Diary of an Incubus

by Diary of an Incubus (lit)

  “Oh, shit.”

  I hit the ground running and started pulling on my clothes. Even though I wouldn’t be seeing the council, I felt I should make myself presentable just in case. I had brought a black suit for the occasion. The coat was long, reaching to mid calf and I wore a red dress shirt underneath. I had straightened my hair before leaving the states so all I had to do now was run a comb through it. I applied my makeup in record time and we were out the door before I had a chance to really get nervous again.

  But that wore off. A driver was waiting for us outside our hotel. That way we didn’t have to worry about a cab driver getting suspicious of where we were going. Of course, the driver was a vampire and he knew where to go without directions. Vincent and I crawled into the backseat of the sleek black car and I stared numbly out the window. Magnificent architecture and pieces of history passed before my eyes, but I hardly saw it. I was terrified.

  Vincent took my hand and placed a small pill in my palm. Apparently he thought I needed another sedative.

  “Take it,” he said softly.

  I didn’t argue. The hand I raised to my mouth was shaking and I chewed up the bitter pill. Normally, I couldn’t stand to take anything like that without water, but I wasn’t about to ask our driver to make an unscheduled stop. I’m not sure how much time passed. With the effects of the drug it could have been a few minutes or it could have been several. I didn’t really start to pay attention again until we turned onto Fleet Street.

  “Fleet Street?” I questioned Vincent. “Are you kidding me?” He smiled. “Please tell me we aren’t going for a hair cut?”

  “No. And hopefully nothing that happens tonight will cut too close.”

  The driver laughed, but otherwise didn’t respond. Something told me that being in such close proximity to the council made him nervous too. We passed several nice looking buildings, but didn’t stop at any of those. In fact, we stopped in front of the most run down piece of real estate on the entire block. The driver got out and opened the door on my side.

  “This is the place,” he said. He shivered a little bit and so did I. Sure, it was cold but that had nothing to do with it. “Follow me.”

  We entered what looked like an abandoned house, though the inside was fairly well furnished. A red carpet extended all the way up the stairs and I knew this was where Vincent would be going.

  “You can wait here,” the driver said to me. He indicated a small sitting room to the right. “I will be outside to drive you back.”

  Well, that was very hopeful of him. Vincent gave me a quick kiss before heading up the stairs. I watched him until he was out of sight before turning toward the sitting room. It was decorated like something out of a Victorian catalogue. There was a large collection of books in the far corner of the room and a fire was blazing in the small hearth. I browsed the collection before picking up a book and making myself comfortable in front of the fire. If I thought about what was going on upstairs I might go crazy. So, I was going to distract myself with a collection of old English fairy tales.

  Thanks to the sedative I managed to fall asleep in front of the fire. When I woke up three hours had passed according to the small clock on the mantel. I looked out into the hallway and saw the driver.

  “What’s going on?” I asked.

  He nodded toward the stairs. “They had adjourned to make a decision. They just called him back up.”

  “Shit. I can’t take this. Is there a bathroom I can use?”

  “Down the hall, third door to the left.”

  I could feel him watching me, making sure I went where I was supposed to. He didn’t have to worry. I was too scared to try to go upstairs. Apparently my stomach couldn’t take anymore either, because as soon as I closed the door I was sick. I was surprised to find the bathroom stocked with not only itty bitty bars of soap, but small bottles of mouth wash. If this was where the council normally met, then maybe they were used to this reaction.

  I was rinsing out my mouth when someone knocked on the door and I jumped.

  “It’s me,” Vincent said. “Can I come in?”

  He was still alive, so I took that as a very good sign. But when I opened the door and saw the look on his face I wondered if I had been wrong.

  “What happened? Are they going to kill us?”

  “No. Not immediately, anyway.”

  “Fuck. I’m going to be sick again.”

  “Wait,” he said quickly, putting his hand on my shoulder. “Let me explain. It may not be so bad. I presented our case just like we talked about and that went over fairly well. As it turns out some of them have had their thoughts accidentally leak to humans before too. Humans they were close to.”

  “So, they were sympathetic?”

  He shrugged. “Somewhat.”

  He was really quiet after that and I finally had to ask, “What else happened?”

  Vincent ran a hand through his hair and it looked like he was trying to find the words to tell me. “The council officially said and I quote ‘The connection was unintentional and shall in future be controlled. As long as she agrees to the terms set by this council, we are prepared to forgive the mistake of one of our most loyal servants.’”

  My heart felt like it stopped. “What terms?”

  “You must become someone’s human servant and Alucard wishes for you to choose between us.”

  “He what?” I couldn’t breathe. This wasn’t happening.

  “There’s more. He has also requested one night with you.”

  I couldn’t speak. I could only stand there and gasp for air. Did he really expect me to do this? Or what? Would we be killed if I didn’t make a choice?

  “What do you say to this?” I finally asked.

  Vincent looked at me. There was no indecision in his eyes and that helped somewhat. “I agreed to the terms, Jewel. We really have no choice.” When I didn’t respond he explained, “It is not the thought of you having sex with Alucard that bothers me. I’m an incubus, remember? There is little I have not done or would not do when it comes to sex. Besides, I know that you want him. There is no shame in that.”

