Blood Secrets: Part 2

Part 1: "Blood Secrets: Part 1" 

As my keen eyes darted from pale face to pale face, they seemed to consider what to do with me. At first, they charged at me one at a time. Their fists sliced through the air as they made to hit me. The rough brick of the wall scratched at my leather jacket as I sidestepped to avoid them. They were very strong, so strong I almost had a difficult time blocking their incoming blows. My extended claws slashed furiously at the three vampires and my booted feet flew through the air to kick at whatever was in reach. The fair haired one only stood back and watched. For a while I was able to fight them off, but I began to tire. Suddenly, two of them grabbed my arms and pinned them behind my back. Twisting and lurching, I tried to wrench free, but they were far too strong. The leader approached me. A crookedly sinister grin crossed his pale face.

Before he was able to say anything, an angry snarl erupted from the shadows. A blurred figure raced between us, knocking down the two vampires holding me. Three more figures hurried onto the scene, fighting furiously with the other vampires. Dark shapes blurred together as they fought, making it almost impossible to discern one body from another. While I stood watching the fight, an icy hand grabbed hold of my arm and pulled me away. As I began to struggle against this new vampire, the figure pushed me against a wall. The rough brick was incredibly uncomfortable, and the force with which I was shoved me kept me still. A striking, beautiful face glowed in the moonlight and her short, platinum blonde hair flickered in the breeze.

“Stop resisting, I’m one of the good guys,” she snarled, surprising me.

“What’s going on? Who are you?” I looked into her severe, icy blue eyes; she was still in vamp mode.

“We were tracking that group of vamps until you had to butt in. They were going to lead us to their hideout, but now that’s gone to shit. It’s hard telling whether the boys’ll take care of ‘em or not.”

She still had me pinned against the wall. I pointed to her hands, grasping my coat. “Would you mind letting me go?”

She instantly released me with cat-like reflexes. “The name’s Layla. Follow me; you’re coming with us.”

As she walked away, I held my position. The scene I had just witnessed left me feeling incredibly confused. Layla looked back in my direction and waved a slender hand for me to follow her. Should I trust her? Going with her seemed to be the better option, since there was no telling the outcome if I stayed with those other vampires. As we passed the playground, I ran to retrieve my pack. Layla stopped, looking towards downtown.

“What’s going on?” I asked, reaching her side again.

"We’re waiting. I can’t leave without the rest of my team.” Her melancholy voice rang with loyalty.

We stood there for a few minutes, watching and waiting. When I began to wonder if they were coming back at all, three figures emerged from the shadows. One was blond like Layla and one had auburn colored hair. The third and tallest figure ran in front of them wearing a long hooded coat, shielding his features from my view. As the three approached, the hooded man spoke.

“It’s time to leave now. They’ll be getting themselves up soon, and they’ll be pissed.” His voice was like black velvet; smooth and mellow. There was also an unyielding undertone that made him seem intimidating to me. He spoke with much authority; I figured he was their leader.

They ushered me ahead to a car with an enormous back seat. The two benches faced each other. I ended up next to their leader; his hood still shadowed his face. The car sped off quickly, nearly jettisoning me from my seat. They must have a driver, I thought, because the four vampires all sat in the back with me. For the longest time, they only stared. By their stiff silence, I knew they were annoyed with me. In that moment, a pin drop would have seemed like an avalanche.

“I’m sorry I ruined your night. I had no idea what was going on; I only wanted to save that woman from those vampires,” I weakly apologized as I stared at my hands and twiddled my thumbs.

Layla smiled. “That’s all right. We actually found it slightly amusing when you tried to fend all three off at once. What’s your name?”

Looking up at her and seeing a warm smile, I felt only slightly better. “E-Evelyn...Evelyn Knightly. My friends call me Evie; at least they would if I had any friends.”

She smirked, her eyes slowly shifting to a delicate green. “I already told you my name. The hot blond next to me is Chase Anderson. Next to Chase is Brian Stoker. Our proclaimed leader there is Jonathan Rigby. You can take down the hood now Jon. I don’t know why you insist on putting that hood up when we go tracking.”

I turned my head towards Jonathan, waiting for him to lower his hood. His strong hands reached up and slowly lowered it. My jaw dropped when I saw his face. He was possibly the most gorgeous man I had ever seen. His features were too perfect to be real; criminally handsome was more like it. His nearly black hair contrasted with his pale skin, and to top it off, he had the bluest eyes I’d ever seen. When he stared into my eyes with his intense gaze, I froze. He had strong, masculine features. Yet, there was an unexpected softness about his eyes that left a twisted feeling in the pit of my stomach. There was an air of authority and dignity about him in the way he carried himself. No wonder he was a sort of leader for the group. I bit my lip and wondered if he was going to say anything to me.

