RBC05 - Bloodline (2 page)

Fredrik and Elizabeth:
Katrina and Katherine’s

Parents.

Drow
:
The dark elves of the underworld.

Volator
:
Vampire Hunters.

Noctu
:
Dark Vampires from the underworld.

Belnovus
:
Demon made hybrid vampires that

scent human.

The Arnuant Brothers in Bloodline
:
Rafael,

Nevidius and August are named.

Prologue

Nathaniel’s Clan has been decimated by hybrid vampires. News of illness and deaths from the dark vampires are coming to us daily now. I had hoped to keep them out of America, but they are here and the Five must deal with them quickly.

If they continue to replace our royal vampires in high ranking positions with their own demon-made spawn in Europe, soon I will have no choice but to return and fight them there as well.

The good news is that the new clans are now fully established here in America and waiting for new members to arrive from clans throughout Europe. We have new friends - the Masons. With their help we are establishing our selves easily throughout both American government and American society.

Each time we defeat an enemy another arises, but this is my path. I must walk it and trust myself to do what is right

CHAPTER ONE

I
t had been weeks since Cain told me that he was going to Paris to try to find out what was going on with Damien. We could of course track both of them, but had had no word. Neither of them had contacted their sister Marcella
, and none of us had heard a single
word from them. To further cut us off they had blocked our ability to communicate with them by using our minds.

Gerhardt, who, of course, has a home in Paris, mentioned that he had seen, first Damien and then Cain there. He discretely suggested that it might be better if I just moved on with my life, without Damien. It was obvious to me then that Damien was not alone, and that
he
had already moved on.

It’s not like I hadn’t been busy and didn’t have anything to do after all, so moving on was just what I was planned to do.

“Eric and I are going for a ride; do you want to come with us?” Kate asked as she came into the breakfast room, breaking my train of thought.

“That sounds fun.”

“What sounds fun?” Quinn said as he joined us.

“Going for a ride,” I said. “How is Nathaniel doing?”

“Not good. The shock of losing most of his clan has sapped his strength and is affecting his ability to regenerate. Although he recovered enough to get here after the attack on his clan he has taken a turn for the worst. I am worried about his facility to survive being bitten by a hybrid vampire. Allwain says that he has no idea how to cure the infection Nathaniel contracted from the bite.  ”

“There have been some unexplained human illnesses in the towns close to each of our new clan sites. I think that these outbreaks may be some new tactic of the hybrid leaders,” I said.

“You mean they are biting humans in order to bring attention to and expose the peaceful clans?” Quinn questioned as he sat down with a full plate of breakfast.

“Yes, we have to find these renegades and soon, or the vampire hunters will be swarming America in the very near future.”

We finished our meal, left the table and prepared for our morning ride and agreed to meet at the stables to saddle some horses. Gunter had purchased both Friesian and German Warm-Blood mares like Nulla for Theo. I was looking forward to the prospect of having dozens of new foals by next spring.

Nulla and Knight were doing very well, but while I smiled at the thought of Knight dutifully following along behind Nulla. I didn’t want to drag the young foal around so far away from the stable, so I chose a new mount from the pool of horses now used for ranch work.

“Let’s head over to lost canyon Gunter told me that there is a wild herd of horses over there,” Kate said.

“Race you!” Quinn yelled before taking off in that direction.

As we galloped into the canyon we found a large herd of horses peacefully grazing there. That is until we thundered in.

The black mustang stallion didn’t even flinch as his herd scattered. Flaring his nostrils he turned to face us as we reined our horses to a stop. He pawed the ground, whinnied, snorted and finally reared up in warning, all the while tossing his head as if daring us to come closer.

“
It’s all right boy, we wouldn’t harm any of you
,” I told him with my mind, speaking with my mind to any creature was a new gift acquired by me after Cathos took the dark powers I had gleaned from the Dark Prince and replacing them with Jinn power.

He dropped back down to the ground, snorted again and with one more head toss in our direction, raced out of the canyon after his herd.

“He’s almost as beautiful as Theo and Knight!” Kate marveled.

Eric laughed, “Kate, I can tell from the look on your face that you desperately want to name him. You might as well tell us what you’ve chosen.”

“Well I can’t help it. He looks like Midnight.”

“Kate, you realize that you can’t name every animal in the West, right?” I laughed. “But, Midnight is a fine name for him.  In fact, I think we should put some of our mares in with his herd so that his bloodline will be insured.”

