by D. D. Syrdal
Anne-Marie didn’t wake up until nearly noon. The sunlight was streaming into the room, but not directly onto the bed. She sat up suddenly with a gasp, recalling what Neko had told her earlier. She looked around the room nervously to see if he was there, but there was no sign of him. She felt her neck but found nothing, no partially healed wounds. She was relieved but still wasn’t about to relax. Locating all her bags on the other side of the room she raced for her purse to find her communer and put in the code that went to Andrej’s private line.
“How could you do this to me?” she yelled into the device when Andrej answered. When she saw there was no video, she realized what time it was and that he must be in his private blackout room.
“I’m sorry,” he said, “I didn’t think you’d agree to go if you knew Neko was going to stay with you there,” he said. She heard him light a cigarette and take a drag.
“You’re damned right I wouldn’t have agreed. You know the way he looks at me.”
He did know Neko would have liked to get a taste of her blood. He’d had to rely on their long friendship to get him to promise not to try anything; Neko wasn’t used to being told ‘no.’
“Look, he’s not going to do anything to you, you can trust him. I swear.” He could sense her agitation even from this distance. He got up and walked out to the living room where it was light and she could see his face on the panel, which calmed her down some. “That better?” he asked.
“Yes, thank you,” she said, somewhat mollified.
“This isn’t going to take long, a few days at most. We’re sure one of them tried to follow you, but may not have made it into Greece. Some hold up with his paperwork, it seems. I know you don’t like Neko, but I feel better knowing he’s with you and you will be safer with him there.”
She sat down on the bed, took a deep breath and let it out.
“You see?” he said. “I told you I’d be able to sense your feelings even this far apart.”
“Sorry, I shouldn’t have shouted at you.”
“Trust Neko. That’s his home turf, he’s the best person you could be with right now. He’s never betrayed me, and he won’t now. Where is he anyway?”
“I don’t know, I just woke up. I don’t hear anything; he must be resting somewhere.”
The truth was there wasn’t much he could say to change her feelings towards Neko. If she was ever going to trust him, it would come in time. They ended the call with Andrej promising to check in with her at least once a day, and Anne-Marie promising to give Neko a chance.
After she hung up, she realized she hadn’t eaten for a long time. She felt ravenous, but had no idea if there was any food in the house. She walked out of the bedroom and looked up and down the hall. She didn’t know which way lead to the kitchen, but the place couldn’t be so big that she’d get lost. There were a number of other rooms in the hall, but she was afraid to try to open the wrong door, not knowing what might lie behind it. She turned the corner at the end of the hallway and was greeted with the sight of the staircase. For some reason Neko seemed to have taken her to the room farthest from the entrance where they had come in that morning. Descending the stairs to the front foyer she found it flooded with sunshine from a domed, stained glass skylight. She stopped and stood for a moment in the brightness, feeling the marble flooring that had been warmed by the sun under her bare feet. She’d almost forgotten what it felt like to stand in the sun and be warm. Prague had had a rainy cool summer, and since most of her waking hours were now during the night she didn’t often see the sun. Just feeling the light and warmth cheered her. Perhaps it wouldn’t be so terrible after all. Then suddenly recalling why she was there, her heart sank again. Despite all Andrej’s and Neko’s assurances she was still terrified that something would happen to Andrej, that these crusaders would harm him, maybe even kill him.
Before she let her thoughts stray too far in that direction, she shook herself, and reminded how hungry she was by the rumbling in her stomach started off in search of the kitchen again. She passed a sunken living room, decorated in a clean modern style with designer furniture in pastel colors. The formal dining room was next, dominated by a table made of a single slab of glossy black marble that looked like it could seat close to twenty people. It was a breathtaking work of art in itself. There was an elegant modern floral arrangement in the center. So there must be someone, perhaps a servant of some kind close by, maybe in the house, she thought. She found the kitchen at the back of the house, every bit as elegant as the other rooms, with more marble in the countertops and the cooking island. She shook her head at the display of wealth. Neko’s connections were clearly doing very well at whatever it was they did; she hoped never to find out what that was.
She started going through the cupboards, and looked through the refrigerator. Well, she thought, at least I won’t starve. The place was well stocked with all sorts of food, no doubt in anticipation of their arrival. She remembered again that there were cameras throughout the house, and was instantly self-conscious, wondering who might be monitoring her. But as they had agreed to let her stay there, surely they expected her to eat. She put together a plate of food and as she turned, she noticed the view out the windows. The kitchen door led to a garden full of flowers and herbs. A little more rummaging in cupboards revealed a small wine rack and glasses. She opened a bottle of wine and poured herself a glass, hoping it wasn’t their most expensive, then took her food and went to sit outside in the shade of an old tree on a wooden bench. Although it was midday, the shade from the trees kept the garden cooler, but still pleasantly warm. A fountain stood in the middle of a natural pond. The grounds appeared to be extensive, and she thought about walking around and exploring when she finished her food. It felt good to sit there enjoying the light breeze, smelling the flowers and listening to the water. She was sorry Andrej wasn’t with her.
