Cassian Legacy: The Vampire Prince

A part of the moon shone tonight, but its silhouette lay behind a large black cloud. From this distance the shadowy billows seemed unnaturally darker than usual, even with the partial light from the moon. Regardless of the ever changing veil, the moon’s light highlighted the silvery outline, casting an iridescent hue against the dark sky. It drew my attention - a glorious light among the indigo. But despite its beauty and majesty, it felt ominous.

I gazed up at the cloud for what seemed like hours, watching it swirl and twist, gathering new moisture. I searched for the reasons why I felt wary of this situation. It was probably because the outcomes were not entirely good or desirable. Or maybe it was the fact that Ms. Ingram was about to face a dangerous foe, but I decided that the true feeling was brought on by the fact that I would soon be leaving the city for good.

I had already let Finn trespass into my life, and if he kept unearthing my secrets, he would soon know what kind of a monster I was. I didn’t want him getting that close. I didn’t want him finding out.

Sylvia acted like she knew what I was already, even though I doubted that she truly did. If she had, she would’ve never allowed me to stay there at the apartment and continue my friendship with Finn. And if Finn really knew… I shuddered to think what he might do if he knew the truth.

Finn. My mind always returned to him when I didn’t want to think about him at all. What was the deal with the boy? And why couldn’t I get him off my mind?

This situation was entirely ridiculous. I don’t know why I was so attached to him or my friends from school. For the first time in my immortal life, I didn’t want to run away. I wanted to stay and try explaining myself and situation. But I knew from countless other times that if I didn’t leave, things would only get worse. Finn would hate me, and that thought alone kept me from telling him what I truly was.

He was so close to figuring it out, but I just couldn’t bear the thought of him discovering the truth. That was the real reason why this night felt foreboding. It warned me of the danger I posed to his world.

I tore my eyes away, and resisted the urge to look back. Already tears pooled in my eyes, threatening the release of a tidal wave down upon my cheeks. I quickly blinked them away and hardened my self-consciousness. I shouldn’t be crying, not here. Tonight was not the night for distractions. I needed to be on my guard, at my best, in case things went wrong. I needed my strength.

I waited patiently up on the rooftop, searching for the individual I would need. Down below me, Ms. Ingram paced quietly in an alley, away from the depot. People kept entering the building in question, but they didn’t return back outside. Eventually someone would emerge - it was only a matter of time.

A few more hours went by and I wondered how she could stand there for that long on her already weak knees. The moment she arrived here, after finding out I came through on her promise, she seemed ecstatic. But there were a few seconds that her legs trembled before she pushed her fear away and eagerly nodded her head accepting what I offered her. I figured she tried hiding the simple emotion from me, but I caught the movement and understood her feeling. It wasn’t that long ago I had felt that same fear, even if it was a few centuries ago. Ms. Ingram surprised me though. She maintained her position and didn’t show any more fear though I was sure deep down inside that her head screamed wildly aloud.

This simple adventure was turning out to be a bust. People kept going into the depot, but no one exited - and when I say people, they were human and not something else. Of course there was a possibility that this wasn’t a real nest. Maybe the prostitute ran and told the others I was sniffing around their building and they moved it, though I knew that was a long shot after the discussion I had with the three.

Whatever the cause of the cryptic building, I understood that more information and detailed reports were needed before I could execute my plan. I had been so sure that this was a nest, but there were no vampires in the area from what I could see outside. We would have to do this again, on another night when I could get Ms. Ingram what she needed.

Sunrise approached, already rays of purple and red streaked across the horizon. I leapt off the rim of the building and landed softly on the ground below. Even though I was light footed, she heard me. She whipped around and pulled out a crude wooden stake that would have no effect on me. I approached her slowly, making sure she recognized my face. Behind her, the depot’s side loomed in the darkness.

“They’re not going to emerge tonight,” I whispered.

She sighed in defeat. She really looked like she was ready for this even when I knew she wasn’t. “Try again tomorrow?”

I shook my head. “It’s not safe here until I confirm the presence of vampires.” I pulled her further into the alley and continued the conversation when I knew we were far away from the building in question. “I was sure that it was a nest when the girl told me. So far only people, well humans, have been entering the building. There’s a possibility that it isn’t a nest like I thought at first, but an actual depot trafficking illegal cargo. It’ll take me another week or two before I figure out if the building is truly a nest or not. Either way, you can’t hunt them on your own because if that is a nest, you’re life is forfeit the second they smell you.”

She crossed her arms. “Why can’t you just walk on in and pretend like you’re one of them?”

