Abby's Road Part 1

by Anne Wentworth

  What a chess game and one spanning centuries.

  "You convinced Rein to give me the ring, knowing all this?" I didn't understand why he would have cared about my safety, about keeping me alive.

  Nix handed Yuri and I our drinks. I sipped mine; disappointed that it was only a glass of pop.

  "You're holding back, I can sense it." Nix leaned against the stone wall, his face troubled.

  Yuri shook his head. "Sorry, this is the end of the road for me. You did feed, and you will be stronger, hopefully strong enough for whatever may have come into this dimension. My powers are weaker here since this isn't my domain. This might be a long night, Vicar."

  My head had cleared enough for me to stand. The distance between Nix and I was palpable. He was sullen and looked like a kicked puppy. He might have thought I was angry at him for what had happened, but I wasn't.

  "I need to sleep. I want to wish you both a Merry Christmas and I will see you in the morning—maybe?" I left it as a question. A brief thought of asking to go back to my place flashed, but that was futile. There was no where safe, even with the ring. I would be hounded by the vampires as long as I wore it and if I took it off—devoured by them.

  "I'll escort you to your room." Nix put down his drink, rushing over to me.

  "Forget it, Count, you need to take care of matters at hand, I'll stay with Rachel." Yuri directed. "And don't bother arguing, it will only waste more time."

  From the scowl on his face, Nix wasn't happy, but he did comply. For a second, I thought he was going to ask me for a good-night kiss, but changed his mind when he saw my expression. I didn't want any kissing or anything, I simply wanted to sleep. Besides, if he kissed me, would he lose control and try to drain my blood? After what I'd experienced, I wasn't about to chance it.

  I stared at the two of them, seeing how they were actively reading me. Before I left the room, I went over to the ice-skating penguins in the small rink with the snow falling.

  "So, what is the trick?"

  Nix cleared his throat. "It's magic, Rachel, Christmas magic."

  I shook my head. "No, it isn't. Christmas is about giving and vampires don't give, they take. There is no Christmas magic, not in either of your worlds."

  And first prize for sticking the knife in deep goes to Rachel Owens...

  I went out through the archway, immediately feeling the cooler air in the corridor.

  When Yuri went to follow me, but I waved him off. "If something happens, I'll have to deal with it. What are you going to do, protect me forever?"

  He caught up to me, his gaze level and sincere. "If that's what it takes, yes, I'll protect you, forever."

  I didn't argue as he followed me along the stone passages back to my room. I might need him after all.

  Inside my room, he shut the door quietly, but stayed back from me.

  "Rachel, we need to speak."

  "Yes, I couldn't agree more. First, take this branding off—please."

  He waved his hand in my direction and the marking disappeared.

  "Just so you understand Nix can still feed on you, the traditional way." Yuri's gaze seemed to measure my mood from across the room. I felt as though he were evaluating my responses. The balcony doors were open and a good solid breeze came through. It was refreshing and wonderful.

  "And that would be with—"

  "Fangs, he does have them, but hasn't shown you yet. It's how he normally gets his fill. The branding and the prongs were a way to get it without as much...trauma, to you." Yuri wrinkled his nose, his face going askew.

  All the vampire movies I'd ever seen went through my head. Scenes of the tall, dark vampire, his head bent to his victim's neck, draining the life from them. Yuri and Nix were creatures of the night and not of my world.

  "But we were of this world at some point. Don't confuse your folklore with our reality. You know it isn't like what they write in the books."

  Again, Yuri read my mind like he was reading words off a page.

  "I need to change and wash. Will you give me a minute?" I gave him a small smile, collected some clothing and made for the bathroom. Nothing would have been better than a long soak with bath goodies, but it wasn't going to happen, not tonight.

  "I'll be right here. I sense how angry you are, and understand why. It's Christmas Eve and for once in your life you thought it would be special, wonderful. I'm truly sorry for how events are unfolding. Unfortunately, Rein isn't about to relinquish what he feels belongs to him."

