The Eternal Secrets

By Vincent Thurman

Mysterious, fascinating, and amazing elements of the supernatural

Sebastian Kane lost his soul many centuries ago. Decades later, he lost the love of his life. There are rumors that he may be able to reincarnate her with the all-powerful Book of Spells. Sebastians secret is that hes a vampire, and his only purpose in life is to discover and solve the elusive clues to find the book. On his return to Haven-Crest after his last venture, he meets a very unique young girl named Jenessa Craig, an aspiring senior in high school. As chance would have it, she harbors a secret also: shes living out a prophecy of a legend foretold by a powerful dympyre, a vampire and howler hybrid. Jenessa begins to doubt her sanity and lose trust in people around her. As shady individuals with deadly intentions show their hands and more secrets start to unravel, the clock ticks in the race against time to find the Book of Spells. The ultimate question is: Who can be trusted?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: May 28, 2015
• ISBN: 9781503571822

Vincent Thurman

Vincent Thurman is a third time author. His forthcoming novel is titled Walk by Faith. When he’s not writing he spends time with his wife, Nichole; his daughters, Amber, Asha, Montressa, and Khadijah; two grandsons, Zykise and Kyri; and nephew Javon. His next novel entitled The Eternal Redemption will be coming soon.

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Copyright © 2015 by Vincent Thurman.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Rev. date: 05/27/2015

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Contents

Acknowledgements

Characters

Prologue

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

Dedication

I would like to dedicate this book to my mother, Mary Thurman (1948-2010). Without her, this would not have been possible. I will always love you. I also would like to dedicate this to my daughter Asha Thurman for your inspiration, for all your help, and for believing that we can do this. I love you.

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank some people who made this possible. First of all, thank you to my wife, Nichole, for your love, support, and having faith in my ability to write this book. To my daughters, Amber, Montressa, and Khadijah; my sister Nikki; my nephew Ja’von; my two-grandsons, Zy’kise and Kyrii, I love you guys. To my father, Thomas, thanks for believing in me and for your encouragement. To my family and friends, thank you for your inspiration and support.

To all the individuals who have inspired me along my journey through life, I would like to say thank you. I would like to give special thanks to Tina Moll; thank you from the bottom of my heart for all you’ve done and for your advice and help with this book. To Reggie Satterfield, my best friend, thanks for your support and belief in me about writing this book.

Characters

Vampires

Antione Semaj (King of the Vampire Coven)

Nicolette Albany (2nd in command to Antione)

Erika Capri (Works for Nicolette Albany)

Lars Grayson (Vampire muscle for Althea York)

They all are in allegiance with Antione Semaj.

Grey Clan

Sebastian Kane

Edmund Martin

Marcella Jacobs

Adam Mercer

Jai Li

Black Clan

Adrian Kane (Sebastian’s brother)

Andre McCall

Candice Ames

Nathan Dakota

Red Clan

Alexia Kane (Sebastian’s sister)

Fritz Marx

Javier Trevor

Benjamin Ray

Ethan Barclay

Witches

Estelle Craig (Jenessa’s Grandmother)

Celeste Craig (Jenessa’s Mother, deceased)

Jenessa Craig (A damphyre; genes mixed with vampire, howler, and bloodline witch)

Geneieve Fredrick (Estelle’s sister, Edmund’s lover)

Persia Fredrick (Geneieve’s daughter, a vampire, blood line witch but bitten by Nathan Frost, her ex-boyfriend)

Althea York (Powerful Salem witch)

England Witches

Seth Crenshall (Powerful warlock from England)

Camden, Alden, and Jazmine (Seth’s children)

Howlers (Man-wolves)

Sasha Deren (Alpha leader, basketball coach)

Gregory Turner

Jamal Carmichaels (Son of Karen Carmichaels, the DA)

Andrei Petrov

Andree Cardan (Friend of Sebastian. Andree is human with a sixth sense. He can sense and see mythical creatures in nature.)

