by Night, Ash
“Aubrey, you worry too much. I’ll be fine. You don’t need to bug him.” I said with a smile.
“Too late, he bugged me.” Topaz stood at the foot of my bed.
I jumped. “Holy crap, Paz! Don’t do that!”
He grinned. “Sorry, I’ll knock over a lamp next time.”
“A little noise would be nice,”
Aubrey bent down to kiss me, but I could feel the tension in his body. He was hungry. Slashing at my arm like I was Freddy Kruger probably hadn’t helped. I tried to tell my heart to slow down. He smiled at my thought.
“Doesn’t work that way, hon, but thanks for your consideration,”
“I love you,”
“I love you too. I’ll be back when you wake up.” He turned to Paz. “She took her pill a few minutes ago. She shouldn’t take another before seven, six at the earliest, but the blue anti-anxiety pill she can have whenever she needs one. But if she does take one of those, she’ll need to wait four hours before the next dose.”
“Yes, sir, Dr. Asher,” he said. I smirked at him. He laughed. “Yea, he’s a giant worrywart.”
Aubrey grinned. “Good night, sweetheart. Thanks, Paz. I owe you.”
“No charge for Erin, my friend.”
Aubrey nodded and was gone before I could blink.
The smell of blueberry pancakes greeted me when I woke up. I rolled over to kiss Aubrey good morning, but his spot was bare. I sat up and sighed. The delicious smell coupled with my growling stomach made me fly through my morning routine. Topaz was at the stove scrambling up about two dozen eggs with at least a pound of shredded cheese on the cutting board beside him.
I sat down, staring at the sight. “You’re eating with me, I hope?”
“Sure, Er-bear! I could always eat. Are you offering?” Topaz flashed his fangs.
I laughed. “When’s the last time you actually drank from a human?”
He tossed a few pancakes in the air and caught them on a plate. “1918, her name was Faye, amazing girl. She worked at a blood bank in England when I first met Matt.”
“The one I met?” I asked, dumping syrup on a stack of pancakes. It was still a little unsettling when I thought of how old my friend actually was.
“Yes, I met him about a year after I became a vampire. I’d just found out my family was gone and hadn’t eaten in…a while.” He brightened before the sadness could weigh down his shoulders. “How are the pancakes?”
“Amazing!” I smiled. “Is the mountain of scrambled eggs done?”
“Yup,” he said, mixing in the mound of cheese. He shoveled a big scoop of warm, fluffy eggs onto my plate. I added salt and pepper and dug in. Closing my eyes, I savored the first bite. Scrambled eggs were my favorite breakfast food. Topaz took a seat and filled his plate.
“Am I too late for breakfast?” Aubrey asked, walking into the kitchen an hour later. Strands of his hair fell in his eyes, making his grin look boyish and cute.
“Yes, no breakfast for you!” Topaz replied jokingly.
I handed him a plate. He heaped food high on his plate. “Good morning!”
“Good morning, sweetheart.” Aubrey gave me a hug before sitting down. He speared a giant helping of eggs and pancake with his fork and smiled. “These are great, Paz!”
“They would have been better if you were here on time.”
Aubrey grinned. “Oh yeah?”
“Were you out all night?” I asked. “You weren’t in bed when I woke up.”
“Yeah, I had a hard time finding any animals to feed on. It’s weird. It was the same way the other day when I hunted the other day, too.” He said. “But it’s fine. Eventually I found a herd of deer.”
“Endless supply of blood bags, my friend. So, when are you planning to leave me all alone?” Topaz asked, looking at me.
“Whenever he’s ready,” I said. “His birthday trip, after all,”
He turned to Aubrey with a grin. “So, Birthday Boy, when are you leaving me all alone?”
“As soon as I can,” Aubrey chuckled.
Dramatically placing a hand over his heart, Topaz pantomimed being shot in the heart. “I’m wounded,”
I got up to rinse my plate in the sink. “You’ll get over it,”
“You read my mind,” Aubrey said, finishing his food. “Ready?”
