The Champion

by H. P. Mallory

  “You’re just jealous, Sinjin,” Jolie said with a big grin. “Sinjin Sinclair can never be made to feel left out!”

  “That is the truth,” I said with a laugh.

  “Humph,” Sinjin responded, and frowned at us both.

  Jolie laughed. “Well, Sinjin, you don’t need to be jealous. The surprise is for you too.”

  “A surprise? Well, why did you not say so?” he asked, his expression changing to one of excitement. He looked like a little boy on Christmas morning.

  Jolie laughed and stood up from the dinner table. “Follow me,” she said.

  She led us out through the double doors of the dining room and past the apartment where Sinjin and I shared adjoining rooms. Then we started across the courtyard to the path that led down a small embankment and into the forest.

  “Jolie, could this wait until the morning?” I asked, already yawning into my hand. “I’m exhausted after all the traveling, and my bed is calling my name.”

  “Patience, Bryn,” she said.

  “You cannot wait on a surprise,” Sinjin chided me as he shook his head.

  Jolie stopped walking when we reached a guesthouse at the base of the grassy knoll. The guesthouse had once doubled as a storage shed. But now, as I looked at it, I realized she’d remodeled the whole thing.

  “Ta da!” she announced.

  “Ta da?” I repeated.

  “Your new home.”

  “Our what?” I asked as I turned to face Sinjin with wide eyes.

  “My queen, I can assure you that this is most unnecessary,” Sinjin protested. “We were quite happy with our current arrangements.”

  Jolie shook her head. “So speaks one who has no clue how much space a baby takes up.”

  “A sprog is approximately twenty inches long,” Sinjin responded.

  Jolie burst out laughing. “That’s what I used to think, too. But then I had Emma. Have you seen the amount of stuff she comes with?”

  “It’s true, Sinjin. It is kind of unbelievable,” I said as I faced the newly remodeled guesthouse again. I couldn’t suppress the excitement that bubbled through me. Our own house! And it was beautiful with its numerous windows and dark gray shutters that bordered each one. The house itself was bright white, and there were flowers of all shapes, sizes and colors in the front, behind the white picket fence.

  “It seemed a little silly to have the two of you living like roommates now that you’re expecting a baby together, so why don’t you just go in and take a look?” Jolie continued.

  She unlocked the door, then handed me the key and stood back. “You can let me know what you think tomorrow. Anything you need changed, just ask.”

  “Aren’t you coming in?” I asked as I turned to face her.

  “No. I want you to both to be able to see it together,” she said with a laugh. “We’ll talk tomorrow.”

  “Thank you, Jolie,” I whispered as I fought to keep the tears back.

  “My queen, your kindness truly knows no bounds,” Sinjin responded.

  Jolie didn’t say anything more but turned around and started back up the walkway leading to the main house.

  Sinjin and I exchanged a long look.

  “Well?” I said.

  We opened the door and entered our new hallway. An expanse of hardwood floors greeted us, giving the place a warm feel. The floor plan was open, and with all the windows, it would bring in quite a bit of light in the daytime. I’d have to make sure Sinjin fed from me on a regular basis.

  “What do you think?” I asked.

  All was plush and modern, the smell of new paint pervasive, all the colors neutral. I watched Sinjin as he strolled thoughtfully around, looking this way and that, his hands behind his back.

  “Hmmm,” he said.

  “What does that mean?”

  “It means I am quite humbled by your sister’s generosity, and I believe we shall be quite comfortable here.” He turned to face me. “It shall be nice to live together, my pet.”

  I smiled as I seconded the notion and started down the hallway into the kitchen. The kitchen was bright and airy, with modern, white cabinets and a generous island covered with a granite counter.

  “It’s beautiful,” I said.

  “Pity we will not use it,” Sinjin responded.

  “What do you mean?”

  He shrugged. “I do not eat, and you do not cook.”

  “Well, I guess I’ll have to learn,” I answered as we started into the master bedroom. “Wow,” I said.

