Chapter Seven
Mike had gotten home to his mom waiting for him on the porch. "Can we talk as friends?" "I'm tired mom." Mike adjusted his sunglasses. "Michael, we need to talk about this behavior towards your siblings." Michael practically growls, "There's nothing to talk about." Lucy sighs, gripping her coffee cup with both hands, "You know your sisters got summoned last night? I would like for you to be close by...Just in case." Michael ducks his head down, his shoulders deflate, "I know mom. I was already planning on getting a kit together after I wake up." Lucy hums in agreement. Michael took that as his cue to walk inside. Sam was in the kitchen, reading one of his new comics. He nods in greeting before turning the page. A silent agreement between them both to be there for the twins.
Michael collapses onto his bed until sunset. Sam drove the both of them to the nearest drugstore and almost cleared the first aid aisle. Lucy and her children had to leave all the medical supplies in Phoenix. Thinking they had time to restock it all before the twins were summoned again. Lucy had asked for Max's home phone number in case of emergencies. She wrote it on a notepad nailed to the wall by the phone in the kitchen. Even grandpa added the widow Johnson to the emergency contacts. Grandpa was never told anything about what the twins can do, but he wasn't stupid. He watched his family getting prepared to take care of some serious wounds and the twins were gone.
Lucy and Max had gone on their date and had a wonderful time. The couple talked a little about their lives, Max's second location in Los Gatos, and Lucy brought up her life before moving back to Santa Carla. After having dinner at a lovely restaurant, they strolled down the beach, carrying their shoes. Max had to glamour his feet to look normal. Spending time with each other without any interruptions from work or family was worth it. When Max drove Lucy home, he asked her on a second date at his place. Lucy had such a great time, she said yes with no hesitation.
Moscow, Russia
It was early morning in Moscow. Too early to check into a hotel. The twins shouldered their duffles and headed into a cafe for some breakfast. Thankful that their bank cards were accepted worldwide. Jade had moved most of their money into a private account, away from The Company. It was Terra's idea, she was always so protective of the other three. Sometimes a little paranoid, but worth it, in the end, to know The Company couldn't screw them over financially.
The barista looked at the twins and their clothes and sneered in Russian, "Order or go." Kayla takes both bags to a table while Jade walks up to the counter. In fluent Russian, "Two coffees, and two orders of Syrniki. Please." The barista took the order and prepared it without hesitation. Jade went and sat across from her sister. Kayla looked out the window, people watching. They will spend the morning pushing all personal feelings aside. This line of work has no place for them. They knew that, and yet they found themselves emotionally vulnerable. "We should have never let them in," is all Kayla had to say about the matter. Both decide to push the boys from their minds for now. Then once they finish this job, they might move out of Santa Carla. Their thoughts were disrupted when their food arrived. The twins thanked the barista, ate in silence, paid for their food, and left to find a hotel. Stopping at a bank to exchange currency.
Checking into the hotel under a false name, the twins dropped their bags and relaxed for a bit before bringing out the files to start planning. All the while, other, more experienced associates from The Company were watching the younger half of The Black Demons. The other half were doing their own thing in the US. They, too, were being watched. However, they caught on quickly. Terra and Eli finished the job they were on and vanished. They were going to hide out for a day and then head to the Emerson household, hoping the twins will be alright. Terra had told Eli about their father, and they both wanted to share the information with Jade and Kayla. Maybe go into hiding while searching for clues about his whereabouts. Too many holes in the rumors about his death. Terra strongly suspects he faked it so he could get The Company to stop hunting him.
Jade and Kayla went over the blueprints several more times. The brothers' and bodyguards' schedules. They were going to surveillance the brothers' home that night, learn the guards' patterns then do the job the next night. The anxiety they feel before each job washed over them. Their nerves were already shot from the boardwalk. Some calming breaths, some comfort food for lunch, and a short nap before dinner helped settle most of their anxious nerves. The anxiety never truly goes away, so it is used with a combination of adrenalin to get through the job alive. And they always had the comfort of knowing they could 'jump' out of the situation at any time. The Black Demons try to avoid 'jumping' mid-job for fear of exposure.
