RBC05 - Bloodline (7 page)

“Wouldn’t miss it, after you brother.”

We paused on the steps in an effort to survey our surroundings, using all our now enhanced senses. I remember waking that first morning with these new powers and knew that I felt totally at peace for the first time in my life. I searched for the reason and found it easy to deduce what had happened.
Someone
had saved me from myself. What I discovered next was a complete surprise. Cain and I were now joined somehow. I could feel him; his consciousness was as close then as it is now with him standing here next to me today.

We were being watched constantly these days. Tonight I sensed that five vampires, including three hybrids were near. Thanks to Cain’s astute marking of the subtle differences between the human population and the hybrids, we could now use our enhanced abilities to sometimes separate the two. Every day it became something that was easier and easier for us to do.

“Let’s walk tonight shall we?” Cain said and started down the stairs.

“
Devin and Stephan continue this farce, knowing full well that we can sense their feeble attempts to watch us
,” I said with my mind, as we headed towards the underbelly of the city.

“I’m so close to getting rid of them, we certainly don’t need them.”

“You are so right. After they have served their purpose we will use the mark we left on them to end their evil existence once and for all, but we can’t take that chance yet.”

I could feel Cain’s longing for family. Marcella was often in our thoughts. Although I knew that my past behavior had closed the door on our relationship, I deeply missed Katrina I wished her well. Regret, I’d found was a waste of time.

Each time we passed an enemy of
any
kind we marked them. We must have a hundred of them marked by now. This scourge was everywhere here and something was definitely going on with our own elite vampire guard.

“
Damien, there is something different up ahead, have you ever come across that scent before?
”

I turned my concentration to that area and found what Cain must be sensing.

“
No, this is something new to me as well. There is more than one and I believe that they are all male.”

“How can you tell that from a scent we’ve never experienced before?”

“
Because, that’s them just ahead
.”

I could see Cain’s mark already fading from their foreheads. These new vampires may be the ones we were looking for.

I casually let my fangs lengthen as we got closer. As we approached this group we consciously turned up our blocking abilities, effectively cloaking most of our powers from the senses of these vampires. They gave us the once-over as we brushed past them.

All parts of the city had these entertainment dens now. Vampires were being served by easily manipulated humans, who were now addicted to the power and euphoria that vampire feeding and mind control afforded them. Of course other pleasures were sated here as well.

We entered the club, took a table next to the back wall and were immediately approach by two young human females, who smiled and offered a wrist. I could feel the warm blood pulsing through their bodies, their need building by the second.

“Look at how many bite scars they have on their arms!”
Cain said as he pulled the girl onto his lap.

We had found a way around this part now. We bit them but did not drink. We gave them the pleasure they sought with Jinn power.

“
There are more fledglings here tonight than we’ve seen at the other clubs
,” I said as I took care of my humans’ desire in an effort to maintain our cover.

“
Yes and two more of these new, whatever they are, are upstairs. I think we are going to have to take a chance and contact Cathos. He has to know what these things are and more about what’s going on.”

“Maybe, but we can’t do that now
,” I said as the three from outside started toward our table.

“You must be the royals we’ve been hearing so much about. My name is Rafael.”

Katrina:

It only took a few hours to get to the Midwest clan location. It had been a long time since we first chose it, but it still felt so right. It was a bustling village now, with shops and homes dotting the countryside. It was charming. We introduced Micah, Kevin, Dell and Cole to the Clan leaders who then left together to start their new life here. I was happy for them. Then we changed our forms before familiar faces started to come towards us.

“Hello, Avery,” I said as they approached.

“Katrina, is that you? Well, no one will ever know it’s the Five, looking like that. See any trouble along the way?” Avery said as he greeted us.

“No, but we avoided the town. How about the two of you, did you get everyone here?”

“Yes and we already have several Watchers situated, doing what they do best. Gunter took Watchers to the Kentucky clan, so I have no doubt that they are in place as well. What do you want us to do now?”

“Where are Liridon and Gruen?” Letta asked.

“Waiting for you just outside of town. Do they know what you look like?”

“No, but they know we are not coming as ourselves.”

“Alex and the rest of your personal Watchers will be following closely. Ah, here the
y come now.”

“Hello, Quinn, Alex, gentlemen.”

They all started to smile and then laugh at the appearance of the five handsome young men standing before them.

“Great cover. Where are your weapons?” Alex asked.

