I began to realize why I was so fixated on blondes. One morning, I woke up and turned over to see a shaggy blonde man with grey eyes lying next to me in Marcus’ place. But, as soon as I blinked, it went back to being the man I’d gone to sleep with. Another time, I remembered cleaning burns on the same man. And so it went. Every day, I would see a longer and longer memory of the same man. It was obvious that he’d been important, something that heightened my distrust of Marcus. The one time I mentioned my preference for blondes, his reply was so angry that I was afraid he might try to hurt me.
Eventually, I realized that it wasn’t enough. I wanted more. I had ambition and a social need that Marcus just wasn’t fulfilling. I began to dread the time that we would spend talking. It seemed like every time he spoke, there was something that repulsed me a little more. I soon realized that there was something that he just wasn’t telling me. After about a week, I initiate my plan. “Can we go somewhere and meet other vampires?” I said one afternoon when I awoke. “I’d love to make some friends.”
He seemed to mull it over in his head. “It probably is time that you were introduced to The Four.”
“The Four?” I asked, having no idea who he was talking about.
“They’re four vampires that are part of the International Vampire Council. They happen to be the United States Representatives.” He stood up and began looking for something to wear. “Their leader is part of your lineage.”
My lineage? “What do you mean?” I asked, unsure what he meant.
“Sebastian. He changed a man named Sullivan who changed Nathaniel who changed me,” he finally selected a fitted black suit with black accents.
Deciding to stand out some, I donned a bright turquoise, fairly revealing dress that looked fantastic on me. I touched myself up with some makeup and looked in the mirror. I looked fantastic. “They won’t know what hit them,” I smiled into the mirror, sealing the deal. If The Four were important, they might be able to find out who I really was. They could tell me who the blonde man was and why I kept seeing him. The obvious conclusion was that we’d been lovers, but I didn’t want to discount any other options. He could be a best friend. Something told me that I’d had a guy for a best friend.
“You ready?” Marcus stuck his head in to check on my progress.
“Of course,” I smiled. I straightened my dress and brushed over my clothes a couple of times to make sure they fell in the strategic place.
“You’re missing something,” Marcus pulled out a necklace with two Celtic symbols on it. The top one was a snake twisted into a Celtic knot and the bottom was a snake twisted into the trinity, something that I recognized from my life as a human.
The blonde man opened a small box that held a Celtic symbol on a silver chain. There was a snake twisted around the trinity sign, something I recognized from the time I’d been interested in Irish history, particularly around the time of the Celtic druids. I smiled as I lifted my hair for him to put it on me, but we were interrupted. Another man jumped forward and hissed, saying something that I couldn’t make out. The blonde man tackled the two of them and they disappeared, marking one of them as a vampire.
I opened my eyes and dropped my jaw. The blonde man could have been a vampire. Was he the one that had killed me? I turned to ask Marcus but realized that it would probably be a bad choice. He had obviously kept things from me, and I could just be asking to be told lies in return.
“Are you ok?” he looked concerned.
I shook my head. “I’m fine. Just excited.” I pulled my hair back for him to fasten the chain around my neck. When it fell against my skin, something seemed out of place. I wasn’t sure about the significance of the necklace, but I knew that asking would only lead to lies, and I still needed Marcus to take me to meet The Four. “Let’s go,” I grinned and took his hand.
Chapter 47
We appeared in a nightclub that looked like something out of my human selves’ nightmares. The walls were a blood red and all accents were pure black. Behind the bar, there were dozens of unlabeled bottles, but all of them had a red, gleaming liquid. It would have scared my past self, but my current self loved it. “What does a girl have to do around here to get a drink?” I grinned at Marcus and headed towards the bar.
“We need to introduce you first,” Marcus took my arm and steered me up the stairs to what was obviously some sort of VIP room. As soon as we entered, the loud music dulled to a deep throbbing. I smiled and looked around the room, searching the faces that I found.
I froze when I saw the blonde man from my dreams, from my memories. “You,” I whispered, completely shocked.
“Jules,” I heard him say in a calm voice, smiling at me. “It’s nice to see you up and about.” He walked over to me and took my other arm before leading me over to the group of four people. “I was just telling them about how you came to join us.”
Memories began to flash through my head. I took a step back and brought my hands up to my head, trying to massage the truth out of my skull. “Who are you?” I demanded, trying to figure everything out.
“He is one of your Makers,” a grey haired man walked over towards me from the couches. He put a hand to my forehead and whispered, “Remember.”
Instantly, all of my memories came flooding back.
I saw myself starting to fall for Christopher, despite the fact that he was a vampire. I saw Marcus rip me away from the brief happiness that I’d found. I saw him keep me, obviously trying to make me into his next pet. I saw Marcus feeding me his blood before Christopher appeared and revealed their betrayal. I saw the man I loved and his closest friend get me high, have sex with me, and then kill me. Everything came back. “Christopher,” I whispered, stepping back even further from them.
