As passions begin to rise, Nathanial’s hand slips under my shirt in an attempt to pull it off—then we hear a knock on the door. “What?” I ask.
“Sophia, you need to get ready. We are all waiting on you two to go plan this thing called your wedding. Maybe you can save what you are doing for later,” Alexander jokes.
“Are you freaking kidding me? You butt in on our private thoughts in our room too?”
“It’s kinda hard not to hear both your thoughts screaming.”
“Oh piss off; we’ll be right out.” Frustration consumes me as our lack of privacy becomes more apparent.
“I better go take a cold shower before we go,” Nathanial jokes.
“Yeah, I better get down there.”
Within ten minutes, Nathanial joins the rest of us in the family room. Matilda has been showing me the portfolio for the wedding planner, and I’m grateful for the rescue.
“Well, now that you finally decide to join us, maybe you two can pick a wedding date,” Matilda smirks.
“Wow, you know I really haven’t thought about it much. What about a summer wedding?” I suggest.
“You really want to wait that long?” Ebony jokes.
“I know, right. Sophia, that is way too long,” Matilda gasps.
“Seriously, it is like—what—six months away. There is no hurry to get married. I’ve waited this long. Plus, Nathanial and I have only been together for like two years—okay, almost two and half—but still, we have time. Why don’t you and Alexander do the deed? What has it been, like a hundred years since you have been together, and still no official ceremony?” I turn the pressure to my siblings.
“Ahhh…ahhhh, um, thanks Sophia,” Alexander stumbles.
“Yes, why don’t we talk about that? Why have you not made an honest woman out of me yet?” Matilda lectures, and the rest of us burst out with laughter.
Nathanial leans over and whispers to me, “You’re in trouble now.”
“What did I do?”
“Well, I guess you will find out now.”
Alexander excuses himself for a moment. Matilda looks at me and asks, “What did I do? Is there some reason that after so long he still won’t marry me? I mean, we’ve been living as man and wife for as long as we’ve been together.”
“Mati, it’s not you. It’s me,” I defend, remembering a promise Alexander and I made.
“You? Do you not approve of me?” Tears well up in her eyes.
“No, it’s not that…” I begin as Alexander walks back in the room.
“It’s okay Sophia, I can handle this.” He smiles and winks at Nathanial.
“Now I have to be handled?” Matilda pouts. I have never seen her this insecure before. I guess my impending marriage is affecting her in more ways than any of us knew.
“No, my dear Mati, you do not need to be handled; this situation does. Please allow me to explain.”
“Well, go ahead then.” She plops on the oversized chair.
“In 1894, as you know, Sophia was to marry a much older duke. When we were Embraced, the marriage obviously never took place. I promised her that neither of us would get married until we were both ready, and we would always have each other until that day came. She has told me several times over the years that I should make you my wife, but I refused until she found the same happiness. Now Sophia has Nathanial and I have you. We are both complete. With her about to make things official, I have been waiting for the right time to do the same.” Alexander pulls out a perfectly polished round wooden box and kneels before Matilda. “I have loved you for over a century, and have held this near and dear to my heart for almost as long. Now that my sister has found true love, and I have kept my promise to her, we can both bask in the happiness of love together. Matilda, this is long overdue, but will you make me the happiest man in all eternity and agree to be my wife—and partner—in the eternal life?”
Tears stream down everyone’s face in the room as we all await the answer. Then Matilda takes in a deep breath. “Of course I will. I have loved you and wanted this since the day you saved me.”
Alex pulls out a ring—a 1900’s Edwardian, perfect yellow gold band encrusted with hundreds of tiny diamonds, a round setting on top, with at least eighteen diamonds circling a gold setting that resembles a sunflower. In the center is a large cognac diamond. Taking her hand, he slips the ring on her finger. With a soft kiss of her hand, Alexander pulls her into his arms. “I have waited so long for this moment, and I have one more surprise for you; well, for Sophia and you. Nathanial and I have been talking. We are wondering what you ladies would think of a double wedding?”
Matilda and I look at each other, then at our men and back to each other. Running towards one another, we begin to scream, “Oh my god...YES!” We grab a hold of each other in the biggest hug, then turn to our men and hug them. Matilda and I’ve always joked about a double wedding, but there was never anyone for me, until now; until Nathanial.
“Well now, girls, if you will stop this screeching, maybe we can still make our appointment with the wedding planner in Boston,” Florence announces, trying to shoo us out the door.
“Before we go, I just wanna say something. Elijah and Florence, you have brought us all together and made us a family. You have created a true family—a family that we are lucky to be a part of. Thank you for taking us in, and showing us what family means. We owe everything we are to the two of you,” I announce, and they both come towards me, throwing their arms over me in a big hug. Florence begins to tear up, and the rest of the family races over for a group hug.
Knowing Florence is right and we must hurry, we gather our things and begin to pile in to our cars. Nathanial, Alexander, Matilda and I go in one car, so we can discuss options and dates. Florence, Elijah, Isaac, and Constance take another. Ebony and Danika take the babies and follow behind us. Luke and Eliza will be meeting us in Boston, and after the consultation with the planner, we’ll have a nice night out on the town. Caspian is staying behind at the school. He and Dakota will continue with classes for the day. We don’t want to take any chances with the Cerberus spotting Caspian in Boston. Their club is there, and although it’s a big city, they have spies everywhere; and we know they have plans to destroy Caspian for defying them.
