Leisha glanced up at the blistering sun lingering in the sky above her. She may have been immune to severe sun damage, unlike the other vampires, but she still felt the effects of it when she was directly exposed to it for a long duration. Her head was pounding and her eyes burned from the brightness of light. Her body had been wanting to sweat all day, and so she’d traveled slowly, stopping to rest in the shade and prevent her body from the bleeding sweat that threatened. Not only did sweating blood look unavoidably conspicuous, but it made her need for feeding more pressing.

By the angle of the sun, it would be setting in just a few hours. She would be able to get to the village by then. Leisha was still puzzled over Ellery’s disappearance. She was not one to rebel against Ptah, and she was one of the most able warriors among the vampires. So, when she did not arrive at the appointed rendezvous in Paris, both she and Ptah were surprised. They had waited in their hotel for a few nights, and then Ptah had sent her and Nikita to investigate.

They had found her trail without difficulty and saw that she had traveled south instead of north. They followed Ellery to Lyon and discovered that she had journeyed to a small village on the edge of civilization. It was curious behavior, and Leisha hoped to find Ellery soon and bring her back to Ptah before he sent out her death warrant as a punishment. That was why Leisha was traveling during the day as well as the night. Nikita seemed fine with being a bit behind and would be catching up to her as soon as he could.

Leisha saw a caravan coming toward her on the dirt road and slowed to a human pace before they would be able to see her. When they were just a few feet before her, she smiled and greeted them pleasantly. The caravan was made up of Gypsies selling and trading their wares. The man at the front smiled back at her, then frowned in the direction of the village.

He pulled the reigns and stopped his cart, then jumped down and approached her. “Bonjour, madame. Please pardon me for being so forward, but do you travel to that village yonder?”

Leisha replied in flawless French that she was headed there to look for her sister.

The man paled at the response and grasped her arm. “Conge, leave now before they discover you,” he said urgently while pulling her towards his cart.

She gently pried his hand away and asked him to explain himself.

A woman stepped down from a different cart and walked toward them. She looked to be in her late forties, but held herself with a quiet grace that made her seem younger. “Your soeur, she has dark blue eyes and light brown hair, yes?”

Leisha nodded. “Oui.”

The woman’s dark eyes filled with pity. “The people claimed her to be a witch. She did strange things that no one could explain.” She hesitated, then reached out to squeeze Leisha’s hand. “They burned her to death earlier this morning.”

Leisha felt confused more than anything. Obviously, a small village would not be able to take Ellery unless she allowed them to. There was definitely no way possible that she would have stood there while being burned to death. But how would she be able to deceive them into thinking they had killed her? Fire did kill vampires. She would not have been able to stay in the fire for an extended amount of time or she would have died.

  ”Where is her maid?” asked Leisha. Ellery’s human servant would be able to explain what had happened. 

The man and woman exchanged glances. “She died, as well,” answered the man. “It was not the fire; she simply fell dead as soon as your sister’s screams quieted. I think the shock of it was too much for the poor girl’s heart.”

Leisha stepped back, and then fell down hard into a sitting position. It couldn’t be true, but the accounts seemed to point to Ellery’s death. Leisha realized that she was trembling at the possibility. 

The woman was trying to give her some water to drink, but Leisha waved her away. “Merci. Thank you for telling me. I will await my husband and he will see to me. You should keep moving, it will be getting dark soon.”

They were reluctant to leave her, but Leisha forced them to go. She sat in the dirt for about seven hours before Nikita came upon her. When she told him what the Gypsies had witnessed, he processed the information, then said, “She is dead. We will go and report to Ptah, then.”

Nikita was always unaffected by everything, but this time his nonchalance gave her fury. She punched him so hard and fast that his head snapped back. “This is Ellery we are speaking of! She can not be dead! Why would she allow such a thing?” Leisha moved to strike him again, but this time he was prepared and dodged her blow.

Nikita grabbed her wrists and lunged to pin her body with his own, his expression indifferent. “I do not know why she wanted to die. It is curious. However, you can not dispute the facts. Her human servant died the moment Ellery did. That is proof enough that Ellery did, in fact, die today.”

