The ringing of my cell phone drug me to consciousness. Damn if it didn’t sound like a wailing cat. I picked it up hit the talk icon. “Yeah!” I said a little to rudely.
“Where the hell are you?” That would be my sister on the other end pissed about something that I will most likely be blamed for.
“I’m in my room, T.” I answered looking around, “You know the one with the concert posters on the wall as well as that large Native American tapestry with two wolves that look surprisingly like the two of us. Where the hell did you think I’d be?”
“I thought you’d be here in Boston not at mom and dad’s” She replied. Yep, she was pissed at me.
“Sorry, after yesterday and the past week I thought it would be best to bring Khloe up here to recover,” I answered as I blinked my eyes trying to focus on said posters. Hearing a noise, I turned forgetting I was on the phone, my mouth dropped open. Khloe came in with two steaming cups of coffee and a smile.
“Dorian?” Talia asked. A few seconds went by. “DORIAN!?” She yelled my name snapping me out of the trance I was in.
“Yeah sorry, T. What did you say?”
“Khloe is standing there naked, isn’t she?” My ever-perceptive sister asked.
“Ah yeah.”
Talia chuckled, “Joseph and I are coming up. We’ll stop by the store to pick up some more food, enough for the four of us. That should give you two about four hours to get ready.”
I might have said ok to Talia and then again, I might not have. I tossed the phone on the nightstand. Giving my undivided attention to the lovely woman with fresh coffee. “That was T. Her and Joseph are coming up. She said we had about four hours before they get here.”
A sly smile spread across her face. “Well in that case.” She said setting the cups down on the nightstand. She climbed on the bed making her way over to me, pulling the sheets away as she straddled me asking. “What do you have in mind, Mr. Callahan?” As she leaned down to nip at my lips before devouring my mouth with hers. I think I might have moaned when she moved her hips taking control of the situation.
A couple of hours later I came out of the shower to find Khloe dressed in a pair of Capri pants and flowing white shirt. I knew it probably had some other name, but I’d be damned if I knew what it was. I went over to my dresser, pulled out a pair of worn jeans and a concert tee. After getting dressed we headed downstairs to brew some more coffee since we never got to have the cup that Khloe had brought up to the bedroom.
Talia and Joseph arrived just as I finished making breakfast. Talia looked at the two of us with a smirk. “Clothes?” She asked. Joseph had a perplexed look on his face. Khloe burst out laughing and I just shook my head at her comment.
“Babe, why wouldn’t they be wearing clothes?” Joseph asked.
Talia looked at him her face softening. “Because dear one, the first time these two…” pointing at the two of us, “spent the night together. I caught my brother cooking her breakfast in nothing but an apron with Khloe sitting there naked as the day she was born, devouring him with her eyes like he was the best piece of Swiss chocolate she’d ever found.” Joseph got that ‘OH’ look on his face.
I walked over handing them both a plate full of eggs, sausage links and toast. “Here, let me save you from saying the wrong thing. Go, eat. We’ll talk over breakfast.” Dad’s kitchen had all the latest high-end commercial grade appliances. He was the one who loved to cook in the family. Something that I seemed to inherit. Talia couldn’t even make toast without burning it. It was modern looking with white Shaker style cabinets, custom concrete countertops with sea glass backsplash. We all went over to the kitchen table that seated six. It was a simple butcher block style table. My parents had had this thing since Talia and I were little.
Once we were all settled Talia looked across to me. “Craig told me a little about mom and dad. How we are now the Alpha’s of the New England Pack. What does all this mean? What are we going to do? We need to go get Khloe’s parents back, but now we don’t have the book.” Before she could ramble on any more I held my hand up to stop her.
“Slow down T. That’s one reason I came up here. We need time to figure out what we are going to do. Also, I need to give Craig and Thomas time to get the message out to the pack about the changes.”
Before I could continue there was knock at the front door. We all stopped looking around. Khloe and Talia were first to react. They both went to the counter and pulled out large knives from the holder, you know the type that most people have in their kitchens that hold their steak, butcher, and larger carving knives. Talia pulled out the Butcher knife and Khloe went for the ‘Michael Myers’ carving knife. Joseph pulled out his pistol from a back holster. I stood then made my way from the kitchen through to the foyer. Everyone else moved into position to cover me.
Before opening the door, I hesitated. “I smell vampire.” The fact that a vampire was out in the daytime didn’t surprise me. They don’t burst into flames due to the sunlight. It just puts them into a comatose state, slows down their reaction time and overall speed. The older ones can go out during the day but rarely do. That meant this one was very old if he was willing to come to a home that had four shifters and a witch.
“Dorian Callahan, I do not intend to do you and yours any harm. I think we can help each other.” The voice from beyond the door said.
I looked over to Khloe, she nodded. Then, I glanced over to Talia and Joseph they too nodded.
I opened the door saying “You have me at a disadvantage. You know who I am but I don’t know very many vampires. Definitely not any old enough to be out during the day.” The man in front of me was six foot, had slicked back dark brown hair, amber colored eyes, and a goatee. He was dressed in charcoal slacks with a blue business shirt, no tie, cuffs opened and rolled up slightly to about his forearms. The beginning of a tattoo on his right forearm showed.