  When I looked at him, I knew he was telling the truth. The thought of me spending the night with another man really didn’t bother him, as long as I was okay with it.

  “Then what bothers you?”

  “I’m afraid he’ll take you away from me for all eternity. That I could not bear.”

  “Shit.” I turned back to the mirror. But when I looked at my reflection I thought of Alucard standing behind it and turned back to Vincent. “Do they expect a decision now?”

  “We’ve got one month to make good on our promise to the council or we’ll both be put to death.”

  “Oh, my God.”

  “Jewel, there’s more.” I couldn’t take any more. “He didn’t just request a night. Alucard requested this night. He’s waiting outside for you.”

  “Oh, my God.” That’s all I could say. Vincent left the bathroom to give me a few minutes to compose myself. I sat on the closed toilet seat and stared at the wall. What was I going to do? I barely knew Alucard, but already I didn’t want to break off contact with him. If I became Vincent’s human servant, wouldn’t I have to stop talking to him the way that I did? And what about Vincent? I couldn’t leave him, I just couldn’t.

  And what about tonight? I could not deny that I had longed for the opportunity to touch Alucard in every possible way. Vincent was alright with it, but was I?

  When I heard another knock I thought it was Vincent and said, “Come in.”

  Alucard slipped into the room like a long dark shadow. I was torn between running to him and slapping him again as hard as I could. Instead I rose to my feet and straightened my coat with as much dignity as I could muster.

  “Why are you doing this?” I asked. “Do you really expect me to be able to choose?”

  He was wearing another black vest and matching pants. The shirt he wore tonight was black also and hung open down the front until i
t reached his vest. His dark hair hung in long shaggy layers to just past his shoulders and his eyes were still that deep blood red. I suppose there was no need in covering them up around those who knew what he really was.

  “Are you so surprised?” he asked softly.

  “You have asked the one thing I don’t know if I can do.” I couldn’t believe I was crying. I advanced on him until his back was pressed against the door. When I looked up into his handsome face I wished I could have felt nothing but anger, but that was not the case. “You have no idea what this feels like. Are you even capable of playing human for more than a few hours?”

  “What about you?” he countered. “Do your eyes tell the truth? Are you wild and willing or is that just for show?”

  As he spoke he traced his fingertips across my jaw line and underneath my bottom lip. A shuddering breath escaped me and I started to cry even harder. I didn’t make a sound other than my breathing. I didn’t sob openly. Tears just kept sliding down my face unchecked and they quickened their pace along with my heartbeat when he touched me.

  “We never got to finish our conversation,” he said. “Wouldn’t you like to know more of me?”

  “Yes.”

  “I am asking for your time tonight, Jewel. Not your body. Whatever you choose to give of yourself is entirely up to you. Vincent knows this. I am many things, but a rapist isn’t one of them.”

  I felt a mixture of relief and disappointment. “So, you just want to spend some time with me tonight?”

  “That is all. I want a fair chance. You want to know how I can ask this, I’ll tell you. I cannot see letting this opportunity pass me by. Not when I stand to lose you for all eternity. I have nothing personal against Vincent. This is about what I feel now.” He took my hand and placed it inside his shirt, directly over his heart. “It’s about not feeling anything in a very long time. It’s been too long since my heart was broken, too long since I remembered the pleasure that comes with pain. I grow tired of the cold, Jewel, and I hunger for your warmth.”

  Who could say no to that? It was the most romantic thing I’d ever heard. I moved my hand from his chest to lightly touch his face.

  “I’ll spend the night with you, Alucard. But I may never be able to do what you’ve asked me.”

  He nodded his acceptance of what I’d said and I followed him out into the hallway to get his coat. A few minutes later we were standing at the front door with Vincent. Alucard took my hand in both of his. “Whatever decision you make, I will honor it.”

  Vincent stepped forward and pressed a gentle kiss against my forehead. “We will both honor it,” he said softly.

  The look they exchanged let me know they had discussed this in great detail. I really hated being left out of the loop. Especially when it concerned where I was spending the night.

  “I’ll be here when you get back,” Vincent assured me.

  I kissed him goodnight before turning back toward Alucard. My heart felt like it was about to jump out of my chest. Considering that I still had the sedative in my system, I reasoned I would have had a heart attack otherwise. I’m a writer. I never meant to live out the stuff in my stories. And yet here I was, torn between two vampires. If that wasn’t something straight out of a book, I didn’t know what was.

  Alucard began to lead me back up the steps, over the red carpet.

  “Are you really going to let me know the location of your resting place?” I asked.

  He looked over his shoulder and smiled, but a smile wasn’t an answer. He led me to a room at the very end of the upstairs hallway. When he opened the door I knew this was where they had had their meeting. Mirrors were propped up in an almost perfect circle around a horseshoe shaped table.

  “Can they see us?”

  “No.”

  He walked around the table, toward the back of the room. Here there was a full length mirror, slightly taller than any I’d ever seen.

  “Where are we going?”

