Bound Through Blood

by Alexis Kennedy

  Madame Zoyla sat down across from her and replied, "We will contact the woman with whom it all began. Tell me her name."

  Salena was stunned and confused, "I don't know who you're talking about."

  The Gypsy was demanding, "She is the one who had his love first. It's the love he seeks now, with you."

  Recognition dawned on Salena, "Oh! You mean my great-grandmother, Abigail. Her name is—was— Abigail Saunders."

  "Great. We will contact her spirit and get your answers. Hold my hands."

  Salena took her hands, which felt hotter than lava. She had never done anything like this before and felt apprehensive.

  She watched as Madame Zoyla closed her eyes and began to rock back and forth slowly. She started mumbling something under her breath that Salena couldn't understand. Then she spoke clearly, "Abigail Saunders, pass over to our side and come into me to speak to your grandchild. She has questions only you can answer." Again, she rocked back and forth and mumbled something Salena didn't understand. Then her eyes focused on Salena. "She can't come into me—I can't connect with those who died so tragically, they don't completely let go of the earthly plane. I'm sorry."

  Salena dropped the woman's hands, "Well, she was burned alive."

  Madame Zoyla looked shocked, "Oh my, that is tragic! Unfortunately, the biggest tragedy, though, is a lost love—one that is unfulfilled."

  Salena thought about that and whispered her thought aloud, "Yes, she fell in love with a vampire, and then she was burned alive because of it."

  "Vampire? That does explain things then," she looked deep into Salena's eyes, "If a vampire falls in love, it's a monumental love, and the bonds are never broken. It's a magical spell that is very rare. I can understand now." She clasped the evil eye pendant hanging from a chain around her neck. "He has rediscovered her in you through the blood ties. Let me see your palm, girl."

  Salena slowly presented her hand for a reading.

  "Yes, look here," Madame Zoyla continued, "These two long lines have a third line intersecting here," she pointed, "The two are the vampire and your great-grandmother, and here you are as the third line that joins the longer of the first two. Here you are joined with the vampire." With that, she dropped Salena's hand and abruptly stood up. "You must leave now; I sense evil is near, and I don't want danger in my home. Go, please! Go to the one who loves you; only he can protect you!"

  Startled to hear that evil was near, which she immediately assumed was the other vampire, she bolted from the shop. Salena rarely drove over the speed limit, but this was one of those occasions. At home, she triple checked each lock; even the ones in the creepy basement.

  Salena woke up with the early morning sun glaring into her still half-closed eyes. She had nightmares all night long about bloodsuckers. It wasn't even just vampires; there were also mosquitoes and leeches. Now, with a little early morning humor, she wondered why lawyers were not in the mix. It was Saturday and the day of Jane's funeral. Getting up, she started the coffee pot and a hot shower. She never noticed the black crow in the windowsill, but it definitely noticed her.

  Jane's funeral was packed with friends and family. Selena smiled as she thought about how Jane always liked being surrounded by her loved ones. Tears swelled in her eyes as she looked around at the remorseful faces.

  The service was lovely, and the procession headed to a peaceful cemetery. As she watched the internment, Salena felt like she was being watched herself. She looked around, but everyone's face was where it should be, on Jane, or at least her remains. She did not see the black crow watching her from the treetops. It was also looking at the man approaching her.

  Salena jumped as someone grabbed her elbow. She looked up into a kind smile and soft brown eyes.

  "You are Salena, right?" The man she recognized as Jane's coworker, Rob, looked hopeful.

  "Yes," she told him. She broke his eye contact and looked down at her pumps.

  "Sorry to meet under these circumstances. I'm Rob," he said nervously and extended a hand to her.

  She took it and gave him a smile. She noticed a look of pleasure on his face, and assuming he mistook it as interest, she quickly looked away and dropped his hand.

  He cleared his throat and asked, "Would you like to have dinner later? We could talk about Jane."

