The Dark Gifts Birthright

  “I understand your feelings in this matter, but--”

  Tiberius cut Gregorio off while glaring at Cass, “Understand? How could you keep something of this magnitude from us? Time travel? You’ve gone back in time and changed history for your own selfish purpose. What use is a Council with no leader? You could have been killed.”

  “I understand. I wasn’t sure when this began that it would even work.”

  “Preposterous! I propose we take a vote on the mental stability of our leader.” Tiberius stood arms folded across his chest in total defiance of Cass.

  “I agree.” Michael chimed in.

  Liz stood and moved to stand behind Cass, silently giving her support. Athena, taking a cue from Liz, joined her. Both woman, eyes cold and glaring, stared at Tiberius.

  Gregorio shook his head and cast his gaze over the other council members. “Is this what we’ve come too then? Not a full year together and already this Council is divided?”

  “No.” Rene rose from his seat to face his friend. “No, Tiberius. We’ve not come to this. What’s done is done.”

  Tiberius conceded and once again took his seat.

  Gregorio cleared his throat, nodded to Tiberius and continued, “Moving on, we need a vote on turning the man.”

  Dan’s turning was insignificant to them. He was Cass' partner, and as far as they were concerned, his turning was between the two of them. The only ruling they made on his change was that it should be done immediately, so as to not upset the balance they had finally achieved in their new home. There were one hundred and ninety mortals at the Citadel, off and on, but these were witches and untouchable to vampires. It was definitely not the same thing as having fresh human blood on hand. While the Council continued their discussion about time portals and their potential use, Dan, with Liz as guardian, was taken to see his daughter.

  “Daddy!” Jenna squealed in delight when he entered her room. She ran across the room and jumped into his arms.

  Dan threw her up in the air making her squeal again. “Did you miss me, pumpkin?”

  “Duhhhh.” Jenna, her tiny hands on both of his cheeks, planted kisses all over his face.

  “I’m guessing you did.” He said as he hugged her.

  Once Dan had her settled down enough to talk, he explained briefly what had happened, leaving out the most scary and dangerous aspects of the story. Jenna was wide-eyed and full of awe, hearing the tale of their rescue, by her mother and Liz.

  “What do you mean? How can you be like Mommy?” Jenna asked.

  “Well Mommy can make me just like her.” Dan answered.

  Jenna’s little mouth drew up as she thought. She squinched her eyes causing her nose to wrinkle. “But if you’re like Mommy then I will be different.”

  “Yes, you will. But when you are grown, you can be like mommy too.”

  Liz, knowing how Cass felt about that topic, grew uncomfortable with the direction the conversation was heading. “Now Jenna, your Dad can’t stay here if he’s not like your Mom. It would be too dangerous for him. Don’t you want him to be safe?”

  Jenna stomped her foot and yelled, “You stay outta this! That’s my Daddy.”

  “Jenna!” Dan raised his voice and pointed at her.

  Stomping her foot again, she stalked into the corner and pouted.

  “Young lady, you are not too old to get a good sound spanking. Do you hear me?”

  She looked up, tears in her eyes and said, “Yes sir.”

  Watching the two of them together almost brought a tear to Liz’s eyes. She hadn’t thought much about having children. When she was mortal, there was plenty of time to start a family. Now that she was not, she chose not to think about it. There’s no use crying over spilled milk, if you can’t, then you can’t, she thought. Nonetheless, a seed of yearning had planted itself in Liz’s heart.

  ***

  After the Council had disbanded for the day, Cass joined the girls and her little family. Liz and Angie stayed for just a few minutes, and then decided that it would be best to let them spend some time alone. Jenna was in the middle of bombarding her parents with questions when the girls took their leave.

  Back at their room, Michael and Liz were having a not so quiet argument. Michael was still furious that Liz had not informed him of Cass' plan ahead of time, and that she would intentionally take on three Unnamed knowing the danger involved. Liz’s “all’s well that ends well” approach, only seemed to make him angrier. Exhausted, hungry, and in no mood for the fight, she needed rest, but let Michael rant until he finally gave up.