He nodded, before turning back to the Four. “Like I said before, her death was very sudden and violent. It’s not surprising that she doesn’t remember everything about her life.”
“I remember everything,” I said angrily. “I remember that you and Marcus targeted me for your sick game.” Instantly, Marcus came to my side and tried to calm me down, quiet me. “You made me fall in love with you,” I said over his objections. “Then you used your blood to drug me and fuck me before killing me the next morning.”
“Maybe her memory is better than you thought,” one of the Four said.
“You know what we told you about those games you keep playing with the humans.” A woman tossed several newspapers at their feet, all sporting headlines about the people that Marcus and Christopher had kidnapped and killed during their game.
“This was the last one,” the grey-haired man said, gesturing at me. “Leave now, and we won’t defang you for your insolence.”
Christopher started to turn and leave, but Marcus demanded, “What about her?” He pointed at me.
“She stays with us,” the woman said sharply. “If she chooses to come back to you after finishing her training, she may.”
“That will never happen,” I said, shivering. I took a step back towards the Four. “You two will be lucky if I don’t track you down and kill you myself.”
“Like you could-“ Christopher started. Rage burned inside of me as I appeared behind him and broke his neck. I grabbed the gun from the shoulder holster he wore and buried a bullet in Marcus’ head.
“Take some of their blood,” the grey man said quickly. I obliged, quickly sinking my teeth into each of their necks. Then, I picked both of them up and threw them over the raining down onto the dancefloor, ignoring the screams and protests from everyone down below us.
“Don’t tell me what I can’t do,” I said quietly before walking back inside to face the Four.
Chapter 48
I dusted my hands off and turned around, ready to be done with Marcus.. Smiling, I held out a hand to the man that had helped me and said, “Hello. My name Is Julia. Sorry about the mess.”
He laughed and shook my hand. “My name is Sebastian.” His grey eyes were ice cold, but there was something t
here that I recognized. I would almost swear that he had the same eyes as my grandfather. Then, I shook my head, pulling myself out of that idea. It would be impossible. He had an air of importance, and I could tell that he was dangerous. He somehow communicated with a single look that he could kill me if he wanted to and there wasn’t a single thing I’d be able to do to stop it. I could tell that he liked the ice grey look. His hair, eyes, and suit all reminded me of icebergs on a turbulent sea.
I looked around the room at The Four. Sebastian I’d already met, but the other three were equally imposing. There was a gorgeous black woman. Everything about her screamed ‘Tigress.’ Her dress was tiger print, and her hair had reddish highlights. But, it was more than that. She held herself like she could attack at any moment. “That is Dria.” She nodded her head politely.
Next, there was a tall, muscular man with black hair and black eyes. His pure white skin and sparkling teeth contrasted fantastically. The black suit with white shirt and black tie added to the effect, making his really seem like a complete contrast. Even the sharp angles of his cheekbones and chin contributed, making him one of the most visually fascinating men that I’d ever seen. “My name is Scott.” He held out his hand, and I took it. “That was one of the most impressive introductions that I’ve ever seen.”
“Scott loves his fighting,” Dria bared her teeth in an expression that seemed part challenge, part smile.
“And, this is-“ Sebastian started.
“Aleksander,” I breathed out, finally laying my eyes on the fourth person in the room. He looked exactly like Fillip must have looked seven years ago. Aleksander had grown his hair out a bit longer than Fillip wore his, but there was no doubt in my mind that this was Fillip’s missing twin.
Sebastian seemed surprised, but he nodded in agreement. “Do you two know each other?” he asked, seeming a bit surprised.
“She knew my brother,” Aleksander said coldly before turning to Dria and Scott. “Would you two give the three of us some privacy?” Dria and Scott seemed confused, but they nodded and disappeared.
“I take it she’s the vampire that fed on your brother?” Sebastian said, glancing at me before turning to look at Aleksander. Cold fury was radiating from his face. He nodded and moved so fast that I didn’t see him coming. He grabbed me by the throat, picked me up, and slammed me against the wall. Pain flared through me, but the firey flame of power from Christopher and Marcus’ blood still ran through me. Kicking out, I sent him flying.
Before he could do anything else, I held up my hands and said, “I’m sorry. I had no idea that you were even still alive. I was just trying to feed. I took as little blood as possible and even tried to put him at peace about your disappearance.”
“What?” Aleksander dropped his fists and stared at me incredulously.
“He was a good person, and he had to take care of your sister by himself. I couldn’t take him away from her, especially when he didn’t do anything to deserve it.”
Aleksander stared down at his hands for a few seconds. “Why Fillip?” he demanded.
