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Chapter One

Jace


Jace stepped out of the movie theater, his mood as dark as the starless night sky. Pulling out a pack of cherry flavored cigarettes he walked over to a wooden bench to wait. The movie wouldn't be over for at least another hour and Luka had insisted on watching it to the end, no matter how bad it got. There was a man sleeping on the bench with newspapers blanketing him. Jace sat down on the far end of the bench, lit up a cigarette and tried to pretend the guy wasn't there. Taking a long drag from it he held the smoke in for a few minutes, savoring the flavor before slowly letting it out in a stream.

The newspapers fell away as the man coughed and craned his neck around to look at him. "What the hell are you doing? I'm trying to sleep here."

Not looking at him Jace took another pull from his cigarette. "I'm waiting for someone so just go back to sleep and pretend I'm not here."

The man sat up, rubbed a dirty hand over his face and glared at him. "How the hell do you expect me to sleep with all that smoke? Go wait across the street, prick!"

Jace felt his fangs lengthen as he leaned towards the man. Keeping a tight hold on his temper he looked deep into the man's eyes until the human fell into a hypnotic state. "Go back to sleep."
With a sigh, the man slumped back on the bench and was soon snoring like a buzzsaw. Leaning back, Jace retracted his fangs and grounded out his cigarette on the bench. He had just shaken out another when he spotted Luka walking out of the theater, eating popcorn. Slipping the cigarette back into its box Jace stood. "I thought you were going to watch the whole thing."

Luka shrugged. "Kind of hard to focus on what's happening on the screen when I know you’re out here all pissed off."

"The movie was pure bullshit," Jace slipped his cigarettes back into his coat. "They had vampires walking around in the sunlight wearing sunscreen for god sake."

"It's a fictional movie, Jace created by humans who tried to put a new spin on vampires," Luka said, joining him. "Don't take it so personally. Besides, no matter how bad vampire movies are they are nothing compared to the shit humans have made of my kind. "

"Oh I don't know, I think they're getting better with werewolves," Jace said as they started walking down the street. "At least you're not being portrayed as giant, mindless hellhounds anymore."

"Yeah, now we look like canine versions of the Incredible Hulk. " Luka shoved some popcorn into his mouth, chewed and swallowed. "Anyway, what do you want to do? It's too early to go home."

"How about going to Pulse? It's close and I could use something to eat after that brainfart of a movie you made me watch. "

"Sounds good to me," Luka said, tossing his now empty popcorn box in a trashcan.

They had only walked a few blocks when a tantalizing smell stopped Jace cold. Blood. Fresh blood was nearby. Besides him, Luka stiffened then pointed to an alley down the street on the other side. "There. A human male. "

"Anyone or anything else nearby?"

Luka's nostrils flared and his ears elongated as he scanned the street. "No, it's clear."

They crossed the street, alert for any signs of danger. "Stay here and keep a lookout," Jace said as they neared the alley.

Luka shoved his hands into the pockets of his jacket and leaned back against the wall. "Make it quick, Jace. This much fresh blood is bound to attract attention."

Moving with quiet precision, Jace made his way deep into the alley, his senses focused on the blood scent. A whisper of a sigh drew his gaze to a large blood-soaked pile of newspapers and cardboard boxes in the far corner. Going over to it Jace bent down and pushed away the trash, revealing a young man just out of his teens, lying in a small pool of blood. Jace's eyes narrowed as he probed the two small, bleeding puncture wounds on the man's neck with a finger. He could hear the man's laboring heartbeat, his shallow breath. Jace licked the blood from his finger, savoring it, and felt canines elongate into needlepoint fangs.

'Might as well finish what was started. No point wasting good blood.'

He cradled the young man in his arms and pressed his lips to the bite marks. The human's heartbeat roared in his ears, he could feel the weak pulse like an ache in his teeth. The blood tasted salty and sweet.

"No."

The words, barely audible, broke through his blood-lust and he pulled away enough to look down at the man in his arms. Watery, heavy-lidded eyes looked up at him.

"Don't kill me. Please."

The last word was little more than a sigh as the man's eyes closed and his body went limp. Jace held him, torn on what he should do. If he left the man now he would die, if not from blood loss than by other predators of the night. Yet how could he in good conscious do so? The human was alive, if only just, and he had pleaded for his life. To kill him now seemed monstrous. Suppressing his bloodlust Jace stood and carried the unconscious, bleeding man towards the alley entrance.

