Vampire Nation 2: Titan Rising Read online

  Titan Rising

  by

  Joe Fowler

  Also by this author:

  Vampire Nation Series

  Titan’s Story (1st book)

  Titan Rules (3rd book)

  *The Josh Thorne Trilogy

  *The Demon Heritage of Josh Thorne (1st book)

  *Vampire Outbreak (2nd book)

  *Witch Problems (3rd book)

  Losers vs. Zombies

  Having Fun With Side Effects

  Guarding the Door

  Healer of Worlds: The Chosen

  Titan Rising

  Copyright© 2016 Joe Fowler

  All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not

  be used or reproduced in any manner without the express written

  permission of the author. This book is a work of fiction. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.

  About this book:

  The first book of this series, Titan’s Story, is highly recommended before reading this one. While some of the major points are revisited, the reader may find themselves questioning what is going on. Also, there are too many spoilers that would ruin the first book if you were to try and go back and read the first one later. In the past I have tried to write my books as capable of standing alone even when they were part of a series. This series is not like that. The third book of this series, Titan Rules, is now available.

  I hope you enjoy the book!

  Contents

  Also by this author:

  About this book:

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 1

  The bloodthirsty crowd cheered as they watched two ninth level vampires ripping each other apart. Both of the fighters were gifted with speed. It was a close fight. They made their way around the concrete circle with the fighters from each old one’s group watching from behind their iron barred doors around the walls of the arena.

  I stood behind Arria’s chair making sure to listen and watch the vampires and humans around us in the gallery above the arena. Part of my job was to protect Arria which was a laughable assignment. I could only name three vampires who could defeat her in a fight. The good news was that those three; Cronus, Ares, and Feng were all considered friends. Still, I watched closely since Arria was the love of my unlife.

  I was finding that the more riled up the crowd became, the more stray thoughts I could read. All the old ones sitting near to Arria knew of my ability to read minds. Normally all I would see would be a blank wall in their mind as they fought to keep me out of their heads. When they got excited, like now, those walls would fade and thoughts would seep through.

  One of the fighters in the arena gained the upper hand. He had some good moves though I didn’t like the cruelty behind them. Once he had worn down his opponent enough, he began playing to the crowd. When he tired of this, he drank the blood from his foe and took the head to end the fight. The crowd loved every minute of it.

  I saw the walls coming back up in every vampire’s mind. With the distraction gone, their focus returned to Arria and her bodyguard. It was hard to keep a straight face sometimes. These idiots were more afraid of me than they were of Arria. Many of them had seen my fights and figured my strength to have grown by leaps and bounds. While I was considerably faster and stronger now, it would take many decades, maybe centuries, for me to catch up to Arria’s level.

  It was more the thought of my abilities that made them afraid of me. Since I am one of two vampires ever made who can acquire others’ gifts by drinking their blood, I could do so much more than other vampires who only had the one gift they were reborn with. Ares was the other one. His killing of a large number of old ones gave justification for the fear shared by the old ones here tonight.

  While the arena was being cleared for the next fight, I looked over at Lorac, Arria’s brother. He had his usual smirk that could be seen at most times on his face. He found the humor in most every situation. He was sitting to Arria’s left in the seat of honor. This was his facility. The sky blue walls of his compound gave a glimpse to his lighter attitude.

  I spent much of the last two days with my old friend Ghost. It had been three months since he won his freedom and went to work for Lorac. His mind continued to astound me. Having been away, I lost the true sense of just how intelligent he was. My headaches from trying to keep up with his thoughts reminded me.

  “For our next fight, welcome tenth level fighters Cue Ball and Jade!” The announcer, an average looking man if there ever was one, waited as the fighters entered and took their places on the X marks. “You will have five minutes to place your bets!”

  Cue Ball clearly got his name from his shaved head. Jade was a pretty little Asian woman. She couldn’t compare to my Arria but neither could anyone else. I couldn’t place a reason for her name.

  It was the custom for an old one to rename each new vampire when they reached the third fight of the required ten fight gauntlet. Some old ones like to name their fighters according to their abilities. Some just named them whatever they felt like at the time.

  “What are their gifts?” Arria asked me.

  “Cue Ball has invisibility and Jade is a teleporter.” I informed her. One of the abilities I had acquired made me able to identify the gifts of others.

  “The invisible ones usually win in these matches.” Lorac stated. He and Arria weren’t betting tonight but they still liked to know what to expect.

  “Usually, but we’ll see.” Arria replied. She held her hand just above her shoulder as she mentally spoke, “Take my hand. I don’t usually like public displays, even small ones, but I like the contact.”

  I smiled to myself and took Arria’s hand. Our love had only strengthened since my run through the gauntlet. Since Ares was nice enough to heal me from the unravelling, Arria and I would have eternity to spend together.

