Hope Embraced

By Jackie McMillan

Accepting that vampires and witches were real was easier than Jenna had thought. Accepting that she was the saviour of all was harder but knowing that her best friend and Alex were going to be beside her though it all made it all less daunting. Between the three of them, she would save them all but she didn't know if she could save herself. Her mystery illness was taking hold and at times she doesn't know what she is turning into. She is more afraid of that than she was of everything else going on. What she didn't know was would she be herself by the time the prophecy is fulfilled?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Jackie McMillan
• Release date: Mar 31, 2021
• ISBN: 9781999311346

Book preview

Chapter One

She scanned around the bar for him. She knew he would be here somewhere; she just had to find him. She glanced at the time and saw that it was getting late. She didn't want to wait for much longer but she had to find him.

She lifted the whiskey glass and took a drink letting the amber liquid burn down her throat. She couldn’t get drunk but she did like the little buzz it gave her when she tried. She was beyond alcohol.

Hi, is this seat taken? She turned towards the voice.

I’m waiting for someone. She turned away from the man and held onto her glass.

Well how about I keep you company until they arrive. A lady as beautiful as you should not be sitting by herself in a bar. The man sat down on the stool next to her but she kept her head turned away. She didn't want to let him see her revulsion. She did catch him ordering her another drink from the bar tender from the corner of her eye.

When the glass was put down in front of her, she looked at it then lifted it and drank it in one go. She let out a sigh as the burn took hold throughout her body. This was the feeling that she like. The burn knowing that she caused it and wanted more.

Well, a girl who can drink, that’s what I like. Bartender, another round here, and keep them coming. The man drank his down and waited on the refill. She turned to him and as she did, she saw what she had been waiting for.

All around him was the glow of someone who knew what it was to hurt and that is what she needed. The drinks arrived again and she lifted her purse and slid off the bar stool.

If you’ll excuse me for a minute, I need to freshen up. She turned to walk away but then turned back and stepped into him taking his mouth in a kiss that promised more to follow.

She walked through the bar smoothing her dress as she went towards the restrooms working out how she could get what she needed as quickly as she could before heading home. She didn’t like going home empty handed but she would need to see how he measured up.

The rest rooms were empty thankfully so she had time to freshen up before anyone else came in. She had just taken her lipstick from her purse when the door opened. She glanced towards it and saw the man from the bar.

I couldn’t wait for you to come back. He crossed the distance quickly putting his arms around her and began nuzzling her throat. How about a quickie before the main course? Something to whet the appetite? His hands moved over her body, stopping at her breasts.

You were one of those that always wanted desert before the main course weren’t you?

Why wait when the good things are there for the taking. He continued to kiss her neck whilst his hands played with her breasts. She stood staring at them in the mirror. She put her lipstick down and turned around to face him.

That’s better. He leaned in as if to kiss her but she turned her head.

Not on the lips, I don’t want to go out all smudged. He laughed low and began to kiss her neck leaning down towards her breasts. She looked around the bathroom where they were and saw the worn tiles on the floor and walls. She began to laugh making the man that was trying to get into her dress stop and straighten.

What’s so funny? She couldn’t answer him as she couldn’t stop from laughing. He grabbed her arms tightly. What’s so funny? he repeated but she couldn’t stop. He shook her but that just seemed to make her laugh harder. He let go of her arm, drew his back and let it go hitting her firmly on the jaw. She fell but he still had a hold of her other arm making her sag against the sink and him.

Not laughing now are you. Well, we will see what we can do to make sure that you don’t laugh again at me. He started to undo his belt as she turned her head back around to him. Her tongue sneaked out and wiped away the blood from the side of her mouth. He was oblivious to her as she stood tall and straight reaching out to wrap her hand around his throat.

By the time he realised what she was doing, he was struggling for breath. She lifted him up until his feet were dangling in the air.

It is people like you that keep me in business. You think you are the more superior species but let me tell you, you’re not. You are only here to provide what we need to survive. One day, we will reign over all the earth and you will be serving us as slaves. She stared at him watching as his face turned purple as he tried to breathe. She looked down at her dress and saw that he had torn in down the front.