He got to his feet and offered a hand to help her up. Leisha ignored it and stood up on her own. His dispassionate attitude helped her to mask her grief, but inside, she felt herself shattering. The only friend she had was gone. How would she be able to survive without Ellery?

Leisha wanted to scream from boredom, but kept the perfectly polite smile plastered on her face as she listened to Duke Harrington, Elliot Winthrope, ramble on and on about what amazing prospects he would bring into a marriage. She was glad tonight was the last night she would have to tolerate his narcissistic presence. 

Ptah had asked her to study him and see if he would be a good candidate to join them. Leisha had been playing the role of potential wife while she investigated him. He wouldn’t do, of course. Duke Harrington would not be able to take orders from anyone, but that was a thin excuse to take to Ptah, so she’d had to look into his finances. She was more than ecstatic when she discovered that he was hugely in debt and had no investments paying in the near future. That was the limit for Ptah. He only wanted people who could donate all of their riches to him. It helped keep them free from any obligations and helped Ptah make political connections that the vampires ruthlessly used to their own advantage.

That meant Elliot was out. Now Leisha just had to force niceties for twenty more minutes and she would never have to interact with him again.

“Wouldn’t you agree, my dear?” He asked in a buttery voice.

“Sorry?”

Elliot’s pale smooth brow drew into a frown. “I was wondering if you would agree that we would make a perfect match.”

For a split second Leisha was sorely tempted to drink his blood and rid his useless existence from this earth but forced herself to patience. She kept her smile in place. “You have been most kind to me, Elliot. However, I am perfectly happy being a rich widow. I do not mind confiding in you that I love my freedom and do not plan to remarry. Ever.”

Elliot’s face flashed a montage of emotions. First surprise, then disbelief, shock, and finally outrage. He recovered quickly and smoothed his features into complacency. “Why, I did not realize a woman could have such a perspective on matrimony.” He went to the side table and poured some sherry. “Would you like a drink, my dear?”

“Certainly.” Leisha knew he was up to something. He had accepted her rejection much too easily. She smiled when she caught suspicious movement from his left hand. So he was going to poison her. She almost laughed out loud. She had been waiting for any excuse to be rid of him, and he was literally handing it to her at that moment.

Leisha drank deeply, letting him think he was going to win on this count. She had been poisoned plenty over the centuries and knew that she would be back in his house in less than an hour to take her revenge.

The Duke smiled with satisfaction as he watched her drink. “It is a shame you would not like to marry again.” 

Leisha gave a delicate shrug.

“You see,” he continued. “I already have our marriage certificate with witnesses saying that we married in secret not three days ago.”

“Excuse me?” Leisha had not anticipated Elliot to be so innovative.

“Yes, I have made all of the proper arrangements.” He sat next to her on the sofa and placed a consoling hand on her knee. “While I was looking forward to bedding you, it is not that much of a disappointment to me.” He grinned broadly. “The money I inherit from you will pay for a wonderful mistress.” He sighed as he leaned back and rested his feet on the ottoman. “Money is an incredible commodity, no?”

Leisha’s ready retort died on her lips when she felt immense pain in her abdomen. “What poison did you give me?”

If he noticed that she was more curious than scared, he didn’t show it. His dark eyes sparkled at the question. “It’s amazing stuff, and so simple, really. Just glass. That’s all it is. Ground up to a fine powder to be stirred into your drink.” He sat forward in his excitement. “The best part is that it’s so painful. Right now, your insides are being torn to shreds and there is absolutely nothing to be done about it! Marvelous, isn’t it?”

Leisha felt a knot of panic at his explanation. Would she survive from something like that? She had never consumed ground glass before. This was an untread path and she was somewhat frightened that this imbecile sitting next to her might actually get away with his scheme.

“Bastard!” she screamed as she turned to punch him. Her fist didn’t make contact with his face, unfortunately. She felt a pain so strong and so deep that she’d had to clutch her stomach and bow her head.

