Blood of a Red Rose

by Tish Thawer

  I immediately spun around and shoved the vampire with all my strength. He let out a little humph as he landed on the red velvet couch. I didn't recognize him, but that didn't mean much since the only other vampire in the area I knew besides Christian's clan, was Justin. He was a handsome guy with a decent build, and he wore a black leather jacket. His hair was short and blonde, but I knew that would start to change any moment.

  "Who are you? What's your name?" I nudged his mind so he didn't have any choice but to respond.

  "My name is Kennedy."

  "Where are you from?"

  "Florida."

  "What are you doing here, and how did you find out about The Rising Pit?" I had to speed this up, because like I assumed, his hair and eyes had already begun to drift dark.

  "I was on vacation and visiting some friends outside of Masen. They told me about the club, and I thought I'd check it out before heading back home."

  The guilt was building inside of me. Just because this vampire had made the mistake of biting me, he was going to lose all sense of right and wrong and possibly end up facing the true death. It sucked, but I had to face the hard reality...I couldn't allow him to leave. Letting him go knowing he'd drift darker and darker and start hurting innocent people was just not an option.

  "Okay, Kennedy. You're going to sit here and not move until someone comes to find you. Do you understand?"

  "Sit here and not move. Yes, I understand."

  "And you aren't going to remember anything about biting me or what I looked like either. Got it?"

  "Yes. I don't remember you."

  Wow. This mind bond thing could prove really useful. I just wished I had more time to test out my demon powers. But unfortunately right now was not that time. I had to get as far away from this scene as possible, and fast.

  I parted the velvet curtains a fraction of an inch and peeked outside to make sure no one was coming. The coast was clear so I rushed from the room and ran down the stairs into the bathroom. The moment I was inside, I nudged the door open a crack so I could see what was happening.

  It didn't take long before I saw Christian, Evie, and Dax heading towards the stairs. The moment they hit the top I shot across the dance floor and into Evie's office. I found the button on the bookshelf that opened the secret door to her private entrance into the pit, and made my way back to my room in a hurry.

  I thought the best thing for me to do was pretend that once I finished dancing, I used the restroom and then headed back down here to get some rest. I just hoped that no one saw me upstairs, or I could kiss that story goodbye.

  * * * * *

  (Christian)

  After having Rose's scream penetrate the chaos inside my mind, I was able to focus and gain my bearings.

  "Christian, what's wrong?" The panicked look on Evie's face confirmed that this wasn't a normal reaction to the Passing of Powers ritual.

  "My head is splitting and I can hear everything...including Rose's scream. She's in trouble."

  I shoved off the couch and flew towards the door. As much as I wanted to use my now enhanced vampire speed to dash straight upstairs, I knew I couldn't. Not with all the human patrons filling the club tonight.

  As Evie and I wove our way through the crowd, I noticed her motion for Dax to join us. The three of us quickly made our way to the stairs which led to the second floor and the private rooms. I knew this was where Rose's scream originate from. I wondered if becoming a Sire heightened all my abilities including my claircognizance, but right now, all the questions I had would have to wait. I had to find Rose.

  After reaching the private room that held her scent, I threw open the velvet curtains to find a young male vampire sitting on the couch alone.

  "Who are you and what are you doing here?" Evie demanded.

  "My name is Kennedy, and I'm just sitting here. Is that a crime?"

  Dax took a step forward, his hair starting to slightly drift from blonde to light brown. Talking like that to a Sire, let alone his consort, was a really bad idea.

  Suddenly Kennedy launched himself at Dax and the two of them went crashing into the table, followed by the chairs and walls.

  "Enough!" Evie's voice still held her Sire's command, and even though Kennedy wasn't a part of our clan, vampires had no choice but to obey a Sire when in their presence.

  The two froze, hands still wrapped around each other's necks. I decided this was a good time to test my Sire's voice as well, since Dax already knew we'd completed the ritual, and I could easily force this outsider to keep his mouth shut. "Kennedy, sit down and don't move." Excellent. It worked.

