Diary of an Incubus

by Diary of an Incubus (lit)

  The timer went off and Vincent removed the glass, drinking the blood all at once like it was a health shake. Well, to him I suppose it was. He put the empty glass in the sink and un-bandaged his hand. As he turned back to us he revealed his perfect skin.

  “No harm, no foul,” he said.

  “I can’t believe this is happening,” Matt said.

  Vincent walked over and put his newly healed hand on Matt’s shoulder. “No one must know of this. Our lives depend on it. And if the wrong people were to hear you speak of it, so does yours. Understand?”

  “Yes.” Matt nodded emphatically. “People would think I’m fucking crazy anyway.”

  After talking for a few more minutes and deciding to continue using Vincent’s mysterious identity as a promotional scheme, Matt said he needed to leave. I volunteered to walk him to the door.

  “Well, I guess I know why you didn’t want me to get a beer out of the fridge.”

  I laughed. “Matt, I’m sorry. I know this has to be a terrible shock.” I stopped and turned him to face me. “I never would have hurt you on purpose.”

  “I know. And I’m sorry for all the crap I gave you about Vincent these past years. I had no idea ….”

  “It’s alright, neither did I.”

  * * * *

  A couple of weeks passed and the council meeting was looming closer and closer. To say that I was terrified would have been a gross understatement. Brea seemed to be handling her boyfriend’s death really well. Still, I was surprised when she called and wanted to go out.

  “Are you sure you’re up to that, Brea?”

  “Of course I’m up to it. I need to go out, remind myself that I’m alive.”

  It was too soon and I knew it. But she needed me and I couldn’t refuse.

  “I’ll pick you up in an hour. Don’t worry, I just want to go somewhere low-key and have a drink.”

  Two hours later I was in a very loud club sitting at the bar with a very drunk Brea. She was dressed entirely in black. I wasn’t sure if that’s because she was in mourning or just a fashion statement. She looked chic, but with her short black hair she also looked a little on the goth side. Not that there was anything wrong with that, it just drew more attention.

  I was beginning to rethink my outfit too. When she said low-key I thought conservative. So, I was wearing close fitting black pants, high-heeled boots and a blood red dress shirt. The shirt tapered in at the waist and in my opinion it emphasized my curves. I thought I looked good, but definitely overdressed for this crowd.

  I worried about leaving her alone, but I had to pee something fierce.

  “I’ll be right back.” I had to lean in close and practically shout in her ear.

  Brea grunted and I took that as a sign that she understood me. After taking care of business I stood at the sink washing my hands, trying not to get grossed out at how many other women didn’t stop to do the same. I smoothed down my hair, reapplied my lip gloss and straightened my shirt. As I did this another image passed behind mine. I turned around, but I was alone in the bathroom.

  I just figured I’d had too much to drink and took a paper towel with me to open the door. No way I was touching that handle after so many people didn’t wash their hands.

  I didn’t think anything else about the weirdness with the mirror until I was seated back at the bar. I looked out over the crowd and saw Alucard walking toward me. Seeing him in the mirror and seeing him in the flesh were two entirely different things. He was taller than I’d expected, at least three inches taller than Vincent. That would make him about six foot five. Oh, he stood out alright and not just because of his height.

  He was wearing a long black coat which reached to his ankles. It moved about as he walked and I saw that the liner was the same shade of blood red as my shirt. Underneath this it looked like he was wearing a black vest with a white shirt. He was wearing a wide-brimmed hat that matched the coat and somehow added to his creepy appeal. I noticed he was also wearing those small round glasses again. All of this was both frightening and strangely appealing. But nothing about him was more interesting than his shadow. I can’t explain how in a dark club I could pick out his shadow, but I could. Maybe that was because it moved on its own. It was always a few steps behind him and at times it looked like it was dancing.

  He stopped right beside me and when he smiled down at me, he flashed me his fangs. I heard Brea choking and turned to see her staring at the new arrival.

  “Brea this is …” I wasn’t sure how to introduce him.

  “Alucard,” he said, extending his hand toward her.

  Again I noticed the strange markings on the back of his hands. The backside appeared to be some kind of triangle with symbols all around it. And the brief flash I got of his palm looked like the all seeing eye.

  “He’s a friend of Vincent’s.”

  He smiled at me when I used the word “friend.” What else was I supposed to say? He’s the head of the vampire council and he might decide we need to die in a few weeks?

  Chapter Fourteen

  I had so many questions for him, none of which I could ask in front of Brea. He removed his hat and placed it on the barstool beside me. He also removed his glasses and I put a hand over my mouth to stifle a gasp. The irises of his eyes were just as red as the lining of his coat.

  “I love clubs,” he said.

  His voice made me shiver, but not entirely with fear. I watched as his shadow moved behind Brea even though he hadn’t moved.

  “Ah, despair. It’s a completely different type of fear.” He spoke as if he were savoring a fine wine.

  “Could you please not enjoy my friend’s misery right in front of me?” I couldn’t keep the anger from my voice.

  “Of course. Like I was saying, I love clubs. There are so many different kinds of fear here. Fear of being alone, fear of never finding that special someone and falling in love.” As he spoke Alucard clapped his hands together and batted his eyes.

