Some of my readers have been giving me not-so-subtle reminders to hurry and finish "Bloodpledge"—Book 2 in my series, The Dantonville Legacy. I'm thrilled that people are asking for the second book. It makes writing and publishing the first one all the more worth it. And, I don't intent to disappoint or make them wait too long.
I've planned for a June release, which makes it exactly eight months after "Bloodgifted" had its debut on Amazon. That's a good distance between the two books, especially as each is approximately 100,000 words long. It's the perfect length for any reader to sink their teeth into (sorry for the pun!) as they await the next one.
So, I'll end my waffling here and let you enjoy this teensy excerpt!
Bloodpledge
Chapter 2
Jake’s
Dilemma
ALEC
The
sun had dipped behind the horizon by the time we got back to Luc’s house. I
left Laura in the kitchen with her mother, Judith, and made my way to the gym.
When my sire bought the place, nearly a century ago, he had a Roman-style bathhouse
constructed on the grounds, complete with sauna and swimming pool. Over the
years, he’d added shower cubicles and up-to-date gymnasium equipment. After
waking, his men—the Ingenii’s bodyguard—usually
make their way here. Even after eighteen hundred years, they never missed
training; never stopped being Roman soldiers.
The
clash of steel rang out as I pushed open the heavy wooden doors. Terentius
Sextus and Sempronius, or Terens and Sam, as they are now known, were sparring
with rapiers. Last week it was cutlasses. They keep a collection of various
weapons, both ancient and modern, displayed along one of the walls.
Calixtus,
or Cal, was pushing weights. He had readjusted the balance by adding more force
to the machine to cater for the strength of our kind. A light sheen of sweat
covered his upper body, highlighting the Antonine crest of a coiled serpent
tattooed on his chest. All the men have the same image on their bodies; a
symbol of their brotherhood and their shared curse. At my transformation, it
had appeared on the left side of my chest—the image of Marcus’s sword flanked
by the twin serpents—marking me as Luc’s man.
Jake,
or Justinius, as he used to be known, plunged into the pool. As his head
surfaced, he waved me over. ‘Can guess why you’re here,’ he said, as he swam to
the side.
‘Can
you?’
He
smiled and flicked wet hair from his eyes. ‘When was the last time you used this
place? I mean, Roman style—no clothes—and sparred with us?’
I
sat on one of the marbled benches near the pool. ‘I’m not used to being naked
in public.’
‘You
prude,’ he laughed.
‘Blame
the century I was raised in.’
He
laughed again and shook his head. ‘Give me a minute, then.’
Jake
was one of my best friends. He was instrumental in helping me accept my
transformation nearly a century before, by teaching me to use my enhanced
senses into becoming a better doctor. He’d been one himself, a long time ago.
He
hauled his body out of the water, strode over to the towel racks, took one from
the hook, tied it around his waist, then came back to sit next to me on the
bench. Water dripped down his legs and left a puddle at his feet. ‘I assume
it’s about the three Eastern European Prefects?’
‘I
meant to ask you when you got back,’ I replied.
’Things
kind of… you know.’
I
nodded. More important matters arose.
The
three Eastern European Prefects, Count Timur Széchenyi, Baroness Milena Flaks and Karel von Czernin
controlled the ancient territories that now spanned the Czech, Slovak and
Hungarian republics. Over the centuries they had raided each other’s lands,
killing both Brethren and non-Brethren alike. It’s kept the human population in
that part of Europe dangerously aware of our existence. That’s why Luc had sent
Jake over, not just to sort out the problem but also to convey the Elders’ warnings.
All three were currently in danger of losing their exalted positions; perhaps
even their lives. They missed the Ritual—the ceremony that took place every
fifty years to introduce the next Ingenii
into our world —each fearful of encroachment on their territories by the
others.
‘Luc
mentioned they hadn’t yet responded to the Pledging summons,’ I said.
‘They’ll
be here. I’m sure of it. Especially Milena.’
He
stared at his feet, brows drawn. Something was bothering him, so I waited.
‘There,
um… was no evidence of recent trouble. Actually, when I summoned each of them
to meet me in Vienna, at one of our safe houses, von Czernin and the Count
Timur were faintly surprised. Not Milena.’ He paused, then angled his head and
looked directly at me. ‘I didn’t tell Luc all the facts. He’s been too
preoccupied lately, but he needs to know. There’s growing tension among the
Brethren in Europe, as if they sense the Curse is coming to an end, and there
are just as many who fear it—like Milena—as those who long for it.’
‘I
see. So, she wanted to warn you?’
‘Something
like that. Without arousing suspicion.’
He
looked away and rubbed the back of his neck. I rarely saw Jake uncomfortable,
but something must have happened. He wasn’t sure how to divulge it, or perhaps
whether he even ought to.