  Begrudgingly, he offered to go hunt for her so that she could get some rest.

  “Michael, this had all been very big, and some of it very scary. What I really need right now is for you to just lie down and hold me.”

  “How do you ignore the magnitude of what you have done?”

  “I can feel the magnitude. Trust me, in every inch of my body I feel it, but it is done now and although I could go back and change it, I wouldn’t. In my heart I know this how it should be. I can’t--no I won’t--be sorry for setting things right and giving Cass back the love of her life.”

  Michael sighed and crawled into bed with her. Tenderly taking her in his arms, he kissed her forehead, and said, “Do you have any idea what would happen to me if I lost you?”

  “Yes. That is exactly why I did what I did for Cass. I know exactly how it would have been had it been me that died that night instead of Dan.” Her mouth opened in a wide yawn, she closed her eyes, and slept.

  The Council had given Cass twenty-four hours to turn Dan. Being a man, and human, Dan spent his last twenty-four hours eating and spending time with his family. Knowing that human food would never again taste good to him, he decided to eat everything that was his favorite in those last hours.

  Liz had been brought in on the rather difficult procedure of acquiring Dan’s favorite food items. He had an enormous appetite, so filling him up became a game for Liz and Cass. They made portals to take them to burger joints, and steak houses, bakeries for deserts, a pizza parlor, and even a produce stand for fresh tomatoes and cucumbers. The latter taking them to Australia, as they were still in season there. It took seven trips to satiate the man.

  Jenna thoroughly enjoyed her father’s last suppers, as they jokingly called the meals obtained. Both Jenna and her father were so full from feasting they ended up needing to take naps.

  As evening approached, and the hour for Dan’s turning grew closer, Cass' festive mood dwindled. There was a slight chance the turning would not take, and Dan could end up an Unnamed. There was an equal chance that the connection might not take on the aspects of wife to husband, but of something entirely different. It was dangerous business turning a mortal immortal.

  “You know you cannot see her for at least several days.” Cass said, still hoping to change his mind.

  “I won’t hurt her. I can’t. You know me, Cass.” Dan replied taking her hand.

  Their eyes met. Cass searched his face for a tell tale sign that everything would be all right. After several moments, her gaze drifted from his face to the child sleeping on the bed.

  “I want this. I want to be able to protect my family.” Dan reached out and caressed her cheek, wondering if it would still feel cold to him after he’d turned.

  ***

  When the designated hour arrived, Jenna hugged and kissed her father and was taken to her own room. Dan had held the child and told her how much he loved her, and that she would need to be brave and very patient. “I will see you again as soon as your mother says it's safe. All right, baby?”

  “Okay, daddy, but don’t take too long, okay? I still have a bunch of things to tell you!”

  Cass had chosen to be alone with Dan during his turning, but had stationed Michael, Liz, and Gregorio outside the door should anything unusual happen. Angie and Athena weren’t invited, but they were there anyway, waiting with the others, with strict orders not to enter should
anything bad happen.

  Tension in the corridor was high. Chances were slim that a turning wouldn’t take, but the possibility was always there.

  It only took a few minutes. Cass had throughout the day, taken blood from him three times, each time hoping that she would not be required to do the final act, hoping, beyond hope that he would change his mind. Bitterly, she tried one last time to talk sense into him, and seeing that he would not give in, gave up and gave him her blood.

  His pain was excruciating, not having the luxury of running scared for his life like Liz, he had nothing to focus on except the torture his body endured. To Cass, it seemed a lifetime had passed watching her husband suffer in such extreme agony. After just two minutes, she called out to Michael and the others for help, thinking that something must be wrong. The only other turning she had witnessed had been Gregorio, but being so close to death already, he had not suffered. For him, it had been a relief from the pain he had already endured.

