The Dark Gifts Birthright (3 page)

A new hunt began. Sniffing and listening, in
search of new prey, she ran through the woods as silent as death.
Almost giddy with the anticipation of the next kill, she lost
herself in the thrill. Liz drained two small does and a huge buck
before her mind started to process what had happened.

Power coursed through her veins as the hot
blood filled her with unearthly warmth. Charged with this new
vitality, she stretched and reveled in the power bursting within
her. Mind and body filled with this new raw emotion, and
overwhelmed by the woodland scents, she wiped the congealed blood
from her chin with her sleeve.

Her sleeve caught on something sharp. She
tugged, ripping the fabric as she pulled her arm away. Her lips
felt smooth and supple as they parted allowing her index finger to
venture inside. Four sharp objects protruded from her teeth.

One word slithered through her
mind…
Vampire.
Her mind reeled against the possibility of the
existence of such a creature. Last night. It was all real.
Everything she knew had to have been some sort of drug induced
delusion was real. Logical or not, there was no alternative answer
for what was happening. Her mind raged at the injustice of it.
I
can't. This can't
-- Her scream of rage broke the silence of the
forest sending birds and small animals flying for cover.

Liz dropped to her knees and again reached up
to touch her newly found fangs. Her eyes sought the starry sky as
she yelled, “How could you let this happen? I’m not evil! Do you
hear me? I’ll never be evil!” Where she had once found peace and
solace in prayer, now she felt nothing. No sense of well being. No
sense of comfort. Just the cold loneliness of the damned. A labored
sob escaped her chest. Chest heaving, her shoulders shook. She
lifted her sleeve to wipe away the tears, but her cheeks remained
dry.
Where are the tears? Why don't I have tears?

Just under the terror another feeling
asserted itself. A feeling of desolation and emptiness. And nestled
within, anger and hate. Darkness. The darkness ate at the terror
consuming and filling, until the horror was gone. Within seconds,
all other emotions silent, the only feeling left oozed from the
emptiness and the wicked power of the darkness. “No!” she screamed.
Then closing her eyes, she whispered, “I am not evil,” over and
over until the feeling receded.

Dejected, she sat on the hard ground trying
to figure out what to do. A rustle to the left caused her to turn.
A tiny rabbit wiggled its nose as it watched her from under a fern
frond. The soft brown eyes, for just an instant, met with Liz's.
That instant was all it took. It stood frozen in place just a few
feet away. “Come here little guy. Come see me.”

After a short pause, the cute ball of fuzz
hopped over to her.

She reached out, and taking it in her hands,
brought it to her face. The fur tickled, sending a delicious shiver
down her back. Its’ little heart beat furiously in her hand.
Closing her eyes, she breathed in its scent. The smell was warm and
musky with tinges of earth and pine. A faint sour smell grew
stronger as she felt warm fluid flow down her arm.

“Ewww.” She held it away from her allowing it
to finish over the ground. Standing it on end, she turned it and
gazed into its eyes. “I'm not going to hurt you, buddy. You don't
have to be afraid of me.”

Its’ nose twitched rapidly, but its heart
began to slow.

Sighing, she released the tiny animal and
watched it hop away.
So I can control it when I want to. I just
have to keep hold of myself.
She rose and began dusting off her
jeans.

Liz knew she could not go home. She couldn’t
risk killing her whole family when she got there. Her heart
tightened in her chest as she thought of her mother and father.
Pain seared through her.
I can never go home. I can never see
anyone I love again
. In fact, if she had any say about it she
was not killing anyone at all.

Where do you go when unexpectedly, you
discover you’re a blood-sucking ghoul? Town was out. She couldn’t
control herself with the deer until the blood-lust was satiated, so
she certainly wasn't going anywhere near people. She had no choice
but to find him, but how could he help her? What could he possibly
do besides kill her? She glanced around the woods. Even with her
new abilities, she couldn't locate him.
Who even knows where he
could be by now?
At the very least he could answer some
questions. Last night he could have killed her, but now she wasn't
so sure.

