Surface Below: Dark Secrets (The Surface Below Book 1) (17 page)

The six of them stood there, staring down at the counter in front of them. Six glasses before them, each filled with the same crimson liquid. They all looked to each other, nervous and unsure.

An impossible decision to be made, but one they all knew had to be made. Blood, the one and only true source of vampire sustenance. Becca had known it the moment her virgin fangs broke the skin. Images had flooded her vision. Yet none included the consumption of Hybrid. Vampires followed their urges and thrived. Their superiority linked to their Beast and its thirst for the life force.

Hybrid was still relatively new. Created in the last 250 years. Compared to the 1200 years of vampire history, it was barely a blip. Yet, there was no real reasonable explanation for the creation of the faux substance.

It was as if the Heiress was sending her a warning. Trying to make her see what their species had become. Their own superiority deteriorating.

“You sure about this, William?” Markus searched him for something. Anything that could make him feel better about what they were all about to do. He tilted the glass towards him, the thick contents moving freely with the movement.

“There’s a lot I’m not sure about but this I just know,” William assured him, grabbing at his glass. For him it would be nothing. Just another day. His system still numbed by excessive use. And Becca, he wasn’t entirely sure she would be affected the same as the others either. Her introduction still so fresh.

“Will we? You know, react like Becca did?” Nikki asked. Markus and William exchanged a concerned look.

“I don’t know.” William shrugged. “But there are two options here. Either you all drink this.” He held up the glass. “Or you wait until the thirst I know that you all feel, overcomes you and you….”

“It’s okay, William.” Becca’s hand covered his. He didn’t want to drive the knife any deeper.

“You don’t want to kill a human. The remorse and the guilt…” He stole another look at Becca and she just nodded, encouraging him. “It will eat at you. Consume you.”

He knew because he had taken a life. Once, very early on. Before he knew when to stop or how to stop. The memory stuck with him vividly. The guilt he felt still as fresh as the moment it happened.

College had come and gone. In the blink of an eye. His relationship with his family more strained than it ever had been. He took a route with an endless winding path, never straightening to give him some breathing room.

William’s thirst then was much like Caleb’s. Raw, unhindered and unchecked. The difference between them though, as that William had learned to master his thirst. Still he hunted and drank but after his first innocent life, he had forced himself to better hone in on it. Over the years he had learned how to seduce them. Humans. Pull them into him. Much like Vampires, humans fed on energy and feelings as well.

He capitalized on that and it played right into his hands every time.

“So bottoms up, I guess.” Z held his cup up. William came back to reality and nodded, pushing his cup towards the center. The rest followed.

“To?” Miranda shrugged.

“To family,” William said.

It came so naturally to him. It was in that moment that family meant more to him than anything. The anger, distrust and betrayal dissipated. If they were going to fight this, take their kingdom back, then their family would have to be strong and unified.

Not divided.

The glasses touched their lips, the velvety sweet substance coating their tongues, sliding down their throats and set free into their depths.

Just as William had suspected, it had no effect on him. For Becca it sent a shiver through her, a tingle but nothing close to her turning in the clearing. Their Merger already done. Now they were just feeding their overly eager Beast. All too content that they were embracing their true nature.

Their siblings, however, reacted much like Becca had. Miranda and Markus much less than Nikki and Z. Still it was not pleasant.

It hit them all simultaneously. Four sets of knees hit the hardwood floor, shaking violently. Screams echoed through the house, but only from Nikki and Z. Markus and Miranda growled and scratched at the burning in their chests. Sweat beading around their faces. The years of Hybrid doses had only slightly prepared them. Trace amounts of human blood building up in their systems, creating immunity to it.

Becca went to Nikki, William to Z. And then hurried footsteps, the parents, crowded into the kitchen. Horrified looks on their faces and then anger. They eyed the glasses on the counter and then their children, writhing on the floor in excruciating pain.

“Are you out of your mind?” Merrick shouted at William as he closed the gap between them. “We agreed no blood until we further discussed it.”

