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

by Jonathan Yanez

  In the far corner of Edison’s lab, a series of steel chains had been anchored into the floor, walls, and ground. A black beast—part man, part wolf—strained against his bonds. The werewolf was not as large as Aareth, but the way he pulled on the bonds around his wrists and legs until he started bleeding showed he was no less aggressive.

  Croft stood in front of the beast with her wand. A dull yellow light glowed from the tip. A circular mirror showing a large full moon levitated in the air above Croft. It was clear she was using some kind of spell, but exactly what kind was lost on Sloan.

  “I told her we should wait,” Edison whispered to Sloan, “but she was insistent we turn him now. She opened a window into the past. Once Jaxon saw the moon, he turned.”

  “When you’re finished tattletailing on me, you can be of some actual use,” Croft said. She brought her wand down. The spell conjuring the full moon dissipated into the air like a light mist. “I’ve done my part, and now it’s time for you two to do yours.”

  Croft turned from the raging beast. The werewolf snarled at her, lunging forward and snapping his salivating jaws inches from her face. Croft didn’t even flinch. Instead, she made her way past Edison and Sloan.

  “Easy there … easy, big guy, I know your body is going through some changes right now, but it’s expected by someone your age.” Edison ran to Jaxon, talking in a soft voice and open, nonthreatening hands. “I know your hormones are raging and you feel strange in your own skin, but this is normal.”

  Sloan couldn’t believe her eyes. Not that Croft had changed the werewolf, but that she had done so without telling Sloan, and now she was just going to leave a distressed human being in her wake.

  “Thanks for the head’s up.” Sloan clenched her fists by her hips. “You could have told me what you were planning. And what, now you’re just going to leave? You have a responsibility to Jaxon. You can’t just transform him into a werewolf and disappear.”

  “I’ve done my part.” Croft hesitated by the door leading from the laboratory. “You’re the one with all the experience with werewolves. Edison has studied them before. And he needed to be changed now. The more werewolves and vampires we have on our side when the fighting happens, the better chance we have at survival.”

  “You sound like your sister.” Sloan should have kept the words down, but it was the truth. “Leah wanted to create super soldiers to fight her war. You can throw Eleanor’s name in there, too.”

  Something like anger passed over Croft’s eyes. She shook her head, skewering Sloan with a menacing glare. For a moment, Sloan even thought the witch would reach for her wand, but she didn’t.

  “For your sake, be glad I am nothing like my sisters.” Croft paused in the harsh noise of the werewolf letting out a particularly ferocious roar. “I’m preparing to fight monsters when they come to our home. I suggest you do the same.”

  “Just, in the process, don’t become the monster you are trying to defeat.” Sloan took a deep breath, calming herself from the anger she felt. “Go and take care of your daughter. I’ll handle this.”

  Croft nodded. With a swirl of her cloak, she left.

  As Croft’s tall figure disappeared, Elwood’s stout gnomish frame appeared. His tiny legs were pumping furiously. He wore tiny boots, with blue pants and a red shirt. A red cap was placed tightly on his thick head. He stopped for a moment and gave Sloan a salute before continuing on to Edison’s side.

  “My God man, what took you so long?” Edison asked, tapping his right pointer finger to his chin. He eyed his helper with a serious stare. “Do I even want to know?”

  Elwood lost no time in chattering away in his native tongue that only Edison understood. To Sloan, it sounded like a high-pitched, excited volley of mostly short words.

  “No.” Edison cut off Elwood with an extended hand. “That’s enough. That’s also disgusting. You should go get yourself checked out. That’s not normal.”

  Elwood was pantomiming gestures that made Sloan grimace. The gnome was waving a hand back and forth behind his rear end like he was ushering away a bad smell. He continued to talk, while shaking his head and grimacing.

  “No, what?” Edison looked at Sloan with an expression like he had tasted something horrible. “You’re lucky you can’t hear this. I feel sick.”

  Elwood continued on in his high-pitched gibberish. The sound he made contrasted Jaxon’s snarls perfectly.

