Chloe’s POV
It took me three hours to get back to the house. I was soaked and extremely cold. My vampire self hadn’t thought of bringing a coat. And I was too tired to keep myself warm.
I had had plenty of time to think about what just happened.
It was very strange that a vampire that strong and hungry hadn’t killed me on the spot. I am strong when Silver is loose, but certainly no match for Blondie.
There was something off with him.
First I had thought he was simply playing with his dinner. But then I remembered how he had looked at me.
Gran has the same expression when discovering something new in her books.
He had studied me as if I were a rat. A lab rat.
This got me worried about what he had learned. He had seen the spirit coming out of me. But had he recognized my vampire state before that?
If so, everything was at stake.
Somebody as old and as strong as him was bound to be on the council.
I couldn’t take the chance. I had to move quickly. I couldn’t stay at Gran’s anymore. I couldn’t put her in danger.
I reached the house and walked into the living room.
“Gran, where are you?”
She came out of the kitchen and glared at me.
“Are you dripping on my rug?”
I looked down. I was.
Her eyes flashed and I was transported to the bathroom within a blink and roughly dropped down on the floor.
Ouch. “Could you be a little bit gentler, next time?” I screamed down.
She chuckled. “Could you not drip dirty water on my rug, next time?” she screamed back.
I grinned.
She walked up the stairs and leaned against the doorway.
“So it worked?” she asked.
I nodded. “Yes. I reversed the process.”
“How? Dravec is strong and angry. A powerful combination.” Gran responded.
I looked down at the floor. She was not going to like it.
“I released Silver.”
Her face darkened. “You released Silver?”
I nodded. “Alone I couldn’t get him out.”
Gran looked angry.
“Silver is dangerous. I can’t believe you willing gave him control.”
“I was only momentarily out of control. He agreed to be locked up again.” I said.
“How did you manage to pull that off?” she asked surprised.
“I promised him that I would give him full control in the Vampire Dimension.”
She shook her head and walked out of the bathroom.
“I am not helping with what could be your downfall or that of all of us.”
“I understand why you feel the need to do this. And I support you for a 100%, but only if you do this by yourself. Without the beast.”
I sighed and looked in the mirror. I looked like a drowned cat.
She walked over, carefully lifted my wet hair and placed it behind my shoulders.
Her eyes met mine in the mirror.
“Chloe, your powers are still growing. The next equinox is in 12 years time. You would be completely ready by then and not in need of Silver. Why the hurry?“
“Gran, they turn hundreds of people everyday. Their numbers have increased exponentially during the last 5 years and nobody knows why. Not even the council members. Their bloodlust is exceeding the normal boundaries. I need to do this now. In 12 years time, G*d knows how many of them will be there..”
“Chloe, please. Stop this. Remember what happened last time that you lost control to the beast.” She said quietly while tears starting to form in her eyes.
“Gran, I see no other way.” I sighed. “Alone, I will not be powerful. I need to restrain him. Even with Dravec in me, I need Silver to pull this off.”
“In 12 years time, you would be…”she started.
I shook my head. “No.”
“Stop it! This is insane! Last time Silver took control, you killed all the werewolves in a radius of 10 km and… your, and…your d…,” she broke down and stormed away.
“And dad.” I quietly added before closing the bathroom door behind her.
I sighed and put on the shower. After I took off my clothes, I stepped under the steaming hot water and let it slowly wash my worries away.
Together we can pull this off. Dravec, Silver and Chloe Faulkner.
The Amazing Threesome out to rid the world of evil.
Noah’s POV
I got myself up off the road and inspected my wounds. Thank G*d, they were healingly normally and quickly. No horrible witchy stuff.
I looked around and saw nothing but burning hot desert. F*ck my car is still back there. I have no transportation.
I checked the back pocket of my jeans. My cell phone was still in one piece and working.
I dialled Darien’s number. “Darien? I am at the gate. Can you come and pick me up? We need to talk.”
“Yes, I am serious.”
“Yes, I need your help.”
“Stop gloating.”
“You are so immature.”
“I will tell you when you arrive. Oh and bring Helena.”
