Almost Final Curtain

by Hallaway, Tate

  Let’s get real—Mom liked to imagine I wasn’t a vampire princess at all.

  Anytime anything happened that reminded her, snap!—she became Ms. Cranky Pants. Dinner had been frosty. I was just as glad to escape to my room upstairs, doing homework and waiting for Elias.

  I glanced out the window. It was warm enough to have the storm windows up. It was too early in the season for crickets, but the birds heralded the sunset with muffled chatter. A woodpecker added a staccato beat to their symphony by pounding noisily on the telephone pole. The breeze held the promise of rain and the delicate scent of the neighbor’s apple blossoms.

  I tried to concentrate on my history chapter, but my gaze bounced over the words and flicked instead between the cell and the window. I picked up the phone and tried to will Nikolai to text. Setting it back with a sigh, I peered into the gathering darkness for a sign of Elias.

  “Trouble?” he asked, the nearness of his voice startling me. Leaning forward, Elias’s pale form seemed to materialize out of the tangle of branches just beyond my window. His inky black hair was cut short, above the ears. The style always seemed a bit militaristic to me and not very vampy, and when I asked him about it, he said it was a close approximation of what was popular when he was brought across the Veil.

  As always when he was using his vampiric powers, Elias’s pupils were bright yellow, and cat-slit. Once he’d settled in, they’d return to their normal color, a captivating stormy gray. I’d never had the courage to ask which was his real eye color.

  He pointed to my phone. “Are you expecting news?”

  “Probably not,” I said, setting the cell aside. “Nikolai and I might be fighting.”

  At the mention of Nik’s name, Elias pulled back into the shadows slightly. I was sure he was trying to hide his expression, but the darkness served only to make him look more sinister. “It would be my deepest pleasure to defend your honor if my rival has besmirched it in any way.”

  Elias always talked like that. Sometimes it took me a few minutes to parse out what he was really trying to say. “No, you can’t go beat him up.” I smiled once I had. “And he might not be your rival anymore either.”

  “Oh, most unfortunate,” he said. Though he’d pulled back so that his face was now completely hidden, I totally heard his unconscious smile at the thought.

  “You’re the worst liar, Elias Constantine.” I flicked off my desk lamp and used my feet to wheel my desk chair over to the window. I leaned my elbows on the sill. From this position and with the lights off, I could see Elias more clearly.

  He leaned his back casually against the trunk of the tree, his long, trim legs stretched across the branches like a lounging panther. Though vampires weren’t fond of clothing for some reason, in deference to me he wore a nicely fitting black T-shirt and similarly colored jeans. His feet, however, were bare.

  “Aren’t you cold without boots?”

  “The Mother is birthing. I tread lightly.”

  Did that make sense? I guess it did to a witch, at least metaphorically speaking. The earth was pregnant with new life in spring, so he walked gently. Respect for nature was one thing that vampires and witches had in common; they were both Goddess worshippers. But this was the first time I’d heard real evidence of the vampire side of it.

  “Ostara is my favorite time of year,” I remarked, referencing the Wiccan celebration of spring equinox, which had just passed. My mom would never call herself a Wiccan because her brand of witchcraft was much older, but to blend, we followed a lot of their customs.

  Elias nodded. “Soon everything will be in bloom.”

  We fell into a silence and I tried, in vain, not to glance at the spot on my desk where my phone sat.

  “You seem very agitated, Ana,” Elias said when I returned my attention to him. He sat up straighter, swinging his feet around so that they dangled off the branch. “What did you and the hunter’s apprentice fight about?”

  I tried to shrug it off like it was no big deal, but I found I couldn’t look him in the eye as I said, “Oh, you know, the same old—the honor guard, the fact that I’m a freaky half vampire, and all that.”

  Though he said nothing for a long time, I could feel the heat of his eyes on me. Finally, I looked up. He was staring intently. His eyes had gone all catty again, and his lips pressed into a thin, serious line. “I would hold you if I could.”

  With a graceful leap, he was on the roof. His footfalls were so soft, they sounded no louder than the rattle of a strong wind. I craned my neck, trying to figure out what he was up to.

