Chapter 1
As the sun set the moon rose in its place, with its silver light glowing through the single window into the bedroom. Zach stood in the center of their candle room watching as the moon light crept across the marble floor towards him. Taking a deep breath he glanced over his shoulder at his father who stood back in the doorway with his arms folded over his broad chest with a guarded expression in his eyes. As his worried mother paced back and forth behind him mumbling to herself as she too watched the moon light creep closer.
Turning away from his parents he held his head high giving off the confidence that he’s supposed too but on the inside his heart was pounding with nervousness. He just hoped that his father couldn’t hear how frantic it pounded against his rib cage. At that exact moment the moon bathed him in its light. With the moon light went from silver to a light Azure blue, with his eyes going from dark brown to blue matching the color of the moon and the whites of his eyes turning black. With his body temperature rose above normal at the same time a searing pain spread through his body causing him to fall to his knees as he screamed out in agony.
His mother ran over to him but was grabbed by her waist with a strong arm pulling her into a hard chest. Looking up she saw it was her husband holding her back as he still watched his son withering in pain with his bones snapping and reshaping themselves. While his canine teeth fell out with blood staining the floor as new longer, shaper teeth pushed its way through the gums. They were thick and more pointy looking deadly; spreading his fingers out his nails lengthened into claws with the marble white stone floor underneath him became charred until the whole room was in golfed by flames.
“Do something Henry, before he burns the house down!” His mother yelled, looking back in the room only seeing flames and not her son anymore. “It’ll pass Fraya stop worrying.” Henry said, listening to the roar of the flames as they grew stronger reaching the ceiling. Darkness crashed down into the room swallowing it with silence; Fraya tried stepping to the blacked room but being held back by her husband who also took a step back.
“Is he alright? What should we do? Henry?” Fraya asked, question after question looking from her husband back to the room when the black thick smoke started to clear showing an outline of their son standing in the middle of the floor. Turning around to face his parents, with them seeing black lightning marks that branched out from intricate patterns on the inside of his wrists climbing up his arms. The marks reached up to his shoulders, gasping at his appearance seeing that his clothes were still burning slightly with blue flames covering some parts of his clothing. With his eyes going from their natural dark brown like his mothers to these soulless black ones similar to his fathers steel cold blue ones that never show any emotions…
Three days after the marking, Zach stared at himself in the mirror of his bathroom wondering if his eyes will ever go back to normal. “You shouldn’t stare at them like that, they will change back to normal soon enough.” Henry said, leaning against the door frame watching his son. “How is mom doing? Is she still afraid of me?” He asked, looking from his reflection to his father for answered to his questions; “She’ll be fine she’s just not use to this yet.” Henry said, noticing his son’s reflection still looking at him with a devious smirk showing it’s long thick fangs.
“But dad didn’t she see you go through the same thing as me when you were my age?” He asked him, frowning at him, he turned back to the mirror just before he could see what his father was looking at his huge hand grabbed his shoulder and turned his back to it. “Show me your teeth.” He demanded, with a strong grip tight enough to keep his son in place. “What why?” He asked, trying to pull away from him but it was no use his hand wouldn’t budge.
“Show me your teeth Zach!” His father said, with a hint of a growl undertone. Standing still he opened his mouth wide enough so he could have a good look at his canines an sure enough they were as his reflection long thick and sharp. Moving him out of the bathroom into the hallway, as the reflection reached out to take hold of him, but his fathers reflexes were too fast. The glass shattered all over the sink and tiled floor. “What the hell? Why did you do that?” Zack asked, looking from the broken glass to his father. “I didn’t, you did.” He simply said, as if that was explanation enough leaving his son to stand there in the hall confused.
“What do you mean I did?” He asked, fallowing behind him into his study closing the door behind them. “It’s rare if one of us goes through the change like that and our other half shows in our reflection’s.” His father said, going to his book shelf skimming through each title till he found what he was looking for. “So what does that mean? Dad what does it mean?” He asked, watching his father flip through page after page till he found what it was he was looking for. Sighing he looked up at his son saying, “You need to be careful son, I don’t mean with your feedings either. Your powerful then any of us and the last known member of our coven that had powers like you will. He was hunted down and tortured before they killed him.”
“Hunters haven’t been seen or heard of over a hundred years. Some even think that they died out when we started fighting back and especially with him. I know the story of his capture and of his blood mate that went after him. But I won’t be out of control like he was and I doubt I’ll have a human either.” He said, glancing out of the window staring at the street lights and other huge homes in their gated community. “I will train you personally now to control your new gifts. And you will only hunt with us now not the fledglings, do you understand?” He asked, with that bite of demand behind his tone. “Yes, I understand but I wouldn’t hurt them if I was to go hunting with them.” He said, trying to reason with him but he saw it was no use.
As the weeks dragged on with his father teaching him control of his new abilities. The hunting season was nearing its start and the rest of the members of the coven were getting restless. “Remember what I told you, Zach.” His father said, as they came out of the moss covered stone Mausoleum from his training. “Yes, I remember I have to hunt with you and the older members now. It’s been weeks when are you going to let me be around the others? Or even go to school?” He asked, hoping to get a break from their family Estate and away from the whispers of others who stared at him and ran from in fear. “You can go tomorrow, I trust you’ll be able to control yourself while your in school?” His father asked, glancing down at his son before walking on the path that took him to the main house.
“Yeah I can you know the smell of humans don’t interest me.” He said, trying to hide how excited he was to be going back to school. “Mm, I’ll see you at dinner then.” His father grunted, going in search of his mother. Later that evening at the dinner table everyone talked and glanced at Zach seeing if his eyes would change or he would look different. But nothing of the sort happened. As they’re voices blended together with the conversations that were being carried on. Zach excused himself from the table having finished four plates of food but still not felling satisfied. He stood on his rooms balcony leaning against the stone banister listening to the crickets an silence that the night brings.
When a strong gust of wind hit him and he smelt blood, Zach, Zach come to me come find me. The voice ran on a loop in his head the voice beckoning him to find it. His gum’s throbbed as he caught sight of his reflection in the glass door; they were completely black coving the whites of his eyes seeing the length of his canines. The voice in his head became louder till he leaped off of his balcony.
Landing lightly with a thud he backs way into the shadows of the Estate to re-emerge at the old cemetery Fort. Lincoln Marsh. A thick fog rolls in from the recent rain with the start of fall settling in, with the wind picking up rustling his dark hair. Keeping to the shadows he moved through them drawing near to the smell that compelled him.
