The Flame Keepers
chapter One
I was back in London and everything looked as strange as it did familiar. I had not been back in close to four years, since I was thirteen, actually. As we drive away from Heathrow International Airport, I gaze out of the window of the black Bentley, but I don't actually see anything. My thoughts are far away. Lost in a time and place, I've done everything in my power to bury it from my mind. But now that I've been forced back here by the kidnapping of my grandmother, it all comes flooding back.
It was a Friday night and the night club both my parents ran was busy as usual. It wasn't a very popular nightclub among most people, but that was for a reason. You see, I'm a vampire and so was my entire family. So the nightclub might not have been very popular among mortals, but it was a big deal for vampires. My sister and I were helping out as usual, but I was later excused. That is not as odd as it sounds because I was attending mortal school, while my sister had opted for vampire night school. The vampire school ran a different calendar from my school, so while I'd been in school most of the day, my sister got to lounge about.
“You go take a break, honey. You can come back much later.” My mum had said brushing some stray strands of hair off my face.
I'd flinched then and tried to duck her hands. There were some cool boys around and she was treating me like a baby. She'd laughed then, shaking her head. How I miss her laughter. If I could go back to that time, I would have wrapped my arms around her and never let go. Instead I'd run off to my room, picked the newest release from my favorite author and sneaked off into the vault.
The vault was actually a vault, except that it was not created for gems or jewelry. It was a small room, which was technically at the basement of the house, only that it wasn't visible to anyone else. It was created using some very serious magic, at least that's what my dad always said and he'd told us to hurry there if there'd been any sign of danger. I loved the cozy darkness of the room; it was almost like being buried in a tomb. Yeah, I was morbid like that.
Why did we need a vault? Well, both my parents belonged to the special order of Protectors. The protectors were not like the Police or the army. They had the job of tracking rogue vampires and making sure our natural enemies were kept away. They were like the army, I guess, and they sometimes had to act as personal bodyguards when an individual's safety was threatened. It was how I met Dylan. He was appointed as my bodyguard.
“Are you okay, Lu?”
I was pulled out of my thoughts by the hand on my arm. I turned and saw Dylan looking at me with concern written all over his face.
“I'm fine.” I replied shortly, then sighed. I was trying to be more open with him and I wasn't succeeding too well. So I turned to him and gently cupped his cheek, “I'm sorry Dylan. This place brings back memories and,” I inhaled and let out the breath in another sigh, “It's just hard for me.”
He drew me close and placed a kiss on my mouth. “I'm here for you. You do know that don't you?”
“I know.” I replied resting my head on his shoulders. “I just hope Katrina's okay.”
“She'll be fine. We'll make sure of that.” He assured me.
I nodded silently.
Katrina was the reason I was back in London in the first place. She's my grandmother and the one who took me in after... well, several years ago. I still lived with her even though I was a freshman at the local college. I didn't want to leave her on her own for too long. No, Katrina was not like any grandma you thought you knew. She did not weight more than a hundred and twenty pounds and was about five feet, three inches tall. We were practically the same size. A feisty woman who was once a member of the Order of Protectors, she didn't look a day over thirty. How is that possible?
Katrina is also a vampire. Most of the vampires that roamed the earth were evolved species. We were not created or made; no one bit our necks or anything like that. We were born as vampires and were known as Pereneans or members of the Born race. There were others who were made of course, but that was in breach of the Vampire Protocol and only renegades did that. They preyed on humans and did not want to give up the old ways.
Anyway, I got back from the campus yesterday and found a note saying she'd been kidnapped. The ransom was simple; I was to come to London with a stone. It wasn't just any stone. Just before I left to leave with Katrina, on my thirteenth birthday to be precise, I woke up and found a gemstone attached to a chain on my pillow. Excited by the gift, I rushed down to my parents to thank them. They had let me know with grave faces that they hadn't been responsible for that gift.
“But that doesn't mean it isn't yours.” I remember dad saying solemnly. “It comes to certain people at a particular age and is really important.”
It didn't sound so strange to me but I still needed to understand some stuff. So I'd looked up at them earnestly and asked, “Will Claudia get a similar stone when she turns thirteen?” Claudia was my little sister.
My mum had smiled; her brown eyes twinkling as she'd gently brushed some strands of hair off my face. I'd winced but I hadn't pushed her hand away. “Claudia will get a special gift,” she'd said. “But I'm not sure if it will be a gemstone or when she'll get hers.”
It wasn't until I'd almost been killed last year that I got to really understand the meaning of the stone and how crucial it was to the existence of our race. That time, I'd been afraid of even my own shadow. I had no idea when the stone would give sudden warning before I would be attacked, or even shot at. That was a time I have no desire to relive. Yet with the disappearance of Katrina and the ransom note that was left for her, it seems I'm being sucked into yet another dangerous situation. And as much as I hated being back in London, I knew I would do anything for Katrina.
I must have dozed off because the next thing I knew, Dylan was gently shaking me awake.
“Lu, baby, we're here.”
“Where's here?” I asked stifling a yawn.
“Somewhere in Knightsbride. We're at the London Protector HQ.”
“Okay.” What I really wanted to know was when we needed to be at Greenwich, which was where the kidnapper or kidnappers had asked us to meet them. The exact address in the note they left just happened to be the same address where I'd lived all my life until I left to live with Katrina. Coincidence much? I didn't think so.
“We'll try and establish contact tonight. In the meantime, we'll wait and see how it goes, okay?”
I nodded, “Sure.”
He dropped a kiss on my head and stepped out of the Bentley. I sat still for a few seconds, grateful that I didn't have to face this alone. Grateful that I had a boyfriend like Dylan who I knew would go to the end of the world for me. At least, I got the impression he would. With a sigh, I opened the door and stepped out. It was time to go save Katrina.