Maru,
It’s insane to even write this, but I am writing you from the colony of South Carolina in the year 1777. Victor and Kael lied about our mission. There are a few things you should know. Number 1: time travel is excruciating. The pain upon landing is unlike anything I’ve experienced, and I hope that when we jump from this time, we’ll finally make it home.
Number 2: We first landed in 1348. In that time, Enoch, Asa, and Terah were not monsters at all. Instead, they offered shelter, food, and safety to anyone who survived the Black Plague. And the people fed them – voluntarily. They loved and respected them, even though they knew what they were. So, I could not in good conscience kill Enoch. They didn’t even know what vampires were, and hadn’t yet sired one. Killing him in that time would have been murder, and I couldn’t live with that.
Number 3: Abram is a vampire. In 1348, he ran a knife through Titus and attacked me, and Enoch almost killed him for it, thus becoming his first sire. I jumped out a window to pull us all through time. We are linked somehow, by the way.
Number 4: Kael cloned us. He and Victor sent an army of clones to 1348. They arrived after I left and slaughtered every innocent man, woman, and child in Enoch and Asa’s homes. And the soldiers were all me. I want to know why.
Number 5: They’ve sent clones of each of the three top Assets to every time since 1348 to hunt Enoch, Asa, and Terah. The clones look exactly like us, but are stamped on the wrist with the year of their target date. It’s really disturbing to kill someone who wears your face. Really upsetting.
Number 6: After I jumped out the window in 1348, we didn’t land back home. We landed in 1717. Don’t even get me started on pirates, but what you need to know is that once we landed, Abram sired his own vampires. But get this – since Enoch is the one who sired him, Enoch can control Abram’s sires by giving verbal commands. Please do not let Victor or Kael know this.
The trio of clones sent to each year seem to have a new mission: do whatever it takes to be turned into vampires and then return to the Compound. I will not let that happen. I think Kael is trying to develop an anti-venin, or else Victor needs to collect a pure sample for more nefarious reasons. Would he make his own army of vampires? Perhaps turn humans to use as protection? Maybe he wants to fight vampires with vampires. I wouldn’t put anything past either of them at this point.
Number 7: We can’t stay in this time long, and I hope we make it home, but there’s something you should know in case I don’t. I’m sick. Something has been steadily weakening me. There have been times I’ve collapsed, times I was so weak I couldn’t even raise a finger. My head often feels like it’s being sliced apart. I’m not sure I’ll survive another jump, to be honest, but the only chance I have is landing in our time and hoping Kael can, or will, fix me before I kill him.
And I will kill him. I will kill him and Victor.
You are in danger in the Compound. Memories are surfacing, memories I can’t even describe to you because they’re unimaginable in their cruelty. If I make it back, I will unleash hell. Victor and Kael spent years making me a weapon, loaded with lies. I’ll spend the rest of my life making sure they pay for it.
Please get out of the Compound. Find Enoch. I’ve told him about you and how important you are to me, and he will help. He’s a friend, an ally, and I love him more than I can possibly describe. He loves me the same way. Please find him. Please trust me. I know it goes against everything we’ve been told, but we’ve been misled.
I hope I make it back. I miss you. I love you, too. Hope you know that.
Eve
My hands were shaking as I signed my name. I blew over the surface of the parchment to dry the wetter spots of ink, then folded a second piece of paper into the shape of an envelope – sort of. It wasn’t pretty, but it did the job.
Then, I quickly undressed and bathed, not caring at all that the water had gone cool.
Chapter Fifteen
Abram
A large party arrived at Asa’s. As they settled into a set of cabins near the rear of Asa’s home, I watched from the wood line. The men were saddle sore and glad to be there. Tonight, Asa would host a dinner for them.
A hog was already being roasted over a fire in the kitchens. Side dishes were being prepared. Desserts were being baked. Savory and sweet smells were carried on the light breeze.
I considered intervening in the fight last night between Eve and Terah, to surprise and kill them both while Terah was stunned, but thought better of it. Even as her flesh boiled, Terah was still stronger than any of us.
Besides, I enjoyed dancing. I would feast on one of the soldiers, perhaps even an officer. Their blood might be richer, given the food they were able to obtain. A simple soldier’s lacked flavor, I’d found.
After I fed, I would join the party. Someone had already begun to practice on the piano forte. I closed my eyes, imagining their fingers teasing the keys and swayed to the soft rhythm. I think I would enjoy dancing.
Eve
Mary entered the room as I was tugging my suit back on. “You can’t wear that old thing,” she chastised, crossing her arms over her chest.
“I have to.” She quirked a brow. “Religious reasons?”
She shook her head. “Ain’t no church in the land allowing that kind of skin-tight garment in the house of God.”
“I have to wear it.”
“Fine, but you gotta keep the top folded down.”
I nodded, trying to ignore the throbbing behind my eyes.
“Are you feeling okay?” Mary asked, her shrewd eyes assessing the tightness of my shoulders.
I offered my most disarming smile to throw her off the scent. “Yes. Why? Do I look bad?” I held the top of my suit over my breasts as she considered my question, looking me over a few times.
“Something seems off with you.”
“I think I dozed off in the tub. The warm water relaxes me too much sometimes,” I lied.
She gave an m-hmm sound and clapped her hands. “Did you pick out a gown?” I winced, making her chuckle. She walked to the wardrobe, examining each one until her hand stalled over a gown made of deep purple silk. “This color would suit you.”
I weighed the dress in my mind. The gown was magnificent on its own, with no need for embellishment. As such, there were no ruffles or lace. Mary removed the gown from the wardrobe and bent over to choose a pair of matching boots. A lacy silver pair must have called to her, because that’s what she withdrew. She found knee stockings in the drawer.
“I don’t need those. I’ll have my suit on,” I argued weakly, knowing I would lose the battle.
She clucked her tongue. “Unless it magically stretches over your heels, you’ll need these. Dancing causes blisters.”
Dancing in shoes would cause blisters. Dancing barefoot would be bliss.
Besides, my suit could heal blisters, which made me wonder why it wouldn’t heal my headaches, or whatever else kept assaulting me. Was something so drastically wrong with my system that my suit wasn’t up to the task?
“Let’s get you dressed. Your friend is already ready.”
Titus was probably cursing his cravat right now. “Is he downstairs?”