“Morgan went up after her. She’s fine,” Emily said, pink lips smiling prettily.
“Morgan is human.” Sheila placed her hands on her narrow hips and attempted to not look as annoyed as she felt.
“Morgan seems to be on top of it, Sheila. Really. She made us drink human blood and armed us,” Emily answered, lifting an arm to reveal a holster with a stake tucked into it. “And she looks strong.”
“But not as strong as a vampire,” Sheila reminded her.
Emily slightly shrugged but kept smiling.
One of the younger vampires awkwardly raised her hand. The blond-haired girl with the big brown eyes usually worked at Starbucks but had decided to make a stand with the others. Though she was a newer recruit, Alisha had taken a shine to Casey, so that was why she was among the most trusted of the vampires. Yet Sheila didn’t know her as well as the others, and that made her uneasy.
“What’s up, Casey?” Sheila asked.
“How do they know where we are?” Casey motioned to the television and then to the phone in her hand. “How do they know where to find us? Is this some kind of psychic vampire thing?”
The question completely stunned and stumped Sheila at the same time. This was not actually a point she’d even taken into consideration. The mere thought of a purge was so terrifying it had scattered her thoughts. Yet Casey had a very legitimate point.
“Carlotta,” Angel grunted. “It has to be her.”
“She doesn’t know everyone though.” Tracy pointed to the television screen. “Those are some of Roman’s offshoot groups. She hung out with Roman’s inner circle and wasn’t too keen on the rest.”
Around the room were nods from some of the other vampires.
“We hung out with Roman and Alisha the most,” Ben added. “Not Carlotta.”
Chewing fretfully on her bottom lip, Emily snuggled into Zachary’s side. “But it has to be her! She’s so mean! She’d had to have told, right, Zachary?”
“I mean it makes sense, right?” Zachary looked even paler beneath his freckles. “She’d tell her Master where we live so he can kill us.”
“But she wouldn’t know where we live. That’s my point,” Tracy responded. “She never visited our home.”
The other vampires murmured their agreement.
“Then how-” Sheila pressed one hand to her forehead, sensing she was forgetting something very important.
Alexander gripped Sheila’s wrist tightly, his eyes widening. Releasing her, he dashed from the room in a blur of motion. Sheila followed. Footfalls against the tiled floor spoke of the others trailing behind. Down the hallway, Alexander disappeared into Roman’s study, and it dawned on Sheila what he was looking for.
“Roman’s Vampires,” she gasped.
When she entered, Alexander was already jerking open drawers and pawing through the contents, desperately looking for the ledger Roman kept on all his vampires. Though Sheila and the others had warned him against keeping the book, Roman hadn’t listened. To their deceased leader, it only seemed practical to keep track of all the vampires he was in contact with. Joining Alexander in the search, Sheila suspected the book would not be found. Angel dumped out all the contents of the file cabinets as Tracy fell to her knees and searched through the clutter.
“Not here! Not here!” Tracy grunted in annoyance.
“She took it!” Emily exclaimed over the noise of Zachary toppling the heavy books from the bookshelves as he searched. “Carlotta took it and gave it to her Master!”
“Then nowhere is safe,” Ben declared. “Nowhere is safe for any of us!”
“We’re safest together,” Sheila answered. “In a group. Armed with the correct weapons. Human blood in our veins.”
“So we just stay here and wait for an attack?” Tracy stared at her incredulously.
“No, we run as a group. Tell the others,” Sheila replied, already stalking toward the hall, her heavy boots thudding against the floor with a belligerent thud. Frustration and anger had her wired up for violence. It felt strangely good. “I’ll get Alisha.”
“What about Armando and Vanora?” Angel fell in behind her. His short stocky frame was vibrating with his anger and fear.
“Alisha will have to talk to her sister.” Sheila knew Vanora would not like the idea of running away. The girl was a slight little thing but tough as nails. Roman had been stubborn, but Sheila suspected his youngest sister was even worse. “But first we need to get her out of the mansion. If we get separated, meet me at this address.” Sheila quickly gave him the directions to a small rental house that Sheila and Alexander presently had no tenants for. “Spread the word to the others.”
