CHAPTER ONE
London...
The darkness was absolute. No stars were visible, no moonlight. Backup generators had revved into life, but the streetlights they powered were unusually dim. Chimeras roamed the island, feeding on the livestock and pets that had been left behind from their ravenous consumption of the population.
Luna walked through the dark of the capital, pausing occasionally to study the monsters as they fed on the animals. She found it slightly nauseating, but didn't say a word as she didn't want to become the next course.
She crossed over Tower Bridge, and remembered she had ordered the Elders to dispose of the leader of human hunters on the bridge. She stopped and looked up to see the lifeless corpse of the hapless human still dangling from the lattice structure of the bridge. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw movement on the tower, which – upon further scrutiny – revealed itself to be Chimeras crawling up the building. Luna smiled.
The man wouldn't be there much longer.
Or whole.
Continuing onwards, she was about to begin the long walk to the decimated mansion when the Tyrant filled her mind. His connection allowed her to understand his language, so she stopped and awaited any orders he had.
Where are you?
The outskirts of the city, master.
I require your presence. Now.
Where shall I find you?
I am on the monolithic abomination that can be seen from where you are standing.
Luna slowly turned a full circle, until she spotted a solitary figure atop what humans called One Canada Square.
I see you, master. I will be there immediately.
She flitted through the dead city, always aware of the monsters around her. She slammed into the building through a fire exit and up the stairs. She crashed through the door onto the roof with enough speed and force to send it flying into the street below.
Stopping beside the Tyrant, she dropped to one knee and kept her head bowed respectfully. She knew better than to talk or move before he gave her permission to do so.
Rise... his voice told her, this time aloud. She quickly stood. You did well...
"In what respect, master?"
You helped the vampires to battle between themselves, allowing our return to go somewhat unnoticed.
"It wasn't enough. They fled the island before you reached the city. I am deeply regretful that I prevented them from doing so. I should have done better, master."
It was enough. While it is true that you failed to kill the enemy, it distracted them. Had they been aware, they may have allied with one another and prepared for our appearance. Your forethought to possess the three warriors was a stroke of genius.
"Thank you master." Luna nodded graciously.
Are you prepared to kill them? I know from your memories that you have inclinations towards the vampire in white.
Once again Luna dropped to one knee.
"She holds no meaning for me. She chose her path. You are my master, and I will serve you until this war is over. Those that threaten you, I will destroy."
A claw ran slowly down her cheek then hooked under her chin, making her look up at him. For a moment, she felt a frisson of fear, thinking he was going to open her throat, but then the claw slowly and softly ran down her cheek once more.
The world will be yours, as you rule it at my right hand. When my darkness spreads across the earth, you will lead my army and you will feast upon the blood of all that stand in their path.
"Thank you master."
I have a task for you.
Luna didn't speak.
I want you to ensure that the human and animal population of this island has been destroyed.
"Yes master."
Once that it is done, there is a tunnel to the eastern side of this island. What do you know of it?
"The humans built a passage from this island to the continental mainland. It travels beneath the water, allowing them to travel quicker to the continent." She explained, her tone dripping with disgust.
You sound unimpressed.
"Humanity has become a plague on this earth. They have levelled forests, driven species to the brink of extinction – wiping many out – and all for the sake of comfort and making their lives easy. It's sickening."
You will have your chance to make them suffer. Once the island is completely dead, you will head to the tunnel and lead my army through it, so that they and you can feed on the world.
"I live to serve, master."
I know. Go.
Luna left the roof by stepping off of it. She plummeted to the concrete, landing effortlessly with a minor bend of her knees before heading out of the city. There were humans to feast on, and Luna was hoping that some of them were still on the island.
The Tyrant watched the vampiress known as Luna walk away into the black, and knew what had to be done. She was a valuable asset, and a formidable warrior – for a parasite – but the fact remained that she was not a Chimera.
If she was not a Chimera, she was prey. She was food.
Crouching down, it dragged its claws across the roof to sharpen them, then reached out to the Chimeras stationed at the tunnel.
Master... their voices answered.
The vampire is coming to you in due time. When she arrives...devour her.
She is one of us... one of them replied.
