The Last Keeper

by Michelle Birbeck

  I swore his hands were shaking slightly as he lifted the lid. For a fraction of a second, he closed his eyes and his breath hitched. When he opened them again, it looked as if he didn’t quite believe what he was seeing.

  “Thank you,” he whispered. “Thank you so much. My Herbie.”

  It was fully dark by the time we left the basement. Ray asked if he could leave Herbie, and I agreed. He didn’t want anything to happen to him and was sure something might if the others discovered him.

  “Ready?” he asked when we pulled up in front of Issac’s house.

  “Not at all.”

  “We don’t have to explain anything to them if you don’t want,” he told me, pausing at the door.

  “Like hell you don’t!” someone shouted from inside. Leola, I thought.

  “Quit complaining,” Lizzy said. That girl was going to get herself killed if she wasn’t careful.

  “Let’s get this over with, before Lizzy gets served up as dinner.” When I pushed the door open, I came face to face with one very angry vampire.

  “Would someone please tell Miss Obnoxious Bitch to sit down and shut up?” Lizzy asked, indignant as ever.

  “Watch your language, young lady,” Jayne said, sounding exceptionally calm. The look she gave Ray, however, showed how angry she was. Fortunately, she chose not to bring up her complaints at that moment.

  “Not until someone explains what we’re doing discussing anything with these humans!” Leola snapped, snarling.

  Poppy sighed. “Azrael is hardly human.”

  “And you expect The Seats to allow us to discuss anything with witches? Or whatever she is,” she said, stalking back towards her partner. “The Seats hate everyone as much as they hate humans!”

  “As you were told earlier,” Poppy continued, “The Seats don’t have a death wish. They wouldn’t dream of coming near Azrael. Not anymore.”

  “I’d really rather you didn’t call me that.”

  It was true The Seats stayed as far away from me as possible. After Elena fled from William’s house, they’d only ever confronted me once more. They hadn’t taken too kindly to losing two members of their largest group, both to snapped necks and removed hearts. I’d only removed the hearts so I could throw them at the feet of the remaining members. It had been a bad day. They steered clear of me after that. A good thing, too.

  I’d certainly managed to live up to my name.

  “Before I explain anything, I owe you an apology,” I said, turning to Professor Baruti. “I’m sorry for how I reacted earlier, Professor.”

  “Please, call me Issac. I cannot say that I understand, but no apology is needed.” It was more than I deserved for my actions. “An explanation may clear things up?”

  “Are you sure you want one?” I asked. “My story isn’t short, not by far.”

  “I can imagine. You must be at least as old as Ray.”

  “Ha! She wishes she was that young again.” Lizzy covered her mouth, but her loud laugh leaked out around her fingers.

  “Lizzy, be quiet or I’m sending you home.”

  “Fine.” She stuck her tongue out briefly.

  “How about some introductions?”

  The angry brunette was Leola, Leo for short. Al was the German, her partner. Issac and Poppy I already knew. Still, it was nice to be officially introduced, and it helped me to delay for a while longer.

  “Where should I start?”

  “How about at the beginning, or at least at the part where we can kill you already,” Leo hissed.

  “Is she always like this?” I asked Ray.

  “One too many brushes with fate,” he answered.

  “You want me to . . . ?” I tapped the side of my head. “You know . . .”

  “I think she may try to kill you for that.”

  “You do remember I can’t die, right?”

  He nodded then said, “You’re stalling.”

  “I know.” I sighed. This was hard for me. The only vampires I talked to were The Seats, and that was more teasing and tormenting. “How about I start with a question? Did you ever wonder why The Seats order you to stay hidden in the shadows and punish you for revealing your secrets to the humans?”

  The three vampires who didn’t know me looked confused for a moment. Most vampires never thought about the whys of their secrecy. It had been drilled into them for centuries, millennia even, that they had to keep the secret.

  “That’s a stupid question. The human race isn’t ready to know about us,” Leola said.

