The Ortega Project
Vampire Protectors, Book One
Linnea Alexis
After Glows Publishing
The Ortega Project
© Copyright 2018 Linnea Alexis
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Published by After Glows Publishing
PO Box 224
Middleburg, FL 32050
AfterGlowsPublishing.com
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Cover by Fiona Media
Formatting by AG Designs & Formatting
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All rights reserved under the International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, organizations, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
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Contents
Introduction
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Epilogue
About the Author
Note from the Publisher
The Omega Project
Vampire Protectors, Book One
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An epic love story of vampires and poison, innocence and ancient enmities, and the one impossible person who could redeem or destroy them all.
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Vampires have started dying, poisoned along the Ortega Highway, so Roman Santos, their warrior leader, joins forces with a maverick scientist to develop a blood substitute. But when the formula turns out not only to sustain vampires, but to humanize them, it leaves Santos and his elite team of fighters vulnerable to inter-vampire power battles, attack by priest-slayers, and to love.
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Recently dumped by her fiancé, Grace Raines is vulnerable too. Working to put her life as a graduate student back on track, she’s already unwittingly involved in the vampires’ dark world, even before the strikingly handsome Roman walks into the bar where she works.
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As what began as a rebellious affair with an alluring stranger grows into something deeper, Grace and Roman struggle to keep the secrets of their worlds from destroying their hope for a life together, even as Grace is pursued by priests, slayers, and other vampires, and Roman battles the poison his once-saving formula has become, rebellion within his team, and his own nature. As death closes in from too many sides, can Roman find a way to keep the destruction of his world from the one who might save him?
Prologue
Roman
Moonlight cast an eerie, surreal glow on the contorted male corpse sprawled on the ground. Fury raged within Roman Santos, leader of the deadliest warrior vampires on the West Coast, as he studied his fallen vampire. The facial features were distorted, leaving the corpse unidentifiable. Drawing his hands into fists, he circled the body, assessing the destruction to one of his own.
Gabriel Shapiro, his next in command, stared at the body. “How many does this make now?”
“Ten so far this month.” Roman frowned. Pulling in a strangled breath, he blew it out slowly. Genocide was happening in his territory. In his woods. To vampires who were his responsibility and the burden of their deaths weighed heavy on his shoulders.
They crouched next to the fallen vampire.
Lifting the body’s head, Roman moved it from side to side. He leaned in for a closer look at the face. Charles. A swollen tongue protruded from Charles’ mouth and his eyes bulged from their sockets. Cause of death—same as the others—anaphylactic shock.
Roman cringed. “Hopefully they didn’t suffer. Got any ideas, besides the obvious?”
“Have you figured out what they’re allergic to?” Gabriel asked.
“Not yet. But I’m working on it.”
“Hey, Roman!”
He jerked his head in the direction of the tall, jagged rocks to the right of the forest clearing. It was Alex, his cousin and most loyal warrior. “Yeah?”
“There’s one more up here!”
Damn! Roman knew the answer, but asked anyway, “How does he look?”
“Like the others, except he’s a she.”
“A female...” The end of the sentence stayed on his tongue. Whoever or whatever was responsible; they were an equal-opportunity slayer. “Do we know her?”
“It’s Rosa,” Alex answered. “Be right down.”
“No. Stay where you are and give her a decent burial.” His voice broke. “And dig her deep so no one will ever find her.”
It was personal—burying his own kind. Especially Rosa, someone he considered family. Guilt tore at his gut. Why couldn’t he stop this genocide? He narrowed his eyes and studied the body in front of him. “And while you’re at it, would you do me a favor and bury Charles, too?”
“They got Charles? Are you serious?” Shock sounded in Alex’s voice.
“Yeah. When you finish up, head back to the kill site. Gabe and I will meet you there. Call if you need me.”
Last night, the Elder Council had alerted Roman that slayers had his team in their crosshairs and were closing in. Armed with that bit of news, Roman did what he did better than any other vampire. He picked up their scent, led his team in the ambush, killed the slayers, and feasted on their blood.
