A keening sound echoed through the tunnel. Surely, it wasn’t coming from me. The strangled noise must have emanated from some piteous soul trapped at the site of its buried remains. I calmed my breathing and pushed from Bertrand’s embrace. I leaned against the wall and hugged myself. I shook my head back and forth. Cobwebs caught in my hair, and I yanked at them.
Bertrand watched as I gathered myself in the darkness.
“That wasn’t a Fetch, Bertrand.”
The knight nodded. His quiet agreement made the seriousness of what I’d just seen more real. The conviction drained from his eyes, and something much worse took its place. Pity.
Narcolepsy crept through my neck muscles and down my jaw. It weakened my knees.
My love was not dead. He was not. The dream I’d had in Prim’s apartment came back to me. The wet darkness. The sharp blow to his head from behind.
“No.” My voice was a child’s. “Lord, in all your goodness…” The prayer stuck in my throat. I couldn’t finish it. I wouldn’t pray for Grayford because he was safe at home, waiting for me. He was waiting for me.
I watched numbly as Bertrand bent next to me. Slowly, he put his arm around my back and under my knees. He lifted me and gently carried me out. I didn’t fight.
****
I saw Prim first. Her back was to me. She stood close to Mephos, whispering in a hushed voice. The vampire must have heard the stone door open, but he didn’t turn to us until Bertrand stepped out of the entrance. When Bertrand carried me past the angel, the apples withered to dust and floated away. There was no going back. No unseeing what I’d seen. Fetches were impossible to catch even for me, but still, I couldn’t accept it. It wasn’t a Fetch.
The big knight carried me past the tiny churches with their mournful congregations. Mephos tensed and his eyes tore over me. The blood had vanished from his hands and face along with the corporeal bodies of the ghosts I’d conjured. I hoped the loss of it left a hollow place in his stomach.
“Remember what is foretold. If you kill her, she will be unstoppable.” Prim’s words carried on the hot Mediterranean air.
I turned my head in Bertrand’s embrace and looked at her. She met my gaze with her world-weary eyes. Had she really spoken prophecy for Mephos? Is that what I’d seen earlier as I’d rushed into the crypt. The look in her eyes said yes. That must mean that Mephos kills me. If she spoke it, it will happen.
A single shining tear slid down Prim’s dark cheek as she watched Bertrand carry me to the limo and place me in the back seat. I looked out the window at the woman who would have been my friend. If I’d survived, I would have made sure that happened. Good friends are hard to find.
Celene and Mephos climbed into the car after Bertrand. I smiled at Primrose as we pulled away. She smiled back.
We were back at Mephos’s Gothic Quarter residence when I realized Josh would be calling her cell phone, and I wouldn’t be there.
****
This time the balcony doors were locked. No one came to check on me or invite me to go dancing, like the night before. I stared at a pool of shadows in the corner of the small bedroom. Fireworks flashed red, then blue, then red again. Somewhere in the violet in-between I drifted deep, far, beyond, and away. I was gone.
Chapter Thirty-Four
Water, water everywhere, and not a phone in sight
Melisande
The ride out of town the next morning was considerably less impressive than the ride into Barcelona had been. We left the jangling web of life behind us and wound our way through the sun-splashed Spanish countryside in silence. Though our seats faced each other in the back of the limo, Mephos and Celene stayed on their side, and Bertrand and I stayed on ours.
After a time, the landscape tilted and split into rugged slopes, and a cluster of stone giants raised their snow-capped foreheads in the distance. As we drew nearer to them, I couldn’t help but peer in wonder at the majestic heights. I’d never seen mountains like that. Virginia’s Appalachian range was a series of soft swelling summits like the smooth hips and peaks of a languishing goddess. These pinnacles were the monstrous jagged bones of an ancient, violent world.
“It’s lovely, no?” Celene finally spoke. Her voice was a quiet violin quivering through the hushed car.
I nodded.
“Do you know the Pyrenees?” Mephos croaked. It was a ragged sound.
“No.”
