Once Bitten, Twice Shy

by Scarlett Jade

  ***

  Jeremy tried to sleep again, barring the door shut with the chair. He was on edge and jittery, but sleep came easily. A field flickered to life in his mind; he could smell the cool, green grass and feel dew on the soles of his feet. A soft little laugh could be heard in the distance and he followed the sound, twining through the green. He came upon a little girl in a patch of wild daisies. She held a baby doll and was braiding the flowers into its yarn hair. He stood quietly and watched her for a few moments. She looked up and smiled brightly, her vivid green eyes ensnaring him.

  “Hello, Daddy. Are you going to listen to me this time?” She cocked her head to the side and dark ringlets slipped over her shoulder. She was the spitting image of her mother.

  “Onyx?” he whispered, walking forward slowly, before kneeling beside her. “Is it you?” He reached his hand out slowly and touched one of her chocolate curls. She smiled beautifully.

  “Yes, Daddy. I've been coming to you, but I guess I needed to be a little older before you'd listen to me. Maybe you aren't so good with babies, huh?” She patted his knee. “Not everyone is, you know.”

  “You're real?”

  “Well, of course. I'm just still a baby, but I'm here in your dreams. Isn't it cool?” She grinned again and picked another daisy to braid in her doll's hair.

  “Onyx, how are you doing this?” He dropped to sitting beside her.

  She looked at him cheekily, her eyes sparkling. “Daddy, don't you know I'm magic? Billy tells me so all the time. I've talked to Mommy in her head. I'm special, did you know that?” She said it quite matter-of-factly, no ego to her words.

  “You are special, baby, but I don't understand this.” He plucked her from the ground and pulled her into his lap. She felt like a real child; she smelled like one. The little arms that twined around his neck and squeezed were very real.

  “Daddy, you need to listen to me. I'm going to tell you where Mommy is.” She stood quickly, her pale pink skirt swirling around her knees. She held out one pudgy little hand and smiled. “Come with me; let me show you.”

  He stood quickly and took her slightly sticky palm in his. “Where are we going, princess?”

  She looked up at him and pointed one finger to a hill. “Just over there, Daddy. Come on, we don't have much time.” She started to run and tripped over her own feet. He swept her into his arms and she giggled. He walked forward through the grass and climbed the hill. At the base of the hill, in a valley dotted with yellow flowers, was a large stone house with a tall metal gate surrounding it. She pointed. “That’s where Mommy is. You have to help her, Daddy. A very bad man is hurting her. Promise me you'll save us, Daddy. Promise me.”

  He watched the little girl in his arms get fuzzy and he knew she was leaving him. He pressed a kiss to her fading form and whispered, “I promise, Onyx. I'll save you both.”

  He woke up with a start to see the sky going dusky. He jumped out of bed and pulled his clothes on rapidly, catching his cock in the zipper. He hissed at the pain of his flesh caught between the metal teeth. He breathed slowly as he eased the zipper back down. His cock throbbed angrily and he shoved it down into his jeans. It would have to be worried with later. He bit his bottom lip against the ache and shoved his feet into his boots. He threw the door open and ran down the hall, beating the doors of the vamps as he passed them. Finally, skidding into the living room, he bellowed, “Victor, drop your cock and grab your socks! I need you guys now!” He waited impatiently as grouchy vampires poured out of their rooms. Gena was suspiciously absent and he shrugged it off.

  Victor strutted down the hall, a red satin robe barely concealing his naked body. “Yes, Jeremy,” he murmured drolly.

  “For God's sake, man, cover yourself.”

  Victor laughed and tied the robe tighter. “What's up, man? We've still got a few hours of good sleep, or sex, to put away.”

  Jeremy shook his head. “No, we don't. I had a dream and my daughter was there. She was older…and she knows where her mother is. She showed me. I can describe it and you can tell me if it sounds familiar.”

  Victor's eyes lit up. “Your daughter can do dream telepathy? At this young? Holy shit man, if Claudio found out…” His eyes went dark again. “She'd be even more prized.”

  Jeremy ran his hand through his hair. “I know. I know! God damn it, we have to get to them.”