  Jolie had really outdone herself when it came to the bedroom. The room was huge and dominated by a large bay window, which looked out over the ever-changing ocean. Sinjin and I stood alongside each other, staring at it silently.

  “Magnificent,” he said quietly.

  “It’s like we have this amazing piece of art on our bedroom wall that’s constantly changing.”

  “Well said, princess.” He looked down at me, and I heard the smile in his voice.

  The room was mostly white, light-filled and airy, although the wall behind the bed was papered, with a pattern of delicate flowers and exotic birds in cages. I could tell it wasn’t Sinjin’s taste, but I didn’t really care. I loved it.

  As for the bathroom, it was the size of a small bedroom!

  “Bryn. Come and have a look at this.”

  I followed his voice.

  Sinjin stood in a doorway. He moved aside to let me through.

  The room was green and white, the curtains white with images of animals all over them. The pictures on the wall were of various nature scenes. It was as if someone had tried to bring the outside in and succeeded. In the center of the room was a crib with a jungle mobile hanging overhead.

  “Wow… just wow,” I said as I twirled around, allowing myself to take everything in.

  “It truly is lovely,” Sinjin said as he took me in his arms and kissed the top of my head.

  “It’s perfect,” I answered as tears threatened my eyes.

  The moment was nothing short of magical. But it was also bittersweet, because it could all be taken away so quickly by Luce.

  I vowed then and there that I would never allow that to happen.

  My family would survive.

  Sinjin

  I had never lived with a woman before. It was a particular trap I had managed to avoid for nigh on six centuries. I had always been a lone wolf—such is the nature of the vampire. So, when Jolie sprung her “surprise” on Bryn and me, it was somewhat of a shock, to say the least.

  Women could be such interfering creatures at times, and my queen was not immune to this foible of her sex. The fact that Bryn was clearly not in on the plan and was as surprised, if not as shocked, as me was the one thing that stopped me from becoming supremely irritated with the entire project.

  Of course, my lady Bryn had never lived with a gentleman, either. Her fierce independence was one of the qualities I most admired in her. She constantly warned me not to invade her space. So, this new living arrangement was likely to be a challenge to both of us. Due to the impending sprog, however, I supposed we would both have to do our very best. The bed did look rather comfortable.

  Deciding I could do with some sage advice on the matter, I went to consult with my good friend and de facto sister, Klassje.

  As per usual, music blasted out of her apartment window upon approach. Ariana Grande, I believed it was. Ariana, whose great-great-great-grand uncle, an Italian Count, I had sparred with on one memorable occasion.

  Typically, Klassje could not hear me, owing to the racket she was making, so I had no choice but to enter unannounced. I sincerely hoped I would not happen upon her and the frog in flagrante . That would be most embarrassing, not to mention distasteful.

  “Klassje!” I called out several times.

  Eventually, she emerged from her bedroom, carrying a big black sack.

  “Oh, hi, Sinjin.”

  “Aha! You have killed Chevalier and now you are disposing of his body in a black bag. E
xcellent plan. Do you require any assistance?”

  She laughed her throaty laugh. “You wish! I was just clearing out some crap.”

  I approached my dear friend and kissed her upon each cheek. “As beautiful as always,” I said.

  “As handsome as ever,” she countered.

  I nodded my acknowledgment. “So, tell me all your news, Klaasje, my dear. And especially why on earth you have taken leave of your senses and let that fop have his wicked way with you.”

  “Don’t you worry, Sinclair. It’s me who’s having my wicked way with him .”

  “Delighted to hear it. But still, I thought you had better taste.”

  ‘There’s nothing wrong with Dureau, silly.”

  “There is little right with him.”

  “Your Bryn seemed quite partial to him for a while.”

  I glared at Klassje, who merely flashed me a brilliant smile. “I wager I asked for that.”

  “You sure did.”

  “But really, Klassje. My inquiry is genuine. Are you truly serious about the frog?”

  She looked up at the ceiling, as if expecting to find an answer up there. “I guess I am.” She said eventually, looking as if she were surprised by her own reply.