  “No, the human race is ready, it has been for years. Providing the revelation is handled correctly, they could know at any point. Anyone else?” It felt like giving a lesson to a bunch of hundred-year-old children. Though at least two in the room were far older.

  “I have no idea,” Issac admitted.

  “It never crosses anyone’s mind. Vampires are the ultimate predator. You have senses and abilities far beyond anything the human race is capable of destroying. You’re virtually indestructible, with only a handful of exceptions. Those of you who kill have power far beyond compare. So why is it you have all these strengths, the motivation, and ability to enslave the human race, yet you hide in the shadows?” I moved so I was perched on the edge of my seat, leaning forward as I waited for their answers.

  “That doesn’t exactly tell us what you think you are.” Would she be missed? Could I kill her and not feel guilty about it?

  Perhaps.

  “To understand what I am, you must first understand what I’m here for. Now, unless you have something useful to say, shut up.”

  Poppy stepped in with, “Do you remember my telling you about the Angel of Death?”

  “Everyone knows that story,” Al said, “but what relevance does that have?”

  “She had another name,” Poppy said.

  “Serenity,” I clarified. “Or Azrael, as The Seats often called me. I still hate that name.”

  Leola laughed, long and loud. “Please! Are you trying to tell me this thing is the Angel of Death The Seats fear so much?”

  “I thought the race she belonged to was wiped out years ago?” Issac said suspiciously.

  “Not quite, although they did a pretty good job of it. I’m the only one left.”

  It was harder than I’d imagined, telling them what had happened. I was light on the details, but they knew enough by the time I was finished. Leola quietly seethed as I spoke, glaring at Ray and me. Everyone else seemed content to sit and listen.

  Time seemed to pass slowly as I told my story, and it continued to do so as they told me theirs. Poppy and Issac’s I already knew. The supposed difference in Poppy was great enough that their tale spread through our race before Issac was barely a year into his new life.

  As old as I was, Poppy was almost as old. She’d been born a mere three hundred years after I had. She’d met Issac on a dark night on the coast of Egypt or Yemen, only they knew which, and turned him after an attack. He hadn’t tried to change her—he hadn’t tried to change anyone. Poppy just had. There was something about Issac Baruti that Poppy found irresistible, and she’d given up her Seat, given up everything in order to stay with him. I could understand it, but I couldn’t see what it was about Issac that was so interesting.

  Leola was reluctant to share her origins. From her name, I deduced that she was Italian, or perhaps Spanish. She certainly had the appearance of having been born on the Mediterranean. Tall and elegant, she had darker than average skin for a vampire, but only went so far as to confirm her area of birth and a vague idea of how old she was. Everything else was apparently her secret to keep.

  Al, on the other hand, was more than forthcoming with his origins. Born at the turn of the century, he’d survived World War I only to find himself at the mercy of a vampire after a night out. Walking back home, he’d come to the attention of the woman, and she’d almost drained him to death. At the last second, she changed him. Al had thanked her by taking her head.

  They’d all come to
gether as a matter of convenience. Leo was in trouble, which was apparently no concern of mine, and Poppy had bailed her out. Leola enjoyed Poppy’s company, and Al was fascinated by Issac and Ray’s devotion to not draining a human dry, so they’d decided to stick together. For Leo I suspected it had something to do with the sway Poppy held over The Seats. What better way to avoid death than to bring along the one they feared above all?

  It was almost midnight by the time we’d finished exchanging stories. There was plenty I didn’t know about each of them, but Lizzy and Jayne were getting tired.

  It wasn’t until they left, and I made sure to watch them as far as I could, that I returned to the house and was faced once more with Leola.

  “Shouldn’t you be going to sleep, as well?” she snarled.

  “The last time I slept was in 1940. I don’t need to sleep,” I informed her. Turning to Ray, I asked, “Would you miss her?”

  “Not really. Poppy might and Al would,” Ray answered, reluctantly. “Was that truly the last time you slept?”