The blood rushed out of her gag reflex so quickly that she had no time to turn away. She had thrown up blood and bile all over her gown, and was starting to feel humiliated. She refused to cry out in front of him, though. She would keep as much of her pride as she could, no matter what. More cramping came, and it was excruciating. The pain filtered through from her chest all the way down to her lower stomach. She sat hunched over, feeling completely helpless as all her energy was focused just on surviving the agony she was going through.

Leisha paid little attention to Elliot lifting and carrying her into his gardens. It was late and none of his servants were around. She blinked when she saw the open grave waiting for her just past the green house. He had been planning to murder her from the beginning. She wanted to scream at her own stupidity, but a small groan was all that escaped. She could not believe she had so fully underestimated him.

The Duke dumped her uncerimoneously into the dirt. She barely felt the pain from her fall since the powdered glass was doing its job all too well. She raised her hand when she felt dirt hitting her face. She really did not want to be buried, but she was too weak to move. She felt tears of frustration swell within her eyes, but would not give into them. She would survive this, and when she was better, she would give Elliot a true nightmare. She looked up at glared at him to silently give him the message.

Elliot paused at her furious glance. “Sorry, love. A man’s got to do what is best for himself.” He continued with pouring the dirt over her. Leisha felt the weight of the soil slowly increase while the pain was mounting new scopes. She really worried that this would be her death. She wanted to gasp and moan at her torture, but kept her mouth closed and did not breath to keep the dirt out of her lungs. She vomited up blood and other things she couldn’t identify a few more times.

When the violent pangs became unbearable, she finally lost consciousness….

Leisha awoke to find that she was utterly weak. The pressure over her seemed more than she could bear, but the wretched agony had finally left her. She used shaking hands to push through the dirt and dig her way out. It was vexingly slow as more soil fell from above her prying fingers. When Leisha finally cleared her torso from the ground, she lay on her grave, trembling. She needed blood to regenerate herself. She could feel the Hunger lurking within her mind, wanting to take over her body.

“Not yet,” she whispered.

Her mouth was so very dry. 

She forced herself to get up and move. She was filthy, but did not care if the servants saw her tracks.

She entered the house and saw easily through the darkness as she painstakingly made her way up the stairs and to Elliot’s bedchamber. He was snoring. She laughed, though it came out as wheezing. Nonetheless, it startled the Duke out of his slumber.

“What?” he looked at her and paled. “No, this can not be!”

Leisha smiled. “Oh yes, it can, you whoreson’s bastard. You chose the wrong victim. You wanted a wedding night, yes? Well, I dare say I can give you one that you will never forget.” The Hunger was getting stronger and pushing to take over. She reigned it in.

“Now you will pay the price for your selfish machinations. Goodbye, Elliot. Or rather, good riddance, you filthy pig!”

For the first time in her long life, Leisha willingly unleashed her mental control and let the Hunger take over. It immediately took the reins of her body and she moved swiftly to Elliot’s bed. Leisha reveled in his terrified screams as she replenished her body.

Mason had finally reached the acceptance stage. He had fought with Mary so hard on this, but she wouldn’t budge an inch, had almost been frantic to get away from him. He hadn’t understood at first. They did love each other, after all. She didn’t deny it every time he brought it up. It had actually made her burst into tears as she nodded her agreement with him. But when he said that she didn’t have to leave him, her expression had just hardened and she had continued packing.

He was standing with his daughter now, feeling an intense sorrow he didn’t think would ever go away. They were going to be in a whole different state. His work was too demanding for him to be able to travel and visit. When he had asked Mary if she would bring Samantha to him every now and again, her lips had thinned and she had merely shaken her head. He stifled a sigh as he leaned down to give his little girl a big hug. He looked into her blue eyes, the same blue eyes he had, and saw that confusion and sadness filled them. He would have to ignore his own pain and try to make this as easy for her as he could.

“You and Mommy are going to have a great adventure together.” he said with forced enthusiasm. ”You will have so much fun that you won’t even miss me.”

Samantha shook her head, her blond curls swaying. “But of course I’ll miss you, daddy. I always miss you when you go on your trips, and I’ll miss you while I’m on my own trip, too,” she said in a matter-of-fact tone that made her sound a lot older than six.

