by Strider, Jez
“Eve!” She called out and I rushed forward. Antonio moved out of my way and I hugged her tightly. “M…my mom….” The tears were flowing again and she was trembling. I made a gesture to shoo the men out of the room and they left us alone.
“I’m so sorry, Fate.”
After a few moments, she pulled back, looking up at me. “It’s so quiet. I…I can’t see or hear the dead….”
She had told me once that she hated going to the hospital because of all the deceased lingering. “You’ve been through a lot. It’s probably affected your ability a little.”
Her head bowed. “If it doesn’t come back, I’ll never get to see or talk to Mom again.”
“Don’t worry about your mother. You know better than anyone there’s an afterlife.” I was trying to figure out what to say to give her comfort. “She’s with your dad. You know that. He’ll take care of her.”
“I know. You’re right.” She was finding strength through my words and kept talking. “I didn’t want to hide, but she made me. The table was there and she had me climb underneath and cover my ears. Then, she threw the cloth over top of it.”
“How did she know you were in danger?” I asked.
“We hadn’t unlocked the doors yet. It was still early. There was a loud crash of glass breaking in the back so she made me hide.” Hearing her describe the events was horrible. I could only imagine how terribly painful it was for her to recount. “Momma had great instincts.” She added.
I had to ask because it was important to catch the culprit in a timely manner, but it seemed cruel. “Did you see who did it?”
Fate shook her head back and forth in fast motions. “Just heard her scream, asking why. The attacker never spoke. I, sort of, froze staring through the sheet at Mom. I wanted to go to her, but I couldn’t move. Not until you showed up.”
Heavily she lay back in the bed, looking at me sadly. “I should have saved her.”
“If you had tried to save her, you would have probably been killed. Don’t blame yourself.”
“Yeah.” She mumbled, turning her head away from me and staring out the window.
“Do you want to come home with me?” I asked. There was no reason for her to stay there. It wasn’t helping. “I can ask the doctors.”
She nodded weakly and I patted her hand. I told the guys they could come back into the room as I went to find someone who could release her. They wanted to keep her overnight, but I convinced them she would be better off in a home environment with loved ones. I knew one of the doctor’s personally from our joint efforts during blood drives. Getting what you want is too often about who you know.
When I returned to the room, all eyes were on me. “I convinced the doctor to let you go home with me tonight.” She was an adult technically. They couldn’t keep her against her will.
“What about my brother and sister?” She asked.
“Your aunt and uncle are taking custody of them for now. I think it is best.”
She held onto Antonio’s hand. “Thank you for everything, Eve.” Her tone was low and I found myself wondering if she’d ever regain her youthful, lively vitality.
“You’re welcome.”
Funerals. I hated them with a passion. It was respectful to go, but I wanted to remember my loved ones as they were in life. The last time I’d seen Ashley alive was at the birthday party. That is the memory I should have kept. Instead, the final one would be of her shell in a wooden box. My spent tears and emotions had left me numb and cold.
The funeral had been postponed until the autopsy was completed. Fate was still staying with me. Living in her own home was too hard, she had told me. She didn’t want to live with her aunt either. Marcus had been fine with her moving in with us temporarily, aside from the irritation of increased visitations from Antonio.
I hadn’t returned to work. My clinic was a crime scene. I saw little point of reopening the business. The vision of my dead friend would always haunt the place. After a long discussion, Marc and I decided to put the building up for sale when the media from the murder dissipated.
After the burial, Fate had disappeared with Antonio. Roger had never shown up to begin with. Marcus and I were heading toward our vehicle when we were approached by a woman dressed in black wearing a large hat. I’d noticed her during the service, always on the outside of the crowd. As the distance between us closed, I realized I knew her. It had been a while and I had no idea why she would be at my friend’s burial.
“Queen Evelina.” The woman walked up to me and pulled me into a hug.
Marcus was ready to shove her away, female or not, until he noticed I knew her.