I stared at her. Did she not get this? “You don’t get it, do you?”

“What?” she asked me, clearly not understanding what I was to a nest.

“Look, I am not their friend. And they know that. If I walked in there just to clarify that it’s a nest, they’d attack me outright just because of what I am.”

“But you’ve never met them before…” she harshly whispered.

I cut her off with my hand. “That doesn’t matter. There comes a point where you understand that you’re not dealing with logical rational conscious beings. Vampires who live in nests will not pause if you come near them - they only know lust, true blood lust. Now leave here and go home. There’s nothing more that you can do tonight.”

Her shoulders slumped forward. She seriously felt defeated momentarily, but I promised her I would find one for her to fight, and find one I would.

I made sure she was well down the street and headed back towards her car before I continued the watch on the depot’s entrance. But as I stared at the door, I started wondering if they really had moved the nest or if they were just testing me. If they knew I was in the neighborhood, there was a possibility that one of them took extra precautions. It wouldn’t be the first time I encountered intelligent nesters. Usually the crazed vampires only knew two things, the need to feed and how to get it quickly. They were the ones who created the nests - only leaving when the bloodlust became too much. The feeders were the ones who operated opposite the nesters. They brought their food into their homes.

I circled around the block, in the early morning light, keeping my eyes trained on all angles of the building. I spotted no extra doors, so I knew there was only one true way in and out. I headed back to my perch on the rooftop and waited for the sun to completely rise.

A few more patrons walked into the building, but still no one exited. It was just after the sun broke above the horizon that someone walked out of the depot for the first time since I arrived. A pair exited - a vampire and a human. I hadn’t found a nest like I had originally thought. It was a club of some sort. Humans didn’t walk out of vampire nests or the homes of feeders on their own terms. And they definitely didn’t leave sober.

I followed the pair as they walked away, curious as to why they had left the building. They talked about plans to expand the underground, and the means for funding. Eventually the two broke away from each other, and I followed the vampire already knowing that he would tell me what I wished to know once I got my compulsion into his system.

He left the poor part of town and walked into one of the suburbs. Two blocks he walked without purpose while I followed him. On the third block, situated near the hidden line between the lower and middle class, he entered a home that looked decent compared with the others. Judging by the way he opened the door, I felt like he owned the property which was completely odd. Nesters, feeders, vampire drifters, whatever the term I had for them, did not own houses or homes. This behavior was far too odd for me to discount it as a bad night. There was something wrong and I needed to find out what it was right now as this could affect the future for me or Finn and the entire vampire-human community.

I scoped out the area and found that a window had been left open in the kitchen, oddly enough. Through the open window I overheard him talking to a woman. Had I followed the human home by accident? I sniffed the air, but knew immediately the man’s scent wasn’t human, though this was a vampire’s home. The question that currently burned in my mind was if he knew Finn’s family and was incidentally allied with them knowing that Emery spoke of the created in such a manner.

I listened to the conversation. He seemed to be on the phone because I only got one side of the dialogue that was spoken aloud. Even with my sensitive hearing, I couldn’t understand the person on the other end of the line.

“No they’re planning on doing some expansions, but nothing’s set in stone yet.” He paused for a few seconds. “I understand sir, but you sent me out here to find out what they were planning and I did. It’s nothing but a huge house complex for our people. There are no feeders, no humans.”

Now that didn’t make any sense. He lied to the speaker on the phone either by choice or force. Either way he was definitely hiding information from someone important.

“I understand sir. I’ll wait here for more orders.”

The phone settled back into place on the wall. The woman hurried to the front of the house by the sound of her light footsteps, but she didn’t say anything. Now that he was cut off from the person on the phone, it was time that I intervene. I pushed the window wider and jumped into the house before anyone could stop me. I had to leap over the sink, but it was worth it. He was standing right in front of me when I landed upright, surprise mirrored all over his face.

I pushed him away just as the woman burst into the room. With one hand, I grabbed his neck and flung him around to the opposite side he was facing. But with my other hand, I grabbed the woman and pulled her into a neck hold. Her skin was exposed to my face, and I let my fangs out gently making sure I wouldn’t puncture her skin.

She had no strength when she pushed against my arm, so right away I knew she was a human and not worth my time. But the man wasn’t. I glared at him and he met my gaze with my eyes.

“Who are you allied with?” I whispered quietly.

He didn’t respond, probably frightened from my rash display or just plain stubborn.

I turned it on and gazed into his eyes. His body relaxed within my grip and I knew my compulsion was working. Again I repeated, “Who are you allied with?”