  “Too many questions,” he replied, still with that smile.

  Chapter Eighteen

  He reached for me and when I took his hand he pulled me through the mirror before I had time to protest. Everything about our surroundings told me we were inside a castle. The stone walls and floor were a dead giveaway. But there was also a draft that you don’t get in modern buildings. It seemed to come from everywhere. There was an enormous fireplace directly in front of where we’d stepped through and I recognized it. I also recognized the chair sitting beside the hearth. We were in Alucard’s bedroom.

  Nervous was too mild a word for what I was feeling.

  “Please, have a seat,” he said, indicating the large chair by the fire. I sat down somewhat stiffly. “Relax. I’m not going to attack you.” He walked to the far corner of the room and hung his long coat inside an ancient looking wardrobe.

  The room was truly magnificent. While Alucard wasn’t watching me I turned to my right to look at the bed. It was the biggest bed I’d ever seen and it sat right in the middle of the large room. His bedroom was as big as my uncle’s entire guest house and I sat there for a moment and just stared. The canopy which hung over the bed was a deep blood color, almost black, but clearly red when the firelight hit it just right. The sheets were the same color and by the way the fabric shimmered in the light I guessed they were satin. There was one window on the far side of the room and its shape reminded me of a bullet, blunt on the bottom and pointed at the top. I was looking out the window when lightning flashed in the distance and I jumped. Wherever we were, the weather was turning ugly.

  I turned back toward the mirror. It was propped against the wall across from the fireplace and looked almost like a doorway. Really, that’s what it was. Beside this, further down the wall there was a real door and it stood open. Beyond that there was an enormous tapestry which reached nearly to the ceiling and the floor. The tapestry depicted the story of a knight on a quest to slay a dragon. For a moment I wondered if the knight had been him in another life.

  “At least take off your shoes,” he said.

  I looked up to find him smiling down at me from beside the fireplace. He belonged here. If there had been any doubt in my mind about who he used to be, it was gone now. He was completely at home in this drafty old castle, standing in front of the fire.

  I reached down to remove my boots. “So tell me, how is it you came to be called Alucard?”

  He walked across the room and carried back another large chair with ease. I didn’t know if he was contemplating his answer or just stalling. He adjusted the chair several times in front of the fire before finding an angle he liked and sitting down. He crossed his legs and propped his chin on one hand, studying me.

  “I made a deal with an immortal wizard. My life and identity in exchange for his gift.”

  “What gift?”

  “Immortality.”

  I thought that over for a moment. “He was a vampire?” That was shocking. “So, you are not the first?”

  “No.”

  Talk about a revelation. The most famous vampire of all time wasn’t even the first. And wait a minute … did he say wizard?

  “Who was he?”

  “We vowed never to speak of his identity. You see my dear, we were both in need of someplace to hide.”

  “Why?”

  “His people had sent him to hunt werewolves. But all the tools they gave him to complete this task had turned against him. He had assumed other identities over the centuries and needed someplace they wouldn’t look, at least for a while.”

  “The best place to hide is in the open,” I said.

  “Exactly. I on the other hand was trying to control a political upheaval. My inevitable death was looming closer. So, we struck a bargain. He would use the name and I would become Alucard. To ever address me by my true name would undo the magic.” He shrugged and shifted position slightly. “Truthfully, he has as much right to the name as I do. He lived my life for many years before going into hiding once again.”

&nbs
p; “So he’s still alive?”

  He laughed. “Of course he is and he still carries the name.”

  I was confused. “But who died then? According to history, someone died and was buried in what was supposed to be your grave.”

  “A body double,” he said, waving his hand absently. “Most political figures have one.”

  I pulled my feet up in the chair and crossed my legs Indian style. “This is all too much. An immortal wizard? So, wizards are real too?”

  “Yes.”

  “And he was sent to hunt werewolves? I guess that shouldn’t surprise me after the wererat attack in my own back yard. Fucking hell.” I ran a hand through my hair and crossed my arms over my chest. I guess I was trying to give myself a hug.

  “If saying your name would undo the magic, then why tell me? Do you really trust me that much? And why can’t other people figure out a simple anagram?”

  “That’s part of the spell,” he said. “Someone would have to be told the name before they could figure it out.”

  “So as long as you both keep your mouths shut, everything is fine.” He nodded. “Then why tell me?”

  “When you were a child, I told you on a whim.”

  “On a whim?” I laughed. “You’ve got to be joking.”

  “I liked the thought of some danger out there waiting for me. If you had told someone my true name and said that I came through your mirror, even that wouldn’t have harmed me. They would have to look right at me and call me by the name. Even if someone used it jokingly as a reference to a vampire in general, that wouldn’t work either. They must know to whom they speak for it to matter.”

  “And now?” I prompted.

  He smiled and that soft expression did something I never expected, it reached his eyes.

  “When Vincent called me that night, I recognized your fear, even though I couldn’t see you. I knew instantly who you were and I wanted you to remember me. Perhaps I have danced so long with death that I wanted to change the beat. But for whatever reason, you have become much more than a distraction to me.”

  And he was much more than a distraction to me.