Eternal War Rising to the South: The Beynok Vampire Series (9 page)

BOOK: Eternal War Rising to the South: The Beynok Vampire Series
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It was dusk, and Sorin and the others would be leaving soon. What was I going to say to him? If he left tonight, would I never see him again? Did I want to see him again? Did I want to be with him? I hit the middle landing of the stairs in mid thought and watched the three vampires leaving through the back door. With the sight of Sorin slipping through the door last, my questions I asked myself were answered. Vladimir was there to make sure nothing happened on their way out. I couldn’t believe Sorin was going to leave without saying goodbye to me.

“No, wait!” The thought I’d held back from my heart earlier escaped through my lips now.

Sorin turned to face me. I could tell he was determined to leave, but he didn’t want to, not without me.

“All is said. Goodbye, Anya.” He took his final step outside the door, one more step away from me. He was really leaving me. He was forcing me to make the decision right then, in front of my family. Stay or leave? He reached the deck’s edge, and I knew time was up. He was forcing me to make a choice and time was up.

“No!” I screamed, but he didn’t turn around. What was I going to do? I felt I had to leave with him to keep my sanity, but I couldn’t. Then I realized,
Yes I can. I can do whatever I want.
I had been lied to during my whole rise. Just because I chose to fight in the war differently from other Beynoks didn’t mean I was a traitor.

My heart told me I belonged with Sorin...to Sorin. I could make my own choices, choices I thought were right. And everything about Sorin seemed right, no matter how strange the idea looked from the outside. I loved him.

I screamed in desperation, “I choose to go with Sorin.” This got his attention from the deck. He stopped, but did not turn to look at me. Did he still want me? Yes, he did. I could feel it. He stood on the deck with his back to me as his head hung and shook back and forth. His since of relief hit my body. It was his turn to be in shock.

I heard a low, “Thanks, for fuck sake,” come from Corbin standing out in the yard.

I had to hide a small smile. This was not the time for smiling. I made my way to the door. I stopped in front of Vladimir … my elder … my mentor. I was looking for acceptance, not approval, but there was none. I didn’t see him as the same person I’d known a few days ago. So much had changed. I felt I was heading in the direction of truth rather than staying in a realm of lies and secrets.

He looked down at me and said, “Anya, I’m not sure what this means for you. I’m not sure if we’ll be able to fight on the same side if you choose this.” I could tell his heart was broken. I had known at least one heart would be broken. I just hadn’t figured out if it would be one or two until that moment.

“No, Vladimir. We’ll always be fighting on the same side as long as you fight for good and not evil.”

“I told you, you had choices to make and you needed to make the right ones. This is the wrong one. You need to stay with your own kind.” He firmly placed one hand on my shoulder, the shoulder closest to the exit. I wondered if he was going to try to keep me there.

“Goodbye, Vladimir. I will miss you and the others.” I didn’t bother to look around to see who was in the audience. No time for long goodbyes.

I tried to move, but Vladimir didn’t let go of my shoulder. “Let me leave. Let go of me. Please don’t do this.” Before I could finish my plea, Sorin was at the back door by my side. His sword was drawn and placed purposely right above Vladimir’s wrist.

“Release her shoulder or lose your hand. She has made her choice … now you make yours.” His voice was steady, his eyes, pitch black, and his fangs, extended. He was full vampire.

Vladimir released me. “Anya, you can’t come back after this.”

“I know.”

I hesitated, wondering if I needed to grab a few belongings before I left, but my swords were strapped to my back. I needed nothing else; I had Sorin.

11 - New Beginnings

I walked out of the house with Sorin by my side, squeezing my hand. Corbin and Serenity were waiting for us at the tree line. There was no exchange of words or welcoming cheer, only time for quick nods. We all fell into a sprint in fear of retaliation from the house. As I ran, I understand why Vladimir felt the way he did. How could he trust me if I were to come back after choosing the enemy over my own family? I knew this was how the outer layer of my actions looked, but all the layers underneath told me the story was much different. I had to follow my instincts…my heart, and make the right choice.

I knew I’d cross the path of my family and other Beynok teams again. It was inevitable since we were fighting the same war. I wondered which side they would consider me to be on. Would I be fair game? Would I be neutral? Would they hunt me? Part of me left with Sorin because he held many answers to the questions I had. The other part left with him because I had no choice. When I looked at him, I felt as if we are a part of one another, that we belong together. It was a mystery to me why I felt as I did for him, but I could no longer deny it.

Sorin was not only the answer to my questions, he was the answer to my need for love. But the odds were against us. I might be able to overlook some things, but not all. He is clearly unable to balance my soul, because he is not my written partner. Yet when I was with him, I feel more complete then I ever have.
I thought, Maybe I’m some strange Beynok phenomenon, and I don’t need a partner to balance my soul. Not likely though.
Every Beynok has to have a partner to help receive their soul through their four rises. Has to, right?