In
a brisk movement, he got to his feet and strode to the edge of the pool. ‘Alec,
when we were cursed, none of us foresaw an entire political system built around
the Ingenii. When it ends, you and
Luc will lose your superiority. It’s happening already. Luc’s getting more
nocturnal as Judy’s blood weakens. And…’ he paused, ‘something else.’
Judith
had been the previous Ingenii, but
her time was over. The gene that provides daylight tolerance wanes after fifty
years and the next in line replaces them. Laura was the current Ingenii, and her induction had only
taken place less than a week ago.
I
rose and went to Jake’s side. ‘Tell me everything.’
He
nodded and glanced at his brother soldiers. ‘We’re Luc’s men, bound to him as
long as there’s an Ingenii.’
I
became aware of growing quiet around me. The clash of steel ceased. Terens and
Sam looked in our direction.
‘When
the Curse is lifted, we can leave his service, that is, if we choose to remain
as we are,’ Jake said.
I
looked around and saw Cal put down the weights as he too, gave us his
attention.
If
Jake wanted this to be a private conversation, then he’d lost the opportunity.
Yet, I sensed he wanted the others to hear. They were brothers, in many ways;
had been together for over eighteen hundred years. Experiences such as the ones
they had shared over the centuries must have created an almost unbreakable
bond. I doubt they had any secrets from each other.
He
took a deep breath and let it out, slowly. ‘Milena’s looking for a powerful
consort. Someone to keep the other two off her lands. Someone they’d respect.’
‘I
have a nasty feeling I know where this is headed,’ Terens said.
Jake
didn’t look at him, but focused on me. ‘As long as the Curse is in effect, you
and Luc are feared. That’s going to end, once you and Laura have a child.
Problem is, we don’t know whether her blood will retain its potency. If it
doesn’t, we can expect a war, and Milena’s lands will be one of the first to be
overrun by rogues.’ He glanced briefly at the others before coming back to me.
‘So far, only we know that Laura is the Child of Light and Darkness and that
you’re descended from the witch who cursed us.’
We
all knew the prophecy, that the curse could only be lifted when a descendant of
Marcus Antonius—the Child of Light and Darkness—willingly wed and had a child
with a descendant of the Pictish witch who had uttered it.
I
began to understand what Jake was trying to say. ‘You mean if Laura and I delay
having a child, we could avert a war?’ They found out only yesterday that Laura
and I intend to marry.
‘I
know I’m asking a lot.’
‘You
are. But, on the other hand, if it’s as you predict and the lifting of the
curse results in her blood losing its potency, then it also means she’ll be of
no use to them. Both Laura and our child will be free. So, the sooner we can
end this thing, the better.’
’We
need you strong, Alec,’ Jake said.
‘Don’t
worry about me. I’ve got plans. But, that’s not all that’s concerning you, is
it?’ I prompted.
‘No…’
Another
silence ensued.
‘Oh,
for the love of… Spit it out, Jake!’ Terens said.
‘All
right! Milena asked me to be her consort.’
It
took a second or two for his news to hit them and then they all spoke at once.
‘You’re
not seriously…’
‘C’mon
man, we need to talk about this…’
‘Why
you?’
Jake
said, ‘Who better than one of us? In one move, she gains lover and protector.
Von Czernin and Count Timur wouldn’t dare raid her territory, knowing that.’
‘You
have a point,’ Sam conceded.
‘I
knew it!’ Terens exploded.
‘Why
are you doing this, Jake?’ I asked.
‘I
didn’t say I was going to do it. But it makes sense.’
‘Let
her choose someone else,’ Cal said.
‘Who?’
‘Hell,
she knows a lot of men just as loyal to Luc as we are. One of them should do
fine.’
‘Allegiances
are changing.’
‘Jake’s
right,’ I said. ‘The Elders are worried. That’s why Zhao left directly after
the Ritual. Things are brewing in China as well, not just Europe.’ Zhao was one
of the Elders who had presided over the Ritual.
‘It’s
as if… I dunno… the Curse itself were sending out signals that it’s over. It’s
run its course,’ Jake said. ‘The old order’s about to end’.
‘You
becoming Milena’s consort isn’t going to stave off the inevitable, Jake. Maybe
delay it for a bit,’ I said. ‘Besides, Laura’s blood might not lose its
potency—after all she’s half-vampire. If anything, it’ll begin with the next
generation. Any children she and I have will be free of the curse and their blood will be normal.’
‘If
you’re right, that gives us at least fifty years to prepare,’ Sam remarked.
‘And…
otherwise?’ Cal asked.
The
same thought had occurred to me. Yet, I knew Luc had been preparing for this
very day. Plans he hadn’t shared with his men—as yet.
