Ela: Forever (Waking Forever)

by Heather McVea

  ***

  It had been a week since Ela had witnessed the travesty in the park between Rachel and the human. She had spent much of that time hunting throughout the city and occasionally checking in on Rachel. She held out hope that some facet of Rachel’s life would prove worth destroying. That hope took on a glimmer the night Ela had intended to end Rachel.

  Perched outside Rachel’s living room window, Ela watched the same tired routine Rachel seemed to be stuck in. She would come home, make several business related phone calls, sit at her computer for several hours, and then read.

  Ela reached for the window intending to force it open and enter the house. Seconds before, she heard Rachel’s cell phone ring. Once, twice, and then on the third time Rachel appeared from the back of the house and answered.

  “Hello?” Rachel laid a copy of The Passage on a small wooden end table. After several seconds, she smiled, tilted her head down, and bit her lower lip.

  Ela pulled her hand back and leaned toward the window. This was posturing she had not seen in Rachel since they had flirted so many years ago. Ela focused on the caller’s voice. “It’s Sara Glass. I hope I’m not bothering you?”

  Ela recoiled and scrunched her nose in disdain. Why is the human calling her?

  Rachel’s face lit up and a broad smile spread across her lips. “Of course not. How are you doing?” In spite of her obvious excitement, Rachel’s tone was casual.

  “I’m good. Thanks to you.” Ela winced at Sara’s words. This woman should have been dinner a week ago, and now Rachel was having a conversation with her as if she mattered.

  “Please don’t mention it. Are you calling about that dinner?” Ela furrowed her brow and then a grin slowly spread across her lips. This was becoming an interesting turn of events. Perhaps Rachel wasn’t as dedicated to isolation as Ela originally thought.

  Ela detected the nervousness mixed with excitement in Sara’s voice as she continued. “Yes, as a matter of fact, I am. Are you free tomorrow evening?”

  Rachel nodded and her enthusiasm was clear to Ela. “I am. Where should we meet?” Ela took several steps back from the window. This human could prove more beneficial than a mere meal. If Rachel’s body language was any indication, as much as it disgusted Ela, she had feelings for this woman.

  As time was an infinite resource for her, Ela decided she would see where this burgeoning relationship was going. She owed it to herself to exhaust every possible avenue to Rachel’s suffering before executing her plan.

  Even as a human, patience had not been one of Ela’s virtues, but she would make an exception for her old lover.

  ***

  Ela followed Rachel in her car across San Antonio to a restaurant adjacent to the park Rachel had met Sara in over a week ago. Tré Trattoria sat back among trees near the banks of the San Antonio River. As Ela walked toward the eatery, careful to keep her distance from Rachel, she could smell stagnant water mingled with the smells of cooked food and humans.

  The restaurant was a series of large floor to ceiling windows that allowed someone seated on the patio to view the entirety of the interior space. Once she was confident Rachel wouldn’t see her from her chair in the bar, Ela entered the restaurant and requested a table for one on the patio.

  As she began to look over the menu, Sara walked into the restaurant. Ela could hear her heart beating so rapidly she wondered if the woman would survive the evening or stroke out. Sara’s posturing during her and Rachel’s initial awkward greeting, and even less eloquent first hug, convinced Ela the human also had feelings for Rachel.

  Ela was overjoyed with the possibilities when her waitress returned with her drink order. “A glass of fifteen year old Glenlivet scotch whiskey.” Placing the glass in front of Ela, the woman who had identified herself as Tanya smiled. “Would you like to order?”

  Ela sniffed at the scotch. It smelled warm and smoky with hints of moss and wet wood. “I’m just drinking tonight, Tanya.” Ela looked at the young brunette over the top of her glass. “Is that okay with you?”

  Tanya blushed and the rush of blood to her skin made Ela’s mouth water. “Of course. I’ll come back and check on you shortly.”

  If time permitted, Ela thought she might wait for Tanya after her shift. A river was always ideal for disposing of a body.

  Turning her attention away from the retreating waitress, Ela refocused on Rachel and Sara, now seated at a table near enough that Ela could listen in on their conversation. They had just ordered a meal of dead meat and some type of dumpling drowned in cheese sauce.