“Are you kidding? I’ve been packed since Mom said I could go!” I replied, racing to grab my bags. Topaz helped me load them into the car while Aubrey cleaned up breakfast. Once that was done, Topaz hugged me tight.
“Have a great trip!”
I smiled. “Recovered from your wound already?”
He chuckled. “A wise woman once told me I’ll get over it,”
“It’s only a week. I’m sure you’ll find a way to pass the time.” I said. “What’s a week to a vampire?”
Aubrey clapped a hand on Topaz’s shoulder. “Do a few hundred crossword puzzles.”
Topaz raised an eyebrow. “I may be pushing eighty, but I am not an old man, you older-than-dirt relic.”
I laughed, giving my golden-eyed friend one last hug before getting into the passenger seat of his truck. Aubrey and Topaz spoke briefly about something and then Aubrey got in the car. A grin spread across his face as the engine roared to life. “Ready, sweetheart?”
Chapter fifteen
Aubrey
As I sped down the long stretch of highway taking us out of the city, my mind flicked to my brother more than once. Even Erin’s jubilant singing with the radio didn’t provide a distraction for long. Kistel hadn’t messed with our connection this time so at least I knew he was alive, but the fact he wasn’t answering proved to be even more frustrating than usual.
Alex, dammit, I know you can hear me! Where the hell are you? Not the nicest way to get his attention, but I’d already tried the nice approach for over an hour. It never had really ever worked with Alex. Alex responded better to vinegar than to honey.
The bastard’s with me so what the hell do you want? Alex snarled, razor-sharp venom in his voice. I sighed. As always, my worry was misplaced.
You’re in a mood. Good to see Kistel didn’t change that. I replied sarcastically. Kistel had probably been what brought the mood on in the first place. Where are you?
Alex completely ignored my question. Good, you’re on the road. Say hi to Mother for me.
I didn’t appreciate the fact he was rooting around in my head at the moment, but I disregarded it. I will. We’ll be there in a few days. We’ll be stopping at a few hotels along the way.
Erin… Alex was silent for a few minutes. My actions were for the best. It was said as a statement to me, but something in his voice had me thinking he was still trying to convince himself of that. He hated the fact Erin hated the sight of him, even if he’d been the one to make her that way.
You could change that. I suggested. It’s okay to love Erin as a friend. She makes you happy. Your demeanor changes when she walks into a room. Everyone needs a friend like that. Even a crotchety old man like you.
Alex scoffed. I can’t do that, little brother. Not until Kistel is gone. And that’s pretty much a lost cause since we both know the bastard won’t die. Lighting him on fire might work though….
You’d go up in flames too.
Would that really be a bad thing? Alex chuckled.
I growled. Don’t even joke about that.
His tone was abruptly serious. I’m not joking, brother. Once Kistel is gone, the promise between Mother and I will have been fulfilled. Her spirit can finally be at peace, knowing her baby boy is safe.
If you didn’t come out okay, she would never find peace. A cold feeling spread throughout my body and made me feel sick.
He sighed. Mother felt tremendous guilt until her dying breath. She had wanted to escape with us, but knew it wouldn’t work. Kistel keeps tabs on us to this day. We never would have escaped him. Mother lived with the guilt of watching me take abuse to spare you. That hurt her more than any of his punches ever could. It kil
led a part of her every day.
Kistel can’t…He can’t. I said with new-found determination. He could never kill you. You’re too stubborn to die.
I felt a rush of happiness from him and could imagine the smirk he probably had on his face. Damn straight, brother. But, in case I do, I made a few alterations to my will.
You have a will?
Of course. Suffice it to say, Erin will have enough money to live quite well.
She will, anyway. I replied a little indignantly. I have more than enough saved up to care for her every desire.
Oh, I forgot your endless list of summer jobs. He sounded like he was laughing.
Not my fault I look young, you fossilized artifact.
He laughed. See you later, brother.
I’ll tell you all about our trip when I get back. I thought for a moment and blushed. Well, an edited version.
