Chapter Three.
Eden
“T hey suspect something is wrong with the mansion,” I said as Jacques paced.
“Yes, I am aware, my love. But I don’t know how to allay their suspicions, nor can we spare the time to do so. We must find him and end this tonight.”
“Jacques, I can’t believe it’s only half-past three. It’s only been an hour and a half since we were invaded, and I’m worried about protecting them. Didn’t you feel the surge when they entered the house? Is there no one close we can call on?” I asked.
Jacques shook his head. “No. Sorry, I can’t sense anyone I’d trust to aid us. D’vid is in England, as is James. This has to end tonight; otherwise, a great evil shall rise.”
“Are we enough?”
“Eden, I have the blood of two Vam’pirs coursing through my veins, as do you, my darling. That makes you as powerful as a Firstborn. Together, we are strong.
“What if he calls for aid?”
“He can’t. He remains weak until his body is given life again. Tonight, he will attempt to crossover. How D’vid and the Tai’moriee discovered his whereabouts matters little. I can sense him here, and I will stop him,” Jacques promised.
Unsure, I nodded and stared into the flames of the fire we were in front of.
“These strangers, they were to be his victims, weren’t they? They were drawn here,” I mused.
“Yes, I suspect so,” Jacques agreed.
“Now we have sixteen people to protect,” I said, feeling pressured.
“Fourteen. I recognise Vladimir and Emmaline for what they are.”
“Pardon?” I asked, spinning to face him.
“Vladimir and Emmaline are supernatural, not mortal. He won’t be able to corrupt them as he hoped. They will be too strong,” Jacques replied.
“What are they? How strange that I sensed nothing.” And I hadn’t. Surely, being a Vam’pir, I should have realised if they were supernatural.
“They were once Protectors of the Jar of Evils, better known as Pandora’s box.
Their existence predates my time as a Vam’pir.
They are… loosely… Warriors of God. They protected the Jar, but Pandora freed the Evils.
Once loose, they attacked the guards protecting them.
The Evils changed their body shapes and burrowed into them as hosts.
The Legendary Shifters are not inherently evil, but they harbour evil within them.
Vladimir and Emmaline can’t be corrupted while they carry the Sins, as they call them,” Jacques explained.
“Well, I didn’t know they existed,” I gasped. The world of the paranormal remained largely unknown to me. Every passing day, I learned new things.
“Yes. The two lords, Daniel and Lucian, are not what they appear either. I’m aware of a family called the Nortons who belonged to God as his mortal warriors.
They stand as a defence against evil, and their story is vaguely known to me.
They were killed before their destiny had been fulfilled and recently returned to life.
Much like the Rakehell Six, which Daniel is a part of.
God has a plan, and we are not to interfere, my love,” Jacques said.
“What of the friends? Drake and Phoe and the rest of them?”
“They are mortal and of no special note. However, Phoenix Michaelson is renowned for her charitable work and for helping those in need. Through her philanthropic actions, they set the standard for others to follow. So, perhaps my words are wrong. They deserve a specific mention but have no powers. And I very much doubt they are aware of the supernatural.”
“How do we protect ten mortals, Jacques?”
“Carefully. Their loss in this world would dim a bright light. They show that old-fashioned values, those we honour, are valuable and worthy in today’s society.
The men’s souls are stained. However, I see a spark of greatness in each of them.
Our prey will not win tonight, for I doubt he realises what he has tempted. ”
“One can only hope,” I murmured, and Jacques pulled me close.
“Let’s hunt, and then we can go home to the children,” he said, and I nodded. That would be wonderful.
Rosie
Calamity was almost plastered to my back as we exited the bedroom and met everyone gathered in the hall.
None of us wished to separate, and we’d decided that there was safety in numbers.
Hell, I was spooked, and I knew I wasn’t alone.
Sabine remained pale while Vladimir and Lucian appeared poised for battle.
I shook myself. Battle ready? That was dramatic.
“Eden mentioned there was a kitchen below with food. I hate to say it, but I’m starving,” Nanci said.
“Let’s go find it. Can anyone remember where it was?” Inglorious asked.
“Yes. I took note, come,” Vladimir replied.
We made our way down the dark hallway. Even this was creepy as fuck.
Cobwebs hung here, and portraits of those long-forgotten hung on the walls.
There was a musty smell here that had a slightly rank tinge to it.
The walls felt like they were closing in, and I was relieved when we hit the landing with the main staircase.
Vladimir took the lead, and we followed him down and through another short passageway, which opened into a large kitchen.
“Interesting,” Lucian murmured, looking around.
