Prologue
Pain erupted from my stomach. I hunched over, clutching it, screaming. No one like me has ever felt this way. Our kind didn’t feel pain. We didn’t feel hungry.
We only felt thirst.
I hadn’t fed in days. I wandered around, aimlessly. With my whole banishment, I really didn’t have anywhere to go.
I fell to the ground, still clutching my stomach. The smell of blood filled my nostrils. The pain dulled. Looking around, I saw the source. A plump little rabbit. Normally, I would never drink the blood of a rabbit. There was never enough blood in one. You would need like, 15 just to keep yourself sustained.
But desperate times call for desperate measures. Without thinking I got into my lioness’s crouching position.
Poor thing never saw it coming.
Within seconds, the rabbit’s blood streamed down my throat. I was ravenous. The pain subsided and I knew I bought myself some time. But the amount I had in me wouldn’t last as long as I would have liked.
My thirst wasn’t quenched. Hell, it wasn’t even satisfied. It was like a glance from the guy you were crushing on. For now, it would do, but you needed more soon.
And soon was on its way.
The forest. The one place I was forbidden to go to. The only choice I had. Plus, it wasn’t like I was breaking the rules now. They did kick me out. I didn’t follow their rules anymore. It was either this, or going back to civilization. And I couldn’t do that. I wouldn’t be a murderer of the innocent.
Taking one glance back at my other option, a small little town, I ran into the woods. The branches whipped my face, branding it like hot iron would. Of course they wouldn’t leave a mark. Nothing ever does. Because of what I am.
Vampire.
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Chapter 1: The Beginning
“Evelyn!” Phineas screamed, from the house. “You need to come in!” I, as I usually did, ignored him. I heard him slam the door and yell something to Artemis. Of course. Go cry it out to your soul mate. Typical.
Phineas seriously needed to grow a spine. Artemis wasn’t always going to be there to save his sorry ass, much to Phineas’ dismay.
And I didn’t want to go inside. It was just about to rain. I could smell it coming. I breathed in deeply. Moisture was in the air. It was times like this I was conflicted, to being a mortal again. I missed how cold water felt flowing down my throat. Then again, my hair would be so frizzy. Oh well.
“Evelyn,” Artemis touched my shoulder. I twirled around and stared at him. “Nicholas wants to talk to all of us.” Oh s***. He never came out without one us being in huge trouble. This wasn’t good.
“What did Phineas do now?” I mumbled. Artemis sighed and rolled his eyes. The first gay vampires. What a waste. If Artemis wasn’t gay I would totally be all over him. He was absolutely gorgeous. Chocolate hair, perfect smile, perfect body.... It was really quite a waste. At least, to me. I’m sure Phineas was glad Artemis was gay. Phineas was way to whiny for anyone other than Artemis to like, let alone be around.
Nicholas was the head of our coven. He was Italian, which meant dark hair, olive complexion, and tall. He’s one of the oldest vampires alive. He was bitten sometime in the 15th century. And that’s all he would tell us, with the exception of Amelia, his lover. She knew his entire story.
Nicholas was very intimidating. Just saying his name sent shivers down my spine. No one messed with Nicholas. No one. And if you did, you would regret it. He didn’t tolerate annoyances.
That’s why I didn’t understand why Phineas was alive.
I raced Artemis to the door. As usual, I won. He didn’t stand a chance against me. I was the runner. He was the strength. Hey, you didn’t see me challenging him to an arm wrestling contest.
Artemis and I were changed fairly close to one another. I think we’re a few years apart. But when you can live forever, what’s a couple of years?
He was one of my best friends, and, until he met Phineas, we were inseparable. Artemis was created under similar circumstances that I was. At the time, being gay was something unheard of. And that’s what Artemis was and he was always very open with it. When the boys at the all-boys catholic private school, he was severely beaten. I was the one that found him and brought him to Nicholas.
But as soon as Phineas came in the picture, I barely got any alone time with him. Stupid boyfriends; they take up all of your time. Not that I would know....
But anyways.
As I went inside, the brick walls suddenly seemed tall and daunting, fear gripped me. It always happened when Nicholas was here. He usually stayed away from us, Amelia went back and forth between his castle and our house. Sure, it was about a million or two miles away, over there in Italy, but hey, not my problem. I never needed to go visit Nicholas. And, truthfully, I never wanted to.
