Chapter 1
THIS IS A STANDALONE NOVEL BUT IS CONNECTED TO THE CHARACTERS IN THESE STORIES.
Present Day
It was one week before Halloween. I walked confidently along the gravel towpath by the canal through the low hanging mist dressed in my shirt and waistcoat of my dark grey suit, the A-Level uniform of Jamieson Academy.I carried a long sword that bore a single large emerald in its ornate gold handle.My vivid blue eyes betrayed caution as I scanned the path, canal and trees waiting for my enemy to strike and begin our ancient duel.
I continued on, passing by two moored narrow boats but saw no one. All I could hear were the Canadian geese sitting near the water squawking and the wind ruffling the leaves on the trees.Just as I neared one of the locks across the canal, my urge for the fight to begin was satisfied.
From the trees, next to the towpath another young man also in a dark suit, the school’s sixth form uniform, jumped out brandishing a similar sword, again bearing a single emerald to denote our race and royal warrior status.He struck the sword at me.Quickly and effectively, I countered the blow.Our swords clashed noisily over the water.We hissed and bared our sharp vampire incisors at each other as we commenced our sword fighting duel like trained experts along the towpath.My skill was defined and honed more than my opponent’s that was chaotic and sloppy at times.My determination ensured I beat him back over the lock nearly sending my opponent falling in to the water as he did so.Arrogantly, I knew it wouldn’t be long before I would defeat my enemy.
“You can’t have Yasmin. She belongs to me.It is my right to take her,” the boy shouted jumping on to the towpath on the other side of the canal.“She will never go with you.I am her true mate.You are just a pathetic challenger.”
I ignored him and continued striking my sword hardly out of breath forcing the young man perspiring with his effort, to defend himself.At that precise moment, Yasmin ran out from the trees over the lock towards us.
“Ryan, stop this.You have to stop. I won’t let you kill Damon.I love him.”
“The ritual is clear.I have every right to challenge the bond between you both, Yasmin and take you for my own whether you wish it or not.The ritual must be obeyed,” I fiercely told her.
Yasmin desperately tried to find a way to get between us to stop the fight but we were equally determined not to let her and both feared for her safety.
“Stay back, Yasmin.You will get hurt,” we almost chorused.
“I will never be with you, Ryan.Never.I will always love him and there will be nothing you can do to ever change that.Do you really want to be with someone who will never love you for an eternity, Ryan?” Yasmin demanded.
But the duel continued.Yasmin chased us as the sword fight intensified along the path.Damon was definitely not as technically proficient and as I pushed him backwards towards the canal and the lowered water inside of the lock, he lost his balance and only just managed to stop himself falling in.He spun around and narrowly missed the expertly aimed thrust of my sword.Once more Damon lost his equilibrium and fell to the ground, his sword clattering down beside him.
“Damon,” Yasmin screamed his name.
Filled with blood lust, I quickly kicked the sword away just as Damon reached for it.Before he could stand, I moved in to finish the job and remove Damon’s head as dictated by the ancient Taleian Hybrid Vampire mating ritual. But a scream from Yasmin stopped me midway when she put herself between us.
“I won’t let you kill him. I am not meant for you, Ryan.If he dies then so do I.I will kill myself,” she shouted.
“I won’t let you.We will make this work.We have to in the tradition of our people.You know the rules of the ritual.When I kill him, you will belong to me.Get out of the way before you get hurt,” I hissed trying to push her away before she got herself hurt.
“For God’s sake, Ryan, listen to yourself.The Taleian ritual is archaic and barbaric.It doesn’t belong in the 21stCentury.There are other ways to satisfy it as laid out by the Queen.”
Yasmin suddenly stopped speaking, her eyes flicking to the side. Damon and I followed her line of sight as we all sensed a presence.A tall dark haired aristocratic handsome man of no more than 25 years old wearing a long black overcoat stood a small distance away on the towpath.
“Ryan, put down your sword.You don’t have to kill him,” he spoke eloquently in clipped English tones as though he belonged to another century.
“But the ritual demands . . .” I started.
“Enough,” he said cutting me dead.“The Queen forbids death in a challenge involving young hybrids.This argument must be settled another way for now.”
I frowned.
“We are old enough to understand the ritual.”
“Do not make the mistake of disobeying the Queen’s order.”
There was stark warning in my Uncle’s voice that made me think twice.I wasn’t stupid enough to make an enemy of the Taleian Queen’s mate, protector, advisor and leader of her army, the Knight of Swords who enforced the laws she made.
Story Note: Read the original stories of the Knight of Swords & the Queen of Talus in Vampire Knight, Vampire Demon & Vampire Consort.
Still, I would take it that I had won the battle as a challenger and when I attained the age of twenty-one I would renew the fight to claim Yasmin. Contemplating this, I remained in position a while longer to ensure Damon got the message and then respectfully lowered my sword.
“No, uncle.Please forgive me.”
I turned to bow my head to the Knight of Swords.The man nodded in return and walked away in to the night.
