A Vampire’s Silent Genes

• A Vampire’s Silent Genes, 115K words
Status: Querying


Dr. Kyle Montach is cursed. Time is ticking and he’s fated to become what he fears the most, one of his kin, a vampire. Unless he finds a cure to halt his vampire transformation, his soul, along with his humanity, will be lost forever.


Kyle’s a scientific anomaly; one created in a stem cell lab by his mother, Margaret. She’s a powerful vampire and brilliant scientist, who took a human embryo and combined her and her husband’s, Oswin, vampire DNA and for divinity purposes, added the DNA of a jaguar. And the result was Kyle, the first ever human born with vampire genes.


As an avid researcher, Kyle believes that stem cells are the key to unlocking the mystery behind silencing his vampire genes. While Kyle fights to find a cure, he’s plagued by his family’s incessant meddling not to mention a sadistic, vampire ex girlfriend. In the midst of his personal discovery, Kyle meets widow and mother, Sarah Whitaker. Like Kyle, Sarah’s dealing with her own personal changes. Both Kyle and Sarah are lost in their own way.


In a bizarre twist of events, Kyle learns about life, love and finds the strength to pursue a human life with Sarah, the woman of his dreams. With vampires, family expectations and divine interventions looming around every corner, Kyle embarks on his own transcension that changes the course of his life and binds Sarah to him forever.







Prologue

Summer 2006, Kent, England


“You can’t just leave,” a calming voice spoke through shadows, carrying across the decadent bed chamber.

“I can and I will.” Kyle replied, refusing to acknowledge his brother’s unwelcome commentary. He continued to sift through paperwork, arranging various details for his relocation to the States.

Kyle spent the last several decades living under his parent’s roof. Most people would think he was one pathetic individual, sponging of his “rents” for so long. Either that or he’s was just another mama’s boy stuck on his Mother’s tit. No. That couldn’t be furthest from the truth for Kyle.

Dr. Kyle Montach was a disgustingly rich man, born to a family with blood ties so deep one would swear his blood ran blue with nobility. No, where he came from it was perfectly normal, expected even, to live within your family’s domain for pretty much, forever. Poor bastard. What type of a death sentence would that be? Stuck is where he’d been his entire life; stuck in limbo hell, to be exact. Kyle was done catering to everyone else’s needs while waiting for the inevitable curse to take hold of his future. Not this time. Not when the opportunity to break away presented itself. That, plus the remote possibility of him being able to save his soul, of course. No, Kyle Montach’s life was his own now and he wasn’t going to let something like tradition or expectations hold him back.

The voice faded as Thomas, Kyle’s brother, appeared, sauntering across the room, stopping to lean against a marble column. The incandescent lighting angled against his pristine, strong yet elegant features, he lifted his head, assessing his brother’s demeanor. Thomas’s typical playful nature quickly fled when he saw his brother’s conviction.

“I don’t think you understand what you’re doing.” Thomas said soberly, and then exhaled with a slight shake of his head. “Mother will never have it.”

“She has no say. It’s done. And if she…or anyone else…” Kyle paused, glaring back at Thomas. “has anything to say about it….they’ll be shutting the door on me and their future.”

Kyle shoved his laptop into his briefcase, not stopping for the discussion.

Thomas’s eyes narrowed at Kyle. He titled his head, sighing in exasperation. “What’s this really about, really? Fear?…Self-loathing? If that’s the case, you better kiss those useless emotions goodbye.”

PANG. That hit a nerve. And Kyle, a man who always kept his composure, was starting to lose it. His fuse was getting shorter these last months and these little “discussions” were only making it worse.

Throwing his hands up in the air, Kyle countered. “It’s about what it’s always been about. I want my own life-”

Thomas interrupted. “People like us don’t have our own lives. Our kin never allows it. Mother will never allow it.” Thomas stood erect, carefully choosing his next words for the argument.

“She’s consented and it’s done.” Kyle replied with a nod. To him the decision was made and agreed upon. Like it or not, he was leaving.

“Do you really think she’d let you go? That this is over?” Thomas bellowed a sarcastic scoff. “It will never be over.”

“It’s done. Go on…make your attempts to sway me…I’m still leaving.”

Kyle dumped another luggage piece onto the bed. He certainly didn’t wish to end on a note like this, not with Thomas of all people.

“You better watch your back then.” The threat came with a razor sharp tone that echoed off the palatial marble surroundings.

Kyle jerked around, shocked at Thomas’s gall. “Are you threatening me?”

