“Did you have an allergy to the sun as a human?”
“No.”
“Then the sun will not hurt you at all. You may come and go as often as you like, day or night. You will not turn into a bat, and you cannot be burned by holy water or crucifixes. There are nightwalker vampires, and they are the most common. You are a daywalker, Love. You are one of God’s creatures still, judged by your actions, not by evolution. You will never get sick, and likely never even be hurt. I will not allow it.”
“What could hurt me then?” she inquired.
“Well, anything that causes significant blood loss will do the trick. The old stake through the heart only works because we cannot repair our bodies before we lose too much blood. Decapitation works pretty well too.” He tried to lie just a little, to soften the truth, but he found that he just couldn’t do it.
“What about that thing in my apartment, will he put himself back together?”
“He is dead. You won’t be hearing from him again. But you will need to learn how to live in your new life,” Nick told her.
“I can’t go back home, can I?”
“Not right now, I’m afraid. But maybe soon. You need to be taught first. You need to fully understand what you are before going home. But if that is what you want, I will see to it that you return to your life.”
“Will anyone who knows me be able to tell?”
“People who know you well will notice a difference in you.”
“Then perhaps I should stay here.”
They retreated back to the living room where Jolice and Phoenix were explaining to Michael how he was needed. “When everyone’s here, you will get your wings back. Then we will know what to do. He will send His messenger to give you the news,” Jolice explained.
“But I have sinned so much, how could He give them back?” Michael asked.
“Everyone deserves a chance at redemption,” she smiled.
“Hey everyone,” Nick interrupted. “Look who’s joined us!”
“Julia,” Phoenix said, rising from his perch of the chair, “I trust you are better now?”
“Yes, and it’s Jules, please. Thank you for fixing Nick. I am so sorry I reacted badly. It was, is, a bit overwhelming. I never dreamed of such things, and now, here I am, in the very middle of it. Can you forgive me?” she asked, hanging her head in disappointment with herself.
“Of course, Dear.”
“Phoenix, you are a truly beautiful creature. Would it be ok, if I took a closer look at you?” Jules asked him with curiosity burning in her tone.
“Yes, that will be fine,” he replied. She glided over to him to gaze at his face. She touched him ever so lightly, tracing the lines on his face with her index finger. She moved around him to inspect his wings, which were shedding feathers at a ridiculous rate, leaving a pile on the floor.
“Your feathers, they are falling out.” She showed genuine concern for him and that made Phoenix smile. “Why is that, I mean, is it normal?”
“Yes. It always happens when a phoenix is about to die.”
She gasped in horror. “No, you can’t die! I’ve only just met you and already I feel like you are family!” Apparently she did not know the stories about the mythological fire bird. Death was eminent, but not permanent. He considered explaining this to her when Phoenix did not, but he kept his mouth shut. He knew how Phoenix loved a show, why spoil it?
“All creatures must die eventually. I am very old, and I have lived in this life long enough. In fact, it is time now.” He said as he turned for the door, smiling gently to himself. “I will be retiring to the yard now. You may come with me, if you wish,” he said to Jules. She nodded and followed.
The yard behind the house was a small meadow, surrounded by maple and sycamore trees. There was a small picnic area on the south side and a small flower garden along the west wall of trees. Rachel always said it was because it would receive the best light in the morning. Rachel was the gardener in the family, and she loved her plants.
Phoenix walked himself to the fire pit they had dug after he arrived here, just for this purpose, dropping feathers all the way. He began to turn in circles when Jules ran to him. “Phoenix, wait!” she cried.
“Do not worry child, all is well,” he crooned to her, holding her hands in his. He looked old enough to be her great-grandfather. His wings were nearly bare. “Go to the others. You will not want to be so close to me when this happens.” He dropped her hands and she threw her arms around him.
“Thank you,” she whispered, and then returned to Nick’s side. She looked as though she might cry.
Then Phoenix began his show. He raised his tattered wings away from his back, allowing them to stretch to their full length. They reached from the ground to the top of his head, which was about seven feet from the ground. They spread out a good six feet from his body on either side. The shimmering started and his wings exploded into orange, red, and blue flames. Nick heard Jules gasp beside him. The fire grew taller and more intense, until the only thing they could see was the flames. They could feel the heat from it even at twenty feet away. He pulled his wings around himself and crouched down, completely engulfed in the blazing fire.
He burned there in the pit for almost two minutes when the flames began to die down. Nick could hear Jules’s uneven breathing beside him, but he didn’t look. He wanted so badly to tell her how this was necessary, but he refused to do it. He would not ruin the moment for Phoenix. When the last of the flames died out, there was only a large pile of charred ash in the pit. He turned to Jules to see that she was fighting back tears. He put his arm around her shoulders and kissed the top of her head. Nick said nothing, only offered her comfort.
A minute later they heard the low grumbling coming from the pit. Jules heard it too, and looked up. “Watch this!” Nick exclaimed. Jolice was outside too, and had never seen this before. “You will not believe it.”
