by Amy Robyn
Northridge Vampires
Drake
By
Amy Robyn
Copyright © 2016
www.facebook.com/AmyRobyn1author
Introduction
Drake never wanted the life that William gave him. Being a vampire was not how Drake wanted to spend his life. He became even less happy when his brother died. He leaves home so that he can find his own way. Where he can escape the memories of the one person who made being a vampire worthwhile.
He is called home. It is a call he can’t resist, especially since it means he can finally return to the home he has missed. Too stubborn to return on his own.
Emily is content with her life. She is working as a journalist at a small newspaper in Western Colorado. She gets the good assignments because she is good at what she does. At least she thinks so, until her boss sends her on an assignment that is completely contemptible. I mean who believes in Vampires?
Emily gets sucked into a world she never knew existed. The only good thing about it is the hunk of a vampire, which seems to think she is his mate.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Table of Contents
Legal Notes
Chapter 1.
Chapter 2.
Chapter 3.
Chapter 4.
Chapter 5.
Chapter 6.
Chapter 7.
Chapter 8.
Chapter 9.
Chapter 10.
Chapter 11.
Chapter 12.
Chapter 13
About Amy Robyn
Other books by Amy Robyn
Legal Notes
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictionally. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or to actual events or locales is entirely coincidental.
This e-book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This e-book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with.
Copyright© 2016 Amy Robyn. All rights reserved. Including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof, in any form. No part of this text may be reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the author.
Version 2016.08.14
Chapter 1.
My hair whips across my face and I pull it back and secure it with a rubber band. It is windy today and we are expecting a foot of snow. I kick the dirt off of my boots before climbing into the rental I just picked up. The weather can be a bit unpredictable here in Northridge Colorado, so I made sure to get a four wheel drive. I am still hoping to be where I need to be long before the storm hits. I had to make this one last stop before I get to the huge house where I lived for seventy years. I have been summoned to return though I thought I never would return.
I came here to this spot to remember. I turn my head one last time and look at the spot where Malcom had died. He had been more like a brother to me than my own brother had in my mortal life. When William changed me, I was bitter. He decided I needed a brother to help me settle into my new life. He took Malcom who was dying in the street after being stabbed by a serial killer we were tracking. William gave him a choice, a choice I was not given. The choice to join us or die. He chose life, even if it is cursed life.
Malcom became the best thing to ever happen to me. He gave me purpose. My little brother needed to train so that he could be safe, happy and the only thing to ever give me peace. So we began a grueling training. William was happy that I suddenly was taking an interest in learning from him. I was only learning so that Malcom could. Everything I did was for my brother.
The day he died was the worst day of my life. It was a little over ten years ago. We had been keeping tabs on the group that had moved into town a few weeks before. William was convinced they were hunters sent to take us out. I rolled my eyes at him thinking he was being overly dramatic, little did I know, he was right. Of course, I didn’t find that out until it was too late to save Malcom. I ended up slaughtering the entire house full of humans that had killed Malcom. I enjoyed watching the light go out in their eyes as their bodies drained and fell to the floor, one after another.
I take a deep breath and release it through my nose. It still hurts when I think about him. He was the only good thing I had in my life. I left the next day. I felt as though I had tainted my very soul by the destruction of life. I would do it again. They destroyed what made my existence worthwhile. I am the one who found Malcom after he had been shot at least thirty time. The one bullet to the head would have done it but they had to make a statement by turning him into Swiss cheese.
I found him on the ground covered in blood. I held him and cried until my shirt was red with my tears. I will never know why he was targeted. I followed the scent of the humans to their home and waited until the last light turned off before climbing into a window on the second floor. I went from one room to another, slitting their throats as they slept after draining the first two. They didn’t deserve an honorable death after what they did. They didn’t get the chance to fight back. I was too fast and silent.
I start the car and put it in drive as I shake myself out of my thoughts. It does Malcom no good to continue to morn over him, yet I have been for the last ten years. I moved back to England for a little while and soon realized that I no longer belonged there. I was born in London and lived all of my mortal life there. William brought me to America when I was turned at the age of twenty two. I was sick with the flu. I was not expected to live.
I know that William gave me life. I know that without him I would be in the ground but that would have been my choice. I had lost my family already and didn’t want to live without them. Of course, had I known that I would have another brother my answer might have been different. It was difficult for me to give up the idea of marriage and children. I wanted to create my own family. It was all I had ever aspired to do, create the next generation.
It was obviously not in my cards, yet I blamed William. It took me moving away and traveling for the last ten years to realize what William did for me. It isn’t easy to say that I was wrong but I was. It took me losing Malcom to understand. I would have taken his choice away from him to save him, had I been able to, just like William did me. I get it now. I was just too bitter at the time to see it.