Taya reached out and shook Marc’s hand. She was as beautiful as ever and I saw him take notice. “Taya Mercado.” Her lips spread into a lovely smile.
“Ah, you’re the one who helped Evey defeat the vampire.” He seemed to be gawking more than he usually would and I was quickly becoming jealous. Normally, I was confident. Insecurity creeps up on the best of us, especially when we’re feeling ancient and are carrying a heavy heart. “I’m her husband, Marcus.” He put his arm around me.
Her eyes widened. “Husband? And having a baby already?” She reached out with no discretion and put her hands on my stomach. So much for black being slimming. “I went home to see my family, but I was drawn to return. Then, I heard about the tragedy.” She looked over my shoulder toward the ceremony site we’d just left. It seemed like she was sincerely sympathetic.
I wondered if Antonio had been truthful when he’d told me she was a thief. “It’s awful.” I said. “I wasn’t sure I’d see you again, Taya. I wanted to thank you and apologize for how everything happened. You know, I couldn’t have beaten him without you.”
“I shouldn’t have run away like that, but I panicked. Freedom overwhelmed logic.” She gave a small shrug.
Marc immediately agreed. “It’s completely understandable. That night was insane.”
“Well, I don’t want to keep you from your mourning. I hope we can get together sometime. I just wanted to stop by and pay my respect to your friend.”
“It means a lot, Taya. Thank you. We’ll definitely get together for dinner one night.” What would we talk about over appetizers? I wondered. Oh, remember that time we met when we were both captives? And then we killed that bastard of a vampire? Yeah….
She gave a nod and a wave before saying, “Looking forward to it.”
I looked to my left. Marcus’ eyes were fixated on Taya’s tight butt as she walked away. “Stop looking at her ass.” I continued walking toward our car, shrugging off his embrace as I picked up my pace.
“Nothing wrong with looking. You won’t even let me hang up my chick posters in the house!” He said, as if it were some sort of a trade-off.
To say I was angry would be an overstatement. Just a tad irritated. “The only thing you’ll be looking at is a naked girl on a poster if you keep talking.”
He snickered behind me softly. “Harsh.” We had reached the vehicle. “Forgive me, your highness, Queen Evelina!”
I cracked a small grin. I couldn’t help it. He was trying to lighten the mood on such a somber day and his heart was in the right place. “And you are the servant who doesn’t talk back. Drive me home.”
For the first time in a while we had the house to ourselves. We were sitting in the bed watching a movie and eating a five dollar pizza we’d picked up on the way home. Fate had sent a text that she was spending the night with Antonio, so we were safe from intrusions for the time being. I know we shouldn’t have been eating in bed, but it was the only place I could get comfortable. As for the TV, I didn’t even have one in my bedroom before Marc moved in.
“There’s something the funeral made me start thinking about again. If you don’t want to talk about it right now, we won’t.” He’d snagged another slice of pizza and proceeded to pick off the mushrooms I had insisted on.
My brow quirked up unintentionally. I could feel it. “I’m fine. We can talk a
bout anything you want.” I’d spent a long time dwelling on what I could have done to save my friend. She would have wanted me to move on and the day had provided a small amount of closure.
Marcus looked at me for a moment, chewing slowly as he decided if I was emotionally stable. I had been unpredictable of late. “I want to become a vampire so it saves you the pain of losing me. I don’t want to be the cause of your sadness...ever.”
We’d discussed the option of changing him many times. There were risks, so the pros and cons were important.
“I love you even more that you would do that for me.” My voice was a little unsteady. “You can’t do it just for me. It has to be what you want. It’s not like getting a tattoo…this is real forever.” I gestured toward his upper arm. His newest ink…an angel in my likeness and with my name underneath stood out. I adored his spontaneity, but there were certain things that required more thought. Becoming a vampire was one of them.
“Come with me.” He grabbed me by the hand, pulling me toward the living room. I sat down at our computer chair when he pulled it out. There was an email. “Here.” He pointed at the screen. “It tells how to minimize the risks of changing.”
