The Vampire's Curse, A Paranormal Romance (Undead in Brown County #2)

by S. J. Wright

  Theodora had not changed at all in my sight. She still walked and spoke like a queen, which was entirely appropriate considering her position in the world back when she was human. She nodded at me formally with only the hint of a smile showing.

  The young man standing on the other side of Isaiah was a mystery, to be sure. He was well over six feet tall, lean and powerful with silky dark hair swept back away from his face and tied at the nape of his neck. He was undoubtedly Native American, judging by the classic brow and straight nose, as well as the coffee color of his eyes. Although, when I studied him more thoroughly, I realized that he was looking at nothing. He was unreachable.

  Gesturing at the native, I addressed Isaiah in a curt tone, “Compulsion is a bit of a low trick for you, Isaiah. Surely you realized we had to let you into the containment field in order to get this business done.”

  “Well, I find it’s always prudent to have a plan B.” He said while brushing a bit of lint off his wool coat with a gloved fingertip. He looked over our group, tilted his head minutely and smiled.

  “So where is Alexander? I’m very anxious to meet this extraordinary young man.”

  Katie sighed, “We don’t have time for this.”

  Teddy spoke up suddenly, her eyes portraying the worry that she carried, “She’s right. Let’s do what we can for Sarah, and then we can all hopefully sit down and have a meeting of the minds.”

  Isaiah’s eyebrows went up, “Is the girl truly at death’s door?”

  “She is. Your venom may be powerful enough to reverse the damage.” Katie said.

  We all heard the front door open and close. As we all turned, we saw Alex striding towards us with Sarah in his arms, limp and nearly lifeless. His face was set in fearless determination as he approached Isaiah and carefully laid Sarah at his feet like a sleeping child.

  “Do it now.” Alex commanded.

  The older vampire gave him a disdainful glance before looking over at me, “We haven’t discussed the terms of our arrangement.”

  “Isaiah…” Teddy crossed her arms, “This young woman may die right here if you don’t help.”

  I moved to stand at Alex’s side and met Isaiah eye-to-eye, “What do you want from me?”

  “Surrender your blood.”

  I heard a gasp from behind me that sounded like Victoria. Jones growled in protest at the suggestion. It was then that Meekah slid up to Alex’s other side and urged him to take a few steps back. A whispered conversation began between Alex, Meekah and Victoria. Ordinarily, I would have no trouble hearing it, but with Sarah laying there on the ground about to die unless I gave myself up to Isaiah, I didn’t feel the need to pay much attention. I should have.

  “Well, Michael? Do you feel strongly enough about this human to hand yourself over?”

  Gazing down upon the face of the woman I was about to sacrifice myself for, I felt such a rush of tenderness flow through me that I feared I might weep. I couldn’t do such a thing before these people, so I pushed back against the emotional tide as forcefully as I could and merely nodded my consent.

  Of all the bloody battles I’d fought and all the needless blood I had spilled, I felt at that moment a measure of remorse. Perhaps this act would be my redemption. I doubted it would cover all my sins.

  A feral smile rolled across Isaiah’s bearded face before he lowered himself towards Sarah with his fangs extended. I couldn’t watch it. Instead, I stared at the trees and the pale landscape around me. Even when Sarah groaned in protest at being bitten by this stranger, I did not look at the two of them.

  The conversation that had been going on behind me suddenly erupted into shouts. I noticed that the young Pawnee man had begun to look vaguely uncomfortable. Why had he come into the containment field? He could have remained at the border to let them out again once this was over. Apparently, he had another purpose for being there.

  Whatever had been said between Alex and the two women had enraged him sorely. When Isaiah stood again and patted at his mouth with a square white handkerchief, Alex had come back to stand by me with fury rolling off him like a storm cloud.

  “Why is this Indian here?” Alex barked out sharply towards Isaiah.

  “Alex, is it?”

  “Yes. Now answer the question!”

  Ignoring the two of them, I bent down to examine Sarah. She was still pale as a sheet, but her eyelids were fluttering against her cheeks, and she was trying to lift her hands to her head. I slipped one arm under legs and another beneath her back and lifted her. I wasn’t about to leave her between those two idiots while they argued.

  I was halfway up the porch steps when I heard Alex’s accusation.

  “He’s here to get her pregnant, isn’t he? To continue the precious line and preserve the containment field!”

  I heard an unnatural crackle of power behind me as Alex’s rage grew. All I knew was that I had to get Sarah out of the way. I’d deal with Isaiah and his schemes later. As I propped the door open with one shoulder and turned to go through the doorway sideways with Sarah, I looked over to see what was happening.

  The Indian had disappeared. I didn’t see Theodora anywhere either. Bursts of brightness were flying from Alex’s fingers, gliding swiftly through the air and dispatching Isaiah’s guards one by one, leaving them lifeless on the ground with black burn marks peppered across different parts of their bodies. One ball of fire missed its mark and flew onward into the forest.

