by Lisa Olsen
That’s not how this was at all. When we finally found Rob’s cousins, it looked more like a mobile home park than a gypsy encampment. There were several permanent structures that while technically mobile, had probably never been moved from the moss and other flora growing on them. But the majority of the dwellings were what I called trailers, designed to be towed by trucks, not mules. Most of those trailers, or caravans, as Rob called them, showed signs of recent movement, at least within the past few months. In addition to these caravans there was an above ground swimming pool (currently drained) and a communal shower/bathroom near the center of the complex.
Rob stopped the car at the edge of the complex, leading us the rest of the way on foot. I felt eyes on us from the moment I stepped out of the car, though there were few people out and about in the chilly weather. I scented the tang of tobacco in the air, blending with the pungent spices from the evening meal. A dog barked from somewhere in the complex, but nothing came bounding out at us and a few moments later, it was shushed.
After that it was quiet, no sounds of TV or music – too quiet for such a large encampment. If not for the flickering lights behind curtains and sheets tacked up over windows, I’d have thought the whole place had been decimated by a zombie horde, it was that deserted. Over all, I have to say, the place creeped me out, though no one else seemed ill at ease.
Lee stayed by the car while Rob took the rest of us into the caravan park, stopping in front of an old fashioned, metal trailer with curved sides. It had once been a bright bubblegum pink, that much was evident from where a piece of trim had fallen off revealing the original color, but had faded with age to a dull, dusky rose.
Rob strode right up to it without hesitation, rapping sharply on the thin, metal door. There was a creaking sound and the entire trailer rocked when the person moved around inside. The door opened to reveal a woman in her fifties, with ash brown hair shot with strands of gray that curled around her shoulders. Dressed in an orange t-shirt and faded jeans with a brightly colored scarf tied around her waist like a belt, she moved like she was twenty years younger than the lines on her face. Her voice was deep and husky, the rasp of a long time smoker, but her smile was sweet enough, even at finding so many on her doorstep.
“The prodigal son has returned,” she declared, only to have Rob shake his head in disagreement.
“This weren’t never my home.”
“Home is where the heart is.”
“I know.”
“Touché,” she smiled, conceding a point in an exchange I didn’t quite understand. “Good to see you again, Robby.”
“Hullo, Aunt Lilias,” he smiled back this time. “Kenna sends her regards,” he added, handing over the bracelet she’d sent along.
“Ah, very nice,” she nodded in approval, pocketing the bracelet faster than my eyes could track. “And do you?”
Rob’s shoulders slumped lower, a furrow appearing on his brow before he threw a look over his shoulder. “Bishop, hand over your watch.”
“Why should I?” Bishop objected. “She’s your aunt.”
“Because I ain’t handing over mine, it’s special to me.”
“Lord, we’ll be here all night,” Carys muttered, stepping forth. “Here, will this suffice?” She handed over an emerald ring that must’ve been worth a small fortune if it was real. From the look on Lilias’ face, it was real enough to impress.
“Oh yes, very nicely. Come in, won’t you? You’re all invited.” She stepped back inside, making room for us all. “Mind the beads.”
There were strands of intricate beadwork in various stages of completion hanging everywhere, and I had to step around Carys who was immediately distracted by them. I followed Rob’s lead, taking a seat at the tiny banquette built into the corner of the trailer. Lilias sat across from us and Bishop remained standing in the corner after Carys settled into the only other remaining seat. The small table was littered with beadwork findings and tools and half finished projects.
“Sorry about the mess, it’s my trade.”
“You do lovely work,” I smiled, my eye catching on a broach holding back the pink lacy curtain over the window. It was pewter pin depicting three running horses with their legs intertwined, like the ones Jakob had pinned to my dress on the night he turned me. “Did you make these as well?” I asked, my fingers tracing over the raised design.
“That’s my son Luca’s handiwork,” she smiled proudly. “I can make you a good price on them if you’re interested.”
“I already have a pair, thanks,” I declined.
