Chapter One (Mark)
A lot can happen in one year.
Most people finish high school, get a job, go to college, move out. That was their life and at one point, I thought I'd never make it that far. I was on the verge of failing high school and I was trapped with my mother's abusive stalker ever since my parents died.
Or should I say murdered.
After a series of unfortunate events that involved blood, vampires, and sex, I had discovered that my parents were murdered by two opposing powers.
First there was Zephyra. A psychotic band of vampires set on destroying the human race and anyone who wasn't a pureblood. At least, that's what their leader wanted. The group themselves thought their leader was trying to protect halfbloods, but it was just a rouse. Their leader was Newell C. Drakon, a cousin I didn't even know I had. He was a thirty-year-old man trapped in the body of his eight-year-old self, but that didn't stop him from being one evil son of a bitch.
Then there was Vladimir Von Gothica. He was also my father-in-law. Vladimir was the powerful king of the vampire world. He ruled with an iron fist, but he kept to the ancient laws written down by the Originals, the Druids.
Purebloods were directly descended from these Druids. There were seven great clans of pureblood vampires on the earth. Gothica, Drakon, Grey, Lupis, Vulcan, Eros, and Xios. They were called the Court of Seven. Unfortunately, Vladimir began to kill them off in his quest for power, ultimately leaving behind only descendents of these clans, smaller halfblood clans.
Halfbloods were humans turned into vampires. They were bitten and transformed. They weren't nearly as powerful as purebloods and still had the tendency to fall prey to things that most vampires refrained from collapsing into.
And to think...
All my life I was worried about whether I would get my homework turned in on time or not.
Unfortunately, my life wasn't the only one to change. Like I said before, Vladimir Gothica was my father-in-law... And I was married to his son, Storm Van Gothica. His life changed and I had hoped for the better...
And then there was Alexander Lee Grey.
My best and only friend in the whole world.
Let's go home and get stoned! We could end up makin' love instead of misery! Go home and get stoned! 'Cause the sex is so much better when you're mad at me!
My cell phone went off, joining the song by Hinder with violent vibrations in the pocket of my beige wool winter coat, the white fluff on the ends of the sleeves and inside the hood. I reached into my pocket as I stood by the bus stop, snow falling steadily around me as I scanned the busy city streets.
"Markus the Awesome." I greeted, glancing down at my bulky gothic boots that I spent hours trying to find. I heard some crinkling sounds, then a sigh that made me perk my head up.
"Mark?" Speak of the devil. Alexander's soft voice filled my ear and made me shiver, biting into my lip.
At one point, Alexander and I hadn't even been friends. In fact, I had only hung around him to avoid getting beat up because no one ever beat up Alexander in high school. He was too smart, too rich, too creepy. I had always stolen Alex's money to buy drugs and pot and alcohol, but after practically dying because of it all, I cut myself off from anything and found myself addicted to warm O negative blood and chocolate cake pops.
"Hey, Alex," I greeted, trying to sound cheerful as I scanned the streets for the bus, "Sorry I'm late. The bus is taking for fuckin' ever. Are you already at the cafe?" There was some static as Alex answered, making me cock my head.
"Yea. I already ordered you the caramel hot chocolate." Alex answered quietly, the sound of beeping and chatter in the background. I smiled lightly.
"Great! I'll be there in about five minutes." I told him, then hung up and tucked the phone into my pocket. I tapped my foot impatiently. Not necessarily for the bus, but someone else that I didn't mention to Alex.
Because I knew he'd be irritated if he found out I was inviting a friend for our weekly hang outs.
Alexander, after our horrific events of last year, immediately applied for Condordia University and moved into a dormroom all by himself, not even a roommate. His parents cut off all contact with him and Amber was so busy with her new Wiccan shop that she hardly had time for him at all. I tried to stay in contact as much as possible, because I knew how much it hurt to be alone.
Especially knowing that the one person you had a chance with was dead.
Nicholas Ryan.
Last year, Nicholas Ryan had fallen prey to Zephyra's brainwashing and they threatened to kill Alexander if he didn't kill Storm. To protect his son, Vladimir killed him and Storm and I fought so hard to make sure Alex wouldn't see, but he ended up seeing it anyway and to this day, my stomach still churned as I remembered how much blood had soaked the ground that day.
Alex definitely didn't forget. He could smile and assure me he was fine all he wanted, but he was missing his other half and I knew I had found it.
In fact, he was walking in my direction as I scanned the sidewalks, a smirk crossing my face.
Nathanial Waterhouse.
He was a pretty tall guy, definitely taller than me. His hair was dark like chocolate and neatly brushed, about medium length to the nape of his neck. The ends were lightly curled and the rest of his hair held a little wave to it. His eyes were a sharp, piercing green color. It reminded me of the Caribbean Sea because it was so powerfully green. Almost turqoise, actually.