“So,” he began. “How old are you Evelyn?”

“Twenty-four.”

“How old are you, really? When were you turned?” He seemed to scrutinize my face as he waited for my answer.

“Twenty-four.” I slowly and nervously repeated.

The strangest look of disbelief mixed with anger twisted his handsome face. When he narrowed his eyes, it only intensified their haunting beauty. “You must be either very brave or very stupid, for a rookie to go against vampires like that.”

With a determined shake of my head I replied, “But I’m not a rookie; I’ve always been like this.”

Suddenly, every eye in the car was on me. They all wore the same bemused expression. Jonathan’s eyebrows scrunched together, unsure of what I had just told them.

“What do you mean?” Layla asked, looking the most confused.

I took a deep breath and figured it best to tell them everything. “My mother, Alaina, fell in love with a vampire while she was still human. Somehow, she got pregnant with me. She told me that strange men attacked her one night. She figured they were vampires sent to kill her. Her vampire lover turned her to save us. I was born with a slow heartbeat and acted like a normal baby, except I developed far too quickly to be human. My thirst and fangs didn’t surface until I hit about puberty.”

Layla’s voice staggered, “So, you were born a vampire?”

My shoulders shot up in a heavy shrug. “I suppose so. My mother thought that maybe I could be human but we got our answer when I was ten, when I almost bit a boy.”

Jonathan snickered, leaving no hint of his previous feelings. “You attacked another kid?”

My face scrunched in embarrassment and I turned my head to avoid their gazes. “Well, I’d always had a bit of a temper. That boy had always teased me about my fair skin, among other things. After school one day, I’d had enough. Before I knew what I was doing, I snarled and had him pinned against the building. My mother had me off him before I bit him and before anybody knew what had happened. He didn’t bother me after that; he was terrified of me.”

Their laughter filled the car, taking me off guard with its sudden intensity.

“What?” I inquired, now I was confused.

It took a couple of minutes for the laughter to die down, but their faces soon became serious again.

Jonathan scratched the back of his neck. “So what was it like?”

Still a little confused, I cocked my head. “What do you mean? You mean growing up this way?” They all nodded in unison. “It was just the norm for me. Before, when I was little, I never understood why we couldn’t be in the sun for very long. It was difficult being around other children my age after what happened with that boy. I discovered I was much stronger and faster than the other children were. So much so that I became an outsider, a freak. It was especially difficult since I couldn't turn off this icy stare. Once my baby teeth fell out, the sharp canines grew in; I can't retract them like normal vampires. Eventually, my mother had to take me out of school and teach me herself.” My head fell; thinking about my mother brought back so many memories and such sadness.

The other blonde, Chase, finally spoke up. “So what happened to your mother?”

A deep, mournful sigh escaped me. “When I was sixteen, a group of humans killed her. That’s when I left home. I’ve been on my own ever since.”

Layla reached over and set a pale hand on my knee. “You’re one of us now, so you won’t be alone anymore. We were very impressed with the way you fought off those vamps. They’re very old and experienced; you put up quite a fight.”

I smiled, picking up my head. “What exactly is up with those guys? Why were you tracking them?”

Jonathan cleared his throat, readying himself for a long story. “They are members of a very elite, high-class group of vampires. The group is comprised of some very old vampires. There isn't one in the bunch younger than one hundred years, making them a formidable society. They also have a weakness for rare blood types. One of the founders of their little family decided he would rather have ‘stock’ on hand instead of hunting for blood. He sought out humans with the most desired blood types and kidnapped them for his own ‘wine cellar,’ as it were. They liked the idea of having the rarest blood readily available for devouring whenever they pleased. If they control the vampire blood supply, they can charge whatever they want for blood that their leader, Julian, deems elite. This has been going on for quite some time, but their current ‘stock’ is getting old and weak. They’re hunting again for young humans with rare blood types. What they're doing isn't right. Our mission is to find out where they’re hiding and stop them.”

My eyes grew wide with shock. As I shook my head, I could not even begin to imagine what was happening to the people they captured. “How do you know so much about them?”

Jonathan averted his gaze to stare out the window. “I used to be one of them.”

My jaw dropped again and I looked to the others. “Were you guys members too?”

They shook their heads. “No,” Layla responded. “Jonathan actually sought us out after he left them. The three of us have been trying to do a sort of quality control of the bad vampires. They’re the ones that leave bodies in the streets and get the other humans talking. We don't go around biting every human we see. Our main objective is to stay invisible. Most people don't like vampires. When we’re living somewhere, we don’t want our presence emblazoned everywhere with bodies strewing the landscape.”