  “Good Lord,” I said. “Methinks we have both become soft.”

  She laughed. “Who would have guessed?”

  “Not I.”

  “But seriously, Sinjin, I heard you and Bryn were moving in together?”

  “Yes, hence my reason for seeking you out.”

  “That’s a big step for the ultimate bachelor.”

  “Quite so, my dear, quite so.” I grew quiet for a few counts. “Do you believe me capable of changing my life so drastically?”

  She laughed. “Sinjin, you are capable of anything you set your mind to.”

  “True. True,” I said as I rubbed my chin in contemplation.

  “And, if you ask me, it’s about time you changed your ways!”

  “Whatever do you mean?”

  She shrugged. “You can’t play forever, you know? You’ve had a good six hundred years to chase women and live a selfish life. Now it’s time for a change.”

  “Hmm,” I said as I considered her words. Then I began to nod. “I believe you are quite correct, my dear friend, and I am quite looking forward to this new chapter of my life. I must admit to feeling quite… lonely with my previous life.”

  “There’s your answer, handsome,” Klaasje said with a wink.

  I opted to take a stroll on my way back from Klassje’s apartment. New Orleans was charming, of course, and I always relished the opportunity to visit, but I had missed Scotland. The revelation surprised me.

  Could it be that Kinloch Kirk was starting to feel like home? I was planning to raise a child here, after all.

  Goodness. Was I really? How extraordinary! For the first time, I considered the possibility that I might have a child with a Scottish accent. Good Lord. Perhaps we should move without delay. Or, at the very least, send the whippersnapper to boarding school in England, so little Sinjin or little Bryn could learn to speak the Queen’s English correctly. If he were a boy, he would certainly attend Eton or Harrow, quite obviously. Because—horror of horrors—what if he ended up sounding like Odran?

  For my entire vampiric existence, I had been a rolling stone—I had been one of life’s true wanderers. But now, I felt a peculiar contentment as I watched the wild Atlantic waves hurl themselves against the rocks. And I looked forward to meandering through the majestic pine forest, with which I had become so familiar. I went there now, the scent filling my nostrils, as I picked up the sounds of the deer and the red squirrels as they scurried to clear my path. They need not have worried. I was entirely satiated by my darling Bryn.

  A random thought unsettled me. Was I becoming a boring, old fart? It was not that long ago that I had scorned familiarity, but now I seemed to crave it. Was I middle-aged now, or even old? It was impossible to tell when one was a vampire. Those kinds of parameters did not exist in our world. You lived for as long as you managed not to be killed. Other than that, there were no limits.

  Such were the musings occupying my mind when I became aware that I was not alone in the forest. My senses immediately spun into overdrive. This was no squirrel or deer.

  “Reveal yourself, Daywalker.”

  He stepped out from behind a tree trunk, jet black hair, gray-white skin, about nineteen years old. He could have been a hybrid, in which case, perhaps he was as young as Damek. But that did not concern me now. What concerned me was what in the hell he was doing here. My best guess was that he had been sent by Luce to spy on us, or perhaps even mount an attack. Before he had an opportunity to make a move, I materialized directly in front of him, my hand around his throat.

  “Don’t hurt me!” he squeaked.

  “Tell me the truth as to why you have been sent and I shall make it a quick, clean death.”

  “Please, I …”

  “How many of you are there?”

  “Just me,” he responded immediately. “Unless others had the same idea.”

  “What do you mean ‘the same idea?’” I tightened my grip on his throat and he began to splutter. He was not all that strong for a Daywalker. Perhaps he was sickly.

  “The dreams.”

  Oh.

  “What about them?” I loosened my grip somewhat.

  “Bryn said we’d be safe here.”

  “What do you know of Bryn?”

  “She spoke to me in a dream. Only it was so real …”

  “And have you ever met her outside your dreams?” The anger and suspicion that had been starting to subside began to grow once more.

  “Yes, of course, I …”

  “Did you ever force yourself on her?” I placed a second hand on his throat.

