The Complete Vampire Project Series: (Books 1 - 5)

by Jonathan Yanez

  A wave of numbness washed over Sloan as she listened to the words on the other side of the door. Her mouth dropped open like it had a mind of its own and realized that falling open was the most appropriate action for the moment. Croft, Leah, and Eleanor were all sisters? How could Sloan not have realized that before? It was all there. Sloan had been too preoccupied on Croft being Abigail and Elizabeth’s mother that she missed the truth staring her right in the face.

  “Hey, you! What are you doing over there?”

  Chapter Eighteen

  Sloan

  Two Azra guards turned the corner to find Sloan crouched down beside the door. The game was up. Sloan had to make a lightning fast decision. Running would be pointless; they had already seen her and it wasn’t like she had anywhere to go. Fighting the guards would lead to their serious injury and shatter any alliance with the Azra people.

  So Sloan did the only thing she could think of: She grabbed the doorknob and twisted. It was locked, of course, but the bolt was no match for Sloan’s vampire strength. With a thick snap, Sloan walked into the room.

  “Hey, stop right there!” the guards shouted behind Sloan as they pounded down the hall. “You can’t go in there!”

  Sloan walked into the room where Theo stood up, brown eyes wild. His hunched form and wide mouth told Sloan he was prepared to shift at a moment’s notice. Croft leaned against a bookshelf, her yellow magic already alive and glowing in her hands.

  When she saw it was Sloan walking into the room, she allowed the magic to dissipate. For the first time she let weariness spread across her strong features. “Well, I guess our secret’s out of the bag.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me from the beginning?” Sloan looked from Theo to Croft. “I knew Theo was hiding something, but I never expected this.”

  The guards who had discovered Sloan were already in the doorway, their axes brandished in front of them. They looked from Croft to Sloan and back again, waiting for direction.

  “You can go.” Croft waved them away. “I’ll take it from here.”

  Without question, the guards turned to one another, then left the room.

  “You too, Theo.” Croft looked over at the stand-in governor. “Unless we plan to kill Sloan, there is no reason for anything but the truth, going forward. And if you turn into a bear in my office again, I’m going to kill you myself. There was so much hair last time.”

  Theo straightened his stance and closed his mouth. “Understood.”

  “In fact, if you can give us some privacy, Theo.” Croft walked over to a leather-bound chair in the corner of the room and took a seat. “I think this is going to take some time.”

  “Are you sure?” For the first time since meeting the shifter, Theo looked at Sloan with anything but kind eyes. “Maybe I should stay, too—”

  “Leave.” Croft didn’t look at him as she gave the order. Her eyes were on Sloan. “And make sure we’re not disturbed. I hate being disturbed.”

  Thus far, Sloan had remained quiet. Her mind was still reeling with the information she had discovered. If Croft was a sister to Queen Eleanor and Leah Noble, did that mean she was aligned with them as well?

  There was a dull thud as Theo closed the broken door behind him.

  “Well, you might want to take a seat for this.” Croft extended a hand as she crossed her slender legs. “It’s a long story.”

  “I’m fine standing.” Sloan raised her eyebrow. “And I like stories. Start from the beginning—the very beginning—and don’t leave anything out.”

  “Suit yourself.” Croft cleared her throat and began. “There were four of us. Born in New Hope to a wealthy family, we had everything we could have wanted. I had two older sisters and one younger brother. Eleanor and Leah were always close. My younger brother and I were more of the introverts.

  “Our parents were kind without being loving, if that makes any sense. We had everything we could ever have wanted, but at times, I wondered if we were produced to simply carry on the Eckert family name. After all, they stopped as soon as my brother was born and they had their male heir.

  “It was while we were in our teens that Leah and I discovered we had the ability over magic. We inherited it on our father’s side. He was ashamed of the trait, didn’t practice and forbade us to learn and harness our power. Well, I guess it’s safe to say Leah and I didn’t follow his advice.

