TRAVIS STINNETT

Text copyright 2013 by Travis Stinnett All rights reserve ! Except as per"itte #n er $!S! %opyright Act o& 1'()* no part o& this p#blication "ay be repro #ce * istrib#te * or trans"itte in any &or" or by any "eans* or store in a atabase or retrieve syste"* +itho#t the prior +ritten per"ission o& the p#blisher! Travis Stinnett Visit "y +ebsite , http-..eeriealliance!blogspot!co" /irst 0aperbac1 E ition /ebr#ary 2013 by Travis Stinnett! The characters an events portraye in this boo1 are &ictitio#s! Any si"ilarity to real persons* living or ea * is coinci ental an not inten e by the a#thor! Stinnett* Travis* 1'(23 The Silent Sol iers . by Travis Stinnett!442 n e ! S#""ary- 5#1e is an or inary yo#ng boy* or so he thin1s* living +ith his #ncle an co#sin a&ter the eath o& his parents shortly a&ter his birth! 5ittle oes 5#1e 1no+* he is abo#t to e"bar1 on a li&e changing 6o#rney to his gran &athers7 ho#se &or the s#""er! /ille +ith e"ons* &aeries* va"pires* +ere+olves an "ore* this novel +ill p#t 5#1e thro#gh a ga#ntlet o& tro#ble an t#r"oil* lea ing #p to a &inal cli"atic battle! IS8N '(23192232'3(1 :1! Va"pires;/iction! 2! <o#ng A #lt;/iction! 3! S#pernat#ral; /iction! = I! Title! II! Series- Stinnett* Travis! The Silent Sol iers > b1! 1! ASIN- 8008?R?RV2 ISBN-10: 1482389371 ISBN-13: 978-1482389371

For my family. Thank you to my !autiful "if! an# thr!! ama$in% ki#& for &ti'kin% y m! throu%h thi& #auntin% (ro'!&&. I lo)! you %uy&**

+'kno"l!#%m!nt&
I would like to thank my writing coach Timothy Stavetieg. Also, my wife Crystal for encouraging me through this entire writing and publishing process. Cliff Pennington with Pennington raphics Solutions for all the ama!ing graphics work especially the spectacular book covers for the entire novel series.

,on-t mi&& Book T"o in T@E SI5ENT SA5BIERS SERIES8A%C TA S%@AA5

INTRODUCTION
"It is almost time #aster. The child will come of age in less than two weeks. $ow soon will you be able to return to the earth realm%& asked a woman's voice. "It has been nearly fourteen years since the child was born, and I was banished. I am waiting for the precise moment in which I can make my return,& said a man wearing a long black cloak. A hood completely covered the figures head. The only part of the man's body, that was visible beneath the dark colored garment he was wearing, was his glowing red eyes. The man was standing in the middle of a cave barely lit by the fire of a single torch hanging on one wall. Suddenly the man's image started to fade and I reali!ed he wasn't in the cave at all. The man had pro(ected his image from some unknown location. "I have completed the final arrangements for your arrival. )e are ready to assist you in capturing the child, #aster. The woman's voice came from the shadows of the cave (ust out of reach of the light from the torch. The outline of her body was visible, but it was impossible to see any of her features. "$ave you located the child% #y plans can be carried out much more smoothly if we can take him before he learns about our world. "*o, #aster, I have not. )e have done everything in our power to locate and capture him. $is parents went to great lengths to ensure that no one would find him. )e have a lead that he could possibly be hiding in the +allas area. )e are searching the area day and night I assure you.

