tada! new chapter! alright...there is a part in here that sounds lameish, but i couldnt' find another way to explain Pure Blood stuff. if ya don't get it, tell me bout it, and i'll have a person in later chapters explain it.
enjoy...PS...when things say Elaina, others are thinking, when things say Jaden, she is thinking.
Marchette was nervous as he led his charge to the parking garage. He'd never guarded a woman before, and it was going to be interesting, especially since she was hot and off limits! The treaty with his uncle's League, the Reichmar, was the only reason he was the Nichelle to begin with. It dictated that he would serve Zachariah, and his brother, Kegan, would serve Satine Myra. Never did he dream he'd directly guard Zachariah Nichelle, let alone his secret child. Any blunder could spell his death; now more so than ever, as Neskab was found unwanted in her room. Marchette had never been more terrified. He'd seen Zachariah hand out brutal punishments, and he himself had had to carry them out a few times. The ruler of the Nichelle was not a man to be trifled with.
When they reached the garage, the rest of the convoy they'd be traveling in had arrived. They would depart in identical SUVs and each would bear a brunette female and an auburn haired man. Some of the men had needed to dye their hair to fit the description. As he helped Elaina into the vehicle, he noticed that she was trembling. Once inside, it was just the two of them, behind two layers of bulletproof glass and reinforced steel. A bomb could go off beneath them and they'd be safe. Nothing but the best for a Nichelle.
They had been driving in silence for about five minutes when Nichelle asked, "What exactly is the difference between a Pure Blood and a normal Vampire?"
Marchette pondered the question as he watched the road. "First of all," he said, "you are not to mention Pure Bloods in a public setting. Understood?" He glanced over to be sure she nodded. "The biggest difference is our resilience to sunlight; a huge reason for keeping our existence quiet. Another huge difference is we can bear children and sire them alone."
Elaina looked confused, "What do you mean, sire them alone?"
Clearing his throat, he continued, "Every male Vampire has periods in his life called his Time of Virility. It is at this time he may father a child. It occurs on anniversaries of certain lifetime events. Every twenty years, on the anniversary of his conception, he may father a child. Also, every twenty-fifth birthday after his Turn or Awakening, every five year anniversary of his Turn or Awakening, and every two year anniversary of the time he lost his virginity."
"Sorry," Elaina cut in, "but what is Awakening?"
Marchette chuckled, but didn't turn, "That's right, I guess you wouldn't know the phrase if you didn't know about Pure Bloods. A human is Turned to become a Vampire, but a Pure Blood has the Vampire Awoken in them. As a child, you were like a human child, but when you tasted the blood of your father, you were Awoken. You get it?" He looked at her, she nodded, frowning. "Its why most Pure Blood babies are kept away from their fathers. As soon as his blood touches them, their bodies reject anything human-like in them and they stop developing, this is also when Blood Lust truly appears. You can imagine the problems of having a toddler live forever." He shrugged, "its best to keep them away until they're in their late teens."
"Wait," Elaina said, "if Pure Blood babies are just like human ones, then why is Liam providing blood for my future children?"
Marchette smiled. "There are two ways to raise a Pure Blood child. The first way is how you were raised; complete separation from our world. The second way is to raise it as a Vampire. So long as the child is never exposed to the blood of his or her father, it may grow up on a mixture of food and blood. This is traditionally how Pure Bloods are raised. They become better citizens in the Pure Blood community and they're under the watchful eye of their mothers. The child may drink as much blood as it likes, and it won't show any serious Blood Lust until after its Awakening."
With a slight frown, Elaina said, "So, doesn't that mean that Ben Ashmore is a Pure Blood, because he had a daughter?"
Shaking his head, Marchette replied, "No. Remember I said every Vampire male has a Time of Virility. The difference between Pure Bloods and others is that a Pure Blood in their Time of Virility may have sex with a fertile female, Vampire or not, and sire a child. A non-Pure Vampire may only Influence a pregnancy."
"What?" The confused look on Eliana's face was enough to make Marchette grin.
"An Influenced pregnancy is when the mother has had sex with a Vampire male in the first month of her pregnancy, either before or after conception," Marchette explained. "If a woman were to have sex with a Vampire during his Time of Virility, and then, before her next period, become pregnant, the resultant child would be a Human-Dominant Half Blood. This means that the child is more human than not. A Vampire-Dominant Half Blood is created when a pregnant woman sleeps with a suitable Vampire. These children have more Vampire-like qualities, such as the vivid dreams James describes, and the faint feelings around blood."
"So," she said uncertainly, "the difference is a Pure Blood can do it and the girl will be pregnant with a Vampire child, but normal Vampires need humans to actually conceive, and they just mutate the baby. Right?" Marchette nodded. "So, is a Half Blood or a Pure Blood born when a Pure Blood male gets a human woman pregnant?"
"Vampire-Dominant Half Blood," he replied, watching through the windshield.
