Epilogue
Mariza awoke suddenly with a gasp. How was she alive? She looked around at her surroundings. She was no longer in the forest but in a small cell. Her cot was attached to a brick wall painted pale blue, but the other three walls weren’t really walls but rather steel bars caging her in.
She smiled to herself. Steel bars wouldn’t keep her locked up for long. Idiots.
“Morning, sis,” A familiar male voice greeted her to her left.
She started to realize she hadn’t sensed the other vampire there. Wolfsbane. Of course, he was masked in it.
“What are you doing here?” She swung her legs over the edge of the cot to look at her eldest brother, Jonas, whom she had not seen in years.
“Waiting until you woke up. It’s been a while.”
Mariza nodded. Jonas was still the same—dressed in a tight black shirt over black cargo pants with leather boots on his feet. It dawned on Mariza were she may be now.
“Does everyone in our family work for The Council except me?”
Jonas shrugged, his brown eyes focused on the thin tablet in his right hand, his left hand swiping across the screen. “It pays well, a lot more than succubusing pays.”
Mariza hissed, baring her teeth. She leaped off the cot, charging at her brother. She was going to show them steel couldn’t keep her encased. As her body slammed into the steel, the metal bars burned into her skin. She stumbled back, astonished at the pain. She watched as the burns healed quickly, though.
“Ah, yes, those bars are painted with a mixture of hawthorn and wild rose and inlaid with titanium. You won’t be able to escape anytime soon.” Her brother smiled at her.
“How am I alive? The stake the Daywalker had was hawthorn.”
“I do believe there’s someone who can explain this situation a bit better.” Jonas flipped the tablet around to face her.
“Hello, darling.” Her father’s face was visible on the screen.
“Father.” She wanted to reach out to him. “Why am I here? The stake?”
Oscar shook his head. “The stake only smelled like hawthorn. I discovered Morgana’s secret hiding space and swapped out the real hawthorn for fakes. Hawthorn on the outside but with a beech center. Not very lethal, but enough to knock you out.”
“Huh. Well, I suppose that’s some small comfort.” She rubbed her right arm. “How long am I supposed to be in here for?” She looked around her prison cell.
“You will be reprimanded here for a hundred years.”
“A hundred years. Why?”
“You attacked your family and Council members, my dear.” He gave her a stern look.
“I was getting stepmother back for attacking me all those years ago. The others just got in the way.”
“Look, sis,” Jonas spoke up, “I don’t want to call it incest, but I think it’s probably more along the lines of cannibalism, what you did to Morgana.”
“Incest? Cannibalism?”
“Well, what’s the term for feeding off your sibling?”
“She’s half-human.”
“She’s half-vampire, too.”
“Please.” Mariza rolled her eyes. “Don’t tell me you’ve never wanted to take a bite of her?”
He shook his head. “No way. She smells nice, but she’s still my sister. Besides, she would probably kick my butt for even dropping a fang near her.”
“You wouldn’t be saying that if you had tasted her.” Mariza smiled. She could still taste the sweetness of Morgana’s blood as she licked her protruding fangs.
Jonas shook his head. “What happened to you? When did you become so twisted?”
Mariza growled, baring her teeth, careful not to touch the bars. “Probably around the time I was cut off from my family, and I had to turn to luring humans to my bed to survive.”
Jonas rolled his eyes. “Please, you weren’t hard off at all.”
“Children, please, no arguing,” Oscar’s voice was heavy.
Jonas was momentarily distracted as he pressed the Bluetooth earpiece in his ear. “Right, confirmed. I’ll be there shortly.” He turned to the side as he spoke.
“Look, Father, I’ve got to go. Got called upstairs regarding a mission.”
“Very well, son. I wished we could have communicated under better circumstances.” Oscar averted his gaze, and his voice broke. “Take care of her.”
Jonas nodded. “Despite all the bad things she does, she’s still my sister.”
Mariza raised an eyebrow. “I didn’t know I meant so much to you, brother.”
“Well, it’s true.” Jonas shrugged.
“I hope this time alone will give you time to reflect on your actions and you come to accept everyone as family.”
Mariza’s top lip curled. “We’ll see.”
“Mariza,” Oscar warned.
“Will you come to visit me?” Her eyes were wide.
“Of course, after this mission is over.”
Mariza huffed, sitting down on the cot. Which meant a visit was not likely to happen for a long time.
“Farewell, my children,” Oscar said to them both.
Jonas ended the video call.
“So, as I am your sister, will you help me break out of here?”
Jonas laughed, shaking his head. “I don’t think so.”
Mariza tilted her chin to her chest and frowned. She looked up, trying a different tactic. “So, where am I?”
“You’re imprisoned in the holding cells of The Council Headquarters, several floors down in the bowels of the basement. So, if you ever tried to escape, you’d have the agents of The Council to contend with.”
“So, I’m stuck here?”
“Yep. We’ll catch you later, sis.” He turned to walk away.
“Wait, how will I eat?” She pressed up against the bars, only to jump back when they burned her skin.
Jonas nodded to the shadows where a small section of the wall opened to reveal a cup of blood. He slid the cup through a small opening, careful not to touch the bars.