“No, you agreed,” William shot back at him, holding tightly to his brother. Z already seizing, his body at an unbearable temperature. Again just the touch of his skin blistered William’s hands. “Why won’t you trust me?”

“Because you’ve proven already that you aren’t responsible. You’re reckless,” his father admitted. “And careless.”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” William bellowed.

“Hey! Enough! Both of you,” Caroline barked at them from the opposite side of the island counter. Her arms wrapped tightly around Nikki.

“No, I want to know…” William began but his mother’s voice roared over his.

“I.Said.Enough.” she demanded. Both men grew quiet.

The room silenced aside from the pained moans coming from Nikki and Z. Markus and Miranda recovered quickly but were left tired and drained. Both pushed up against the wood of the counter. Slowly the cries lessened and then went silent altogether.

“Hey William,” Markus called weakly to him. “I really hate you right now.”

“Ditto.” Miranda breathed hard.

“Not as much as these two will,” William said, coming to sit next to them. His glare still trained on his father. “Good over there?” he asked, wondering how Nikki fared.

“Yeah.” Becca emerged from behind the counter and looked down at the three sitting up against it. Much like her, Nikki and Z, their bond to their siblings would always reign superior. Mere memories of being together would never fully outweigh their years with each other.

“What now?” Markus still had his eyes closed, a dull ache lingering in the back of his head.

“Now we wait.” William looked up to Becca as he said it, his own craving for her eating at him. “For that moment, the moment the desire for your partner is so great you can no longer deny it.”

Becca blushed at his words. “And you’ll never see it coming,” she added.

“Well until then.” Miranda got up slowly. “Come on William, let’s go take care of those hands.”

He looked down at them now; they were red and blistered. Like when Becca had held to his arm through a wave of fire and pain. Letting them drop between his knees, he scrunched his face and grimaced.

“Shit,” he muttered.

“Come on, I’ll be gentle this time.” She smiled, though, when she said it.

“Fine.” He groaned, pushing up from the floor and following her.

Becca offered her hand to Markus, who took it shakily, still feeling the residual effects of the intrusion.

“It’ll pass,” she assured him, giving a good pull to help him up. “Count yourself lucky, could be them. Or me.”

“Suppose we should get them off the floor.” Markus was already going down to Z to help his father get him up.

They took them to a bedroom in the back of the farmhouse, not even remotely willing to try and get the two up the stairs.

Becca stayed behind with their mothers. It was quiet only briefly as the events lingered in the air. It unnerved Becca, the altercation William had had with his father. It downright upset her, though, that Merrick was so untrusting of his son.

She gathered the glasses from the counter and set them into the double sided deep sinks, keeping her back to both Caroline and Sarah. The rushing of water over the glasses the only noise.

Finally Becca broke the silence.

“Why doesn’t Merrick trust William?” she asked, methodically washing the cups. It was silent for a moment, a heavy sigh passing Caroline’s lips.

“Finding out about William’s addiction plays a lot into it,” she finally answered. “It’s not something to be taken lightly.”

“Why not? It’s our true nature. It’s what we were meant to do.” Becca tried to defend his actions.

“Maybe so but it doesn’t make it any less serious,” Caroline countered. “What you are all doing, the risk you take, and it is great. And William pushing that is reckless. He doesn’t consider the consequences.” It was off-putting to Becca to hear his own mother talk about her son in such a way.

Becca saw William so different than the rest of his family did. They didn’t see it. His strength. He carried the weight of all of them on his shoulders. She saw that. No matter the circumstances surrounding them. His thoughts swirled in her mind incessantly. It was a dark place, she was learning. His detachment from his family but yet it did not keep him from fearing for them. Fear losing them. She could feel the walls he had fortified between him and them. It reminded her of Z.

He too had walls fortified around him. Only a very select few able to join him inside. Nikki for one, Becca and occasionally Danny. Z was the funny guy usually and the free spirit. But ultimately he was a private guy and didn’t reveal much about himself to anyone.

