Whisper to Me (Borne Vampires Book 1) (24 page)

He handed Walker the medallion back. “Thank you,
Alex, for saving us from Jarrod.”

“Actually,” he handed the medallion back to
Mariah, “if I hadn’t had Mariah in my life, I would have truly become Damned.”

She closed his fingers around the medallion,
smiling at him. “Alexander, it belongs with you. It’s served its purpose in
protecting me. It should return to you.”

“Mariah, please forgive me for leaving you and for
the spell. I did not want to cheat you of your heritage. It is why I had Relle
contain your vampire blood, in case you wanted to join us.”

“I’m just sorry you had to serve my uncle. If only
you knew the medallion was made of pure silver, you would have known you
weren’t evil.”

A small smile curved Walker’s mouth as he slipped
the chain around his neck, tucking the medallion underneath his shirt. “I knew
it was made of silver. I took it off when … well, it doesn’t matter now. I can
wear it once more.”

Rathe took Mariah’s hand in his, her beautiful
eyes fierce. “We have been misled by the Laws of the Borne and worse — the
teachings of my own father.”

“We shall change that,” she said, “won't we?”

“She's right, you know,” Walker said. “We have to
stop the madness.”

“I agree. First, let’s take care of the dead and
set them free.”

They left Jarrod for last. Gathered around his
body, shoulder to shoulder, they formed a circle around the body. Rathe folded
his hands. “Although he was a monster, evil beyond redemption, I chose to
remember Jarrod when he was a man of honor: a Slayer and my friend.” He took
the bottle of Holy water Mariah handed him and sprinkled it on Jarrod's body. Flames
quickly engulfed it. “Be free, my friend. May Aidan be waiting for you on the
other side.”

In silence, they watched the breeze sweep up the
ashes, carrying them away. Mariah wiped away her tears. They stared at her,
astonished she cried for Jarrod.

She explained, “All Jarrod wanted in the end was
his soul back. He is at peace now.” Mariah took her daughter’s hand in hers.
“Yes, we will make it right for those who were misled, like Alexander and his
men were. However, to those who willingly gave up their souls
—
no mercy.” Her words
were hard, filled with the determination of a Demon Slayer.

Rathe was surprised when Walker and his men,
including Faeroes, Anya, Mina, and Simon cheered her words. She was right. They
were in for a war to save people, not execute them.

One of the vampires asked him, “If we are not
Damned, does that mean we can return to the earth?”

Rathe shrugged his shoulders. “I would have to say
yes. If you are able to touch silver and a cross, you should be able to go to
ground as well.”

The man held his hand out, his face scrunched as
he concentrated. Snow, frozen dirt peeled back, creating a grave. “Ten years
I’ve lived in hell. Ten years sleeping in a wooden coffin because my parents
told me I had lost my soul when I accidently killed a woman I’d fed on. The
guilt I carried around, her death, always in my nightmares.”

Walker put his hand on the man’s shoulder. “It’s
alright now, Jim. We’re free.”

“Dawn,” Mina said quietly. As one, they looked to
the east and saw the break in the dark line of the horizon. “Mariah, can Kai
can sleep with me? I can monitor her and make sure she shuts down completely.”

“Rathe?”

Soothing Mariah’s apprehension, he assured her, “Kai
will be fine. Won’t you?” he asked Kai, who nodded.

“Yep, I’ll be fine. Mina’s with me in here.” Kai tapped
her temple. She smiled at Walker. “Thanks for saving me. The wolf nearly had me.”

They stared at Walker, who reddened at their
perusal. “I swore to your grandmother that I would protect you and your mother.
I’ve
never
broken my word,” he said last
to Mariah, whose eyes glistened with unshed tears as she smiled at him.

Simon walked Lydia into the house. Returning
moments later, he stood beside Faeroes and Anya. Rathe made a grave for the
girls, who floated down into it. Ensuring Kai's body had shut down and was
sleeping the sleep of the vampires, Rathe covered them.

Walker opened a grave. “It’s been two hundred
years since I lay in the earth. Amazing.” His green eyes glowed as he turned
and floated down into his grave.

After the dirt covered Walker, Rathe made one for
him and Mariah. Taking her hands in his, he drew in a deep breath, letting it
out shakily. “Back at the cabin, I’m sorry.”