“We will be passing into Andorra soon.” He exhaled in a relieved manner. “It is a small, lonely nation tucked away from the world—which, of course, is its appeal.”
“It certainly is remote.” I accepted his olive branch of conversation. “What does one do in Andorra?”
The question seemed to thaw them both a little. They exchanged a look.
“Ski,” Celene offered.
“Hike,” Mephos mused. “But the great country of Andorra is known for one thing specifically.” Mephos held up his finger to indicate its singular claim to fame. “Spas.”
“Spas?”
“Spas,” he announced proudly.
My confused look stirred them from their thoughts. Celene slid her legs from Mephos’s lap, and he leaned forward with renewed energy coloring his cheeks.
“You have not heard of the medicinal waters of the Pyrenees?”
I shook my head and stifled a small smile. The spas were clearly a happy topic for them.
“The spa resorts of Andorra are the only way to experience true wellness. People come from around the world to enjoy our particular brand of relaxation. The waters leach all troubles and stress. The unique healing properties of the springs leave our customers with a vitality that lasts months, even years.”
“Yours?”
“Yes, well, the springs belong to the mountains, but the spas belong to us.”
“All of them?”
“Si. Each spring delivers a different gift. One calms. One excites. One offers a transcendental experience allowing humans to commune with the universe on an energetic level.”
Humans.
There it was…the difference between us. It was unsettling, the way Mephos so casually pointed out that we were different species. I folded in on myself, and he noticed.
“Do not be embarrassed by your mortal state,” Celene condescended.
“I’m not embarrassed.”
She leaned forward into the no-man zone separating us.
“Mortality is easily cured.” A menacing smile curved her lips but didn’t reach her eyes.
I crossed my arms over my chest, and my fists crusted over with ice.
“Ladies. Let’s not ruin our détente. Instead, let us enjoy the last leg of our trip, and tonight we will get down to business. Agreed?” Mephos looked between us.
I gave a slow nod. Celene leaned back in her seat. I turned to the window, and the flower-dappled mountainside fell away. A velvet green valley swept out from the winding road, offering a breathtaking view of the primary ridge on its other side. I stared at the dizzying heart of the mountain range in disbelief. Clearly, God kept his best secrets tucked away, far from the eyes of man.
****
When we reached the summit complex, it felt like we were at the top of the world. The tumbling slopes and ragged, towering peaks were dotted with shiny, modern buildings. Their slick glass layers and airy balconies jutted directly from the rocky flesh of the mountains. Magic burbled up from cracks. Secrets seeped down, darkening the stone of every cliff face we passed. The slanting green valley glowed with golden sunlight.
We pulled up to a mirrored pyramid with angles and planes that barely made sense. The huge structure folded and stabbed the valley, reflecting the majesty of the mountain range in distorted segments. It was as if a starship from a distant galaxy had landed in Andorra and was trying to blend in.
A porter opened the car door, and Celene slid out. She turned and offered me a hand. I took it reluctantly and stepped out into another world. The air was sweet and glacier clean. I turned in a circle under the cor
nflower blue sky. Water flowed in every direction. From trickles to cascades, the fresh coursing streams merged and tumbled and merged again.
Bertrand climbed out of the car, gestured to the trunk, and tipped the man.
“Come see.” He waved me over to a railing that overlooked a sprawling fountain. A curving blue canal with bubbling jets and steaming circular coves spread out below us.
“Wow.” The fizzing freshness of the pool danced along my skin.
“It is beautiful, but save your wows for the inside.”
We walked up a bending stairway, and he ushered me through the sliding glass doors of the resort. The lobby was an elegant arrangement of mirror-tiled wall art and aqua panels of dribbling, translucent water. A stainless-steel counter warped and wound along a curving wall. Brilliant, white furniture glowed against marble floors, and a giant ice sculpture of a winding school of fish sparkled at the center of the soaring space. Above us, the metal framework of the pyramid stretched in all directions so that one never lost sight of the sky. All this sunlight seemed like an odd dwelling for vampires. Clearly, pop culture had misinformed me.
