“I’ve got a job for you.”
“You haven’t paid me for my last job,” he stops halfway from the exit, halfway to the throne. Between Mason and I, on my right, and Brooke’s left, stand two guards. When he’s still, two more enter through the door, standing by the entrance. He peers at the two behind him, over his shoulder and a crooked smile forms on his face.
"Yes, well, I will pay you double for this mission. I'll even give you half now," I whistle, and, from the same door that Mason and my guards came in, Sarah-Lynn brings in three pieces of armor. A breastplate and two armbraces. I can feel the power they resonate.
"Very well. Then what comes on completion?" he asks, eyes fixed on Sarah-Lynn, moving in close to her neck, whispering something and taking a deep sniff. He begins laughing. I clench my jaw. Let it happen. Sarah-Lynn giggles from whatever he said to her, and then scampers back.
“The rest of the set, as well as a sword. I don’t know the tale behind it all, but I’m sure you can feel its power.”
“Yes. What is the job?”
"I need you to fly to England and pick up a girl. First class all the way. Private jet, you'll be there in a couple hours. Then, when you have her, you bring her here. Simple right? Your briefing will be ready on your way out. Sarah-Lynn will give it to you."
He looks at me skeptically. “Why such a powerful piece of equipment for a girl?”
“You don’t want to be a part of vampire business, so you don’t get to ask about it. Now are you going to do it or are you going to leave it? Easy enough job. I’m not going to waste my time begging.”
“I’ll do it,” Mason turns to face Brooke, “My lady Llanelli,” He taunts me, giving her the respect I deserve, “You look lovely as ever.”
“Thank you, Mason. You look very dashing yourself,” They both enjoy pushing my buttons, “You’ve got a plane to catch. Maybe you should get going.”
Mason bows his head to Brooke and turns around, making his way outward.
At least one good thing will come from this embarrassing encounter.
Chapter 11
Madison.
Just another day. I go through the day like normal. School, then after school activities. Netball is always a good bit of fun with my friends. My mommy picks me up from school just after three, or something. I don't really care about the time. I'm just excited to get back home, so I can watch some TV.
At home, I get straight to it. Hannah Montana is playing on Disney.
I sing along to every word of the intro, The Best of Both Worlds. This is my day-to-day ritual.
After a few episodes of my show, I get to homework. Natural sciences is my least favorite subject. I don't even wanna go into anything that's got to do with nature, so why should I even have to do it?
But the time goes by quickly, and then my daddy gets home. He takes mommy and me out for dinner at some fancy place. I have to wear a dress. He’s meeting a lady he works with. All night, she smiles and laughs at his jokes. I play on my phone. I just downloaded a game that’s about ponies. Mommy doesn’t seem happy about this whole thing, but she drinks some wine, and she’s feeling better.
Then we go home. As soon as we get back into the house, mommy starts shouting at daddy. She tells me to go to my room. The window’s open in my room, but I always close it when I leave because of the robbers. I turn on the light.
I have table and chair set in my room from when I was a kid. It’s got the best toy tea set, where I used to play with my teddies. At the table sits a man. He sips from the light green cup.
“Will you join me?” he asks me. I want to scream, but I don’t.
“Yep,” I take a seat opposite him. He’s huge, even when sitting. My heart beats faster.
“My name is Mason.” His smile is adorable.
“Hi, Mason. I’m Madison.”
“Yes. Madison Mahoney, right?”
“Yep. How did you know that?” I grab the teapot and pour the imaginary liquid into my cup. I offer Mason some more. He gestures that I can pour.
“Because, young lady, I am magic.” His smile doesn’t let up.
“Magic? Like a magician?”
“No, not quite. Like a vampire.”
“Vampires aren’t real,” I crook a brow.
“Oh, but, my dear, they are. I would like you to come with me. I don’t like that your parents are fighting. They fight constantly, no?” He’s got a funny accent. Like one of the characters on my TV shows. Must be American.
“My mommy says I shouldn’t go anywhere with strangers.”
"Yes. Your mommy is very wise," He raises a hand. The index, middle finger, and small finger are all pointed out, the ring finger is the only that is bent. The moment I look at his hand I'm fixated on it, "But, Madison, I need you to come with me now."
I hear mommy yelling swears at dad from outside. I want to turn and go, but I don’t know how to look away from his hand.
“Where do you wanna go?”
“Don’t worry, child,” He tilts his head, “Just trust me,” Then he lunges forward. The speed with which he moves is incredible.
~ ~ ~
I wake up, and I am in a comfortable, white chair. It looks like I'm in an airplane. I don't know how I got here, and I am scared.
"I'm sorry I had to do that, Madison. It was the only way I thought you'd come with me," Mason is sitting opposite me, drinking something from a wineglass. I look around, and it looks like an airplane. One that doesn't have any seats for other passengers. The cabin's windows are black. There are many lights around the cabin.
“I’m scared.”
"You don't have to be scared. I will keep you safe," His smile is still plastered on his face.
“Where are we going?”
“A coven. We will be landing shortly.”
“A coven?”