  “Okay, okay enough. If you haven’t noticed”—Edison pointed to Jaxon—“we have a bigger situation here. Well, maybe not bigger by the way you’re describing, it but more important. I need meat, tranquilizers, and a teddy.”

  Elwood went to work. His abilities as a conjuring gnome meant he was able to reach behind his back and create anything that would fit into one of his small hands. As quickly as Edison spoke the items, Elwood reached behind him and brought them forward.

  In a few seconds, he was holding a raw steak in his right hand, and a bottle of pills and a teddy bear in his left. The gnome looked at the teddy bear and raised an eyebrow at Edison.

  “Everybody feels better with a teddy.” Edison took the meat and tranquilizers from Elwood and began preparing the dosage. “Don’t judge me.”

  Sloan ignored the circus going on between the inventor and the gnome. While they prepared the medication, Sloan took time to think back on her dealings with Aareth when he had first turned. He had always been inside, he’d just needed time to learn how to tame his beast. He had told her the most difficult part was learning that this animal was part of him now. When he had learned to coexist with it, instead of fighting it, he was able to control it.

  “Jaxon.” Sloan stepped forward with her arms out in front of her. As she strode forth, she maintained eye contact with the beast. “I’m Sloan. I was with Aareth with when he changed. I can tell you what he would say if he was here.”

  Jaxon’s manic roars subsided for the time being. He went down on all fours, eyeing Sloan with a curious stare. The deep rumbling coming from his chest didn’t stop. He looked like he was a coiled spring ready to be released at any moment.

  “Aareth would tell you to be strong. He’d say that he understands fighting what you are now is pointless. Just accept that you’re different. It may not happen overnight, but you’ll get the hang of this. Rest in the comfort that you will be able to coexist with this gift you’ve been given. You’re among friends. The chains are only here for the time being to stop you from injuring anyone.”

  Edison handed Sloan the meat.

  She waved it away.

  Elwood handed her the teddy.

  She waved it away as well.

  Jaxon was down on all fours, still eyeing Sloan. He wasn’t taut, ready to spring anymore, and heavy breathing instead of snarls came from his maw.

  “Easy friend.” Sloan positioned herself next to Jaxon on the ground. She remembered being bitten by Aareth the first night he had transformed into the werewolf. She was faster now, though, and trusted she would be able to dodge the attack if it came. “We’re going to get through this together. Just don’t bite me.”

  Chapter Eight

  Jack

  “And you’re just going to magic yourself a pair of speed boots?” Aareth looked at him with a raised eyebrow. “You can ride on my back if you want.”

  “Or I can carry you through the air.” Kimberly extended the long, grey wings that were folded on her back. “Cherub told me she carried you to Azra when you escaped from New Hope.”

  “I’m okay, guys, really.” Jack shuddered, remembering his trip through the night air with Cherub. It had been one of the most exhilarating and frightening experiences of his life. Jack drew the wand he had holstered at his side. A green light lit up his wand and the night around them. “I’ve got this.”

  The darkness was cool. In light of the coming war, the road from Azra to New Hope had been uncharacteristically quiet. Behind them, the faint image of the Azra walls rose up from the dark like a beached whale. In front of them, the
landscape started to change from sandy dunes to rolling, grassy plains.

  Jack concentrated touching his wand to each of his feet and silently reciting the spell. If all went as planned, he would be able to keep up with Aareth and Kimberly. Although Jack’s time had been brief at Azra, he had asked Croft access to her books. There, he had found what he needed, and the spell was called The Speed of Grenfell.

  Created by a sorceress long ago, it would add swiftness to the user’s boots. Jack would still exert the same amount of energy as he would when he was walking, but now his legs would be running with mage power added to his every step. He didn’t know how long he could keep up the pace, but having his father in mind would give him the strength he needed to push on.

  Jack holstered his wand and looked down at the bottoms of his glowing boots. A green light emanated from the soles of his shoes.

