Club Angel's Kiss

Only three months. I only received three months of the perfect life we managed to build. Cassariah and Drakkar gave us three months, twelve weeks, ninety days, of peace with no paranoia and no worries that my family and coven were in danger.

Now that I had a taste of what it could be like, I didn’t want to go back! Why would I? After being able to live without glancing over my shoulder or worrying about every little thing I heard or was told.

Why the hell must they come back? I wanted to keep this life, the unyielding love for my son and my mate, the adoration toward my coven, and the all around happiness that could physically be felt as soon as you stepped through the threshold of the Sanders’ mansion.

All that had to crumble and change now. Our life resorted back to before they left, back to constant anxiety and back to being injured on a daily basis. My bruises just officially left all the way.

“…they can’t know where we are…death…murderers!”

“Who said…Amber….”

“The children!”

The hushed whispers from the kitchen heightened in volume. The words floated through the archway and right into the living room.

I knew they were trying to keep down for my sake, but was it really worth it? I wanted to be in the loop, not blissfully ignorant to their plans and arguments. That simply made me even more uneasy.

“Fine…their hideout…Chicago.”

“I can track…”

“…never go for it.”

I lowered my eyes to the baby sitting in my arms. Joel, having been deposited on me by Rave to go have the emergency kitchen meeting, was staring up at me with wide, glittering eyes.

He smiled when I looked at him.

“Hi, Ambie.”

I grinned at the fact that he remembered the ‘b’ in my name. He had certainly come a long way from saying absolutely nothing after being saved from my mom.

Almost immediately, my grin faded.

The disgusting, heartless duo had to know that we had children by now. And the worst thing they could do would be anything to Lavender, Joel, or -- I hated to think about it -- Daniel.

A nerve in my jaw twitched.

I couldn’t imagine the things Rave would do if something happened to Joel. Or what kind of state Jett would be in if the same happened to Lavender. Oh, and Zacky! What would he do if Cassariah and Drakkar hurt Daniel, his son, his little man, his best friend?

World War III, that’s what.

“Hi, Joel,” I murmured, grazing the top of his head with my fingertips. “Are you tired yet? Mommy said you need to go to sleep really soon. You’ve been awake all day.”

“No tired.”

Didn’t blame him. How could anyone sleep with this kind of stress hanging in the air, although I highly doubted he knew what was going on.

“We won’t let anything happen to you or Lavender and Daniel, okay, Joel? Aunt Ambie and Mommy and Daddy and everyone else will do our best to keep you safe.” I hadn’t a clue why I was telling a one year old this… “Those evil bastards stand no chance fighting with us, do they?”

“No!” Joel cried, giggling.

I smiled and clapped my hand against my thigh. “You’re a natural born coven member, my dear!”

Joel grabbed a section of my hair and started pulling gently, all the while chanting, “Ambie, no! Ambie, no!”

I laughed. “That’s right! Ambie will not let anything bad happen to you. Remember that.” I squeezed the toddler close.

Joel rested his head on my chest. I loosened my grip on him and stayed quiet for a few moments. Thankfully, that was all it took.

He fell silent, his breathing evened out, and he stopped twitching around like a mad man. He had finally fallen asleep.

“Well, that was easy,” I muttered.

I glanced to the couch cushion beside me. My cell phone sat inches from my thigh, the brightly lit screen staring at me just like the alarm clock had earlier. I hadn’t deleted the text yet, because Draegan told me not to. Apparently he thought he could track where they messaged from.

Which would probably end badly, considering how our luck ran.

I picked the phone up and flipped it closed. The tiny square on the top blinked the time: 1:20 AM.

I turned the ringer volume down to vibrate and sat it back down.

This sucked.

Everything about it sucked.

Not only could I not pinpoint the worst part, but I also now knew that Adam had to be dead. They used his cell phone to message me, for Pete’s sake! If that wasn’t adding salt to the wound, I didn’t know what was.

My heartstrings clenched.

It hurt to think about Adam. Out of every deceased loved one, he took the prize of causing my heart to hurt the most. I mean, how was I supposed to forget about one of my best friends?

I loved Adam! He was my big brother. He stuck up for me in elementary school when girls were picking on me for weird reasons, and he always assured me that there was in fact no monsters under my bed…or in my closet.

