by Strider, Jez
“Hey now. It’ll be okay. Someone was setting me up. They wanted me to get caught. I didn’t even see Chris.” He sighed. “How is the baby?” He reached down to my waist with concern.
I didn’t want to worry him further so I neglected to mention the pains. “Good. He wants his daddy to come home and so do I.” Sure…I had taken care of myself for years upon years, but it didn’t change the fact that I needed and wanted my husband by my side where he belonged.
Marc put his hand against my cheek, wiping tears away with his thumb. “I’ll be out of here before the baby shows up. Promise me you’ll be safe. Antonio said he’d stay with you and Fate. I may not particularly like the guy, but I know he’d die before he’d let anything happen to either of you. He’s one of the only people we can trust right now.”
The door opened and a large man told us time was up. I doubted the officer barking the order ever smiled. It was an absurd thought, but I never claimed to be rational.
“I’ll be safe. I love you.” As badly as I wanted to stay, I did as ordered. The less trouble, the better it would be for Marcus. I gave one last longing look at the love of my life. My soul felt like it was being ripped apart as I walked away.
“I love you, too.” His voice was strong and confident as he turned away.
The lawyer was nowhere to be found, but Antonio was there waiting for me. “Fate’s in the car. Let me take you home. We can’t do anymore here.”
If I hadn’t still been aching and light-headed, I would have argued. I just didn’t have the strength. He put his arm around me and led me outside of the building. The sun was burning brightly in a clear sky. Not one cloud decorated the blue canvas. There was no sign of the furious weather we’d had during the night. It was like that in the South. Weather was unpredictable. Storms fell away swiftly to sunshine, and if you were lucky, the occasional rainbow would appear.
I stopped suddenly. “It was raining last night.”
Antonio looked at me curiously. “So?”
“Marc’s footprints. Wouldn’t the forensics team be able to tell where he walked in the house? He never even found the body.”
He immediately had his phone out, calling the lawyer. After a brief conversation, he ended the call. “Apparently, the police know all this already. They’re just holding him for the maximum amount of time they can get away with.”
“Assholes.” We started walking again until we arrived at the vehicle. “Are you sure they’ll let him go?”
“In the vampire community, Rachel is called “The Warden.” She protects us and she always gets the job done. Trust me.”
“Seems like a cold bitch to me.” I was still fuming from her earlier remark.
Antonio pulled out his sunglasses and slipped them on. “Rachel has to be calculating and serious when she is working. After a few drinks, she is a fun person. She lets her hair down and becomes a much more enticing individual.”
I was staring at him in disbelief. If he could charm the pants off that uptight lawyer, he would succeed with anyone. Fate stepped out of the car, grabbing me frantically as if I’d been missing for days. I let the conversation drop.
“I was scared, Eve. I don’t want to lose you, too.” She said.
“Try not to worry. Everything will be okay.” Now if only I’d believed it myself.
It was evident she had been crying all night. She had been through too much for her young age and it was heartbreaking.
“Come on, girls. Let’s get you home.” Antonio took a moment longer to check the area before climbing into the car.
My child’s due date was only four days away. Despite my worries, I had to take care of myself for the baby. I slipped into my bed on the side Marcus always slept on. The bed felt so empty, but I could smell his scent on the blanket and on his pillow. I ran my hands over the sheets and buried my face against the covers, inhaling deeply. Self-pity was enveloping me. Why were we being put through all this? Was it karma for past indiscretions or punishment for the sins of our forefathers? Surprisingly, with all my wallowing in sadness, I still found myself falling asleep. In the doorway, I could faintly hear Antonio and Fate talking.
“Will she be alright, Tony? Vamps having babies seems dangerous. And with Marc locked up….” Fate had never been much of a whisperer. Her excitability was too high. Besides, she thought I was sleeping.
Antonio sighed heavily. “On the surface she seems healthy, but something about her is changing. Evelina is strong, so I’m sure she’ll be fine.” His tone did little to convince me.
The door creaked as they closed it.
In my dreams, my fears come to life. I’ve awoke in tears, crying from losing a beloved pet, not realizing it was just a night terror. For years, I’d scream when I relived the diseased deaths of the people I cared about in Venice before I became a vampire. My maker pursued me throughout the centuries in my mind. Sleep was the enemy. Dreams were evil. Wicked nightmares held the awful truth.
The wind was whipping violently as I pursued the murderer through the garden maze. Somehow, I knew the person had my baby. The bushes were overgrown, seeming to enclose on me the longer I ran. Finally, I reached a clearing. She was standing in the middle holding my son. The Society was closing in on me from behind. Taya had a bottle in her hand, feeding the baby. Only the container wasn’t filled with milk. It was full of blood.