“You see Evelyn,” Jonathan broke in with a more gentle tone in his voice. “There are three types of humans. The first type is completely oblivious to our presence and doesn’t really care. The second know about us but couldn’t care less what we do. The last kind, and most important to avoid, hate us. Those humans believe all vampires are bad and must be disposed of. It is imperative that we avoid detection. With these massive numbers of kidnappings, the humans would begin to talk and investigate."

“That last kind must have been the ones that killed my mother.” I looked into Jonathan’s mysterious eyes. He nodded, looking solemn. “Exactly how old are you guys?” Despite the fact that I was extremely curious, I was almost afraid to hear the answers.

Layla spoke first. “I was turned when I was twenty-five, that was fifty-five years ago.”

Chase continued. “I was twenty-seven, sixty years ago, when I was turned.” He smiled and took Layla’s hand when he spoke. They must be a couple, I thought.

“I’m the youngest.” Brian chimed in, smiling sweetly. “When I was turned, forty years ago, I was twenty-five.”

“I was twenty-eight when I was turned.” Jonathan’s words were straight, emotionless. He did not continue to say how long it had been since he was turned.

Layla kicked him lightly, her countenance annoyed. “Come on Jonathan; tell her how old you are. Don’t start being shy now.” She kicked him again, harder.

He stared her down and a low growl of warning rumbled from his throat. “All right, all right, stop kicking me.” He paused once more, staring straight ahead. “I recently turned 125.”

I swallowed hard, trying desperately to keep my mouth closed this time. Never would I have guessed him to be that old; he looked so good! To keep myself from saying ‘wow,’ I changed the subject. “So where are we going?”

“We’re going to our headquarters/home,” Layla answered. “It shouldn’t be much longer. So, where’d you learn to fight, Evie?”

“I met a drifter vampire a few years ago and he taught me a few things. He told me he’d been a fighter, back when he was human.”

For the next few minutes, we sat in silence. The car then turned to a bumpy dirt road. The sun began to rise above the horizon when we pulled into a long driveway. Out the window, I spied an enormous red brick manor at the end. Its three floors stood tall and strong with a massive wrap-around porch, gables, and a circular tower. I’d never seen a house quite like it before.

“Is it just the four of you living here?” I asked, in awe of the house.

“There are a few others that have joined us throughout the years,” Jonathan answered.

The inside was even more impressive. A grand foyer opened up to the floor above with a wide, spiral staircase. Dark, wooden floors spanned the length of the house. Even the walls were beautiful. Carved wood paneling covered the bottom and golden wallpaper dotted with scroll designs lined the top. Above me were plaster crown moldings painted white and tin ceiling panels stamped with a flower motif. Layla tugged at my arm to get me to stop staring at my surroundings and follow her to the stairs.

“Do you sleep?” she asked me before making her way up the stairs.

“Sometimes,” I replied, only half paying attention as I continued to stare, slack-jawed, at the furnishings.

“I’ll get you settled in the room on the second floor of the tower; there’s a nice bed in there. When you don’t sleep, feel free to come to the downstairs parlor. Some here don’t sleep at all so we try to have activities available for those night, or really day owls, so don’t be a stranger.”

Layla led me up the stairs and down the hallway to my room in the tower. The wooden floors continued there. A four-poster bed covered in a white comforter with blue filigree designs on it sat against one wall and a loaded bookshelf stood at the other. At the back of the room sat a lovely window seat that hugged the curve of the wall; I could see myself reading there.

Satisfied with the room, I smiled. “This is beautiful, thanks.”

She patted my shoulder. “I’m just glad somebody finally came along who could appreciate this room. The bathroom is just next door and my room is down the hall. The fridge is well stocked, so help yourself if you get thirsty. If you’d like, you can wash up and meet the rest of the crew downstairs. After a night like we just had, we’re in need of a drink, if you know what I mean.” Layla winked and left me to my new room.

It’d been such a long time since I had a place to call my own. Listening to my inner child, I leaped to the bed and bounced on it to test the mattress' softness. Then I laid down and hugged the fluffy comforter and down pillow sheathed with blue satin. It was so soft that I didn’t want to get back up. After a quick wash and change of clothes, I headed downstairs. It wasn’t until I hit the last stair that I realized Layla hadn’t told me where anything was. Squinting my eyes, I listened carefully and heard several voices, so I followed them to the rear of the house to an immaculate kitchen stocked with stainless steel appliances, granite counter tops, and cherry colored cabinets. There was a long table at one end of the room with eight people sitting at it. Even though I had barely made a sound when entering the kitchen, eight sets of eyes turned to watch me approach. I only recognized half of them. Swallowing hard, I was unsure of what the rest of the group would think of me. Layla stood up from the head of the table and waved me over.

“Everyone,” she announced, “this is Evie. She’s the girl we ran into in town. Evie fought off three of VanDorne’s lackeys single handed.”