  The Daywalker’s pink-rimmed eyes widened in alarm. “No, I never did!”

  “And give me one good reason why I should believe you, Daywalker abomination that you are.”

  “I swear I never laid a hand on her. Ask her yourself if you don’t believe me.”

  That was an idea.

  “Very well, I shall ask her. Lady Bryn can bear witness for you herself. And if she tells me that you so much as touched her, you are a dead man.”

  The Daywalker nodded, his eyes almost popping out of his head. I released my grip and he collapsed to the ground. I was strong, admittedly, but he should have been stronger. After allowing him several seconds to recover, I hoisted him to his feet again and shoved him roughly ahead of me. There was still an excellent chance he could be lying. This talk of the dreams could be an elaborate ruse dreamt up by Luce. And there could be others with him. There were many trees here behind which to lurk, therefore, I remained on high alert.

  “Excuse me, Mr Sinclair.”

  “How do you know my name?”

  He shrugged. “You’re well-known. You’re Sinjin Sinclair, master vampire. Your picture is on the wall in our command room.”

  I felt my pride swell a little before my natural caution kicked in. It could be that he was attempting to flatter me, in order to knock me off my guard.

  “You’re the one who ripped off Luce’s arm.”

  “Correct! And if you do not speed up, you might be next!”

  “Sorry,” he said, and gulped audibly.

  I shoved him in the back. He was very slow for such a young man. I could not work out whether he was putting it on or not. “You would do well not to forget that you are dealing with Luce’s public enemy number one.”

  “You’re not public enemy number one,” he said with a clipped nod. “But you are number two.”

  “Who, then, is number one?” I insisted, not intending to sound offended, but there it was.

  “Bryn,” he said simply.

  Of course.

  “Luce wants her dead more than anyone.”

  The statement was chilling. Yet it steeled my resolve.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

  Bryn


  I was still trying to get used to our new house. I had misgivings, lovely as it was. I wished that Jolie had discussed it with me first because I wasn’t sure if Sinjin and I were ready to live together. I wasn’t sure if I was ready to live with anyone. I knew logically that we needed more space, but still … was I ready? Was Sinjin ready?

  I kept sneaking peeks at the nursery. It thrilled me and freaked me out at the same time. I was doing it again for the umpteenth time that day when the front door opened.

  “Honey, I’m home!”

  I grinned. Sinjin.

  “Honey?” I heard another male voice before the door slammed behind them both. This person’s voice was one I didn’t recognize.

  I walked out to the hall, wondering who Sinjin had brought with him. When I saw the two of them standing in the foyer, I couldn’t compute what I was seeing. Who I was seeing.

  “Adam,” I said, uncomprehendingly.

  “Bryn.” His voice was quiet.

  “You know this Daywalker, then?” asked Sinjin.

  “Yes, I do,” I answered, not sure what more to say.

  “I found him in the woods. Spying,” Sinjin said.

  “I told you, I wasn’t spying,” Adam protested weakly. Then he faced me. “I thought… I thought we were welcome here?” Then he began to shake his head. “Maybe it was just a dream?”

  “No, it wasn’t just a dream,” I said as dawning realization overtook me. “You are welcome here.” I took a step closer and smiled at him.

  Sinjin’s frown was full. “Then he never … took advantage of you?” he asked pointedly.

  “No, he didn’t,” I answered.

  Sinjin visibly relaxed at my response, his shoulders relaxing.

  I took another few steps closer so I could see what condition Adam was in. He didn’t look healthy. He’d always been scrawny, but now he was positively emaciated, and his skin had such an unhealthy pallor. It was true that Daywalkers never exactly appeared to be glowing with health, but even by Daywalker standards, Adam looked sick.

  I remembered, with a shiver, the day we’d confronted each other in Luce’s compound. Adam had been sent to breed with me while I was held captive. I’d used his hesitation to my advantage and convinced him not to go through with it. That was also the first time I’d heard about Luce’s plan to create a new super race of Elemental/Daywalker hybrids.