The Committee (Members who want to banish all mythical creatures in Haven-Crest)

1. Lindsey Dobson (Current mayor of Haven-Crest)

2. Harold Maynard and wife Susan (Original founding ancestors)

3. Marion Burton (Original founding ancestor)

4. Karen Carmichaels (Original founding ancestor)

5. Jennifer Simmons (Original founding ancestor)

6. Sheriff Ross Michaels

Detective Karen MacRae (Lead detective for Haven-Crest Police Department)

Xaiver Michaels (Town historian and son of Sheriff Michaels)

Agent Monica Ambrose (Works for the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation)

Amy Christian (Librarian who has knowledge of deciphering symbols ancient codes and breaking riddles)

Liam Carter and Mark Ewing (Sheriff’s deputies)

Friends of Jenessa:

Chrisha Fleming (Montell and Felicia Fleming are Chrisha’s parents.)

Jai Li (Huang and Dana Li are Jai Li’s parents.)

News

Jewel Walker (Channel 2 News field reporter)

Joshua Kirkpatrick and Ashley French and the Channel 2 news anchors

Celister Howard (Town coroner)

Alonzo Quintana (Jenessa’s homeroom teacher)

Newspaper

Dave Tyler (Owner of Haven-Crest Chronicle newspaper)

Tariq Branch (Reporter for the Haven-Crest Chronicle newspaper)

Rudy Trackett (The town drunk who has seen a vampire and a howler, but no one believes him.)

Nayda (Gypsy fortuneteller)

Simon Ye (Interrogations expert, works for the Committee)

Syngyn (Immortal vampire and howler hunter, kills for bounties)

Prologue

Hurt, betrayal, and anger are a few words that describe the feelings a man who has lost the love of his life to a tragedy that he has always felt was his fault. Over the last decade, the emptiness inside his heart and the pain he has endured as a result of the accident have not made the suffering any easier. All the hurt and remorse inside him fuel the hatred he has for people around him, yet if one looks past the anger, he is a man who is noble, sincere, and trustworthy. There is a secret that has yet to be uncovered about him in this town called Haven-Crest right outside of Vance County, North Carolina. Unknown to a lot of people, he lived here centuries ago only to later return as a creature of the night.

During the American Revolutionary War back in 1775, there were trying times for many. People came on the ships from England with different intentions. Some desired a change in culture while others came to make their fortunes. As slaves were brought to the United States from Africa, they continued to practice traditions, sometimes known as magic, to provide protection from entities they called demons. A lot of the colonists from up and down the coast from Virginia to Florida called these people witches because they had powers that could not be explained, and most of the colonists were afraid of them.

Many witches had migrated from Salem, Massachusetts, before they were hunted and killed for being the devil’s messengers. After the witch trials and massacres, a very small handful of witches escaped and moved away. They started new lives but never stopped practicing and teaching other witches the art and knowledge of the majestic power of the realms beyond. The man who helped the witches escape was Roman Craig. He was found by the Committee and killed for being a warlock and helping the witches escape. One witch who got away was the love of Roman’s life, Estelle Craig. Roman gave her a map showing where he had hidden the Book of Spells, the greatest treasure known to man or witches. This magical book of ancient spells dates back to the Wizard Merlin and has been passed down throughout history. Estelle has the map, yet no one knows about its existence except for a few witches who were suspicious about the Book. She and Roman migrated to a small town called New Haven, but later the colonists changed the name of the town to Haven-Crest, which was appropriate because it became a haven where witches could start new lives.

As mythical creatures begin to appear, they seek refuge in Haven-Crest because the town keeps their secrets of what they are. Sir Sterling Kane, royal nobleman, along with his wife and three children leave England for the new world to start new lives. The Kanes are the first royal black settlers to move to Haven-Crest, and Sterling Kane helps set up the political structure of the judicial committee. He eventually becomes an elder of the colony. He is the first elected mayor and becomes the leader of the Committee in 1829. He has three very intelligent children, Reginald, Roderick, and Barbara. Their ages range from eleven to eight. Reginald is similar to his father in that he has ambition and drive. He wants to be mayor and a member of the Committee, just like his father.

