The Shade: Shades of Change

Prologue

    Vex Macathius was the King of Lugats; a powerful Blood Letter in the Shade world. They didn't feel emotions like normal vampires which made them merciless. 

    The only thing that could fight and kill them were Damphirs, and even they had a hard time. They were dark creatures who thrived in the darkest places. But they were also among the most beautiful with pale skin so perfectly flawless it was like porcelain. Their eyes a crystal arctic blue that put topaz or light blue sapphires to shame in beauty.They were all over six foot tall, even the women and they were graceful. 

    Lugats, unlike their Vampyr brethren of Light always had fangs that couldn't be retracted. They were stronger than the Vampyrs and Damphirs, and more deadly. But they had one weakness and that was sunlight. 

    Vex was a warrior by nature and had never thought about an heir, thinking he would worry about such things in a few centuries. He looked thirty-five but was much, much older. He was the third of his line with his father and grandfather still alive and giving him counsel when he needed it most. However Vex rarely took the counsel, living recklessly. He knew he couldn't survive in sunlight, yet he pushed his limits returning as the sun caressed the sky to the Kingdom that lay inside Mount Rainier, in Washington State. 

    As usual Vex had just fed from a whore in the city of Seattle, pushing his limits in distance. He was making his way back to the countryside toward the mountains at blurring speeds. He wasn't paying much attention to where he was going and crossed a highway that was heavy with traffic due to the holidays. He dodged a semi-truck before it hit him and looked back with an arrogant smirk. When he turned back around it was too late and the semi hiding behind the first semi hit him at full legal speed for the area. The front end crumbled, killing the driver and sent Vex over the hill tumbling head over heel. It had left him bleeding and broken, unconscious and in danger of certain death with the sun rising soon.

    When he finally woke it was to the blue light of a rising day. He pushed himself up and groaned in pain. His broken bones were healing slowly and his deep gashes hadn't closed up because he'd lost too much blood and needed to feed. He managed to make it to the woods and found what he thought was an abandoned barn. He wheezed in pain from his broken ribs and collapsed lungs. His father always told him to take a hunting buddy and to stop running from his bodyguards. He curled up in a corner knowing he'd have to wait until night fell again. He'd cursed himself for not heeding his father's warnings. He cursed himself for losing his bodyguards he'd thought were silly to have. He saw himself as a god, yet now felt like a mortal man. 

    Vex clearly hadn't seen the house a few yards away where ten year old Bree Porter was getting ready for school and cleaning up the mess her dad had made on the carpet. He was passed out drunk again lost in a deep depression from losing his wife and Bree's mother just a year earlier. Bree loved her father and did whatever she could for him. She kept telling herself he couldn't help it as she cleaned the vomit from the rug. She covered her father with a handmade Afgan her mother and grandmother had made to match the green and blue living room.

    "I'm going to feed the goats." Bree told him before kissing his head and heading out the back door. 

    It was snowing again. Bree hated the cold, mostly because her dad had lost his job from excessive drinking and the only source of heat they had was from the fireplace or kerosene heaters. 

    Bree's long blonde hair fell to her waist and was as soft as silk. Her hair had light brown undertones and baby blonde highlights. Her eyes were green and her skin was pale. She had plump pink lips and a small gap between her teeth that all children her age had with new adult teeth. She was a beautiful child, but was constantly made fun of lately because she smelled of firewood, or Kerosene from the heater in her room that was out again. She'd grown out of most of her clothes and was wearing pants a little too long in the leg, and baggy in the waist. Her shoes were too small and her sweatshirt too large. But it beat having to wear a coat too small, and being made fun of for that. Because she only had one pair of shoes she'd pulled on the big yellow rain boots her mom used to wear.