“I found Uncle Hal first. He explained that something bad had happened to both of his nephews, but Paul had left the mountain almost immediately. They’d somehow managed to keep the rest of the family from finding out the truth, but Hal wasn’t in the position to turn away my help. He is a human. I couldn’t allow Jerry to hurt anyone, let alone an animal. Let’s just say that I managed to convince one of the hospital staff on the other side of the mountain to give me a monthly supply of expired blood bags in exchange for some favors. They throw the expired blood out anyway. No one is going to miss it.”
Oh, I could really do with a spot of warm cream. Did you catch all of that, dear hexed one? Our medium has been dishing out favors for bags of human blood. I believe I might have figured out the reason Miss Saruman’s powers aren’t as strong as they should be. And here I chalked it up to being young. Wishful thinking on my part.
It was a well-known fact that a medium’s power was drawn from her ancestors, not necessarily from the earth. If Cassandra had upset those in the afterlife with her aiding and abetting a vampire, there would be consequences to face. Not to mention paying off a greedy human partner in crime.
Not only do we need to keep Mr. Cornelia alive until seven o’clock this evening, we are now in the company of a medium who has intentionally upset the balance of nature to serve her own purposes. Lest we forget the incoming blizzard that could very well keep all of us from leaving this mountain.
“I can hear the two of you,” Cassandra exclaimed in displeasure, finally parking the car in front of a one-story house. I was able to release some of the tension that had built up in my shoulders at the thought that we were going to end up in front of a small log cabin. Cassandra didn’t shut off the engine, though. She continued to explain the reason for the cloaking spell. “Over the summer, Jerry learned how to live his life as one of the undead without hunting prey.”
Cassandra let her head fall back against the headrest, a smile of pride softening her lips. Her love for Jerry Kline was evident by the faraway look in her blue eyes, and it was in this moment that I truly comprehended the lengths she’d go to in order to guarantee his safety.
Yes, by infuriating a very long line of ancestors on the other side. Do you see why this might be a problem for us, dear hexed one?
“Tina mentioned that Jerry flunked out of college, which means that he at least began the first semester of his freshman year,” I recalled, purposefully cutting off any questions Cassandra may have regarding Pearl’s dire supposition. I briefly wondered if I shouldn’t tell her a knock-knock joke to ease a bit of her concern. I certainly didn’t like the fact that the tables seemed to have turned on us. “What happened to cause Jerry to up and leave a few weeks into the semester?”
“Professor Weaver, that’s who happened.” Cassandra straightened in the driver’s seat in anger, looking at Piper and Orwin in the rearview mirror. I didn’t have to worry about them getting out of the Jeep. They would take their cues from me, especially seeing as I was getting the full story from Cassandra. The last thing we wanted was to walk into this house unprepared. “Professor Weaver teaches a class in the occult. He’s obsessed with vampirism and tales of the undead. It’s basically his entire curriculum. At first, I thought maybe he had been born into a family of hunters. It didn’t take long to figure out that he’d been searching for one of the undead for many years. With Jerry still learning to adapt to his heightened senses, it took exactly one day for our observant professor of the occult to figure out Jerry’s secret.”
“Professor Weaver wanted to be turned, didn’t he?” I guessed, though it really wasn’t presumption on my part. The underlying disgust in Cassandra’s tone had pretty much said it all. It went beyond the pale that someone would actually want to drink blood on a daily basis to survive. Immortality was a falsehood, because there was nothing in nature that didn’t have some type of weakness to end their reign here on earth…and that included Ammeline Letty Romilda. “I take it that Jerry refused Professor Weaver’s somewhat adamant request.”
Perhaps we could turn down the heat just a smidge? I’m becoming quite warm beneath my pristine white fur. And no, there is no need for the tables to be turned in the knock-knock joke department. I just need a few minutes to digest all this information, Miss Lilura. Right when I believed it couldn’t get worse, this medium finds a way to twist the wooden stake a little deeper. That pun was completely intended.