This was my favourite dress, now I’ll need to find something else to wear. She looked him up and down. You really need to learn to be nicer to the female of the species. The man’s eyes were bulging out his face as he fought to pull that hand away from his throat.

She opened her mouth and began to suck the soul out of the man she was holding up. He began to twitch as the life was drained from him, making the body move in her hand but she kept a firm grip as the body began to shake then there was nothing.

She held the limp body of the man aloft before dropping him to the floor. She stood still and closed her eyes feeling the rush of the soul flowing through her. This was better than alcohol she thought. She let her head fall back as the feeling over took her, like an addict riding the high.

Eventually it faded and she opened her eyes and looked at herself in the mirror. She had that glow to her that humans would mistake for something else. One problem was her eyes, they were glowing red as blood and this was something she couldn’t walk out with.

She looked down at the body and wondered if he had any sunglasses she could use but decided against it. She stared at her reflection in the mirror, concentrating on her image. She changed to someone else entirely - from dark hair and sexy dress, to dirty blond with jeans and ragged t-shirt. She picked up her purse which had changed to something more suitable as soon she touched it.

She fluffed her hair a bit then turned, stepping over the man on the floor and left the bathroom. She stuck a sign to the door as she left stating that they were out of order. That should give her time to leave before he was found.

She made her way back through the crowded bar with no-one giving her a second glance. She stepped outside into the night air and took a few deep breathes still feeling the rush of the earlier encounter.

She started walking away from the door when everything about her froze. She stopped and even before she turned, she knew who it was. She smiled as she spoke.

It must be Christmas for you to come to me. It’s not often that we meet so regularly.

Leave it alone Melaena.

I don’t know what you’re talking about. She began to walk towards the figure that was now in front of her. I’m only doing what has to be done.

You know what I am talking about. There cannot be any intervention on the prophecy. She must decide for herself. She stopped in front of the woman who had been a thorn in her side for thousands of years.

I’ll just be showing her the options that are open to her. I’m not the one who is panicking that things may not go her way. You are the one who put us in this situation. This was your idea to have one person decide the fate of all on this planet.

I know you Melaena, I know what you are capable of and whom you serve but I can tell you, you will not win this war. Humans can work together to ensure the survival of the race. They will prevail over all. Melaena laughed.

You really think that a race who fights amongst themselves over the little things. A race who strives to be the most powerful, who objectifies the body, which alienates those that are different to the norm will seriously work together to save themselves? You really are reaching for the stars. She stepped back from the woman in the robe. They will not win. They are too selfish to be able to take others who are different to them into their homes.

Melaena stopped a few steps away from her. For someone who created a superior race, you cannot see what is in front of you. We will prevail, we will win and treat these humans as the fodder that they are. She turned and walked away leaving the other woman standing in the street.

Using a human term, God help us, she thought. She needed to ensure that the outcome of this prophecy was the one they needed. She needed to make sure that Melaena and the rest did not win, for if they did, it would mean the end of the human race.

Chapter Two

She had done it. She never thought she would have had it in her to do something like this but family and friends were more important than work. She had walked into her boss’s office when he had gotten back and told him that she was leaving, effective immediately. She had foregone the formalities and would take the consequences that arose. She’d had this feeling that had been growing in urgency since she had left Jenna that she needed to get back to her quick.

Something was going on and she needed to find out what. When she had left work yesterday, everything passed by in a blur. She had never seen her boss lost for words before until she had told him exactly what she thought of him. By the time she had walked out his office, everyone in the office was staring at her.  She walked to her desk, collected her personal belongings and left the building, handing her pass in as she went.

By the time she had stepped out into the bright sunshine, she felt as if a weight had been lifted from her shoulders and calmness settled over her that was unusual. Even though the urgency she felt about getting back to Jenna was still there, she felt deep down that everything was going to be okay filled her.

