“Do you want to go to a movie, Bel? There are a couple I wouldn’t mind seeing, but it doesn’t look like they’ve made their way to our small town theater yet.”
I shrugged, shoving open the door of my cousin’s Mustang. We’d just arrived in town, parking in front of Silver Springs Theater. My gaze went to the two movie titles the place was advertising as I slid out of the vehicle. The first was a comedy, the second a horror show. I had no interest in watching either of them, but wasn’t sure what else we could do. There really wasn’t much in Silver Springs. Most of the local kids hung out at the ice cream shop on Friday and Saturday nights, went to the movies, or traveled an hour and a half to the nearest large city. I was full from dinner and cake, and we didn’t have time to drive to the city. We had to be home in three hours. “Not really. I just wanted to get out of the house.”
Shutting his door, Trey came around the front of the car and stopped by where I stood. “Nothing much else to do.”
“I know.”
Looking at each other, we grinned. “Cheesy horror film it is.”
“You know me so well,” I teased, sliding my arm through the crook in his.
“We’re getting popcorn.”
I groaned, rubbing my stomach as we walked to the front doors of the theater. “How can you eat anymore? You had double what I did for dinner, and the piece of cake you devoured was huge.”
He grinned. “You can’t go to a movie and not get popcorn, Bel.”
Ten minutes later, we were sitting in front of the big screen in the middle of the theater, two of the five people there. It was just as cheesy as we thought it would be, and we laughed the whole time. It had been months since I’d come to town, let alone been to a movie. I spent most of my time at the farm, either being homeschooled or in training. My father pushed me hard, and now I understood why. Thank God for Trey. My best friend. My only friend.
I enjoyed the hour and forty-five minutes I had just sitting there, staying until the credits were over, the very last ones in the room. When the lights came on, Trey glanced at his watch. “I suppose we should get home. They’ll worry if we’re out too late.”
“What are they going to do when we are gone fighting vamps?”
Trey paused, looking over at me, his face serious. “I don’t know, Bel. It’s going to be hard on them. And I doubt we get out of town alone. Someone will be coming with.”
“My father already said he was,” I admitted, rising and starting over to the middle aisle. Absently, I rubbed my forearm, ignoring the strange, numbing sensation that had started in it just moments before. “I hate to put him in danger, but I don’t think I can stop him.”
“He’s a warrior, Bellame. He isn’t going to stand down.”
“It’s been years since he fought for the king, Trey,” I argued, frowning when the slightly uncomfortable feeling in my arm started to burn somewhat painfully.
“He’s been training all of those years, along with my dad and Uncle Matthew. It wouldn’t surprise me if they all insisted on going with us.”
“They can’t. They need to stay here to protect your mom and Aunt Kerri. What if someone tracks me to Silver Springs?”
“Bel?”
“What?” I turned to look at him, cocking an eyebrow.
Trey’s gaze was on my arm, where I was clutching it tightly now. It hurt, a searing pain pulsing where I knew the tattoo was.
“Um, your arm’s… glowing.”
“Something’s wrong,” I gasped, breathing through the discomfort.
“Uh, yeah. You’re lit up like a freaking Christmas tree.”
Slowly removing my hand from my arm, I stared at the tattoo. It was glowing brightly, the dragon seeming to be on fire. The mark of a huntress with bright flames surrounding it. It was a warning of some kind. I knew it. “Vampires.”
“What?”
I raised my eyes to meet Trey’s. “This tattoo is from my hunter lineage, right?”
He nodded, his eyes narrowing on the way the dragon now looked as if it were spitting fire. “Do you think it’s trying to tell you something?”
“I know it is.” My gaze tracked around the room before I said, “There are rogues nearby. We have two choices. We can run. Get back to the farm and let everyone know what’s going on.”
“Or?”
“We take the fight to them.”
“The way you’re glowing, I’d say they are really close.”
“They’re in town. I’m sure of it.”
“Use your gift.”