  All of a sudden, he hung upside down in front of me. I gasped in surprise to see him like that. With a deft movement, the screen snapped off its runners. There was a magical echo, like when a sudden shift in altitude makes your ears pop. I only hoped that my mom didn’t sense the slight breach in her defenses.

  After stashing the screen somewhere above, Elias reappeared with his arms outstretched. “Come,” he said. “I can lift you.”

  I looked down at the ground and the two-story drop. I knew vampires were stronger than your average bear, but he was in an awkward position hanging over the edge of the sloping roof; what if we slid?

  “The stars are out,” Elias said, his fingers wagging impatiently. “Please, Highness, join me on the roof.”

  Steeling myself, I reached out the window and took his hands. His skin was warm against mine, and I felt a slight magical tingle at his nearness. I got up on my knees, with much of me hanging out the window. I felt myself waver, but his grip was strong and firm. He directed me to twist around. Then his hands were under my arms and I was airborne. I felt a momentary dizziness, but it was just a short boost, and he released me to stand beside him on the rooftop.

  I lost my breath in the excitement, and it came back in a rush at the view of the carpet of stars above and my neighborhood spread out below. From this vantage point, I could see the dark ribbon of the Mississippi River in the valley and the cluster of bright downtown lights.

  The air cocooned me in damp coldness, but instead of shivering, I felt exhilarated. “It’s beautiful.”

  Elias said nothing, just held me. He was much taller than me, and my head nestled perfectly under his arm. Tentatively, I slipped my hand around his slender, taut waist. Heat exuded from his body, and I snuggled closer. Bare, silhouetted treetops, dotted with buds, lay like a lattice in front of everything. Across the river, traffic was a line of flashing lights, which we watched in companionable silence.

  “I’m sorry for your pain,” he said quietly, once we’d settled to lie back against the roof tiles to stare up at the specks of stars in the night sky. “But I’m not sorry that you’re who you are. If you weren’t the princess, we would never have met.”

  Our fingers entwined and he gave my palm a reassuring squeeze. My body was hyperfocused on Elias’s nearness. I felt the slight touch of his legs against mine, the rough calluses on his palms, and the heat of his skin.

  My mouth twisted as I tried to find words. I should agree with Elias’s sentiment, at least. I really liked Elias. But my life had been so much simpler before I knew about my dad and vampires. “Uh, yeah,” I said finally.

  “You don’t sound convinced, my lady.”

  I loved it when he called me that. It was so old-fashioned and sweet. “It’s not that,” I assured him. “It’s all this other stuff.”

  Wisps of clouds threaded in front of the thin silver crescent of the moon. The shingles on the roof pinched my back slightly, but the feeling of being high above everything eclipsed any physical discomfort.

  “Other stuff?” he prompted.

  “Nikolai, you know, and—” But I trailed off because I didn’t know how to explain what it was like to be half vampire, half witch, but not enough of either to really fit anywhere properly.

  Before I could say something more articulate, Elias pulled his hand away. “You’re in love with him, aren’t you?”

  “It doesn’t matter. It would never work.”r />
  The instant it was out of my mouth, I knew I’d said the exact wrong thing. I should have denied being in love with Nik; had I really just agreed that I was? At any rate, Elias sat up, steepling his hands on his knees. His entire posture was agitated; if he were a cat, his back muscles would have rippled.

  I pulled myself upright too. I thought about touching his shoulders, but decided I didn’t want to see him flinch away from me. “I mean—that is, what I meant to say was I don’t know how I feel about Nik. It’s so complicated.”

  “I see.” His tone was cold, distant.

  A smarter person would have stopped talking, but I didn’t know how to close the rift I sensed opening between us and I desperately wanted to fix it. I didn’t want to lose both Elias and Nik in one day! “I feel the same way about you. Not the complicated part—well, actually, you are complicated—but what I’m saying is ... uh, I like you.”

  I thought it was a pretty intense admission, but the hot glance he shot me implied he thought I was full of shit.