Walking over to the nearest tree, she pushed
with all her might. Although she expected the tree to move,
amazement filled her as it crashed to the forest floor, sending
dust and dry leaves high into the air. “Well that's cool.” A smile
worked at her mouth as she flicked at a small limb. The limb split
from the trunk and flew into a nearby tree with a resounding
thwack. “Okay, that's really cool.”

Her gaze shifted to the east. Far above her
on the side of the hill, stood an old gnarled pin oak. She sped in
its direction. Air lifted her hair for a moment, and in the course
of one breath, Liz was beside the large tree. The smile that had
threatened before spread over her face as she gazed at the span of
distance covered. “Holy crap, I'm fast.”

Looking up, she judged the height of the oak.
Twenty? Maybe thirty feet?
Crouched, she flung her body
upwards. Skimming through the branches, she neatly landed on a
small protruding limb. Arms outstretched to balance, she surveyed
the surrounding area.

Once again she raised her eyes to the sky.
“So you're going to leave me to do this alone, huh? Fine.” With
that, Liz jumped and landed with a small thud at the base of the
tree. Inside her, the darkness swelled. She closed her eyes and by
sheer force of will, squelched the dark power.
I will be who I
am. No matter what, I will be me
, she thought as she gained
control of the power within her. For a moment, the darkness
receded, but she could still feel it lingering within her, ready to
spring forth. It frightened her. What if she couldn’t continue to
rein it in?
Okay, Liz. Get a hold of yourself. Think! You need
something to level the playing field.

Her mind ran through old movies and books she
had read. She bent and pulled off an average sized, sturdy limb.
Using her fingernail, she pushed against the green wood. Long
shavings curled up and fell off as she sharpened the end.

“If this jack-off reacts the same as last
night, he’s going down.” She was ready. Her body felt strong and
her mind was clear.
First we talk. If he's
unreasonable
...

Liz stretched, reveling in the strength. She
didn't know if she could take him in a fight, but she wasn't giving
up without one. Her cold eyes held no mirth as her lips twisted
into a wicked grin.

Chapter Three

The Fortress

Laughter filtered through her mind, leaving a
dull pain in her head as her thoughts became her own and the cell
came back into focus. From a seated position she launched her body
at the iron door. The darkness insidiously consumed her as she beat
on the door in rage. Iron buckled and dented as her fists slammed
against it. Each blow resonated throughout the small cell with a
deafening boom. Finally, she screamed at the top of her voice,
“Will you just do something and get this over with! You’re
torturing me for nothing. I’ve done nothing wrong!” Her voice
echoed in the silence, bouncing off the walls. Breathing heavily,
she quelled the storm inside her. If she were going to die, it
would be with dignity. If it was going to happen, it would happen
to Liz, not some monster.

A discernible noise made its way through the
quiet. Footsteps. Footsteps in the outer passageway coming toward
her. She was out of time. They were giving her what she’d asked
for--death.

Surprisingly, the door opened without so much
as a creak and the room flooded with light. After the long period
of darkness, the dim torchlight seemed so bright that it hurt Liz’s
eyes. She blinked until they adjusted. The small-cloaked figure
from the Council stood in the passageway.
“Just one more thing
and then this matter will be put to rest. We can easily take
control, you’ve seen that. However, your powers are developing with
surprising speed. This last intrusion could be quite painful for
you without your compliance.”

Liz sighed. It wasn’t as if they’d really
given her the option of saying no. “Go ahead.”

Without any fanfare, she was hiking through
the forest trying to mentally prepare for the looming altercation
with her attacker. The fact that she might not find him never
entered her mind. She was determined to find out how this happened
and if there was anything she could do to return to normal. Growing
up, her dreams and goals had centered on finding the right job and
the right man. Being a vampire didn't enter into the equation. The
shock of finding herself in this predicament had begun to wear off.
Thoughts of what she might be able to accomplish began to fill her
mind.

