Love Begins in Hell (The Moon Journals: Part 1) (12 page)

After a few moments, my breath started coming in shallow gulps.  I couldn’t inhale.  I tried to calm my heart as it raced, slamming against my chest.  I felt the blood sizzling through my body.  My whole being was convulsing, surging, and rocking back and forth.  Then it stopped and I screamed.

I felt the wall against my back.  My scream had propelled me backwards across the floor, shattering the wooden chair.  I sat dazed.  When Father entered the tasting room, I caught his gaze.  His green reptilian eyes were wide with delight.  Quietly, Stephanie and Cedric entered the room, followed by the guests.  He motioned for them to keep their distance as he approached me.  He knelt down, carefully examining my body.  “Let’s have a look at you.”  Amazed, I watched as he lifted my arm.  The injured shoulder had no pain coursing through it.  It was healed and felt better than ever.  “You still have your white skin unfortunately.  But you have my eyes.  And what have we here?” he asked fascinated.  He touched my lips, running his finger over newly formed fangs.

I snapped at him and grabbed his hands in mine, holding them still in my clutches.  “Don’t touch me,” I snarled.  My fangs ached to rip into his neck.  What was this bloodlust I was experiencing?

Father tried to pull his hands from my grip.  "What are you doing?  How dare you?"

My rage was turning into something I’d never felt before, a strength building inside me.  I could feel my mind entering his, making its way to his soul. 
What have you done to me, Father?
  My thoughts surged into his mind before I could stop them.  I heard one of the guests scream from the other side of the room.  Flames shot up the side of Father's neck, leaving a trail of black soot on his green skin.

"Stop this.  Get him away from her now!" Stephanie shouted.

She and Cedric raced towards us and broke our embrace.  From out of the crowd, Blick appeared and assisted Cedric.  They pinned me against the wall while Stephanie blocked my path to Father.  “What is wrong with you?” she yelled at me.

Calmly, Father extinguished the fire.  He touched his burned flesh.  “I wasn’t expecting that.”  Dismissing the injury, he began, “I’ve always wondered what demon blood would do if mixed with that of a human’s.”  He stood and paraded in front of the guests, directing their attention to me like I was a lab rat.  “With my blood, that green wine, and a blessing from the ancient snake goddess, Mehen, I have created a vampire like no other.”  The guests roared and cheered.  Father raised his head and basked in the glory.

Adding some sarcasm to my tone, I challenged his declaration.  “I’m just a demon, Father, like you and Stephanie.  Hello?”

He whirled around and hissed at me.  “A demon.  You?  Hardly!  You were born a human, a weak excuse for a being in any dimension.  That’s why you’re drawn to those new arrivals and can’t excel at our training sessions.  Didn’t you ever stop to think that you look nothing like me or your sister?  Hello?!”

Stephanie raised an eyebrow at me.  “I told you so, stupid.”

I sneered at her.

Father placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder and persuaded Stephanie to step aside as he moved closer to me.

“You know how you have hounded me about who your mother was?  Well, she was a sun worshipper of your favorite Egyptian God, Ra, when I met her.  I raped her one night and later she conceived a child.  I took you from her and ripped her to shreds with these.”  He pointed at his snake fangs and smiled.  “She was no match for me.  And neither are you.”

“Is that why you named me Rayea?”  Suddenly, I was ready to forgive Father everything if I could find out just one more fact about my mother.

Father roared with laughter.  “How arrogant we are, aren’t we?”

“I deserve to know the truth!”  Baring my fangs, I lunged at him.  Cedric and Blick slammed me against the wall.

“You are a killing machine now, daughter.  Think of what this means.  As a vampire, you are useful to us.  You’ll create an army of warriors for me, straight out of Hell.  And my favorite child here will lead that army and bring down the House of G.  I will take back what is rightfully mine, and
you
will help me.”  Father glared at me for a moment.  Then he dismissed me and returned to gloat in front of everyone.  Several guests slowly approached him and shook his hand, offering their congratulations on his triumph.

Visions of all the Earth vampires I had seen in movies ran through my mind.  Nosferatu.  Dracula.  Lestat.  The hottie from the TV show that my online friends and I drooled over.  They were monsters, not real monsters, only fictional.  Was that what I was now?  A monster?  A flame throwing vampire forged from Lucifer’s demented mind?  I shuddered at the idea of it.  It couldn’t be true.

“
Rayea, hear me.  When I let you go, set Cedric on fire.  Do you hear me?
”

I glanced sideways at Blick.  Out of the corner of my eye, I could tell that his mouth had not moved, but I had heard his command.  “
Do what?  No, I can’t.  I won’t
,” I thought.

Firmly, he squeezed my arm.  “
You have to do this.  We must leave immediately.  Your father’s blood is poison.  It’ll kill you if we don’t heal you and fast!  Make contact with Cedric’s mind.  Force your way into his thoughts like you did with your father.  Trust me.  You can do it.  Open your mind.
”

He gave me a moment to collect myself.  Then with a jolt, he released me.  I stumbled in front of Father, Stephanie, and the guests.

Father yelled, “What is this?”

Immediately Blick transformed again, into his hellhound form.  The green demon look, similar to Father’s, quickly became a memory when he shifted a second time.  He stood larger than life on his hind legs.  Thick black fur covered his entire body, and his muscles underneath expanded amid his physique.  They bulged out along his arms and legs, flexing and pulsating.  His face was that of a large wolf, broader and fuller than Cedric’s thin jackal head.  Blick towered over Cedric’s size by several feet.  He seemed to be taller than his stature of seven feet, maybe eight or nine, or more.