“If Frank Palisade was telling the truth, which I’m quite certain he was, then Professor Weaver has to be the reason behind the bounty on Jerry’s head.” Cassandra bit her lip as if to keep her emotions in check. “It’s quite well known that the professor has a vindictive streak over reviews left on those surveys done by the students, so I can only imagine the lengths he’d go to if someone turned down his delusion of immortality and becoming a vampire. We thought that maybe Professor Weaver would try and somehow go public or maybe tell a few of his online followers of the supernatural existence of vampires. That’s why I was attempting to cloak the location of the cabin.”
May I suggest talking over these types of dangerous decisions with your family, Miss Saruman? I’m sure that your parents would have warned you against getting involved with vampire business.
My phone vibrated in the pocket of my winter jacket. It didn’t take me long to retrieve it, breathing a sigh of relief when Knox’s name came across the display. He had texted that he had been back at the campsite and was currently headed into town. I quickly responded that we might need help, having Cassandra fill us in on the address of our location and promptly relaying it to Knox.
Did we not just discuss making precarious decisions in the heat of the moment? I’m not so sure bringing our resident werewolf to the home of a vampire is the best of ideas right now, dear hexed one. Werewolves are the bane of a vampire’s existence.
“Look,” Cassandra said after I’d slid the phone back into my pocket. She shifted until she was facing me. “I told you everything based on your word that you would help me keep Jerry safe. I need to know if I can still count on you. All this talk about werewolves, hexes, premonitions, and aliens has me concerned that you’re not…well, I don’t mean to throw around insults, especially given my recent circumstances.”
I can see how we might come across as a bit eclectic, Miss Saruman. Rest assured, we are not the ones who’ve upset past generations with our actions. You are the responsible one.
“Pearl,” I admonished, unable to believe that the one feline who was obsessed with etiquette would be so rude. “Cassandra is young, and she has a lot to learn. Let’s just see what we can do to guarantee Jerry’s safety, thereby helping Orwin to avoid those foreseen consequences.”
I’d decided against sharing too much with Cassandra, but not for the obvious reasons. The less she knew about my hex and premonitions, the better. It was less likely that the future would unfold as seen in my vision.
As for Pearl, I’d already figured out that she had strong feelings with regard to our ancestors. Calling upon their power to aid the undead was a big no-no in the witchcraft world. Pearl was over two thousand years old, and she’d survived this long based on the promise of keeping those unwritten rules.
Miss Saruman, I don’t suppose Mr. Kline’s uncle has a spot of cream he could warm up in the microwave for approximately twenty-one seconds, would he?
Pearl was definitely out of sorts, but even she would agree with me that we couldn’t allow Jerry Kline to meet his end at the sharp end of an oak stake.
It is rather tempting, is it not?
“My ancestors haven’t completely abandoned me,” Cassandra shared, realizing that neither Pearl nor I were going to reveal too much for the same reason we’d been wanting to meet with her. “If you need my help, I’ll do the best that I can in return for your help in safeguarding Jerry.”
“That’s where Orwin comes in and saves the day.” I reached for the door handle, prompting Cassandra to turn off the engine. It was time to g
et down to business so that we could get off this mountain in one piece. “Pearl, stick to him like glue.”
It’s a good thing I saw Mr. Cornelia take his allergy pill while at the diner. This is proving to be a very long day, indeed.
“What’s going on?” Orwin asked cautiously, having vacated the Jeep and was now eyeing the one-story residence in front of us. He pushed his glasses up a bit in concern. “We’re too close to these woods for my tastes, Lou. What if something goes wrong?”
By this time, Piper had joined us, as well as Cassandra. Pearl materialized, though she took everyone by surprise when she made herself comfortable on top of Orwin’s right shoulder. He sneezed in under three seconds.
We need to take care of those pesky allergies, if you get my drift, alien hunter.
