A Vampire For Christmas Ch. 05

lf you have not read the previous chapters, I highly recommend that you take the time to do so. Thank you to all of the readers who have voted, those who commented and those who asked for more to the story. Your responses have far exceeded my hopes. I apologize for the delay in publishing this chapter. The number of revisions was staggering. Each time I read it, I saw more tweaks. Eventually, I just had to stop. I'm going with the premise that no story is perfectly written. This is truly, for me, a labor of love. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I have enjoyed writing.

There was no moon. The stars were barely visible. Without Vampire sight, you would not have detected us as we stood outside the abandoned warehouse. We received an anonymous tip that four rogue Vampires had, supposedly, taken up residence.

The door was slightly ajar. Peering in, we saw a young woman sprawled on a table. She was slender, attractive and naked. She looked to be no more than twenty years old. Around her stood four Vampires, three male, one female. That they were busy with their prey helped us remain unnoticed.

It was obvious that these were fledglings, probably not more than a few weeks changed. They were clearly not weak which meant their maker was not either.

That was concerning.

Two of the males were feeding from a thigh each. The other male was feeding from her neck. The female was feeding from her breast. Of course she was. You could hear their sucking noises above the woman's faint moans. Her head was moving slowly side to side, her eyes glazed. She was trembling, an early sign of shock due to blood loss.

"Leave the female fledgling for interrogation. We'll kill the males," I whispered.

It had been nearly two months since Colleen had changed me and I had become her mate. I was a day shy of being one of only four pureblood Vampires and three days shy of officially being announced as third in line of succession in the Vampire family.

I had been training the past two months in defensive and offensive techniques

with a variety of weapons, as well as hand to hand combat.

Security for family members is one of the duties of the Office of Second, an Office I would soon share with Colleen. The Matriarch, Helena, whom I was now comfortable referring to as Mother, at her request, decided that I should be the Director of Security. Thus, my skills training had taken precedence over my other potential duties. That had caused me to miss the meeting Colleen held with Francois to discuss finances, and, more importantly to me, my chance to reunite with Michelle.

Colleen shuttled back and forth between our Paris penthouse and Helena's villa, fortress really, in Genoa, where I had become a temporary resident. I was disappointed at not being able to see Michelle and, of course, I missed my mate when she was gone. But, I had to admit, I was enjoying honing my new skills. It felt good to have a purpose other than Colleen's mate and newly created Vampire "Princess". Bonus, it gave me more time with Helena and Diana, her mate.

For tonight's mission, I was accompanied by our bodyguards, Bridget and Victor. Colleen stayed behind at the villa.

Rogue Vampires are rare these days. Bridget advised me that, every now and again, the family would hear about one and have to hunt it down and kill it. The sudden appearance of four unsanctioned Vampires was hard to imagine. That many, she said, so close to the date of a major Leadership Commitee meeting, would be unprecedented. Still, we came prepared to act, if necessary.

We were dressed in black leather pants and hoodies, skin tight, naturally, with soft-soled leather boots. I liked the ninja chic look, if I'm honest. Bridget and Victor had sidearms. I relied on my pureblood speed and my kukris. They were razor sharp with black blades.

We each picked our target then moved. I had fed Bridget and Victor prior to leaving on this mission, so they were at their peak. Before any of the fledglings realized there was someone present, we had raced from the doorway and gained control of the three males. I grabbed the one who was feeding from the woman's neck by his hair, pulled him from her and removed his head with my blade as easily and smoothly as if his neck was tissue paper.

Bridget and Victor, with three silenced shots each, destroyed the heads of their targets beyond any Vampire's ability to repair. The female released the woman's breast and lunged at me. Had she decided instead to flee, the result would have been the same. I physically subdued her until Bridget and Victor finished their executions. As I held her down, they bound her tightly, painfully so, it seemed. Bridget, I learned, is as ruthless as she is efficient.

I looked at their victim and immediately began to cry. She was in terrible shape, bleeding heavily from her wounds, especially her neck. I was so furious, I kicked the female fledgling in the face, breaking teeth and bones, and knocking her out.

"We have to help this woman," I sobbed.