Mariza looked down at it, shaking her head and muttering, “I’m not going to drink that. It probably came out of a blood bag.”
“You’re in prison, sis. Ergo, prison food. Come to think of it, I think it came from the blood of a human prisoner…real low life.” He stood and walked away.
“You can’t treat me like this,” she yelled at his retreating back.
He stopped and turned his head to the side. “See you in a hundred years, sis.” He walked away, the shadows swallowing him up.
“Jonas!” she screamed. No reply came, only a deafening silence. She was all alone again, and she didn’t like it. “Don’t abandon me, too,” she whimpered.
TO BE CONTINUED
Chapter One
“Again.” Svetlana marched across the muddied ground, her boots sinking into the soil. Her blonde hair was pulled into a tight bun at the nape of her neck, making her scowl more pronounced as she watched the line of vampires throwing their stakes in pathetic arcs toward their targets—large hessian bags strung up in the sparse trees lining the edge of their lair. Each were tied with twine about three quarters up the length of the bag to form the shape of a body and head with crudely drawn faces. They couldn’t possibly miss stationary targets. But this wretched group of scum—from who knows where Ragnorok had recruited them—were throwing stakes like haphazard punches during a two o’clock bar fight and missing the fake Primus dummies by a long shot.
“Keep your arms straight,” she barked, turning on her heel and marching back behind them. “You don’t vont the Primus filth to get vithin a foot of you. They vill crush your skulls vithout a second thought. Again!”
Their leader and her creator, a tall, lean vampire, Ragnorok, sauntered over to her. He’d changed back into his regular clothes—the white shirt tucked into black trousers and boots. “How are they coming along?”
“You have given me shit to vork vith. No matter how hard I train them, they vill still be shit.” Grumblings
came from the vampires, but she turned her icy glare toward them, daring each one of them to say another word.
Ragnorok’s eyes followed hers. “I’m doing the best I can to replenish our numbers after Morgana and her motley crew destroyed that faction.”
Svetlana’s lips pursed. Yes, she had personally seen to those vampires, turning and trained them exclusively. How they managed to be slaughtered by the leather-clad brat and her two minions, Svetlana didn’t know.
Ragnorok gazed at her thoughtfully. “You know if you don’t like my selections, you can go out and recruit more yourself. Our plans are moving forward rather rapidly now. I need to remain here more.”
Her lips twisted into a smile, and her eyes lit up. “Now that I can do.”
“Good.” Ragnorok straightened. “But I’ll go on a last recruiting mission myself.” Earning a sharp look from her, he chuckled. “I still haven’t found someone to share my bed who satisfies my needs.”
Svetlana clasped her hands behind her back, shaking her head at him. “Vee are at var.”
“Still doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy the simple pleasures in life. And I’ll need someone to celebrate with after we win this.”
Svetlana’s top lip curved up as she turned back to the trainees, who had been listening to their conversation. “Did I tell you to stop?” she snapped.
The vampires hastily resumed their stake throwing—still missing the targets—much to her chagrin. “Vee aren’t stopping until you hit the targets.”
Groans erupted along the line, but she raised an eyebrow at them. Pitiful, the lot of them. She pulled her shoulders back. But if anyone could train this lot, it was her.
“Again!”
Chapter Two
Oak Wood Hills was a glorious sight during the autumn months. The leaves of the oak trees growing around the small town were changing into golden yellows, bright oranges, and crimson reds.
Morgana took it all in as she walked past the old oak tree in the town center. She couldn’t help but zero in on the small carving Gareth had made of their initials in the trunk of the tree. Even from this distance, she could make out the ‘GL loves MVW’ surrounded by a crude-shaped heart. The tree trunk had been adorned with other lovers’ initials, but Morgana only focused on theirs. The sight of it brought a smile to her lips.
Looking around, there weren’t too many people about, so she sauntered over to the trunk, the heels of her boots clacking against the concrete path. When she reached the tree, she pressed her hand against the carving, her smile spreading wider. She was so blissfully in love with her mate.
With everything that had happened to her, Gareth, and her family, especially suspecting each other, her ex, Randalf, and Mariza coming to town and letting their issues with Mariza come between them, it had been a lot to deal with. But they were in a good place now in their relationship. They were happy together, something Morgana had been longing for the last two hundred years or so.
Everything in their life was perfect.
Well, except for the mayoral campaign. This was the last week before the election. Their mission cover was coming to an end. And despite the mild scandal involving her siblings being called illegitimate, her father was still ahead of Mayor Coleman. Soon, The Council would grant them permission, and they’d be free to eradicate the Forest Clan. As soon as they wrapped up this case, she was going to take Gareth away somewhere for a well-deserved vacation.
Yes, life was good for them.
She turned away from the trunk. A rush of cold autumn wind blew past her, making her shiver. She tugged at her gray business suit jacket, adjusting the collar of her white blouse to protect her neck from the chill.
Normally, she didn’t feel the cold. She glanced around with a strong sense she was being watched. The Forest Clan wouldn’t dare attack her in public like this. Still, she needed to stay aware and always on her guard, especially when she wasn’t carrying any weapons on her. The Forest Clan must know their time was coming to an end. Hence, the spying.
