod the thorns that surrounded the land grabbed him, binding him tightly so he could neither move nor speak. “Then you stay there until you agree to leave.”

  The Vampire Legacies Book One

  The Scarlet Drop

  Chapter Ten

  The attack from the shadows left me on edge, this place was no longer my relaxing safe haven it had been as long as I remembered. My home had changed, a weapons room appearing, a gym for training as well as weapons in almost every room. My cats which normally roamed the hallways had grown larger, more aggressive. Stalking around more like they were on patrol then just being normal felines. Even I found myself constantly staring out the window watching for danger. My sword never left my side, not even for a moment. I found myself listening to the ‘word on the street’ from the shadow places, checking no more attacks were due. All I ever heard was pleas for me to join them, until they drove me to near insanity.

  That man interested me, he felt familiar, in the same way Steve had when I met him. I had known him before, many times. I was sure of it. I checked down the wall of pictures for clues. A few of him had appeared, but they were all with Steve none with me. Which didn’t help clear my confusion over the matter in the slightest. I set my cats to watch over him, coming since sunset to ask if he was willing to leave yet. He always stayed silent, just watching me.

  I expected tonight to be no different as I dodged smaller shadow creatures trying to spy on me as I crossed the top of the cliff to check on my captor once again. As I released his mouth to allow speech I felt dizziness try to overcome me. I shoved it away, not before he had noticed however.

  “Keeping this creation going is draining you Victoria; you will die here if you do not leave soon.” He commented.

  I sighed, “I know it is, yet I don’t see another path right now.”

  “Steven loves you.” He said quietly.

  “Who are you?” I asked, “How do you know me or any of this?”

  He smiled weakly, “Look inside, you know who I am.”

  I looked at him for long moments, those soft grey eyes staring back into me. “Tony, you are Tony.”

  He nodded, “Yes, and who is Tony?”

  “My closest friend.”

  The comment cut him deeply, a flash of sorrow on his face before he masked it. “Yes, I guess so.”

  I released him from the barrier, “Go back without me, and take care of the vampire.”

  Antonio rubbed his arms where the thorns had bitten deep into his flesh. “I can’t go back without you. Either we both go back or neither of us.”

  I sighed, “I don’t want to go back. There is nothing left there for me.”

  “There is more than you can possibly imagine.” He answered.

  A shiver ran through me, nearly making me throw up. “You get the hell back to life.” I snapped.

  Tony looked on his guard straight away, “What do you sense?”

  “Your body is next to mine, yes?” I demanded.

  He nodded.

  “Our bodies are in danger; get out of here while you still can!”

  Then it hit him as well, a cold sense of dread. A smell like copper in the air tainting this land. “Fucking asshole drank!” he snapped, “I trusted his idle ass, I am so stupid! I should know better than to expect him to crawl out of a bottle for more than a second!”

  “You trusted Steve to help us? After discovering I am an evil wicked witch?” I retorted, “Your own damn fault if you die here.”

  “They are coming back.” He said drawing his magic.

  “Yeah, kind of noticed that.” I flexed my sword, watching it snap in two.

  “Twin sais?” he asked, “That’s been a few decades.”

  I stretched my back ready for battle, testing the weight in my hands. I felt the blood pounding in my ears, I should be scared. Yet adrenaline was already taking over, like I had been born to fight. Like I wasn’t Victoria anymore. “Perhaps you just needed to wake up the right side of me.” I commented quietly.

  Antonio looked over at me, “Susanna?” he asked.

  I nodded, testing the sharpness of the blades.

  “You shouldn’t be able to call forth past lives to aid you. You shouldn’t be able to fight. We wiped every memory that could make you remember me.” He stumbled over.

  “Yes you did, and we will have that argument when we are not about to die in battle. Oh and by the way, she knows you aren’t her friend.” I commented.

  “She?” he asked.

  “The newest recruit to the soul, she knows more than you think.”

  “That knowledge will get her killed.” He said sharply.

  “Then when she comes back to life, erase it before she knows awake what she does sleeping.” I advised.

  “Oh hell.” He muttered, watching as the first wave of shadows started towards us.

  “We need to get to the thorn fence, and out of here fast.” I said.

  The Vampire Legacies Book One

  The Scarlet Drop

  Chapter Eleven

  Antonio was confused, nothing that was happening right now made any sense to him. Victoria had far more power than it was possible for her to have, far more knowledge than she should be able to cope with. After the war she had been a broken wreck for centuries. Only in her forgetting everything had she ever found any form of peace. Even remembering his name should have been enough to trigger the start of the insanity which always claimed her soul. Yet here she was running alongside him towards the thorn fence, trying to keep a step ahead of the darkness coming for them both. She looked more alive than she had since it had all first happened, she looked herself again. The beautiful, sexy, warrioress he had always loved. Could she finally be ready to accept her past to live her future with him?