Angel nodded and ducked away as Alexander joined Sheila on her trek to the staircase.
“We get out of Houston tonight. Maybe go to New Orleans. We still have the old haven there,” she said.
Alexander responded with a hesitant nod, then paused on the bottom step.
“What is it?”
The sound of glass shattering was followed by startled exclamations and a scream. Sheila and Alexander exchanged frightened looks but immediately rushed toward the family room. Within the mansion, there was absolute silence. From outside came cries of pain and soft popping noises.
Just as the duo reached the family room, Alexander caught Sheila’s arm and jerked her backward and away from the doorway. Past the threshold, Sheila saw a delicate blond teen girl standing in the center of the family room. Behind her, the night loomed in the shattered remains of the window. The chill night air whipped through the room, ruffling the vampire’s blond hair and white lace dress. The girl’s large blue eyes darted back and forth across the room as she surveyed the frightened vampires cowering in silence before her. In one hand, she held the head of one of the human guards Sheila had just spoken to minutes before. The thick neck ended in ragged flesh, indicating it had been torn off.
“Are you scared?” the girl asked in an accent Sheila couldn’t quite place.
Silence was the only answer. There was slight movement as the vampires fumbled with their weapons, and once again Sheila cursed the fact that they were so ill equipped for what was to come. Ben and Tracy stood just a few feet from the intruder that Sheila strongly suspected was Lorelei, the vampire who had killed Roman. It was difficult to see the entire room from their vantage point in the hallway, but Sheila knew that most likely Zachary, Emily, and Angel were trapped in the family room. Nervously, Sheila took a small step back. She needed to get to Alisha and get her out of the house.
Instantly, the blond girl’s blue eyes focused on her.
Alexander’s hand stayed Sheila’s movement.
“I asked a simple question. Are you scared?” Lorelei tilted her head, regarding Sheila thoughtfully.
“Yes,” Sheila answered truthfully.
The girl’s pink lips curved into a delighted smile. “Good.” Hurling the head in Sheila’s direction, she added, “Catch!”
Sheila and Alexander both ducked, and the decapitated head hit the floor with a mushy sound.
“I said to catch!”
“Lorelei,” a male said from the darkness lingering beyond the broken window. “Be still.”
Deep, rich, and full of power, the voice both thrilled and terrified Sheila. It slithered deep into her being, both chilling and exciting. In all her life, Sheila had never felt such raw, carnal, and exhilarating power.
When the tall, muscular vampire with the pearly-white skin, wavy ivory locks, and amethyst eyes stepped into the mansion, his prey completely stilled in his presence. It wasn’t just because his every graceful movement exuded that he was dangerous but because his magnetism was undeniable. It was as if a god had come down from Mount Olympus to walk among them. Elegantly tailored white leather trousers and a white silk shirt peeked out from beneath a long sweeping leather duster of the same color. No color appeared on his person other than his glittering purple eyes and shapely pink lips. The vampire’s white tresses were tucked back into a tigh
t ponytail, giving the illusion of cropped hair, but the soft curls falling over his brow reminded Sheila of clouds.
“He’s beautiful,” she whispered in awe.
“My name is Aeron the White and Terrible. I am here to claim what is mine.”
No one in the room dared to move.
“Where is Vanora?”
The mesmerizing purple eyes lingered on each frightened face before him. When his gaze touched Sheila’s, she was instantly lost. The world fell away, and all that remained was the pulse of Aeron’s power as it furled around her.
“Where is Vanora?” It wasn’t a question but a command.
Alexander’s hand gripped Sheila’s fingers and broke her out of her reverie. She’d been so enraptured by the power of their enemy she’d forgotten her lover at her side. Grateful for Alexander’s touch, she clutched his hand. The simple press of his flesh grounded her and freed her from Aeron’s thrall.
“She’s not here,” Sheila answered truthfully but didn’t dare say more.
Aeron’s eyebrows slightly rose, and his gaze shifted to Lorelei. “Search the house.”
