Rise of the Dark Sun (The Blood Lust Plague Trilogy Book 1) (8 page)

“No need. He was a criminal. He needed to be punished. My name is Simon and I am with the Vampire Government. I came tonight to ask you to come to the Vampire Consulate. Your…Samantha has created quite a stir with her research. It has been a long time since a Quencher has taken a genuine interest in our cause, and we would like to offer her protection.”

Micah still did not like the sound of that, but realizing that, given the situation, he could not argue that Samantha needed protection, Micah knew he had to agree. “We will be there,” Micah assured
Simon.

“Come tomorrow night and bring Constance. She has been chosen to be Samantha’s appointed guardian,” Simon said, helping Micah pick Samantha up off the ground and placing her in her bed.

The next night, after the meeting at the Vampire Consulate, Micah was left feeling scared, hurt and left out. “Why couldn’t I have at least gone in
to the room?” Micah demanded, laying a sleeping Samantha on the bed and covering her with the blankets.

“Because it is not their way,” Constance replied, tired of Micah’s griping.

“This is between Quencher and guardian. This is no concern of yours, boy! All you should be concerned with is the assurance of her safety.” Micah mocked the voice of the judge who had thrown him out of the court room, and then in his own voice, he added, “What is he, like, four hundred years old? Still with the powdered wig and all? Really?” Micah laughed condescendingly.

“Actually, he is six
hundred years old, but Micah, they are not trying to be disrespectful to you. It is just their process: the way they have done things for hundreds of years,” Constance replied.

“Yea, well, their process needs a major face-lift. All their process accomplished was making me fear and distrust them more
.” Micah shook his head. “Boy…I stopped being a boy when I grew fangs and started to suck blood out of the people around me. No boy does that.”

Constance put her hand on his shoulder
. “You’re hurt. I know. I understand, but it is like adopting a child that you gave birth to. There are certain formalities that you must adhere to in our world that do not make much sense sometimes, but it is what must be done, unfortunately. During this adoption process, you are like the vampire brother to her, Micah. Not to be harsh, but no one really cares about your opinions because you are not her appointed guardian. Since I sired you, you are automatically considered mine; however, Samantha is a Quencher, and for her full protection, she must be appointed to an elder vampire who has kept in good standing for at least a century. You are not even a year old. I am responsible for you both.” Constance sighed and moved towards Micah who was obviously hurt by this and replied, “You would do anything to ensure Samantha’s safety, yes?”

Micah glowered up at her, his face gray with ire
. “How could you even ask me that?”

Constance nodded
. “Then this is what must be done. If you love her, and I know you do, just stick it out and allow your beloved to get the protection she needs.”

“Have I not protected her enough? I still don’t trust them, Constance,” Micah replied earnestly.

“Yes, well, I shudder to think what would have happened if that vampire from the consulate had not shown up the other day,” Constance replied.

The memory caused Micah’s heart to sink. Instinctively, he peered over at Samantha
, who was asleep in their bed. Without words, Micah nodded and rubbed his face, irritated.

“Get some rest. You never know when you will need every ounce of strength you have to keep what you hold most dear.”

Micah looked at Constance with piercing, accusing eyes. “Do you know something?”

Constance shook her head
. “No. I wish I did, but all that I am saying is that caution should be taken at all times. I hate to think of what would happen to you if anything happened to her. I love you, Micah, no more as a lover, but as a friend, as family even, and I do not want to see any harm come to either of you. I would protect you with my life, but I cannot always be there to help you.”

Nodding, Micah got up and moved over to the bed. Looking back at her, he replied, “Thank you, Constance. I feel the same way.”

Constance nodded once. “Good day. Get your rest.”

Although he felt better now that it was all over, even as he tried to put aside his ego and see that what they were doing was for the best, Micah still went to bed with a heavy heart and a knot in his stomach. He knew he would still have to protect Samantha from monsters
; yet, these monsters were smarter, more powerful and more connected. They’re would always be more of them then there was of him, and after the other night, he feared another crazed attack on Samantha’s life.

There were two things that bothered Micah about that night. The first problem that worried Micah was how the elder vampire knew about Constance and how he knew all of their names. Constance had not been to Europe in hundreds of years and Micah was not that old, so there was little chance that
, unless someone saw them together, they would know they were even acquainted. Even if they had seen the three of them together, how would he know to threaten her like that? How would he know that would distract him? There were only a small number of reasons that the elder vampire could have known that. Either he had followed them around for far too long—and shame on both Micah and Constance for not realizing they had company—or someone else told him.

