Queens and Monsters: A Vampire Shifter Romance (The Blood Falls Book 1)

My uncle, grandmother, and cousin took me to Blood Falls to help me learn while everyone else worked on sparring and training.

“You need to understand your abilities now. Not tomorrow. Not next week. We don’t have time to waste,” Jaymes said as we reached the grassy area beside the water.

“Why here?” The water glowed a little pink and blue at this time of day.

“The falls themselves run between this property and the Sato’s. The water flows from our property. It ties us all together but the power of this meadow, being beneath that resource, will help you,” Saoirse said.

My cousin Ayleen—Jaymes daughter—had come along to help me since she was also younger and newer to using her abilities than either Jaymes or Saoirse. Even though she was 15 years older than me, she looked almost 10 years younger.

She recited a spell and used the wind to rearrange sticks and leaves in the meadow. It shocked me how easily I was able to do the same. Then she used her hands and rewound time, then sped it up until everything was back to normal.

“It’s useful for learning from your mistakes. Especially in a fight. If you can rewind a minute or two, see where you went wrong, and make different choices going forward, you can change the outcome.”

“You should spar,” Jaymes suggested.

“I don’t really know how to do that.” I really should have taken a few lessons in all the downtime I had. Oh wait, there was no downtime.

“Well, that’s another thing to work on then. When we’re done here you can join the others by the house to begin learning the basics.”

It seemed there would be no rest for the weary today. So much for two days’ rest. Luckily I felt good as new. Maybe Dray’s super healing blood helped me too.

“For now, just pretend fight until you’re ready to rewind,” Saoirse suggested.

My human upbringing interfered at first. It felt totally wrong to throw a light punch at someone who looked so much younger than me, but then she knocked me on my ass and I got over the looks.

“Come on, cousin. You won’t hurt me. I promise.” Ayleen danced on her feet, a smile on her face, hands up.

I rolled my shoulders and tried to attack, missing her several times while she thumped me on my back or sides. I found it easy to calculate her movements and begin to predict her choices. The next thing I knew I had her on her back.

She blinked up at me in surprise. “You learn fast. How did you do that?”

I helped her up as I thought back through everything and, as usual, I found the answer was in my hands. “When I Form or come near the House swords, my hands get very warm and tingly. I can feel the energy of the Plane flowing through them, and I just…go with it.”

“She doesn’t need to rewind time,” Saoirse said. “She is already in the timestream. She can see behind and before, she just doesn’t realize that’s what she’s doing.”

I remembered Gigi saying something similar about her Sight. I made a mental note to confer with her later. Maybe she’d have some useful tips for me.

“Show me how you Form,” Jaymes asked.

Since the water was right there, I used the Plane to bring it to me and for fun, I made it rain lightly over Ayleen.

“Ha. Ha.” She twisted her lips off to the side, then with a few waves of her hand, the water deflected around her, like an invisible bubble now protected her. That’s when I noticed her hair and clothes were waving like they were in the wind.

Saoirse came to me. “Pay attention.” She reached up, murmured a few words, and pulled lightning down from the sky in a blinding, deafening flash, holding it between her hands before she redirected it back up to the sky. “Your turn.”

I was still in shock from having watched my grandmother play with lightning like it was clay. Also, I was a little blind. “It’s a pretty big leap to go from water right next to me to summoning lightning from the sky.” I genuinely had no idea where to begin.

“When you regenerate life, how do you do it?”

I looked at my hands and thought back to the flower next to my bathroom sink. It was probably dead now. How was Seema? Lou? Where was Lou? Tymothy? “I picture the cells, feel a connection to them, and push life back into them.”

“We’re all made of cells. The grass, the trees. Molecules. Electromagnetic energy is constantly coming through our atmosphere. These are all resources at your disposal.”

She really, seriously wanted me to jump right to Gods of Mount Olympus shit. “If I die, you get to deal with Dray and I don’t envy you.”

She laughed lightly. “You won’t die.”

“We’ll see,” I grumbled, closing my eyes and tapping into the Plane. I felt the energy of everything around me, the vibrations of the samhain versus the water, the air, or even the light particles. Then I turned my attention upward, felt the zing of electricity, and gathered it to me. There was a loud boom. So loud I really didn’t hear it.

I opened my eyes knowing what I’d see. Blinding light. Too bright and powerful to hold for too long. So I sent it back where I found it, blinked a few times and shook my shoulders to release the tension.

Everyone stared at me.

