Star, Starland Vamp Series, Book 1

by Theresa Oliver

  “Thanks,” I said, taking the cologne and spraying it lightly on my neck and wrist. “Better?” I asked, handing the cologne back.

  Zac grinned his dazzling smile, and my heart leaped. My God, he was beautiful! Could you imagine if he was a vamp? Vampires were always beautiful. But in Zac’s case, how could you improve upon perfection? I quickly brushed the thought aside, not wanting to wish vampirism on anyone. Zac ran a hand through his sun-bleached hair, pushing back my favorite lock of hair, revealing his deep azure eyes, then shifted his weight to one side. How did he do that? Mesmerize me so? “Much better,” he replied, flashing a breath-taking grin. “But I think we should eat alfresco today,” he laughed.

  So Zac was cultured, too. Sweet. “Think I’d better go find some clothes to change into first.”

  “No,” he teased. “The scent’s already going away.”

  I smiled. “Thank goodness.”

  He laughed, reaching for my hand. I pulled away, afraid he would notice the difference in our body temperature. My skin was not ice cold, but ran much cooler than a human’s, since my heart only beat three times a minute. It was enough to circulate the blood slowly and to metabolize it into food, but not enough to warm my body.

  Zac nodded, but his grin faded a bit, disappointed that I pulled my hand away. Just then two brawny students walked by. “Hey, Zac!” One of the boys yelled, his eyes scanning me approvingly. The other boy openly gawked as they passed, but said nothing. “Are you coming, or are you going to flirt all day?” the brawny boy yelled, giving me a wink over his shoulder, then disappeared down the hall.

  “Hey, sorry about that,” Zac apologized.

  I shrugged.

  “What class do you have now?”

  “Computer lab,” I said, smiling.

  “Well, I’ll see you later,” Zac answered with a smile. “I have gym, and I’d better hurry. See you at lunch!” Zac smiled his dazzling half smile. I had to catch my breath. And I don’t need breath. “Now, before you say anything, there is a whole group of us that eat lunch together every day. I’ll introduce you.”

  “Are you sure your friends will like that?” I hedged. Really, I would love to sit with him and spend every waking moment with him, but I had to be realistic. I was a vampire and he wasn’t, after all. We came from two separate worlds.

  “They’re good people,” he said, reassuring. “No more argument. I’ll see you then.”

  And before I could say another word, he was gone. For a moment, I feared for his safety, watching him walk away. Fearful? Me? I haven’t feared anything in years. I brushed the thought away from my mind. Surely he would be safe for one class period, but a part of me wanted to follow him, to watch him secretly to ensure his safety. Listen to me! I was turning into a stalker.

  I headed toward the computer lab, finding it with ease, having memorized the room number on my schedule this morning.

  I filed in with the other students, but most gave me a wide berth. Humans usually felt an aversion to vampires, although some seek us out. The adrenaline junkies. Most humans usually sensed that we were dangerous and stayed away, although they couldn’t explain why. But Zac was different. He seemed to make up his own mind about things.

  I sat down at the first available computer, prepared for a boring class, but thought that maybe I could instant message Rick to let him know what I found out. Suddenly, I smelled another vampire. I scanned the room until my eyes fell upon a beautiful heart shaped face, with lovely long blonde hair that fell just past her shoulders. Vampires were very beautiful creatures. Smiling, I walked over to her. I didn’t have to remind myself to be careful, for I didn’t know her cover here at the school and didn’t want to destroy it. Although I’ve known her for over 230 years, it’s been a while since I’ve seen her and she might be a head hunter, too. Or better yet, a tracker.

  She rose and met me halfway, then motioned for me to follow her to a corner of the room.

  “Acantha Bree? What are you doing here?” I asked. It was rare when you ran into another vamp while out on assignment. Well, a good one, anyway.

  “Shush,” she held a finger to her lips, looking around. “They call me Annie here. Annie Brenner. It sounds more modern. What are you doing here?”

  “I was going to ask you the same thing,” I laughed, thinking of the many great times we’d shared together. And here she still didn’t look a day over sixteen, even though she was technically eighteen, like myself. Her petite stature, just 5’2”, added to her youthful appearance.