Maybe she could be a superhero of sorts.
Seeking out evil-doers and setting them on better paths. She didn't
have to be a monster. It was obvious she could live on animal
blood. Visions of herself wearing a skin-tight, black leather
outfit with a black cape streaming behind caused her to giggle. She
saw herself standing on the edge of a skyscraper, long, auburn hair
flailing behind her in the wind.
I could do it. I'd have no
problem leaping the tall buildings. Mind reading isn't entirely out
of the question. And the strength... If I use these new powers for
something good, maybe I can be redeemed. It wasn't like I chose
this path.

Deep in thought, she didn't notice the eerie
stillness around her, until she stopped to listen. Her eyes scanned
the dark forest looking for some clue as to where the watcher was
hidden. After a few moments, she heard his deep voice chuckle. She
knew he wasn’t actually there. She couldn’t see or smell
anyone.

“
Do you really think you can kill me,
Elizabeth Markum?”

Her eyes darted around as she turned in a
circle trying to locate him. “Where are you? Come out here and face
me you coward!”

“
Coward? I'm afraid you've mistaken me for
someone else. I hope you slept well.”

Her hand fluttered to her temple, massaging
the tender area. The cabin and its contents flashed in her mind. A
man's jacket and muddy shoes by the door, thick curtains at the
windows, and no food to speak of. That familiar scent she couldn't
quite recognize. A sick feeling settled in her stomach as she
realized she’d spent the night in his home.

“
You have a lovely family. Do you dream of
them often?”

The veiled threat to her family crossed the
line. After that, her questions didn't matter. The only thing that
mattered...was killing him.

“
I think you had better come to me,
Elizabeth. There are things we need to --”

“Oh I’m coming, and you better be ready when
I get there!” She knew no one was around to hear her voice, but she
felt better saying it out loud. Her pace quickened as anger took
over. She sped through the forest, leaving no trace other than dry
leaves floating in her wake.

“
I’ll be there soon,”
he answered.

How can a voice sound sexy and cruel at the
same time? It was mesmerizing to hear him. No wonder she’d ended up
on the beach alone with him. “It's not going to work this time,”
she yelled out to the invisible voice.

Chuckle
.

“Get out of my head. I’ll tell you exactly
what I think without you eavesdropping.” With her newly crafted
stake in hand, she approached the cabin for the second time. This
time she was ready for him. Liz stopped short, just inside the
clearing. All her senses were in overdrive. This time she could
hear the slight tick of tiny ant legs running up and down the
trees. Breathing in, she smelled his sweet aroma mixed with earth
and pine. For some reason, it did not seem as nauseating as it had
the night before.

“
Soon. Patience is a virtue.”

Unwilling to play his game, she marched
straight to the front door and went inside. Even before she stepped
into the room, a new scent pulled her. Salty-sweet with a bit of
metallic, it caused her stomach to rumble in an entirely different
way this time. A low growl escaped her burning throat.

Before her stood a squat grey-haired man in
his mid fifties. The shock on his face mirrored her own. Upon
getting a good look at her, that shock turned to fear. “What are
you doing here? Who are you?”

A red haze seemed to blur her vision. Liz
grabbed the doorframe to steady herself. Her fingers sunk into the
wood as if it were made of putty. In the pit of her gut she felt
the darkness raging to be set free. “I...you...where’s--?” She
tried to force out words, but the crazed thoughts in her head and
his scent prevented anything other than heavy breathing. Her chest
heaved as her breaths came faster and faster.

“Young lady, this is private property. The
owner of this cabin doesn’t take kindly to trespassers.” He said
and took a step towards her.

Her hand shot out in front of her. “Stay
back. Don’t come any closer.” A cold blue fire began to burn in her
eyes, turning the normal every day blue into the luminous eyes of a
predator.

“Listen Miss…whatever your name is. You
should know that the owner of this particular cabin is not one to
be trifled with. He will be here shortly, I assure you. ”

Keeping her hand out, she attempted to bring
her breathing under control. Through the red haze, her eyes focused
on his face, but as if they had a will of their own, they moved to
a spot on his neck. It pulsed and moved with every beat of his
heart calling her. “Stay back. Please,” she begged.