Vampire Princess Rising, Page 3

  Rebecca shook her head. “Then I don’t want to hear it.”

  He sighed heavily. “You need to hear it.”

  Rebecca nodded, bracing herself to hear the words she knew he was going to say. She didn’t need to read his mind to know what was coming.

  “Very soon, there’s going to be a day you’ll need to choose between the pack and your sister.” His voice was smooth and as he spoke he flooded her mind with love, but it didn’t help lessen the blow from his words.

  She jumped up and shook her head. She walked to the window across the room, putting as much distance between them as she could. If she wasn’t a wreck from crying she would’ve left the room, maybe even the house, to put as much distance between them. But she couldn’t afford to let the rest of her pack see her weakened. “If you’re asking me to make that decision you’re not going to like the answer.”

  “It doesn’t change the fact that a decision will need to be made. Your sister is the enemy and that isn’t going to change.”

  “Not long ago I thought you were the enemy.” Rebecca turned angry eyes on him. She felt the heat of her frustration vibrate off her like steam. “Where do you think we’d be right now if I’d made a choice back then?”

  “In a better place. Your indecision has left two guys in limbo and a pack in terrible need of protection.” He took a few steps toward her, closing the gap. “A leader needs to make choices for the greater good. Right now you’re thinking like Rebecca, which is selfish and something you cannot afford with the rogues watching your every move. You have people who count on you to make decisions for the betterment of the pack.”

  “I’m doing the best I can.” She felt defeated, broken and at this very moment, alone.

  “Your best almost got Willow hurt today.”

  His words stung worse than any slap could have. “You think you can do better? Go for it! Kill me and take the alpha. That's what you planned to do in the first place, right?”

  “Don’t throw that in my face. You knew that was what I’d planned to do before I met you.” He shook his head sadly. "But now, you know, I’d lay my life down to protect you and Siren. No harm will come to you as long as I breathe air." He promised as he closed the distance between them. “Besides, this is your decision to make. You wouldn’t like the choice I made if it was in my power.” He brushed a loose strand of her blonde hair behind her ear. “And for the record, Siren chose you, not me.”

  “Because she had no choice.” Rebecca shot back. It was hard to be angry at him when he touched her so tenderly. It was difficult to maintain distance between them when his emerald eyes softened as they bore into her very soul.

  He nodded. “Maybe so, but she didn’t have to stay with you. It was simply a matter of letting someone kill you. Instead, she’s protected you multiple times.”

  Rebecca never thought of it that way. There was a lot of truth to what he said. Gabe was the more logical choice to be an alpha and Siren could have simply allowed her to be killed many times over and then gone to him. But she didn’t.

  ‘Why?’ It was a simple question to the wolf that lived in her mind. One that she needed to hear an answer to.

  ‘You’re the right person for the job.’ Was Siren’s answer. Cryptic as ever.

  She moved away from him again, needing space so she could think. His touch only made her think of him and how they could be happy if she allowed him to be hers. “Well, both of you are wrong. If given the choice I’d choose my…pack.” Rebecca slapped her hand over her mouth. “Those were Siren’s words not mine. You both know I’d choose my…sis…pack.”

  Rebecca was thinking sister, but the word she spoke was pack. She was sure that was because Siren was speaking for her, wasn’t it?

  He smiled compassionately and closed the distance between them again. He was so close she was sure he would kiss her lips. A part of her wanted him to claim her mouth. His lips moved closer, inch by inch, centimeter by centimeter, and just when she sucked in a breath to prepare for her world to come crashing down around her, he kissed her forehead. “I trust you’ll make the right decision when the time is right. Siren isn’t the only one here that has faith in you.”

  The simple, innocent kiss made her body ignite. It wasn’t where she wanted his lips to go, but the effect was just as powerful. She felt tingles spread from her head to her toes. “I’m glad someone has faith in me,” was all she could muster.

