Shadow Born: Book 1 of the Shadow-Borne Chronicles (14 page)

“Okay Alec.
 
Here’s what we are going to do.
 
You obviously are able to tap your vampiric abilities, but only subconsciously.
 
We are going to work on that.”
 
He stopped and thought about how best to explain what Alec needed to do.
 
“When a vampire moves fast, jumps far or we use our strength, we… for lack of a better term we
burn blood
.”

“Burn blood?” Alec asked confused.

Marcus shook his head quickly.
 
“That’s not actually what happens but think of it like burning calories.”

Alec nodded once, thinking.

“Okay.
 
When a vampire needs to use abilities his body absorbs blood and breaks it down into pure energy.
 
It fuels his muscles, eye sight, whatever he needs.”
 
He looked at Alec to make sure he was following.

“A
normal
vampire does it without thinking.
 
It’s also how we stay alive.
 
You
are only able to do it when you are in danger.
 
But you need to be able to do it anytime you want and we are going to work on that.

First, we are going to focus on your hearing, something simple.
 
I’m going to stand across the gym and speak to you quietly.
 
I want you to hear what I’m saying to you.
 
I want you to concentrate on your hearing, focus on hearing me and relax and let your body take over.
 
Okay?”
 

Alec nodded reluctantly.
 

Marcus walked to the far side of the gym and stopped.
 
Alec could see that his lips were moving but he couldn’t hear a thing.
 
He squinted his eyes and concentrated.
 
Nothing.
 
Marcus pulled out his phone and sent Alec a text.
 
Close your eyes.
 
Pretend you are listening to my voice and I am right beside you.

Alec nodded that he understood and closed his eyes.
 
He still couldn’t hear anything.
 
He was getting frustrated.
 
This was ridiculous.
 
But, Marcus
was
trying to help him so the least he could do was try.

Alec took a deep breath and let it out slowly.
 
He did this a couple of more times.
 
Then he
listened
for Marcus’s voice.
 
Right at the very edge of his hearing, he could hear…something.
 
He focused on it.
 
He could tell it was there but couldn’t make it out.
 
He took a deep breath.
 
And another.
 
He focused on what he thought was the sound of Marcus’s voice.
 
He tried reaching for that feeling of time slowing down, the feeling of being
more
than just simple Alec Carson but he just couldn’t do it.
 
Several times he thought he was close but the feeling slipped elusively from him.

Alec was trying to stay calm but he felt himself tensing up, clenching his fists and teeth.
 
He relaxed again and shook his arms to get blood flowing to his hands again.
 
It was so frustrating. He had extraordinary powers that as far as he knew no one else possessed and he couldn’t access them.
 
Alec sighed angrily.
 

Without warning Marcus frantically yelled, “ALEC!”

Alec sensed more than saw movement as he snapped his eyes open.
 
Something that Alec couldn’t make out was hurtling towards his face. Suddenly time slowed and he could see a 25-pound dumbbell flipping end over end gracefully through the air, aimed at his head.
 
He felt like he had all the time in the world to react. He waited until the dumbbell was within inches of his face before he snapped his hand up and halted its progress instantly.
 
From where Marcus was standing Alec heard, “Can you hear me now?”

“I can hear you,” Alec said dryly.
 

“Good.
 
You’re doing it.
 
How do you feel?”

Alec shook his head and could hear his shirt rustle against his neck.
 
“I feel like I did before.
 
I feel like time has slowed down and there is just us here.”

“Sorry, I could see you struggling so I decided to help.”
 
Marcus grinned as Alec walked towards him and replaced the weight where it belonged.

“Thanks,” Alec said glaring at his friend.

“What does it feel like when you burn blood?
 
Can you feel a difference? Other than time slowing?” Marcus asked looking at Alec.

Alec frowned in concentration.
 
He did feel a little different.
 
He couldn’t explain it but inside he felt…there were no words to explain it.
 
He felt like something inside him was flexing, moving, shifting, flowing…all those things and yet none of them were right.

“Feel it?” Marcus asked.
 
Alec nodded his head.
 
“Okay, now I want you to run to the far side of the gym and back.
 
But I want you to do it as quickly as possible.
 
Okay?”

Alec nodded.
 
He held onto that feeling of
more
and zipped to the far side of the gym and back to stand on the opposite side of Marcus.
 
Marcus jumped. He hadn’t even seen Alec move.
 
He thought it would take him a moment to do it so he hadn’t been prepared.

“Damn,” he said quietly.
 
“That was fast.”
 

Alec shrugged.

“Okay.
 
Let that feeling go.”
 
Alec thought about it for a second and he was back to normal.
 
It was weird but he felt…less, suddenly, less aware, less alive and well, just less.
 
He told Marcus that.

He and Marcus walked back over to the obstacle course that Marcus had set up.
 
He stood at the beginning and Marcus explained what he wanted.
 
Alec was to jump the hurdles, jump over the mats and step on the seat of each chair before jumping the hurdle at the end.
 
Alec nodded his understanding and Marcus yelled, “GO!”

Alec slipped as he started at a run towards the first hurdle.
 
He couldn’t grab the feeling he had before, it kept slipping away like when he was trying to hear Marcus earlier.
 
Everything was moving at regular speed.
 
As he approached the first hurdle, Marcus grabbed a hand full of stones that where sitting in a bucket beside him and in quick succession hurled them at Alec’s head and midsection.
 
