Tessa’s POVWe sat in the living room of Bernard and Anna’s living room while Anna made tea for everybody. Joseph, Carter, and I sat on the sofa which was big enough for like 10 people while Bernard sat in the giant reclining chair that I could tell he favored.There was a wooden coffee table in front of us with a beautiful vase of assorted flowers that I knew came from Anna’s bright and colorful garden I saw outside. There were also a bunch of candles around the living room, and something told me that Anna collected them.After a little while, she returned to the living room with a platter of tea and 5 small mugs. She sat the platter and mugs on the coffee table before disappearing into the kitchen again. She returned only seconds later with another platter of assorted cheeses and crackers, along with a small tray of sweeteners and milk.We all sat quietly as she worked to pour each of us a cup and as she handed us each the mug of tea she prepared, we said thank you with as much kind
Tessa’s POV“You can see into the future?” I asked with wide eyes, shocked at the discovery.“I can’t control this ability though. I can only see what Nyx wants me to see and when she deems it fit.”“Do visions happen often?”“Depends,” she said. “They’ve been happening less frequently lately. Maybe once a month or so.”“That’s incredible,” I breathed. “That’s an amazing power to have. You must love being able to see into the future and possibly even change the outcome of a terrible fate.”“It’s bittersweet,” she said, and then she fell silent as thoughts invaded her mind.I wasn’t sure what that meant, and my brows knitted together as I stared at her fallen face.“It’s painful,” Bernard explained, drawing my attention to him. “It makes her pass out almost every time. Makes her ill. Her visions not happening daily are a blessing because I don’t think her body could handle it. Finding her in that much pain is the worst thing for me because I know there’s nothing, I can do to help her o
Tessa’s POVIt happened so quickly that I couldn’t grasp what was happening. Me and everyone else were standing to our feet just as Anna went tumbling to the ground.She was screaming and instantly covered in a layer of sweat. She gritted her teeth and dug her long nails into the chair she was sitting in. I realized she had gotten extremely pale as well and the look of pain was evident on her face.My heart was racing, and my mind was whirling. But Bernard wasted no time. He was instantly by her side and scooping her into his arms, carrying her bridal style.It was then that I realized her eyes had turned completely black.“What’s happening?” I asked, grabbing onto Joseph’s hand.He looked calm, as did Bernard, though it was obvious it pained him to see her like this. But his body movements were so calm like he had done this a thousand times before.“Joseph, grab me a washcloth soaked in hot water,” Benard ordered. “And a glass of cold water.”He quickly jumped into action, completely
Joseph’s POV“When?” Was the only thing I managed to ask.“As I said, she doesn’t know,” he said.He seemed a lot stronger than I felt. The thought of losing Bernard has never occurred to me before. He’s been with me from the very beginning. He’s my teacher, my guide, and my friend. He’s like a father figure to me, just as Anastasia is like a mother.That was something I’ve been deprived of during my human life and now that I have that in my vampire life, I wasn’t willing to give that up. If could prevent this war from happening, if I could keep Bernard from dying, I would move mountains to do so.I know Carter and his warriors would do the same.“I’m not upset or afraid,” he finally said after a long silence.I scrunched my face at him, unsure if I heard him correctly.“I knew it was a matter of time before I met a fatal end,” he said slowly, keeping his eyes on mine. “I’m not going to lie though. I will miss this tribe dearly and my wife isn’t taking this well. She fell asleep after
Joseph’s POVI quickly got out of bed. It was still fairly light outside, within the hour it should be dark enough to travel outside, but that also meant other creatures and rogues would be out as well, which puts this new vampire in danger.This wasn’t a vampire that was born a vampire, he was turned into one most likely from a rogue that started to crave blood again. Sometimes being a rogue helps a vampire to sneak around alone and drink blood without getting caught. However, blood is like drug, and they will always get caught again after they indulged themselves too much. Telling from his state, I don’t think it was on purpose. I noticed some blood on his mouth when he woke, he most likely struggled against this rogue and bit him, obtaining some of his blood. The vampire must have thought this person was dead and left him to rot. Depending on the strength of human, they can awaken at different times. Some awaken instantly, and others can take days.If a human dies with vampire bloo
Tessa’s POV“A new vampire?” I gasped, rushing to catch up with Carter. “How did Joseph know?”“He has the ability to know when a new vampire wakes,” Carter reminded me, glancing at my worried face briefly before picking up the speed.“Oh… right,” I breathed, feeling my face warm. “When will he be back?”“I’m not sure. But I’m just going to assume not until late,” he answered, much to my dismay.The thought of not seeing Joseph all day today left me feeling unsettled. But I was here as a guest, and I couldn’t interrupt his work. I knew his job was very important. All their jobs were important. I just had to stand in the background and not get in their way.The Vamp House was already crowded with vampire villagers when we arrived. I still got some wandering eyes in my direction, but for the most part, they weren’t giving me nasty looks like they had yesterday. I wondered if it was because Joseph, or maybe Bernard, had said something to them.I decided not to think too much about it and
Tessa’s POVI couldn’t have heard her correctly. Did she just say a blood slave?“What did you just call me?” I asked her, narrowing my eyes at her.She frowned and stared around me, seemingly confused by my question, just as I was confused by hers.“I’m sorry. I don’t mean to be so direct. But a few of us were talking and we were surprised when Joseph brought you around. It’s obvious you aren’t just his guest, but Joseph has never kept a blood slave before.”“I don’t think I understand what you are saying,” I said, still trying to wrap my head around the term she used. It was a term I had never heard before and I felt queasy at the very mention of a blood slave. But I had to know what she was talking about and what that meant.Her frown deepened.“Are you serious?” She asked, furrowing her brows together. “So, you really aren’t his blood slave?”“Please, tell me what you mean by ‘Blood Slave’,” I pleaded. “I never heard that term before.”She was quiet for a moment, and I saw as her
Joseph’s POVIt took over an hour to get to the part of the forest, in the Northern Region, where I saw the new vampire awakening. I parked my car in a nearby lot and walked through the forest, finding the exact spot he was lying in.I could still smell his potent scent, so I knew he wasn’t far from this area. I also knew he was still alive. My body would have told me if he was dead. It’s part of my ability so I don’t waste my time searching for a deceased vampire.I sniffed the air. The scent grew stronger going into the forest. It was dark out now, so other creatures would be lurking around. Thankfully, I was trained to deal with the worst creatures, and I did not doubt that I could kill anything that came at me.My weapons were made of silver and laced in wolf’s bane, just in case I needed something that could take down a beast.My nose scrunched at the very thought of a werewolf. Those retched creatures: or mutts how I like to refer to them.I continued to wander the forest ground