Aleron: Book One of Strigoi Series (Stringoi Series) (28 page)

She abruptly stopped and swiftly turned. “What did you say?” she questioned while trying to recall whether I spoke aloud or if she’d imagined it.

This time I spoke aloud, “I am familiar to you.”

“Who are you?” she asked with a tinge of curious aggravation in her voice.

I began walking toward her. “I must apologize to you as I did to Mother, though she was no longer alive to hear me.”

Shani’s limbs stiffened as her heartbeat began to race. “Who are you?” she demanded in a manner reserved for the women of the new world.

I drew slowly closer. Calmly, I continued to speak. “I made a promise
to myself the day I caused you to fall from the ladder and hurt your arm.” Her eyes squinted in an effort to get a better look at me.

“It can’t be. Aleron!”

My name coming from her mouth sent a bolt through me. “Yes, dear sister.”

“But how? Where have you been?”

It was then that I came to look upon her closely. Shani was beautiful. At the age of forty-seven, she resembled my mother in her prime, long silken hair, absent the youthful curls that I had grown to love. Her high cheekbones were much less pronounced than before, her eyebrows elegantly outlined, hovering above dark lashes, enclosing honey-brown eyes. Those I remembered. She was much taller than before, of course, yet taller than average for a woman of Egypt.

“Where I’ve been is a story I will tell you when the time is better. For now, I must return. Just know that I’ve not forgotten you.”

And as she reached up to touch me I moved swiftly into the darkness, then into the air. She was left standing alone with only a single word echoing throughout her mind:
Impossible
.

I left that night, never to return to al-Montaza. Shani remained a few more days only to witness the passing of our father, who had been overcome with grief. I provided the means shortly thereafter to purchase the home in Shani’s name, though of this she was unaware.

And though I would never renounce Shani as my former flesh and blood, I had a new family to tend to, one who would be with me indefinitely.

CHAPTER 24

trength was measured by many variables when it came to my kind. Vampires often gauge their strength in their ability to live: the ability to remain alive forever and protect themselves from other vampires. A single vampire can dispose of hundreds of humans in a single night. Our innate strength fueled by lust and hunger with an unnaturally acute ability to heal makes us nearly impossible to kill. However, regardless of foe, one mistake can ultimately spell mortality for us.

Pandora believed my life would come to an end the moment Vlad laid his sights upon me, and she had great reason to deduce that. However, I, too, began to see the future in dreams and through our sensual blood exchanges. This stolen ability gave me a window into her mind and allowed me to better understand what her plan was.

Her plan was simple: strength in numbers. She desired to grow my coven and thus protect me in the same manner Vlad protected himself and his assets, through the unconditional love and devotion from immortal children, imperishable female children. For even though I
existed and was adored by Pandora, she felt and believed in the prohibition against the creation of other males. I, however, didn’t give it much thought.

Night after night, my dreams spilled into my reality. I dreamed of my parents, my sister, and Vlad. The dreams always began in a subtle manner. Stolen memories would lead, immediately followed by lustful appearances by Pandora or Eliza or both. Mynea sometimes replaced Pandora in the blink of an eye, bringing to conclusion any role Pandora formerly played, followed by Aknon and Camilia. Then I would hear him. I would see his eyes. I would see his mouth, his teeth protruding from his elongated, well-defined jaw. He would be instructing and nurturing various vampires. Some would have familiar faces revealed to me from sharing with Pandora. Some remained unknown and I would only hear their voices, as they passed in a blur.

In my dreams, Vlad was no beast. Through Pandora’s memories I recall legends of a king, formerly a prince, who conquered many with his vast and relentless army, an army he commanded for centuries through his mortal lieutenants’ hands, lieutenants selected by him and controlled by his family of vampires. I began to hear word of his conquest.

His growing territory of political influence and power was communicated all over Europe and Northern Africa. Entire countries had bent to his will and cunning persuasion. He had conquered kingdoms in a single siege, both with and without the use of his army, for what his army couldn’t do, his concubines could.

In the year 1853, Vlad used a small force to slaughter twenty thousand Macedonian rebels. This was prompted by his promise to Macedonian rulers to rid them of the bothersome rebels pushing for civil war. In fulfilling his promise, Vlad would gain a stronghold in the center of four important and desirable countries: Bulgaria, Greece, Albania, and Serbia.

