Tainted Blood
Blood Bound Series Book 7
Amy Blankenship, RK Melton
Copyright © 2012 Amy Blankenship
Second Edition Published by TekTime
All rights reserved.
Chapter 1
Craven walked the streets of the city having sent Nighthawk and Tiara ahead to their fortress. Hed learned the girls name from the Indian. He was now riding high on several different adrenalin rushes one being that he finally had the child hed always longed for. Craven pushed the urgency away knowing she would not wake for a while.
He trusted Nighthawk not to feel the urge to hurt her in any way he had seen as much in the Indians eyes and it made him curious. Hed been searching for a reason as to why the zombie-turned-Night Walker had chosen to stay with him. Now it looked like Nighthawk had simply been waiting on something or someone.
They both wanted to protect the beautiful little necromancer even if it was for different reasons. If she was anything like her mother, then Craven could not fault Deth for siring a child with such a human. He could not feel his brothers life force in this world and it was disturbing to think hed just abandoned his child.
Watching Nile suffer at the hands of his attacking children had given him immense satisfaction. He would have quickly become a problem had he not been stopped. Nile was a demon master and had already gathered much strength by taking that huge graveyard as his own. Even a lower class demon could become a nuisance if his or her army grew to such numbers.
While it was not he who had ultimately killed Nile, being able to witness his destruction had reminded Craven of the demon wars of old. It had filled him with bloodlust and the need to fight for dominance. Rarely did such an overpowering emotion possess him, but when it did he would find something that needed to be killed.
His time within the rift was only a fleeting memory. Time had suspended him there much like a good nights rest. He could feel the lapse in time only when the rift opened and hed awakened. He assumed it was the same as pulling souls from the afterlife the same confusion followed.
The night had given way to early morning now, but unlike some of his underlings Craven wasnt bound to the night. While he was in the mood, taking down a weaker master or two would be an enjoyable pastime. He could already smell the mess they were making of the city.
Craven leaned back against the side of one of the buildings just taking it all in. This was the same world hed lived in for so long, before being banished into the stillness of the rift, but now it was different in so many ways. This time period was more sophisticated yet more wild than he remembered. The streets that crossed over the terrain held so many secrets but with every soul he touched he would learn more of this time from their memories.
The number of humans had grown along with the number of souls who had stayed behind to haunt the city on their own. He could feel them inside homes, hospitals everywhere. He watched a city bus slowly drive by and noticed the soul of a man staring out the window at him.
Was this why the cemeteries hed raised had been lacking the number of souls compared to the graves? From his point of view, it appeared as though the souls remained where the body had died, striving to continue an existence that no longer had any meaning. Most demons were only able to use the humans who were still alive possessing or controlling their bodies. With so few necromancers in existence, his army would be immense once it was complete.
The passing of time had granted one thing the number of the dead now matched the number of the living if not surpassing it. Craven was fairly certain that if the dead were all summoned at once, they would easily overpower the living.
Testing the notion, he let his power flare out around him in waves, feeling for those who had no master to claim them. The souls he touched could feel themselves surrounded by demons, unable to move freely and most were too frightened to leave their security.
Craven was a soul collector as was Deth. He used the weaker demons and any other creature of the night to do his bidding, but his bloodline was special. When he or anyone of his ancestry offered a soul a way home, it was then that a bargain was struck between them.
He could use his body as a medium to send the souls back to the afterlife, but if he ever called upon them to fight, they would be bound by the deal to return to this dimension and do as he wished. By waking the souls of the dead, Craven could then offer to send them back on this condition that they remained his to call if he had need of them.
When a soul walked through him to return to the afterlife, they left a residue of their power behind inside him, making him stronger with each passing. The same would happen with Tiara, and he knew Deth had not shared that secret with her mother. If the naiveté of the girl was any indication, shed been given only the mothers training.
