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Blood Resurrection by J.P Bowie Release Date: April 27, 2009
Publisher: Total-e-Bound
ISBN: 978-1-906811-62-4
Publisher Link: http://www.total-e-bound.com/product.asp?strParents=&CAT_ID=&P_ID=458
Blurb: Book four in the My Vampire and I Series. A centuries old demon using the power of the black arts holds the fate of the world in his hand – and only vampires can stop him! When Bernard Fournier first meets Marcus Verano he has no inkling that the tall and handsome man is in fact a vampire. For eighteen years Bernard has lived a life of degradation in a monastery – abused and humiliated by those who should have sheltered and cared for him. When Marcus offers Bernard the chance of freedom he willingly accepts it, leaving the monastery without regret or a backward glance. A victim of a plague that sweeps Europe in the 15th century, Bernard has only one chance of survival – and once more he accepts what only Marcus can offer – immortality. Time and distance eventually separate Marcus and Bernard as they make their way through the centuries. Bernard finds happiness in the arms of Pietro Dante, an academician employed in the Vatican library. All is well until the day when a demon force is unleashed upon the world in the guise of a new Pope. Only Bernard and Pietro know of the demon's plans, and they find a strange ally in Constantine, the demon's son, who wishes to protect his mortal lover, Gustav. But the demon Pope is willing to sacrifice everything, including his son, for his ambitions. Even the threat of opposition from the Vampire Council headed by Marcus and his friend Joseph Meyer will not halt him in his plan to rule the world – and destroy all vampires in the process. Can Bernard and his friends overcome the demonic plans to bring about the 'end of times', or will the forces of evil triumph over love and loyalty?
Excerpt:
Chapter One
France, 1425
Bernard
So that you don’t take me for a hallucinating idiot in some of the things I have to tell you, I’m going to let you in on a little secret. Well, not so little really—maybe quite important. I’m a vampire. Yes, it’s true. Please don’t shudder with fear. I’m really quite a nice fellow, and I promise I won’t take any bites out of your neck or suck on…your blood. Well, not unless you say ‘go ahead’, first.
My name is Bernard Fournier—yes, I’m also French, but please don’t hold that against me, either. A French vampire, I hear you saying. What else is he going to confess to us before the story’s end? Lots of things, actually, some good, some not so good, and some quite terrible—but, I must not get ahead of myself.
My life began, some six hundred years ago, in a little village in the south of France. The name of it is irrelevant, for it no longer exists—it being just one of those long forgotten casualties of the wars that have raged off and on throughout the centuries, before and since I was born.
I was born a bastard, the product of ravishment by pillaging knights, thrown into a rubbish heap by my less-than-doting mother then discovered by an old woman digging for scraps of food. Amazingly, she didn’t eat me but handed me over to some monks who baptised me to redeem me from sin and gave me the name Bernard. They raised me after a fashion, using me as a slave to fetch and carry then when my prettiness began to show through the grime and filth I was covered in due to their neglect, they abused me. Truth to tell, I had no idea as to what I looked like or why I had suddenly become an object of lust. I had never seen my reflection. Such a thing as a mirror was not hung in the monastery stable.
Not an impressive start to anyone’s life you might say and I would have to agree. So is it any wonder that my mind was consumed with thoughts of escape, and sometimes, with revenge? Many times, I would lift my eyes and look beyond the monastery walls to the fields and forests that lay so near, and yet so far, with their promise of freedom. Escape was impossible, however, for the good monks fettered me securely at night and, in the daytime, tied a length of rope to my ankles, long enough to not impede me in my chores but not quite long enough to enable me to run through the monastery gates.
For eighteen terrible years, I lived thus, wondering why the God the monks prayed to several times a day and praised as the Almighty Saviour did not care to save me. What had I done to deserve this wretched life? I asked Him each night as I knelt in the stable straw that served as my bed.
I had long since become immune to the vile advances of the monks, merely lying passively as they had their way with me, not even protesting when they would beat me afterward for being the temptation they could not resist. When left alone, I would lie on my back, staring up at the stable’s wooden roof, and imagine myself being able to fly away from this place of torment. If only I could escape, I thought, and never have to look again at the cruel and leering faces of the men who brutalised me, I would forego any desire for revenge. To be free of them and their hypocrisy would suffice.