  I laughed. “You’re sick.”

  “This is true, but you find me attractive.”

  He winked at me and I couldn’t fight back the smile. Still, I denied it. I mean, I wasn’t supposed to find the bad guy attractive. And Alucard was the bad guy … wasn’t he?

  “What? How dare you?”

  This time he laughed and I shivered again. I was beginning to learn that fear also made my heart race and if handled properly that was only a heartbeat away from arousal. How twisted was that?

  “Deny it all you want. I can tell when you’re lying.”

  “Bastard.”

  “So my mother said.”

  “Why are you here, Alucard?”

  “Dance with me.”

  I turned to order another drink. “I don’t think so.”

  He leaned in close and whispered for my ears only, “Wouldn’t you like to know why her boyfriend is dead?”

  “You knew about this,” I hissed.

  “Dance with me and all will be revealed.”

  He held out his hand and I only hesitated a moment before accepting his invitation. Fortunately, Brea was too drunk to be paying attention to any of this. She only gave us a sideways glance as we walked onto the dance floor before turning back to her rum.

  “Did you kill James?”

  He twirled me around and pulled me close. Despite our height difference, my high heels made it possible for us to dance with relative ease. I wish I could deny that it felt good to be pressed against him. But he knew that it did so why bother lying to myself?

  “No.”

  He watched me for several minutes before saying anything else. I took the opportunity to observe him more closely too. I couldn’t help myself. He put his hands on my hips as we moved and I liked it. His touch was possessive, yet gentle. And the more I was near him, the more I wanted his hands on me. The top few buttons on his shirt were open and I moved my hand to touch that small expanse of flesh. I shuddered at the contact and so did he. Skin against skin, it was so wrong, so sinful
to touch him. He was the monster underneath my bed and all I wanted to do was pull him under the covers with me. Every move, every smile, every subtle gesture spoke to me. And they all said, “I want to do bad things to you.”

  “Would you like to know what happened?” he asked.

  “Yes.”

  “Do you know a man named Jackson?”

  “I’ve heard him mentioned. He worked with James, right?”

  “That’s correct.” About this time a slow song started to play and I rested my head against his chest. I’m not sure why I did it, but it felt right. Alucard stroked my hair absently as he continued. “He is a vampire. He told me that a sample of vampire DNA had been found in the lab.” At his words I froze. If it weren’t for his dancing skills I would have fallen on my face. He went on as if I hadn’t nearly stumbled. “Naturally, no one knew what it was. But James kept asking questions. He wouldn’t tell where he obtained the sample.”

  Oh, God. This was my fault. I should never have let Brea take that sample. But I couldn’t tell her now, she’d never forgive herself. And I sure as hell couldn’t let on to Alucard that I knew anything about it.

  “So, you had him killed?”

  “No. Jackson called me about this problem and asked what he should do. I told him to take whatever action he felt was appropriate. I assumed he meant to destroy the evidence, not the one who found it.”

  I pulled back and looked up into his dark red eyes. “You’re the one he had to pick up at the airport?”

  “Yes.”

  “So, my first guess was right. Jackson did attack him.”

  “Yes.”

  “Then why are you here? If the situation has been contained then why would the head of the vampire council come all this way? It just doesn’t make sense. As devastating as this is to people who knew James, this must seem petty to you.”

  “I wanted to see you.”

  As much as I feared him, I loved the way he didn’t even deny wanting me. I loved Vincent, but I wanted to do bad things to Alucard.

  “Don’t say anything,” he said, placing a finger over my lips. “I know who you are, who you really are. It wasn’t that hard to figure you out.”

  “What do you want?”

  He placed his finger over my lips again. “Let me become your sickness, your favorite disease … and if you suffer with something, suffer with me.”

  “I can’t.” My voice sounded helpless.

  “Touch me here, tonight on this dance floor. Let us at least have a dance.”

  Alucard pulled me to him and I wrapped one leg around his waist. I could do that. If he could play human for me then I could be his dance partner, at least for a little while. So, that’s what we did. I tried to pretend like he wasn’t the biggest monster in the closet and he pretended like he didn’t want to eat me. Well, at least not in a bad way.

  In one fluid movement he was out of his coat and he tossed it over the barstool alongside his hat and glasses. If anyone noticed his red eyes they didn’t let on. Maybe they were too afraid to stare. Every time his bare flesh touched mine the hair on the back of my neck stood on end. But I was starting to like that. It was almost like an adrenaline rush, a different sort of high. Who would have thought that fear in small doses could be so sexy?

  “Why do you think so many men take dates to scary movies?” he asked.

  “What?”

  “You were just saying how you never would have thought that fear in small doses could be so sexy.” The way his lips curled into a smile made every muscle between my legs jump.

  “I said that out loud?”

  He laughed and I wondered again where I had heard that sound before. Not that exact laugh, but one very similar. He moved so that his thigh was between my legs and when he moved again the friction nearly made me come.

  “Why are you so familiar to me?” I asked. “Who are you, Alucard? Who are you really?”

