Damned and Cursed | Book 10 | Fallen Skye

by Bullion, Glenn

  “Huh? Say that again?”

  “You thought I was here for Lonnie. Doing something for him?”

  Alyson was quiet for a moment, looking Victoria up and down.

  “Are you … ?”

  She didn’t finish the question, but Victoria understood.

  “Yes, I am.”

  Alyson sighed and nodded.

  “Lonnie and me, we used to be … well, I don’t know what you’d call it. I thought we were a couple. Is it cheating when you suck blood from women all over town? He says he didn’t fuck any of them, and I don’t know if I believe him. But either way, all those women, all those orgasms. It’s cheating, right? Dating a vampire, it’s fucking weird.”

  “It definitely is.”

  “Anyway, he said to make us even, he’d send some of his friends over. They could take some blood, make me scream a little, and everything would work out. But … I didn’t want any of that. I’m pretty sure Lonnie was just using me. For himself and his friends. I thought you were here to drink up and have a good time.”

  “No. I just want to find Alan.”

  “Why? Who is he to you? Who exactly are you?”

  Victoria was quiet a moment, mulling her words. She wanted to be sensitive to Alyson, but there was no need to go into magic and the photo of Alan in chains.

  “There are forces out there beyond vampires, Alyson. I think Alan got caught up in some of it. The truth is I don’t know entirely for sure myself yet, but I’m working on it.”

  She laughed a moment.

  “Forces out there,” she repeated. “You sound a hundred years old.”

  Victoria returned the humor.

  “Oh, to be that young again,” she said. “I was hoping you could help me with a few things. First, I need to know where Alan lived … lives. I’d like to check out his place. And anything you can tell me about the time before he disappeared would be helpful. Was he hanging out with new people? Doing anything out of character for him? Anything at all.”

  Alyson gestured for Victoria to follow. The mortal made a quick stop to the kitchen to pour herself a soda.

  “I’d offer you something to drink,” she said, tapping her neck. “But like I said, the bar is closed.”

  She made her way to a door and opened it. A set of stairs led to the basement. Alyson descended, with Victoria behind.

  Alyson turned on a light to reveal a small couch, and even smaller bed. A tiny refrigerator sat against one wall, with a microwave on top. A laptop sat on a desk in the corner.

  “Alan lived here?” Victoria asked.

  Alyson let out a sad sigh.

  “I haven’t told you everything. One reason the police haven’t broken their necks looking for him is because he’s had … some problems. Drugs, mostly. He lost his job a few months back, lost his apartment, and he’s lived with me ever since. He’s vanished a time or two, and either turned up on his own, or the cops found him high out of his mind in some corner somewhere. So, they really don’t care. But this is different, this time.”

  Victoria approached the laptop and turned it on. A desktop full of icons greeted her, with a background of Alan and a young woman.

  “Ah, his ex. He keeps saying he’s over her, but obviously, not quite. She moved to Canada. The first vampire he ever let feed from him.”

  Victoria looked up as her hand hovered over the track pad.

  “Vampires have drunk from Alan? Bitten him?”

  She rolled her eyes.

  “Yeah. He’d tell me all about it. Used to piss me off. I don’t want to hear about my brother’s sex life.”

  Alyson was talking, but Victoria’s attention was elsewhere. She pulled out her stone.

  “Kevin,” she said.

  It took a moment for him to answer. Alyson had stopped talking and stared in amazement as Victoria spoke into a rock.

  “Yeah. I’m here.”

  “I need you to get in touch with Lonnie. Right now. Check on Traci, make sure she’s okay.”

  “Okay. Hold on.”

  The moments stretched. Victoria could feel Alyson’s eyes on her. Watching her, watching the stone.

  “She’s fine,” Kevin said. “Lonnie knows a nurse, and Traci’s getting looked at.”

  “Thanks. You keep checking in with them. Any news on the search?”

  He didn’t hide his irritation.

  “Not yet, Victoria. There are a lot of books here.”

  “I know. Just … do your best.”

  Victoria was lost. The questions just kept coming. How did Alan recently turn into a vampire, despite having been drank from before? Was Traci going to turn as well?