Mary was carrying two suitcases down the stairs. “Daddy will write to us, sweet pea. Won’t it be fun to get letters from him in the mail?”

Mason could not stop the bitter glare from his face at that comment. This was so unfair. His own Mary was taking away his right to be a father, and all because she didn’t approve of the project that he was assigned at work. She had worked for the government. She knew as well as he did that you couldn’t just pick and choose your own assignments. When she had asked him to quit, he had only scoffed. She also knew how much he loved his career, and he had worked very hard to get where he was today.

Mason had done things that no sane man should have to do, had seen some pretty horrific things during his career in the field and had not minded one bit when Mary had asked him to get some kind of a desk job. He had been very lucky that they gave him projects that were so interesting. So what if some of them were on the borderline of what was considered ethical? It was for the good of their country, after all. He had thought that Mary understood all of this, but once she had uncoded his log that detailed his experiments, she was outraged. Evidently, she was outraged enough to leave him and take his only child.

Mason schooled his expression into a calm mask and kneeled down to give Samantha a kiss and a lingering hug. He had to force himself to let go of his little sweetheart. “You’ll be good, won’t you sunshine?”

Samantha rolled her eyes at him. “I’m always good, daddy. You know that.”

He chuckled and patted her head lightly. “Yes, I do.” He stood and turned to Mary. “So this is goodbye then?”

Mary nodded, her eyes filling with tears, but they didn’t spill down her cheeks. She guided Samantha out the front door and was just about to close it when she turned back to Mason. “I’ll never stop loving you, Mason,” she whispered.

With that, the love of his life was gone.

He had no more warmth to come home to. All he had now was his job. It seemed a paltry trade off. Mason cursed violently and went to get some brandy. No, life was not fair at all.

Mary was lost in thought as they rode the bus home from her mother’s house in Cleveland. She had taken her daughter, Samantha, with her to visit for the weekend while Mason was out of town on business. Her thoughts of her husband brought back the memory of helping him pack for his trip.

He had been working long hours and had asked her to pack up his clothes and necessities for him so he could make his flight to Quantico on time. As she had been pulling his underwear and socks out of his drawer, she had seen the lever that opened the extra space behind the top drawer. She knew her husband had to keep his secrets. She’d had secrets of her own when they first met and she had been in the analyst and code department of the CIA, but her curiosity got the better of her.

She had pulled the lever only to find an electronic journal. It had been in code, but Mary had been one of the best code-breakers during her time at the CIA and it had taken her little time to decipher. What she had read from his logs had been disturbing. She had decided to go to her mother’s for the weekend so she could think of what to do in an environment where she felt safe. Unfortunately, she hadn’t been able to come to any conclusions.

She was too torn to be able to decide. She loved Mason with all of her heart and she knew that nothing could change that. But what he was participating in now was too much for her. She knew she would not be able to pretend ignorance, and she also knew that Mason would not discuss it with her. He was loyal to his country and to his superiors, and she could not fault him that. But she was so worried about what this new project would do to him. He had already started to become somewhat withdrawn from her and Samantha, but Mary had passed it off as being temporary. She knew that his job asked a lot of him.

Mary didn’t miss the irony of the situation. If she had never asked Mason to quit the field and take a desk job, none of this would be happening. She had wanted to protect him from getting killed. The operations he had been involved in had always been extremely dangerous and Mary didn’t want to become a widow so soon. But now that he had his desk job, she had to fret over his sanity. The project she had read about in his log would take years to complete. What kind of man would he be by the end of it? Mary shuddered at the possibilities.

Her thoughts were interrupted when Samantha began  patting her hand. “Mama,” she said in an urgent whisper. “I see a ghost!”

Mary leaned down to give her five year old daughter her full attention. “Where do you see a ghost, honey?”

Samantha pointed a chubby finger at an old man who was sitting across from them. He looked pale and drawn, but was very much alive and breathing.

Mary smiled down at her daughter and said softly, “Sweetheart, that man is not a ghost. I can see him, too.” She smiled and waved at the man when he glanced over at them. He returned the smile and nodded in acknowledgment. “See? He’s alive.”

Samantha wasn’t convinced. She shook her head emphatically. “I saw him in my dream last night. I watched him die.”