Out of all the questions I had about love, Vladimir’s secrets, Sorin, and all the other species and their intentions, one predominated. Who was I supposed to be? To the Beynoks, I was to be their leader someday. I wasn’t sure that was going to play out as they intended. Still, I had a desire to help and fight in the war. If there were vampires that were willing to fight on the same side as Beynoks, then what else was out there? Where was Sorin going to lead me? What was I going to find?

“How long have we been running?” I asked. God, I was tired. “Do you guys need reminding that I’m not a vampire? I can’t run forever at this speed.” I was not used to complaining, but I needed to say something or I was going to fall over in complete embarrassment.

“For fuck sake, Princess, why the hell haven’t you said something before now?” Corbin asked in a rude tone.

“Corbin. Stop calling me ‘Princess.’ I’m not a princess. If you want to give me a nickname, you need to choose another one.”

“Anya, it’s okay,” Sorin said, stepping in. “We can stop for a few minutes, and you can just ignore Corbin.” He wrapped his arm around my waist to offer support the second I stopped running.

“I don’t think a few minutes will do it for me.” We had been running for hours at a speed I didn’t think I was capable of maintaining that long. “I am not going to be able to run anymore. You guys go ahead. I’ll catch up with you at some point. It will be dawn in about six hours. You need to find shelter soon.”

“No, it will be dawn in about four hours,” Serenity said abruptly. “We’ve traveled long distances to find you with many battles along the way. We’re not leaving you now. We can take turns carrying you.” She sounded almost angry. This was not a good start to our first conversation, much less friendship.

“There’s no way I can continue to keep up with you, and I’m not allowing anyone to carry me.”

“What makes you think you were keeping up with us? We were just merely holding back for your sake.” I wished I had the gift of speed like Nickolai so I wouldn’t have to listen to this shit. The little bit that Serenity had said since I met her made me wonder if I was going to be able to like her.

“You’re vampires. You’re supposed to be faster than me. That doesn’t mean I can’t kill you.” I was eyeing Serenity hard and waiting for her to make a move.

“Shit on it, Princess … I mean, Anya,” Corbin said. “We know you’re not a vampire. It’s okay. No big deal. But unless you want us to turn crispy from the sun, we need to get a move on it.”

“Anya, we’re absolutely not leaving you. So if I have to carry you, I will,” Sorin said. He was totally not joking about this, but there was no way I was going to consent to someone carrying me. I had a fight on my hands.

Five long minutes went by, and I ended up on Corbin’s back. During the arguing stage, I weighed my options. Serenity was out because she was a girl, and it didn’t seem right for me to catch a ride from another female, much less another female I wanted to punch in the face. I opened myself up to Sorin and realized if I were to climb onto his back, we wouldn’t end up going far at all before we ended up on the ground. Corbin was my best bet. I could tell he truly felt honored to have me accept a piggyback ride from him. He mumbled something about Princess Anya as I climbed on, so I smacked him on the shoulder, and off we went.

Serenity was right when she said they were holding back. We started traveling much faster. I couldn’t even make out the trees. We were traveling so fast they looked like a continuous wall on either side of me. The occasional slap in the face from a leaf or a small branch was my only hint that we were still in the forest. I tried to keep most of my face buried in Corbin’s back and lower neck. Sorin’s jealously hit me every once in a while, which made me happy to know he had jealously issues, too.

We were going east to Wyoming. Apparently, there was a house … a clan of vampires … whatever, a place to stay for the day. They referred to it as Salvuswy.

An hour later, we arrived at a small house in the middle of nowhere. The house was sitting on a small hill. Grassy meadows and far off huge mountains surrounded the valley the small house proudly stood on. The wood planks of the house and porch were gray and rotten looking. Most of the windows were broken out, and no light came from inside. There was no way something lived there. Well, how would I know? I only knew how Beynoks lived, and we lived pretty well. There was no use in thinking that way anymore.
No more warm beds for me. Abandoned houses and caves, here I come.
I hopped off Corbin’s back and thanked him.

“Fuckin’ honor, Princess.” He gave me a slight nod, and I heard Serenity grunt in anger.

I shook my head. I hadn’t asked him to stop using vulgar language just to stop calling me princess. I’d have to ask Sorin how he got hooked up with these two.

“I need you to put this on,” Sorin said, and he handed me his hooded leather jacket. “We’re never sure who is here. This is a neutral place for all sides, but we need to keep your identity a secret.” I slid the jacket on as he requested. I could sense he was pleased I didn’t put up an argument.

I remembered Gallagher the giant vampire yelling, “Kill her!” My body must have tensed up because Sorin pulled me into his arms and whispered that I’d be fine. Of course, I’d be fine. I was always fine. Nothing had changed, except everything in my life. I’d always been in danger before. Was I in even more danger now?

The jacket was way too big for me. If I had to fight, I’d have to lose it. I rather liked the look, though. I thought I might have to get me one and cut little slits in the back for my swords. Sorin wore his swords on his sides, so he didn’t need slits in the back, like I did. His jacket was so big no one would be able to tell I was equipped with swords, which was good.

Sorin grabbed my hand, and we followed Corbin and Serenity up the stairs of the house. I decided to open up to my surroundings to get a quick peek at what I had in store. Boy was that a mistake. I fell hard to my knees at the top step.