  “It is time! Cue Ball, Jade, please stand and face your opponent…Let the game begin!” The announcer teleported from the arena.

  They both instantly disappeared with Jade reappearing near where Cue Ball disappeared from. As she looked for her opponent, she was struck by the invisible vampire. Cue Ball continued his advantage and looked like he would win easily. Jade wasn’t done though. She lashed out and caught Cue Ball’s arm after a glancing blow. She took Cue Ball down and beat him until he became visible again. She continued to strike her now wounded opponent far beyond what was necessary. She could have taken his head easily but continued to pummel him without a hint of mercy. Even the bloodthirsty crowd was growing bored with the display.

  Finally, Jade stopped and looked around. She sneered at the two hundred or so watching the fight. With the disgust evident on her face, she tore off Cue Ball’s head. She was led into the crowd as the first vampire to win freedom on this night.

  I fell unconscious to the floor of the arena after I won my freedom. I had only seen this side of things since I started accompanying Arria. The fighters were usually congratulated by everyone and flying high
after earning their place in the vampire world. Jade would seem to be an exception.

  The guard led Jade up into the crowd as was the custom. As the older vampires congratulated her, Jade only seemed to grow angrier. I caught her thoughts at the same time as Lorac, who could read minds as well. We both acted quickly. Lorac was much faster than me so he was the one who grabbed her before she could act on her thoughts. She wanted to kill her old one.

  “Let me go! That bastard deserves to die!” Jade screamed. She fought against Lorac.

  “Calm down or I will make you!” Lorac ordered. As one of the oldest and most powerful of all vampires, Lorac wouldn’t have had a problem controlling her. He forgot that she was a teleporter though.

  I saw the plan in Jade’s mind an instant before she acted. I moved to intercept her as she reappeared next to the old one who turned her. I grabbed her and turned off her gift of teleporting so she couldn’t try that again. It was one of my greatest abilities. I could nullify any vampire’s gift when I chose.

  “What is going on?” Torch, Jade’s old one, asked.

  “She was trying to kill you.” Lorac explained.

  “He deserves to die! He is a cruel bastard.” Jade ranted.

  I looked to Lorac with the silent question of what to do with her. He mulled it over for a second before he told me.

  “Take her to my holding pen. I am going to tell you out loud to kill her but don’t do it. I want to find out what has her so upset. Her anger is clouding her mind so much that I can’t see through it. Once you have her out of here, try to calm her down enough and reassure her that she might not have to die.” Lorac instructed.

  “I understand.” I replied.

  “She will have to be killed. This kind of attack cannot be tolerated. Titan, take her out of here and see that it is done.” Lorac said, making sure Torch and the other old ones could hear his words over the noise from the crowd.

  “Yes, Lorac.” I replied dutifully.

  As I began leading Jade to the door, I could hear the other old ones grumbling in outrage. The nerve of a newly freed vampire trying to kill an old one was unthinkable. It was usually unthinkable since Ares and I were the only newly freed vampires who could have ever accomplished it. By the age of one thousand years, the required amount to earn the title of ‘old one’, a vampire has far greater speed and strength than any new vampire could match. Ares and I were the only exceptions. The two of us were reborn far stronger and faster than a normal newborn in addition to growing stronger and faster each time we drank from a vampire gifted with speed or strength.

  Once we were clear of the arena, I listened out with both my mind and my ears to make sure we would not be overheard. Once I knew it was safe, I stopped her in the hallway. Jade was still struggling against me and was surprised when we stopped.

  “Look, Lorac told me more than what he told everyone else. You don’t have to die.” My words had the desired effect. Jade calmed enough to pay attention. “He wants to question you. If you will be open and honest with him, you could live.”

  “Why would Lorac be any different from Torch? All these old ones are unfeeling monsters for what they are doing to us.” Jade spat.

  “Lorac is one of the better old ones. He will listen to you. Please trust me. Arria and Lorac have shown they are not cruel. There are other good ones even though most are like you described. I need to take you to the holding pen though. We have to make sure no one knows Lorac might spare you.” I stated as I began walking. I kept my hand on her arm and made sure her gift was not able to activate.

  It was a bit of a trek through the maze of sky blue hallways. With all the times I traveled through these facilities, I still found myself astounded by their size. Every facility had the same layout. The lower level was for the generators, water heaters, and the like. The next level up was the living quarters for the teams of fighters. This level had separate rooms to accommodate up to fifteen teams of fighters with several donor rooms scattered throughout. The facilities of the council members had a separate wing branching off from the second level where council meetings could be held. The third level up held the employee quarters. The showers and laundry rooms were also on this level. The fourth and highest level up was for the old ones. Some of the larger rooms like the training room and the arena were based on the second level and went up to the fourth level. The engineering and work to build these facilities below ground never ceased to amaze me.

