RBC06.50 - Marcella, Vampire Mage (25 page)

“If you don’t mind, Gunter, we’d like to start after lunch,” Kate said, speaking for the group.

It was clear that Gunter was taken aback by this unexpected request.

“Very well, after lunch it is. I’ll discuss the details with my brothers and meet you back here in an hour and a half.”

“We’re very proud of all of you, aren’t we?” Father said, looking around at the other fathers for support.

“We agree to let you stay and train together as long as you stay focused,” admonished Edward.

“Thank you, Father,” the girls said together, and they gave them each a hug.

“Let’s have some lunch,” urged Kate. “I’m starving.”

Fathers and daughters alike left the Watchers training compound for the main dining area.

“I’ll be right there,” I called to Kate and Father.

“Gunter, since I’ve worked out all ready today, I’m going hunting this afternoon. I’ll take a vampire with me as guard, so all of you can stay and train the girls.”

“All right, but I’ll need you when we start developing their special gifts. Maybe you can all get together in your rooms tonight and get a feel for what those gifts might be.”

“That’s a good idea. And it’ll be easier if we’re not all distracted by the presence of so many handsome brothers.”

We both laughed and went our separate ways. Of course what Gunter did not know was that the vampire I meant to take with me hunting this afternoon was Damien. I left the compound to join the others.

“You were splendid this morning, as usual, but I’ve seen you in a real battle, so I wasn’t surprised,” said a grinning Quinn.

“Thank you. I thought you’d be discussing training with Gunter. I was just heading over to have lunch with everyone. Can you join us?”

“No, I’m on duty with Simon.” He grabbed my hand. “I just wanted to tell you again what a fine time we all had last night, especially me.”

“I did too. The girls and I would have stayed up all night talking about it, if it hadn’t been for our training schedule this morning. They did well this morning, didn’t they?”

“Yes they did. The five of you will become quite a force once the girls are fully trained. And you were right about Kate; she’s just like you, fast and furious.”

We smiled at each other. Quinn was so handsome but he was also was a strong, reliable, caring, fiercely loyal man, and I felt guilty about Damien, not that I had done anything wrong, mind you.

“Did you see that Damien was back?” I asked.

“I saw him at practice. He couldn’t take his eyes off you, not that I blame him.”

Now a feeling of discomfort crept into my system as I understood that Quinn had noticed Damien’s interest. I explained, “I spoke to him at the stables. I was shocked to see him, but he thanked me for helping him to clear his name and absolve him from Luena’s scheme.”

“Do you really believe he had nothing to do with any of it? At the very least he knew of the fledglings and didn’t mention them.”

“Quinn, Damien told me Luena threatened to
kill
their father, and I believe him. Father is of the same mind and has arranged that he be included in the envoy that will be departing to the Americans soon.”

“Really? Well I’m willing to give him the benefit of the doubt if you think he’s being truthful. I trust your instincts.”

Then he gave me a kiss on the cheek. “I’ll see you later.”

What was I thinking? I’d have to go hunting by myself. I needed it in more ways than one. Not just to feed, but also to clear my head and try to understand why I was drawn to these two men.

“There you are! Seems as if we’re always looking for you lately,” El laughed.

“Come sit with us, Kat,” Kate gestured for me to join her and Father at the table where the girls and their fathers were now eating lunch.

Their excitement at being allowed to stay with me for their training was infectious. I had plans to ask Father if we could make over a wing of our estate, so we could have our rooms together as we did here. I imagined that he would laugh and say, “Anything you want, my dear,” as he always did.

Father had always spoiled me terribly, all the while being supportive and stern. I’d always been sure of his love, and now I had my mother back, knew that I could count on her love and support also.

“You know what else?” Rosa asked.

“What?” several voices responded.

“We’re going to turn eighteen within a few days of each other. Isn’t that something?”

“All five of us?” I was surprised. “Well of course Kate and I are twins, that was silly, but the three of you too?”

“Yes,” Rosa beamed, having bested us on this information. “You two were born on June seventeenth; my birthday is the eighteenth; El’s on the twentieth; and Letta’s on the twenty-first.”

We all looked at each other in amazement.

“That’s going to be one gala birthday party we’ll have to plan,” Father said, as he thumped his fist on the table. “We can combine it with a farewell party for those headed to the Americas, including all your fathers, have a Council meeting and show off your new skills, right girls? Remember, unless you’ve made real progress in your training, progress that can seen by your fathers before they go, you’ll all have to go home.”

“That’s right,” agreed the other Fathers.

“We made a promise to all of you, and we intend to keep it,” I insisted. “Now it’s almost time to get back to work, ladies.”

All five of us rose and headed to the door. When we arrived at the courtyard I told them to work hard and have fun.

And then I told them I would see them later.