Lilias leaned back to stare at me shrewdly. “So, you’re of Jakob’s line then, are you?”
“Yes, actually, we all are,” I admitted. “Even Rob now.”
“I’d heard,” she nodded, eyes flicking to Rob. “Best introduce me to your new family then, Robby.”
Introductions went by quickly, I had the feeling she wasn’t particularly interested in learning any of our names. She hardly looked at anyone but Rob. “You’re dying,” she said simply and he gave a short nod.
“That’s why we’re here. We need help busting up a curse.”
“You know I don’t mess with that dark shite,” she scoffed, reaching for an amber bottle, but stopping short of her lips.
“But you do know the old ways,” Rob pressed.
“Knowing and practicing are two very different things.” This time she tipped the bottle back for a long drink and I scented honey and cinnamon.
“Could you do it, if you wanted to though?” I asked. “We wouldn’t even be here if it wasn’t our last resort. You said it yourself, Rob is dying. Without your help, I don’t know how long he’ll last.”
Lilias stared at me long and hard, tongue rolling out over her bottom lip as if it itched. “Tell me what you know,” she said finally. We all took turns filling her in on what we knew about the curse, which wasn’t a whole lot by the time we got to the end of it. She didn’t seem too concerned about that, picking up my hand without asking once we mentioned the ring. Instead of inspecting it, her eyes fell closed as she held it, a low pitched hum emanating from her throat as she exhaled.
“There is much power here,” she said in a monotone, continuing to hum. The touch of theatrics surprised me after she’d been so casually open with us before, but then I started to realize, we’d asked for gypsy magic, she was giving us gypsy magic. That came with a certain amount of theatricality built in. “It will be difficult to break this curse. But it can be done…” Her eyes snapped open again. “…for a price.” Theatricality and avarice.
“Name it,” Rob replied, and I couldn’t help but kick him under the table. What kind of way was that to open negotiations? Even with family. “We’re this close, Anja. I’ll do whatever it takes. You want me to cross your palms with silver or will cash do?” He started to pull out his wallet.
Lilias ignored the jibe, her attention focused on me. “I’m glad to hear that. But will you?”
“Will I what? Do whatever it takes?” I asked. “You’ll get your price, how much do you want?” Greed I could understand, and I was happy to pay her if she could pull it off. If she couldn’t… from the look on Bishop’s face, I was willing to bet she wouldn’t get much of a chance to spend that money.
“Yes, I’ll have my price for helping you, but it’ll cost you more than money. How far are you willing to go to break this curse and save the man you love?” Her eyes flicked to Rob, hard as agates.
“What are we really talking about here?” Dramatics aside, I wasn’t stupid enough to give any kind of answer until I knew what the stakes were.
Lilias leaned forward, her face alight with something I couldn’t identify. Clearly she found this all interesting as hell, but I wasn’t sure if she had some other secret agenda wrapped up in it. “All good gypsy curses require a blood sacrifice to break them. Most times it can be done with dove’s blood or a goat,” she explained. “But this one, it’s not your run of the mill evil eye. To break the curse, we’re goi
ng to need not only the heart’s blood from the line that was cursed, but an actual piece of your heart to stamp out the curse. For a mortal woman it would mean death. But for a vampire like yourself…”
“Shut the front door… You want me to let you cut out a piece of my heart?” I laughed. It had to be a joke – only she wasn’t smiling. Holy schnikes, was she for real?
“No, I want you to let him do it.” Her head nodded toward Rob. “It’s got to be done by the person you love.”
“Not a chance in hell.” Bishop was adamant before any of us could get another word in. “She could still die, vampire or not. Carys should be the one.”
“The devil you say!” Carys gaped at him. “Do you truly mean me such harm after all I’ve done for you?”
“You said it yourself, Carys. You’re older and stronger than Anja is. You’d have a much better chance of surviving this.”
“I won’t do it!” she declared in a shrill voice. “I see no reason to change things as they are. Simply harden your heart to him as I did and Rob should survive fine.”