Chapter 7
Lessons
After a week of trying to hash out wedding plans, we all agree to take a step back and concentrate on the school for a while. Everything will work out perfectly; we just can’t force it. So today we are running a history class on the Cerberus. They are one of the main threats to us, so today all lessons will be centered on them. Caspian will prove to be an asset on the subject.
Walking into the lecture hall, I notice our entire student body present and ready with notebooks in hand. Caspian takes the lead, heading to the front of the class, while the rest of our family takes seats in the front and the students all settle in. Standing in front of the class, he towers above most of us at six feet two inches, with a slim frame of only 185 pounds. My brother is looking more handsome than ever. His black hair hangs in his eyes. Running his fingers through it, he brushes the hair from his face, showing his glowing blue eyes, bright and crystal clear. I can hear the gushes from the girl behind me. He’s always been a little different from us, slightly emo style; maybe even like he stepped out of the movie, ‘The Outsiders’. I get why girls swoon over him…he’s hot! I can think that—since Caspian isn’t my real brother, it’s not quite as creepy.
Looking over my shoulder, I watch as some of the girls are looking Caspian over. You would think they would be use to his good looks by now; maybe it’s his skinny black jeans and fitted white dress shirt, with that skinny red tie I got him. Maybe this will be an opportunity for him to meet someone nice. I don’t want him to be alone forever, and I hope he’s begun to forgive himself for Ashley. Ashley was Caspian’s soul mate, and the reason for his leaving the family for so long. When they finally decided to become intimate, Caspia
n got carried away, and Ashley lost her life. That was a long time ago, and he is finally back here where he belongs. Now today, we all get to learn from his experiences.
“Alright, so the past week or so we’ve been learning about the different evils we are aware of and have faced thus far. Today, we will be discussing one of our biggest nemeses to date…the Cerberus. I am the most familiar with the Cerberus, so I will lead the lecture today. Now, before I begin are there any questions?”
Caspian looks around and when no one raises a hand, he continues. “I am going to start at the basics, right back at the beginning. The first vampire was Cain. I’m sure you have all heard the story of Cain and his brother Able. Well to recap—the brothers needed to present God with a gift. God was pleased with Able’s presentation, but not with Cain’s. This upset Cain very much, so he murdered his brother out of envy. Being the first murderer, God felt punishment was needed, so he cursed Cain. Cain was doomed to walk the earth alone, for all eternity, never to pass and reach Heaven. After years had passed, Cain met a witch, Lilith, who taught him to use blood as power and create others of his kind. He started with three sons, who later Embraced thirteen grandchildren. These grandchildren were overcome with bloodlust, killing into the millions. Cain was disappointed and left with his three sons. Ashamed of their actions, several of the grandchildren formed the Renata and decided on the six Vampiric Laws that our kind follow. Sibling rivalry took over and nearly half of the siblings rebelled, creating the Cerberus. They believe they are greater beings and deserve all they wish.” Caspian pauses. “Are you all following so far?”
The scratching on the note pads is in hyper drive and everyone nods. Caspian takes a sip of his blood infused coffee and continues. “Now, not all of the original Renata or Cerberus are still around today, but one that we are more than aware of is Cyrus. Cyrus is one of the oldest vampires, and one of the original thirteen grandchildren. He is residing in Boston with his son Drake, who recently took over as leader of the Cerberus. I’m sure you have all heard of the tales of Dracula, from Transylvania. Well, Dracula now goes by the name Drake, and yes, he’s Cyrus son…and lives much too close for comfort. Years ago, he was chased out of his homeland and lived in England’s Whitby Abby until the day he was found and staked, then buried there. For those of you who don’t know the proper way to destroy a vampire, we must be beheaded, and the remains burned, to ensure we can’t regenerate. Staking can kill a younger vampire, but for older ones, all it does is make us appear to cease; but reviving is simple with the consumption of fresh blood. This is what happened with Drake. When Cyrus finally found him, he presented his son with a then live specimen, slitting his jugular and allowing the blood to drip down the throat of his son’s remains. Once revived, Drake fed from the mortal, drinking him dry and placing him in his coffin. The two vampires then roamed the earth, gaining more followers and raging war against the Renata. Now they have come here because of the power in the area. Once they gain enough power and followers, they will return to Transylvania to take the throne. This is why we must stop them. The Cerberus, gaining control of all the vampires, will destroy mankind as we know it.”
As Caspian stops, we look around at the reactions of the students, and notice Siobhan’s hand slowly rise. Caspian nods to her and she stands. “Mr. Caspian, I am sorry to ask, but how is it you know so much about the Cerberus?”
Matilda looks at Caspian, looks around the room, and then gives me a little smile. I can’t help wonder what she’s thinking; actually I have a pretty good guess, but will love to just see how it all plays out.