This possibility upset Micah even further. Betrayal was common
, and loosely-bound alliances were wrought constantly throughout the vampire world. In fact, the best thing to do if you want to kill someone is to enlist them in your cause and become their ally. So, it would not be a stretch, and it certainly would not be beneath the Vampire Government to offer the criminal, elder vampire salvation from all of his past transgressions in return for a one-minute favor: retrieving Samantha and killing anyone who stood in his way. After all, the employee from the government did show up at just the right time, armed to behead a vampire.
Realistically, he should not have been armed with a sword if he was just delivering a simple message. Either he intended to kill one of them or he moved in with the intention of saving them from a situation he created,
Micah thought with malice and ire teeming in his heart.

“Hey
, sleepyhead,” Samantha called the next night, touching Micah’s face with her hand.

Micah awoke with a start, still on edge from the other night. Once he was awake enough to realize that it was Samantha, he smiled and reached out for her
. “Good night,” Micah said.

As Samantha curled into his arms, Micah kissed her head.

Looking up at him and knowing something was wrong, she asked, “Is everything okay?”

“Yea, everything is fine. I just…” Micah sighed, “I’m sorry I brought you into this whole vampire world. It was unfair of me.”

Samantha turned her head to the side and peered at him as though confused. “Micah, I love you and I would do anything for you. I knew that you were a vampire when I agreed to be yours. There was no deception.”

“Yes, but I still feel bad. I just wish that we could live a normal life together. I wish…I wish I had asked you out in high
school, and then my life would have had meaning before becoming a vampire. Then we could have had the whole white-picket fence, with a yard, kids and a dog, you know. Marrying you would have been my most absolute devotion to our love, not…drinking your blood to spend the day with you…” Micah looked away, partially ashamed of what his life had become.

“Micah,”
she said, catching his eyes, “you were destined to be a vampire. I would not change a moment of our path because it led me to you and I am happy!” Samantha insisted, kissing Micah.

When the couple broke away, Micah looked Samantha in the eyes, smiled and answered, “You make me the happiest vampire in the world.”

Satisfied, Samantha smiled.

After a moment, Micah asked, “So, you were asleep before I could ask you how it went yesterday.”

“Sorry…” Samantha laughed, “It went okay, I guess. Nobody tried to eat me, which was a plus.” Samantha then broke eye contact with Micah, “Although, there was this one thing that bothered me.”

“What’s that?” Micah asked, listening carefully.

“There was a document, a decree of some sort that said vampires are allowed to seek out Quenchers, like being wingmen, so they may trick the Quenchers into donating blood so that vampires can steal it. I didn’t think that was right,” Samantha replied, almost fearful.

Feeling the pain of hate welling up inside of him again, the only response Micah could muster was to shake his head and hold Samantha close to him.

Despite Micah’s distrust in the
Vampire Government, after the protection hearing, things seemed to be quiet. Samantha became well known: not only for being a Quencher, but for taking a genuine interest in the vampire race. She became respected and loved. Vampires came from all over Europe to speak with her, which made Micah a little bit jealous and very uncomfortable, but she enjoyed speaking with them. None of them ever dared to ask for her blood outright, though occasionally she would provide certain vampires with vials of her blood so that they may feel the sun and walk in the day once more. When she was not meeting with other vampires, Samantha, Micah and Constance would research the history of vampires and occasionally do some sightseeing.

Micah began to carry a weapon everywhere they went, though
, because he refused to be caught off guard and unable to protect his family. That night when the elder vampire had attacked them was still freshly seared in Micah’s brain, and he would die fighting before he ever felt that helpless again.

As Samantha’s lover and aid
e, though, Micah began to gain respect in the vampire community as well. Even if it was simply because he was able to delight in Samantha’s presence at his free will because she chose him, or because everyone knew his vow to protect her to the end was fatally real, Micah did not mind. It was not for himself that he sought respect. Rather, it was only to protect Samantha. If people respected him, either by seeing the weapon strapped to his belt or the look in his eyes that relayed a much more threatening message then Samantha’s genuine kindness, they would be far less encouraged to try anything to endanger Samantha.

That was all Micah cared about. Micah had simplified his life’s objections to loving Samantha with all of his heart and soul, being a friend to Constance
, and protecting them both with every inch of life he had left.

However, although Micah never eased in his conviction and distrust of the
Vampire Government, the way that the final blow came down upon them was something that even Micah would never have anticipated.

