"Get away." My voice cracked as I tried to straighten my spine and find domination over him.

He brushed his moist lips against my neck. "I can't. I want you to take more of me. I love feeling weak."

Normally, energy like his would make me strong, but it was as if he was expelling his own spirit on purpose, with the goal of leaving me weak.

"Xavier." Raphael's commanding voice stilled him.

I peered out to spot Raphael standing close. He clutched Xavier's suit coat and with sheer power, he threw Xavier to the opposite wall with ease. Pictures fell to the floor in a clash of broken gla.s.s. The spindle rocking chair tumbled over. The sound was sucked out of the room just as fast as the chaos began.

"M-my lord," Xavier stuttered, trying to pick himself up. His coat hung limp from his arms, torn at the middle of his back.*

96.

Raphael glared with intent. I wondered if he would attack again. "How dare you?"

"B-but he-"

"No. I don't want to hear your lies." Raphael stepped towards him and picked him up by his hair. "I had asked you to keep him company, not to feed him your l.u.s.t." He jerked Xavier.

Xavier clasped his hands together in forgiveness. "Please, my master. I meant no harm to him. I just... I wanted to-"

"Enough." Raphael dropped him and he collapsed to his knees. "We need Malachi.

Now."

"What?" I asked, standing up from the bed.

Raphael caught my curiosity. "I'd love to train you further before sending you off to battle, but we've been informed that a group of rogue vampires is causing trouble in the east.

This is perfect for your abilities, Malachi."

"I..." Can't do it, what do they need me for anyway, there's a whole group of them more than capable.

Raphael nodded. "I know your doubts and reasoning. You are a drifter and don't wish to hurt anyone, no matter what they've done. But I warn you, as a part of this coven, you must accept things that you do not wish to do at times." He approached, cupped his palms on my shoulders and stared knowingly into my eyes. "You will do as I command. You may not like it, but you will follow this through."

"And if I don't?"

"Then you will be treated as a rogue and taken down on sight." Raphael's eyes narrowed, but his tone never changed. The perfect leader. "And Dante? I can guarantee him the same fate."

"You would do that to him?"

"To anyone who crosses me, yes. I've given Dante plenty of chances. But I am sick of the games. Should you wish to drift, be my guest and leave now." Raphael pulled away, motioning towards the exit. "I'll give you a head start."

Xavier stood still, weak from pain, beside the open door with an anxious grin.

I eyed the darkened hallway, my chance to escape, but hesitated. Dante didn't deserve this any more than I had. I thought of leaving, of drifting with Dante at my side, but after*

97.

working within the coven I realised it would be hard to escape the Order and their horrid regulators. Besides, I hadn't even learnt control yet.

"What are you waiting for?"

I lowered my head in obedience. "I-I'll stay."

Xavier's smile faltered. He backed away from the door, letting it close.

Raphael gave me a firm pat on the back before leaning close. "There are no second chances for you."

I nodded.

"Very well. Xavier? Have him ready to go in half an hour. Our troops are already awaiting their new teammate," he said with a wink, then hurried out of the door.*

98.

Chapter Thirteen.

Chaotic Game Xavier dressed me in one of the typical silk shirts he wore, then buckled a bulletproof leather vest around my chest. The heavy vest, too big for my torso, felt uncomfortable around my neck and shoulders. He'd set a pair of ironed black slacks and polished loafers on the bed, and eyed me until I finished slipping on the last shoe.

"There. Now you meet the others," Xavier said.

He escorted me downstairs to the living room where Raphael stood with the rest of the team. Everyone looked professional, unlike the group of punks within Aurora's house, all dressed in the same vests and slacks, polished boots or shoes, straight natural hair, no makeup, nothing but businessmen.

I immediately felt out of place.

"Gentleman...and ladies. We have a new member. Welcome, Malachi." Raphael motioned towards me and the small group turned to look, scowls and uninterested huffs following. Not so different from Aurora's group after all. "He's a fledgling and will be under my personal care. Treat him like a brother."

The petulant groans stopped.

"As you all know, a group of miscreants have been spotted pursuing the drug trade in the eastern part of the city. I've received word from the Order that this is a shoot to kill mission," Raphael said. My jaw dropped. Shoot to kill? "There will be no survivors. You have your orders. Our trucks are waiting outside."

Xavier escorted me out, with the rest of the team following, to the apple-red truck.

Everyone split up into two groups, one group hopped into another truck. I squeezed into the back cab with three other vampires while Xavier sat up front. It was too quiet, everyone was silent besides occasional coughs, while we drove to the eastern part of town.

In the loneliest, filthiest part of the city-the old business district, filled with abandoned warehouses and broken buildings left for transients-I stood outside the truck watching as fellow vampires retrieved their weapons from Xavier. Then, they formed a line, prepared for war.*

99.

This isn't a battle. Why this many men for a few intoxicated rogues?

I had no idea what I was doing there, but I had to go along with it. I had to learn to care for myself.

"Malachi," he hollered, waving me over. "Come retrieve your weapon."

