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

Page 68

by Jonathan Yanez


  There was a quick knock before two Azra guards robed in the white-and-gold uniforms of their city rushed in.

  “We’re fine.” Croft lifted a hand to them without even looking at them. “Leave us.”

  Without a word, the two guards obeyed, retracing their steps back out of the room. The door closed behind them.

  “Leah has twisted your mind to believe that Abigail totally up and left you behind without a thought. But really, think about that, Elizabeth. Your sister loves you and has watched over you for years. She left the dungeon that day in order to come up with a plan to save you. She’s the warrior she is today because she trained in New Hope, day and night, to become strong enough to save you. She never even left the city, Elizabeth.”

  “You won’t change my mind.” Elizabeth shook her head, spit still falling from her mouth and dripping onto the white floor below. “I won’t stop trying to escape.”

  “You’ll do what you must.” Croft walked toward the bars, now so close, she could reach out and touch her daughter. Everything in her wanted nothing more than to throw open the cell door and embrace her daughter, but doing that now would do Elizabeth no good. Inside her daughter, a war raged between light and dark, a war she and she alone would have to fight.

  “I hate you.” Elizabeth looked at her mother through the bars, grinding her teeth. Tears fell from her eyes. “I hate you for leaving us, for what it did to Dad, for all of this. I hate you.”

  “I know.” Croft swallowed hard, trying to fight the tears that came to her own eyes, not for the words of anger said against her, but for the amount her daughter was suffering. “But, I love you, Elizabeth. I always have, and I always will.”

  Indecision clouded Elizabeth’s eyes again, though she quickly recovered and started to scream. She rocked back and forth against the bars, trying to rip them from the ground itself.

  The screams were like a banshee wailing in the night; no words were audible, just high-pitched wails full of anger and confusion.

  Croft stood with her daughter, weathering the tirade of screams. She had left her once before, and no matter what the circumstance, she wasn’t going to leave her again.

  Chapter Five

  Jack

  “Are you sure you don’t want to bring anything with you?” Jack looked over to Aareth as the two men reached Azra’s gate. “I mean, I remember how much you eat.”

  “My taste seems to be on the rarer side these days.” Aareth ran a tongue over his teeth. “I’ll grab a bite on the road.”

  “That’s kind of cool and disturbing at the same time.” Jack looked Aareth up and down. “When you change, does it hurt?”

  “Every time.” Aareth avoided Jack’s line of sight.

  Jack let go of the line of questioning. The werewolf and the wizard reached the city entrance. Already the scene at the gates was vastly different from what Jack had remembered when he’d first arrived at Azra, before there had been a handful of guards patrolling the city’s defenses. Back then, there had been a large set of wooden double doors that led in and out of the city, and a guardhouse just inside the gate staffed with a pair of Azra guards.

  Now, the front of Azra looked like a military bulwark where dozens of guards stood sentry along the walls. Bright torches and braziers lit with flame cast their light on racks of arrows, crates of heavy rocks, and jars of black tar.

  Below, the scene was much the same: guards were working overtime to fortify both the city gates and the guardhouse; hammering echoed through the city as they fit steel reinforced pieces onto the city gates.

  Jack nodded to them as he passed. They nodded back, though their grim eyes weren’t directed toward the young wizard but to the harrowing future.

  Jack and Aareth walked through the city gates, though they hadn’t traveled for more than a few yards when running footsteps could be heard coming from behind.

  Aareth’s eyes flashed a menacing yellow before he realized who was chasing them.

  “Easy,” Jack said, noticing the change in Aareth’s eyes. “It’s Abigail.”

  Abigail came to a halt in front of Jack and Aareth, breathing hard. Her chest heaved up and down in a rhythmic beat.

  “Are you okay?” Jack asked, confused. He went to Abigail and placed a hand on her arm. “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing. I know we already said goodbye, but I just wanted to see you one more time.” Abigail straightened, taking in Aareth for the first time. “Thank you for going with him.”

