The Last Keeper

by Michelle Birbeck

  Hugging the picture of him to my chest, I collapsed in the middle of the basement. All the fear, all the pain, and all the longing I’d felt over the last thirty years washed over me. I ached to go back to the campus and confront him. I longed to go back and talk to him, to say something, anything.

  Yet, I feared he didn’t love me anymore. I was afraid he’d changed when he was turned, as so often happened.

  And that thought hurt more than all the years of not knowing. The thought he could be so different from what I’d known that he wasn’t him anymore.

  But he was teaching a history class. He always did love history.

  Maybe he hadn’t changed. Maybe he did want me.

  Still, I shouldn’t want him. Not now. They were always the ones we had to fight against, and I’d killed so many of them. More over the last few years as I let my pain take me to dark places.

  But I would always love him. No matter what.

  That was my conclusion.

  It didn’t matter.

  And yet, that answered nothing.

  “Serenity?” Helen called out, sounding worried. “What happened?”

  “I found him,” I whispered as she carefully joined me on the basement floor and wrapped her arms around me.

  “Oh my dear. How long?” she asked gently, assuming he was still human.

  “He’s a vampire. But that’s impossible.” I sobbed, letting my emotions roll over me in wave after wave of confusion, longing, and bitterness.

  “Is it?”

  “Yes. It isn’t possible. If it were, then why is Lona gone? Why did William have to die? If it were possible, then why am I alone?”

  “Is that what they did to William?” she asked gently. “You never told us.”

  “That isn’t the point. I don’t know if I can do this anymore. I’m alone. There are no more of us, and there will be no more. And now I find that Ray, my Ray, is a vampire!”

  “You aren’t alone, Serenity.” Helen’s tone was hard. “You have us.”

  “I don’t know what to do!” I wasn’t in the mood to explain exactly why they didn’t count. I needed to know what I was going to do.

  “You’ll figure it out; you always do.”

  “How? All these books, all these stories, and nothing! Not a single answer!”

  “Did you talk to him?”

  “No.” I half-laughed. “I ran away.”

  “Go talk to him. Maybe this is what your gift does, lets you live through him being turned. Did you think of that?”

  “The gift of Life,” I scoffed. “What use is that when I can’t keep fighting on my own?”

  “Talk to him. You can work it out together.”

  “What do I say? Hi, what have you been doing for the last thirty years?”

  “Well, hello would be a start. Go,” she insisted. “Talk to him, see what he says.”

  “I don’t know if I can. How am I supposed to face him? I still love him, so much, but how can I?”

  “Tell me something, what did you notice about him when you saw him? What’s changed? What’s stayed the same?”

  “I only saw him for a second.”

  She narrowed those shrewd eyes. “Answer the question, Serenity.”

  “His hair is longer; it was in a ponytail. He wasn’t using his stick to support himself, so the change must have fixed his leg. He was taller. Not by a lot, just an inch or so. His shirt and pants were the same style he used to wear. His eyes were so bright, still the same colour.” I rattled off an entire list of things I’d noticed. “He’s the same.”

  “Exactly. Now go on. His address is by the door.”

  “How?”

  “A certain granddaughter of mine called and said I needed to give you an address. She didn’t tell me why, but I can only assume this was the reason.” She beamed, deep wrinkles showing on her face.

  “Thank you,” I said, giving her a kiss on the cheek and offering her a hand up from the floor.

  There was a war going on inside of me. I was so torn over what I was going to do. Even as I scanned the address Helen had written down, I wondered if I’d actually make it there. A part of me desperately wanted to throw myself into his arms and forget the last thirty-four years had ever happened. But the logical side of me said that wasn’t such a good idea. He was a vampire.

  That was what it came down to.

  He was a vampire.

  He was part of the race of beings that had plagued us for centuries.

  No, he was more than that. He was the man I loved, the man I’d always love, no matter what.