“I never knew your Uncle was the Knight of Swords,” Yasmin gushed whilst helping Damon up from the ground.“He is as handsome as everyone says.”
I shook my head and frowned at her.
“Every woman thinks that,” I said impatiently.
“It’s because he is the Knight of Swords and all women, whether a hybrid or not are spellbound by his looks.It comes with the job,” Damon sighed.“Nice work if you can get it.”
“Don’t think this is over just because he stopped me,” I glared at Yasmin then leaned forwards until I was menacingly in Damon’s face.“I will come to claim her again when the time is right.” I pointed my finger at Tony, “And this duel will be renewed.”
“Maybe before then, you will have found your own mate and will have to fight challenges to your own bond.Perhaps then you will leave us alone,” Damon shouted.
I refused to talk with him anymore.My point had been made.No further discussion was needed.Walking away along the towpath, I tried to ignore the way they were hugging each other with relief.I should have been able to take her.I couldn’t help wonder if there would ever be a true mate for his angry soul.After losing my family, I had been left with a hardened heart.I yearned to join with a mate to stop the loneliness I felt in my heart despite all of the love and care I was given by the beautiful Taleian Queen herself and the Knight of Swords who masqueraded as my Aunt and Uncle, raising me as their own after the murder of my family by the Druids.
The Druids had erased my family line in its entirety.Now, I felt the weight of revenge on their behalf.I was the last of the aristocratic Alexanders who had flourished as survivors of the ancient British race cursed by the Druids to become Vampires.Throughout England and Europe, they had assisted heads of state, kings, Queens through the centuries and the Taleian Royal line when it was re-established, with the present Taleian Queen in the late 1800s.If it hadn’t been for my aunt and uncle, I would have been next to die.
But, I guessed I would be denied a mate of my own as I had been so cruelly denied the love of my own true family.My Aunt and Uncle were loving, kind and protective, treating me and loving me like the child they were unable to have together.Only a Taleian and a pure human could produce a child together.They gave me everything I needed and so much more but they were not my blood kin and as a result, I keenly felt the loss of my line and the family knowledge and skill that were inherited by every family member.I was most likely destined to always be a challenger in the ritual rather than the true mate and, I would have to be content with the disapproving spoils of war, instead of the opportunity to find my own love.
I continued walking home to Jamieson Academy established by two of the Queen’s close friends, sister and brother, Henrietta & William Jamieson. The academy attempted to integrate the Taleian, Lycan and Angel hybrids’ and other supernatural human children with those of the pure humans who worked closely with them.The school even incorporated and boasted its own University that made it the envy of the country with its strong academic record and individuality.With my high grades, I would attend after completing my A-levels before I trained as a Knight in the Queen’s Army and became an advisor.
I now boarded there away from the Queen and Knight of Sword’s residence, Paige Hall at the suggestion of my Uncle who wanted me to have my independence and prove myself a Taleian hybrid male worthy of his army away from the doting Queen who was reluctant to let her adopted son go.
I smiled as I thought of the Queen.I missed her so much but Nathan had been right. I had to make it on my own now. Never-the-less I took the opportunity to ring the Queen when I could and steal by just to see her from time to time.She could always sense my thoughts and any of those around her and it was even harder to keep mine hidden because of our closeness. She would have picked up on the challenge tonight and sent my Uncle to deal with the problem.
Even as a male, the Knight of Sword’s own psychic powers had increased because of our relationship when he had brought me to the Queen as a baby and there was little I could hide from either of them. I knew their feelings on the matter of challenges but I was also aware the Knight of Swords sided with my determination to keep the male tradition alive, even though he kept his thoughts quiet. Still, he was not to be crossed.He had been lenient on many occasions with my flaunting of the new rules and on this, my adopted Uncle wasn’t going to back down.
Continuing my journey back to the school, I took a road filled with large residential houses in the leafy suburb surrounding Jamieson Academy, just outside the small market town of Kingsted.As I passed by one of the houses at the late hour of 11.30pm, a sudden sharp severe pain to my head sent me falling to my knees.Clutching the side of my head, I immediately looked in the direction of the large house I had stopped outside of and up to a bedroom window behind the wrought iron gate that closed its long drive from the road.I could sense the source of my pain coming from inside the residence.Although the agony took my breath away, I was elated.I grinned.For once the Universe was actually smiling down on me.It was my mate.I had found her.
Somewhere in that house was the girl I had been decreed to be bonded to for an eternity by the ancient Book of Talus.I relaxed my body and mind as much as I could and waited for her thoughts to automatically flow into my own across the psychic bond so I could find out more about her.But it didn’t happen.There was some sort of block and it was beginning to intensify my pain.
A light was turned on in one of the bedrooms facing the front of the house.A girl, the same age as myself, seventeen, appeared at the window.I recognised her from school as one of the human day students.Surprised, I quickly moved into the shadows towards the pillar at one side of the gates, out of her line of vision.I watched as she began rubbing her temples, clearly feeling the same intense pain.Quietly, softly, I called her name out in my mind hoping she would answer my call.
