Chapter 3
The panic and terror melts away as Damian puts more miles between us and them. The three of us sit in silence until finally Damian speaks.
"I can only imagine you two must be bursting at the seams with your unanswered questions."
I open my mouth to speak but he raises his hand.
"Let me finish. This is serious and I promise to explain everything." He sighs. "Avery, when is your nineteenth birthday?"
"Three days from now, the twenty-first at midnight." I answer.
"What's the relevance of her birthday to what's going on?" Emmaline sits forward.
"When was your birthday, Emmaline?" Damian deflects her question.
"Last week. Why?" She presses.
Damian mutters a curse under his breath. "When vampire descendants turn of age, which is the moment you turn nineteen, your body will start experiencing changes that will prolong your life. Essentially make it so that you're no longer human. Your senses will be sharpened and you'll be able to lift incredible weights, run and hit speeds faster than the fastest car in the world. You'll crave blood. We'll go more into detail about that when you get hungry, Emmaline. When vampires first turn of age, it can take up to two weeks after their birthday before they begin to experience the hunger. Until then, you should be just fine eating regular human food."
"Is there a way to curb the hunger without eating . . . people?" Emmaline asks, her face horror stricken.
"There is, but we'll talk about that when we get to that point." Damian glimpses back at her face and chuckles. "It's alright. Feeding doesn't necessarily mean killing and draining other people."
Emmaline relaxes. "That's good." She sighs in relief.
"Okay, so in three days, you're saying I'm going to be a . . . vampire?" I lift a brow.
"Yes. Your DNA will change." Damian nods. "You'll be a completely new you." He flashes me a grin.
"Right." I mumble, not feeling very enthusiastic about this new information.
"Okay, so what about those guys who busted down the front door and set the house on fire? Who were they? What's their deal? Do they know that we paid for that house ourselves?!" Emmaline digresses, her tone frustrated.
Damian chuckles. "Those creatures we-"
"Creatures? As in not human? Were they vampires?" I interrupt.
"Let me explain, woman." Damian casts a mildly annoyed expression at me. "They were wolf shifters, more commonly known as werewolves. They maintain a human form but have the ability to shift into a wolf. Being a wolf affects everything, even the way they think and process things. Not like in those romance novels where they can mindlink and have human emotions while in wolf form. The wolves have a monarchy leading their species whereas the vampires are ruled by a council of ten of wisest vampires around. Recently, the wolf shifters royalty have decreed an alliance to the witches and wizards of the world. The magic wielders have been enhancing the wolf shifters abilities, making it more dangerous to face them as more time for them to prepare passes. Everyone is scrambling to prepare for the war to come."
Emmaline huffs softly, "This is more intense than I originally thought it was going to be." She tilts her head to the side. "What war?"
"The treaty binding the dark angels to Earth has been broken. The treaty states that dark angels are bound to Earth and their duties, which are guiding the evil souls to Hell once the body harboring the evil soul has deceased and guarding the rift between the dead and the living. More specifically, the division between everyone on Earth and the souls in Hell. Think of Earth, our world, as one dimension existing on a plane where two other dimensions also exist. Of the two other dimensions, one is known as Heaven and the other is Hell. There are several portals into the other dimensions, but only the angels, dark and light alike, know which portals lead to which dimension and where to even find them. The only mortal records of the portals are kept in the Scroll of Secrets and the scroll has been lost for so long, no one living knows of it's whereabouts anymore. The scroll is said to be a myth.
"With the treaty broken, the dark angels have been wreaking havoc and promising immortality to those who aid them in invading the light angels dimension. If the dark angels manage to take over the light angels realm, all will be lost. The balance in nature between good and evil will disappear completely and life on Earth will change for the worse, and it will be worse than anything you could've ever imagined. The alliance between the witches and wizards with the wolf shifters is also tied to the dark angels. They want immortality. They want to have free reign over the world. They want chaos and destruction and it's the vampires who have taken it upon ourselves to work side by side with the light angels to protect Earth and Heaven."
"Well, what does any of this have to do with me and Em?" I question, confused.
"You, my dear," Damian looks at me briefly, his face grim. "are the sole direct descendant of one of the members on the council. And he has requested your presence as soon as possible. He's your father." He sighs. "I agreed to bring you and Emmaline up to date and bring you both to the council. Emmaline's mother is a dear friend of your father's and she requested that Emmaline be present as well. There is a prophecy that was given to us by an old oracle who predicted that the dark angel's treaty would be broken. Since the breaking of the treaty has come to pass, the council would like to gather anyone who fits the description in the prophecy for the chosen to be the saviors. You and Emmaline are possibilities, as you both fit the description."
Emmaline gasps, her eyes welling with unexpected tears. "M-my mom? You mean . . . I have a mom? And she wants to see me?"
"Yes, Emmaline." Damian confirms.
Emmaline sits back, curling up on her side. "I-I think . . . that I have heard enough for today." She says softly. Tears trek down her face. Emmaline closes her eyes and her breathing evens out as she promptly falls asleep, dead tired.
I stare at the dashboard. "Parents . . ." I give a dry chuckle. "Really."
Damian nods. "I know it's hard to believe. But you and Emmaline weren't the only ones who were given up to save your lives."
I protest, "Save us?! We grew up in foster homes! Moved from house to house, never in one place long enough to build a life. How did that save us?"
"You lived. Those wolf shifters today? They were after you and her. If I hadn't been there, you'd be dead. If your parents had kept Emmaline and you, you'd be dead too. Your parents saved your lives. Those shifters have been hunting prospects that had the potential to fulfill the prophecy since the day you were born, Avery. The oracle had given the prophecy almost twenty years ago." Damian rubs a hand over his face. "Somehow . . . word got around. Suddenly everyone with ties to the supernatural parts of Earth knew of the prophecy; not just us vampires. And then the hunt began. Vampires around the world were murdered if they held even the slightest resemblance to the description of the chosen."
"I'm sorry." I murmur quietly.
He waves my words away. "The dark angels caught whiff of the prophecy and then . . . the balance between good and evil shifted. The dark angels discovered a loophole in their binding treaty . . . and broke free."
I gaze out the window, the sun having set long ago. "I could be one of the chosen saviors . . ."
"Yes." Damian agrees. "Get some rest. I know this was a lot to take in. I'll protect you both, I promise."
I nod, leaning against the door. My eyes slowly closed. Sleep consumed me.
