Blood Spirit

BLOOD SPIRIT

GABRIELLE BISSET

Blood Spirit
is a work of fiction.  Names, characters, places, and
events are the products of the author’s imagination.  Any resemblance to
events, locations, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental. 

2012 Gabrielle Bisset

Copyright © 2012 Gabrielle
Bisset

All rights reserved. Without
limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication
may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or
transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical,
photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of
the copyright owner.

Published in the United States

Cover Design:  Talina Perkins

Editor:  Yvonne Glanville

eBook ISBN: 978-0-9847243-8-3

First eBook Edition: September
2012

Adult Content: Contains
graphic sexual content

Dedication

To you

I am everything you seek.

I am a whisper in your soul.
I am secrets and mysteries.
I am vampire.

Chapter One

The
heady scent of blood—human blood—filled the air in the street in front of the
Basilica of the Blessed. Hundreds of the faithful streamed toward the entrance,
eyes fixed on the procession that moved past carrying a platform of vibrantly
colored flowers and finely carved religious statues. Tears streamed from the
onlookers' eyes as the emotions of the believers overflowed at the sight.

Terek
watched, enthralled by the devotion of those whose yearly pilgrimage had ended.
Each year, he risked the last deadly rays of the sun to enjoy the arrival of
the Corpus Christi procession, content to hide in the shadows as he remembered
a life lost centuries ago. The fervent belief of the souls parading into the
church touched him, and a wistfulness for the past took hold of his heart.

The
large wooden doors to the basilica closed with a heavy sound, leaving the
street silent. Terek stared at the structure with its vaulted dome roof and
thick stone walls, reminiscing on the hours he'd spent inside one much like it.
Loneliness seeped into his soul as he looked up and down the street to see he
was alone.

With
the sunset, the sky turned a deep purple and one by one, the stars shone like
diamonds set in the heavens. Terek stepped out onto the stone sidewalk and began
to make his way toward the church. A need to once again touch those wooden
doors and their iron handles, to smell the sweet fragrance of the incense
hanging heavy in the air pushed him toward the entrance he'd only watched for
centuries.

"You
going in there?"

Stopped
by the question, Terek halted short of his goal and turned around to see Dante
leaning against the stone façade of the building across the street. His face
showed his confusion at the sight of a vampire heading toward a church.

"Correct
me if I'm wrong, but isn't that one of the few places we don't go?"

Terek
considered explaining who he'd been before he was made vampire. How after
losing everything he'd loved so dearly he'd turned to the only place that
offered the solace he'd so desperately needed to convince himself there was any
reason to go on.

The
flippant tone in Dante's voice cautioned against such a confession, however,
and Terek merely shook his head.

Dante
continued. "Curious place for a vampire, wouldn't you say? But the parade
was nice."

Crossing
over to where he stood, Terek squinted his eyes to show Dante his irritation.
"Following me?"

Dante
smiled. "Yes and no. Jasmine asked me to find you to let you know Saint
and Solenne are close to leaving for Greece. She told me you'd probably be
somewhere near here. She didn't seem surprised, though."

Brushing
past him, Terek began to make his way toward his home up the hill. "She
knows me."

Solenne
stood waiting in the main hallway and flashed one of her beautiful smiles as he
entered the house. "I was worried we wouldn't see you before we
left."

She
walked toward him, arms open, and hugged him. "Terek, I can't thank you
enough for everything you've done. I'll miss being here with you and all your
wonderful ladies."

Kissing
the top of her head, he hugged her tightly against him. "I'll miss you
too. Take care of yourself and him in Greece. Stay safe until we're all
together again."

"You
got it."

Saint
walked up behind her and stood silently for a moment. "Nice setup you have
here, Terek. It suits you."

Solenne
turned to face him, elbowing him in the side. "Declan!"

"What?
It's not my style, but some guys can do the harem thing." Offering his
hand, he shook Terek's. "Thanks. I knew you'd keep Solenne safe. Of all
the Sons, I knew I could rely on you."

"My
pleasure. I just told Solenne, and now I'll tell you. Keep safe in Greece. Things are going to get a lot worse before they get better."

"Leaving
so soon, Saint? Must be nice. I get to go back to Romania and hang out at
Vasilije's drafty old monastery," Dante teased as he walked into the
house.

Saint's
expression hardened and the friendly one he'd worn just moments before slid
from his face. "Couldn't happen to a nicer guy."

Solenne's
elbow connected with his ribs for a second time. "Don't listen to him,
Dante. You be good and come see us when you can."

Taking
her into his arms, Dante gave her a bear hug. "Now her I'll miss."

Terek
questioned whether the cold look on Saint's face was real or joking. Since the
four of them had been in Spain, he'd believed Saint and Dante had put aside
some of their animosity, in large part because Solenne seemed to like Dante,
and Saint, no matter how tough he seemed, loved her and worked to make her
happy. Now as they stood ready to leave, he once again wore the familiar look
of dislike for the youngest of the Sons.

