Reborn in Fire Read online

  I took a deep breath, filling my nonfunctional lungs with unnecessary air. Then, I caught it. The overwhelming scent of blood that was just a few blocks away. My body tensed immediately. I shook my head. No. I had just fed. This wasn’t fair. The wind whipped my hair all around my face along with the deadly scent. I struggled to free my eyes from my hair and to mentally force the scent away. I moved too much without realizing it. The windowsill was no longer beneath me.

  My stomach dropped as I started to fall through the air at forty stories above the ground. Fear spiked through my veins as I saw the ground rushing towards me. A loud piercing scream filled the air and I realized that it was mine. I snapped my mouth shut and closed my eyes. Then, my body changed directions. Instead of falling, I was abruptly yanked to the side into the wall of a neighboring building. I gasped loudly at the impact and opened my eyes to try to access what had happened. The first thing that I was aware of was the strong arm around me that was constricting my waist. I looked up and to the side to try and identify the stranger, but all I could see was the solid jaw line clenched in concentration as he brought us up to the roof. Relief flooded through me. He was back.

  He pulled us up and over, tossing me carefully onto the cement of the roof. I landed on my side and sat up. I watched his back as he stood swiftly. I prepared to thank him, but then he turned, and I caught sight of his unfamiliar face. The relief vanished from me as I realized that this was not the same guy I had met before. Fear stung me as the stranger started striding over to me. Was this the person he was afraid of?

  I scooted back in fear, and he slowed his pace. I eyed him as he held out his hand towards me. It was like he was approaching a wild animal which I guess I sort of was. The fear eased as I looked into his brown eyes. Brown, not red. I hesitated only a moment before taking his help. My body screamed for me not to, but part of me wanted to trust him. He pulled me to my feet before releasing my hand. My head was still spinning from the drop, but I had enough sense to know that he was another vampire.

  The relaxed expression on his face and the normal color of his eyes was a surprise. I would have assumed that he would be on the defense. I was. My body was automatically tensed and ready for a fight which meant that my eyes were a solid dark red. He watched me with intent as if waiting for me to snap, and I wasn't completely sure that I wouldn't. His relaxed composure only made me more suspicious.

  “Why did you save me? Were you tracking me?” I questioned him.

  He shrugged. “No, just dropping by,” he replied with a lopsided smile.

  If we had been under normal circumstances I would have laughed. My lips did, however, twitch up into an almost smile. He took an easy step forward, and I immediately took two back. I was so on edge that I didn’t notice the light thump of something landing on the roof’s edge behind me. It wasn't until the stranger’s eyes glanced behind my shoulder that I felt a presence.

  “This is why you aren’t sent out alone, Michael. You’re horrible at this.” I spun around at his familiar voice. Sure enough, the vampire that had been haunting my thoughts for the past month stood in front of me. To my surprise, he had an easy smile when he stepped down from the ledge towards us. “It’s all about the threatening,” he continued in a mocking tone. He winked in my direction as he passed by.

  I gaped at him and then struggled to go back to an impassive expression. The guy called Michael rolled his eyes at his words.

  “You know that’s not the reason Beck paired you with me. Don’t pretend you’re the babysitter here, Daniel,” Michael said.

  Daniel laughed. “Oh, come on. You know it’s always fun to scare the neonates. It’s almost the only fun I get to have lately,” he grumbled as I remained in a surprised silence, listening to the almost normal conversation.

  “That’s your own fault. You know Beck is still mad at you,” Michael pointed out and

  Daniel sighed, exasperated. “I was restless! It got too boring there anyway. He’ll get over it,” he said, shrugging it off.

  As they continued to joke back and forth, I was left mystified. Questions stormed through my mind, but I didn’t want to interrupt, afraid that I would miss out on any clues and information. I took the time instead to study them as I listened.