  “All right.” Jack shouldered his pack. He looked over at Aareth. “Your turn.”

  “He’s going to be in the nude when he reverts back to human form.” Kimberly shook her head. “Maybe you should undress yourself first and save your clothing so when you do turn back into a human, you have something to hide your shame with.”

  “Please, you love my shame.” Aareth shrugged off his long jacket and took off his boots. “Turn around, this isn’t a show.”

  Jack did as he was asked, turning forward and looking down the dirt road that would take them back to the battle of the mage engine. He had no desire to see Aareth as naked as the day he was born.

  “Why? Are you ashamed?” Kimberly asked in a tone that sounded genuinely interested.

  “It’s just chilly out here,” Aareth said.

  Jack could hear the sound of Aareth dropping his pants.

  “That sounds like an excuse.” Kimberly finally joined Jack with her back turned to Aareth. “He’s as shy as a young gargoyle maiden.”

  The next sounds were noises of moans and grunts behind Jack, soon turning into growls and heavy panting. Jack and Kimberly turned around together to see a hulking figure out of a nightmare. Aareth was standing on two legs, his body a mass of muscle under a coat of black hair. He was one part man, one part wolf.

  He grinned at the two and winked. Falling to all fours, he pushed his pile of clothing toward Kimberly.

  “Yes, yes.” Kimberly gathered the bundle of clothing and placed it into a satchel she wore around her shoulder. “Anything to cover your shame.”

  “All right.” Jack was still marveling at Aareth’s transformation, but he understood their time was short. The trail of their prey was already beyond cold. It would take a miracle to pick up the werewolves’ trail now, but pick it up they must. “Let’s go.”

  Jack started off at a light jog. The boots underneath his feet now imbued with the spell felt like springs pushing him forward; every step he took was ten times more powerful than he would have been without the aid of the magical spell that propelled him forward. The hardest part was keeping his balance as he flew across the landscape, though in the dark it was difficult to see where he was placing each foot.

  Two other noises penetrated the night around Jack: Aareth’s heavy breathing as the lupine creature bounded next to him on all fours, and the flapping of massive leathery wings as Kimberly flew overhead.

  The three unlikely traveling companions charged across the path. Those travelers they did pass were already camped for the night, their sites marked by off-road flickering fires and faint voices.

  To Jack’s knowledge, none of these travelers witnessed them pass or, if they did, they didn’t believe what they saw and chose to remain quiet. After all, if they actually had witnessed a dark wolf creature, a monster in the air, and a man with green feet traveling past them, would they say?

  Over the next few hours, fatigue began to set in. Even with the aid of the speed spell, Jack could feel his calves and legs begin to cramp. They had covered miles of the terrain and were close to reaching the site where the battle around the mage engine had taken place, when the sun began to rise.

  Kimberly came down in front of them, calling a halt to their progress. She landed heavily on the dirt path. A cloud of dust kicked up on the trail, showering Jack and Aareth.

  Jack nearly collided with her. Aareth came to a halt, his large, pink tongue lolling out from the left side of his mouth.

  “We’re nearly there.” Kimberly reached into her satchel and handed Aareth his clothing. She pulled out the long, white robe with the Azra crest on it to cover herself from the sun. “The place where the battle was fought is only a mile away. I spotted it from the sky. But I must go the rest of the way on foot.”

  “Because of the sun?” Jack wiped sweat from his face. He took out his wand and tapped the soles of his boots. The green glow around them disappeared without sound. “You’ll turn to stone?”

  “That is correct.” Kimberly draped the massive robe over her head and wings that were now folded on her back. “I’ll only turn to stone in direct sunlight. I turn back as soon as I’m in shade again. It’s not too bad if a hand or a foot touches the rays, but if I’m caught in the sun, I’m done for.”

  “Okay, I guess we can walk the last mile. It’s probably a good idea anyway to make sure we don’t pass over any clues.” Jack turned to Aareth for a consensus. As soon as his gaze shifted toward Aareth, he immediately closed his eyes. Aareth was buck naked, still transitioning from his beast form back to a man. He was in a weird phase of change now where his head was human but his chest was still black and hairy.