"Time
for us to go," Saint said as he threw a gym bag over his shoulder and
grabbed Solenne's bag.

"Until
we see each other again," Solenne said with a smile as Dante released her.

As
Terek watched her leave with Saint, he hoped they would see one another again.
The war with the Archons had no chance of ending yet, not with the news of
their decision to eliminate not only all of the Sons but all their vampires
also.

It
was to be a war of extermination they had little chance of winning if they
didn't begin to make headway on the Prophecy of Idolas.

"Are
you coming back to Vasilije's tonight?"

Terek
knew he should rejoin him and the rest of the Sons who remained in Romania, but he didn't want his time in Spain to end just yet. What he wanted didn't matter anymore
as much as what they needed to do to stop the Archons, however.

Turning
to face Dante, he nodded. "I'll be there."

"Everything
okay? You seem odd."

In
truth, nothing was okay, but Terek smiled at the soul who'd become like a
brother to him and laid his hand on his shoulder. "Let's hope Ramiel and
Thane have made some progress on the prophecy."

Dante
grinned. "Maybe that girl the Order sent has helped."

Terek
didn't need to read his mind to know what he wanted from Kali. The arrogant
twinkle in his eye told him he liked her.

"Just
tell Vasilije I return tonight. And try not to make an ass out of yourself
before I get there."

Dante
strode away, cocky as ever, and then turned to face Terek. Arms in the air, he
shrugged and laughed. "Me? Never. Of course, if Ramiel has decided he
likes her, I might have to show him my thoughts on that."

Shaking
his head, Terek grimaced. The young vampire still had so much to learn.
"Try not to get yourself torn in half either."

Dante
laughed and yelled back, "Never happen."

Terek
stood alone listening to the sounds of his household. With ten of his vampires
calling the place home, the house always seemed teeming with life. No other
place on Earth felt like this, and he wished he wouldn't be forced to leave so
soon. Closing his eyes, he let his mind relax, tuning out the conversation and
laughter around him to focus on Jasmine.

The
first vampire he'd sired, she'd been with him since the night he'd made her
vampire, first as lover for many years but now as more confidant and dear
friend. Of all who lived there, she was the only one allowed to have one of her
vampires live with her when Terek wasn't there, a male named Antonio.

Finding
her alone in the kitchen, Terek stopped to watch her as she diced vegetables
for dinner. She was as beautiful as the night he'd met her in the midst of
everyone dying from plague around her. Long, thick black hair hung halfway down
her back, pulled back into a loose braid unable to hold the stray tendrils that
fell to perfectly frame her oval face. Even doing something as mundane as
making dinner, she was the picture of Spanish beauty.

Looking
up from her work, she fixed her dark eyes on him as he stood staring at her.
With a smile, she looked back in that way that never failed to make him
remember their past.

"I've
enjoyed having you and your friends here. I'll miss you when you leave tonight,
Terek."

"So
now you can hear others' thoughts too? How do you know I leave tonight?"

Jasmine
cleaned her hands on a towel as she seemed to consider his question. Shaking
her head, she said, "I don't need to read your mind. I can see in your
eyes you must go. But I also see you don't want to go."

Terek
sat down across from her and carefully considered the words he had to say.
"I need you to be careful, Jasmine. The Archons have decided to murder our
vampires. We don't know if they know our identities other than Vasilije and
Saint. If they learn who I am, everyone here will be marked for death."

The
strength he'd always admired in Jasmine settled into her jaw, but fear showed
in her eyes. "Terek, you've taught each of us to fight. We'll defend
ourselves if we must."

"I
don't know if they find out I'm one of the Sons if I'll be able to return
here."

Just
admitting that he may not be able to protect his vampires made his chest
tighten painfully. Each of them was dear to him, but the ten women who lived in
this house, some only when he was there, meant more to him than even they could
know.

They
were his family as much as the one he'd lost so long ago.

Jasmine
stood and walked to him, stopping to kneel next to his chair. Taking his face
in her hands, she looked up into his eyes and smiled. "You have never let
any harm come to anyone you love, Terek. The pain in your voice breaks my
heart. Each of your vampires knows they've been blessed by being sired by such
a man."

"These
are killers, Jasmine," he said, looking way.

Gently,
she forced him to look at her. "Like the hunters we fought for hundreds of
years? I remember those times as I know you do."

"I
worry about the younger ones, like Serena. She doesn't know anything but the
comfort of this house."

"Don't
do this to yourself. The Order chose you to be a Son of Navarus. You eight are
all that stand between the happiness vampires have finally gained and a world
controlled by the Archons. A world in which the love we all feel for you is
considered wrong."