  They were around the same height as Daniel only an inch or two taller. Michael’s chocolate brown hair curled in the wind, unlike Daniel’s tousled jet-black cut. Michael’s eyes were soft, framed by thick, defined brows. His high cheekbones complimented the lingering smile on his full lips. He had a long, curved nose that crinkled when he laughed. His body was well-defined with a tall frame as was Daniel’s. When my gaze switched to Daniel I was surprised to see his eyes were no longer red, but a deep piercing blue that stood out against his pale skin and dark hair. He had a strong jaw and sharp cheekbones. He had a tight smile that relaxed as he laughed at whatever Michael was saying. I noticed that Daniel was again in all black: the same as Michael.

  I looked down at myself with the baggy gray shirt and somewhat fitted jeans that I had managed to steal from someone who still hung their laundry to dry outside about three months ago. I didn’t even bother with shoes anymore. My feet were practically black. I was surprised that my old teacher even recognized me.

  I hugged my arms around me, feeling out of place. I was then aware of the silence. I glanced up to see them both staring at me. My arms tightened around my sides.

  “What?” I asked, uncomfortable with the weight of their gazes. They laughed at my lost expression. I was struck again by how normal Daniel now seemed.

  “It’s question and answer time,” Daniel said, and then gave me a look and added, “If you’ll actually stay this time that is.”

  I glared at him.

  How dare he.

  “Oh, you actually have time for my ‘stupid neonate questions’ now?” I threw back.

  He rolled his eyes. “Lighten up, darling. I was on edge. We didn’t have time then. It was too dangerous,” he reminded me.

  I crossed my arms over my chest and noticed Michael looking between the two of us with a confused expression. I switched my gaze back to Daniel. “What makes it safe this time? What’re you hiding?” I challenged with a raised eyebrow.

  Before he came up with a smart reply, Michael interrupted. “Do you know this neonate, Daniel?” he questioned, which caused a spark of anger to ignite within me. Why did they both treat me like a child?

  Daniel noticed when I tensed up, and he hurried to explain. “I tracked her down in Chicago a few weeks ago and tried to bring her in, but she got offended and ran away like a little neonate,” He paused, looking to see how angry he had made me before continuing, “which she isn’t. She said she’s been a vampire for two years, Mike,” he said in sudden seriousness.

  Michael looked at me in surprise which turned into worry. He had the same troubled expression as Daniel did when I first told him. It irritated me. What was the big deal?

  “I don’t get it!” I declared, exasperated. “Why does it matter so much how long I’ve been this monster?” I spat out the last word. I looked between the two of them. Michael gave me a sympathetic look while Daniel walked to the middle of the roof where a few boxes were scattered about and sat down on one of them.

  He glanced up at us. “Come on then. Let’s get this started,” he said, gesturing for us to join him. Michael started towards him and I hesitated slightly before joining them. I chose to sit on a couple of cinderblocks that were stacked up while Michael sat on Daniel’s right side. They looked like an intimidating team. I couldn’t make myself meet their calculating gazes at first, so I studied my fingers while I asked one question that had been bothering me the most.

  “You said it was too dangerous before to…answer my questions. What makes it safe now?” I managed to meet their eyes by the end, and I caught the loaded look they exchanged. I knew what that meant: secrets.

  “That’s...a difficult answer which we will get to, but there are more important things first,” Daniel
said carefully.

  “Like what?” I asked, crossing my arms.

  It was Michael who answered. “First, introductions,” he said with a smile. He held out his hand, and I took it with barely any hesitancy this time. “I’m Michael Clayback. You can call me Mike.”

  “Anya. Well, Analeigh, but I prefer Anya so yeah. Anya,” I babbled and mentally hit myself. So much for putting up a tough front. I haven’t had to be social in years. This proved how rusty I was. Mike chuckled at my explanation and dropped my hand before looking at Daniel. I followed his gaze.

  Daniel was studying me. “What’s your last name, Anya?” he asked.