  The vampire eyed me as he slowly moved back towards the couch. That was when I noticed his eyes and hair were both drifting darker by the minute. Oh no!

  "Evie, we got a problem."

  "What is it, Christian? What are you sensing?"

  "Nothing. That's the problem. I can hear tiny whispers but they're becoming distorted and fuzzy. And look at him...he's starting to drift dark. I think we have a demon in the club."

  * * * * *

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  Speeding

  (Renard)

  Once Loni and I had moved our car to a new spot around the corner, we took a few moments to feed in the park before checking to see if anyone was home at Jeremy and Meredith's.

  After verifying no one was there, we launched ourselves into the nearest tree to secure a good position from which to spy. It was a bloody good thing it was mid-summer and the trees were in full bloom, because if it'd been winter and the trees were sparse, I didn't think Loni and I would've made very convincing monkeys.

  "This is perfect. I can see right into their living room and bedroom windows. Now all we have to do is wait," Tori said.

  I glanced at my watch and assumed we wouldn't have to wait too long before someone made an appearance. It was 7:02 p.m., and even if Jeremy had made another trip to Masen for the day, he should be returning home at any moment. However, to my surprise and satisfaction, it was Meredith who arrived home first.

  Tori and I watched as she parked on the street instead of pulling into the garage. Her rushed pace and the fact that she left her car running was a clear indication she was still on the move. Good news for us.

  We remained hidden in the tree as Meredith burst from her home in a flash of speed that rivaled any vampire's. She'd changed clothes and was obviously in a big hurry to get somewhere, which was going to be a problem since our car was currently parked around the corner.

  "Looks like we'll be following on foot," I said.

  "Fantastic!" The giddiness in Loni's voice reminded me how much she loved running free through the night. Maybe this wouldn't be such a boring assignment after all.

  * * * * *

  (Jeremy)

  As I drove home I thought about my plan for the weekend and was excited to fill Meredith in. But just as I rounded the corner at the end of the block, I saw Meredith speeding away from our townhome. Suddenly there was a blur of motion in the park across the street but my ringing cell phone quickly diverted my attention.

  "Hi, honey. I'm just pulling into the drive. Where are you speeding off to?"

  "My meeting this week has been pushed up to tonight. I shouldn't be too late though. How was your day?"

  "It was pretty good. Nothing too exciting, but I do have some exciting plans for this weekend I want to share with you."

  "Oooohhh...exciting plans, I like the sound of that. What are they?"

  "I was hoping we could go out for dinner and dancing...at The Rising Pit."

  Silence filled the line so I looked at my phone as I exited the car. Maybe I'd hit the mute button by mistake. "Mer? Did you hear me?"

  "Yes. I heard you. But Jeremy, I think this is something we need to talk about first."

  Well, this was unexpected. I thought she'd be more than excited to have an evening out, especially since she'd been so busy with work and this new group she'd been chairing lately. And honestly, I wasn't sure what there
was to talk about. She knew I'd wanted to go back to the club since I'd struck out the first time, not to mention my failure again last night.

  As I made my way inside, I could feel my frustration levels start to rise...literally. I was starting to sweat as I felt a flush of heat spread across my face. "Alright. I guess we'll talk about it when you get home."

  I didn't wait for a response. I just closed my phone and threw it onto the counter along with my keys. For some reason, this was really pissing me off. I couldn't understand why she'd want to stop me from looking for Rose. Not after she'd been the one to protect her in the first place.

  By the time I pounded up the stairs, I was fuming mad, which was not a good thing. I couldn't afford to lose my temper again, because lately...something strange happened when I did.

  * * * * *

  (Damien)

  After I changed my clothes, I headed over to the warehouse where I'd stashed the body of the woman I'd hid earlier in the day. I knew Meredith wouldn't approve, but I couldn't help it. The taste of human blood was now my new drug of choice. I'd had my fair share of others in the past, but none surpassed the high that fresh blood gave me.