  “Over the years, Leah and I both practiced our magic, mostly separately. Leah was always a cruel child and had spent her time experimenting with her magic on insects and animals. I was happy to lift myself into the air or pick flowers with my mind. I regret those years of leisure now. If I had been smart, I would have started to train then.

  “As we entered our college-age years and our twenties, we began settling into our desired roles in life. Despite my father’s and mother’s desperate attempts to get my brother to make a run at politics, he removed himself from the family. They always placed a tremendous amount of pressure on him being the only boy among us. They wanted him to one day be the King of New Hope.

  “I was the only one who saw it coming. He told me he was going to leave. He was going to pick up and just go somewhere far away where no one knew him and he could be his own man. I was sad, but I understood.

  “My parents took it hard. My father was involved in a fatal accident, and my mother drank herself to an early grave. Eleanor took it upon herself to continue the family name, so she abandoned everything from relationships to family in her quest.

  “Leah was her little sidekick. When Eleanor was running for her position as queen, Leah changed her last name. It wouldn’t do to have the sister of the soon-to-be-queen of New Hope involved with magic. Likewise, I was asked to leave or change my name.”

  “You chose to go,” Sloan said, nodding along with Croft’s words as she guessed the rest of the tale. “You left for Burrow Den, met Elijah and started a family.”

  “Well, yes, I guess that’s the simple version.” Croft was looking at Sloan, but her gaze was a million miles away. “A lot had happened to me from leaving New Hope to settling down in Burrow Den, but that’s a story for another time. What you need to know is that I was running away from a family problem, one I should have dealt with before starting a family of my own. When I found out what my sisters were up to, I knew that to save my daughters, I would have to leave them and prepare for the fight that now knocks on our door.”

  Sloan’s mind reeled with all of the implications of what Croft being an Eckert actually meant. “What about your brother?” Sloan asked.

  “I never heard from him.” Croft shrugged. “Wherever he is, I hope he’s far away from this mess, able to live his own life and start his own family in peace.”

  “Why didn’t you just tell me the truth from the beginning?” Sloan folded her arms over her chest, finding herself more upset than she thought as memories of the queen’s lies and her betrayal swam to the surface.

  “Would you have listened to me?” The left side of Croft’s mouth twitched in an almost-smile. “If I told you I was an Eckert sister and mother to Abigail and Elizabeth, you would have called me a liar. You would have walked out on my proposal to fight as allies.”

  “You have a point there.” Sloan was about to open her mouth to ask another question, when Croft interrupted.

  “No, I don’t believe Eleanor knows who my daughters are, but I have a suspicion Leah does.” Croft’s brow furrowed in a combination of worry and anger. “As part of the magical realm, those of us who have dedicated our lives to our craft can sense certain things. I believe Leah has sensed that Elizabeth is my daughter, and thus Abigail is, as well.”

  “That’s important to know.” Sloan leaned forward. “But that’s not what I was going to ask. Why did Theo call you ‘governess’?”

  “Well, I guess you heard more than I thought.” Croft stood, signaling a close to their conversation. “Theo and the council who rule the city are only a puppet government I’ve used to control things from th
e shadows. You can imagine what the people of Azra would think if they found out a witch was ruling the city. Too many questions would arise. Eventually, word would be out as to who my relatives are and well … people here aren’t fond of the queen, if you hadn’t noticed.”

  Sloan nodded along with all of Croft’s words. Everything she said made sense. Although Sloan hated being lied to and would have much rather the Eckert sister have been honest with her from the beginning, she understood why the witch had chosen this certain path to follow.

  “I’ll take your silence for anger.” Croft walked to the door and turned the broken handle, allowing it to swing open. The handle came off in her hand. She looked down at the brass knob with regret. “I’m assuming you’ll want to leave now. It’s a shame; we would have had a real chance with you as an ally.”

  “Who said I was going anywhere?” Sloan placed her hands on her hips. “You should have told me the truth from the beginning. But with that said, you’re right. I don’t know how I would have taken it. I may have walked out on you. But we can’t change the past. I’m here now. Look me in the eyes and tell me there will be no more lies between us.”