“What?” I asked in confusion.
“Your gift, Bellame. Try and listen to them. Hear their thoughts. Maybe you can see where they are."
He was right. Why hadn’t I thought of that? Probably because I’d been struggling with my ability for years. Fighting to avoid entering other people’s thoughts. I needed to change my way of thinking. Instead of fighting it where the rogues were concerned, I needed to embrace it.
“You know I can’t control whose thoughts I hear, right?” I asked tentatively, wanting Trey to know that I would soon be inside his head, whether he wanted me there or not. If I did this, chances were I would know any secrets my cousin had within seconds. I’d learned how to block thoughts years ago, but there was no way I could listen to only certain people. My gift would reach out and encompass whoever was near.
“I know. Just do it.”
Nodding, I placed a hand on Trey’s upper arm, grounding myself. Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath, and then opened myself up to everyone near me.
Chocolate. Pizza. Fried chicken. Fluffy bunnies.
I almost choked when Trey’s thoughts entered my mind, knowing he was doing it on purpose, either to hide something from me or make me laugh. I was sure it was the latter. “You are such a brat,” I hissed, a small grin appearing despite our situation.
“Love you, too.”
I wish my shift was over. This sucks. No one ever comes here anymore, and time crawls by. But it’s money. Money I need to fix my car, since my loser dad won’t help.
That was the teenage boy who’d made our popcorn for us. Slight build, light brown hair, angry eyes. Now I knew why. His father was an alcoholic, and sometimes, when he went on a drinking binge, he would come home and tear things up in a fit of rage. Jimmy was the boy’s name, and he took the brunt of it trying to protect his mother, who meant the world to him. Which was how he’d ended up with the bruise I’d seen on his chin. There were several more all over his body that he kept hidden.
Slow night tonight. Last movie will be out soon. Should be able to close up in an hour. I need sleep. Hopefully, Jamie is feeling better.
The manager of the theater. A young mother with a seven month old son who was teething. He’d kept her up the past couple of nights and she was utterly exhausted, but she had to come to work. Her husband’s check was enough to cover their bills, but not to put food on the table and buy Jamie’s formula.
Movie’s almost out. Gonna take Jenny up to that spot I found the other day by the small pond and ask her to marry me. I don’t have much to give her, but she loves me. I love her. That’s all that matters.
This movie is putting me to sleep. It’s so stupid. I can’t believe Gary brought me here. I deserve so much better than this hick town. I’m getting out first chance I get.
I hated what I was doing; invading people’s private thoughts. It was wrong. I knew I didn’t have a choice, but I felt horrible.
“Hurry up, Bel,” Trey muttered.
“This isn’t exactly easy,” I snapped back. “There are more people in the other movie than were in here.”
“You need to reach beyond the theater,” Trey said. “I doubt they’re eating popcorn and watching a flick.”
A flick? Sometimes my cousin seemed so old fashioned, but I loved him. “I’m not sure if I can do that. I might not be strong enough.”
“Try.”
Knowing he was right, I lowered my head, closed my eyes again, and concentrated. The mark on my arm was throbbing, burning. It was a distraction, but I tried my best to block it out. Several minutes passed as I sifted through thoughts, along with all of the emotions that came with them. Anger, sadness, hopelessness, happiness, love. There was so much, almost too much. Then, I found them.
The hunter is near. I can smell him, practically taste him.
Hunter blood is the best. I’m going to dine on him. Drain him dry.
“They’re close,” I whispered to Trey, my hand on his arm tightening as my mark seemed to burn even brighter, illuminating the room. “There are two of them. Both male. They’re tracking me.”
“What? What do you mean they’re tracking you?”
“They’re here in Silver Springs for me. Somehow, they have the ability to sense when hunters are near. They know I’m a huntress and want to make me their dinner.”
“That’s not gonna happen.”