A concierge rushed to our side and greeted my hosts. The polished man passed Mephos a key and that was it. I followed as Mephos led us down bright, open walkways and over sleek, modern bridges to the center of the colossal glass pyramid. The spa spread out in every direction like a giant water park for the rich and beautiful. Not a single guest looked to be over thirty. No children were in view either. All around, the pampered guests lounged in group hot tubs or shared quiet conversation in hidden grottos. Up ahead, the spa opened into a giant lake of a pool, but before I could get a good look, I was herded into a small elevator and whisked to the suite level.
“Bienvenidas, Melisande. Welcome to our home.”
I took in the knife-edge lines and sterling sterility of the multilevel suite. It was so different from the beach house and the Barcelona casa, but it fit too. The rich, jet-setting partiers burning their candles at both ends and bathing in the wax was only a slice of them. It wasn’t really who they were. I looked around at the soulless modern majesty. This was yet another glimpse. I wondered how many more sides of themselves they’d let me see. Would I see the bloody slice? Vampires have to eat some time.
Bertrand blazed a trail to the bar and poured two drinks. He took a seat next to the plate glass wall overlooking the spa and indicated I should join him. I did. He handed me one of the two glasses and clicked his against mine. He gave me a weary smile. What had happened to him? How had he gone from a knight templar to this? His veiled look suggested I might never find my way through enough of his layers to know.
“I have business to attend to, Melisande, but I hope you will make yourself at home.” He casually looked me up and down. “Maybe wash some of that grave dust off.” He turned toward the door. “And for God’s sake, find a bathing suit. I fully expect you to get wet tonight.” His lascivious tone crept over my skin like the pinprick moisture of the fountain at the spa’s entrance. I looked over my shoulder at the water world of the pampered, well-to-do guests. I could only imagine how much a stay at The Cauldron Thermal Resort and Spa might cost. It was a complete escape from reality. Despite its beauty, something was very off about this place, and there was one very important missing element. Water, water, everywhere, I thought, and not a phone in sight.
****
“Too much.”
“Not enough.”
“Too much.”
“Not enough.”
“That’s way too much skin.”
“Melisande, really. This is a spa. Bodies are on display. It’s part of the show.” Celene was having way too much fun slipping her finger under the strings of my bikini to adjust it. She was treating me like a doll again. A doll with way too much cleavage. The narrow vertical strips of the swimsuit top barely covered the middle of my breasts. It left far too much side boob to jiggle back and forth as I walked. I might as well have been wearing Band-Aids over my nipples for all the coverage I was getting.
Celene’s body type was much different. Her long, slender waist flared into artfully sculpted hips, but the subtle swell of her breasts was less eye-catching. Yet, they fit her body, whereas I looked like I might topple over at any moment.
“You will be the belle of the ball, dear.” She turned her head to admire her work from a different angle. I was certain the vampire wouldn’t be fully satisfied until I was completely nude.
I walked to the front door of the suite and opened it. No one tackled me. I guess it was doubtful I’d make a run for it in a tiny bikini. It was summer in Andorra, but it was still Andorra. There was actual snow on the tops of the mountains. This was their territory, and I’d already run once. That hadn’t gotten me very far.
I stepped into the hallway where a wall sculpture of a dolphin made of mirrored fragments hung. I’d noticed it on the way in. I stood in front of the largest segment and tried not to study my changed face. A lack of regular meals had hollowed my cheeks a bit, but the real difference was my eyes. The dark shadows circled like smoky eyeshadow. I guess if it had been intentional, the dramatic look would be attractive, but I knew better. The shadows around my eyes were from a lack of sleep and something darker. The crack in my brain had widened, and wild magic was spilling out.
I turned in a slow circle. The burgundy two-piece was simple and beautiful. The bottom was a sloped triangle that ended in strings that rode high on my hips. The triangle in back was only slightly larger. The design covered roughly half of my cheeks. A regular bikini top would never have worked, but Celene must have known that, because she’d found me a top with two strings over the shoulders instead of one.