  "You mean the ring." I made a face.

  "No, I mean you." Yuri spoke low. "Wash and change, I'll be waiting."

  Fifteen minutes later, I emerged; ready to hear what Yuri had to say. I found him sitting in one of the chairs, staring out at the night. He tilted his head up, motioning for me to come and sit with him. The air coming in from the ocean felt amazing after being inside for hours. I even thought of sleeping outside.

  "Why are you dressed? Aren't you going to sleep?"

  "Are you crazy? Considering the level of danger, I'm not going to sleep in my nightgown. I want to be able to go at a seconds notice." I flopped into the chair opposite Yuri.

  "Wolfram brought iced tea. Here, it will help to keep you cool." He handed me the drink.

  "There is more to this ring and I know that you know, so don't mess around, Yuri."

  He laughed softly, his warped features casting odd shadows on his face.

  "Yes, there is more. Rein still has feelings for you, Rachel. I understand that you see him in a different light than before. He's changed. The transformation brought out all the worst within him." Yuri sounded wistful.

  "He isn't the guy I knew. At Marion's he behaved like a complete ass. The only reason he wants me is for my blood. Believe me, when that blindfold I'd been wearing came off, I saw the light. He may have treated me a little better than most, but not by much. Rein could have been kinder, and certainly included me into his life more."

  Yuri nodded, as if he'd expected to hear what I'd said.

  "If his father Lennox were here, Rein might have turned out different, much different. Caspian isn't a role model anyone would want."

  "I have questions." The iced tea was going down nicely. It quenched my thirst and gave me some much needed sugar.

  "Ask me." Yuri settled himself back in his chair, closing his eyes.

  I took the moment to study the details of his face. Under the warped exterior was a vulnerability I hadn't seen before.

  "You've said the ring can protect me as well as get me killed. How does all this play out? How can I survive? If everyone wants my blood, how can I be protected? For Nix to be strong enough to protect me, I'd have to allow him to feed, but the ring might make him lose control and drain me. If I take off the ring, Caspian or another vampire will get me. What can I do? Where can I go that is safe?"

  "It isn't where you can go, but who can you be."

  Silence.

  "Elaborate." I could sense he knew much more than he'd shared with Nix.

  "First, answer a question. When you were out of your body, did you hear a voice?"

  I could actually feel his gaze on my skin.

  "Yes, but it might have been imagined or caused by chemical—"

  "Rachel, stop, it wasn't imagined." Yuri got up so fast he tripped on the leg of the chair. I jumped up, holding my arms out to prevent him from going down. We ended up embracing. My heart was doing double time as I waited to see what he'd do next.

  "Forgive me, Rachel, and thank you for saving me from a fall." He bent, kissing me softly on the cheek.

  Heat went over my skin, leaving me flushed and flustered. I didn't know how to respond. I liked Yuri, but I'd never thought of him with romantic overtones.

  "I know you don't see me in that light. If I were centuries younger and not warped and not a revenant, perhaps our fates would have entwined and we might have shared feelings. I'm happy to have your friendship. Now, please tell me about the voice."

  I was relieved he'd aske
d as it helped to lessen the tension from our contact. Ever since Nix had told me that he felt Yuri was attracted to me, I'd been at a loss about how to feel. I'd gone from Rein to Nix in what I considered record time. I wasn't a lane-changer in the romance department, but Rein had left me no option but to walk away. As for Nix, I hadn't expected to be attracted to him. Hell, I hadn't expected to have him be attracted to me. Strange circumstances make for odd pairings.

  A throat cleared and I jerked my head up. Yuri was waiting.

  "The voice?"

  "Sorry." I winced; embarrassed he'd caught me drifting in thought. "It was male and came from nowhere. It said; you are a Queen. Darkness. There is one." I blinked, realizing how disjointed it sounded. I heard the intake of Yuri's breath.

