Start | Chapter Sixteen Part Three | Index | Chapter Seventeen Part One

“Because, my dear little Anna, humans will inevitably uncover our existence, and sooner rather than later.” Ragnar was standing in the doorway and she wondered how long he’d been listening. ” Think about it, dear girl. With all the surveillance and scanning, how long until humanity spots the immortals among you? How long before simply moving no longer conceals us? How long before the science which has given us this reprieve by making people think us mere myths uncovers the fact that we’re not? And once it does what do you think they’ll do about it? I’ll tell you what, they’ll panic and turn into a mob with the high-tech equivalent of torches and pitchforks. The only thing to do is keep our existence secret for as long as we can and prepare for the coming war. Humans out number us, but we are powerful. We can win.”

He had a point, Anna realised. A nasty and twisted point but a point none the less. It must be getting harder for vampires to stay hidden. It would be only a matter of time before the authorities realised that supernaturals existed. She was surprised that they hadn’t already.

“Are you sure that they haven’t already?” she asked. “The authorities I mean. They might be keeping it secret.”

“Governments are generally too big and too unwieldy to effectively keep a secret, Anna. That’s why they leak so much. Something as big as ‘there are monsters that want to eat you’ out there would leak quickly.” He paused and looked thoughtful. “Unless of course there’s a small group within the bureaucracy that is aware of us and is keeping it secret for some reason, but why? Governments thrive on keeping people afraid and having an enemy to point them. It allows them to slip stuff through. We would do nicely.” He gave a nasty chuckle. “Perhaps they are saving it up for some time when they really need it?”

“I hope not, that would be something pretty bad they were trying to distract us from if creating mass panic was needed to stop people noticing,” she paused thoughtfully. “But they don’t need vampires for that, they are doing well enough at it with just the terrorists to pin it on.” She stopped and stared at the wall. “And the stuff they are bringing in is just the stuff they need in order to explain how they have just uncovered the supernaturals hiding among us.”

“I-” he stared at her for a long moment. “Things couldn’t be falling out more inconveniently for us if they tried, could they… so perhaps they are trying. It’s something to look in to.”

Anna was going to reply to that when she noticed something and glared at him. “And stop saying us, there is no us, I’m not a vampire.” She shook her head angrily.

“Ah, but you will be, my Anna, and very soon. You’ll aid me in the war and share the spoils with me when we’ve won.” He smiled at her angry scream of denial. “But first, my dear, we need to get your head on straight. The Order have twisted it in to a pretzel and the psychic boy has managed to put such a fine wall in your head that I needed to bring you here earlier then I meant to in order to correct it.”

“Wall? What wall?” she asked. “And what has David got to do with things. He was only even in my mind that once.”

“How can you not know about that mountain range in your mind?” He sounded irritable. “It can’t have been placed without your knowledge, and he is the only one who has had opportunity.”

“I really have no idea what you are talking about. I knew you were in my mind and when I woke up from being sick you were gone. I’d never been sick before but at least that was one good thing.”

“You had never been sick before?” he asked slowly. She shook her head.

“Never, not even a cold or a headache,” she said.

He frowned at her and whispered something about his Rowena.

“Who’s Rowena?” she asked.

A bloody tear trickled down his cheek until he wiped it away angrily. “She was my wife a very long time ago. She was blessed with similar remarkable health as well. The moon cursed werewolves tore her apart and nearly killed me, I would have died if my blood mistress hadn’t turned me. I still see her face every night in my dreams. You look a lot like her and it seems you are like my beautiful priestess in other ways as well. I will need to think on this. But I know the moon cursed are after you and no matter what happens I will protect you from them.”

Start | Chapter Sixteen Part Three | Index | Chapter Seventeen Part One