“Good idea Katrina, I’ll tell Gunter as soon as we get back,” Quinn said as the majestic stallion disappeared from sight.

I found myself turning my attention to Quinn. The old feelings that I’d always had for him were becoming more and more intense these days. I knew he would always be a part of my life and that between us we had to work out what our relationship was going to be.

He turned and gave me that smile, the same one that always made my knees weak. I did love him, I’d always loved him.

“Now what?” he asked with an eyebrow raise.

“I guess we should go back, Father is going to be home any time now and there are things I need to talk to him about.”

As Quinn looked away I saw the smile fade from his face.

“We have to go after the hybrids although I have the feeling that’s just what they want us to do,” Kate added.

“All right then,” I sighed, “let’s go back.”

Our ride ended all too soon and as we approached the compound we saw a familiar figure standing beside the lodge.

“Look, El’s back. I hope she was able to help the unicorns.”

We left the horses with the stable boys and walked back to the house where El waiting patiently outside.

“Boy, are we glad to have you back. Nathaniel is much worse. How did you do? Could you help the unicorns?”

“Yes, they are much better. Their problems seemed to stem from the new feed and the journey. They all seemed fine when I left. Cain, however, created quite a stir. Amparah was very upset that he just ran off after all the help she’d provided him.”

“I’m sure that whatever made Cain leave was important. I can’t imagine that he would jeopardize his relationship with Amparah otherwise. I just wish that he had let us in on whatever it was,” Eric said.

“If that had been possible, I’m sure that he would have,” El added. “I better head over to Nathaniel’s and see if I can help him. After I’ve seen to him, I have an idea that I want to speak with you about.”

“I’ll go with you now then, we can talk on the way,” I said. “I’ll be back, see you all later.

What is it El? What’s going on that you didn’t want to talk about in front of the others?” I asked after we were on our way.

“I want to go to the other clan locations and heal the humans that have come down with the same infection that Nathaniel has. I can be there in the guise of a nurse.”

“El, I can’t let you go there alone, it’s too dangerous.”

“Good, then
we
should leave right away, don’t you think?”

She smiled and I had to laugh. “You…”

We hugged and continued on to Nathaniel’s, finding Allwain and Kellen, one of the last of his clan, standing by his bed.

“Is he any better?”

“No. I hope you can help him because nothing that I’ve done seems to be working.” The look on Allwain’s face told the story.

“Join me,” El insisted.

The rest of us followed her instructions, gathered around and placed our hands on her as she put her hands on him. Nathaniel looked so awful. He was covered in sweat and about the same color as the pale sheet covering his still form.

I could see how upset Kellen was, but looked quickly away from her as we began to concentrate with El in order to help Nathaniel. As I slowed my breathing to match El’s, I could feel power pulsing between us. This was different than the times before. The power that Cathos had given me was more powerful somehow than any that I had experienced before. Even the power that I had taken from the Dark Prince paled in comparison.

It wasn’t long before El finished and pulled back from Nathaniel. When I opened my eyes he was looking up at us. The color had returned to his face, but his eyes were full of pain. I understood then that it was going to take much longer for him to heal from the mental trauma of what had happened than from his physical ailments. He had lost his wife, his friends, and most of his clan, to the demon hybrids.

“It’s going to be all right Nathaniel, I promise,” I told him. I wished that somehow I could have taken the sadness from him, but that was not a power that I possessed.

“I’m going to stay with him a little longer and then I’ll meet you back at the lodge,” El whispered softly.

“Good.” I smiled at El, glad that we had her strength and gift to rely on. “Nathaniel, I’ll be back to check on you too. You’ll be up and around before long and I want you to concentrate on getting better, because we are going to need you!”

“Katrina, stop by the laboratory will you?” I heard on my way out.

“Of course, Allwain.”

I was relieved that we were able to help Nathaniel. His healing meant that El’s gift would be effective on the humans as well. As wonderful as that news was, it was important that we not expose ourselves as consequence of these healing. We wouldn’t need that complication.

I needed to be alone to think for a few minutes so instead of heading back to the lodge, I headed down to the lake.

“
Cathos
?”

“
Yes, Katrina?”

“What can you tell me about the hybrids, are they still coming through Althar?”

“No, and I know for a fact that no demon vampires have been made since Cain gave you the portal locations and dispersed the Drow power. The children of Belial already there in your world, are all that there will be unless they are creating more demons by
turning
humans
.”

As he uttered the word I felt my stomach turn. The sicknesses! Turning humans was exactly what they were doing!