I missed him so badly.

My brain half expected my tear ducts to kick into full gear, but I was too upset to cry.

The couch cushion I sat on started shaking. I glanced at my phone, which was now vibrating.

I snatched it up.

Incoming call from: Adam.

I froze, debating. Should I answer it? Should I just let it ring? Or should I get someone else to answer it?

I flipped it open and pressed it to my ear.

“H--” I hesitated for a split second. “Hello?”

“Amber, thank God!”

“Adam!” There was no doubt about it, that was Adam’s voice coming through the receiver. “Adam, dammit! You’re still alive.”

“Yes. Why? You thought I would die that easily?” He chuckled happily. “No. Adam Harless does not go down like that.”

I forced a painful laugh.

Maybe I could be dreaming. I couldn’t rule that possibility out.

“Listen, Amber. I had to call you now that I’m back in town. I needed to hear if you were okay.” Behind his voice, I heard cars whizzing by and loud music playing. “You are okay, right?”

“Yes, yes. I’m fine,” I replied. “I’m absolutely dandy. Or, I was until I got a text saying your quote, unquote friends were back in Chicago to ruin more of my life.”

Adam sighed. “That is what I also needed to talk to you about. December and Drakkar are not my friends. Not in the least.”

“Then why are you still with them?!”

“Because I have no where else to go!” he exclaimed. “I would be thrilled to come to you and your coven, but that would only make them kill even more of your people.”

I shook my head. “I hope you know that has nothing to do with you. They’re out of kill everyone I love. They won’t rest until I’m dead, or I’m alone.”

Adam paused.

I heard a female voice say something.

“Where the hell are you anyway?” I asked.

“I’m walking downtown. Ember and Drakkar trust me enough to let me out now, thank you.”

That explained the weird sounds.

“I thought they would never let me out once I turned completely,” he finished.

A knot grew in my stomach.

“You’re one of them?!” My voice came out much louder than I anticipated. I shot my gaze toward the kitchen, but the coast was still clear.

“If by ‘one of them’ you mean a vampire, then yes. But I am by no means a murderer like they are. Eugh, that makes me sick! Never in a million years would I sink to their disgusting level.”

I felt my knot melt away.

“And you?”

“And me what?” I questioned.

“And you. Are you one of us?”

“I wish.”

“What?! Drakkar said he guaranteed you were a vampire by now. He thought your coven would do anything to protect you, so making you immortal would be the best bet.” Adam laughed humorlessly. “What assholes your coven is.”

“HEY!” I shouted. “My coven are not assholes. My mate simply refuses to even talk about turning me right now, so I’m not going to push it.”

“Ooh, your mate?” Adam sneered. “What little bastard is trying to put the moves on my sister now? I doubt he’s the right one for you anyway, if he won’t turn you to keep you from harm.”

“Adam, shut the fuck up. You have no room to make assumptions about Zack. He’s perfect for me, and he does want to protect me. But the last thing he wants to do is take my life.” Is that the correct term? I couldn’t think of anything else.

“Sorry, sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings,” he said, his voice growing quieter. “I…haven’t been able to keep my attitude to myself lately. Don’t take it personally. I really, really didn’t mean to say it like that.”

“It’s okay. I know you say what you say because you love me,” I echoed my mother’s famous words exactly as she had the night I saw Matt at Hawthorne’s Groceries.

Adam laughed again. “Shit, you sound just like Mom.”

“I’m well aware.” A silent tear slipped down my cheek. “By the way, how is Mom? Is she still with you guys?”

“Yes, but she’s not the same, sis. She has not taken to being undead very well.” Adam clicked his tongue. “She is insane now. It’s so painful to watch. I have actually seen Drakkar have to use physical restraints on her because she smelled blood.”

My hand slammed against my mouth to stifle a loud, uncontrollable sob. Tears rolled down my face in rivets. My hands shook.

Adam groaned. “Amber, please don’t cry!” he begged. “You do not need to cry, none of this is your fault! And maybe it’s better all of this has happened. You’re happy, right?”

“Right,” I wailed.

“Then this is meant--”

“Where are you? Where is the hideout?” I interrupted.

