The Vampire Legacy III; Familiar Souls

by Dawn Gray

  "I'm sorry you saw that." He whispered, trying to hold back the stream of tears.

  "What happened to you? What did she do to you?" I asked him as he moved away.

  "She did nothing." He replied, as he stood and looked out the window. "It was all me. I had power and I was going to use it."

  "Why didn't you try a different way?" I questioned, sitting there in disbelief. David walked over and knelt down in front of me.

  "There was no other way, Sage." He answered. "Not for me, not then, anyway."

  David licked his lips as he reached out and pulled me closer to him. I closed my eyes, letting him see that I wasn't afraid, no matter what he had done in the past. Gently, I began to feel the warmth of his face and lips against the skin of my neck, nuzzling against me; so, I wrapped my arms around him and brought him in closer, as his teeth caressed the bruised skin, where they had penetrated me the night before.

  The hot, lusty feeling that I had always felt towards Justin, whenever he touched me in that way flew at me so unexpectedly that I gasped whenever David's lips kissed me. It was then, as things began to heat up, that we both heard the voice in our heads and felt the familiar tickle of the mental connection.

  Whatever the two of you are doing, knock it off! Justin's voice whispered, with surprisingly not an ounce of jealousy in its tone.

  I’m sorry, Justin. David's voice answered back, as his body continued to make mine react. You don’t know how much I want your girlfriend right now.

  Trust me, Justin replied, I most certainly do, but you two can wait. Michael and Julian are headed up to talk to you, Dave. So, stopping now would be a good idea.

  David backed away from me, gently breaking the connection, and then we both got up and moved to different parts of the room. It was then that there was a knock on the door. David looked at me quickly as I grabbed a pair of his sweat pants and pulled them on, and then he got up and answered the door.

  "Come in." He told the two men outside the door. Julian walked in first, nodded towards me and then stood over in the corner as Michael came in and made his way towards me. I smiled at him, without a response, and then glanced at David, who shrugged.

  "We need a few moments alone with David, if you don't mind." Michael asked. I looked at him, trying to figure out what was going on, and then slowly I slid off the bed and made my way towards the door. David stopped me, by taking my hand, and then he kissed me quickly on the lips and let me go. I turned away from the dark brown door as it closed slowly, and walked down the hallway, hearing as I went Michael's firm words. "We have to talk to you about Sage and Justin."

  * * * * *

  Justin smiled to himself, as he stared out the window, having just broken the connection he found he had with Sage and David, telling them about their expected guest, when he turned to look at Cristian, who stood in the doorway.

  "Can I help you?" He asked, turning back to the beautiful view of the back yard.

  "What the hell is going on here?" Cristian asked, stepping into the room and up to his brother.

  "Why? Do you still think I'm evil? Do you still feel the need to protect Sage from me? Anyway, what business is it of yours?" Justin asked, glancing at the man who stood beside him.

  "This," Cristian said as he poked his finger against the visible bruise on Justin's neck, "this is my business. You're tainting the girl with your blood, with Devon's blood, don't you care?"

  "Get away from me." Justin pulled back from his finger quickly, as he snarled at the man in front of him. "Get away, and stay away, before you make me do something drastic to you."

  "Are you threatening me?" Cristian laughed. Justin crossed his arms and stepped away, heading for the door. "Did you threaten her or David for that matter? Did you threaten them last night when you made them sleep with one another, and then exchange blood with you?"

  "Shut up!" Justin whispered, getting angry, but Cristian proceeded.

  "You're sick, do you know that?" Cristian asked, stepping closer to his brother. "Did you even think about Sage or your unborn child, and how this would affect them before you pushed her on David? What do you think Michael is doing up there right now? How long do you think you can keep up this sort of ‘Good Guy’ charade?"

  "That's quite enough!" Sage's voice boomed through the room. Cristian turned and looked at her, as she stared him down with angry eyes. "It would be in your best interest, Cristian, to shut your mouth."