I thought we were meeting up with a few vampires, but hell, no. That was what I got for assuming. The presence of supernatural beings from every realm I knew, and some I didn’t recognize, splintered into every ounce of flesh I had. The pressure was so high from all the surrounding beings that I couldn’t shut myself off. It was like my internal emergency cutoff button had never been tested, so I didn’t know it was broken. When I finally needed it and realized it didn’t work, the crash came even faster. I cradled my own body as I hit the steps and quickly felt Sorin scoop me up. He was my last vision as I closed my eyes in agony.

My pillow felt so nice. I thought Nadia must have washed the linens for me again because a fresh scent filled my nose. The fur from my blanket was so cozy.
Fur from my blanket?
My eyes flew open, and my body sprung to a vertical position. Sorin held my face in his hands and said, “It’s okay. Don’t open up. Do you hear me? Do not open yourself up.” He was staring into my eyes to make sure I understood. “You passed out. It’s too overwhelming for your senses here.”

“I don’t understand. This is only a small house. There’s no way so many beings can inhabit this place. Sorin, you need to explain this to me now.”

“I can’t,” he said. I was about to jump out of bed and slice his head off with my swords. My natural instincts told me they were on the nightstand, and I didn’t care how much I cared for him. I was tired of not knowing the truth. “Anya, that’s not what I meant. I’ll show you where you are. Come with me.”

Against my better judgment, I didn’t grab my swords before I followed him. When the rage evaporated and my vision cleared, a beautifully decorated room came into view. All the furniture and drapery had an old Victorian style. The colors were warm peach and cream. Sorin had to grab my hand and pull me to the open balcony. I was in awe of the elegant room.

I stood on the balcony of our room and gazed out on an underground city stretching in all directions as far as I could see. Earth and rock had been carved out into buildings and streets. There were shops and restaurants lining the dim lit streets below. The floors above them looked like apartments or hotels. Supernatural beings were walking around carrying on as if they were in New York City at night. The house above wasn’t a small house at all. It was an entrance.

“Sorin, you have to explain this.”

He pulled me to the bed and told me that, for thousands of years, beings such as vampires, werewolves, Vendennares, Lacevertos, Ahriman witches, and all other such creatures, have been able to agree upon the common goal of survival, which caused them to live amongst one another in peace. There was a safe city in many of the states, and many all over the world, as well. We were in Salvuswy City, a safe city located just inside the Wyoming border.

Over the years, some species had become restless and wanted to live above ground and take more from the humans than necessary. Sorin admitted the survival of most supernatural beings depended on the human race, but they only took what was needed.

The war first started above ground with the humans. Some supernaturals, tired of living underground, would have killing sprees in small towns or even in big cities. The bigger the population was, the smaller the alarm. Not every being in every species felt killing humans was acceptable because it could lead to their existence being revealed. Sorin used vampires as an example. Some vampires wanted a war against the humans, while others respected the human race and felt no shame in living underground. Some didn’t have an opinion and wanted to be left alone. He said it was like this in every species, so it was hard to tell friend from foe. Cities like Salvuswy had been inhabited by all species, good and evil, since the beginning. That was why they were considered neutral and safe for all, at least in theory.

“Where do the Beynoks come into play?” I asked. “Why were we so oblivious to what was going on?”

“If they’d known, they would have hunted us in the cities.” He ran a hand through his hair and said, “Beynoks are the cause of the problem. They should have tried to make alliances with other species, but they didn’t. Instead of just protecting humans from evil, they created a license to kill everything. Not everything you’ve been taught is factual, you know. There are good supernatural beings that want to live in peace and protect the humans.”

I agreed that Beynoks might have launched a battle upon each of the cities, but, in my opinion, if a creature didn’t want to cause harm to the human race or start a war, then they were good. Beynoks thought everything was evil except their kind and the humans. Sorin said that, over the years, the war had become more and more dangerous for humans, and he wasn’t exactly sure what was going to happen.

“So let’s sum this up,” I said. “Nothing is as it seems. The different species are split. Some want to eat the humans; some want to protect the humans, and some don’t care. Got it right so far?” He nodded. I took a deep breath. “So is there one battle or two?”

“Don’t make it complicated. It’s simple: Good versus evil. I think you can decipher it for yourself. You’ve made it this far.”

“Is it safe for me to go into the city, and can I get some food? I’ll be fine staying right here in bed with you, but the answer to the second question had better be yes.”

“Yeah, I called for room service about thirty minutes ago. I could sense your vitals coming around and knew you would be hungry. I hope that’s okay.”

I nuzzled into him. “I hope you ordered something I like. I hope you don’t think I’m going to go along with a diet like yours.”

“Some species eat human food along with human blood. Plus, we have human interaction down here. It’s almost impossible to run a city this large without it. So we have to cater to human needs as well as our own.”

“So what do you do for food, Sorin?” I was so not happy about having to ask this question.

BOOK: Eternal War Rising to the South: The Beynok Vampire Series
11.34Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

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