“Yes. I was not joking when I told you I was a vampire.”
I start crying. I can’t help it. Mason’s hand strokes the back of my head.
“What about my parents?”
“They are gone now. I am sorry. Perhaps it will be better if you go back to sleep.”
Again, he is upon me. This time I feel a sting in my neck before I slowly go black.
~ ~ ~
“Delivered as discussed.”
Those are the first words I hear from Mason as I come to again. He is standing over me, holding something in a bag. There’s another man in on top of me. His hair is all over the place, but his dark-blue eyes don’t leave me.
“Thank you, Mason. You can go now.”
Mason turns and begins walking off.
“Where are you going?” I shout at him, “You said you’ll look after me,” I start to cry again. This other guy scares me.
“I will, Madison. Nothing will happen to you. I promise,” And then he was gone.
The guy with the crazy hair and scary eyes grabs me by the chin, “Little girl, you’re going to change the world.”
Chapter 12
Jack.
"A girl's gone missing. Vanished from her bedroom. Now the police believe it's a random act of cruelty, but I don't want to rule out something supernatural. I want you to go down there and speak with the parents. Maybe they know something."
I was sitting in the director's office. The room is lavish, overlooking the river Thames. His desk is massive, with pens, pencils, and trinkets dressing it. One single folder sits in front of him. The rest of the room reminds me of what you see in movies. A wooden floor with a thick, blue rug covering parts. The director looks through his files as he speaks to me. I'm standing beside a seat, but I don't sit. There's no point. I won't be here long enough.
“Sure I can handle the mission?”
“You’re young, but you’ve got something…something that reminds me of me.” He looks up from the papers, his dark eyes piercing mine. I look away.
“If you want, take one of the rookies with you. There’s nothing wrong with having an extra pair of eyes.”
“Yes, s
ir. Anything else I should know about the locale?”
“Nothing else we know. Just a missing person’s report. Like I said, we can’t rule anything out.”
~ ~ ~
Vicky and I make our way to the home. From my understanding, she's a psychic. She's new to the agency. She's stunning. A gorgeous face, with soft cheeks and a button nose. Her eyes though, purple, striking. When she looks into my eyes….
I lose myself.
Vicky, on the other hand, is business as usual. Nothing wrong with that. She keeps her personal and professional separate.
“The director has already set up the meeting. We’re going in as missing person’s unit. When we get into the room, you do the thing you do. We will discuss whatever you find after.”
“Yes, sir,” Vicky gets out of the car first. I’m quick to follow. I knock on the door. A devastated woman emerges.
“Hello,” she wipes her eyes, “Are you the officers?”
“Yes, ma’am. We’re with the missing person’s unit,” I show her my badge, Vicky does the same, “We’re here to go over the scene and make sure that the officers did not miss anything. We won’t be here long. We understand this is must be a hard time for you and your husband, and we don’t want to cause a ruckus.”
“Okay. Thank you,” She gestures us in, and we go into the entry hall, “I’ll take you to the room.”
She leads us up the staircase. Her home is immaculate.
When we get to Madison's room, she allows us entry and then shuffles off. The room is exactly what you'd expect from a young girl. The room is pink and purple, the bedsheets fit the color scheme. A four seating child's playset. A TV and a game station, finished by a plethora of teddy bears across the room.
“Sir, I’m getting a very strong reading from the room. Two ancient powers.”
This catches my attention. “What do you mean two? There were two attackers?” I knew I wouldn’t have to bother bringing any gadgets because Vicky would save the day.
“No.”
I give her a few minutes to go over the room. She surveys for a start, then sits in the center of Madison's room and closes her eyes.
This is where the show gets good. I grab my notebook and wait for her to speak.
“A vampire. Old. I can’t tell how old. His fortitude….” She convulses for a second but reigns it back, “Old but new?”
I write down what she says but won’t even try and make heads or tails of it.
“The second was a witch,” Her eyes open, “We need to get out of here,” She pushes past me and out the door. I can see the more she stays here, the more she’s growing panicked.
“Mrs. Mahoney,” I call, Vicky is already outside. “My partner has just been informed of an incident. We have all that we need and will be in touch if anything comes up.” She walks with me to the door. “We want to catch the sick bastards, who’ve done this to your daughter.”
"Thank you, officer," She's not focused on what's actually going on. This ordeal must be killing her. I give her a hug in sympathy, before making my way back to the car.
I get into the driver’s side and look at Vicky. I give her a minute, but then my curiosity gets the best of me, “So, what’s going on?” I nearly shout.
“Have you heard the rumblings around the office?”
“What rumblings?”
“The war between the vampires and the Forsaken….”
“Sort of, haven’t paid attention to it if that’s what you mean.”
"Well, you should have. I can't pinpoint the vampire, but I think it must be part of the council. If not part, one of their most trusted. It's old. Powerful. It can conceal itself…."
“Yeah, but you freaked out when you started talking about the witch,” I start the car and begin driving off.
“Yes, the witch. It’s a bloodline I don’t know, but the only bloodline to have such a strong presence as well as be wiped out, were the Deicine. The God Killers….”