",ou have done well my child. According to the prophetess the child will be returning to the mansion soon,& the man said looking toward the old lady crouched against one wall of the cave. The old lady against the wall was bound with small silver chains wrapped around her body. She whimpered softly. Suddenly a long silver whip flashed out from the woman in the shadows. It struck the old lady in the back causing her to scream out in pain. ",ou will keep -uiet in the presence of our #aster,& says the woman fiercely. The chained old lady became instantly silent before the man began to speak again. ")e must obtain the child. $e is a key element in my plans to rule this horrid planet the humans call earth. If he unites with good he will forever be my enemy.& "That will not happen, #aster. ,our plans will not fail. I have worked very hard in your absence to guarantee your success.& the woman says proudly. ")e shall see, my child.& The woman bowed to the cloaked figure. $e nodded slightly before he completely faded from the dark cave. The woman walked out into the light of the torch and it became apparent that she too was completely concealed by a dark colored cloak. She walked gracefully over to the chained woman. She kneeled down on one knee ne.t to the old lady. "#aster will be returning soon. I know you have been withholding information about the visions you are having you old hag. )hen *hados is in our realm once again you will have no choice but to tell him what you know. $e has ways you could never even imagine to force you into telling him what he needs to know,& she spat the words out at the chained lady.

The old lady began to cry softly again. She knew the cloaked woman was telling the truth. She had indeed been under *hados' power in the past. )hen *hados captured her many years ago she suffered his wrath for a short time. She began to sob loudly dreading the coming torture from the terrifying dark wi!ard. An evil laugh came softly from the cloaked woman. $er laugh became louder and more evil as she stood to her feet. The woman kicked the old lady in the ribs swiftly causing her to scream out in pain once again.

/ach morning for the past week, I awake from the same dream. I'm walking in a beautiful valley somewhere, not sure where e.actly. The bree!e is blowing the back of my neck making the hair stand up a little. Suddenly, it turns to night with the moon full over my head, and unusually large. I look around the valley at the wood line and see pairs of glowing yellow eyes surrounding me. I free!e with fear as I try to search through the darkness to find out what is surrounding me. Slowly the pairs of eyes start moving closer to me and my fear grows more intense paraly!ing me. I desperately search every direction trying to find a way to escape, but I am completely surrounded. I am sweating, yet my flesh is chilled and my muscles clenched as I begin to hear a very low rumbling growl coming from every direction. The growls slowly get louder and more threatening, and I can feel fear growing stronger. All of a sudden I hear a single wolf howl. I wake up screaming, and drenched in sweat. I have thought day and night about what this dream might mean but I'm too embarrassed to ask my uncle what he thinks. It is embarrassing having to tell your uncle you're dreaming of the big bad wolf. 0uke had grown up living with his 1ncle Charles and his cousin #att since birth. They were about the same age, #att having been born only five days before 0uke. In many ways, being so close in age made them like twins. They had always been very close. They were practically inseparable.

I have asked about my parents many times but I can never get any information from my 1ncle. )hen I ask him what happened to them all he can tell me is there was an accident, and I had to come live with them. I feel like there is more to it than (ust an accident. I only want to know what happened to them, and what they were like. I guess it's too hard for him to talk about losing his only sister. #aybe someday I will meet other family members that might be able to tell me about my parents. I do know my grandfather, my mom's dad, is still around. Samuel Carrington, my grandfather, is apparently a very wealthy man and does some kind of real estate business in every part of the world. This is what 1ncle Charles has told me about him. I have only seen him a couple times in my life, usually around holidays. $e never stays more than an hour or two at the most so I never have time to get him alone to talk about my parents. I have never met any of my dad's family. I feel like there are lots of secrets regarding me and my family. 1ncle Charles seems to be hiding things from me but I can't find any proof. #aybe when I get older I can do some searching and see what I can come up with. "0uke, we're going to be late2& yelled #att from the hallway outside 0uke's bedroom. ")hat time is it%& 0uke mumbled. "It's seven o'clock, man. et your butt out of the bed or we are going to miss our last day of school.& ")hy are you so e.cited about getting to school% ,ou haven't cared whether you went to school or not all year, and now you're ready to go all of a sudden%&

