For the next few nights I found somewhere else to sleep, I didn’t want to be in the house, I didn’t want to face Jeffrey. I am ashamed to say that it took me nearly a week before I made the decision to do something about it. I went back to the house each night looking for the separate entrance to the underground tunnels. I knew there must be one, I had never seen any of the people in the cells come into the house or through the house. Eventually I found an old cellar door, at the end of the next night I hid in the coal shed, I snuck out during the day and ran in through one of the side entrances. My tolerance to the sun was growing, but I still ended up with burns on my uncovered hands.
Everything was deserted, but I could hear the moans, looking in the cells I saw the same people, but no longer were they in the midst of the transformation the were now hungry vampires. I had planned on releasing them, but when I opened the first door, the man flew at me. This did not concern me, he was in no way a match for me, and after quickly disposing him I moved onto the next one. This time the vampire was an older male, he hid in the corner.
“Please no more, I will do as you say, just don’t hurt me anymore." when the man lifted his head I saw the injuries to his face, cuts, bruises and some sort whip mark.
"Don’t worry you are safe, I am not going to hurt you. I want to help you get away from here."
"Don’t lie to me, I am sick of the lies" The pain and defeat in his voice made me ache for him.
"Please, my name is Darrell, I want to help" I left him there, and started opening the other doors, in total I had to dispose of 7 more newly made vampires.
When I left, I took 3 with me; three refused to leave and stayed cowered in the cells. We left the way we came in, and went to an abandoned house a few miles away. Within two weeks I had killed them all, I tried to teach them but they had been blood starved and the hunger was too much. The first I caught trying to sneak out at night. The other tried to eat me; I woke to her biting into my back. The third seemed to be coping well with the change, but when I tried to show him how to feed without hurting the human he wouldn’t stop. It wasn’t long before I heard that Jeffrey's men were looking for me, I spent a month running and hiding, but knew it was only a matter of time before they found me so I decided to take a more proactive stance and take down Jeffrey.
I approached the witches first, they wanted Jeffrey gone but they were too scared to stand against him. I had the same response from the warlocks, elves and the fox shifters. However, it was the fox shifters who passed me the name of the local Alpha Wolf.
Apparently Jeffrey had just started advising them of the need for protection, when the pack refused, mysteriously one of the pups went missing and was found dead hanging from a tree. When I first approached them, I was not met with kindness; seeing one of my kind they strung me up against a tree, and had planned to watch the sun take me. It took a while and several beatings but they eventually heard my plea.
I remained their prisoner for 3 days, while they checked my story, when they were satisfied; I was released and formulated a plan with them. This time it was too risky for me to hide in the coal shed, however the wolves had had a rotation watching the house for some time, they had always planned to fight Jeffrey. They found a cave for me, close to the house but out of sight, this allowed me to help plan the attack. Jeffrey had now strengthened the door leading to the underground tunnels, but the wolves managed to get in. During the day all of the humans were out of the house, Jeffrey didn’t trust them in the house when he was resting. The house was supposedly secure and to a stranger it was, but to me I knew where and how to get in. Imparting this knowledge to the wolves, they set fires in 3 separate living areas and outside the cellar door used by Jeffrey.
I watched from the cave as Jeffrey's house and enterprise burned to the ground, before letting myself sleep. Even from where I was, I could hear the screams of all the vampires I had served with for decades. My anger at myself was immense, not only had I allowed myself to be manipulated, I had taken innocent lives. I had no doubt that some of the vampires like me did not know what was going on inside the house. But I also knew that Jeffrey needed to die.
That night I went back, I had to make sure it was all gone. I was stood looking at the ruins, when I was knocked to the ground. Standing I found myself face to face with Jeffrey, a very angry Jeffrey. His black hair was covered in soot, his white blouse had grey soot patches on it, but him he had sustained no injuries at all.
As he punched me and I fell backwards, this became yet another time in my life when I expected to die. We fought, I was strong, but so was he. We did everything we could to kill the other, we had both been injured but it didn’t matter how hard we fought, we were still alive. As dawn started to crest on the horizon it was Jeffrey, who ended it.
"Do not think this is over Darrell, I will be coming for you it doesn’t matter how long it takes I will kill you for this." Then he left, he was fast. I went to go after him, knowing that if I left this unfinished I would forever be looking over my shoulder. It was the pack Alpha who stopped me, he had been watching all along.
"To go after him now would be suicide, you are too injured. Come back to the pack and we will tend your wounds, then you need to leave, find somewhere safer to go."
"But I can't what about Jeffrey?" I was tired, so tired, both physically and emotionally.
"He has to start again and that will take time, but while he is doing this he will be looking for you." I nodded as he helped me to my feet.
"We have a wolf coming back from a trip with some of my pack. He comes from lands far from here, go with him."