They awoke that night, as any other night. Samantha awoke first
, bursting with excitement because she was going to the consulate tonight, because rumor had it that Samantha was receiving an award for her efforts to help vampire-kind. Micah and Constance were going to accompany her, but Micah did not feel right about tonight.

There was something that was definitely wrong, though Micah could not quite figure out what it was. The
Vampire Government was normally grandiose, though for this supposedly honorable award ceremony, very little was known about it. Normally, their grandeur was a ploy for a brilliant sleight of hand maneuver, but there was nothing Micah could think of that would require such a gesture of blatant hoodwink.

Since Samantha was so excited about it, though
, Micah figured that he would keep this thought to himself, at least until danger became apparent.

So, when Samantha awoke with a jittery excitement, Micah responded in kind. “I am very proud of you, Samantha. You deserve it,”
he said.

“Well, I could have never have gotten this far without you, my love,” Samantha responded, leaning in to kiss Micah.

Micah returned the kiss with passion, needing to envelop her in his arms and make love to her. It was that instantaneous sort of passion that developed in an instant, and was undeniable. Micah wanted her, needed her, and knew that he could not survive one more moment without having her! As his hands traveled down her body, exploring her beauty, Samantha responded in kind, pulling him closer and entwining herself with him.

Desperately, she kissed him, her lips searching for more of him while Micah began to feel her heartbeat quicken.

Micah held Samantha, running his fingers through her hair and grasping onto her as though her touch was the solitary key that could save him. Micah’s lips then traveled down her throat and over her breasts, over and around her stomach, taking in the scent and taste of her beauty. Feeling her blood pumping diligently against his mouth aroused Micah even more.

When Micah came back to face her, Samantha pulled him into her and
they began their dance into the climax. Rearing up for a mutual, orgasmic finish, Micah’s fangs began to pulse as Samantha’s arteries seemed to bang violently to the surface of her voluptuous, unblemished skin. Feeling her excitement rise with every passing moment he was inside of her, Micah knew by now exactly when to bite in order to receive the desired and anticipated effect, and when that moment came, he clung to her as though this moment was the last of his life and of his everything.

The intended excitement exploded in a euphoric finale, causing them to both feel the rush of love coursing through their bodies, bringing them ever closer and ever more satisfied. However, this experience, at least from Micah’s point of view
, was tainted with dread and true desperation. He felt as though this may be a finale to a lot more than their sexual appetite for the moment, but something much more absolute.

Micah could not shake the feeling that every touch could be his last and every kiss could be the ultimate seal on the life
which they had built.

Trying to justify his morbid thoughts with his fear of tonight did not work, although he tried. He held her as though never wanting to let her go
; he relished in the feel of her heart beating as though he feared it would stop, and he took in her aura as though that light that had helped him overcome so much was soon to be snuffed out, never to be relit.

Yet, Micah had no grounds for these feelings except for this own fears
, so he did not share them. However, the more he tried to suppress the terror that was consistently welling up inside of him, the more powerfully it returned, consuming him in an existence that sucked the life and hope from everything, leaving only a dark, black, gaping hole in the pit of his broken heart.

Only too soon, Constance came to the door, reminding them that if they were going to make the award ceremony they were going to have to get up—as if either Samantha or Micah needed any reminder. However, at her call, Samantha, filling with excitement, and Micah, filling with dread, got out of bed and began to get dressed.

As Micah grabbed his sheath and put it around him, he knew that it would do no good because he could not bring weapons into the
Vampire Consulate. Now, did Micah think that they would come barging out from behind secret passageways in the walls carrying their own weapons in an effort to take them by storm? Probably not. However, just the simple fact that he would be unarmed made Micah uneasy.

Samantha looked beautiful! She and Constance had gone out shopping for this occasion the night before
, and from an underground vampire market, which begins at sundown, they found some very becoming clothes for the occasion.

Samantha wore red, the color of the Quencher. The dress was formfitting to Samantha’s perfect shape
, and rhinestones outlined her cleavage, weaving up over her shoulders, the two halves meeting to cascade down her back, leaving the majority of her upper half bare.

Constance, forever a lady, chose a black dress, the color of the vampire, which was laced at the bottom
, and although you could see a bit of her skin beneath the top portion of her arms, the material wrapped her curves snuggly. The lace lay over her chest and ran down her arms, like a sexy spider web. Even though Micah had no interest in Constance, he still could not deny her talent for style. On anyone else, this dress may have looked outdated and too conservative for a woman trying to express herself. However, on Constance, it only drew men
to
her, accepting the challenge to earn what was underneath. It was a lot like her personality. She seemed hard and gruff at times, but once you got past her initial front, she had nothing but warmth and love for everyone.