  "So it's true. Lennox was correct. He'd said that a power-blood could take the role of leader for the sect and for all vampires."

  "I don't understand. Caspian is the leader of their sect. Why would it say I was a queen?"

  Yuri smiled and it brightened his face, making him almost attractive.

  "Rachel, that ring can whisper things. The more entrenched you become in our world, the more awareness you will have. Lennox told me as much of the history as he could about it before charging me to oversee that his son would eventually hold it. The ring was made by one of the original vampires. He crafted it to give to his love as a bond, but it was taken. This was a very powerful being, Rachel, and he set in motion that anyone that took it would pay being destroyed by it."

  Suddenly I remembered Rein and I at lunch, when he'd proposed with the ring. He'd given it to me in a little velvet box that had a jeweller's insignia, but not one I'd recognized. I'd thought that was where the ring had been bought, but not so. I'd bet the box belonged to Marion or one of the Butlers and he'd simply used it to present the ring to me.

  "They didn't have little velvet boxes then." Yuri smiled, the area around his eyes crinkling up.

  "No, I would imagine that was a long time ago." How long? I wasn't certain I wanted the answer to that question. "Lucky that it fit."

  He shook his head. "It fits the one who is destined to wear it."

  "What is the answer to who can I be?"

  "You can be their Queen, a Dark Queen. In order for this to happen, you must be made into a vampire, you must undergo the transition. The difficulty is that during transition, your blood will change and the component will be lost, so no vampire is going to do that. They want the power your blood will give. The other difficulty is that if you did manage to convince a vampire to do it, once you were a vampire, the ring would seek you out..."

  "And?" He'd left me hanging.

  "And for a power-blood to turn vampire and wear the ring—you would be the Dark Queen and rule over them. No other would have your level of power. Vampires are funny about sharing their power and tend to go after anyone or anything that threatens them."

  "You're referring to Caspian? He's their leader and—"

  Yuri finished it for me. "Will do whatever it takes to prevent you from taking his seat of power. There's a good chance neither one of us will live through this night."

  "You said the ring protects me..."

  "I meant Nix and I." He drank some of his iced tea, taking a moment to gaze up at the sky. The night sky was a mass of stars with a sliver of moon that only added to the ocean's beauty.

  "I love night." If it wasn't for our current circumstances, the night would have been absolutely perfect.

  "That's good, because if you ever become Queen, you'll need to get used to it. There is more, Rachel and it adds more complication to your predicament."

  How had I landed here, in this odd place where I was suddenly trapped in my own person?

  "I'm listening."

  "If you could get a vampire to change you, it would have to be one that has a certain level of power." He stared at me and I knew I wasn't going to like the next part.

  "There is only a handful that I know of. Caspian is one, but he'd never agree to change you. Nix has attained enough power since he's been feeding on you. Your blood has increased his power substantially."

  "And who is contestant number three?" I could feel the bomb dropping from above, waiting for the hit.

  "Rein. Remember, he was primed to be a vampire from birth. He's been making up for lost time and Caspian is making certain of it. In truth, the only two who would and could do this are Nix and Rein."

  Of course, why would it be any different, it was my life, and had to be as complicated and hard as possible.

  "What about you?" I asked, but the small shake of his head had my hopes falling.

  "No, I'm not a vampire, I'm a revenant. I'm not nearly as powerful as Nix. I wish I could help you, but I can't. The only thing I can offer is my counsel."

  Have you ever had a moment, when something finally clicks? I had one.

  "Didn't you go through a transformation process?"

  "Yes, but not like a vampire. I traded my life for my wife and son to live. When I told you I was recruited, I was bit by a revenant. If I hadn't complied, my wife and son would have also been taken."

  "Do you die and then come back? Are you a ghost, Yuri?" In the background, I heard the beating of my heart.

  He nodded. "In a manner of speaking, I am. Not the way humans understand ghosts, but I am one."

  He was measuring each word. Why? Why was he being careful about explaining what a revenant was?