“What does that mean?”
“I don’t know. There’s too much interference in the house. I can’t pinpoint one presence.”
“Then what?”
“Nothing. We do nothing. If the girl was taken for blood sacrifice, she is gone. If she’s a Deicine, she’s gone.”
“Then let’s talk to the director. That’s all I can think of….”
Chapter 13
Verona.
The bloody procedure to get a meeting with the King of vampires is the worst. I've never bothered trying it before, but my reputation is heavily dependent on it now. There's a whole ordeal. A whole ceremony for nothing. I just want a sit-down.
They sit in the throne room, the Queen already present. My weapons have been taken by some guards at the entrance to the Veil. All but a hairpin made of pure silver, weighted well so that it can fly through the air and end the King. A piercing shot to his heart will do the job.
There are a lot more vampires here than I expected. Lieutenants sent by the Council to protect the court and his King. I plot my escape, standing in the center of the hall, waiting for the King to arrive. His bride already sits on her throne. Her gaze focused on me, arms resting sternly on their rests. Then he walks through the door. Only two guards stand in front of their thrones. They hold ceremonial polearms. Down the open space of the hall run ten, five on each side, similarly holding the polearms with two at the door to the exit. He comes in from the side. A second door hidden among the walls. A wave of his hand closes it, I assume the same magic has been placed on opening.
That ruins that escape plan.
“Your highness,” I bow.
“Hello, Verona, was it? What brings a shifter to my court?” His eyes go over me. They take me in fully. I assume I’ve cleared his test when he stops and looks directly into my own eyes.
“I want to offer my services as a hunter.”
“Yes, I’ve heard of the Tigress in my travels. The world’s finest….”
I have to admit that there is some flattery in the King of vampires knowing my name.
“But I have my own vampires to do the work of a hunter. Specifically, I have an Ancient. What need would I have for you?”
“You can’t tell me that there is no need for more than one man? You’re the King of vampires, you must have tasks that need to be dealt with daily,” I should have come up with a better cover story.
“You have this tough guy attitude. I like that, but you fall short,” He gestures with one hand and two vampires are upon me.
“What are you doing?” I roar.
"You fall short in strength of mind."
I try to pull free.
"You should have known better than to come into my territory with your weaknesses. It's not a little-known fact that vampires can read minds, is it?"
Oh shit, I think, “No.”
"Well, it only works on the weaker-willed. You are one of them by the looks of it. Come to kill the King?" He laughs at me, "Well then, you will have the opportunity."
One of the vampires that grabbed me, grabs the pin from my hair and drops it quickly. “Also, the silver was a dead giveaway. We could all feel it. Tactless.” He gestures and they begin pulling me off.
“Take her to the crypt. She will get her chance to do what she so desires.”
Chapter 14
Madison.
I’m scared. I’m alone. I’m cold.
Mason lied to me. He said he’d keep me safe, but he didn’t. He left me with these….
I might only be eleven, but I know vampires don’t exist. I can’t believe that they are real.
“Hello,” I shout. My soft voice echoes in the room.
“I’m hungry. Can someone bring me something to eat please?” I cry out.
There is no answer. The room is dark. There’s no way to see what’s around me apart from the chain on my ankle. My eyes burn and cheeks sting from the tears I’ve cried since I got here. My biology books taught me one thing, even if I hate them, that when the body lacks water, tears won�
��t come even if you try.
I wonder if I’m going to die here.
Chapter 15
Ankh.
Mason came over a few nights back, but in a not-uncommon style, he’s said nothing apart from a hello. If there is a reason that he does this from time to time, I have not been let in on it yet.
I leave him.
Sometimes it’s good to just have him around, and I’ve been tinkering on my weapon for days now, too. Rushing either one would be disastrous as I have, on many occasions, seen for both.
It’s while I am fusing a blade from a god, long ago banished to the darkness, to the tip of my staff that Mason steps in through the door and falls down onto the usual chair he sits in while here.
“I think I may have figured it out, but I’d need to hold an assembly to find out if I’m right,” he announces as if I’d know what he was talking about.
“For what?” I continue tinkering on my weapon. I have to stop, sadly, because the rest of the fusing requires me to speak the spell of the gods to fuse my power.
“The girl.”
“Which girl?” I turn to face him, those striking, red orbs peering into mine. I can’t help a blush. My olive skin hides it nicely, though.
“The one I had to fetch from London. The scent of her blood was unique. Not so unique that I can’t recognize it, but unique enough that I haven’t picked the scent up in a very, very long time.”
“And why do you need to hold an assembly?”
“I don’t remember.”
“You just said you do.” The confusion is evident on my face.
“Vampires have limited space for memory. We are above human, sure, but our minds work the same. We forget as time passes by. Not all of us are as lucky as the Forsaken.”
I knew that. It just slipped my mind. “And your assembly then?”
“I talk to myself. Or, well, my-selves.”
“Well, I’m confused,” I turn back to inspect the staff.
The Vampire Touch 1: The Forsaken Page 4