Although not all of the members of the zombie horde agreed with his decision, it took only one order from Hank for them to back off and accept both Jasper and Ben. Since he carried the virus in him, they were unsure about Jasper, but there was no guessing that Ben was a warlock and an enemy of the zombies.
Although Ben was left in the dark, Jasper was able to understand the telepathic grumbling and suspicious complaining amongst them. They were not only unhappy about allowing a warlock to walk amongst them, but a zombie-vampire-werewolf tri-bred such as they’d never encountered before was downright unsettling.
Wanting to understand them more, Jasper ignored their inhospitable and suspicious attitudes while he moved amongst them. After taking a moment here and there to observe their body language, he began to notice subtle shifts in facial expressions that changed with their moods. He noted that some were more mobile than others. When he returned to Hank, he broug
Freya paced the wrap around porch of her century old house like a caged panther as she fretted over where Jasper could be. Marcus claimed that he went for a final run before the sunrise, but saw nothing of him since. She worried that Jasper may have found out about her taking Marcus to her bed and had gone off to pout over the situation. This was something that she hadn’t considered when she impulsively acted upon her lust.Things were getting out of hand. It was far too dangerous to leave the scientist unattended. He’d already caused too much damage to the wolves’ safety. Alienating him by replacing him in her bed with Marcus might not be the wisest move.From her exposure to vampires during her time on the other plane, she knew that their gestation period was much shorter than that of a werewolf or human. Since vampires were stripped of their reproduction abilities when the great and powerful King Landon banished them, she hadn’t had to pay at
Samuel’s eyes reflected his fury when he entered Lila’s room and found her lying on her bed without a stitch of clothing on.“I can smell the vampire lust on your flesh,” he roared. “Who has been in this room? Why are you naked?” Sitting on the bed next to her, he placed his hand on her stomach and said, “Your magic is barely detectable.”“I’m tired and I hurt,” she whimpered as she rolled her body so that her back faced him. “Go away.”Yanking her by her shoulder so that she faced him, he snarled, “I am king. You will show me the respect that I deserve.”Feeling disillusioned about ever being rescued from those vile creatures, caution abandoned her. Summoning up courage that she didn’t know was in her, she snipped, “You are not my king. I’ll show you respect when you’ve earned it.”Raising a brow with surprise, his
Two days after the full moonJasper’s expression was that of someone whose mind was miles away as he stared off into the horde of zombies that aimlessly meandered about in front of him.“Have you considered how you’d like our help?” Hank telepathically asked as he shuffled up next to him.Looking at Hank with his peripheral vision while keeping his eyes on the horde, Jasper nodded.“You move with less grace today,” he observed.Hank moved his head as best as he could to create a nod, “As I mentioned, I worsen with each day. If you desire our help, I suggest we act soon.”“Every moment that Lila is in the clutches of those monsters is a dangerous one. As eager as I am to rescue her, I think it’s important to have the best plan possible. I doubt we’ll have a second chance. I would like to take some blood samples back to my la
Whether it was because he’d already been battling the zombism in himself, or he’d simply had a stroke of luck, Jasper wasn’t sure, but when he peered into the microscope at the blood sample he’d treated with the vaccine he’d been able to develop after a mere six hours, he sat back and smiled. He hadn’t killed the virus, but he’d definitely retarded it. He wouldn’t know its full impact until he’d administered the vaccine to an actual zombie.Night had fallen, making the windows act like a mirror as he passed by them. Seeing his reflection, he realized that his research had taken just a bit too long. The cloaking spell had worn off.Wishing that he had a bit of magic in him so that he could communicate with Ben and tell him that he needed help getting away from the lab, he closed his eyes and tried sending a telepathic message on the off chance Ben would be meditating and pick up on it. When five minutes passed with n
She was pregnant again. Lila didn’t need any werewolf to tell her this time. The symptoms that she’d explained away as stress from the events in her life before her first pregnancy was identified to her were back and unmistakable.The hate that she felt for Samuel was so intense that it practically consumed her.Her mind raced over what to do. She hadn’t carried the first vampire child inside of her long enough to bond with it. It might have happened after she’d delivered had the infant not been ripped from her arms almost immediately after his birth and was not seen since. As it was, that motherly instinct that she’d heard so much about simply wasn’t there. What was there was panic and an extreme desire not to have to go through it again.She lamented for the hundredth time over the weakness of her magic. Had she more if it intact, she’d be able to abort the child on her own. Instead, if she couldn’t get the aid o
Jasper’s jaw dropped with both surprise and joy when Hank approached him with a steady, manageable stride. He’d hoped that the serum he’d injected into the zombie leader would help him be more mobile, but what he saw far exceeded his expectations.Giving himself a mental pat on the back for the strides he was making with his research, he flashed a broad, toothy smile at his friend and said, “You walk almost as good as me.”“It’s a miracle,” Hank said with ease.A loud gasp escaped the scientist as he practically shouted, “You talk as good as me!”Hank smiled, nodded, and said with a joyful tone, “Like I said. It’s a miracle.”Rushing to Hank’s side, Jasper’s voice had an excited urgency as he added, “I need to check your vitals.” Placing his hand on the zombie leader’s upper arm, he guided him to the nearest chair and said, “Sit h
It was only because the vampires despised cleaning the castle that they allowed the few humans on their housekeeping staff to remain untouched in order for them to fulfill the task they abhorred. Mirabella was one of those humans. Since Lila was kept away from all humans and made to clean her own room to insure her solitude, it was pure chance that she collided into the woman who looked to be about her age a few weeks earlier while sneaking down the hall to see what she could learn about the goings on in the castle.“I’ve heard about you,” Mirabella whispered as she nervously backed away. “You’re the king’s witch lover.”“I’m his captive sex slave, not his lover,” Lila insisted. “I despise that monster.”With eyes wide with horror, the housekeeper quickly urged Lila to lower her voice and monitor her words.“The walls have ears,” she urged. “Be careful what you say a
Lila nuzzled her nose against the cheek of the tiny creature that she cradled in her arms. It was a surreal experience to realize that this little body came out of her own not that long ago. She studied it’s fingers, toes, and ears before coaxing his mouth open. Expecting to see fangs, she was surprised to find only tender gums.“My son looks like a normal baby,” she said with awe.“He eats like one too,” Mirabella explained as she produced a bottle and handed it to Lila. “It’s mother’s milk with a hint of vampire blood mixed in. They tried several feeding types before this and almost killed the poor little tike before they settled on this.”“Mother’s milk?” Lila said with surprise. “They haven’t asked me for milk. Where are they getting it?”Scowling in thought, the maid said, “I’ve seen several strange women come and go. I’m not sure, but I believ