Chapter Seventeen (Nicholas)
Mark was a pureblood.
He was a pureblood human born to two vampire parents. How was that even possible? I wanted to ask Kristophe, but he was still pissed from earlier. He'd been ranting for at least half an hour as we drove around Red Field for a while, passing surburbs and trailer parks.
It was a genetic mutation, Kristophe had seethed. The vampire gene apparently cancelled each other out, leaving Mark to be a human. His parents had hidden the fact that they were vampires from their own son.
They had been members of the Drakon Clan, a member of the Court of Seven. To escape Vladimir's iron fist, they'd pretended die and took off for Wolf Creek. They hid there and Lily Drakon had given birth to a human pureblood. They hid this for two reasons.
One, Vladimir would be furious when he found out they weren't dead.
Two, Vladimir would be intrigued with the fact that they had produced a human pureblood.
However, someone had turned Mark into a vampire. Someone ruined one of histories most stunning mysteries as well as something that would be fun to experiment on. At least, that's what I interpreted from Kristophe's ranting and raving.
Mark was apparently very dangerous now. He was a pureblood vampire and he didn't know it. If he ever found out, he'd take advantage of that and destroy Zephyra. Although personally deep down I couldn't care less if he destroyed Zephyra or not, I knew I had to.
Zephyra was now my clan. I had made a deal and now I had to uphold it. So whatever was a danger to Zephyra was a danger to me and I had to destroy it.
Not only did I have to kill Storm now, but I had to kill Mark. Or at least take him into custody, Kristophe advised as he drove down the road, turning onto a street with a dead end sign. However, at the very end of the street was a large two story home. White paint chipped off the siding and front deck. A gravel driveway went around the entire house, revealing a couple SUVs, a Silverado, and a sleek Ferrari.
There was also a barn out back, but it was completely shackled shut. Kristophe pulled into the driveway, parking in front of the barn before we got out. I looked up at the house through the darkness, frowning.
"Why are we here?" I asked, closing the door. Kristophe reached into his pocket, withdrawing a cigarette and lighting it up before blowing a stream of smoke into the night air, glancing at me.
"You are going to meet more of your true family. Now come. Follow me." He gestured and I obeyed, following close behind him as we approached the back door where a small window looked in at a pair of green curtains. They slid apart and I was surprised to see Kelsey peering out at us before she shut them. The sound of locks being undone followed by the door opening as Kelsey greeted us, gesturing for us to enter.
"Ooo, glad you're still around, Nicky." Kelsey exclaimed brightly with a smirk, then shut the door behind me. I glanced at her curiously before looking up into a warm, cozy kitchen decorated in things that you'd probably see in an occult shop.
Wreaths and pentagrams, daggers and statues lined the walls along with thousands of glass jars of herbs and liquids, making me blink. I expected some kind of weird names on the bottles as we passed, but most of them I recognized, like catnip, honey, strawberry jam, etc.
I looked up as we went through a hallway, passing a bathroom and closet before coming into a large living room lined with bookshelves that were occupied mostly by books. Although, a few jars, candles, and statues also filled the shelves.
Then there were the people in the room.
Four people, excluding myself, Kristophe, and Kelsey. The one who sat closest on the end of the sofa was male. His hair was platinum blonde, styled like the stereotypical punk. His cat green eyes were outlined in black, making him almost look like a raccoon. He wore a black jumpsuit with a turtlneck and no sleeves, a leather vest over top with tons of pockets and chains. His hulking boots were laced up to his knees and looked like a weapon themselves.
Sitting beside him was a female. She was tall and slender, her B-cup breasts snugly hidden in a black skintight vest that scooped into her collarbone. She wore a matching pair of jeans with a belt containing several little bags and trinkets as well as a sparkling silver dagger. Her hair was a deep, bloody red color and tied into a wavy ponytail, her bangs framing her face and making her deep blue eyes more prominent.
Standing up near the front door was another male. He wore a camo tank top that hugged his muscular torso tightly, disappearing into a pair of dark brown cargo pants before reaching his combat boots. His dark hair was cut short in a buzzcut, his hazel eyes alert.
Lastly was a smaller male. In fact, he looked like a child. He had to be at least five foot or less. His hair was jet black and cut in a child's hair style, framing his face and cut to the nape of his neck. His eyes were baby blue, making him appear even more innocent. He wore a pair of black corduroy overalls, a navy blue turtleneck underneath to match his boot converse. The only thing that made him not child-like was the gun he was putting together as he leaned against the fireplace that glowered.
"Welcome to Zephyra's minor base," Kristophe announced to me, "Everyone, this is Nicholas Ryan. He's new to our ranks and I should hope you do your best to ensure his safety." I felt like I was staring at a punk rock band, not an army of vampires.