“I beg your pardon. I am Esteban.” He said his Spanish accent evident now with the door open. He extended his hand to me.
“Dorian pleased to meet you,” I replied taking his hand. His grip was firm but not overbearing. “Please, come in. I would like to know how you knew we were here.” I pulled the door open to allow Esteban inside. I notice that Khloe, Talia, and Joseph were now in the living room.
I escorted him to the living room. “Esteban, let me introduce you to Talia, my sister, Joseph her mate, and Khloe my mate.” He shook each of their hands before looking at me. “We were just sitting down for breakfast can I get you anything?” I asked.
“Coffee please.” He answered. I noticed his eyebrows lift slightly in surprise. Probably wasn’t expecting such hospitality after what we had all endured.
Leading him into the kitchen I offered him a seat at the table. I went over to the cabinet pulled out a coffee mug pouring him a cup. Holding up the cup. “How do you take it?”
“Black, thank you.”
I handed him the coffee cup. “What brings you to us? I figured all the vampires would be flocking to Kirin, now that he has returned. His priests have taken care of the Elders that would have opposed him.” At the mention of what happened to his Elders, there was flash of emotion across his face just for a second before he schooled his features. Was that anger? No. Fury? That’s what it was. He’s pissed about the mention of Kirin and his priests.
Before I could say something, Khloe interrupted my train of thought. “You were there, weren’t you? When Kirin was overthrown and ‘killed’?” She asked, that last part with air quotes.
He looked down at his cup with both hands wrapped around it. Thinking? No, remembering. He appeared to have that faraway look in his eyes. I knew that look all too well. Many combat veterans get it when remembering what they went through.
He looked up meeting Khloe’s eyes. “Si, I was there along with my dear friend, Gustavo. We were dispatched by the Elders in Europe. It was but a handful of years earlier that a Spanish expedition got shipwrecked along the Yucatan coast. There was one who survived and returned to Spain some five years later with strange tales about savages who made sacrifices to a living god. You must understand that this was during the time of the Inquisition. The Catholic Church was very interested in whoever this upstart heretic was. What you may or may not know is that the Vampires have had their own spies among the clergy. Especially in those days when anything out of the ordinary would see you tied to a pole and burned at the stake.
“When the Elders heard of this, they believed that he was a vampire long thought to be dead. Even in those days, Kirin was over two thousand years old. From what I was permitted to read in those days, the falling out between Kirin and the Elders was akin to a World War in these times. I can assure you that Kirin is long dead. For I was the one who took his head and burned his body. I do not know who this new pretender is. It could be one of his High Priests. That would explain why the other Blood Priests have reappeared after all these years.”
“Blood Priests?” I asked Esteban curious about this title.
“Si, the Blood Priests were the ones who oversaw all of the human sacrifices that were carried out in Kirin’s name. They would collect all the blood from the body so that they could use it to dye their clothes and armor as well as bathe in it. They were also known for eating the hearts of their victim’s moments after the kill.” Both Talia and Khloe looked at me with astonishment on their faces. Esteban noticed this exchange. “You have seen one of these Blood Priests?”
“Twice. The first time was right after a group of rogue shifters, from our pack, attacked a Vampire apartment building killing your Elders. Then, last night when we were taking care of those rogue shifters. He showed up once the witch who had accompanied us proceeded to betray us using her magic to prevent us from stopping her and this Blood Priest from retrieving the Book of Souls. Then they teleported right in front of us.”
He looked thoughtful after my description of the events. “The priests have an ability to teleport wherever they need to. The only requirement is that it requires them to feed on the hearts of their victims. Something about the energy in the heartblood together with their brand of sorcery allows them to do this.” We all looked at him for an explanation.
“Maybe, I should tell you what happened to me and Gustavo. Like I was saying the Elders found out about Kirin. They wanted him destroyed and his cursed book returned to them. We were sent to the New World along with one of the Conquistador expeditions sent by the church. They were charged to find gold for the crown. While the church sent priests to convert the heathen savages. Neither Gustavo or I cared for the gold. We had been vampires for about two hundred years at that point and had both amassed a sizeable fortune. It was the easiest way for us to travel across the Atlantic. Once we made landfall it was nothing for us to separate ourselves from the normal humans making our way inland to search for Kirin.
“After about two weeks of travelling we came across a local whose size and appearance dismayed us. For he was enormous for a man from the region. He had to be well over six feet. His name was Omek. We later learned that he was the leader of the Eagle Warriors. I believe that he was one of your ancestors Khloe.”
“Yes, he was. He was the one responsible all those years ago, for hiding the book.” She answered softly.
“Omek along with the cat shifters, Jaguar Warriors, knew where this Kirin lived. They knew Kirin was a vampire but had no way to counter him and his priests. At this point, Kirin had ruled these people for over fifteen hundred years. To them, he was a god eternal.”