“At the old Clark’s Slaughter House building, outside of town. Do you remember passing that when we were little with Dad?” Adam explained.

“Yes.”

“They are hiding out there.”

/ - / - / - /

“Clark’s Slaughter House.”

Every pair of eyes in the kitchen turned to stare at me questioningly. The five vampires stopped talking, ceased all movements, and gave their full, undivided attention to me.

I patted Joel’s back carefully, fighting away the urge to fall into Zacky’s arms and start crying hysterically.

“What does that mean?” Brian asked.

“They’re hiding out in Clark’s Slaughter House,” I said. “And they have Adam, but he’s still alive. They have also recruited other vampires from the outskirts of town, five of them to be exact. They want Draegan back, too.”

Draegan jumped up, his chair toppling to the ground. He rushed over to me and grabbed my forearms tightly. He bent to eyelevel with me.

I held my breath.

“How do you know that?” he demanded.

“Adam called my cell phone.” I shrank away from his grip. “He told me everything I just said.

“I thought your brother was dead,” Rave piped up, walking to my side.

Gently, I held out Joel’s sleeping form. Rave pulled him into her arms. He slumped against her shoulder without so much as a whine.

I hugged my arms around my torso.

“So did I, but they turned him. They didn’t kill him, and he said he did not want to part of their coven. He wants to be with us.”

Draegan suddenly clapped his hands together.

“I got it!” he yelled. “I have the perfect idea as to how we can stop this. All we--”

The distinct sound of ringing filled the room.

Draegan whipped out his cell phone and ran his eyes over the glowing screen. He looked surprised for a second.

“Everyone, be quiet.”

He held the device out and pressed a button. “Hello?” he asked in confusion.

“Draegan, it’s Cassie!”

I grabbed Zacky’s shirt sleeve tightly between my hands. Cassariah’s voice still reduced me to absolute pain. My stomach swirled.

I laid a hand over my stomach.

Zacky drew me into his arms. I placed my head on his chest.

“Hey, Cassariah!” Draegan greeted. He forced a happy tone into his voice. “What are you doing? Is anything wrong?”

“No, no. Nothing is wrong.” She hesitated. “Drak and I were talking. We came back into Chicago yesterday and we want you to come back to the group. We really miss you.”

“Oh, is that right?” Draegan rolled his eyes.

“Yes. Do you think you can join us again?”

“Of course, Cassie. I’ve discovered being a loner sucks ass.”

I dropped my jaw, furrowing my brows.

Draegan shook his hand and waved a hand at me.

“Good!” Cassariah cheered. “When can you come back to us?”

“In about two days. I have some loose ends to tie up. I got involved with a few other loners in the next town over. But, as soon as that is done, I will be back. Where are you?”

“The vacated slaughter house on West Street.”

I felt Zacky’s fingers stroke up and down my spine. The motion caused me to shiver, but I didn’t complain.

The soothing gesture felt nice.

I peered up at him. He had an expression of obvious discomfort on his face. I perched my hand on his cheek.

Looking at him made me feel better, no matter what the issue was.

Zacky brushed his lips against mine.

Slowly, I my lips across his.

“So, you’ll be home in about two days?” Cassariah asked.

“That’s right.”

Something hit my back. I broke the kiss and glanced at the ground. A balled up dish towel sat at my feet.

I looked at Draegan.

He smiled innocently. “I’ll see you tomorrow. Bye.” He hung up his cell.

I made a face. “Why the hell did you hit me? And why did you say you would come back to their coven?!”

“I was trying to focus on talking to the enemy while you were sucking Zack’s face off! Distracting.” Draegan scowled. “Anyway, I said that because it’s all part of the plan I was talking about before they called.”

“Go on.”

“In two days, we are going to rush the slaughter house in a surprise attack. A dozen of us against eight or nine of them.”

“Nine,” I corrected.

“Yes. Our entire coven can take down their few members. They would have no chance!” Zacky nodded.

I placed myself at the kitchen table and laid my head on the wooden top. My attention would not be needed for this conversation, or I hoped. I didn’t want to enforce any kind of Queen rules or orders. I would leave that up to Zacky, the self-proclaimed king.

I snickered.

Zacky as full fledged king! The pressure and responsibilities would crush him alive. He nearly freaked out when I left cooking for the kids up to him.