I read the email twice before I looked at my husband in shock. “Who sent you this?”
“Who do you think?”
I didn’t answer, I asked the question and I expected him to answer me.
My first thought had been Antonio, of course. “Tony.” Marc sighed. Antonio hated being called that. “Tony is willing to help.” Marcus said.
Seriously, I was feeling betrayed by them corresponding behind my back. “Tony?” My voice was growing more agitated and louder. “How long have you two been all buddy-buddy behind my back and making plans!? Maybe the ‘dangerous secrets’ note was for you!”
“Don’t be ridiculous! It’s not a secret. I want to spend my life with you! Do you think I like thinking about dying and you living forever in another man’s arms?” The volume of his voice was matching my own. “You know Antonio is calm and patient because waiting for me to grow old and die is barely any time at all to him. He has an eternity!”
I had stomped my way into our bedroom, perfectly intent on slamming the door, locking Marc out, and finishing the rest of the pizza by myself. Slowly, I turned and came back out to face him.
“Is that what you want? Love me now, get him later?” He asked me in his rage.
The piercing color of his eyes caught and held me, just as they did in my dream. If he hadn’t have added his last questions, I wouldn’t have done it. But he did. I reached out and slapped him across the face.
“Never…and I mean never, say anything like that to me again.” My words came out through gritted teeth. I felt terrible after I hit him. I hadn’t done it before. We rarely even argued.
There was a moment when I thought he might hit me back. He reached out and grabbed me by the shoulders, staring at me intently before pulling me into a deep, passionate kiss. I was frozen. It wasn’t the response I had expected. I always remembered the order being—argue, apologize, sex. Somewhere we missed a step. My anger urged me to pull away, but my body pressed against him in response.
His hand lifted up my t-shirt from behind, grabbing ahold of my butt. The dream again, it flashed in my mind. He spun me around, pushing me toward the bedroom. We didn’t make it that far. I put my hands against the wall beside the door. I’d heard the unzipping of his pants and then they fell to the floor. His lips were against my ear, teeth nibbling as he jerked aside my panties. Easily, he found his way inside.
When we were finished, I could barely stand on my trembling legs and he was panting heavily. He nuzzled his face against my hair. “You know the baby is mine.” It was as much a question as a statement.
I turned around to face Marcus. That was almost exactly what the distorted voice in the dream had said.
“What? Don’t hit me again.” He reached down to pull up his jeans.
“He is yours.” I’m not usually one to put my faith in dreams, superstitions, or magic, but I was feeling positive. It was just too much of a coincidence.
Marc’s smirk was handsome. It wasn’t scientific proof the child was his, but he liked hearing me say it. “Still mad at me?”
“Yes.” My satisfied body begged to differ, so I broke eye contact before I changed my mind. “I might forgive you tomorrow.” I turned and walked away, climbing into my side of the bed after I moved the pizza box. Going to bed angry isn’t something I usually do, but I’d had my fill of conversation. I wasn’t ready to forgive.
I could tell Marcus was still standing in the bedroom doorway. My lamp was on, so I stole a glance at him before turning it off. He opened his mouth to say something but I looked away and pretended to go to sleep.
Maybe I had overacted a little. It just hurt to hear his accusing questions. It was like I was going crazy. After a few moments, I heard him sigh and leave the room. Part of me wanted desperately for him to change, become like me, live forever. Another part held too much fear. Humans stayed together the perfect amount of time. They cherish time and love because it’s fleeting. Two vampires didn’t have that. Eternity chiseled at their souls bit by bit. They could grow bitter and hate each other. I was afraid of that. In the end, it was his choice. I sure as hell wouldn’t damn him to live forever.
Since the murder, I hadn’t been home alone. Marc or Fate was always around. Fate wasn’t home yet and it took all my effort to convince Marcus to leave me and go to work. He’d slept on the couch the entire night.
“I will keep the doors locked and I have the gun.” I reassured him.