  Aareth nodded to Abigail. “I’ll make sure he comes back to you in once piece. I’m going to go pretend to find something interesting to look at down the path. You two take your time.”

  Jack and Abigail watched Aareth turn and walk away.

  “He’s so different now, isn’t he?” Abigail’s eyes turned to Jack. “Still sad and just as deadly, but different somehow. I’m glad he’s going with you. I mean, I know you can handle yourself, but it’s nice to have a friend. I wish I could go, too—”

  “It’s okay.” Jack lifted Abigail’s chin with his fingertips. “You don’t have to apologize again. Your sister needs you here. Trust me, I wish I could stay.”

  “Promise me you’ll be as careful as you can be.” Abigail leaned in close for a kiss. “New Hope soldiers will be traveling this way soon. Don’t get caught in their path.”

  “You know me.”

  “Yes, that’s why I’m worried.”

  Jack grinned and pressed his lips to Abigail’s. The same lightheaded feeling he got when he kissed the woman he loved descended on him now. He pulled away, resting his forehead against her own, her hot breath still warming his lips. “If I don’t go now, I’m not going to want to leave.”

  Abigail grinned and playfully pushed him away. “Go and bring your father back.”

  “I love you.” Jack smiled as he backpedaled down the path.

  “I love you, too,” Abigail responded.

  It was nearly impossible leaving her, but Jack knew he would be back. Nothing would keep him from returning to Abigail.

  He took a mental picture of her before he turned. She was perfect in every way. Standing there in the last rays of the day’s dying light, she looked like she belonged in a painting.

  Jack heaved a heavy sigh and looked down the path for Aareth. He made out Aareth’s large form standing a half-mile down the road, looking out over the dark waves that fell on the Azra shoreline.

  As Jack got closer, he realized Aareth wasn’t alone. Another even larger form had come out of the shadows. A winged figure brought back memories of the gargoyle, Cherub, but it wasn’t her voice that reached Jack as he approached.

  “The two younglings were saying their farewells when I flew over.” The female gargoyle’s voice was stern and matter-of-fact. “I didn’t want to interrupt their ritual of their flesh saying goodbye to one another.”

  “What are you talking about?” Aareth asked the woman. “’Their flesh saying goodbye’? What does that even mean?”

  “It’s a common gargoyle custom that when two younglings ripen to maturity, they engage in a fleshly bond of—”

  “I’m just going to stop you right there.” Aareth shook his head. “I don’t want to know about your ancient gargoyle customs. They were just saying goodbye, that’s all.”

  Jack cleared his throat so the two would know he was coming.

  “Jack, have you met Kimberly yet?” Aareth motioned with a thumb to the gargoyle next to him. “She was ruling Term when we got there.”

  “‘Ruling’ is a strong word.” Kimberly extended a hand to Jack.

  Jack accepted her firm handshake with a smile he wasn’t sure she would be able to make out through the dark. She was larger than he first thought. Standing directly in front of her, Jack now understood how Elwood must feel in the presence of a human.

  “It’s great to meet you.” Jack released Kimberly’s cold hand. “We were just leaving to go track down the werewolves involved in the mage engine battle.”

  �
�Yes.” Kimberly nodded along with Jack’s words. “News travels fast. I’m aware that you believe one of these creatures is your father brought back from the dead. I’ve come to offer my services. I’d like to accompany you two on your quest.”

  Jack wasn’t sure what to think. On the one hand, traveling with more members in his company was a good thing for safety, but he didn’t know Kimberly at all, though she looked like she could hold her own in a fight. Still, memories of misjudging people poked holes in his logic. He had been wrong when judging numerous people: Queen Eleanor Eckert, Elijah Ahab, Fenrick Trillion, and the list went on and on.

  “I can vouch for her, if that helps.” Aareth looked into Jack’s eyes, spotting the uncertainty. “She talks a lot about weird mating rituals, but she’s all right.”

  “I’m standing right here, Beastman.” Kimberly folded her arms over her chest. “I can hear everything you’re saying.”

  “I trust her if you do,” Jack said to Aareth.