She is not one of us! He roared, his anger undoubtedly making all of them wince through psychic pain. She will come to you, and you will treat her as prey. She has outlived her use, and therefore has no value. If you fail to kill her, I shall kill you.
Yes Master... came the immediate answer.
The Tyrant broke the connection and stared out at the dead city. The moonlight would be shining now, and would have been welcome. But the darkness was absolute, and tied to the Tyrant's existence. It would not break until the Tyrant breathed its last.
Something the Tyrant had no intention of allowing.
The human population of the world had exponentially increased during its subterranean exile, and this meant nothing but more prey for them, and the more they fed, the stronger the Tyrant would become.
Once they marched from the island, nothing would stop them – human or monster – and the true purpose of the Chimeras would be realised. Their true master had guaranteed them access to the other realms, where they would spread their darkness across Heaven and Hell and erase all that challenged them.
There were creatures that presented a challenge, but sheer numbers would overwhelm anything that did so, and everything would eventually fall. The island population had been the first victims, and the vampiric female would be next. When she fell, they would march through the tunnel and devour the entire planet.
A grin stretching its fang filled maw, the Tyrant scanned the city from its perch like a demonic gargoyle, awaiting news of the death of its once faithful servant.
Paris...
Aboard the observation deck of the Eiffel Tower, the Family – along with their five comrades – were spread out and talking amongst themselves. They had been in France a little over seven hours, and the mood was still subdued.
The only pair of people not on the observation deck were Conrad and Gabriel, who had climbed up the outside all the way to the very top of the Tower. Judas had allowed them to for two different reasons.
Conrad had the best vision of the entire group gathered on the Tower and from the top would be able to see for miles around. Gabriel, on the other hand... Gabriel was an insane adrenaline junkie, and would most likely not listen to Judas in any case if he forbade him from doing so.
Judas himself was sat on a spiral staircase, sat next to Eva, talking quietly.
"Toxins are unlikely to work on them, Eva."
"Why not? Surely they have a nervous and respiratory system?"
"Of course."
"Then I don't see why they wouldn't be affected by vaso-constrictors or paralytic agents. Not to mention neurotoxins or haemotoxins."
"Truthfully, I am unaware of whether they are going to work."
"Then why not say so."
"I do not want to give you false hope – or false information, for that matter. The fact of the matter is, we did not have those toxins freely available back then. We do not have them this time either."
Eva said nothing.
"On top of that, Chimera hide is incredibly tough, nearly to the level of dragons, and –"
"Dragons are real?" Eva interrupted.
"They were. As I was saying, we had no weaponry that was capable of puncturing their hides easily. We do now, but once again we lack the compounds you speak of."
"Do we?" Mercer's voice answered. Both of them looked round to see him stood before them.
"Explain." Judas said quietly.
"Every country has their own viral and toxicological research centre. France is no exception. By my calculations, if Eva made a list of possible substances that may have a profound effect on them, the two fastest could be there and back within a few hours."
Judas gazed at Mercer, pondering his words.
"Very well. Take Marcus and Kira. Once you arrive at the facility, contact Eva and she can walk you through what you need."
"I have a relatively thorough knowledge of venoms, but I will need a list of toxins and viral strains."
"I can tell you once you get there." Eva nodded.
Mercer nodded back then walked away. As Judas and Eva watched, he summoned Kira and Marcus to him and all three headed for the lift. Judas glanced at Eva, who was watching Kira walk away with a mixed look of concern, love and pride on her beautiful features.
Judas knew the reason for each emotion.
The love was because of the simple fact that Eva was looking at her wife, a woman that she loved deeply and that Judas had a profound level of respect for. The concern was through the hope that nothing harmful befell Kira on their errand.
Judas was not too worried on this point, as Kira was a formidable woman – the reason for Eva's prideful expression – and was also accompanied by Marcus and Mercer.
Two of the deadliest men to walk the earth.
Mercer was an expert blunt weapons user and mixed martial arts fighter, while Marcus was, to put it simply, a monstrous freak of nature. Kira was known to be a sadistic, twisted and brutal murderer when the mood struck her, which was the reason for Judas's lack of concern.
His eyes then fell on Samara.