  “You know my name,” he said softly. “Would you really like to see why I come to clubs?” I nodded. “Are you sure? It can be quite unsettling.”

  When I didn’t respond he took that as a yes. He took a step back from me and made an odd gesture with his hands. When the palms of his hands came together the symbols on both the front and back began to glow. He stretched his arms wide, palms facing the crowd. There was a flash of light and time stopped. Everyone froze. Only the music kept playing and the two of us stood in the middle of it all.

  “Look around,” he said and his eyes began to glow. “See the spirits that torment people here. In the corner there, a spirit of addiction haunts this man.” I saw a dark, indiscernible shape hovering over a man in the back corner and I fought the urge to scream. “And here, a woman carries with her a fear of being alone.” This too took an odd dark shape. “And there’s a spirit of suicide hanging around in the men’s bathroom. Oh, and don’t forget your friend.” I looked toward Brea and saw a huge shape just to her right. This time I did scream. I knew it was despair without being told.

  “Shh,” Alucard soothed. He clapped his hands together and time started again. “I only wanted you to understand me a little better. After all, you wanted to know me. Didn’t you?”

  I already did know him, I just wasn’t sure how.

  “Please tell me we didn’t have sex and I’ve forgotten somehow?”

  His eyes flashed red again and I heard a glass break somewhere behind the bar. Obviously someone had seen that.

  “If I were a little more human I might be offended by that comment.”

  To my surprise the most blunt and painfully true statement came out of my mouth. “Don’t be. I meant that if we had slept together I would want to remember.”

  He reached for me and even after the horrors he had just shown me I didn’t pull away. My focus was entirely on his lips and as they lowered toward mine I closed my eyes.

  “Alucard!”

  Vincent’s voice cut through the air like a knife. I turned to see him walking through the crowd with Matt close behind him. Alucard withdrew from me, but not in a way that looked like he was backing down. Vincent didn’t dare question the elder vampire, but his eyes were all the accusation necessary to get his point across.

  “What brings you here?” Vincent asked.

  “Business.” One word of explanation. That’s all he was going to give.

  Vincent turned to me then. “Brea was supposed to meet Matt an hour ago. When she didn’t show up he got worried and called the house. He knew she liked to come here, so this is where we started looking.” He glanced at Alucard again as if to say, “And look at what we found.”

  Alucard walked over to get his hat and coat and we followed him. Matt walked over to help Brea stand up. Alucard put on his glasses and tipped them down so that I could see his eyes. “Do consider taking that sheet off your bathroom mirror. I like the other view much better.”

  He turned to Vincent and said, “I’ll see you next month.”

  And just like that he turned on his heel and left. I had a lot of explaining to do.

  He would have known if I lied about knowing where the DNA sample came from. Thank goodness he hadn’t asked. One thing was certain, I had to tell Vincent where it came from. He had a right to know. I just couldn’t do it in front of Matt and Brea.

  “I knew it was too soon for her to be out,” Matt said, putting Brea’s arm around his neck.

  “I can hear you, you know?” she said.

  “I’ve got to get her home. I can drop you off if you like?”

  Vincent had tagged along with Matt to find me. Brea and I left before he got up, but I left him a note. Obviously he didn’t find it. He didn’t look like someone who knew where his girlfriend was when he woke up. He did look like someone who just found said girlfriend in another man’s arms. This might be a very long night.

  I felt a mixture of relief and nervousness when we finally turned onto my long driveway. Relief because the ride had been awkward. Matt and Vincent still didn’t seem to know how to relate to
one another. I must admit I was surprised to see them turn up at the club together. So, no one really spoke on the way home. There was no sound except for Brea, snoring with her head against the window. And I was nervous because I knew I was about to have to explain myself.

  Matt pulled us up in front of the steps and I leaned back in the window to say good night. “Call me tomorrow.” I said this to both of them and they both nodded.

  As soon as they were out of earshot Vincent asked, “Well? Let’s have it.”

  “Have what?”

  “I’m sure there is a perfectly logical explanation for what happened tonight and I want it now.”

  The weather was starting to turn warmer, but the nights were still cool and pleasant. Might as well enjoy it for a minute or two. The thought of being trapped inside the house with an argument on the horizon didn’t make me feel good at all.

  “Walk with me,” I said. “I’ll tell you everything.”

  To my surprise he accepted this suggestion very easily and fell into step beside me.

  “I’m listening.”

  His voice was softer now and even though he was asking about tonight, I knew he really wanted to know about other nights. Nights he hadn’t been here when I might have been somewhere else.

  I had purchased several acres of land along with the house and it had been a while since I walked through the rose garden out back. I turned in that direction and started talking.

  “I’ve got to tell you something that isn’t going to be easy to hear.” His steps faltered and I added, “It has nothing to do with Alucard.”

  I told him about Brea and I taking a sample of his saliva. I even told him the reasons behind our actions. But no matter what I said now, our decision sounded foolish and our actions unjustifiable. Especially considering they cost someone his life. I also told about how we destroyed the results.

  “So I can’t imagine how Jackson got a hold of anything,” I finished.

  “Jackson? The man Brea said stopped by the hospital?”