CHAPTER ONE: "From Russia With Love"
Yekaterinburg, Russia - July 18, 1918
The soldiers and mercenaries that had executed the Romanov family the night previous were laughing and joking with one another from where they sat around a campfire, showing off their new treasures. Treasures pilfered from the corpses of the Royal family. A few of the brutes were even bragging about what they had done with the still warm bodies of the Romanov daughters… loudly.
One of the men got up to go relieve himself just beyond the tree line, tossing jokes back at his comrades. While he was away, his friends were wondering aloud how much their stolen treasures would be worth back home. As they conversed, one of them looked up, thinking he had seen something flit through the darkness between the trees. Excusing himself, he got up from his seat and moved toward the trees, ignoring the taunting jokes being tossed his way by those still sitting around the campfire. Just at the edge of the tree line did he stop, seeing something in the blackness.
"Boris?" he called into the shadows, half submerged in the gloom himself as he moved forward. He saw a smear of blood on one of the trees and immediately drew his pistol, hearing his comrades draw their weapons as well, all sounds of mirth now gone. The man by the woods turned to shout something at his fellows when he was suddenly ripped bodily into the blackness, a startled shout the last thing they heard from him. Until the screams.
"Maxim!" Yakov shouted into the abyss, standing up along with his men. In response, Maxim's lifeless body was thrown from the shadows to land on the camp fire. Several of the men started swearing in Russian while they all opened fired, shooting at the aged trees. Instead of assisting his men, Yakov turned to run, mainly because of the child-like face of whatever beast flitted ghost-like through the trees. It was impossible. They were dead.
So Comrade Yakov ran for his life, trying to put as much distance between him and his men, doing his best to ignore their frightened and dying screams. He got out of sight of the campfire and around a hill, heading toward his military jeep, which was parked nearby. Suddenly, his shadow leapt and stretched before him, causing him to whip his head around instinctively and discover flames shooting into the sky. Pushing it out of his mind, he turned to continue running, only to find himself face to face with the now hauntingly beautiful Anastasia, a trickle of some soldier's blood running from the corner of her sensual mouth.
"Anastasia." Yakov started to rasp out, only to have the former Grand Duchess lash out and strike him in the chest, sending him flying backward about a dozen feet. The second he regained his breath, he sat up, pistol drawn, only to discover that she was no longer there. Blood pounding in his ears, he scrambled to his feet. Halfway up, Alexei Romanov stood before him, with his innocent face smeared messily with the blood of his murderers. Still crouched down, Yakov brought his pistol up to bear, only to find the demon-child gone, just like his sister. Pistol still in hand, he stood to his full height, barrel of his gun swinging outward. Before he could swivel in a full circle, a tiny hand clamped onto his wrist and squeezed with unnatural strength, snapping bones. Yakov cried out as his wrist broke under the pressure and his pistol dropped to the dirt. A yank pulled the older Russian down to his knees before a shove to his chest sent him sprawling.
As he lay on his back, he saw Anastasia approach from his right side. A slight pressure on his thighs alerted him to little Alexei, who was crawling up Yakov's torso, his fangs bared. Anastasia knelt by his side, her own fangs sliding out as he eyes filled with blood. Yakov immediately tried to ramble of an explanation, or even beg for his life, but Alexei's small hand covered his mouth, cutting off any pleas he might have uttered.
"Shhhh." the macabre angel that was Alexei whispered softly as his mouth neared his executor's throat.
"The last thing we saw in our human life was your face." Anastasia said, lowering herself to the other side of his strong neck. "It's only fitting that the last thing you see is ours." And with those final words, the Romanov siblings struck.
-o~O~o-
Anastasia awoke with a start, bolting upright in her expansive bed. Her chest heaved with unnecessary breathes as she struggled to pull herself out of her nightmare. Once she finally regained her composure, she reached over toward her beside table and swatted the infernal alarm clock, silencing the shrill beeping. With another unneeded breath, she threw the heavy comforter aside and swung her long, slender, and bare legs over the side of the bed, letting her toes sink and curl into the exquisitely soft carpet. She exhaled that needless breath and padded barefoot across the room, with it's beautiful cobalt blue painted walls and into the magnificent en suite bathroom.
