Forever Black (Nightwalkers 2)

by H. N. Sieverding

  "Caleb…" She covered her smiling lips as she looked at him with great excitement.

  "If you pay someone enough, they can get stuff off broken computers." He handed her the satchel. "It's a different model, but it's better, I promise." He watched her take out her new laptop and run her fingers over the large sticker on its surface. It was the band's logo.

  "Thank you so much." Her cheeks were red as she opened the lid and watched the screen light up. Biting her lip, she studied at the background image. It was of her grandfather. "Awww…" She set the laptop on the seat next to her and gave Caleb a giant hug. "Thank you…"

  "Anything for my girl." He held his guitar by the neck, his other hand wrapped around Ashleigh.

  She gave him a quick kiss then put the laptop back in the bag. "I'll check it out later. I'd rather stay…" She snuggled into his arms as he adjusted his position to hold both her and his guitar. "Right here."

  "I like you here." He started to strum, a few soft words escaping his lips. Ashleigh gazed up at him with loving eyes, and everything was as it was before.

  * * * *

  Bursting in on the Council meeting, Ashleigh briskly made her way over to them. She was wearing her normal attire, but there was a graceful confidence to her walk. The Council was having a meeting, and they all regarded her intrusion with great anger.

  "Good evening." Ashleigh spoke to the Council, Nathan, Robert and Caleb by her side. "There are a few matters I wish to discuss with you."

  Anthony rose to his feet and spoke loudly, "Now, this—" When Ashleigh silenced his voice, Anthony grabbed his throat. He mouthed the words, but nothing came out.

  "Sit, please." She watched Anthony's bottom slam into his chair as she used her magic to control him. It wasn't a gentle action, but a swift one that made him cringe. "It is rude to interrupt a lady." Then, she released her hold on Anthony, who coughed. "Now, I would like your cooperation. Morgan is no longer under the Count's rule, but is now under mine. If you wish to challenge this decision, please do." She motioned for them to stand. "I would love to see the look on your face when you are killed by a woman."

  The Council whispered amongst themselves, all of them looking extremely worried. She watched them calmly then briefly glanced over at Caleb. He sent her a flirty smile, but she didn't return it. Her demeanor was strong, and she wasn't in the mood for flirting. This rejection made Caleb quickly turn from her.

  Master Vessling stood again. "What do you mean by this? Are you joining with the Morgan Sect and breaking from the Krest Family?"

  "Yes. This is my home, and I wish to protect it. Join with me, and I shall make sure you are always safe and protected."

  "What happens when the Count retaliates? He's going to come for you. You know that."

  "I do not fear him, and unless he comes himself, he cannot harm me. I can control anyone with my magic, including his vampires. I am a pure blood, as he is, and with that comes great power. Let me join the Council, and you will see the advantages of having the Countess on your side."

  Anthony's voice was calm, though his lip quivered slightly, "Please, Lady Sallen—give us a few minutes to discuss this." After a several minutes of hushed conversation between the members, he turned back to her. "We will allow you to join the Council and serve on the—"

  "I wish to serve with you as head of Council…" Ashleigh interrupted. Her smile grew as her brow lowered, "Father."

  "Co-rule?" Anthony's voice was stressed. "With me?"

  "Of course." A gentler expression filled her features as she nodded. "Is there a problem with that?"

  "No, I would be honored to share my position with you."

  "Thank you. I am glad you have seen the potential of our union."

  "I also ask that you remain in Kingston, so you may protect the Council in the event the Count tries to form attack. He—"

  "As his wife, I am well aware of his power, and I will honor your request and remain in Kingston where I am most needed." Ashleigh then turned her eyes to Aiden. "And Aiden, I haven't forgotten about you." She raised her hand slowly, using her magic to make Aiden rise to his feet. "You will finally receive your punishment for your sins against me. If you defy me again, I will not just punish you, I will kill you."

  A deep, evil chuckle escaped her lips when she saw his fear. "I do so love torture, and your screams would be very satisfying, but…" Turning to the rest of the Council, she dropped her hand, and Aiden's bottom slammed into his seat. "That will have to wait until later. We have more important matters to discuss." She then appeared next to her father, who almost jumped out of his chair when she touched him. "About the future of Morgan…"

  * * * *

  Christie smiled at the camera as she spoke. Her teeth were a perfect white, her hair dyed a fake, whitish blonde. "I know everyone's curious to meet our next guest, and I know we are thrilled to be able to have snagged this lovely lady." She laid her freshly manicured, pink tipped nails on her skirt, her voice annoyingly upbeat. "This will be her first ever interview and I, especially…" She put a hand over her heart. Her grin was larger than a normal person's, and her lips were thick and plump. "Am extremely excited."