If she had known it was going to feel this way, she would have quit before now. She crossed to her car and headed back to where she had been staying for the last ten years or so. It wasn’t home to her, just a place to sleep. She was heading home now to where she belonged. At the apartment, she had packed up all she wanted to take with her which was very little. Clothes, a few pictures and keep sakes but apart from that, she left everything. She would get what she needed when she got home.

As she headed out of the city she stopped in at the estate agents that she had bought the apartment from to give them the keys and told them to put it up for sale as she would no longer be requiring it. Everything inside was being left and they could sell it as is. She gave them a number which she could be contacted on and would let them know where to send any paperwork once she knew herself where she was going to be.

She was about halfway home when she stopped at a service station for a break. As she parked the car, she got out and stretched her legs. She got herself a coffee and danish which she ate at one of the tables outside as it was such a nice day albeit cold. The fresh air helped clear her head a little and she watched as others went past her going on with their lives.

She was about to get up from the picnic table when something brushed her leg. She jerked her leg away and stood quickly, tripping over the leg of the table in the process but kept her balance. She looked down to see what had touched her when a cat, as white as snow stepped out from under the table.

‘Hello there little guy, you hungry?’ Sarah sat up and looked about the remains of the danish she had bought. She found them on the edge of the table still wrapped in the paper she had bought it in. She reached up to it and lifted it down. She held it out to the feline and waited to see if it would come closer.

The animal gave a meow that seemed to go right through her. She felt goose bumps over her body at the sound. She dropped her hand and pushed herself to her feet, leaving the crumbs on the ground. She wiped her hands off, lifted her bag and headed back towards her car.

There weren’t many people around as it was mid-week and the middle of the day so it was fairly quiet. She pulled her keys out and unlocked the car from a short distance away. As she went to open the door, the cat appeared back at her feet. She tried to go round it but it always seemed to be in front of her.

Shoo, go away.  She tried to move away from it but it wouldn’t leave her alone. She finally stepped over it and opened the door and got into the car. The cat jumped up onto the bonnet of the car and Sarah found herself staring through the windscreen at it. Before she could open the door and get out again, the cat jump off and disappeared into the trees.

That was strange, she said to herself. She started the car but before she could drive away, a huge dog ran in front of her and headed off in the direction that the cat had gone. She stared after it then put the car into gear, headed out and back onto the road home. As she passed the exit to the services, the cat and dog sat side by side in the treeline watching as she drove away. They looked at one another then bounded off into the trees vanishing from sight.

The closer she got to home the more unease she felt. She couldn’t explain it; just that the closer she got to home and Jenna, she was filled with a sense of urgency and dread. She had to get there quick. She had no explanation for it just that she had limited time to find her friend. Only hours before she had felt as if everything was going to be okay but now it felt like the opposite and she didn't like it.

It was around late-afternoon by the time she reached her home town so she drove straight to Jenna’s work to surprise her. As she got closer to the building where her friend worked, the traffic slowed to a stop start motion and it frustrated her. She gradually moved through the line of traffic and made it to the front only to see that it has been blocked. The security guard was telling all those who were waiting that they had to go in through the other entrance as this one was closed due to some urgent maintenance that needed to be done on the entry road.

Sarah rolled her window down as she came to the front of the queue.

Excuse me, can you tell me where the other entrance is to the car park? I’ve only ever used this one.

Ma’am, if you go around the block, the other entrance is on the opposite side of where we are now. There will be a guard there to direct you where to go.

Thank you.

She left her window down but turned her car around in the tight space in front of the gates and headed around to find the other entrance. She drove slowly around the block as she didn’t know where she was going. There was a car directly behind her and she could see that whoever it was, was eager to get around her and away. She saw a gap up ahead and she pulled into to it and let the car behind pass. She was on edge enough without having to deal with someone who’s impatient with road rage.

Once the car had passed she pulled again and continued on around the block to find the other entrance to the car park. She was beginning to think she had missed it when she caught sight of gates down a side street. She glanced behind her seen no one and reversed back so that she could drive down the street.

