Initiation (16 page)

Her wet clothes were heavy and stuck to her willingly as she slowly pulled them off. She tossed each piece, one by one, to the floor. A puddle formed around them, the blood still present on the fabric.

* * * *

Christian stalked up the stairs, the manor now silent as he made his approach. There was a darkness reflected in his shining eyes, like a wolf creeping in the shadows before it made its attack. His moves were silent and ghostlike, the blood on his face and clothes indicating what he had just done.

He carried an axe in his hand, the blade still dripping, leaving a trail showing where he had been. A sadistic grin infected his features, his lowered brow intensifying his expression when he saw Mia and Delilah’s bodies on the floor.

Twirling the machete artfully in his hands a few times, Christian slowly approached them. Swinging it, he chopped off the women’s heads, swiping at them several times even though it was certain they were dead.

Addison was still in the shower, washing off her perfect skin with a
loufa
. Foamy bubbles were left in the its wake as she closed her eyes and let the warm water rain down on her. She had the showerhead set at a pulsing high-pressurized stream, the pounding of the drops hitting her skin, making her feel numb.

The bathroom was filled with white steam that escaped when Christian opened the door. He smirked when he saw a pair of Addison’s underwear lying at the top of the pile, the fabric stamped with smiley faces and small hearts.

Silently, he undressed and tossed his bloody clothes on top of Addison’s. Like a snake, he slinked noiselessly into the shower, wrapping his arms around her and kissing her neck. She jumped at first because he had startled her, but she quickly calmed down when she realized who it was.

Addison turned around, her face still streaming with tears, but they blended in with the water's stream and couldn’t be seen. However, Christian could hear her cries and quick gasps for breath as she sobbed.

"Thank you." Christian held her close, Addison’s slippery skin hard to get a firm grasp on. "You have done well, my love."

Addison’s sad eyes looked down at the water pooling around his ankles, his feet like a small dam that held back some of the water that was rushing toward the drain. The water was red again as it washed off the blood that lingered on his tanned skin.

Now that she was in his arms, the water washed away his evil, the murderous vision of him that terrified her melted away with each pulsing beat of water that rained down on them.

Addison wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. She took all her rage and guilt out on his body, her sins becoming righteous deeds when she was in his arms. She felt powerful, regal, like the god she had seen in Christian.

What she had done pleased him, and he loved having her share his happiness. He was the only one that could understand her now, the only one exactly like her. He was a piece of her that she never wanted have taken away, his hold on her now unshakable.

* * * *

Sitting outside, Addison was watching some birds eating the popcorn that she had thrown on the ground. She giggled when they fought over it, pecking at each other’s mouths and trying to steal it away. It was warmer today than it had been all week. The end of spring brought some of the more summery flowers—a giant patch of irises was growing in the space near her. She was in town with Darien, sitting outside watching the people as they passed.

Christian was gone a lot doing small jobs for the House. She still didn’t know who they were and planned on asking Darien about them. Christian took her into town every day, and she spent her days with a private tutor, who was teaching her the language. It was an accelerated course, but because Addison wanted to understand what everyone was saying, she dedicated a lot of time to learning, picking it up very quickly.

Today, she was wearing a light tan jacket over her very conservative black dress and a pair of simple black heels. Sitting alone on a bench in the park, she was taking in the sights and happy to finally have a day off from studying.

Darien was flirting with a young woman he had stopped while she was taking a small break from her morning jog to take a drink from a bottle of water. She was quite taken with him, as were most girls, and was melting under his gaze. She would periodically glance over at Addison, not entirely sure if Addison was with Darien or not. Addison looked over at her and smiled, a small giggle escaping her lips when their eyes met.

Tonight, Addison was attending a party with Darien. There was to be other members of their family there as well. Christian’s birthday was coming up, and they were throwing a party for him. She hadn’t met any vampires from this country besides Darien, and of course the others, who had all been killed.

After about a half an hour, Darien drove Addison to the large mansion where Christian’s celebration was being held. On the car ride over, she decided to ask Darien more about the mysterious House that Christian worked for.

"Darien?" Looking over at him, Addison twisted a flower around in her fingers that she had picked at the park. "Who is the House?" Speaking lower, she frowned as she lightly ran her fingers over the petals, "The Master will only say that he rids the world of humans for them…" Darien had a slightly sour expression on his face, which made her frown grow deeper. "And where did the Master come from? He’s the first vampire, but he had to come from somewhere."

"He came from Heaven." Darien was waiting in the turning lane for their light to turn green, the signal on the dash flashing and ticking. "When he says he’s a god, he’s not joking. He really is."

"He came from Heaven?" Narrowing her eyes on Darien, Addison studied his face curiously, waiting for him to crack a smile. "I don’t believe that." She laughed as she looked back down at the flower in her hand again and stroked the soft petals.

"The House…" Releasing a heavy sigh that ignited a slight frown, Darien turned the car slowly as he followed the cars ahead of him in the heavy traffic. "Is actually a nickname for the heads of the church."

"The church?" Addison's jaw dropped a little, a fearful look in her eyes as she turned sharply to Darien.

"Yeah." Darien nodded, chuckling at her surprised face, "He’s an angel sent here to keep the human population down and rid the world of people that go against the ways of the church."

"That doesn’t make sense." Glancing down briefly, Addison’s lips formed a stressed scowl, "Why would the church want to kill people? And why would God make us to feed on his creation?"

"The world is a very violent place, princess. Why do you think God created lions and tigers? Why do humans kill animals to feed on their flesh?" Shrugging his shoulders, he smiled at her briefly before looking back at the road. "It’s the way the world works—killing is a part of life. The Master was sent here to be a predator against humans. He was designed to kill—designed with that uncontrollable thirst for blood that can drive a vampire insane."