",eah man, the -uicker we get there, the -uicker we will be out for summer and the -uicker we can go on vacation.& 0uke was kind of e.cited about going on vacation. They were planning to spend a couple weeks at his grandfather's house in Arkansas. $e wasn't sure if his randpa would actually be there very much since he is away on business a lot. $e hoped his grandfather would find time to talk to him a little about his parents. Samuel lived in /erie, a few miles outside of 0ittle 3ock, the state capitol. $is 1ncle told him /erie was a very small town, but that 0ittle 3ock was much bigger. Charles also said there were lots of things to keep him and #att entertained while they were there. They had no idea (ust how entertained and busy their life would become once they arrived at their grandfather's house. 0uke, Charles, and #att lived in +allas, Te.as. There were always things to do there. $is uncle said 0ittle 3ock was not nearly as big as +allas, so he hoped they had a good time and were not completely bored for the ne.t few weeks. "The bus will be here in five minutes,& said #att as he knocked on 0uke's bedroom door and pushed his way in. "I'm ready #att, let's get going.& 0uke and his cousin were in the seventh grade. #att was about a foot shorter and weighed several pounds less than 0uke, but so did everyone else in his grade. #att had dark skin, short brown hair and brown eyes. All of the girls were cra!y about him, and he knew it. 0uke, on the other hand, had very pale skin. *o matter how much time he tried to spend in the sun he couldn't seem to get any darker. It definitely was not fun growing up as the pale giant of your class. 0uke was big, pale, had shoulder length blonde hair,

and blue eyes. $is uncle told him he had his father's comple.ion and his mother's hair and eyes. 0uke didn't know e.actly where his si!e came from though. So, here they were on their last day of the seventh grade. It seemed like any other day, but #att was super stoked about it for some reason. 0uke was trying his best to be in high spirits for #att's sake. $e couldn't help but feel as though something weird was about to happen. The memories of his dreams continued to haunt his subconscious mind. /very time 0uke let his mind wander, the thought of the dreams would surface again. The first half of the day went by really fast for him. $e made it through /nglish, #ath, 4iology, and Spanish class with flying colors. *e.t came lunch. $e and #att didn't have any classes together, unfortunately, but they had always sat together at lunch. 0uke had never been a real people person like #att, so he never made many friends in school. #att was always surrounded by lots of friends. $is friends pretty much accepted 0uke because he was part of #att's family. 0uke had spent most all of his free time learning and perfecting his interest in martial arts. $e had been in 5arate and Tae 5won +o classes for as long as he could remember. $e currently held a black belt in Tae 5won +o. /veryone was e.cited about the things they were planning to do on vacation. 0uke pretty much stayed to himself, as usual, thinking. The time he spent now, thinking, led his thoughts back to the recurring dream about the glowing yellow eyes and the howling wolf. $e continued to wonder what the meaning behind the animals in his dream was. $e had never in his life even seen a real wolf. 0uke couldn't help but think that the wolves felt almost as though they were familiar to him for some reason. $e grew more pu!!led the more he thought about them.

The end of the day finally rolled around, and #at met him at his locker. $e grabbed the rest of his stuff and left it empty for whoever was to have it the ne.t year. $e slammed the locker shut before they headed for the bus to take them home. )hen they got home his 1ncle's truck was already in the driveway. 0uke reali!ed instantly that something was going on. It was very unusual for Charles to be home so early. $e normally worked until five or later every evening. "I wonder why dad is home so early,& #att said. "I don't know. 0ets find out.& They walked in the front door and found that their luggage had already been packed and now waited for them in the living room. 0uke thought this was kind of odd since his uncle told them they needed to pack as soon as they got home from school. $e told them they were leaving first thing the following morning for randpa's. "+ad%& yelled #att as they walked through the living room to look for Charles. They found him on the phone in the kitchen. "That's right. I need two flights to 0ittle 3ock as soon as possible,& said Charles into the phone. ")hat's going on, #att%& 0uke asked curiously. "I don't know man. I thought we were driving up to randpa's in the morning.& About that time Charles hung up the phone. " et everything loaded in the truck,& said Charles. ")hat's going on, +ad%& asked #att. ")e have to go to randpa's tonight. )e can't wait until morning to leave.& ")hat's going on%& 0uke asked curiously. ")hy only two flights%&