  There wasn’t time to ponder on the universe as the first batch of shades hit them. He blasted at them with his magic, sending out beams of pure white light. Back to back with him, Victoria was hacking at the creatures with her Sais glowing with their inner light. “Get to the fence, even if you have to leave me behind. Get back to life.” She hissed at him. He shook his head; there was no way he was going to leave her behind. Not this time, it was his fault she had gone crazy in the first place. He had thought only of himself, not her. When he realized she wasn’t by his side anymore, it was far too late. She had already been in the clutches of the darkest beings in creation. They had rescued her, but the damage had already been done.

  Victoria pushed him towards the thorns, “Do as you are bloody told will ya!” she snapped.

  “I can’t go without you.” He insisted.

  “We can’t both get out of here, so you will have to.” She replied, slashing at the next wave of creatures.

  “Then I die here by your side, I love you.” It just slipped out, he couldn’t take it back.

  She turned to look at him, studying his features to see if there was truth in his words. Slashing at a shade grabbing her side. She nodded slowly, “Then you better find US a way out o
f here.”

  Tony knew it was time to go; they couldn’t last much longer here. “Call the storm.” He said quietly. Between them they could light up the whole valley, they had always been the greatest of storm mages together. He held his hand out to her; she took it without hesitation only pausing to clip one of the Sais onto her belt. The thunder rolled over the valley, clouds covering every inch of the sky. Rolling by so fast you could see every motion of them. The rain battered down soaking them to the skin in less than a minute. Before she let forth that cry she had before, making lightning flash like it was fireworks in the sky above.

  All Antonio could smell was seared flesh as the shadows started to disappear. Victoria opened a small gap in the fence, enough that someone could pass through back to the between places. “Go now, please. Before they regroup.” She asked.

  “Come with me.” He begged again, “I can’t lose you.”

  “When I go back there, I have nothing in my life. Just a kind of boyfriend who doesn’t accept me. Two parents who hate me. A college course that bores me half to death. And a bottle when I get low. Why should I?” she asked.

  “Because, I need you.” He said in earnest.

  “I need something to hold onto, I am so lost.” She said quietly.

  “Then let me be that something.” He offered, holding out his hand.

  “And if you run away and leave me all alone? What then?”

  “I won’t, I can’t leave you again. It hurts me too much.”

  Slowly Victoria came closer, studying him before taking his hand. “Let me down and I will kill you.”

  “I have no doubt in that.” He said pulling her through the portal. Trying to not think of what he would have to do to her on the other side. The fresh promise he would have to break for her own sake. If she ever remembered everything, he would have a lot of explaining to do. Or at least a serious amount of running so she didn’t kill him!

  The Vampire Legacies Book One

  The Scarlet Drop

  Chapter Twelve

  Steve drank deeply from the whisky bottle; the other fangs hadn’t arrived yet. No one had come to his urgent call, and the shadows were drawing ever closer to the house. Paused there, like they were waiting for something. He had survived the first hour without drinking, then as the second drew to a close he found the cravings stabbing at his stomach. His hands shaking on the crossbow he held. He drank, only a little at first just to steady his hands. Then more as the third hour started, they were running out of time. He couldn’t help but think that as soon as this hour started to wane, they would attack.

  The drink steadied his nerves a little, not enough. Where were the others who promised to help? Why did no one ever come when he needed them? A nagging feeling that it was because he had abandoned them for far too long, as well as his lands. At first he had been chasing his love, and then he had been grieving her in his stupid addictions. He just hadn’t even thought of them until now. He was a mess, he knew it.

  Yet he kept drinking. Absentmindedly wondering how there was whisky in the house, he was pretty sure that Tony had ditched it all before they had started the spell. So where had it come from? His favorite brand as well, so smooth on the tongue, hell on his head in the morning however. Strong enough to knock out an elephant, which was why he always drank it. The fastest way to blacking out everything he had experienced in the last year!

  A large part of him knew that he shouldn’t be doing what he was doing now, that he was putting his loved ones in danger. Still he drank, like he couldn’t stop. Like someone was forcing him to. And then he smelt it, copper on the wind. The smell of blood reached him, thick, old, long dead blood. His face snapped around to the window just as it exploded in his face. He put his body over Victoria’s to help her avoid the worst of the glass spray.

  He knew what was entering the house now was not of the good kind of visitor. As he turned back to the broken window to bring the crossbow up he saw what had happened to the other vampires. Trapped in tendrils of darkness, blood dripping down their broken bodies. They hadn’t made it passed the darkness to help him. He was alone now. He shot a bolt at the shadow, tipped with magical light. His reactions felt slow, dull. He could barely raise the weapon to height to fire. He heard laughter all around him, freezing the blood in his veins.