“How did you defeat him then? He’s not only an extremely old vampire but he was also a sorcerer.” I asked curious as to how two groups of shifters and a couple of vampires managed to do what no one else had been able to at that point.
Esteban looked down at his cup and took a deep breath slowly exhaling before he continued with his story. “Gustavo was the reason we were able to defeat him. Somewhere in his past, he must have had a witch in the family. He wasn’t as talented as you, Khloe, or your father. What he lacked in strength he made up for in cunning. The shifter clans were to take out the priests, freeing the people. Gustavo and I were to take out Kirin. We had hoped that the distraction the clans created would give us the opportunity to get close. We circled around to approach the temple from the rear near the edge of the jungle. Our signal to go would be when the clans struck. Strike they did coming from all sides in both their animal and human forms. Before the priests could even register what was going on, I would say that close to half of the priests were down.
“This was our sign. Gustavo cloaked us in a kind of invisibility that allowed us to pass unnoticed. Having discarded most of our metal armor for stealth and speed we made good time reaching the top of the temple. There was a large stone table or sacrificial alter behind an immense fire that was burning. It looked like there were drains set into the stone for the blood to collected from each offering. Kirin stood shirtless at the head of the alter arms raised to the heavens holding one of those cursed blades that all his priests seem to have. His skin had a reddish hue to it, but the longer I studied him I realized that it was blood that covered his naked torso, arms, and head.
“A rustling noise drew my attention away from Kirin, over to where two of his priests were leading a villager to the stone alter. There was little struggle from the sacrifice almost like she was drugged, or bewitched by the priests. That was when Gustavo and I heard a cry from above as a giant golden eagle dove for the priests. Kirin lowered his arms, looked around the immediate area and said something in the native’s tongue. I learned later that it meant ‘kill them all’.
“That was when Gustavo and I struck. Gustavo reached Kirin a half step before I did. As he struck with his sword, the blade was stopped by that massive obsidian blade of Kirin’s breaking Gustavo’s sword. He raised his hand to cast, what I would think was a shield of some kind, but he was too slow. With a blinding fast backslash, Kirin removed Gustavo’s head from his shoulders. This happened as I plunged my sword through Kirin’s back. He screamed in outrage, ‘The Elders have finally sent their assassins after me.’ As I pulled my sword out of his back, he spun to meet me head-on. I swung my sword in reflex, feeling resistance at first but my enhanced vampire strength cut through Kirin’s spine severing his head.
“Once Kirin’s head left his body it was like a spell was broken. The villagers snapped out of whatever was keeping them in place. They began helping the clans by fighting back. Once the surviving priests saw that they were outnumbered, and Kirin was dead, they began teleporting away. The head priest went after the book but was attacked by that eagle again. The eagle’s cry snapped me out of my reverie. I rushed over to the priest knocking him into the blazing fire.
“I walked over to where Gustavo had fallen. I knelt to say a prayer for his soul. As I stood up I took everything in. I observed Omek standing next to the young woman, who was supposed to be Kirin’s sacrifice. He was holding the grimoire talking quietly with her. I picked up Kirin’s head and tossed it into the fire then, bent down to grab ahold of his body and dragged it over to the fire.” Once finished he stood up from the kitchen table and looked at us.
“What happened after the battle?” I asked.
“Omek took the book with him. The other shifters who lived in the area helped relocated the surviving villagers. I buried Gustavo and helped the remaining shifters with burning all the buildings leaving just the temple behind. I stayed in the region for about a hundred years making sure that the blood priests didn’t return.” He answered.
“Why here? Why us?” Talia asked skeptical of his intentions.
He sighed before he answered. “Because unlike my fellow vampires, I do not think I am superior to the other supernatural races.” He paused. Looked at Khloe before continuing, “I owe Omek a debt for what your people did to help me. I am also intrigued about Kirin’s supposed appearance since I know he is truly dead.”
Talia nodded her understanding.
“I have more questions but they are going to have to wait. Talia and I have a lot of things we need to discuss. Would it be possible for us to get together this evening or possibly tomorrow night, which might be better?” I asked as I stood up.
“Si, tomorrow evening would be fine. I will bid you all good day until tomorrow evening.” Esteban said.
“Great, let’s exchange numbers. I’ll text you later with a time.” I offered as I escorted Esteban to the door.
I walked back into the living room to find Talia sitting in Joseph’s lap on the sofa with Khloe patting the spot next to her on the love seat. Sitting down, I grabbed Khloe’s hand in mine raising it to my lips to kiss. I then looked over to Talia and filled her in on what our parents had told me in regards to the Fallen and our new position of leadership in the pack.
We spent the rest of the afternoon making phone calls to Craig, Lela, and the other pack Alpha’s around the country. We needed to get the word out about these Blood Priests, as Esteban had called them explaining that allegiances with the Vampires was in question since we expected most of the younger ones began to flock to this new Kirin.
Arraignments were made for the pack to meet at our place in New Hampshire. Talia and I needed our pack members to meet the two of us. Most knew who we were but with any leadership change we needed to let them know that our mother’s policies would be staying in place. We would also be asking for volunteers to come with us when we went to rescue Khloe’s parents.