“I think your definition of fine and mine are a little different,” I scoffed. “Carys, I know you don’t care, but that’s only because Jakob compelled you not to. You remember that, don’t you? Even if you don’t feel that love for Bishop any more, you still remember those times with him, don’t you? Why else are you here if a part of you doesn’t want to see this curse destroyed?” I hated to bring their shared past up, but I hated the idea of having my heart carved out even more. Bishop was right, she was the logical choice for the procedure.
Unfortunately, Carys wasn’t having any of it. “I won’t do it and you can’t make me,” she huffed. “I won’t sit here and listen to your ridiculous notions a moment longer. If you’re so set on saving your man, then do it yourself. I’ll be out by the car.”
“Don’t let the door hit you on the booty on your way out,” I murmured, my gaze turning back to Lilias, who watched us all with keen interest. The whole thing didn’t sound at all appealing, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t willing to think it over. “Assuming for a moment I’m even entertaining the notion, how big of a piece are we talking about?”
“Anja…” Rob started to object, but I shushed him.
“No, I want to hear exactly what we’re up against. How much of my heart do I have to sacrifice?”
Her hand flopped back and forth. “It’s hard to say. It’s got to be enough that it’s a real sacrifice, but not your whole heart.” She held up her fingers in the size and shape of a sand dollar to indicate the size she thought might do it.
“You’re crazy…” I gasped, trying to picture myself surviving with a chunk of my heart that size carved out of my body. It wasn’t a stake through the heart, and it wasn’t decapitation… maybe I could survive it, but the price was too steep. There had to be another way.
“No fucking way.” Rob’s face was thunderous as he rose from the table, upending it in the process, sending beads scattering every which way. “I’m no expert, but I’m pretty sure this practically qualifies as having your heart torn out, and that spells final death for our kind. What good will it do to break the curse and save my life if she dies in the process?”
“There’s definitely a chance she could survive,” Lilias replied, unfazed by the table’s upset. “It would take a long time to heal from and you might go into torpor from it, but more than likely your body would heal itself. Either way, you have a couple of days to think about it. That’s when it would have to be done, in two nights’ time, on the night of the new moon.”
“No deal,” Bishop echoed Rob’s upset. “It’s way too risky. We’ll figure something else out. Come on, Anja.”
But I didn’t move, my mind desperately searching for a way to make it work. “What if I could get my hands on more of Maeja’s blood? It can cure anything. Nelleke’s in London, we’ve got some time to fly her back home to bring it here by tomorrow night.”
The boys stared at me, refusal warring with hope as they turned over the idea. “Technically it could work if we could get it to you in time,” Bishop allowed, but Lilias was already shaking her head.
“No, you can’t use any restorative potions, nor can you take any healing blood until after the ritual is complete. There has to be an actual sacrifice for it to work.”
“No, there’s no way she’s gonna do this, it’s not worth the risk.” Rob threw some money down at the table. “Sorry to have wasted your time.” Without waiting for a reply, he yanked me out of there with enough force to have bruised a human, but I only felt a twinge of pain in the motion.
“Suit yourself. You know where to find me if you change your mind!” she called out after us.
Bishop was hot on our heels, and he grabbed my other arm when Rob would’ve hauled me all the way to the car. “Let’s get one thing straight here,” he said, his brows drawing together into a single dark line. “Put this idea out of your head. No sneaking back here to go through with it, no crazy plans that you don’t spring on us until the last moment. I know how you get, Anja, but this is suicide. We’ll find another way.”
“What other way?” I demanded, pulling my arms free from both of their grasps. “If you have another plan I’d love to hear it. This is the first person we’ve found who has given us even a glimmer of hope.”
“It ain’t hope if you end up dead in the bargain,” Rob scowled. “You want to pitch in, get that Sire of yours to lend a hand.”