One cold winter in 1790 in the month of January, a wandering witch named Althea comes to Haven-Crest, and with her comes a deadly curse. The townspeople do not know that she has made a deal with a creature. She is a powerful witch who senses Estelle’s presence, and she knows other witches live in the town. When the creature first comes to town, it stands on the outskirts and only comes out at night. The colonists think that it is very strange. A lot of the men in the colony get together and build a tavern where only males can come in and drink ale or beer. One night a stranger comes in and sits at the bar, and all the talking comes to a stop. Sterling, the mayor, walks over to the stranger and asks him to join him at his table. The stranger turns and walks over to the table where the other noblemen are seated and sits down. The sheriff asks, Stranger, what is your name?

I go by a few names, but you can call me Lars, he responds with a devilish grin.

As other members of the committee look at Lars, they see something unpleasant about him. The mayor asks Lars, What are you doing here in Haven-Crest? Do you have family here?

Lars turns to the men and says, No, I have no family here in this wonderful town of yours, Mr. Mayor; I’m here to take care of some personal business.

Samuel Maynard looks at Lars and says, What personal business do you have here, Mr. Lars?

Lars cuts his eyes and says, My friend and I are looking for something very important, and she knows who has it.

Lars sounds angry, so the mayor changes the subject by asking Lars if he likes the beer they are drinking. All of a sudden, a strong wind blows open the tavern doors. Once the fog lifts, there is a figure standing in the shadows. The sheriff and a few of the men go out in the night to see what this could possibly be. Due to the extremely cold weather, the men don’t go very far because whatever they saw has vanished into the night. Once the mayor and the men return to the tavern, Lars is gone. The mayor buys another round of beer for the men and calls it a night.

As the years go by, Haven-Crest becomes quite a settled town, and many there have big dreams of the town becoming a prosperous place where progress will occur in the future. After Mayor Sterling Kane mysteriously disappears, his eldest son becomes the mayor at a young age of twenty-two. In 1842, Reginald meets Angelica Dunbar, daughter of the Chancellor of Haven-Crest University, Aiden Dunbar. They marry in 1844. Three years later, Angelica gives birth to sons Sebastian and Adrian, and later a daughter, Alexia, is born. As they grow, Reginald becomes very close to his two sons. Sebastian wants to be like his father, who does good deeds for the community, and Adrian is the opposite. He stays in trouble and hangs out with the local troublemakers. He hates his family and what they stand for in the town.

The man named Lars returns, and this time things are different. He is looking for three individuals of a particular bloodline, and they must be virgins. He mingles with some of the townspeople for a couple of weeks, and then he meets Adrian. They became friends, and Lars tells Adrian that he has news of the whereabouts of his father, who had been missing and had been reportedly killed from injuries sustained in the war. Adrian gathers his siblings to gives them the news from Lars, so they decide to meet with him. They all meet in an old shack down in the woods. They go in and find Lars there, and a girl and an old lady are also waiting. They have a seat, and the old lady stands and stirs a large stewpot that is hanging over a big fire. Lars comes over and talks to Adrian, and begins whispering in his ear. As Sebastian and Alexia look at each other and wonder what’s going on, Sebastian stands and says, Adrian, what’s going on here? I thought you told us that Lars had information about the whereabouts of Father? Who is this lady? You need to explain yourself.

The old lady speaks and says, Don’t worry, my son; you will find out in due time where he is. Just be patient.

She turns to Lars and nods her head, and the events of that night soon begin. She tells the siblings to stand and then says, You are here to find the whereabouts of Reginald Kane, your father. In this journey, you must encounter your own personal demons in order to be successful. From what I was told, you three are pure in hearts and bodies, and that is what is needed to help find your father. First, I need for you to hold out your hands and give me some blood in order to begin the ceremony. Then I’m going to get you to recite an incantation so the spell will work.