* * * *
Perhaps God did hear my silent pleas after all, for it came in the form of a tall and handsome man, who arrived at the monastery late one night, requesting shelter from an impending storm. The monks and I had been busy shoring up doors and windows, getting the livestock inside and bringing enough food and water indoors to last them until the storm abated. The previous year, they had been confined within the chancery walls for three days. I, of course, had not been permitted to shelter there and had to huddle inside the stable, listening to the howling winds and lashing rain and wondering what would happen to me should the stable be carried away in the gale.
I watched with interest as Prior Hubert conversed with the tall man who had a military bearing and was dressed in fine clothes. Greedily, the Prior snatched the coins the tall man offered him then ushered him indoors, away from my sight. A moment later, one of the monks bade me to take the man’s horse to the stable and bed him down for the night.
The horse was a fine steed, its saddle and trappings of the best quality, and I handled all of it with care as I stowed them away in a corner of the stable, before preparing to brush the horse down. In the distance, I head the rumbling of thunder, heralding the storm’s approach.
“That’s all right…” A deep, melodious voice behind me made me jump. “I’ll take care of him.”
I turned, and my heart quickened as my eyes met the man’s emerald green gaze. I could now see that what before I had considered merely handsome was in fact…beauty. His smile became a frown when he saw my filthy state, the ragged clothes and the rope that bound me.
“By the gods, boy,” he murmured. “Who treats you so ill?”
I hung my head in shame, tears pricking the back of my eyes. He put a hand under my chin and raised my face to his, staring intently at me as if seeking the answer to his question in my mind. As he gazed into my eyes, I saw his face set in a grim expression then his eyes filled with compassion.
“Here,” he said abruptly, untying the rope around my ankle. “Give Orion his oat bag. He can do without his brushing for one night. Then come with me.”
I hastened to do his bidding without question, so well schooled was I in obedience. He led me from the stable. His hand on my shoulder lent me a comfort I had known little of in my life. The wind had picked up and big drops of rain spattered down on us as we walked quickly across the courtyard. I halted at the monastery door.
“Sire, I cannot enter here. I am forbidden.”
“Not tonight, you’re not,” he said. “Tonight, you are my guest.”
“But Sire, the Prior will be angered at my presence. He will beat me.”
“No, he will not,” the man assured me, steering me indoors and into the refectory. I trembled as every eye turned upon me. Prior Hubert stormed towards us, his face set in an angry grimace.
“What is the meaning of this?” he rasped, glaring at me. “Bernard, return to the stable immediately. Your filthy body is an abhorrence to the Lord God.”
“And just who allows the boy to live in this filth?” The tall man’s voice had taken on a hard and icy edge. “Does he not live here under your protection, Prior Hubert?”
The Prior drew himself up to cast a haughty look at my defender. “He does, and if it were not for our charity, he would have died long since. He was born a bastard and found among rubbish—”“Through no fault of his own,” the man murmured.
“We took him in when no one else would,” the Prior continued, ignoring the man’s comment.
The man’s hand on my shoulder tightened. I felt his anger through the tension in his body. “An admirable action, Prior,” he said, his smooth voice belying his rage. “But surely only what your calling demands. And does your charity not extend to a clean body and clothes? The boy is pale and weak from lack of proper nourishment. Have a bath prepared for him in my room, and send clean clothes and a hot meal. He will stay with me until the storm abates.”
“What?” The Prior flushed with outrage. He turned to me, his eyes blazing. “What have you told him?” he seethed.
“He has told me nothing,” the man said quietly. “And yet, I know all.” He took his hand from my shoulder and pushed back the folds of his cloak, revealing the hilt of his sword, its gold embossment glinting in the candlelight. “Now, do as I bid, Prior, before my natural instincts to punish the corrupt ones in your brood make me forget I am a guest here.”
The Prior gasped. “You dare—?”
“I more than dare, Prior Hubert.” He grasped the hilt of his sword. “I promise.” His smile was chilling. “Of course, I expect to recompense you for this inconvenience. I will see you well rewarded for your benevolence.”