As she sat gazing at the pond, she became aware of someone standing behind her. Assuming it to be Neko, she turned around, determined to try to be more civil to him. But it wasn’t Neko. It was a young woman with short blond hair. She was extremely slender and had a heart-shaped face. The woman wore a sleeveless vest, exposing her slim, taut arms, and her tight black pants accentuated her slender legs and tiny waist.
“I’m sorry,” the girl said, “I didn’t mean to startle you.” She looked at Anne-Marie somewhat shyly.
Without being told, Anne-Marie realized she was a vampire. She looked around quickly, wondering where Neko was.
“Neko’s still sleeping,” the strange woman said, then quickly frowned. “Sorry, I wasn’t supposed to do that.”
“Do what?” Anne-Marie asked guardedly.
“Read your mind like that. Andrej told me you don’t like it.”
“You know Andrej?”
“Sure, he asked me to check on you while you’re here. He didn’t tell you?”
Anne-Marie pursed her lips in anger. “No,” she said, clenching her teeth. “He must have forgotten to mention it.”
The young woman looked uncomfortable. “Oh. Well, I’m Daisy. He and I go way back. He said since Gaston wasn’t around he thought you might like having me come by.” She held out her hand for Anne-Marie to shake.
Anne-Marie shook it with a little laugh. “Daisy? That’s not what I’d expect a… well, you know, doesn’t seem like the kind of name…” and she trailed off awkwardly. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean…”
Daisy smiled. “That’s ok, I know what you mean. It does seem kind of silly, I guess, but that’s my name. Mind if I sit down?”
“Please,” Anne-Marie said and slid over on the bench to make room for her. “So why did Andrej ask you to check on me? He keeps trying to convince me Neko is a good guy. Does Neko know?”
“Well,” she said, hesitating. “He thought you might feel more comfortable with me than Neko. I can’t stay here all the time, but I’ll drop by, kind of without warning,” she added with a sly grin.
“So he doesn’t really trust Neko either,” Anne-Marie sa
id, annoyed. She wondered what had changed to make Andrej take this extra precaution. She realized as they were talking that Daisy wasn’t wearing any sunglasses, even though it was high noon and she had her own on. “Doesn’t the light bother your eyes?”
“Oh no,” Daisy said cheerfully. “I haven’t had to worry about that in ages.”
“Huh,” Anne-Marie said, not sure what to make of that. “So, uh, mind if I ask how you know Andrej? I’m surprised he never mentioned you to me.”
“Oh don’t worry, you can check with him later when you talk to him. He can corroborate it.”
“What makes you think I’m going to talk to him later?”
Daisy gave her a sly glance. “It’s ok, I know how things are between you.” She plucked a lily growing next to where she was sitting and handed it to Anne-Marie. “Lilies symbolize purity, did you know that?”
Anne-Marie looked at Daisy, completely at a loss, and took the flower.
“I also know,” Daisy continued, “Neko is nearly frothing at the mouth for a taste of your blood.”
“Yeah, that’s not news,” Anne-Marie said. “But how do you know all this?”
Again, Daisy gave her a wink and a sly smile. “I have good instincts.”
Anne-Marie laughed a little, nervously. “And what about you?”
“Sure, I wouldn’t mind, if you don’t. But I’m ok, either way.” She looked at Anne-Marie with a coy, sidelong glance.
Anne-Marie cleared her throat and took another sip of wine.
Daisy laughed. “I’m sorry,” she said, “Here I was trying to help you and now I’ve just made it worse, haven’t I? Well, don’t worry,” she said, patting Anne-Marie’s knee, “We girls will have to look out for each other.” She glanced at the house. “Aha, he’s up. Let’s not let him know I’m here just yet.” She flashed a smile again and before Anne-Marie could answer, she was gone.
Anne-Marie sat back on the bench, confused, still holding the lily. She sipped at the wine, wondering where Daisy had gone, when she might reappear, and how she had known Neko was up. And if she knew that, how did Neko not know Daisy was there? The whole situation was starting to give her a headache. “Goddamn vampires,” she muttered, and took another sip of wine.
Chapter 19