Mary sighed wearily. Samantha’s dreams about death were really becoming a concern. Samantha would often tell her about the dreams she’d had of people dying in various ways. It was dark and morbid and Mary had no idea where Samantha was getting these crazy notions about death. She was such a happy and energetic child that Mary had tried not to think about it too much. If Samantha was really disturbed, she would be a more withdrawn child, wouldn’t she? But now that Samantha was putting real people’s faces into her strange fantasies, Mary was getting increasingly bothered by them.

She leaned down again to her daughter. “What happened in the dream?”

Samantha’s eyes got wide and serious, just as they usually did when she recounted a dark dream. “I saw him walking on the sidewalk with a cane,” she began. “He didn’t hear the shouts and honks and he crossed the street. That’s when the car hit him. He got pulled under and when the car was gone, his chest looked funny and there was lots of blood, too.”

Mary shook her head in dismay. Where did Samantha get this stuff? Mary was always censoring what Samantha watched and did not allow her to play any video games, yet she still came up with these macabre dreams.

Before Mary could think of what to say to her daughter, the bus came to a stop. They were in Toledo and were being given a thirty minute break before the bus got back on the road. The old man across the way pulled a dark wood cane from under his seat and made his way to the exit.

The sight of the cane gave Mary a brief pause, but decided that Samantha must have seen it when he had stashed it there earlier. She held Samantha’s hand as they got off the bus and led her to a gas station across the street to use the bathroom and get her a snack. As they were coming out of the station and heading towards the traffic light to cross the street, Mary noticed the old man was across the street and walking towards the cross walk in her direction.

She felt goose bumps sprinkle across her arms and looked to her right. There was a black SUV speeding down the street and it was heading straight for the old man. Mary shrieked for him to look out and heard others around her gasp and shout their warnings. The man did not seem to notice anything and stepped into the street. The driver of the SUV looked up a moment too late. She screeched on the brakes, but could not swerve because of the traffic around her.

The old man’s cane flew high into the air as he was pulled under the car and was crushed by both the front and back tire. Mary joined the group of people running to the man to try and aid him. As soon as she was a few feet away from him, she saw that there was nothing she could do. His feeble ribs had caved in under the pressure of the car. Blood was everywhere, and there was no way he could have survived the injuries.

Mary felt numb as she looked down at Samantha. The little girl’s eyes were wide and serious, but she did not seem affected by the gruesome scene before her. Her blue eyes met her mother’s brown. “I told you so,” she said solemnly.

Their numbers were now dwindling. After proving to be so strong and powerful after a thousand years of existence, the vampires were dealt a degrading blow of humility. They had all been trained warriors, with reflexes that could beat any predator that walked the earth. Until now.

Leisha drew in a deep breath and ignored the smells of carnage, death, and smoke that filled her lungs. She shared a glance with Ellery, and knew they shared the same thought. The vampires had been too conceited and self-absorbed to see the reality. That reality was that the immortals could be just as fast, just as well-trained, and just as determined as the vampires had been.

The only consolation the vampires had was that the immortals had suffered just as severely as they. Ptah repeated it every time he saw one of his vampires show a look of defeat. They walked together through the night to a nearby cave. They would sleep and recover there during the day and then return home to their lair the following evening. Their group being less than half of when they had arrived to battle.

Leisha could not keep the image from her mind as she walked with the others. The image that scorched her brain while she was decapitating her opponent during the battle. She had just taken his head and was seeking another to fight with when she had spotted Tafari. He had looked more the part of a feirce warrior than anyone she had ever seen. The black immortal’s stature was large, his presence dominating as he sliced his way through his foes as if they were merely human with no powers. It had been a beautiful sight.

Leisha was unable to contemplate what it had been like seeing him for the first time in a thousand years and had continued with the battle. She had not seen him again, and was certain he had never caught a glimpse of her. She sighed as she walked, unsure of what she was feeling. Perhaps a bit wistful, wishing that the past had been different. She would fantasize every so often about her and Tafari living out their lives together with a dozen children around them and dying together in their old age.