“Sit.” Nicholas’s cold voice echoed in my head, as his lips remained motionless. I numbly sank down on the dark red couch. Nicholas had that effect on people. Even his eyes appeared to be colder and blacker, which followed your every move. But he was my Creator. Just like he was Artemis’s, Phineas’, and Amelia’s. That’s why we were part of his coven.
Did I always want to be a vampire? No. Truthfully, I didn’t even know they existed. I was born December 24, 1937, right in the middle of the Great Depression. My parents couldn’t afford me. I don’t remember anything about them, except my mother’s face. We had the same auburn hair. I grew up at Duke’s orphanage. I almost died. If Nicholas wasn’t there, when I was the nice age of 16, I would have. The orphanage wasn’t exactly kid friendly. I got beaten to the point of death. Nicholas saved my life. When he found me, I was in a bloody heap on the floor, praying for someone to save me. I thought, at first, he was an angel. Right away I knew he was too beautiful to be a human. Nicholas knelt down next to me and told me everything would be okay, and it would only hurt a little. And since that day, I was tied to him forever.
“Nicholas.” I said quietly, bowing. My red hair fell over my shoulders, like waves of an auburn sea. His glance turned to Artemis, as I knew-for the moment- I was clear. I made his inspection. A wave of relief swept over me. Thank God.
As I sank down in my seat, I noticed Phineas and Artemis acted the same way I did around Nicholas. He was respected, feared. The only one who didn’t fear him was Amelia. She sat quietly next to him. Her violet eyes darted back and forth between Nicholas and Artemis. Artemis was her favorite. He was like a son to her. And female vampires kicked serious ass when the men the loved were in danger. We were constantly on guard. And that’s exactly what she was doing: securing them. Amelia looked at me and gave me a slight nod. Female vampires could care less about each other. It was actually very cold, socially. I mean, we had no one to talk to. Humans, sure, but they only lived so long. Us girls, well, we were more like protectors. We had jobs and no one could stand in our way.Those who did would regret it.
Except for me. I had no soul mate, no “children”. It was me and only me. Sounds like it sucks, and sometimes it does. I do get really lonely. But I know that one day I’ll find that someone. For now, I had Artemis to talk to and a coven to protect. And right now, that’s all I really wanted.
“I have called you all, to discuss something of importance.” Nicholas’ words slid over us, like ice, making us all on edge. His eyes flickered back and forth, on me one second, Phineas the next. Artemis reached for his hand, and Phineas gripped it. “You have all proven your worth, and now it is time for the next step.” He reached for the box that Amelia was holding and opened it. He actually smiled as he picked up the book that was inside of the box. It was old, dust coated the cover and the pages were yellow. I was dying to open it and divulge its information, but I couldn’t. I had to keep calm.
Books were my one weakness. It’s how many a mortal got me in their beds. If I was a human, some might have considered me a “slut”. Since I’m not, I can’t be. I’m not in a relationship of anything with a meaning, like a vampire one. Those are the only ones that really matter for our kind.
Nicholas opened the book and took a deep breath. “The only war that will change the fate of this world. The only one that us, as vampires, need to fight to gain our rightful place.” He flipped through the pages, carefully, like he was afraid it would break. “It is our war with the humans.” He grinned, evilly. I let out an involuntary gasp. War? With humans? They didn’t stand a chance. We could never ever do that to them. We would slaughter them, since they were so easy to kill and we were so difficult. It would be barbaric. My mouth fell open and I couldn’t close it, no matter how hard I tried. We couldn’t fight the humans. “It seems you have something to say, Evelyn. Why don’t you share it with us?” He smiled, but his eyes regarded me coldly. I finally found my voice and words started to come out, without me even thinking.
“We can’t go to war. Not with the humans. That’s... that’s against everything you’ve taught us, Nicholas. Are you that willing to change your mind?” I spoke up, even though all of that wasn’t supposed to come out. Nicholas was silent for a moment, digesting everything that I said.
“We’ve been the monsters that scare children. Is that really what you want to be known for? People fear us, and more importantly, as of late, they believe us to be fiction.” He laughed. “But in no way are we fiction. We are very real. And the humans will find out soon enough.” He looked directly at me, his eyes plunging into my soul. I shivered, feeling very exposed. “Humans should fear us. And they have every right to. But, those who succumb to our law will not be harmed. Those who oppose us,” He paused and looked into each of our eyes. “Will not see the next day. Have I been clear enough for you?” I nodded, frightened. There was no way this war could be a good thing. Vampires aren’t even supposed to be real to them. We’re a secret society with very few members. Humans, first, would have to deal with the shock. Then, we’d have some of the humans trying to get us to bite them so they could live forever and get the “Hollywood Version” of what we really are. There’s nothing glamorous about being a vampire. Sure, we’re beautiful. But the dark side outweighs the positives. It’s hard dealing with the life you just took. It was trying to survive, just like a vampire is.