“What? I did what you asked didn’t I?”

Ayleen’s mouth hung open. Jaymes stood frozen. Saoirse clapped. “It took me thirty years to learn to do that. You don’t need practice. You need knowledge.”

We spent a long time in the library where Saoirse pulled books off of shelves and spoke quickly, trying to cram my brain full of information as fast as possible. Spells and incantations, nanoparticles and cellular biology. (Gigi came in to help with that part.) More and more, the Plane and I felt like one. I was no longer overwhelmed by it or intimidated. It was something I could interact with and trust.

“There’s so much more at our House than yours.”

“Then let’s get it.”

She shook her head. “By the time I drive there and back it will be time for the meeting. Why don’t you just come by tomorrow and we’ll continue working in our library instead.”

While I loved the idea of spending time at the House of Nala—this time without the surprises and blood—we didn’t have time to waste. “Why don’t I shift us over there and get what we need.”

Her hand came to her mouth. “I forgot you could shift like that.” She thought for a moment. “Here, take my hand.” The moment our fingers touched I felt a zap and we were connected through the Plane. Images appeared in my mind. A house loomed in front of me. “This is the House. The library is here.” The walls dissolved into a large room at the back filled with books. I’m ready when you are.”

Knowing where we were going it was easy to slide across the Plane from one House to the other. Saoirse blinked a lot when we arrived. “Damn. You’re just…damn.”

“Thank you, I think.” I ran my hands over candles and books.

“You’re welcome.” She moved quickly to a bookcase filled with thick, heavy texts that appeared well worn from use. “I’m going to send you back with these two to study in your spare time.”

Great. More studying. It was a good thing I was a good student.

“This one is family history. Who each of us was and what powers they possessed. It might give you insight into things you never considered before. This volume is all the beginner spells we teach our children. Practicing the basics might seem too simple to you, but sometimes it’s the fundamentals that save us.”

Sometimes it’s the fundamentals that save us. I really liked that and tucked it away as something to remember.

She handed the books to me and then selected an even bigger book. “And this is the one we’re going to work from until the meeting.”

The books were heavy but I didn’t mind. I knew the weight contained history, family, all the things I craved to know. I only regretted that I couldn’t instantly download it all like The Matrix.

“So my mother really never speaks to you? Never comes to you on the Plane?”

Saoirse froze for a moment. “No. I knew she remained alive for a reason…but we’ve tried everything to reach her. Every spell and incantation in every book we could find. Her body simply lies there. She doesn’t move other than to breathe and take the food and water we offer. Her body remains as it was, somehow. Her muscles haven’t atrophied. Every day I go and sit with her, expecting her to suddenly sit up and stretch as if she’s just awoken from a long nap.”

“Maybe when this is all over with I can reach her again. Find out a way to help her return to her mind and body.”

Saoirse moved closer, resting her hand on mine. “My biggest hope is to have both my daughter and my granddaughter at my table. As a mother, I know I would do anything for my children, so while I am sad to have lost all this time with my dear girl, I am also incredibly proud of how she risked everything for you.” Her voice cracked on that last word, which made me crack just a little.

All these years of feeling alone when really, I had been incredibly loved.

“When this is over, I will gladly join you for dinner any time you wish. And I will do everything I can to get Marhysa there too.”

The next thing I knew I was in a painfully tight hug. It hurt, but I didn’t mind it one bit. It was my grandmother after all. Someone who not only shared my bloodline, but loved me too. It seemed like there were glimmers of it behind Antyne’s stoic gaze, but real love never manifested and, based on everything I knew about him, probably never would.

But now I had this and it gave me even more hope, even more to fight for.

“I have one more question.”

Saoirse released me. “Ask.”

“When Dray came for me in Marhysa’s bed, he said you lied. What did he mean?”

Her face fell, then her eyes dropped to the floor. “I was the one who insisted you go to Antyne first. I promised Dray you would be safe there. I should have known better, given our history.”

Maybe that was true, but she never really knew it all until now. “You didn’t know about the curses.”

“No.”

“Then you did what you thought was best for everyone.”

She shook her head. “Not for you. You were still an abstract idea to me. Maybe I’ve still been stuck in shock or grief all these years. It was hard to imagine you as real. It was easier to make you a puzzle piece and simply place you where you should fit, rather than fight for you. We’re fighting anyway.”

True, but until all options were exhausted, no one would have agreed to this, that much I understood.