Twenty minutes later, she stepped out of the entirely glass enclosed shower with a towel wrapped snugly around her, from arm pit to mid thigh, a cloud of steam swirling ethereally around her slender frame. Snatching another towel from the rack, the one hundred plus year old teenager started wringing out and drying her waist length hair. Once she deemed it dry enough, she lay that towel on the sink counter of her bathroom before heading back out to her bedroom, making a beeline straight for the massive closet. The first thing she pulled forth from said closet, was a bottle of blood from the mini-fridge she had hidden in the back. Unscrewing the cap, she took a long swig as she started to flip through the various outfits she had hanging on the rails. One in particular caught her eye, and she smiled in victory as she pulled it out to take a closer look.
Nearly an hour later, Anastasia was applying the final touches of her make-up to make her look absolutely perfect for her first day of school in a new town. With a finishing sweep of smoky eye-liner around her silver-gray eyes, she put the pencil down and smiled at her reflection in the antique vanity mirror. Satisfied that she looked utterly perfect, she reached over and plucked the bottle of blood from the table and downed the rest of it, smacking her burgundy lips once she had finished. Standing up from the small chair before her vanity, she marched over to the full length mirror that stood next to the closet. She spun around and observed herself, congratulating herself on her choice of her outfit.
A long sleeved cream colored dress trimmed in gold that ended at mid thigh accessorized with ankle high golden stiletto pumps, two metallic gold feather earrings and golden nails. The piece that brought it all together was a small golden locket set with a beautiful blue stone that hung around her neck to settle in the hollow of her throat. A predatory smile donned her lips as she grabbed her messenger bag from the bed and danced out the door.
-o~O~o-
Cold.
That was always the first thing he noticed the morning after a transformation, how cold he was. He suspected it might have something to do with how hot his body temperature runs the week up to the full moon. Or maybe it was waking up without any clothes in a damp basement. Who knows, maybe it was both. The point was he was cold.
Immediately after that first realization was usually when the pain kicked in. Not the agonizing wish-you-were-dead pain associated with the transformation, but that full body ache that comes after a rather vigorous work out that has pushed the body too far. It hurt just to move.
Michael groaned and attempted to open his eyes, only to immediately clamp them shut against the blinding light. It wasn't really blinding, point-in-fact it was probably very dim, but this close to shifting back, all his senses were heightened… dramatically. It was God's way of fun of them. Werewolves that is. Not only was the transformation itself the most painful experience that hurt on levels unfathomable to man, but the next day they all had to deal with the supernatural equivalent to one kick-ass hangover. Tasting cold dirt in his mouth, Michael forces his magnificently built upper body off the ground so he could spit out the foul tasting substance.
"Well, that was sexy." a deep, female voice sounded from the open door to the dungeon-like room. Groaning in a mixture of pain and exhaustion, Michael forced himself to sit up, the heavy chains rattling from where they were still draped around him. Once seated upright, though still hunched over, he cocked his head toward the door and cracked his eyes open, maneuvering the chains to protect his decency (aka covering his impressive junk.)
"Morning Alyce." he mumbled sleepily, heaving a shackled wrist toward his face so he could rub at his eye and actually look at the woman in her mid-twenties. Alyce chuckled softly and moved into the room. She crouched down by the young man and started to unlock and unravel the chains, leaving him bare and smeared with dirt (and other bodily fluids.)
"Your clothes are in the bathroom, honey." Alyce said kindly, once the last of the chains were off. "We'll have breakfast ready when you're clean." she ruffled his mop of dark auburn curls before standing up and leaving the room, giving Michael some privacy.
-o~O~o-
Who turned on the damn lights?
That was Alec's first internal question as he swam back to the land of consciousness from the ocean of dreams. He attempted to squeeze his eyes shut tighter and block it out, but the light was relentless in its radiance. Growling grumpily, Alec gestured with one arm lazily and muttered something ("Sutos Incendia.") in a language that sounded like Latin, but not quite. When the light didn't go out as was the desired effect of the spell, he frowned, eyes still closed. Cracking open his violet blue eyes to see what the problem was, he was greeted with Mr. Sunshine, who was seriously all up in his grill.