  “Yeah, God help me. I guess I do trust her.” With a shake of his head, Aareth blew air out of his mouth. He moved down the path, leaving Jack and Kimberly in his wake. “What has this world come to? I’m traveling with a wizard and a gargoyle, hunting an undead werewolf.”

  Chapter Six

  Sloan

  “So how does this work, exactly?” Harrison squirmed uncomfortably in his seat. “Does it feel like a needle? I hate needles.”

  “It’s really not that bad.” Babs gave Harrison a reassuring smile. “When Sloan bit me before she left to fight the mage engine, it was painful but quick. It felt like being drained from your life one second, then filled in a way you never thought possible the next.”

  “I’m not sure if that makes me feel better or worse.” Pia leaned against the far wall in the living room. “But I’ll go first. I want to get this over with and move on.”

  Sloan and the four members who would make up her crack squad of vampires sat in the living space of their designated house. It was a simple two-story building with the bare furnishing essentials: tables and chairs, dishes and utensils in the drawers, but no extra decoration, nothing to make the living space homey or comfortable.

  Sloan ignored the lack of décor for the time being, with more important things to worry about than nonexistent pictures on the plain, white walls or rugs over the hardwood flooring. She sat in a large, leather chair, staring at her friends. She had turned Babs before she left, but the three escaped New Hope soldiers needed to be turned next.

  Pia stood ready, but nervous. Harrison continuously wiped his sweaty hands on his pant legs, and Doyle hadn’t said a word once they had settled into the house.

  “All right, Pia.” Sloan stood. “You can go first. If anything goes wrong, I’ll need the rest of you to pull me off, especially you, Babs.”

  “What are you talking about?” Doyle asked. He’d also stood from his seat next to Harrison. “What could go wrong?”

  It was something Sloan had debated telling the others, but if they were going to survive as one unit, there couldn’t be any secrets between them. Not now, not ever.

  “When I turned Babs, I had Aareth and Croft next to me to pull me off in case I couldn’t stop. Once the blood hits your mouth, it takes a hold on you. I wasn’t sure I’d be able to bite Babs and let go.” Sloan looked down at the floor. “If anything goes wrong, you’ll need to pull me off. Babs, mostly, since she has the strength to do that now.”

  “Nothing is going to go wrong.” Babs put a hand onto Sloan’s shoulder. “You were fine when you bit me. It took a few seconds, then it was all over.”

  “I was far from fine.” Sloan looked up into Babs’ kind eyes. “But I did it. It’s not easy. Imagine finally grabbing on to the one thing your body has been craving, and then forcing yourself to let it go a few heartbeats later.”

  “My decision still hasn’t changed.” Pia walked closer to Sloan, unbuttoning the top two buttons of her shirt. She pulled down the left side, exposing the soft skin on her neck. “Let’s do this. This needs to happen if we’re going to have a fighting chance against what’s coming.”

  Sloan took a deep breath. She searched inside for that urge she was still learning to control. It was a part of her now, something like calling that extra piece of her that lived way deep down. The closest thing Sloan could compare it to was an extra urge, a driving force of determination you needed when lifting heavy weights at the gym, or forcing yourself to do something once you were incredibly tired.

  She found that power inside now. At once, her vision reddened and the canines on the top of her mouth lengthened. Strength coursed through her body.

  Harrison’s eyes widened. Doyle and Babs took steps closer to pull her away if things didn’t go as planned.

  Sloan could hear Pia’s heart pick up in tempo. The woman was scared, but to her credit, she remained still, jaw set, although the hand pulling her shirt away from her neck was trembling.

  Just a second. You need to bite her for just a second. Sloan bent her neck and opened her mouth wide. As much as she repeated the mantra in her mind, there was another voice, one just as much herself as the other.

  Drain her. Imagine how amazing all of that blood will feel sliding down your throat. Sloan did her best to drown out this voice as her razor sharp teeth sunk into Pia’s soft skin. Feast on her. There is nothing anyone can do to stop you. You need this.