  She glanced toward the audience as she stood. "But enough talking…are you ready to meet the face behind one of the most popular vampire series of all time?" The crowd roared as she motioned for them to cheer. "All right! Now, let’s give a warm welcome to Miss Victoria Allure!"

  The camera panned toward stage left. The crowd was still cheering as they awaited Ashleigh's arrival. She appeared from the back room and swiftly made her way toward Christie. Ashleigh was dressed in trendy, diamond-studded jeans and a tight T-shirt under a short cargo jacket. Her hair was curled, a sparkly pink head band in her hair.

  Christie shook Ashleigh's hands with both of hers. Her voice was hard to hear over the crowd. "Welcome." She motioned for Ashleigh to sit, and when she did, Christie did as well. "I'm so excited you could be here with us today." Christie's hands laid in her lap as she clasped them together tightly. Her face was slightly red, and one could see she was very excited to do this exclusive interview. "I am a huge fan, and I can't believe I am actually meeting you in person."

  Ashleigh's voice was soft, "Thanks." Her eyes glanced nervously toward the crowd then back at Christie. "I'm glad to be here, too."

  "Can you tell us more about yourself?" She crossed a leg over her knee, leaning closer to Ashleigh.

  "Well…" Ashleigh did not look at the crowd, her pale cheeks slightly red as she tried to calm her nervousness. "I'm not very good with interviews."

  "It's all right, honey." Christie laughed. Her hand gently touched Ashleigh's knee. "You'll do fine. Now, let's start by introducing you to everyone." She addressed the camera briefly then turned back to Ashleigh. "Your fans know you as Victoria, but that's just your pen name, right?"

  "Yes." Ashleigh nodded. Her hands clasped together, and she tried not to fidget with them. "My real name is Ashleigh. It’s a little awkward when people call me Victoria, but it's all right, I'm used to it."

  "Can you tell us about your pen name? Why did you decide to use one?"

  "Well, it's a personal choice. Some authors like to use pen names, and I'm just one of those people. It works for me."

  "You just signed a deal with Westburg studios to make your first two books into films. How do you feel about the whole process? I bet you're excited." She glanced toward the large screen behind Ashleigh's head. The cover of Forever Black was displayed there.

  "I am. I'm very excited." Ashleigh let out a nervous laugh. "It'll be weird watching my books as movies, but it will be really cool. They're letting me help with production, and I get to sit in on the casting and all that, so it'll be a great experience."

  "Where did the idea for Nightwalkers come from?" Christie's smile shone brightly, like she could do it for hours and her face would never get sore.

  "I have a vampire obsession." Ashleigh chuckled. "I admit it—so, of course, that's why I chose the genre I d
id. I wanted to make the perfect vampires, ones that I hoped other people would fall in love with, too. Vampires are seen as these monsters that are scared of the light, but that's not how I wanted to portray them. I wanted people to feel for them, see them as real people."

  "Now…" Christie giggled as she held her hand up. Her cheeks were slightly reddened. "I know you probably get this question a lot, but I have to ask you about it."

  Bouncing her joined hands on her lap playfully, Ashleigh looked down at them. Her cheeks turned slightly red, her engagement ring shining under the bright stage lights. "I can probably guess it."

  "Tell me about your character of Lord Drake." Christie leaned forward on her knees slightly. "I know all your fans are battling all over the internet about who will play him in the film."

  "Yeah." Ashleigh nodded. There was a proud smile on her lips as she pushed some of her hair behind her ear.

  "I hear the top pick is the gorgeous Caleb Mason from Armageddon." Christie glanced at the audience when a wave of shouts came from that direction. A picture of Caleb performing at a concert came up on the large screen behind Ashleigh's head. "Ooo…look at that." Christie waved herself with the cards in her hand. She spoke in a fake southern accent, all her actions over-dramatic, "He's giving me the vapors."

  Ashleigh laughed as she glanced behind her. Her whole body turned slightly with her action. Caleb was shirtless in the photo. The large tattoo on his chest was hard to read, but Ashleigh knew what the words etched inside his heart said.

  "What would be your pick?" Christie turned back to Ashleigh. "Do agree with the fans?"

  "Well, yeah." The bangles on Ashleigh’s wrists clanged together as she pushed some hair behind her ear again. "You can't argue with that." She pointed at the screen as she laughed. "Caleb's amazing, and he'd be perfect for the role, but…" Her happy eyes turned back to Christie. "He's a terrible actor. I don't think he could do it. Plus, he just became a dad, and he's working on his new album, so he doesn't have time for anything like that."

  "And you know Caleb pretty well, right? So, let's talk about that."

