1 Prologue

Bloodline Prophecy

The bloodline of Archer will rise up

The heir of Archer will become a beacon of hope

But the darkness will betray the Light

Bring forth war upon the lands and sea

Upon the shoulders of the forsaken

Immortal creatures of the Dark will revel in the sunlight

Only the Slayer and the Chosen can defeat their bloodline

To rid the lands and sea of the Darkness

~

Calyx smelled blood before she saw it.

As she drew closer to the little cabin in the woods, thoughts of what she had just done dissipated. Tension mounted, contrasting the usually picturesque imagery of the cabin next to the stables and her father’s workshop at the edge of the City of Pearl. There was only fear and dread as her breathing became rapid and heavy.

A flame flickered within the cabin. Candlelight bounced off the walls and she could see it through the wide open door. Why was the door wide open?

Drawing closer, the shape of the legs curled to the side of a prone body caused tears to sting her eyelids. She peeked inside and found the lifeless eyes of her father. He was long gone from the world now. Bringing a hand up to cover her mouth, she wished to scream out, but she knew she was not alone.

“You worthless fool,” a familiar voice cackled.

Her heart clenched. She heard a crack then a body slammed against the wall. Forcing herself to continue, she walked around the fallen body of her father into the kitchen of the cabin. Shocked, she watched her sister grasping their mother by the throat.

“Ah, look,” her sister chuckled darkly, glancing over at her. “Look, Mother. Look who decided to finally arrive back home.”

“Marissa,” Calyx choked out. “What is the—”

A dark hooded figure emerged from the shadows in the corner of the room. Only the bottom half of the female’s face was seen with a slash of a smirk. Unruly waves of ebony hair cascaded over her chest. As she lifted the hood and let the fabric pool back to the nape of her neck, one name struck her with recognition.

Vera.

The Vampiress of Wystendel.

She was here.

“Child,” Vera called to her sister. Her sister immediately turned to the lady and she saw the bite marks upon her sister’s neck. Blood smeared down her skin, dripping on the fabric of her dress. “It is time to take our leave. Stop toying with your prey.”

Her sister’s head slowly turned. Cold eyes met hers and she knew that there was nothing left within them that resembled her sister. No longer the sweet, kind soul that held compassion and empathy, there was only the sharp edge of a knife glinting in the depths of them. Her sister had become a deadly weapon and not one that served to protect.

“Caly,” her mother croaked, struggling against the tight grip on her throat.

Immediately her eyes went to her mother as her sister growled. Fingers curled even more painfully into sensitive skin. The sharp gasp from her mother shattered her, but the fear stifled her will to react. Using a broken piece of wood, her mother drove it into her sister’s thigh. Her sister’s hissed and she quickly released her grip. Their mother stumbled forward, rushing towards her. She grabbed her before they escaped out of the kitchen.

As they made it to the front door, she felt her mother fly backward away from her. She gasped, turning back around. Her mother crashed against the wall before she slumped into a pile of crumpled limbs as Vera approached her.

“No, Caly!” her mother cried as Calyx took a step back into the cabin in an attempt to help her. “Shift! Run!”

She watched as Vera forced her mother to her feet. She shoved her back to her hobbling sister. The piece of wood still protruded out of the flesh of her sister’s thigh.

“Kiss your mother goodnight,” Vera commanded as her sister caught her.

“Caly!” Her mother glanced over at her. Their eyes locked. “Remember,” she begged her. “She is no longer your sister. Be not merciful.”

Her sister smacked their mother across the face, causing her face to crack to the side with force. Her sister sank her teeth into the exposed flesh of their mother's throat. A scream tore out of Calyx as her sister ripped a chunk from their mother’s neck. Her sister spat it out and turned to her, letting her see her for the monster she truly was.

Blood.

Their mother’s blood smeared across her face, dripping off her skin. Their mother’s body fell away from her sister’s grip as gravity forced the inevitable. She watched her mother's body crumble and thud against the floor.

Tears blurred her vision as she took in both fallen bodies of their mother and father. Lifeless. Frozen in shock and pain, she barely registered that Vera and her sister were now approaching her with a specific purpose.

“It is time,” Vera purred, finally drawing Calyx out of her trance. “Time to end the Archer bloodline, Child.”

“Yes, Sire.”

She is no longer your sister.

Wrath wrapped around her. How could this have happened? How could she have lost so much in one night? As she glanced up at the monster eyeing her with deadly intent, she saw the reason behind it all. Channeling the pain of betrayal, heartbreak, and loss, her body shifted into a wolf.

Be not merciful.

She would be the beast to her sister’s monster.