The Touch Series: Initiation (26 page)

              He lifted a finger to silence me and then placed it against his lips to keep us quiet.

             
Knock, Knock, Knock.

             
Three knocks sounded against a wall behind us.

              There was no room on the other side.

              “It's all beginning now.” Perrie breathed between us.

                                                                    
 
CHAPTER twenty

              “I don't know how I got it wrong,” Gwen starred at the fire burning in the fire place. The sound of the crackling wood and the grandfather clock consumed her thoughts for a few seconds. She took a big sip of her chamomile tea mixed with a hint of fresh human blood as she attempted to fix a piece of hair that threatened to come out of her near-perfect bun.

              “Obviously you weren't very careful. Which contradicts your reputation of being perfect at almost, well, everything. Hmm...,” Sarah reached forward onto the coffee table to spike another teaspoon of blood into her cup of tea.

              Gwen tore her eyes away from the fire and set them on the icy-blonde who sat across her. “I did everything perfectly. Just the way it was suppose to go.”

              “Well then what happened?” Sarah's contradictory tone didn't sit well with Gwen who sat near the edge of her seat, calming her inner beast that threatened to awake...

              “Something is wrong and I simply can't put my finger on it,” her voice began to trail off towards the end as she found herself once more gazing into the fire.

              “Well, I can remind you of the glitches in your plan and then maybe you can come up with your own conclusion of your faults,” Sarah started to pace back-and-forth in the middle of the room while she continued to sip her tea in a most casual manner. “You burnt many valuable and only-living mermaids that belonged to many affluent vampire families, including the Constane family. But then four years ago you found out that one escaped and might possibly have a descendent on the loose, putting your entire plan in chaos. So you researched and talked to an endless amount of witches to help find any possible descendant. Then you took the girls who came close and worked tirelessly to have them put into Josef's Club. I'm doing well so far, right?” Sarah smirked at Gwen before continuing. “But your research stumped all of a sudden. A dead end. So to be safe, you decided to start killing each of them one by one in hopes that the Club would be a good alibi for you. But then you made a mistake. See, you thought Josef and Artie weren't very smart vampires at all and that they wouldn't possibly suspect a supernatural killing of some sort. And if their successful with their investigation, we might become vampire meat by the end of the year.”

              “I did what I had to do.” Gwen was no longer calm. “I made a promise that I would avenge my family and the entire village that the Constane family killed back in 1409. And I certainly won't stand for a vampire uprising to occur now or ever. Ha! I even turned into a blood sucking monster like them to carry out my revenge.” She took a moment to compose herself. “Yes, I admit there were flaws in my plans but I honestly didn't think Josef would care for the girls. I was desperate, surely one of them had to be her. I couldn't risk her living and possibly led to that hands of the Constane's or another vampire family. And I wasn't going to kill all of them, not Ivy or Quinn. They actually weren't on my list. Quinn was brought in because she's Artie's friend and Ivy, well, you know...”

              “Oh, how sweet. Two girls were going to survive your massacre. Touching.” Sarah rolled her eyes before sitting back down on the couch across from Gwen.

              “Oh, please. Don't pretend to be so innocent. You would do anything to have Josef to yourself and influence him to accept and resume his position as vampire royalty. And you know that, at the end, keeping his family from making a return to prominence is the way to do that,” Gwen became immediately distracted by the sound of a snapped branch outside her home. Someone was coming. She smiled at Sarah who raised a brow, “we have a guest. Be polite.”             

              Gwen slowly opened the door as Ivy stepped quickly inside. “Ivy, I hope everything is all right. You know Sarah. Tea, darling?”

              Ivy brushed past Gwen and walked into the living room while Sarah stiffened at her entrance.

              Ivy crossed her arms against her chest and stared down Gwen from a few feet away. “I have some awful news for you. Will definitely cause a little speed bump on your plan.”

              Gwen smiled as she walked to the couch to sit next to Sarah. “Well, how much more can this entire plan be ruined? Please, enlighten me.”

              Ivy uncrossed her arms, walked up to the fire place and stared at the photos on the mantel. “Josef's parents know.”

              Sarah hissed and Gwen moved up from her seat abruptly. “Know what?”

              “That one mermaid survived and could possibly have a descendant. Which means there is still hope to carry out their original plan that they had all those centuries ago.”

              “How do you know that?” Gwen's fearful voice betrayed her composed demeanor.

              “Heard from some other witches that they are looking to hire a witch to locate the right person.” Ivy finally turned away from the mantel and turned to look straight at Gwen with amusement spread across her face. “News travels fast, huh?”