"Oh," she said, then fell silent. There was quiet for a few moments, and when Marchette glanced over, he saw his charge was slumped in the passenger seat, thinking hard. Suddenly, her eyes widened, and in a panic voice asked, "Wait! What if Liam Neskab was in his Time of Virility, or whatever? Could I be pregnant?" Marchette burst out laughing. "What?" Elaina asked in a panic, "Could he have gotten me pregnant?"
Still trying to control his laughter, Marchette focused harder on the road. "No, madam, you're not pregnant!"
"How can you be sure? What if he's having his Time of Virility?" she said, so agitated that her words ran together.
He smiled reassuringnly and patted her hand saying, "Because I didn't tell you the other half of being a Pure Blood and pregnancy!"
"Huh?" she gave him a blank look.
"There is no way you could be pregnant because you were not in your Time of Fertility at the time."
"Time of Fertility?"
"Yes," he answered, "Time of Fertility. You see madam, for a Pure Blood to get pregnant the female must also have a corresponding Time of Fertility. Though females are in Fertility much more often than men are in Virility, it's unlikely that you and him would have overlaps this early after your Awakening."
She sat back in her seat, breathing a sigh of relief, "Thank god! I'd have killed it if I got saddled with his child." She frowned and fell silent again. After a few moments, she asked, "Can a Half-Blood," she paused, trying to remember the term, "who has been Awakened, get a Pure Blood pregnant by himself?"
"Good question," Marchette replied. "This wouldn't have anything to do with dear Jamesie, would it?" Elaina's silence was answer enough. "No," he continued, "you need not worry. A Half-Blood's genetic code is not right. It will not work with a Pure Blood's. There is some sequence does not line up with a Pure Blood's. They may influence a human's pregnancy because they are still a little human still, but it is that piece of humanity that keeps them from playing part in a Pure Blood's conception."
"Interesting," was all she said in reply. There was silence for a few moments, then "What's Blood Rage then? I heard someone talking about it."
Marchette paused to think. "Blood Rage is like," he struggled to find the words, "puberty. It's usually caused in times of extreme emotions. For example, your loathing for poor Liam. It's just a hormonal hiccup; like having your period." Elaina gave him a funny look, causing him to laugh. "Except of course you don't bleed, and it also happens to males."
Elaina nodded slowly. "So, how do you stop it?"
"Well," he said, shrugging, "it can be controlled and slightly contained, but completely shutting it down is dangerous. That emotion and energy needs to be released."
"So how is it controlled?"
"By the father's blood," Marchette stated simply. "When Pure Blood children are Awoken, they go to live with their father. This is because, though someone of their father's bloodline may Awake them, only the blood of the actual father will calm the Rage. If the father is unable to provide blood, the child's grandfather or great-grandfather will suffice, though the effect would be less. That was why Nikita, James' half sister, was so adamant the Lord Nichellecome and not Jordan Nichelle, your brother, who has a daughter your age who was also raised human." The girl gave him a puzzled look. "If Jordan had been your father, that's great, the Blood Rage could have been controlled. But if Jordan wasn't your father, you would have gone on a berserk rampage. Zachariah was required because even if he were your grandfather, you would have been relieved of the Rage."
"How long will this go on for?" she asked in despair. "Will I have to live this way forever?"
"No, no!" Marchette scoffed. "This will pass soon. It will either end on the twenty-fifth anniversary of your Awakening, or the day your first child is born. Whichever comes first."
Elaina rolled her eyes. "Great," she said sarcastically.
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They traveled in silence for a while. Jaden jumped when Marchette's cell phone went off. Without taking his eyes from the road, he pulled it out of his pocket and answered it. He listened mutely to what the person on the other end of the line was saying, only saying, "Alright. Good luck," before hanging up. Without another word, he pulled over to the curb, muttering what sounded like profanity under his breath.
"What's wrong?" Jaden asked.
"There's a checkpoint up ahead," the bodyguard replied, "there's going to be Agents there. We have to get you somewhat disguised." Jaden nodded. "Open the glove compartment; there should be something in there," he told her.
She opened it to find a pair of thick-framed glasses, what appeared to be a pair of contact lenses, makeup, and spray on tan. As she was putting the hazel coloured contacts in her eyes, Marchette asked, "Did you wear your hair up or loose as an Agent?"
Blinking rapidly to stop her weeping eyes, Jaden replied "Up."
"Alright," he said, glancing in the rear-view-mirror, "then leave it down. Put those glasses on too." Jaden nodded, but made sure to put on copious amounts of eyeliner before fixing the spectacles on her nose.
"How do I look?" she asked, turning to her bodyguard.
He made a face, "Like Jaden Korr trying to hide herself. This is going to be interesting." He put the vehicle in gear and pulled away from the curb. His nervousness was hidden, but there all the same. Don't worry Nikoli, he told himself, no Agent of real experience or caliber would be put at a checkpoint. No on is going to recognize her. No one! He told himself that over and over again. But it didn't do much to help his nerves; it just gave him a calm exterior.