Nightfall was fast approaching. Jade and Kayla were enjoying a small meal at the local diner. They chose a booth far enough from the front of the diner to not draw attention as tourists. They ate quietly, paid for their meal, and left the diner on foot. They walked a few blocks before turning down an alley and jumping to the outskirts of their targets' property. Spending the time studying blueprints and maps of the local area was crucial in any job they did. The property was surrounded by forest with the nearest neighbor over a mile away. Tapping into the mindset of Phantom and Swift, they observed the goings-on at the Yegorovich Estates.
Six hours. Six hours they watched and memorized everything. Every route the guards took, every person entering and exiting the manor, even overhearing some guards bad mouthing their boss. Noticing some of the guards would take longer than average smoke breaks. Around three in the morning is when Jade noticed three of the seven guards stood around each other, placing bets on a game they were playing. This went on for half an hour before another guard broke them up. Jade could hear him yelling in Russian, "Every night you three fuck off. One of these times it's going to get you killed." Jade smirked and thought to herself, 'Oh, you have no idea.' She rejoined her sister, jumping back to their hotel room to rest and prepare for tomorrow night.
Job Gone Wrong
The Black Demons always dressed the part. You would think they were ninjas with the all-black outfits they wear. Both wore long sleeves, tight-fitting, black tops, black leggings, and black, rubber-soled, lace-up shoes. Their hair styled into tight buns at the back of their heads, with black beanies. Kayla still wore her lighter tinted shades, only in goggles instead of frames. Less likely for them to get in the way. Jumping to the edge of the property, hiding amongst the shrubbery to wait for the first pair of guards to pass by. A few minutes past and they had taken out the first two guards, snapping their necks from behind. Leaving their bodies stashed in the shrubs. The quickest way for them to finish the job is to 'jump' from one area to the other without being seen. Not even some of the other associates from The Company could keep up with their movements using night vision binoculars. There were more associates inside posing as staff, waiting for the opportunity to attack the twins.
Seven roaming guards with broken necks were stashed away. Now for the real job, taking out their targets. Robert was lounging in his study as per his routine. Demian passed out drunk in his bed. Swift(Kayla) signaled to Phantom(Jade), she was splitting off to go after her target. Demian never knew what hit him. He was so severely intoxicated that he didn't feel his bed dip from Swift's approach. She quickly snapped his neck. It snapped so easily his head was facing at an odd angle than how his body was laying. Hearing heavy footsteps outside the bedroom door, Swift jumped into the adjoining bathroom. Slowing down her breathing and listening for any other noise, she waited for a few minutes to be safe after the footsteps faded away from the bedroom.
Phantom stuck to the darkened hallways all the way to Robert's study. Jumping into the room, she suddenly felt like it was the wrong move. Phantom had made a massive mistake, she should've been patient and waited outside the door to make sure nobody else was in the room. Robert wasn't alone. Six other associates from The Company sat around the room. When she appeared in the middle of the room, they all turned her way. There was nowhere for her to hide. Every light was on, there were even light fixtures brought into the room so there were no shadows. Phantom was caught. Before she could jump out of there, a tranquilizer dart was shot into her neck from behind. She crumpled to the floor, only to be manhandled by the awaiting associates. The group dragged Jade out of the study and into the basement.
Robert was the one that set up Phantom and Swift. He was an associate of The Company. Not an assassin, but a bookkeeper. He wanted to be an assassin but never developed the skill for it. So when he heard The Company talking about The Black Demons and how they have become a liability, he offered to help. Robert negotiated a contract for his brother, and composed a fake one for himself. Killing his troublesome brother was a bonus. Demian was nothing more than a coattail rider. Robert was tired of covering up his brother's adultery. It was costing him more money than he was making to hush the husbands. Now that Jade was captured, the associates left Robert to search the manor for Swift, a.k.a. Kayla.
