Copywrite 2014 by Shakuita Johnson

Just finished the first draft of A Prequel last night and thought I’d post a little sneak peak…Please if you haven’t read Dark Indiscretions and Dark Indiscretions: Monster Unleashed read with caution. I would hate to spoil it for anyone. Here are chapters Prologue-2…it’s unedited and subjected to change. Just throwing that out there 🙂 So leave me a comment letting me know what you think…

Prologue

20 A.D.

Six-year-old James Johnson was lonely. His parents had decided that they weren’t going to have any more kids after him, so he was the only child. It wasn’t supposed to be that way. James and his family were Mystics – vampyra shape shifting witches. They were the monsters other monsters were afraid of. They killed without remorse or preamble. They were fanatics about maintaining a “pure” bloodline. Mystics would marry a brother or sister from the family and reproduce other Mystics. It was a long-standing tradition. His parents deciding to only have one child went against their culture and everything they believed in.

James wasn’t sure what he was supposed to do now. After his birth his parents should have tired for a girl so he would have someone to grow up with and marry. They were supposed to be so closely bonded that they would be like an extension of each other. Only it wasn’t going to happen. He was going to be alone for a very long time. He couldn’t marry anyone else because all his other family members were already spoken for. At six this was a hard reality to face. While his cousins were running around hand in hand with their chosen he only had himself to keep him company. Something his six-year-old mind didn’t understand or was capable of comprehending. All he knew was he should be paired up just like his cousins.

James looked up from his dirt piles he was playing with at the sound of someone shuffling up the valley. It was midday and the sun was hot and shining. He saw a small boy making his way to where James knelt in the dirt. He looked smaller than James. He had never seen this boy before and because of that James was wary. His species was the top of the food chain. His father would kill him if he let someone get the better of him. It didn’t matter that he was only six. It wouldn’t do to be taken by surprise by this stranger. He stood and bared his tiny fangs.

“Who are you? Why have you come here?” James demanded in a tiny but fierce voice. Even at only six he was a trained killer.

“My name is Kain. My parents were talking with your parents down towards camp and they said you were here playing. I asked if I could come join you and here I am,” Kain explained with his tiny hands curled to his side and his head cocked.

“Are you new here?” James asked but didn’t retract his fangs yet.

“Yes, we walked about two weeks time to get to this part of the hillside,” Kain said. “Would it be alright if I played with you?”

“You don’t have a sister?” James asked.

“No. It’s just me,” Kain said.

“Me too! Want to be bestest friends?” James asked excitedly finally putting away his fangs at this new prospects before him.

“Yes!” Kain shouted just as excited.

“Good. We will be friends forever and ever.” James said with confidence.

The each nicked their finger with a fang until blood swelled up to the top. They touched their fingertips to each other’s and in an instant a bond was made. Best friends forever and ever as long as they both still lived.

 

 

Chapter 1

30 AD

Today was James’s birthday. He was going to be sixteen. Kain was coming over and they were going to go hunting by themselves for the first time. Her couldn’t wait! Kain’s birthday was two days before but he waited for James so they could celebrate together.

They had remained best friends for ten years now. He was the brother James would never have. They were as thick as thieves. They did everything together. If they could they would spend every waking moment together.

James made sure his tunic was secured and raced to the door.

“For goodness sakes James he will knock once he’s here. You don’t have to seem like an eager puppy every time Kain’s around,” Marcella Johnston said for the hundredth time.

She was beautiful. His mother. She had long raven hair with tiny ringlet curls and blue eyes. She had the same hair and eyes that James saw every time he saw his reflection. She was fairly tall for a woman. Five feet, seven inches tall with bronzed skin. His mother loved walking outside in her gardens. It was weird for a Mystic but whatever.

“Please Mother. No teasing. I don’t have anyone else to play with since you and father refuse to have anymore children,” James sulked.

“Not this again. One is all I wanted. I don’t have time to be running around a bunch of little monsters. You and Kain are quite enough. He’s here half the time. Some days I swear it’s like I have two children.”

“You should have had two children at least. One boy and one girl, then I wouldn’t be the laughing stock of the entire family. It’s unheard of! Whom am I supposed to marry now?”

His mother made a face at him. Gah! She was such a child sometimes. For once he wished she would take his complaints seriously.

“Don’t be such a baby Jamie.”

“I hate it when you call me that!”

Just as his mother went to respond with probably something else to make him angry there was a knock at the door.

“I’ll get it. It should be Kain,” James said.

When James opened the door he was a bit surprised to see not only Kain but also his parents. What the hell where they doing here?

“It’s a bout time! We have to come up with a hunting plan. It will be dark soon,” James stated.

“Well about that…seems our fathers think they should come with us,” Kain said with a sad smile.

“What? No! We are sixteen and more than capable of hunting on our own. Every other Mystic does,” James raged.

“You are still so young. Your father and I will just trail behind the both of you. You will hardly know we are there,” Daniel O’Grady said calmly.

He was a big man of about six feet, seven inches. He had darker brown hair and brown eyes on fair skin. He was also very muscular for a Mystic because they tended to be leaner. He looked like he could bowl over a whole field of people. Even still, James wasn’t afraid of him.

“No! Where is my father? Father, come out here right now,” James demanded.

He knew he was acting like the child they still believed they were but he didn’t care. It was his damned birthday! His father walked in like he owned the place. Well technically he did but James was well into his tantrum and wasn’t about to stop now.

Besides his father didn’t scare him either. Well not much anyway. Michael Johnston’s very presence in a room commanded respect. Sometimes James didn’t like to give it to him. This was one of those times. Strangely his father loved when James challenged him. Claimed it kept him on his toes. They had a very strange relationship.