The Prior had the grace to look away as he said, “Very well. Your request is granted.” He turned to one of the monks who stood nearby. “See to it.” And with one more look of loathing at me, he strode away.
“Come.” With a gentle hand again on my shoulder, the man led me to his room, a large space dominated by an ornate four poster bed, the likes of which I had never before seen. A table for dining, some chairs, a large oaken chest and a rug of green and gold completed the furnishings. I had not known, for as long as I had lived there, that such a room existed.
“So, they call you Bernard,” he said with a smile as I gaped at my surroundings. “My name is Marcus Verano.”
I bowed my head to him. “I am so very grateful to you, Sire,” I mumbled. Of course, I was terrified that as soon as the storm was over and he was gone, my punishment would be terrible. The Prior would never forgive me for what he saw as nothing less than utter disrespect for his authority on my part.
“Do not worry, Bernard,” Marcus said, still smiling. “I have no intention of leaving you to their mercy. I know only too well the evil of which men are capable.”
I looked at him, my mouth slightly open in surprise. “Sire—”
Anything else I may have said was interrupted by a banging on the door, which was then abruptly pushed open. Two monks carrying a metal bath burst into the room, followed by others carrying buckets of hot water. Marcus watched with some amusement as they busied themselves filling the bath, all the while casting hostile looks at us both.
“Will there be anything else, Sire?” one of them asked, his voice filled with sarcasm.
“Food and wine,” Marcus replied. As the monks turned to go, he grabbed the impertinent one by the arm. “And when you return, remember to knock and await my permission before you enter.”
The monk stared into Marcus’ eyes with a sudden fear. “Yes, Sire,” he said, visibly trembling. I could not help but feel a small thrill of elation as he all but ran from the room, closing the door very quietly behind him.
“Now, Bernard, off with those rags and into the tub with you.” Marcus smiled at my hesitation. “I’ll not look, if you’re shy.”
I was not shy. After all, every part of me had been leered at and fondled by many men, and indeed, in his presence, I felt no overt threat…only safety and comfort. I pulled off my clothes and climbed into the tub. As I sank into the hot water, it was as if euphoria overtook me, the water acting as a balm to my misery and wretchedness. I took the soap he handed me and began to wash away the grime from my skin. After he had removed his cloak and sword belt, Marcus watched me intently, and again I felt the compassion in his gaze. As we smiled at one another, a deafening clap of thunder rent the air over the monastery. Vivid streaks of lightning lit the room as if it were daytime, and the window shutters rattled and banged against the walls. The storm was upon us, and from the sound of its fearful intensity, it promised not to abate any time soon.
“Are you frightened, Bernard?” Marcus asked.
“No, Sire. I love thunderstorms. Their intensity and power have always fascinated me.” I wanted to add, ‘Just as you are now fascinating me’, but it seemed there was no need for meto speak the words. The smile in his eyes told me he knew what I was thinking. He moved to my side, took the soap from my hand and began to wash my back. His touch sent shivers of expectation through me, and I could feel myself grow hard—something that not one of the men who had lain with me had ever been able to do. I leaned back into the strength of his hands as he massaged my shoulders, working the soap into my skin. He reached for one of the still full buckets of water and poured some over my head then worked up a fine lather, kneading my scalp with his fingers to rid my hair of months’ worth of tangles and dirt. I was more than content to give in to all his ministrations, and even if he desired payment in kind for his services, I would have gladly succumbed to his wishes. Never before had it been my good fortune to have someone as magnificent as him tend to my needs.
“Close your eyes,” he said, before dousing me with more water and rinsing the soap from me. I reached for the towel and draped it modestly in front of me as I stood up. He rummaged in one of his bags for a moment then drew out a velvet robe of deep burgundy. “Here.” He handed it to me as I stepped from the tub. “Wear this until they bring your new clothes.”
“But it’s much too fine, Sire,” I protested feeling its luxurious texture.
He held it open for me to slip into. “It looks well on you,” he murmured, his expression suddenly questioning.
What was he thinking? I wondered.
“And stop calling me ‘Sire’. My name is Marcus, as I told you earlier.” He paused for a moment then said, “Tell me, Bernard…you did not know either of your parents?”