  "Are you threatening me?" Cristian asked, laughing. Sage stepped further into the room and looked at the strange expression on Justin's face. He looked quite ill, as his eyes went down to the floor.

  "Leave." Sage ordered, looking back towards Cristian. "Leave now or I will threaten you, and I can go through with my threats, you know that."

  "I think you've made the wrong choice, Sage." He said as he walked passed her. "I tried to protect you from his evil, but you insisted on going to him, now look at the destruction you've brought on to yourself."

  "Get out!" She snarled, pointing to the door, and watched him leave the room. Sage walked over to Justin, who suddenly collapsed onto his knees, and she knelt down in front of him. Justin coughed, and then took a ragged breath before almost choking on the thick black liquid that seeped from his mouth. "Justin, what is it?"

  He looked up at her, as his eyes began to roll back into his head and he reached out for her, the black puddle under his chin began to grow, quickly.

  "Justin?" She asked again, as he slowly fell face first into her lap. "Oh, no! David!"

  * * * * *

  "What do you think you're doing with my daughter?" Michael asked David, who sat in the large chair by the window, looking at the floor. Slowly, he looked up, as Cristian stood in the doorway. "She's innocent, David. The two of you are tainting her; I see that now."

  "I love her, and so does Justin." David said, softly, in his defense then closed his eyes. "This is something we all wanted, Michael, not just me, or Justin, but all three of us, and it's done, so, there is nothing you can do about it now."

  "I can stop you from seeing her." Michael replied. David stood up and shook his head.

  "That's bullshit and you know it." He answered, watching the expression on Michael's face. "You take her from here, and you risk exposing her to whatever it is that's out there, Victor especially."

  "How do we know this whole thing isn't because of you?" Cristian asked.

  "Keep your nose out of this, Kingston!" David snapped.

  "He's right." Michael swallowed, hard, and then looked at the auburn haired man in front of him. "How do we know that you didn't bring Victor here? Or, that you switched the spells to let him out?"

  "I wouldn't do that to her, not now, not ever." David said softly. He looked over at Julian, to see if he could get support, but, it seemed Julian was only there in case of a physical battle. "Yes, when I came here, I did so with the notion that Victor was still alive, still out there, and yes, I thought that Sage was something evil, but she's not and I would give my life to protect her and that baby."

  "Why all the secrecy about your relationship with her?" Michael asked.

  "Oh, come on, Mike. You can't tell me that you would have let it continue if you found out can you?" David asked, just then he felt the pain in his stomach and he looked towards the door, as Sage's panicked voice called out his name. David looked towards the others and he ran out the door.

  He found her holding Justin, in one of the rooms that looked out over the green grass in the backyard, and he knelt by her as she looked up, with a tear stained face, her eyes pleading for help.

  "What happened?" Julian asked from behind them.

  "It just started to come out of his mouth." Sage whispered. David reached over and put a hand on Justin's chest, feeling the slow beat of his heart, and then he took Sage's hand.

  "He'll be okay, Sage." David whispered, and then he touched the black liquid on the floor and looked up at Julian. "What the hell is this?"

  "I don't know, but I think w
e should bring him to his room." Julian replied and watched David scoop up the unconscious young man. Sage thought, for a moment, about how heavy he must feel to David, but then she saw the determination in his eyes and she knew that no one else was going to touch him as long as he was around. "Sage, honey, maybe you should find the girls."

  "No! Julian, don't think for a second that you can dismiss me like one of your children. He's mine, and I'm going to stay with him." Sage stood strong and walked passed them after David, who was already almost up the stairs.

  * * * * *

  I watched David place him down gently on the bed and it was then that I started to cry. For the first time, in the seemingly endless minutes that had gone by, I realized how serious this all might be, and the only thing I could do was lower my head and cry, but strong arms wrapped around me and I looked up at Michael, who held me against him while David and Julian checked for vital signs.

  "Is he going to die?" I asked, quietly, forcing the words from my lips. Julian looked back at me, making no gestures in any directions. Michael caressed my head as I closed my eyes, hoping and praying that Justin was all right, but planning for the worst.