"The guy on the couch is Jasper. The woman beside him is Rhita. The military man over there is Seth. Little guy with the gun is Newt." Kelsey introduced, leaning against the doorframe. I frowned as Kristophe backed away from me and gestured to them.
"This will be your team. They will train you harder than I have in different ways as well as help you bring down Storm." He informed. I blinked and looked at him.
"Help me bring him down?"
"You're halfblood," Rhita spoke up, making me look at her as she spoke in a raspy, but sexy tone, "You cannot take down a pureblood alone. We will help you destroy him, but we won't play too big a part. Under our wings, you will learn to become as strong as a pureblood." I frowned.
"What are you going to teach me?" I asked. Rhita tilted her head at me, one leg folded over the other as she whipped out her dagger faster than I could see her hand more, holding it up with the blade facing outwards.
"I will be teaching you agility. I will show you how to use an a dagger. I will teach you the difference between a dagger and an athame." She informed, then elbowed Jasper, who blinked and snapped out of his staring contest with the fire to look up at me with a smug smirk.
"I'll be the one teaching you how to kick ass and rip innards out with your bare hands. I'll also give you some tips on interrogation, so get your tummy ready for some guts and blood." He answered brightly, his voice surprisingly soft and smooth, despite the horror he just depicted.
"I'll be teaching you more useful things," Seth said from the door, pushing off the wall beside it to fold his arms over his chest, "Strategy, planning, and how to fight with your mind rather than use your fists." I glanced at Newt, who finished putting the gun back together, twirling it on his finger before shoving it into the holster hooked to the side of his overalls.
"I'll teach you anything else." He answered calmly, his voice youthful and cute. I didn't chid him on that, or the fact that his name was ironic, so I just nodded.
"We'll report back here each time we're finished. Of course, Storm isn't stupid. He won't keep their base in Red Field long. He knows we're after him as well as the authorities. I have Claude and Val stalking them as they do their investigations. The rest of us will remain in Red Field. Even though Storm doesn't plan to stay here, he won't get far because I've received word from a spy up North that Vladimir himself is coming to pay his son a visit." Kristophe announced. I blinked and looked at him.
"His father is coming?" I asked in disbelief. Kristophe nodded and Jasper snorted, resting an elbow on the sofa armrest, his cheek against his knuckles.
"Of course. Daddy's little boy is running around with his fiance, his fiance's sexy sister, and a human pureblood." He replied nonchalantly. Kristophe grimaced, narrowing his eyes in irritation.
"Unfortunately, that was going to be my next report," He muttered, making everyone look at him now, "The human pureblood is now a complete pureblood." Jasper dropped his arm and gaped at Kristophe while Rhita's eyes widened. Seth's arms fell to his sides in disbelief while Newt's lip curled in disgust.
"How did that happen?" Newt demanded harshly. Kristophe glared at us, not because he was angry at us, but thinking about someone doing this to their plans infuriated him.
"One of those stupid idiots bit the boy. He's complete now, making our job all the more complicated." He muttered bitterly.
"And less enjoyable," Jasper chirped, sinking back in the sofa with his arms folded and his lip pushed out in a pout, "I really looked forward to watching Claude stab him with a needle and take him apart piece by piece."
"You watched Friday the 13th as a child, didn't you?" I asked. Jasper grinned.
"I prefer Saw." He responded. My stomach clenched in disgust before I quickly looked at Kristophe, who rolled his eyes, then rubbed his temples smoothly.
"We will need to break our plans down again. For now, we must train Nicholas. He joins our ranks on the condition that we do not harm the one called Alexander Lee Grey." Kristophe announced. Jasper sighed in defeat, tilting his head back against the sofa while Newt averted his eyes. Both of their reactions told me they'd met Alex and it surprisingly irked me.
"Afterwards, we'll make our move on Storm. We'll pin him down and bleed him out. Markus obviously doesn't know what's happening. He shouldn't know how to fight already, so taking him out will be easy. I would prefer him captured and not killed, but if you have no choice, go with it. As for the woman--"
"Leave her to me." Jasper interrupted brightly. I frowned at him, but he said nothing as Kristophe continued.
"Alexander will attempt to protect the others, so I'll need someone to politely hold the child off while Nicholas goes in for the kill."
"I'll do it." Newt volunteered. I glanced at him and he looked at me. I expected him to look away, but he daringly stared back at me. I felt like I was being tested by a kid who had to be around eleven years old or thirteen at the oldest. Either way, he was terribly small. At the same time, I didn't let that make me lower my guard.