The groaning and grumbling from the ash got louder and the pile shook wildly. In only half a second, the pile exploded, throwing ash in every direction, the sound like thunder, rolling through the trees and vibrating in his chest. Phoenix emerged from the ash anew, his wings ablaze with new fire, an exaggerated red and yellow fury of flames. The heat was so intense, Jolice backed away. Phoenix was young again, true to the myth, reborn. He raised himself from the ground only a few feet, but it was enough to allow the full effect of his birth to take shape. The flames cooled, and instead of red and yellow, the fire stretched out behind his back in a blue and orange masterpiece. His skin was a gentle tan, his features perfect, not a line on his face. His orange eyes burned bright with delight in their sockets, like the sun over the desert sand. His long grey hair was replaced with sleek black hair, shorter now, only the length of his back. He lowered himself to the ground and walked toward the waiting audience.
“Didn’t I tell you it was all right?” He grinned at Jules. “What is it, dear, why are you crying?”
Nick had noticed the silent tears streaming from Jules’s eyes before now, but why was she still crying when it was clear Phoenix was ok? In fact, he was better than that. He was perfect. She again opened her mouth to speak, but her words failed her. That part he understood. This was not something you got to see in everyday life.
“And the phoenix will die by the flame, only to be reborn, glorified, from the ash,” Nick quoted a book he had read once.
“That,” she began, “that was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen.” Then her expression changed. Her eyes narrowed and she pursed her lips. She raised her hand to gently smack him on the shoulder, “You could have told me!”
“What, and ruin the surprise? Not a chance!” he chuckled as he walked away.
CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR
AUGUST
Nearly a month passed since Jules’s transformation. She became close to Phoenix, Michael, and Jolice. Nick tried to stay as close to Jules as possible, hoping to help her transition, hoping she would want to stay. Eventually, he had to go
back to work at the firm. They had given the excuse that Jules had gone back to Nevada, that the anniversary of her husband’s death had been too much for her. In reality, she said little about him or the event. Nick only learned through Jolice that Joe died on their anniversary. How terrible that must be for her! He understood how she loved him in life, and loved him still, and could only hope that her heart still had enough room for him as well. He did nothing to push her and knew it had to be her decision alone. He thought about everything that had come to pass since he brought Jules to the mansion.
There was one peculiar thing they discovered about Jules. No one could lie to her. Even if they wanted to, the truth would come pouring out. That is how they learned how Michael lost his wings.
Jules had asked him about it and the truth just came right out. He only told Nick later that he wanted to lie about the whole thing, tell her he had done something so horrible, she wouldn’t ask again. Only, the words came from his lips as if his brain had no control over them. They speculated on the possibility of this being a gift of hers. They knew that many vampires were gifted, each different and unique to the vampire who possessed it. Jules had mentioned to him once that she had always had an uncanny knack for knowing when people were lying to her. Perhaps she brought this with her, only much stronger. Nick’s ability to alter emotions didn’t work on her either. Victor tried to bend her will once, only with a small thing, such as going into a different room, but also, nothing. They expected this was because these things were not true to her; therefore she would be completely immune to it. Immune to anything not true; how interesting.
Jules spent many hours in discussion with Victor as well. Nick smiled to himself as he remembered the day she asked him about his story. How old was he, where did vampires really come from. He just leaned back in his chair, sipping his blood for a moment, then turned to her and opened up.
Nick parked his car on the corner next to the office building, locked the doors, and went inside. There was some sort of meeting in the conference room, and he simply passed it by. He had no desire to even be there, much less attend a meeting he was not invited to. He retired to his little crowded office right away.
He opened his laptop and began writing. He planned to write a letter of resignation under the pretenses of going to Nevada to find Jules. It was no secret how he felt about her by now, Anita and Harry had known it before he did.
For some unknown reason, his vampire side kicked in. He could hear very clearly the conversation in the conference room down the hall. He tilted his head slightly to the side, as if it made him hear better.
“What if the humans find out?” It was Anita. Talking about humans?
“They won’t,” Harry replied. “Humans are weak; they only see what they want to see. How do you think we could infiltrate their world so easily? They don’t want to believe these things, so they don’t.”
They were speaking quietly, and if Nick were one hundred percent human, he would have never heard the words. Their conversation turned to a case Harry was working on, so he allowed his attention to return to his laptop. He quickly opened Google, typing in Anita Brewer in the search box. The search engine gave him lots of results, most of them unhelpful. He did, however, come across one article about a woman who was killed tragically in a plane crash twenty years ago.
There was a picture included. A petite woman with red hair.
Another article depicted a woman by the same name in a marriage announcement. The photograph was from the fifties. Nick didn’t recognize the man, but the woman was petite with red hair. It was Anita.
He went back to the search window. He typed “Harold Marcus, attorney,” hoping to get a more concrete answer. The first recommended site was the offices of Marcus-Drake-Westinghouse. He knew that the office site wouldn’t do, so he refined the search to only his name.
Again, an article with a picture. It was an old newspaper article from the twenties. An attorney from Los Angeles was making headlines for his work against unfair bank practices during the depression. Nick studied the old photograph. He had the most uncomfortable feeling deep in the pit of his stomach. It was Harry. Not a relative. The same man; not a line on his face was different.