She was talking to Rose and Poppy. It occurred to Judas that it was a unique sight he was looking at – an incredibly old vampiress, a vampiric angel hybrid and an immensely powerful witch sat having a calm, respectful conversation – and it was one that no other people in history – other than the ones on the Tower with him – were likely to have seen.
"She is something isn't she?" Eva said, a strange tone in her voice. Judas turned to ask which woman she was referring to, and saw a respectful desire in her eyes. He looked back and saw the same expression in the eyes of Poppy and Rose.
He watched her speaking for a moment – she was giving a lecture to both women about their respective brands of magic – and he knew full well why they were so enamoured with the Lady of Shadows.
She was a one of a kind woman.
Conrad was staring out at the city, his eyes picking up the movements of people on the other side of the city. Not only was he watching the city, he was listening to the parts of it he couldn't see.
Beside him, Gabriel was unusually silent. He was rolling a small gold piece across his knuckles, and Conrad recognised it. It was blood money from the Aztec era, paid to avoid the further decimation and genocide of their people.
"Where did you get that?" he asked, not taking his eyes from the city.
"I took it from the chest of Cortes."
"I thought that stuff was cursed."
"Nope. It just has a dark reputation because of the history surrounding it. Kinda like us."
"Yeah. Like we're not cursed." Conrad remarked.
"Who? Us? Never." Gabriel nodded. The pair chuckled before lapsing into silence. "You know what I wish I had right now?"
"Your sanity back?"
"Yeah right. I wish I had the opportunity to go back, before all of this happened. Life was better."
"For some of us."
"Yeah, for some. But there was never a doubt that while the Family being back together is good, it always ends in blood and death. We can't live this life without something inevitably going wrong and sometimes I..."
"Wish we weren't together?"
Gabriel nodded, looking somewhat ashamed.
"Gabe, we are all stronger together. If death is what's waiting for us in the future, so be it. I for one will take as many of those red eyed bastards with me as I can."
Gabriel smiled.
"I'm right there with you." Gabriel nodded.
They sat in silence for a few more minutes, then Conrad frowned.
"I wish I had a paintball gun. Or a BB gun."
"Seriously?"
"Yeah. Irritating humans is fun. And it's not like I would miss anyone from up here."
"It's a shame we can't use that black rock as ammunition." Gabriel frowned.
Conrad stared at him, suddenly realising there was a way to do just that, and Gabriel had just given him an idea.
"Gabe, you're a genius. A lunatic but a genius. Stay here." He laughed. He hopped off the top of the tower and grabbed hold of the observation deck railing on the way down.
The impact shook the tower, and the resounding clang of his boots hitting the iron drew the attention of everyone on it. He didn't vault the railing but hopped over to sit on it.
Judas stared daggers at him, but Conrad glanced momentarily at Alessa, giving him the strength to not let it affect him.
Much.
"Conrad, that noise you just made would be heard for miles around. We do not want to draw attention to the fact we are up here. Explain yourself. Now."
"This is going to sound weird, but does anyone know where I can get a ball bearing maker in France? And about a dozen paintball guns?"
Nothing but silence met his request, as they all stared at him with identical confused expressions.
Conrad sighed.
"The black rock that Judas had us bring is relatively malleable, and a ball bearing machine may be a perfect way to mould it into what could loosely – and I stress loosely – be called ammunition."
"And the paintball guns?" Lilith asked after a moment.
"If using the black rock as ammunition is possible, the paintball guns will not only be valid as a way of utilising said bullets but also allow concentrated fire and accuracy. I need to find them to know." Conrad explained.
"Is anybody aware of a location supplying the materials that Conrad is looking for?" Judas asked.
There was quiet for a few minutes, then Eva cleared her throat. Both men looked round at her to see her holding up a phone.
"There is a building not far from Paris that produces the machine he's after. And..." she paused, her fingers moving at blinding speed over the touchscreen of the phone. "A producer of paintball supplies."
"Thade can travel to the building that sells the machine." Seth said quietly. Thade stood up. Eva gave him the address and he disappeared.
"Lazarus, go with Eva and retrieve the other supplies please." Judas added.
"What about the stuff you sent Kira for?" Eva frowned.