  “No, really, Elias. I do.” I tried to infuse my words with the weight of everything I couldn’t say. “Why do you think things are complicated with Nikolai?”

  This softened his gaze a bit. “Are you saying you fought about me?”

  “Well, no. It was more about the vampire thing as a whole, and the honor guard in specific, but you’re a big part of that.”

  “Ah.” He sounded distant again.

  When was I going to learn how to talk to guys without completely messing everything up? “Let me try this again,” I offered.

  From his reluctant smile, I think Elias would have let me make another attempt, but of course, at that very moment Nikolai’s Toyota pulled up in front of my house.

  We both recognized the car immediately.

  He was early! I opened my mouth to offer an explanation, but the look on Elias’s face stopped me.

  “What is he doing here tonight? This is supposed to be our night.”

  “Um,” I started, but how could I explain in a way that didn’t end up with me duplicitously planning two dates in one night? Anyway, Elias was having none of it. He stood up. With inhuman bounds, he leaped the distance of the roof. In seconds, he was standing next to the tower’s cap, one hand resting against its peaked, conical roof. Elias stared down at the car, as if still hoping it belonged to someone else.

  Below, I could hear Nikolai’s car door slam shut. In the quiet of the night, the sound of his bootheels on the sidewalk reverberated loudly.

  “It is him,” Elias confirmed through clenched teeth. “Perhaps we should test this junior hunter’s skill.”

  “Wait!” I shouted to Elias, but it was too late. He launched himself into the air. Like some unholy bird, he stretched out his arms, as though they could slow his descent. In midair, he flipped over and tucked himself into a tight ball. He landed in a predatory crouch in front of Nikolai. I swear I could hear his snarl from this distance.

  For his part, Nik shouted in surprise and anger. He stumbled back, plastering himself against his car.

  Elias uncurled himself slowly, deliberately. “You intrude on my territory, apprentice.”

  “Your ‘territory’? I don’t think so,” Nikolai growled. “You don’t belong here. Not with Ana, not on earth. Make one move, demon, and I’ll send you straight back to the hell that spawned you.”

  Like a stab to my own heart, I felt Nikolai’s blade surge into life. I could almost see its orange flame flickering around his fist.

  Elias had the good sense to stand perfectly still.

  I held my breath. I had to stop them somehow.

  Before I could call out, the front door slammed open on its hinges. I nearly leaped from the roof in surprise. Mom stuck her head out. “What’s going on out here?” Her power shot up, cold and hard, when she recognized who stood on her sidewalk. “Vampire,” she hissed. “Strike him dead, Kirov.”

  “No!” I shouted. “Don’t you dare!”

  Heads swiveled in my direction. Just as I’d hoped, Elias took advantage of the resulting confusion. With speed too fast for a human eye to track, he dashed from sight. Not being human, however, I noticed his slight hesitation. Before he disappeared, our eyes met, and without words, I knew how much it disturbed Elias to leave a fight—to leave me.

  “Ana?” Nik said at the same time as Mom’s confused, “What are you doing on the roof, honey?”

  More important, how was I going to get down?

  I looked over at the tree.

  It would take a superhuman jump, but, well, I had the ability. I just had to allow that part of me to surface.

  “I’ll get the ladder,” Mom was shouting.

  “Where did the vampire go?” Nikolai asked no one in particular as he scanned the street. “Damn, they’re fast.”

  “I can get myself down,” I said, even though Mom was already starting toward the carriage house/garage. I closed my eyes and let the nighttime surround me in an embrace. I surrendered to its call, and when I opened them again, I was sure my pupils changed to catlike slits, because I could see everything as though it were the light of day. Fangs descended with a flash of pain. My body felt light and ... in tune, somehow, with the very fabric of nature.

  The tree pulsed with a life of its own and seemed to reach out to me. I took a running jump, and fell into its awaiting arms. They caught me easily, and seemed to lead, like a stairway, to the ground.

  Before Mom had even reached the backyard, I landed on the soft, richly scented grass. “Sorry,” I whispered to the tender shoots I’d crushed underfoot.

