Blood Right by T. H.

Chapter 1

Knock.. knock.. knock.. “my lady, you will be late for training if you don’t get moving!” Linny yelled thru my door. “Ok, Linny, I’m awake.” I said, with a grumpy tone. “Awake isn’t good enough Elizabeth, I said up dear!” She yelled again at the closed door. “I’m up, I’m up!” I answered. Linny is our head housekeeper, and was my nanny when I was younger. She is the only mother figure I have had, so although I outrank her, I always do as I am told. Throwing my legs over the side of the bed, I pull my arms above my head in much needed stretch. After getting dressed in my fighting leathers and boots, i quickly twist my hair into a braid. I fling my door open to see Linny standing there with a birthday cake and candles. “Happy 26th birthday my lady!” She squealed. “Oh Linny, you always remember.” I said with a smile and engulfed in a warm hug. “Thank you” I said sweetly. “Your father sends his love from Lothaire today dear, he said to tell you he loves you and happy birthday.” “Lothaire? Why is father in Lothaire Linny?” I asked, feeling concern building in my chest. “I’m not sure dear, but he did tell me he had preparations to do for the gathering in a few days.” She answered. I didn’t have time to think about it, if I was late to training Leo would have my head. “Thank you again Linny, I’ll see you later.” I shouted as I ran out the door. “I’m never going to make it in time” I thought, “I’ll teleport!” I closed my eyes and imagined being at the training ring but when I opened them again I hadn’t moved. “Damn these lycan abilities!” I thought to myself and I began to run to training. I have my vampire abilities under control, for the most part. Being half lycan makes it more complicated, since I don’t know those abilities or how they work with my others yet. Sometimes they work and sometimes they don’t, apparently today will be the latter. “You’re late.” Leo said sneering as he tapped his foot in the dirt. “Leo I..” I started before he interrupted. “Every time your father is gone you are late for training! You are 26 now Elizabeth, way past needing daddy to wake you up for your responsibilities!” I shot him a look and he said “oh, I’m sorry. Did I upset you princess?” Now he’s done it. I charged at him, sword drawn and his sword meets mine. Metal on metal, sparks flying and dust stirring in the arena, that’s all I allowed myself to focus on. Hyperfocus was one of my vampire abilities, not everyone had it, but when I get it right I can determine when and where Leo’s next attack will come from. “Damn!” Leo says, as I cut off his next move and knock the sword from his hand. “Well done, my lady” he says to be with a bow. I bowed back in response, but when I looked up he was gone! “Right here princess” he says from behind me. He had teleported to where his sword lay and had me at a disadvantage. I turned quickly to counter but by the time I did he had me pinned. “Leo.. grr.. get.. off.. me..” I said thru my teeth and I wrestled with Leo over my sword. “Oh ok. Let me think about it.. NO!” He said and with that the had my own sword at my throat in a winning blow. “Errghhh” I just laid on the ground, anger pulsing. How does he always beat me?! Stupid teleportation! “Here Beth,” he says as he motion his hand for me to grab it. I grab his hand and he hoists me to my feet. “You almost had me Beth, but I’m still the best.” He said with a smug smile. Leo is the only person I have ever allowed to call me Beth, so he uses it every chance he gets. “I know Leo” I replied as I rolled my eyes. “Happy birthday by the way, I almost let you win just because it’s your birthday, but that wouldn’t be very fair.” I pushed my shoulder into his knocking him forward a little. “So cousin, what do you think the gathering will be like this year? I heard they’re hosting it at Lothaire.” My eyes got wide with that statement. “Lothaire is hosting it?! So we will be there for DAYS.” I sounded very out of sorts about this. “It might be a chance for your lycan abilities to come thru though, maybe being there will awaken something in you and then you can be a bad-ass lycan vampire queen when it comes time.” He said excitedly. Leo is my cousin, and one of the only people to know of my lycan side. “Are you going?” I asked him. “Of course I am, I’m not going to miss seeing these hot lycan babes everyone talks about!” He and I both laughed at that and sat down on the arena stairs. We would take the arena again after a few others had their turn, up next was Mark. I hated seeing Mark, it make my blood boil and my chest hurt when he looked at me. He walked into the arena in his tight fighting leathers, showing off his chiseled leg muscles. He had on his fitting boots and swords sheathed at his sides. No shirt though, that was his trade mark and it made all the women swarm to him. A few girls sat in the stands waving at him. “Hi Marky!” Said one, “I believe in you Mark!” Said another. “Disgusting”, I thought to myself. “He likes to show off doesn’t he?” Asked Leo, “yes, he does.” I said, prying my eyes away from the fight. Mark knew how to handle a sword, he was quick on his feet and once levitated his opponent for over an hour until he gave up, just to win. Not against the rules, but childish none the less.