Jade regained consciousness to loud voices. They were arguing about Kayla. She had escaped their clutches. They couldn't find her anywhere. 'Good. At least she got away.' She tried to lift herself up from the position she was in, only she couldn't move. Jade was strapped down to a narrow, metal table on her stomach, her bare skin exposed to the cold air of the basement. She tried to get her hands free of the shackles. The noise alerted the men in the room that she was awake. Someone stood next to the table, leaning down to eye level, "Oh good. This wouldn't have been much fun with you unconscious. If you haven't figured it out already, the Black Demons have been blacklisted." Jade's eyes went wide. She knew what that meant. Her sister, Eli, Terra, and herself have become targets. Jade still had the sedative running through her system and didn't have the energy to jump, she was trapped.
Struggling harder against her restraints, only to have the chains shortened. Her wrists, raw and bleeding. Jade could only listen as Robert rolled a medical tray next to the table. He picked up a very sharp blade and flashed it in front of her face, "I'm going to enjoy this. You ever heard of the 'Blood Eagle'? In Viking folklore, it was a method of torture that led to a slow, painful death. You see, they would take a very sharp blade, like this one, and carve away the skin, and muscles of the back. Exposing the ribcage to the elements. Then each and every rib bone would be broken at the spine and pulled outward. They would look like a pair of wings with no feathers. The victim's lungs could be seen and watched as each breath became painful, as well as filled with blood. If the victim was in a position like you are now, it would take days for them to suffocate. Unless vultures came upon them. As you can see, there are no vultures here and I plan on making you suffer."
Jade could only scream as Robert cut away the skin of her back. Piece by piece, five slices in total thrown lazily in front of Jade on the floor. Her voice has gone hoarse from screaming. Robert stopped long enough to admire his work before cutting away at Jade's muscles. Screaming at the top of her lungs from the pain for several more minutes. Her blood flowed down her body, dripping into a puddle on the floor. Jade knew she was going to die and accepted it.
Three of the unnamed associates had left, their portion of the job done. The other three stood in the basement watching Robert carve away Jade's back. Laughing at her misfortune. They were not paying attention to the door opening behind them until the door jam groaned from rust. Kayla had jumped back into the manor, risking her life to rescue her sister. Jade always protected her, now it was her turn. The three men pulled their guns and opened fire. Kayla was shot twice in her torso before she jumped behind one of the men and stabbed him at the base of his skull, severing his spinal cord with her 550 bracelet. The other two men continued to fire, wounding Kayla three more times before she jumped next to Jade. Two bullets went through her chest narrowly missing her heart, exiting her back. One bullet shattered her right collarbone, and the last bullet is lodged in her left lung. Robert had fled the room through a hidden door when the bullets started to fly. Jade's wrist had bled so much Kayla was able to use the blood as lubricant. Pulling her hands free, holding them tight, and jumping them home.
The Emerson Household
The twins landed painfully in the middle of the living room. It was close to one-thirty in the morning, the house was dark. Kayla called out, "HELLO!" It was painful to breathe, coughing up blood she yells, "ANYONE?" Kayla could hear someone coming down the stairs. Judging by their footsteps she knew it was Sam. "Kayla, you're back," Sam said as he ran down the stairs. Turning on the lights, he saw his sisters sprawled out on the floor. Kayla was laying on her back in an expanding puddle of blood. Jade laid on her stomach. Sam looked away from Jade before he became ill. Kayla's voice was raspy and low, "Sam, where's mom?"
Sam was panicking. Mike was supposed to be here. His mind went blank, he didn't know what to do. "Um, she's on a date with Max." "Need to call him then. Tell him, mom needs to come home," Kayla has not let go of Jade's hand yet. She scooted herself closer to the couch so she could sit up and breathe easier. She could hear Sam on the phone. "Hello, Max. It's Sam Emerson."
Max and Lucy were enjoying a bottle of wine when the phone rang. Max got up to answer it, must be important to be calling so late, "Hello."
Sam held the phone with shaky hands, "I'm really sorry for calling, but mom needs to get home. The twins are back."