  I don't remember much after that but when I opened my eyes, I was resting comfortably on a bed in a different room, with someone's protective arms around me. Slowly, I turned over and looked at Michael's sleeping face. I sighed at how peaceful he looked right at that moment, and I quietly slipped out from under that arm and crept out of the room to where Justin had been last.

  The room was dark, except for the twilight that seeped in through the windows and it took me a moment to see the figure that lay motionless on the bed. Slowly, I made my way over, glancing at the other sleeping body curled up in the chair in the corner, and I knelt down by Justin. His face was pale, soft to the touch, and gave off a surprising heat that made my fingers tingle.

  Gently, I ran my left hand over the skin of his bare chest that was hidden under the blankets that were pulled up to his neck, as I stroked his forehead with my right. That was when the images started to come; strange, unrecognizable images of a place that I wouldn't know. I was drawn into these images and was suddenly standing in a room from my mind.

  There were old paintings on the walls and in the large fireplace was a blazing fire. I heard the rustle of sheets behind me and turned to look at the large king-sized bed. A young woman, from what I could see, was sleeping, nude, under the covers. The mark of the vampire was on her neck, in plain sight, and as I stepped closer, I could see the blood on the sheets.

  The door opened, making me turn quickly to look at the person who was now walking in the room. Justin, looking as young as he had sleeping on the bed back in the real world, stepped in and looked up from the paper in his hand. He looked at me; quite taken back that I was standing there, and then he regained his composure and walked, swiftly, to where I stood by the bed.

  "What are you doing here?" He asked, with a strain in his voice, as if he were trying to hold back any emotions that he felt towards me. "Do you realize how dangerous this is?"

  "Where, exactly, are we?" I asked and watched the girl in the bed shift under the covers.

  "Devon's castle," Justin said, reaching out with his fingers. "Are you real?"

  "We're not at Devon's castle, Justin; we're in your head." I replied and moved towards his outstretched hand, letting his fingers touch me. "And, I'm as real as you let me be." I looked around and stepped back, giving him space. "I can help you, Justin, if you tell me what is going on here. What is this place, and why here?"

  "This is where it began." Justin smiled, looking over the room. "Michael and Cristian are in rooms near here, but this is where Devon used to visit me, this is where my darkness began."

  "Okay, so what are you doing here, now?" I questioned. Justin shrugged. If he didn't know that maybe it was up to me to find out. "Why would it bring you here?"

  "What?" He asked, getting a bit annoyed, as he looked out the window. "God, could you please stop mumbling?"

  "The black liquid that was coming from your mouth, do you remember it?" I asked, watching his body tense, as if it were fighting himself, then he turned to me, shock in his eyes.

  "Sage, what are you doing here?" He asked me, stepping closer. "There's something not right. The darkness, it's trying to take over me, and I don't know if I can fight it."

  "We can, together." I replied.

  "No!" He snapped, and I watched his face turn to anger. "Don't you understand it's in my blood; you can't fight it. It is part of me."

  "It doesn't have to be." I replied.

  "Oh!" He shouted then walked up to me quickly covering the space between us. "You silly girl, don't you know when you're defeated."

  "I'm not defeated." I smiled at him. "And, neither are you."

  "Get the hell out of here, Sage!" Justin whispered, his tenderness peaking through. "Get out before I hurt you."

  "You can't hurt me." I replied, confident that I knew what I was talking about. Justin threw his hands up in the air and shook his head. "And, you can fight this, Justin, trust me."

  "I don't even know you." He snapped; looking at me with that anger again, his eye told me that he, indeed, did not know who I was.

  "Can I touch you?" I asked him.

  "No, you can't touch me, who the hell do you think you are?" He asked, stepping back towards the window, shrinking away from my fingers.

  "I'm your soul mate." I whispered. Suddenly, as if he had been hit, Justin was thrown forward to the floor. He curled up as much as he could, into a fetal position, and covered his head with his arms. "Justin?"