  She locked eyes with Alyson, who wore a myriad of emotions.

  “Who are you?”

  Victoria smiled, deflecting the question.

  “Do you mind if I peek at his laptop some more?”

  “Not at all. I’ve already went through it, didn’t find anything. But help yourself.”

  Victoria meant the question also as a request for privacy, but Alyson didn’t get the hint. She hovered over Victoria’s shoulder as she browsed the contents. Nothing jumped out as unusual. A small music library, photos downloaded from a smartphone. The email was pedestrian, mostly automatic responses from matchmaking websites.

  She noticed there was a second hard drive. She opened its contents to reveal a new set of folders. Alyson let out a startled sound and leaned closer to Victoria than she would have liked.

  “Oh, wow,” she said. “I, uh, don’t know much about computers. I didn’t know that was there.”

  Alan’s secondary data storage contained more of the same. More pictures, a folder of downloaded pornography. An updated resume, and a list of job applications.

  As Victoria dug deeper, she found other documents. Appointments, doctor bills, referrals. She didn’t understand medical jargon, but she understood enough. A sad truth came to light.

  “Cancer,” she said. “Alan had cancer.”

  “What?” Alyson said, shaking her head. “No. No, no. He never told me.”

  “It’s right here. Lung cancer.”

  Alyson sat on the edge of the bed, her hands shaking. Her face turned pale.

  “Why wouldn’t he tell me?”

  Victoria didn’t have an answer. She wished she had the words for comfort. But sometimes, there was no comfort, something that had taken her over a century to learn.

  She continued to search in silence, and leaned back in surprise when she stumbled on a photo.

  “Well, well,” she said. “And what do we have here?”

  It was a beautiful shot of a rooftop party. A full moon obscured with clouds served as the scenery. Eleven people posed, all standing in a long line. Victoria recognized some of them from the nightclub, vampires and humans alike. Some drank beer, while others held glasses or bottles of a red substance she was very familiar with.

  Near the end of the line was Alan, his arm wrapped around a woman she didn’t know, planting a playful kiss on her cheek.

  Standing right in the middle, his smile bright and wide, was Zeke. The same vampire that didn’t recognize Alan, despite them standing ten feet away from each other in a photo on Alan’s laptop.

  “What?” Alyson said.

  Victoria angled the laptop toward her.

  “Do you know anyone here?”

  “Not by name, no. But I’ve seen some of them before. Alan brought that woman he’s kissing home once or twice. Does this mean something?”

  “It means Zeke is a pretty good liar.”

  Something broke upstairs. A window. Victoria and Alyson looked up to the basement ceiling. Victoria reached out with her ears, tried to listen. Quiet, subtle footsteps. Someone was sneaking or being cautious.

  “Did you hear—?” Alyson began.

  “Shh!” Victoria interrupted.

  The footsteps moved through the first floor. Victoria pointed to the light above them. Ambling and holding her breath, Alyson moved to the switch at the bottom of
the stairs and flicked it off. Darkness flooded the basement, and Victoria forced it away. Her eyes turned red.

  She motioned for Alyson to remain still and crept up the stairs. She thought she saw shadows moving under the gap beneath the door. The footsteps were frantic, quick one moment and quiet the next.

  Gripping the doorknob, she turned it quietly. More steps, fast, heading toward her.

  She didn’t have time to react. The door flung open, and she barely had a second to register Alan’s face before he was on her. They tumbled down the stairs, her head smacking the wood and wall as they went. Alan didn’t care about anyone’s safety, including his own. Like the vampire in the sewers, he was almost a wild animal.

  There was a scream. Victoria couldn’t tell if it was Alan or Alyson. A hand gripped her throat, very strong, and squeezed as Alan pinned her arm under her. Leverage was not on her side.

  “Alan!” Alyson shouted. “Stop!”

  The weight lifted from Victoria. She spun on her hands and knees, trying to collect herself. Her arm was broken. The basement was still dark, but the light from the open door above cast an eerie light on Alyson. She huddled in the corner as Alan stalked her. Did he recognize her voice? Recognize her name? Was he simply sizing up another threat?