“They’re here, you just can’t see them,” Rosa said as she patted the short sword safely strapped to her hip and right thigh.

“Shall we go?”

Now that our friends had seen us, we would complete our disguise by lowering our voices, taking on the posture and gait of young males.  We would also block the ability to see or scent our true identity in case there was an entity near that was able to do so.

“Oh, and Rosa, no sashaying,” Quinn laughed.

She wasn’t as amused as the rest of us and purposely adapted her walk from her sashay to a very male-like saunter as she walked out ahead, leaving us laughing behind her.

We went through the woods and met up with Liridon and Gruen within sight of the first small settlement in the area.

“I am glad you warned us that you would look different. If it wasn’t for the fact that Quinn and Avery were with you, I never would have known who you were.”

“Not me,” Gruen said. “I can still smell your loveliness.”

“That’s amazing Gruen and helpful as well, because that means that you will still be able to track us,” Letta said.

“What’s the plan, Katrina?” Avery asked.

“First of all don’t be calling us by name,” Rosa quipped.

“What are we going to answer to?” El inquired.

“Why not go by your Watchers names for now. How long are you planning to stay this way anyway?” Avery asked us.

“As long as we need to. Now, I want to circle the settlement just as we always do when we’re hunting,” I said. “Gruen, you and Liridon take the road that goes directly through, so that you can find the hybrids and hopefully their lair.”

“There are over a dozen, I can tell that from here,” Gruen said sniffing the cool evening air. There is another smell, one that is vampire, but…”

“Probably you are picking up the scent of the made vampires, we call them fledglings and now that you mentioned it I can smell them too. We’ll treat the water around here; you get rid of as many as you find, but not until we take care of the hybrids.”

We started to move, letting Liridon and Gruen get into place first and then it hit me. Charmaine had said that the hybrids like her were linked!

“Wait, I need to talk to Allwain for a minute,” I said.

“
Allwain, I need you to ask Charmaine something before we make a terrible mistake here.”

“
What is it?”

“I just remembered that she told us that vampires like her, the Belnovus, are linked somehow. If we kill one, will it alert the others close by
?”

He paused and then answered, “
She said yes, they will feel it and scatter. What are you going to do now?”

“Thank Charmaine for me. She just proved her worth
.”

“We need a new plan of action. Charmaine confirmed my fear: if we kill one they will all feel it and run. With that new information, does anyone have any ideas about how we go about this now?”

“We need to get them together, surround and fight them like we always do,” Kate said.

“This place is full of humans; how do we do that?” El asked, “And I have to heal some of those humans who are infected with the virus before they are turned.”

“This is a first for us, we usually know exactly what to do,” Letta said.

“Change back, if they recognize who we are we can get them to follow us,” I said.

“Just when I was enjoying my new persona,” Rosa said with a smirk and then immediately turned back into the beauty we all knew.

“Quinn you and Avery catch up to Liridon and Gruen and tell them what we plan to do. Have Gruen find
all
the hybrids and then settle in somewhere and wait for our signal.”

We continued on into the settlement along the same road that the others traveled. Our weapons were still hidden, but at the ready.

The settlement was much like our clan location, bustling with its early evening activities. Couples were walking along the boardwalk and gave us suspicious and disparaging looks as we passed. It reminded me of the first time we were in America; our clothing had caused quite a stir there as well. The attention was just what we needed now.

It wasn’t long before I felt we were being followed.

“They’re pretty confident, following that close,” Rosa said as we continued on.

“I have an idea,” I said as I quickened my pace.

We entered the church and found someone kneeling in prayer on the raised dais. As we came forward, he stood, kissed his bible and placed it on the pulpit before turning to greet us. When he raised his eyes and met mine he drew in a sharp breath, his eyes darted to the others and then back to me.

“Is this your parish, Father?” I inquired.

“It is. I am not a priest, but pastor of this community. My name is Patrick, what can I do for you?”

“Tell us quickly, what is going on in this settlement.”

“These are dark times, I’m afraid. There is plague, and an evil that walks the streets here now.”

“We saw that evil as we walked to your church. We’re here to help you,” El said stepping forward and offering her hand.

He hesitated before shaking it. Through his touch he seemed to feel El’s power of healing. Sighing with relief he raised his other hand to hers and now holding her hand between his, raised it to his lips and kissed it, just as he had done with his bible.

“Then my prayers have been answered, what can I do to help?”