"We can't, Katherine. She's so close to death, she won't survive long enough to get to a hospital," said Victor.

"I can change her," I responded.

"NO! You CAN'T," yelled Bridget.

"I can. I'm a member of the Matriarchy."

"Yes, you are," said Bridget. "But, no one, not you, Colleen nor Diana can create a Vampire without the permission of the Matriarch herself. Making an unsanctioned Vampire can result in a family member being ended, even you. I thought you understood this."

"How would you change her? Drink her blood to make her? That would dilute your pure blood one day away from locking in your DNA. If you did that, you might as well just walk up to the Matriarch and say, 'thanks for all you've done for me', then piss in her lap."

"Would you feed her, then cut her throat and let her bleed out? Might work. Say it did. She's not even aware enough for you to ask her if she wants to live. Are you seriously suggesting making her a Vampire without her permission?"

"Think about it, Katherine. What would you do with her then? Take her home? Keep her as a friend, a sister, a servant, a pet? She couldn't return to her human life. Newsflash. Not everyone wants to be a Vampire. How do you know she's even someone we would want in the family? There are as many problem humans as there are decent ones. Which is she?"

"What if I just let her drink from me? My blood would heal her." I said.

"Probably. But, consider this. If she lives, her story will eventually reach the ears of Hunters. Suppose she dies in the coming weeks in some accident while your blood is still active in her system. She would wake up a Vampire, with no one to guide her or even explain to her what she was. Then, bloodlust would make her attack the nearest human. How many men, women and, yes, children would die before we found her and killed her anyway? Do you want to take that risk? I don't."

"You haven't seen what an uncontrolled Vampire can do. We have. That's why we hunt them and kill them. Just like tonight. The fact is those fledglings have killed this woman as surely as if we had let them finish their feast."

"Katherine, you're too smart to be acting like this. You're letting your emotions overwhelm you. I get that it's your first hunt and your first time seeing a human killed to satisfy a Vampire's thirst. It's a shock. I understand that you didn't have all the facts about Vampires before you chose to accept Collen."

"You've been groomed to be Second, along with Colleen. You're slated to be appointed Director of Security. You'll be expected to not only know the rules that govern this family, but to know why they exist, to follow them and, when necessary, to enforce them. You can't ignore them or bend them just because you want to save one human you know nothing about."

"You need to come to grips with the simple fact that you're a Vampire, not a human. You are not JUST a Vampire. You are one of the most powerful Vampires in existence. Your training has made you a lethal force the likes of which no Vampire alive today, save the Matriarch, has ever seen."

"You still have choices. You can decide to accept the role for which you have been preparing and lead this family, or, you can tell the Matriach you would rather just be Colleen's consort, simply be a Vampire Princess and exist only to make Colleen happy. I would hate such a life. Some would welcome it. Colleen will love you whichever way you decide.

"The Matriarch has confided in us her hopes for you. Has she ever mentioned to you the idea of being a consort?

"No", I responded.

"No, she hasn't. Though, she would accede to such a request, albeit reluctantly. She loves you and Colleen and wants you BOTH to be happy. But, she would be disappointed and afraid. She sees in you another Warrior, like herself, who has a strength the family needs. She has watched your development as intently as Victor and I have."

"It has become increasingly more difficult for her to best you when sparring. She is the only one, at this point, who can. It's because of your tenacity, skill and the obvious joy you derive from your training. You are proud of what you now know and how well you know it. It's clear in your step and your speech. You are eager to spar with the Matriarch when others would fear her. You genuinely believe that, one day, you will win. She loves it. That's why you've not been offered the role of consort. She believes you would die inside as a consort, and quickly. I agree."

"What scares us is what you would do then. Would you walk into the Sun? It's what most Vampires who tire of this life have done. How do you think Colleen would react? You've been told that your love has saved Colleen. That's not an exaggeration. Losing you would likely mean losing her as well. I can't imagine the damage that would do. The Matriarch would lose her mind. Her anguish would wreak havoc on the family and on the human World."

"What I'm trying to say is, suck it up. Be what you know inside you are. Be our Second."

I screamed in frustration. "FUCK! I didn't ask for this! Damn it! Fucking, God damn Shit on a stick!" After a few more phrases that would shock a sailor, I stopped cursing and stood looking into Bridget's eyes. She didn't blink. She stared and waited.