The tiny vampire skittered around the silent, frozen vampires and out of the room. As Lorelei brushed past Sheila and Alexander, she let out a giggle that sent chills down Sheila’s spine.
“If Vanora isn’t here, where is she?” Aeron tucked his hands behind his back and examined the faces of those nearest to him.
“She...she...left earlier,” Casey whispered.
Aeron motioned for Casey to stand.
Visibly trembling, Casey obeyed.
“Where did she go?” Aeron barely glanced at the terrified girl.
“Don’t tell him,” Tracy hissed.
Aeron pointed a finger at Tracy. “You best keep silent.”
“Why? You’re going to kill us anyway!” Tracy answered, narrowing her eyes.
Sheila and Alexander released their grip on one another, preparing to draw their weapons.
“What do we do?” Sheila murmured.
Alexander held out his hand, urging her to stay still.
Aeron’s lips twitched into a smile. “Where did Vanora go?”
“Don’t,” Ben said, his deep voice booming through the room. “Don’t tell him, Casey.”
Violently shaking, Casey gazed up at Aeron. “If I tell you where Vanora went, will you let me live?”
“No,” Aeron answered with a slight shrug.
With a hiccupping sob, Casey fumbled with the weapon at her waist.
The albino vampire watched her with something akin to amusement in his eyes. “That weapon won’t help you. Tell me where she is...”
Terrified, Casey struggled with the clasp on the sheath before jerking her stake free and thrusting it outward toward Aeron. “Just leave us alone!”
As casually as if he was swatting a fly, Aeron snatched the stake out of the girl’s hand and rammed it through her heart. Casey collapsed, but the albino vampire kept her aloft, using the stake as a handle.
“Now...where is Vanora?” Aeron ignored the blood drizzling onto his white boots and fastened his gaze on Emily.
“Jesus,” someone swore.
“There are more of us than him!” another voice shouted.
Ben hurtled toward Aeron, attempting to take advantage of the vampire’s attention being directed away from him. The paralysis that had gripped the group broke, and Roman’s vampires surged forward. Silver-tipped stakes and daggers glinted in the light as the attackers aimed them toward Aeron simultaneously.
Alexander immediately grabbed Sheila’s arm and jerked his head toward the staircase.
“Maybe they’ll kill him...” Sheila uttered, her gaze riveted to the chaos beyond the doorway.
Ben was the first to tackle Aeron, but almost immediately, the formidable vampire was swarmed by the others. For a moment, Sheila allowed herself to believe that Roman’s vampires could destroy their enemy, but then blood began to spray and severed limbs spiraled through the air. She gasped when the upper half of a body trailing intestines and organs arced through the air and slammed into the wall with a thud. Gouts of blood, chunks of flesh and bone, and screams of pain filled the mansion. The brutal blows of the albino vampire rapidly cleared the area around him as he easily dispatched his enemies.
There was no way that Roman’s vampires could win against him.
In a panic, Sheila fled down the hallway with Alexander at her side. Summoning her vampire prowess, she sprinted up the staircase, her feet barely touching the steps. The cries of her dying friends and comrades resounded through the mansion. Careening along the hallway, Sheila pulled on the infusion of power the human blood she had consumed had granted her. Nails sharpening and fangs descending, Sheila prepared to fight for her life and that of the man she loved.
Alexander reached Alisha’s studio and kicked the door open. Sheila tore into the room after him, then spun about as she desperately sought out her friend.
“Alisha!” she cried out.
Alexander darted out of studio and across the hall to Alisha’s bedroom. Sheila pried open the secret compartment in the wall where Alisha had been hiding her premonition paintings but found it empty. Hurrying after Alexander, she slid on spilled paint on the floor. A canvas was lying face down on the floor, splatters of paint edging the frame.
It took a second for her mind to register that Alisha had been upstairs painting.
Squatting, Sheila flipped it over, terrified that it would reveal Alisha’s fate. Instead, it appeared to be a painting of Vanora in Armando’s arms. It was badly smeared, but Sheila noted the copious amounts of red paint Alisha had used. Frowning, she wondered what it had actually depicted and where the hell Alisha had gone.