Looking at the two of them, doing their hair and makeup, Micah smiled.
This is my family
.

Micah had never really experienced this before
: not only the depth of love that he held for both Samantha and Constance, but the intense amount of loyalty and dedication to their safety as well as their happiness. Micah knew that without them, he would not want to live. The two of them were his whole life.

That moment of pride
, however, was swept away by the painful knot of dread and panic that plummeted into his stomach as he realized they were about to leave.

Samantha and Constance chatted excitedly on the way over to the consulate, but Micah did not say very much. He felt
that if he spoke, he would ruin the mood, but neither woman noticed his absence in the conversation and that made Micah happy.
At least they are having fun,
he thought.
Maybe it won’t be so bad. I have been wrong before. There is a good chance that I am wrong. Not tonight. Why would they want to hurt Samantha? She has done nothing wrong. She has single-handedly improved the state of the vampire race by giving them hope and kindness. Why should she be punished for that?
And then, Micah had an awful thought:
Maybe they feel threatened.

Shaking his head, trying to rid himself of such malicious ideas, Micah focused on the girls
’ conversation. However, it was no use. Their girl talk only made Micah fear he was bringing the family he loved so much to their death, subsequently betraying them, and they were excited about it because they were so sure that no harm would come to them in his presence. Micah hoped against hope; despite his own horror, he hoped that they were right.

Upon having to leave his weapon at the door, Micah was steadfast in the belief that he had sealed their fate. Something bad was going to happen tonight
; he was sure of it.

However, on the slim chance that Micah was wrong, he pretended to be in good spirits. When Constance or Samantha would address Micah, he would smile and pretend he was just as excited to be here as they were, weaponless and all.

They were first directed to what vampires considered a feast: the best, purest blood in all the land. Micah was almost sure that was Quencher blood, but only the daylight hours would bring him assurance. Although it was awkward having Quencher blood as a feast to honor a Quencher, Micah continued to try to be optimistic.
If that is their tradition for a celebration, then why would they not carry on such a tradition? For these old vampires, they probably saw no irony in it, and as long as no one told her, Samantha would never know. It was like having turkey on Thanksgiving, for true humans,
Micah thought.
Be positive! This is Samantha’s big night!

So, Micah smiled and looked over to realize that Samantha was served a heaping plate of none other than turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and some sort of native vegetable.
Maybe these old vampires do have a sense of humor.

Micah did not want to eat. He smelled the blood in front of him
; it smelled like Quencher blood and even had the glistening hue to the vampire eye as Quencher blood does. However, the normally tantalizing aroma now caused Micah to feel ill. Part of Micah knew that he should eat, but if it was in fact Quencher blood, he felt as though he was betraying Samantha even further.

Micah looked over at Samantha
. She and Constance were still talking, laughing about how well vampires can prepare food that they don’t eat.

Then, the ding of a crystal glass rang throughout the room, gathering everyone’s attention at once. All eyes settled on a vampire with long white hair and glasses
, which made him eerily resemble Benjamin Franklin. The man’s outdated Sunday best also suggested that time period. “Thank you all for coming. For those who do not know me, my name is Cedric, and I come representing the crown. The king wanted to come. He sends his apologies, however; there were pressing matters he needed to attend to. Although, this night is not about me, nor the king, even. This night is about a very special young Quencher who has taken a genuine interest in our kind. Some of you here may have even sought her council. Samantha, please stand,” Cedric said, his fangs showing proudly.

Micah turned his head with the rest of the vampires to Samantha, who was smiling in front of panicked eyes. She was nervous, now that all eyes were on her, but she handled herself with poise. Rising up, she brightened her smile. “Thank you, Cedric. You are too kind,”
she replied, nodding her head to him in a bow of respect. Samantha was catching up on the vampire monarch customs quickly. Micah wondered if Constance had prepared her.

Cedric smiled
. “A lady, as always.” He nodded back as a sign of acknowledgement and mutual respect. “I propose a toast to this beautiful lady, whom our hearts thank for all that she has accomplished and learned in such a short time. Thank you!” Everyone, including Samantha, raised their glasses and drank.

Micah hoped they had thought to pour her something other than blood
, and by the look on her face, they had. Micah breathed a silent sigh of relief.

“Come up here, please,” Cedric said.

With all eyes on Samantha, she moved towards Cedric, bowing again when she found herself in front of him. Again, Cedric nodded and pulled out a green satin jewelry box. He opened it, exposing a beautiful gold medal, and presented it to Samantha.