Clandestine by J. Hali Steele

Author:J. Hali Steele [Steele, J. Hali]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: BIN 010342-03359
Publisher: Changeling Press LLC
Published: 2022-05-24T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Five

“So you fuckers aren’t going to bite me and drain me dry of my blood, but someone else wants to do exactly that?”

“In a nutshell, Mason, yes.”

“Mace.” Heat flushed his face. “Joshua likes Mason.”

“Then you’ll always be Mason to him.”

“Always?”

“Yes.” Drew had imparted so much information, some got jumbled. Vanishing. Moving objects with their minds. Walking in sunlight. Taking into account Drew had recently been human calmed Mace to a degree. “Joshua wishes to make me what you are.” That part scared him more than Michael wanting to kill him.

Mace had liked the man. At one point he had predicted more. But he craved having Joshua beneath him, inside him. He… hell’s sake, how could he have those thoughts knowing what he did? Damn if he wanted to be what Joshua was.

“Vampire.” Mace choked on the word. Undead and bloodsucker sat further down the list of acceptable terms. “They don’t look like vampires.”

Drew’s laughter was probably heard by the other occupants. Propping against the door jamb, he advised, “Don’t let on you believe folklore about vamps. Months ago, I’d have thought you, with your height and hair, fit the part better. In any case, do it and they’ll find a way to make you feel discriminatory and shitty as hell for thinking they’re all towering monsters with flowing hair and blazing red eyes who can’t go outside during the day.”

“There’s something you’re not telling me, Drew.”

Drew crossed to a nearby chair and perched on the arm. “Fighting this is useless. I know. Your life is entwined with Joshua’s for eternity.”

“I won’t accept that.”

“We have feelings, Mace. We live harder, we love harder, and that can… Well, I’ll leave some things for Joshua to expound on.”

“It’s too farfetched.”

“They have thrived longer than most humans. Blood in Sten’s veins flowed through Cain’s.”

“Cain? Adam and Eve’s Cain?”

“Yes.”

Recalling reactions when Mace used God or Jesus mashed with fuck or damn, he began to understand. A nest of religious freaks. “They kill for blood.”

“Another untruth. Blood is required to subsist but seldom is the human’s life ended. Killing their own kind causes the perpetrator such pain, most vamps don’t survive the act. Can I tell you they haven’t killed humans? No. There are bad people in the world who deserve death. The council makes sure…”

“Council? Sten is really a king?”

“And Joshua was Moses’ right-hand man. Red Sea parting, battle of Jericho, yes, Mace, it’s all true.” Drew rose and walked to the door. “You’ve had a hell of a shock so I’ll let you think about things and get some rest.” He walked into the hallway but stopped and pivoted to look at Mace. “Ask yourself why there are far more humans than vamps when they could have easily tilted the scale in the other direction. Don’t judge harshly until you know them.”

He grasped the knob but Mace stopped him. “Wait. Are dragons real?”

“I’ve not sought that information in what small part of Sten’s mind I can enter. I’ll say this. If they did, you can believe it was man who led to their demise.

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