I love excavating your mind for your dirty little secrets so you might as well not bother.
I smiled as he ended the conversation. “Want to stop for a bathroom break? I saw a place that we should be coming up to soon.”
She smiled. “Human problems,”
I stared ahead at the road for a while before I asked, “is Lauren really not okay with me drinking your blood?”
“You won’t hurt me. She knows that.”
“But I wouldn’t want to upset her. It’s one thing when we joke about her starting a bonfire but I know my leaving really hurt you and, by extension, it hurt her to see you in pain.” I sighed. “I never want something like that to happen again.”
“You won’t hurt me,” she repeated. “Lauren will be fine. I promise.”
I pulled Erin toward me and kissed her forehead. “If she does burn me alive, keep Alex out of trouble, okay?”
Suddenly, every muscle in her body tensed. Her skin had gone bone-white. She tried to speak, but her mouth couldn’t form the words. She shook as she clung to me.
I cursed under my breath. I guess using his name was off limits. Tipping her chin so she looked into my eyes, I forced a smile. “It’s okay, sweetie. He’s not here. Please calm down.”
She relaxed. I wasn’t compelling her, but controlling her emotions like that made me feel dirty. “Are we almost to a restroom?”
“Almost,” I replied, wincing slightly. That rush of fear had made her bladder weaken and she’d nearly had an accident. A flash of memory tugged at my brain. When she had been trapped in at that hospital, she had taken to going to the bathroom in a corner of the room. The thought made me shudder.
As Erin went to the bathroom, I walked around outside. I had always preferred to be outside and never liked to be inside for too long. Once I had told Mother I’d wanted to live outside and sleep in trees. I chuckled at the memory. Of course, I was four and hadn’t thought to factor in where I would stay in bad weather.
Today, the weather was sunny and cloudless. I sat under a tree, took a deep breath, and closed my eyes. Erin tapped me on the shoulder a few minutes later. I smiled and hugged her. “Enjoy the sunshine with me?”
“I’m so happy we don’t have a strict time-line.” She said, sitting on my lap. “Usually when Mom, Dad, and I went on trips, me and Dad had to sneak away for moments like this. Mom always planned everything down to the letter.”
I grinned. “We could pretend,”
She giggled, cuddling into my chest. “That sounds perfect,”
“Enjoy your stay,” the hotel receptionist said as she handed me the key card to our room.
“Thank you,” I replied and followed behind Erin with our bags. She pushed the button for the elevator, bouncing up and down on her knees as she waited. “Excited?”
“Extremely,”
The elevator door opened and we stepped inside. Erin pushed the number four button and the elevator shifted. I softly sang along with the Frank Sinatra music coming in through the speakers. Erin listened intently.
“It’s not often I get to hear you sing.”
“I don’t hear much music worth singing much anymore.” I said. “Times changed and I don’t really listen to mainstream music anymore.”
“I’ll have to download some Sinatra, or will I need a record player?” she teased.
I chuckled. “I’m sure you can find it on the World Wide Web.”
She laughed. “God, you sound like such an old man!”
“I am not an old man. I’m four hundred and eleven.”
“Four hundred and twelve,”
Setting our bags down, I scooped her up into a hug. “Not for another few days! I’m still young for a few more days.”
“You haven’t been young since the pilgrims landed,” she said. I kissed her forehead and set her down.
“Maybe you should date someone your own age, then,” I grinned as the door opened and I carried our bags to our room down the hall.
“This room is huge!” Her eyes shined excitedly as she looked around the room. There was a flat-screen on the wall above a small fireplace, two double beds reminiscent of the old days when two people didn’t sleep in the same bed unless married, and a mini fridge. I opened the fridge and stocked it with soda for Erin as well as some meat and cheese from the cooler for her to make sandwiches. She’d insisted on making some of her own meals even though I’d assured her room service was available and money, of course, was no object.
“I’m glad you like it,” I said with a smile. Erin had flopped on the bed with her face buried in the pillow. “That your bed?”