"It's about time. What were - " Luka choked on the rest of the words as Jace emerged from the darkness. "Are you crazy!" he looked around frantically. "Put that back before someone sees you holding a dead body. "

"Relax, Luka. He's not dead, not yet. He's been attacked by a vampire."

Luka leaned closer to the unconscious man, sniffing his face and neck. "We can't take him to the hospital, he smells tainted. Best to kill him now, while he can't feel anything."

"Not yet. There's still a chance he can be saved. Let's take him to Celia, maybe she can help."

"How? The taint is already inside of him."

Holding the man in one arm Jace dug in his jacket with the other and pulled out a cellphone. "We're about to find out," he said, speed-dialing Celia's number. A woman's voice came on after the third ring.

"What's up Jace? "

"I found a young man. Human, half-dead from a vampire attack. Luka says he's tainted, can you help? "

"I can try. No promises until I see how bad off he is. Where are you?"

"About three blocks away from Pulse."

"That far. Are you guys someplace alone, out of sight? "

"There's an alley nearby. Nobody's around."

"Good. Go there, I'm going to summon you to me. It'll take a while and you have to stay in one spot or the spell won't work. Got it? "

Jace made a confirming noise and hung up the phone. "She's going to teleport us to her house. We have to wait in the alley. "
"Great," Luka said, following him into the darkness. "Instead of enjoying ourselves at a club we get to spend the night standing in a filthy alley. How long does it take to teleport? Being around all this blood isn't good for either one of us."

"Don't know, never been teleported before. Just breath through your mouth and stay alert. "

The words had no sooner left his mouth when the air around them began to hum. Jace felt his hair stand on end and his body tingled. He held the man cradled tightly against him as a crackling nimbus of blue-white force engulfed him.

"Holy shit!" he heard Luka say before everything went black and the floor fell out from beneath him. The drop ended as soon as it began. When his vision returned he found himself standing in Celia’s living room. Besides him Luka was crouched on the floor, panting with his eyes closed.

Jace cocked an eyebrow at him. " You okay?"

"I will be once the room stops moving. "

"Calm your breathing, Luka,” a pleasant female voice said from the other room. “Slow, deep breaths."

Jace turned to see a petite woman in her mid-thirties, dressed in a mint green housecoat and carrying white bath towels, a first aid kit, and a large velvet bag.

"Sorry to bother you at such a late hour, Celia. I didn't know who else to call."

"I'm a healer, Jace. On call 24/7. Now, let's see what you brought me."

Placing the items on the floor she laid out a large towel on the rug and motion for Jace to bring the patient. With great care, he laid the unconscious man on the towel and stepped back. Celia put one hand on the man's chest and the other on his forehead. A look of deep concentration came over her face and she started to hum deep in her throat. After a few minutes she pulled her hands back and shook them.

"He's definitely infected. The vampiric energy is strong, he must have been attacked by a Master."

"Can you cleanse him?"

"I can try though it's risky," she touched his forehead and cheek. "His body is weak from blood loss and his life force is being drained by the vampiric energy. He may die in the process and become a thrall."

"I'll kill him if he does. Do what you can, Celia, that's all I ask."

Celia nodded and opened the first aid kit. "Go into the kitchen and fill a large pot with water and bring it to me. Take Luka with you, have him drink some ginger ale for his stomach."

Jace went over to his partner who was still crouched on the floor and held out his hand. "Easy Nurse Ratched unless you want to see the contents of my stomach," Luka said as Jace pulled him to his feet. "I swear, this is the last time I suggest we go to the movies. Nothing good ever comes of it."

"I'd like that in writing, " Jace said as they entered the kitchen. "You say that every time and it's always the same thing."

"This time I mean it," Luka went to the fridge and snagged a cold soda can. "So what happens on the off chance Celia cures the boy? Do we dump him back on the street? "

"What else can we do?" Jace opened a cabinet and pulled out a large pot. "He's human. If he was like us then I'd say he could live with us until he's strong enough to get back on his feet.”
Luka popped open the can and took a long drink. "I know. It just seems a little harsh, dumping him off at some homeless shelter like a sack of dirty clothes after all he's been through. Nevermind. Go give Celia her pot. "

Filling the cook pot halfway with water, Jace returned to the living room where he found Celia bandaging the young man's neck. His shirt was balled up under his head.

"How is he?" Jace asked, setting the pot beside her.

"Unresponsive." She dipped her hands in the water and dried them with a towel. "I've stopped the bleeding and he doesn't appear to have any other injuries besides the bite. The cleansing ritual will take a while, during which I can't be disturbed. I'll call you when it's over."