  Salena mumbled, "I don't know," just as a bird—a black crow as far she could tell—dove at Rob. He jumped backward, waving his arms wildly in the air, and tripped over a tree root, falling on his butt. The bird continued to attack him, and it was leaving cuts on his hands and face with its talons. Salena jumped in to shoo the riled bird away, but it didn't fly too far; it perched itself in the tree directly above them and watched Rob with its tiny black eyes.

  Rob gathered himself off the ground and, walking quickly backward, gave Salena a shaky, "Sorry, I'll catch up with you another time." While she watched, stunned, the bird took one more dive at Rob as he walked to his car.

  Selena headed home immediately after Rob's bizarre attack from the bird. She figured Rob's cologne must have set it off. In any case, she'd definitely had more than her nerves could handle for one day, and it was time to say a final goodbye to her dear friend and go home. She gave a hug to Jane's parents and left a single rose on the grave. She would miss her dear friend terribly.

  When she got home, she thought of her mysterious intruder and decided not to go inside—not yet. She sat on the top step, surrounded by colorful pots of flowers, and rested her head up against a column. Her tears fell softly until something brushed against her and caused her to shriek and jump up with her arms thrashing wildly. It was the black cat, and it kept pressing against her in spite of her reaction. She pushed it away telling it, "Shoo, get out of here." Between all of the flowers at the funeral and the cat dander, her eyes started to itch, and she began to sneeze. The cat stopped rubbing, looked at her with sad eyes, and trotted off—but just to the corner of her porch.

  Trying to knock the fur off herself, Salena rose to go inside and seek some allergy medicine. As she got up though, a breeze came through and carried with it that familiar and alluring, but scary, musky scent. She stared at her front door ominously. Should she go in? Would she be safe in her own home? She didn't really have a choice—she had nowhere else to go—she had no family nearby, and her best friend was gone now. Feeling abandoned, a floodgate of tears opened up, and she heard the soft mew of the cat watching her come undone. She looked at the cat curiously, "Well, what do you think, boy? Is it safe?" The cat once again approached her, and against her better judgment, she bent down and scratched it between the ears. This certainly was an odd animal; always showing up the way it did. Being a humanitarian, and despite her allergies, Salena went inside and got some chicken from the fridge to feed the cat. The stray was quite grateful. "So, am I stuck with you? You can't come inside, and I've never really had a pet before, so don't expect much." The exceedingly loud purr and forceful rub against her leg told her he didn't mind. "Boy?" she thought and picked the animal up to check. "Yep, you're a boy," she confirmed to the cat.

  After checking the house for an intruder, not that she knew what to do if she found one, Salena changed her clothes and put the ones she had been wearing into the wash. She thought about the stray cat. It was strange to have it around because she had not seen any in the neighborhood before. She was sure she would be seeing it now. Like it or not, she had a new pet. Going back to the refrigerator, she wrote "cat food" on her shopping list.

  Her stomach reminded her that she'd not eaten yet today, so she rummaged in the fridge for some leftover pasta. She had no idea she was being watched through the kitchen window; a black crow sat on the windowsill watching her every move.

  Lost in thought, while grabbing salad ingredients from the crisper, she jumped when the phone rang and hit her head on the inside of the icebox. She was sure her heart had stopped beating for a second. "Hello?" she answered while rubbing the bump that was already forming on the top of her head.

  A m
ale voice she didn't recognize greeted her, "Salena, hi, it's Rob."

  Surprised, she answered, "Rob, hi. How are you? Are you okay? I was worried about you after—" she trailed off, not wanting to embarrass him further.

  "Yeah," he replied sheepishly, "That was strange, wasn't it? Crazy damn bird."

  After an awkward silence, she asked him, "So, um, how'd you get my number?"

  "Um," he began cautiously, "I got it from Jane be—," he paused, and Salena heard a sob,"—before she died. I was hoping you'd agree to have dinner with me still." He laughed nervously. "I hope the incident with that insane bird didn't ruin my chances."

  "Well," she began, "I don't know." She stared at the floor, trying to think of an excuse, when she was startled by a noise outside her window. She looked over, saw black wings flapping wildly against the window, and dropped her phone—it was a black crow. Until very recently, she wasn't used to seeing them around. "Just like the cat..." she whispered to herself while chills ran up and down her spine.