  Savannah

  Savannah raced down the side of the mountain. She ran with vampire super speed, a blur to the human eye. She didn’t stop or hesitate when she flew past some hikers on the trail. She knew the only thing they saw was a shadow in their peripheral vision. The most they might have felt was a breeze against their skin which was most likely a relief to the Arizona hikers as she broke the speed of the air.

  She didn’t care if she was discovered, even though she knew she wouldn’t be, not by humans anyway. It was one of the benefits of being a vampire, a predator. A horrible predator that almost feasted on a defenseless child. She felt guilt and anger boiling inside her. She needed to find a release. She stopped long enough to punch a tree trunk. She used so much force that the tree cracked and leaned ever so slightly. The action gave her anger a small amount of relief, so she punched it again and again and again, and this time the tree cracked enough through the center to make it crash onto the ground.

  Self-preservation made her look around to make sure her show of super-human strength was not seen by mortal eyes, evidence that she did care, just enough to want to live—or half live. She waited for a few minutes until her heart beat again. It took minutes for one beat but in her mind it meant she was still alive. It was her only hold on her humanity. Perhaps it was that heartbeat that saved her from hurting the child. She couldn’t fool herself. She knew it was Gabriel that stopped her from hurting his sister.

  The pain she felt when Gabe punched her was gone and her nose and back were completely healed. A healthy vampire healed faster than any other supernatural being, unless they were damaged by gold, wood, or a few of the other natural minerals that could do them harm.

  She sat down her back against the tree stump she’d just created and waited for the next heartbeat. It was her lifeline and she held onto it dearly. She closed her eyes and counted the seconds to the next beat, thump.

  It made her smile weakly as tears stung her eyes. What she would give to hear it race after a cute boy or rigorous cheer practice. What she would give to hear herself breathe, to feel like she needed to take a breath. She had to constantly remember to breathe so no one would know she was a member of the walking dead, but she didn’t need to physically breathe to live. Oxygen wasn’t necessary to be pumped to all areas of her body. The heartbeat was simply there to circulate the blood she drank for sustenance.

  After hearing her heart beat a few more times she stood up and raced down the mountain again. It was only a short distance for her at this rate. She made it to her car in minutes. She climbed into her cherry red mustang convertible, a welcome-to-the-family present from Celestia. She hated the car but had no other choice. If she refused, Celestia would’ve found some way to repay her by causing pain in her life. It was how Celestia operated. She used fear and pain as a motivator. She found, over the centuries, that was the most efficient way of getting what she wanted and she didn’t waste her time trying to find alternatives. Celestia’s motto: ‘if it works don’t attempt to fix it.’

  Because Celestia named her the VP, her vampire princess—the next in line to take her crown,when she got the crown back that was —Savannah had no choice but to do as she was told.

  Chapter Four

  Rebecca

  Rebecca poured the hot water into her Grand Canyon mug and began to steep her chamomile tea. Gabriel's closeness, her sister's mischief and hatred, and the stress of rebuilding the pack were getting to her, interrupting her sleep patterns. She was another cup of tea away from asking Sundae to use some of that magic dust on her so she could get one
night worth of valuable slumber. But using magic came at a cost and she wasn’t sure if she wanted to open herself up to being visited by the dream weaver in her sleep again. As if on cue, the silver tattoo Gabriel gave her during the last dream encounter she had with Sundae tingled. It usually meant Gabe was close by or he was thinking of her, but sometimes it tingled when she thought of him. That dream had been pretty hot and this time she was sure it was because she was thinking of him.

  The doorbell broke through her thoughts, so she picked up her cup and headed toward the front of the house. It was late and she doubted anyone else would be awake. The bell rang again before she made it to the door. She hoped whoever her impatient visitor was didn't wake up the rest of the house, but from the click of the stiletto heeled knee high boots on the steps behind her and the musky perfume, Rebecca knew Persephone was already there to back her up. Making it clear she wasn’t the only one awake at this late hour.

  Rebecca opened the door just as Josephine was about to ring the bell once again.

  "Do you know what time it is?" Rebecca asked, mildly irked. Her light eyebrows were raised in question and her chin in defiance.