When I got the call from him to return home, I had already decided to return. I missed being around my own kind. I missed the home that I helped create and maintain for so long. I missed having William give me advice. I am glad that it isn’t too late to apologize and start fresh. I have no idea what caused him to call me home but I am happy to be home all the same.
I pull into the long driveway and notice other cars in the covered parking area. That is strange. I am curious about who could be visiting. I have only met two of our kind in my eighty years as a vampire. One is William and the other was Malcom. William told me that there are not many of us because of the hunters. They took out most of us and even some humans in their bid to rid the world of vampires. If only they could finally see that it is their own kind that are the monsters. We do not have rapist and murderers. If we ever did, we would take them out.
We have even been known to help the humans in hunting serial killers. I personally like to drain rapists of their blood. I enter their mind and make them think they are being violated the same way they made their victims feel. I have never felt sympathy for taking their lives. I usually only drink a little here and there from whomever I find walking alone. I do not have to kill to feed. I only kill those who have killed for pleasure. Those who would do it again
, if I didn’t take them out, they would kill more innocent.
I am not saying what I do is right. I can say that whomever I feed from only feels pleasure at my bite. If you are a good person you never need to fear me. If you’re a killer or a rapist, I will drain you and you certainly will not be feeling any pleasure. It is simple. I hope I never have to take an innocent life. William says that if you have to take an innocent life it will haunt you to the end of yours. He knows from experience. He doesn’t talk about it though.
He is so closed up about things. I have asked him about who made him a vampire and he always changes the subject like a pro. I can tell he has been doing it for a long time. He did tell me some of it after we lost Malcom because it reminded him of the loss he suffered. I can understand him better for it. Though, at the time I was too angry with him to let it bring us closer together as he had hoped. Now, I only hope to get the chance to apologize.
I climb out of my car and up the walkway. I am not even to the door yet, when it opens. Out steps William. William is quite the image. His hair is completely silver even though he couldn’t have been older than thirty when he was made. His hair is down to his shoulders but he keeps it tied back as I do. His other discerning feature is his ice blue eyes. They almost look silver like his hair at times. He has sharp features almost like a Native American. Though far too pale he does have their high cheekbones and a pointy chin.
He commands any room he steps into with his presence. He is very intimidating if you do not know him. I know that he is actually a kind man to those who do not cross him. He has always been protective of me and my brother. I never appreciated him and it is something I have begun to regret. It took me getting space between us for me to realize what he has done for me. What he has sacrificed.
“Drake.” He says as he opens his arms to me. I walk into them and he closes his arms around me, with a slap on the back. I breathe in his familiar scent and feel like I am coming home. I shouldn’t have waited so long.
“William.” I say as he moves away from me so that he can look me over. It has been ten long years since we have seen each other.
“It is good to see you, son. We have a lot to discuss.” He tells me as he leads me up the walkway and into the large castle like house. I never thought I would see it again and yet I have yearned to be inside it on many cold nights. It is funny how things that seemed important at one time become insignificant given time. Our petty arguments seem so silly now that I am here again.
He leads me through the heavy doors and into the large dining room where we always had meeting or planning an ambush against those who plague the human world or hunters.
There are three men gathered around the table and they stand up when we enter the room. I look at each one. They are all vampires but I have never met any of them. I wonder what they are doing here. It’s not like this small town in Colorado is a tourist spot, far from it. This area gets the hardest winters. It is high in elevation and it stays below zero most of the year. It is a perfect place for a vampire but with little in the way of food, since humans do not like it here. I have to go into one of the larger towns to feed. You could also go to the city. There you can have your pick, a beautiful woman to sip from or a criminal to drain.
Vampires do not choose the beautiful woman for sex. No, a vampire loses all of his sexual urges when they become a vampire. He or she will feel nothing until they meet their destined mate. It is rare, hell practically unheard of. You will know your mate by her blood. It will call to you, in ways you never imagined. Just the smell of her will make your cock fill with blood and one sound of her voice makes your heart start beating. It is rumored that you will become possessive and you’re never far from her from that day forward.
I have never met anyone who is mated, though my contact with vampires is limited to William, and Malcom before he died. William says there are many more vampires and that they keep to themselves. I didn’t believe him until just now. I am still not sure what to believe as far as mates go. I just know that I may not have sexual desire but I still enjoy feeding from a beautiful woman and giving her the pleasure only a bite can give.
“This is Gabriel.” William says pointing to the one sitting on the end of the table, opposite of the entryway. He has brown hair and very light blue eyes. He looks aristocratic and regal with his plumed clothing. He has to be from the renaissance era. He is a good looking man, if you’re into that kind of thing. I was always into women. Though I haven’t had sex in eighty years. I nod in his direction.
