Blood Destiny

by Tessa Dawn

  Nathaniel's eyes lit up. "So tell us, Nachari, how long will you be staying?"

  Nachari leaned forward, his green eyes suddenly becoming a rich, dark emerald. "I think that will depend on what is happening." He paused, scrutinizing Jocelyn as if wondering how much he could say in front of her. Apparently, deciding that she was family, he spoke candidly. "I talked with Kagen this morning; he informed me of your little...family reunion with the Nistor brothers last night." He cleared his throat, uncomfortably. "Of what happened with Dalia."

  His eyebrows creased and his mouth curved down in a deep frown. The golden irises of his enchanting eyes suddenly flashed a feral red before returning back to their haunting jade...like waves in a pond becoming still again after a subtle disturbance. His anger was so peacefully contained—yet so clearly intense—that it took Jocelyn's breath away, sending a stark, uneasy feeling deep into her gut.

  "I intend to pay my respects to my twin—" His voice broke off, and he had to take a moment to collect himself before continuing. "To visit the burial grounds and speak with our Sovereign before I return to the University, but I will stay as long as I'm needed." He eyed each of his brothers carefully.

  "I can tell you this much; I will not leave Dark Moon Vale until Valentine Nistor no longer walks this earth."

  Marquis stirred in his seat and brought his hands together, fingertips touching in the shape of a temple, as he contemplated Nachari's words. "I, too, have made a choice that these crimes will not remain unpunished. Perhaps we can speak with Napolean together."

  Kagen nodded in agreement and then turned to Marquis.

  "With or without Napolean's permission, it is our right to seek vengeance. I do not intend to wait around while the Nistors head south for the winter with the birds."

  Kagen Silivasi was the only one of the handsome brothers whose luxurious hair was clearly a deep, dark brown as opposed to raven-black. His eyes were also a stunning, rich, dark chocolate, and they sparkled with a reflection of silver light like the surface of a crystal lake beneath the moonlight.

  Nathaniel tightened his hold on Jocelyn's hand. "Then we're all in agreement."

  The brothers all nodded, but before they could begin to talk in earnest, a loud clanging noise resounded from the front entrance, and a strange rustling sound reverberated in the doorway.

  Marquis sprang to his feet, but Nachari held out his hand and motioned for him to sit back down. Shaking his head slowly from side to side, Nachari closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and sighed—"Oh yeah, there's someone I want you guys to meet." He rolled his stunning eyes.

  All heads, including Jocelyn's, were turned toward the entry-way hall, awaiting the newcomer to round the corner. It seemed to take forever for the guest to walk a mere ten feet, as a series of loud thumping noises, followed by an immediate swishing sound and then another loud thump, announced his impending presence.

  It wasn't clear whether Marquis actually gasped or snarled when the young visitor finally turned the corner, but the room fell silent as everyone stared, dumbfounded, at the spectacle before them.

  The young boy appeared to be about fourteen or fifteen years old, and he was dressed like a character from an old Count Dracula movie: complete with the long, flowing cape; the high, stiffened collar; and a silky white shirt tucked neatly into a pair of soft black trousers. Only, it wasn't entirely clear if he was actually trying to dress the role of vampire or magician...perhaps a confused medieval gentleman who had lost his top hat.

  As if the clothes themselves were not enough to draw unnecessary attention to the kid, his beautiful tan skin was painted a ghastly white with some kind of makeup, and his eyes were tinted to appear bloodshot and demonic. His right arm was normal, appearing like the limb of a human, but on his left side, there was a contorted black wing, like that of a vampire bat, dragging heavily behind him. Thump. He took a step with his foot. Swish. He dragged the heavy wing behind him. Thump. He took another step....

  Exasperated, the young man dropped his duffle bag and stepped...dragged...stepped himself into the living room.

  "What's up!" he said, smiling at everyone, while offering an especially pained look of apology to Nachari.

  Kagen grunted, unsure how to respond.

  Nathaniel simply stared, his eyes open wide in disbelief.

  Nachari grimaced, looking down at the ground.

  And Jocelyn, despite all of her uneasiness with the situation, had to fight to stifle a laugh.