  “God, Alan,” Alyson said, crying. “What happened to you?”

  Alan didn’t respond.

  He wore the same clothes from the picture, but they were in much worse condition. His left shoe was missing, shirt nearly in tatters. His shoulders heaved up and down as he eyed his sister.

  He took a step toward Alyson.

  “Hey,” Victoria said. Her body ached, her arm in agony, but she couldn’t let him hurt Alyson. She climbed to her feet, tapping the wall to draw his attention. “I’m the one you should worry about.”

  Alan turned and let out a low growl. His fangs grew longer, his claws ready. Alyson moved along the wall, further away, trying not to cry.

  “Alan, are you in there?” Victoria said. She watched his eyes, looking for anything. A flicker of memory, recognition. She saw nothing. “We don’t have to—”

  He attacked, rushing Victoria. They slammed into the wall behind her, cracking the foundation. Victoria held up her one good arm, trying to block the frantic combination of claws and fangs. During the struggle, Alan buried a knee into her ribs. Even if she had the use of both arms, she wasn’t sure she could match his strength. Whatever was done to him, whatever had happened, his strength was far greater than that of a normal vampire.

  Alyson, in a display of courage Victoria didn’t expect, ran forward. She wrapped her arms around her brother’s neck and jumped on his back. The move was a mere nuisance to Alan, a distraction.

  But it was enough.

  Victoria squatted and ripped her claw across the back of Alan’s calf, tearing through jeans and flesh. He dropped Alyson as he fell to one knee. With Victoria and Alan now at the same height, she reared her head back and thrust it into his nose. Even a vampire had tender spots. He fell backward, stunned. Victoria moved in front of Alyson, to protect her. Alan was already regaining his senses. His nose was split open, blood pouring down his face, but he focused his gaze on Victoria.

  A high-pitched whistle cut through the air.

  She turned to see a man standing at the top of the stairs. His eyes glowed red. Another vampire. Blond hair, pointed features, with dark, sunken eyes. He wore a dress shirt and brown khakis, as if he’d just gotten off work at an office job. Victoria studied him, just as he studied her. He was curious, agitated, angry, confused. His eyes drifted to Alyson and Alan, trying to piece together the scene.

  He brought his thumb and index finger to his mouth and whistled once again. Alan leapt, and Victoria tensed up for another fight. But Alan wanted nothing to do with her.

  He ran upstairs, trailing blood along the way. Stopping at the stranger’s side, he turned to give Victoria one more glare, showing off his fangs. The stranger put a hand on Alan’s shoulder, and he settled.

  Somehow, the stranger was controlling Alan.

  “Don’t follow us,” he said. “This is your only warning.”

  They left, disappearing into the house. Victoria could hear them leaving through the back. She wanted to follow, but was in no condition. Alyson made it to her feet first and helped Victoria up. Victoria leaned against the wall as she gritted her teeth.

  She snapped her arm back into place. Clenching her eyes shut, she doubled over and rode out the pain. Deep breaths, controlled breathing. The bone was still broken, but the injury would be easier to heal.

  Alyson paced in front of her. It took a minute to gather her thoughts.

  “What the fuck just happened?” she asked. “My brother, shit! What’s wrong with him?”

  The questions were meaningless. Victoria didn’t have any answers. Only pieces.

  But she had options. Alan wouldn’t be able to hide. There were enough photos to easily power one of Kevin’s tracking spells.

  “Can you help him? Can you help my brother?”

  “I don’t know,” Victoria answered honestly. “That might not be him anymore.”

  “But … he came here. He must remember something!”

  “Maybe, but you can’t worry about that right now. That man, did you know him?”

  “No, I don’t think so. Everything happened so fast. But no, I don’t know him.”

  “You have some friends you can stay with?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Good. You go, get away from here. If I can help Alan, I will.”

  Alyson finally noticed the pain Victoria was in. She tried to help her stand upright.

  “God, are you okay? Can I do anything?”

  “Actually, yeah. I know you said the bar was closed. But … would you mind?”