Pearl jumped down gracefully, the packed snow giving her a bit of cushion. She’d been extremely careful with revealing too much information about us, such as Orwin’s lowering the protective ward he’d placed on himself months ago. We’d been so caught up in saving his life that we’d completely forgot about his allergies. Piper would have to take care of that the moment we had a few minutes to spare.
“Pearl will be by your side the entire time,” I promised Orwin, ignoring Cassandra’s skeptical glance. She’d probably put two and two together regarding our concern for Orwin’s health and talk about my premonitions. Well, we were going to leave her wondering, because I wasn’t confirming nor denying anything until seven o’clock tonight. “Orwin, is there a way for you to cast your particular brand of magic and take down that bounty on Jerry’s head?”
I wasn’t talking about witchcraft magic, but instead was referring to Orwin’s ability to handle anything tech-related. Our first undertaking was to show Jerry we meant no harm. Removing the bounty on his head should accomplish that task, leaving Orwin safe and sound as a result. At least, for the time being.
An added bonus to this scenario is that this house isn’t that big. We should technically all be able to stay within each other’s sights, keeping watch over everyone.
“It might take me a while to access the backend of the app, using multiple probes on his existing communication ports, but I don’t see why not. I have my laptop in the Jeep. Let me grab it.”
“Jerry isn’t going to hurt anyone.” Cassandra’s irritation that we thought otherwise was audible when she all but huffed her way past us toward the front door. No one moved until Orwin had retrieved his laptop, thus allowing Piper to lock the Jeep with a press of the key fob. She tossed me my keys, indicating that she believed all of us were walking away from this house with our lives intact. “Come on. Let me introduce you to Jerry before Sheriff Tate pulls up behind us. Jerry needs to know that you’re all on our side, and also what story we told in order for him to relay the same timeline to the sheriff.”
I never thought I’d see the day that my sweet Piper aided and abetted a vampire. Oh, I do so need a spot of warm cream to get me through the rest of this day.
Chapter Eleven
“I don’t trust them,” Jerry murmured warily, pulling Cassandra closer to his side as if we had ulterior motives. We did, but that was beside the point. The tables had somehow turned, and one of the undead now thought that we were the threat. “You shouldn’t have brought them here, Cassie.”
It’s quite astonishing, isn’t it? I finally understand Miss Saruman’s defensive declaration regarding Mr. Kline’s lack of murderous intent. Even after seven months, I’m not quite sure that Mr. Kline’s mind has accepted what he has become or his relationship to his prey.
Pearl did have a diplomatic manner in how she described certain situations.
I’ll take that as a compliment, dear hexed one.
I let Pearl have her moment while I carefully surveyed the living room and kitchen, which were only separated by a small island that didn’t contain the usual stools. The open layout made it easier to keep track of everyone, which came in quite handy when we all needed to be within sight of Orwin. He was seated on the couch, his nimble fingers clicking away on the keyboard of his laptop as he searched for a way to remove the bounty on Jerry’s head. Granted, it was a temporary solution, but it would solve our immediate problem.
Very true, dear hexed one. Where there is one hunter, there are more to follow.
“These people are the only reason that hunter left the mountain without his trophy,” Cassandra reminded Jerry, having already explained the aftermath of his attack on Frank Palisade. She turned into Jerry’s embrace, resting her hands gently on his chest. Every time she got too close to him, I couldn’t help but brace myself for a display of fangs. If that were to happen, I needed to be ready to defend the rest of us. “Jerry, there is a bounty on your head. We thought for sure that Professor Weaver would do something, but a bounty? It’s not like we have the option of going to the police and saying that someone is trying to kill you because you wouldn’t turn him into a vampire. No one would believe a word we had to say.”
“Cassandra’s right.” I stood near the front door, the location allowing me to position myself between the living room and the kitchen. Basically, I was ensuring that Jerry couldn’t reach Orwin. The vampire would have to get through me first, and I was betting I was quicker on the draw given Jerry’s lack of experience. “There are unwritten rules for the supernatural, Jerry. One of the most important is that we don’t involve humans. Orwin is doing his best to make sure that the bounty on your head is removed before we quietly leave this mountain.”