  Isaiah, desperate to save his own life, had grabbed Katie and darted down towards the road with her. Alex did not follow, but fell to his knees in the grass, weak from the amount of power he’d expended. Jones went after them, followed by Victoria. I knew they’d never catch them before they hit the boundary. And Isaiah had the only means of getting out with Katie as his prisoner.

  I swept Sarah into the house and up the stairs. I laid her carefully on her own bed and checked her pulse with my fingertips. It was much stronger than it had been. When I pulled the top sheet over her, she smiled faintly and turned her head into her pillow to lay on her side.

  The morning sun was just beginning to penetrate through the branches of the trees around the house, and the light glimmered through her bedrooms windows like something from a beautiful dream. I longed to settle down next to her on the bed and hold her for the rest of the day. But there was work to do.

  Leaning down, I kissed her cheek and turned to leave.

  Chapter 21 – Sarah

  When I opened my eyes, it seemed wrong that everything was so dark. My body felt rested and relaxed, although my stomach felt a little queasy. I reached over to the lamp on my nightstand and switched it on.

  Sadie was at my side in an instant, licking my fingers and nudging me gently.

  “Hey, pretty girl.” I said, laughing lightly.

  I swung my legs over the side of the bed and stood up. Everything was so quiet. The only sound was Sadie’s nails clicking against the wood floor in my bedroom. When I opened the bedroom door and looked down the hall, I saw a crack of light on the floor under Katie’s bedroom door. Sadie slipped by me and headed downstairs.

  Trying to be as quiet as possible, I tiptoed down to Katie’s door. Inside, I heard two familiar voices.

  “You’re lucky you got away from him.” Alex said quietly.

  A huff of impatience followed, “Lucky? The bastard bit me. Now I’m probably going to turn into a freaking bloodsucker.”

  “Katie, that won’t happen. I know it feels like it, but as long as you don’t drink any more blood, you should be fine.”

  Any more blood? I shuddered and pressed my ear closer to the door.

  “It’s a little addictive, you know?”

  “Yeah, but you’re way too close to changing. No more blood. Ever.”

  “Yes, fine. I get it.”

  So she had been drinking Alex’s blood? Voluntarily? I backed away from the door and went back into my own bedroom. Confusion swirled through me. What had I missed? The last thing I remembered was Victori
a driving me home after the meeting with Teddy. There was a little memory of seeing Alex downtown, but I wasn’t sure that hadn’t been a dream or something.

  Where was Michael?

  I went back into my room, shut the door slowly, and sat down on my bed. Something was really messed up around here. Then I heard an odd noise from my bedroom closet. A rustle of something moving. That was a little strange.

  When I opened up the closet door, there was a man standing there. A stranger. He was tall with straight brown hair that was long enough to brush his shoulders. His eyes were wide with fear when he saw me. I hopped back in surprise and landed on my bed.

  “I’m sorry.” He said slowly, seeming to struggle with each word.

  “Who are you?”

  He moved towards me with a terribly sad expression on his face, “I’m so sorry. They told me I had to do it.”

  Backing up, I scrambled onto the other side of the bed.

  “Who are you? What are you apologizing for?” I asked, beginning to feel some real fear moving through me again.

  He was on me before I even put up much of a struggle, holding one hand over my mouth to stop me from screaming.

  “They said I had to do it. I’m so sorry.”

  He was weeping, the hot tears falling on my stomach as he wrenched my pants and underwear down to my ankles. The door flew open a moment later, and before Alex could hold her back, my sister attacked the man who was holding me down.

  We knew the moment she stepped over the line and tasted his blood. Her eyes grew incredibly wide and she shoved the stranger away from her. His lean form slumped to the floor in front of me. Yanking my underwear and pants back up, I stared at my sister and found it hard to draw a breath.

  “Oh no, Katie…” Alex whispered.

  The three of us knew. We felt the massive shift in Katie’s foundation. Alex and I watched her helplessly as she shook her head and backed away from the stranger. Her eyes were a sea of fear, churning with panic. Her dark curly hair had tumbled down around her shoulders like that of a goddess, but her eyes reflected the skittishness of a little girl as she began to contemplate what she had just done.

  “Michael.” I said softly, barely moving my lips. He heard me, as I knew he would. In just a few seconds, he was there in the doorway. He took in the scene with a calm, intense expression and nodded.

  “Well, then. You’ve done it.”

  Katie looked at him and said nothing. Then her head turned back towards the stranger whose blood was quickly soaking into the worn blue rug by my bed. I heard an odd sound from my sister’s throat. It was a caustic blend of raw hunger and hot desperation.

  She was hungry.

  THE END

  Thank you for reading! I hope you have enjoyed the series so far. There is more to come!

  In the next book, The Vampire’s Redemption, we will see several changes happen in Sarah’s world. Read the newest excerpt from the upcoming book at www.sjwrightbooks.com.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.

  Copyright © 2011 by Stephanie J. Wright

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Purchase only authorized editions.

  Be sure to check out SJWrightBooks.com for more information about the series and upcoming projects by S.J. Wright. The third and final book in the Undead in Brown County series, The Vampire’s Redemption, will be released on December 26, 2011.