  “I was on assignment here not long ago and decided to stay,” Annie replied with a brilliant smile. “But I’ll have to move on in a few years.”

  I was a bit skeptical at first. What would a vamp from the Revolutionary War like me be doing here? We were good friends in Boston in the old days. And besides Rick, she was one of my best and closest friends. But I hadn’t seen her in years. Why now? And what was she doing here, for heaven’s sake? “How long have you been here?” I asked Annie, still a bit skeptical.

  “A few months. Not long,” Annie said, her eyebrows pulling together, sensing my discomfort. “Don’t worry, I’m still one of the good guys,” she laughed and her voice twinkled.

  “Yeah, that’s what they all say,” I replied, smiling sarcastically.

  “Still haven’t changed, huh, Star?”

  “Shush,” I countered, placing a finger to my lips. “My alias here is Lisa Miller.”

  Annie nodded with a smile, “Why are you here?”

  “An assignment,” I replied. “Can’t really talk about it, you know.”

  She nodded, understanding, then changed the subject. “So, how’s Rick?”

  “You always did have a thing for him!” I said, laughing. “He’s the same.”

  “You keep in touch?” she asked, her beautiful green eyes wide, smiling wickedly.

  Suddenly the bell rang loudly, calling the class to order.

  “He’s here,” I replied, smiling. “We’ll talk later,” I mouthed.

  But as we quickly took our seats, I wondered if what Annie said was true, and what her part in this would be. Time would tell.

  Chapter 6: Friend or Foe?

  Annie quickly moved her things to the desk next to mine, then winked at me, smiling devilishly, reminding me of the old days. I couldn’t help but smile back. I always liked Annie. She had an infectious smile and a fabulous personality, but she was always a bit of a wild child, even before becoming a vamp. And she was my best friend, before I turned her.

  ***

  After Fredrick—as Rick was called then—turned me, we became militia and fought with the regulars against the Red Coats. Fredrick and I became assets to the cause, as we could move in stealth without being detected, moving quickly, leaving the havoc we’d created behind. The Red Coats would only catch a glimpse of us and wondered if we were real. So they called us The Ghost. Rumors spread that it was only one man, but in reality, there were many of us that comprised The Ghost.

  Some brave human soldiers banned together with us, and together we helped turn the course of the war. Many men bravely fought and died by our sides, but this was before modern medicine was created. However, Fredrick and I both treated the wounds of the soldiers and many lived. Of course, many had missing limbs, which was something we could do nothing about, but the soldiers in our care healed quickly and lived.

  Sometimes the cure was basic first aid and natural healing, while other times we gave the victim some of our blood. Different from our venom, our blood has healing powers for humans, but only if the victim wasn’t seriously hurt. After drinking our blood—of course, we told them it was a special elixir as we gave it to them in a metal cup—they would heal and make a quick recovery, never being the wiser of our deception.

  None of the soldiers knew about Fredrick and me—that we were vampires. When Fredrick and I needed to feed, we went hunting alone and found animals, but sometimes we would catch a British Red Coat by himself. The only time we killed anyone for fo
od was when a Red Coat caught us feeding. Becoming a threat of exposure, we had no choice but to take his life. We didn’t want to take lives, except those of our enemies, of course. But on the battle field, we never once fed before the humans for fear of blowing our cover. There are many other effective ways to kill.

  Only when a soldier was gravely ill and death was eminent would one of us whisper to him what we were, offering him the choice to become like us to save his life or to die. But it was their choice. Fredrick and I would never force vampirism upon anyone.

  After I was turned, I avoided many of my friends from my past, fearing they would sense the difference in me—my demeanor, cool body temperature, and hunger. But Acantha—as Annie was called then—was different. After becoming a vamp, I avoided her for weeks, whereas before my transformation, we were virtually inseparable.