“Why would you do that?” Jerry wasn’t so naïve, after all. “We don’t know you. Cassie mentioned that you wanted to speak with her about her ability to contact your ancestors. You must need her help pretty bad to risk being involved in my problems.”
“Cassandra already told us that those in the afterlife are upset by her decision to help you,” Piper said from her seat next to Orwin. Hal occupied the recliner, but I’d seen him turn up his hearing aid so that he wouldn’t miss a word of this conversation. He’d accepted what his nephew had become, and his actions already spoke to the lengths he’d go to in order to protect his family. “We understand that her powers as a medium are somewhat limited. Our offer to help you has no strings. If you’d like us to leave, we will. Then you can start preparing for the attack that is certain to come.”
My sweet Piper is very good at negotiating, isn’t she? I taught her myself, you know.
Pearl was in somewhat of a good mood after Hal had offered everyone a refreshment. We’d all declined, but Cassandra had made sure that Pearl had been given a spot of warm cream upon hearing the request multiple times over the course of the last couple of hours.
I did agree that Piper was our best bet to get Jerry to agree to our help. Her kindness practically radiated off her body, and the blonde curls falling around her face gave off an angelic vibe. It wasn’t just her hands that had the ability to heal, but also her words.
“We need their help, Jerry,” Cassandra whispered, grabbing onto his shirt so that he could see just how desperate she was to keep him safe. “I can’t do this by myself.”
Jerry pulled Cassandra close, his face way too adjacent to her neck for my liking. One bite was all it would take to sign her death sentence.
Has anyone ever mentioned to you that you have trust issues, dear hexed one?
“Don’t start,” I muttered, focusing my attention on Orwin. Pearl had witnessed my premonition. She understood completely why I was still uneasy. There was a clock on the far wall, and we still had a ways to go before seven o’clock. “Please tell me that you’re close to deleting that bounty.”
“I’m working as fast as I can. The university has an entire IT department and active monitoring of their firewall.” Orwin continued to click away on his laptop, not bothering to look up from the screen. His glasses had slipped down the bridge of his nose, but he was so engrossed in what he was doing that it didn’t seem to bother him. “Has anyone checked on the progress of that storm?”
; “Should hit us sometime around six o’clock tonight,” Hal chimed in warily as he gestured toward a small shortwave radio on the side table next to his recliner. He continued to stare at me guardedly, probably not quite sure what to think of us taking over his house. “Would the rest of you take a seat? No need to stand around twiddling your thumbs.”
I like this man. He gets right to the point. Speaking of which, did anyone notice the wooden spike next to Mr. Hal’s recliner?
“That’s in case Paul decided to return without…” Cassandra allowed her words to trail off when Jerry and Hal both looked at her oddly. She’d already explained that she could hear Pearl’s thoughts, but it was the first time she’d verbally carried on a conversation with the familiar. “Sorry. Pearl was wondering why you keep a stake next to your recliner, Hal.”
“Paul had a temper before he was turned. His transition was a bit more difficult,” Jerry reluctantly offered up, not joining us in the living room like his uncle would have preferred. Apparently, the trust issue went both ways. “Uncle Hal needs to take precautions.”
I must say, Mr. Kline’s intentions do seem pure. That isn’t an adjective I would ever have thought would go hand in hand with one of the undead, but there you have it.
All this talk about Jerry being gentle and humane had me doubting that he was the one responsible for Orwin’s death in my premonition. We’d assumed due to this morning’s events that Jerry had been the one to bite Orwin, but maybe that wasn’t the case. What if all along the vampire in question was Paul?
We could always have my sweet Piper scry for Mr. Paul Kline’s location. She does have the amethyst in her purse. I’m sure that there is something in this residence that belonged to Paul that could be used in the spell, thereby putting our minds at ease that he is far away from here.
The Curse that Bites Page 7