Nick decided to wait on the resignation letter, shut down his laptop, closed it, and took it with him as he left the office. He paused at the front desk to write a note on Anita’s stationary.
Gone home to work today, not feeling well at all.
I will return tomorrow, I’m sure. If you really need me,
please, call my cell. Nick
Nick turned and let himself out and hurried back to his car.
Even though his Mustang was fast, it wouldn’t go fast enough now. Nick sped furiously through the highways leading out of town and raced toward the mansion. He had to discuss this with his father and Phoenix. What had he really heard? He never considered Harry and Anita as anything but human. Now, he wasn’t so sure. He had never noticed anything that sent up a red flag, nothing seemed unusual. They only appeared to be two people blindly in love. But why discuss humans in that manner? And the old photographs! Neither of them had changed. He knew they weren’t vampires, but there were many other kinds of creatures that don’t age. It made no sense. He was determined to find out, but not until seeking the advice of his father.
Nick raced up the long drive to the front doors of the mansion, only slowing a bit at the small bridge spanning the stream surrounding the property. He screeched to a stop at the front door, barely taking the time to put the car in park and turn the ignition off before bolting through the large wooden double doors. They slammed back against the wall and he cried out, “Father! Phoenix? Where are you guys?”
He heard the response from the yard behind the house, “We’re out here!”
Nick stopped short at the sight that met him outside the glass doors leading to the yard. Victor, Phoenix, Michael, Jolice, and Jules were all lounging in lawn chairs in a circle surrounding a little wading pool. Michael and Jolice had their feet floating gently in the cool water, the others seemingly engaged in a light conversation. It was the sight of Jules that stopped him short. She was wearing a light pink and white bathing suit, showing off her beautiful figure. She was wearing a pair of sunglasses that looked like they belonged on a runway model. Nick’s cock woke up and pushed insistently on the zipper of his pants.
Jules looked up at him and smiled. “Hey, I thought you were going to work today. Change your mind?”
“Um, yeah,” he managed to choke out. “I have something to discuss with everyone.” Then, as an afterthought, he asked Jules, “Nice suit, is it new?” He didn’t want to drool right out loud if it was possible, but it was difficult. He shifted his legs in an attempt to hide his erection.
“Jolice lent it to me. And the shades,” she smiled as she talked. They were all out soaking up the August sun.
“Nick, you really need to take Jules shopping. I have things that fit her, but I am sure she would like her own clothes.” Jolice scolded him. He saw her wink at Jules from the corner of his eye.
“Um, of course. Forgive me, Jules, I didn’t even think.” It was true. This was not something Nick thought about. He only shopped for attire when the things he had become worn or outdated.
“Yay!” Jolice squealed, clapping her hands. “I want to go too. You have little experience with shopping for women. We will go tomorrow.”
“But not in Boston,” Nick cautioned them. He hadn’t told them his news yet, and he wasn’t going to take any chances on anyone from the firm seeing Jules in town.
“Let’s go to DC,” Jolice offered. Her sunglasses were pulled down the bridge of her nose to expose her eyes, and she looked up from them at Nick with a knowing look. He noticed that she had large brown eyes, framed by thick black lashes. Usually, her light brown hair hung disheveled around her face, hiding them.
“Ok then, Washington, D.C. here we come!” He tried to express the right amount of enthusiasm, but he guessed he had it w
rong, because both Jolice and Jules were scowling at him. He turned and sauntered to the empty chair between Victor and Phoenix.
“I heard something disturbing today,” he began, looking at his father, “At the firm. I overheard a conversation I don’t think I was meant to hear.”
Nick explained what he heard, and who said it. He also told them about the internet search. Jolice did not seem surprised, and sometimes Nick wondered if she knew more than she let on. Phoenix looked worried, and Michael was excited. He had his run ins with many creatures in his lifetime, and hoped this was a clue to getting his wings back. Jules, looked terrified.
Victor assured her there was nothing to fear, but advised everyone to be cautious, just the same. He instructed Nick to continue to work at the firm, going on about his business as if he had heard nothing. He wanted him to keep his ears and eyes open, watching for any new developments. He agreed with Nick that it may be nothing at all, or everything. So now Nick got to be a spy, how cool was that? Didn’t every boy want to grow up to be a spy at some point?
They continued to enjoy the sun for the remainder of the day. Once, when Jules excused herself to get a drink, Michael asked Nick, “Why don’t you just tell her?”
“Tell her what?” he asked.
“That you love her! We can all see it. In fact, it’s kinda driving me nuts. Makes me ill the way you look at her with those puppy-dog eyes!” He turned and made gagging noises.
“Shut up, Mike! I don’t want her to feel pressured,” Nick retorted. “And I don’t give her puppy-dog eyes!”
“Yes you do,” Jolice snorted. “It gets hard to stomach sometimes. I agree with Mike. You should remind her. She liked you quite a bit as a human, and I’d say you got a pretty even chance.”
“What if she says no, rejects me?” The thought made his heart sink.
“Only one way to find out,” Phoenix interjected.
“Maybe I will,” Nick said, “But not today.”
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