  It was Marquis who finally spoke...in disgust. "What the hell is that? And why in the world would you bring it home with you?" His gaze shifted immediately to Nachari, his lips turned down in a frown.

  Nachari smiled ruefully and gestured toward the young boy. "Jocelyn, brothers, I'd like you to meet Braden Bratianu, the son of Dario and Lily Bratianu."

  No one said hello, so Braden waved his one good arm enthusiastically. "Hey, everyone. How's it goin'?"

  Marquis snarled a low, drawn-out growl and then all at once snapped at the boy. His teeth came together in a sharp clash of menace—a feral hiss lingering in the air—even as his blue-black eyes began to shift toward red.

  Braden jumped back, so startled that he stumbled over his wing and had to use the wall to catch his balance.

  "Marquis!" Nachari chastised, giving his brother a harsh, reprimanding stare. Then he turned to look at Braden.

  "Braden, what has happened to your left arm?"

  Braden looked down at the ground and frowned before shrugging his shoulders. "I got stuck." And then he lifted his chin with pride as he exclaimed, "I was shape-shifting into the form of the bat."

  Marquis looked irritated. "What is the matter with you, boy? Do you have some kind of disability?"

  "Marquis!" Kagen swung his gaze to Marquis's impassive face, narrowing his eyes in warning.

  Nathaniel could not restrain his laughter as he scrutinized the half-boy, half-bat in his living room. He turned to look at Nachari and smiled. "Apparently, he got stuck, Nachari." He raised both eyebrows in a high arc, awaiting Nachari's response.

  Nachari grunted, ignoring his older brother. "Why were you trying such a thing?" His voice was reasoned...paternal. "You are far too young, and do not yet possess the knowledge or discipline to shape-shift." It was a simple statement of fact.

  Braden shrugged again, wincing. "I dunno. I thought it might be cool to fly in, instead of walk, ya know? Since your family has so many ancient warriors and all." He looked down, clearly dejected.

  Jocelyn's heart softened in response to the poor, clearly confused boy.

  Kagen stirred. He didn't speak at first; he simply leaned back in his chair with a crooked smile on his face. After a minute or two had passed, he finally asked, "Can't you change back?" His tone was genuine. Curious.

  "I've tried," Braden sighed, looking as upset as he was determined. He yanked at the wing several times, clearly trying to get it to fold into a normal resting position so that he could begin the mental process of rearranging the molecules back to fully human form. But the uncooperative limb just kept jerking, flapping wildly, then falling back down awkwardly at his side. The harder he tried to fix it, the more unruly the wing became, until it finally began to jerk and flutter about wildly as if it had a life of its own.

  Seeing the boy worked up into an utter frenzy, Marquis lost his patience. "Stop, already!" It was an imperious command, and his voice resounded through the large, open room like a clap of thunder. "I have never witnessed such affliction in all my centuries of living!"

  Braden looked mortified...absolutely humiliated.

  Clearly desperate to save face, he decided to snarl back at the Ancient Master Warrior. Curling back his lips, he hissed his fiercest growl at Marquis, forced his canines to sharpen, and glared with such intensity that the centers of his eyes actually glowed a slight red...well, maybe more like a dusty rose, but they at least changed color.

  When his left canine elongated to about one-half inch, leaving the right one at about
two-centimeters—and still curved—Marquis flicked a hand in extreme annoyance at what he undoubtedly saw as an audacious, disrespectful boy and sent a single crackling bolt of lightning from the tips of his fingers right to the tip of Braden's nose. Stopping it only a hair's length before scorching him.

  Braden jerked back in terror, shrieked like a little girl, and fell over onto the floor, his teeth now as stuck in their awkward mis-configuration as his arm.

  "Marquis!" Nathaniel glared at the ancient bully with a look of complete disbelief on his face, and then he shot him a sharp look of disdain. "Do you wish to burn down my house, warrior?" Turning to his youngest brother, he pleaded, "Nachari, do something for the child...please."

  Braden looked like someone caught in an awful nightmare as the word, child, registered on his stricken face...as it undoubtedly sank in that a powerful ancient vampire had just called him a child.