“That’s an excellent question. As some of you know, I was estranged from my vampire family for years. During this time, I still kept an eye on them and learned of the Cerberus coming to the area for the powers. For reasons that are unimportant now, I had to infiltrate their organization.” He gives a small grin to Danika. “I then betrayed them and was tortured for a month to regain their trust. Once I had proven myself, I was accepted into their cult. I was able to gain information about their doings—now, and for centuries. If they ever catch me again, I will be tortured again, and then destroyed. As I mentioned, Drake is now the leader as Cyrus handed down his throne, per say. Since I dishonored him, he will want my head. For those of you that are not aware, a vampire can increase—or inherit—power by destroying other vampires. They are attracted to Wenham because of the strong magickal pull. We have an abundance of power in the area, and if one figures out how to harness it, we could be facing the apocalypse.”
“So what can we do to stop them?” she asks.
“We have to fight them in order to suppress them. None of you are anywhere near ready for battle yet, though. You have to learn everything I can teach you about them, and then maybe we’ll have a chance.”
I give Caspian a little look, notifying him that I want to address his class. He smirks and nods. I stand and turn to face the class. “I figure now is a good time for me to add my two cents. In the past year or two, the William’s and the Triggs family have helped me and my family fight Cerberus members twice; three times if you count breaking Danika out of their club. That is a story for another time though. Anyways, my point is, we only took on a few members, not the entire cult. If we want to beat them for good, it is going to be a huge battle; and there’s a good chance we won’t all make it back. This is why you are here, to train and learn so that you can help in the fight against evil of all kinds. So just understand why we don’t want to rush any of you into a dangerous situation.”
Caspian continues with his lecture on the Cerberus for the next hour, then we take the students to the gymnasium for physical training.
The gym is very large, with an entire weight training area behind glass on one side with elliptical trainers, stationary bikes, bench press, and every other weight machine you could imagine. On the other side, we have several blue mats, climbing ropes and walls, punching bags and gloves for the hand-to-hand combat. We begin with muay thai, hand-to-hand combat, a form of kickboxing. This will increase physical strength and speed. Soon we will begin working on each student’s individual power. This is what will truly help us defeat the Cerberus, and any other evil that may threaten us.
The students have all been very receptive with their training, but we have so much to teach them yet. They need to learn about the Magnificent Ones, Ebony and her sister Eliza. How will we ever get through learning and teaching them about all the entities in the world? I guess we just have to do our best; it’s the only way we can teach them to help save the innocent.
Chapter 8
Back to the Basics
Today we gather to go through the various entries in the Book of Shadows. I wish we still had Matt’s guardian notes, but shortly after his passing, they just disappeared. We assume that the Great Ones had them retrieved for their protection. Eliza is over, and Luke even came back from Harvard for a few days. He agreed to watch Eyln and Nik while our families meet. Tamo, Dakota, and Skah are here, and of course Eliza and all us Pierce’s, including Ebony and Nathanial. I’m really proud of how Ebony is continuing on since Matt’s passing, but also wonder if the spark between her and Dakota will ignite in Matt’s absence.
Eliza places the Book of Shadows on the table. The large brown, leather bound book is glorious in its own right. The gold Triquetra, embedded in the center, exudes power into the room. Ebony and Eliza received their family Book of Shadows from their Grams a little over two years ago, when they first started seeing signs of their power. They are deemed the Magnificent Ones, two or more witches of one family that are born from a powerful line of witches. The Magnificent Ones are always born on the sixth day of the month, and at the witching hour of midnight. Eliza and Ebony are direct descendants of Salem witches.
Constance has always been intrigued by the power behind witches and their beliefs. Her interest peaked when we found Matilda in Salem in 1899. She was convicted of witchcraft, years after the witch trials of the seventeenth century. Of course, Alexander
knew immediately he had found his soul mate, and we helped save her with the Embrace. It was over thirty years later that we found Ms. Edwina (Grams), and she assisted her mother to bless our day crystals. Our day crystals allow us to live more like mortals. We can walk out in the sun and eat normal food without getting ill. The crystals also help to warm our body temperatures. Without these, we would be confined to the restrictions of most vampires. Now, over eighty years later, we are family with the granddaughters of the witch that helped us, the Magnificent Ones. Ms. Edwina is gone, and we need to find a way to protect those who surround us. Too many innocent lives have been lost due to the evil in the world.
“So where should we begin?” I question.
Eliza opens the books to the first page. “I was thinking, right from the beginning. We need to familiarize ourselves with the various threats so that we are prepared, and we can prepare the students your school has taken on.”
“I think you are right Eliza,” Isaac interjects. “Let’s start at the beginning.”
The Book of Shadows begins with a history of witches. We have never really learned much about where everything began; maybe now is the time. We have to know what we are up against, but also should know how that came to be.
The first pages of the book, as Eliza reads them, explains where witchcraft began. The first knowledge of witchcraft is from the Paleolithic times—over 25,000 years ago. This was back in a time when mortals needed to rely on hunting for survival. These people prayed to Cerunnos, the horned god. It is believed he had horns because the best animals for hunting were horned, so it would only make sense that the god himself was also a horned one. I assume this is where assumptions that witchcraft is tied to evil—to the devil—came from. Obviously, it is untrue.