As Blick blocked the others from me, he glanced around the room.  Many guests had fled.  Only Father, Stephanie, and a few stragglers frozen in fear remained.  I caught a glimpse of Blick’s eyes glowing an intense gold.  His demeanor turned savage, like a crazed animal, as he stood before us.  He stomped his enormous paws over and over as if he were gathering strength from the repetitive movement.  Finally he let out a howl that brought a chilling silence to the entire room.  He had everyone’s attention.

I totally forgot myself as I observed this beastly side of my best friend.  Father and Stephanie stood motionless watching Blick.  It was awe-inspiring and frightening at the same time.  “
Mutt, my ass,
” I thought.

“Now, Rayea,” Blick roared at me.

Jumping into action, I ducked behind Cedric.  “Been nice knowing ya, skunk pup.”  I jerked my jaws open, letting my fangs extend and wrapped my arms around him.  I focused on hearing his heartbeat.  He struggled against me, but I held him tightly.  I heard a snapping sound and realized I had broken his arm.  He whimpered and remained still in my grip.

Once I heard his heartbeat, the sound calmed me.  Feeling his pulse against my body, I reacted instinctually.  I didn’t think about my next movements.  I exhaled and slowly sank my fangs into the side of his neck.

“
Come to me,
” a voice inside my head said.  It was a voice I’d never heard before.

Cedric moaned, moving only slightly.

Fearing he was trying to get away, I increased the pressure of my grasp around his neck.  As if summoned, his blood rushed freely down my throat.

With little effort, my thoughts entered his mind and I released the energy I now possessed.  Flames suddenly erupted from my hands and engulfed the hellhound.

His legs wobbled and he fell to the ground, burning uncontrollably.

It was like watching a horror movie being played out in slow motion before me.  I observed Cedric’s body fall in front of me.  Glowing embers and sparks floated through the air.  Suddenly an overwhelming vapor of skunk odor escaped from his remains.  It too rose above me, finally fading from view.  The stench of charred flesh lingered in the air and brought stinging tears to my eyes. 
Poor Cedric.  He didn’t deserve to die like that.

Guilt seized me.  I couldn’t move my legs.  Realizing I was in shock, I looked down at my body. 
Killing machine.
  A path of soot covered my shirt and jeans.  Drops of blood stung my chest as they fell from my chin.  I wiped the drops away, smearing them on my jeans with disgust.  “
No, I’m not
,”  I said to myself.  “
I’m not!
”

Then the rush hit me.  I felt the new blood flowing through every fiber of my being.  My body tingled and radiated.  I felt alive.  Exhilarated.  Invincible.  I was born anew.

Ah yes.

A single question entered my mind as I stood there. 
Could I stand up to my Father now?  What about my sister?  Could I be a good vampire?  A vampire who fought against evil?

“Why not,”
the new voice inside my head replied.

Inwardly I agreed.  Waves of confidence and euphoria washed over me, seemingly responding to my decision.  Breathing slowly, I let it come.  I didn’t fight it. If this is what it meant to be a vampire, a true vampire, and not some snaky demon like my father or sister, then I was in.  I could fight them now like this and I could crush them.

My mission was set.

As I scanned the room through a dissipating cloud of smoke, I licked my tongue across my fangs, feeling the heat quietly retreating within my teeth. 
Interesting.
  I savored the taste of blood on my lips. 
No turning back.

Spotting my father and sister only a few feet beyond where Blick stood, I stepped towards them.  Ashes from Cedric’s remains clung to my shoes.  He was nothing more than a pile of smoldering bones that I had now trampled through. 
Crossover
.

Noticing Stephanie cowering behind Father as they silently watched me., and I smiled back at her, fangs and all.

“Shall we?” I asked her.

Blick grabbed my arm.  Before I could resist, he embraced me in a hug and said, ““Not today.  We’ve got to go!  G, open a passage.”

My eyes widened in disbelief.  I went rigid.  “
The
House of G,” I asked.  A flash of white light blinded me for a moment.

He lowered his head and touched his cold, wet nose to mine as he held me.  “That’s right.” Blick replied.

I felt a warmth from the white light as it encircled us.  Digging my fingers into his dark fur, I closed my eyes and returned Blick’s embrace. 
Finally peace
.

***

The voices continued to invade my mind.  It was utter chaos.  Was I sleeping?  Was I dreaming?  Was I dying?  The voices were all around me.  Some male.  Some female.

Now and then, it felt like I was being dragged under, deep into a pit.  No pain.  No fear.  Only ongoing confusion.  Chaos.  Endless.

Other moments I thought it was over and I tried to open my eyes to see.  Nothing.  I saw total darkness.  But I felt no fear, only contentment.

At times, I knew Blick was near, somewhere close.  I could hear his voice.  He sounded so distraught.  I wanted to reach out to him, but I couldn’t move.  I couldn’t see him.  I could only hear the conversations.  Ongoing.  Relentless.

The topic?

Me.

***

“You must save her.”

“How much blood of his did she have?”

“I don’t know.  Enough.  A cup or so?  It was in her wine.  You must save her.  If the fever doesn’t break, she’ll die.”

There’s more blood here than a cup or so.

She drained Cedric I think before she set him on fire.

“It’s too late then.  She’s made her first kill.  I can’t change her back.”

“But the poison.  She’ll die!  Or J will destroy her!”