I threw up my hands. "Okay. Okay. I fucking hate you for being right. I hear you, damn it. Now, what do we do about this woman? We can't leave her like this. We don't know that they didn't feed her their blood and were killing her to change her. Hell, she might have even wanted it. There's no way to be sure."

"Exactly. NOW you're thinking like the Second," said Bridget. "You don't need to ask us what to do. The Second KNOWS what needs to be done."

I did know. I cradled the woman's head gently in my hands. "I'm sorry," I whispered to her. I leaned in and kissed her. In a movement too fast for the human eye to follow, I snapped the woman's neck. "Be at peace," I said to her, tears running down my face. Then, I cut off her head.

"So, you've decided to lead? We have a Second?" Bridget asked sternly.

"Yes," I said, wiping away my tears and regaining my composure. "I need your help though. Victor, yours too. I'm sorry I let you both down. You two have worked too hard to prepare me. I swear to you I'll prove myself worthy of your efforts and Mother's confidence. I am Second of this family, not a fucking Princess. Human Katherine truly dies here, tonight."

Bridget and Victor both grabbed me and and hugged me tight.

Bridget let out a huge sigh of relief and said, "No apology necessary. You have an insane amount of talent. You also have a good heart. Don't lose that. It needs hardening, though. The Matriarch is right. You're still more human than Vampire. We'll fix that."

Victor added, "Katherine, there is a dark side of Vampire that too often raises its head. We understand that, until tonight, you've only seen the nice, rich people, side of your new life. Humans think we're a threat precisely because of situations like tonight. They have good reason to be fearful. As Second, it falls to you to help keep the famliy from increasing those fears."

"Enough," declared Bridget. "The horse is dead and needs no additional beating. I think it's time we wake this Bitch up and interrogate her. Then, you can introduce her neck to your blades, Katherine"

"And, Katherine. As far as we're concerned, tonight's conversation does not need to be shared beyond us three. Right, Victor?"

Victor nodded his agreement.

I started to say something more but Bridget suddenly held up her hand and said, "Hush".

We heard the vibration of a cell phone. "RUN!" Bridget screamed. We heard the click as we crashed through the nearest window. Bridget had grabbed the head of the male fledgling I decapitated. We were barely on the ground when the force of the explosion hit. We felt the shock waves of the blast and the heat from the fireball that was once the building.

We were showered with wood, glass and metal from the building. When the smoke cleared we took stock. Our leathers protected us, for the most part, but Bridget could not get up. She was pinned by a piece of metal that skewered her thigh and was embedded in the ground.

I leapt to my feet, grabbed the hot metal and yanked, pulling it free of the ground and her leg. "Thanks for Vampire strength," I thought.

"Bridget?" I asked. "Can you move?"

"I'll be fine in a few hours," she said between gritted teeth.

I held out my arm. "Feed. It will speed your healing."

"I fed earlier, remember? We're only allowed so much pure blood," she reminded me.

"I know. You were right to take control earlier. Thank you doesn't begin to cover it. I needed to hear what you said. Now, hear me. I DO have the authority to use my judgement in this situation. It will arouse suspicion if I have to carry your ass back to the villa. So, drink."

"Yes, ma'am," laughed Bridget. She bit and fed.

When she had taken what I judged to be enough, I stopped her and said, "you know you saved our lives, right? We would not have survived that blast. I'm sure the fledgling female did not. The good news is we don't have to cover up Vampire activity."

"Why did you take the head?" I asked.

"Since we didn't get to interrogate the fledgling," explained Victor, "having this one's head allows us to analyze his blood to figure out who made him".

"Really," I replied, surprised. "We can do that?"

"Beverly," Victor replied. "She has equipment that can break down the blood to determine if it matches a member of the family. Each Vampire is required to give a sample of their blood once their creation period ends. You won't need to since you're pureblood. Yours will match the other three. We keep a record of all others, in case something like this occurs. Better than fingerprints. The person behind this assumed the blast would destroy the fledglings, as well as us, to cover his or her tracks."

"Something like this? You've seen this before?"