  She could hear, "Hello? Salena, are you still there?" coming up from the floor.

  "Oh." She picked the phone up off the floor. "Yes, sorry about that. I have butter fingers." She looked back toward the window, but the bird was already gone.

  Rob cleared his throat and pressed forward, "Salena, can we have dinner tonight at seven? I'd really like to get to know you better."

  "Um, I don't know if I'm ready." She kept her eyes fixed on the window, but there was nothing there now.

  "I know you're upset," he said softly, "and I want to help you if I can—just dinner, no expectations."

  Salena didn't want to hurt Rob's feelings, and she didn't think he was going to give up, so she agreed. "Okay, pick me up at The Edgar Degas House at seven thirty; I have to pick up some papers there anyway." The truth was, she didn't want to invite him to her house and be expected to invite him inside. She already had one man in and out of her house without her desire or consent. Then, as she hung the phone up, a chilling thought occurred to her—what if Rob is the one who has been scaring her, stalking her, and making her afraid to be in her own home? It would certainly make more sense than the vampire theory. Then again, what about what she'd witnessed during the vampire tour? There was no denying that. Also, he doesn't look like her mystery lover, at all, unless he can somehow change his appearance to blend in. So, if it isn't Rob—and it really is a vampire stalking her—then either way, going to dinner could be a huge mistake. She needed more answers; Heloise would just have to see her today.

  Devin perched outside Salena's window; he was out of sight but not out of earshot. He heard Salena agree to meet Rob for dinner, and he would just have to intervene.

  He peered inside and watched her nervously pacing through her small house while biting her fingernails. He wished he could put her fingertips in his mouth; first, he would plant kisses, then he would suck on them gently, and finally, he would nibble on them ever so slightly to make her body shiver from desire.

  Pulled from his daydream, Devin saw her pick up her cell phone and, with shaking hands, type in a number.

  Salena's voice trembled, "Heloise, can I come visit you?"

  Salena left for Heloise's house quickly. It had started to rain, and there was a chill in the air; driving the curvy highway would not be pleasant. It was just a light sprinkle at first, but just as she was backing out of the driveway, it turned into a downpour. Through the deluge, she didn't see the black wolf running along in the woods and keeping pace with her car.

  Feeling chilled, Salena reached over to adjust the heater. Her eyes were off the road for only a second, but that is all it took. Regretfully, she hadn't noticed the huge puddle of standing water lying just ahead. Her car hit it and caused her to hydroplane; in a panic, she overcorrected her steering wheel and slid off into the ditch. This scared her to no end but, thankfully, she wasn't hurt. The car seemed to be okay too; luckily, it was a ditch and not a tree.

  After she collected her wits, she tried to pull out of the ditch but couldn't; the rain was coming down harder and faster, and the tires were stuck in the mud. After spinning the tires and figuring she was making matters worse, she turned the engine off and grabbed her purse to call AAA for a tow. Just as she began to dial, though, she felt the car shake. Salena dropped the phone in a panic and tried desperately to see out the rain-streaked windows; however, everything was blurred. She felt the car moving and gripped her seat and steering wheel so tightly, her knuckles turned white. She hasn't gone to church very often, but now she said a silent prayer. Suddenly there was a soft thud, and the car shook one last time. The rain had let up just enough for her to catch a glimpse of a shadow moving across the back window—a large shadow. Thankfully, it was moving away from the car. After she felt safe, and worked up her nerve, she looked out the window again and couldn't believe her eyes—she was back on the road! How the hell did that happen? Feeling very disturbed, yet extremely relieved, she felt the best course of action would be to get out of there as quickly as possible.

  Salena hastened the rest of the way to Heloise's house, despite the still damp roads. She must have a guardian angel.