Alec panicked, and then without warning all the stones slammed painfully into Alec’s body.

“What the
hell
?” Alec asked frustrated.
 
“Why didn’t that work?”
 
He kicked one of the chairs and sent it tumbling once or twice backwards.

“Maybe because the stones were more annoying than threatening?” Marcus asked confused.
 
“Somehow you knew they weren’t really a threat.”

Alec lifted his shirt to show his bruised torso.
 
There were several welts on his chest and stomach from where the rocks had hit.
 
They hurt like hell.
 
As Alec watched, all of the bruises and marks on his body began to fade and return to normal.

“At least you are healing quickly,” Marcus said trying to sound cheery.
 
Alec just grunted and threw himself into one of the seats to think.
 
So far every time his abilities had worked was because he’d been in danger or seriously threatened.
 
Did that mean that he would be a normal human until something sharp and pointy was aimed at his head?
 
Ridiculous.
 
He wanted to access his abilities just like ever other vampire did.

Finally Marcus said, “Time out,” and led him to the bleachers on one side of the gym and sat down.
 
Alec made up his mind and broached the subject of Jake’s visit with Marcus.
 
“So, I got an email from my friend Jake, the one I told you about from the orphanage.”
 
Marcus nodded that he remembered.
 
“He’s coming for a visit tomorrow to check up on me.”

Marcus just shook his head.
 
“Alec, Silas won’t like this.
 
I don’t think he will let you go.”

“That’s what I was afraid of.
 
The problem is, once Jake gets something in his head he can be stubborn.
 
If I don’t meet him he will get suspicious and start asking questions.
 
He might even call the cops to have them check on me.
 
It would just be better if I met him for a few hours and he could see for himself that I’m okay. He’s always been protective of me.
 
Like a big brother.
 
He’s the closest thing to family that I have.”

Marcus shrugged.
 
“I understand that Alec, but if you go out in public, someone could try to hurt you or capture you.
 
It’s too risky.
 
You don’t want to put Jake’s life in danger either.”

“But it would be during the day,” Alec said quickly.
 
“No vampire could grab me or get anywhere near me.”

“Alec,” Marcus said doubtfully, “there are other ways.”

Alec frowned and thought about it.
 
“Maybe you’re right but I don’t know what to tell Jake that would convince him not to visit. He’s already on his way.”

“Silas could find a way.”

“No,” Alec said quickly.
 
I don’t want vampires anywhere near Jake.
 
Nothing personal.
 
But I’d rather keep him out of all this.”

Marcus nodded, understanding.
 
“I don’t blame you there.
 
When I was turned I thought the same thing about my family.
 
I thought I could still be a part of their lives and be a vampire.
 
I was wrong.”

“What do you mean?” Alec asked, frowning.

“I told you I was abducted and kept against my will.”

Alec had forgotten that conversation.
 
It felt like they had discussed it a long time ago.
 
He nodded.
 
It made even more sense now that Alec understood that it was when Marcus was turned.

“After I stabbed and killed Antonius, I thought I was free. I didn’t know how this world worked or that he had friends.
 
Until they came looking for me.”
 
His eyes took on a pained look.

“They found my family and threatened them. I had tried to go back home and be a part of their lives.
 
I told them that I had a job and a place of my own, but during the day I hid in a series of caves.
 
At night I came out to feed and visited with my mother and father.”
 
He sighed heavily.
 

“What happened?” Alec asked quietly.
 
“I came home one evening to find Antonius’s friends posing as merchants, sitting at my family’s table.
 
They were toying with me.
 
Showing me they could hurt my family if I didn’t do what they wanted.”

“What did you do?”

“There was a lot of sickness and death back then.
 
Young men died all the time of disease or in battle. I faked my own death.
 
My family was devastated of course.
 
They thought bandits had attacked me. Antonius’s friends were furious that they wouldn’t get to punish me.
 
Thankfully they were stupid enough to fall for it.”
 
Marcus shrugged.
 
“Once I saw that they were going to leave my family alone, I packed up what little I had, moved to Greece and started a new life.”

“Wow,” was all Alec could say.
 
“That must have been horrible.”
 
He reached out his hand and put it on Marcus’s shoulder. Marcus smiled sadly, and placed his hand on top of Alec’s squeezing it.
 
Alec felt a shock go through him at the touch.

“Anyway, that was a long time ago.
 
Now I work for Silas, as his second.”

Alec removed his hand and sat thinking for a moment.
 
Here he was offering comfort to an immortal being that was probably thousands of years old.
 
Yep, his life had gotten strange.

A thought occurred to Alec.
 
“What does that mean, being Silas’s second?”

Marcus smiled.
 
“I am his second in command.
 
I take care of the things that Silas is to busy to handle.”

“Like me?” Alec asked smiling to show he wasn’t completely serious.

Marcus laughed.
 
“Among other tedious details,” he said winking at Alec.

“Listen,” Marcus said, turning serious, “Let’s keep this little exercise to ourselves.
 
I don’t really want Silas to know that I’ve been trying to train you.”

Alec looked confused.
 
“Why?”

Marcus shrugged.
 
“I’m only teaching you this because you’re my friend and I want you to see that you can trust me.
 
And, I think you should be able to defend yourself should the need arise.”
 
He looked at Alec to make sure he understood.
 
“I don’t think Silas would have a problem with this per se, but he might see this as me aggravating an already tense situation.”