“No, Sire—Marcus.” I stumbled over his name. It seemed too familiar to address him so. “My mother was a peasant woman violated by a band of marauding knights.”
“Knights, you say? So the one who fathered you was a knight? I thought there was some breeding there.”
I gave a mirthless laugh at his words. “God knows how many other bastards he gave his breeding to!”
He touched my face gently. “Unfortunately, an aristocratic name does not always result in refinement or consideration for another’s dignity. War has a habit of bringing out the worst in people.” He took my hand and led me to where a large mirror stood on a wooden frame. “You have never seen yourself, have you, Bernard?” wondered how he could possibly have known that, but it seemed he already knew so many things about me, that I did not question it. I shook my head as I gazed at my reflection in the mirror. The youth who stared back at me was not unpleasant to look upon, but my inherent low esteem, beaten into me over the years, prevented me from thinking of myself as comely. Behind me, Marcus smiled and placed his hands on my shoulders.
“You are a very attractive young man,” he said. “Don’t let the spite and jealousy of others tell you differently.”
I stared at myself, taking in the auburn glow of my hair and the very dark blue of my eyes. My body was slim and leanly muscled. “I am too thin,” I said, feeling I had to find something to complain about.
Marcus chuckled. “You are slender, Bernard. Something many strive for without success.” A timid knock at the door made him smile. “Come in, Brothers,” he called out, gesturing that I should sit at the table. Two of them rushed in carrying trays of food and wine and, after laying them on the table, scurried back through the door without a word. Marcus sat beside me and poured us both a large quantity of red wine into the goblets provided. “You see what a little persuasion can do?” he asked, his green eyes twinkling with amusement.
“They are afraid of you,” I said. “When you leave, they will beat me without mercy. But until then, I will enjoy all you have done for me. Just to have seen them so humiliated is worth the pain they will inflict on me.”
“They will not punish you. That I promise.” Marcus lifted his goblet of wine and bade me do the same. “Drink, Bernard—to your future.”
I took my first ever quaff of wine. It was delicious.
“My future?” I asked, looking at him over the goblet’s rim.
“It can be whatever you wish it to be,” he said.
Outside the thunder boomed, and the rain drummed on the roof over our heads as I gazed into his eyes—eyes even more intoxicating than the wine.
“What do you mean?”
“When the storm is over, and I leave this wretched place, you will come with me, if you wish—” “Oh,” I cried, reaching for his hand. “There is nothing I would wish for more than that! To be free of this place, of these…these evil men…it would be as if my wildest dreams had come true.”
Before my astounded eyes, Marcus suddenly sprang to his feet. With a move so fast, he became a blur, he reached the other side of the room, pulling back a drapery to reveal the startled figure of Prior Hubert. With a growl that made my hair stand on end, Marcus pulled the Prior into the room and disarmed him of the knife he held in his hand.
“So,” Marcus snarled. “Have you heard enough, Prior?”
“You have violated our hospitality, and now you seek to kidnap our ward,” Hubert snapped. “We will not let you do this.”
“And how do you intend to stop me?” Marcus turned his back to me, so that all I could see was Prior Hubert’s face as his expression changed from one of defiance, to one of sheer terror.
“No!” he screamed. “Monster! Help me, Brothers! Help me!”
The door was flung open, and it seemed that every member of the monk community surged into the room, some carrying weapons. I jumped to my feet, ready to defend myself, then was stayed by the looks of shock and almost abject horror that was written on every man’s face. From my position in the room, I could not see what so obviously terrified them, but then I saw Prior Hubert being lifted into the air by the scruff of his neck, supported only by Marcus’ left hand. Dear God, I thought, he must be immensely strong.
Then the cry went up. “Vampire! Vampire! Run for your lives!”
Within two seconds, the room was empty, and a gibbering Prior Hubert was dropped to the floor where he lay, sobbing and mouthing words that were unintelligible to my ears.
I looked at Marcus who gazed back at me, his beautiful face serene and composed. “What happened?’ I asked him. “Why did they run?”
“Because I allowed them to see the real me,” he said quietly.
“The real you? You mean you are that which they called you…a…a vampire?” I took a step back from him, yet as our eyes met and held, any fear I might have felt, faded away under the power of the spell his smile cast.