Being dispatched to intercept and stop the ambush also led to the disturbing discovery of more vampires who’d met with mysterious deaths. And when he realized the slayers had been mere minutes away from discovering his fallen vampires, a chill ran down Roman’s spine.
”Be there as soon as I can.” Alex shook his head. “Man, not Charles, too.”
Roman patted Gabriel’s shoulder. “There’s nothing we can do for them now. Let’s go help Seth clean up so we can get the hell out of here.”
They’d been gone long enough. By now, Seth should have finished loading their SUV with the arsenal of vampire-slaying weapons belonging to the slayers they’d just killed.
Whatever the cause, it had something to do with these woods.
“Charles and Rosa were forest-dwellers, who fed on the blood of animals, not humans,” Roman said. “And it’s not affecting us because we feed on human blood. If you can call slayers human.”
Gabriel broke off a low-hanging, dried-out tree branch, stopping it from smacking him across the face. “But we haven’t come across any dead animals. Only vamps.”
“That’s it.” Roman stopped and grabbed Gabriel’s arm. “The animals are carriers. So until we figure out what’s going on, I’ll alert everyone to stay the hell out of these damn woods.” He picked up the pace, urgency in his steps. “From now on, the vampires need somewhere else to hunt and feed.”
“Everyone’s counting on you to fix this, Roman.”
“Tell me something I don’t already know.”
They stepped into a clearing where Seth, the team’s muscle, hoisted two shotguns, one in each hand, and set them next to the confiscated crossbows in the back of the SUV.
“It’s about time you guys showed back up.” Seth pointed at the wooden stakes and daggers on the ground next to him. “I can use a hand over here.”
Gabriel fell out of step with Roman and rushed to help Seth.
“Hey Seth, isn’t it about time for your cats make an appearance?” Roman stared at two blood-drained corpses propped against the trunk of a tall pine tree.
“No cats yet.” Seth had a freaky bond with the bobcats and mountain lions that roamed the dense forest along the narrow, winding Ortega Highway. He’d lure them to the kill site where they compromised the crime scene, covering up any trace of a vampire attack. The cats’ reward—a fresh meal and full bellies.
With hands on hips, Roman surveyed the site and found nothing amiss. Morning’s golden glow peeked over the treetops. “Sun's coming up. Time to move on.” He crouched next to the pebble-lined brook. Scooping a handful of cool water, he swiped it across his mouth and chin to wash away any trace of blood. He rinsed his hands.
Alex, back from burying the vampires, squatted next to Roman. Without a word, he washed dirt and blood from his hands and arms.
“Here they come,” Seth shouted, and gave a loud whistle.
Two adult mountain lions approached the shore on the other side of the creek. They hopped across the water and padded toward the corpses. As the mountain lions passed Seth, he reached down to stroke the length of the female cat’s sleek body. “Hello, beautiful.”
She rubbed against him and continued on her way to join the other lion. Together, the cats enthusiastically sniffed and pawed at their upcoming feast.
“That takes care of that.” Roman scanned the clearing. Satisfied authorities would find no trace of weapons or vampires, he pulled the keys from his front pocket and tossed them to Gabriel, who caught them one-handed.
“Roman?”
“Yeah?”
Gabriel’s jaw tightened. “So far what's happening to the vamps hasn't touched us. But you’ve got to do something to fix the problem before we're all wiped out.”
“I’m working on it. When we get back to our base, I need to follow up on something I found on the internet. It just might be the solution we need.” He clapped Gabriel’s shoulder. “Now let's get the hell out of here.”
Traffic on the four-lane highway flowed lighter than usual at eight o’clock the following evening, the agreed upon meeting time.
“This is the place,” Roman said. “Turn right at the next intersection.”
Gabriel flipped on the turn signal and eased the SUV onto a two-lane private road.
A hundred feet from the intersection, an empty guard shack stood in front of a six-foot high chain-link fence. Inside the fence, a yellow light illuminated the empty parking lot. The lot surrounded a three story, concrete building—Ortega Research Institute. Roman swept his gaze over the property—silent and devoid of activity. The institute appeared deserted. But how was that possible? Hadn’t he called ahead for an appointment?