Terens
huffed and ran his thumb down the length of his sword. ‘Looks like I’ll need to
keep this sharp cause I’ve no intention of allowing a bunch of rogues to take
over.’ The edge in his voice as deadly as the blade he handled.
‘The
Principate has to remain in some form,’ Cal said. ‘It’s the only way to
maintain the peace and keep our existence secret.’
‘It
will. Luc and Marcus have already taken steps. Nothing much will change for
now, but when the time comes, the Elders will choose the next Princeps from
among themselves. Of course, the Ritual will be replaced by something else,’ I
said.
‘And
us?’ Cal asked. ‘All these years we’ve been bodyguards to the Ingenii. Where does that leave us?’
‘Free
to do as we want, Cal,’ Jake told him, ‘since we’ve decided to go on living.’
Part
of the lifting of the Curse meant the men would be given a choice when the time
came. There were two options—death, or remain vampire forever. Long ago they
had decided on life, as I had.
‘Actually,
I like what I do. Gives me a purpose in life,’ Sam said.
‘The
Eldership will still need enforcers,’ I stated.
‘Got
no problem with that,’ Terens said, and expertly twirled the sword in his hand.
‘Neither
do I,’ Cal agreed.
‘Jake,
if you’re asking Alec and Laura to hold off, I reckon you ought to do the same
with her ladyship. I don’t believe she’s in any immediate danger and besides,
we can keep an eye on things while Alec here can deal with those other two—Timur
and Karel,’ Sam suggested. ‘There’s only the four of us left now and we need to
stay together, unless, of course, you… feel something for this woman?’
Jake’s
gaze roamed the faces of his three companions. All nodded agreement with Sam.
He
released a pent up breath. ‘If I do feel something for her, it’s none of your
business!’
‘Hell
it is!’ Cal got up from the weights machine and strode toward him.
‘Ah,
shit!’ Terens swore under his breath.
‘Whoa,
whoa!’ Sam stepped into Cal’s path. ‘There’s no point you two going at each
other.’
The
two men faced each other, their nostrils flaring. But Sam’s words had an
effect. Cal and Jake were close friends, and the fear of one or either of them
leaving was enough to create a tense situation.
Sam
addressed Jake. ‘You said something about Milena contriving the situation to
get you over there?’
Jake
nodded.
‘Okay.
What if she exaggerated a bit and it’s not really protection she wants.’ Jake’s
face darkened. ‘Now hear me out,’ Sam hurried on. ‘What if she simply wants you?’
‘He
could be right,’ Terens agreed. ‘There’s some prestige in having one of the
original legionaries as a lover. I ought to know!’ He gave a crooked grin.
Jake
considered it. ‘It’s probable but that doesn’t mean –’
‘What?
That she won’t make the most of your position?’ Cal retorted. ‘This is Milena
were talking about!’
Jake
threw his head back. ‘Okay, I’m listening.’
Sam
continued. ‘Hold off giving her your answer; delay it. Did you talk to Luc?’
Jake
shook his head. ‘No time.’
‘Well,
maybe you should. Let him and Marcus involve themselves in political
entanglements, not you. That’s not our job.’
‘Don’t
want to lose you, man,’ Cal said.
Jake
bowed his head and thought a while. ‘I haven’t decided anyway. I’ll wait. See
how things pan out.’
Terens
came over and slapped him on the back. ‘Bed her, by all means, but no need to
wed her. The only entanglements you ever need get involved in, brother, are the
long, curvy type which wrap sweetly around your back.’
Jake
shook his head, but laughed along with the others. They were almost back to the
easy camaraderie they’d always enjoyed. But, the tense lines along Jake’s mouth
didn’t disappear entirely.
I
had my own worries. What if Laura was already pregnant? We’d made love a number
of times. As a newly invested Ingenii, she
was at her most fertile. So, it wasn’t just the imminent Pledging ceremony that
concerned me.
Never
had the stakes been so high, nor more personal.
Bloodpledge is coming in June. Pre-orders will be available from May.
BloodVault, book 3 in my Dantonville Legacy series, had a fantastic reception on its first day in the world. Both pre-orders and sales soared. Readers from America, Britain, Europe and Australia, and even from as far away as Brazil, raced to get their copies.
Lilo Abernathy is a somewhat eccentric, deep-thinking, warm-hearted young woman of at least 43 years. She started out as a restaurant chain hostess and worked her way up to the exciting world of global mergers and acquisitions. She has enjoyed an on again/off again relationship with formal education and has been affectionately referred to as information hound. In the evenings, she fills her writing breaks by scanning the internet for answers to provocative questions, such as: "What causes diamonds to be formed in different colors?"