"I can't go with a wolf, that’s ludicrous." I laughed at that statement now, who would have believed the path my life would take.
"He is strong, these lands take many months to reach and you can have a new life, start over."
And that’s exactly what I did. I changed my name so that it would be harder for Jeffrey to find me; I told people I was several hundred years younger than I really was. I knew from tracking Philippe how word circulated, and if Jeffrey was looking for a 600 year old vampire, then it wouldn’t take long to find me.
The wolf returned, he had been staying with the pack for a couple of months, but was returning home to America. I travelled with him and found my first real friend. With Ben what you saw is exactly what you got, a strong, loyal, and protective friend. During the first few months traveling, we became close and he taught me how friendship worked. When I arrived in America with him and he offered me somewhere to stay it was meant to be temporary but I am still here.
My life is very different, here I have found a freedom I have missed for centuries, and the people in this pack are my family. When the species came out and lived openly in society, I thought about moving but why would I? When the police set up a branch specifically to deal with crimes involving other species, I signed up immediately. Ben didn’t and still doesn’t understand this decision, but then Ben only knows half of my life. He continues to be my best friend, his family now mine, even his parent who I am much older than, parent me. I am fighting on the right team and am doing something I love, I am now at peace.
I have watched the people around me fall in love, and live a happily ever after. I don’t search for that, if I find it great, if not I will continue to enjoying the benefits of bachelorhood. I don’t look for Philippe anymore, I just want to live in peace.
Mary sighed as she closed the book, things made more sense now. She was taken aback by some of the things in the book, she was also sad for some of the pain he had been through. But at least now, she knew what he was worried about. She wanted to do something for him, give him a surprise. It didn’t take her long to work out what. She decided to go back to her apartment and collect some things, giving her a chance to check on the shop. Unsurprisingly things were going well which relieved some of her anxiety. For the rest of the afternoon she prepared.
Chapter 29
Stretching his arms out, his bed felt empty without Ma
ry in it, sliding out of the bed he was about to look for her, when he found a note taped to his mirror.
Good morning Handsome, I have some things to do, don’t worry I am only downstairs. But I want you to shower; your clothes are in the bathroom. I will meet your downstairs as soon as you are ready
Love Mary xxx
Going into the bathroom, he found his tux hanging on the door. With a smile of confusion he moved it back into the bedroom and showered. Within thirty minutes he was ready and very curious. Nothing could prepare him for the sight waiting for him downstairs, Mary was stood wearing a long black sleek gown, with a low neck line he had a glimpse of those delicious breasts, a diamond choker at her neck, matching clips pinning her hair and some long black gloves, she looked absolutely stunning.
"Wow, you look magnificent." He was almost speechless.
"Why thank you kind sir, you look somewhat gorgeous as usual."
He kissed her gently not wanting to smudge her lipstick "I take it we have plans tonight?"
"We most certainly do" she produced two tickets for tonight's showing of Madame Butterfly, in a private box. As she watched his face light up, her heart soared.
"I love the theatre how did you…The book." He stroked her face and kissed her again.
"Thank you Mary."
Throughout the production she watched Darius, as much as the performers. She watched how his eyes lit up, the concentration as he followed every word. He truly did love this. But she also came to another realisation, he was going after Jeffrey, he thought Jeffrey had found him. She understood his need to end this, but she didn’t want to lose him.
They walked in Central Park afterwards, although it was late night she had nothing to fear, Darius would protect her. There was a chill in the air, and Darius placed his jacket over her shoulders.
"That was marvellous."
She wanted to let him keep his enjoyment but she couldn’t, she had to know "you think Jeffrey has found you, don’t you?"
He stopped walking, and she heard his sigh "I do, he is not here now I think he moved on after Vlad nearly caught up with him. But he will be back."
"When are you going?" she didn’t want to hear the answer but she had to know.
"Probably in the next two days, I can't seem to find him. I know he stayed in England and if he has been spooked he will head back there. I can't live with this hanging over me any longer."
"Why, you have managed 200 years of it?"
"I always said that if he found me I wouldn’t endanger the pack and I won't. But more importantly, I will not endanger you Mary. I am going back to England and I will kill him this time."
Even with the jacket she could feel the chill "how long?"
"I don’t know I wish I did. I want to spend my life with you Mary, but I can't risk this hanging over me. Please try to understand."
She did and that was the problem. She understood too well. They went home and made love through the night, this time it was she that slept through the day. When she woke up, he was gone, this time it was Darius who had taped the note to the mirror.