"They will contact you upon their arrival, Eva. Do not trouble yourself and worry about them. They will most likely encounter humans, and should the humans cause trouble, your beloved Kira is not in a good mood. Do not worry about them."
"Okay." She answered. She headed for the lift with Lazarus, but halfway there she stopped by Nya and spoke to her. Nya nodded and walked to the lift with them. It was an unexpected choice, but a smart one all the same.
Nya would keep them safe.
He slowly gazed around the deck, watching the rest of the group talking amongst themselves or preparing weapons. Then his chest burned, causing him to clutch at it. He headed into a secluded corner and sat against the railing, feeling the spray of rain on his face.
He knew it wasn't a heart attack, as vampires were immune to cardiovascular and pulmonary illnesses, so he was momentarily confused – before a memory of someone else having the same symptom surfaced in his mind. He shook his head woefully. It was almost ironic that it would happen now.
He silently linked his mind with Samara.
My lady...
Judas? Why are you contacting me this way? I am only a few feet from you.
May I have a quiet word with you when you are finished teaching Poppy and Rose?
Of course. I shall be about ten minutes.
Thank you my lady.
His gaze fell on Amira. She was sat by herself just above him on one of the diagonal metal beams, staring down at the city and seemingly lost in thought. He blocked out the discomfort in his chest and scaled the beams to sit next to her.
"Hey Judas." She smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes, which remained thoughtful.
"Is something troubling you, Amira?"
"No. Why?"
"You have been...different, since you returned. I remember you being vibrant, full of enthusiasm and love of life. What has made you so empty, so lifeless?"
"What would you know about it? Have you ever been forced to endure death? To feel your throat torn out, to feel every last drop of blood leave your body and you are unable to do a damn thing about it?"
Her voice rose in volume and pitch as she spoke, and he was aware of the others stopping what they were doing to watch. Judas placed his hand on hers, which surprised her enough to make her pause – a hesitation he took advantage of.
"You were gone for a long time, Amira. We never thought you were going to return to us. In the rush of everything that has happened, I meant to ask where you ended up."
"You know where monsters end up, Judas. And make no mistake that I am a monster. I always have been."
"We are all monsters here. Except Poppy, perhaps."
"She's a lucky girl."
"Is she?"
"Don't patronise me. She has eternal youth now, and she will live for a long time. She has a woman that loves her and she doesn't know what suffering means. Not yet, anyway." She added as her eyes took on a predatory glint.
"Do not be childish, Amira. The Chimeras are coming for us, and she is an innocent who has never known war, never know what it is like to fight a battle that you know is most likely going to be the death of you. I know the heart of you, Amira. You will fight for the people on this tower – and I include Poppy in that – until you cannot fight anymore."
"Purgatory still haunts me. I can feel it in the back of my mind, threatening to surface and drive me back to insanity again. And I'm all alone. There is no one out there for me."
"Scarlet is here. And she still most likely feels the way she once did. May I suggest you go and talk to her."
"And say what? Hey Scarlet. I'm sorry I died and caused you so much grief, but I'm back now so despite the fact you are screwing Gabriel do you mind breaking his heart just so I can have you back?" she spat in a scathing tone.
Judas didn't flinch.
"Amira, do not take that tone with me because you know full well that is not what I was suggesting. I am not going to be swayed by your attempt to twist my words so you can vent your anger on me."
Amira lowered her head, cowed by his sharp tone.
"I'm sorry. It was uncalled for."
"Yes it was. I have nothing but your best interests in mind. Go and talk to her." He told her in his usual empty tone.
"What if...what if she rejects me?"
"You will never know if you do not ask. A life without love, especially for those of us that have centuries ahead can become very empty and worthless. If we make it past this war, that is."
Amira sighed.
"You're right." She nodded. "But what do I say?"
"The truth would be a good place to begin. Speak to her from the heart, Amira. Whatever path your relationship with her takes from there, is just something you will have to deal with." He answered. Amira nodded again.
He turned his head and spotted Scarlet, who was sparring with Raven in hand to hand combat. He waited for them to pause, then got her attention.
"Scarlet?" he called. She had just raised her fists to resume the sparring, but turned to look at him. "Come here please." He added.