I ducked as she threw the pillow beside her at me. “It’s yours too. This isn’t an episode of I Love Lucy, you know.”
I smirked. “You have no idea what a turn-on it is to hear you know of that show’s existence,”
She laughed. “I love that show, actually. Desi was pretty cute.”
Closing the fridge, I moved to her side in one fluid movement and lay on the bed beside her, the thrown pillow under my head. “You amaze me,”
She grinned. “I do? Good, now I don’t feel so alone. Do you realize how much you amaze me on a daily basis?”
We looked into each other’s eyes in a magical moment of comfortable silence. One of the things I loved best about her was that, unlike so many girls these days, she didn’t feel the need to fill every moment with needless chitchat. Silence with her often said more than any amount spent talking, and was infinitely more valuable.
Traveling in a car for hours had exhausted her. She was asleep an hour after we arrived at the hotel. It was getting dark. The last of the sun’s rays were slipping below the horizon in various pink and midnight hues. My body hummed in response. It was my favorite time to hunt.
I quickly scribbled a note on some hotel stationary, grabbed the key card off the table, kissed her hair, and ducked out of the room. Before I left the hotel completely, I turned back to double-check that the door to our room was locked. I chuckled. I was becoming overprotective.
“Enjoy the hunting trip?” Erin asked as I snuck quietly back into the room two hour later.
I smiled. “Yes, how was your sleep?”
“Boring,” she said brightly. “I think the pills are working.” Her smile faded. “They aren’t making me act different, are they?”
Sitting beside her, I shook my head. “Of course not,”
“Good, because each time I take one I’m afraid they’ll change me.”
“Even if they did, I’d still love you all the same.” I tipped her chin up so she would look at me.
She looked ashamed. “I hope so,”
“You loved me after I told you I was a vampire so even if these pills turn you into a three-headed purple fire breathing alien, or anything else for that matter, I will still love you. Always.”
A small smile appeared, almost as if she were holding back a laugh. “Even a bat?”
I chuckled. “Yes, even a bat,”
She held me close. “I love you,”
“I love you too,” I said, nuzzling her neck with my fangs. A low growl escaped my l
ips. “I bet you taste amazing.”
She giggled. “Can we unpress pause?”
Slipping off my shirt, I grinned. “I thought you’d never ask.”
My fingers nested in her hair as I kissed her passionately against the wall. I reminded myself of her need to breathe so I lightly tossed her on the bed, pulled her shirt up over her head, threw it aside, and gently kissed her stomach as I waited for her to catch her breath. Her lacy purple bra was begging to be unhooked.
I kissed every inch of her skin as she pressed her fingertips into my back, drawing me in closer. “You are so beautiful, love,”
She smiled, tugging off her jeans. “Please,”
Gently, I kissed her neck and, unfastening my belt, I showed her just how much I loved her.
After Erin had cuddled up to me and fallen asleep, I put my hand behind my head and listened to her breathing. Having a girl in my bed was a new experience for me. Unlike Alex, I didn’t give in to my every desire. I hadn’t exactly stuck to the no sex before marriage rule my mother had adhered to, but I figured I had waited long enough. Erin was my soul mate so I hoped Mother would understand.
Alex? Are you there? I asked. I had a sudden urge to check up on him to make sure he was alive.
Yes, brother. What do you want? Alex replied in a bored tone. Kistel has me cooped up in a damn hotel room while he hunts. I feel like a damn two-year-old. I can’t even jump out the window. Believe me, I tried.
I chuckled. At least he’s gone, right? That’s a plus.
Yes, undoubtedly. But you know how I hate to be cooped up. Ready to scratch at the walls.
I completely understood. Oh, while I have you here, can you clear something up for me? Earlier, I mentioned you to Erin and she freaked out. Can you fix that?
We’ve been over this, brother. Just don’t mention my name in reference to me. I blanked out the fact that I’m your brother along with any memories of me, other than my name and appearance,of course, in her mind so if you have to refer to me, just say brother instead of my name.
