Jasper moved back to Natalie's side, and, with a timid smile, said, "Welcome back to the world of the living."
Natalie looked at the young brunette beside her, then at Nick. "What...what happened?"
Jasper smiled again and turned to Nick. "Would you like to tell her?" she asked the gawking vampire.
Nick looked at LaCroix, who just shrugged and looked back at Natalie. Nick slowly walked over to Natalie. "I took too much," he explained.
A little more than an hour ago, Nick and Natalie had been trying one last cure for his vampirism. When Janette had returned before, she had been mortal. She had explained that, when she had fallen in love with a mortal, he had let her take blood from him every time they made love. After time, she had become completely human again. Nat and Nicholas had tried this cure, but Nick was not able to control himself, and he took too much.
"So, shouldn't I be dead?" she asked.
"You were," he responded, then he pointed at Jasper. "But she brought you back."
"But how is what I would like to know," LaCroix added.
**************
"I'm one of the last members of the Tremere clan," Jasper remarked, her voice so low that everyone had to strain to hear her.
"The what?" Nick asked.
"Believe it or not, there are secret clans of vampires," Janette continued for her. "Seven groups that not even the Enforcers know about."
A shudder passed through the group at the mention of the vampire law keepers.
"The Tremeres are possibly the most powerful of all the clans," she added, "but their numbers are small."
"How does that explain her bringing back Natalie?" LaCroix questioned.
"Member of the Tremere clan are vampire mages," Jasper's eyes were still locked on the floor. "Usually, our powers are limited to one aspect: healing, transformation, whatever. But our numbers are dwindling. For the fifty of us to survive, we all had to learn magick in each aspect."
"Why are there so few of you?" Natalie pondered aloud.
"There's war between the clans. We may be strong with magick, but we're not warriors," Jasper explained. "The other clans have hunted us for centuries." Even though she faced the floor, Nick could see her eyes flash yellow with rage when she mentioned the persecution of her kind.
"Our clan leader was killed last week," she continued. Her voice actually rose when she said, "I was sent by my clan to find the bastard who did it and destroy him. He was last seen here in Toronto, and Janette said she could help me since she had connections."
"We'll help too," volunteered Nick. "It's the least we could do since you saved Nat."
Natalie and LaCroix nodded in agreement. It was obvious that the old vampire had a soft spot for the child before him.
"How will you kill him though?" he asked. "You hardly seem bold enough to speak, neverless ambush and kill someone."
In reply, Jasper stood up straight and waved both hands inward in a circular motion. A bright flash of crimson light, and where the timid child once stood, a black panther roared at the quartet.
"Transformation."
Janette liked to state the obvious.
Chapter 3
Nick needed a drink.
This was all too much for him. As he walked over to the refrigerator, LaCroix joined him. He would apparently forget his exquisite taste in exchange for the comfort of a drink.
But when LaCroix tasted his poured beverage, he grimaced. "My dear Nicholas, I've never understood how you can prefer cow to human." But the drink relaxed him, and he took another sip.
There was another flash of brightness, and Jasper was back to normal. "Cow?" she inquired. "It's been a while since I've had anything that decent."
LaCroix looked at her, wide-eyed. "You consider cow's blood decent?"
"We've been running so long, we barely have time for rat. I was starting to feel like a carouche," she joked.
Nick poured another glass and offered it to her. She drank it whole-heartedly.
"Who exactly will we be looking for?" LaCroix questioned.
"His name is Sorin," Jasper told them, her deep brown eyes fading again to feral yellow. "He's a member of the Galen clan."
**************
Across town, a figure slept beneath the CN Tower, hiding himself from the bright noon sun. A long sword clenched to his side, the man twitched with anticipation as he dreamed of his awaiting conquest. Soon it would be time.
**************
"The Galen is a warrior clan," Jasper explained as the rest of the group hung to every word. "While we have spent eras strengthening our magicks, they have trained in fighting and ambush tactics. It was they who have destroyed most of our clan."
"The problem is that Galens hire familiars- humans that have the hope of being turned- to do their dirty work during the day. These mortals would find any other clan's hiding nest and either report its location to the Galen leader or destroy it himself. Once, before I was brought across, a single familiar killed 500 Tremeres by torching their home." Jasper paused for a moment.
"No matter what we do, where we hide, the familiars are always able to find us. Some Tremeres have tried sleeping in a transformed state, like a mouse, but when they awaken, they are too drained of power to fight back when attacked. It's no use!" her voice raised in frustration. "They always find us!"
As if on cue, the door was kicked open from outside, and the assailant started to fire a AK-47 at the surprised group.
Chapter 4
Nick pushed Nat over the couch and out of the line of fire. He had to protect her at all costs. There was no way he would lose her again. Then, fangs bared and eyes fiery orange, he turned on the gunman.
Only to be stopped by a bullet to the shoulder. Though bullets usually go through him, this one hurt like hell. He'd felt this before now. These bullets were hollow-point and stuffed with garlic, leaving a vampire with the feeling of "a thousand scorpions stinging at one time," as Nick had once described it.
A split second late, Nick was off again; this time trying to get behind the shooter. LaCroix beat him to it though and ripped the gun from the young man's hands, which took the trigger finger with it.
Now the man stood bleeding with four vampires surrounding him. Defenseless, he stared into each pair of glowing eyes until his fear was so strong that even Natalie could sense it.
"A familiar?" Nick asked.
"One of Sorin's," was Jasper's answer.
She stepped up to the mortal, who turned to face her. "Erik, I know he's here," she addressed him. "My question is where exactly."
He turned away, not saying a word.
"Where the hell is he!?" she screamed, scaring everyone in the room.
Still, even in his terror, Erik kept his silence.
Finally, she gave up, turned, and walked toward the couch.
LaCroix, however, was still furious. He reached up at the mortal, snapped his head back by grabbing a chunk of hair, and sank his fangs into his neck, draining him for all he was worth.
When he was done and the human was dead, Nick stepped forward to LaCroix. "Usually I despise you for killing people," he explained. "But I think he deserved that."
"There may be hope for you yet," LaCroix jested, but Nick was not amused.
Instead, he was more concerned for Jasper. She was sitting in the corner of the room and curled into a ball, sobbing. Nick had to remember that though Jasper was a vampire, she was still barely more than a teenager. Attacks like this had to be disturbing.
LaCroix also felt sorry for her. While everyone stayed in their place, he walked over and sat down right next to the child. Before he could say a word, Jasper collapsed into his arms, crimson tears streaming down her face.
LaCroix didn't know what to do. He looked to Nick for advice, but the younger vampire just shrugged. Finally, LaCroix' long-since-used paternal instincts kicked in, and he slowly wrapped his arms around her.
She wept into his shoulder, and once every few moments LaCroix heard her barely choke out, "It's all my fault. I led him right here. I'm so sorry."
LaCroix didn't move at any time. Soon, her crying slowed, and then stopped.
"I'm sorry I lost it," she said as she stood up. "I was trained to be strong in these situations. It won't happen again."
LaCroix also stirred off the floor and walked toward the still-open door.
Everyone was completely silent.
**************
Back under the Tower, the dark figure started to awaken. Clutching the sword by his side, he prepared to move quickly. He sensed something was wrong, and he was eager to fix the damage. Just a couple more hours.
