Sacrifice (Book 2)

Chapter 8 - Saint-Louis Crystal

Terra cut the corner off the bag of blood, poured it into a wide, white cappuccino cup, placed it into the microwave and hit the button. Grabbing a mug from the cabinet, she filled it with steaming coffee. When she heard the ding, she pulled it out, handed the cup to Ethan and the mug to Cole, then sat down with them.

"So tell me what's going on," Terra said.

Cole and Ethan agreed they couldn't discuss the situation over the phone and arranged to meet at Olivia's house in the Marina that afternoon. Because there was an implied threat to all of them, they also decided to bring Terra in on the conversation.

Cole's elbows rested on the old oak table with his cup in hand, his brows pinched low in concentration. Terra knew Cole well enough to read his body language and he was seriously concerned about something. Ethan was even more ill-tempered than usual, so she assumed the worst.

"I saw Madison yesterday," Cole finally said.

"Oh, God," Terra whispered, blinking back the tears. "Is she okay?" Relief washed over her like a great whitecap, then sent her tumbling in its wake. Madison was still alive! This should be good news, but looking at the troubled masks the guys wore, she knew her happiness was about to be crushed. What happened? Why did Madison turn up now? And why had she met with Cole and not one of the family? The pragmatic part of her needed answers. Now wasn't the time to breakdown. Whatever was going on they would deal with it.

Cole addressed her question. "Yes and no. Appearance wise, she seemed to be fine. She's taller, darker-haired, but really thin. I sensed she hadn't eaten for a while so practically forced her to take some of my blood." Terra and Ethan raised their eyebrows and looked at each other. Terra wondered what that was all about. Madison and Cole had shared blood a few times now.

"She explained why she left," he continued. Rapt with attention, Terra and Ethan listened intently. "She said she was being blackmailed by the one who turned the family. She agreed to go with him in exchange for your safety."

"Dammit," Ethan exploded. "I knew it was something like that. There was only one reason for her to leave like she did-because she thought she had to protect us. Why can't she get it through her thick head we don't need protecting?"

Terra brushed Ethan's forearm trying to comfort him. "Ethan, she's our mother," Terra protested softly. "That's what any mother would do. You can't be angry at her for that."

With Ethan's anger temporarily abated Cole continued. He took a deep breath, "First, let me say, I live in the real world, I never imagined one day I'd be sitting at a table with vampires-"

Ethan snorted, "Not the real world, Cole, just a version of it with blinders. Get to the point."

Cole nodded and threw his hands up in the air. "Anyway, there is a problem and Madison has been trying to deal with it. She said in 40 days she was going to be crowned Queen of the Vampire Nation."

Terra felt as if someone had just broadsided her. She shook her head, not understanding. "How can there be a Vampire Nation when there are so few vampires? We've only come across a handful of them in a century. There can't be many, right?" she asked Ethan.

Cole's face was hard, controlled. "Hundreds of thousands," he said in a strained voice.

"Nooo." Terra shook her head even harder, not believing what he implied. "Hundreds of thousands of what?"

"Vampires. And the number is growing every day. Madison's coronation is in 39 days now, and at the end of the year, unless she can stop it, there will be a massacre of mortals in an attempt to turn control of the planet over to the Vampire Nation."