  Just as they entered the room, thinking the worst must have happened, Dan went silent. His face went pale, at the same time his hair became luminescent, and his eyes began to shine with the brilliance of an amber-colored jewel. Then his body, already muscled and fit, took on the appearance of raw natural strength, muscles visually hardening and growing larger. It all happened in an instant and then he stood, the thirst upon him. He looked at Cass and the others, recognition on his face, then sniffed the air and growled. Before he could take off, Michael and Gregorio held him, one on each side, while Cass opened a portal to take him hunting. They all stepped through.

  Dan’s appetite had not diminished with being turned; he had already taken down five large deer and still was not satisfied. Athena and Gregorio were very concerned, if Dan could not control his thirst with fresh blood from animals, there would be no way he could be allowed around Jenna. After the sixth, he was finally filled.

  Not bothering to wipe the dripping blood from his chin, Dan looked around at the forest and sky. “Oh, ho, ho. Someone’s been keeping secrets.” He flexed his arms and grinned as his biceps bulged. Power coursed through him. His eyes grew wide as he looked at Cass. “All this time. You could have done it years ago, but instead you withheld it from me?”

  A chill went through Cass’ body. “I couldn’t do it to you.”

  “Couldn’t? Or wouldn’t?” Dan’s eyes narrowed. He turned from her and slammed his fist into a tree. The tree broke apart like a Popsicle stick, sawdust and splinters exploded in every direction. Dan let out a maniacal laugh and smashed into another one. Grinning, he looked at Michael and Gregorio. “How do you ever get used to this power? You people are nuts! You could rule the world.”

  .Cass' eyes were full of fright; she had never seen a newborn react this way. What if he couldn’t be stopped? What if she couldn’t control him?

  Gregorio leaned over and whispered in her ear, “Enough. Rein him in. He is your responsibility. Take control before he loses it completely.”

  Cass approached him, took his face in her hands, and looked deep into his eyes. After a few minutes, his breathing slowed, and his mind returned to him. She held his gaze for a few moments more, and then released him. “It is finished. He is mine now, the connection has been established. He will not waiver from my will.”

  Cass should have been happy, everything went relatively smoothly, but she was not. In fact, she was absolutely miserable. The one thing he had wanted most; to be her equal, was the one thing he would not have. He was hers in every way now, no different from any other vampire in the Citadel, with her age and control; he might as well have been her slave.

  The troupe quietly returned to the castle. After seeing Cass and Dan to their room, they each drifted off to their own dwellings to let the couple have some privacy. Cass felt broken, her spirit so injured by what she had done, that she had a difficult time even talking to Dan. He was full of questions that, as a mortal, he had never even thought to ask. Cass dutifully and dully answered each one. They went to bed soon after, spending their first night as immortals together. Even falling asleep with the knowledge that she would never need to be parted from him again did nothing to raise Cass' spirits. Her last thought, before slumber took her was, “What have I done?”

  ***

  Cass woke with Jenna screaming in her mind.

  “Mommy!”

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Angie is killing Daddy! Mommy, help him!”

  “I’m coming, baby. Stay away from him.”

  She created a portal and jumped directly into Jenna’s room. Angie and Dan were engaged in deadly combat. Dan’s body heaved with the force of each of Angie’s blows, but he never slowed. Michael and Gregorio circled the two, trying to stop the fight, but the combatants moved so fast they couldn’t latch on to either of them. Liz was screaming at them all to calm down, while Athena held a terrified Jenna in her arms. Cass' voice boomed in the room, “Stop this right now!”

  Immediately Dan stood still. Angie, in no mood to give up, had to be restrained by Michael and Liz. Both vampires had bloodied wounds, but Dan had certainly taken the worst of the two.

  Angie still entangled in her rage at Dan blurted out, “He started it. He came in here looking for Jenna and you know that’s not allowed. Then he tried to glamour both of us into letting him be alone with her.” She looked at Liz waiting for the other girl to chime in.