"Ugh." Alec groaned, rolling over to lay uncomfortably on his other side, facing away from the sun. Unfortunately, sleep would not come back because his nose was smashed up against the back of the arm chair he had fallen asleep in. also the arm of said chair was digging painfully into his side as the pillow had fallen to the floor sometime during the night. And, just to be absolutely certain he would not fall back asleep, a flock of birds began to sing. Loudly. Right next to his window.
"Alright, I'm up!" he shouted, chucking the pillow at one of the boarded windows where it sounded with a muffled thud. The sound of numerous started wings beating rapidly answered him as the birds all took off. The now fully awake young man smirked at his small victory before yawning, stretching, and swinging his bare feet onto the faded carpet. Rubbing sleepily at his left eye, he stood up and moved slowly toward the large wooden table he had thrown his bag on the night before. Rummaging through his bag, he found his iPhone and pushed the button at the bottom to light the screen with its provocative background. Those gorgeous blue eyes widened as he saw how late it was.
"Shit!" he exclaimed, throwing the phone back on the table before dashing toward the wide staircase that ran along the wall, tearing off his shirt as he took the stairs. By the time he bounced down the hall and into the master bedroom (which had no hint of decay like the rest of the house) he was hopping on one leg, trying to get out of his jeans while still moving. Once the clothes were off, new ones took their place. White Emporio Armani boxer briefs that fit like a second skin, a pair of off-white, faded and worn soft Calvin Klein khaki pants that were a size too big and held up by a black leather belt covered his lower half. A pair of plain white socks that came to his ankle slid over his feet, which were quickly covered by a pair of black stripped white Reeboks. The finishing piece was a pure white John Varvatos t-shirt that showed off his athletic torso nicely. Yes, he was a label queen, so sue him.
Picking up a rosary made of red and white stones, he slipped it over his head and draped it around his neck, the crucifix resting just below his chest. Smiling at his reflection in the mirror over his dresser, he headed toward the door, not seeing the sultry-looking young woman in a torn and tattered red gown lounging on his unused bed.
Out the door he went after that, poking his head back in to frown at the room. Taking a breath, he quickly blew it out and watched as the room turned a vibrant red. Trademark smirk donning his handsome face, he left the room and bounded back down the stairs and into the parlor. He slithered between the furniture and reached the table, pocketing his iPhone and grabbing the open tome lying next to his bag, tossing it in before the satchel was slung carelessly over his shoulder.
-o~O~o-
The red-headed werewolf stepped up to the large counter sink, his towel draped over his damp hair the cargo shorts he had picked out the day before slung low on his hips. He rubbed the towel vigorously over his hair to draw out the excess moisture, the muscles in his arms flexing as he did so. Satisfied that his hair was dry enough, he tossed the towel to the side, letting it rest on the counter as he went about inspecting his appearance, brushing his teeth, putting on deodorant, a quick shave, etc.
Picking the towel up again, he wiped the remaining water and shaving cream from his neck and chest before tossing it in the laundry bin without so much as a glance. With that done, he slipped on his socks and black sneakers, than moved swiftly toward the door where the black button down shirt he picked out previously was hanging on a hanger. Taking if off said hanger, he slipped it on over his bare skin and buttoned it, leaving several buttons at either end open, revealing taunting glimpses of his lower abs and a wide swath of his powerful upper chest, on which rested a silver medallion of Saint Columbanus. Once the buttons were fastened, the sleeves were expertly rolled up to expose muscular forearms.
Turning back to the mirror to observe his reflection, he adjusted the collar of his shirt and brushed his still slightly damp hair back and our of his face. Satisfied with his appearance, he exited the basement bathroom and proceeded toward the stairs that led up into the mansion proper, snagging his bag from the base of the stairs. A quick trip through the halls led him to the kitchen where there was already a plate piled with eggs and bacon waiting for him. With a quick 'good morning' to Mr. Whittemore and the maids, Michael sat down and wolfed down his breakfast, going back for seconds and finishing those in under five minutes.
