Blood of a Red Rose

by Tish Thawer

  I took a few deep breaths, cleared my mind, and prepared myself for tonight's meeting. Everything else, including Jeremy's "exciting plans" were just going to have to be dealt with later.

  It was 7:40 p.m. and apparently I'd arrived before Damien. I hurried to gather the containers of blood and the rest of the supplies for tonight's festivities while trying to contain my annoyance that he wasn't already here to help.

  The conference hall was a large facility on the bottom floor of an office building that had been closed down last year. The owners kept the bottom level open and used it to book meetings, conferences, wedding receptions or whatever else would pay the bills while they negotiated with investors as to what to do with the place. It worked perfectly for me, because there was never any worry of random people showing up uninvited to our meetings.

  I set up the tables, taking extra care to cover them with the nice tablecloths I'd brought along. I wanted to make sure that our food and drink station was extra appealing tonight. After setting up the four large crystal bowls and the cups and utensils along the long table, I finally began mixing the punch. I couldn't help but giggle. This punch was definitely going to pack a "punch."

  Just as I finished putting the last dose of blood into the mixes, I heard Damien's truck pull up outside. Glancing at my watch, I breathed a sigh of relief because even though he was running slightly late, he'd still arrived just before 8:00 p.m., which gave us a half an hour to go over the plan once more.

  He seemed a little disheveled as he came running through the door. Breathing hard he said, "Sorry, boss. I got held up." He finished tucking in his shirt and straightening his tie, and it made me wonder if by "held up" he meant "having sex." Not that I cared.

  "No problem. We still have plenty of time to go over things one more time before everyone starts to arrive. But first, take these containers and put them back in the trunk of my car."

  I checked my reflection in the mirror hanging on one of the walls while I waited for him to return. My hair was shiny and smooth, and my eyes sparkled with the life essence that flowed through my veins. Anyone looking at me who didn't know the true cause of my glowing, might mistakenly think I was pregnant. Oh my god! Could I be pregnant? I hadn't even considered the possibility until just this moment.

  "Okay. We're all good. Let's go over the plan once more." Damien's eyes roamed my profile, lingering on the shape of my ass a little too long. That served as the perfect motivator to snap my attention back to the situation at hand. I'd have to ponder motherhood another time.

  "Alright. We're going to treat this just like any other meeting. We'll start by welcoming everyone, making sure to introduce anyone who is new. Then I'll talk about our heritage for a bit and what a blessing it is to finally have a demon community that can actually come together...etc., etc. Then we'll invite them to enjoy the food and drink while they mingle."

  "Sounds simple enough."

  "It may sound simple, but that's when things could get difficult. Once they start to ingest the blood, it shouldn't affect them in a noticeable way since it's just a small amount, but obviously since every demon reacts differently to it, we truly have no way of knowing what their reactions will be. What I need you to do is help me monitor everyone in case somebody starts to show signs of the blood's effects."

  "No problem. Since most of them are my family any way, it should be easy enough to tell if someone's acting unusual. But for the few who actually know what's going on, can I have them gather in the other room so we can talk to them, and see if they feel anything different?"

  "That's a great idea. As everyone arrives, just let those few know that once they start drinking the punch to nonchalantly head towards the first alcove on the right. We can meet them there and question them like you suggested."

  I glanced at my watch and felt a rush of energy run through me. It was almost time for people to start arriving. Damien grabbed two glasses and scooped up some of the blood mixture. "Cheers. To the army."

  I lifted my glass to his as the smile spread across my face. "To the army."

  * * * * *

  (Renard)

  We followed Meredith's car by using our vampire speed to hop from shadow to shadow. It took around thirty-five to forty minutes before she parked outside an empty building and headed towards the ground floor.

  We stayed hidden for another couple of minutes before moving into the shadows that hugged the east corner of the building. From there we were able to see through one of the small windows into what looked like a large meeting facility.

  Meredith was busying herself with setting up tables and a small food spread. But what really drew our interest were the two large containers of blood we saw her haul inside that were now being split between four large punch bowls. Loni and I had smelled the blood the moment she pulled the containers from the boot of her car.

  We watched in silence for only a few minutes before an old blue Ford pickup pulled up and parked next to Meredith's car. Our hiding place was apparently perfect because the Hispanic man walking into the building showed no indication of noticing our presence.

  As soon as he entered the building, Loni and I focused our vampire hearing, and could now hear their entire conversation. It started off pretty normal until Meredith got to the part about how she was going to talk about their demon heritage and how grateful she was that they now had a community of demons who could get together to discuss their history. Bloody hell. Evie was not going to be happy to hear this.

  We continued to listen only to be stunned further. Apparently it was Meredith's plan to trick these other demons into ingesting human blood in order to increase their demon powers, and based on what we'd just heard, she was doing this in order to create a demon army.

  "This situation just went from a seven to a ten-plus on the 'we're fucked' scale," Loni whispered. I don't think I'd ever seen her this upset. Her hair and eyes had drifted completely black.

  "You've got that right, love. We need to get back to The Rising Pit and report this to Evie right away."