  I was taken aback. I opened my mouth to answer automatically before realizing that I came to a block. I tried to recall my human memories. “Analeigh,” I said hesitantly. “Analeigh….” What was my last name? Surely, I knew it. I floundered as Daniel scrutinized me. I was trying to dig up the most common information about myself, and I kept failing. I hung my head in surrender and then shot Daniel an accusatory glare. “Why can’t I remember?” I half-shouted at him and the corner of his mouth lifted slightly in a smirk. Anger coursed through me.

  Michael tried to calm the situation. “It’s okay! Everyone has trouble remembering when they first start out. That’s something we help with,” he assured me.

  “Why?” I asked pathetically. “Why can’t I remember?” I felt so incompetent.

  Mike’s eyes softened. “Breathe, Anya. Even if it does nothing to our physical bodies, it helps calm our emotions,” he said seriously.

  I took his advice, breathing in the clean night air. Immediately, I felt better. I nodded at Mike to continue.

  “After a human is turned into a vampire and they learn to live their new life, it gets harder for them to remember their human one. You just have to keep thinking and recalling past memories of your old life. They’re not gone forever. You’ll remember if you try. Each time you recall human memories the easier it gets to remember them later. They just stick after a while. It’s a process you must work on, but not a hard one. It’ll come eventually. I promise.” His words calmed me. This was normal. Okay. I nodded to myself, feeling reassured.

  “Daniel Turner,” Daniel said suddenly. We both looked over at him, and he shrugged with a smile. “I never got to introduce myself.”

  Michael rolled his eyes at him and shook his head. “Anyway, let’s move back to you,” Mike said swinging his attention back to me. I swallowed around the sudden tightness in my throat. “What’s your story?” he prompted when I remained silent.

  “I don’t know what you mean,” I explained. Did he mean my human one? I wasn't ready to talk about that. A deep ache filled my chest, and I hugged my sides.

  “Who turned you into a vampire? Who was there when you woke up?” Daniel asked.

  I shook my head in confusion. “No one was there. What are you talking about? I just woke up in an abandoned building outside my hometown,” I explained, and the two exchanged a worried look. “What?” I asked. “Is that bad?”

  “No,” Mike said immediately which only made me think the opposite. “Don’t worry about it. It just means that we don’t know who your master,” My eyebrows shot up at his words and he paused to explain, “the person that turned you, is.”

  “My master?” I repeated. “Why is that person my master?” I wrinkled my nose, hating the thought of having any such “master”.

  “Do you know how a human is turned into a vampire?” Michael changed the subject, meeting my gaze.

  I hesitated, wishing that I had not have been left in the dark by my supposed “master”. Seeing the open honesty on Mike’s face and the sincerity of Daniel’s reminded me that they were here to give me answers so I responded honestly with a shake of my head.

  Michael nodded, obviously expecting it. “For a human to become a vampire, they must ingest a vampire’s blood and die with it in their system, but the vampire has to first bite the human so both types of blood mix before the human dies. Since it is that vampire’s blood that creates the newborn, the creator and neonate are connected through that blood." My head was already spinning. I tried to keep up as he continued. "Think of it as a lineage for vampires. The word master is only used to distinguish the creator from the newborn. It doesn’t mean that they are meant to serve them, but there are darker places with vampires that go by different laws than us." He paused, letting me digest that. "We try to keep away from their type,” he added, and they both watched me for my reaction.

  I nodded, looking down at my hands knotted together in my lap. My head was scrambling to process the new information and trying to remember the night I was turned. I came up empty. I couldn’t recall that night, but I remembered with a harsh clarity the day I woke up. I had thought I was dying, and then after I had figured out how to quench my thirst, I had wished I was. Dying sounded better than becoming a murderer. My hands balled into fists when I realized that they were shaking. I could still feel their eyes on me and craved desperately to get the attention off myself.

  “Can I ask about you two?” I asked hopefully. I looked up and caught a hint of hesitancy in Daniel’s expression.

  “You can ask anything you want,” Michael said automatically.

  “Within reason,” Daniel was quick to add, appearing uneasy which made me all the more curious.