Lucy could barely hear the other end of the conversation. "It's quite alright. Are they okay?"
"No, sir. They're not." Sam kept looking over the counter in the kitchen to the living room. He could see that Kayla was sitting up, trying to pull her shirt off with her free hand.
Max motioned for Lucy to stand next to him, "We'll be there as soon as possible."
"Thank you, sir. See you soon." Sam hung up the phone and went back into the living room.
Max hugged Lucy as he hung up his phone, "That was Sam. Your daughters are home, he said they're not ok. We should get going." Lucy lost all the color in her face, her eyes welled up in tears. Max hugged her again, then led her to the coat rack by the front door so they could leave. Max messaged his boys, "Get to the Emersons'...NOW!"
Kayla had managed to get her shirt off. "Sam. Find a mirror." Sam ran to his mother's room to grab her antique silver hand mirror, "Okay. Got it." Kayla pointed to Jade, "Put the mirror by her face so each time she takes a breath it will fog. It will help us to make sure she is still breathing." Sam really didn't want to. Jade's back was the thing of nightmares, her wrists lay next to her head caked in blood and torn skin. He knelt down to move her hair away from her face, placing the mirror under her nose. He could see the mirror fog up every few seconds. Sam let out a breath he didn't even know he was holding.
"She's breathing. Now what?" Sam moved next to Kayla. She was trying to remove a bullet from her right side, digging two of her fingers into the bullet wound. "Now... I need you to help me stop the bleeding." She had managed to pull the bullet out. "Only two more to go. The other two shots were through and through."
Kayla and Sam could hear motorcycles driving up. Followed by heavy knocks, "Open the door, Sam." Kayla was growing weaker from the blood loss, "Sam, we need all the help we can get. Let….them…...in" Her head dropped back onto the couch as she lost consciousness. "Kayla….Shit!" Sam got up to answer the door, hoping they will help and not hurt them any further.
The Lost Boys
David and his brothers were in mid-clean-up when Max's voice rang in their heads. Paul and Marko threw the last of the bodies into the bonfire. Dwayne was rinsing his hands with bottled water. It was a direct order, no way around it. "Come on boys. Orders from boss man. Head to the Emersons'." Mounting their bikes, they sped as fast as they could. When they arrived they saw Michael was not home, the house was dark except for the kitchen and living room. David flung the screen open and pounded his fist on the door.
Sam opened the door. His shirt was soaked in blood, they could smell the twins' scent on him. David tried to cross the threshold, "Sam. I need you to invite us in." "Only if you're here to help." Sam suspected they were vampires because of what he read from that stupid comic the Frog brothers gave him and the changes in Michael. Although, The Lost Boys hadn't physically hurt anyone in his family. Looking over his shoulder to his sisters, he has no choice but to trust them. "You can come in. I need your help," Sam stepped aside so the Lost Boys could come inside.
The sight that greeted them was a painful one. Paul and Marko immediately went to their mates. Marko straddled Kayla's lap, he carefully lifted her head, "Kayla?" He checked her pulse. It was very weak. Marko looked to his leader, his brother, "David?"
Paul lowered himself to the floor next to Jade. Her back was so badly damaged, he could count all of Jade's ribs. Paul could touch her organs if he wanted to. Looking away from her back, he watched the mirror fog from her breath. Not wanting to cause her any more pain, he laid down next to her. "Jade? Please open your eyes. Let me see those beautiful eyes of yours," He pleaded with her. "Fuck you," was the only whispered response he got. "Please, I need you to look at me." Again, Paul pleaded. Jade slowly opened her eyes, coming face to face with a transformed Paul, "This is the real me. We're vampires. David, Dwayne, Marko, me. Star, Laddie, and Michael are halves." Jade stared at Paul, "Explains a lot." Her eyes fluttered shut. "No, no, no. Jade, please open your eyes. Babe," Paul stroked her hair. He got off the floor, picked her up under her arms, causing her to scream out in pain and sob loudly before going quiet. Paul sat on the couch, positioning Jade straddling his lap holding her face in his hands. Still in his vampiric form, "Jade?" She passed out from the pain.
