Struck (A Vampire Novel) ✔

Twenty-Six

I hadn’t noticed I was still standing in the doorway to what was obviously the coterie meeting until I heard a quiet sound of someone clearing their throat. I darted my eyes to the noise, focusing on a man who was gesturing me to… what looked like… come closer. I hesitated physically; looking around as though someone else was nearby that this stranger could be trying to get the attention of. A few of the other members of the coterie nearby him looked over as well, stunning me further when they also gestured for me to join them.

While I didn’t exactly trust to be near so many vampires who previously had hated me with every fiber of their being, I also knew I had clearly been caught spying on their meeting. And I knew I must have witnessed something not a lot of humans were allowed to see. I was curious as to what was going on and the fact that I wasn’t being shunned to leave also intrigued me.

I finally moved to stand near the man and the group around him parted slightly to give me room to see Jacobi clearly. When I was settled, I watched where members closer to the front were patting the new coterie member, greeting him warmly to their ranks. Then I looked at Jacobi, whose eyes briefly caught mine before I quickly looked away. I expected him to say something about me being there, but again I was permitted to stay.

The power of his spirit had died down just as soon as he had bonded the new member to the coterie. Obviously, when he summoned his spiritual life force to bond this vampire to the coterie, it had for some reason called out to me as well. I didn’t understand why or how it happened. As a human, I wasn’t supposed to react to a vampire’s life force beyond that of claiming and healing. Even then, the spirit wasn’t actually supposed to be felt by a human like me. And then to feel that jolt I had felt when Jacobi had bonded the man… it just wasn’t natural.

“The next order of business,” Jacobi stated dominantly, waiting for a moment. Another male vampire appeared out of the audience, pulling beside him a very nervous looking young woman who for some reason I could tell was completely human. She was absolutely stunning, though not in the way these supernatural beings were. Her eyes darted around the room with very clear stage fright, but I could tell her fear didn’t actually go as deep as the fear of her life. When you’ve felt that fear as often as I had, you could tell the difference on other’s faces. She clung to the vampire’s arm delicately. I worried the poor thing might faint any moment, but she seemed to be holding herself rather well.

“Master Jacobi, I ask for permission to make this human my Kindred,” The vampire asked, bowing his head before Jacobi. I blinked before turning my face to the man who had called me over next to him. I opened my mouth, but then closed it, reminding myself this person wasn’t Xander or Aveline. In fact, where were Xander and Aveline?

“What is it?” The man asked me, having caught my confused expression before I could look around for my companions.

“I… didn’t know vampires had to ask their Master for permission to make Kindred,” I stated quietly, blushing shyly at voicing my concerns. Jacobi was now looking over the human, asking her questions about herself and what she knew of vampires. She answered with a surprisingly strong and knowledgeable voice for someone who looked so frail.

“It’s not a requirement,” The man told me simply, “You ask in case you want your Kindred to be in your coterie, especially if you plan to mate with your Kindred. If you don’t ask your Kindred could end up rejected and have to request to join other coteries… and if it takes too long…”

“They could go rogue,” I answered him carefully, remembering the mindless state of the unbounded vampires. “Is there no cure for it? Turning rogue?”

“None,” He responded solemnly. I looked at him carefully then. He had skin of mahogany, ebony eyes unlike that of demon form, and even darker hair that was low faded appealingly. I recognized him, knowing I had seen him before, but not sure when it was. So many times I had seen the angry faces of the coterie, but never had I recognized them individually.