  Victor looked around and frowned. “Where is Gena? Someone go get the princess out of bed.”

  Lane shrugged. “She's gone.”

  Victor frowned. “Gone?”

  Jeremy sighed. “She tried to fuck me last night and I rebuffed her.”

  Victor's nostrils flared. “Slut. She knows you have a mate.” He shook his head and rubbed his forehead. “Fine, she's gone. She was more a pain in the ass than a help anyway. Tell me what this place looks like, Jeremy.”

  He closed his eyes and recounted the dream, the details fresh in his mind. “Do you know anywhere like that, Victor?”

  Victor tapped his lips and nodded. “Yeah. I do. It's the next place I was going to look. It’s in a town called Orbetello, a Province of Grosseto; near the coast. The place is very near the water; it's the perfect spot for Claudio. I'm sure he has a helicopter on site to get away.”

  Jeremy clenched his fists. “We can't let that happen.”

  Victor nodded. “We won't, I promise.”

  “How far, Victor?”

  He thought for a moment. “If we ride hard, about two hours.”

  “Can we leave as dusk falls?” He paced the floor, his boots hopelessly scuffing the beautiful wooden floors.

  “Yes, we ride at dusk. Brethren, ready yourselves. There will be a battle tonight.” Victor turned and walked back down the hall. “Now, if you'll excuse me, I feel the need to spend the next couple of hours in bliss.”

  ***

  Sasha glared up at Claudio through her curtain of hair and her mouth curled up in a sneer. “Is that the best you've got?”

  “Not quite, Sasha.” He clasped a band around her throat attached to a chain. He undid one arm then the other, pinning them in front of her. She screamed involuntarily as her left shoulder dislocated. Now both arms were incapacitated. He jerked the arm harder for good measure. She screamed again, nearly passing out from the pain. He released her legs from the shackles and she fell forward, slumping to the cold concrete. He jerked the chain attached to the metal collar on her neck and she gagged.

  “Stand, bitch.” She clambered to her feet slowly, her legs wooden and numb. Her breath came shallow and fast and stars clouded her vision. A feeling of simmering water built in her core again, fury rising deep inside her. He jerked the chain and she came forward, stumbling as she stepped. “Come on. This will teach you to mock me.” She found herself against the edge of a porcelain tub. He kicked the backs of her knees and she fell forward, her face hitting icy water. She struggled as water filled her nose and mouth, and kicked out, trying anything to get out of the tub.

  He jerked the chain and she went completely under.

  Sasha lay on the bottom of the tub, and fury rose inside her. I'll be leaving my daughter alone with this bastard. Does Jeremy even care? Is he looking for us? This monster's going to kill me. I should have kept my mouth shut. Her lungs ached with the desire to suck in air. Darkness surrounded her as the anger boiled higher.

  She opened her mouth in a scream and it burst forth in glorious flame. Her skin cracked in agony. Brilliant, white hot light erupted from deep inside her and it blazed from every pore of her being. She shrieked and water filled her lungs, but she held tight to the last vestiges of life. Onyx, I have to save Onyx!

  ***

  A wild wind whipped through the room and Claudio bellowed as the heat from Sasha consumed him. The water in which she lay was covered in brilliant blue flames and he was frozen in horror, watching as his body was consumed from the inside out. His skin crackled and peeled off in garish black ribbons, reminiscent of a Halloween party gone wrong. The pieces flutte
red in the roaring wind that swept against him and kept the inferno alive. He beat at the flames climbing his arms, his feet rooted to the floor and sizzling. He tried to bend forward and submerse himself in the water of the tub, longing to put out the flames, but the water burned as if coated in oil, the sapphire flames licking up to touch him like a vindictive lover.

  He roared and the smell of his flesh searing filled the room. His mouth opened as he spoke in tongues, chanting and rebuking her spell, to no avail.

  ***

  Sasha smiled as she heard another person careen into the room, his voice reaching her ears even underwater. Trevor had come down, most likely hearing Claudio's screams and with glee she ensnared him in her spell's embrace and lured him closer, singing a siren song from the water, the haunting melody capturing his heart and mind.