  "It is better to be a vampire. I am stuck in this existence, but I have hope that those who follow will be better. Like vampires, we must also expand. There are more like me in your world. My sect doesn't recruit unless the person is going to die. We look for certain qualities and never deviate from our rules. When I was sent to find out about a potential recruit, I was shocked to find out it was Rein. After that, I had to plan carefully. I wanted him to join us, but I knew it would be very difficult to get him from Caspian. You seemed to be the road to convincing him of anything, so I went after you. I know I threatened and frightened you, and for that, I apologize."

  I thought of the chances Yuri had taken along the way. He'd been flying under the radar, unfolding a dangerous agenda. He knew information that Caspian would have killed him for. I'd never met Caspian, but I had met some of his minions and if they were any refection of the creature that controlled them...

  "Once I found out about your blood, my one goal was to get the ring to you. It was the only way to prevent Caspian from getting it and to protect you."

  "Are you saying that I can't continue on with my life being human?"

  "Yes. You have a destiny, Rachel. I believe you are to be the next Dark Queen."

  "I'm supposed to start Abby's Road in a couple of weeks, after the Christmas break. I want my life back, Yuri. I want to finish school and make something of myself."

  Yuri sat quietly, his silence feeding my nerves. How could this be? Dark Queen, was he kidding?

  "I'm Rachel Owens, remember? I'm Rachel—a young woman who simply wants to get on with her life and manage to make it in the world. Besides, you've been sitting here telling me no vampire will change me."

  "You can't make them change you, but you can make them want to." He spoke low, his voice filled with contemplation.

  "What if I don't want to be a Dark Queen? I'm not the leader-type. I like to sit in the back of the classroom, hugging a wall. I'm no good at—"

  "You still carry feelings for Rein. You said yes to his marriage proposal, which is why you have the ring." He waved his hand in the air. "Don't get me wrong, I know you're very attracted to Nix and he is to you. He fell for you early on, but knew you loved Rein. Do you, Rachel, do you love Rein?"

  Suddenly the balcony felt too cramped. I got up, leaning on the rail, staring out to the ocean. From this distance I could hear the waves sloshing on the beach. I wanted to be down there, walking without a care. I wanted to wake up tomorrow and have a normal Christmas morning. I wanted a birthday cake and for them to sing Happy Birthday to me. Noth
ing seemed real and what I wanted was being carried out on the waves and never coming back to the shore.

  "I thought I did." I sighed and it turned into a yawn. My body was fading fast. "I found out that Rein looked after Rein and it hurt. It wasn't only about his keeping the decision from me. It was about the small things, the simple things, or things that should have been simple. He could have included me more. He could have stood up for me with Marion. Do you know what it feels like to be alone in the world?" I instantly regretted my words.

  Stupid, stupid, stupid.

  "I'm sorry, Yuri, of course you do." I settled into the chair. "Yuri, when you came to me on the beach at the Betherington, you warned me off Nix, but you didn't tell me all the details you have tonight, why?"

  "It was too soon. You had trouble accepting what I did tell you; imagine if I'd dropped all this information at your feet? You might not have been able to process it. I had to get you to Marion for her to give you back the ring. It worked. Besides, I couldn't divulge this information at the hotel and chance one of the vampires hearing me."

  "I'll give you that, it was a lot of information to take in, but what about Lennox? You said he told you, but how did he know all this—about the ring, about power-bloods and a Dark Queen?"

  "The ring told him. You can speak to it and it can speak to you. I would suggest that you ask it to prevent Caspian from knowing your thoughts. It can do that; block a vampire's ability to read your thoughts. Please do so now. I have more to say and we can't be overheard."

  "The ring told Lennox?" This was getting more unbelievable by the second. Yuri raised the few hairs that constituted his brows. Apparently this conversation wasn't going any further until I complied. I held my hand up and spoke to the ring. "Please prevent Caspian, Nix and all the vampires from hearing this conversation and knowing my thoughts."