  Ela choked back a gag at the thought of consuming dead meat. Though it provided her no sustenance, Ela could eat human food, though her good taste limited her to fruit, vegetables, and liquids.

  After nearly an hour of boring banter, Ela had heard enough. Emptying her third glass of scotch, she waved Tanya over and handed her a hundred dollar bill. “Thanks.”

  “Let me get you change.” Tanya turned to walk back inside.

  Ela reached out and gently laid her hand on the woman’s forearm. “Don’t bother. Keep it.”

  Tanya’s eyes widened. “Thank you.”

  Ela winked. “Don’t mention it.”

  Again, Tanya’s blood surged to the top of her skin as she walked away, and Ela swallowed hard to avoid ripping the woman’s throat out right then and there. She got up and made her way back to her car.

  It was another hour before Rachel came around the corner and walked toward her black BMW. Ela could see from the smile on Rachel’s face that the evening had gone well.

  As Rachel drove away, Ela drummed her fingers on the dashboard of her rental car. So many choices now presented themselves. The torments that lay ahead for Rachel and Sara were almost unbearably sweet. Thousands of drops of pleasure sprinkled down on Ela, and she smiled as her incisors slowly extended. She would learn who Sara was, and what mattered to her. Then she would gut her.

  Ela got out of her car and made her way back towards the restaurant. By her reckoning, the establishment was closing shortly and Tanya’s shift would be over.

  ***

  Had Ela been breathing, her breath would have caught as Rachel rounded the corner of the shopping center. Coleen walked next to her as they approached the Starbucks where Sara sat waiting. Watching from her car across the parking lot, Ela felt the forced stirrings of affection her maker’s proximity elicited. It was clear from Rachel’s posture she was not enamored with Coleen and was clearly struggling to squelch her annoyance with the woman’s presence.

  After several awkward minutes and Coleen practically purring with delight at the discomfort she was causing Rachel, she walked away from the two women and toward the adjacent parking garage. Ela got out of her car and followed Coleen into the garage.

  “It’s been a long time.” Ela spoke as Coleen’s hand hesitated over the door handle of her navy blue Range Rover.

  Without turning around, Coleen shook her head. “Then you’ve found her?”

  Ela smiled. “Was there any doubt in your mind?”

  Coleen turned and gasped. “You’re more beautiful then I remembered.”

  Ela smirked. “Flattery will get you everywhere.”

  Coleen took a step toward Ela, and then hesitated. “I can’t let you end Rachel.”

  Ela’s furrowed her brow. “You’re not her maker; so it’s really none of your business.”

  Coleen closed the space between her and Ela. She reached up and gently stroked Ela’s cheek. “You’re still so incredibly angry and perhaps even less aware of why.”

  Involuntarily Ela leaned into Coleen’s hand and then closed her eyes. Realizing what she was doing, her eyes opened quickly and she took a step back. “You’re my maker. You should be advocating for what I want. Rachel betrayed me and deserves to die. It’s pretty straight forward.”

  Coleen shook her head. “I’m not doing this with you. You know I don’t want either of you dead.”

  A low growl came from deep in Ela’s throat.
“You dare think of us as equals?” Ela lunged toward Coleen who easily stepped to the side, sending Ela into the side of the Range Rover.

  “It’s not a contest. Whatever you may think.” Coleen kept her distance from Ela as she looked around to ensure they weren’t drawing any unwanted attention.

  Ela quickly righted herself and turned to face Coleen, her eyes glowing blue. “Don’t flatter yourself. This isn’t entirely about your abandonment of me or your obligations as my maker.”

  Ela leaned against the SUV and crossed her arms over her chest. “Rachel is getting what she has coming. She was supposed to love me. We were supposed to take care of each other.” Ela flicked her tongue across her incisor impatiently. “I lost her and the love I had for her that night.”

  Coleen tilted her head to the side. “Then why not return the favor, Ela? An eye for an eye.”

  Hearing her name coming from Coleen’s lips sent a shiver up Ela’s spine. “What do you mean?” Ela pushed off the car and took several steps toward Coleen.

