Fear shot down my spine, my body was shaking. There was a bitter taste in the back of my mouth that I couldn't seem to swallow. My breath was coming out in uneven gasps. I didn't know what to do and I could barely think over the rising tide of cold fear in my chest. My eyes began burning with tears and I realized they were squeezed shut. I opened them slowly and my heart leapt into my throat. His face was white; his eyes were black and sunken deep into his skull. The veins that ran under his skin stood out and his wry smirk exposed two big fangs.
“What do you want?” I cried.
“I know what you are, goddess,” he growled. “I'm not the only one that knows, either. Last I heard, Hank was after you as well.”
I flinched at Hank’s name.
“I don't know what you’re talking about; I’m a vampire, not a goddess.”
He moved his hands to my throat and squeezed hard. The pressure would have turned human bones into powder, but for me, it was only enough force to cause discomfort.
“Do not play dumb with me; I can rip your head off in one swift move. I’m going to have to kill you before Hank gets the chance to—”
Before he could finish his sentence, I heard footsteps. I inhaled deeply through my nose as familiar scent filled the air, so sweet and delicious.
Could my night get any worse?
The old vampire smelt them, too; he reacted quickly, but the others were a step ahead. A man threw silver chain mail on top of the vampire before he could get up. He screamed in pain as a man with short dark hair pierced the vampire’s heart with a stake. The vampire exploded into dust, leaving the chain mail to fall directly onto my body. I screamed in agony; there was no doubt that Camilla and Aunt Jen heard it.
The pain was excruciating, it was as if acid was being poured all over my body. Another scream escaped my body as the man that killed the vampire pulled the net off me and quickly scooped me up into his arms. Instantly I could feel my body healing. I felt weak, like I always did when my body healed itself.
My body jolted and cool air hit my face; we were outside. I could hear the thudding music from my party getting further and further into the distance.
“Where are you taking me?” My voice was quiet and drained.
“Rest.”
I flinched; someone injected something into my neck and as I slowly became drowsy, there was no doubt it was the same serum that made me pass out yesterday.
“Happy Birthday to me,” I mumbled sarcastically. I couldn’t pin point it, but there was something reassuring about his voice. I put all my faith into that, letting my body take me away into a deep, recovering sleep.
“Happy Birthday,” he whispered.
Sage Sanctum
I opened my eyes and squinted painfully around a brightly lit room. My feet hit the concrete floor as I jumped off the bed. The room bore an uncanny resemblance to a prison cell. I approached a painfully obvious two-way mirror that conspicuously took up the entire wall.
I needed an escape plan. I looked at my options; I could smash through the mirror but I would definitely cut myself. If I did so,, I’d need time to rest and heal, and that would be a luxury I surely wouldn't have.
Perhaps I could try and rip the door from its hinges and just run for it? I approached the door cautiously. It wasn’t the fact that the door was lined with silver that stopped me in my tracks. It was a scent; how did I not notice it before? My fangs throbbed and my mouth was tickled as venom slowly leaked its way in. I wasn't alone in this room. My eyes followed the dull bricks along the wall until they rested on a woman who was sitting on a stool. I made a mental note to kick myself for not paying proper attention to my surroundings later. The woman sat, swaying back and forth.
A heavy clank from the door rumbled through the room. I was scared, but I couldn’t let these people know it. Two men entered the room, the sweet scent rushed in through my nose once again. Whatever they were, they smelled delicious. I stood facing them, my posture confident and my face hard.
A short, old man walked in behind them. Analyzing the two men that now stood behind the old man, I noticed the blond man was holding a silver chain prepared for any attack. I tried to stare them all in the face unflinchingly, exposing no trace of fear or any of the other emotions that were jolting down my spine and threatening to overcome me. Even though I was locked up in their cell, I wasn't going to let them know they were winning.
“Are you vampire hunters?” I blurted out.
I hope I was the only who noticed my voice was shaky. The man on the left laughed at my question and his long, dirty blond hair bounced around his shoulders. His long hair hid most of the structure of his face. He wasn’t an ugly man. I mean, he wasn’t hot, but he wasn’t totally gross, either.
“Has she eaten?” the old man asked the handsome man on the right, ignoring my question completely.
“No, sir. She just woke up,” the man replied.
Immediately, I recognized his voice. He was at the school when I was attacked, and he was the one that carried me last night, Eli. He was handsome, very handsome. His hair was short and classic but styled messily. It exposed his high cheekbones and manly jaw structure. His hair could almost be mistaken for jet black but the deep brown could be seen around the edges. I dragged my gaze away from him and focused on the old man.
“I don't drink directly from humans.”
The blond guy scoffed.
“Then how do you survive?” asked the old man. Kindness laced his tone.
“I live off donated blood, from a bag.”
“Where do you get the blood?” Eli asked.
“My aunt gets it from the hospital she works at.”
The questions were simple, yet overwhelming. I couldn’t help but feel like I was letting them into an intimate part of my life, one that very, very few people knew about.
“And why should we believe you, vampire?” the blond snapped.
I couldn’t work out why his voice he sounded so familiar. The chain swung around his hands, making a slight grinding noise as the silver links rubbed against each other.
The chain.
He was the one that attacked me at school. Anger rose in my chest, I wanted to hurt him. I wanted to make him cry in pain like he did to me, but I couldn’t, not if I wanted to get out of here alive.
“Don't believe me. I don't care,” I growled at him.
I made eye contact with the old man again. "I haven't taken blood from that crazy woman nor have I attacked you three."
“Vampires… you're all lying, unnatural killers,” the blond boomed.
I lurched forward a few steps and stopped in an attack stance, keeping my eyes locked on the rude, arrogant blond. He smirked and loosened the silver in his hand like he was going to lasso me.