              “Gwen?...” Sarah looked beyond infuriated with her.

              Gwen didn't immediately respond and took a few moments to calm herself before a grin appeared across her porcelain face. “Take the job. And lead the Constane's astray.”

              Ivy's own grin grew bigger and she cocked her head to one side. “Look, I already worked for you and you ended up trying to go on a killing spree. I did not sign up to be a part of something like that. No. I think our business relationship here is done.”

              “Lead them astray Ivy and I will make sure that you will have a say within the vampire government. Think about it. Your voice will help protect witches from being used and undermined by vampires and werewolves. That's what you have always wanted, isn't it?”

              “You can't promise me something like that.”

              “Oh, but I can. See, the Constane's are the only ones that have the power and name to overthrow  the current vampire government and lead any potential uprising. And you know what that would mean. The killing of witches and innocent humans. But if we stop them from ever taking hold of that very power position, someone else can rise to power. And that will be us. We will make the rules.”

              Ivy looked over quickly to Sarah whose own facial expression gave off an immense amount of doubt in the room. “There is no guarantee that it will be you who goes into power. It could be another old vampire family.”

              “But we will have leverage on our side. Something that no other vampire in the world can even question.”

              Ivy raised her eyebrows. “What?”

              “Josef. He is a Constane. The only one we know who wants to live in peace with humans and would side with us eventually. All we would need to do is persuade him to take the title that is rightfully his.”

              “Have you lost it? What makes you think that he would go against his own family?”

              Gwen confidently looked over to Sarah who appeared glad to respond. “He hasn't had a good relationship with his family in decades. He doesn't support what they stand for. And if he found out that his family was trying to start a vampire army of some sort to overpower humanity, he would completely despise them. Once we make sure that no one with the mermaid gene is on this planet, then we will officially persuade him against his own family and have him make his case for the top. His family will have lost all hope since their own plan will be completely shattered and they will be powerless against their very successful and very popular son. He practically has most of the current vampire council on his side.”

              Ivy took in a deep breathe and looked around the room. “Under one condition.”

              Gwen was relieved to have Ivy finally come around. “What would you like?”

              “No killing any of the girls until we know for sure who it is. Might not even be in the group judging by how sloppy your research has proven to be so far. Got it?”

              Gwen picked up an extra teacup that was on the table and poured tea into it. “Of course, Ivy. And you made the right choice. Now, would you like some sugar with your tea?”

                                                                    
 
CHAPTER twenty-one

              There were many beautiful and grand homes in Richmond. Each one had its own history and  its own personality. But one rivaled them all. A gorgeous pink and green, Victorian-style, apartment that stood quaintly on the corner of Richmond's town center. The tenants took pride in their own building and certainly showed it by displaying flowers on each window and watering the lawn consistently to produce an emerald green scenery, all of which never went unnoticed by the local newspaper's Home & Garden section. Most of the tenants consisted of some of Richmond's finest: one of the town's teachers, a beloved doctor and other hard working up-and-coming young professionals.

              On the seventh floor lived a girl who generously displayed black roses on her window sills. Her room was filled with books that were stacked around the floor while the bookshelves were inhabited by sketches and souvenirs from places she had never actually traveled to. Her  crimson black curtains nearly gave out an immense shade that almost hid the tiny gold stars drawn on the walls of the room.

              Trippy house music was playing loudly from her laptop as she tiptoes her way around the mess on the floor to set her lunch down on her desk. She pushed a quija board that was taking up a lot of space on the desk. Placing her sandwich on one side of her laptop, she comfortably situates herself in her seat; drumming her fingers on the table while responding to an incoming Skype call. She knew exactly who it was and was prepared for this long-awaited call.

              After a few seconds, a middle-aged blonde woman appeared on the screen. “It's been a while, Ivy.”

              Ivy picked up her tuna sandwich, took a small bite, and licked a finger. “I've been busy. But you  know that. You're the reason that I'm here. ”

              “And soon that will change. We are getting closer and much of that is thanks to you. I really do have to say Ivy that you're a very impressive witch. You're skills are almost on parallel to that of centuries old witches that I've met during my lifetime.”

              Ivy waved her off a she finished the last of her sandwich. She knew of her abilities and believed in herself but hated praise that was purely given to spur her further into doing something. She  worked too long under the command of vampires and she hoped to be free of them soon. “Yeah. But we still don't know who exactly the descendant is. We've come to a bit of a dead end.”