“Yeah right, like I could convince Carys to do anything,” Bishop snorted. “I can guarantee you this whole field trip just took a nosedive in her interest level. She’ll be demanding I drive her back to Vetis the instant I get back to the car and I’m inclined to agree with her. Let’s chalk this up as another dead end and try to think of something else.”
“Easy for you to say, you’re not the one dying,” I shot back at him. “Look, it’s my decision and I’m not ready to discard any possibility yet. We need all the help we can get, Bishop.”
“I prefer help that doesn’t want to cut your heart out,” he muttered.
“Where else do you think we’re going to get help from?” I threw my hands up in exasperation. “Don’t you think Carys has already been up and down this road before with no luck? I don’t see people lining up at our door to help save a vampire’s life. We’re running out of time and I’ll do anything I can to break this curse before it’s too late.”
Bishop made a noise that sounded halfway between a growl and a groan before he stalked off in the direction of the car without another word. I let out a long breath, turning to Rob who’d fallen silent.
“I won’t let you do this,” he said softly before I could say anything.
“Well, it’s not up to you.”
“That’s where you’re wrong. She said I’d have to be the one to do the cutting, remember?”
He had me there. Frackety frak. Experience had taught me that Rob could be very stubborn when he wanted to be, how in the heck was I going to convince him to cooperate? Unless… “What if we could test it out ahead of time, to see if I’d survive?”
“You want me to practice cutting out your heart? No deal,” he snorted.
“No, I don’t mean on me. There must be some other vampire out there that deserves a bit of creative knife play.”
“You suggest we snatch some vamp off the street and do a bit of experimenting?” His brows rose in surprise, but I could see the wheels turning in his head, he was actually considering this.
“It sounds better than waiting to see how it works on the night of the dark moon or whatever it was she called it. I know it sounds barbaric, but it might be the only way to see what we’re getting ourselves into and we have a couple of nights to try and figure it out.”
Rob stared at me a long moment, his expression unreadable. “Huh. Who knew you could be practical about something like this. I would have thought you’d be more squeamish.”
“I didn’t volunteer to do the cutting myself,” I
pointed out, picking up his hand to give it a squeeze. “Rob, as much as I want to break the curse and end this thing, I don’t want to die either. We’ve got the time, let’s get all the information we can so we go into it with our eyes open. Forewarned is forearmed and all that.”
He nodded, reaching out to cover my hand with his. “I’m not going to cut your heart out,” Rob said softly, his hazel eyes holding mine.
“Let’s get back to London. We have plenty of time to argue about it later.”
Chapter Nineteen
The night wasn’t even halfway over by the time we all returned to Vetis, the trip taking slightly over an hour at that time of night once we hit the main highway again. The car ride went by fairly fast, with Carys the only one babbling, the rest of us lost to our own heavy thoughts. I could feel Rob’s disapproval coming off of him in waves, even from the back seat, but what choice did I have?
Carys immediately disappeared inside to wash off the stench of the road, but Bishop materialized by my side the instant I stepped out of the cramped car.
“Promise me you’ll put this out of your head,” he said in a low voice, blocking my path. “No spending the rest of the night trying to figure out a way to make this work.”
“Bishop, you should know, I’m not letting this idea go, not yet. Not when we’re this close.”
“I thought we’d already established that this is way too risky? You can’t tell me you’re on board with this,” he said, looking to Rob.
“She already knows my feelings on the matter,” Rob replied, his shoulders stiffening. “Not that it did a bloody bit of good.”
“Look, we’re going around in circles about this,” I spoke up. “If you really want to help, try convincing Lady Carys to pitch in. She’s the one who has the best chance of surviving this.” I held up my hands from the inevitable protest that was about to come. “No, I get it, she’s not selfless type. Which is why I’m doing my best to come up with a way we can beat this thing and all live to see the end of it.” The whole idea of experimenting on another vamp to see if they’d survive the procedure was designed to alleviate Rob’s fears, I’d already committed to going through with the ritual in my heart. They didn’t have to know that yet though.