“Not me. But rest assured…your departure will not be well received. I can promise you that.”

“I won’t live my life on everyone else’s terms, not anymore.” Kyle furrowed his brows. “Do you know what it’s like…living in this freak show? Being under a microscope your entire life?” Kyle’s tone shot up a decibel.

“No” Thomas admitted grimly. “I can’t possibly imagine.”

The fuse had been lit and Kyle, the well bred, ever perfect gentleman was now unraveling. He seethed through his teeth. “Living in my skin is a curse - an anomaly which was never meant to be. Take your pleas, your threats and promises and go to hell. Because, I refuse to go there with you.”

Thomas’s eyes went feral. His irises turned to slits, and his once sapphire colored eyes were morphing to a golden shade, ignited by undertones of anger. Thomas starred back at Kyle for several moments in amazement, ascertaining Kyle’s emotions. And then it hit him.

“You’re scared?” His lips formed a tight smile. “I can feel it. You’re terrified.”

“Fuck you.” Kyle snarled.

“Yes…you’re scared shitless.” Thomas jested back, trying to understand Kyle’s reasons, testing his brother’s limits.

Kyle slowed his breathing, turning away to close his eyes. It was the anger that pushed him to that forbidden place. Despite his humanity, he could feel the change coming; the beast beckoned him from within. The fury is what could send him to hell, right along with his kin. He knew it. And now wasn’t the time to unleash that kind of ferocity. Kyle summoned his resolve.

“Thomas, it’s done. I’m won’t discuss it anymore. Please leave.”

“Being a vampire is a wondrous gift. A gift one treasures not scathes.”

That did it. His temper soared.

“Being born a vampire is a goddamn catastrophe!” He stopped, summoning deep breathes to sooth his nerves. Emotions were ricocheting through his mind, body and very soul. Although he wasn’t a vampire yet, it was his destiny. Genetically engineered by his mother, Kyle was the first ever human being born with vampire genes. With much resolve he halted the conversation. “I won’t have this discussion with you anymore. My research is what’s most important now. I know what’s to come. The inevitable. And I won’t sit idle one more second so Mum can parade me as the undead profit. She’ll just have to wait for my return. If I return…”

Thomas turned away, severely disappointed with Kyle’s criticism. He cleared his throat. “I never knew you hated us so much. I-”

Kyle interrupted, feeling both frustration and compassion. “Not hate...I don’t hate my family. I just… I want a different life. That’s all. Can you understand?”

“I can understand what you ask for…but it’s unheard of…” Thomas raised his brows, searching again for the right words. In defeat, he shook his head. “Just be safe.”

Thomas retreated into the shadows, disappearing as quietly as he came.

Kyle blew out in exasperation from the many recent conversations he’d had with his family. It was at that moment, when he knew he needed to depart immediately. No more tying up loose ends, prolonging things. He couldn’t take one more altercation. These confrontations were getting uglier each time and he knew if he didn’t leave soon, they’d probably turn deadly.

Stuffing the last few items in his carry-on, his zipped up the bag, threw it over his shoulder, and then grabbed his leather bound briefcase. With no goodbyes or farewells, he crept out an unused exit at his family’s estate. That weekend his mother, Margaret, scheduled a few celebratory dinners, attempting to show support for her son. But her efforts were futile. Kyle saw past all her obvious, relentless ploys to prevent him from leaving. This last one, with Thomas, he definitely regretted. What could she possibly do next?

He didn’t answer that question. Kyle didn’t like thinking so harshly about his mother. But the woman damn near always got her way. And he wasn’t about to concede to her winning one more time. Not when it came to his own life, his own fate.

Failing to leave a note, Kyle left his family’s compound in Kent, instinctively knowing his father, Oswin, was aware of his departure. Kyle could sense his graveness. But what’s done is done.  He wondered why of all people his father never once tried to stop him. Not willing to dwell on it, he shook off his wonderment and stepped out onto a cobble stone paved driveway and headed to his car.

On the plane in first class, Kyle reclined his seat and closed his eyes. A slight grin crept across his face. He’d finally done it. He was on his way to a new world, a better life. The proverbial weight had lifted off his shoulders and instantly years of tension shed from his heart. It was then when he made himself a promise; that his new life would be different. If defiance and courage is what it took to get him to leave, then those same attributes were going to help him survive. It was then that he finally felt hope. Hope for a normal life, hope to divert the inevitable and hope to save his soul.

Copyright 2009-2011 by Mina Burrows.

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