“Tay, stop,” the old man stated calmly. “Ruby, don’t start a battle you can’t win.”
Little black shoes pointed out from under his smoky grey robe as he took steps towards me. His guards attempted to block his path but the old man nodded his head; it was an obvious indication to let him pass.
The long white hair that cascaded down his chest bounced up and down with each step.
“May I?” he asked. He extended his arm towards me, taking my hand in his. I twitched at the warmth of his skin and the acidic scent of his blood.
My mood change from confused and angry to relaxed and kind of happy, he was doing something to affect my mood and emotions.“What are you doing to me?” I demanded, snatching my hand back.
“One of my many abilities; I can't make people do what I want or implant memories like you can, but I can influence your feelings. I can make you feel what I want you to feel.”
“She’s a vampire!” Tay growled through clenched teeth. “She doesn't have feelings.”
Anger filled my chest and then disappeared when the old man took my hand in his again.
“If she was a complete vampire, I wouldn't be able to control her emotions.”
Complete vampire? Questions formed in my mind by the dozen but no words came out of my mouth.
“Give us a moment alone, please; both of you.”
“No way,” Tay protested.
“Sir, I don’t think that’s a good Idea…” Eli informed him.
“Now.”
Reluctantly, Tay and Eli left the room, leaving the door ajar behind them.
“Where am I?” I murmured awkwardly.
Granted it wasn’t the most important question, but if I asked questions in baby steps, perhaps my brain would absorb all the information, fitting the pieces together like a puzzle.
“You, my dear, are at Sage Sanctum.”
“I'm at Sage?”
I had heard about Sage Sanctum through Mum. She said it was a school hidden somewhere in a forest, protected by various charms and spells. It was a place where young gods and goddesses could learn about their world and how to use their magic. They could explore their powers and purpose without the threat of vampires.
“Aren't there various charms and spells keeping monsters like me out?” I continued.
If I was at Sage Sanctum, then I knew exactly who I was talking to: Mr Ivan Aleksandrov, the headmaster of Sage and a powerful wizard.
“Yes, but you aren't exactly on the school or town grounds. You’re in a holding cell, deep underground on the outskirts of the safety border.”
The excitement that built itself in my chest slowly deflated like a balloon with a pin hole in it. In order for me to attend Sage I have to be pure… I have to be a goddess.
“What is going to happen to me? I can't stay in this cell forever.”
What were they going to do with me? I wasn’t a goddess, so I couldn’t be a part of their student body. A dark feeling filled my stomach and I couldn’t shake the feeling that maybe they were going to kill me. What other reason would they have to keep an ex-goddess and potential threat to their kind locked up underground?
“You will be moved to better housing; once again, on the outskirts of the safety border.”
“What are you going to do to me? I can’t imagine that harboring a vampire is something your kind permits.”
“We’re going to fix you, transform you back.”
Well, I couldn’t say I expected that. His words came as a shock.
“As in… I will be normal?”
I searched his eyes, looking for any indication that he was messing with me. His lips were pursed into a line and his eyes held a caring gleam. Either he was telling the truth or he was very good at practical jokes. Subtly I pinched my arm, expecting to wake up, but nothing happened.
“As normal as any teenage goddess can be.” He chuckled.
“But h-how?”
“I won’t delve into the technical side of things, but when you were born, your mother decided to live amongst humans. She wanted you to attend Sage Sanctum when you were old enough, but in the meantime she wanted to be your sole protector. Your mother signed a contract stating that when you turned eighteen, you’d come to Sage Sanctum and learn how to use your abilities. So, upon your birth, we cast a charm spell on you. A charm spell so powerful that not even a vampire’s venom could destroy it completely.”
“When Hank bit me —” I swallowed hard, recalling the events. “A beam of light exploded from me and Hank and I were torn apart—”
“Yes, the charm would have felt the venom spreading through your veins and counteracted it. Unfortunately, it couldn’t stop the process completely; it stops it only enough for us to bring you back.”
My gaze fell to the ground as I soaked in all the new information. I was happy, I was excited. I had thought for a year now that I would be stuck like this; doomed to walk to the earth until I was hunted by Hank or killed by another vampire.
“We have a wizard, older and more powerful than I, coming in a day or so to turn you back, or at the very least, try.”
Mr Aleksandrov let me sit in silence for a few minutes. The silence helped me regroup my thoughts; it prevented me from crying hysterically or screaming in excitement.
“I was told…” Ivan began as he adjusted his strange grey robe. “That when the guardians got to your room, there was another vampire there.”
I nodded, cringing as I recalled his deep black eyes and pale skin.
“I don’t mean to scare you, but we need to get you back to a goddess as soon as possible. There is a high chance that every vampire on this side of the country wants you dead.”
“What? Why?”
Just my luck, there isn’t one vampire after me, there are thousands, maybe even hundreds of thousands.
“You’re the only thing stopping Hank from ruling this section of the vampire underworld. If you’re alive, the vampire society sees it as his fail, and until he can kill or fully turn you, he can't rule. As for the other vampires, they don’t want Hank to rule them. They want to take you for themselves.”
“We won't let them kill you.”
I jumped at Eli's voice; he was inside the room, leaning on the wall.
“And what do you do?” I was eager to find out what he was and why he smelt so delicious.
“I'm a Guardian Angel.”
Of course, how could I forget? I remember being told that vampires crave pure beings and needed them to look normal (as normal as a vampire can be). No wonder vampires craved them, the smell was compelling. My venom saturated my mouth and grouped in pools underneath my tongue. I swallowed it back, fighting against the unquenchable hunger that burned my throat.
“Let’s get you to proper housing,” said Mr Aleksandrov. “Take her there.”
Mr Aleksandrov was still holding my hand; he must have felt my mixed emotions. Eli nodded in agreement.