He also had a good sense of style. He was wearing a nice low cut black t-shirt under a tan winter coat with black corduroy pants and heavy winter boots that clomped in the slushy snow of the sidewalk. He was carrying a navy messenger bag on his waist with a couple papers poking out, revealing some complicated math equations.
Smart, good looking, and friendly.
Just the right guy for Alex.
Not that he knew yet.
"Hey, Mark!" He greeted brightly, approaching me with a smile. I grinned back.
"About time. I missed at least two buses waiting for you to get here." I added. I didn't tell him about Alex yet. Not quite. I just said I was meeting a very good friend of mine and that he should come with me. It was a surprise that I'd be friends with someone like Nathan.
It's not that he was unlikeable, hell no.
He was just a super genius from another university nearby. A totally intelligent human from a nice, comfortable background. I had met him at the bookstore in my new hometown in upper Michigan. He was visiting family apparently and we got to talking and before I knew it, we were adding each other on Facebook and meeting up.
And from talking to him, I knew instantly that he and Alex would be perfect.
But I couldn't let either of them know what I was doing. Even Storm was unaware. He just thought I was visiting Alex as usual.
"Is your friend okay with you being late?" Nathan asked as he reached up to brush the hair out of his face, pausing to look up at the sky as a few snowflakes began to scatter down to the cold earth below. I shrugged, our breathes coming out in clouds around us as I spotted the bus coming down the street.
"I'm always fashionably late. He's used to it." I responded honestly. Nathan said nothing, just shrugged and rolled his eyes with a smirk on his face. The bus pulled over and we climbed in, taking an empty seat near the back.
"I hope your friend knows I'm coming," Nathan said, making me raise an eyebrow, but avoid his eyes, which only made his eyes widen, "You didn't tell him I was coming, did you?"
"Whoops. Must have slipped my mind."
"My ass. Jeez, I hope I don't freak him out or anything. The things you said about him makes me worry."
"Like what?" I asked incredulously, snorting as I leaned on the window. Nathan smiled politely, pulling his messenger bag into his lap as he glanced at me.
"Don't put on that innocent face. You said he was timid. Most people get intimdated by me." He responded, which only made me roll my eyes and elbow him as he grinned.
"Just because you're like fucking Godzilla doesn't mean you're scary. You smile too much to be scary." I assured, sniffling a little from the cold. I pressed my ankles against the heater under our seat, shivering a little as I pulled my jacket tighter around me. Nathan smirked.
"Godzilla was also smiling when he attacked Tokyo."
"He was not."
"Was to. He just wanted to visit and they freaked out because of his creepy smile."
"Yours isn't creepy."
"I think it's creepy. See?" Nathan grinned, purposely making it look awful as he showed off all his white teeth. I laughed out loud, making a couple business men on the bus glance at us scornfully, but I swiftly ignored them and continued laughing until Nathan waved for me to shush, still grinning and trying not to laugh.
"Here's our stop!" I exclaimed when I spotted the cafe just up ahead. The bus pulled over and Nathan and I slid out of our seat, climbing off the bus after we paid. We walked down the sidewalk, squeezing past people before we made it to the door. I pushed it open, hearing it jingle gently as the hot smell of roasted coffee beans swirled around us.
I sighed in relief as we came inside. My eyes immediately sought out Alex and it was easy to find him amongst all the average looking people. I spotted him sitting in a far corner near the window, sipping at what seemed to be mint hot chocolate. He was wearing a long black jacket with multiple pockets with a fur trim on the sleeves and hood. Underneath was a school sweatshirt and blue jeans with matching sneakers that looked a bit wet from the slushy snow outside. He was also wearing a pale blue and white scarf hanging loose around his neck. A cute blue slip beanie was somehow magically staying on his head despite looking like it was slipping off the back.
He still had the same brilliant blue eyes that matched his light blonde hair that hung in straight locks, his bangs swept across his forehead.
I started walking over to him instantly with Nathan at my heels. Alex looked up and for a second, I could see he was disturbed by Nathan's presence, but he smiled anyway and rose to his feet.
"Hello. I didn't know Mark was bringing a friend." He said, taking a black glove off to shake Nathan's hand. Nathan smiled warmly.
"Sorry if I'm a bother. Mark didn't tell me I was surprising you." He admitted. Alex blushed lightly, but smiled anyway before sitting down. I sat down across from Alex and Nathan sat beside me as a waitress came by to ask Alex about his previous order before taking Nathan's.
"So, Nathan's from Lansing," I began, making Alex and Nathan look up at me, "He moved here to go to that University of Michigan Health System." Alex raised an eyebrow for a moment and the way he looked at me told me he was suspicious right away. Nathan played it dumb and just smiled a bit in embarrassment.