“Lord Holden Tierney.”

So he was one of the many bodyguards and assassins assigned around the city, which either made him a traitor or an ally for me.

“What do you do for him?” I pressed.

“I protect the family.”

The girl struggled in my arms and I tightened my grip. I couldn’t have her breaking free and interrupting my questioning. She didn’t scream though which worried me that something was wrong with her, but I didn’t distract myself and kept my gaze on the vampire.

“What are you hiding from Lord Holden Tierney?”

He stuttered. “N…nothing.”

I let go of the girl and turned off the compulsion. Immediately his eyes refocused and he struggled against me.

“What do you want, just don’t hurt her!” he whined.

I glanced down at the ‘her’ he mentioned. The girl I had held previously massaged her neck with her hands, but stayed where she was. Obviously she wasn’t fearful like she should be which really worried me. I momentarily forgot what it was I was here for and looked back at the vampire. “What are you doing here with a human?”

He didn’t like that I knew what she was. Instantly his frightened eyes turned cold and hateful. He glared at me with murder blazing in his brown gems.

“Look, you need to explain now or I will kill you,” I warned. I meant business.

“Are you one of his assassins?” he whispered. “He must’ve known…”

I frowned instantly wondering why he thought that and then I remembered I held his life in my hands, literally. I released his neck, but didn’t step away. “What are you hiding?”

He flustered, his movements jerked while he glanced at the girl more than once. He knew I could snap both of their necks in an instant if I felt like it, but he still faltered in giving me the information I needed. My ears picked up a faint noise, distracting me from the situation, and I listened instantly. The girl’s heart rate had been beating so quickly that I nearly missed hearing the other one. Now that it slowed down I caught a beat out of sync, signaling to me that there were more than two heartbeats in this room, not counting mine. This man wasn’t a created vampire. He was one of the born.

I went about my questioning using a different tact. “Are you related to Finn?” If Finn’s father had a hold of the man in a serious, life-threatening way, I wondered how the man would react if Finn’s name was brought into question.

The vampire shook his head. “No not directly. I’m a Seneca.”

He didn’t stutter this time, which led me to believe the guy wasn’t afraid of Finn like he was with Holden. But he also let me know that there was more than one family of vampires that lived here in town. Emery had never told me which families were their allies, or if there were any other vampire families nearby so I had no knowledge going into this situation. At least this declaration made sense now because I always wondered how there were so many born vampires running around with only one coven in play. Of course there had to be others nearby, but the thought never crossed my mind until now.

I glanced down at the girl, curious about her part in this play. Knowing how Sylvia was created and brought into the coven’s family, I figured that something similar was happening right in this room. For any vampire to involve themselves in a human’s life would be momentous and life-threatening for them both. If the girl was used to situations like this, it led me to believe that the man would do anything for her, yet he was stuck in some kind of arrangement with Finn’s father. I had a guess as to what kind. “You’re supposed to marry one of Lord Tierney’s daughters or nieces, aren’t you?”

I knew he didn’t want to answer me, but his eyes said it all. They dilated briefly before he reigned in his feelings. This was a huge dilemma. This man was supposedly loyal to Finn’s family, and yet he was conspiring against Finn’s father. But why? Something about this whole situation wasn’t right. There were politics involved here, politics I wanted no part of, but I had inadvertently placed myself in this position. I had to make a choice.

If I arrived here today in this city, I would side with the man and his secret whatever that may be. If I was my true self, I would’ve never put the girl’s life in jeopardy. Of course if I was my true self, I would’ve never agreed in allowing Ms. Ingram a vampire to kill much less find one for her. I relaxed my stance. I had made an oath to protect Finn, and it was Finn that I was only loyal to.

I met his eyes once more. “Look, I won’t tell him anything about this. But I need to know what you’re hiding from him about that depot. What is that place really, and I know it’s not a nest.”

He waited a long time before he said anything, probably judging my reaction and wondering if I was bluffing. “Do you promise? You swear?”

I nodded. “I swear. I’m not loyal to Finn’s daddy, just Finn.”

The man relaxed. “It’s a nest, not a true one, but one nonetheless. It’s designed to be a place where vampires don’t have to leave if extraneous circumstances arise.”

I straightened at once, not expecting what he told me. “Do you mean to tell me that they’re bringing live-in feeders?”

He nodded. “And other stuff, but I didn’t want to know what that other stuff was. I didn’t stay long enough to find out. I’m only helping the guy out because he can loan me the money I need to get us safely away from Lord Tierney.”