  "Of course I do, Rebecca. May I come in?" Josephine's words implied a question but the tone made it clear there was only one answer.

  Rebecca took a step back as Josephine, Lucky, and an auburn haired werewolf stepped inside her home. She didn't recognize the wolf and from the look on Persephone's face, neither did she. Persephone took the last few steps down the stairs to get closer to Rebecca and stand guard. Rebecca didn’t know all the details but from what she understood, Persephone owed Gabriel big time and she planned to repay him by protecting Rebecca with her life just as he promised to do.

  "What brings you by at such a late hour?" Rebecca asked as she led the group of unwanted visitors to her office. She had no intention of waking anyone else tonight. Just because she couldn’t sleep didn’t mean her pack shouldn’t get the rest they deserved.

  Josephine waited until everyone was inside the office. "Do you mind waiting outside?" She directed her question to Persephone.

  Persephone stood stoic without answering Josephine. "It's okay, Seph." Rebecca motioned for her to leave the room. Persephone was reluctant when she closed the door behind her, but followed orders.

  Josephine pulled a black box out of her purse and placed it on the desk. She flipped a switch and smiled. "I want to make sure none of your wolves are eavesdropping."

  Rebecca looked at the box and smiled. "Fine." She tried to hear what was going on outside the room but found herself blocked. She reached out telepathically to Gabriel and got no answer.

  "It works both ways. You won't be able to talk to hear outside this room either," Josephine answered the confused look on Rebecca's face.

  "Well, then I suppose we should hurry because I’m sure Persephone is already waking half the house because she can't hear what’s happening in here," Rebecca warned her guests.

  Josephine smiled coldly. "It has come to our attention that a werewolf is involved in our Black Death investigation."

  Rebecca tossed an irritated glance at Lucky, who simply looked down to the floor. It would have been nice for a warning. She thought to herself as she sat down behind her desk. "If you’re implying one of my pack is dealing fairy blood I think you’ve outstayed your welcome." She sipped her chamomile tea and realized with this revelation it was unlikely she would sleep at all tonight, even with the help from the calming herbal drink.

  "You officially adopted all rogue wolves in the Arizona territory, correct?" Josephine raised a dark eyebrow.

  "Yes." Rebecca had it on good authority she already knew that answer. Everyone in the Authority higher ups knew she offered a blanket invitation to all rogue wolves in her territory. It only seemed right after the lies Tomas, the previous alpha, told them.

  "Then one or more of your people are suspected to be dealing the deadly drug not only to supernaturals but to humans as well." Josephine continued. “I need to make sure you’re aware that harboring that type of fugitive is punishable by death.”

  Rebecca shook her head. She knew some of her pack members were unruly, but she didn't think they were dealers. The problem was that she didn’t know everything about them yet. They didn’t trust her completely and she wasn’t sure if it was smart to trust all of them yet either. "I highly doubt my pack has anything to do with it."

  "Nonetheless, the accusation has been made and we need to investigate." Josephine crossed her arms over her chest to show she wasn’t budging from her stance.

  "So who’s being accused of this crime?"

  "That seems to be the issue at hand." The wolf with reddish brown hair spoke up for the first time. His voice was smooth and well-mannered, which seemed out of place with his loose Levi jeans and red flannel shirt.

  "And you are?" Rebecca asked coldly.

  "Devon O'Brien," he answered with a smooth smile.

  "O'Brien is one of our undercover agents and has volunteered to join your pack temporarily while we search for the culprit." Josephine advised coolly.

  "I thought only Nephilim were members of the Protectors?" It seemed like an odd question but one that made Rebecca curious, so she asked.

  "All types of supernaturals are allowed into the protectors as long as they can pass the rigorous testing," Josephine answered in an irritated tone. "Really, Lucky, you’re doing a terrible job of training her." She chastised her son.

