Rockin' Fangs is a sequel to my other novel Honey Bee. However, it can be read as a stand-alone!

This prologue is mostly Honey Bee lore and can be skipped. Feel free to read it if you want a better grasp on who the characters are though! If you plan to read Honey Bee at some point, know that this does contain big spoilers.

Enjoy!

PS: To my Honey Bee readers, you've already read a piece of the prologue but there's still more so don't skip it! (if you'd like.)

- M.G.

Sunday, August 9th

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Beep.

Tap tap tap tap tap.

“It is truly amazing what Jasper Wickham was able to do in just nine years!” The voice of the reporter on the TV filled the nearly silent room.

Beep. 

Tap tap tap tap tap.

“Tell me about it, Steve. Lord Wickham was able to take all of the destruction Kingsley caused during his tyranny and completely reverse it. I’ve heard that in just a few weeks the last home will be completely finished and they’ll be relocating all the families in Sectors 5F-5H back into their newly repaired homes.”

Beep.

Tap tap tap tap tap.

“That’s right Tori. It’s because of Lord Wickham that Vampires have their freedom back! For those of you youngsters who don’t know, let me give you a quick history lesson. Almost a decade ago, Wickham and his army defeated Kingsley in a Civil War. Because of Kingsley, many Vampire families in the mentioned sectors fell into poverty, some lost loved ones to the black blood infection, and many homes were destroyed. The Civil War ended up gaining the Council’s attention on the matter. To prevent centuries of dictatorship the Council decided it was finally time to cut Vampire’s life spans. All vampire ages were converted to human years. Although Vampires still can regenerate as long as their hearts are intact, they will now live as long as one hundred years before perishing.”

Beep.

Tap tap tap tap tap.

“The last species to get their lifespans cut were Werewolves and that was a trillion centuries ago wasn’t it, Steve.”

“It was. I honestly think it’s better this way. Many vampires grew depressed after the age of 100 anyway.”

“It’s all thanks to Wickham…”

Wickham. Wickham. Wickham.

“They’re still telling your story wrong,” Keagan tapped his foot on the tiled floor impatiently. “That’s why you have to wake up soon and tell them they’re all wrong. That Wickham didn’t save all the Vampires. 

"You did.

“The doctor said you should be waking up any day now. Gene, Linc, Aunty Lucy, and I all put a room together for you. It’s filled with things you used to like and photos of your friends. The…The doctor said you might not remember…certain things. That it might be good to surround you with things and people you knew. My graduation is coming up in a few months and I really want you to be there.

“So…” a sob broke past his lips, “so- so you h-have to wake up soon, Zack.”

Keagan stared at his sickly brother who was floating in a giant glass tube filled with some blue supernatural healing jellies. He has a plastic mask that gives him oxygen, a feeding tube that’s keeping him full with blood, and different patches attached to his chest that monitor his heart rate and other things that are beyond Keagan’s knowledge.

He’s fully regenerated now after nine full years of healing. He’s in the final stretch.

Eugene and Lincoln adopted Keagan right after the War ended. They said his brother was sick and wanted them to take care of Keagan while he got better. They told him so many stories about Zack in the War. How he was the one to finish it. How he saved all the Vampires. How he was a hero. And when he was old enough they told him how his brother wasn’t actually sick but instead, he had nearly died by a fatal blast of magic. Luckily his heart remained intact and the majority of his brain was left unharmed.

Keagan only found out just three years ago that the 'Mr. Cromwell' who always used to visit him in the orphanage was his brother the entire time. It was a heartbreaking revelation but it also made him feel really good that he hadn’t been crazy for believing his big brother would come back for him someday. That his brother was actually thinking about him the entire time just like Keagan was.

Their parents had abandoned them at a young age and Zack was too young to care for Keagan on his own at the time. The court placed Keagan into a boy’s home and Zack promised to come back for him once he finished school and got a stable job. 

He never really got the chance to adopt Keagan during the war.

Which is how he ended up being adopted by Zack’s chosen family. Two vampires who treated Zack like their own son and now they were treating Keagan the same way.

Keagan wiped at his tears, composing himself again, “Remember when I told you about me joining the soccer team? Well, the coach made me Captain finally.” Keagan laughed, “He said my ego was too high and if he made me Captain the first year I joined that my head would explode but it’s not my fault I’m better than everyone else. We’re playing our last game the day after graduation and I overheard Uncle Damien saying how you’d beat yourself up if you missed it…. If you even remember me.” Keagan kicked the floor, suddenly feeling really depressed. Usually talking to his brother made him feel better but today just felt different.

 Maybe he was nervous about school starting up again tomorrow?