My sweet Mary,
I couldn’t bear to say goodbye to you. I will return as soon as I can, don’t ever forget how much I love you. Last night was amazing, magical even, no one has ever done something so romantic for me and I will take that with me on my travels. I would like you to remain in the house; I have left a letter for Ben so it won't be a problem. I like the idea of knowing you are there in my bed with my belongings. When I return I want to make our love permanent, there is a blood ceremony that will do this, I expect you already have questions about this. I have asked Vlad to answer any questions you have. I pray that you want me in your life forever and hopefully this will give you time to decide what you really want, because once bonded I will not let you go. I hope this will not take long, but if something happens and I do not return please remember how important you are, how beautiful and special you are, just the way you are now. I have added a new entry into my book, you should read it.
All my love Darius xxx
With tears running down her cheeks, she picked the book up from the table in the lounge and opened it to a new entry.
I am at a cross roads in my life now, to face the enemy I left behind before he destroys my future, or to wait for my enemy to find my future and risk losing it. I never thought that I would have something so pure and good to look forward to, I never hoped to fall in love again but I have. I met her several years ago, she was the best friend of my partner, she always stepped back from the limelight and didn’t truly see how beautiful she was and continues to be. Her unassuming personality hid a rose in bloom, I have wanted her since the moment I met her, outside a supermarket on a rainy day. I was buying blood while she and my partner were shopping for a chocolate cake.
When an earth was that? Racking her brains she remembered, it was a friend's birthday and they were having a party, they were bringing the cake. She and Lucky had bumped into Darius near the checkout. She looked awful that night, she had been caught in the rain, her hair was stuck to her head, her glasses had steamed up, her sandals and tights were soaking and he wanted her even then. Wow.
As I look at her sleeping form before I leave, I know that she is the reason I was given salvation every time I nearly passed into the next life. To know that love is where you least expect it, and to have the glow inside is what I have been waiting for. Although I go with a heavy heart, I go, knowing that if I do not return, I left this world a happy place. I know that she is my future; I just do not know which one, this one or the next.
Mary sat there staring at the book he had shown her, the man behind the vampire and for the first time in a lot of years she prayed to the gods and goddesses for his return. She stepped out into the sun and looked to the heavens hoping someone was listening as she whispered "please return him to me."
"He's gone then?" Startled she found Ben sat on the bench, the pain and sadness etched in his face.
"He has" and then she crumpled, it was Ben who held her, and Ben who carried her to Lucky.
Chapter 30
Two Months later
Mitch was leaving work when poof he left the earth and landed in the heavens. He was tired and just a little cranky.
"About bloody time" he saw the goddess of Destiny's eyes widen, she sat in her throne of white with her long flowing blonde hair hanging around her shoulders.
"Surely you don’t dare talk to me in this manner warrior" she looked incredulous in an earthly sort of way. Normally Mitch had respect for the gods and goddess, especially for their powers but he had been calling to her for two goddamn months, and had got nothing in return.
"Damn right I am, you waited two months to call me here. I want to know where Darius is and I want to be sent there. Whatever he is dealing with, I want to be there." She didn’t look impressed and quite frankly he no longer cared.
"And if I say no?" She had the audacity to smile at him.
"Then next time you want me to do something, I may just forget and your little order of the universe may fly out of the window." Mitch saw a man come from the side, he didn’t know when he arrived but as he whispered in Destiny's ear, Mitch got the feeling he knew him; he was somehow familiar to him. It was only when he turned towards Mitch that he saw who it was.
"Phil?" Shit! That was Lucky's ex, but he was big now, really big, he made Mitch look puny.
"Hello again Mitch"
Mitch was speechless well only momentarily "gods you look well, when will you be returning to Earth" his smile faded.
"When the time is right, I check on them though, the girls and Lucky. They seem happy" the sadness was in his voice, Phil's shoulders slumped a little.
"They are but they miss you."
"Excuse me, let's focus. Warrior, you can go to the vampire, tell him he is looking in the wrong place. He needs to be home, before he will find the one who has been following him through the centuries. Give him some advice though; he needs to go back to
the beginning to see the truth.
And just like that he was gone, and deposited in snow, damn cold snow. Even with his jeans and boots he was cold. The sun was just setting, when he heard a rustle behind him. Ducking out of the way he watched and waited, it wasn’t long before Darius came from the right of him and started heading towards a cabin like building. It looked abandoned but Darius didn’t think so, as Mitch watched Darius run past him.
Darius had been searching for too long without any whisper of Jeffrey's whereabouts. A couple of times, vampires had given him snippets of old stories that sent him through Spain and Argentina, then nothing. He was tired and completely fed up, he missed Mary, he missed the pack, his job, his friends and he missed his home. The travelling was exhausting, he didn’t really talk with people unless they could help him, and he slept during the day and searched all night. He drank the bottled blood but all that did was remind him of Mary's blood.
The Man Behind the Vampire (The Silver Series) Page 18