Though I'd never used a gun before, I wandered to the back of the truck and glared at the variety of weapons inside. Crossbows hung on the wall at the back, already loaded with exquisitely sharpened arrows. On the sides, guns of all shapes and calibres, sawed-off shotguns and hand pistols, were ready for use. Xavier opened a storage trunk near the door, pulling out a box of bullets.

He handed me the box, then jumped into the truck and grabbed a sawed-off double barrel shotgun. "Can't be too careful with fledglings, you know?" Handing me the gun, he winked and took the box of sh.e.l.ls from me. "Ever wonder what other purpose donors serve to us?" He opened the box, grabbing a shotgun sh.e.l.l. "Looks like a normal sh.e.l.l, but donors put this little baby together. Tiny prayer beads blessed in holy water. At close range, this can leave a beauty of a hole in the a.s.shole's body."

Another shiver ran through me. "That's...horrible."

"Innovative. We do what we must." He smiled wickedly and handed me the loaded gun, then shoved the box of sh.e.l.ls into my outer pocket. "There's only two shots before you reload, so use them wisely."

If I even shoot anybody.

"Now gentlemen." Xavier pulled me over to stand with the rest of the crowd. "We'll be splitting into two groups as they have hideouts in both the fourth street warehouse and this building here." He nodded towards the barely lit, four-story building ahead, its windows broken. "Remember, shoot to kill."

The team members separated and hurried towards their destinations. Xavier slapped me on the back. I winced and hobbled along, choosing a path of my own.

"Malachi," Xavier said. "Left or right? Stay with a group."

I froze and realised I'd already lost both troops. Xavier pointed to his left and I took his advice, following the team towards the building ahead.

d.a.m.n it, what was I doing? I wasn't a military man. I couldn't kill a rogue-I'd even struggled with my first feeding. The gun in my hands seemed alien, the ultimate weapon,*

100.

and I hadn't the strength to fire it. So I stayed behind the group, watching as they crossed the ground-floor hallways in search of their targets.

One team member had a wireless ear bud, dispatching information back to Xavier, or Raphael, about their findings. "Nothing so far, sir."

The building creaked and crickets chirped inside the large office structure. A breeze penetrated the empty entrance, making it feel even more defunct. There were no signs of anything suspicious, not recently nor in the past.

"Yes, sir." The vampire nodded, then gripped my biceps. "You. Raphael instructs you to enter the second floor."

"Alone?"

"There are four floors and only six of us. You know how to pull the trigger and if you see anything, yell or shoot, whatever your instincts tell you," he said.

s.h.i.t. Why me?

I pulled away from him to steady my sights on the open staircase next to me, then treaded lightly up to the second floor. The closed office doors on each side made it feel even more lonely, now that I'd left the main group. A rush of wind blew and scattered papers against the far wall of the hallway.

Footsteps caught my attention. I paced the torn carpet, turning a corner, and pa.s.sed by several more closed office doors. The rogues could be inside any of the rooms. I hadn't the courage to find out.

More footsteps came, louder than before. I'd grown closer to their whereabouts. As the sound increased, I froze in place. My heart thundered loudly. I'd got mixed up-what were real footsteps and what was just the beat of my anxiety?

Stepping closer, I rounded another corner with my back against the wall and the gun readied to fire. The sound stopped. But the scent of old blood drowned my fear with curiosity.

A figure lay curled in the middle of the dark hallway. The smell of bile hit me and I cringed. Reddish brown pools surrounded the lifeless creature, dark and bubbly in the illumination from the streetlamp outside.

I swallowed hard and stepped towards the body. The buzzing of flies grew louder.

Leaning down, I saw tiny white maggots swarming its empty insides. I turned away with my mouth covered.*101.

"Christ..." I choked, unable to look again.

"Malachi," my vampire team mate hollered from the opposite end of the hallway. He darted across the hallway. "s.h.i.t. Are you okay?" He gasped as he leant down next to me.

I nodded. "What is it?"

"A rogue." The vampire poked at the body with a gloved finger. "About three, four months..." Then, he tapped the ear bud in his ear with his free hand. "Xavier, we have something. Corpse on the second floor. Looks like it's been here a while, though." He continued to search the body, moving past the squirming maggots into the corpse's pockets, and pulled out a blood stained bag. "He's loaded."

Pulling away, he emptied clumps of pale pink powder into the palm of his hand- blood-soaked cocaine, or another drug. "This is what we're after."

"D-d.a.m.n."

He dumped the rocks back into the bag and wrapped it in a handkerchief. "Yes, sir," he said into the microphone hanging from his vest. "Xavier will arrive to clean up this mess.

You are to enter the third floor while we continue to search here."

"Again?" My heart couldn't take any more surprises.

"This is big, Malachi. A dead rogue, probably taken down by another dealer. These things would live in filth." I knew that wasn't entirely true. "There's got to be more of them."

I struggled to stand. I aimed my gun at the vampire, my intentions running wild. "Not all of us are violent miscreants."

"Move your gun, soldier." The vampire stood without fear. "You will follow Xavier's orders, or I will take you down myself."

I narrowed my eyes. Full of energy and need, I felt my headache pound through my temples. My spirit increased with the thought of killing in means to feed on violent energy.

I'd love nothing more than to kill him and the older members, Xavier and Raphael, and anyone who stood in my way.