His hands were clenched into fists at his side. The work shirt was still unbuttoned. I ran my hand up along his abs and chest before starting to button it from the top down. The stitching of his name on the right side was frayed.
He was conflicted. We both knew we couldn’t afford for him to miss any more work, but he did not want to leave me. “I don’t like it, Evey. They haven’t found the killer yet.”
“The police think it was a pill head looking for drugs. It’s a solid theory. Drug addiction is causing increased crime rates.”
“True. That was probably it.” He seemed much less cocky than the night before when he asked, “Are you still mad at me?”
It was pointless to drag out the fight any longer. “No. I’m just old and tired.”
“You’re still beautiful.” I smiled when he leaned down and kissed the top of my head. “I’m sorry about what I said. The thought of you with that fucking vamp just drives me insane.” Antonio and Marcus had been civil, but I was dumb to think the insecurities were gone.
“We’ll figure out the vampire stuff. Let’s just focus on getting this guy into the world first.” I took his hand and placed it on my belly.
Marc agreed. “You’re right.”
“I know.”
“Grrr…I’m gonna be late. Be safe and I mean it.”
I pushed him toward the door. “I will!” After I had locked the door behind him, I heard him check it twice to make sure it was secure.
“Well, I’ll have a chance to clean up this mess….” The house was a disaster area. I didn’t even want to look at the spare bedroom Fate had been using. Housework would keep my mind busy, so I started in the kitchen.
Around one o’clock, I was interrupted by a knock at the door. I wasn’t expecting anyone. At least the house looks better, I thought as I glanced around. There was another impatient knock and I checked the peep hole to see who was outside. Quickly, I took a few steps back. Roger Nathis was at my door. Was he there to kill me next?
I ran to my bedroom, jerking open the nightstand drawer and grabbing my gun. My mind was spinning. Why would he knock? So I wouldn’t suspect he was there to kill me, I surmised. It would have been intelligent to call the police, but I wanted to hear what he had to say for myself. There was a part of me that wanted to kill him, too.
On my way out, I shut the bedroom door behind me to keep bot
h of my pets out of the line of fire. Lewis’ barking was incessant. I unlocked my front door and backed up before calling out to the suspect. “Come in!” At first, I kept the gun at my side, but when the door slowly opened, I aimed it directly at Roger.
“Put that down!” His hands lifted in a surrendering, ‘don’t shoot’ manner. “I wanted to speak with you before I left town.”
My entire body seemed to be shaking, but I held the gun steady. “You’re a suspect. You’re not allowed to leave town.”
Roger didn’t try to get any closer to me. “I didn’t kill her. We had broken our relationship off because I was moving away. My alibi is solid.”
“My best friend was murdered at work. Excuse me if I don’t invite you in for coffee and cake.” The hard grip on the handle of the gun was making my palms sweat.
“You seem like a good, rational vampire Evelyn. The research confirms it, too. That’s why I’m here to speak with you instead of just leaving like I was told to do.” Each one of his words was spoken in a delicate tone.
I lowered the weapon, but was at the ready to aim at his skull if need be. The truth was I liked him and my gut told me he was innocent. Then again, my track record with men had always been hit or miss.
Wait. What did he say? The comment finally sunk in. “Vampire? Research? What research?”
He didn’t make any sudden movements as he took a few small steps into my home and shut the door behind him. His glasses had slid down on his nose so he pushed them back in place with one finger resting in the middle. “I’m not a teacher. My…organization keeps tabs on the vampire population and the threat level of certain individuals. I was sent here to gather information about Sanuto’s successors. Antonio and you.”
Successor of Sanuto…I really didn’t like that title one bit.
“So, you gather information, but don’t interfere?” I’d heard about people like this before. “Like Illuminati?”
“Ahem.” He cleared his throat. “We are a newer coalition, in how you would measure time anyway. When warranted, we have been known to take matters into our own hands. I’m putting myself at risk just by sharing this information with you.”