“Stop!” Roman pointed to the side of the road. “Pull over.” He retrieved a cell phone from his pocket and dialed the number of his contact to verify the time of their appointment. The call went directly to voice mail. “No answer.”
Gabriel parked the vehicle, killed the engine, and turned off the headlights. “Now what?”
Instinct told Roman someone was inside the building. “We go talk to a man about a plan.” Roman and his team—Gabriel, Alex, and Seth—exited the vehicle.
They passed a cluster of maple trees and moved to the fence.
Eye-level with the top, Roman fixed his gaze on the solitary light in a second floor window. Where was everyone? Why didn’t his contact answer his phone? Was this an ambush?
“It’s too quiet. You sure this is the right place?” Gabriel whispered.
“This is the address my contact gave,” Roman said, staring at the window.
Upstairs, the light in the window disappeared—confirmation that someone was inside. He gave the order. “Let’s move.”
Simultaneously, the men grabbed the top of the fence, hoisted themselves and, in one swift, fluid motion, swung their bodies over. Without a sound, each landed on the pavement inside the property at the same time.
Gazes fixed on the building, they glided silently across the lot. Roman pointed at a light-colored Suburban parked around the corner. His men nodded in response.
As they neared the building, doubts surfaced, sending a chill down his spine. Was he putting his men in danger? Were they being set up? “Gabe, in case it’s a trap, check the perimeter. And take Seth with you.”
Gabriel motioned for Seth to follow. They wound their way toward the back of the structure.
“Come on.” With confident strides, Roman and Alex approached the building. Above the front door, a security camera blinked its red eye at them. Roman stared into the camera for a second before pressing the buzzer to announce his arrival.
After a few seconds, the door opened and a middle-aged man, wearing a white lab coat, stood in the doorway.
“Dr. Crawford?” Roman asked.
“Y-yes.” He cleared his throat and pushed his black-rimmed glasses up the bridge of his large nose. Crawford’s eyes widened and the blood drained from his face. He reached for the door surreptitiously. Before he had a chance to close it, Roman blocked him.
“We had an appointment.”
“And you’re…” The doctor’s voice trembled.
“Roman Santos,” he answered, stepping inside. “We spoke last night.”
As the doctor regarded Roman, perspiration ran down the sides of his face. “You’re not what I expected.”
“Why is that?”
“I thought….You sounded much older over the phone. I assumed….”
“I’m a lot older than I look.” His remark drew a chuckle from Alex. “Go get the others.”
Alex stepped outside and whistled.
“There are others?”
“Two more.”
Gabriel and Seth appeared in the doorway and followed Alex over the threshold.
“Tell me. How can we be of service?” Crawford asked.
“I read that your research institute might be shutting down due to lack of funding.” Roman paused. “Money’s never a problem for us. I also read that you’re experimenting with different uses for artificial blood. Is this true?”
“It is.”
“Are you alone?” Roman scanned the empty hallway behind Crawford. “Close the door, Gabriel.”
When the door slammed, Crawford flinched. His gaze shot from the door to Roman. “My assistant, Dr. Peters, is also on the premises.”
“Call him. I think we can help each other. Is there a conference room or someplace la
rge enough to accommodate everyone comfortably while we discuss my proposal?”
1
Grace
Four Months Later
“Damn you, Jake Nelson!”
Grace Raines white-knuckled the steering wheel. Angry tears blurred oncoming headlights, forcing her to swerve to avoid side-swiping a black BMW.
Horns howled. Tires shrieked.
Easing up on the gas pedal, she struggled to regain control of her beat-up Sentra. She swallowed hard. Her heart pounded. Her hands shook. Sweat ran down her back. She checked the rearview mirror for flashing red lights. Seeing none, she exhaled and relaxed her grip on the steering wheel.
The clock on the dash confirmed what she feared. She was officially ten minutes late for work. She chewed her bottom lip and cranked up the volume on the radio. Maybe loud racket would drown out the memory of Jake’s declaration that he needed more time to think about getting married. A cooling off period. Yeah, right. She clenched her jaw.
“Damn! Damn! Damn him!” She blinked hard to prevent tears from streaming down her face. “Bastard!”
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