"I'm sending you and #att on tonight. I have some important business to take care of in the morning and I'll drive up tomorrow evening.& 0uke found it kind of peculiar that his uncle would fly them to 0ittle 3ock tonight instead of waiting for all of them to leave tomorrow. 0uke decided to keep this thought to himself. Charles seemed to do things lately that made 0uke wonder if he was hiding something, but he never asked -uestions. $e knew it was not polite to -uestion grown6ups about their business. #att didn't seem to think anything was out of the ordinary. At least he didn't let on that he did. #att was (ust e.cited about the thought of getting to fly. *either of the two boys had ever been on a plane. 0uke finally admitted to himself he was a little bit e.cited too. Charles failed to tell his son and nephew the true reason he was sending them early. $e didn't have time to e.plain all of the things they would soon find out. $e needed to get them out of the state. )hen 0uke was born he was placed in the care of his uncle. Charles, after the recent death of his wife, had to move from his home in /erie. $e moved to +allas to hide his newborn nephew from the dark and evil forces that were hunting him. Charles feared that after all these years their location had been compromised. That was the real reason he was sending them to their grandfather immediately. They -uickly loaded their things into the back of Charles' truck. It definitely seemed like a lot of bags for a couple weeks, but 0uke again decided not to ask any -uestions. 0uke ran up to check his room one last time to make sure everything he wanted to take had been packed. They were out the door in -uite a hurry. "$ow are we getting to randpa's once we get to 0ittle 3ock%& #att asked his dad.

" randpa is going to send a car. It will be waiting on you as soon as you land.& Charles e.plained. "And you are coming tomorrow, right%& I asked. "That is the plan. As soon as I finish what I have to do, I will head that way.& Charles looked funny to 0uke. $e almost looked as though he was terrified of something. 0uke couldn't imagine what had his uncle so scared. $e hoped everything worked out the way Charles wanted.

"The shifter has been spotted leaving the house,& said one of the two men standing in the dark cave. The men knelt before the cloaked woman as if she was their -ueen. They dared not look the woman in the eyes. It was apparent the men feared this woman. "Then what are you waiting for%& screamed the woman, ")hy are you here with me when this could be the perfect opportunity to capture the boy%& she added hissing the words at the men. The two men began to slowly creep backwards away from the woman. It was impossible for a human to move their body parts the way these men did. ",es, #adame,& said one of the creeping men. "They are being trailed as we speak. )e will go to them immediately,& said the second man. "If you value the air you breathe, you will not let the boy get away. The master is due to arrive at any time. $e will not be pleased if the boy is allowed to escape,& spat the woman. The two men bowed their heads to the woman and instantly burst into flames. )hen the flames went out the two men no longer knelt before her. They had magically teleported back to wherever they came from.

0uke, #att, and Charles arrived at the airport in +allas. 1ncle Charles said his good6 byes before unloading their luggage onto a rolling cart. The airport was huge. 0uke couldn't imagine how they would ever find where they were going on their own. "I have to go, but #r. Coleman here is a friend of your randpa's. $e will help you check in and get to your assigned terminal.& Charles told them. #r. Coleman, to their surprise, was a giant man with dark tanned skin and a bu!!ed haircut. $e wore a black suit with dark sunglasses. Charles took the man aside and spoke to him for a second. 0uke watched as the giant man nodded his head in agreement. 0uke had been watching his uncle closely since they left the house. $e watched as Charles drove unusually fast as he weaved through the heavy afternoon traffic. 0uke knew they were in a hurry to get to the airport. $e couldn't understand why his uncle had watched his rearview mirror so closely. 0uke had started to get nervous as he watched his uncle drive. As Charles talked to #r. Coleman he scanned the cars that were coming and going at the front entrance of the airport. The nervousness 0uke felt on the drive suddenly turned to fear as his uncle, and then #r. Coleman began to look frantically around at the other people walking in and out of the airport. "$e's kind of scary looking, huh%& #att asked. ",eah man he is freaking me out a little bit,& 0uke agreed. 0uke wondered if #att had even noticed the strange way his father had been acting since they got home from school. ",ou are in good hands with #r. Coleman. $e will make sure you guys get on your plane safely.& Charles e.plained. "I love you boys. I will see you both soon at randpa's.

