The Scent of Jasmine

by Helen McNicol

  “I’ll see you tomorrow night?” he asked quietly.

  “Yes, you will.” She whispered before she pulled from his grasp and went to meet Gareth. It was a promise. If it turned out he was cleared she would go willingly to spend time with him the next evening. Somewhere deep inside though she suspected their next meeting would not be a pleasant one. Too many things about Mark lead to suspicion. She hoped for his sake she was wrong.

  * * * *

  “Jazz, wake up.”

  It was Gareth, pulling her from her sleep with urgency. It could barely be dark and she blinked against the bright light that burst upon her with his rude entrance to her room.

  “What’s the time?” Jasmine stretched and yawned.

  “It’s just after five. Sorry to wake you so early, but we have work to do before you go anywhere.”

  Gareth looked worried and Jasmine guessed the news was not good. Her heart sank.

  “What is it?”

  Gareth lowered himself to sit beside her on the bed, concern reflected in his brown doe eyes.

  “Your boy doesn’t check out.”

  “Damn,” Jasmine cursed as she swung her legs onto the floor, “Who is he?”

  “That’s just it,” Gareth started, “We don’t know who he is, and we all know a man without a past is hiding something.”

  Jasmine groaned. She hated the thought of having to dispose of someone, but her family and their community’s existence would be in peril if she didn’t. There was no way she could weigh one against the other.

  “Okay,” a plan started to form in her mind, “I don’t want too many involved in this. You tell Cookie, and nobody else. Just him and you, okay?”

  “Jasmine. . .” Gareth started.

  “No, I mean it Gareth,” she fixed him a stern grey stare that would frighten the sanity out of a normal person, “I got us into this shit. I’ll get us out.”

  * * * *

  Darkness fell like a blanket over Jasmine’s head, a spattering of stars peeking through the heavy cloud cover that she had hoped for. Undetected and silent she crept around the first storey roof of Mark’s house. She was glad Gareth had insisted she feed before they set out; the thrill of using all her vampire senses was hot in the fresh blood that pulsed through her veins. He was home, just like he had promised, she could see light emanating from several windows downstairs. She wasn’t ready to let him know she was there yet, as she needed to make sure he was alone. Leaning against the wall she found herself outside the main bedroom. Through a large picture window she could make out a double bed and the simple furnishings of a man living alone. She sharpened all her senses to find him inside. His smell was strong, and so inviting, but she tried to ignore that for the moment. She remembered the feel of his warm arms and teasing lips, but she pushed it to the back of her mind. She heard him moving around in the house, there was a radio on, in the kitchen, and he was not far away.

  It was time to make her move. Jasmine walked to the edge of the roof and peered down over the guttering. As she bent her legs in preparation to jump her head filled with an Earth shattering noise. It seemed to come from inside her and she clasped her hands instinctively over her ears. It overpowered her, blaring out from her brain like an alarm, hundreds of decibels too loud. Crippled, she tripped and fell to her knees. Her hands released her ears and dropped to catch her own weight against the hard roof tiles. The pain in her head was unbearable, her vision swam and she lost focus. The dark blanket of her hair cascaded around her face. Her long fingers fought for a grasp on the gritty tiles, her nails screaming as if she were dragging them down a blackboard. The world seemed to fade away, everything except the blaring in her head and the vague awareness that she was rolling, losing herself over the edge of the roof. There was a blind feeling of weightlessness before impact, as she hit the ground below. Her shoulder slammed into the garden wall. She felt her body break. Her collarbone snapped and her cheek stung with the scrape of rough edged bricks that came up to meet her. Then everything went black.

  * * * *

  Her head hurt when she woke. Forcing her eyes open she realized someone had brought her to lay on a bed. The room was dark but she sensed that Mark was there, sitting on the floor with his back against the wall. He got up as she stirred, and slowly climbed over her on the bed, one knee resting on either side of her.

  She groaned and tried to sit up, but the room swam and her head pounded, so she lay back and closed her eyes. She could feel his hand, warm on her chest.

  “Lucky you’re not human or that fall would have killed you,” he whispered. His voice was soft and filled with emotion.

  “What did you do to me?” She forced her eyes open once more.

  “Wow,” he gasped, “Your eyes are beautiful Jasmine. Your contacts don’t do you justice.”

  She groaned, “What did you do to me?”

  He smiled, “Just a nice little noise cocktail.” He held up a wooden instrument that looked something like a whistle, “It should render you helpless for a little while yet.”

  “Who are you? What do you want?” Her anger boiled inside her for being outsmarted, her pride dented, but she was unable to do anything about it right now. He sighed, “The million dollar question I guess. I’m a little confused myself right now. How ‘bout I ask the questions first and you’ll find out what I want in time?” He ran a large hand through his short hair. “I guess you’ve worked out that I’m not a dragon slayer,” he smiled sardonically, “And I’ve worked out that you’re what I’m looking for, but I’m a little puzzled.”

  Jasmine said nothing, just let her fingers trace the outline of her recently broken bones, the dull ache of them now fading to a memory. And yet her energy still felt sapped, like the noise in her head had drained her essence.