  Her eyes squeezed shut as the sounds of their conflagration raged on. A part of her was thankful she lay face down in the water, not seeing the gruesome scene playing out, but her brain played tricks on her anyway, and her imagination ran wild. She saw Claudio and Trevor melting like candles, eventually puddling on the floor in a macabre oozing of fleshy wax. A distant thought in her mind was, how am I still alive?

  The flow of energy from her body was abating as their screams slowed. She smiled, bubbles pouring from her lips as their wails grew louder in a last effort to break the spell but finally fell silent. Her skin crawled and she shuddered from the storm leaving her broken and weak. She longed to raise her head, but there was nothing left in her. I'm sorry, baby, Mommy tried to hold on. I can't…I did this all for you…Jeremy…find her…save her…

  As she faded into death's warm embrace, the inferno raged on.

  They rode through the quickening dusk at breakneck speed. Jeremy rode alone, gunning the bike as fast as he dared. The wind whipped his hair and with every mile that passed, he prayed harder. Victor pulled alongside his bike and pointed at the horizon with a confused frown on his features. The sky glowed as though the sun was rising, exquisite gold and amber.

  Jeremy frowned and shrugged. Who knows? As they rode closer, he smelled the acrid smoke. He glanced back quickly to see the vampires’ faces taut and drawn. God damn it! It's the compound! He leaned forward on the bike and sped faster, his heart roaring in his ears. I can't be too late. I can't. The sound of sirens filled the air as they got closer and his panic grew with each second that passed. As they neared the compound, he stopped the bike and jumped off. He took off at a dead run for the blazing building. It burned from the inside and it was engulfed.

  He screamed her name, his voice cracking with fear. “Sasha! Sasha! Oh God. No!” He saw two bodies covered in tarps. As he ran for the door, a fireman caught him by his upper arms, straining to stop him.

  “You can't go in there, sir!” The young fireman pushed him harder. Jeremy punched him in the nose and jumped over his body as it fell.

  “I'm sorry!” he screamed as he ran, his arms pumping through the smoky air. He bounded up the stairs and the heat was enough to make him gasp. The vampires came in hot at his heels. Victor skidded through the living room, leaping over the couch and bounding down the hallway. The vampires searched through the upper levels of the house. Jeremy started down the basement stairs, colliding with a fireman who carried a wet bundle in his arms.

  He backed up as the man ran through the house. All he could see was charred flesh and his heart sank. Victor ran back to him, his eyes wild. “The baby isn't here.”

  “What do you mean she's not here?” He screamed out, coughing as he breathed in the smoke. Victor grabbed him and tossed him over his shoulder.

  “She's not here. She's at least safe, man. We’ll find her later.”

  As Victor carried him out into the cool night air, he took a slow breath. A fireman came up and started yelling. “What the hell is wrong with you, man? You can't be in there!”

  Jeremy looked up with blood-shot eyes. “My little girl. Please tell me you found her. And her mother...Sasha...please. Is she…is she dead?” His chest clenched.

  “Your daughter is here,” a soft voice he instantly recognized murmured. Everyone turned to see a soot-covered Gena holding Onyx.

  Victor eased Jeremy to the ground. “You don't leave your brethren behind, Gena!”

  Gena shrugged one pale shoulder. “No, but I was wrong and I wanted to make it right. I came ahead once I heard where the place was…I got here just in time. A man was running away with her, and I took him out. I’m sorry, Jeremy, I don't think I got to your mate in time.” A tear coursed down her cheek.

  Jeremy started to shake as the firemen railed and the vampires yelled back. The young man he'd punched touched his arm as an ambulance pulled away. “Your wife,” he whispered. “Your wife is bad off, but I think they can save her.” He squeezed his shoulder.

  “Where are they taking her?” He pushed himself up from the ground, his head swimming.

  The man pushed him back down. “Stay down. We're going to take you to the hospital. You and your daughter. Do you have any idea what happened here tonight, man?”

  Jeremy shook his head slowly. “No, I just know she was being held here against her will. Both her and my daughter.” He looked over at Gena. “Please give her to me.”