The secrets Deth possessed had not been shared, nor would Craven share those same secrets with Tiara. He would use the ability to walk souls to the afterlife and let the young necromancer believe he was helping her endearing her to him by appearing to empathize with her need to save them all. Such mortal notions were brought on by her human side.
There was no use in letting the souls he could feel remain free for another lower class necromancer like Nile to feed upon. Calling them to him, Craven made his silent offer. His bargain was this he was their savior from other demons, he was their sanctuary, and he was their direct path home if they accepted the deal.
One by one, the souls began to slowly emerge from their hiding places walking past pedestrians who were going about their normal morning routines. Some humans could feel their closeness and would quicken their steps wanting to get away from the odd feeling. These humans had a heightened awareness; even though they could not see the ghosts whose energy they were feeling.
Souls that exhibited more bravery than others began stepping into him, taking his offer and disappearing from this plane of existence, while the more timid simply watched from a distance. Cravens lips hinted at a small smile as he sent out another wave of power to entice them. Suddenly more unclaimed souls crowded the streets, rushing toward him at a maddening pace.
Craven remained relaxed in his easy stance, leaning against the wall of the building as the souls rapidly flooded his body. If anyone had paid any attention, they would have seen his soft silver hair fluttering around his face in a breeze that was completely absent. However, on the inside, his power was building higher than the simple new souls that hed been playing with in the graveyards.
These souls were old and tired of being in this world strong souls giving him the touch of their power as they crossed over. He would use this power to protect what Deth had abandoned for him to find their bloodline. Once the tidal wave of souls had stopped, he resumed his inspection of the city.
A sinister smile graced his features as he followed some of the demon hunters from block to block, tracking their movements. He almost laughed when the hunters would stop short of one area to go and search elsewhere without wondering why theyd changed their minds. It was one of the oldest spells demons had used against their enemy since the dark ages a repellant spell, making the unwelcome guest not want to come any closer.
The hunters were either extremely smart or extremely stupid considering their line of work. However, most of the hunters appeared to be human with no extrasensory perception, so it may have been just plain ignorance on their part.
He stopped to admire the fighting style of one who reminded him of Nighthawk the human could have been a descendent of the Indian. Demon blood was streaked across his face like war paint and his magic was of high quality. This one Craven would have to remember, not out of fear but curiosity.
Becoming bored, Craven backtracked to the area that the hunters were unconsciously avoiding. It was riddled with darkness and provided a sanctuary for the dregs of this society to run and hide. Inside that darkness, power was waiting and feeding on the life that thrived in it. Craven stood at the mouth of it, looking in before stepping through the fog that had drifted in off the ocean toward the self-deluded power source he had discovered.
Yes, self-deluded was the perfect term for this power. It felt very confident, sure of its claim in the darkness and Craven approached it almost happily. He walked down the sidewalk taking in the silent screams of agony, and the pain that accompanied it.
The few females he encountered walked past him, giving him longing looks but keeping their distance almost falling off the edge of the sidewalk into traffic, or nearly pressing their backs against the walls of the buildings.
The males were no different except their expressions were anything but longing. Fear and hatred seemed to flow from their very pores when they looked at him. Hed learned long ago that mortal women thought he was beautiful and the men were jealous of that fact. Craven felt nothing for the living necromancers rarely bothered with a soul that was still attached to its body or a body that was still alive.
As distasteful as it was, Craven now paid attention so he could find the master demons that controlled the living. They were not to be taken lightly because their armies could also become a threat to his own territory in the future.
Reaching an intersection, Craven stood on the edge of the sidewalk watching the traffic lights for a moment. A deep gurgle caught his attention, blocking out the sounds of the morning traffic, and he turned his head toward the sound. His eyes glowed with excitement for the fight that was to come. He followed the sound of a human whimpering with fear knowing it would lead him to his target.
When he walked down a short walkway leading between two buildings, he stepped into a parking lot where a dense fog had settled, trapped between the buildings. People were gathered in a loose circle in the middle of the lot watching a struggle of some kind taking place.