Heaving his book bag over his shoulder, he stood up, towering over everyone else in the kitchen.
"Thank you for breakfast." he said to Alyce, who was busy doing some of the dishes and only waved a wet hand in response.
"Have a good day at school, m'boy." Mr. Whittemore said from where he was reading the paper at the head of the table.
"Thanks, Mr. William."
The old man chuckled at this as Michael left the room.
-o~O~o-
Michael pulled his pick up truck into the student parking lot, picking a random space between a red Jeep and a blue Prius. Grabbing his book bag from the passenger seat, he pocketed his keys and exited the truck, locking the door behind him. Weaving in and out of both vehicles and students catching up on their summer vacations, Michael proceeded toward the three ring circles that was his school.
"Hey! Mikey!"
Michael paused and looked to his left, where a small group of young men and one young woman were approaching.
"'Sup, Jimmy?" Mike said, doing the bro-hug with a leanly built young man with dark hair and green eyes partially obscured by glasses. The young woman shoved Jimmy out of the way before he could answer and full on hugged the tall red head, kissing him on the cheek.
"Hello Angela." he returned the hug and smiled down at the petite girl.
"We missed you last night." she said, tucking a golden blond curl behind her ear. Michael just shrugged in response, high-fiving one of the other guys (an Asian-American) and bumped fists with the last (African-American) was the closest in height to the red head.
"I'm diggin' the do, Sam."
The African American boy flashed a smile that was all the whiter being set in the darkness of his face. He shook his head like a dog for effect, causing his shoulder length corn rows to whip around his head, the beads at the end clacking together noisily. Once they settled, Samuel ran a hand over his crown, pushing them out of his face and back into place.
"Thought I'd try a new look." he responded, his voice a deep rumble.
As they continued to catch up about their summer vacations, a gorgeous young woman walked through the parking lot from where she parked her Navigator, attracting many stares of both open lust and barely concealed envy. All in unison, the five werewolves paused in their conversation and turned to watch the new girl strut toward the door of the school. No one could take their eyes off of her, not even as an expensive sports car roared into the parking lot. The first to recover was the Asian-American werewolf, who darted forward to hold the door open for the new girl.
"Smooth, Jericho, smooth." Angela said softly under her breath, smirking slightly. The new girl paused by the door.
"Oh, thank you." she said to him. "But you didn't have to."
"It's no trouble at all." Jericho responded. She smiled, flashing her pearly whites, but before she could pass through the door, a young man in a white t-shirt brushed past, bumping her shoulder as he went.
"Hey!" Jericho started to protest, causing him to stop and turn to look at the two of them.
"That was extremely rude." Anastasia said, putting one hand on her cocked hip. In response the young man smiled and pulled off his sunglasses, revealing those haunting blue eyes.
"Bite me." Alec responded, his smile growing even wider at how rigid Anastasia now stood. With a small under-the-breath snort, Alec turned away and proceeded down the glass hallway toward the main office, leaving Anastasia and Jericho just standing there with the door hanging open.
-o~O~o-
He and his small group of friends made their way through the crowded hallways, bombarded on all sides by the noisy conversations of the student body. After a few minutes of slow progress through the halls, the five eventually reached their homeroom just as the warning bell rang. They quickly took seats in the back of the classroom as they other students began to rush in before they were late. Sitting in one of the seats in the front of the classroom was the rude young man from the parking lot, trademark smirk already in place.
As the class settled into their seats in time for the final bell, the gorgeous young woman from that morning walked in, sheet of paper in her hand.
"Alright, alright, lets everyone settle down." Mr. Chamberlain, their homeroom teacher said, hands out as he stood from behind his desk. "Before we get into what you've all done over the summer, we have two new students to add to our numbers this year." He motioned for both of them to stand before the class. "Go ahead and introduce yourselves."
"Ladies first." Anastasia said, turning to face the blond teen with a snarky look. The class chuckled at that comment.