The vampires I did not recognize clapped as I approached the table. A cushioned chair sat empty next to Layla. Before I could sit down, she took my shoulder and stood me next to her.

“You remember these guys on the left side and Jonathan at the other end of the table. I’d like to introduce you the rest of our little family.” She began with the dark haired woman closest to me. “This is Noelle; she makes the best Bloody Maries. Next to her is Cassidy; she gives the best back rubs ever. After Cassie is Vic. Vic is the muscle in the group, but he’s pretty smart too. Last but not least is Will; he’s our second oldest member. Will knows everything about vampires, so if you need any advice, talk to him.”

The faces staring at me where overwhelming. They were all so good looking and far more experienced than I was. I smiled at each new face, hoping I would be able to fit in. Layla looked to me, as if she wanted to ask me something. She bit her lip before speaking.

“Do you mind if we tell them?”

It was obvious that they didn’t want any secrets between them and since half the group already knew about me, I decided that there was no use keeping it to myself. I nodded my approval.

Layla put up her hands to brace the group for what she was about to tell. “We must confess something about Evelyn. She’s a little different than the rest of us.” The vampires I just met instantly became curious and all leaned toward me. “I don’t even know how to explain it. Why don’t you tell them, Evie?”

Growing a little nervous, I cleared my throat and took a deep breath. “Well, um, you see…I was technically never turned in the normal way.” Half the table leaned even more towards me, taking in each word that I spoke. “My mother got pregnant with me by a vampire. Then she was attacked; to save her, my father turned her and essentially me as well.” My face squished in a cringe as I waited for a response. With their identical bemused expressions, they did not seem to believe me. It was supposed to be impossible for a vampire to have children, but there I was. Opening my mouth, I showed them my sharp canines, then retold my whole story. I told them of my childhood, inconsistent thirst, and even the fact that I ate on occasion. When I stopped speaking, every single jaw at the table dropped. My existence was far too bizarre to make up. To prove my point even further, I took the loaf of bread from my pack and ate some.

“But, but,” Noelle stuttered, her round eyes narrowing. “Vampires can’t have children. How? How are you standing here, the way you are? How often do you feed?”

I shrugged and shook my head. “I’ve been asking myself that question my whole life. I usually drink blood a couple times a week, except about once a month. I get very irritable and for about a week must drink every day so my thirst doesn’t consume me.”

Their postures slackened as they seemed satisfied with my answer, for the moment. As I sat down, they began discussing a vampire named VanDorne. “Who exactly is this VanDorne guy?” I quickly asked before they continued.

Jonathan spoke first. “Julian VanDorne is the head honcho of the group I told you about. He’s almost 250 years old now and is a very dangerous vampire. He’s also extremely rich and powerful. When Julian wants something, he gets it without much trouble. The blonde vampire that liked you so much was his right hand man, Philippe Fournier. I’d bet almost anything that, by now, Philippe has told Julian about you. He likes having things that are one of a kind. That means that he’s probably going to want to have you for himself.”

I swallowed hard, becoming a little frightened. Why would Julian want me? “What would make him think I’m one of a kind?”

Jonathan looked confused. “You mean, you don’t know?”

With a gentle shake of my head, I grew confused again. Over the years, I had come to accept that I was half-vampire, but I never imagined that being different was that special.

“It’s the way you smell," he explained. "You don’t smell like other vampires, but you don’t smell like a human either. Philippe is also very old and has met many vampires in his time; he would have known the instant he saw you that you were different.”

“What are we going to do?” I asked, biting my lip.

Jonathan smiled crookedly. “I think we should let him have you.”

My jaw dropped in disbelief. “What? Are you crazy?”

He rubbed his palms together. “Crazy like a fox! You’ll be like our mole; he’ll have to take you to his lair and we’ll follow.”

“But, but,” my voice stammered, “what if they do terrible things to me?”

“They won’t,” Jonathan gently assured me. “Julian won’t run the risk of damaging you. He likes his belongings to be in mint condition. Then we’ll barge in and save the day.”

Shaking my head, I mumbled, “I just got here and already you’re talking about throwing me to the wolves.”

Layla patted my shoulder. “It won’t be as bad as all that. We’ll show you some moves so you can keep them on their toes. You’ll be fine; don’t worry. Drink your O pos. You’ll need to keep your strength up.”

Continuing to gnaw on my lower lip, I grew worried about what they were suggesting. They seemed to know what they were talking about, but I still felt uneasy about the whole thing. Who knew what they could do without ‘damaging’ me? They were all extremely experienced in the ways of being a vampire. Being so much younger, I wasn’t sure if I could hold my own against them. To stifle my fears, I lifted the glass of thick, red liquid to my lips and gulped down its salty contents.



on to Part 3..."Blood Secrets: Part 3"