Paul could feel her heart against his chest. It was slowing down, she was dying in his arms. He couldn't let his mate die, not if he could do something about it. Paul looked to David after Marko did, both asking for his approval, "I told you two to turn them already."
Moving Kayla gently away from the couch to lay on the floor. He stayed straddled above her. Marko turned his head to the side, leaning into the crook of Kayla's neck, and bit down. Her blood was the sweetest he ever tasted. If the situation wasn't so dire he would have moaned from the taste. Marko didn't have that much to drain before Karla ran dry. He bit his wrist and brought it up to her mouth. Using his other hand, Marko pried open her mouth, letting his blood flow. Dwayne had knelt down and was massaging her throat, forcing her to swallow. "That's it, baby. Come back to me." Marko watched Kayla swallow a few more gulps before he stopped the flow and healed his wrist. They heard the remaining bullets fall to the floor as the wounds started to heal. Her breathing evened out as she fell into a deep sleep.
Paul was careful not to touch Jade's exposed back. He moved her hair that had come loose from the bun to the other shoulder before sinking his fangs into her neck. Jade barely flinched when Paul bit down and started gulping down the last bit of her blood. Almost every bit. He barely stopped himself before she was completely drained. Grasping Jade by the back of her neck, Paul tilted her face up. Biting into his wrist and lifting it above her slightly parted lips, he let it bleed into her mouth. The angle Jade was positioned allowed gravity to work for Paul. She had to swallow the blood if she wanted to breathe. After a few gulps of his blood, Paul healed the bite and wiped her face clean. Hugging her to his chest, listening to her breathe, and watching her back slowly start to heal. It wasn't going to heal overnight, but much faster than a normal human.
Lucy and Max had walked into the house a few minutes later. Max knew his boys had started bonding with their mates. Looking at their injuries, they had no choice but to turn them. Max nodded to David. Dwayne stood next to his brother. Marko had lifted Kayla off the floor, laying her on the couch, sitting next to her on the floor. He knew he had hurt her, and she was going to be angry with him. Both for turning her without her expressed permission and hurting her, breaking her trust.
Paul hasn't moved, still holding onto Jade. He didn't want to move Jade since her back was exposed, also meaning she is topless. "I would lay her down, but I don't think she will be comfortable no matter which way she lies."
Lucy was going into shock. She took in the whole room. There was blood all over the floor and her daughters were badly injured. Her eyes found Sam. He was standing off to the side, hugging himself, "Sam? Where's Michael?" Sam just shrugged his shoulders. He kept his eyes on the puddle of blood, the memory of Jade dying for nine minutes on a loop in his head loud enough the vampires heard. David moved over to Sam, "Hey, look at your sisters. They are alive and breathing." He patted Sam on the back, "Come on. Let's get this mess cleaned up so everyone can have a place to sit."
Max was standing next to Lucy draping his arm around her shoulders, "David is right. Dwayne, help them. We have some things to discuss." Lucy turned her attention to Max, "Yes, we do." She stepped over to Jade and Paul to get a closer look at her back, "This is just as bad as when she was shot." Paul nodded his head, "Michael did tell us about that. He said it was the worst day of his life." Giving Paul a little smile, Lucy agreed, "It was for all of us."
Sam, David, and Dwayne mopped up the blood, and cleared the area so they all had somewhere to sit. Lucy went upstairs, grabbed one of Jade's oversized nightshirts to cover her up. The shirt was thin enough to not cause her too much pain, she slept right through Lucy helping Paul pull the shirt over her head. Lucy moved to stand next to Max by the fireplace. "So, how much do you boys know?" Lucy asked. She was going to fill in the blanks as best as she could.
David was sitting in one of the rocking chairs, "We know the twins, Terra and Eli can teleport. They are the only people in the world who could do it. And they are assassins." That was news to Max if his shocked expression was anything to go by. "Sounds about right. And is there something I need to know?" Lucy looked between the two blondes holding her daughters. Max took off his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose, "There is something you should know about my boys and myself." He puts his glasses back on, turns to Lucy and says, "We're vampires. And your daughters are mated to Paul and Marko." Everyone was waiting for some sort of reaction from Lucy and Sam, something, anything. What they got was silence.