  “Little vampire, did you think it was so easy to avoid us? To keep her safe?”

  “What have you done to me?” Steve demanded, trying to find a better grip on the weapon that seemed determined to slip through his fingers.

  “Did you enjoy your whisky?”

  There was more laughter.

  Steven looked at the half empty bottle and the others on the floor beside it. “You poisoned me.”

  “Dead man’s blood.”

  “No.” he muttered, “Tony wouldn’t do that to me.”

  “Are you so sure?”

  Steve collapsed, the weapon falling out of his reach. “He could never, he loves me.”

  The shadow came closer to the two sleeping bodies, reaching out to touch Victoria’s arm. A thin line of blood appearing where ever it did. “She will be our greatest weapon.”

  “You will have to kill me first!” he hissed.

  “You are already dying.”

  Steven knew it was true, he was dizzy, sick. How on earth had dead man’s blood got into the house? Tony wouldn’t, he knew that. Then he had the answer. There was one remaining hunter he had called that wasn’t already trapped. “Lucrishia.” He muttered.

  The laughter stopped suddenly as a female figure came forward. Clothed in dark colours, a scar down her face distorting what was once sheer beauty. Her dark hair cut to try and hide the sight. “Yes lover?” she crooned.

  “Why would you do this?” he demanded.

  “Because you loved her, not me. All these centuries I waited for you to notice me, you never did. Just swooned over that stupid child. The one who took my beauty from me!” she growled.

  “She is the mission, you know that. She must be kept alive.”

  “Oh yes, the girl who will stop the river of screams. Who cares, with her dead another can take her place. ME!”

  “Is that what it promised you?” he asked, “It’s impossible, only her blood can do this. Her DNA!”

  Lucrishia looked up at her master, “You lied to me!”

  “It was required for you to play your part.”

  “Run.” Steve warned knowing what would come next.

  “That part is now over.”

  Steven closed his eyes, he couldn’t move to save her nor could he watch another solider of his die. He heard her scream, felt the blood spatter his clothing and face. Then she was gone. He was next he knew it, and then those he loved most. “Just do it, I’m tired of fighting.” He said quietly.

  “Sorry, no one else dies today.” A girl said softly.

  “Victoria?” he snapped his eyes open.

  The Vampire Legacies Book One

  The Scarlet Drop

  Chapter Thirteen

  The between places were strange, moving through them was like pushing through treacle. I could barely move at all before Tony started pulling me along. Whispering words of encouragement. I felt so tired, so weak. I just wanted to lie down and close my eyes, but he didn’t let me. Kept edging me on towards life. He looked just as exhausted as I felt, a grey tinge to his skin. Staggering slightly as he walked. I heard voices in the distance, a fight of sorts perhaps. The stench of blood everywhere. Tony was muttering something under his breath like a chant of sorts. “Please don’t go crazy, please don’t go crazy.” Over and over again.

  Then somehow we managed to push our way through back into life. I opened my eyes; woozily I tried to sit up. I fell back twice before I managed to get upright. Steve was on the ground underneath a woman reaching out to stab him. A shadow resting overhead. Nobody was going to hurt someone I considered to be mine. Before I even thought about it I was on my feet, I snatched up the fallen crossbow and shot it. Hitting her
straight in the back, she turned towards me shocked. Before the shadow killed her, tearing her head from her body. Her blood smattering my clothes as well as Steve’s. Tony was already on his feet chasing the shadow as it fled.

  I came to stand over Steve as he asked me to kill him, when I answered there was a look of total shock on his face as he whispered my name. “Get up.” I commanded. I could feel more was on its way.”

  “I can’t.” he answered softly.

  “Yes you can. You stand or you die.” I pulled him to his feet.

  Creatures were coming, ones that had once been men, but now the shadows animated them. The house would soon be over run. “Weapons!” I demanded. I could only assume the men had the sense to have brought some with them.

  Steve didn’t answer, just took the crossbow from my hands. “Whatever happens, you must not fight.” He insisted.

  “Yeah my ass.” I retorted, pushing a little healing into him. Just enough to keep him going until this was all over.

  “You do not fight woman!” Tony snapped, coming back to my side.

  I bit my lip trying to stop myself from snapping back at them. “Equal rights moron.” I muttered. I wished I could create my Sais here. I could really use them right now. I snuck away as they started to barricade the doors to keep the monsters outside. There were bodies on the floor just outside the window, I tried to not think about that or the blood starting to soak through my shoes as I hunted for weapons. Anything I could use to defend us, my magic was too weakened by travelling to support us. I found a pair of daggers I shoved down my blood soaked boots. Along with a staff, good, strong in my hands, with a button to release a blade in the tip. That would do nicely. I’d used a pool cue in a few fights before to defend myself; this wasn’t all that much different in my hands.