As the old lady conjures, she stirs in the cauldron and adds spices plus much needed mystery ingredients to help the spell to work its magic. As the three Kane siblings stand stunned as what to they are seeing, Alexia becomes afraid and wants to leave, but Lars flexes his authority by securing the exits. The old lady says, I’ve waited a long time for this, and now that the elixir is complete, the rituals can commence. You three can come to the altar and kneel inside the pentagram on the floor. The eldest shall start first; recite this incantation after me: Oh, Father, you are my eternal father. I will honor, protect, and serve you for all eternity. You are my past, present, and future, as I am your humble servant. Then, drink the elixir out of the chalice.

Sebastian looks back at Adrian and Alexia. He hesitates and then takes the chalice and drinks all of the elixir, sets the chalice on the table, and returns to the pentagram. Adrian performs the ritual next, and Alexia goes last. Afraid, she looks at her brothers and says, I don’t know if I can do it. I have a bad feeling about this, but I’m going through with it so we can find Papa.

She turns the chalice up and drinks all of the elixir, recites the incantation, and then sits back into the pentagram. Unknowingly, the elixir begins to take effect on the young siblings as they appear to be in a bardo state where they look to be alive but are actually dead. The old lady walks into the next room and returns with a young girl whom she takes to the altar and lays down. As the Kanes become engulfed by the afterlife experience, the old lady begins reciting a spell that holds them in place so they don’t make the journey to the other side. It is as though their bodies are floating in the air. They float over to her, and she says, In order for you to stay on this side of death, you must feast on the blood of the sacrifice I present in your honor, and this will show you where your father is. My servants, for the master for eternality, feast on your gift; drink her blood until her heart beats no more.

Although they are in a trance, they sacrifice the young girl by drinking her virgin blood and then eating her still beating heart. As they look to the old lady for guidance, she flips back her cape and reveals to them that she is the powerful witch Althea. She opens up a black book on the altar, pulls out a dagger, and then says, Master, I give you three servants to honor you in their death to walk this Earth as your obedient followers. Master, I present to you: Sebastian, Adrian, and Alexia, your children for all eternality.

Then she takes the dagger and stabs each one until they are dead. She turns to Lars and tells him to leave them right where they are. They will soon wake up, so he must wait there until they do. Then she leaves the old shack like a wisp of wind that blows through the trees. Being obedient to Althea, Lars waits until they arise the next evening. They all awaken at the same time with bloody faces, bloody clothes, and a new hunger in their bodies for something that is more powerful than they are. Adrian stands and says, Are you guys okay? Why is there blood on our bodies and faces? Why do I feel so strange? I’m so hungry. Sebastian, are you okay?

He replies, I’m okay, but I feel strange too. Yeah, I’m really hungry, but why is it that all I can smell is blood. Alexia, are you alright, little sis?

She stands very slowly, sits in the chair, and says, Yeah, I’m okay, but I’m very hungry. I wonder why?

At that time, Lars steps into the room, and they all turn at once as he says, Wakey, wakey, my little vampires of the night. I’m here to tell you what you have become with the help of Althea. First things first, you are vampires now, and you drink human blood in order to survive. I brought you all another delicious sacrifice to devour so that you can ascend into what you have been transformed into. Let me get the first taste of this exquisite nectar that God has presented for us to have.

Lars’ fangs protrude out, he makes a devilish growl, and his eyes turn golden-black. He leans forward and bites into the young girl’s neck and begins to drink her blood. Then he stops, holds the limp girl in his arms, starts walking over to Adrian, and says, Go ahead, my friend; take a drink and finish the transformation for the Master. I know you can smell the virgin blood out of her neck. Get a taste; don’t hesitate, or the hunger will overpower you. You must give in to the new urges and stop fighting your destiny.

As Adrian steps up to Lars and the limp, young virgin to satisfy the intense hunger for blood inside his body, his young fangs protrude out, and he commences to indulge in the taste of the warm blood from her neck. The sensation is so intense that he cannot stop himself. As Lars tries to get him to stop, his newfound rage steps to the forefront, and he growls at Lars as he steps back. Then Alexia comes forward and gets a taste of the warm blood dripping out from her neck. She unleashes her fangs and indulges in the transformation to her new destiny. She also drinks the blood until Lars has to tell her to stop. Sebastian stands there looking at his younger siblings and wondering if they made a grave mistake by accepting the invitation from Althea to partake in the ritual that probably cost them their lives and souls in exchange for receiving information about how to find their lost father. He looks at their bloody faces and how they have given in to the power of the hunger for blood. Lars notices his hesitation and says, Come on, my young friend; it’s your turn. Finish her off, and partake of this wonderful appetizer our host left for us. You need this to make the transformation; your brother and sister did it, and now it’s your time to drink it.