  Nikolai’s eyes were wide, and his fist stayed clenched at his side. With my vampire sight, his blade burned white-hot. I could see its pointed tip jutting from the center of his knuckles. Power sizzled through his aura like tiny flashes of lightning.

  Raising my hand to shield my eyes from the intensity, I turned my head.

  “Is this why you invited me here tonight?” he asked, his tone remarkably calm, almost sad. “So I could see you, like this, with him?”

  Okay, Ana, don’t mess it up this time.

  I squared my shoulders and faced him. His aura continued to crackle. But if I didn’t look at the blade shimmering in his hand like a small sun, I could meet his gaze without blinking. “That wasn’t the plan, but—you know, we should talk about this.” I waved my hand to indicate my face and the fangs and the crazy cat eyes I was sure he noticed, even in the dark. “I feel like it’s coming between us.”

  Mom came around the corner. She squeaked and dropped the ladder with a clang when she saw me standing there. “How did you get down? Please tell me you didn’t . . .” Her hand flew to her mouth, as she took in all that was my fabulous vampire self. “Oh, Ana! Don’t stand there looking like that!”

  She made it sound like I was on the front lawn in my underwear. Mom was looking at me with undisguised horror.

  My hands on my hips, I spun to tell her what I thought about all that, but Nikolai spoke first.

  “It’s all right, Dr. Parker,” Nikolai said, using Mom’s honorific the way Elias called me “Highness.” “It’s under control. I just came by to ask Ana out for a malt.”

  A malt? What was this, the 1950s?

  “Oh, that sounds delightful,” Mom said, instantly forgetting her horror at seeing me all vamped up. It kind of freaked me out, the way Nik and my mom interacted. It was so clear that my mom wanted Nikolai and me to be together, like a normal couple, that she pushed to the point of being ... well, icky. Plus, she sort of fluttered around him. Like, she was all into him. I was doing my best not to gag, when my mom added, “Do you need some cash, Ana?”

  I rarely refused the offer of money, even at a time like this. I had my hand out, but once again, Nik interrupted me before I could even start.

  “I’ve got it covered, Dr. Parker.”

  “Please, Nikolai, call me Amelia.”

  Please don’t!

  “I’ll have her home before eleven, Amelia.”


  Ugh! He did!

  Nikolai opened the car door with a rusty squeal. He gestured all gentlemanly-like for me to take a seat, as if I’d already agreed to this ridiculous malt.

  “I’m not sure—”

  “Oh, go ahead, sweetheart,” Mom said, pushing her round glasses up on her nose. She might be the most powerful witch in the Midwest, but she still looked like a frumpy college professor. Her blond curls spilled out from a makeshift bun. The fabric of her olive cotton skirt rode up a bit, and there was a greasy smear where she’d balanced the ladder against her ample hip. “You can even stay out to midnight, if you’re going to be with Nik.”

  Whom, five minutes ago, you were telling to kill Elias. “I have homework.”

  “Do it in the morning,” Mom offered sweetly, if somewhat insincerely. I could see it pained her, the teacher, to even suggest such slacking.

  “We do need to talk, Ana,” Nikolai reminded me gently. “Please.”

  It was the “please” that did it. I felt the fangs click back into concealment, and the night dimmed around me. With a sigh, I slumped into the passenger side of Nik’s Toyota.

  Apparently Nik was serious about the malt. We ended up in a booth in the back of Snuffy’s on Cleveland. The restaurant had an honest-to-goodness lunch counter, a jukebox, and red vinylcovered seats. Photos and framed newspaper articles featuring local sports stars from the seventies to the present day adorned the wall.

  “Okay, this is surreally Leave It to Beaver,” I said, taking another look at the retro decor. “What are you up to, Nikolai Kirov?”

  “I just really wanted a malt,” he said with a shrug. It was striking how much like a traditional vampire Nik looked. Under the fluorescent lights, his pale skin had an almost greenish cast. His hair was long enough to tie back, though he usually let it fall loosely to his shoulders. The studded leather jacket amped up the bad-boy vibe.