“Let’s hope they’ve got sandwich fillings, because I don’t know how to cook with this!” Phoe stated as her nose wrinkled up.
Maggie grinned. “Good job I do. But we’ll need to clean here; we can’t possibly prepare food here.”
Maggie wasn’t far wrong. The now-requisite cobwebs hung low, dust covered every area, and grime and an oily-looking substance stained the worktops.
“Here, I found cleaning items,” Kate announced, opening a tall cupboard. She yanked out some supplies and placed them on a work surface.
“If we all muck in, this will be clean in no time,” Phoe said, rolling up the sleeves of her sweater.
“Did you bring the wrong suitcase?” Drake asked Lucian as he studied the man’s old-fashioned garments.
“No, this is my usual attire,” Lucian replied. He held Drake’s gaze with a haughty stare.
“Each to their own,” Drake muttered, and I giggled slightly.
Drake wasn’t wrong. Daniel, Sabine, Lucian, and Maggie all dressed in clothing belonging to a bygone era.
“Are those Regency?” I inquired.
“No. Georgian. An era I much miss…” Lucian smirked. “I read a lot and prefer their lifestyle to the modern one today.”
“Okay,” James replied, and like me, I guessed he didn’t understand.
Phoe had recognised them as nobility and addressed them by titles, but they didn’t seem bothered by having to roll up their sleeves and clean the kitchen. Within the hour, it was done, and Maggie was pulling food from the fridge.
“Someone chop the vegetables, and I’ll dice the meat,” she said.
I stepped up and grabbed the bag of potatoes she’d placed down. Phoe was rummaging through drawers and handed me a potato peeler. Sabine opened the carrots and began peeling them as Nanci discovered some loaves of bread, freshly baked, judging by the smell.
“Save them for tonight; they’ll go well with dinner,” Maggie said. Nanci nodded and rummaged through another cupboard, giving a triumphant hiss when she pulled several sliced loaves of bread out, too.
“What are we making?” I asked Maggie.
“Stew. Give it a couple of hours, and it’ll be ready. I suppose we could make sandwiches for now and eat dinner later. Sadly, the stew won’t have time to soak in the flavours, but it will be filling and plentiful,” she replied.
“Well, I can do sandwiches!” Nanci said. Inglorious headed to the fridge and began pulling out sandwich meat and cheese.
“How do you know how to cook if you’re a countess?”
Maggie looked up, and I smiled. “Because I wasn’t born into nobility. Once, I was a receptionist at a hotel that fired me. I won the lottery and bought six inns for my friends and myself. We all decided to manage one each. That’s where I met Lucian. The Jekyll and Hyde had belonged to him first.”
“Nice. Do you still run it?”
“No. I’ve a manager there now, but we spend a lot of time between it and Wollscombe.”
“Wollscombe?” Huh, was that an English town?
“Sorry, Wollscombe Hall. The family seat Lucian heads.”
“You mean an old English manor house? Wow, you live in one?” I was awed at the thought. Sure, Phoe had Reading Hall, but a real English Manor? I’d love to visit one.
“Yes, and Daniel and Sabine live in Oakwood Manor,” Maggie elaborated.
Clio joined us at the table, holding up suet and flour. “Hey, I can make dumplings,” she said happily.
“All good stews need dumplings,” Maggie agreed with a warm smile.
“I’ve found tea and coffee!” Kate exclaimed and hugged a jar. Maggie raised an eyebrow.
“You don’t want to meet the guys if they’ve not had their coffee fix in the morning,” I teased, and Maggie laughed.
“Lucian prefers tea, but he can be a real grouch, too!”
As we worked and chatted, Phoe washed up two huge stew pots, which we’d need judging by the amount of food we were preparing.
Maggie took them from her and placed them on the Aga stove.
She began mixing spices and water together and discovered some tins of beef broth.
She opened and poured them in as she threw in the chopped-up vegetables.
Just as she put everything on a low simmer, a growl ran through the house.
We all froze in position. It wasn’t a normal growl; it lingered, infiltrating the stone walls. There was a darkness and hunger to it that sent a chill running through me.
“What the hell?” Clio muttered, wide-eyed, as she looked around.
“Everyone heard that, right?” Nanci demanded.
“Yeah. Was that a dog?” Chance asked.
“That’s no dog I’ve ever encountered,” Calamity stated before I could.
A loud bang sounded from somewhere close, making us all jump. Then a scream raced through the house, and the hairs on the back of my neck stood up.
“Was that Eden?” Kate gasped.
“No, that didn’t sound human,” Emmaline replied, and I stared as she snapped her mouth shut.
“What do you mean?” Chance demanded.