  As I shoved the keys into the ignition of my car, not trusting myself to be safe on my bike, I paused for a moment, hand on the steering wheel.

  I had a second chance. This didn’t have to be the end for me anymore. Maybe Helen was right; maybe this was what my gift did. Allowed me to survive his change, his technical death, and stopped me from having to leave everything behind.

  But the longer I drove, the more my feelings of hope turned to anger. By the time Ray’s house came into view, set back off the road on the outskirts of the city, anger was all I felt. Issac Baruti had known Ray was alive, I was sure of it. For decades I’d wondered whether he’d truly perished in the rubble of London or whether something else that I didn’t want to think about had happened.

  Pulling up in front of the house, it took me a minute to realise the car I was parked next to was Lizzy’s. I’d need to send her home. Jayne would worry about her if she didn’t return soon.

  Taking a deep breath in a vain attempt to calm my already shattered nerves, I got out of the car. It was another couple of minutes of staring at the eclectic mixture of modern and Victorian structure before I had the courage to knock on the door.

  “Hello?” I looked up when I heard the familiar voice.

  And came face-to-face with Poppy Baruti.

  “I’d like to speak with Ray Synclair, please,” I said, forcing myself to keep calm. “Or Issac Baruti, if he’s available.”

  “Of course. Ray has stepped out, but Issac is here.” She opened the door for me.

  Her polite smile made me wonder if she’d recognised me.

  She led me into the living room, leaving me alone with two reluctant hosts. It was clear the house didn’t normally receive visitors. It was all sharp lines of colour and modern furniture, and though it was neat as a pin, there was nothing homely about it.

  The two vampires sitting on the sofa, watching me from the corner of their eyes, were obviously uncomfortable with my presence. They kept shifting slightly, as if waiting for something to happen. It was also clear the male was protecting the female. A couple, or so it appeared.

  She was tall and elegant with chin-length brown hair. He was taller, with a mess of black curls and a distinct German air about him. There was no way to tell how old either of the vampires were, but age didn’t matter as much as power. And considering the afternoon sun streaming in through the windows, neither of them were overly powerful.

  I was about to say something to them when Issac stepped out of the kitchen, looking exactly as he had the last time I saw him. I honestly didn’t know what I expected, but seeing him just as he had been shocked me.

  “Miss Cardea?” he asked, clearly as shocked by my appearance as I was of his.

  “You lied to me.” I took a step closer. My shock faded as quickly as it had risen, replaced by the anger I’d been trying to suppress. “Do you have any idea what could’ve happened when you turned him? What should have happened?”

  “Miss Cardea, how . . . ?”

  “For thirty years I’ve lived wondering which day would be my last. And now, after all this time, I find I should already be dead!” Every bit of anger I’d felt over the years, all directed at myself, came bubbling to the surface. Before anyone had a chance to react, or I had a chance to catch up with my actions, I crossed the space. Everything in me came pouring out as my hand connected with his face, the slap resonating around the room.

 
; “Why?”

  No one gave him a chance to answer. There was movement behind me, and suddenly I was restrained by two sets of strong, cool arms. Poppy positioned herself in front of Issac, barely glancing at him to make sure he was all right. Her sights were set on me, and she didn’t look happy.

  “Get off me!” I growled, more than prepared for Poppy to strike.

  “Al, Leo, it’s fine. Poppy, please?” Issac was rubbing his jaw slightly but otherwise was fine. He wanted to prevent any further attempts at bloodshed.

  “Why?” I demanded again.

  “He was dying. Ray and his mother had come by the university before dark to collect some things. Said he was getting out of the city. The warnings came too late, and the bomb hit the building before we could get into the shelter. Liza was too badly injured, and Ray only just survived. He would have died before any medical help arrived, and something in me told me I needed to turn him.” He was still rubbing his jaw and shaking his head a little. “I didn’t know the two of you were engaged. Had I known, I would have done everything I could to save him any other way.”

