Orm’s eyes traced to the ceiling.
“I can do magic inside. That’s the rule because of the special walls.”
“Yes, you are right. You are cursed with strong will child.”
“Cursed, I am cursed?” Tears welled up in my eyes.
“Not like a witch’s curse dear. It is your personality to demand what you want. It will be an asset later in life. Now it only serves to annoy your elders.”
“I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay, dear. We should move on to your history lesson.” He opened the door and ushered me into the dark room.
“I can get the lights for you.” I sent my magic to the switch and the bulbs in the lamps came on. “You said I would learn about the Bible and evolution today.”
Orm’s smile spread across his face. “So, you do remember everything now.”
“I told you.”
“Well, a long, long time ago—”
“How long?” I grabbed the book from Orm’s hands.
“About five thousand years ago.”
“Okay.” I leafed through the pages, stopping when there was an illustration.
Orm continued. “Humans, vampires, and witches lived together in peace for a thousand years.”
“The humans are the ones that smell like meat, witches like honey, and vampires like Mother and Elizabeth.”
“Yes.” Orm rolled his eyes and began again. “Humans became jealous, angry at God, and hunted vampires and witches.”
“I don’t like those humans. Who is God?”
“In the Bible story, God made everything.”
“Wow, so he is good?”
“He is meant to be portrayed that way, yes. Not all humans were bad. God flooded the earth to rid it of the unjust. Humans believed witches and vampires were all killed. But witches and vampires lived in secret.”
“I’m glad they didn’t die.”
Orm chuckled. “Me too. It is written in the vampire bible—”
“That’s this one.” I set the text on his lap.
“Yes, Eve lay with a snake and bore the first vampire child.”
“Eve and the snake were like Mother and Father.”
“Yes, but Eve gave the child to Lilith who lived in a different place. In the Jewish Bible, God formed Lilith from the same dirt as Adam, but she was thrown out of the Garden when she failed to serve him. Lilith also lay with the snake and his brothers bearing more halfling offspring. The halfling children of the serpents, being part human, part serpent, were the first vampires.”
“There are a lot of bibles. What happened to the snake? Did he go off like Father to protect the children?”
“The human Bible says the snake is evil.”
“Is that why the humans hunted vampires?”
“People fear what they do not understand.”
“So, what of evolution?” I stumbled over the multi-syllable word.
“Darwin created a theory that one being transformed into another over time. Vampires evolved to possess strength, speed, and heightened senses as a means of survival.”
“Vampires are stronger than humans, but we don’t hurt them or eat them even if they smell good.”
“Right, you remember the rules.”
“What of you and witches?”
“No one knows how witches evolved.”
Turning the pages in the human Bible, I found a picture of the archangel Gabriel. “I think this is where you come from.”
“Why do you think that?”
“Elizabeth said I was a child of light.”
Orm’s brow furrowed. “She said that, did she?”
“I think she thought I was asleep. She came to my room and kissed my forehead and said, ‘Good night, child of light.’ It was when she thought I slept like a human.”
“And remembered like a human too, I am guessing.” Orm winked at me. “But also, Alena means light.”
“My name means light?”
“Yes.”
“Tell me about Mother’s family again. It’s sad, but I like how Elizabeth saved her.”
“Your mother’s farm was surrounded and lit ablaze. With no way to escape, the fire consumed the house with them in it. Being in service to the family, Elizabeth had taken your mother, the youngest, to the family cabin to be nursed for the night. Seeing the flames across the field, Elizabeth tried to escape with her children and husband. Her mate was human and their children only halflings. All of them ran, and your mother, being fast even as a youngling, climbed a tree and hid. Pretending to be dead, Elizabeth escaped her family’s fate. She fled to England with your mother, raising Anne as her own. Should I stop?”
“No.” I climbed into Orm’s lap.
“Growing to maturity, your mother mixed with humans through the centuries but gathered her own kind and formed the Vampire Council.”
“And she’s the king now.”
“Well, she is the leader, yes. There aren’t really kings anymore.”
“Tell me of my birth.”
“It was the summer solstice of 1999. She named you Alena, meaning light, because you brought our family so much happiness.”
When younger, it’d been easier to ignore my heritage. As Chancellor of the Vampire Council, Mother managed vampire politics and issues with witches and other non-human beings. I knew little of the details as she kept her professional challenges separate from our family discussions. In addition to interspecies disagreements, the vampire race experienced tension between two factions, those living among humans pretending to be equals, and those who kept themselves separate, embracing their natural state. The Vampire Council brought these groups together. Representatives from clans all over the world created the Vampire Edicts to help preserve the line and keep peace with other supernatural beings. The more I learned the more I began to question Mother’s motives. I thought back to discussions with Orm.
“Why would mother create me if it were against the law?” My ten-year-old self demanded of Orm. “And don’t give me that love stuff from when I was three. I know all about the birds, the bees, vampires, witches, werewolves, elves, sprites, fairies, trolls, ogres, Vampire Edicts 101, Orm”—I rolled my eyes at him and held up three fingers—“the existence of our people should be kept secret, humans are not to be a food source, and vampire and witch unions should not bear children.”