  Acantha decided to join the militia along with us to help in the fight, being an ardent patriot. Acantha and I would dress like men when we went on raids wearing pants—something women never did—and tucked our long hair up under our hats. Slowly, I relented and our friendship was intact again, but I never told her my dark secret. She came to accept that there were certain things I just wouldn’t talk about. And she respected my private hunting parties with Fredrick, as well. As for the meat from our hunt, we always brought back the deer or other game carcass we caught for our men, never wasting one morsel of the animal. No one ever noticed or questioned that they were completely drained of blood, and Acantha never questioned our disappearances, either. I guess, at the time Acantha thought Fredrick and I were an item, which we never were. Although I constantly denied it, she gave us our privacy.

  In fact, I’ve never been emotionally involved with anyone in my life. Before I was turned, there were suitors, but never anyone special. I definitely know what love is and have the capacity for it, but never fell in love. In fact, vampires can love more completely and fully than humans ever thought possible, and when we surrendered ourselves to it, it was complete.

  Anyway, we were in the swamp one night after a raid and Fredrick and I just came back from a hunting trip with plenty to eat for everyone. No one questioned our methods. They only knew that there was food to fill their bellies, regardless of the source.

  Acantha and I cut up the meat, placed it on a spit, and roasted it over the fire for the men.

  “So you and Fredrick aren’t … um … seeing each other?” Acantha whispered low, her lips curled up into the same devilish smile.

  “Acantha,” I said in disbelief, laughing, as I turned the meat over the fire. “Give up, will you? You know I don’t feel that way about him! He’s like a father to me. My best friend.”

  Acantha suddenly feigned offense. “I thought I was your best friend!”

  “Shush!” I replied, quickly placing a hand over her mouth. “The men will hear you!”

  Acantha smiled wickedly again as she turned the deer meat over the fire. The aroma was heavenly. “Then you won’t mind if I have a go?”

  I laughed and the men looked up, some obviously wondering what we were talking about. “At Fredrick?” I whispered. She nodded, smiling innocently, but her eyes danced. “Go right ahead. That is, if you think you have a chance.” It was now my turn to smile wickedly.

  “Is that a challenge, Miss Starland?” Acantha asked, her eyes dancing in the firelight. She pulled a hind quarter from the fire, then cut it up, placing the pieces onto a tin plate.

  I laughed, and it sounded like bells. “As you wish, Miss Bree.” I said, making a grand gesture with my arm. “This should be interesting,” I said under my breath.

  Acantha laughed, her smile contagious, as the firelight danced off her features. That’s the last memory I have of her being human.

  Suddenly, a burst of gunfire erupted, sending loud shots piercing the still night air. Even though it was pitch black outside the edges of the firelight, I could see many Red Coats moving in, hiding around us in the forest.

  Acantha dropped the plate she was holding.

  “Acantha, run!” I shouted, pushing her toward safety. Then everything seemed to happen in slow motion as she reached for her gun, already loaded and ready. She looked up at me with surprise in her eyes, when a bullet pierced her in the back and she fell into my arms. I held her limp, lifeless body within my arms, then laid her carefully on the soft grass and whispered into her ear, “Acantha, hang on!” She was still breathing.

  I quite literally saw red and I didn’t care who was watching as rage filled my chest. I ripped out the hearts of twenty men within an instant as Rick yelled, “No! Abigail, no!” Then he looked toward the fire and saw Acantha lying helplessly by the fire. Together, Rick and I along with the other men, defeated our attackers. An no one lived to tell about the girl who killed twenty men in a blink of an eye.

  The men in our camp looked at me questioningly, but never said a word. “Come on,” Brock said to Earl as he reached for a body. I guess he was happy I was on their side.

  Earl nodded, still looking at me strangely, then turned to the other men, “Come on gents, let’s bury ‘em.”

  None of our men ever spoke of the incident again.

  I rushed to Acantha and scooped her into my arms, as tears ran slowly down my cheeks. “Acantha, don’t die,” I cooed into her ear, rocking her back and forth as a mother would a child. She was incoherent, but her eyes met mine, as if asking for help. Rick patted my back sympathetically as I held her. “Rick, you think we should?” I asked, looking up at him from the ground with tear stained cheeks.