  “Rachel has taken a liking to a human and if I had to make an educated guess, I would say it could get serious.” Coleen smiled. “I haven’t seen her this anxious in decades.”

  Ela nodded. “I’ve seen them together and the human is equally as interested, even if she doesn’t know it yet.”

  “Then kill Sara and leave Rachel alone to live with her death.” Coleen took Ela’s hand in hers.

  Looking down at where their hands were joined, Ela bit her lower lip nervously. “You would condone that?”

  Coleen nodded. “Of course. A human life rather than Rachel’s is the perfect compromise.” Closing the last bit of space between them, Coleen placed her hand on Ela’s shoulder. “Rachel will suffer the loss of a love just as you did, and if you wait long enough, their bond will only grow stronger.”

  “The wound will be deeper.” Ela barely spoke above a whisper.

  “But you can’t make yourself known to Rachel,” Coleen asserted.

  Ela’s head snapped up. “Impossible.”

  “The anguish of not knowing why will be far worse than revealing the truth.” Coleen squinted her eyes at Ela, trying to discern what she was thinking.

  Ela was not subtle in any aspect of her life. She wanted Rachel to know the source and reason of her anguish. Rachel’s quest for retribution would thrust their paths together and their tragic history would draw to an exquisitely horrific close. Rachel would know her tormentor.

  Still, her maker didn’t need to know any of that. Ela looked intently at Coleen and smiled. “You’re right. Better to suffer in ignorance.”

  ***

  It had been nearly two months since Ela had first watched Sara and Rachel’s awkward exchanges over dinner. In that time she had been both amused and horrified by the back-and-forth between the two women. It was clear they were attracted to each other and wanted more than a friendship. Ela scoffed at Rachel’s unwillingness to take whatever she wanted from Sara.

  Though neither acknowledged it, they had been dating. Trips to the theatre, dinners, late night phone calls, and runs were standard fare for the two women. Now Ela stood on a busy street in Downtown San Antonio watching Sara walk briskly into Bohanan’s Steakhouse and Bar to meet Paul, a man she was supposedly in a relationship with. Again with the dead meat. Ela thought as she crossed the street.

  A young blond haired man rushed from the valet stand near the curb and held the large glass and wood door open for Ela as she entered the bar area of the restaurant. The interior reminded her of taverns from when she lived in Krakow, with its dark wood, leather chairs, and brass accented bar hardware.

  Sara and Paul were at the far end of the bar. Ela casually made her way toward the far corner of the room and sat so she could see the couple. As she listened, it became obvious this was going to be an entertaining exchange.

  Paul sat on a stool next to Sara frowning. “You have to be kidding, Sara. It’s been over two weeks and you couldn’t be bothered to return my calls.”

  Sara thanked the bartender as he placed what smelled like a gin and tonic in front of her, and she took a long drink before she spoke. “About that. I’ve been thinking-”

  The man waved her off with one hand as he took a sip of his Maker’s Mark. The woody scent of the bourbon whiskey wafted over Ela, bringing a slight grin to her face. “I only kid, Sara. It’s no big deal, but I did have to give you some shit about it. Water under the bridge.”

  “Actually, it’s not water under the bridge for me. I haven’t had my heart in this relationship for some time and I owe you the decency to tell you that it’s over.” Sara took another, longer drink of her cocktail.

  Ela tuned out at that point as an older gentleman in a white coat and black tie solicited her drink order. Looking up at him, she smiled. “Glenlivet.”

  The waiter smiled. “My pleasure, ma’am. We have the nineteen-seventy-two cellar collection, if you prefer.”

  Glancing around the waiter, Ela could see by their posturing the conversation between Sara and the man was getting heated. “Sounds perfect.”

  “Paul, it’s over. I love you, but not like I should and certainly not like you love me. I would say we can still be friends, but I don’t think that’s best for either of us.” Sara took a deep breath and waited. The man’s face was completely void of expression.

  “This is just great,” the man gushed. “We’re together for nearly three years and all you can say is you don’t love me like I love you. What the fuck does that mean, Sara?”

