Shadow Born: Book 1 of the Shadow-Borne Chronicles by Paul A. Cagle Page B

  Alec stopped dead in his tracks and swung his head around to the couches.   No Silas or Marc.   They really had reached the doors before he had and they had just suddenly…appeared.   He was losing his damn mind.
    “I’m sorry Alec,” Marc said.   “It’s the truth.”
    Alec shook his head mutely.   This had to be a trick of some sort.   He blinked his eyes again and suddenly both men were gone.   A hand gently tapped his back causing him to jump around.   Silas and Marc both were standing there.   How the hell were they doing this?   Was he losing it?   What the hell is going on? his mind screamed.
    “Alec, please come back and sit down.   There’s more we need to tell you.   And it won’t be easy to hear.   Please,” Marc said motioning to the couches.   Alec found himself walking forward and dropping into the seat where he’d sat before.   He wasn’t sure what was going on anymore.   Silas walked over to a box on the wall, pressed a button and spoke.   Then he came back around the couch and sat down as before.
    “Alec, we are vampires.   We are real.   But we aren’t the monsters that most think we are,” Silas said in that rich voice of his.   Alec couldn’t help but listen.
    “Are you okay?   Here.” Silas filled his glass with scotch and handed it to him.   “Drink it all.   It will help.”   Alec complied and felt the liquid again burn its way down his throat and settle warmly.   It helped some.   The sensation was real, something he could hold on to and grasp like a lifeline.
    “What happened to you was an unfortunate accident, Alec,” Silas said looking at him.
    “What do you mean?” Alec asked quietly.
    “This is the other part that will be hard for you to accept, but Clarissa was one of us.”
    Alec felt like someone had punched him in the gut.  
    He blinked several times, trying to make sense of what he was hearing.   Clarissa Wight, the woman who had abducted him and tortured him had been a vampire.   A small part of Alec’s mind said ‘It kind of makes sense with all the bloodletting and drinking doesn’t it?’   He shrugged it away and sat with his mouth open, unsure what to ask first.
    “Alec, what we are sharing with you tonight is not common knowledge to humans and some vampires.”   Silas looked at Alec to make sure he understood.
    “Clarissa was… special.”
    “That’s putting it mildly,” Marcus said.
    “Many centuries ago Clarissa’s mother was forcefully turned against her will.   Things were done much differently back then.   Her mother had always been very protective of Clarissa and had always considered her… special.   After she was turned, she realized that there was no one to watch over Clarissa, or take care of her.   Seeing how being made into a vampire had visibly reduced the signs and effects of aging, her mother came up with a plan.   She spoke with the vampire that turned her and had Clarissa turned as well, hoping it might somehow heal her daughter of her mental issues and make her better.   It didn’t.   It took what was inside of Clarissa and amplified it.”   Silas sighed and put his hands together in his lap.   “Eventually Clarissa ended up resenting her mother and fought with her, which ended in Veronica’s accidental death.   Due to her special circumstances, Clarissa was kept where she could be watched. The council decided it was the best way to deal with the situation.”  
    “Council?” Alec asked confused.
    “Yes Alec, we have a vampire council that rules over us.   We control our numbers, who can sire, and we mete out punishment when needed.   Overall it’s what keeps our kind in check with humans.”
    “So, what happened?” Alec asked quietly.
    “She escaped.   We looked for her and couldn’t find her.   She had approached the council asking permission to sire, or create other vampires, in order to form a Lineage of her own.   She was told no.   She did not like that answer so