  Jade didn’t speak and neither did I. Her thoughts calmed enough for me to read her mind. I was shocked.

  Torch had been raping her. She wasn’t the only newbie suffering at his hands. The other females were facing this same treatment.

  “Give us the room.” I told the guard at the desk when we reached the holding pen. This was a small room with two cells for holding any wayward vampires. I wondered more than once about the need for this room since most any breaking of the rules meant death.

  “I would need-wait, are you Titan?” The guard asked. He was a large vampire who froze half-way to standing when he recognized who I was.

  “Yes. Lorac wanted me to bring her here. We will need the room. I will have someone call you when it is time for you to return. What is your name?”

  “My name is Dodge.” He answered as he headed out the door. His gift of evasion explained the name.

  “What happens now?” Jade asked.

  “Sit there and wait for a minute.” I pointed to the chair Dodge had been in when we entered. It was the only chair in the room. The small empty desk in front of the chair was the only other furniture.

  I took out my phone and called Arria since I didn’t have Lorac’s number.

  “Hello?” Arria’s beautiful voice answered.

  “Tell Lorac to make sure Torch doesn’t leave. Torch has been raping the female newbies.” I closed my eyes against the image of the rage I knew was building in Arria.

  “He what!” Arria shouted.

  “I saw it in her mind. Lorac told me to calm her down so he could question her. Once we were away from the arena, I saw why she wanted to kill Torch.”

  “We will handle this. Stay there with her and don’t let her teleport.” Arria said, before disconnecting.

  I looked up to see the tears in Jade’s eyes. She looked like she was ashamed. I wanted to say something but I was scared I would only make things worse.

  “You saw?” She asked miserably.

  “Yes. Torch might not live to face any questions. Arria is pissed. I speak from experience. Nobody wants to be on the bad end of her anger. I’ve seen what she can do.” I stated. The sight and sound of Cadoc’s head hitting the floor in Feng’s council chamber came forcefully to mind. No, pissing Arria off wasn’t conducive to a long life.

  “How long will we be waiting?” Jade asked after more than a few minutes of silence.

  “Since Lorac is the host, he must stay until the fights are over. He may come here briefly afterwards but he must hold a gathering after the fights for the old ones. He may need to wait until that is done before he can make his way here.” I explained. Since we would have the time, I decided to continue sharing my thoughts on our wait. “I believe Arria will be here immediately after the fights. She will want answers and doesn’t have to attend the after party.”

  “Why would she be involved? Why is Lorac so interested?” Jade sounded confused by the attention.

  “They are members of the council. This type of behavior can’t be tolerated.” I looked closely at Jade to judge her reaction. Her thoughts and expression were still showing puzzlement.

  “I wasn’t told much about the council. I heard they were the ones in charge but that’s all I know.”

  “The council is made up of the nine oldest living vampires.” I would leave out the Cronus part, of course. He was the oldest vampire but faked his death three thousand years ago. Jade didn’t need to know. “Arria and Lorac are over four thousand years old.”

  I liked most of the council members. Feng was the l
eader. He was fair and intelligent. Alethea, Agda, and Aegeus were nice enough. Cheng had proven to be one of the self-serving monster types but was sufficiently too afraid of crossing the older members of the council to cause too much of a stir. The council had been forced to add two new members recently since Cadoc and Lajos died when it was found that they had conspired in trying to kill me. I hadn’t met the two new members yet. By Arria’s tone, I could see she didn’t like them too much.

  “Wow, that’s old.” Jade said. I saw her thoughts turn to me. She obviously hadn’t been taught how to put up walls in her mind. Her thoughts were clear. They were also starting to make me uncomfortable. She was feeling some attraction to me.

  “I want you to imagine a brick wall forming inside your head. It should surround your brain and be seamless.” I told her. I was doing this both for her benefit and for my own comfort. I knew this would be a distraction from her previous thoughts.

  I watched as she tried. I could see the thought of a wall but it wasn’t being implemented properly. I saw how her mind was misconstruing the intent. I decided to give her another option or two.

  “Stop. Try to imagine that your mind is invisible. See if you can make it where anyone trying to read your thoughts would not be able to see anything at all. Empty air.” She did much better with this one. I could still see a hint of what was happening but with a little improvement, her thoughts would be hidden. “Better! You will need to practice this technique. You never know when you will be around a mind reader like me or Lorac. When he gets here, you will need to open your mind to him. Don’t hide your thoughts from Lorac. He is the one who will be your savior. He has to see Torch’s crimes before he can act.”

  “I understand.” Jade said as realization hit her. “So, you were seeing all the things that were just going through my mind?”

  “Yes. If I weren’t so in love with Arria, I would be happy to see that kind of thought from you. Arria is my world now.” I hated those soppy sounding statements but found myself using them more and more to describe the overwhelming love I had for Arria.