Delicate Thorns

by Miranda Hardy

  He blinks and looks at me, unable to finish his thought.

  “I’m sorry. I must have fallen asleep.” I get up and look at my skin, expecting it to be wrinkly, but it’s still pale white and smooth.

  He stares at me, his eyes roaming over my curves and paleness. For a second, I feel self-conscious and want to grab onto the shower curtain and wrap it around myself, but he’s already seen my body.

  “Beautiful.” He stands and wraps his arms around my naked body and laughs. “And wet.” He grabs a towel and puts it over me.

  “And now you’re wet.” I laugh, too.

  I look around for my dirty clothes.

  “I threw them away,” he says. “No amount of washing would have worked on them. I don’t know what you did inside of those clothes, but they reeked.”

  I can still smell the lingering effect of them in the apartment. I nod. “Do you have a t-shirt?”

  He smiles. “Better.” He leaves the bathroom to go into the bedroom and returns with a shopping bag.

  “What is that?” I ask.

  “Well, I thought you could use some clean clothes.” He pulls out a pair of jeans and some form-fitting shirts. “It wasn’t easy to pick out the size for the jeans, but I tried my best. The shirts are small, so they should be fine.” He points toward the bed to more bags. “I’ll leave you alone for a minute. Are you hungry?” he asks.

  I shake my head. He nods and leaves, shutting his bedroom door on the way out.

  I search through the other bags and find underwear and bras. He bought me bras? Two different sizes. Why did he do this? Why? I change into the new clothes. The jeans are a little too big, but not by much. He did a good job.

  After changing, I walk out into the living room and see him eating a bowl of cereal. I sit down on the sofa and wait for him to finish. “Why did you buy me the clothes?” I ask.

  “Well, I went to your place, thinking I would grab some of your clothes, but there weren’t any clothes that looked like yours there,” he says. “But, I did find the broken window in the bedroom. You don’t really live there, do you? You don’t know the people that live there, either, I assume.”

  Damn! I shake my head.

  “So, what’s your story?” he asks, sitting beside me. “Is your name really Jasmine?”

  I lean back into the sofa and close my eyes for a moment. This is what I wanted. I wanted to come clean and reveal my truths to him, but I wanted to do it before he found out I was a liar. “I don’t know.”

  “You don’t know?” he asks. “Or you don’t want to tell me?”

  I open my eyes to see the pain etched on his face. Even though he knew I busted into that place, he still went out and bought me clothes before confronting me. I feel nothing but admiration for him.

  “Honestly, I don’t know.” I face him and reveal the one thing I think is safe. “Dillan, I lost all memory of who I am…or who I was. I don’t remember anything. I don’t remember people, or places, or even my own name.”

  “You’re serious?” His eyebrows rise in disbelief.

  I take his hand and place mine into his, craving the comfort. “I truly wish I wasn’t telling the truth, but I am. I woke up one day, alone, with no memory of who I was or where I was. It’s one of the most awful feelings you can possibly imagine, and I’ve been wandering around ever since. I panicked one morning and broke into the apartment, and the next night I met you.”

  He grabs me and pulls me into him, sensing my emotions. I cry into his shoulder. He rubs my back and holds me until I stop. All of a sudden, I feel as if a large burden has been lifted from me in that short amount of time. It’s not the largest burden I bear, but it was a pretty big one.

  He didn’t ask me any more questions, but he held me until I was ready to continue.

  “I’m sorry I lied to you. Truly. I didn’t know how to react or talk to people too well,” I admit.

  “So you have no idea who you are at all?” he asks.

  I shake my head. “I don’t know if I’m a druggie, or a prostitute, or a felon, or someone’s loving daughter.” A thousand different scenarios roam through my head, but most of them are a lot uglier than light and pretty.

  “I seriously doubt you’re a druggie, prostitute, or felon,” he says. “You’re smart, educated, and beautiful. Whoever you are, you’re loved, I’m sure of it.”

  “Sometimes I think that perhaps I don’t want to know,” I confess. “What if it’s darker than I fear?”

  “It’s not, Jasmine. Trust me.” He strokes my hair. “Why Jasmine though? Why did you choose that name?”

  “It’s the name of the flower with my favorite smell…the one that blooms at night,” I say, remembering that smell so well from the island.

  “The night blooming jasmine does smell good,” he says. “Great choice.”

  “Thanks,” I say.

  “Why didn’t you go to the police?” he asks. “Surely they could help you find out who you are. Nowadays, they have fingerprints, dental records, and can blast your photo all over the media. You could know who you are in a matter of minutes or a few short hours.”

  I shake my head. “No. It’s not the right place for me to go.” I think of all the people I’ve killed over the last few days, and my picture being splashed all over the news, which I’m thankful Dillan obviously hasn’t seen.

  “Just when I think I understand something about you, you throw a curve ball,” he says. “Why not go and find out who you are?” he asks.

  I shrug. “Maybe I’m just not ready for that now.” Because I’m a killing, blood-sucking monster who will die in sunlight. “Can I ask you something?”

  He nods.

  “Why did you go shopping for me after you knew I lied to you? Why not just turn me in to the cops?” I watch him for his response.