  Croft stood stunned. It was obvious the witch had thought Sloan would walk out on her after the conversation. Her mindset didn’t allow for such grace in the moment.

  “I swear there will be no more lies between us.” Croft looked Sloan dead in the eye. “We share a common enemy, and united, we have a chance. Not a great chance, but still a chance to take her down.”

  “Okay, then.” Sloan bit her lower lip, deciding to trust Croft at least one more time. “Let’s look at this list of soldiers you have who volunteered to be transitioned into vampires. I’ll need a strong squad if we’re going to have a chance.”

  Chapter Nineteen

  Sloan

  “Tell me you’re joking.” Sloan looked over to Kade, who stood beside Aareth in the laboratory. He still moved gingerly, the lump of white gauze showing through his cream-colored shirt. “And you should be getting some rest.”

  “He’s not joking.” Kade grimaced in discomfort as he propped himself against a stainless steel table. “And I’ve already spent a day in bed. I’m going to go crazy if you leave me alone for another twenty-four hours. I need to be out and doing something. I’m not a domesticated shifter, if you haven’t noticed.”

  Sloan rolled her eyes. She wasn’t going to get anywhere arguing with Kade. He was a grown man and would make his own decisions. Aareth, on the other hand, wasn’t thinking straight. He was still reeling from the loss of his wife and the newfound knowledge that he had lost an unborn child.

  “You’re giving every single one of them the bite?” Sloan threw her own stack of files on the table next to Aareth’s. The two had taken the afternoon to go through the recommended Azra candidates. “I haven’t found anyone in my files remotely sane. They’re all either hungry for power or driven to accept the bite out of desperation to stem the coming tide.”

  “Isn’t that enough?” Aareth crossed his arms over his chest. “You and I would do the same if it meant protecting the people we love.”

  “These people aren’t thinking straight.” Sloan shook her head. “They don’t understand the sacrifice, the consequences that will follow.”

  Sloan found herself in a familiar position. She and Aareth were at it again, both headstrong and stubborn.

  “I don’t know, this guy doesn’t look to bad.” Kade had made his way over to Aareth’s stack of files and began leafing through one. “Jaxon Alexander, spent five years in the Azra guard. Says he has a quick temper, psych evaluation on the low end of passive-aggressive. He’s in his twenties. Sounds coach-able to me.”

  Sloan raised her eyebrow, skewering Kade with a look that would have melted ice.

  “Or not.” Kade closed the folder and put it back. “What do I know? I’m just a lowly shifter, not a super soldier or beast, like you two.”

  “It’s not your decision.” Aareth shrugged toward Sloan. “They’ll be my responsibility, not yours. I’ll keep them in line.”

  “We’re going to have a pack of unruly werewolves running around Azra if this goes wrong.” Sloan shook her head, thinking of how hard it was to get Aareth to behave and what it took for him to control the animal inside. “It’ll be on your head if they kill someone while they’re learning to harness their beast within.”

  “It’ll be on my head.” Aareth nodded over to Sloan’s stack of files, making a weak attempt at changing the subject. “So you haven’t found anyone, huh? Not a single winner in the bunch?”

  “Before I let you change the subject, at least promise me you’ll actually meet them before you decide to give them the bite.” Sloan sighed, realizing she wasn’t going to win the argument, but unwilling to concede without a fight. “If you don’t do it for yourself, do it for them. They deserve that much.”

  Aareth nodded his consent.

  “So, now that that’s settled.” Kade raised his eyebrows at Sloan with an exhale of relief. “How’re you going to break it to the powers that be here in Azra that you’re not giving any of their prescreened candidates the bite?”

  “That’s simple.” Sloan shrugged. “I’m going to be honest with them. I’m going to tell them exactly what I think. If they push back, I’ll meet with a few of their candidates, but I doubt they’re going to change my mind.”