“About what?”

“No dhampir should fear they will be hunted
because of the Law.”

“The Borne Laws need to be changed.”

“Aye, and those falsely accused will have justice.
I swear it.”

“I’ll hold you to it, Slayer.” She slipped her arms
around his neck, kissing him. Crushing her to him, he held her as they floated down
to the welcoming soil.

✝✝✝

After sunset, Rathe ‘willed’ the dirt off them as
he opened their grave. Mariah leapt out, he followed her. Kai and Mina’s grave
opened, and the girls leapt out. Sighing in relief, Kai’s first time in the
ground had gone without mishap.

 
Kai grinned
impishly as she ran into her mother’s arms. “I’m an official vampire!”

“Yes, honey, you are.” Mariah rolled her eyes at
her daughter’s enthusiasm.

After Alexander ordered his men to search the
woods for any vamps or ghouls come looking for Jarrod or them, Rathe asked him,
“Did Jarrod share his plans, operations, who he employed, with you?”

“Yes, I was privy to his so-called kingdom, the
ends and outs. Why?”

“I want to call a meeting, an invite to those who
could possibly have souls amongst the Damned. Have you a suggestion how it can
be accomplished without rousing the demon vamps and the Elders’ suspicions?”

“I might have a way to spread the word through a
network of confidants. Where do you want to meet?”

“Santa Cruz, California. In four day. We can discuss
the future there.”

“Do you want my men to stand guard over you and
your family while you travel?”

“Thanks, but we’d best keep our groups small,
avoiding detection that way.”

Faeroes approached them. “Rathe, what you’re
planning can get us hunted down by our own kind.”

“I know. We have to risk it. There are others out
there like Alexander. Others like us, who are on the run because we don’t agree
with the Elders. Faeroes, I understand if you don’t want—”

“Rathe, you know better. I’ve been ready to take
on the Elders for a long time. Anya and I are in.”

“Yeah, I can imagine Anya’s in for a little
payback since the Elders told her she was not worthy to be a Slayer.”

She gave him an arched glare. “Their actual words
were ‘a woman wasn’t strong enough to hunt demons and could be easily turned’.”

Faeroes snorted. “If only they’d seen my Anya in
action. None of their so-called ‘best’ hunters can match her skills as a Slayer.”

Anya’s defensiveness eased and her silver eyes glistened.
“You and your father stood by me when the Elders tried to execute me for
hunting without their consent. Their blindness toward the Damned has not
changed since then. It’s time we opened their eyes to the carnage done to the
innocent.”

Taking her hand in his, Faeroes kissed it. “Yes,
my love, for those lost, we will see the Laws changed.”

“Better than changed,” Rathe said gruffly. “I plan
to make the Elders held accountable for their actions, or lack of.”

Alexander’s men returned, reporting the woods
cleared for ten miles in every direction. “Rathe, I plan to keep Jarrod’s death
quiet for the time being. If the Damned knew they were leaderless, it would be
chaos.”

“Do you have an actual number of the Damned?”
Mariah asked, concerned.

“Last count had our ranks at two hundred
thousand.”

“Two hundred thousand demon vamps?” Rathe repeated,
stunned at the news.

“Gets worse. On Jarrod’s orders, the Damned have
been killing the Borne vampires, not turning them. Your kind — our kind,” he
amended, “are severely outnumbered.”

“Is that why you and your men rebelled?”

“Partly.” Alexander’s features hardened as he
glanced at Kai. “Jarrod gave the order to turn human teenagers two weeks ago. I
could not allow it.” He and his men disappeared.

“Children were never turned before?”

Rathe shook his head. “No. It was an unspoken rule
for both sides never to cross. Never feed on a child. The Damned seemed to
embrace it, killing their own if an attack had left a child compromised.”

“Wow, honor amongst demons.”

“In a way.” Rathe scratched his chin. “Faeroes,
should we leave now?”

“Aye, let’s head out.”

“You heard him. Let’s get going.”

Flying back to her house, he smiled when he saw
the black, brand-new SUV parked in her driveway. Mariah landed beside it.

“Where did the car come from?”

He shrugged. “I owed you a car since yours was
destroyed when we first met.”