  “He did do that, Cass.” She released her grip on Angie, and brushed the hair out of her face. “We told him he was not allowed here. Then he jumped over us and tried to grab Jenna. We had no idea what he would do to her, so we had to try to stop him.”

  “What are you doing in our daughter’s room?” Cass coldly asked her husband.

  “I just wanted to see her. She is my daughter.” Dan hissed.

  “You were already told that it was not safe, Daniel. All of us gave you fair warning of what might happen if you see her too soon.” Cass replied. She stood motionless, face drawn tight in fury.

  It was obvious to all those gathered there that the thirst was upon him. There was no doubt in any of their minds what his motives were. Cass did not have the grip on the man that she should have, and he had no grip on himself whatsoever. The thing that Cass feared most, after entering his newly-changed mind the night before, had come to fruition. Jenna’s most dangerous enemy at the Citadel was her own father.

  Chapter Nineteen

  The Seer

  Michael and Gregorio, with the help of Liz and a portal, had taken Dan to hunt again. Cass stayed to comfort a completely terrified Jenna. Athena had sent all the by-standers watching from the hall to perform their daily duties and tended to Angie’s now healing wounds. She was certain not much would be accomplished that day, as the entire castle was in an uproar at hearing “their” beloved Jenna was nearly attacked and eaten by her own father nonetheless, who shouldn’t even be there because he was supposed to be dead, and human.

  Cass stood at the door, taking one last look at her daughter before resting her eyes on Angie. “Thank you. This is the second time you’ve saved her life.”

  “I will always protect her. You should know that by now.” Angie met her gaze. “You have to do something about him. She’s not safe with him here.”

  Cass’ gave her one curt nod and turned to leave.

  “Cass?”

  She looked over her shoulder.

  “The next time…I’ll kill him.”

  She nodded once again and shut the door behind her.

  Cass sat by the fire in her room mulling over what she had seen in Dan’s mind the night before. She hadn’t told the others. She was certain they would destroy him if they knew. There was voraciousness inside him now, a thirst not just for blood, but power as well. In the years she had known him, Cass had never witnessed that part of him. She knew he hungered for excitement and adventure, that was probably one of the things that kept him with her. What could be more exciting than taking a vampire to bed every night? Hi
s thirst for power shocked her. Power hungry people tend to be successful in the mortal world, power hungry vampires generally turn evil. She could not stomach the thought of Dan turning evil, nor could she stand knowing that it would be up to her to hand down his death sentence, should he end up that way.

  The problem wasn’t that she couldn’t control him. She couldn’t put her whole heart into doing it. She had to pull herself together. She was torn between her love of Dan, and the need to keep him in check. Beyond that, she had a responsibility to the Council and all of the members of the vampire nation that lived there. She owed these people. She had brought them all together and given them hope; to fail them now would be appalling.

  Cass thought hard while Dan hunted, and resolved herself to taking him over completely and with no reservations. Once he had worked through the thirst, finding out that he had killed his only child would devastate him. Allowing Dan to turn into the kind of ferocious monsters they were fighting against was not an option.

  When Dan returned, she didn’t bother with discussion. Unwilling to waste precious time, she went straight to him and entered his mind. Dan’s will was strong. He battled her from the onset of her mental intrusion. He was determined to keep his own will, and she was unwavering in her effort to break it. They stood; eyes locked together in mental combat, both fighting for control of Dan’s will. The connection between the two was strong, but it did not have the strength of the love that they had shared. Although that love still existed, it was subservient to the power that inhabited his once mortal body. She was exhausted when she finally gained control of his will.

  Cass gazed into his eyes hoping for a sign that this time the connection had taken. Rebellion bloomed as if lit by an internal fire. She sighed and looked away. Not here. They couldn’t stay here. It was just too dangerous.

  “Jenna?”

  “Yes, Mommy?”

  “I need you to tell Auntie Liz and the others something for me.”

  “You’re leaving? Why are you leaving?”

  “Don’t jump ahead sweetheart. I will get--”

  “I see it. I understand. How long till Daddy is better?”