  “Ray was engaged? To this?” Al, the male vampire, said, sounding shocked.

  Ignoring him, I hung my head. Ray had been dying and I wasn’t there for him.

  “He couldn’t have had a relationship with a human. Telling you he was dead seemed the only way to offer you a new start.”

  “He never told you anything about me, did he?”

  “Just that you were engaged and that he would never love anyone else.” There was a hint of curiosity on his face.

  “Well, I’d think it’s clear I’m not exactly human.” So much for the brilliant intellect of Professor Baruti.

  “Do we really have to let all the crazies in the house?” Leo sighed, tightening her hold on me.

  “Azrael is hardly crazy,” Poppy snarled.

  So she did know who I was. Great.

  “Who else knows?” I asked, looking directly at her.

  “Only me.”

  “Neither you nor Ray said anything about me?”

  “As far as I was aware, you were his human fiancée. There was nothing more to it. You’re not a vampire, and you’re certainly not a Were. If you’re not human, then I am at a loss.” Issac shook his head, trying to work it out. As old as he was, I had to wonder why he hadn’t recognised The Seats’ name for me.

  “I didn’t think you’d ever recognised her, Poppy.” Ray’s voice filled the sudden silence. “Al, Leola, please let her go. And, Poppy, I’d appreciate it if you stopped looking like you want to eat my fiancée.”

  “She attacked Issac. Completely unprovoked,” Al said, not letting me go.

  “I know. I have to say I’m rather impressed. I always imagined she’d just kill him.” There was no humour in his voice.

  “Told you so,” Lizzy spoke up from behind Ray. “Pay up.”

  I laughed at that, and everyone’s attention shifted to me. It was typical of Lizzy to have placed wagers on whether I’d go so far as to kill someone or not.

  “Lizzy never loses,” I told Ray, seeing him for the first time.

  As far as awkward moments went, I wasn’t sure I’d seen worse. The silence stretched on as I allowed myself to stare. It was difficult, with me being restrained and facing away, but worth every second.

  “Leo. Al. Really. I don’t want to see you two hurt, and Serenity has a temper to match any of The Seats, so please let her go,” Ray said, finally breaking the silence.

  Reluctantly they backed off, freeing me, but not before Leola got in the final word. “That’s right, Ray. Keep going with the secrets, why don’t you? Get us all called in for an audience.”

  Lizzy stepped in. “The Seats don’t have a death wish, sweetheart.”

  “I think an explanation is in order,” Issac said.

  “That can wait. Serenity and I have a lot to discuss before we even think about telling you anything.” There seemed to be little affection between these vampires. Perhaps it was more of a convenience that they were together than anything else. “I have a lot of explaining to do first, anyway.”

  “Just a bit,” Lizzy muttered.

  “Go home, Lizzy,” I ordered.

  “Not a chance. I already missed you slapping my languages prof. I’m not missing the rest of what’s going to happen.”

  “Lizzy, you are going home.”

  “For once, I’m gonna have to disagree with you, Aunt Sere.” She crossed her arms over her chest, determined.

  “Fine, but you’re calling your mother and telling her exactly where you are.”

  “Agreed.”

  “Exactly where you are. Including the fact that you’ll be alone in a house full of vampires.”

  “All right by me.”

  “Damn it. Fine. Stay,” I muttered as I caught the look in her eyes. She knew she was going to win.

  “Thanks, Aunt Sere,” she called as I stalked out the door. “Be nice to him.”

  She was going to get herself in some serious trouble one day. Then again, she would just as easily get herself out of any trouble; she was like that. I was vaguely aware that Ray was following me to the car. He stood awkwardly shifting from foot to foot as I climbed in and started the engine.

  “Get in,” I called. “Where to?”

  “Anywhere,” he whispered, his gaze never leaving me.

  “I don’t want them overhearing.”