  “Jasmine, you’re not a bad person. I can see that. It’s obvious that you need help, and I was hoping you’d let me help you.” He kisses me on the cheek. “I’m tired. Why don’t we go to sleep and talk about this in the morning? We can discuss your options and figure out what you want to do.”

  He pulls me off the couch and takes me to his bedroom. I crawl into bed, jeans and all, and slide right into his arms. He holds me, which is exactly what I need. I wait for him to fall asleep and slip out of the apartment, feeling sad and alone once again. I can’t be here in the morning, and I didn’t want to make any more excuses.

  The wind snaps by, and the waves crash against the beach. The silvery moon hangs higher in the sky, so I know the hour is late. The sand feels cool and grainy beneath my feet. I carry the flip-flops that Dillan bought me in my hand and try to think about my next move when that feeling invades me. It’s the same feeling that entered me in the alleyway during my last kill. Vampires are near and they’re approaching fast.

  Chapter 13

  Two men rapidly approach me, blurs in the night like flashes of speeding cars. Without anywhere to go, I freeze. They are on me instantly, one on either side.

  Even before I have the feeling to know that I should be afraid, one of them says, “Good evening, Holly.”

  The instant the name leaves his mouth, I know that it’s my name. My real name.

  I’m terrified.

  “I think we have what you are looking for. Why don’t you come with us?”

  ***

  The two men guide me through the door of an abandoned warehouse. The warehouse smells like engine oil and steel. My hands cover my mouth in horror when I see him. Gilander. Fear grips me tighter than ever before and I stifle the scream that lodges in my throat. His naked body hangs from the rafters. His arms are opened wide, chains wrapped around them suspending him like a doll. Burn marks disfigure his once perfect pale skin.

  He looks up and when our eyes meet, I no longer feel his cold distant stare. His eyes plead for forgiveness. No, not forgiveness, his stare begs for benevolence.

  My panic frenzies and without realizing it,
I’m shuffling backwards from the horrific scene until I bump into something and turn around quickly.

  “Going somewhere?” one of the vampires who brought me here asks. He tilts his head and patiently waits for my answer.

  “I can’t…I can’t….” The words won’t come as I shake my head.

  “What? What is it that you can’t do?” the other taller vampire asks.

  “I need to go,” I stammer out the words.

  “Ah, you’ve found the Forbidden,” a voice behind me says.

  I turn to see a very handsome man with the fairest of skin and hair that almost matches. “Forbidden?” I question. But he does not answer.

  “Did you doubt me, brother?” the taller of the two vampires who brought me here says.

  “No, of course not,” says blondie. He looks so delighted as if I’m here of my own will to have dinner. He waves his arm out toward me. “Come, my dear, don’t be shy.”

  The tall vamp nudges me forward.

  “Brother, there’s no need for that. She knows we mean her no harm.”

  I do? Reluctantly, I walk the ten feet toward him.

  He takes my hand and kisses the back of it. “It’s so nice to meet you, Holly. My name is Josiah.” He gestures to a peeling, faded red leather couch sitting in the middle of the room; perfectly positioned to watch the torture show that hangs from the rafters.

  He sits down next from me. “Make yourself at home.” Two more vampires stand casually on either side of the spacious room. One of them is a woman. Josiah nods to her and she disappears around a corner.

  With grace and elegance, Josiah crosses one leg over the other. “There’s no need to be frightened, little one.”

  I look at Gil and Josiah follows my gaze. “Oh that.” He swishes his hand with dismissive nonchalance and shakes his head. His deep black eyes find mine. “I don’t think that will be your fate.” His smile is warm and lucid.

  Without a single noise, the vamp woman appears at my side. She hands me a glass full of dark red liquid. Immediately the scent of blood hits me.

  “It’s all right, take it. Please accept it as an apology for interrupting your peaceful night, at least I assume it was before Ernaldus and Thaddeus found you.”

  I take the glass from her and sip the contents. It’s warm and fresh, and I wonder where, no who, the victim is around the corner. That, and a million other questions buzz through my head. “What—”

  He raises an elegant hand with long fingers to silence me. “My dear, we’ll get to all of your questions, but first, we have to discuss another matter of vital importance which is at hand.”

  He can’t be more than two or three years older than me, but he talks to me as though I’m a child. I take another drink of the blood and feel my body start to respond to the effects of it.

  Josiah leans back. “Holly, dear, we have very few laws, most of which were formed by our creators centuries ago. Some of the laws have changed over time to accommodate for the evolving world. But, there is one, one that offers no exceptions, no reasoning, and comes with great consequence if broken. Our creators did not write this specific law; it is one of nature’s laws for our kind. And, it took many generations and deaths to realize and understand it. Needless to say, it is one we must obey.”

  “What is it?” I hear myself ask.

  “We do not interfere in our children’s lives. But we do take care to ensure our laws are abided by. Though, when they are not, that is when we have no choice but to impede on the lawbreakers, remind them of what is expected of them, and if need be, impose punishment.” He leans forward and rubs his hands together, slowly and deliberately. “Protecting our kind is vital to our survival.”