  Not giving her a chance to respond, he continued. “What do you know about love? For three years I have tried to get you to open up and be with me. I mean really with me, and you always – even at your best – barely got around to introducing me to your parents and sister.”

  The waiter returned with Ela’s drink and she took a deep breath, enjoying the scene unfolding in front of her and the scotch whiskey’s fruity scent accented with wood notes.

  “How long have you felt this way?” Paul asked and then downed the last of his Maker’s Mark, gesturing to the bartender for another.

  “For a while.” Sara paused. “For several months. I should have been upfront with you a long time ago. In my defense I did try to talk to you about how I felt, but you were very single-minded in what you thought was happening with us, and I just did…”

  The conversation deteriorated quickly. The man assured Sara she would die alone, and Sara informed the man he was a pompous prick. The last part caused Ela to nearly spit her drink out with laughter.

  Ela wiped her chin with a napkin. This human had tenacity. If Ela had any semblance of regret or remorse in her narrow emotional spectrum, she would feel bad for the doomed woman. She watched Sara get up, grab her purse, and calmly leave the bar. Ela was beginning to see this human’s appeal.

  Paul was left slack jawed and alone. Finishing the last of her drink, she got up and walked to the bar. Leaning on the wooden surface so she was facing Paul, Ela smiled. “That looked rough.”

  Paul had been staring at his glass of Maker’s Mark when he looked up at Ela. In the blink of an eye, his haggard frown was wiped away and replaced with a broad smile. “More awkward then rough.”

  Ela gestured to the bartender to refill her glass. “Will she regret it?”

  Paul’s eyebrow arched and he grinned. “Most definitely.”

  Ela looked Paul up and down, forcing an expression of interest onto her face. “I’m Michelle Jacobs.” She reached out her hand and inwardly cringed at how eagerly Paul shook it.

  “Paul Garrett. Pleasure.” His brow furrowed at the chill in Ela’s hand. “I like you already, by the way.”

  Ela took a drink of her scotch. “Oh, why’s that?”

  Paul raised his glass. “You have impeccable timing.”

  Ela smiled and the clinking sound of their glasses reminded Ela of a faint starter’s pistol. They were certainly off and running. “Forgive my boldness, Paul, but you’ve taken good care of yourse
lf.”

  “Nothing to forgive, Michelle. I run at least six marathons a year.” Paul leaned toward Ela, narrowing the space between them. “And please forgive my boldness, but you have also taken very good care of yourself.”

  Ela ran her index finger along the back of Paul’s hand, and up his wrist. “I love your scent. It reminds me of -” Ela playfully bit her lower lip. “Spiced mango and nutmeg, but with hints of ginger- wait, cardamom.”

  Paul’s eyes were wide as he grinned. “Christ, do you work for a perfume company or something?”

  Ela took a sip of her scotch. “No, but I think the way someone smells is just as sexy as how they look.”

  Paul leaned in. “And do you like what you smell?”

  Ela managed not to roll her eyes as she maintained a seductive tone. “Definitely.” She moved her hand to the nape of the man’s neck and entwined her fingers in his thick, curly brown hair.

  “I’m buying you a drink.” Paul winked and gestured to the bartender to bring them both another round.

  Ela studied the man’s profile closely, committing the moment to memory. Ela had begun her vampire life with a single absolute creed that the world was hers to make into whatever she saw fit. She knew her closure would come with Rachel’s end.

  ###

  About the author:

  Heather McVea was raised in a small town south of San Antonio, Texas. Prior to escaping to the big city, she raised Hampshire pigs, rode motorcycles at entirely too young an age, and once snow boarded behind a Ford pickup truck. She relishes a strong gin and tonic, but leans after three. Shiny twinkly things make her cringe, up to and including Hollywood vampires.

  Heather and her partner have three fur babies and are working their way through all of the brewery tours in Texas.

  Follow Heather on Twitter @HMcVea.

  Excerpt from Becoming Forever

  Continue the Waking Forever series with Becoming Forever, the second novel in the series. Available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Smashwords, and iBooks January 2014.