Redemption (Waking Up Dead)

by April Margeson

  REDEMPTION

  A Waking Up Dead novella

  By April Margeson

  COPYRIGHT©2012 April Margeson

  All quoted materials in this work were created by the author.

  Any resemblance to existing work is accidental. Any reproduction of this book without written consent of the author is punishable by law.

  Foreword

  I discovered April online during one of my usual searches for new talent. Her words jumped out at me in such a way that I couldn’t help but to take a closer look. Once I was reading her debut novel, Beginning, Ultimate Power book #1, I found myself lost in the world that she had created. Soon, I discovered that there was more than just a story behind her writing. There was something more, something personal. I seemed to connect with every word that was in front of me and as I read on, I was stricken with the emotions of the characters. Once I finished the first book, I immediately searched and purchased the second.

  I have to say that after finishing both books, I was stunned at her talent and message of hope and renewal of life. Something told me that I needed to find out more about her, so I found her Facebook page and sent a message that I was sure would be ignored. Most authors do not respond to anyone other than publishers and agents, but to my surprise, she answered me.

  She was one of the most “real” authors that I have ever discovered. We talked for a bit and I found that she has a very refreshing and different view of this world. She is a very unique person to say the least. The amount of compassion she gave to a complete stranger, as myself, was shocking. There are not many people in this world like her and I find it a true honor to be able to now call her a friend.

  The most humbling thing that she said to me was after I asked her the most simple question. Why do you write? Her answer brought tears to my eyes. She said that she does it because everyone needs to know that they are not alone in the world.

  Mandy S. aka (Jade Reader)

  FROM THE AUTHOR

  I would like to show my appreciation to the beautiful cover model, Brandi Pressler. She is such an amazing person and her faith is something that we could all learn from. I am grateful for the opportunity to work with her on this project.

  This book is dedicated to all those out there that have faced difficulty and rose from it. You are a hero and the beauty of life lies within your own soul. Never lose touch with that. It will give you the fuel and determination you need in order to live. Hats off to you.

  I hope you enjoy this as much as I have enjoyed telling this story.

  Happy Reading,

  April Margeson

  CHAPTER 1

  I had done everything that I could think of in order to get away from Max, but nothing had worked. When I walked out of my room, I could feel how much pain he was in because of me and I couldn’t bear it. It was one of the worst feelings that I’d ever felt. My heart was tearing into tiny bits and my guts along with everything else had been replaced by this large empty hole. All I wanted to do was run, but my legs refused to carry me. I could hardly walk to escape the terrible thing that I had done. I don’t think that I am ever going to be able to look at his face again.

  Thoughts raced through my mind with every step that I took. All of the people that had ever caused me pain filled my head followed by the ones that I love so dearly. Max, Alice, Caleb, my mother; they were all there, floating inside my head.

  She still wants me dead and I can’t say that I blame her at all. This life isn’t something that I would want for my children, but does she really have to go this far to try and save me from something that I don’t need saving from? That has to be her way of making everything right. Maybe it is the only way that she knows how to deal with the “so-called” loss of her daughter.

  In many ways she had lost her daughter, but in more ways than that, she hadn’t. I am still very much alive. The only thing is that my heart doesn’t beat like it did in my human life. Although, my blood flows inside my veins, my heart isn’t the reason for it. The reason is magic, something that she clearly doesn’t understand. Honestly, I really can’t say that I understand it myself.

  I had managed to flee to the outside tunnel before the pressure of Max’s feelings became so overwhelming that I couldn’t go any further. It was almost like an invisible weight was holding me down once more. The harder I tried the worse it felt. There was nothing that I could do to make the pain go away.

  The love I have for Max had grown since I had tasted his blood. The sweet rich flavor is still fresh in my mind and the bond between us is growing with every second that passes. Every thought, fear, and emotion that he was having charged my body with a force that I couldn’t block out. Even after what I had done he was still calling for me.

  The only other thing was that I didn’t want to cause him any more pain. Just being near him is dangerous for us both. He’s human and I could easily take his life from him in seconds if the temptation becomes too strong and I am not going to let that happen, not to him. I can’t.

  There has to be a way that I can get my impulses under control. If I can’t be away from him, I’m going to have to think of some way to harness myself.

  I sat down in the damp dirt of the tunnel, wishing that I could change what I had done, but I know I can’t. If I could only take it back, change it somehow.

  The weight of everything came down on me all at once and I had no other choice but to cry. Releasing all of my emotions would make me feel a little better and then maybe I can clear my mind enough to come up with a plan.

  My tears flowed like a waterfall, raging with anger and disappointment. They ran harder with every passing second and with every thought of Max.

  I must have been out here for a long time because Alice was at the door asking about me. Her caring personality is something that I will never forget. If I decide to leave, I’ll miss her the most.

