Blood and Snow Volumes 1-4: Blood and Snow, Revenant in Training, The Vampire Christopher, Blood Soaked Promises (7 page)

“What exactly is a revenant?” Gabe asked. His voice shook with emotion, and I looked back. He smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. Our short-lived romance was over before it’d begun.

But he promised, I thought, agony crushing my heart.

“After I tell you, you boys should head home. This may take a while.”

“We aren’t leaving her,” Dorian added.

“I understand.” A sad smile lifted Kenmei’s lips. “A revenant is a changeling. Not quite human and not quite vampire.”

At that word—vampire—all hell broke loose. The guys started shouting simultaneously about lies, and fairytales. I pulled my knees to my chest, and put my forehead on my kneecaps. Tears dripped from my eyes onto my jeans.

I’d let the brothers figure this one out.

Chapter 10

I spent another hour in the chair hiding my face, barely listening to the conversation between Kenmei, Dorian, Heathcliff, Gabe, and
Hiro
. Professor Pops finally arrived, along with the other four brothers. With his assurance that he’d fill them in later, he sent them home. Then Kenmei led Professor Pops and I into another room. It was small, more like a closet, with just an organized brown desk and three straight back chairs.

Professor Pops patted my back kindly, and said, “Tell us what happened, and don’t leave anything out.”

I relayed the events, including the embarrassing fact that I’d found pleasure in the guy biting me, sucking my blood. Professor Pops and Kenmei exchanged a knowing look.

“Do you understand what’s happened?” I asked Professor Pops.

He cleared his throat, and studied his hands. His nervousness scared me worse than anything. “Snow, I’ve known for some time that you’d been chosen. I expected she would wait to send him after your sixteenth birthday. That’s normally when the first exchange happens.” He glanced at Kenmei. “I’d hoped, between Kenmei–sensei and I, we could find a way to keep it from occurring.” He blew out a breath. “We’ve failed.”

“What does the bite mean? It did actually happen somehow, right? I didn’t dream it?”

“Yes, it happened. No, it wasn’t a dream. The Vampire Queen has very powerful magic. When the boys believed you were asleep, you’d actually gone into another realm. The Hunter, a drone vampire, bit you. He is special, also chosen by her. He’s been given the specific task of changing you into a vampire. Do you remember anything about what he looks like?”

I shook my head. “Only his red eyes.” In answering my questions, they were filling me with more. Who was this Queen? Why had I been chosen? And what did all of that mean?

Professor Pops gave me a meaningful look. “I can almost see the questions in your head. They will be answered. Of the upmost importance is for you to realize you’re changing, and you’ll be craving blood.”

“I see,” I said, not really seeing at all. I’d never liked meat. Never. At the thought of killing an innocent animal, I winced in disgust. So the idea of craving blood seemed unimaginable. I also felt a wiggle of wanting. The beating of Professor
Pops
heart called to me, like an indulgent song.
Strange that I couldn’t hear Kenmei’s though.
And out of everything, that’s what I blurted. “Why can’t I hear his heart beating?” I pointed accusingly, and immediately felt ashamed. Pointing was disrespectful. “Sorry, Kenmei-sensei.” I bowed my head.

They both flinched in surprise. “You can already hear the beating of a heart?” Professor Pops asked.

“Yes, I hear yours, but I don’t hear his.” I bobbed my head in Kenmei’s direction.

“Kenmei-sensei’s heart no longer beats,” Professor Pops said seriously.

“What? Why not?” I was stunned, and discreetly pinched myself. My life had gone from normal, boring even, to supernatural. Overnight.

“Your world, as you’ve known it, is about to be altered in the most extraordinary way. Now that it has begun, there is no going back, I’m afraid.” Professor Pops touched my cheek with his thumb, stroking it. “I’d hoped it would never come to this, but I’ve prepared, nonetheless.” He glanced at Kenmei.

“Are you ready to learn, Shiryo-san?”

“Okay.” That was all I could utter. I didn’t seem to have a choice.

Blood and Snow 2: Revenant in Training

Chapter 1

“Y
ou are a revenant,” I said to my reflection. Even she wasn’t buying it. I didn’t appear any different. It’d been two hours, seventeen minutes, and—I checked my watch—eight seconds since the guy with glowing red eyes sunk his extra pointy canines into my throat. One hour, forty-five minutes, and twelve seconds since Professor Pops, and Kenmei told me what being bitten meant. Was I worried I’d grow fangs, and start shunning the light? A little bit.

According to Kenmei, that wasn’t going to happen.
At least not in this phase.
Over the next several weeks, I’d gain strength, agility, and a penchant for blood.

Yay, I thought sarcastically, gagging.

Professor Pops and I were still at Kenmei’s. Little, obnoxious
Hiro
had gone to bed. I didn’t feel tired, not really. From my expression, clearly I was in shock. No one could blame me. It wasn’t every night I was bitten and changed into a make-believe being. Only apparently they-we weren’t make believe. Evidently revenants existed, as did vampires, fairies, unicorns, and… other creatures I’d rather not think about.

I turned on the faucet in the bathroom, patted some water on my face. The cool temperature soothed.