  “I couldn’t sleep without you.”

  “How sickeningly sweet,” Leo interrupted.

  “You are trying my patience, child. I suggest you keep your mouth shut, before I shut it for you.”

  As a vampire they were never anything more than a child unless they’d survived for at least half a millennium. Even then they were still a child. The most powerful vampires in the world had all been alive when the human race was beginning to realise its potential. A couple of hundred years old was insignificant.

  There were muffled laughs as Leola stormed from the room, snarling. It was tempting to give her a little attitude adjustment, but I wouldn’t. She’d done nothing wrong, not really, and until getting on my last nerve counted, I’d leave her alone. As much as was possible.

  “No one has called her a child since she was one,” Al said, not bothering to hide the smile on his face.

  “I’m sorry. Some people just rub me the wrong way, and when I get angry, I have a habit of showing my age.”

  “No need to apologise, Serenity. I have not seen someone stand up to her like that since Ray did the first time. She is, however, my wife. I should perhaps check on her,” he said, his voice still holding a thick German accent. He held his hand out. “You are welcome in my home. Despite what my wife will tell you.”

  I smiled, taking his hand. I’d become so comfortable with them in such a short amount of time. It was rather unnerving.

  “I’m curious.” It was time to ask some of my own questions, starting with Poppy. “You never told anyone.”

  “My reasons are my own,” Poppy answered. “Nothing concerning you.”

  “I hope you’ll understand if I’m wary. I’m not sure if you know exactly how much Ray means to me.” I made sure to keep my voice low and my words even. Leola didn’t need to understand exactly what he meant to me, either. She could cause a problem.

  “Yes. I’m also aware of exactly what turning the two of you over to The Seats would get me. Having said that, it would reflect badly on me after all this time.” One thing hadn’t changed. Poppy always thought of the best outcome for her.

  “I don’t suppose you’d be willing to tell me where the nearest one is at the moment?”

  “Finland recently relocated to Sweden, and London is still dealing with those events in Spain.”

  “Thank you,” I told her. “I didn’t expect you to be honest about it.”

  “You already knew.”

  “It’s my job to know where they are.”

  That small piece of information put us on better terms. She’d been honest with me, a show of where her allegiances lay. Though I doubted I could ever truly trust her. There was still something she was hiding. I would have invaded her mind, but without her permission. I didn’t want to chance a bad reaction if she found out. She could’ve turned Ray over to The Seats the second he came out of his change, but she hadn’t. Even when she first saw me at the charity auction, she had the opportunity to say something. There must to be reasons behind her choices.

  Unless I was just paranoid, which was a possibility.

  “I was wondering . . . why here?” Ray said, breaking the silence of the room.

  “I was looking for the Great Cats,” I told him. “I needed somewhere for the safe house to be built, somewhere it would be protected.”

  “I thought the Great Cats were a myth,” Issac interrupted.

  “They’re as much a myth as I am.” And almost harder to track down. “I believe they’re living inside the National Park. Hopefully I’ll be able to find them on Saturday.”

  “Saturday?”

  “Lizzy is going hiking with some other students, and ever so thoughtfully invited me along.” She didn’t realise she was about the only teenager I could stand. “Unfortunately, it will mean I’m going to be away for the entire day.”

  “I could come with you,” Ray offered.

  “As much as I’d love that, I’d rather not risk it.”

  “May I ask why?”

  That made me laugh. “You can ask me anything, Ray. I’d rather not take you because Weres in general can be hostile. The Great Cats are the most reclusive, and there’s every chance I’ll run into trouble.”

  “Keep away from glass windows.” There was a hint of laughter in his voice, but mostly there was concern.

  “You remember that?”

  “I don’t think I’ll ever be able to forget the sight of you covered in glass and blood,” he whispered. “It was a bit of a shock.”

  “Come home with me tonight?” I asked at the same time he invited me to his own. “I haven’t seen your home yet.”