Sam kind of already knew. He just hopes he's not on the menu. Lucy was piecing it all together, "That makes sense. I never did see you in the daytime." Being the mother of teleporting daughters turned assassins kind of opens the mind to other possibilities. "So what happens now?" Lucy looks around the room.
Again David is the one to speak up, "Jade and Kayla were given our blood. There was no choice in the matter. It was either turn them into half vampires or they died. Couldn't have that. Not after my brothers had just found their mates." "They're only half? How do they finish turning?" Lucy was genuinely curious. "After they kill their first victim by drinking all their blood," Max answered her. Lucy nodded her head, "Well, it's getting late. The sun will be up soon. It's a lot to think about. I'm thankful the twins are alive, but I need some time to process everything." "Understood. Thank you for being so open-minded." Max kissed her on the cheek then walked out the door.
David stood up, "Come on you two. You'll see them after sunset. You still have to grovel for your screw-up." Marko adjusted Kayla so he was carrying her bridal style, heading up to their room. Paul is not too far behind. Laying Jade in her hammock on her stomach, Paul kissed her forehead and left the room. Marko kissed his mate on the cheek, with his lips still pressed against her face he whispered, "I'm sorry." Both vampires know it will not be enough but it is a start. Thinking about other women made them feel sick to their stomachs. No more flirting with any other women besides their mates ever again.
The boys got back to the cave, finding Michael with Star in her bed. David had had enough, he stalked over to them. He stood at the foot of the bed, getting more and more pissed as the two half vampires slept. David grabs Michael by the ankle and forcefully yanks him out of the bed onto the floor, smacking into the wall. Michael laid there in only his boxers, groaning in pain. "What the hell, David?" Star was sitting up holding her covers to her bare body. David looks up at her then back to Michael, "Your sisters are home." Michael painfully sat himself up against the wall, "Ok, and?" David roared in Michael's face, "AND, Paul and Marko had to turn them, because they were dying!"
Star quietly sat and watched as Michael picked himself up to put on his clothes to head home. David walked to sit in his wheelchair and smoke a cigarette. Paul was pacing around the cave, angry that his mate was so badly hurt. Jade's dried blood caked his hands. Marko tried to stay calm, petting one of his pigeons, but it was no use. His mind kept going back to Kayla, he could still smell her blood on him. Dwayne went straight for his bookshelves. He was looking for a book on Vikings. He thought he recognized what was done to Jade. Dwayne found the book he was looking for, quickly scanning the pages before he stopped on a page with a gruesome picture depicting 'The Blood Eagle'. He brought it over to David, "Shit…"
Paul and Marko came and hovered over David's shoulder. Paul was standing in the middle with Marko to his right and Dwayne on his left. The image showed a man draped over a boulder, ribs spread open and displaying his lungs. Dwayne nudged his head towards the book, "That is what Jade suffered. Whoever did it, wasn't finished." Dwayne patted Paul on the shoulder then moved to sit on the couch. Paul was staring at the image, comparing it to Jade's back, "If I ever find out who did this to her, I will finish it." He was past the point of furious, heading towards blind, homicidal rage. Paul had almost lost Jade, and in the end, took the choice away from her to turn.
Marko barely spoke above a whisper, "We should get to bed." He could feel the weariness from the sun rising. Also wanted to sleep the day away so he could check on Kayla tonight. He is a ball of nerves thinking about how she is going to react. A thought in the back of Marko's head reared its ugly head, 'Am I going soft?' David smacked him on the back of the head, "You're not going soft. You have a mate. Both of you do." He looked between his two brothers, "Now, let's get some sleep so we can check on them tonight." The four exhausted vampires made their way to the subcave for the day.
AN: Terra and Eli will make their entrance in the next chapter. So much happened in this last chapter.