My mind wandered to a memory of the first day of kindergarten. “Okay, tell me how to tell if a witch is near,” Orm asked as he stopped in front of the school.
“We’ve done this a hundred times. Witches give a humming vibration, I can hear it in my head, like when you do magic. And don’t worry, I remember cloaking too.” I jumped out of the vehicle before he could say more.
I heard Orm rise, and I opened my eyes, trying to bring myself back to the present day.
“Were you dreaming?”
“No, thinking.” I straightened my back and slid to the front of the seat.
“Perhaps you should retire for the night. You’ve had quite a day.”
“I think I will. I still have homework to finish.”
Glancing at the clock, I noticed it read nine thirty. My twenty-minutes of rest would tide me over so I could complete my schoolwork. Finding Mother seated in the living room, electronic tablet in her lap, I kissed her cheek.
“That was a short session.”
Orm would give her a full report, and I’d learned it was better to be up front with her. “I fell asleep.”
“You must be exhausted.”
“Good thing I had the free study period to get some work done. I love you. Good night.”
“Good night, dear.” She stood and kissed my forehead. “Sleep tight.”
In my room, I lifted a finger towards my tiny stringed bulbs. They lit up, instantly giving the room a warm glow. Slipping out of my dress and into pajamas, I stacked my books on the desk. I finished my physics and read through my European literature, French, and Spanish, and completed the exercises for each course. Brushing m
y teeth and hair, I slid into the bed and pulled my down comforter over myself.
I rested uneasy, as I had since we’d moved back to LA. Images of Chase and Ivy had played through my mind each night but then they mingled with the face of the hostess from lunch.
“Good morning, sunshine,” Elizabeth called, snapping open my curtains and allowing the sun to pour into my room.
“When has anyone described me as cheery in the morning? And since when do you talk like that? The day is no more comfortable for you than it is for me.”
“Believe me, I would much prefer to sleep all day, probably more so than you. You are only a halfling, remember?”
“How do you do it?”
“We get up and do our jobs like everyone else. This is life. I brought you—”
I zipped to her side, leaning into the rosemary plant and inhaling its scent.
“Goodness child, the way you dart about. Your mother would reprimand you in a second.”
“Please say you made rosemary bread?”
“I did.”
Running to my desk, I turned on my phone. “Why is it five forty-five?”
“Your mother wants you at school early—”
“Let me guess. Now she wants me to spy. I can’t do anything helpful, except feed her the gossip.”
“Trailing rogue vampires is no job for a child.”
“I’m not a child.”
I whisked to the bathroom as she exited my room. Jumping to my closet, I picked out a pair of black slim pants and a white t-shirt that read: Unicorns are Real. It didn’t fit with my whole serious student slash cheerleader persona, but the events of the previous day had me needing an escape.
Wearing Unicorns are Real shirt today, I texted Kaylie.
Watch out world. Back to my shorts and cami top today. Game tomorrow so will be a uniform day, she replied.
We should mash up pics with our cheer uniforms tomorrow.
Totally. Call me tonight.
Will try. You know my schedule.
Did you have your language tutor last night?
Mom let me bail. My friends thought Mother made me take Russian and had a private tutor for me. It explained my nightly sessions with Orm.
Sweet.
After snatching a pair of black high tops from my shoe rack and a sweater to hide my tee, I made my way to the kitchen. Mother looked up from her coffee and paper. “Good morning. Thank you for getting up early.”
“It’s fine. I hardly get to see Sophie, so it will give us time to chat.”
“It’s nice you made a friend.”
I kissed her cheek and slid into the bar seat beside her. “Any more news this morning? Did they find the vampire?”
“No.” She sighed. “We’ll be working on it all day. I have a council meeting tonight.”
“Third Thursday of the month. So, I get dinner with Orm and Elizabeth and can catch up on my sleep.”
“Yes, and you need to make up for yesterday’s short lesson with Orm. He will deliver your lunch to school.”
“What? No. I’ll take some meat, cheese, and bread with me.”
“That is your choice. But no straying from campus until this vampire is apprehended.”
“Got it,” I confirmed as Elizabeth lowered a plate of rosemary bread and berries in front of me. She set a glass of fresh milk beside it.
“Thank you, Mr. Cow,” I said as I lifted the beverage to my lips.
“The delivery guy still makes strange comments every day, but he gets what we ask for, so I nod and smile.”
Finishing my fruit, I stashed a bag of nuts and an apple in my pack. Walking to my room to brush my teeth, I slipped into Orm’s study. I put the most worn book to my nose. Orm’s scent permeated the cover, and I tucked it in my bag. I wanted to keep tabs on the investigation, and the best way to spy on him would be to do a locator spell. After freshening up, I met Orm in the lobby. We made our way down to the garage, and I slid in the back seat and closed my eyes.
“Taking every opportunity to catch up on sleep are we?” Orm asked as we reached the school.
“Do you really think this vampire is a threat to me?”
“If he is very old, then yes.”
“Why would an old vampire risk getting caught?” I wondered out loud.
“He, or she, may have nothing else to live for. A thousand years is a very long time.”
“But younger vampires have stronger impulses, it makes more sense.”