Alexander reappeared in the doorway, shook his head, and gestured for her to hurry.
“Morgan might have gotten her out when the attack started,” Sheila said but didn’t feel hopeful.
Alexander lifted a shoulder before grabbing her hand and yanking her out of the room. The vampires sprinted toward the servant stairwell and away from the center of the house.
“Wait! Wait! Help!” a familiar voice cried out.
“Angel!”
Sheila spun about to see their friend limping along the hallway. Covered in a thick layer of blood, one of his arms was missing just below the shoulder, and his right leg was badly mangled. Alexander rushed to Angel’s side with vampire swiftness, hooking an arm around the man’s stocky torso when he reached him. Angel gratefully leaned against Alexander.
“I tried to duck, but he’s fast,” Angel muttered through gritted teeth.
Alexander lifted Angel and carried him toward Sheila. No longer having to exert himself to escape Aeron’s clutches, Angel was finally able to heal, the splintered bone and shredded muscle of his leg knitting together.
“Alisha?” Angel asked worriedly. “Where is she?”
Alexander shook his head sorrowfully.
Sheila gestured for them to hurry, watching the hallway beyond them anxiously. The cries of the other vampires had faded into eerie silence.
Only seconds were passing as Alexander carried Angel to where Sheila waited, yet it felt like a millennium.
Sheila blinked once, and Aeron stood directly behind Alexander and Angel.
“No!”
Alerted by her cry, Alexander ducked in time to avoid Aeron’s blow. The albino vampire’s fist smashed into the wall, pulverizing the plaster where it struck. Alexander thrust Angel toward Sheila while dodging yet another attack. If they had not consumed human blood, Alexander never would have been able to evade Aeron. Sheila caught Angel and pivoted about, shoving him onward toward the window at the end of the hall. Frustration tore at Angel’s features. Though he was healing, Angel was too weak to even attempt to fight their vampire foe.
Alexander performed a dangerous dance with Aeron as he dodged and ducked away from the albino vampire.
“Where is Vanora? Where is Alisha?” Aeron demanded, punctuating each word wi
th a swipe of his clenched hands.
Alexander continued to barely evade the blows. The air filled with white dust as Aeron punched deep holes into the walls.
When Sheila drew her dagger and hurtled it at Aeron, he swatted it away with indifference. The blade sank into a door. It was then Sheila realized that Aeron wasn’t even attempting to hit Alexander. He was terrorizing them in hopes of getting the information he wanted. At the same moment she came to this understanding, Aeron’s penetrating gaze sharpened as if sensing that she was onto his methods.
“No!” Sheila shouted.
Alexander was almost to her when Aeron struck him from behind. Blood splashed over the walls as Alexander screamed in silence. Writhing, Alexander’s fingers scrabbled at Aeron’s grip.
“I have a hold of his spine,” Aeron said to Sheila, his amethyst eyes never wavering from her face. He jerked his arm once, Alexander’s face twisting with agony. “Shall I rip it out?”
Frozen in place, Sheila tried to speak, but her voice was stolen by her terror. Her gaze riveted to her lover, she found it impossible to think. If Alexander died, there was no meaning to her life. He was everything to her. Over a hundred years together had woven them together so intricately he was a part of her very soul.
“Please,” was all she managed to say.
Alexander dangled from the albino vampire’s grip, eyes fluttering in pain. Sheila was unable to read him anymore. It was as if he were cut off completely by the red wall of his agony.
“Where is Vanora?” Aeron asked in such a casual manner it made him even more terrifying. His white flesh and clothing covered in dark red splatter, he was gruesome, majestic and beautiful. Death was always depicted in black robes and a cowl, but Death stood before her dressed in white leather and blood.
“She went to find you.” Sheila was relieved when the words actually came out instead of a scream.
This news surprised Aeron. “She did?”
“Yes. She...” Sheila lost her train of thought as Alexander grew limp in Aeron’s grip. The whiteness of his spine showed through his torn flesh as Aeron held it like the handle of a briefcase.
In Darkness We Must Abide: The Complete Second Season: Episodes 6-10 Page 31
