Be My Salvation
By Cherene Hospedales
Be My Salvation
By Cherene Hospedales
Copyright 2010 Cherene Hospedales
For Nikole and Jazmin who read my stories and told me I should publish them.
Thank you both.
She stared down at the city streets watching everything that moved. She could see everything from the cars to the little rats that ran around the dumpsters. It was a cool night in the city and so the people walked around enjoying the view and clubbing hard in the city. She wasn’t the only one of her kind that was in the city. There were others male— stronger males that she would quickly injure if they ever came upon her. She walked away from the edge of the building and towards back alley.
Maia Donovan was her name. Maia meant rebirth and spring, also known as the ‘grandmother of magic’. She had been alive for many years—years that she had spent wondering the world. She saw places like Rome, England and Paris before finally settling in America. Maia didn’t hate what she was instead she influenced it—bracing what she was. Maia jumped off the building, gracefully, as if she was a cat. In a way she was, with her catlike reflexes. She smiled and landed feet first onto the dirty pavement. She walked out of the alley as if nothing happened and down to the club where she would spend her night hunting for her next meal.
It had been a while since she had last tasted fresh human blood and she was slightly on the verge of losing control of her thirst. Maia walked towards the long line that was filled with humans dressed and ready to party. She let out a low chuckle when the men stared lustfully after her. The bouncer, Tayte, immediately let her through the line. No questions asked. Maia smiled at Tayte and winked. Tayte was a very muscular man. Tayte was a retired football player. He had been injured in his last game, where his foot was broken.
The music was loud and she tried to tune out the music and listen for the perfect heart beat that would call her. Their heart beats were like drums loud and fast matching the rhythm of the music. Their blood would be sweet due to the alcohol and it would sing to her. Calling her like drugs to an addict. Maia made her way through the crowd and back to the VIP section. She passed people— her kind of people. They didn’t look at her nor did she look at them. Maia walked and found an empty table by herself. Then his scent hit her filling her nose and she growled low but loud enough for others to hear.
He was here, the stupid idiot that she hadn’t seen in over fifty years. He was like her but worse. He hunted frequently, taking from women that he had slept with. His dark profile was unbelievably enough to draw women to him. Why? That was a mystery to all Maia. She hated him after he had betrayed her. He had taken the life of the boy that she had cared for. He had killed him but for what? He had only been a child; a child no older than the age of seven. He was the only family she had left and now he was gone. She was alone, again. In this world there was nothing but cruelty and she wanted him dead.
“Hello, Maia Anne.” He said lightly. His hair dark accentuated his bright green eyes. She looked up and glared at him.
“Hello, Bran.” She said in a dark tone. “Have you been scaring any children lately?” He laughed at her, his laugh echoed through her ears. It was husky and low and she couldn’t help but shiver.
“No but I’m sure it wouldn’t matter, Maia Anne, now would it.” He said looking down at her. He knew he was irking her and he didn’t care. He couldn’t believe his luck, he had moved to a city where Maia had spent the last ten years. She had been so hard to find—so hard to track. They had spent fifty years apart and she never gave him a chance to explain himself.
He had a reason for killing her great-great-grandnephew. Her nephew was dangerous and a threat to their people. She wouldn’t care either way if he was good or bad, the boy was still the last line of her family. Well, the last human line, anyway. She could still have kids is she chose too… but they would not be human kids but Vamp blood would run through their veins and unlike Maia and her great-great-grandnephew, he had been born with vampic blood. His parents were both full blooded vampires and had been that way. Maia though had been reborn into the vampire state. She bad went through the change in 1853. Maia back then was a beautiful woman, who had two older brothers. Maia had received many courting from the men that lived nearby and she was considered the most beautiful in all of England.
Maia had loved her life and wanted nothing more than to settle down and have kids of her own. She wanted the life of family. She wanted to have her own kids and spoil them with love. Maia had been about marrying Ethan Sullivan before she was changed into this frozen state. Maia remembered Ethan quite clearly.
He was a handsome man with strapping grey eyes and golden brown hair. He had always made her laugh easily and occasionally he would make her forget that she was supposed to be a lady. He could easily talk to him and tell him her thoughts. Her father had been proud of her for falling for the man next in line to be the Duke. His daughter would have a good life. Bran was still standing there in front of her and she realized that. She wanted him to leave her alone. But of course he stood there waiting. For what, he was unsure of. He was nothing like her Ethan. Ethan was more of a calm happy person and Bran was not. Bran was man who liked to control things and people. He liked to have his way with women and she hated that.
“Can I help you with something?” She asked, not looking at him. He stared at her taking her in.
“Not really.” He answered simply then shrugged.
“Well could you go stand somewhere else? Somewhere that is not near me?” His eyebrows arched and he shrugged then walked to the back of the VIP section where he knew that his victim would be waiting. Maia watched him walk away. He saw the blonde haired blue eyed woman that sat at the table he had just sat down in. Maia sighed and turned back around not wanting to see him with that woman. Just then her victim came. He was a tall handsome man that looked like her Ethan. Her breath caught in her throat when she looked at him. He sat down at her table and smiled.
“Hi.” She said her voice uneven and she knew it. Maia tried to get her voice back down to its normal tone
“Hello, are you Maia Donovan?” He asked.
“Yes.” She felt uneasy all of a sudden and knew why. Bran was watching her. It made her shiver yet again. “Can I help you?”
“Yes, my name is Chase and I wanted to interview you for my article.” He said and she knew his trade. She knew what he was up to. Anyone who had been alive for over a century knew what hid name meant huntsman or hunter. She smiled politely but followed him out. Maia didn’t care, when was the last time she had been challenged. She was desperate for some action and her last fight had left her feeling good. Chase led her to the alley.
Bran had watched as Maia followed Chase the human out of the VIP section and into the alley. He didn’t like this and didn’t want to see her fight this man, this hunter. Bran stood from his meal and followed behind, making sure that he kept an eye on Maia.
“So, Chase what article do you write for?” Maia smiled beautifully, showing her pearly white teeth. Bran stood in the shadows watching Chase.
“I write for the Obituary section. You know the section where they announce the important people that have died over the week.” He spat at her and she laughed.
“You’re too funny.” She commented and cocked her head to the side. “I like you. You have an edge to you.”
Chase was tired of her games and pulled out a silver dagger. Maia glanced briefly at the dagger and sighed. It was one of the daggers of the House of Hunters. Of course they would come after me, she thought. She waited for him to attack first and she watched his movements. He was quicker than most humans; then again, he was trained to fight va
mpires. Maia was faster though she evaded his attacks but did not realized that he had trapped her until he managed to hit her stomach and she recoiled by jumping back. Maia just smiled and waited for him to attack again. She knew that he was getting temperamental and felt as if she was playing with him for she was doing just that. She never had a habit of playing with her food and yet here she was but she was not going to feed from him. He was wrong by attacking her first though, and he tried to make up for it but she was already one step ahead of him.