  “Okay,” I said, then hesitated. I hadn't thought this direction of questions. What did I want to know? “Uh...are you brothers?” I ended up asking and mentally scolded myself. It was such a silly question. There were way more important things that I needed to know, but they had piqued my curiosity. My question seemed to have at least lightened their mood because they both started smiling. It was Daniel that answered.

  “Practically. We’ve known each other since we were newborns although I am a couple vampire years older, in human years we’re the same.” As he answered both their gazes became far off, obviously remembering an earlier time which triggered my interest.

  “How old are you both?” I asked when I realized how long ago that must have been for them. I remembered Daniel said that he had centuries on me that night. I wondered now if he was telling the truth or just trying to scare me.

  "Well, which age are you asking for? If it's human, we were both turned at eighteen. As for immortal age, it's been a long time," Michael admitted.

  "How long?" I prompted, and Michael looked to Daniel for the answer like he couldn’t remember anymore. I shuddered as I thought of that possibility for myself.

  "This year will be one hundred twenty-six years for me and just two less for Michael," he answered automatically.

  I stayed silent for a moment absorbing that. Wow. I couldn't even imagine living that long. Everyone growing old as you stayed the same. I decided to distract myself with another question instead of dwelling on the fact. "You're like the older brother then?"

  Michael snickered. The amusement was clear on his face. "Yeah right! I'm always looking out for this guy," he claimed which caused Daniel to grin and punch him in the arm.

  "I just lead a more adventurous life than you do. I don't tell you to bail me out," he mocked. They jokingly fought back and forth. Their brotherly connection was palpable in the atmosphere around them. The contentment I felt soothed me, calming my tense muscles. There wasn't any hostility anymore.

  For the first time since I changed, I was able to relax around other people. I finally felt, at least a little bit, normal again. Daniel’s words from that first night came back to me again. I didn't have to be alone anymore. The fact warmed my mood even more. I resurfaced from my inner thoughts to find them both smiling at me. My eyebrows pulled together in slight confusion.

  "At least you can trust us enough to relax," Daniel pointed out. He was referring to the normal green my eyes must have returned to.

  I shrugged at his statement, trying not to give too much away. “So, how did you find me? It can’t be a coincidence.”

  "Are you sure it has been two years since
you've been turned?" Daniel asked.

  I groaned in frustration, already regretting the turn of conversation. "Are we really back to this? Yes, I'm sure! I remember the day I woke up very clearly," I snapped, but the memory sobered my anger and caused my throat to burn uncomfortably. I crossed my arms across my chest and stared at the ground. A hand squeezed my shoulder. I sighed and peered up at Mike.

  There was understanding in his eyes. "We've been through it too. All vampires have. We don't mean to call you a liar. It's hard for us to believe because it's usually easy for us to track newborn activity. Most have a trail of bodies that died under “mysterious circumstances” leading to them like a big arrow," he explained, which made me queasy to even think about oddly enough. "You, however, are one of the few smart ones that know to cover up their tracks. Until recently, nothing stood out to us."

  "You've gotten sloppy, sweetheart," Daniel piped in, smirking at his own comment.

  I rolled my eyes at him before focusing on what Mike was saying. "This is like a job for you two? Tracking down new vampires?" They shrugged.

  "More like a rank of authority. It gets boring at the Lank after a few years of classes. They have ways of spicing things up," Daniel said.

  I felt my eyes widen at this. Immediately, questions started rushing out of my lips. "The Lank? What's that? Is that where the rest of the vampires are? There are classes? What kind of classes? Is it like school?" I snapped my mouth closed. One thing at a time, I reminded myself. They both had their eyebrows raised, surprised to hear me talk so much no doubt.

  “All in good time,” Daniel said, patting my head as he stood. “The Lank is basically our headquarters for this area, that’s all you need to know for now. I think that's enough questions. Since you trust us more we can get to the fun part," he said with a mischievous smile.