Jace retreated to where the kitchen and the living room met and watched as Celia placed the stones on the man's body. One went on his forehead, another on his throat, three were placed in a line down his body and one was put into each hand. Luka walked up beside him, soda can in hand and together they watched as Celia placed her hands over each stone and chanted under her breath. She repeated the process over and over, and with each passing, the stones grew darker in color. When a stone became completely black she removed it and placed it in the pot, careful not to splash the water. Soon only the stones on the man's chest and abdomen remained. When it became clear they weren't changing color she sighed and removed the stones, placing them with the others in the pot.

"It's okay to come in now," she said, wiping her unconscious patient with a wet towel.

Luka looked into the pot and reached for a stone but Celia stopped him "Those are contaminated. Touching them may make you sick."

"What are they?"

"Gemstones used for drawing out and absorbing energy, in this case, dark energy, hence the color change."

Jace looked down at the man with a critical eye. "He appears no different. Did the cleansing work?"

Celia stood, wiping her hands on the towel. "Yes and no. The energy was strong and a lot of time had passed before you found him. It became a part of him, compensating for the blood loss, keeping him alive."

Jace frowned. "What are you trying to not say, Celia."

"He's a dhampir."

Luka's eyes widened and he crouched beside the man's head, sniffing his face. "A half-breed? I didn't think such a thing was possible with vampires."

"They are rare but not unheard of." Celia gestured to the pot. "Magic is needed to make such a transformation possible though that was not my intention. I just couldn't draw out all the vampiric energy from his body."

Jace knelt down besides the man and placed a hand on his chest. The heartbeat beneath his palm was weaker than that of a healthy human but it was steady. His skin tone had become ashen yet still retained a hint of warmth.

"How drastic a change will he go through?"

Celia shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine, I'm a witch, not a necromancer."

"Well, dumping him off at the homeless shelter is out," Luka looked up at Jace. "He isn't technically human anymore and we can't drop him off anyplace until we know how dangerous he is. Guess he's coming home with us."

Jace shook his head. "It's not that easy, Luka. When a human turns into a vampire it's a week-long process. Their body and mind change, much in the same way a drug addict's body and mind changes during withdrawal. True vampires are saved the pain and discomfort of the transition by being dead during it. This boy will not be so lucky."

"Wait a minute," Luka stood and folded his arms across his chest. "Did you or did you not say not five minutes ago that if the boy was like us he could stay with us until he's strong enough to get back on his feet?"

"He still half human with stupid human beliefs about our world. Even if he survives the transition we would have to deprogram him and teach him everything there is to know about how to survive as a supernatural," Jace pulled out his cell phone. "I'll call the necromancer's guild in Saratoga. They'll take better care of him then we can."

"You mean they'll keep him locked up in that institute of theirs and study him like a lab rat," Luka made a grab for the phone but Jace pulled away. "No freedom, no choices, no life. He'd be better off dead."

"Whoa," Celia made a chopping motion with her arms between them. "Time out, you two. Luka's right. The kid's going to need special care, someone who understands what he's going through and can answer questions. Only another vampire can do that."

"And it's not like you're doing this alone," Luka wrapped an arm around his shoulders. "I can watch him during the day and you take over at night."

"I'll help also," Celia said, gathering up the dirty towels. "I need to keep an eye on him anyway for the next few weeks, to make sure his transition goes as smooth and painless as possible."

Jace ran a hand over his face, realizing he wasn't going to win this one. "Alright, he can stay with us until his transition is done and he can take care of himself. After that he's on his own, I'm not turning our apartment into a halfway house, Luka."

"Hey, saving him was your idea, not mine," Luka bent down and scooped the dhampir up into his arm. "Any idea how we are getting home?"

"The same way we got here I suppose. Celia doesn't own a car and a taxi will take too long. "

"In that case, you carry him and go, poof. I'm walking."

"You're going to walk twenty miles?"

"That's nothing for a wolf."

"You'll get picked up by animal control."

"I don't care, Jace. I'm not going poof again."

Celia laughed, depositing the dirty towels in the hallway laundry nook. "Relax, nobody's going poof. I can't send you home like that anyway. Give me a minute."

Turning the machine on, she to her room and came out a minute later pushing out something large with a blanket draped over it. When she got to the living room Celia pulled off the covering with a flourish, revealing a full length gilt mirror . “TaDa! What do you think? Careful, it's antique."

Jace ran his fingers over the carvings in admiration. " Why keep such a beautifully crafted mirror hidden?"

