Chapter Eleven

Christabela watched as Justin chained Christopher to the table making sure he was secure.

"I knew last night the coven was here. Knew the instant they hit town. Christopher claims they are after Father Chasez because he has the book and knows too much, but that's not the truth. They're here for Natasha."

Lance sighed, sitting down in the large winged back chair and propped his feet on the stool in front of him.

"I knew something wasn't right. Christopher told me he was giving her to the Sabat for the blood feast."

Joseph hopped onto the table watching Justin as he yanked on the chains and shrugged.

"What is it with that girl he hates so much? I don't get it."

"She's a decedent of Santiago." Christabela claimed.

Justin dropped the chains from his hands and laughed. "Way to go Lance. You know how to pick them."

The group laughed and Justin hopped onto the table next to Joseph taking the bottle of wine from his hands.

"Y'all, what do we do about Yvette? She belongs to him now."

Christabela shook her head walking over and staring down at her brother. "He didn't embrace her. But i'll trance her...keep her sedated for a few days. She won't even remember him and that will give the ancients time to arrive and help me figure out what to do with Christopher."

They all nodded and Justin took a drink of the wine handing the bottle back to Joseph.

"Natasha has been embraced."

Lance lifted his eyes to Joseph and nodded his head as a slow smile spread across his face.

"Yep. She has."

"So besides the fact that Christabela has finally returned, Christopher is also pissed that you embraced Natasha?"

Christabela nodded her head and squeezed onto the table between Joseph and Justin.

"There's really not much he can do to Natasha. He just doesn't know it yet. Once she's trained on how to use her powers properly he won't be able to beat her. Between the powers she'll gain from Lance's blood and the powers she'll gain from my blood she'll outdo him."

Joseph arched his brow as he turned toward Christabela. "You gave her your blood?"

She smiled and slid from the table rubbing her hand against her leg to sooth the light pain.

"Two vials of my blood. I knew she'd need it to defend herself from Christopher."

Everyone turned as Lance jumped from the chair running to the doorway wrapping his arms around Natasha.

"Are you OK? you should be resting."

She giggled and placed her hands on his face leaning forward to kiss him.

"I am fine. Things just seem strange right now. Little whispers sound as though someone is pounding in my ears."

She moved her hands from Lance's face and placed them on her stomach smiling.

"I actually woke up because I heard our son crying. It's amazing he's still in the womb, not very old, and I could hear him crying."

Lance pulled her into his arms and kissed her forehead before motioning to Christabela.

"Natasha, I want you to meet someone."

Christabela stepped up to the couple and laid her hand on Natasha's shoulder smiling.

"It is more than a pleasure to meet you Natasha. I am Christabela....the queen of this coven. I am the sister of Christopher, but please do not judge me by that."

Natasha stepped from Lance's arms and stood before Christabela bowing to her.

"The pleasure of meeting is all mine. I am fully aware of the fact that I am a decedent of Santiago. I knew of the vampire history from the time I was little. I am honored to be a part of it once again."

Christabela smiled and turned to Lance kissing him quickly on the cheek.

"Take good care of her. I must go to Joshua, but I will pay a visit to Yvette before I go."

He nodded and grabbed her hand giving it a light squeeze.

"Be careful. I am still in some pain here from earlier."

She laughed and pulled her hand free from his leaving the group to watch over Christopher.

****

Joshua closed the book in frustration and laid it on the table in front of him resting his head in his hands. He'd been up for over 48 hours now and the lack of sleep was getting the best of him. Christabela had rushed him from her home the night before promising she would pay him a visit and as the night wore on and no sign of her had been seen he was afraid something had happened to her.

Upon returning home the night before he sat down on the couch with the Book of Nod and began reading from the front of the book all about the vampire history. Twenty four hours later he still sat in the same spot trying to decipher the last few 100 pages of the book.

The begining of the book had been quite easy to understand. Written in english, it was mainly a list of names, places, and their covens. But as the book turned to stories, and the stories became more detailed, the writings turned to Latin making it more difficult to understand.

Being a catholic priest, he had studied Latin and knew the language well, but it had been years since he had put that knowledge to use and his rustiness along with the vampire terms proved too difficult for him to understand.

He stood from the couch and glanced at the grandfather clock standing in the corner as he passed it on the way to the kitchen. It was 2 a.m. and no word from Christabela made him extremely nervous. He opened the fridge and leaned against the door looking through the contents of it, but seeing nothing as his mind drifted so far away.

"I am greatful that you worry about me, but please don't. I'm ok."

Joshua spun around, spotting Christabela standing in the darkness behind him and smiled, feeling relieved she was there.

"You......"

"Frightened you. I am sorry. I promised I would find you tonight and I didn't want to disappoint you."

She stepped closer to him and laid a stack of books on the table resting her hands on top of them.