“You say reckless but yet you just don’t see him like I do. Maybe you never will.” It occurred to her that no one would ever quite see him the same way as she did. His body pulsed inside hers. Like they were one. In tune with the other’s mind, body and soul. She would always see him in a different light.

“Becca, he spent the better part of six years actively hunting and feeding on humans. Putting not only himself at risk but his entire family. Not to mention the risk of being discovered by humans.” Caroline wasn’t about to play down to his discretions.

Becca finally turned and leaned against the counter, eyeing both her own mother and Caroline. Something finally twitched inside of her, and for a second she felt what William felt. Betrayal. It flashed in her eyes.

“Maybe if we had known what we were years ago. Maybe if you had owned up to your own mistakes. And maybe if you put yourself in his shoes, you would all understand better.” She tossed the dish rag she had been turning around her fingers to the counter and pushed away from it. “Altered memories, buried Heirs does not take away the carnal urge we are all bound by. He may not have known what he was consciously, but deep in his mind
it
knew. It knew what he was and what he was meant for. You say he was reckless. I say don’t throw stones.”

Sarah and Caroline were struck silent. No words came out. They just stared as she left the room, nearly running into William at the bottom of the stairs. He had been listening.

“Thank you,” he said. Hearing her speak so highly of him. So sure of who he was. It gave him comfort. Someone understood him when no one else did.

“I knew you before you were ever my Heir,” she whispered, pushing up on her toes to kiss him. “Before my mind merged with yours. Your feelings with mine. My body with yours. I knew.”

“I’d do it all again just to hear you say those very words.”

An unusual heat wave swept through Raymont, leaving the old farm house hot and humid. Lacking in modern day amenities such as central a/c, the air in the house was stagnant and thick.

The low humming of a window fan filled the room Miranda and Markus were in. Both lay nearly naked trying to survive the heat wave. Markus in nothing but boxers. Miranda a matching pink cotton bra and panties.

“It shouldn’t be allowed to be this hot after say August,” Markus remarked.

“It would do this every year, you just don’t remember,” Miranda reminded him. “Remember Senior year of High school? It was so hot that fall we lived in Picket basin. Every second we could.”

“Yeah I remember.” He rolled to her side now, a playful look in his eyes. His fingers tickled up her tummy, leaving a trail of heat in its wake. Leaning down, he kissed her shoulder. “Remember how we would sneak out after my mom and your dad went to bed.”

“Wanna go for old time sake?” She smiled big, her eyes lighting up. “We could sneak out.”

The notion was ridiculous. Silly. But it sent a thrill through the both of them and they both jumped from the bed. Quick to pull on as little clothing as possible. One head poked out of the room; Miranda looked down both ends of the hall. It was quiet and dark.

“Shhh…come on.” She giggled. They both felt young again. Excited at just the thrill of escaping the confines of the house. Sneaking out to relive an intimate moment. And just escape their parents, siblings and uncles.

The two slowly made their way across the hall and to the top of the stairs. A dim glow coming from the living room. One step at a time they descended the stairs, keeping their eyes trained on the lit room. Coming to the last step both had to stifle a giggle. Craeden was sound asleep, a book leaning against his chest.

“Ha, this is too good.” Markus tried hard to keep from laughing. “Like too many times in the past.”

“Grab William’s keys,” Miranda whispered, tiptoeing towards the open front door.

Markus went into the kitchen and as he turned the corner nearly had a heart attack. William stood there, an amused look on his face and his arms crossed. He’d heard them before their feet touched the last step.

“Grab my keys for what?” It made Markus jump. His knee jerk reaction made him punch his brother hard in the arm. William started laughing, already knowing what they were doing.

“Damn it, William. Shhhh…” Markus cursed, still holding his chest, his heart racing now. He peeked around the corner and sighed at the sight of Craeden still sleeping.