  Pia nearly stumbled, but Sloan caught her. The warm blood gushed down her throat with all the blissful sensation a dying woman would feel in finding a cold spring in the middle of a desert.

  “I think she’s had enough.” Babs put her hand on Sloan’s right shoulder. She wasn’t gentle this time. “Let her go.”

  The first thing that flashed in front of Sloan’s mind was to rip Babs’ hand off her arm. The second thought was that she was right. Mustering every ounce of willpower she possessed, Sloan forced her jaws open and took a step backwards.

  Pia wobbled on unsteady feet. Doyle and Harrison guided her to a chair where she sat, eyes wide, blood still trickling down her neck.

  “You’ll feel weak and strange at first,” Babs instructed Pia. “That will pass soon as your body accepts the change, and then it’s all uphill from there.”

  “I’ll get her a cloth for her wound,” Harrison suggested. He left the room, giving Sloan an uneasy glance.

  Sloan licked her lips, reminding herself over and over again that she was done with Pia. No matter how much her body craved the blood, she was done. She had controlled herself thanks to Babs. One down, two more to go.

  “Well, I guess I’m up next,” Doyle said, unbuttoning the top of his own shirt like Pia had before.

  Harrison reappeared with an armful of white hand towels and thick tape. “I know it’s not exactly medical tape and gauze, but it’ll have to do. I’m a bleeder.”

  Turning the two men was just as difficult as turning Pia. Both times, Babs was there to remind her when to stop. By the time everyone had been turned, Sloan was mentally exhausted. Reining herself in took more out of her, psychologically, than she realized.

  The three newest members of Sloan’s vampire squad sunk in their chairs as exhausted as Sloan. Not surprisingly, Babs was the only one energetic enough to go around and make sure no one needed anything.

  BAM! BAM! BAM!

  Sloan jolted in her seat as the heavy knocks from the front door echoed into the sparse house.

  “Sloan? Sloan, are you in there?” Edison’s familiar voice came through the door. “There’s trouble!”

  Chapter Seven

  Sloan

  Sloan was on her feet and to the door, while the others were still trying to figure out how to respond. Thoughts of something somehow having happened to Kade poured from a fear she hadn’t known existed.

  Sloan reached for the door handle and tore it open. The door had been locked, but under Sloan’s aggressive strength, the frame splintered. She peered out into the darkness. Edison stood with a hand on his chest and a fr
ightened expression on his face.

  “Wow, take it easy Hercules.” Edison was already motioning for her to follow. “Come on, I’ll explain on the way.”

  “Is Kade all right?” Sloan refused to move until she knew at least that much.

  “What? Kade?” Edison looked confused for a moment before the fog cleared from his brain. “Yes, its not Kade. It’s the new werewolf Aareth turned before he left.”

  “What’s going on?” Babs joined Sloan at the door. “Can I help?”

  “Stay here and make sure the others are recovering like they should.” Sloan chased after Edison. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

  Edison was already up the hill and traversing the training courtyard behind the capitol building when Sloan caught him. He was perspiring profusely, a worried look on his face.

  “What happened?” Sloan asked.

  “Jaxon is the werewolf Aareth had chosen to bite before the mage engine battle. He’s one of the approved Azra guards Croft and Theo had suggested. With Aareth gone, I’ve been trying to help him through the transition process.”

  “Yes, I know all of this. What’s wrong?”

  A primal howl ripped through Sloan and Edison’s conversation, the same kind of howl Sloan had heard Aareth make before he had learned to control his inner beast. It was a sound of pure rage and aggression.

  “How did he turn already?” Sloan asked as the two made it into the capitol building and ran for the lab Edison used to conduct his experiments. “It took Aareth a long time from when he was bitten to when he first made the transition.”

  “Yes, well, Croft helped with that,” Edison said.

  The vampire and the inventor finally rounded a corner and opened the door to Edison’s lab. What met her eyes terrified Sloan on numerous levels. So much was going on at once, she wasn’t sure how to react.

 

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