"Ah, yea. I'm a second year student in research... Mark says you go to Concordia. What's your major?" He asked politely. Alex stared at me for a second longer, then smiled at Nathan.
"Business Administration." He responded shortly. I gave Alex a look. He was purposely giving Nathan short answers, which meant he knew exactly why I had brought Nathan. Which also meant he was going to totally ruin my Hitch plans here. I wished telepathy was one of the vampire super powers, but it wasn't. At least, it wasn't one of mine. Sometimes I wondered if Vladimir had it the way he looked at people and finished their sentences.
"Cool," Nathan answered anyway, still smiling as he studied Alex's face, watching him take a gulp of the coffee, "What's Condoria like, anyway? They offered me a place there, but I really didn't see anything that interested me. Not to mention, I heard the rules are pretty strict." Alex hesitated, looking at Nathan for a moment before shrugging as he lowered his gaze.
"It's all right. Some of the rules are rather strict, but it none of them really bother me." He answered, making Nathan nod a little.
"Well, that's good then. How about a roommate?" Nathan asked. Alex glanced at him, forcing one of his totally plastic smiles.
"I prefer being alone." He responded. I rolled my eyes, dropping my hand down on the table rather loudly so several people glanced toward our table, making Alex frown and Nathan just grin.
"Oh, bull," I drawled, then glanced at Nathan, "He's just being shy. Alex is a big baby. He still has his big sister call to check up on him every couple weeks." Nathan smiled as Alex blushed, clearing his throat.
"She calls on her on. I don't make her do anything." He responded defensively. I snorted, then grinned at Nathan.
"She calls him Ally Cat. Cute, huh? He does kind of look like a kitty, doesn't he? One of those fluffy white ones." I added brightly, making Alex blush vigorously as he opened his mouth a couple times in attempt to defend himself. Nathan chuckled warmly, making Alex glance at him.
"That's adorable. I used to have a cat when I lived in Lansing with my parents. He was a cute little thing, but I couldn't bring him with me since my apartment doesn't allow pets. Totally sucks. I love cats." He explained. Alex paused, then slowly smiled for real this time, much to my relief.
"That's too bad. My dorm is super strict about pets, unfortunately. If I had a choice, I'd adopt a cat." He responded. Nathan smiled again and I just grinned as they started talking about cats and their rooms.
Perfect.
My plan was working.
And then my cell phone rang again.
"Crap," I said, waving at them to continue as they stared at me, "It's the hubby. Be right back." I slid out of the seat and got up, walking away to where I could get privacy near the bathrooms in the back. I flipped my phone out and held it to my ear.
"Hello, Dracula." I greeted brightly. There was a pause, then a sigh.
"Mark." Storm greeted me, hardly amused by my greeting. I huffed, then paused to peer around the corner to see Nathan and Alex laughing about something before the waitress came by with our drinks. I ducked back just in time to hear Storm say something about a date.
"What?" I asked, uninterested.
No offense, I mean. Come on. I slept with this guy every single night, went to all his fancy parties with him, ate my meals with him. Why did he we need to go on a date? Or was that the kind of date he was talking about? I suddenly felt a little guilty.
"I said," Storm repeated sternly, which meant I better pay attention if I didn't want him to get rough with me when I came back, "You need to be back home by tonight. My father has a dinner date with some friends and he would like us both to attend."
"Ohhh, okay. Hang on. I'm with Alex and Nathan."
"Nathan? The human you met?"
"Oh, yea... I forgot to tell you. I'm trying to hook them up."
"Mark." Storm's tone was scolding, but I smiled anyway as I watched Alex blush, laughing quietly into his hand at something Nathan had said. I was relieved they were getting along. This was a good thing. Although, I still had the aching sensation that Alex was plotting my demise behind that pretty little smile.
"Mark." Storm's voice demanded again. I snapped out of my stare to laugh uneasily.
"I guess being a vampire doesn't cure my ADD, huh?"
"Apparently not. Just don't force Alexander into something. It's only been a year." Storm murmured, his voice trailing a bit as if he were wondering if mentioning it was a bad thing or not. It made my stomach sink and I forced myself not to think about Nicholas as I cleared my throat, standing up straight.
"I'm not," I insisted, glancing out the corner of my eye at Alex and Nathan, "They're hitting it off real well. Nathan's a great guy. You've met him before."
"Yes, but there's several things wrong with him."
"Aw, come on!"
"First off, he's human. We already learned that human relationships are the most difficult and dangerous, especially now of all times. Second of all, his smile is creepy."
"Bullshit!"
"Nope. His smile is seriously creepy. He smiles too much. It's any wonder his face doesn't hurt. Third, he does that annoyingly rude thing when he eats."