  “Oh, come on.” Jack shook his head, trying to forget what he had just seen. “Some kind of heads-up would be nice. “We need a safe word or something.”

  “Hide your shame, beast man.” Kimberly threw Aareth his clothes from the satchel that hung at her side. “No one wants to see that.”

  “Hold onto your pants.” Aareth grabbed the clothes Kimberly had thrown to him. “You two act like you’ve never seen anyone naked before.”

  As soon as Aareth had changed, the trio continued on their way. It was a good thing Kimberly had called a halt to their run when she did. There were already clues showing up all around them: churned dirt and broken blades of grass, discarded weapons and soldiers’ paraphernalia.

  Jack rubbed at his tired eyes. The run had taken more out of him than he realized. But he needed to push on as long as he could. His father needed him, if it was his father at all.

  The trio of trackers reached the battleground together. The scene was a mess of broken vampire bodies and destroyed tents. It seemed where the guards of Azra had taken back their dead, the New Hope regime had not felt the same need.

  The stench that wafted made Jack gag. Dead, bloated bodies stared with unseeing eyes into the morning sky.

  “The monsters don’t even bury their dead,” Kimberly said through clenched teeth. “They deserve a burial like anyone else.”

  “Why?” Aareth asked over to their left. “They’re dead, they’re gone. Life’s been taken from these men and women; their bodies are only empty husks now.”

  “It’s the honorable thing to do.” Kimberly stared at the bodies through saddened eyes. “Their families deserve to know what happened to them, where they died, that they were put into the ground instead of laid out for the birds to tear apart.”

  Jack felt torn in both directions. Once Kimberly had mentioned the birds, he started to take notice. Crows were beginning to gather, plucking at blue lips and ripe eyes.

  Jack was saved from thinking more on the dilemma by the tracks he found in front of him. As Aareth and Kimberly’s debate faded into the background, Jack concentrated on tracking. Boot prints and unicorn hooves were everywhere. Making sense of a battle like this with tracks alone would have been nearly impossible. Jack was lucky he had actually been there, to help decipher what he read on the ground.

  Out of the dozen of werewolf prints, one in particular stood out to Jack. It was only slightly larger than the rest, but it was heavier; it pressed into the ground and s
oftened the grass with greater force. Jack leaned down and picked up a white hair from one of the heavier tracks. It had to be his father. The white wolf was the one he had been drawn to.

  The heavier tracks ran to the east and disappeared near a hard patch of ground a few hundred yards from the battlefield. Jack called on his years of experience gained while tracking in the Outland with his father. To the south lay Azra and the coast. To the west, the coastline traveled up toward New Hope and the mountains beyond. North was the way back to New Hope, but east … east led back to Term and the forests that surrounded it.

  Chapter Nine

  Sloan

  “I just don’t want you to be disappointed if you’re wrong.” Sloan shook her head, trying to find the words to express her feelings. Why was this so hard for her? Why couldn’t she just say what she felt?

  “How many sabertooth shifters can there be?” Kade propped up his head with his hands, elbows on the table. He looked like he hadn’t slept all night. “But what if I’m wrong? What are the odds that my brother and sister have survived in New Hope all these years?”

  “I don’t know. I can go and find out for you, if you’d like.”

  “No, I should do it. I need to do it myself. I’m acting like such a pansy right now.”

  “You’re not. This is a big deal. I understand the letdown you’ll feel if it’s not them. I heard they’ve been meeting with Theo and Cherub since they got back. They’re sharing with the Azra leaders information they’ve gathered in New Hope.”

  “When I first heard two sabertooth shifters escaped from New Hope, I froze.” Kade ran his hands through his golden brown hair. “I just need to go see. It’s like pulling off a band aid right? The sooner I get it over with, the better.”

  “Your brother and sister were taken from you at a young age.” Sloan took his left hand in her own. “Will you remember them?”