  "It hurts; like something’s attacking my head." He mumbled as I knelt down on the floor beside him. Justin looked up at me, with blood red eyes, his way of dealing with the pain. "Sage, you have to leave, it's not safe here, not with the baby. Please."

  "Okay." I whispered, leaning over him. "I'll leave, but I'm coming back for you."

  "No, you can't." He pleaded, rocking himself. "It's too dangerous."

  "Don't worry. I'll have help." I smiled and kissed him on the lips. It was then that I saw it, when our lips touched, when our skin made contact; a blue light began to form around the two of us, and the redness subsided in his eyes. "Justin?"

  "Go, quickly." He whispered as he took my hand, holding onto that light. "I'll see you soon."

  I released him, letting go of his hand and his mind, as I brought myself back to that bedroom, and when I opened my eyes, I turned to look at David, who was staring at me.

  "He needs our help." I answered, then turned the rest of my body and sat on the floor facing him. "I think I know what's going on with him."

  "Where did you go?" David whispered, coming closer to me. I looked up into his hazel eyes and shook my head, then took his hands and let him see what I saw by pushing the images to him. David sat back. "Who's holding him like that?"

  "He is, or, the darkness inside him is." I replied. It was then that the door opened and Michael looked in, with Cristian peaking over his shoulder. I looked up at the two of them, and then at David, who turned his face away from everyone. I stood, slowly, still holding David's hands, and looked at the two of them. "Justin's in trouble and we have to help him."

  "Sage, you're pregnant, you should be thinking about the baby." Michael said, softly, as I tugged on David's hand to pull him to his feet. I stopped, as we began to walk by, and looked right into Michael's eyes.

  "I am thinking about the baby, Mike. Justin is his father, regardless of what the two of you think and I would like to have him around to see his child grow up." I snapped, then walked passed him.

  David and I made our way to the library, where we commenced to take any magic books off the shelves and began to look through them.

  "What, exactly, are we looking for?" David asked, glancing up at me from across the table.

  "Anything that has to do with ridding a person of an evil spirit," I sighed, letting him know that this was new to me too, and then I saw i
t, in the book that David was just about to toss aside. The book had opened to a passage, written on a piece of paper that wasn't attached to the rest of the book. "Wait." I hollered just before he was about to toss another book on top, and snatched the paper out from the book. Slowly, as I read it over, it became clear that this is what we were looking for. I looked up at David and smiled. "This is it."

  "What is it?" He questioned. I smile, walked over to stand next to him, and laid the paper down on the table.

  "It's to reject the evil self."

  "Okay, so what does it say to do?"

  "Um, well, it's kind of strange, but I think I got it." I looked over the paper twice more before speaking again. "It say's to remove the guilt that rest upon your head, and the evil stain upon your hand: go forth and cast your shadow dark upon the land."

  "Okay, so the sun has to be up." David shrugged. "No big deal, the sun comes up every day."

  "But, Justin is still unconscious, so maybe the light in his mind will work."

  "Well, what else does it say to do?"

  "Ah," I hesitated then went on. "Pierce the image with a stake and drive it with a heavy stone; let both weapons stay to mark, the deed you shed, the self you scorn. I don't get it, I mean, I get the whole weapons part, but I don't know if letting Justin scorn part of him is such a good idea." I looked up at David, who shrugged.

  "You're the witch, so, it's your call." He replied.

  "Well, it's the best one we've found, so it has to work." I sighed and grabbed the paper, and then the two of us walked out of the room.

  * * * * *

  David watched her as she walked around the bed, lighting the white candles that surrounded it. Sage's black hair came down in layers and encircled her face, which, by the candle light became hauntingly beautiful. He would take of her, if Justin didn't make it through, which he knew he would, but there was something else underneath all of these strange events that he couldn't let go of. Victor was out there and the 31st was coming, quite fast.

  "Do you really think this is going to work?" He asked, watching her whisper to herself, she looked up at him quickly.