Blood Warrior (The Arcadia Falls Chronicles #4) (13 page)

His bare arms and chest still held the
large muscles of the hardworking man he had been as a mortal.
Although, his chest now bore the one mark he had allowed himself to
get. He ran his fingers over the red longevity symbol. He had
chosen longevity as a marker for being immortal. Like it was
yesterday he remembered China and the tattoo shop where he had
received the tattoo. As a last minute decision he asked the artist
to add the three koi fish in a circle around the longevity symbol
because the koi fish were associated with life-long good luck. And
he felt like he sure need some of that.

Alex continued to think about China
and its rare beauty while he carefully applied a dark, skin-colored
foundation to his face and hands to cover his paleness. It was
worth the effort to prevent mortals from questioning his light
skin. After checking himself in the mirror again, Alex donned his
black leather overcoat, a long flowing garment that swept the
floor.

He allowed himself one last approving
glance in the mirror, grabbed his briefcase off his dresser, and
left the room.

He opened the garage door and sighed
with pride. The room glimmered with glossy paint and shiny chrome
from the many vehicles. He chose his orange ’69 Mustang, because he
wanted to stop at the church before the meeting, but he didn’t have
much time to spare. He slipped into the driver’s seat, set his
briefcase on the seat beside him, and then, with the turn of the
key, the car came to life. After he backed out of the garage, he
shut the doors with a remote and roared his way out of the long
driveway.

At that hour of night, the
pine-tree-lined streets were deserted. Alex liked that. Living
outside the city, between Reno and Lake Tahoe, gave him more
privacy. Although it was raining, he opened his window halfway to
let in the fresh scent of the rain-washed earth.

When he approached the city, he took
in the view of the lights. For Alex, each time was like the first
time. The lights were like beacons, calling to him, enticing him.
For that matter, he thought the lights were like vampires,
deceivingly beautiful, alluring, and full of promise.

Until you’re
bitten,
he thought.

Unable to help himself, he chuckled
and continued the drive into the city. Traffic there was crazy
compared to the lonely streets near his home. Among the multitude
of hotels and casinos dominating the city, he kept his focus on the
Lucas Hotels and Casinos—the massive towers stood tall and
proud—while he drew closer to them.

He passed the exit and kept going for
a few miles until he came to a stop in front of a large brick
church. He parked the car, ran through the rain, and ascended the
cement stairway. Alex found the church deserted and locked, as it
always was that time of night.

Taking out his set of lock picks, he
thought about the old days when churches were never locked. They
were always open for the public whenever someone needed to be close
to God.

Upon entering, he felt a presence; not
God, but something else.

Danielle.

She had always had a habit of
following him when she was invisible. Although he knew she was
there, he rarely let on. He couldn’t think of any reason why she
would want to keep herself secret from him, since she knew he would
tell her anything she wanted to know. Besides, she could read
minds.

Although the bricks muffled the sound
of the rain, its presence was evident. It drizzled down the outside
of the multicolored stained glass windows.

It’s like they are
melting,
Alex thought as he stared at
them.

An aisle separated two sets of pews,
and at the far end of the church, behind the podium and the large
choir section, was the baptismal area.

Following his usual ritual, Alex knelt
in front of the podium at a short wooden table that, without fail,
held a fresh flower arrangement. It also held a large leather-bound
Bible, always opened to the same verse: John 3:16.

Alex lowered his head and spoke aloud
to the empty church, his voice echoing in the darkness. “Lord,
forgive me. I have sinned. I live a life of sin. Yet, you let me
live. Again and again, I ask how that can be. How is it that you
could let something as evil and corrupt as I live on this earth and
walk with the humans you created?"

He dropped his head lower.

“
I still don’t understand
a lot of things you have shown me, Lord. I'm depressed. I've never
asked for anything from except guidance and strength, but it's time
I humbly ask, just this once, for you to bless me with something to
give me the will to go on.”

A clap of thunder shook the walls of
the church.

“
This depression has
become too great. I can barely rise from sleep when the sun sets.
None of the hobbies that previously occupied me so well interest me
anymore.”

Alex paused and took in a deep,
shuddering breath.

“
I would never try to
bargain with or demand anything from you. I would never be so bold
as to assume I'm owed anything. All I ask is for some kind of
meaning to this life, or after-life; whatever you wish to call
it.