“Why? Oh for f*ck sake. Stop being so insecure.”
“No, I don’t want to simply see her. I think she might be able to help me with this new interesting little problem I have.”
“Oh for f*ck sake, I didn’t mean that.”
I hung up the phone.
She should have never told him about our little rendezvous after she found him with Anna. This so-called new “not playing games” thing they have going on is going to be the end of me.
I sat down on the road. Waiting. This could take some while.
After what seemed like hours, Darien’s shiny new Ferrari came to a grinding stop 10 cm from my legs.
I rolled my eyes. Was this guy ever going to grow up?
They sat in the car, both grinning like Cheshire Cats. Oh they love this. I am going to hear this for ages.
The doors of the car opened, flying up. I grinned, the drama of these two.
J*sus, what a preposterous car.
Darien stretched himself from the car. He was dressed in tight leather pants, a black shirt and biker boots.
Helen was wearing the most ridiculous red heels that she could find. My eyes travelled upward over her fishnet clad thighs and I groaned. Her fancy for slutty dresses was going to kill me someday soon.
She stalked over and came to a stop right in front of me.
All I could see was those killer heels.
“Rough night, Noah?” she grinned.
I looked up to her.
“Ha ha. You have no idea.”
“Does the name Chloe ring a bell?”
Helena looked at me intensely.
“What about Chloe?” she responded on guard.
I got up and dusted off my jeans.
“Let get out of here.” I said while walking over to the car. “I’ll explain in the car.”
I walked over to the driver’s seat and sat down behind the wheel.
Darien opened my door and glared at me. “Get out.”
I rolled my eyes. If he weren’t my creation I would have killed him a long time ago. The guy can be so obnoxious.
“Get in. Now.” I growled, before starting the engine and accidently letting it roar.
Stupid f*cking car. Why can’t they drive something normal?
Helena squeezed herself in the back of the car, desperately trying to keep her dress over her butt.
I smiled, forcing myself to look away from the appetizing view. She never changes.
Darien got in on the passengers’ seat and blatantly ignored me.
I turned the car and drove home slowly and carefully.
Making sure to not ignore a single red light.
When we were passed by an elderly demon in a car, Helena snapped.
“So what happened? At this speed, you’ll have plenty of time to explain.” She asked desperately.
“I had a run in with something that called itself Chloe. Blond, stormy grey eyes, tall and beautiful. Very beautiful. Oh, and she eats evil spirits, glows, has the strength to fight me off, whispers incantations, and can transport people to another dimension. Ring a bell?”
Darien snapped his head to me. “What? You willing admit somebody is beautiful?!? Well that is new.” He grinned.
Annoyed I looked at the road. Figures that that was the only thing Mr. Valentine picked up from the whole sentence.
Helen was silent for a while before she spoke up
“Reed’s daughter is called Chloe,” she said quietly.
“Chloe Faulkner”
I looked at her through the back mirror.
“What age would she be now?” I asked Helena.
“Twenty-seven.”
“Does she fit my description?” I asked her.
She nodded.
“Chloe was eight the last time I’d seen her. I don’t know about the beautiful, but blond and grey eyes are correct. Given her father’s looks, I wouldn’t be surprised.” Helena said.
Darien snorted but remained looking morosely out of the window.
Helena looked at him, smiled and then leaned back in the back seat and looked out the window.
“So we might be talking about the same Chloe?” I asked her.
She nodded.
“What happened, Noah? What did she do?” Helena asked.
“Did you guys notice anything off about four hours ago?” I asked and glanced at Darien.
He shook his head. “No. What?”
“I felt this strange pull towards a certain location in the human world. I went over to investigate. The closer I got to the source, the stronger the feeling became. The source was near a little town called Galax, in Virginia.”
“There, I stumbled upon a very powerful female vampire skinny-dipping in a mucky pond She looked vampire but something was not right. She had these long razor sharp nails and was really muscled everywhere. She looked ferocious. “
Darien turned and grinned. “Everywhere? This gets better and better.”