  “I’m still trying to get over the bomb you dropped on us earlier.” Kade shoved the remains of an apple pie into his mouth. He talked around the food. “Croft is the queen’s sister?”

  Sloan looked at Kade, then to the tables around him, trying to figure out where he had gotten the piece of pie.

  “Did you just pull that pie out of your pocket?” Aareth was smiling—a rare event. “I swear I just saw you take that out of your front pants pocket.”

  “What? You guys don’t have pocket pie in New Hope?” Kade took another bite of the crumbling mess in his hand. “Elwood hooks me up with his little conjuring trick whenever I’m running low. I can share if you guys want some.”

  “Did you just say ‘pocket pie’?” Sloan extended a hand, waving the offer away. “I don’t know how you stay in shape with what you eat.”

  “Oh, not you, too.” Kade shook his head. “I have a fast metabolism. All the shifting tires out a sabertooth. I need to keep up my carb intake.”

  “You know, I like you.” Sloan realized she was grinning from ear to ear. Despite how ridiculous Kade was, it was hard not to laugh. Whether he was doing it to lighten the mood or not really didn’t matter. “But that’s disgusting.”

  “If by ‘disgusting,’ you mean ‘delicious’”—Kade offered the piece of pie to Aareth—“well then, yes, it’s disgusting.”

  “Oh, what the heck.” Aareth waved over Kade. “I’m hungry and stressed. I deserve a bite.”

  “That’s a good wolf.” Kade offered his sticky mess of apple and crumb goodness to Aareth.

  Aareth took a large bite right out of Kade’s hand, laughing as he did.

  “You two belong together.” Sloan’s laughter filled the room.

  “It’s … it’s actually not that bad.” Aareth laughed out loud. “That little gnome knows how to conjure some pie.”

  “Come on.” Kade extended the last bite of mess in his hand to Sloan. “Your mouth is saying no, but your eyes are saying yes.”

  “Oh, my gosh.” Sloan was crying. “I have a feeling that’s not the first time you’ve used that on a girl.”

  “Come on, give into peer pressure. You know you want to.” Kade took a step forward, stretching his hand out toward Sloan.

  Kimberly walked in at that moment. The gargoyle looked from Aareth’s pie-stained face to Kade’s messy hand and Sloan’s hysteria.

  “You humans are morons.” Kimberly rolled her grey eyes. “I don’t even want to know what barbaric ritual is taking place here. Croft says to get ready. She’s taken the lead on scheduling a few interviews for Sloan.”

  Chapte
r Twenty

  Leah

  It was time. Leah always knew the day would come. When and how it would transpire were always thoughts better left for another time, but today was that day. No more wondering; all of the questions were answered. Before it could be done, however, loose ends had to be addressed.

  Leah found herself in front of the door of her sister’s treasurer, Fenrick Trillion. Fenrick’s true loyalties to first the Order under Doctor Livingston and then the New Order under Saber Hyde were well known to both Leah and her sister. They had decided to keep him around until they no longer needed him, and as far as Leah Noble was concerned, his usefulness had finally run its course.

  Soon events would unfold that would not hinge on any information he could give them. They’d had him followed for the last year, and now it was time for Fenrick to serve his last piece of worth to the crown.

  Leah knocked softly on his door. The hour was late, and if she’d timed it right, she would be catching him just before bed. An excited shudder ran down Leah’s spine. All of her work had led up to this night.

  The door opened a moment later and Fenrick’s weasel-like face poked out. His eyes widened as he took in Leah’s frame outside of his door.

  “Leah, to what do I owe the pleasure at this late hour?” Fenrick tried to keep his face cordial, but Leah could see the fear etched along the edges of his eyes. “Is everything all right?”

  “Yes and no.” Leah struck out with her right hand so quickly, Fenrick never saw it coming. She channeled her purple magic into her fist, creating a six-inch magical dagger. Every inch penetrated the soft part of Fenrick’s stomach. “Yes, I’m doing wonderful, and no, the future does not look so … lively for you.”