"He’s an angel, so that must be why he’s so handsome and drinking his blood makes me feel so—" Biting her lip, Addison stopped herself before she said something she didn’t want to get into a conversation with Darien about.

"Yes," Darien smirked and thought Addison’s avoidance of the subject was cute. "Consuming the blood of an angel will do that to you."

"I never would’ve guessed the Master was an angel—a demon maybe—but never an angel."

"There must be a balance of good and evil in this world—the Master being a dark angel that keeps the balance in check." Darien glanced over at her beautiful artist’s fingers slowly stroking the blossom, making him think thoughts he knew he shouldn’t.

"So yeah…" Looking away as he swallowed the small lump in his throat, Darien dismissed the idea and tried to focus on something else. "He works for the church, but you must never tell anyone what I have told you. It is the secret of our kind, which must be protected. Once we leave this car, I don’t want you to say another word about it—especially to the Master. Understand?"

"Yes." Addison bobbed her head several times, but didn’t look up at him. "So we are a good thing for this world—I never thought about it that way before."

"Yes." He nodded, "We are the only predators to our fellow humans—the lions of the human kingdom." Darien laughed at his analogy, playfully punching her shoulder and trying to cheer her up. "We share the Master’s godly powers of immortality and strength, so we are gods here too. Just think of it that way."

He smiled when Addison’s sad eyes looked up at him, their innocent light reflected back at him, making him turn away from her and back to the road, "We’re important. What we do is part of life, our killer instincts a gift given to us by God."

"Gifts…from God." Pushing her lips together forcefully, Addison’s face was still frowning as she looked out the window. "I wish I could use that to justify my hunger for blood, but I can’t."

Darien didn’t say anything, her sadness making him back off from the subject. He turned up the radio, striking up a conversation about the hot girl he had met in the park. The lighter conversation made Addison laugh, her mood growing lighter as well.

Soon they arrived at the mansion. Everyone they met was very friendly and greeted them warmly. Addison was left to help with the decorations and preparations, while Darien went off to do something else.

She was a little nervous about being alone and took a deep breath as she opened the door to the ballroom. What she saw ignited a giant smile on her face. She ran toward Nicolette, who had her arms open wide, inviting her in.

"Nicolette!" Addison hugged Nicolette tightly, a few happy tears escaping her eyes. "I missed you!"

"I missed you too, my dear." Nicolette was smiling, a calm hand going to the top of Addison’s hair and stroking it gently. She and Addison had a strong familial connection, and she treated Addison like she were her own daughter. "We all came here for the Master’s birthday celebration. It’s tradition." She pulled away, taking in Addison’s joyful expression as she pushed a stray curl that had fallen into Addison’s face behind her ear.

"I’m so glad you came." Addison smiled at Victoria then back at Nicolette. "So…what are you doing in here?" She stepped away from Nicolette and looked around the large room, her nose turned up as she gazed into the balcony above. "It’s a very big place, isn’t it?"

"We’re getting prepared for the party, my dear." Victoria giggled, her expression comforting to Addison. "Come," She put her hands on Addison’s shoulders, steering her to another part of the room, "Help us."

Chapter Eight

Party Crashers

Holding a glass of champagne to her lips, Addison felt the bubbly substance enter her mouth. Her eyes were scanning the room as she stood next to Nicolette and Victoria. They were talking to Greg, a young man who had helped them earlier in the day with the party preparations. He was very nice and had a lot in common with Addison and Nicolette, which made their conversation both light and full of laughter.

Wearing a beautiful blue gown that sparkled under the lights, Addison was quite modest compared to most of the woman’s attire. She did look very beautiful and even though no one knew she belonged to Christian, she still turned many heads.

Christian had just arrived, so most of the guests were gathered around him, making sure they greeted the Master. The mood in the room quickly changed when he arrived, all of the women abandoning their dates to dote on him. Nicolette and Victoria had left Addison alone with Greg, while they also went over to say hello.

Greg’s face was all smiles as he looked over at Christian and then Addison. "What a treat it would be to wear his shoes for the night. I envy the Master in every possible way. I would love to become part of the family."

"He has a lot of…amazing qualities that I’m sure most men would be jealous of." Addison laughed as she looked over at Christian, who was speaking to some of his vampires.

"Well said, my dear." Greg chuckled too, his gaze settling on the sweet features of the Master’s mate. He was checking her out while her head was turned, his stare tracing her curvy outline, from her head down to her hips. "I hear from you ladies, he’s an amazing lover." He drank from the glass in his hand, his voice a little muffled because it was close to his lips, "I bet his dance card’s full for the next one-hundred years."

"I’m sure it is" After hearing Greg’s comment, Addison spun around and gave him a slightly dirty look, "And I’m well aware of how desirable he is, but still…I wish people would stop talking about stuff like that. The Master has many other gifts that outweigh the one residing in his pants. I’d rather discuss some other subject, if that’s all right."

"Excuse me, Addison, I hope I haven’t offended you." Greg put on a friendly smile, trying to remedy the conversation blunder he had just made.

"No, it’s all right. I’m just one of the rare women here that doesn’t like to talk about the Master’s talents in the bedroom."

Speaking in a softer voice, he leaned closer to her. "Can I ask you a personal question?"

"What?" Addison took a drink, moving in to hear him better.

"Are you a vampire, too?"

"No." A small smile hid her lie, Addison speaking into her cup as she watched Greg interestedly. "Why do you ask?"