“I heard he’s going to find a mate at the gathering this year, he says he won’t leave there without one.” Leo says and he tosses a rock into the arena dirt. “That’s funny, why hadn’t he picked one at the last few gatherings? He’s 26, which is old to not have your mate.” I said tossing a rock past Leo’s. “Well, cousin you’re 26 today too, and you have no mate.” He says tossing a rock further than mine. “Right.. I don’t have an interest in a mate Leo.” Shock ran across his face, his mouth hanging wide open. “What?! How can you not have an interest?!” He asked, loud enough to catch Mark’s attention. Mark looked over at us with a sneer and then “Ah s**t!” He said as his opponent grazed his arm with his sword.I looked back down and threw another rock into the dirt. “I just don’t, or maybe I’m just not attracted to anywhere in our clan.” I said shrugging my shoulders. “You’re 24 Leo, you should probably find someone yourself.” I said in a smartass tone. “I know” he says and looks down into the dirt. “It’s my birthday, can we quit for the day and go do something else?” Leo could tell I was uncomfortable watching Mark’s battle. “Sure, let’s go to the lake and work on your teleporting.” He says as he grabs my arm and we stand. “Great.” I said. As I bent over to dust off my leathers I heard Mark again, “Ow! Dammit!” I didn’t look back, I didn’t care really. I assumed he got caught looking at my ass, and took another blade to the arm for it. “Idiot.” I said as I picked up my gear and we left for the lake. The lake was quiet and serene, birds were chirping and the lake was still.. *SPLASH* I rose from the water choking and coughing while Leo lay on the bank laughing at me. “How.. did.. you.. do.. that..?” He couldn’t finish his sentence because the laughter took over. The first attempt to teleport landed me in a tree, and the second two have plopped me in the middle of the lake! “Ugh..” I said as I drug my tired body to the shore. “You’re lucky you can swim!” He said, still laughing. “It’s not that funny Leo.” I said as I gritted my teeth. “No, no you’re right.” He said as he wiped away tears, “it was funnier fishing you from that tree!” He fell over with laughter again. I just chuckled to myself, I guess that was pretty funny.

“What’s so funny Mutt?” I heard from behind me and instantly knew it was Mark. I rolled my eyes at that the thought. “Nothing”, I said as I turned to meet his gaze. “We we’re just talking about your pathetic battle earlier today. Tell me, did you hold poor James in the air until he gave up again?” Leo and I both chuckled at that. “Very funny” Mark said. “Let’s see how funny it is when I am named as your mate at the gathering El.” “Like hell!” I say back. “Oh it’s the truth love, ask your daddy. Why do you think I’m not mated yet? I have had PLENTY of chances with better vampires than you. But here I am, still unmated, and so are you.” He said with an evil grin. “Look around El, your kingdom, is MY soon to be kingdom and YOUR place is next to me on MY throne as clan leader.” I looked to Leo then, “Uncle Tyre would never sell her out to you or to Vincent!” He said. “Oh wouldn’t he? She’s 26 and doesn’t even have all of her powers yet. She’s unmated for a reason, because she’s useless. I told him I would take the burden off his hands.” And he shot his eyes to me. “You’re a liar, and a coward” I said in a deep rumbling voice. “That’s no way to talk to your future mate and ruler of this land, love.” He winked at me and teleported away. I looked at Leo and said “this can’t be true.”