  Nachari waved his hand, and Braden simply disappeared, floating as a hazy cluster of molecules—rapidly firing translucent waves of quantum energy—suspended in the air.

  Speaking a series of Latin words, while weaving a strange pattern with his hands, Nachari made Braden instantly reappear as a fully formed bat with perfectly elongated teeth and two normal wings: The bat gracefully receded then as he fluidly shifted back into the form of a poorly dressed boy.

  Nathaniel did a double-take at his younger brother.

  "Wizardry, huh?" He grunted, sounding impressed. "Okay...I'll bite...how'd you do that?"

  Nachari just smiled.

  Braden looked down at the ground, his eyes glossing over with moisture. He was already insulted, and now, he also appeared jealous—as if he had hoped to be the one to impress the Silivasi brothers, not Nachari—as if some well-rehearsed plan had gone terribly wrong.

  Jocelyn didn't know whether or not Braden had ever met a true ancient vampire before, but it was painfully obvious that he wanted Kagen's, Marquis's, and Nathaniel's approval more than life itself in that moment. Huffing his hurt feelings, he flipped his cape behind him in true melodramatic fashion and waltzed in long, ridiculous strides across the living room to the only remaining open chair. He spun in a half-circle then—his cape flapping so hard it whirled all the way around and smacked him back in the face—and then he sat down, almost missing the seat.

  Kagen bit his lip, struggling to keep from laughing. "So what's the story?" he asked Nachari.

  Marquis shook his head in disgust. "Yes...do tell."

  Nachari cracked his knuckles. "Well...as you guys know...I finally finished my senior studies, and in the school of wizardry one has to demonstrate exceptional patience by completing an assigned task before they're accepted into the fellowship of wizards—even though they're already considered a Master Wizard by our people." He rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Jankiel Luzanski was given charge over a virtual harem of beautiful women with the task of not allowing his eyes to leave the path directly in front of him...for three months." He smirked. "We all know what his weakness is.

  And Niko Durciak was actually sent out into the Transylvanian Mountains to find one of the lost tablets of Sakarias; he won't be allowed into the fellowship until he returns with it. All very brave, worthy deeds."

  He looked over at Braden and sighed. "But me? No...I was given the task of mentoring young Braden over there for one full moon. His parents came to Romania to vacation for a few months and decided to stay in the guest wing of the castle.

  They were trying to find something for Braden to do when it suddenly occurred to the elders that the young man might be able to...assist me...in my evolution. Apparently, they felt I needed a bit more humility." He rubbed his forehead in consternation. "So here we are...."

  Kagen chuckled. "Now, why in the world would they think that, Nachari?"

  "I can't imagine," Nathaniel added, his voice full of amusement.

  Both brothers laughed, but Marquis only snorted. "Okay, so that's your story. What's his story?" He eyed the young boy disdainfully.

  Braden puffed out his chest and raised his chin in defiance, but when a single tear escaped his eye, he couldn't hide his unmistakable hurt.

  Marquis paled and leaned over in his chair, as far as he could, to make sure he was actually seeing what he thought he was seeing. "Dear God!" He sounded mortified. "Are you crying?" He looked utterly appalled.

  "Marquis!" This time, it was Jocelyn who chastised him...angrily.

  Marquis immediately snapped his head to the side in order to meet her scolding gaze; his eyes were glowing with heat, and he looked shocked at the tone of her voice.

  Jocelyn didn't back down. "Quit being such a Neanderthal!"

  She barked the words bravely...maternally. And then she immediately ducked behind Nathaniel, allowing his broad shoulders to act as a barrier between herself and the dark-haired tyrant—just in case there was another bolt of lightning coming her way.

  Kagen and Nachari laughed out loud, even as Nathaniel shifted his powerful frame to shelter her beside him, possessively placing a strong arm securely around her shoulders.

  Jocelyn allowed the shelter of his arm—needing the reassurance she was beginning to feel as a result of his constant vigilance. When she finally gathered the courage to peek at Marquis from around Nathaniel's chest, she was surprised to find a faint, amused smile on his chiseled face, his blue-black eyes glowing with warmth as he stared back at her.

  "Braden's story?" Kagen reminded Nachari.