This was indeed odd. I’d never heard of a place like that mostly because the drug houses had to move to avoid detection and notice from the populace. It wasn’t much of a big deal if a human discovered the operation when the vampires could easily dispatch them, but if a whole neighborhood or community found out, then the attraction brought unwanted attention towards them and that was when the situations got deadly. Even if the created vampires were wild and unrestrained they abhorred detection. “Who’s the human fronting this?”

He frowned. “There are no humans there.”

I smiled, knowing I caught his lie. “You lie. You walked out of there with one.”

He shook his head fervently. “Octavian isn’t a human. He’s a warlock. We both were sent there for reconnaissance. He deals in the dark arts, but is loyal to Lord Tierney. He won’t betray me though, because he’s the one helping me get the money so we can leave.”

I approached him, wondering if he truly told me the truth. “That human… is a warlock?”

He nodded.

I had sensed no power radiating from the guy, and with all Fae creatures that were truly empowered, they usually radiated that power from their blood, sweat, and tears. The other witches and warlocks I had come across during my travels all radiated their powers like it surrounded them in a shield. Even the weakest members had some protection with their weakened magicks. The Fae’s power resided in our blood. Either this man was powerful enough to mask his magic, or he was completely bluffing and shamelessly fooling Lord Tierney because he had no true power at all. My guess was that he was bluffing, judging from experience on dealing with real witches. But I needed to know for sure, and wondered if the man before me had ever seen true power. “Have you ever seen Octavian use his magic?”

The guy shook his head. “Not really, but I once saw him pull money out of a hat, quite literally.”

I raised an eyebrow. Was he that serious? “Parlor tricks?”

“No, he pulled about a wad of cash from an empty baseball hat, several hundred dollars if I remember correctly.”

Illusion tricks. This kid was nothing more than a beginner at magic. Real warlocks didn’t do simple things like that whether they were into the dark arts or not. They had all been fooled. Whoever Octavian really was or what he really was, he wasn’t an ally to any one of them.

“How much do you have saved?” I crossed through the living room and peered out the front window. I hadn’t sensed anyone approach the house since my arrival, but after this little chat it was obvious to me what was about to happen. They wouldn’t strike out at him in the daytime though. They’d wait for the sun to set and then under the cover of darkness they’d make their approach. Besides vampires were slightly weaker in the daytime, even if the sun didn’t burn their skin.

“You don’t think they’re going to come after me now? Here?” he squeaked.

I didn’t turn to him. “That’s exactly what I think,” I mumbled.

He sprung into action then. He pulled out a tin box and rummaged through a wad of cash. The girl hurried up into the next room and pulled out two suitcases already packed. It looked like they were ready to leave at a moment’s notice.

I looked between the two of them. “If you’re going to leave, you need to do it now, while it’s still daylight.”

“What are you going to do?” he whispered to me.

I smiled at him. “What I do best. Now stop asking questions and flee. They’re not here yet, but you can bet that they’ll arrive eventually. Take this time and run.”

They hurried on out of the backdoor. As soon as they were down the street and into the next block, I heard cars pull up and stop at the front of the house. I crossed the floor, and peered out of the window. In between the faded blue and white curtains, I watched Finn’s father emerge from a black limousine in a suit and tie. Before the door shut completely though, I spotted Atria filing her nails from inside the car comfortably. The human that earlier emerged from the depot with the Seneca vampire, stepped out of the passenger seat in the front. The two allies briefly locked gazes before Lord Tierney walked up the porch steps.

Now I needed to stall for as long as possible. Rather than meet a confrontation as awkward and uncomfortable as it already was in the house, I opened the front door and stepped outside. Holden Tierney nearly stumbled on the spot. He was extremely surprised to see me here, of all places, which I didn’t blame him. I still couldn’t believe I was here myself.

“Abelia?” he questioned, getting my name right.

Octavian’s eyes flickered over as he met my steel gaze. He looked slightly alarmed by my disruption, but the expression was gone in a second and replaced with surprise, mirroring his boss’s composure.

I studied the boy thoroughly, honing my senses onto his aura. He had some power, but not enough of it to make it seem like he was an actual warlock. To what purpose he told Lord Tierney that he was useful in a fight I had no idea why he’d lie. It was possible he needed protection of his own and so used what little knowledge he had to serve the man. But whatever the case one thing was sure - I had been right. He was bluffing which put him on my watch list.

Finn’s father followed my gaze. “This is Octavian, the clan’s warlock.”

I chuckled, mostly because I found that greeting highly amusing. “He’s not that powerful.”