“27 years old and you two are still sneaking out of the house.” William laughed harder this time. Markus glared at him. “I won’t tell mom or Craeden; don’t worry, your secret is safe with me,” he teased, opening the fridge, reaching for a fresh blood bag.

“I hate you,” Markus declared, grabbing the keys from their hook.

William poured the contents into two glasses and tossed the bag into the trash. “Ha, wait till Tobias finds out you’re defiling his daughter. Tsk tsk.” He laughed even harder now. William was beginning to feel his old self again. His relationship with his brother and Miranda finally feeling normal again.

“I’m taking your truck,” Markus said, hiding an amused smile.

“Yeah, yeah, have fun.” William waved them off, glasses in hand and already rounding the corner. Markus shook his head and started for the door. William appeared in front of him again. He jumped out of his skin. “Don’t scratch it.”

“Errr. William, damn you. Stop that,” he growled.

William chuckled. “Just want the moment to feel authentic. Not the first time I’ve caught you two sneaking away.”

“Go away would ya.” Markus smiled now.

He hurried from the house, shaking his head as he got behind the wheel of the truck. Miranda smiled and hid her face.

“What?”

“Like old times huh?” She giggled.

“Oh you knew he was there.” Markus narrowed his eyes at his intuitive girlfriend as he started the truck. “Evil.”

She laughed hard, her face turning red now. It was the first time in a while that she felt any kind of normalcy. For once the stress of everything was a distant concern. Right now it was just her and Markus. The way it usually was.

They went to a spot not too far from the farm house. Another little gem hidden deep within the rural town. Parking the truck in the familiar field, the two jumped from the truck and made their way into the thick tree lined woods. There was no path but they walked as if there was one. Hand in hand, they weaved in and out of the trees as they went deeper into its embrace. The sky above peeked through, giving way to the bright moon shining overhead. Casting soft shadows against the ground around them.

The earth came to a slope, dirt overtook the grass and cautiously they lowered down it. The sound of the earth beneath them shaking loose as they navigated it. Each step deliberate until finally they came to a flat grassy space. The earth dropped off and below them was a large pond. It was fed by a small creek that led away from Picket Lake, into the woods and down into it. The dirt and gravel filtering it as it flowed down off the rocks, and filling the basin with beautifully clear water. Its seclusion was surrounded by trees, foliage and rock. In their younger days the high school kids had come to swim, drink and party, but now it was a forgotten gem.

And for tonight that was okay by Markus and Miranda.

Slowly they made their way down the forgotten path, holding on to the rocks as they did, to the bottom.

Miranda pulled her clothes off and walked down to the edge of the water. Her feet submerged into the coolness, giving her instant relief from the stifling heat. She pushed farther, the water climbing up her body and washing away the sweat that had been glistening on her skin.

Markus followed and stopped just behind her, indulging for a moment in the coolness surrounding him. Happy to feel some relief from the sultry blanket surrounding them. His arms snaked around her waist and he pulled her body to his. Miranda pressed against him, letting her head fall back on his shoulder. She could feel him smile against the skin of her neck, his nose caressing up to her ear as he inhaled her scent.

He may not admit it to the masses of his family but she did drive him crazy; she always had.

She turned to meet him face to face now. His hands closed around her cheeks and she closed the gap, their lips crushing against each other. Their tongues twisted together.

Miranda let her head fall back, the ends of her hair submerged in the water. Markus’ hands traveled the length of her body, bringing them to rest on her butt. He pulled her closer to him and she could feel his hardness. His lips pressed against the middle of her throat, and a thrill coursed through him. She moaned, her body grinded against his naked body.

Markus’ hand lifted her leg and he pulled her up. Her arms went up around his neck and she brought her other leg up around him. Their bodies pulsed against each other and he entered her. She inhaled sharply and nuzzled into his neck. Letting her tongue glide over the sweet pulse beneath his skin and down to his shoulder. Her bite came down on him strong. His arm wrapped around her waist, and the other came up to the back of her neck. A strong hand held her to the spot. Miranda drank from him deeply, a fire igniting in her soul. Spreading through her insides.