To download the book visit
Amazon.com/kindle
– Katrina the Beginning  Or to order the book
Amazon.com

The Following is the a sample of the Elizabeth Loraine’s new series

Phantom Lives – The first Book is Collier.  Enjoy

This is a work of fiction.  All the characters, organizations and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

Phantom Lives and Collier- copyright © 2011 by Elizabeth Loraine all rights reserved. No part of this publication maybe reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the author.

http://royalbloodchronicles.com

First Edition 2011

Preface

“Mommy, Mommy!”

“Abbi, what is it, darling? Did you have another bad dream?”

“There's a man in my dream Mommy. He talks to me.”

“You can get into bed with us, sweetie,” Abbi's daddy said patting the bed.

“Tell us all about this man. Do you know him, Abbi?”

Abbi crawled in between her parents, and squeezed under the covers.

“No Daddy, I don't know him, but he knows me. He told me to ‘follow the dream when I'm ready’.” Abby looked up at her daddy, “He doesn't scare me, but why do I have these same dreams all the time?”

“I don't know Abbi, but if it doesn't scare you, why are you here in our bed?”

“I wanted to tell you about it. I don't want to forget anything. If I go back to sleep right away, I might forget.”

“I see. Well, you can go back to your room now, Abbi. We all heard about the dream, again.”

“Okay. Goodnight, Daddy. Goodnight, Mommy,” Abbi said as she crawled out from under of the covers.

She kissed each of her parents and her father lifted her over the side of the bed and gently set her down.

Abbi ran to the door turned, blew a kiss and ran back down the hall to her room.

“Do you think we should worry?” Abbi's mother asked her father.

“She'll grow out of it. Now, let's get some sleep.”

CHAPTER ONE

Thunder boomed and lightning cracked across the southern Tennessee sky. Abigail sat on her parent’s bed and pulled her knees up to her chest. Anger not fear was building inside her.

“I have to get out of here, tonight!”

She was young, just twenty-four years old. The millions that she’d inherited after the plane crash that killed her parents six months ago didn’t mean a thing to her. Abbi would have given it all up for just one more day with them.

The months following their deaths were filled with appalling decisions that culminated in her present situation. She was locked in a room by an abusive boyfriend that thought that any disagreement that Abbi voiced was to be met with physical force.

 “This isn’t me. And this is not my fate. Mom and Dad would be furious if they saw how weak I had become,” Abbi said to herself in disgust. “This is the
last
day
anyone
will do this to me.”

Yesterday, the brut, had informed Abbi that he would accompany her to the bank so that she could add him to all of the rest of her accounts. But he didn’t know was that for the past week she had been preparing for escape from her bedroom prison which now sported brand new bars on the windows and double deadbolt locks at its entrance. Dallas didn’t know that hidden in the closet of this room was a large floor safe.

Tonight there was a thunder storm and with lightning the only illumination, her prison was eerie and oppressive.

Knowing that the weather pattern of seasonal strong, lightning storms was upon them, Abbi had begun setting her plan in action. At least that part of her plan was panning out, since the storm had just knocked out the electricity. With no power the security alarm for the house wasn’t working. And that was going to help her now. Abbi had purposely damaged its backup battery so that when this night came, she would be ready. Dallas counted on her being weak, he always told her how stupid she was. The day she found herself starting to believe those things, she had begun to plan her escape.

Abbi went to the closet and pulled back the carpet. There it was; the safe. She knew the combination; it was her birthday. What her parents had called ‘the happiest day of their lives’.

Dallas had been drinking, and with any luck he would pass out again soon. Since he tended to be a very mean drunk, it would be better for her if he was asleep.

Abbi took a deep breath, ran the dial of the safe to the right, to the left and then back to the right once more. ‘Click’.

“Thank God,” she said with a sigh of relief.

She pulled the heavy metal door open and started to remove its contents. “Cash, good.” She put the banded piles on the floor, reached up, pulled down a large purse from the shelf above her head, and using both hands, quickly stuffed in the cash. Next she transferred the legal papers, bearer bonds and stock certificates into the bag. The remaining contents of the safe were a tool kit, a flashlight, and a key box containing the extra keys to everything in the house and garage. She added those items to the large purse before retrieving one last thing from the safe; a small case containing the gun and ammunition that was, safely stored there. Abbi knew very well how to handle the weapon, a Glock 9mm, after countless hours of range practice under her father’s guidance. Abbi put the gun case on top of everything else and snapped the purse closed.

Part of Dallas’ plan to acquire Abbi’s assets was to insist that she sell the house. It was now under contract; Abbi had already executed her paperwork as the seller; the buyers would be signing next week. She and Dallas had to be out of the house by then.

“
I wonder what the new owners will think about the bars on the windows,”
she thought as she closed the empty safe, stood and put the carpet back into place.

The storm was raging now. Tree branches tossed by the wind were loudly banging against roof. This storm was everything that Abbi had hoped for. The wind, thunder, and pounding rain covered the noise she was making taking hinge pins off of the bedroom door.