  She looked worried and distraught, but I could still see her eyes emitting love from every angle. “Are you okay?” she asked, her voice only a whisper.

  I waited before answering her because I needed to think and make sure that this was the right time to release her from our bond.

  “Would you care to come and sit with me?”

  “Sure.”

  She walked over and I sensed that she was getting nervous. A maker and the progeny both have a tight bond with each other’s emotions. It is extremely hard for one to hide something from the other.

  “Are you sure that you are okay?”

  I nodded to her and even though it was completely dark in the tunnel, I knew that her eyes could see me. The darkness means nothing to us. It shields us and makes everything that we do easier.

  I want her to be free. Having to feel things that I feel has got to be hard for her. I know that sometimes it is hard for me to cope with the fear that she feels.

  “Alice, I want to talk to you about something very important.”

  Now that I had her full attention, I went on to explain what my plans are for her. I explained the bond to her and described the drawbacks of it. She seemed to understand me and asked questions from time to time. The discussion was not one sided like I had first thought that it was going to be. It was refreshing to hear her side and opinions on the matter.

  “I understand, but why do you want to break the bond that we have?”

  She was hurt by this and I didn’t want her to feel this way, but she is a very tender person. I just hope that she can fully understand why I want this and for her to do that, she is going to have to be told the truth. That could cause far more damage than breaking the bond.

  Without hesitating, I told her everything that Aden had done. My only request was that she keep as much of it as possi
ble to herself. There is no reason that Caleb should find out about it, at least not yet.

  “Why would he do such things?”

  “He has a commitment to his maker, one that he cannot break unless he is willing to die.”

  “I see.”

  We sat there in silence and I could feel her emotions changing. First she was angry; then she was saddened. I expected that much. She feels everything much more than the rest of us.

  “I want to show you something. You need to truly understand the force of our bond.”

  She looked at me with wide eyes and the uncertainty rolled off of her body in waves, each one of then hitting me and causing shivers to run all over my body.

  “Alice, I promise you that everything is fine. Please don’t worry.”

  She let out a quick breath. “What do you need me to do?”

  “Just stay right here and no matter what I say, try to stay where you are sitting now.”

  I got up and walked to the opposite side of the tunnel and leaned up against the wall. This was going to be very hard for Alice and I wish that there had been another way that I could have gotten my point across, but there wasn’t.

  I focused myself and drew from the power of our bond. It flowed through me like an electric current, pulsating outward. As soon as I spoke, I could feel her bending to my will. She had tried to do exactly what I told her to do, but that order was no match for this one.

  “Stand” I spoke to her, authority ringing in my voice. I must say that her will is strong and steady, but I can easily manipulate it.

  She stood like strings had been attached to her body, moving her against her will.

  “Come to me.”

  Her gait was as animated as her movements as she got up. I hated this, but it had to be done.

  The look on her face made me feel terrible. She was frightened over what was going on. I know that this had to be hard for her, being made to do something against her will.

  “Do you understand why I want to break the bond now?” I said to her as I withdrew my influence from her.

  “Yes, I understand.”

  Not long after that, Max opened the door and called for me.

  “We will finish this later,” I told Alice as she started walking inside. “Keep this to yourself.”

  Max greeted Alice as she passed him and then he closed the door. Privacy has always been one of his specialties and I appreciated that more than ever now. There are things that didn’t need to be out in the open as of right now.

  “Are you okay?”

  I hated how everyone was asking me if I am okay today. I’ll admit that it has been a hard day, but there are far greater concerns right now than how I feel. Alzar is still wandering around in the area and Far be it for me to expect that we are safe. He is a tremendously strong witch and demon, so I have heard. We all should be very vigilant right now. Our lives depend on that.

  “Yeah, I think so. Are you?”

  He nodded and smiled at me. His eyes glistened, even in the darkness of the tunnel. My heart swelled at the sight of it.

  “I can feel Alzar now. He is getting closer.”

  “What should we do?”

  “I don’t know what to do. If he finds us it’s going to be disastrous.”

  That was not what I wanted to hear. If he had said anything other than that, everything would be fine.

  I know Alzar’s plans and he will not stop until he kills all of us. My heart started breaking. The thought of someone hurting Caleb and Alice was atrocious. They have not done anything to have this judgment passed on them. They are the innocent ones.

  “Things are about to get bad for us, Laynie. I just wanted to tell you that I love you.”

  As if things couldn’t get any worse. Now I have to worry about Max clouding my judgment.

  “I’m sorry, but I just can’t deal with any more today.”

  “I know how you feel about me. I have known it since day one.”

  What could I possibly say to that? I wanted to tell him that I love him and I would follow him to the ends of the world, but, in reality, I know that can never happen. He is human and I cannot be with him like I want to be. It’s just not right. It’s not safe for either of us.

  “How we feel about each other is not important right now. We are in danger.”