  “I knew there were vampires round here because I tracked one back here. But it took me a long time to figure out who they were. The signs are not easy. I’ve never had such a hard time finding them before,” Mark looked down at her with compassion. “You’re not what I expected. You’re not the same as,” he paused, “The others.”

  “You tricked me,” Jasmine moaned as she closed her eyes and tried to forget the last twenty four hours. Everything he had said to lure her in had been a lie. That’s what hurt the most.

  “Not really,” Mark frowned, “When I saw you in that bar the first night I had no idea what you were. It was just dumb luck. God, you were stunning,” he touched her face, “You are stunning. I was instantly attracted to you. Then I picked up on a few things that made me think maybe-,” he paused, “The way you never blushed when I said things to you, or the way you knew your friend was right behind you, even before he appeared through the crowd.”

  A single tear ran from the corner of Jasmine’s eye and down her cheek. Mark wiped it away with one finger, perplexed by her emotion.

  “Jasmine, vampires don’t cry.”

  “Some of us do,” Jasmine sighed, “And love. And live peaceful lives without killing humans. We only kill when we have to, to protect ourselves.”

  Mark’s face softened, “I don’t understand. The one I tracked back here belonged to you. How can you say you don’t kill?”

  A light went on in Jasmine’s head as the pieces of the puzzle fell into place. “Drake.”

  Pain filled Mark’s eyes with the mention of the name.

  “I knew it,” his back stiffened. “I came for him Jazz, but I vowed that the rest of his family would die too. I don’t want it to end this way but this has been my whole purpose for the last ten years.”

  “He’s dead Mark. You’re too late,” she closed her eyes, wanting everything to disappear. She had known one day her cousin’s black days would find them. “You might as well kill me now because I’m not going to lead you to my family.”

  “What do you mean he’s dead Jasmine?”

  Jasmine tried to sit up once more. Gently, Mark pushed a pillow under her shoulders.

  “What did Drake do to you?” Jasmine watch
ed as he gently pushed her hair from her face.

  “He killed my family,” there was hate in Mark’s voice, revulsion for the being who had taken his life away from him.

  “I’m so sorry Mark. There’s nothing I can say that will make that go away. Drake was my cousin. He left us years ago but when the committee found out what he was doing he was brought home. I know

  this is no consolation to you,” she touched Mark’s hand, “But Drake is gone. He was put to death for what he became.”

  Mark shook his head, “I still don’t understand. You talk as if he was out of the ordinary. There are vampires like Drake everywhere. I’ve seen them, walked with them, hunted them.”

  “We’re different here Mark. Remember what you said about how we were so hard to find? Don’t you see why? We move among people like we are part of their society. We live on animals just like you do.”

  Mark looked as if his whole world had come crashing down around him. Everything he believed in was shattered and gone.

  Jasmine tried to focus what little energy she had on finding Cookie. But her mind buzzed as if her radar had been jammed. There was no answer from the only other one of her kind who knew her whereabouts. If Mark was as astute as he seemed then he would already know she had brought backup. Cookie and Gareth would have been taken care of already. If Jasmine got out of this in one piece there would only be one sentence for Mark. The committee would see to it that there was no trace left of the hunter.

  Mark sighed, “What a mess.” He looked down at Jasmine, “You came here to kill me, and I came here to kill you,” a small scornful smile rested on his lips.

  “You have the upper hand, hunter. Do your worst,” her voice was emotionless. To her surprise he leaned over and kissed her on the lips, his breath hot against her skin, his rage turned to passion. She moaned softly at his touch. When he had finished he rested his forehead against hers and pulled her gently towards him. Their noses touched softly in the dark.

  “If I walked away would you let me live?” Mark looked deep into her eyes for the truth.

  “Yes,” she whispered softly. It was not a lie. She would gladly see him live, to know he was out there somewhere, thinking of her. But others would see him hunted down and prosecuted for what he had done.

  He rolled to her side and hugged her tightly, letting her nuzzle into the crook of his neck. It was his moment of weakness and Jasmine took her one chance. Finding just enough strength within she wrapped her arms and legs quickly around him. She could hear his heart beating, feel it strong within his chest.

  “Jasmine,” alarm rose in his voice as he realized what was happening. Jasmine opened her mouth and let her teeth sink into his flesh. His body stiffened and he pushed against her, trying to free himself.

  “God, no,” he yelled, “Jasmine don’t.”

  The blood flowed as she punctured the skin, and his warmth poured into her. If he was to die then it would be by her doing. For a moment it was pure ecstasy, better than any sexual pleasure she could imagine. The essence of him coursed through her body. Then, all too late she realized something was wrong. Her body began to tingle with a sharp sensation as his blood moved through her veins. She felt a blackness filling her body, moving her senses to silence, and she quickly withdrew, releasing Mark from her death grip.

  Confused she stared at him as he rolled away. Blood poured from his neck in a steady stream, seeping like hot tar onto his shirt.

  “What-have-you-done?” Her breath was coming in short sharp gasps, as if her airways were closing to nothing. Both hands grabbed at her neck.

  Mark groaned and rolled from the bed, hitting the floor with an uncontrolled thump. Her last thought before everything went black was that she had killed them both.