  We took off at lightning speed to retrieve our car from its present location. The information we now possessed needed to be reported as soon as possible, but I couldn't risk leaving the car behind since the plates were registered to Dax and The Rising Pit.

  Once we were safely inside the car and headed back towards Masen, I pulled out my cell and dialed Evie.

  "Hello?"

  "Evie. We're headed back now and you aren't going to believe what we found out."

  Her heavy sigh was the only indication that she wasn't looking forward to our news. And who could blame her? This truly had the potential to send the vampire community into a panic. Demon armies...bugger me.

  "Alright. When you arrive, come straight to my office and fill me in. I should be done dealing with our current crisis by then. Once I have all the information, I'll gather everyone together and deliver the news without having to repeat myself. Be safe and we'll see you two soon."

  She didn't even give me the chance to ask what the "current crisis" was before hanging up the phone.

  "Well, that didn't sound good." Loni's deadpan tone mimicked the sinking feeling in my gut. I looked over at my beautiful wife and her gorgeous hazel eyes, and suddenly wished we'd never returned from England.

  * * * * *

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  Anger Issues

  (Jeremy)

  After my infuriating conversation with Meredith, I decided to take a shower in order to literally cool off. That was just one of the odd things that had started happening every time I'd gotten angry lately; my body temperature would rise and I'd start sweating like crazy. It was like a volcano was building inside of me, just waiting to explode. The other strange thing...my eyes seemed to get red flecks in them whenever I was about to blow my top.

  These reactions, however, weren't the only thing that was confusing me. It was the fact that I'd been getting angry so easily and so much more often than usual. I didn't understand where
these anger issues were coming from because I'd never really been an angry kind of guy.

  But looking back, that probably had more to do with Loraine than myself. She always was the cheerful, bubbly, and calming one in our relationship, which in turn kept me blissfully happy. I wasn't sure why my relationship with Meredith didn't bring me the same joy, but I suppose it boiled down to the fact that Loraine had truly been my soul mate. God, I miss her.

  As I turned on the shower and let the steam build, I tried to relax enough to think about what I was going to say to Meredith. Thankfully, I was already starting to feel calmer. It was an amazing thing that always happened whenever I thought of Loraine. I smiled and shook my head as I stepped into the shower and let the hot water pour over me, washing my irritation down the drain.

  * * * * *

  (Loraine)

  I hovered in my ghostly form above Jeremy as he entered the shower. I longed to be able touch him once again. I tried, but as usual, I watched as my hand misted through his shoulder.

  The first time I'd materialized in this spirit form had been a little disorienting. It felt as if I was a million tiny sparks of energy being fused back together to once again form my body. I'd opened my eyes and found myself white and wispy, just like you'd imagine a ghost to be. In the next moment, my mind was flooded with memories. Memories of my life, my death...everything.

  I'd found myself staring down at Rose as she cried, curled up on her and Christian's bed deep beneath The Rising Pit. I had no idea how I knew these things, or other things: like the fact that Christian was a vampire, or that my husband and daughter both had demon blood running through their veins...but I did. I knew everything. I guessed it was the gods' way of getting me up to speed.

  I rushed to my baby and tried to wrap my arms around her, but as I floated down to her and reached out, my hands only misted through her body. I momentarily felt a sense of grief for not being able to hold my daughter, but I was still happy for this chance to even be with her again. So I watched as Rose's tear-filled shudders calmed and she finally fell asleep, and in that instant I knew the reason for my presence here.

  When I was alive I discovered at a very young age that my mere presence had the ability to calm those around me. I'd always considered it a psychic "gift" of some sort. I couldn't manipulate people's emotions, but all I had to do was enter a room and they would physically and mentally relax. And that was why I was here now. To be the calming element in my daughter's life once more. Because since I'd been gone her demon side had started to rise to the surface, and so had Jeremy's.

  From that point on I began getting pulled back into my ghost form whenever Rose or Jeremy were either extremely mad, or when they were specifically thinking of me. But the time in between my visits was still a mystery to me. Once I'd disintegrate or disappear there was just nothing...nothing until the next time I formed. No memories of the time in between, but full awareness of everything that had transpired while I was gone.

  As I looked down at Jeremy while he relaxed in the shower, I knew that he'd been upset about Meredith's reaction to his plan to visit The Rising Pit. A plan that would help him track down our daughter, providing a little peace for them both. I wish I could figure out how to actually help, or affect things from my ghostly state, but so far I hadn't. I could only hover, watch, and let my calming energy do its job for the people I loved.

  * * * * *

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  Panic at the Disco

  (Rose)

  I sucked in a breath as my heart started to pound out of my chest. I was stunned into silence as I tried to process Christian's big announcement. Talk about panic at the disco. I knew exactly what this meant. He was going to want to change me...soon. I almost expected him to launch across the bed and sink his teeth into my neck and turn me on the spot. I couldn't believe he was officially the new Sire. And I couldn't believe they completed the ritual without telling anyone else.