Octavian flinched like I threw a whip at him. “Not yet, but one day I’ll be.”

“You’re fresh meat,” I teased him and turned my attention back to where it belonged.

Lord Tierney smiled. “You can sense his power? He’s quite capable of handling what we need him to do.”

I smiled kindly, but really understood what he suggested. The kid made truth serums and amnesia cocktails, basic magic that any chemistry student could concoct if done properly. Real magic stemmed from something deeper and more primal, which this kid lacked. If I had to guess about his previous life before he served the Tierney household based on this short conversation, he had once been a bartender for a club like the Red Curtain.

Time for a change of subject. “You’re too late.”

Lord Tierney’s smile faded at once. “What do you mean?”

“Whoever dwelled here is already gone,” I explained.

Octavian circled around his boss and approached me. I made my way down the few stairs and met their eyes.

Finn’s father didn’t look happy from my announcement. He obviously wanted an explanation, of which I didn’t really have.

I crossed my arms. “So I was watching this depot last night, looking for evidence of a vampire nest.” As I explained I watched Octavian’s eyes and body language. He didn’t flinch once, but he definitely looked like he didn’t want me to be sniffing around that area. He had been keeping a secret pertaining to the man who once lived here, but that was only for his own gain. Octavian wanted something out of that nest and I would find out what. “I stayed up on my perch all night, waiting for someone to emerge from the building and eventually someone did. I saw Octavian, obviously not knowing who he was at the time, and another vampire leave the building just after dawn. I naturally followed the vampire, because I don’t track humans, plus I didn’t sense any kind of power that put me or the others into any danger. Well I overheard a conversation between the vampire and whomever he spoke to on the phone,” I looked at Lord Tierney, “which I guess was you. I don’t know what you said to him that made him run away so quickly. He didn’t give me a chance to explain who I was. He was out of the house and fleeing down the street before I could stop him. I’ve been doing some reconnaissance of my own and looking for anything that might have helped me figure out what that nest was really doing there and why this man had anything to do with it.”

Octavian narrowed his eyes at me. He obviously didn’t believe my story. “He fled. Just like that?”

I shrugged. “Maybe it was the sight of me so soon after the phone conversation. He probably wasn’t expecting any others of our kind to be coming here anytime soon. I wonder what he’d do now if he saw you two here. He’d probably commit suicide.”

Octavian sighed and didn’t comment on my last statement. I had stated that for his observation only. If Octavian was a true friend, he would be upset over my simple suggestion. But he honestly wasn’t listening to me and paying more attention to the how’s and why’s and whereabouts of his supposed comrade. “Do you know in what direction he went?”

I pointed south down the boulevard, the direction the boy and his girlfriend were headed in. “That way.” Hopefully if they had enough sense, they would be out of the state by the afternoon. I couldn’t lie to the man about the path the two took. They would smell his scent and follow that trail to the nearest bus station or train dock. At least I had them stalled for a legitimate amount of time.

Octavian’s eyes flickered in the direction I pointed in, but I saw the look of betrayal on his face. I had been wrong in my observations. He wasn’t at all happy that I had told Lord Tierney what direction they fled in. I was reading the guy wrongly. He actually cared. I made a note that I needed to explain things later, when he was alone, but now was not the time.

I peered through the tinted windows of the limo. Atria didn’t seem concerned with this issue, although she heard every word. I wondered if she was happy about the connection formed between her and the Seneca man.

Lord Tierney captured my attention once more, distracting me from my thoughts. “Are you planning on attending school today?”

I smiled back at him. “Of course.”

“But you were up all night,” he began. “Surely Finn can excuse your absence.” He pulled out a cell phone and started punching a number.

“Don’t,” I pleaded with him.

Lord Tierney paused in his tapping and directed his focus back on me. “Are you sure? You look exhausted.”

Octavian knocked on the window of the passenger’s door and a bottle of grape soda appeared. “Here,” he handed me the drink.

I didn’t want this, already knowing what it was. But the two had their eyes on me as well as Atria from beyond the tinted window. I opened the cap and took a swallow. The blood hit my mouth, revolting me with its taste. I tried my hardest not to let it show on my face, so I swallowed it quickly, forcing it down.

“Better?” Lord Tierney asked.

I nodded and handed the drink back to him.

He shook his head and pushed it back to me. “That’s yours. Take it with you on your way to school.”

I smiled my thanks and hurried out of sight. Once I got home to retrieve my things, I trashed the bottle and drank a whole glass of water since there wasn’t anything stronger in the house to get rid of the taste.