by C. J. Pinard
“Ready to tap out?” Zach asked, smiling, left elbow in Tyler’s back, Zach’s right hand cradling his left fist, pushing it deeper.
Tyler reached out with his right hand and grabbed Zach’s ankle and yanked as hard as he could, causing Zach’s feet to come out from under him. Tyler popped up and punched Zach square in the nose with a sickening crack. Zach’s nose immediately gushed blood like a fountain.
As Zach put his hand to his nose, he drew it back and saw blood, then he pinched his nose and tipped his head back. “Good hit, doc.”
He made his way to the cage door and stepped down and made his way to the restroom. “Excuse me,” he mumbled in a nasally voice.
Tyler, oh-so proud of himself, stepped down and looked at Jonathan and Thomas.
Jonathan raised an eyebrow at Tyler. “I think you cheated.”
CHAPTER 4
∞∞∞
South Shields, England – 1809
“A what?” Sebastian asked, looking at Aiden then back down at his tin cup of blood.
Aiden laughed. “A vampyre. By the way – you are never going to see the sun again. It’s a drag, but that’s just the way it be.”
“You have been reading too many books, man. I have heard the legends of men rising from the dead and killing their family members, but those are nothing more than folktales from frightened villagers, looking to justify the killings that take place in their pathetic little villages.”
“No, lad. I’m afraid it’s no myth. If I had not turned you into this, you would be very much dead. No coming back from it, either.”
Sebastian narrowed his eyes at him. “Prove it.”
“We could wait until tomorrow and I could let you outside in the sun, and then you will see that I am right.” Seeing Sebastian’s impassive expression, he said, “Drink the blood.”
“That doesn’t even look good.”
“Just bloody drink it, will ya?” Aiden let out an exasperated breath.
Sebastian eyed the cup then sniffed it. He took a hesitant sip, and once the pungent liquid hit his tongue, he gulped it down in one swig then slammed the cup down, letting out a gigantic belch. “Okay, that wasn’t so bad.”
“Aye, you believe me now?” Aiden asked.
He sighed loudly. “I don’t know. Why was I in the barn?”
Aiden smiled. “So you wouldn’t kill my wife.”
Sebastian’s eyes got big. “You have a wife?”
“Yes, she’s asleep in the back bedroom, and she’s human.”
“Does she know that are you are... this, this creature?” Sebastian looked him up and down.
Smiling, he answered, “Yes. But she too will be one before we set sail for America.”
Sebastian’s eyes got big again. “Are we really going to the New World? When?”
“When my ship is done; it is still being built, and you are going to help me complete it. I figure it won’t take more than a year’s time.”
“Do I have to sleep in the barn until then?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because I can’t trust you, and I don’t share.” Aiden jerked his head toward the back bedroom where his wife lay sleeping.
“What if I get cold?”
Aiden laughed. “Have you felt cold, hot, or anything in between since you awoke?”
Sebastian broke his stare and looked toward the front door. “I guess not. I feel… absolutely nothing.”
“Precisely, my dear lad,” Aiden replied, rising. “Now, let’s get you out of those outlandish pajamas and go into the village and find you someone to eat.”
∞∞∞
Months later, Sebastian considered himself an expert at feeding. Aiden had showed him how to entice women in pubs to the dark corners for a feeding. Sebastian marveled at how the women would swoon under his bite, his touch, even looking deep into their eyes seemed to temporarily immobilize them until he could sink his fangs into their necks and satisfy his need. Aiden taught him to keep from killing them by listening to the heartbeat and to stop when it slowed down. Most of the women were already inebriated and this made it easier to catch them, but harder to tell when their heart rate slowed, as it was already sluggish due to the brandy wine.
He also discovered how easy it was to get women to do whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted it. He had many passionate romps with many women, and when he grew tired of one, he would find another. He felt invincible. God’s gift to women. And he never had any complaints.
Sebastian was proud that he not yet killed anyone, and was cocky and proud of his new skills. He was reveling in his newfound life.
He went home occasionally, usually at night, stating he had moved in with Aiden to work as a farmhand and to help him with the building of Aiden’s ship – which wasn’t all that far from the truth. His family was happy he was out and working, and never questioned why he only came to visit at night.
One beautiful fall evening, he walked along the cobblestone streets under a full moon on his way home to see his mother. He really couldn’t care less about Silas or his father. Sebastian had never had a close relationship with his father much anyway, due to his love of port wine and the abuse he would dish out after drinking it.
As he ascended the steps, he heard arguing.
He burst through the door to find Silas screaming at his mother. Sebastian didn’t quite understand what they were screaming about, but through the shouts he surmised it had something to do with money. Their father was passed out in the back bedroom, unable and unwilling to defend his wife, all while Silas continued to scream at their mother.
Silas backhanded her so hard, she went flying to the floor and landed with a thud on the hard stone floor of the kitchen, where she lay unconscious.