  I didn’t have a clue where I was going. All I knew was those four vampires didn’t need to hear what we had to discuss—even if I did end up explaining everything to them in the end.

  “I’m sorry,” Ray whispered after a moment.

  “Don’t,” I snapped. “Don’t you dare apologise for anything that happened.”

  The second the words were out of my mouth I felt guilty. It wasn’t his fault he’d been turned into a vampire. It wasn’t his fault he’d been caught in an unexpected air raid. Nor was it his fault that the result had been our separation for the better part of half a century.

  For whatever reason, I’d survived the impossible, and now I had a second chance. Ray was here; he wanted to talk. Where things would go after that, I didn’t know.

  But after seeing him again, and staring into those eyes I loved so much, I knew one thing: if he felt the same way about me as I did about him, then I didn’t care about anything else.

  There was absolute silence as we drove. Eventually, I turned off and found a relatively secluded track into the middle of nowhere. By the time I pulled off the road, the last house we’d seen was several miles away. Open fields and a few scattered trees surrounded us, giving us the privacy we needed.

  “We can follow the trail through the woods, if you like,” Ray said hesitantly.

  “Lead the way.”

  When we started walking, we lapsed into silence again. Resisting the urge to grab his hand, just to feel it in mine, I shoved my hands deep into my pockets.

  I’d overreacted earlier. Of course there was a reason Issac had turned Ray. It wasn’t as if he went around turning people for the fun of it.

  “Did you ask him to do it?” I whispered, as we passed the first of the trees.

  “No! Serenity, I would never.” He grabbed my arm and pulled me to a stop. “I didn’t know what was happening until it was too late.”

  I couldn’t meet his eyes. “I’m sorry.”

  “What on earth do you have to be sorry for?” His hands were gripping my shoulders now, hard, but not too hard.

  Pulling away, I cried, “Apart from the fact I just assaulted Issac Baruti? Everything! I wasn’t there when you needed me. I couldn’t find you anywhere when I came back. Lord knows I tried.”

  “Stop it. Please.” He took hold of me once more, but his hands were gentler now, almost soothing. “You had to go away. William needed you. Your brother needed you.”

  “I still should have been there!”

  “Please, don’t take this the wrong way, but I didn’t want to be found,” he whis
pered, stepping away from me.

  “What?”

  My world was already teetering on the edge. After so many years of not knowing, of being torn between the possibility of spending an eternity alone or him not wanting me, I’d finally found him only to hear the words that would send my world crashing to the ground, breaking my heart in the process. He didn’t want me. It had all been too much, and he didn’t want me to find him.

  “I love you, Serenity. I will always love you . . .”

  “Then why?”

  “Look at what I am,” he said, gesturing to himself. “I’m the very thing you have spent your entire life fighting against. I’m exactly the same as the rest of them.”

  “No,” I whispered. “You’re not the same.”

  “You can’t know that. So many people died because of what I did to them. I may have had the restraint not to take that last bit of their life, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t come close.” Such loathing on his face. “I came so close, and the worst part is I didn’t want to stop. I wanted to drain every last drop of blood. And for some it was too close, so close they died anyway.”

  “And? It’s in your nature to want to kill them. Do you really think that makes a difference to me?”

  “It should. I remember the look in your eyes when you told me about Lona. I remember how you turned away from everyone to hide the burning anger you felt. I wasn’t there, but I’m the same thing that killed her!” He was standing as far away as he could get, having backed himself up against a tall tree, putting as much distance between us as possible.

  “I’ll give you that one,” I said, taking a step towards him to close the gap. “I’ll admit I hate them for what they did to my family. I’ll even admit it’s strange seeing you as you are. But I could never hate you.”

  “You should.”

  “Why? Because you got caught in something you had no control over? Because I had to leave? Had to try to save my last bother? Or maybe I should hate you because you’re trying not to be the same kind of monster the others are?” I continued, inching closer as I spoke. “But I look at you and I still see you. I don’t see a vampire.”