As she came to the end, she wasn’t sure she had the correct place but then she saw a sign on the wall letting her know she was in the correct place. There were no guards on duty and the barrier moved automatically when she got close to it. The hut to the side was empty but she drove on.

It wasn’t until she was passed the gates that she realised that she was not in the main car park but she was heading to an underground car park that she hadn’t even known existed. This must be where the artists and equipment were brought in.

She thought it strange that she was here but she couldn’t backtrack as there wasn't enough space for her to turn around so she kept on going down the ramp and into the car park. She drove around looking for signs to show her the way up to the reception area. She spotted the elevators at the opposite side to where she was so she drove over there and parked as close as she could get to them.

The car park itself was virtually empty with only a few vehicles parked against the wall just to the side of the elevators. Sarah began to wonder why this was not used daily as from what Jenna said at times it was difficult to get parked in the main car park. This looked as if it could hold around a hundred or so cars and that would definitely help with the overflow.

She pulled into a space close to the elevators got out and locked the car. She hitched her bag further up on her shoulder and crossed to the elevators. It was kind of creepy as the only sounds were her heels clicking on the ground as she walked. It was the sort of situation that you picture in horror films and she was just waiting on something jumping out at her from behind one of the pillars she passed.

She pressed the button for the car to come, but was on edge constantly looking around her waiting for something to happen. She told herself she was being silly but sometimes you can’t stop the brain from thinking the worst even though you know it isn’t going to happen. She moved from foot to foot as she waited on the car.

She thought it was never going to arrive when she heard a groan from somewhere to her right. She froze where she stood staring at the closed doors. She cast her eyes up to see what floor it was at and saw that it was stopped on the fifth floor so she had time before it would get to her.

Don’t move, stay here. Don’t turn around. She said quietly to herself. The groan sounded again but louder. Sarah turned towards where the sound came from. She couldn’t see clearly as the lights were out in the corner. She moved slowly towards the area where the sound had come from.

Hello? Is there anybody there? she walked slowly into the dimly lit area all the time being terrified at what she would find there. She just hoped that it wasn’t something that was going to kill and eat her. Her heels sounded like gunshots in the silence of the garage.

She rounded the side of a van and pillar before she saw what was making the noise. She drew her breath in quick when she saw the source of the groaning.

Chapter Three

Lying in the dim light was a man. The light directly above him started to flicker giving her a better look at him. He looked in pain but she couldn’t see his face as his head was turned away from her. She walked closer to him.

Are you okay? she stopped next to him but he still didn’t answer her.  He moved his head towards her voice and she couldn’t believe what she was seeing. His face looked badly beaten and swollen beyond recognition. She knelt quickly beside him reaching out to touch his arm.

Who did this to you? The unease she had felt before vanished as she touched him and all that remained was calmness, a rightness that she had never felt before. It was as if she was meant to be here in this moment to find him. She moved closer to him and reached out and brushed his hair away from his face. She could only see glimpses of him when the light above them flickered.

He had stopped groaning the moment she had laid her hand on him.

It’s going to be okay. I’ll get someone to help. She looked around although she knew that there was no-one else around. She made a move to stand when he reached out and grabbed her arm.

Don’t leave me. Please. He opened his eyes and looked directly at her. She felt as if she was looking into his soul.

I need to get someone to help me. She dug through her bag and found her mobile but she wasn’t getting a signal. I can’t call anyone as I don’t have as signal I need to leave and find someone. I won’t be gone long.

He kept looking at her as if she would disappear from his sight. She was beginning to feel the urgency coming back to her. In the distance, she heard a ding meaning that the elevator had arrived. Before she could stand, she heard footsteps behind them. She glanced behind them and saw a large man coming towards them. Her protective instincts kicked in and she stood in front of the injured man.

Stay away from us. I have a weapon. The figure didn’t stop only came closer. Sarah felt her heart rate increase. The figure finally stopped in front of her. He leaned to the side to look at the man on the ground and Sarah leaned with him to stop him from looking at him.