Anger like hot fire raged through Sebastian. He grabbed Silas by the throat, and with all his might, threw him across the room. Silas’s smug and angry face turned to pure fear at his brother’s shocking strength. As Sebastian approached him again, Silas crab-walked backward on his hands and feet, shrinking back in fear. Picking Silas up by his shirt collar, Sebastian’s eyes turned jet-black, whites disappearing altogether, and his fangs descended. Sheer terror caused Silas to wet himself as Sebastian reared his head back and bit with rage into his brother’s neck. He began to tear and suck, and cared not for his older brother’s decreasing heart rate. When Silas fell completely limp, he tossed him to the floor like a ragdoll and then let out a pained cry of grief and frustration, balling his fists and beating them against his thighs. He rushed over to his mother, felt her neck for a pulse, and realized she was passed out, but alive. He carried her to the bed and laid her down next to his still-unconscious father. The smell of booze permeated the room as he walked out and shut the door behind him.
He had no intentions of tending to Silas, but as he passed, he noticed that Silas looked very, very dead. Curiosity got the better of him as he bent to feel for a pulse. He could not find one. Sebastian had a moment of regret as he cradled his brother’s lifeless body and cried. Then he remembered what he had seen Aiden do to his wife the night he finally turned her a few weeks prior, and repeated the protocol. Biting into his wrist, he yanked Silas’s mouth open and drizzled his gushing red life force into his brother’s mouth. Silas at first did not respond; he only lay limp and slack-jawed in Sebastian’s arms, the blood dribbling out the side of his mouth and down his neck. Then his lips and tongue moved ever so slightly and Sebastian shoved his wrist right up to his mouth and Silas started a slight suckling motion. As he began to awaken, he began sucking so hard, Sebastian had to use all his might to pull him away. Sebastian picked up his brother and charged through the front door and down the stairs, running away into the night all the way to Aiden’s farm with this newly undead brother cradled in his arms.
∞∞∞
Portland, Oregon – Present Day
His thrusts were beginning to rock her to sleep. She had never been this bored during sex before. It was only nine p.m., and Pascal
wanted a little playtime before heading to Night Crawlers to sit on his throne and brood over his long, boring life.
Angel suppressed a yawn and continued her fake moaning noises. Once he was finished, he removed himself and flopped onto his back, bouncing the mattress.
“You are the best, love,” Pascal said out of breath, running his cold finger along her arm.
She smiled weakly at him. “You too, baby.”
He got up and went into the bathroom to shower.
Angel watched the bathroom door close and waited to hear the shower start before she got up and quickly got dressed and went downstairs. As she reached the bottom of the stairs, she saw a group of six newborn vampires standing around in the living room.
“Hi, Angel,” said Brandon, smiling. He was not in his paramedic uniform, but rather a pair of baggy jeans and a black button-up shirt. His short, light brown hair was spiked up and the light from the lamp reflected the stubble of his light five o’clock shadow.
She grinned. “Hi, guys. Where you all headed off to?”
“The club, of course. We’re hungry,” one of them answered, sniggering.
“Okay, well you have fun. Maybe I’ll see you there later.” She shot a look at Brandon and she could swear she saw a gleam of flirtatious mischief in his eyes as he stared back at her.
She turned her back on them and went to the fridge and opened it up, grabbing a blood bag. She poured it into a coffee mug and set the microwave for thirty seconds and while she waited, she saw Bryan coming down the stairs. He rounded the bottom of the staircase and made his way into the kitchen.
“Hi, Angel,” he said as he also opened the fridge.
She ignored him, still giving him the silent treatment for how he had snitched on her and Joshua. She turned her back on him and folded her arms as she waited for the microwave to be done.
Bryan did not like the silent treatment at all. He had not had many dealings with women in his young life, but the whole ignoring thing really bothered him. He had tried talking to her many times before about things, and how sorry he was, and how he really had no choice but to tell Pascal everything, but she just didn’t want to hear it.
At all.
He shrugged and drank his bag cold. After he was done, he tossed it into the trash can and joined Brandon and the other vampires.
“Dude, let’s go! I met this hot girl last night while I was working and I told her to meet us at Night Crawlers at eleven,” Brandon said. “And she’s bringing a friend.” A wicked gleam in his eye.
“I’m coming,” Bryan said, smiling.
Angel was leaning against the sink sipping her mug, eyeing the boys. Bryan turned around as he was about to close the front door and said, “Angel, tell Pascal we’ll be waiting for him, will you, hon?”
She rolled her eyes, then nodded.
The seven new vampires were less than thrilled to be riding around in a Honda minivan, but being as Pascal had created so many newbies lately, he really needed something that held a lot of passengers. It was either that or buy a bus. Brandon was driving, Bryan was in the front seat.
Bryan turned around and addressed the rest of the vampires, all men. “Listen, guys. We can only discuss this here. Once we’ve reached the club, no more discussion. This is top-secret and stays between us. Understand?”
They all nodded.
“Look. I don’t know about you, but, while I’m glad Pascal has sired us all, I’m getting a little bit tired of him. I think we all are. He’s done nothing but treat us like his little minions. He has personally used me and threatened me, and my friend Smith is dead because of it. The guy has been alive longer than I can even fathom – and that makes him very, very strong – but he is still not indestructible.”
A young vampire named Eric asked, “What are you suggesting? That we kill Pascal?” his eyes were wide.