I paused, not wanting to state the real reason, that I had an obvious preference for blondes. “He stuck out,” I finally said.
He stood, unmoving for a few seconds before replying, “I need to go check something. I’ll be back.” Then, he disappeared.
Chapter 49
“I’m sorry you had to meet him like that, but you seemed to have hit his one soft spot: his remaining human family.” Sebastian beckoned at me to take his hand. I hesitantly did, and he transported us to a beautiful mansion that was probably somewhere in New England.
“Is this your house?” I looked around the room at the beautifully artistic décor. The room we were standing in was all a beautiful shade of forest green with copper accents. I could see through an open door that the next room was all in black and white.
“I love color,” he smiled and motioned for me to sit down on one of the couches.
I looked around and commented, “I like this shade of green.”
“Me too. It reminds me of the jungles that I used to travel through.” He poured us cups of blood from a decanter sitting on the table in front of the couch. “I’m assuming that Marcus told you about our blood line?” he asked, handing me a glass.
I nodded. “You’re my great-great-grand-maker, right?” I counted off on my fingers, trying to make sure that I was getting the line right.
“Yes,” he replied. “But, that’s not all.” He took a sip from his glass before saying, “You must be wondering why you’re progressing much faster than most.”
“Of course,” I said curiously, unsure how he knew about my progress.
“The reason that you’re so strong, that Marcus couldn’t use his compulsion on you, that Christopher and Marcus picked you the second they saw you was that I am also related to you in your human lineage.” My jaw dropped.
“You’re related to me both ways?” I asked incredulously.
“Yes,” he replied. “I’m fairly far back in our family tree, but we share some of the same genes, enough that Marcus and Christopher unknowingly sensed it in you.” He laughed. “It helps explain how quickly and thoroughly you enchanted both of them.” If I could have blushed, I probably would have.
“And that’s why I’m so quick to pick up new tricks?” It made sense; I’d thought I’d been progressing too rapidly.
“And why you’ll become stronger and faster every day.” He sighed. “I’m sorry that you had to end up this way, that you became one of us. This isn’t the life that I wanted for you.”
“When they first found me, why didn’t you do anything?” I asked quietly. “You had to have known that I’d been found, that I’d attracted the attention of someone in your line.” Everything that had happened today finally hit me. Sinking down to the floor, the sadness built up until tears began to run down my cheeks.
“I should have done something, but I’d sworn long ago never to interfere with the affairs of my living relatives.”
I shuddered as I thought about the fact that I’d slept with the man that had tried to raped me before killing me. “What happens now?” I asked quietly, wondering what my life would become. “I can’t go back to college.”
“No,” Sebastian agreed. “But, you could work for us, for The Four.”
I paused for a few seconds before deciding what to do. “Yes,” I stood up and smiled, wiping away the tears. Then, I reached out and hugged Sebastian. He really reminded me of my grandfather, so much so that I trusted him even though I’d just met him.
“I need to talk to Julia,” Aleksander said quietly, appearing behind us. He froze when he saw that we were mid-hug.
Chapter 50
I smiled and stepped back. “Of course,” I replied, holding out a hand to squeeze Sebastian’s. “I’ll stop by sometime tomorrow to learn more about the job,” I said with a smile.
“Goodnight, Julia,” Sebastian replied, smiling back.
“Can I take you somewhere?” I asked Aleksander impulsively. I knew he was going to yell at me, and I wanted it to be some place that I felt comfortable. He paused before nodding. Taking his hand, I closed my eyes and blinked myself to the place I remembered fondly from when I was younger.
“Where are we?” he asked, looking around. Everything was spread out in front of us; we could see for miles. Looking up, the stars were more bright and clear than anywhere else I’d ever been.
“Uluru,” I replied with a satisfied sigh. I always felt peaceful when I was here. Realizing that he didn’t know where that was, I added, “Australia. I loved it here when I was younger.”
“Why?” he demanded, looking around angrily. “Why would you bring me to somewhere from your human life?”
“Because you, like me, are connected to your past. You can’t let it go.” I sat down on the rock ledge and stared out at the horizon, where pink was starting to peek over the side.
“Can you do me a favor?” he asked quietly. “Can you share yo
ur memory of my brother with me? I need to know what you did.”
I nodded and asked, “How do I share memories?”
He grabbed my hand, started into my eyes, and said, “Like this.”
I was sitting in a coffee place, watching a blonde woman laugh with Christopher. I sighed when I realized that I was being little more than a surveillance monkey, something a human with a camera could do. But, Sebastian had said that it was important to see who she was talking to, who she was interacting with. I wondered why he cared about one human woman. She wasn’t even that fantastically attractive. She was pretty and there was something about her smile, but she didn’t seem beautiful enough to have captivated Sebastian this way.
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