“She was swimming submerged for a long while. At some point she stood up out of the water and threw up this spirit in the form of black smoke. After that, she morphed back to a normal human female form and then seemed to pick a fight with the spirit. It tried to kiss her, but she didn’t seem to welcome that. Se tried hitting it. It was such a funny sight that I couldn’t keep quiet. A gorgeous naked woman hitting thin air. “
I smiled remembering it.
“My laughter attracted her attention and when she saw me she freaked out. She knew what I was. I tried to make clear that I wasn’t going to eat her, but she didn’t listen. Instead she started to glow this silver colour that seemed to give her strength and she fought me off when I tried to quiet her. It was like trying to calm a wild demon. She was not as strong as me, but she seriously hurt my…uhm, my crown jewels. I decided to take a little revenge, and hunted her down, trying to scare her.”
“Not a good decision. She tricked me into thinking she was giving up and lured me in. As soon as she got close enough, she transported me to the vampire dimension.”
Helena and Darien were shaking with laughter when I was finished with the story.
“’She lured you in.’” Helena said using her hands to make quotations arms.
“You stupid shit. Priceless.” Darien added, laughing his face off.
Annoyed I glanced at them. “It is not that funny.”
They were both doubling over with laughter and wiping bloody tears from their eyes.
“Oh for f*ck sake, stop laughing.” I said.
They both tried to keep a straight face and carry on with the conversation.
“Quit joking around. It seems that this woman can turn into a vampire and reverse the process again at will. Do you two have any idea about the significance of this? We need to know more. Hoe does she pull this off? Why? Helena, I need to find her. Give me her number and address.”
“What? So that you can ask her out for a date? She seems fun.” Helena responded before they both set off in a fit of laughter again.
I rolled my eyes.
They quieted down and I tried again.
“Does she still live with her Gran?” I asked Helena.
“G*d I hope not. That would so shitty when dating her. Gran Faulkner is really really scary.” Darien responded, sending them off into a fit of laughter again.
I took a deep breath and counted to ten.
“Helena?” I asked again.
“I don’t know.” She responded wiping the tears from her eye.
I sighed and drove on.
After a while Helena said, “I have sworn to protect her. That oath still stands.”
I glanced at her through the back mirror.
“Her ability is too important. If she doesn’t cooperate, I will do everything in my power to get the knowledge out of her.”
She sighed but didn’t respond.
The whole way back, Darien kept badgering me about the sexy details of the encounter.
I just glared at him and prayed for him to shut the f*ck up.
When we reached our house, a car was on the driveway.
I sighed. Just what I needed. Visitors.
We got out of the car and walked into the house.
Sophie and my sister were in the living room talking to Kieran MacNamillan, the King’s main adviser, and some other vampires that I didn’t know.
I walked into the room and all knelt down and hung their heads in respect.
“The king is dead. Long lives the new king.” Kieran recited.
“Long live the King!!!” they all responded.
Oh no. This can’t be good.
Chloe’s POV
After my shower I went to my room and packed my bag. I would wait until nightfall and then leave. I was putting Gran in danger. I could never forgive myself if something happened to her.
I took the basics, put them in my rug sack and tried to sleep. At 01:00 I left the house and drove towards Henry. I needed to have an update on the King’s location if I was going to pull this off. I wanted to spend as less time in the Vampire/Demon dimensions as possible. The longer I stayed, the more likely I got killed.
While driving I whispered the incantations to attract Dravec. A swirl of black smoke assembled next to me on the passenger’s seat in the form of a man.
I grinned. He was making an effort to appear human. What a charmer.
He lightly touched my arm when I changed gears.
Hello smoke man. Missed you too.
Now he was here I felt more assured that we might actually succeed.
After leaving the highway, I took a turn onto a dirt road and we drove a few miles into the woods.
When my lights shone on the little wooden house, I slowed down and parked the car in front of the porch.
I saw somebody inside moving quickly to take cover.
I grinned. Henry’s reflexes were still excellent.
Dravec disappeared and I climbed out of my old mini with my hands in the air, yelling Henry’s name and telling him to stand down.
Henry came out of the door, carrying a shotgun and looking total badass.
When he saw me, he smiled and yelled “Chloe!!! Come here, girl.”
After laying down the shotgun on the porch, he walked towards me with his arms wide. I hugged him and laughed.