“Thank-you.” She curled her hand around his neck,
kissing him. The spell was broken when he heard the girls giggling.

“Hmmm,” he said, “I guess we’d better loaded the
SUV and hit the road.”

Laughing, she agreed. “Yeah, we’d better.” She
opened the back of the SUV. “Kai, run upstairs and get my clothes, please? Rathe,
should I have Rona and David meet us in California, or is it safe for them to
return to their home?”

“Tell them to head home. Have her call her
brother, too. It’s safe for them, too.”

She reached for her cell phone and stopped,
staring past him. Turning, he saw Mina kneeling beside their mother’s grave. He
and his brothers went to stand beside her. Mina rose to her feet. When she
looked at him, he saw the dark resolve in her eyes.
 
Exchanging a worried look with Faeroes, they
were lost how to help her.

Listening to Mariah talk to Rona, he saw she was
trying not to cry as she asked her friend to keep her dogs until after the
meeting. Would she and Kai leave afterwards, returning to their home and build
a new life without him in it? A pang of sadness struck his heart. He did not
want her to leave him, powerless to stop her if she did.

Anya and Faeroes had their car ready. “Simon, are
you and Lydia coming with us?”

“No, we’re gonna rent a car of our own.”

No one asked why, but by Lydia’s blush, they had a
pretty good idea what they were about. Rathe grasped Simon in a hug. “Don’t
take any risks or speed. Stay under the radar. We don’t want any attention
brought upon us. If the Elders catch wind what we’re doing, they could recall
the Slayers and send them hunting us.”

“We’ll be careful. See you in a couple of days.”
He lifted Lydia in his arms and flew away.

Anya surprised him when she hugged Mariah. Never
in his life had he seen his sister-in-law like any other woman outside the Romulas
clan. Winking at him, Anya walked back to the car and gracefully slid in.
Faeroes grinned at him.

“See you in California.”

Suitcases loaded in the SUV, he waited until
everyone had their seatbelts on before he drove back to the highway. How was he
going to convince the Borne vampires what they’d been taught was wrong?

“Rathe, I need
to ask you something.”

“Yes?”

“When Anya gave
me a sword, I-I just knew how to use it. Hell, having my gun on me is-is
natural.”
She frowned.
“How did
I know how to fight with a sword when I’ve never touched one before? Do you
think I attained the knowledge when I exchanged blood with you? Are memories
and instinct traded with the blood exchange from vampire to human? Is that what
the Elders are afraid of? Or is it because the Borne genetic gene pool would be
diluted, if they had children with the humans?”

Rathe looked as her sharply. “I never thought of
it that way before. Since you are the first human I’ve seen converted without
turning Damned, I haven’t an answer.”

“You know, Rathe, there might be a way to find others
like us, on the internet.”

“Why don’t you search and see?” He glanced back at
his sister. “Mina, can you grab Mariah’s computer for her? It’s in the back.”
To Mariah, he said, “I knew you’d need it for when this is over. You could go
back to writing.” There it was, out in the open. Before she could reply, Mina
held out the computer satchel.

“Here you go.” Mina handed it to her.

“
Th
-thank you.” She
pulled out the laptop and opened the lid.

Keeping one eye on the road, he observed her as
she browsed through hundreds of vampire sites. Most were humans pretending to
be vampires. Rathe glanced down at the bright screen, feeling a strange
compulsion.

“Click on that one.” Rathe concentrated on the
road as they waited for the website to download. When she nudged him, he read
it and chuckled. “Well, I'll be damned. Someone’s
looking for us!”

A message box popped up, requesting to talk with her.
“What do you want to say?”

“Tell them about the meeting.”

She typed in the box, a secretive smile on her
lips. The answer to her typing was happy faces across her screen. Shutting down
her computer, she put it back in the bag and set it aside. Lying down on the
bench seat, she used his thigh as a pillow. Smiling, he put his arm around her,
holding her.

“What did they say?” Rathe tried to think of other
things other than her head in his lap.

Chuckling at his discomfort, she answered, “They
said it was about time someone organized them.”

“They did, did they? I can't wait to meet them.”

“Well, there is something you need to know about
them first. They've ignored the Elders’ orders and have been hunting the Damned
on their own. They told me to tell you they would be honored to serve you.”