The boys waved bye to Charles as he practically ran back to his truck and took off in -uite a hurry. They followed #r. Coleman into the airport. 0uke wondered why Charles was in such a hurry now that they were safely to the airport. They checked their baggage -uickly before they rushed off to the terminal. 0uke thought they would never get where they were going. The airport appeared to go on for miles. $e thought they walked at least a hundred of those miles before they finally arrived at the right terminal. 0uke and #att were practically running through the airport as they tried desperately to keep up with #r. Coleman. 0uke watched #r. Coleman as they ran. $e couldn't see the man's face as his head turned back and forth scanning the crowds as they rushed toward their destination. The flight attendant was (ust about to close the door to the gate. ")AIT2& yelled #r. Coleman. The attendant was more than a little shocked at the outburst, but she smiled gently at them. ",ou almost missed your departure,& she said as she made her way over to greet us at the check in counter. 0uke was out of breath when they made it to the check in counter at the terminal. $e looked around at all the people in the airport as he tried to catch his breath. Suddenly 0uke spotted a figure standing across the airport through the crowd. $e knew instantly something was different about this person he was looking at. $e wondered why nobody else seemed to notice someone wearing a heavy cloak that completely concealed every part of their body. $e couldn't tell if it was a man or a woman. 7ust as he was about to reach out and touch #att to get his attention a large group of people walked between him and the cloaked figure. 0uke craned his head trying to get a better look at the person. )hen the group passed the cloaked person was gone.

They boarded the plane -uickly after the attendant got them checked in. #r. Coleman went his own way since his (ob with the boys was complete. 0uke really wanted the chance to talk to #att on the plane, but getting tickets at the last minute caused their seats to be too far apart. $e wanted to talk to him about what he saw at the terminal. 0uke began to think maybe he hadn't even seen the person at all. $e pushed it out of his mind as he settled into his seat for the trip. The flight was boring to 0uke after the thrill of the initial take off. $e decided to take a nap. $e was not really tired, but he wanted to be well rested to talk to randpa. $e had hoped his randpa would be home that night, and he would get the chance to talk to him alone. 0uke fell asleep -uickly after he closed his eyes. The familiar dream started all over again. 4eautiful valley, turning to night, glowing yellow eyes, and the howling wolf. This time was different though. 0uke hadn't woke up when the wolf howled. $e had never dreamed past the howling before. $e didn't know what to e.pect after that. $e looked around at the glowing eyes surrounding him. $e tried to anticipate what would happen ne.t. 0uke caught a glimpse of something out of the corner of his eye. )hen he turned to look, there was a huge cat running toward him at full speed. The cat was solid black with glowing red eyes and the sharpest teeth he had ever seen. 0uke guessed it was some sort of panther or something of that nature. 7ust as 0uke turned to run, he felt something rip through the flesh of his back. 0uke woke up (umping from his seat on the plane screaming at the top of his lungs. $e looked around and reali!ed everyone on the plane was starring at him. $e immediately remembered where he was and turned red with embarrassment as he sank back into his seat.

"Are you ok%& The flight attendant asked as she made her way over to check on him. "I (ust had a bad dream,& 0uke replied. The dream had appeared as though it was getting weirder. 0uke was more confused as to what it meant. $e tried to shake the lingering feeling of fear as the captain instructed the flight attendants to prepare for the arrival into 0ittle 3ock.

")e failed you, #aster,& said the woman's voice as she kneeled before him. The men she sent to the airport to retrieve the boy had failed her. She punished them severely for their failure. *ow, even though she knew her master wasn't actually standing before her, she must answer to him. She would take whatever punishment he felt she needed.& "I was at the airport myself. There was no way for the child to be taken without causing a scene in front of all those pathetic humans,& said the already fading cloaked figure. The woman suddenly reali!ed she had dealt punishment to innocent beings. She wasn't the least bit sorry about it. She wanted to impress her master by capturing the boy before he returned to the /arth realm. She now knew she missed her last chance for that to happen. "I am sorry, #aster. I should have gone and finished the (ob myself,& said the woman sarcastically. "And ruin your place within the pack% That would be even more stupid than causing a scene in front of the humans2& The man yelled down at her. The woman flinched at the tone of the man's angry voice as though he could cause her harm. The man had again pro(ected himself into the cave from whatever far away dimension he had been banished to. ",ou must be smart. )e need you to hide within the pack to inform me of their actions, and to keep a close eye on the boy. The time is coming for me to return and bring the boy to stand at my side. )e must be as prepared as possible. That responsibility