Something about Newt was very unchildlike.
"Well," Kristophe finished, "It's late now. We'll rest for tonight and pick up on training and planning tomorrow. I'm assuming Kelsey already prepared a meal."
"Well," Kelsey drawled from behind me, making everyone glance at her, "Seeing as I failed my cooking class in high school, I just decided to be safe and order pizza. There was a Pizza Hut just on the other side of the Best Western." Kristophe rolled his eyes and just held up his hand, giving up on us as he retreated down a hallway that went under the staircase. He vanished into a room and shut the door.
As soon as he was gone, everyone broke the silence as Jasper rose to his feet first, stretching and not caring who stared at his ass in the jumpsuit.
"Mmm! Could someone make some hot coco? I could really go for some chocolate right now." He added, glancing at Kelsey with a pout. Kelsey threw her hands up and retreated to the kitchen.
"Make that two hot chocolates!" Rhita called after her, rising to her feet to follow her.
"Three!" Seth called, but took Rhita's place on the sofa as she departed, leaving us men alone in the living room. Jasper plopped back down, putting his feet in Seth's lap, making the man glare at him in irritation. However, he made no move to knock Jasper's legs off him.
"So, you have the hots for Alex, huh?" Jasper asked, tipping his head back to look at me. I frowned.
"What of it?" I asked. Jasper smirked, then rolled onto his stomach, his arms folded on the arm rest as he placed his head on them, perking a foot up and almost hitting Seth in the face. Seth just rolled his eyes.
"No need to get so defensive, kiddo. I have my eye on his pretty sister. I met them Grey Clan during a Wiccan festival in Ohio," Jasper recounted, sighing blissfully, "She was about fourteen then, I believe? Damn, is she gorgeous. All that thick wavy hair, eyes like the beginning of a tornado. And she has the best rack since Cleopatra." I looked at him in disgust, then at Seth, who smirked.
"So, wait, is that what all that stuff is? Wiccan stuff?" I asked, scanning the room at all the books and jars. Seth shrugged.
"Pagan things. They're sometimes lumped together. Jasper's not even part of that category, though. I'd say he was Satanist." He muttered dryly, making Jasper whine.
"I am not."
"You were talking about ripping the human pureblood to pieces."
"Ex-human pureblood, you mean." Jasper corrected. Seth glared at him, then popped a hard slap on Jasper's butt, making him yelp and grab the sofa, wincing in pain. He deserved it-- with a belt, I thought bitterly, then glanced at Newt, who hadn't said a word and was polishing off his gun.
"Do you know Alex?" I asked. Newt paused, glancing up at me past his hair, raising an eyebrow before looking back at his gun, using a velvet clothe to sweep across the barrel.
"Yes." He answered at last. I frowned and waited for him to continue, but he said nothing, so I went on.
"And how is that?" I asked. Newt looked up, but not at me, straight ahead before turning his head to look at me, his eyes glinting.
"We met at a social gathering when the Court of Seven was announcing the death of the last of the Drakon Clan. I'm originally from Lupis... Of course, I can see your attraction to Alex. He's a cute little blondie, isn't he?" His tone was mocking and it sent a jolt of anger up my spine as I glared at him.
"You're one to talk about little people." I answered coldly. Newt smirked and set his gun back into its holster as he turned to face.
"And that's what I'll be showing you. What do I look like to you, Nicholas?" He asked. I frowned, confused as I glanced him up and down. He looked like a little kid. I wanted to say that allowed, but I suddenly felt embarrassed. It was like yelling "hey, look a cripple" to a guy in a wheelchair, so I kept my mouth shut and Newt raised an eyebrow, then folded his arms over his chest.
"I look like a child, don't I?" He asked. I blushed.
"Maybe."
"Newt has hypopituitarism. His pituitary gland isn't producing enough hormones to let him grow. The guy you're looking at is almost thirty years old." Seth informed me. My eyes widened as I looked from him to Newt, who raised an eyebrow at me.
"Doesn't... you know, being a vampire make that go away?" I asked, confused. Newt shook his head.
"I'm a pureblood. I was born like this. Even vampires can be born with such conditions, however, I do not consider this a disability. I consider it an advantage," He explained calmly, "How many people do you know who will attack a child? None. My physical appearance keeps people at bay and confuses them. I use their confusion to my advantage and kill while I have the chance. Nicholas, people see you as the goldne boy at school."
"You're probably friendly and outgoing. You can tame the wild friends you make. You can befriend even adults and children alike. You work hard and get goods grades. You are everyone's best friend. With that mask put up, no one would suspect you as the one to kill to get what you want. Storm Van Gothica stole what is yours. Alexander belongs to you. You'll do whatever it takes to get him back, won't you?" Newt asked. I blinked, staring at him.