“I’m not sure we need to kill him, maybe just show him that we aren’t to be bullied or used as slaves,” Brandon added, looking at them in the rearview mirror.
“Good, because honestly, I don’t think killing him is the answer to anything. I don’t know about you, but I’m only twenty-two years old and I know nothing about running a club or making mortgage payments. I hate to say it, but as much of a dick as Pascal is, he is kind of our sugar daddy,” Eric replied, chuckling at his own joke.
Bryan looked at him, then turned back around without saying anything, contemplating Eric’s statement. He hadn’t thought much about the financial responsibility of taking care of as many people as Pascal does. Bryan had been distraught since Smith’s death. He knew the sylph was responsible for it ultimately, and even Smith himself had been partly responsible for causing his own demise, but he still felt pangs of guilt about how Smith’s last days had panned out. He had been used as a guinea pig, burned by the sun while Bryan himself was found to have no sunlight allergy at all. Then after discovering Joshua and Angel in bed together, he told Pascal about it, and for whatever reason, Smith decided to go on the run with Joshua, which got him nowhere but dead.
Bryan had grown some thick skin these past few weeks. He’d been promoted to lieutenant in the clan, and he knew Pascal held a special place for him, as he was the first sun-resistant vampire, and apparently, that was going to his head – big time. The shy Bryan was gone and he was running full speed ahead into a leadership role.
Brandon pulled the van into the back lot of Night Crawlers, and the baby vamps went in through the back door, through the stockroom, back bar, and into the club. Brandon was looking around for his new female friend, when he spotted her. She had her back to him, and her long, brown hair, which covered most of her silky white tank top, reached down to her waist . She was wearing a short denim skirt and a pair of shiny silver high-heeled ankle boots.
He came up quietly behind her and put his hands around her eyes. “Guess who?”
She spun around and smiled. “Hi, Brandon!”
“Amy,” he said, hugging her.
Just then, an identical copy of her walked up and stood next to her.
Brandon looked from his new friend to the new girl. “Twins?”
“Brandon, this is my sister, Tanya.”
Tanya smiled. “Nice to meet you.” She brushed her long, brown hair behind her shoulder and smiled.
“Tanya, this is my friend, Bryan.”
Bryan smiled. “Nice to meet you. Drinks, ladies?”
They both smiled and said in identical voices, “Yes, please.”
“Anything in particular?”
“Surprise us,” Amy answered.
“Just no beer!” Tanya added.
Bryan stalked off toward the bar and Brandon turned to the twins. Their big brown eyes were both looking at him and they were both smiling.
“So is your friend Bryan single?” Tanya asked.
∞∞∞
The Island of Nymph – Present Day
Malina finished her spell over the new dose of Enchantment she made for Cassie and encouraged her to drink it. Of course they would have to wait until after Cassie delivered her baby to find out if it worked. Thankfully, the impending delivery was just a few short months away.
After the sylph gives birth, her mortality starts immediately. She can no longer call portals, and her eighteen-year-old body starts to age naturally. Most sylphs end up having a lot of children to make it worth it for them, and pray for girls to pass more sylphs onto the world. The boy babies they bore were as regular as any human – just like their daddies.
Cassie thanked Malina then disappeared through her own portal. Malina cleaned up the small lab, grabbed her handbag, and exited the hut. She could have left through a portal from inside the lab, but she wanted a few minutes of sunshine. Dreary Portland didn’t get nearly as much sun as she liked. She walked through the warm sand and let her toes indulge in the softness of it. She closed her eyes and raised her face to the sky, letting the sun wash over her olive skin.
“Queen Malina!”
She turned around
and saw Bill, captain of the Immortal guards, waving to her. She smiled and walked over to him. He was in his black tactical SWAT-type uniform and his black crew-cut hair shone in the sun.
“Hi, Bill. How are you?”
He bowed his head and smiled. “I have a prisoner who wishes to speak with you.”
She frowned. “Really?”
“Yes, ma’am. He’s been requesting a meeting for a few months, but I mostly ignore him. But he’s starting to become… cumbersome. Would it be too much to ask if you could just give him five minutes? Might shut him up,” he said.
“Sure, Bill, anything to make your job easier.”
He grinned. “That is very gracious of you. I will escort you myself, and my best guard, Nick, will be right there with you.”
“You are very kind.”
He escorted her into the large stone building that looked wildly out of place on the colorful, carefree tropical island. The inside was set up very simply; a small hallway lined with a dozen or so cells encased in iron bars. A desk and a television were set up outside the cells. Each cell had bunk bed, a metal sink and toilet, and a small, barred window looking out to the water.
Well, not all the cells had windows.
Bill escorted her to a cell where a scruffy-looking inmate was sitting on a small bench inside his cell, reading a tattered paperback.
Bill tapped on the bars with his key. “Seth, the queen Malina is here to see you.”
Chapter 5
∞∞∞
South Shields, England – 1809
Sebastian laid his brother down in the loft of the barn on top of the horse blanket he himself had slept on just months prior. Silas was still out cold, so he quickly descended the stairs and ran into the farmhouse.