Slowly, Sebastian walks over to Lars and the young victim with the three gash marks and blood on her neck. His fangs extend as his eyes become golden-black. He growls, bites into her neck, and drinks the blood. He senses an overpowering sensation running through his body, as though he is tingling from head to toe, and feels refreshed. The feeling is so intense that he too cannot stop until Lars pushes him away. With his mouth bloody from the first transition, Lars tells them about phase two. Now that you’ve had your first kill, you will go through a bodily transformation which will take one to two days to complete. You will get adjusted to not being able to go out into the sun and will hunt for food only at night. The sun is now your enemy; it will kill you, and you must learn to sleep during the day to keep your strength. You will be under my keep for now, so go out into the night and quench your thirst.

Adrian seems at home in the newfound transition state they are in. He moves like the wind, as though in a blur. They go out and kill more people to satisfy the hunger for blood in their bodies. They stay in the town for a couple more weeks with Lars. Soon, they realize that Lars lied to them about their father and turned them into weapons for killing. After that, it soon gets out about the missing young girls. The Kanes move on to the next town, and the killings start all over again.

Chapter 1

As the Boeing 747 lands at the RDU airport, the stewardess makes the announcement about the procedures on how to depart the plane safely through the tunnel toward the baggage area. People are exiting the plane and walking throughout the terminal, going to different destinations to who knows where. A tall hooded gentleman observes the crowd as people move through to meet family and friends. He watches the young and old, looking at their ages. He wonders if they could live forever whether they would appreciate it more than knowing that one day they will die. Immortality may be looked at as a curse, but to some, to being immortal is more of a privilege. Even though normal humans aren’t immortal, some live long lives, sometimes over 100 years. As the tall hooded gentleman grabs his bags and heads to the airport shuttle van, he looks at a young couple meeting their grandparents, and everyone seems happy to see one another. The interaction amongst the family showing love for one another with compassion and connection is something he hasn’t seen in a very long time.

Once outside, he feels the cold rain as he is greeted by the shuttle van driver, who puts the bags in the trunk. The driver politely says, Sir, did you have a nice flight? Are you new to the area?

The hooded gentleman raises his head, looks over his eyeglasses, and says, It was alright. The weather here is not as cold as it was in New York.

I heard they had snow up there. Was it a lot? asks the driver.

The hooded gentleman replies, Yeah, about two feet, a lot of places shut down due to the snow, so I was lucky to get a flight to North Carolina tonight.

I take it you’re from around here. Do live close by? asked the driver.

Yes, I’m from Haven-Crest. You ever heard of that town? The hooded gentleman replies.

Yes, it’s up there near Henderson. Okay sir, here’s your car. Sir, you have a very nice car, replies the driver.

Thank you and I enjoyed our little conversation. You have a good night. The hooded gentleman replies back to the driver.

He reaches out to shake the driver’s hand and gives him a big tip of a hundred dollars. The driver smiles and says, That’s okay; you don’t have to do this. That’s too much.

The tall hooded gentleman smiles and says, Do you have a family? How any about kids?

He responds, Yes, I do, a wife and three kids. Why?

With kindness in his eyes and sincerity in his heart, he looks at him and says, Do me a favor; take everybody out to eat on me as a way of saying thanks for the conversation. You seem like a really nice guy. By the way, what is your name?

It’s Bob, Bob Cooke, and it was a pleasure to talk to you, replies Bob.

Once the hooded gentleman gets out and Bob helps him put his luggage in the trunk of his car, Bob toots his horn and drives away. The gentleman heads for the toll booth to pay the parking attendant. As he pulls up to the window, the attendant says, "Good evening, and how are you?