Saoirse opened the large book and flipped to a page while I tried to settle my thoughts enough to learn. One kept niggling at me even as I read over the spell my grandmother pointed out.

No one here knew about the curses Marhysa put on us…but Mary and Helena knew about the one on me at the very least. How? It seemed the only three people who knew these answers were locked away from me: my mother playing mental hide-and-seek on the Plane, and the two women who tried to murder me at a place I agreed not to go to until I was stronger. In the human information age, it was frustrating to have so few answers.

We spent the next hour in the library before I shifted us back to the House of Wren. I desperately needed a break and a snack.

“You’re wearing her out,” the Doctor chided.

“She’ll recover.”

His eyebrow arched. “As much as she needs training, she also needs her strength.”

“Fine. I’ll let her rest.”

“Thanks!” I said between mouthfuls of turkey sandwich. After that I devoured a plate of fruit and cheese, followed by hummus and naan. It was a dream come true to be able to eat this much and not gain any weight. Heck, if anything, I needed to be eating more for the next few days. Between recovering and all the calories I was burning during the day, I was constantly hungry.

I wound up dozing off in a food coma in a chair on the porch overlooking the groups sparring below. I had to have been completely asleep for at least a little while based on the drool I now had on my shoulder. As it was, I felt like I could use another hour of napping, so I simply readjusted and let myself drift in and out of consciousness. The sounds of punches and clangs of blades faded into the background until it all stopped. Someone spoke. I tried to latch on but couldn’t.

Until I heard Bo explain a battle strategy. “Come on. We’ve practiced this for years. It will work.”

“It will divide us,” someone protested.

“But won’t they be doing the same thing?” Kris asked. “Shifting into our ranks?”

“The young Dregs won’t. They can’t yet,” Dray said. “They’ll send in the young to thin us out and tire us. Only after that will they engage us with the rest of the army or blooded family.”

“Unless they don’t do what you think they’re going to do,” Kris said. “We have to be prepared for anything and I’d rather we were the ones on the offensive.”

Shifting into battle? Ugh. I still thought like a human. Of course anyone who could shift, would shift. Why stay in one place when you had the ability to move into new and unexpected positions?

“And leave us behind?” the same new voice asked. I peeked out at the dark-haired man. He was tall and thin, but spinning the blade in his hand with the ease of someone who was used to having the Plane to help guide his actions.

Kris shook his head. “Not at all. That’s why I want to talk about it now. I think if we go into this the way we have always trained, we’re setting ourselves up for failure. Because when they do shift by surprise, we’ll have no choice but to divide and conquer, possibly leaving the groups that can’t shift behind. We need to be smarter.”

“What do you propose?” Dray crossed his arms over his chest. He looked imposing as always, but also thoughtful.

“We divide and conquer by choice. Let the non-shifters engage with the baby Dregs while the rest of us split into two groups. One set will move directly into the Axl lines, the other will wait until the Axl come to us and then jump into battle.”

Dray stroked his chin. “I don’t hate it.”

The dark-haired man threw his arms in the air. “And what if all the shifters wind up dead because you divided up?”

“We’re fighting for our freedom,” Kris shot back. “Some of us will die. It’s inevitable. If you’re not prepared for that, then don’t come. You’ll just be a liability.”

The dark-haired man got right in Kris’s face. “Do not confuse my honor with my questions about strategy. I will lay down my life for my House. Always.”

“As. Will. I.” Kris sneered.

There was definitely something awkward happening between the strangers and the Wrens, but I didn’t know the cause. And none of it mattered anyway because a moment later Leena appeared on the edge of the trees with three incredibly large men who squinted, shielding their eyes from the bright sun.

“Leena!” Bo yelled, running over to her.

The men followed her every move, almost like she controlled them. “Hey big brother.” She threw her arms around his neck.

The people below me began to whisper excitedly. Aside from the new arrivals’ extraordinary size and exceptionally healthy hair, I knew nothing about them. All three men had thick dark brown or black hair that fell at least to their shoulders. Very broad and muscular shoulders. In fact, every inch of them seemed to be made of pure muscle. Not a hint of fat anywhere to be found. Bo looked like a child standing beside them. Bo was almost as tall as Dray, which meant these strangers had to be seven feet tall, or thereabouts.

Bethany came up beside me. “Oh my goodness. They came.”

“Who came?” I needed someone to draw me a map of the houses already.

“House of Heida,” she murmured. “No one’s seen them in seventy years.”