  Nachari shifted into a more comfortable position and cleared his throat. "You guys remember Dario Bratianu, right?

  He used to run one of our tropical vacation resorts in Hawaii?"

  Kagen nodded.

  Marquis grunted.

  "Tropical vacation resorts?" Jocelyn whispered to Nathaniel, the words slipping out before she could censor them.

  Nathaniel turned to face her. "Dark Moon Vale is our primary home, and a lot of our businesses are run right here, but we do hold various time shares and vacation properties all over the United States, in Europe, and South America.

  They're mostly run by property management groups, but every now and then one of our males will get tired of doing the same thing, so he'll go work one of the other properties for a while."

  Just when Jocelyn thought that nothing else could surprise her about these almost human—but ferociously not—creatures, something did. She nodded, and turned back toward Nachari. "Sorry for interrupting."

  Nachari waved a dismissive hand. "Not at all." He shifted again in his seat. "So, Dario met Braden's mother in Hawaii at the resort—apparently, she already had Braden at the time, from a former marriage." He looked at Braden. "I think he was about five then."

  Braden nodded.

  "Anyhow, it turned out that Lily was Dario's true destiny."

  Nachari looked over at Jocelyn then. "Lily had the markings of Pegasus on her wrist, and the Blood Moon was revealed to them one night. So when they finally came together...when she gave him his sons...they had to figure out what to do with Braden."

  "What to do with him?" Jocelyn asked, appalled. Her body stiffened beneath Nathaniel's arm as the reminder of her purpose was, once again, made so glaringly apparent. It was humiliating.

  "Not like that," Nachari corrected. "How they were going to...build a life together...with a human son."

  Nathaniel tightened his grip around Jocelyn's shoulder and pulled her close under the shelter of his arm, clearly sensing her growing fear. "It's okay, angel," he whispered, his words both soft and tender. "You are so much more to me than that...far more than you realize."

  Jocelyn stared straight ahead at Nachari, but she felt Nathaniel's warm breath against her ear like a glowing ray of heat, subtly caressing her skin.

  "So when Dario consulted Napolean," Nachari continued, "Napolean told him that there was a good chance that Braden could be transformed—"

  "Transformed?" Jocelyn asked, unable to stop interrupting.

  "Yes," Nachari answered, patiently.
/>   "Sired...converted?...changed from human to our species."

  Jocelyn shifted nervously. There it was again, the constant reminder of what she was facing. She turned to study Braden, to try and read his expression, knowing he had already gone through this...transformation.

  Braden was listening with interest, seeming to enjoy the fact that he was finally the center of attention: Everyone was thinking about him, yet no one was growling or throwing bolts of lightning in his face. He didn't look at all disturbed by the memory of being sired.

  Nachari looked at Jocelyn, waiting for another question.

  When she remained silent, he continued with his story. "As I was saying, since Lily was Braden's biological mother, the two of them share the same Celestial blood. And since Lily was also Dario's true destiny, it was possible to convert Braden under the protection of Pegasus...without any danger of him losing his soul."

  "Pegasus?" Jocelyn asked.

  "My step-dad's constellation," Braden supplied. "Mine is Monoceros, the unicorn." He raised his head proudly.

  "You sure it's not Jake, the jackass?" Marquis mumbled.

  Braden stuck out his tongue and rolled his heavily painted eyes.

  Marquis chuckled then and leaned forward, largely ignoring the insolent gesture. "I have never heard of such a thing.

  Have you, Kagen?"

  Kagen shook his head and brushed his dark brown hair out of his eyes with his fingers. "No, I haven't. Every story I've ever heard of someone trying to convert a human other than their blood destiny had to do with the Dark Ones, and it never turned out very well...." His voice trailed off as he caught Jocelyn's frightened gaze. She was beginning to feel like a frail deer caught in Nathaniel's headlights.

  Nathaniel's hand slid gently up and down her arm in a reassuring caress. "So, it can be done, then?" he asked, eyeing Braden curiously.

  Marquis looked at the child with suspicion. "Apparently not.

  At least not successfully."

  The words were said without emotion, yet Braden almost crumbled at the insult. He put his head down in his arms.