But she couldn’t quite determine how they were spying on her. Human-turned vampires couldn’t use wolfsbane to mask their presence so that it couldn’t be one of the Forest Clan. But she could feel eyes on her. Glancing around, there was no one of any interest looking her way, only humans going about their mundane morning routines.
The breeze came again this time, bringing with it falling leaves scattered on the ground around her, a minor distraction. Morgana looked down at the crimson leaves gathering around her black boots. Even though their color was nowhere near as dark, they reminded her of blood.
She shrugged, putting it down to the fact she hadn’t drunk any blood for a couple of days now. She turned away from the tree and decided to buy a coffee to stave off the strange chill before she headed back to the campaign office, her boots crunching over the fallen blood leaves.
***
Tiffini twisted a lock of her chestnut brown hair with her manicured hand. She couldn’t wait for the day it would be perfectly preserved when she turned into a vampire. That was one of the cool things about joining the Forest Clan.
But this? Watching these weirdo vampires who had moved into town, she had better things to do with her time than this. Her Instagram wasn’t going to post updates itself. She had been selected for the clan because she was rather swift for a human and the tiniest of the recruits, standing at only four feet, nine inches. She also liked to gossip. Hence, why she’d been stuck with this role, but she thought it would have been more fun going back to tell them everything she saw. Except all she was doing was watching a half-breed and the one Ragnorok referred to as a Primus Elder. Whatever the hell that was. A few months back when she had first seen the new candidate for mayor and his family, she thought they were human. She’d only ever known about the one type of vampire—dead ones brought back to life. Man, the books and movies were so wrong. Apparently, these vampires were born. How does that even happen?
She glanced up from checking Facebook on her phone to see the half-breed as the others referred to her, entering the campaign office. The human crinkled her nose. Could her sense of style be any more boring? Just like this spying gig. So boring. With nothing more to report there, she stood. Wearing leggings with a t-shirt and joggers, she could pass for a runner… or someone out walking. She began to jog around town looking for the other one.
Chapter Three
In the early hours of that same morning, Oscar Van Wilden jogged around the suburban streets. The air had a nice autumn chill to it, providing a good excuse in case he ran into anyone, and they wondered why he wasn’t sweating.
Brutus ran alongside him on a leash that was mostly for show. All Oscar had to do was give the dog a stern look, and he heeled. Brutus knew who the alpha male was in their coven.
Oscar found he rather liked Oak Wood Hills when the leaves were changing into a myriad of colors.
He waved to the fellow joggers and other early risers. He had to admit this small-town life was growing on him. If he were human and weren’t partially responsible for keeping the vampire race a secret and under control, this would be the type of town he would have liked to live in and put roots down with his wife, Vivienne.
Maybe one day when enough time had passed from this first visit, and they had long been forgotten, he and Vivienne could return and live there for a few decades. That would be nice. His chest expanded at the prospect of moving back to this town.
“Come on, boy.” He smiled and gently tugged on the leash. Brutus’ tail swished as he followed his master.
***
Tiffini was tired from jogging around looking for the other vampire and sat on the park bench. She checked her phone to see someone had sent her the latest cat video. Now that would be more interesting than watching a vampire run around with his giant dog. A cute dog, nonetheless.
She sat up straighter. What kind of vampire owned a dog? These born vampires were so bizarre. Her head tilted at the way the vampire smiled with affection at the dog. Str
angest shit she’d ever seen. But then again, the sight of them may be useful to report. Ragnorok was all about using the Van Wilden’s familial connections against them. Their greatest weakness.
Tiffini sighed before she stood from the park bench and began walking toward the vampire and his dog.
“What an adorable puppy,” she cooed as they drew closer to each other.
The dog’s growl made her eyes widen, and she backtracked a bit.
“Don’t worry, he won’t bite,” the vampire tried to reassure her. He looked down at the dog. “We’re friendly to the locals.” The dog looked up at his master before wagging his tail and approaching Tiffini. She quickly recovered, giving them a fake smile while reaching her hand out to pat the dog between the ears.
“Such a little cutie.” She scratched the spot behind the ears that dogs love so much, the puppy preening as she did. “Well, he’s not so little. What breed is he?”
“A Tibetan Mastiff.” The vampire smiled down at his dog. “He’s going to grow up to be about two and a half feet. Won’t you, boy?”
“Hey, you’re that candidate for mayor, aren’t you?”
“Yes, I am. Oscar Van Wilden, nice to meet you.” He smiled warmly, holding out his hand.
Tiffini flashed a smile back as she shook it. This vampire really wasn’t like the ones she knew or had read about in stories—or the ones her boyfriend hung out with. This one seemed friendly. And his hand was warm. Weird.
“Well, good luck in the election.” Tiffini placed one last pat on the dog’s head before running off to avoid the interaction becoming awkward. A little way down the road, she stopped and turned around, pulling her phone out. She pretended to be taking a selfie but had the camera turned around on the vampire and his dog. She took several shots before sending them to her boyfriend. Too bad she couldn’t post those to Instagram.
The Van Wilden Chronicles Box Set Books 1-3 Page 40