“No,” I agreed, opening my eyes and looking up at him, “it isn’t. But, we need to lead them out of town, Trey. They want me, and they don’t care who they have to hurt or kill to get to me.”
“The Mustang is right out front, Bel. Let’s make a run for it.”
“It’s too late.”
“Crap.”
“They’re almost here and are moving really fast.”
“You don’t have your sword.”
Maybe not, but I wasn’t weaponless. Sliding a dagger from my boot, I palmed it. “Nope. Good thing I don’t need it to kill a rogue.”
Trey nodded, slipping his own dagger from a hidden sheath at his back. “How do you want to do this?”
“We’ll go out the back door. Head toward the outskirts of town.” Quickly moving down the aisle toward the exit near the movie screen, I glanced back at him. “You better call my dad.”
“Already done.”
“How?” Shaking my head, I stopped in front of the door, my hand on the front of it. “Never mind. I don’t want to know.”
Close. So close. Soon, I will taste him.
“You ready?” I asked, raking my gaze over Trey, surprised to see the cargo pants that I was sure had various weapons hidden in them, and the heavy black boots. Why hadn’t I noticed that before? He was dressed like a hunter when normally he would be in jeans, a tee shirt with some kind of funny saying on it, and tennis shoes.
Trey grinned, nodding. “I was born ready.”
I smothered a laugh, turning from him before he could see how hilarious I found his words. He definitely wasn’t ready last night. I’d practically smelled the terror on him. Strange. It wasn’t there tonight. “Let’s make this fast.”
Opening the door, I slipped quickly out into the alley behind the building, my cousin on my heels. Sliding another dagger from my other boot, I paused, got my bearings, and then headed north at a run. I halfway expected Trey to grouse at the pace, but he kept up without complaint. I cut through a backyard, and around a house, and then through another yard.
“How close are they?” Trey asked, his voice low, but still appearing loud in the quiet of the night. There was no doubt in my mind that the two vamps heard him clearly, just as I did.
Slowing down as I neared the baseball diamonds on the edge of town, I jogged over to a field just beyond it. “They’re here.”
“Yes, we are.”
It was a deep growl, one that made a tremor run through me. This one was older and would be harder to kill than the ones from the night before. He’d been around for centuries, had tasted hunter blood before, and wanted mine. All of it.
“A huntress,” he snarled, appearing in front of us as if out of nowhere. “I haven’t seen one of your kind in so long. I was beginning to think you’d become extinct.” His eyes went to the dragon tattoo that was glowing brightly on my arm, and he grinned. “The mark of a true hunter. Which clan are you from?”
“Clan?” I asked, cocking an eyebrow. “What century are we in, Falo? Come on, you need to get with the times.”
“How did you know my name,” he demanded, his eyes darkening to a deep red, his mouth opening in a hiss. “My reputation must proceed me.”
“Naw,” I drawled, clocking where the other vamp was in my mind. He was good, but not as good as Falo. He was younger, more inexperienced, and was going to have to be taken out first so I could focus my full attention on the superior demon standing in front of me.
Demon, where had that word come from? I had to admit, it fit. The thing standing in front of me, with shoulder-length shaggy brown hair, dark red eyes, and fangs that were starting to extend, definitely looked like a demon. One that I needed to be sure not to underestimate.
I crouched low, a slow smile crossing my face as I taunted Falo. “You think your friend is going to sneak up on us, take out my cousin quickly, and then capture me. You want to give him Trey to drain, and plan on keeping me all to yourself. Does he know that, Falo? Does Stephen know you don’t plan on sharing.”
I heard the hiss of anger behind me, but I stayed focused on the vamp in front of me. He was the true threat.
I don’t know if you can hear this, cuz, but if you can, I’ve got this one. He’s more worried about you than me. He can’t take his eyes off you.
Trey’s voice slipped in my mind, and I stiffened slightly. Trey wanted to fight a vampire? He’d trained with me for years, I knew he was more than capable in a fight, but he was scared to death of rogues. Wasn’t he?