But it was not meant to be, so Leisha just allowed the fantasy every once in a while, but never told anyone about them, not even Ellery. Ellery did not even know about Liesha’s life as a human, and it was just as well. While her past did have an affect her attitude towards killing humans, she was a vampire and did not want to pull anyone else into the unrealistic desires of her heart that would never be. Of course, she was certain that Ptah probably knew what Leisha felt. He even used that knowledge to manipulate her. That was another sound reason for her to keep her personal thoughts to herself. She certainly did not need anyone else trying to mold her to their will.

Victor walked alongside her just as they were reaching the caves. “You fought very well,” he said.

Leisha smiled. “Coming from a great warrior such as yourself, that is a great compliment indeed.”

He nodded and smiled back. He looked like he was about to say more when Ptah began to speak to them all.

“We encountered many losses this night, but we are not defeated,” he said in his usual silky steel voice. “It will take some time to rebuild our army of vampires, but we will prevail. I will teach Victor the ways of converting humans into vampires, and he will help in selecting an elite group to join us.” The vampires murmured in surprise. Ptah had never shared his secret with anyone else. It was a great honor to Victor. “We will be great and strong again. When we are, we will seek out the immortals and study them. We will discover their weaknesses. Once we have, we will annihilate them completely. We will never concern ourselves with them hunting us down again!”

Everyone cheered at the proclamation and settled themselves for the day. Once darkness settled again, they would all scatter in different directions to feed. Leisha lay awake in the cave for a while, then rose and stealthily wound her way towards the entrance. She was the only vampire who could venture into the sunlight without getting burned, and she enjoyed that time. It almost made her feel human again.

She walked for a while around the frigid countryside, not noticing the biting chill in the air. She had come so far in her long life. She had fought off a debilitating depression and found a sense of purpose among the vampires. Yet still, she felt…. incomplete. She realized that day that she would always feel like that. The only time she had ever felt complete was when she had been with Tafari, and he was forever lost to her.

Leisha could not have been any happier. Her life felt euphorically complete as she snuggled up to her new husband in their new hut. Her father had helped Tafari build it as a wedding gift. Not many in the village were so fortunate as to have their own home when so recently married. Leisha had felt like royalty when her father had told her what his gift to them would be. The place was small, with only one room, but it was much more than she had ever dreamed.

She sighed as she thought of their wedding earlier in the evening. Since her father was the village shaman, he was able to marry them. It had been a simple ceremony, but the celebration afterward had lasted well into the night. She knew that her fellow villagers cared more for the drinking and dancing around bon fires than celebrating her marriage. She was not very loved amongst them, but she still had felt important as the guest of honor. She had, in fact, glowed with happiness. She laughed softly to herself as she realized she still glowed with that same feeling. She was free to love and be truly happy.

Tafari stirred from his light sleep and opened his eyes. Leisha gazed into his beautiful silvery blue eyes and grinned. “I believe I am in heaven, dear husband.”

He smiled back. “Is that where we are? The gods have favored us to give us a paradise to retire in together.”

She giggled like a little girl, then flushed at her silliness. Tafari stroked her cheek. “I love your fair skin, and how easily you blush. It is so very becoming.” He chuckled. “I did not realize that taking your virginity would make you blush so.”

Thinking of the pleasure she had shared with him earlier made her blush a bright red. Tafari laughed some more, a carefree, deep belly laugh.

“Tell me that you are turning red from pleasure and not from shame,” he teased.

“You know I enjoyed it,” she stated as she wrapped her arms around his neck and burrowed deeper into his arms.

“Yes, I noticed,” he said huskily. “Just thinking about all those sounds you made makes me want to have you again.” He stroked his hands down the length of her. “I feel like you are a magical instrument and that I am the only one who knows the secret of your wonderful music.”

Leisha’s heart began a more rapid pace as he began to nibble lightly on her ear. “Yes,” she purred. “You are the only one, Tafari. My love.”

He began to stroke her with his fingers and proceeded to pluck a melody from her that lasted all through the night.

Thank you for stopping by my site.  I’m glad you found me, since I’ve been looking for you.  Now all you need to do is read my new book and we’ll be best friends.