"Oh no, age before beauty, grandma." Alec returned with a flourished gesture, smart ass grin still in place. That comment earned a glare from the vampire.
"Settle down now." Mr. Chamberlain repeated, causing the snickers to die down. He turned to face the new students, disapproving look on his face. The two locked eyes for a split second before Alec stepped back, giving her the floor. She cleared her throat.
"My name is Anastasia Nazarova." She said with no hint of an accent to betray her Russian heritage. "I'm originally from Moscow but moved to the United States with my brother several years ago. Other than that, I don't really know what you want to know." With those words, she nodded slightly and moved to sit in her seat, aware that every male's eyes were on her… including Mr. Chamberlain's. Once she was seated, everyone turned to look at the other new student.
"Hi, I'm Alexander, but everyone just calls me Alec."
"Like Smart Alec?" Anastasia said under her breath, earning a small chuckle from those around her and a tiny smile from Alec. "I'm originally from New Salem, California. My parents died not that long ago in a car accident and I've decided to come to the East Coast to finish school and start fresh." An awkward silence followed that introduction as several students shifted uncomfortably in their seats. "I also like chick flicks, Italian food, and long walks on the beach…" he looked at Anastasia "… by moonlight." This succeeded in lightening the mood, getting several strained laughs in response.
"Can I ask why Lebanon?" Mr. Chamberlain asked as Alec moved toward his seat. At the young man's puzzled expression, the teacher continued. "Why'd you chose Lebanon as a place to live and go to school?"
"It's a nice, quiet town with a rich history." Alec responded. "And it reminded me of home." Throughout that exchange, Michael and his friends watched the young man, their preternatural senses focused in on Alec's heartbeat.
He was lying.
-o~O~o-
The day flew by relatively quickly as everyone caught up on their summer vacations and memorizing their schedules and classes. When the final bell of the day rang at last, the students rushed from the school, hoping on the bus, beginning the long walk home, or heading over to their own vehicles.
At the edge of the parking lot, Alec was approaching his Spyder when he heard someone cough behind him. He paused, keys in hand and turned to look over his shoulder. Seeing no one there, he frowned before turning back to his car and finding himself face to face with Anastasia, a serious expression on her lovely face. Alec jerked back slightly in surprise before he readjusted the strap of his satchel.
"Anastasia, right?" Alec asked, getting not even so much as a blink in response. "Is there something I can help you with?" Still nothing. "Okay then, I'll see you later." He moved to go pas her, only to have her small hand give an unnaturally strong shove, which sent Alec back a few steps. He looked up at her, arms out and face set in a 'WTF' expression.
"What are you playing at?" Anastasia asked venomously, voice barely above a whisper, eyes narrowed dangerously. "Why the comments? The hints? What do you want?" Alec stared at her, locking eyes, indigo with silver. Without warning, Alec cracked a mocking smile, barely suppressing his laughter. "Do not mock me!"
"You want me to stand here and pretend I don't know what you are?" he asked her suddenly, stopping whatever she was about to say. "To sand here and pretend I don't know you're a vampire."
Quick as a viper, Anastasia's hand lashed out and enclosed around his throat, perfectly manicured nails digging into the smooth skin of his neck. The beautiful mask Anastasia had worn for everyone for decades slipped away and her true façade slid into place. That's not to say she wasn't still beautiful, just in the way of a wild animal. Stunning and exotic, but dangerous. She was all of those as she lifted him easily off the ground, eyes darkening with blood, fangs bared, and veins protruding against her nearly translucent skin. Alec's bag now lay on the pavement along with his car keys as both hands went to her wrist in a futile attempt to break her grip. She increased the pressure, drawing out a choking gasp from his lips. Giving up on trying to overpower her physically, he turned to his other talents, relaxing in her grip and turning his baby blues toward her.
A few seconds later and Anastasia's monster face crumpled as she released him, quickly as if he were on fire. Both hands came to either side of her head as she opened her mouth to groan in pain, her knees buckling. Alec regained his feet, right hand going to massage his bruised throat as he struggled not to choke as he drew in breath, his glare still fixed firmly on the vampire who was wilted in pain. After a few gasped breaths, Alec snatched his keys and bag from the ground before standing to his full height.