  He takes one of my hands and rests it in between his. “Holly, you were illegitimately created.” He pauses, looks at Gil, and then back to me. “Hence, you are a Forbidden. And, if you want to continue to live as one of us, you must be the one to kill your maker.”

  Chapter 14

  My skin turns colder than it has ever felt.

  “Gilander must be punished for his crime,” Josiah casually says.

  I stare at his naked body. As much hate as I have for Gil, I don’t think I can do what they ask. But, it’s for my survival. Do I even want to live eternally like this? “What will happen to him if I decide not to kill him?”

  “There’s the other unfortunate part to the law, we kill him. Either way, he must die. Your only choice is whether you want to live or join in your maker’s fate.” There’s no judgment in his tone, and I get the feeling that this is not his first time having to present this choice to someone. I also have the feeling he already knows my decision.

  “Why am I illegitimate?”

  “A vampire is allowed to create only one other. And, the human must know in advance what they are becoming and be willing.”

  “Gilander abided by the laws and made his eternal mate, Cecelia, over three hundred years ago. He loved her more than I had ever before witnessed in our kind.” His time frame seems unfathomable, but his words begin to make perfect sense regarding why I was chosen.

  Josiah continues. “Cecelia was happy, but her joy came to an end as her need and want for a child consumed her. Gilander did everything he could to make her happy, but nothing in his power could pacify her. Without Gilander knowing, she created her own eternal being; but they were, like you, illegitimate. She turned a child into a vampire.”

  I can see the remorse in his dark non-human eyes. “That is a crime that is unlawful even more than your creation.” He looks at his hand and twists the silver metal band around his finger. He seems to be wandering in long ago memories before he speaks again. “I’m sure you can figure out their destiny for yourself.”

  I’m lost for words. How could they kill a child? Even one made into a monster.

  “My dear, that is an unfortunate story that I detest retelling, but it’s important you completely understand the situation.”

  I take another sip of the blood. It’s cooled and starting to separate.

  “Much better when it’s fresh, isn’t it?” Josiah asks.

  I look at him then. His dark eyes smile, knowing he’s right.

  “While you’re deciding your future, why don’t we get some of your questions answered?”

  The moment he opens the door for me to know who I am—was, my brain shuts down.

  With all of this new information, I barely remember all the questions I had. “Who am—was I?” I stammer, afraid to know the answer.

  “That question, I’m sure, has laid heavy on your mind. But I’m afraid it is one I do not have the answer to. Gilander has not been forthcoming with very much. I was only able to find out your first name.” Josiah and I both look at Gilander. “That has been the reason for the, how shall we say, minor inflictions.” He continues, “I will say though, I would consider that a gift.”

  “What? Not knowing anything about who I was before I became a—” I stop myself before I say something I’ll regret. “How do you figure that my past being a mystery forever is a gift?”

  “You, unlike the rest of us, will never suffer through memoires of the people you loved. You’ll have no need to make excuses to them of what you are now.”

  “What do you mean? Not everyone who becomes a vampire forgets their past?”

  “No.”

  His explanations seem simultaneously distorted yet valuable.

  “Holly, your decision to join us is rather obvious. Do you have last words you’d like to say to your maker?”

  The rattling of chains catches my attention and when I look to Gil, I instantly regret it.

  Without any qualm or thoughts, I walk up to my maker. His chains again rattle as his head moves from one side to the other. His blue eyes disclose sadness for a life he lived a long time ago and I suspect so would be his heart if he had one. “I have one question.” His eyes slowly blink one time and then they rest on my face. “Did I ask for this?�
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  Chapter 15

  The craziness that was so evident in his eyes at his house is now replaced with clarity, realization and remorse.

  “Why did you have to look like her?” he rasps. “Why? Why? Why?” His cries of torment echo throughout the large space, and his voice grows louder with each word until he’s ultimately screaming it. His once handsome face contorts into a monster’s as he howls out the question again and again.

  Gilander’s pain and emptiness devour the last few moments of his life as he begs for an answer I’ll never have. He never answers my question, not even at the moment before I take his life.

  ***

  “It is usually the creator that prepares their companion for the future. But, you were obviously not given any teachings,” Josiah says.

  I’m almost insulted by his tone. But, he seems genuine.

  “Since you have decided to become part of our family, I must share our other laws with you. It is very important that you are completely aware of what you are committing yourself to, for eternity.

  “First of all, your kills have been rather messy. Although, I am impressed by your choice of victims.” Josiah snickers. “But, no matter the location, you must learn to conceal your victim’s body. Simply leaving its dead corpse in an alley is not an option.”

  He grips my upper arms and the pressure is firm. “Holly, I’m going tell you this once. I am over a thousand years old because I have abided by these few rules, so I want you to listen carefully. Living with someone for eternity is very difficult. Not everyone is strong enough to live this life. So, choose wisely.”

  I think of Dillan and the feelings I have for him in such a short time.

  “I understand,” I say.

  It feels like I’ve been in this warehouse for days, but it’s only been one when Josiah walks me to the door.

  He hands me an envelope. “I’ve put information and everything you need to begin your new life in here. I may live very far from here, but you can contact me if you need anything.”