“
I need a reason to
persevere. After all, I no longer have a family. The only thing I
have, besides a few friends, is the everlasting torment of being
one of the most unholy creatures to walk this earth.

“
Please hear me and
consider the needs of one of your servants. Thank you. Thank you so
much for everything you have given me. I would do anything for you.
I am yours in all ways, and I am yours in everything.

“
In Jesus’s precious name,
Amen.”

When Alex rose from his knees,
contentment flowed through his veins and filled him up. He felt the
same every time he prayed.

A moment later, he rushed out the
door, stopping only to relock it like he always respectfully
did.

***

“
Do you think he’s ready?”
Damion asked.

“
He’s past ready,”
Danielle murmured while she slipped off her perch on the railing
that separated the choir area from the rest of the church. “Damion,
his depression has to end.”

She felt Damion follow her to the
front pew, on the right side of the aisle. She wanted to sit so she
could see the altar.

He sat next to her. “I know Alex was
chosen for this, but how do we know it will cure his depression? It
could end this present situation, but begin another lengthy and
dangerous one. How do we know this will not be the straw that
breaks the camel’s back?”

Danielle smiled. “I have
known Alex for almost four hundred years. Even though he thinks he
is dammed, he keeps his faith in God, and
that
, my dear friend, is the
strongest kind of faith there is.”

“
So he’ll do
it?”

“
He has yet to
decide.”

“
I hope it goes the way
we've planned.”

“
So do I, Damion, so do
I.”

“
Why do you always come
here to watch him pray? Don’t you think that’s like invasion of
privacy or something?”

“
I am his
guardian.”

“
You
were
, when he was a human. He hasn’t
been mortal for a long time. I know enough to know you aren’t
required to be with him at all times.”

“
That’s true, but his
prayers are a most important time for me to be with
him.”

“
Why?”

“
He’s convinced God
doesn’t hear his prayers. That’s why he comes here almost every
night. He could go on living a sinful life, believing he is dammed
anyway, but he doesn’t. It's vital he has some reinforcement of his
faith in God. I know he feels me here.”

Damion shook his head. “We'd better
get to the meeting. I'll see you there."

Damion left. Danielle didn't want to
leave the church. She looked up at the large cross on the wall
above the baptismal. “Come on, Big Guy. His time to shine is
finally here, so let’s show him how much you really have in store
for him.”

She reluctantly stood, walked back
down the aisle, and moved transparently through the tightly locked
doors.

Other Books by Jennifer
Malone Wright

Keeper vs. Reaper (Graveyard Guardians
#1)

Savior (A Higher Collective
Novel)

Once Upon a Zombie Apocalypse – Jade
(Always free)

Once Upon a Zombie Apocalypse: Episode
2

The Vampire Hunter’s Daughter Part 1
(Always free)

The Vampire Hunter’s Daughter: Part
2

The Vampire Hunter’s Daughter Part
3

The Vampire Hunter’s Daughter: Part
4

The Vampire Hunter’s Daughter: Part
5

The Vampire Hunter’s Daughter: Part
6

The Vampire Hunter’s Daughter: The
Complete Collection

(All six parts a total of 72,000
words)

The Arcadia Falls Chronicles is The
Vampire Hunter’s Daughter story continued

Love & War (The Arcadia Falls
Chronicles 1)

Taking Talon (The Arcadia Falls
Chronicles 2)

Vampire Apocalypse (The Arcadia Falls
Chronicles 3)

About the Author

Jennifer Malone Wright is best known
for her short story series, The Vampire Hunter’s Daughter. Other
works include the follow up to The Vampire Hunter’s Daughter series
called The Arcadia Falls Chronicles and her vampire novel called
Savior. Jennifer also co-authors a series called Once Upon a Zombie
Apocalypse.

She resides in the beautiful mountains of northern Idaho with her
husband and five children where she practices preparing for the
zombie apocalypse. Just kidding!
But seriously, between the craziness of taking care of her
children, Jennifer has little time left for herself. The time she
does have left, usually leading far into the night, is spent
working on her beloved fiction or chatting with her equally crazy
friends.
Jennifer also loves coffee, has a passionate affair with red bull,
wishes the sushi were better where she lives and dances while she
cleans.

Please visit Jennifer’s website
at

www.jenniferwrightauthor.com

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