"I got these from my fathers library. You seemed so interested in vampires I......"

"You are the child. The daughter that was taken away to the elders. Christabela."

She stood in silence, her expression unreadable, and locked her eyes with his.

"Yes Joshua, I am."

"And since Father Mulhee was protecting you Raven.....or Christabela, then that means....."

He shook his head, running his fingers through his hair as he walked across the kitchen away from her and turned back.

"It just can't be possible."

She sat down at the table watching in amusement as he traced his tracks walking back and forth.

"Joshua, it is possible. Father Mulhee was Mohared. He gave up his eternity to see that I was protected. For him I will always be greatful."

Stunned, he walked past her into the other room and sat down on the couch pulling the book back into his lap and staring down at the pages sensing her as she walked into the room.

"How could Father.....how could he be a vampire?........a part of the dark world, and teach the word of God?"

She sat down on the couch next to him and laced her fingers laying her hands in her lap.

"Father Mulhee never taught the word of God. Think about it Joshua. In the nine years you knew him did you ever see him preach a sermon?"

He leaned his head back closing his eyes still refusing to believe what he was hearing.

"But he walked the ground of Christ's home....he....."

"People have the wrong assumptions about us Joshua."

She turned sideways on the couch tucking her feet underneath her as he raised his head and stared off into space.

"We can walk in sunlight....we can't look directly at the sun and our powers are weak, but we can still walk in sunlight. We can walk through a church without turning to dust, and a cross against our flesh doesn't burn. We're not all evil Joshua, and we can feed on a mortal without actually killing them. Mohared was a priest, a vampire priest, and the catholic church was his only place of safety from my father. Why Father Mulhee chose you to teach about our world I don't know, but he was a good man and he had reasons behind everything."

He sat in silence letting his eyes drift to the book that laid in his lap and rubbed at his tired eyes sighing.

"The rest of the book is in latin. I'm having a hard time figuring out what all of it says. I'm only getting bits and pieces and .........."

She reached over pulling the book from his lap and closed it laying it back on the table.

"You need rest. Go get some sleep."

He turned his head facing her and stared into the face that had captured him so much. Through the years his desire to be with a woman tugged at him now and then, but he always seemed to push those feelings aside and be proud of the life he'd chosen.......until her.

The moment he laid his eyes on her, those desires returned to him and thoughts of sin continually flooded his mind and now as she sat in front of him the control of those desires were quickly fading.

He reached out, running his fingers through her long silky hair and stared at her soft pink lips inching his way toward them. Maybe with just one taste the guilt would overtake him and his desires for her would vanish without another thought. As his lips met hers, slowly moving against them, he proved himself completely wrong.

She placed her hands on his back pulling herself closer to him and gripping his white cotton t-shirt in her fist letting him take them however far he needed to. His face tilted and she followed his lead parting her lips slightly as his tongue carefully touched against her bottom lip and found it's way inside kissing her thoroughly.

He had completely lost control and his body ached in ways that it had never ached before. Slowly he pushed her back, laying her down on the couch as their tongues continued to explore and allowed her to stretch her legs out before covering her body with his.

Her hands tugged at the hem of his shirt, pulling it over his head as they broke the kiss and in a quick hungry manner met once again with a force a passion neither one could control. His lips moved to her neck sucking against her chilled skin leaving a mark of his own and nipping at the bruised flesh. Her fangs pushed forward extending to their fullest and she fought with everything in her not to sink her teeth into the sweet flesh that laid just inches from her mouth.

She could hear the blood rushing through his veins as his heart began to beat faster and his hands worked, shakily, unbuttoning the few buttons that ran down the front of her shirt. Her hand slid into the waist of his black pants pushing the button and zipper free from their locking positions and ran her thumb across the head smearing the precum down the length of his harden shaft and circled her fist around him moving her hand in a slow delicate rhythm.

His moan echoed through her whole body and her mouth watered needing desperately to taste, if nothing, but a small sample of the sweet crimson liquid that caused the muscle she held in her hand to throb so achingly. Her need to feed and the excitement that coursed through her body ended suddenly with the loss of his warm body against hers.

She slowly pushed herself into a sitting position watching him as he sat at the end of the couch breathing heavily and running his hands through his sweaty hair. His face was flushed and though she wanted to step into his mind to see what had stopped him she already knew her answer.

Without words she buttoned her shirt and stood from the couch gathering her things and walking toward the front door. He couldn't bring himself to look at her for not one ounce of guilt ran through his body. He wanted her......needed her.....craved her in a way that scared him more than anything and giving into that craving would be the biggest sin he could commit.

He leaned his head back against the couch and closed his eyes listening to the sound of the door as it closed behind her. If only things were different he could give into those desires, but he belonged to God.....and she.......she belonged to the night.