Scarlet lowered something to Raven, who nodded without a change in expression. She crossed to stand below them, and a strange expression flashed across her face briefly when she spotted Amira.
"What?"
"Amira requested the opportunity to talk. Take her to the next floor up. It will give you a degree of privacy." Judas told her. Scarlet barely refrained from rolling her eyes.
"Fine." She answered, and walked off towards the spiral staircase leading to the upper floor without waiting for Amira. Amira watched her go with agonised despair in her eyes, glanced at Judas with a completely lost expression, then hopped down and followed Scarlet as Samara arrived.
"You wish to talk to me?" she said politely.
Seth leaned on the railing, staring out at the so-called city of love. The humans below were completely unaware that a group of immortals were high above them, many of which held a very dim view of humanity as a whole.
One of which was Seth.
Judas Black was holding the group on the Eiffel Tower together – albeit with the aid of Samara, Marcus and Violet – and was doing an admirable job, but Seth was unwilling to bend the knee to someone younger than himself.
Black knew – as did Seth – that the only thing that had stopped Seth from killing him had been the arrival of the Chimera race. And Seth also knew that Judas expected treachery from the three Elders.
The Chimeras were the enemy, but Black was not going to survive the war if Seth had his way. There was a tap on his shoulder and he turned to see the young brunette vampiress by his side.
"Mr Reeves?" she said quietly.
He gazed at her curiously for a moment.
"Yes?" he answered. She held out a small glass bottle with blood – he could smell it – inside.
"I took it upon myself to harvest some blood for each person up here to keep us going for the next few days. This one is yours." She smiled cheerfully. Seth stared at the bottle, then at her.
"Tell me. Why shouldn't I just visit the city below and drain a building full of people. You couldn't stop me. No one here could. Come to think of it, why don't I just eat you?" he said, advancing on her with a charming smile.
His voice, however, was all menace.
The young vampiress backed up, but Seth kept advancing – until a shape suddenly stood between the two of them. Seth paused, taking a moment to realise who it was.
Caleb.
Seth stared at him, then stepped forward, going nose to nose with Caleb. Behind him, the brunette was still slowly backing away. Seth didn't push past Caleb but simply stared, curious as to what Caleb intended to do.
"Leave her alone." Caleb said quietly.
"Or?" Seth replied.
"I'm going to stab you to death."
"Coming from a man who had some very depraved ideas concerning half the women on this tower." Seth answered. The mood on the observation deck dropped sharply. Caleb glanced over his shoulder at Black, who was still talking quietly with the Lady Samara, then back at Seth.
"I'm not letting you harm a woman who hasn't done anything to you."
"The humans in London never harmed you, Caleb, yet you dropped a building on them without a care. Do not spout hypocritical nonsense at me."
"That's my point. They were humans. Humans mean nothing to me, but our numbers are so few that you killing one for the sake of proving you're the biggest monster here is nothing to be proud of."
"Enough of this. Move, or I will throw you from the tower." Seth snarled. Caleb didn't reply, but reluctantly stepped aside. Seth made to continue towards the brunette vampiress, but another figure was instantly in his path.
Samara.
Samara sat beside Judas, somewhat puzzled by his urge to talk to her. They moved across the observation deck, as far from the others as they could get. He seemed unusually troubled, which unsettled her to a large degree – Judas was never unsettled.
"Is there something wrong, Judas?" she asked quietly.
"I need you to perform a physiology check."
"On who?" Samara frowned. He didn't answer, and she realised. "You? Judas, you are immune to everything on earth."
"Not everything. Please. I need you to check."
Samara didn't respond for a moment, then placed her hand on top of his. She closed her eyes and let her own telepathy pulse through his skeletal structure, then his nervous system and finally his respiratory system and circulation.
On the last pass through, she noticed something on his heart and recognised it immediately. The realisation made her recoil slightly, but Judas didn't move – he evidently already knew of what she had found.
"Is that..." she began, but lost confidence.
Judas nodded.
"The same thing that killed Drake. Yes."
"I told him that having children was a bad idea. It is not right that the curse affects the first in a generation. How long?"
"I noticed symptoms a few weeks ago. It is starting to take hold of my system now."