“Stephen will do as I say, silly girl. He has no choice. If he doesn’t, I will kill him, and keep both of you for myself.”
“You said we would share the huntress,” Stephen spat, his attention off of Trey now and fully on Falo. “You said I would get to savor what real hunter blood tastes like. I would get a kick like no other.”
Falo shrugged, and I fought back a shudder of revulsion when he grinned, running his tongue over his lips. “I changed my mind.” Falo laughed when Stephen hissed at him, baring his fangs. “Oh, settle down, my old friend. You can drain the other one, while I play with this one. Shouldn’t take me long.”
A slow smile spread across my face, and I flashed him my own fangs. “Come on now, Falo. Do you really think I’m going to give in that easily?”
Falo’s eyes widened in shock, his gaze going from my fangs to the mark still glowing on my forearm. “What?”
“Oh, did I forget to tell you? I’m a vamp, just like you.” I slowly began to move my feet, gliding to the right, so I could keep both Falo and Stephen in my sights. “Well, not just like you, I guess. Me being royalty and all, and you being… well… you.”
“Royalty?”
His eyes were glued on me, his mind running wild with questions. I chose to answer the one he voiced out loud. “Yes, royalty. As in of the royal vampire line. Princess Bellame Rose, at your service.”
Falo’s eyes narrowed, and he glared at me. “There are no Roses in the royal bloodline, huntress.”
“Oh, that’s right. Sorry, I forgot to give you my full name, didn’t I?” Gripping my dagger tightly, I sent him a wicked grin. “Princess Bellame Rose Jackson Christoph. Daughter of a huntress from the Jackson line and Prince Alexander Christoph.”
“Not possible!” Falo snarled, and I swore I saw saliva dripping from his fangs. Gross.
“Oh, it’s very possible,” I said, baring my fangs again. Knowing he would be able to smell the Christoph on me like Salena had, I urged, “Take a big whiff.”
Stop playing with him, Bel. They are both distracted. Let’s do this. I want ice cream.
I barely controlled the laugh that wanted to break free. Seriously? We were about to fight rogues, and Trey wanted ice cream? Well, who was I to disappoint?
I watched Falo’s nostrils flare right before he hissed, “Princess.”
“Now, you’re getting it.”
Finally. Okay, give me a sign when you are ready to start this party. I’m getting a bit bored here.
Bored? Where the heck was my cousin, and who was this Trey that was ready to fight by my side? I didn’t sense any fear in him like the night before. No hesitation. He was solid, knew exactly how to take out the vamp he was stalking, and was ready to do it.
“How?”
“Really?” I gave Falo an incredulous look. “Didn’t your mama explain the birds and bees to you?”
“Not what I meant, brat.” I was provoking him on purpose, hoping to throw him off his game, and I watched in satisfaction as his rage grew. “How did the prince fall so far? A huntress?”
Falo was obviously trying to goad me, but it wasn’t working. The prince and Alyiah might be my biological parents, but I just found out about them a few hours ago. I had no connection to them. They may have given me life, which I was grateful for, but they didn’t raise me. They didn’t stay up with me when I had nightmares as a child, feed me their blood so the vampire part of me would be sated, give up everything they knew and move all of the way across the United States so that I would be safe. I would always think of Marcus and Cassandra Rose as my true parents.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Stephen move closer to me, as if he had no control over himself. What he didn’t realize was that Trey had been sneaking up on him one small step at a time, and was so close he could reach out and touch him.
“I don’t know, Falo, maybe it was love at first sight?” Gathering myself for the fight, I went on, “What I do know, is the prince is gone now, but I’m not. I am the rightful heir to the throne. You answer to me.”
“King Aldric is in charge now,” Falo spat, showing his fangs. “If I answer to anyone, it is him. He takes care of all vampires, even rogues like me.”
Interesting, but it made sense. The moment Aldric took action against the king and queen, he would have been considered rogue himself. Unfortunately, with no one to protect them, the vampires would have to continue to pledge their allegiance to him. They wouldn’t have had a choice.