  Victoria was polite, but it wasn’t a request, more of a warning. Alyson sighed and nodded, offering her arm. Victoria exposed her fangs and sank them into Alyson’s flesh. The nectar gushed into her mouth, and Alyson’s breath hitched. In her state, control was hard, but not impossible. She slowed her feeding as Alyson’s knees buckled. She felt her wounds heal. The pain in her arm dulled as bone mended.

  She licked the wound clean and sealed the skin. Alyson leaned against the couch, catching her own breath.

  “Thank you,” Victoria said, standing to her full height. She motioned to the basement and upstairs. “The pictures here of Alan. Do you mind if I take a few?”

  “Go ahead. What are you going to do?”

  “There’s a vampire I need to have a talk with.”

  CHAPTER 20

  JACK’S MIND WAS in a fog. Marie’s small hotel room stank, its decor and very existence insulting. The microwave, ridiculously tiny refrigerator, cheap chair, uncomfortable bed, ugly curtains, they all picked at Jack’s psyche. A voice spoke to him, a pleasant voice, his only lifeline from teetering over the edge. Marie. But he didn’t hear her words. They sat shoulder to shoulder at the top end of the bed, while Tiffany lied on her stomach near the bottom, watching TV. Her presence, her scent almost relaxed him. Almost.

  But he was too angry.

  Tiffany was not supposed to be in a dingy hotel room. She was supposed to be in pajamas, not her regular clothes. They should have been arguing over what music to enjoy, what snack to devour after dinner.

  Their snacks, music, their entire home was gone.

  Her quiet laugh at the TV brought him out of his stupor. He wanted to lash out at the world for not making sense. Why was she laughing?

  He caught the last word in Marie’s sentence.

  “—plan?”

  “What?” he said. “Did you say something?”

  She took his hand, only for a quick moment. He enjoyed her touch, but she made it brief. She was already starting to know him too well.

  “I said, what’s our plan?” Marie rose and approached the refrigerator. “Tiffany, do you want something to drink?”

  “Do you have any soda?” She looked at Jack. “I know
it’s late.”

  He smiled as best he could.

  “You can have all the soda you want.”

  “A soda, it is,” Marie said, retrieving two bottled waters and a can of Coke.

  “Thank you for letting us stay here,” Tiffany said.

  “You’re very welcome,” Marie said, patting her shoulder.

  Jack noticed the affection, and clumsiness, of Marie’s gesture. He also wanted to thank her, but didn’t have the words. He accepted a bottle of water and gave her a slow, appreciative nod.

  She responded in kind.

  “You’re also welcome,” she said, then lowered her voice. “What’s our next move?”

  He took a deep breath.

  “First, Tiffany. I need to get her away from here. Safe. That’s all that matters right now.”

  “Got it.”

  “I’ll make some calls. I’ve got safe houses all over the world.” He reached for his phone. “I’ll call my pilot, get him prepped.” He cast Tiffany a sad look. “She’s actually been through this before, having to hide.”

  “Poor child.”

  “Yeah. But, last time, I sent her to Paris. Which she loved.”

  Tiffany turned over at the foot of the bed and sat up.

  “Jack,” she said. “Why don’t you just call Kevin? I can stay with him, like that one time.”

  “Uh,” Jack said, at a loss for words. “Glinda’s away right now, Tiff.”

  “Just have him make one of those wormholes. With his powers.”

  Jack stiffened, and he felt Marie next to him do the same. He reached for Marie’s hand and squeezed, trying to keep his own nerves in check.

  Tiffany climbed off the bed and circled to meet Jack. He did the same, mirroring her movements, and knelt in front of her. She put her hands on his shoulders, her expression so serious, almost drawing a laugh from him.

  “Dad, listen,” she said. “I didn’t want to say anything until you were ready, but I know about monsters. When we first met, I saw monsters. You remember that, right?”

  He managed a smile.

  “Yeah, I remember.”

  “And then there were more, when I first met Victoria, Alex, and Kevin. I’ve figured it all out. I know you all have powers. You’re like superheroes, and you fight against the monsters.” He looked at Marie. “Do you have powers, too?”