Emiliana Cornelius

Jake Hendrix Colton

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Jake stirred as he regained consciousness, his hands went to his neck as he massaged it. It felt stiff, no surprises there, his neck was recently broken into two. He looked round as he surveyed his surroundings, he was in a dark, concrete room with just one bulb hanging above his head. The light was meant to irritate his eyes due to his heightened sight but he was used to it. He was seated on a steel chair with shackles around him but he was not shackled to the chair, a small drain on the floor was directly under the chair. Judging by the looks of the room, Jake knew it was designed to hold their kind; with a reinforced steel door that would prove too difficult to break down and the reinforced concrete walls that would take weeks for even a vampire to break down. On the wall to his right side held different tools for torture and pain, with special blades and swords. The room was for both torture and containment.

In a blur he was at the door, he was not going to stick around to find out what they had in store for him. He could hear voices coming from above him but could barely make sense of what they were saying due to the thick walls. He pulled the doors open and was surprised to see it was not locked, he peered out into the dark corridors and took a step forward. In a flash he was slammed into the wall of the room with a tight grip on his neck holding him in place but unlike last time, this time he starred into the blood red eyes of a woman who looked ready to kill.

"Did you really think it would be that easy?" Mia snarled at him. "My brother may have spared you by breaking your neck, but i will take the whole thing off in a second."

Jake knew all too well what she was capable of doing, after all she was none other than Mia Beretta Cornelius, last child of the grand lord Cornelius, one of the five strongest vampires alive and a true blood. He was surprised when she leaned closer to stare into his eyes.

"Now sit quietly and answer all our questions truthfully" she let go of him and he made his way to the chair and sat down. He knew he was now under compulsion something only a true blood could do. He looked up as Antonio made his way into the room and closed the steel doors behind him.

"Now lets get started" Mia walked round to stand in front of Jake beside her brother who stood with his hands folded across his chest as he studied the man in front of him.

"Who are you?" Mia started. She had many questions for him and needed straight answers.

"My name is Jake Hendrix Colton" he looked between the two of them. Under compulsion, lying was not something he could do even if he wanted to.

"How old are you and what brings you to our small town of Port Orford?"

"I am 500 years old, i was turned in 1519 at the age of 19 when my little village was ravaged by vampires in search of blood. My whole family was slaughtered" He sighed. "I came to Port Orford to get a new start, there are some things I want to leave behind me."

Mia's stance softened a bit as she took in his words, to lose one's family at that age must be really terrifying. Antonio's face remained stoic as he walked and stood behind Jake.

"How did you know my daughter or did you know of my presence here before you arrived?" Antonio had to be sure his daughter's existence was still a secret.

"I didn't know of your presence here. I thought you would still be in the Cornelius' mansion. And as for your daughter, her aura was too strong not to notice. She isn't like the rest of you, she's something more."

"Cornelius' mansion?" Antonio chose to ignore the part of what Jake said. He walked and stood in front of him.

"I was a former foot soldier of the house of Cornelius. I ended my service a century ago." He had spent the first four hundred years of his new life in service to the house that saved him. But it came to an end after he found out of some new precious information concerning his family.

"So you're the only one that knows of her existence?" Mia looked pointedly at him.

"Yes. As for now." He looked at her. "It may not be too hard for any wandering vampire that knows what it's doing to notice her. Like i said, her aura is very strong."

Mia looked at her brother, face full of worry for her niece. She couldn't bare the thought of anything happening to her especially as Emiliana had no idea of the dangers surrounding her life.

"She's safe." He said reassuringly to his sister then he turned to Jake. "Notice any of our kind in the town too?"

"No." He pursed in thought. "But I'd pick up a scent ten miles north of her school."

"What?!" Mia looked alarmed.

"Could you identify who it was?" Antonio asked.

"No. He or she was long gone by the time I got there." Mia sighed worriedly as her brother rubbed her shoulder to sooth her. "Why doesn't she know who she really is or what she is?" Jake looked at them incredulously.

"It is too dangerous for her to know." Antonio took a step back and ran a hand down his face.

"She has always been in danger, all her life. Her knowing will help her protect herself." Jake thought for a moment then realization dawned on him. "Her birthday is in three days right?" He looked at them and judging by the looks they gave each other he had his answer.

"Her abilities will unlock as soon as she clocks 18. She needs to know now or it will be way worse then."

"I will tell her before then."

"Antonio-"

"That's final." He cut off his sister with a look that offered no room for arguments.

"He wants her." They both turned to look at Jake. "And with her birthday coming up, it won't be long before he knows she's here."

"I will never let anything happen to my daughter."

"I know. And he will be expecting that. But he won't stop till he has her."

"I will protect her." Antonio stepped closer to Jake. "And you will too."

"You don't have to compel me to protect her." He knew Antonio wanted to compel him. "I may not be a soldier anymore for the house of Cornelius but i will forever be at their service."

Antonio looked at his sister then back at Jake. Maybe he could trust him after all, he thought.

"Then your job now is keep an eye on her while she's not at home. And also keep an eye out for any of our kind that wanders into town. Tomorrow I will scan the whole town, see if there's any faint scent i can pick up of this intruder and any other that may have passed through."

Jake nodded.

"And you are to protect her, nothing else." Antonio gave him a knowing look.

Jake smirked and folded his hands. "Afraid she will fall in love with me?" He cocked an eyebrow at Antonio. Antonio growled at him as Mia chuckled smiling slyly at her brother.

"Lay off him Anto, she needs more boys in her life. Especially one of her kind." She looked back at Jake with a small smile. Antonio huffed and turned away.

"She will be up soon" Antonio glanced at the hublot watch on his wrist. "Lets head out." He made his way out of the room with Mia and Jake on his heels.

Antonio stood in front of the house with Mia beside him and Jake in front of him. The sun had already started to rise and Emiliana had a knack for getting up early.

"I will be on my way now." Jake dug his hands into his jacket. "I will protect her with my life." He looked at Antonio.

"Here is my number." Mia pulled out a piece of paper and handed it over to Jake. "If anything happens to her just call and we will be there in seconds."

Jake took the paper and stuck into his back pocket. With a final glance towards Emiliana's room window, he was gone in a flash.

"So we trust him now?" Mia looked at her brother.

"For now, yes." He looked towards the direction Jake took off in. "And probably also in the long run."

"Why's that?"

Antonio looked back at his sister. "I'm the one that turned him."