Her eyes shot open, the full force of the Heiress taking over, and they filled with a deep dark pink. Markus controlled the rhythm. Bringing her body up and down, his breath quickening. His fingers tangled into her hair and he fisted it. Gently he pulled, forcing her to release him. The look in her eyes, their glowing pink, sent urgency through him.

Drinking from each other was not a new notion. He wanted his turn. His fill.

Miranda’s hands rested on his shoulders and she took control now, her pace slowed and Markus marked his spot. Nipping at the base of her neck. He kissed it and then sank his fangs deep into her. Bringing his hands back to her bottom, he tightened his grip and brought her down hard. She cried out. Electricity played in his vision. Blues and greens mixed and sparked to life.

Her body soared towards a euphoric pleasure, and she tightened around him. Fingers closed around the back of his head as she came down hard again. “Markus…” Barely a whisper passed her lips. With every exhalation she moaned. The core deep in her belly pulsed and tingled.

The water surrounding them began to ripple and boil. Bubbles rose to the surface. The earth shook around them. Rocks and dirt jarred loose from the walls of the basin, dropping and feeding into the depths below.

Visions of individual Heirs and Heiresses filled their minds. Faces of their predecessors. The inner workings of their minds seeded in. Combat, wars, battles raced into their vision. And just as before their minds, bodies and souls combined to form one entity in two bodies.

Markus brought his hand up to her cheek, his thumb caressing it. She leaned into the coolness of it. He kissed her hard and he kissed her deeply. They pulled away, and their eyes met and simmered.

“Let’s just stay in this moment forever,” she whispered. He smirked. Markus could see her differently now. In the light of the moon above them, her greatness showed through and it made him marvel.

His fingers pushed the hair from the side of her face. “Ha, you’d like that, wouldn’t you?”

“Well yeah. Just me and you, like it used to be.” Her fingers interlaced behind his neck. She fell silent again, her mind going over what it saw. The war and bloodshed played over and over. “A war is coming.” It was a matter of fact. There was no room for argument, she knew it was true. Could feel it in her bones.

Markus nodded. “I know.” He too saw it. A warning. A small whisper from the Heirs. Before they would ever step up into their thrones, there would be war. Nations would collide.

“She’s powerful,” Miranda revealed as they came up onto the small beach and she reached for her shorts.

“I know, I can feel her in you…in me….that sounds weird.” He stopped and thought about it for a moment.

Pulling her shirt over her head, she giggled at him. “No it doesn’t sound weird, I knew what you meant.”

A piercing light filled her vision, pain scraped through her skull. Miranda stumbled backwards and tripped over a log. She hit the ground hard, an aching pulse running the length of her spine.

“Miranda!” Markus’ shirt dropped from his fingers and he ran to her. “What is it? Miranda? What is it?”

The blinding light somehow got brighter, and murmuring filled her ears. She cupped her hands over her ears trying to drown it all out. Miranda could feel the heat of Markus’ hands against her cheek but his voice was distant.

Images danced on her eye lids. Pictures. She saw Becca and William. The truck on its side in the yard of the farmhouse. The voices got louder but she couldn’t make them out. Someone was entering the house. A man.

“Miranda please, talk to me,” Markus begged her. “What are you seeing?”

The man turned and she got a glimpse of who it was. Her eyes shot open in disbelief. She took in a sharp breath and her hands reached up and gripped to Markus. Her vision returned and the voices stopped.

“We have to get back to the farmhouse,” she insisted, already getting up. Markus grabbed her by the shoulders and twisted her to look at him.

“What did you see?”

“Viktor is coming for Becca.” Her eyes filled with fear.

“What? When?”

“Now, Markus, we have to go,” she told him, already walking away from him.

“Fucking little cockroach,” Markus growled, grabbing his shirt from the ground.