"Because it's a magic mirror that's so old it leaks magic after every use. I'd get rid of it except they don't make them like this anymore."

"Does it talk like the one in the fairy tale? " Luka asked, joining them.

"The newer models do but only a Seer can use them. Coven rules. This is a portal."

"How reliable is it," Jace looked it over with a critical eye. "Seems pretty old."

"1800's French from what I've been told. It'll get you where you need to go, I've used it a few times so it’s safe. Just make sure you keep a strong picture of your destination in your mind. Ready?"

"As well as I’ll ever be," Jace said with a grimace.

Celia drew runes of soft white light on the glass with her finger. The mirror surface rippled like water and turned into liquid silver.

"Place your palm on the surface and think of where you want to go. Make the picture as specific and detailed as you can."

Jace did as instructed, focusing hard on the image in his mind. The mirror's surface grew warm and swirled under his hand. When everything grew still and clear Jace saw a different room reflected in the mirror.

"Woah, that's my bedroom," he heard Luka whisper behind him. "So cool."

Celia motioned to the mirror. "You first Luka, walk through it. Call me when the kid wakes."

"When will that be?" Jace asked as Luka was swallowed up by the mirror.

"Don't know. Just make sure he stays in bed, keep his eyes covered at all times and keep me posted."

Jace nodded. "Thanks Celia, for everything."

"What are friends for," she smiled. “Night.”

Jace stepped through the mirror and into Luka's bedroom in one smooth motion. Turning he saw a smoky image of the mirror and Celia's room fade until all traces had vanished. Luka was by his bed, removing the young man’s shoes and peeling off socks so dirty they looked black.

"He's so skinny and dirty you can't help but feel sorry for him," Luka said as Jace walked over.

"He reeks of old blood and yesterday's garbage,” Jace said, making a face. “You'll have to burn your sheets after this."

"Speaking of blood when was the last time you ate?"

"Before you left for moon week."

Luka up sharply at him. "That was almost two weeks ago. I'm surprised you didn't suck the boy dry when you had the chance,” he slipped out of his shirt and tossed it on the floor. "No wonder you're such a crab ass tonight."

"No, I was a crab ass because you forced me to watch a movie that had vampires dancing in the sun."

"Alright, I'm sorry. Won't happen again, just let it go already," Luka stripped out of the rest of his clothes and strode naked to the closet. "What are we going to do about the attack on the kid? Should we call it in or handle it ourselves?"

"Both. I don't know how strong the vampire essence inside the kid is but there is a chance the higher-ups will detect him once his transition is complete. If we report the attack but omit the kid maybe everyone will focus on locating the vampire and ignore him.”

"Investigating will be hard. We don't have any leads, the kid won't remember who attacked him and any evidence of the attack has long since disappeared." Luka said, pulling out a plush blanket. "If the vampire is a master, finding him or her will be near impossible."

"Let's worry about one thing at a time. First we have to survive your pet project over there."

Luka rolled his eyes and arraigned the blanket into a pile on the floor. "He's not my pet project, he's ours since you're the one who set this whole thing in motion by saving him. Now, come bite me so I can get some sleep."

Jace moved up behind him and Luka tilted his head back and to the side. Slipping an arm around his partner's waist and another across his chest, Jace held him tight.

"I'm going for your carotid artery so there's no tapping out."

"Just do it already. I'm getting cold."

Jace opened his mouth wide and sank his fangs deep into Luka's neck. Blood gushed the second he pierced the artery and he locked his lips like a suction around the bite, drawing the blood hard through his fangs. Luka went limp in his arms and Jace lowered him to the blanket without breaking their connection. A sense of power and euphoria filled him while he fed, the blood replenishing his body and fulfilling his strongest need and craving more than any other thing on the Earth could. Only when Luka started emitting a black mist from his body did he realize that he had fed too much. Releasing his bite, Jace laid an unconscious Luka on the blanket and stood up, licking the blood from his lips. As he watched the twin bite marks sealed up as the mist surrounded Luka, turning him into a wraith. The mist contracted, then disappeared, leaving behind the body of a large black wolf.

Jace knelt and stroked the wolf's thick mane. "Sorry about that. Guess I was hungrier then I thought."

One yellow eye opened part way and fixed on him for a second before closing. With one last pat, Jace stood, went to the dresser and fished out a dark sock. Ripping it he tied it over the man's eyes before leaving the room, closing the door halfway behind him. It would be hours before either Luka and their new house guest woke up and there was still a report to be made. Going downstairs he went into his private study, powered on the laptop on his desk and set to work.