  “Then come with me.”

  His house was everything I imagined it to be, and nothing like how I imagined the home of any vampire. Where Issac and Poppy’s home was pristine, in order and perfectly clean, Ray’s was the opposite. Homey. Various books dotted about the tables, chairs, and even a few on the floor in a corner, as though he’d run out of shelves or had forgotten about them being there.

  The furniture wasn’t the modern chic style we’d just been sitting on. It was mismatched, cottage style. Not all that different from my own. The room appeared as though he’d been collecting pieces over the years, adding them one by one so nothing was exactly the same. But at the same time it all fit perfectly.

  “Alone again, at last,” he whispered, locking the door.

  “Does the rest of your house look like this?”

  “I never was one for tidying.”

  “That hasn’t changed.”

  “I’d like to show you some of the places I’ve seen,” he said, pulling me close to him. “Unless you would rather get some sleep.”

  “Ray, we have all the time in the world. Sleep can wait. I want to know what I missed.” I wasn’t entirely sure if Ray slept at night. Most vampires didn’t, only during the day.

  We spent the entire night looking over some of the books he’d collected from various places. He’d travelled the world while we were apart. It had helped him to survive as the years passed. I knew the feeling well. It was how I’d spent my time, watching each second as it dawdled by.

  Both of us had suffered while apart. More so than I’d care to admit.

  The weekend came far too quickly. Every night with Ray wasn’t enough, whether it was at his home or, as we were now, at mine. Being able to see him, away from the others, was wonderful. I’d only seen Leola on a couple of occasions, but on each one she glared at me and stormed off. Fine by me. The less time I spent with her, the better.

  Al and I, however, were getting along wonderfully. For a military man from World War I, he was very laid back. When Leola stormed off, he shook his head and left her to it. She’d become more agreeable once she’d had a few weeks to adjust, or so I was told. That remained to be seen.

  I got to know Poppy better. The more I saw her, the greater my understanding of why she’d changed. Her whole life revolved around Issac, as if he was th
e centre of her world and nothing could ever replace him.

  “I don’t want to go.” Saturday morning had come all too quickly.

  “Do you need to?”

  “Yes. I can’t ask them to move with me anymore, Ray, and I can’t stay here, never aging, never changing.”

  “Why didn’t you age?” he asked gently.

  “I couldn’t. I couldn’t live a dream when the most important part of it was missing,” I whispered, hiding my face as I spoke.

  We were lying in my bed, not that I’d slept. Neither of us had slept. There were too many things we wanted to know about each other. It was as if I was meeting him all over again. The more time I spent with him, the stronger the connection I felt.

  Whatever misguided thoughts I’d had about him not being meant for me had disappeared completely. It was as if the last thirty years had been a dream.

  “I still need to go.”

  With great reluctance, I dragged myself from my bed. We’d spent most nights at his house, in his bed, but when Friday night came, we’d decided to stay at mine rather than be separated.

  “You want some breakfast before we head out?” Lizzy called.

  She and Jayne stood in the doorway. It had become a regular occurrence. They waited for me every morning and would offer me breakfast. I scared them half to death on the first occasion that I accepted, more when I actually engaged in the conversation they were having.

  “Don’t we have to leave in ten minutes?”

  “We have a little longer.”

  “And if you don’t have time for breakfast, then you at least have time to say good morning.”

  Ray froze at my side, gripping me tightly. The voice belonged to Helen, and until that moment Ray and I had either been at his house or he’d been working. I’d also been avoiding the confrontation Jayne was spoiling for.

  Slowly, he turned. Helen brought her hand to her throat and gasped. Then she smiled, bright and wide, making her look much younger than she was.

  “Ray,” I whispered, taking his hand and leading him forward, “I believe you know Helen.”

  His mouth was slightly agape, eyes wide with recognition. He nodded once, working his jaw as though he wanted to say something but couldn’t quite find the words.