You’ve done enough damage to him. Leave him alone. The man switched his glance from the man to her giving her a look that said she couldn’t stop him. Sarah stood her ground not moving. He made a move to go around her but she stood firm following him.

I’m warning you, leave him alone. I don’t want to have to hurt you. The man looked down in amazement at her before pushing her aside and bending down to the man. She reacted without thinking by jumping on his back and tried to pull him away from the other man.

What the..? The man lost his balance and fell to the side with Sarah still clinging to him. Once he had gotten over his surprise he grabbed her arms and pulled her off him leaving her to lie on the ground. He started back for the fallen man as Sarah got her breath back and tried to grab him again.

Gage? Is that you?

Yeah it’s me. Sarah stopped as she heard that they two men knew each other. Let’s get you out of here and get someone to look at you. He gently helped his friend up and turned towards the elevator. Sarah stood blocking their way.

I’ll take it from here. And with that he walked around her and back towards the elevator with his friend leaning heavily on him. Sarah stood watching as the two men walked away. She felt deflated as they left as if she had missed something that had been important.  She watched until they reached the elevator and kept watching as they stepped in. The injured man turned at the last moment and looked at her before his friend took him into the elevator and away from her.

She had this feeling that she would see them again but she couldn’t explain it. He had looked so hurt but he hadn’t said much to her. The pleading in his voice when he’d asked her to stay struck a chord deep inside her and she wanted to know why. She felt connected to him after only a few minutes of his company.

She knew nothing about him but she had a feeling that she would and that she would be able to help him in some way. She bent down and lifted her bag from the ground and crossed back to the elevator to continue on the real reason she was here, to find and help Jenna.

She couldn’t stop herself turning back to where she had found the man as she waited on the elevator returning from taking the two men away. She stepped in when it returned and pressed for the lobby, her mind in two directions when it should only be on one – her friend not some stranger that she had met for a few minutes.

She exited the elevator and made her way through the large lobby to the receptionist desk that was way over the other side to where she had come out of the elevator. She must have picked a freight one or something otherwise she should have come out directly into the lobby and the elevators that she had just passed.

She stood waiting for the fashion follower behind the desk to finish up the call that she was on. Sarah turned away from the desk and looked around the lobby. It was grand but not overly so. No-one would know who was in the building as the entrance was understated but you could still tell that there was money in the building.

The floor was white and grey marble that was so smooth Sarah felt as if she could go sliding across it like a child sliding on ice. She held back from doing so and continued on her sight trip. This was the first time she had actually been in the building. In the past she had met Jenna either in town or else just outside when she caught glimpses of the inside.

She stepped away from the desk a few steps and towards a seating area that looked as if it would be very uncomfortable to sit on. She turned back to the receptionist who was still on the phone then crossed to sit on the first seat that she came to. It was surprisingly comfortable.

All the chrome and angles were not just that for show, but the furniture was useful rather than just decorative. The seat held her still but allowed her to move easily to pick a magazine up from the low glass table in front of her.

Glancing back to the receptionist Sarah came to the conclusions that the call she was on was not business but personal so she figured she was in for a long wait. She flicked through the magazine she had lifted and was half way through when she realised that she wasn’t taking anything in that she saw. Her mind was back in the basement and the man she had found.

He had felt like home to her and she couldn’t understand why. She had no idea who he was but he was someone that she had a feeling she would be meeting again and that he would make an impact on her future.

She felt a shiver go through her at that thought and looked back to the reception desk. The woman behind it was staring at her strangely, but she had finished her call and called over to her.

May I help you? Sarah put down the magazine and crossed back to her, her heels clicking on the floor as she went.

Yes, I’m here to see Jenna McCloud. The lady behind the desk started typing away on the keyboard before looking back to her.

I’m sorry, ma’am, but there is no-one here by that name. Sarah stood straighter as she looked at her.

What do you mean there is no-one here by that name. She works here, at Dresden’s, she must be on the directory. Check again. The woman typed again then looked back up at her shaking her head.

I’m sorry but there is no-one here by that name. Are you sure you have the right address?