"You mean smacks his lips? That's his way of complimenting the cooking!"
"Mark," Storm warned, making me sigh in frustration, "Besides, you're forgetting that Alex won't want a relationship, especially with a human of all people. He's busy with university. He's got homework piled up. I'm surprised he has enough time to entertain you." I scoffed, leaning against the wall, pausing to stick my tongue out at a man was walking out of the bathroom, pausing to stare at me. He scrunched his nose up in disgust and walked past me toward the cafe, making me roll my eyes before averting them toward Alex and Nathan.
"Well, what about you? Let's talk about your problems. How's the search for Hornswoggle and company?" I asked, referring to Newell and Zephyra.
"Not well," Storm answered seriously now, "We lost track of him when he got on one of the trains. We sent Lisa and Tyler after him, but they said they haven't seen him on the train. He might have found out they were stalking him and gave them the slip. It's frustrating."
"I'm sorry," I apologized sincerely, "Listen, I'll be home in a few minutes. Lemme just wrap things up here and when I get back, we can do something awesome before we have to get all smiley for your dad's people."
"I would enjoy that." Storm replied, the sound of him smiling making me smile. I said goodbye and hung up, tucking my phone away before walking over to Alex and Nathan, who both looked up at once from a conversation. I beamed at them, giving an awkward wave.
"Unfortunately, I forgot Vlad's got some business party to attend to, so I have to get going." I told them. Nathan raised an eyebrow for a moment. He always did that when I mentioned Vlad's name. The first time I mentioned it, he said the name was familiar, but we concluded that it was from history class, Vlad the Impaler. I assured him Vlad was no impaler. At least, not usually.
"All right," Alex said slowly, rising to his feet as he picked up his coffee and handed me my own, "I should probably get back to my dorm room too. I have way too much homework." Nathan rose as well, picking up his coffee, taking a careful sip before nodding when I glanced at him.
"School work. Gross." He agreed, making Alex smile lightly. I grinned.
"Exactly why I didn't go to college. Anyway, see you guys later! You both have my number. We need to schedule a longer hang out date." I added. Nathan smiled and I noticed him sneaking a quick look at Alex, who played dumb and ignored it. Nathan nodded and left first, walking out the door and leaving a jingle in his wake. It didn't take long for Alex to jump on me.
"Mark, that was so mean," Alex accused with a snort as we slowly made our way out of the cafe, "Quit trying to set me up. I don't have time for it." I rolled my eyes, taking a gulp of hot coffee and enjoying the warmth it spread through my body as we stepped onto the snowy sidewalk, people rushing by as they prepared for work.
"I wasn't doing anything," I insisted defensively, "Nathan and I met a while back and I just realized you guys never met. I have a good feeling about him is all." Alex just shook his head, averting his eyes as he sipped his coffee. I nibbled my lower lip, then lifted a brow at him.
"I think he likes you." I offered. Alex scowled, glancing at me out the corner of his eye, then back at the sidewalk as we headed toward his school campus.
"A lot of humans like me. Nathan isn't any different." He responded, making me roll my eyes and elbow him, making him dribble coffee down his chin. I grinned.
"Come on, you can't say that. You have to admit he's nice. Great smile too, am I right?" I pressed as we approached one of the bus stops. Alex paused, staring down the street before giving me a pointed look.
"He can be attractive all he wants."
"Aha! So you think he's attractive!"
"Since when were you Cupid anyway, Mark? Don't you have hobbies to take up?"
"This is my hobby. Helping out the guy who saved my life." I answered honestly. Alex blinked and stared at me for a second, then blushed as he looked away, taking a gulp of coffee, breathing out a sigh as his breath came out in clouds.
"You're exaggerating." He said quietly. I snorted, leaning toward him and putting a hand on my hip.
"Am not! You're the one who got me into the Druid mess. Now I know who I am! And! Even better, I'm not dying of a painful lung disease." I added, pausing to grimace as I remembered the pain in my lungs. The brightness of the hospital freaked me out and the fact that it took everything I had just to take one breath of air was agonizing. I didn't even want to think about it, so I shook my head and looked at Alex, whose expression softened.
"You're welcome," He responded softly, "But really, don't try and repay me, Mark. I just want to have regular human worries. Not about whether or not a human boyfriend would... get hurt..." His voice drifted and he just shut his eyes, taking a tentative sip of coffee. I pouted, but said nothing more as the bus arrived.
I waved Alex off, yelling at him to call me once he got back before I watched the bus pull away, leaving me to stand there and wait for the next one that would take me to the train station. I sipped my coffee, my eyes flickering as I watched the bus pull away.
Chya, right, Alexander Lee Grey.
I was gonna hook you up with Nathan if it's the last thing I do.
I owe you.