“This is Philippe.” He points to the man that is to the left of Gabriel. He has blonde hair and hazel eyes. He is almost too feminine. He is what the humans would call a pretty boy. He is wearing a dark suite that is tailored to fit, so it doesn’t give away what era he is from. He gives off the vibe of vanity. He thinks he is better than everyone else in the room. Too bad for him he’s wrong.
“This is Michael.” He points to the last man, who seems to be the most laid back of them all. He smiles at me and dimples show in his cheeks. He has Blond, almost white hair and eyes so dark brown that they almost look black. He is built more like me. I worked hard as a human and had large muscles. I kept that physique after the change and so did Michael it seems.
“We have come together because it is time we form a council to govern the other vampires. We need set rules and punishments for those who go against them. I am finding that our number have tripled in just the last year. Someone is making vampires and leaving them to fend for themselves. Michael has taken in three newly made and so has Gabriel. We need to find these new vampires and teach them how to be vampires within the laws we decree, so that we can protect humans and vampires alike.” He looks at each of us as he talks.
“Sit down and let’s plan.” He says and we each take a seat. It takes us a while to write out the laws but we are all satisfied with what we have. We are the new governing body of the vampire world. We are judge, jury and executioner to those who defy the laws that protect us. I only hope that we can get the rest of the vampires in this world to follow them and help maintain order.
The laws decreed by the governing counsel
Only three changes allowed. The only exception is one’s mate. The punishment is death, unless proven to the counsel that there were extenuating circumstances.
Only someone dying can be changed and only with express permission, unless in dire situations. Punishment for defying the law is the removal of fangs for ten years.
Any threat to a mate may be taken out in anyway seen fit by the vampire of the mate.
Only those humans that have been approved can know of our existence. Failure to comply is punishable by death.
No keeping blood slaves. No exceptions. Punishment is death.
No draining of humans, unless sent to do so by the counsel. Injuries are not excusable. Punishment is death.
Every new vampire needs to be trained by their maker for no less than twenty years. If a fledgling is found without the maker the punishment will be the removal of fangs for ten years.
Northridge will be the sanctuary place where a vampire can go for protection until the counsel determines what is to be done with said vampire. Northridge will also be the place where fledglings can stay and receive training if they are abandoned or orphaned.
Altofields is where the prison will be for hunters who have committed crimes against our kind. They will not be handed over to the humans. Their laws do not apply to us.
Chapter 2.
Today has been hectic. No other word for it. I woke up late and had to rush getting ready, which means I look subpar. I only had time for a little mascara and lip gloss. It’s a good thing I keep a brush in my purse. Thankfully, my clothes at least match and aren’t wrinkled. I get to my work and find out that the assignment that I had wanted was given to my rival at the paper. My boss just shrugs and says.
“The early bird gets the worm.” I wanted nothing more than to tell him that his worm needs to stay the hell away fr
om me. The handsy prick. His hand always lingers far too long when he touches me. Gives me the creeps. Shelby my nemesis is all smiles as she takes her assignment and smirks in my direction. She thinks that I get the good assignments because Burt, the handsy prick, likes me. I get the good assignments because I am a better writer than she is.
Burt drops a folder on my desk and I open it. I read the first line and glare at him over the top.
“You expect me to cover this load of crap.” He smiles at me and I practically cringe. I don’t like the way he looks at me. I never have.
“Yes, I do.” He says as he leans in and breathes against my ear. The putrid smell of his breakfast, which obviously had onions in it, make me gag a little but I play it off as a sneeze. He jerks back and hands me a tissue.
“There are eye witnesses that have seen this creature feeding off of a woman. The owner of this bar claims to have a video of it. Get to that bar and view the video. You’re the best at telling if it is real or a fake.” He leans back and crosses his arms over his chest. I can tell there will be no arguing with him so I grab my things and stand up.
“I’m telling you right now that it was some drunk idiots playing a practical joke or something.” I snatch up my coat and head toward the door.
“I know you will be able to find out one way or another.” He shouts after me. I roll my eyes as I open the door to the frigid cold outside. I tighten my coat around me as I make my way to my car. He isn’t worth arguing with. I know that I would just end up doing it anyway. I may as well get it over with. At least a bar should be warm. I can’t say the same for other assignments. I guess this will be at least more comfortable, even though it is a bit degrading.
I pull up outside of the only bar in this small town west of civilization. It is small but for the amount of people who live in the area, it’s just right. I take a deep breath and open my door. It is freezing cold out this far west and up high in the mountains. It seems to have dropped at least twenty degrees. I hope that the bar is warmer than it looks. To me it looks a bit worn down. It has seen far too many winters and zero renovations. Though, thankfully I know little on the subject.