  It made Rebecca irate that Josephine would insult her son in front of other Protectors. "Josephine, I’ve had one month to learn things you’ve had an entire lifetime to become familiar with. It isn’t Lucky's fault I’m not an expert in all things supernatural." Rebecca felt the need to defend him. He offered her one of those half grins that brought out his dimple and Rebecca felt her heartbeat speed up. He was sexy but Rebecca was surprised to notice that her attraction to him was more friendly than romantic anymore. Nephilim were charmers and Lucky was the best of them all, but he didn’t have the same effect on her that he used to.

  'Ask him which pack he’s aligned with,' Siren spoke softly in Rebecca's mind, pulling the conversation back onto the right track.

  They may be able to block what happened in this room to the outside world but they were unable to block what happened in her mind. Something she found great comfort in. "What pack are you from, Devon?"

  "Montana."

  'Joseph's pack,' Siren whispered.

  "And Joseph is okay with you joining my pack temporarily?" Everything about this seemed wrong. She could tell he was also an enforcer which made him far more dangerous than a beta wolf.

  Devon looked shaken for a moment but quickly recovered, placing a stoic mask on his face. "Of course. It’s the deal we’ve made with the Protectors. I’m only called in when there’s a problem with werewolf packs."

  “A problem that you don’t think I can handle myself?” Rebecca tried not to sound offended, but she was. She knew there was no room for personal feelings in politics, but they weren’t even considering this was something she could do. They didn’t even give her a choice and that pissed her off. Why did she bother signing her commitment to the Authority in blood if they refused to trust her or even try to let her fix her pack issues by herself? "I think you’ll find there are no issues with my pack."

  "Then you won't mind having him join for a couple of weeks." Josephine looked satisfied and Rebecca felt like she’d been maneuvered into a corner.

  'I don't like it,' Siren warned.

  'Neither do I. But it doesn't seem like we have much of a choice,' Rebecca answered her mentally.

  'No, it doesn't. We’ll have to get in touch with Joseph this week to make sure everything is good.'

  "And if I say no?" Rebecca asked Josephine, curious to know how far they were willing to go.

  "We’ll still investigate, but any protection allotted to you by the authority and the protectors will be revoked." Josephine knew she had Rebecca and Rebecca knew it too.


  "I don't like it but you aren't really giving me much of a choice, are you?" Rebecca asked pointedly.

  "No, we usually don't in situations like this," Josephine retorted coldly. “You must understand, it’s not necessarily because we don’t trust you, it’s because you are too close to the situation and are unable to be unbiased.”

  "That is an unfair assessment of me, especially since you don’t know me.” Rebecca wanted to make sure her stance on this matter was clear.

  “It’s our policy.”

  Rebecca nodded her understanding. “I don’t agree, but I’ll play along. I’ll have to run you through an initiation ceremony," Rebecca warned Devon.

  He nodded. "Understood."

  Rebecca sat silently for a moment as she weighed her options. There really was no way out of the situation. She didn't like it but she’d win more favor by playing along. She blew three times on her tea and watched the ripple effect play out on the surface of the brown liquid. She took another drink and enjoyed the feel of the warmth flowing down her throat and soothing her upset stomach. No one said a word while they waited for her to accept the terms. It was the only moment during this meeting that she felt she had any control and she planned to make them stew for a moment longer. "Fine. Meet me back here after the Authority meeting tomorrow night to begin initiation."

  He grinned. "I’ll do my best to make this as painless and quick as possible." He offered his hand to shake and Rebecca placed her mug down to take his hand in hers. He was strong, far stronger than anyone in her own pack, she feared, especially if he was able to pass the stringent tests it took to join the protectors. She only hoped he was true to his words and got out of her nest as soon as possible.

  "Thank you for your cooperation." Josephine packed up her box and headed for the door. Devon followed, but Lucky stayed behind.

  "You look tired," he said after they were out of the room.

  "Exhausted." She picked up her mug and met him in the middle of the room. "It would’ve been nice for some warning." She marveled at the way they’d become fast friends after the pretend dating and traumatic break up last month.