  The feeling of strength and power that flowed into me every time I tasted the sweetness of human blood was enough to have me salivating before I even entered the warehouse.

  I made my way to the back of the abandoned building and found my donor in the same spot as I'd left her. She was pale, most likely from the blood loss I'd inflicted earlier, but other than that–and the puncture wounds that were visible on her neck–she looked perfectly fine.

  She was sitting on the concrete floor with her knees drawn up and was leaning against the metal wall for support. Her long, baggy dress was draped over her knees and hung loose to the ground. It was the same mousy brown color as her hair. I could tell she was either sleeping or passed out, so I approached quietly. As I lifted her slack head, she began to wake.

  I'd taken care to gag her earlier so I wouldn't have to hear her high pitched screams again. Once she finally came to and realized her situation hadn't changed, the fear that radiated from her made my skin tingle. Tears filled her eyes and she continually shook her head back and forth as whimpering sounds escaped from beneath the rag in her mouth.

  I knew I wouldn't be able to show restraint this time, since only a small amount of blood had almost sent me into a frenzy only a short while ago. Unable to wait any longer I sunk my teeth into the same spots I'd created before.

  The sweet taste of ecstasy flowed down my throat and filled my body with an enormous dose of strength.

  I didn't care what Meredith said; I wouldn't be limiting my blood intake anytime soon. Besides, it would only prove to benefit her in the end. When we finally faced these vampires, I'd be just as strong as her, and together we would decimate them.

  * * * * *

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  New Prisoner

  (Christian)

  Dax didn't have any problems taking our new prisoner through the club since I'd used my Sire command to instruct Kennedy to follow without causing trouble. Once we reached the office, Evie and I remained behind as Dax took Kennedy below in order to get him chained up.

  "How the hell are we suppose to tell who's a demon and who not?" I asked.

  "I don't know, Christian. Our scanning ability won't work on a demon because of their built in mental blocks. And I won't risk ending up unconscious like before."

  I paced the office, trying to come up with a plan that would weed out the demon in our midst. Unfortunately, I was drawing a blank. We couldn't scan it, we couldn't bite it, and if the demon was anything like Meredith, it would be almost as strong and as fast as we were. This was quickly shaping up to be a lose-lose situation.

  I watched as Evie lowered herself onto the couch. I could tell she was upset from her drifting appearance, and it was obvious she was deep in thought. Suddenly, her head snapped up. "I wonder if the fact that we originated from Camazotz, and demons originated from his father Yum Camil, somehow puts them higher up in the hierarchy of things."

  Evie had a point. It would make sense that the race created by the demon god, the father of our creator, would be stronger and have more powers and built-in defenses, leaving vampires second best. Fuck me.

  I was just about to sink into the couch and embrace the hopelessness I was starting to feel, when suddenly, once again thanks to my claircognizance, I simply knew what we needed to do. "Alright. Let's close down the club and get everyone out of here. Hopefully, by dispersing the crowd we can prevent anyone else from biting the demon tonight...whoever it is. Then we just have to wait until the demons blood leaves Kennedy's system and he should start to drift back like Terrance did. Once that happens, we'll be able to find out who the demon was that he bit."

  "That sounds like a reasonable plan, and hopefully we'll hear back from Balam tomorrow and finally gain some insight on exactly how to combat these beasts."

  Evie stood and hugged me tightly. "See, Christian. You're going to make a wonderful Sire."

  I watched her walk out of the office to start the evacuation of the club. It made me happy to know she had such confidence in me, but at the moment, I didn't feel like a wonderful Sire. I felt like a complete loser. I was so distraught over how all of this would affect my clan that I'd almost forgotten what had started this whole situation...Rose's scream.