  * * * *

  “Jasmine, can you hear me?”

  It was her Fathers voice, deep and strong, bringing her back through the murky waters of unconsciousness. She opened her eyes, disoriented, her body trying to shake off the vivid nightmare of what had happened.

  “Where am I?” she licked her dry lips.

  “You’re home Jasmine, just take it easy.”

  She looked up at her Father, “I’m sorry,” was all she could manage. He smiled, “It’s okay Jasmine you’re going to be fine.”

  “What happened?” Then she remembered the others, “Cookie? Gareth?” her eyes filled with tears.

  “They’re both fine.”

  “I don’t understand, I thought they were. . .” confusion clouded her mind, “Did they bring me home?”

  Her Father shook his head and mouthed the word no. “He brought you home Jazz. He brought all of you home.”

  “Mark?”

  “Uh-huh.”

  “That doesn’t make sense, why would he do that?” Jasmine tried to sit up. Her body was stiff, both from the fall she had suffered and the poison which still lingered in her system.

  “Self sacrifice is never an easy thing to do. Sometimes love clouds our judgement.”

  “Love?” Jasmine scoffed, “He tried to kill me.”

  Alexander shook quietly with laughter, “And you tried to kill him. He was simply defending himself.”

  Jasmine touched her head tenderly, “What was that?”

  “A synthetic poison which was injected into his own bloodstream. Just another of Mark’s carefully planned defenses against us. Seems he did his research very thoroughly, finding something that would not harm himself,” he smiled, “However, with the last of his life he made sure that you were all safe. Doesn’t that mean something to you?”

  Jasmine looked questioningly up at her Father, “What am I supposed to do with that knowledge now that he’s dead?”

  “Oh, he walks and breathes. You don’t think we’d let him die before we found out what happened do you?” he gave her a sly smile, “For the time being he’s one of us.”

  Jasmine was stunned. How was she supposed to feel about Mark’s presence among them still?

  “What is to become of him? Have the committee decided?”

  “That, my dear, is entirely up to you.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “Mark has no family to come looking for him. He has been open and honest about his intentions and has told the committee everything they wanted to know. Everything checks out. And so it is his choice whether he wants to stay or go, or die. As you know the decision to remain a vampire is not easy and he may choose death.”

  “So then why is it my decision?” Jasmine climbed slowly from the bed and pulled her robe over her shoulders.

  “Mark has put his life in your hands. He wants you to decide,” Alexander crossed his hands over his knees and waited for his daughters reaction, “You are all he has left.”

  Jasmine’s face was blank. She gave away no secrets to her Father.

  “What do you want me to do?”

  Alexander shrugged, “This is your decision, not mine.”

  “Okay.”

  “Okay you will make a decision, or okay you already know what you want?”

  “I know what I want.”

  “Good,” Alexander stood up clasped the door handle with a large hand, “You better go tell him. He’s waiting for you in the Atrium.”

  Jasmine walked with her Father into the hallway. As she neared the atrium she could see Mark standing with Gareth, his back to the door. Already she could sense the changes in him. It was Gareth who saw her first, through the glass door, and he flashed her one of his best smiles. Pleased to see her finally up and about he closed the space between them in a few strides, scooped her up into his giant arms and twirled her round.

  “Gareth,” she giggled as he squeezed her tightly.

  “So good to see you little one,” he breathed into her hair.

  He placed her back on her feet and she reached up to cup his face with her palm.

  “And you,” she whispered as she smiled.

  He took a step backwards, “I’ll leave you alone,” he shot a glance over her head
at Mark, nodded, and then backed away toward the door. Jasmine stayed and watched him go. She could feel Mark behind her, his eyes boring into her back, his mind, young and untrained, trying to find hers. She smiled and turned to face him. “Do you like it?”

  His eyes, now set with silver, sparkled under the dim candlelight. He seemed more alive than ever before, as if something had awoken in him.

  “Yes, I do,” he didn’t smile, just watched her with an intensity she understood.

  “Thank you.” She smiled.

  He frowned, “For what?”

  “For bringing me home, and for sparing Gareth.”

  He shrugged his shoulders and Jasmine moved closer to him. The warmth that she remembered had left his body; his eyes were steel pools of the damned.

  “You didn’t deserve to die, Jasmine. I should have warned you.”

  “I think we both knew the risks from the moment we realized we were enemies.”

  “Drake was my enemy,” he retorted, “And yours. Everything else was a consequence.”

  “Eloquent,” Jasmine smiled. Then seriously she asked, “Why is this my decision?”

  Mark frowned as if the answer should be obvious. “I have been given a choice on whether to remain a vampire or not. The answer is simple for me. But if you ask me to be that without you I will choose death.”

  Jasmine cleared her mind and focused on the confusion she could feel coming from him in waves. She closed her eyes.

  “Can you see it?”

  “No.” He was fumbling, not sure where to find what he was looking for.

  “Concentrate.”

  He closed his eyes and she felt him, clearer now, inside her thoughts. He was strong, for one so new. Her question was clear.

  She smiled as he opened his eyes and reached for her. Eagerly she folded into his embrace.