lies with you alone,& The man told her. $is voiced calmed steadily as he again e.plained her importance. "I understand, #aster. I must go and prepare myself for his arrival at the mansion.& As soon as her last word was out, the man -uickly faded from the dark cave. She slowly stood and walked out of the cave. She had a big (ob ahead of her. She couldn't fail her master a second time for fear that he would end her life for good.

The plane seemed to move in slow motion as I an.iously awaited its arrival at our gate. I could see #att a few rows in front of me as he stared out the little window ne.t to his seat. $e was lucky enough to get a window seat. I couldn't see anything as the plane made its way to the gate. )e got our carry on bags out of the overhead compartments and were on our way to the e.it door. As we made our way down the hall into the terminal I spotted a man holding a sign that read MR. STALLINGS AND MR. CARRINGTON. ,ou could hardly call the person holding the sign a man. $e was about 8 feet tall with long gray hair and beard. $e reminded me of one of Santa's elves to be perfectly honest. $e was dressed pretty much the same way as #r. Coleman back in +allas, minus the dark sunglasses. I let out a little giggle at the sight of him and #att caught on to what I was looking at. "I guess that would be us,& I told #att. " uess so,& he replied. )e slowly made our way thru the crowd toward the tiny little man. )hen he finally reali!ed we were headed his way you could see the e.citement light up his tiny little features. The little man hurried over to us.

",ou must be 0uke2& the little man e.claimed as if he had known me my entire life. ,ou could feel the e.citement pouring from the little man as he shook my hand enthusiastically. "It is such an honor to finally meet you,& said the little man. "*ice to meet you too sir,& I said in a very confused sort of way. "Please forgive me. #y name is 7ackson 3athburn. I work for your grandfather, #r. Carrington,& he e.plained. "It's very nice to meet you #r. 3athburn,& I said. "9h no, no, no, you must call me 7ack,& he said with a huge smile. "9k, 7ack. This is my cousin #att,& I said. "9h, please forgive me #att. It is definitely a pleasure meeting you as well,& he said as he blushed with embarrassment. "Same here,& said #att with a very annoyed look on his face. "I will be escorting you to the mansion to meet with your grandfather.& I couldn't help but feel nervous and e.cited at the thought of my grandfather being home, and about the possibility of getting some alone time with him. I had so many -uestions popping into my head as we followed the little man named 7ack thru the airport in 0ittle 3ock. The airport wasn't nearly as big as the one in +allas, but it still took us some time to get outside to the car. )e followed 7ack out the front doors of the airport and I spotted a huge limousine with another of the black suited men waiting to load our luggage into the trunk. "0ooks like we're riding in style #att,& I said.

")ow2 randpa must be loaded sending a limo to pick us up,& said #att. #att and I had never known e.actly what our grandfather did for a living. )e knew he was in real estate. )e were beginning to reali!e he must have loads of money. *either #att nor I had ever been to randpa's house. )e really didn't know what to e.pect with "the mansion,& as 7ack put it, but we were both overflowing with e.citement about our first plane ride and our first ride in a limousine. This was almost more e.citement than either of us could handle in one day. The man that loaded our luggage now opened the door at the back of the limo. The three of us climbed into the back seat. )e heard the front door open and close, the engine started, and the car began to move. )e couldn't see the driver with the window to the front seat being completely blacked out. 7ack didn't seem to be bothered by it. )e watched out the windows in anticipation as the car made its way onto the freeway headed to /erie, the town where our grandfathers' mansion was located. ")ould you care for something to drink%& 7ack asked #att and me. "Sure, what do you have%& #att asked. "See for yourself,& 7ack said as he opened the limos mini fridge. It was packed with every sort of soft drink you could imagine. )e both settled for our choice of canned drink, and 7ack closed the fridge. )e sipped our sodas as we e.ited the interstate. "So, how long have you worked for randpa%& I asked 7ack. "I have been with your grandfather for many years, he e.plained, "0ong before either of you were even born.& "That's cool.& )e rode in silence as we continued down the narrow two lane road leading into /erie. I noticed that we were driving through nothing but woods on both sides of the