Samara nodded, placing her hand on his shoulder. She honed in on the disease 0nce more, but this time studied it. It had leeched into his heart, and begun to decay it.
"I doubt you have more than a week left. It is very advanced."
"I thought as much. It seems that one way or another, this war will be the last that I ever fight. Please do not tell the others. The last thing I need is them to lose focus on the battle ahead, which – against the enemy we face – will be the death of them."
"You have my word. You also have my word that should I survive, I will traverse the four realms beyond this one, and I will bring you back."
"No. You will not. Everything has its time, and I am no exception. Once I am gone, I stay gone. She will not be happy should you resurrect me, given the abnormally extended existence that our kind. You know of whom I speak."
"I do."
"Besides which, your resurrection of Amira is enough."
"Pardon?"
"You resurrected Amira." Judas repeated, then frowned at the bewildered expression on Samara's face. "I take it you did not do so."
"No. I was unaware of her burial location. Truthfully I was unaware that she was dead. Even had I been aware, I would have to have located her a Purgatory to bring her soul back to her earthbound form. I am sorry, Judas, but I did not resurrect Amira."
"If you did not, who did?" he said quietly, his eyes flicking from Caleb to Seth, then back again.
"I would be interested to find out."
"There is a possibility that I have just now considered. Perhaps it was –" he began, but a commotion from the other side of the deck made them both look up. Caleb had got in the face of Seth for an unknown reason.
Seth said something to Caleb, and Samara felt the mood on the deck swiftly drop, and Caleb looked round at several of the women nearby. Then his eyes fell on her before returning to Seth. Seth said something else and Caleb stepped aside.
Seth started walking towards the brunette vampiress named Marilyn and Samara moved to intercept him. Seth paused, momentarily confused.
"My lady. Move please."
"If your intent is to harm anyone on this deck, no I shall not."
"And if I harm you?"
"Master Reeves, you are no longer tethered to Luna. You are no match for me without her rage powering you, and I advise you not to antagonise me. I only warn once and I am not in the best mood. If you want blood, seek it from the humans in the city below."
Seth stared at her, clearly wondering whether she was telling the truth, but Samara was staring at him with such intensity that he took a step back. She knew he was strong – as did he – yet he was apparently unsure of whether or not he could fight her.
There was also the fact that the other Family members on the deck would get involved in the fight, leaving him heavily outnumbered – possibly without the aid of Caleb or Thade.
He turned away, strode across the deck and vaulted the railing. Samara quickly searched for his presence and – to her relief – found him walking away into the city and inwardly sighed with relief. The fact that he had bested her – albeit suffused with Luna's power – had made her a little wary about confronting him.
She returned to Judas and sat down.
"My apologies." She said quietly.
"Unnecessary, my lady." He nodded.
"Where were we?" she asked. He began to answer, before a loud series of echoing clangs shook the tower. Everyone looked at Judas, but before he could speak, a figure in black sprung over the railing, landing in the shadows.
It stared at everyone, chocolate brown eyes full of distrust flicking from person to person. After a few minutes, Marilyn slowly approached the figure and it stared directly at her, the eyes taking on a hungry, predatory shine.
"Marilyn! Stop!" Samara commanded. The figure stared at Samara, who had just realised who she was looking at.
"Who is it?" Judas asked quietly.
Samara didn't answer, but stood once more and walked across the deck. From the opposite direction, Nya was doing likewise, sharing an identical look of mixed shock and suspicion.
The anger in her eyes told Judas exactly who had just arrived on the tower and it made him instantly wary. Both women arrived in front of the new arrival at the same time, and the figure stepped back.
"Why are you here?" Samara asked in a voice that was dangerously quiet.
"Who cares? I'm going to –"
"Nya, enough." Samara interrupted. Nya didn't speak further. "Are you here to spy on us?"
The figure shook its head.
"Then what are you doing here?" Nya blurted.
The figure stared venomously at her, then stepped into the light.
Luna.
"The Tyrant ordered me dead. His monsters tried to kill me, and I escaped through the tunnel. I am not your friend, or your ally, but I will fight beside you until he is dead. You have only a few hours."
"Meaning?"
"He is coming."