Just a glance at them told Craven the humans had been possessed by shadow demons. Their souls were still intact but the demons had taken them over. Again Craven mentally shook his head at human weaknesses. Weaving his way among the possessed humans, Craven stopped just outside the inner circle to watch as a shadow demon forced its way into the mouth of a human female.
The woman was dressed in some kind of skirt suit with her belongings scattered on the ground around her. The demon had worked its way so far in that only the tail end of its black glittering cloud was sticking out, wriggling back and forth. Craven had concluded correctly that the shadow demons were working together to find victims and from the looks of it, their numbers were growing rapidly.
He tilted his head to the side in fascination when the womans body started twitching violently from the intrusion. As her struggles against the inevitable slowly ceased, her eyes rolled into the back of her head leaving only the whites visible for a moment before returning to normal complete possession.
Cravens lips hinted at a knowing smile and he completely suppressed his power when he felt the real threat approaching at a rapid pace. A long stretch of glittering shadow came around the corner of one of the buildings in full daylight. It was as hed thought. This demon was a shadow master but even shadows had a weakness he could exploit.
The shadow pooled on the ground next to the womans feet looking like a puddle of thick tar. It sloshed thickly for a moment before a humanoid shape began to rise up out of it. The shadow seemed to drip from the form before it finally stabilized revealing a tall, dark-skinned man. His head was shaved close, no hair on his entire body that Craven could see except a Fu Manchu mustache on his face.
The shadow master walked over to the woman, his black knee-length dashiki and charwal pants flowing around his legs. The neckline of the dashiki was ornately decorated with red and golden thread leaving him with little need for jewelry, however a large golden medallion hung from his neck and a single gold hoop earring was pierced through his left ear.
He looked down at the woman and narrowed his midnight black eyes. Who do you belong to? the shadow master asked, his voice a deep baritone.
The womans mouth opened and closed a few times before her voice finally decided to work properly.
I belong to you Master, she stated in a confused voice.
Very good, now rise up and serve me.
The woman slowly regained her feet with jerky movements as though she werent used to the body she inhabited. In a way it was a completely accurate description. When a human was under complete possession, at first the shadow demon inside of them could not fully control the most basic of bodily functions.
What is it you desire of me? the lady asked her voice almost normal but still a little dazed.
Craven chuckled darkly already growing tired of the foreplay. In a condescending voice he answered the womans question, He wants you to go find unsuspecting men and bring them here so they can also be possessed and his pathetic army will grow.
Both the woman and the demon turned their heads in his direction to look at Craven. He tilted his head to the side when the possessed humans also turned toward him. Their eyes abruptly began to cloud over, going from dull grey to blacker than pitch in a matter of a few seconds.
The shadow master was looking at him like he was a piece of easy prey and Craven resisted the urge to laugh again. How little they knew. He waited patiently as the humans started slowly walking toward him. When the first hand grasped hold of his shoulder, Craven tossed his head back and opened his arms wide. A tidal wave of souls began streaming out from his body and straight through the humans emerging from the possessed with the shadow demons in their grasp.
Craven felt no sympathy for the humans who had fallen under the shadow masters possession releasing them from those who would eventually try to invade his territory was merely a side effect of removing their possession. He took notice that the shadow master had enough intelligence to stay in his human form where the souls could not touch him.
Very impressive necromancer, the shadow master murmured in his thick accent. But you only delay the inevitable.
Craven smirked, Very true, perhaps I should just kill you and be done with it.
The shadow master growled deep in his chest and ran at Craven. He twisted to the side to avoid one fist, then to the other side to avoid the second.
Too slow, Craven mocked. When the demon spun his leg toward Cravens head, Craven bent backwards so the strike sailed directly above him. Using the momentum of leaning back, Craven flipped onto his hands and swung both feet up in a somersault, landing a double kick to the masters chin.