  "Well…" Ashleigh glanced up at the screen again then back at Christie. "I'm a huge fan of his music, and yes…" She addressed the audience and beamed when she saw all the excited faces staring back at her. They stared at her like she was the biggest celebrity they had ever met. The feeling made Ashleigh feel amazing. "I think he's gorgeous. But seriously, he's a great person, too. When I finally met him in person, I was in heaven." She bit her lip as she watched Christie's expression brighten. "He's just an awesome guy and a lot of fun."

  "Ooo…" Christie turned toward the roaring crowd. "You're one lucky lady. I hear you two are engaged and have a beautiful little boy."

  "Yeah." Ashleigh looked up at the screen. A new picture was up there now. It was one of Caleb with their son, Zander. Caleb was sitting on stage, holding Zander on his knees, as he played the guitar. The lighting was perfect. Zander was dressed in a black sweater with a hood that looked like cat ears. His ice blue eyes were huge as he tried grab at the strings. "Aww… There's my boys."

  "What a beautiful family, Ashleigh. You must be very proud."

  "Thanks."

  "So, are there plans for a fifth Nightwalkers novel?"

  "Yes. I've already started writing it." Ashleigh's lips filled with a devilish grin. The words rolled off her tongue in a deep tone, "It's going to be titled Blood War."

  After a few more questions, the interview was over. Ashleigh walked toward Natalie, who standing near the end of the stage. She was holding her hands together in a praying motion and gushing over her friend’s accomplishment. Like every other big event in her life, her best friend was here to share every smile with her and cheer her on. Ashleigh loved that. After giving Natalie a hug, Ashleigh quickly made her way to the green room, where she was greeted by the sweet laugh of her son and Caleb's happy grin.

  "You did awesome, babe." Caleb put one of his arms around her shoulders and held Zander in the other. He leaned closer and kissed her cheek. "And you looked so damn hot."

  "Your picture seemed to make the audience pretty hot." She wrapped her arms around him.

  "Not as hot as the desire I have to bend you over that couch." He laid his forehead against hers for a few seconds. "God, you're amazing." He gave her a few kisses, but Zander yanked on her hair and made her pull away.

  "Well, I am a queen." She laughed as she reached up and lightly stroked his cheek. Her eyes gazed at his lips longingly.

  "Who cares about that?" He took her hand and kissed it. "All that matters is you’re mine."

  "You're so selfish, Caleb." She laughed as she pulled her hand away from him. She took Zander from his arms. "Daddy's silly, isn't he, Zan?"

  "Daddy's hungry." Caleb made a sour face as he glanced at the door. A small sigh escaped his lips.

  "Then, we shall eat like kings." She glanced over at Robert and the three other large men near him. Robert was carrying a diaper bag, and Nathan stood next to him, an annoyed expression on his face as Natalie attempted to flirt with him. "Can you get something delivered to our hotel?"

  "Yes, my queen." Robert and Nathan spoke in unison, both of them bowing to her.

  "Come on, Caleb." Her face filled with a huge grin, and she linked her arm in his. "Let's go home." Then, she noticed the red roses that sat on the table near her. Her brow lowered angrily as she paused to stare at them.

  "Babe?" Caleb looked at her strangely and pulled on her arm.

  "I'm coming." She sent him a smile, though her mind wasn't on pleasant matters. The others left the room, but she stayed behind to read the card laid out near the flowers.

  It was written in Krestian and was the ending to the story of the Sun and the Moon.

  "If refusal is once again your answer, than death, not love, will be the bond that ties us. For I am the devil and ruler of all that is black. Once I taint your eyes with my magic, you shall never return to the land of the living."

  Let me mold the light with my hand for you, my queen. Forever is black without me, and if you continue to wander in the dark alone without my light, you will surely fall into a hole that you cannot escape.

  Eternally yours,

  Drake

  *The End*

  About the Author

  H.N. Sieverding is the author of over thirty novels, and writes in the Paranormal Romance and Horror genres. Her obsession with writing began when she got fed up with endings she couldn't control. She started writing her own stories, all with her own 'perfect' ending. She is also known to favor her handsome villains, which is a trait that can be found in most of her books. Seeing her stories in print has been one of her greatest achievements besides her son, whom she is most proud of. Aside from writing, she's an avid artist and graphic designer.

  Stop by and connect with H.N. on:

  Official Website

  Facebook

  Other Books by H.N. Sieverding

  Initiation (Christian’s Kisses Book 1)

  Seed of the Master (Christian’s Kisses Book 2)

  Secret Scarlet

  The Bloodlust Prince

  Blood Kisses (Nightwalkers Book 1)

  Secret Cravings Publishing

  www.secretcravingspublishing.com