"No," he shook his head. "I haven't. I do know that this was an ambush. Someone meant to kill YOU."

"ME? Fuck. Who would want to kill me? Very few famliy members even know I exist."

"That's what bothers me," he said. "I hate to think it, but it feels like the mastermind might be one of the Leadership Committee. They are all due here in a couple of days for the meeting. A few of them know that the Matriarch will be officially announcing you as pureblood and Second."

"Someone hates that you're pureblood. Could be someone would like to have your position or is jealous of you being Colleen's mate," said Bridget. The Matriarch is going to be furious. I'm almost afraid to tell her. I've only ever seen her lose her shit once, when Colleen was threatened. But, there are whispered stories of her past. Scary stories. This is not going to be a fun meeting for a lot of the Council. I wouldn't miss it for the World," she laughed.

"We need to get back," I said. "We need to inform Mother about what happened and we need to get this head to Beverly before she leaves for the meeting. Victor, will you take care of that, please? Use Colleen's plane."

"Consider it done, Boss. You mean your plane, right?" He winked at me and took off.

"Smart Ass," I yelled at him, laughing. It felt good after what I had just been through.

On the way back to the villa, Bridget called Colleen and briefed her on the events of the evening. Colleen met us at the door. She looked shaken. She hugged Bridget and thanked her. I was soon enveloped in a death grip. After a flurry of kisses, she held me at arm's length. Neither of us needed words. We knew what the other was thinking. That we were both trembling showed we realized how close we had come to losing everything.

Finally, Colleen said, "Mother and Diana are waiting in the Library. Bridget, please join us."

Bridget filled Helena and Diana in on the details, minus, of course, our confontation. I wanted to tell them, but this was not the time. I would tell Colleen later. Bridget excused herself after the briefing.

The look of rage on Helena's face was frightening. It was easy to forget the immense power of this woman and all she had done and seen in her many lifetimes. She was pacing, every muscle taut.

"WHO? I want to know WHO," yelled Helena. "Who on my Leadership Committee would even dream of this, let alone execute such a plan?"

"We don't know yet, Mother," I said. "Victor is on his way to Beverly's with the head of one of the fledglings. We will know by the meeting if it's a Committee member."

"Of course it's a Committee member," she said. "Not many family members even know about you, let alone your intended place in the Matriarchy. I have my suspicions. Whomever it is, they are DEAD. But, first, I want them to suffer. I will use every Medieval torture device on them before I let them die. I want everyone on the Committee to know how fragile their very existence is."

"Helena, Love," urged Diana soothingly. "We will find out. More importantly, we will find out why? Is this a plot from some number of family members? Is it one Rogue who wants, who knows what, as the outcome? Are Hunters involved? This is too close to home if so."

Colleen sat quietly. I could tell she was seething inside. I imagined she was replaying the events of sixty years ago in her mind. I was determined not to let her revisit that darkness.

"Colleen," I whispered as I held her hand tightly. "They failed. I'm fine. Well, not fine. I'm beyond pissed. Someone is going to pay for this. I promise. I'm here. I will always be here. I love you."

She gripped my hand tightly and finally spoke. "Mother, we went through something like this before. We know how to handle it. I have one request."

"What, Colleen? What is it?" Helena said, her anger still at a fever pitch.

"I want to kill the mastermind myself. I know you want to, Katherine, and I am damn sure, Mother, that you or Diana would in an instant. I want this person's head. I have regretted for decades not killing Belinda myself."

"I make no promises, Colleen other than I will try to control myself enough to honor your request. I have centuries of practice in such things. You. This is not your nature." She stopped pacing and stared at Colleen for a long moment.

"On second thought, yes," she said. "This one is yours to dispatch. The family needs to see that you are capable of doing what a Matriarch must do, when necessary. They need to see you as Matriarch should that day ever come. Plus, it will emphasize that any of us four have a shared authority to, and a shared will to, end any Vampire who puts the family at risk."

"I refuse to rule by fear, but some level of fear must be in the backs of their minds. Not just of me, but of you three as well. I have lived long enough among humans and Vampires who used to be humans to know there is always a threat that someone will do something so obviously foolish as this," she said.