  Rick knew I was referring to making her one of us—a vampire. “See if you can get a response from her first.” He still wanted to offer her the option. He didn’t want to take that away from her, and neither did I. No matter what her decision may be.

  “Acantha, I’m going to tell you something and you need to listen very carefully,” I began, whispering into her ear. “I’m a vampire, Acantha, and I can save you. But to do so, I’ll have to make you one of us. Do you want me to save you?”

  I looked into her eyes, but they were already becoming fixed as her heart fluttered.

  She did not respond.

  “Rick what do I do?” I begged, rocking her within my arms, feeling helpless and crying openly. I knew I only had a minute to decide.

  “It has to be your choice,” Rick replied, patting my back with tears in his own eyes, as well. A few men looked on, bowing their heads, for they liked Acantha, too. She was one of us. One of the guys.

  Suddenly, I knew what I had to do.

  I quickly wiped the tears from my eyes and scooped her into my arms, finding sudden strength. “Where do we take her?”

  “I know a place,” Rick replied, his words rushed. “This way!” Rick ran at lightning speed through the darkness with me on his heels, effortlessly carrying Acantha. Trees whizzed past us as Rick led us deeply into the forest. Although it was completely pitch black, I could see perfectly. We ran toward the shore. In the distance, I could hear waves lazily lapping the beach. Suddenly, Rick ran up a steep hill and at the top was a hidden cave.

  Acantha’s heartbeats faltered as I gently placed her on the stone floor covered with purple cave dust. There was no time left.

  “Acantha,” I said, hoping she could hear me in her semi-conscious condition. “I’m going to make you a vampire, like me. This is going to hurt.” But in her condition, she was beyond feeling any pain.

  Slowly, I worked over her, biting first her neck, then her wrists, ankles, and her arms, trying to get as much venom into her system as possible while there was still time. Quickly, the venom spread and just when she was on the brink of death, her heart began beating faster, pushing the venom through her veins, changing her forever.

  Rick sat with me, with us both, as we waited. She said nothing and didn’t move for a day, then I breathed a sigh of relief when she became reasonably conscious.

  “Kill me! Do it now!” Acantha yelled alternately through her blood curtleing screams.
/>   “Shush,” I cooed, stroking her long blonde hair. “It will be over soon.”

  Rick comforted her as well, trading places with me. “It’s going to be alright,” Rick cooed as if to a small child as he stroked her hair. “You’re becoming a vampire …” he began, explaining to her what she was becoming and what it would entail.

  After another day of constant screaming, suddenly, Acantha grew silent.

  “Is the pain gone now?” I asked. Her eyes were still closed.

  “No,” Acantha said confidently, and I knew the process was almost complete. “But it’s manageable.”

  “Good,” I replied, smiling. My eyes met Rick’s, and he was smiling, too. “It will be over soon.”

  “Good,” she replied, “because I’m going to kill you.”

  Sudden shock and horror filled my eyes as they grew wide and my mouth popped open. Whatever response I had anticipated surely wasn’t this. “What?” I asked, making sure I’d heard her correctly.

  “You heard me,” Acantha said, her eyes popping open, glowing emerald green. And for a split second, I wondered if she had turned into one of The Others, a demon, incapable of human emotions. But how could that be? Her heart was so kind, so loving. She was my best friend. Besides Rick, the best friend I’d ever had. “I’m going to kill you.”

  “Why?” I asked in disbelief. “I saved you! I saved your life!”

  “You condemned me to hell!” she corrected in a demonic voice, as a wild look came into her emerald eyes.

  I looked at Rick, knowing that if she was indeed one of The Others, we would have to kill her ourselves. Immediately. I reached for a wooden stake lying on the floor behind me, when Fredrick held up his hand and shook his head.

  “Acantha,” Fredrick cooed calmly. “We only meant to save your life. You were incoherent and we only had a minute to decide. So we made the decision for you.”

  “You decided wrong,” Acantha replied, rising from the stone floor that moments before was her burning bed. She was very beautiful, despite her demonic disposition.