road. I couldn't remember if we had passed a house at all in the past couple miles. Soon after that we passed a couple of small houses. )e passed a sign that said /erie, population 8:;, and that let me know (ust how small this town really was. *e.t we passed a little convenience store and were running parallel to railroad tracks on the opposite side. )e slowed down to make a right hand turn that took us over the tracks. )e passed a couple larger houses and were again surrounded by woods. )e drove a few more miles when the car began to slow down to make another turn. The driveway opened up to a little guard shack with a huge black metal gate hung between a massive block wall. The wall must have been at least :< feet tall. I noticed cameras pointed in different directions down the top of the wall. I wondered why randpa needed so much security. The limo stopped at the gate. I noticed the two guards looked and dressed much the same as the driver and #r. Coleman. The guards approached the driver. After a brief conversation one of the guards went back to the guard shack. The other made a circle around the car. After the guard completed his search of the car he went back to the guard shack. )e watched as the huge black gate started to slowly open. The guard motioned for us to go in. The car pulled slowly forward through the gate. #att and I both stared out our windows as we made our way down the drive and through more woods that surrounded us. At one point we crossed a small covered bridge that crossed a creek connecting two very large ponds on either side of the road. )e continued down the driveway as the woods began to thin out and open up to fields all around us. 7ust as we started over the top of a hill we caught our first glimpse of our grandfather's' mansion. 9ur mouths dropped open in awe as we took in the view. )e

could see the house across a valley from where we were coming down the drive. I could hardly put into words how big this place was. It could barely be called a house at all. It was more along the lines of a castle than anything. $uge gray stones made up the ma(ority of the e.terior surfaces. #assive columns held up the roof that covered the entryway to what I assumed would be the front door. At either end of the massive central part of the house, which was at least three stories tall, were two towers. These towers were like something you would see in a fairy tale story. They were round and e.tended above the main level of the house. I had never seen a house as big as this one in all my life, even in the +allas area. I couldn't wait to get inside and start e.ploring the place with #att. I glanced over at #att as the car veered to the right around the circle driveway in front of the mansion. I hadn't noticed before, but #att was looking rather pale and was sweating -uite a bit even with the rather cool temperature in the limo. "Are you feeling ok #att%& I asked. "*ot really. I think I'm (ust tired from all of the e.citement we've had today,& he said. ",ou're probably right. I'm a little tired and worn out myself.& It was beginning to get dark by the time we arrived at the house. I looked at the huge spotlights that illuminated the area around the mansion. The back door of the car opened and another black suited giant motioned for us to get out. Two younger guys, dressed also in black suits, approached the rear of the car and opened the trunk. I was beginning to get the idea that these black suits were uniforms for my grandfather's employees. The younger guys unloaded our luggage and began hauling it into the house.

As we walked up the steps and approached the huge front doors, 7ack said, "#att, why don't you come with me and I'll show you to your room so you can lie down. ,ou aren't looking very well and probably need a little rest from all the e.citement.& "That sounds like a great idea, #att said, I'm really not feeling well at all.& "0uke, why don't you go into the great room straight through those doors,& 7ack said pointing to a set of double doors as we entered into what would be the foyer of the mansion. ",our grandfather will meet you there shortly.& "9k, sounds good to me.& ")ill you be ok, #att%& I asked. "Sure man I (ust need to lie down for a minute,& he replied. A massive staircase on either side of the double doors leading to the great room led to the second story. I watched as 7ack led #att up the stairs. I watched until they were out of sight before I entered into the ne.t room as 7ack had instructed. The room I entered was indeed a " reat& room. It was bigger than our entire house in +allas, which made it a bit overwhelming. The walls were covered in a dark colored stone from floor to ceiling with dark hardwood floors. There was nothing down the center of the room e.cept for a thick rug. 9n the left side of the room was a very large fireplace surrounded by an over si!ed brown leather couch and matching chairs. The other side of the room had a huge table that could seat at least two do!en people comfortably, with chairs all around. The rooms' ceiling was at the level of what had to be the same height as the second floor ceiling. Statues, plants, and trees of different si!es

