Prologue

“The full truth can never be known, at least not at this time. Were it known we would be hunted as fiercely as the others before us. That we have seen already.” The dark-haired woman, Jemima, spoke slowly. The other women, a blonde called Daniella and the red-haired Danicka, nodded their agreement.

“Those who have killed to hide the truth could destroy everything we have achieved. Everything we have hidden. The truce between the vampire nests is fragile and can easily be destroyed.” The three women sat dejectedly gazing at the ancient rock before them. It exuded a power that they couldn’t ignore, but that reminded them of their home, so far away. The green glow had dimmed after the centuries. Its power hadn’t failed yet, though.

“I miss our sister,” the middle sister mumbled, her red hair illuminated by a flare from the rock in the center of the room.

“So do I, but we cannot ignore the truth. At some point, the three we have foretold will come together again. It will be their antecedents who will carry our power. For now, we must keep watch over the humans as the nests grow. The child of the child of the child must be kept safe and taught how to use their power. One will remain within the bosom unwanted, one will be alone all their life…” The red-haired woman stopped and breathed deeply, her words causing a ripple of power to spread throughout the room.

“The last shall be the key. They must meld with the vampires. Their love must be pure but tempered. They alone can fight the one who is left. And it shall be done.” The oldest sister, Jemima, sealed their words as magic wove around them, stealing their breath for an instant as their eyes shone.

“Perhaps we should hide the prophecy well?” The younger one sat bolt upright in her heavily padded seat even as she patted her intricately coiled blonde hair.

“No, Selena. There can be no single place where it can be hidden. Not here. Not yet. There will always be those who would seek to take control of us and what we have. The only thing we can do now is destroy him. We are not yet strong enough. We need the three to achieve that. You know how the power works.” Jemima glanced toward her younger sister before glancing at the other.

The oldest sister toyed with her long dark hair, lost in deep thought as she gnawed at her lower lip. None of them seemed a day over eighteen but in truth their ages were lost in millennia. “Danicka, you said the power can’t be destroyed, didn’t you? That it has to be gifted through birth?” Selena nestled back into her seat, waiting for the edict of the older sister.

“Well, being unable to be destroyed isn’t strictly correct. Anything can be destroyed. But it will take magic that far surpasses ours. The vampires now exist because of the children’s actions. Our late sister gifted her power to her one surviving offspring, as it’s foretold. The others, they will pass on the other powers, those lost to our family.” Danicka waved her hand around the small stone room where they huddled. “Until then, the best thing we can do is hide it from prying eyes. Keep the ones entrusted to us safe. We will watch over them, ensuring they are well guarded until the correct time.”

Selena, exhaled heavily. “So I would believe we will have to continue the vigil then? For centuries? Until we can once more reveal ourselves?” Her voice deepened as it always did when something unsettling occurred to her.

Danicka stood then held her hand out for the book. “Yes. It will be a long and difficult journey. We will see things we would have hoped to have never seen. Things that make some vampires look tame. All we can do is protect those within the nests. They will be the key to the destruction of this book.”

Once more, Selena shook her head. “But what if I’m sick of this? What if I want to be a traveler once more?”

Danicka drew a sharp breath. Surely not!

“Be calm, sister. It will only be when the time is right. Then we will face the danger together. Until then, we can rest. Take our time. Hone our skills further.”

Danicka smiled, but it was a mere shadow of her usually sunny grins.

“Now come. We must invoke the shadows. Even as the truth is written it must be hidden from prying eyes. Then a plan needs to be formulated. How to protect the descendants until the time is right to reveal them.” One by one, the three sisters stood, before moving toward the stone.

Then with slow gestures, they began their task.

* * * *

“Celina Wurst.”

Celina grinned as her name was called out from the rostrum. She stood and carefully threaded her way through the full seating area. She’d finally done it! Achieved her degree. After years of hard work, she’d dragged herself free of the stigma of being an orphan. Always alone.

Many of her school peers had achieved this goal years before she had, but they’d been able to go back to their families, for support. Instead, she had worked her way through school. It may have taken her six long years, but she finally had the means to start the life she had chosen for herself.

She extended her hand as they’d been instructed and accepted the scroll with a bow, carefully dipping her mortar board. “You have done very well, Celina Wurst. You should be very pleased with yourself.” The Chancellor’s words left her dizzy with the unexpected accolade.

“Thank you, Chancellor.” She scurried from the stage. No one would be taking photos, no one would be cheering for her in the seats but she held those precious seconds close to her heart, savoring the impact of her achievements.

“Ladies and gentlemen, I would beg your indulgence for just a few minutes longer. We need to present the school’s newest high achiever.”

She glanced upwards, wondering who in the class would be nominated as the hardest working, the most driven.

“Ladies and gentlemen, if you could be upstanding… Miss Celina Wurst.”

Her breath caught in her throat and someone squealed close by. Who is making that noise? It wasn’t her, that wasn’t the way she would react. At least, she didn’t think so. Hands patted her and eyes turned in her direction.

She felt a gentle push at her back, shoving her toward the rostrum, and she made her way on her unsteady legs. A sense of unreality cloaked her. Surely, there has been some mistake?

Even as she neared the podium, she waited for the correction to be announced, but the Chancellor grinned and held out his hand.

“I…” She was lost for words. What on earth am I supposed to say? She attempted to smile but was sure it was little more than a grimace.

“You have achieved this on your own. No one helped you. You worked while you studied. Yes, we chose correctly.”

How did he know what I was thinking?

The people in the seats rose as one and a massive cheer filled the air.

The rest of the ceremony passed in a blur as she was guided to a seat at the side of the faculty. Then she waited. Celina still expected them to tell her it was a mistake. But it didn’t happen.

At the end of the ceremony, when everyone had left the auditorium, she waited in silence. Now there was only her, the Chancellor and another woman who’d joined the Chancellor left in the cavernous room. The Chancellor bowed deeply to the older lady before turning back. “Miss Wurst, I believe Miss Carter would like to talk to you.” With a grand hand movement, he indicated she should step toward the waiting woman.

The woman removed the hat she wore, revealing a thick mane of salt and pepper hair, which married well with the horn-rimmed glasses overwhelming her face. “Thank you, Chancellor.” As she stepped toward Celina, her long evening gown made a loud swishing sound and the soles of her shoes squeaked.

Celina scanned Miss Carter, who watched her with vivid green eyes. “Uh, so I believe you wished to talk to me?” Her voice sounded strangled and her stomach rocked wildly.

“Yes, I have an offer for you. Now that you have achieved your degree, we have a need for someone with your dogged determination in our corporation. The Chancellor was good enough to introduce us, but I would like to discuss a proposition with you.”

A small pasteboard card was pushed into her hands. Celina turned it over, before she ran her fingers over the raised type. “A bank? You want me to work in one of the banks?”

The older woman—Danicka Carter, if the card was to be believed—wanted to talk to her about working in one of the banks? “Uh, tell me when and where and I’ll be there. I promise.”

The woman beamed. Celina couldn’t help herself, she returned it.

“Good. Tomorrow morning? Ten o’clock. The address is on the card.” Then she turned and walked away.

Celina was mesmerized by her unusually graceful steps.