Yes I’m sure, she’s worked here for years. Sarah felt cold descend over her as she stood there. She watched the receptionist talking to her but she couldn’t hear what she was saying. She saw her mouth working but no sounds reached her ears.

Something was wrong, very wrong. Jenna wouldn’t just disappear like that. She backed away from the desk, her mind working overtime at what was going on. She couldn’t grasp that fact that her friend was not here. She wouldn’t just up and leave her job so suddenly. She would have told her.

She walked backwards away from the desk then turned and started running towards the elevator that she have come up on. She pressed the button a few times wishing for the car to arrive and take her away from here.

The doors opened and she pressed for the garage and as the doors shut, she felt let the fear she was holding back out. She screamed in the empty car and when she stopped, her whole body was shaking.

She stumbled out the car and over to where she had parked. She fumbled with the keys to unlock the car and once she was in, she locked the car again. She now felt an odd sense of calm now that she was out of the building and underground.

Before she turned the engine on, she pulled out her phone to call Jenna, but she remember when she saw the screen that she had no signal down here. She put the car into drive and headed out of the carpark into the daylight. She stopped as soon as she was a few feet from the entrance she had used and called Jenna. She didn’t think anyone would be coming up behind her as the car park had been virtually empty.

She was impatient waiting for the call to be answered.

C’mon, pick up the phone. Answer dammit. The call went on to voicemail which wasn’t unusual as she did forget to keep her phone charged at times. She would try again later and would keep trying until she spoke with her, but it didn't make her feel any less on edge.

Chapter Four

Jenna left Alex in the hall and found her way back to the elevator so she could get back to the room she had been given to use. He had been shaken to the core about what had happened so now he knew how she had been feeling over the last day or so. She knew he needed time to process all that had happened and he would always know where to find her if and when he needed to talk.

She was thinking over all that had happened over the last few days when she felt a cold breeze from somewhere that made her look around the car she was in. She rubbed her arms to get some heat back to them when the breeze stopped as suddenly as it had started and the heat came back to the car.

The doors opened and Jenna looked to see which floor they were on as they couldn’t be at the seventh yet. Cassie stepped into the car hesitating as she came.

‘Hi,’ Jenna stayed where she was wondering what had just happened. Do you think it’s cold in here? Cassie turned to look at her, seeing a person who was more calm and more together than she had been the last time she had seen her. She wondered what had happened in the interim to make her like this.

Maybe a little, but it can get breezy in here. It’s a sure fire way to make sure no-one gets up to anything in these cars that they are not supposed to. Cassie looked over Jenna picking up on something that was so subtle she didn't think anyone else would be able to sense, except her. She couldn’t say anything until she knew for sure. Are you okay?

Jenna glanced at her smiling as she did so. Surprisingly, I feel fine. In fact I’ve never felt this calm since, well, ever. I can’t explain it but something just seems to have fallen into place. Cassie watched her as she kept her arms wrapped around herself as if she was cold. There was a coldness that came from dread in the car when she first stepped in but now it had gone and there was just peace.

She had an idea as to what it was but she had to check a few things out first then she would speak to Alex and Jenna about it. If she was right, then they would soon have another very powerful witch in their midst that would help to fulfil the prophecy and overcome those that were working to stop them. Well, she had to tell them first that she was a witch and that the new addition that would be arriving soon would be able to help her protect them.

Cassie stayed in the car when Jenna left it staring at the doors as they closed behind her. She couldn’t believe that her secret looked as if it was going to come out and that she would have someone else to talk to about things. Most people thought she was instinctive by nature and good at listening but there was more to it and it was only recently that she had told someone.

She pressed to open the doors again and walked down the corridor to where she was staying. She longed to get back to her own place with her own things around her but the situation was too delicate to be so far away if they needed her so all those that knew the truth were staying here under Alex’s protection until the end.

She hesitated at the door to the apartment where Jenna was staying just now before carrying on down the hallway to her room. She knocked on the door and waited for someone to answer from the inside. She glanced around her