  Gena nodded slowly and walked to him, bending to give him the little girl. He touched her face with his sooty palm. Gena smiled sadly, her crystalline eyes glistening with tears.

  “Thank you, Gena. Thank you for saving my daughter.” He brought the baby to his chest and held her as tightly as he dared.

  Gena nodded quickly, then walked to the trees in the distance, her shoulders quivering. Lane thumbed in her direction. “Let me go comfort her.”

  A paramedic came to Jeremy and smiled tightly. “Let's get you two to the hospital. I'm sure you will need to be treated for smoke inhalation.” He held out his arms and Jeremy reluctantly handed the baby over before Victor helped him to his feet. He turned and embraced the vampire.

  “Victor. Thank you.” He squeezed him tighter.

  Victor eased back self-consciously and nodded. “It is done, brother. Claudio is dead. We have nothing more to fear from him.”

  Jeremy nodded. “It is done. Who is the second body?”

  Victor shrugged. “Some guy. Worked with him, I guess. I took a peek under the tarp, the guy was really tall and what I could see of his hair, it was blond, and he seemed to be wearing some kind of suit and the remains of shiny black shoes.”

  Jeremy staggered back in horror, his face paling. “I knew I smelled someone familiar in that place in Switzerland... I only know of one man who is blond, wears suits and shiny black shoes. It was Trevor.”

  Victor grabbed his arm to hold him upright. “Who is this man to you?”

  Jeremy's mouth twisted as tears filled his black eyes. “Trevor…I thought he was my best friend. Turns out he has been fucking me the whole way along I guess. Who can you trust?”

  Victor stood tall, as did the other vampires, with military precision. They each touched a fist to their chest. “Us, brother. We have your back, always.”

  Gena nodded. “I stand behind you.”

  Jeremy nodded slowly before pressing his fist to his chest. “My family.”

  The paramedics brought over a stretcher and he was loaded onto it. His daughter rode carefully strapped onto a small gurney herself, a teensy oxygen mask over her features. The man put an IV in his arm and slid a mask over his face. Oxygen flowed into his chest and he breathed deep.

  “Can you tell me if she's okay?” he whispered.

  The man looked up from some paperwork. “Your daughter? She looks as though she's fine. The young woman who saved her definitely kept her from harm.”

  Jeremy nodded slowly. “I'm glad. I also mean…is my…is my girlfriend okay?”

  The man frowned. “I – I really don't know, sir.”

  Jeremy sat up further. “Please.”

  “She was badly burned. We've never seen anything like it. She was in a tub o
f water and we thought she was dead. It's like her skin cracked and she burned from the inside out. We’ve never seen anything like it,” he repeated, obviously in shock, and he shook his head in confusion.

  Jeremy frowned, biting his lip as he leaned back against the stretcher. “And the men who died?” His chest tightened in agony at the thought of the man he'd trusted all those years never being who he said he was.

  The paramedic's eyes grew troubled and he fiddled with the paperwork. “That–that was something else entirely. It's like a chemical explosion. They burned to death, and they were all wrapped up in each other; fused, really.”

  “You mean, you don't know what caused it?”

  The man's eyes went wide and he shook his head quickly. “No. I just know it was one of the worst things I've ever seen in my career.”

  Sometime later, he stroked Sasha's hair, the tangled, charred black curls spread out on her pillow. The nurse looked at him kindly. “Her hair is going to have to go.” He nodded, a sad smile playing at his full mouth.

  “It's just hair, right? It’ll grow back.” His throat closed and tears filled his eyes. The nurse gently touched his shoulder.

  “It will. She will be okay. You'll see.” She calmly began shearing Sasha's hair with her clippers and he watched the burned curls fall to the floor. She’d need more surgery soon, skin grafts, pins and metal plates put into her arm, and tons of therapy to repair the damage done to her body.

  But she was alive; his spitfire had made it. She had third degree burns over sixty percent of her body and would never be the same, the doctors told him. From what they'd found in examining her, she'd been abused severely, both physically and sexually. Therapists had been in to talk to him about her need for support. There was always the possibility of her having brain damage from lack of oxygen as well, but they wouldn't know the extent of her issues until she came out of her coma.