Children of the Fallen: Bloodlines (BOOK #3)

Chapter 10: Unrecognizable

Morgan Sinclair

Sunday rolled around quicker than I wanted. It was a week of straight bloodshed taking out any remaining witches of the Triad and other random hunters to deal with. I was thoroughly enjoying the distraction it gave me although when Scarlett would occasionally look over at me with worry touching her gaze it'd send these latent emotions crawling back up to the surface. It fucking hurts and I don't like it. So if I'm not killing the leftover Triad witches, then I'm at a bleeder den, or I'm hunting, or I'm drinking until both my body and my mind is numb- not that weird emotionally charged numbness. I mean absolutely no feelings anywhere and no thoughts.

I miss feeling just vacant inside that was a lot less complicated than this.

Going around to the more trusted covens and packs to tell them of the Celestials plan went better than expected. They all immediately flew into battle prep mode, now beginning to arm themselves or train for any possible inkling of celestials around. Added bonus, they're all going to be searching for any leads with vigor since now they're being threatened as well.

"I want an update." Was the first thing Lucien said to me barging through the front double doors of my palace. My head guard Ryker told me when he crossed the barrier into my city so I had about a 10 minute window to gather myself. The instant I saw him walking into the foyer my anger began simmering and I had to resist grabbing at the back of my neck when images I've been trying to forget flooded my mind.

"So far no movement from any of Kendrick's bordering territories-,"

"I'm aware." He clasps his hands behind his back. "I meant an update on you territory. What have you been doing?"

"We've wiped out the Triad members who made the choice to stay." His eyes narrowed ever so subtly telling me he couldn't give less of a fuck about my issues with the witches. "While that was going on," I continue, "I had a meeting with my nobles about how they should be governing their guards moving forward." I had a meeting with them and told them about the Celestials intent. I told them to up their attacks and searches for hunters, Nephilim, Celestials, and anyone else helping them. I told them to keep an eye out for Kendrick and whatever bullshit that will entail but the Celestials take precedence. "Hyper vigilance and such. I-,"

"Have you sired more nobles yet?" He cuts me off with a question he asks me every time he's in my territory.

"No." I state firmly. "I don't plan on it in the future either. Three is enough." Scarlett, Logan, and Val are all I need. Logan I turned 5 years after Scarlett, I wanted that heightened bond to go away before I dealt with that kind of connection again but it never did. Lucien kept asking so I had to turn another. Logan was a bleeder at a bar I frequented at. He mainly worked the private rooms so I had him a lot. I was drunk and curious so one night I asked him about himself, why he did this, etc. He has no family- they were raging homophobes and once they found out he was in a relationship with a guy he was kicked out and cut off at 20. He became a bleeder because it pays well and he needed money for undergrad then eventually grad school but even post graduation he couldn't find a job so he stuck around at the bar. After months of bullshitting with each other he admitted to being terrified to ask me but he mustered enough confidence to ask if I'd be willing to turn him. I was.

Val was a lycan I turned 3 years after Logan. Her gene was never activated so she's not a hybrid. Her families pack was in Henry's territory so unfortunately I couldn't go murder all of them. They're archaic vile animals so they fit right in with Henry and most of his people. Since her gene wasn't activated, they did what they always do and waited until she was 22- when they thought females would be mentally strong enough. If the lycan gene isn't triggered during puberty it can be triggered during times of extreme stress so they beat the shit out of her trying to force her gene to activate. Apparently it usually works, though for her it didn't so they left her for dead near the border. She managed to get herself over into my territory. I happened to be less than 5 minutes away finishing up a meeting with a coven when I saw group messages for the southeast part of my territory about some bloodied lycan wanting help and asylum so I went to see the commotion out of boredom. When I saw her and scented her human blood I knew she was as good as dead. Coated in dirt and her own blood, fighting for every breath but in the midst she asked me to turn her knowing it'd save her. I still don't truly know why I did it but impulsively I did and thankfully she thrived as a vampire and as my noble.