Then, there’s those who seek to destroy us. Some humans consider vampires as creatures who have given their souls to the devil. Now, I can tell you that I didn’t sign the Devil’s book nor have I ever seen the Devil. I also attend church, at least once a year. Okay, maybe once a decade. I’ve read the Bible as a vampire and nothing has happened to me.
The first thing Nicholas taught me was all vampires who live are not to harm the innocent. Animals were acceptable, as long as we kept the population balanced, as were criminals, as long as they were the scum of the earth. But I’ve never had human’s blood. It would be too much of a distraction; the scent was already alluring. If I knew what it tasted like, I might not be able to stop myself.
“Amelia, you’re okay with this?” I asked her, incredulously. She regarded me for a moment, then shrugged.
“As long as the orders are from Nicholas, yes, I am okay with this.” Amelia spoke with authority. “Any other vampire and I would kill them where they stood.” I was infuriated. Just because she was in love with him, doesn’t make killing the humans right. “You don’t know what it’s like, being in love.” She snarled, reading my emotions. “Do not judge me. You know nothing about this.” I sighed, and slouched in the chair. Did they know what this choice would do? It would destroy the world.
“Artemis? Phineas? What about you?” I looked at them, my eyes pleading for them to be on my side. Phineas shook his head, unable to speak. Artemis looked into Phineas’ eyes and gave his hand a squeeze, to comfort him.
“I speak not only for me, but for as Phineas as well.” He announced to everyone. “We have to listen to Nicholas.” He told me, with no emotion on his face. “He’s never led us wrong. I trust he knows what he’s doing.” I could tell Artemis was just trying to save not only him, but Phineas as well, from Nicholas’ wrath. But I thought that just maybe he would have the guts to stand up for what he believed in.
“Phineas?” I whispered, my eyes begging him to agree with me. He didn’t even look at me, but kept a tight grip on Artemis’ hand. “Are you sure? You know just as well as I do that this is wrong. You know that because you were a human not too long ago. Please, Phineas.”
“Keep Phineas out of this!” Artemis snapped at me. I was taken aback. He had never gotten angry, let alone yelled, at me.
Phineas looked at Artemis. “I can speak for myself.” Artemis opened his mouth to protest, but Phineas spoke before him. “I agree with Artemis.” He said slowly. “But I refuse to fight humans. It is barbaric and unfair. If you want to fight them, go right ahead. But I will not be fighting with you.”
“So, you’d be fighting with them?” Nicholas growled. Phineas shook his head, not letting Nicholas’ tone frighten him.
“No. I won’t be fighting at all.” Phineas looked at me. “I don’t believe it’s right either. But you can’t always change the minds or hearts of others. Sometimes you just have to do your own thing.” He looked back at Nicholas. “And that’s why I won’t fight, but I won’t stop you either.”
“And that’s your choice.” Nicholas smiled, sending shivers up and down my spine. The words were meant to be warm, but I had a feeling Phineas would pay for what he said later. “Evelyn? What about you?” I glanced at the floor, as his black eyes locked with mine.
“No.” I said quietly. “I won’t do it. I won’t fight humans. And I won’t just sit by and watch you murder them either.” His eyes filled with fury. I flinched. He took a deep breath and relaxed himself.
“We’ll see what you say in the morning.” He told me, suddenly right in front of me, his hand gripping my throat. I gasped. No air was coming into my lungs. Not that I needed it, I was just used to breathing. It helped me blend in better.
“Nicholas...” I trailed off as his grip tightened. Phineas buried his face in Artemis’s shirt, unable to watch. Artemis looked like he could barely watch it either.
“She will remain prisoner under my watch.” He snapped, releasing my neck, but grabbing my arm. “No one follow.” Amelia looked extremely pissed as Nicholas dragged me away.
This wasn’t normal. Nicholas would never do this. Sure, he scared me, but he had never been mean like this. This wasn’t in his nature.
Then it all clicked.
“Who are you?” I whispered, as he walked up the stairs. He started to laugh, as we got to the top, the door of his room in front of us.
“You are a smart one.” He hissed, in my ear. I gulped, as he threw me in his room. “Too smart for your own good.” My head hit the stone wall, as the door clicked and locked.
I was left alone, in the darkness.