  Devin was glad he had been there for Salena when she had needed him. He had wanted to knock on her car window, help her out of the vehicle, and take her into his arms to assure her all would be okay. He was terrified, which he'd only experienced once before—when he had witnessed Abigail being burned alive in her home, and there was nothing he could do to help her—and this was not something he cared to experience ever again. He didn't think he could survive that wave of pain again.

  Now, shape-shifted back into a black wolf, he raced closer to the road just in case Salena needed him again. Unfortunately, his intense focus on her kept him from noticing the brown wolf watching from one-hundred yards away.

  Gabriel had seen Devin's heroism; he'd seen everything. He'd followed his brother and the tasty morsel; for days, he'd been following them.

  He saw a definite resemblance between this woman and Devin's last love, Abigail, which must be why Devin was interested in anything other than a meal from her. She'd even smelled like her the other night, but, in the dark, he didn't see all of the physical similarities Yes, he was aware of what his brother was up to; he'd kept a close eye on him and the woman all day now.

  Gabriel closed his black eyes and smiled sensually as he remembered the luscious, enticing Abigail. He knew he would have her, all of her, but then something interfered—his older brother. Devin had fallen for the mortal, and since Gabriel only planned to use her for his appetites, he did not feel like challenging his brother for her. Truth be told, he didn't think he would win that fight. He had felt it was useless to take a mate—especially a mortal one—he had all eternity to sample different flavors and certainly would not give that up to be mortal again!

  The brown wolf raced to catch up to the car and his long-lost brother, all the while remaining hidden. Devin should have noticed his presence to begin with—his skills must be thrown off by his obsession with the mortal. Well, that would all work in his favor—not that he was worried about facing Devin now—he is a much stronger vampire than he used to be. He even has some new maneuvers.

  Salena's heart was still pounding loud and hard in her ears when she pulled into the driveway at Heloise's small cottage. Rushing to get inside, she failed to notice the black cat in the windowsill and the brown owl in a nearby tree. The owl, however, did notice the cat and thought, at least for a second, the cat noticed him too.

  Devin perched in the windowsill and watched Salena rush inside. She was still trembling, and that made him sad; he mewed in concern, but she didn't notice. The rain breeze caught Salena's wonderful fragrance of lavender and honeysuckle but also another faint and familiar scent. He started to look around for Gabriel, but then a loud voice inside the cottage caught his attention.

  He heard the Gypsy woman exclaim, "Salena, you are in danger! Come, sit down, we must look at the cards."

  Salena sat
down next to Heloise on the small sofa. "Yes, I know I'm in danger, I ran off the road on the way here. I'm in danger from myself. My hands are still shaking, look," she held her hands up to emphasize.

  Heloise was shocked, "Oh no! I'm glad to see you were not hurt, but I'm afraid this is worse than that."

  "Great," Salena sighed, rolling her beautiful blue eyes, "Lay it on me."

  Heloise shuffled the tarot cards and placed them before Salena on the coffee table while telling her, "I had a dream about you last night, but I don't think it was just a dream. I think it was a vision—a vision of evil forces battling over you. There was a sinister shadow around you. Let's see if I am right."

  "Can this day get any better?" Salena asked sarcastically.

  Heloise shuffled the deck and told Salena to choose four cards this time. She laid the first three cards on the table before Salena, and then she placed the fourth card horizontally across the top of them. Her aged eyes, full of insight and disquiet, looked at Salena as she flipped over the first card. "This first card is Judgement, in the reversed position. That means it represents trouble from the past; however, it may not be yours, it may be in your bloodline, or," she hesitated and then whispered, "your past life, if you believe." Giving Salena a wink, she continued to examine the card. "Now, the picture of people falling out of their coffins represents something ominous; it looks like the dead are rising."

  "Well, we are talking about a vampire, right?" Salena interrupted.

  "Yes, but I don't think yours; someone else from your past–or more likely, Abigail's–is haunting you. That is what I am concerned about." She looked at Salena with a worried expression. "This pile," she tapped the second stack and flipped the card, "represents the present. This card is the Lovers; your soul mate is near." She looked at Salena with a curiously sentimental grin, but Salena just shook her head.