decorated the room. A huge chandelier lowered down from the ceiling to what should be the first floors ceiling in the center of the room. I walked around the room looking at all of the paintings hanging on the walls. I made my way back around to the sitting area in front of the fireplace. About the time I sat down on one of the large chairs, I heard the door at the other end of the room close. I looked up to see randpa, with a big smile on his face, walking toward me. I stood and he came up to give me a big hug. "I am so very happy you are here, 0uke. I have waited so long for the day that you would (oin me here at the mansion.& "I'm so glad to see you randpa. Is #att ok%& "$e will be (ust fine, son, don't you worry about him. ,ou are both in very good hands now that you have arrived at the mansion.& "I have so many -uestions for you randpa. I have been waiting for years to ask them.& ")ell, let's sit down and talk for a while. I know you have lots of -uestions for me. I have lots of things to reveal to you as well.& )e both sat down with randpa in one of the big chairs, and me on the end of the couch closest to him. "I'm (ust going to come out and ask you this, randpa. I hope that I don't upset or anger you for asking.& "I want you to know you can ask me anything and I will never get upset or angry with you, 0uke.&

"9k. I want to know what happened to my parents. I have asked 1ncle Charles several times over the years and all he ever tells me is that there was some sort of accident. I want to know what happened to them e.actly.& "0uke, Charles was correct about the accident. After your parents placed you in his care they took my private (et to flee from *hados. They decided to return to /ngland, to your fathers' home country. ,our father believed that with you in hiding, and them in the protection of his people you all would be safe from *hados. Somewhere in the middle of the ocean the plane went down. The plane crashed into a small island and e.ploded on impact. I sent a team to look for any survivors, but none were found,& e.plained randpa. "I have something else to tell you that you probably are not going to understand. The world and the things in it are not what they appear to be. There are many things that you have never seen or e.perienced. Some of the creatures that you have e.perienced only in movies live right along side us in everyday life. The supernatural world e.ists in great secrecy from the human race. I'll e.plain what I'm talking about later. Some of it is (ust too much for you to comprehend all at one time. ,our mother and father were very powerful, very important, supernatural beings.& ")hat e.actly do you mean by beings randpa%& "0uke, I need for you to (ust listen to everything I tell you and believe that I am telling you the truth.& "9k, randpa, I trust you.& "=ifteen years ago your mother and father met and fell in love instantly. This love was strictly forbidden in the Supernatural community because they are of different races.

I don't mean the color of their skin. ,our mother was a shifter and your father was a vampire.&

3
",ou're kidding, right% >ampires are (ust characters someone made up for the movies, randpa. And, what e.actly is a shifter%& I asked. ">ampires very much do e.ist, 0uke. Please allow me to finish. A shifter is someone that transforms into an animal during the full moon. =ull blooded shifters can change anytime they choose. ,our mother was a shifter. She was of the race that changes into wolf form, better known as werewolves. "So, my dad was a vampire, and my mom was a werewolf%& I laughed at randpa as I thought about my parents playing the part of these make believe characters in the movies #att and I watched growing up. I let my laughter fade away when I noticed the very serious look he was giving me. I was finding it very hard to believe what he was telling me. ",es. That is correct. #any years ago your parents met and fell in love. 0ove between different races of supernatural creatures was strictly forbidden. ,our parents kept their relationship a secret for -uite some time. After a while they decided they wanted to have a child together. This normally would be impossible since vampires can't reproduce. They paid a very powerful witch to create and cast a spell on your father to allow your mother the opportunity to conceive his child.& "And they had me%&