A Vampire's Life Book 4

Chapter 33 - Josie

It wasn't that far from the castle where Gavril had finally attacked us. It was like he knew and was waiting for us. I was cautious as we moved closer, fearful of another attack. But it never eventuated, obviously he had gotten the hint, I could take him on all by myself. When we arrived at the castle, I knew we were safe, I could no longer smell Gavril, I knew he wasn't around. The guards dealt with the van, now in its broken form, quickly disposing of it away from the property. Miranda had arrived with Terrance, waiting for us. We sat in the lounge as the maids fussed around with refreshments.

'I know you.' Mary says to Miranda.

'Melanie.'

'Miranda actually.' she says before she sips the tea in her hand.

'This is a rather long story, so settle in. But before we get going we might start with this.'

I change into Sophia, Mary and Dale sit there both shocked, turning to Ethan who turns into Oliver. Both of us change back to our normal forms. Both of them gasp, unsure of how it was possible that someone could change their features like that.

'My name is Josie; this is my husband Ethan. We are what is termed a dark being. Ethan is a vampire, I am a phoenix, a mixture of all dark beings.'

'Dark beings?' Dale says a little concerned.

'Yes, there are four forms, vampires.' I gesture around the room to the people that watch on patiently. 'Werewolves, shape shifters and witches. I contain all four of these beings.'

'But your sister...'

'Miranda is a phoenix too.'

'Are you going to kill us?'

'No. We are going to protect you from that man.'

'Who was that man?'

'So that you understand the complexity of it all, we have to take you back to the beginning.' Terrance steps out from the shadows.

'I am Terrance Waeston, head of the grand council for the Elm'Nyth realm or earth as the humans call it. Ordinarily our realm would be ruled by a king, nineteen years ago, it was ruled by a great man called Lucian Eliade. Under normal circumstances his ascension to the throne would have been with his father's passing, but the king had decided he wanted to let his son take over, opting for an early retirement. Lucian ascended to the throne and he and his wife Nicoleta ruled this realm with great love and care, no vampire wanted for a better king than what they had in Lucian. He was a fair man who gave without a second thought. He loved his wife and for many a year he and Nicoleta tried for a child. It was a sad story, Nicoleta was baron, an unusual trait for a vampire, we are naturally prolific breeders. But her incapacity to conceive was something that did not occur naturally, she was cursed by a rather nasty vampire. Anyway, a war that had broken out in the previous years between Lucian's father and the king of another vampiric kingdom was growing to a point that our maker could no longer stand it.'

'Sorry...' Dale interrupts. 'Maker?'

'Yes, Godfrey is his name, he is our maker. The average human or dark being is created by the natural course of events, procreation and birth but there are two that were not made in the usual fashion, they sit before you. Miranda was the first, created a few days after Elm'Nyth was made, she is as old as the earth itself, then there is Josie, who was created more recently.' he smiles at me.

'She was created by the maker and placed within a human mother. But that is getting off the track a little, Godfrey spoke with Miranda and told her to offer the kings a solution. Miranda would give Lucian and Nicoleta a child that they so desperately wanted and in return the child, a girl, would marry the other king's grandson. Everyone was happy, that was until the girl was born. There is a trait that the first born of the ruler receives, the ability to heal their own. It is not something new, it is as old as time itself this ability but Lucian's younger brother despised it. His own son was given no such ability and it angered him that his brother was shown favouritism. He especially despised the fact that his brother sat on the throne, not him.'