Shortly thereafter, the conqueror set his ambitions on Italy. And
within a few years, his Ottoman army staged a war against the kingdom. He wasn’t successful in this conflict, however. But shortly after the Italian ruler found a new mysterious wife in Tripolitania, he contracted a mysterious illness that resulted in fatal blood loss, an illness that swept throughout the country.

His new wife was rarely seen during the day and was known for her unyielding beauty and massive dinner parties, from which some guests would not return. This private and sensual victory was carefully orchestrated and relished by Vlad. The resulting headless country easily allowed him to have influence on both sides of the conflict. He even, unbeknownst to the general Italian population, used some of the Italian soldiers for Turkish conflicts. Vlad’s empire had in centuries long past slaughtered hundreds of thousands of Assyrians and Greeks. His influence played a significant role in the near global conflict.

Vlad seemed unstoppable. Indeed he was, to mortals, in every country and territory he conquered or controlled. I began to see his many castles and villas in my dreams. I also continued to see visions of Mynea as the new mother of us all. In one, she and Vlad stood towering over a large coven of vampires, she by his side. It made my heart ache and my anger boil. I wasn’t angry that she was with Vlad; I now understood the bond that couldn’t be broken. I was angry that she had left me. She lacked the courage that her first fledgling, Sasha, possessed. She didn’t perceive me worthy to bring before her master. She simply left me in the dark, alone. My feelings, innate or learned, were strong for her and riddled with anguish. I knew then she would never truly leave my thoughts, my dreams, or my undead heart. Despite Pandora’s prophesies, I desired Mynea, but I was not interested in initiating a conflict with an invincible foe who was as old as time itself.

Eliza and Sinaa were becoming a dynamic pair. Sinaa was taught the basics we all were taught as well as the use and control of her own unique skills, most of which had remained dormant. An intimate kiss
with Eliza revealed to me an ability well worth noting. Following Sinaa, Eliza came across a band of thieves in Giza, just southwest of Cairo near the Arabian Desert.

The men, armed with rifles, sat ready inside an abandoned homestead. Eliza began to pillage the men as their guns posed no threat. She moved too fast for their pathetically inaccurate aim. While disposing of the men in a ferocious manner, Sinaa made a costly mistake, which distracted Eliza. Sinaa was shot several times by some of the men. Eliza turned in their direction, and with her latest victim in her left hand, hanging limp and lifeless, she raised the palm of her right in the direction of the four assailants seemingly overpowering Sinaa. Within seconds, gurgled screams fled their mouths as blood began to stream from their ears, mouths, noses, and eyes. They fell to the ground, each gripping their stomachs and chests. Within seconds, they were dead. After bleeding the remainder dry, Eliza turned her attention to the wounded Sinaa, who had made the mistake of drinking from the vein. Eliza opened her wrist and allowed her weakened fledgling to drink. With the infusion of Eliza’s blood, her wounds began to heal and were reduced to mere blemishes within minutes.

Upon their return, Eliza’s blood told me all. She wanted me to know that she could subdue the internal organs of humans at her will. She was proud of her discovery and even more proud that she could use this ability for the protection of our young coven, my young coven.

In time, our family grew. Some nights Pandora and Eliza would hold their own “invitation only” dinner parties and invite women from all walks of life, transporting them to our hidden abode. The evening would begin with the arrival of their guests, ushered in from private carriage. This was followed by music created by the fingertips of vampires. The preternatural melodies and rhythm would captivate the guests, who, of course, had never heard harps and violins played in this manner. Food would be served, but my children would only pretend to dine. Those who feasted on the offerings wouldn’t notice my children’s abstinence, dulled as they were by the steady stream of brandy wine poured into their cups.

As the night progressed, Pandora, Eliza, and Sinaa would have their
meals. Only one, if any, was saved for transformation. The rest would suffer a more tragic fate. Some who weren’t chosen for immortality would be bled entirely while the remaining watched in terror, then were burned before dawn. Others not chosen would be kept beneath the ground in catacombs under our el-Sheikh home. Once the chosen completed their transformation, they would dine on the poor souls who remained beneath us.

Every once in a while, I would be obliged to visit with the mortals in waiting, some of whom were brought to me by Sinaa. I adored Sinaa for her offerings and her beauty. All of my children were beautiful. In life they were radiant. In death and rebirth, they were exquisite! I was often amused by their games. They were happy to bring a smile to my everlasting stoic face.

It wouldn’t be long before the disappearances were noticed. Signs were posted for the missing, and there was a growing fear that a serial killer was targeting women in the cities of Cairo, Gizeh, Tanta, El Faiyum, and Alexandria.