  I raced towards the bookcase and hit the button to open the secret door to the pit. I was overwhelmed with concern about Rose's involvement in this. I feared that if someone hurt her, I would end up killing every single person in this club, regardless of whether or not I was infected by the demon's blood. If they'd hurt Rose, drifting dark was a price I was willing to pay if it meant putting an end to the demon.

  * * * * *

  (Rose)

  I heard footsteps and voices in the hall, followed by the rattling of chains. I didn't have to look to know that they were chaining up Kennedy at the opposite end of Terrance's cell. There was only one holding cell in the pit, but it was big enough to house three prisoners at once. Two down, one to go.

  Though if Terrance continued to drift back, the prisoner count would soon be back to one. Oh, crap!

  If Terrance was drifting back because Meredith's blood had left his system then that meant unless I found a way to slip Kennedy my blood on a continual basis, he'd start drifting back too.

  Looks like I'd be finding a way to leave here sooner than later. But not before talking to Christian, apparently, because in a blur of speed he flew into our room and suddenly I found myself nestled tightly against him.

  "Oh my god, Rose. I'm so glad you're okay." He continued to hold me close as the rise and fall of his chest slowly returned to a steady pace.

  I slowly pulled out of his hug and eased myself down onto the bed. "Christian, what's wrong? Why wouldn't I be okay?"

  The puzzled look on his face had me sweating bullets. I didn't know if sticking to my story was a good idea at this point or not. I decided to see what he said next before incriminating myself with a lie that could possibly blow up in my face.

  "I heard you scream. And I just left a private room where we located a vampire that we think drank from a demon. The room was covered with your scent."

  Dammit! Time to put my acting skills to the test. "You're kidding me! A demon? Here?" I've never detested myself more than I did right now.

  "Yes. We think so, but since there's no sure way to tell, we had to chain the vampire up and we'll be waiting until he drifts back to get the exact identity of the demon he bit."

  I didn't know what to say or do. I felt the walls closing in on me, and all I wanted to do was run. But run where? I still had nowhere to go that wouldn't lead back to my dad and Meredith. If I went to Jillian's, her parents would notify my dad for sure. Actually, if I showed up on any of my old friends' doorsteps, I was sure my dad and Meredith would be on the scene within hours. I thought of going to stay with Justin's clan, but there was no way that w
ould work either. They would notify Evie and Christian, and that certainly wouldn't end well.

  Maybe I should just leave the state completely. Start over somewhere new. Somewhere where I didn't know the local vampires or demons, and live my life like a normal human girl again.

  "Rose. Why were you in that room? And what are you thinking about?" Christian's voice was layered with suspicion and I thought I'd been busted without even saying a word.

  "Everything. Nothing. I guess I'm just in shock thinking about all of this." My vague answer must have been enough to trigger his protective side, because he sat down on the bed next to me and gathered me in his arms once again, thankfully ignoring the fact that I hadn't answered the first part of his question.

  "I know things have been tense between us, but Rose, you have to know I would never let anything happen to you. I love you so much and I'll do anything to protect you."

  Tears filled my eyes and I couldn't help but sink into his embrace. I'd missed this so much. Being held by the man I loved, and feeling how perfectly we fit together. Knowing he was strong and that I had nothing to fear as long as I was with him. Yes...this was every girl's dream. Too bad it was currently my nightmare. Before I had a chance to pull away and put the necessary distance between us once again, his next statement left me reeling.

  "I have something important I need to tell you. Only Evie, Dax and I know, but once I tell you, you have to keep it a secret. Not even the others can know about it." He took a deep breath and placed both hands on my shoulders, pulling away only enough to look me in the eyes. "Evie and I completed the Passing of Powers ritual earlier tonight...I'm now officially the new Sire."

  * * * * *

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  Meeting

  (Meredith)

  I didn't know how I was going to get out of accompanying Jeremy to that damn club. It was obvious by the snap of his phone, that I'd pissed him off when I'd said we should talk about it first. Oh well. I wasn't willing to risk my life by walking into the enemy's lair just so he could go searching for that half-breed daughter of his.