How could he handle giving orders to a dozen undead night creatures? I could barely do so, and I had been the Queen for a good five months.

Zacky snapped his fingers at me. “Order everyone to come downstairs, Amber.”

I sat up, straightening my back, and cleared my throat, my eyes still closed. I planted my hands firmly on the sides of the table.

“Come.” I forced every inch of my dutiful voice into the single word.

I listened to the whooshing sound of the others filing into the room quickly. I felt wind rush passed me, then the palpable smell of vanilla wafted across my nose.

I opened one eye.

Jett’s smiling face greeted me.

“Hi,” I whispered, smiling back.

Jett wiggled her fingers at me. “How are you, Queenie?”

“Terrible.”

“Why?”

“Cassariah and Drakkar.” I groaned.

“What about them?” Jett leaned her head on her propped up hand.

“They’re back in town.”

A painful look of undeniable horror washed over Jett’s pale face. Her raised arm dropped to the table with an audible thud.

I reached out to touch her shoulder.

“WHAT?!”

Silence bestowed the entire kitchen. Everyone looked at Jett as the final note of her scream left her lips.

I raised my hands over my ears in any possible defense. Jett stood up from the table and backed into the wall beside us.

“They cannot be back in town,” she whispered, barely moving her lips.

“They…they are, though,” I explained. “Jett, honey, what is the matter?”

“I don’t want them to be back,” she said. “Lavender…”

I had a vague feeling that she of all the new parents would react like this to the terrible news. Rave and I were worried about our children, but Jett was borderline-hysterical with the thought of Lavender in danger.

I felt bad for her, honestly. I couldn’t imagine being like that…Like my father had been.

“Lavender will be fine,” Zacky spoke up. “Draegan has come up with an excellent plan to keep the kids safe.”

I took Jett’s hand in my own and led her back to the chair beside me. She settled down slowly.

I sat beside her and rubbed her back.

Zacky took the momentary silence to his advantage.

“In forty eight hours, we are going into town and attacked our only enemy coven. December and Drakkar and their minions are hiding out in Clark’s Slaughter House.” Zacky tapped his fingers on the table top. “We have to finish this ‘war’ for everyone’s safety.”

He looked at me.

“But especially for the safety of the ones we love. Our wonderful Queen and the children of this coven. They will be staying here while we’re out. Naturally, someone has to stay with them. Chalice, would you like to?”

Chalice pushed her way through the front line of the group. She yanked a chair from under the table and perched herself adjacent Jett.

“It would be my pleasure,” she smiled.

“I’ll stay, too.”

I looked back to the group.

Johnny had his hand in the air. “I will stay with Chalice and Amber.”

Oh, great!

Well, what if I didn’t want Johnny stayed with the kids and myself? Chalice would do a fine job. Johnny was not needed at all. His self pity and constant depression was not needed either.

One of out of three children already voiced that Johnny wasn’t their favorite vampire, mostly because he never came out of his room, and when he did, he only went out to stare at the grave Draegan and me made for Inez.

“Johnny?” I asked. “You really want to stay with us? You…you don’t want to go to the slaughter house with everyone else? They need everyone, after all.”

Rave giggled.

“Chalice won’t be able to protect you and the children on her own,” Johnny explained. “She has no experience with fighting.”

“I’ll be fine,” Chalice grumbled. “I don’t need you protecting me, Jonathon. I’m a big girl.”

Johnny glared at Chalice. Chalice glared right back.

Zacky waved his hands around. “Stop, both of you.” He exchanged firm looks with both of them. “Johnny, you can stay here. Chalice, we know you can handle yourself in a fighting situation. Johnny just wants everyone to be perfectly safe.”

Chalice sank further into her kitchen chair.

Johnny turned his eyes to the ground.

Zacky shook his head. “So, here are the conditions. Everyone must feed often in the next forty eight hours. We have to be at peak performance. This has to end well.”

I stopped consoling Jett and stood up. I made my way to Zack and hooked my arm in his. “Another thing, we don’t want any more fallen allies. I can speak for all of us when I say we can’t handle anymore death.”

“No one will die.”

Zack kissed the top of my head.

“I’m not going to leave you like that.”