Slowly they approached the checkpoint, and joined the queue waiting to pass. There were enough cars waiting before and arriving after them that the Agents merely looked into the car to see that there was no one tied up or bleeding. After passing through, both the bodyguard and his charge let out a relieved sigh.
Jaden had never been more nervous. She asked, "Are there any more checkpoints?" dreading the answer.
Marchette winced slightly. "Three."
Jaden crumpled slightly, breathing, "shit!"
After an hour and two checkpoints down, they had one left. That was it. Their trip was delayed by a pompous-ass Agent who made them get out of the car, so they could search the entire vehicle for possible drugs or signs of Vampires. It was lucky that Jaden had thrown the unused cosmetics out the window after using them. Jaden was forced to pretend to shiver, clutching to Marchette as they searched. As they approached the last barricade, Jaden saw that this was simply an outpost of The Organization. A mere station for a team, or individual, to monitor the streets mainly for drug or human trafficking. This Agent was used to checking cargo trucks. It'd be easy to fool him.
As the car slowed down, Marchette muttered, "one more, then we're home free!"
Jaden heard him and chuckled unhumourously. He glanced over and did his best to give her a reassuring smile, but nerves made it appear to be more of a grimace. They pulled up to the barricade, and the car ahead of them moved on, there were only them and a taxi behind them.
This checkpoint only had two Agents at it, and judging by the time, they were about to get off shift. They went to either side of the vehicle. The man who went to the driver's side window was someone that Jaden didn't recognized; but Agent Tom Green was the man peering in her window.
Shit, shit , shit, was the only though Jaden could process. He'd peered straight down at her face and she'd seen the light of recognition appear in his eyes.
After Marchette had rolled down the window and was talking to the Agent on his side, Green just stared. "Jaden?" he mouthed. "Jaden Korr?"
Wide eyed, Jaden shook her head, and quickly looked away. Green must have signaled the other Agent, because the unknown man frowned over Jaden's shoulder, straightened and walked around the front of the car to listen to Green whispering frantically.
Marchette stiffened, and a strained look passed over his face as he tried to hear what Green was saying to the other Agent. "I know that woman! That's Jaden Korr!"
The Agent nodded subtly, and moved to the back of the car. "Sir, could you please step out of the car," he said firmly, reaching for his weapon.
Marchette slammed the door open, crashing it into the Agent. The man was knocked clear off his feet. Behind him, he heard Elaina get out of the car, and tackled the other Agent. Marchette kicked the Agent's dropped weapon away, drawing his own. He heard a struggle, and glanced back to see the other Agent fighting to overpower the smaller woman. She seized his hair and thumped his head against the pavement. Marchette put a bullet in his Agent's head before running after the taxi driver, who, unnoticed in the commotion, had leapt from his cab and took off sprinting down the street. Marchette easily caught the human, and in a second killed him by breaking his neck.
Marchette returned to his charge, to find her pinning her Agent down. "Get up," he told her sharply. She quickly got to her feet, but when she saw her bodyguard leveling his pistol, she put a hand on his arm to stop him from pulling the trigger.
She whispered, "Wait!" He gave her a questioning look. "Let me do it." He nodded and lowered the gun slightly, though not so much as to not be covering the Agent.
Jaden took a deep breath as she walked towards her former colleague. He scrambled away until his back contacted the side of the SUV. He then stared up at her, eyes wide, full of fear. "Jaden?" he asked, his voice cracking.
Nodding, she knelt before him. "I'm sorry Tom," she whispered, cupping his cheek with one hand, dislocating his radio transmitter with the other. Now the Agents back at the Command center were deaf and blind to all that happened to Tom Green. She also gripped his wrist hard as he moved it suddenly. Glancing down, she saw he held a knife. She added more pressure, causing him to squeak and drop the weapon.
"Why?" he moaned. "It can't be!" Sounded ready to cry. "Jaden," he moaned again.
Jaden was instantly hit with the memory of the last time he'd said her name in such a way. It was his sisters wedding; they were drunk and in a private, secluded corner. He was pressed up hard against her, crushing her into the wall. They were both saying the other's name as if it were the last word to touch their lips before they used up their last breath. She squeezed her eyes shut, forcing the memory from her mind. It was him or her. If she allowed him to live, he'd give away whom she was with, and where she was going.
Trembling, she said quietly, "I'm sorry it has to end like this, Tom," before she kissed him.
When she pulled away, his eyes were cold and hard. "Bitch!" he snarled, spitting in her face. "I loved you! You mean nothing to me now!"
This last tore her heart apart, driving her over the edge of control. Her fangs ripped into his neck. He screamed in terrible agony. She pulled away and left him to bleed out in the street, as Marchette guided her back to the car. She felt stone cold as she wiped blood from her hands. As she wiped Jaden Korr from her being.