“Snow, are you alright?” Professor Pops asked, after knocking on the door lightly.

I jumped.

My first thought was, No! I’m freaked beyond my wildest imagination, and I want to go home, and hide under the covers. Out loud, I said, “Yes, I’ll be out in a minute.”

I washed my hands, and turned out the light. He waited for me on the other side. I knew because I heard the slightly accelerated beating of his heart. A twisting need rose in my throat. But I pushed the wanting down, the craving, tolerable. Resting my hand on the knob, I turned slowly.

The first thing Kenmei gave me, after the revenant revelation, had been an herbal tea, which consisted of
Chapparral
, Red Clover, Bloodroot, Mistletoe, Eye of Newt, Unicorn horn, and Fairy dust. It didn’t taste the best, but it was bearable.

Professor Pops had explained I needed to drink the tea twice a day, once in the morning, and once in the evening, to control my bloodlust. 

I still had a hundred questions. The biggest: “Why me?” I asked as I opened the door.

Pops stepped back. Then cleared his throat. “Come and sit. Let’s talk.” A sea of guilt washed over his distinguished features, but before I said anything, he turned away.

I followed him into the tiny office. A bowl of steaming rice and vegetables sat in front of my chair, on the edge of the desk. “Is this for me?” I hoped so. My stomach growled with hunger.

“Yes, Shiryo-san. I had my wife cook these up for you. I hope you’re hungry.” His fathomless eyes shone bright.

“Thank you.” I scooped up the bowl, and ate with the fork provided. Its aroma had my mouth watering, but the flavors fell flat. After I’d finished, I placed the empty bowl on the table, satiated, but not satisfied. I also realized I’d eaten in silence, and that Professor Pops, and Kenmei watched me, expectantly. My cheeks flushed.

“Sorry, were the two of you going to eat?” They didn’t have food in front of them.

“No, we are curious as to how you’re feeling?” Professor Pops asked.

My face grew hotter. Did they want to know if I intended to jump them? Attack them for their blood? At the thought of blood, my mouth watered. I ignored it. “I’m fine,” I said to Professor Pops. Facing Kenmei, I added, “The food was wonderful. Please tell your wife I said, ‘thank you.’” I’d lied. The rice and vegetables had tasted like ash, but I had the distinct impression it wasn’t because of his wife’s cooking skills, and more that my body had already begun to change. 

He nodded. “I will.”

“Now, let me answer your question,” Professor Pops said, crossing one of his long legs over the other. 

I peered at him, slightly confused.

“You asked why? Why she chose you?”

“Oh, right. Yes.” I leaned back in the chair, and clamped my twitchy hands in my lap.

“First a little history.”

“Okay,” I said, noting it’d become my
word of the day
.

“The Vampire Queen has been alive for thousands of years. By our best guess,” he eyed Kenmei, “we’d say more than seven thousand. Every thousand years she must change bodies. Regardless, or because of her immortal properties, like a snake that sheds its skin every year, she too must escape the old body in lieu of a new, more healthy one.”

I shuddered at the thought of skin peeling away.

Professor Pops continued, “When the Queen is within twenty years of her need to shed, she sends out drone vampires.”

I must have had a confused expression because he said, “Think about bees in a hive. There is one Queen, over fifty thousand bees, and one out of every hundred is a worker. They are also female. Then there are the drones, which are the males. Their job,” he shifted uncomfortably, “is to mate with the Queen.”

My jaw dropped.

“Within the hierarchy of the Vampire Queen’s hive, we know within her army are many, many more females. We also know the male drone vampire’s job is…” he trailed off, and cleared his throat before continuing, “slightly different.”

“Correct,” Kenmei said, taking over.  “The drones are sent into the world searching for the most exquisite female humans. Once they find one, they mark her.” Professor Pops leaned close; his hands hovered near my right arm.

Without him lifting my shirtsleeve I knew what he hoped to find. I had a dark birthmark, near my shoulder, in the shape of a star. It’d appeared around my fifth birthday. I’d been getting dressed one morning, and believed the mark to be a bug, at first. Worried, I’d shown my mother. She’d said it was nothing to worry about. “A kiss from magical fairies,” had been her answer. At the thought of my mother, tears gathered on my lashes.

“May I?” Pops asked.

I pulled up the sleeve. “So a drone vampire marked me?” I heard the raw pain in my voice, but pretended it didn’t matter, and moved my shoulder so he and Kenmei saw it.

“Yes,” Kenmei said, his face growing soft. 

“Why don’t I remember?” I let go of my sleeve, and tucked my hands under my legs. Keeping my eyes down, I stared at my white tube socks—boy socks.

“You were young, and the mark was most likely placed on you in your sleep,” Professor Pops said.

At his words, something clicked. “How do you know about all of this?” My stomach clenched. Was Professor Pops’ friendship only pretend? Was he somehow involved?

Kenmei answered by moving his shirt. Where his shoulder met his arm an evil-looking blade had been tattooed.

“What does that mean?” I asked after looking, and sitting back. My heart had begun to beat rapidly, which made me happy. I still had one.