“What are you wearing old man?!?”
“I am only 62. I am by no means an old man.” He responded giving me a wink.
“Why the sari?” I asked him.
“Why not? It’s comfortable.” He answered.
“How is your Gran? The beautiful Madame Faulkner…still the pain in the butt as she used to be?” he asked.
I grinned. “Of course. She still hates you.”
“Nah, she loves me. She hates my occupation.” He stated arrogantly.
I smiled and hugged him again.
He ushered me in and sat me down in front of the fireplace.
“Do you ever sleep?” I asked him.
He shook his head. “Three hours a night is more than enough for me.”
“Do you want some cocoa? I was just making some.” Henry asked.
“Yes please.”
I put down my bag and warmed my hands in front of the fire.
“Still no central heating?” I yelled to him in the kitchen.
“Nah, don’t need it.” He responded.
I rolled my eyes. Headstrong old man.
He came in with two steaming mugs and handed one over to me.
“I think you know why I am here.” I said to him.
He nodded and sat down in the old tattered leather chair. He sat down the mug on a even more tattered table and reached over to put a blanket across his legs.
I smiled and said “Old man.”
He glared at me and responded, “I didn’t want to give you a full view of the crown jewels. Comfortable things, saris, but a bit revealing when you sit down.”
I laughed and took a sip of my cocoa. Mmmmm…sweet.
“You are still going through with the plan? Even though granny-dear is heavily opposed to it?”
“Yes. I see no other option. After the next equinox their numbers will have exploded.” I responded.
Henry nodded.
“I agree. It is better to act now.” Henry said.
“So do you have any new information for me?” I asked him.
“Yeah. Something big happened. The king is dead.”
I blinked. “What?”
“I don’t quite understand what happened, but it seems that a much less powerful vampire killed him.” Henry continued.
“How is that possible?”
“Vampires eating vampires. They eat their own to get more powerful, but the constant deficiency of blood drives them crazy.”
I leaned back in my chair.
“He must have been tricked. How could anyone come close enough to the king to suck him dry?”
“He was found in a rather compromising position in one of his torture rooms.” Henry answered grinningly.
“Naked, handcuffed and tied to a chair.”
I laughed.
“At least, he had fun dying.” I said dryly.
“Stupid...” Henry said shaking his head. “I thought he was more intelligent than that.”
“Do they know who killed him?” I asked him.
He nodded. “Yes, a scantily clad female that was found next to him.”
“It seems that her body broke down after sucking him dry. She was unable to bend it to her will, so his power destroyed her.” Henry told me.
“And now?” I asked.
“As expected. The core transferred itself to Noah Turner.” Henry answered.
I stretched my legs.
“So I am up against the legendary Mr. Turner. Who would have beaten the crap out of me, even without having the core. Great.”
“You don’t have to do this alone, you know.” Henry said.
“I have plenty of good men willing to join and protect you if you so much as say the word.”
I shook my head. “The transfer to the Vampire dimension will kill half of us. And even if they arrive alive, if the vamps discover what I am up to, they are bound to stop us at any cost. I want no more deaths on my name.”
Henry nodded. “Okay.”
He stood up and walked over to the bookcase standing in the other corner of the room. He picked up some papers and walked back.
“Mr. Turner’s address and a map.” He handed the papers over.
I looked through them and nodded. “This will do. Thank you. I will contact you ASAP when I cross back to our dimension afterwards.”
“When? Good girl. Stay positive.” Henry grinned.
“If I do not return, please break it carefully to Gran.” I told him.
“Oh. Then you need to come back. No way I am breaking bad news to your Gran.” He joked.
I smiled.
“Seriously, in case something happens she will need your consolation and protection. Please promise me to be there for her.” I urged him.
He looked at me. “Of course, I will be there for her. I love her. Even though she hates my guts.”
I nodded.
“Do you stay for the night?” he asked me. I shook my head and stood up, grabbing my bag.
“No. Let’s get this over with.”
I hugged him, walked out the door and got in my car.
I turned and left for the portal.
Just before riding through, Dravec appeared next to me and gave me a thumbs up.
Show down.