Jasper and Seth were staring at me now too; Seth wearing an expression of seriousness and Jasper smirking as my answer burst past my lips.
"Yes."
"Excellent," Newt announced, "You've already come this far. There is no turning back."
"I'm not turning my back on Alex." I responded. Newt studied my face and came up to me. I had to crane my neck to look down and he to look up at me, his blue eyes glowing in the crackling flames of the hearth.
"You're not turning your back on your new life. Everything before no longer exists. What you are now. That is what exists and that is what you will be. A creature of the night. A vampire." He said nothing more than that and brushed past me to the staircase, taking it up and disappearing. I blinked, then looked at Jasper, who grinned at me.
"Ain't he just a cutie? Hard to believe he's a psycho killer, though." He pointed out. I glanced at him.
"That's his intention." I replied. Jasper smirked, then heaved himself up as Kelsey called out that the hot chocolate was done. I sat with them as they returned, sitting around the fire. I listened quietly as they spoke, as if this was just another family get together.
"No, no," Jasper ranted, wagging his finger at Rhita, who cocked a brow at him challengingly, "There's no way we originated from Heaven. If that were true, I'm sure I'd be left with some sort of decency, but I don't. I think we came from space aliens." Rhita rolled her eyes, covering her face as Seth laughed, gulping down a mouthful of hot coco.
Hot coco mixed with blood.
I expected it to taste disgusting, but as Kelsey handed me a glass and I took a sip, it was delicious. Like sweet hot blood that made my taste buds come to life and my fangs clink against my mug.
"Aliens? They don't exist." Seth deadpanned, making Jasper roll his eyes and shove a hand in his face.
"Ignore the science geek here. We came from aliens. I rest my case." Jasper declared.
"You believe in aliens, but not angels?" Rhita asked dryly, making Jasper pout as Seth and Kelsey laughed. I smiled faintly, but my smile faded as I took a sip of the coco blood mix, staring at the fire and watching it spark and crackle. The logs sparked as flames licked at the chimney, leaving a black stain on the bricks.
Newt said I worked hard already, but I wasn't working hard enough.
If I had been, Alex wouldn't be in this situation and we'd be dating. No, I'd need to work harder. I'd need to listen to everything these people say, no matter how freakish or cruel they could be. Each of them had something to teach me.
Something to help save Alex.
I didn't care what it took. If I was beat down a hundred times, bruised, kicked, slapped, or-- Hell. Even set on fire, I'd do everything I could so I could see Alex again...
"Nicholas Ryan and Alexander Grey, you'll be doing a project on the rainforest. I need you to make a model, any kind of model, of the rainforest with at least six animals, three different plant types, and some water involved." My 6th grade biology teacher announced before moving onto the next group.
I turned to look at Alex, who sat on the stool across from me at the lab table. Alex had been writing the assignment down in his notebook before looking up, blushing as soon as our eyes met. He was so beautiful. Blonde hair, blue eyes, porcelain skin, a small voice.
"What animals do you wanna use?" I asked stupidly, too busy staring into Alex's deep blue eyes before Alex blinked. He shifted a little, nibbling on the end of his navy blue sweatshirt thoughtfully before looking up brightly.
"I wanna use a monkey. They're cute." He said with a smile. My heart skipped a beat and I could only nod as Alex flipped to a new page in his notebook, scribbling it down. I rested my head in my hands, watching Alex write ideas down, asking me every so often, but I only nodded. Another duo of kids working on their project plopped next to us.
"I don't wanna do the desert." Mark complained, sucking on a Dum-Dum as he pulled the hood of his black sweatshirt up. Across from him, Oscar bleghed and looked at me.
"Can we please trade partners?" He pleaded, but I snorted.
"No way. I like my partner." I replied. Oscar pouted and looked at Mark as he leaned on the counter, staring straight ahead, zoning out. Oscar rolled his eyes and began to write down the ideas for their project before I looked at Alex, who was glancing between Mark and Oscar. He turned his head and caught my eyes, his blue ones widening for a moment before he looked down and continued scribble ideas.
"S-So, anyway. I think we should do this type of fern I saw in the textbook..." His voice droned on about the plants, but I just liked hearing the tone of it. His voice was intelligent, but too cute. It was smooth and simple.
And I adored hearing it.
I wanted to hear it again.
I wanted to hear Alex say my name and tell me he loved me.
And the only way to do that was to work harder. It was time to stop screwing around, stop waiting for things to happen on their own.
It was time I did something about it and if that meant killing someone, so be it.