His father was just as attractive as his mother. His father’s skin was much paler in comparison to hers and his eyes where a vibrant green. He kept his fire red hair in one long braid down his back. He was six feet, five inches of lean muscle but one should never let that lead them to believe he couldn’t do a great deal of damage to anyone bigger than him. His father played to win. Always.

“You bellowed,” Michael said with mirth.

“What do you think you’re doing? You can’t come tagging along on my first solo hunt. What will people think?” James was screeching at this point.

“Shit James with all that screaming you are doing people will probably think you’re a girl,” Michael mocked.

“You’re not fucking going!” James yelled. “We are sixteen and it is our right.”

Michael just gave his only child a long look. He was his baby boy regardless of what anyone else thought. His son was a good egg. Yes he was a killer but he had honor. He had values. He wasn’t ready to send him out on his own. Even if Kain would be accompanying him on his first solo hunt. Daniel felt the same way so they had came up with this unheard of turn of events. Michael knew it was time to take a gamble.

Mystics where know as cold and uncaring but it wasn’t entirely true. He loved his family and he would be damned if his only son was hurt on his first hunt. He was fucking going with him or he wasn’t going at all.

“Either Daniel and I are going with you boys or you want be going at all,” Michael said looking his son right in the eyes.

“This is total fucking bullshit!” James screamed as he smashed anything he could find that was breakable.

Kain just shook his head. He wanted to go hunting. He didn’t care if both their damn parents watched from the background. He was hungry. He hoped James got over his tantrum before the sunset and they needed to be out the door. All these years later and James still insisted on acting like a toddler whenever he didn’t get his way. Kain was losing patience with his best friend really fast.

 

 

Chapter 2

“Well now you’ve done it Michael. He’s going to break every piece of pottery he can find in his outrage,” Marcella said. “This is entirely your fault you know. You let him get away with bloody murder.”

Marcella looked at her husband in amusement. James was a handful and spoiled. She didn’t mind in the slightest. She was glad they had only one child. She loved being able to have one on one time with her son whenever she wanted. She didn’t have to compete for his attention. She hated being second best, and that would include the daughter she was supposed to have for James to marry. She was selfish and she didn’t care. That may be were James got it from.

“He will get tired soon enough,” Michael replied. “So Kain are you ready to go on your first hunt?”

“I’ve been ready for the last two days. If I hadn’t told James I would wait for him I’ve had already been on a hunt,” Kain said.

James was still smashing vases in the background but stopped at the sound of Kain’s voice.

“You would have left me?” James asked with a pout.

“Will you cut it out James. I want to go on a hunt. Who cares if they follow behind us?” Kain pleaded.

Kain was used to James’s outbursts by now but sometimes he just wanted to shake his best friend. They had a damn hunt to go on and James was throwing one of his famous tantrums. Kain was an only child too but he never acted this way. His father would kill him. After his mother beat him first to soften him up!

“I care. This hunt is supposed to signify our independence. How can it do that if our daddies are tagging along?” James whined and stomped his foot for good measure.

“Oh come off it James. We are going. You’ll hardly know we are there,” Michael said firmly.

James knew it was a losing battle. His father was getting impatient with him. He would only let him act out so much before he would have to punish him. James hated being punished.

“Fine but not so close,” James compromised.

“You won’t even know we’re there,” Michael agreed.

“Excellent. Abaigeal dear we will be back before you know it,” Daniel said to his wife.

She was as pale as James’s father and had hair just as red with emerald green eyes. She was a short and tiny thing though. James wasn’t sure how she carried Kain’s big ass in her small body.

“Of course dear. Marcella and I will just have ourselves a bit of girl talk while we clean all these vases James smashed,” Abaigeal replied.

James felt a little guilty about his outburst but not enough to offer to clean it up himself. He was spoiled he admitted it. Perks of being the only child. Sometimes it didn’t suck so badly. This was one of those times.

“Come on boys let’s go scout out an area. Has to be some humans out roaming around, begging to be eaten,” Michael announced. “Tell your mothers goodbye so we can go. The sun is setting.”

James and Kain gave their mothers a kiss on the cheek and quickly made their way to the door. They were pumped and ready to feed. They were that much closer to being men in the eyes of their fathers. They didn’t want to mess it up.

***

James could barely contain his excitement. He couldn’t wait to sink his teeth into some poor unsuspecting human. Usually his father or mother would take someone down then he would drink after them. There was no struggle or fight by the time he feed. They were already close to death and he just finished the job. He wanted a challenge.

He was determined to show his father he didn’t need a babysitter. Kain was the only backup he needed. The only backup he ever wanted. The sun had set completely and James walked side by side with Kain and they scanned the horizon and listened closely to their surroundings. True to their words, their fathers weren’t seen or heard but James knew they were watching and waiting. Ready to jump in if need be.

James spotted the people first and nudged Kain to look as well. Kain gave him a brilliant full on smile and shook his head in agreement. They would have to be silent, deadly, and fast. There were twelve kids who looked to be around the same ages as Kain and James. This would be easy. Six and six, surely they could each handle a few tiny humans.

They continued their slow approach to the twelve unsuspecting humans but blended more with the shadows. No need to spook them before they were right upon them and able to stop them from getting away or screaming. The shock of what was about to happen would keep them occupied long enough for them to drain everyone dry before anyone could think to make a single move or run away.

James heart raced in excitement, anticipation, and a small dose of fear. This was it. The moment he had been waiting for, for sixteen years. Once James felt he and Kain were close enough he gave the signal they had discussed days ago.

They pounced at the same time and that’s when they realized they had made a mistake, a very big one at that. These weren’t just your average slow, ill-prepared humans. These were something more and they were prepared and ready.

 

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