  “I know, but I had to let you know.”

  “I already knew” I smiled at him.

  I opened the door and went back inside. Making this issue harder than it already is; is not on my list of things to do. Our moves have to be well thought out from here on and any slight distraction could mean our death.

  Aden was standing in the doorway to the kitchen and I couldn’t mistake the look he had. It was a mixture of pain, fear and excitement all mixed up into one. In this moment he looked like he could really use a friend. Knowing if I should try to be that was questionable.

  So much has happened between us that every move he makes looks calculated. But I know that I am overreacting. Forcing me to believe that he is completely evil is just absurd. I have seen the good in him, even before everything that he had done came out in the open. There is a certain level of truth that someone can feel about another person and I know that he can change. There is no question that he can redeem himself from his past.

  I walked over to him and his face instantly brightened. His feelings are probably still hurt. The shock of seeing Max and I together had been a driving factor with his anger.

  “How are you?” I asked quietly. I didn’t want to have Max running up here to save me from big bad Aden. That is the way that I felt about the situation. Max is, at times, overprotective.

  “I’m good. You?”

  “Fine.”

  Something is bothering him and I have a good idea what it is. Alzar is getting closer and at any moment, he could find out where we have been hiding. Aden knows that too.

  Alice came running through the room. She was moving faster than I had ever seen her move, almost as if something was chasing her. She ran to me and stopped abruptly. Her voice was only a whisper, “He’s coming!”

  Aden was at her side in a flash. He was asking her questions and some of them had been said and answered so rapidly that I couldn’t process them all. I felt a hand on my shoulder. I t was Max. He had picked up on the distress that Alice was feeling. His touch radiated a calm feeling throughout my body, easing any fear that I was having. My mind was clear, free from distraction.

  Aden turned to us and I will never forget the look that he had on his face, not even if I lived for all of eternity. It was more than terror. No words could properly describe it. It sent shivers all over my body. Max tightened his grip on my shoulder, trying to ease the tremors that it was causing.

  “Alzar has found us.”

  We all knew that this was coming sooner or later, but none of us expected it to be this soon. Somehow, Alzar had discovered our underground hiding place and now Max is in more danger than I had first thought. Max had done well at hiding his true purpose from Alzar before, but now he would be treated like a traitor to his kind. Only Max knows what the punishment for that crime will be.

  This is going to end up being one hell of a fight and I’m not certain that any of us are going to make it out of this alive.

  I could feel the vibrations coming from above ground. Alzar was right on top of us and he had, at least, five more people with him. The amount of power that each of them possess can be felt even by me.

  My vampire instincts told me that I am going to die, but I was not willing to give in just yet.

  Alzar has begun to talk to the others. His voice is unmistakable. I would know it anywhere. He was telling them that a plan had to be made before they make us aware of their presence. Little did he know we had known that he was here the very moment that they got close enough for us to feel his power.

  Alice had always been good at that. She can feel things that we cannot, but it scares her at times. She is so new to this life that it is hard f
or her to know how to deal with it. I feel bad for her. It has to be a tremendous load on her to be like she is.

  Aden had made a plan for us to fight back, but I was not so sure that it was going to work out the way that he was expecting it to go. It sounded good, but I could see a few holes in it. The part about each of us taking one of them was not going to work. It was going to be an uneven battle. There is six of them and only five of us. Four if we don’t count Max.

  What could he do anyway? He wasn’t like us. His magic is powerful, but physically he is not equal to us. We are faster than he could ever hope to be and lethal in strength. His magic could prove to be our saving grace, as long as we can keep him protected well enough for him to cast his spells.

  He had spoken of numerous ones that he was going to use against Alzar; protection spells, ones that deflect power, and more. His ability was something that I am not familiar with, but I have the utmost trust in him that he will do everything in his power to keep us as safe as possible.

  My body was ready for the fight and I had purposely kept from feeding. Bloodlust would give me the added power that I needed to be able to do what I need to do. The killer inside me is awake and ready for the hunt, but holding my body back is getting hard to do. If only Max could see the real danger that is right here in front of him. It would be a miracle if I don’t kill him in the process of taking on the others.

  I just have to keep as much self-control as I can now. However, I know that I can’t make anyone any promise as far as that goes.

  The ground rumbled and dirt fell all around me. Standing in this tunnel, knowing that they were walking above me, was getting harder for me to do. I was on the verge of total bloodlust. My thirst had never been as great as it is now. The good thing is that I am in the tunnel alone. Aden had called everyone else back inside. He knew that I was flirting dangerously close to killing everyone.

  The plan is for me to go out first. Aden thinks that I would be the perfect distraction, but I can’t help but think that he is throwing me out there to my death. My emotional state had twisted and turned so many times that I don’t know how I ended up feeling the way that I do now. The only thing that I could think of was that the bloodlust was filling me with rage.