“We can’t be too careful until we know.” Orm parked beside the curb.
“And I’d look like good vampire bait because…?”
“My senses are not that acute, but Elizabeth reminds me you smell of honey and wild grass.”
“Well, thanks for that, I thought I smelled like me. Ugh, the front hall with Hannah and Melody, here I come.” I slipped my shades over my eyes, reminding myself of the goals for the day. As it was, they were piling up. Spying for Mother took top priority. Also, I wanted to start investigating whether my 1999 summer solstice birthdate held any significance. Hoping following Orm that afternoon might offer some clues, I patted my bag with his book inside, unbuttoned and stripped off my sweater as I exited the car.
“Nice shirt. See you at five, Alena.”
“Thanks. You won’t tell Mother, right?” I lowered my glasses, shooting him by best puppy dog look.
“Your secret is safe with me.” He winked.
Dodging students on the sidewalk, I found Sophie in the front hall. “You’re early!” She squeezed my hand. I flinched, and she let go. “Sorry.”
“No worries. What’s up?” I asked.
“Everyone’s freaked out about the murder.”
“Tell me about it. I ate there yesterday. That girl showed me to my table.” My shoulders shuddered.
“No way. Are you okay?”
“Well, I’m wearing a unicorn shirt, that about says it all.”
“I’m guessing you’re staying on campus for lunch.”
“Definitely.” I fit my hair behind my ears to pick up the conversation in the hall.
“On a happier note, there’s a party at Hannah’s tomorrow after the game. If you wanted to sleep over, we could go for a while.”
“I’d like that.” My mind raced, wondering if Mother would let me. I’d hung out at Sophie’s place. Maybe Orm scouted them out already. She’d let me spend the night at Kaylie’s after meeting her parents. I hoped there didn’t have to be a parent meet-up this time.
“Okay, so we should go shopping for outfits. Want to go after school tomorrow?”
“Yeah, that sounds good.” Mother hadn’t allowed me to attend a teen party yet. I prayed she’d change her mind. To be honest, I couldn’t imagine liking the gatherings, especially with the noise level and the smell of people packed into a small space. But, I needed to blend in more than ever.
The scent of Nick’s cologne wafted to me, and he appeared in front of us seconds later. “Hi, Alena. Hi, Sophie.” He waved to Sophie, his eyes fixed on me. “Did you finish your homework?”
“Yeah. How about you?”
“Yep. Got it right here.” He slapped his backpack.
“Nick.” Hannah called from over my shoulder. “Come here, I have party invites for you to hand out.”
“Duty calls.” Nick pointed over my head. “See ya in class.”
“Okay.” I nodded to him, hoping he wasn’t going to be a problem. If he liked me, I could do what I always did, make up a fake boyfriend from my last city. Maybe we’d be spared the awkwardness and keep things at the friend stage. I liked having guy friends.
The bell rang, and Sophie wrapped an arm halfway around my back. She dropped her hand to her side. “Okay.” She forced a smile. “I’ll text you.”
“Okay.” I smiled and waved at her. I liked hugs and would probably be an affectionate person, if allowed. But with a body temperature of one hundred three degrees, I couldn’t afford much human contact. At least my hybrid makeup held me to one hundred three, a fu
ll vampire heated to one hundred six.
Focus, Alena. I brought myself back and, listening out for any theories on the murder, made my way to European Literature. I found Nick in the same desk as the previous day.
“I saved you a seat.”
“Thanks.” I took the chair behind him.
“Hey, are you going to Hannah’s party tomorrow night?”
“Maybe. I still have to ask my mom.”
“Cool.”
As the instructor assigned our first project, my brain’s gears started turning. We were to choose a topic and investigate the theme in different pieces of European literature and history texts. I couldn’t have designed a better excuse to research witches. As soon as he released us to work on our own, I pulled out my laptop and did a web search. Making a list of European books featuring witches, I also found the location of the public library.
The bell rang, and I jumped from my seat, wishing I could use my witchy powers to speed the hours. Alas, to my knowledge, no being could skip time. Nick trailed behind me, and I reminded myself to move at human pace.
“That sounds like a doozy of a project. What’s your idea?”
“It seems kind of fringe for a history class. But I thought I’d focus on witches.”
“Really? I’d figured you for a historical romance girl, maybe like Guinevere or Anne Boleyn.”
I spun to face him. “Have you ever talked to me before yesterday?”
His face turned beet red, making his blue eyes seem an even deeper blue. His light eyelashes fluttered. “I guess not.”
“Sorry. Was that mean?”
He looked at his feet and then back at me. His shoulders rose and fell. “I didn’t mean to offend you. Most girls on the cheer squad aren’t into any counter culture stuff.”
We reached our calculus class. I turned to face him, rolling my eyes for effect. “It’s not like I’m going to start dressing in all black and telling fortunes.”
“Yeah, Hannah would flip out if one of her—”
I lifted my shoulders and set one hand on my hip. My eyes bore into his.
“Whoa, I am clearly digging myself in deeper here.” He ran his fingers through his golden hair.
“I’m going to take a break.” I pointed to the restroom across the hall.
The Kingdom Journals Complete Series Box Set Page 4