Well, they had one now.
“Aldric forfeited his right to the throne the moment he turned against the king,” I stated, knowing it was the truth. That was why Prince Alexander said I was the rightful heir to the throne instead of his brother. It all made sense now. A rogue vampire could not be king. “He is not a true king, and never will be.” Steeling myself, I bared my fangs at him and hissed, “I am Princess Bellame. I will protect my people from rogues like you and my uncle. You will all answer to me now.”
Go, Bellame! You got this! Hell, I’m quivering in my boots over here.
I felt the fear from Stephan as it floated my way, and barely suppressed a grin of satisfaction. Falo wasn’t going to budge, but I’d affected one of them at least.
Okay, you’ve played with him enough. Let’s get this done before your father shows up.
“Now!” I yelled, jumping toward Falo, taking him off guard. Trusting my cousin to handle Stephen, I swung one of my daggers in an arc toward the vamp’s chest, feinting to the right at the last minute when I saw his intentions in his mind, barely managing to escape the large claws he swiped at me. As I moved, I managed to slice a deep cut into his upper leg with the blade of my other dagger. It wouldn’t kill him, but it would draw blood, and it would sting a little.
“Do you really want to do this, little girl?” Falo watched me, tilting his head to the side as he contemplated my next move. “Maybe, instead of draining you, I will just take some of your blood, and leave the rest for my king. He will appreciate it, I know. Then, he will kill you slowly and painfully as he proves to you who is the rightful leader of our people.”
“My people,” I corrected, resisting the urge to look over at Trey to make sure he was okay. “You have no people anymore, except maybe other rogues. I don’t know how that works for sure. Do you all band together, live in happy little houses, talking about whose lives you are going to destroy next?”
Falo moved quickly, grabbed a handful of my hair and, yanking hard, threw me to the ground. “All vampires are my people now that your uncle is in charge,” he sneered, his hand reaching out lighting fast. I was on my feet and back a few feet from him in an instant, but not before he managed to catch me on the arm with his claw. He laughed, as he lifted it to his mouth and licked my blood off. “Just as good as I remember. My king will thank me with a huge reward for you.”
I saw his next move before he made it, knew he was going try to use his speed to get behind me. What he wasn’t remembering, was that I was a vampire, too. I had that same speed, maybe even a little more. I was pretty fast when I wanted to be, and right then, it was imperative that I was. One moment, I was in front of him, the next I was at his back, running my blade across his throat, and then sprinting away again. I wasn’t able to remove his head with one swipe, but I had done some real damage this time. Blood was flowing from a deep gash in his neck, and he was clutching at it with both hands.
“Can you finish this, Bel? I think I’ve had enough fun for the night.”
Shaking my head at Trey’s antics, I stepped closer to Falo. “I guess my meeting with Uncle Aldric will have to wait, but not too long. Soon, he will find out who is really in charge. Trust me, Falo, it is not him.”
Unable to watch the man bleed out all over the place anymore, I took pity on him and sank my dagger deep into his heart. He gasped, strange gurgling noises coming up from his severed throat, before he fell to the ground dead.
Glancing over at Trey, I grinned when I saw Stephen on the ground, his head separate from his body. “Naughty Trey,” I teased, leaning over to wipe the blood off my blades in the grass. “You’ve been hiding your skills from me.”
“Maybe a little,” Trey admitted, grabbing Stephen’s body off the ground and carrying it over to drop it on top of Falo’s. “I can’t let you know all of my secrets.”
“I think that ship has sailed.” I winced as I picked up Stephen’s head and took it over to his body, letting it fall on him. “We have a long journey ahead of us, Trey. I need to be able to trust you with my life, and you me. There can’t be any more secrets.”
“Yeah,” he agreed, pulling a small box of matches from his pocket, along with a can of something from another pocket. “No more secrets, Bellame. Let’s take care of this mess first, then we can talk.”