“Very nice.” Bertrand leaned against the doorframe. I tried to hide my blush. He was a conspiring jerk who hung out with vampires, but he was also a very handsome man. His well-worn charm still worked, and even if it didn’t, his chiseled muscles and old-world masculinity were enough to make any woman blush. My thoughts folded inward with shame. I searched the broken tether that had once funneled Grayford’s presence into my mind. Had he felt my indiscreet thought?
“Thank you,” I said, with down-turned eyes.
“You’re welcome.”
“Bertrand, don’t be late.” Celene pushed past him in a silver bikini and matching stilettos. She clicked to the elevator, then swung around.
“Come, Melisande. Let’s get a good spot.” As if the best spot in the resort wasn’t already reserved for us. I shrugged at Bertrand, then stepped into the elevator.
****
The entire back half of the spa was one giant pool. Neon red and violet lights turned the water into a magenta dream. The vapor in the air glowed like a lavender nebula. The colors reminded me of Prim’s amorphous wings.
House music pulsed and remixed and sizzled through the pyramid as if we were at an enormous concert.
“What is this?” I asked, gawking at the crowd of bodies gathered in the pool below.
“The pre-show.” She grinned. I followed her down a curving stairwell to the highest of four large, white bowls. The tremendous saucers were hot tubs suspended above the pool on thick, white columns. Each bowl glowed a different color. We stepped down into the warm liquid, and the water level rose to flow over the infinity edges. Other guests filled the remaining bowls, but we were alone until Bertrand joined us. I tried not to look at his battle-carved muscles or his extremely tight swim briefs. The stretchy white fabric left nothing to the imagination.
Good for you, I thought as I quickly looked away.
The lights deepened, and the music changed. Mephos strutted down the stairway to our hot tub in an equally tight black swimsuit with a small, white, crisscrossing string. He pointed at the DJ on a platform across the pool, and the tempo changed. I jumped as bodies dropped like spiders from the steel rafters above the pool and spun to a stop on their fabric leashes. Acrobats wound and flipped and twisted just above the water’s surface. It was a teasing dance like dragonflies ab
ove a summer pond. The floating crowd below us roared their applause.
Fire erupted from somewhere behind the sides of the pool’s hidden edges, jetting up toward the nebula of dayglo steam, and the music changed again. A dazzling beam of white light appeared over a clear, water-filled bowl at one end of the pool. Two bodies balanced on the edge of the bowl. The female fell into a backbend over the water, gripping the sides of the bowl with her hands and feet. The male dancer arched over her. Their squirming bodies undulated over the water in shocking feats of balance. Their quickening movements playfully avoided the water as if it were an orgasmic conclusion they sought to delay. The seamless routine grew more and more erotic with every pose. The music pumped, and the lights throbbed to the tense conclusion when the dancers collapsed into the water and circled each other like eels. The abstracted view through the clear bowl revealed their nearly naked bodies as they wrapped around each other in complicated holds. The music took a frantic turn, and the dancers exploded from the water in a geyser of diamond white light. The air fell silent, and cheers lifted to the rafters.
“Would you like to see the other spas?” Bertrand leaned in. “Now is a good time, while the guests are occupied with the show.”
I nodded. He stood and extended a gentlemanly hand to help me out of the hot tub. I thought Mephos or Celene might complain, but when I turned back to them, their eyes were only for each other. Bertrand indicated I should go up the stairs first. I inadvertently looked down at his wet bathing suit, and a deep chuckle rumbled up from his chest.
“I’ll go first.” I agreed.
On the mezzanine were three separate restaurants which looked out over the pool party and a pathway cutting through a potted bamboo forest. We followed the meandering walkway to the other side of the level where I caught glimpses of a separate spa. The quiet spot lay huddled in thick foliage which muffled the music on the other side of the resort. This pool was shaped like a small winding river with secret glowing grottos. Small yellowy-orange globes bobbed in the gentle current.
A Shiver of Shadows Page 17