  "I don't know what to say. How's this even possible? You weren't even sure it was really you being triggered." I was trying to stay calm and get as much information as I could, but I couldn't deny I was fighting the urge to run screaming for the door. I didn't know how much longer I was going to be able to deal with all of this.

  "I shared my concerns with Evie, but she assured me there was no doubt that it was me. She decided to perform the ritual right away and keep things a secret, so when the time comes to face the demons, the element of surprise, and the fact they'll be facing two Sires instead of just one, will be to our advantage."

  I could definitely see her point. It would be an awesome surprise for the demons to face, but I was still panicking at the fact that my timeframe for leaving Christian had just been bumped up...again.

  "Aren't you happy for me, Rose? For us? Once this nightmare is over, I'll be able to turn you and we can complete the consort ceremony."

  I visibly relaxed when I heard the words "once this nightmare is over." Maybe I had more time to plan than I thought.

  "Evie doesn't want me to change you right away, as that would pretty much give away our surprise."

  Oh, thank god. "I can understand that. And of course I'm happy for you...for us." I stood up and wrapped my arms around him, but made it a point not to linger too long. But as I started to pull away, he grabbed my hips, holding me in place.

  "If it was up to me, I'd change you tonight. I can't wait for you to become my consort. The idea of spending eternity with you makes me happier than I can say."

  He crushed his lips to mine and our tongues danced their familiar dance. I thought about how all of this–all of my hopes and dreams–would soon be coming to an end, and I couldn't force myself to pull away. Instead, I resigned to selfishly allow myself one last time with the man I loved.

  The feel of his lips on mine and the sensation his roaming hands created on my skin had me tingling in all the right places and my stomach fluttering like it was our first time. He ran his hands up my back then weaved them through my hair as I worked the buttons on his shirt.

  Shoving the piece of clothing off his shoulders and onto the ground, I broke our kiss, and moved my lips to his neck. The flutter of his pulse under my tongue announced how much he enjoyed when I licked and sucked him there. I lingered briefly until his hands moved to grab my breasts. Squeezing them slightly, he had me arching into his touch.

  He groaned as I kissed my way down his chest, moving my hands to his belt. I sat back down on the bed, putting me in the perfect position. Once his belt was loose, I begun to unzip his pants. I raised my eyes to find him drifting rapidly and looking at me with intense desire. Then he tossed his head back in anticipation of the act to come.

  That's when we heard a knock on the door.

  "Dammit! What is it?" Christian cussed.

  "I'm sorry to bother you, but Evie's asked that we all join her upstairs right away," Tori hesitantly announced.

  The look on Christian's face was enough to scare anyone, but I knew he was only angry because he was just as desperate to be with me as I was to be with him.

  I reached out and ran my hand down his arm. "It's okay. Let's go find out what's going on and we can continue this later." I grabbed his shirt from the floor as he zipped up his pants and fastened his belt.

  "All I know is that this better be seriously important, or I'm going to have Evie's ass."

  Turned out...it was.

  We made our way upstairs and all gathered around the now empty club, waiting for Evie to begin.

  "Sorry for interrupting everyone's evening, but Renard and Loni have just returned with news."

  Apparently they'd driven like a bat out of hell and made it home in just under an hour and a half. I was suddenly very happy Tori had interrupted us, because there was no way I was going to miss what Renard and Loni had to say.

  "I gathered all of us here so that I wouldn't have to repeat myself. Our problem with the demons just got much more serious than we ever could've anticipated. Meredith is secretly cre
ating an army of blood drinking demons. An army that will soon be as strong and fast as she is."

  The gasps and four letter words that flew around the room, combined with the kaleidoscope of drifting hair colors was almost a funny sight. But there was nothing funny about this new development. The situation had been bad enough when it was just Meredith, but now...an army of demons. This was truly becoming a nightmare.

  "Did they hear what her actual plans were? Did she say anything about my dad?" I asked.

  Renard spoke up. "No, she didn't go into details about her plans, just that she was creating this army. And no, she didn't mention your dad, but we did see him, and he seemed perfectly fine and happy. Sorry, Rose."

  I was grateful for his apology because I had to admit, it would have been a lot easier for me to swallow that Dad had been forced somehow to go with her, but instead it sounded like he was happy to be there. That sucked.

  Evie continued, "We also had an incident here tonight. A vampire visiting from Florida bit a demon while in the club. We didn't catch the demon, but we have the vampire chained in the cell below. Once he starts to drift back, we should be able to learn the identity of the demon."

  This time everyone's reaction was more depressed than angry, as I think they all assumed Meredith had planted this demon here on purpose. It didn't take much for everyone to realize that things around here were about to change.

  I'd recently overheard Evie talking to Christian about having the clan only feed from blood bags until they caught up with Meredith, and now with this new development, I was sure she'd be implementing this new rule. The clan wasn't going to be happy.

  "Tomorrow, I will be sending Bobby and Dom back to the hospital to gather more blood bags. We are going to have to restrict ourselves to drinking from them until we can put a stop to these demons. I will not risk one of you becoming infected and falling prey to their mind bond," Evie stated.