“I think that talk’s going to have to wait.” When he looked over at me, I nodded toward the road. “The parentals are here.”
“It can’t wait long,” he said, spraying what appeared to be lighter fluid over the bodies. Lighting a match, he tossed it in the pile of vamps, backing up slightly when it burst into flames. “We are going to have to leave soon.”
“I was thinking we’d go sometime next week.”
Trey’s hands went to his hips as he stared at the fire in front of him. “I’m not sure we can wait that long.”
“Why not?”
“Because, Bel. Didn’t tonight show you anything?” Sighing, he turned toward me, a grave expression on his face. “That huntress mark brought these vamps to our town. Somehow, they knew you were here, and that’s the only thing I can think of.” I was aware of a truck stopping on the road not too far from us, its lights going out, it being shut off, but my gaze didn’t leave Trey’s as what he was trying to tell me sank in. “It won’t be safe for our family if we stay. They will find us here. They will try to get to you any way they can. I’m sorry to be so blunt, Bellame, but there isn’t time to sugarcoat things. If we stay, people will die. Some of those people will be our family.”
“I’ll protect them.”
“You won’t be able to.”
“He’s right.” My father walked over, surveying the area. “Once you received the mark of a huntress, we were all put in danger.” When I looked over at him in horror, he pulled me into his arms, kissing me gently on the forehead. “It isn’t your fault, Bellame. As a matter of fact, I firmly believe it is a blessing.”
“How?” I rasped, fighting back tears of helplessness. “How could it be a blessing?”
Slipping a finger under my chin, Dad nudged slightly until I raised my head to look at him. “You will have not only the vampire nation to back you once they figure out who you are, but also the hunters.”
“The hunters want to kill the vampires,” I whispered, even as a small bit of hope began to fill me.
“No, they want to kill rogues. They want to rid this world of the vampires who take the lives of humans.”
“How do they know the difference?” A thought hit me. “How will I know the difference?”
“You already do,” Trey said quietly, motioning to the tattoo on my arm.
“I do?”
“That thing went crazy tonight. It glowed so freaking bright, I thought it was going to burn your arm off. It doesn’t do that in front of Salena and Twila.”
My eyes widened in understanding, and I began to nod. “True. It was on fire when the rogues were near, but there was never even a spark around Salena.”
“There are those who won’t care,” Dad said, giving me one last hug before going to stand by his brothers in front of the fire. “Some hunters will only see fangs. But the Jackson name is huge in the hunter world. If anything can change their minds, the Jacksons will.”
“How do you know?” I paused, unsure how to continue.
“How do I know what, Princess?”
“She’s worried the Jacksons won’t accept her.” Trey closed the distance between us and slid an arm around my shoulders.
“You don’t have to worry about that, child. You have the mark of a huntress. They will accept you.” Dad kicked some brush into the fire before looking over at me. His brows furrowed as he asked, “Where’s your crown, Princess?”
My crown? Where did he think it was? I couldn’t wear that thing in town. “I left it at home.”
“You need to wear it at all times from now on,” he ordered, crossing his arms over his broad chest. “It needs to be the first thing a vampire sees, rogue or not.”
“Why?”
“So they know who their rightful queen is, Bellame. They will not question the crown, especially not when they scent your royal blood.”
“Princess,” I said quietly, my eyes going to the flames.
“After you usurp Aldric, there will be no one else. That will make you the queen.”
“I don’t think that’s right, Dad.”
“You are the last living Christoph, besides your uncle.”
I shook my head. “No, I’m not.”
“Who else would there be, Bellame?”
“I don’t think the others are dead. I don’t think he killed the king and queen, or the prince.” I didn’t know how I knew, but somehow I did. My hand went to my chest, my palm over my heart. “I feel it in here. They aren’t gone, Dad. They are alive. Aldric has them hidden somewhere. They just need us to find them and set them free.”