"That is your first and only warning." he rasped out, still pining her to the ground with his gaze. "You try something like that again, or try to retaliate to this, and I'll end you." He walked around her and opened the door to his car, throwing his bag onto the passenger seat. "To quote the great River Tamm 'I can kill you with my brain.'" With those words, he got into his car and peeled out of the parking lot, leaving the vampiress to struggle to her feet as the effects of the spell wore off.
-o~O~o-
Michael parted ways with his friends and made his way over to his truck, narrowly missing getting hit by a flashy sports car that was in a hurry to leave. He looked over to where the car had originated from and saw the new girl Anastasia getting unsteadily to her feet and wobbling over to her Navigator. She hopped into the vehicle and slammed the door shut behind her before she too took off out of the parking lot. It was then that the faint scent of blood finally hit Michael from the direction Anastasia had just come from. He frowned in confusion as she drove past him, putting a pair of designer sunglasses over her strangely dark eyes as she rolled past.
-o~O~o-
The twenty something couple drove down the back-country road not far from the city of Lebanon, laughing as some crude joke while the radio played softly in the background. As they rounded a bend in the darkness, the girl shouted for her boyfriend to watch out. Their vehicle screeched to a sudden halt before a young woman sobbing in the road, her arms out to signal for help.
"Don't go." the girlfriend said, clutching at his arm as he motioned to leave the car.
"She might need help." he reasoned. "I'll be fine." he reassured her, giving her a quick kiss before he exited the vehicle. The sobbing young woman quickly grabbed his arm and began to pull him further up the road where a car was crashed in a ditch, steam coming out form under the hood.
"My boyfriend needs help." the distressed woman sobbed. "He's stuck and he won't wake up." The boyfriend started to jog up the road toward the crash.
"What happened?" he asked as they moved forward.
"We were coming around the corner when this deer just came out of nowhere." she managed to say chokingly. "We swerved and ended up in the ditch. Please help him!" They finally reached the car and the boyfriend slid down the small embankment toward the car, reaching the driver's side door. Peering through the cracked glass, he frowned in confusion.
Lady, there's no one in here." he said, standing up straight.
"I know." came the husky reply, her voice no longer shaking. Boyfriend's eyes widened as he slowly turned around, horror-movie style, afraid of what he might see. The formerly distraught young woman stood above him on the embankment, looking down at him with a sinister smirk and dead eyes. Before his eyes that lovely face contorted into that of a monster, with bloody eyes, veins tracing her cheeks like spider webs, and deadly looking ivory fangs. With an inhuman snarl, she launched herself at him, her fangs easily sinking into his throat, cutting off his scream.
Back at the car, the girlfriend opened the door and poked her head out, eyes trained on where she saw both her boyfriend and the distraught girl disappear. She called out for him.
"Lover boy's dead by now, sweetheart."
The frightened young woman whirled around toward the voice and was met with a tall young man with his vampire face on. Without any hesitation or warning, he struck and took her right there against the car.
Once the man was drained, the female vampire climbed out of the ditch and calmly walked back down the road, where the companion was finishing his meal. When he too had finished, he tossed her corpse aside and turned to face her. They met in a sloppy kiss, sharing the blood of their victims. Pulling away, she giggled when he licked at a trail of blood starting from the hollow of her throat, up her long neck, her chin, and finally stopping to nip at her lips.
"This town is gonna be fun." he whispered against her lips.
Author's Note: Typical disclaimer crap that I ignored in the first chapter. Speaking of which, I changed a few things in the first chapter to better suit my story. This story will attempt to run parallel to the actual show, though I may slip up occasionally. Anyway, the house the character Alec lives in is based off of the abandoned house in the Secret Circle... with some sparkle of course. And I live in Lebanon, Pennsylvania, so the three ring circus of a high school is the truth. My old high school is actually three circular buildings. Other than that, I would love to know what people think so please review.
... seriously... review. If you don't, I might die.