A sharp pain awoke me and I called out for Marcus. He was nowhere to be found. It was a moment before I was coherent enough to remember he was still at the jail. When I tossed the covers aside, I saw the blood. I knew I had to get to the hospital immediately. Something was very, very wrong.
“Fate!” I called out, but there was no response. “Antonio!” Once again, I was met with silence. Was I still asleep? I wondered, but the pain was too real for this to be a dream. Surely, they wouldn’t leave me alone….
Slowly, I made my way to the bedroom door. I put my ear against the wood, but I couldn’t hear anyone. The hairs on the back of my arm stood up. As quietly as I could manage, I turned the door knob and pushed open the door just a crack.
It was impossible to see anything through the small opening. Surely, I was being paranoid. There was no time to waste with further caution. I had to get to the emergency room. With a small shove, the door flew open and I stumbled into the living room.
My instincts had been right when they tried to warn me of the danger. The crowbar making contact with my leg confirmed it. Heavily, I crumpled to the floor in agony. This was no dream, but a real life nightmare. Everything went black briefly. Then, I was gazing around the room with blurry vision. The attacker had taken a few steps back toward someone. Someone tied to a chair with duct tape covering their mouth. She was wriggling, attempting to get free.
“Fate….” I whispered desperately. The pain in my leg was unbearable, but it didn’t seem to be broken. When I’d been hurt before the severity was lessened by being a vampire. Not this time. “Let her go, please!”
The intruder removed her mask, shaking out her hair. After squinting a few seconds, my vision cleared enough to make out her features. Lewis barked from the backyard. If he could have charged through the sliding glass door, he’d have ripped my attacker to shreds. Unfortunately, I couldn’t rely on that happening.
“You are as dumb and naïve as Master Sanuto and Antonio always said.” Taya grinned wickedly down at me. My cat tried to dart by her and she grabbed the feline by the scruff of the neck. I outstretched my hand as if to stop her from hurting my pet. That cat was my best friend. She’d been with me for the better part of the past decade. Her soft fur, understanding purrs, and listening ears had helped me through many hardships.
“No!” I was growing frantic. She had played me and manipulated me with skill. “You set Marcus up. And…and you killed Ashley and Christophe! But why? They never did anything to you.”
My cat hissed and I saw the extended claws swipe destructively across Taya’s cheek drawing blood. When I’d refused to declaw the animal, I
never imagined it would save her life. I was relieved with she dropped Lucia. The cat landed gracefully on all four padded paws. Without hesitation, she made another attempt at escape, succeeded, and took refuge by hiding in my bedroom.
“I hate animals.” The grin had faded and Taya’s features expressed only contempt for me. “Why?” She asked, finally getting to my question. “Everything I’ve done has been for one reason. Revenge! You are a selfish slut!”
When I’d attacked Dante, everything had been planned. I knew what I was getting into and I was the only one in danger. So I thought when I made my plan, at least. With Taya, I had everyone I loved to worry about. Marcus, Fate, Antonio, and the baby. The baby…. He was picking a very inconvenient time to try to enter the world. I clenched my eyes, drawing in deep breaths. The pain was making it impossible to think clearly.
“Come on now, Tay. I thought we were friends. Can’t we talk and resolve this peacefully?” My voice was shaky, but to me I sounded sincere.
Her head cocked to the side. The lunatic stared at me for a long moment. “Okay.” The tips of her fingers lightly played at Fate’s hair extensions as she spoke. “You knew I wanted Antonio to love me. I could have forgiven you, really Eve, because he loved you first. I liked you. But! You introduced him to this young little tart! Why would you do that to me?” She pointed at herself. “I was supposed to be queen in your place. You said so yourself!”
Talk about words coming back to bite you in the ass. “You’re right. Completely. You disappeared and I thought you went home to your family for good.” Agonizingly, I tried to reposition the way I was sitting on the floor. “I’m sorry, but we can fix this.”
She studied me for a long moment. It seemed like my words might actually be getting through to her. I tried to move again and groaned out in pain. Where was the rush of adrenaline people talk about getting where they are able to lift cars? I could have used the burst of energy.
“If I wasn’t so angry, I would have been happy with Christophe. But…he had to die. Just like your friend Ashley had to die. Just like this girl, your husband, and your baby need to die.” Her expression seemed remorseful for a split second. “Maybe I’ll just keep the child for myself. I know there’s a chance he could be Antonio’s son. He lives if Antonio is the father, dies if he belongs to the hunky Marky. Would that be fair?”
I had her calm and thinking so I had to hide my disgust and terror at the proposed idea. Fate’s eyes widened when Taya mentioned my son might be Antonio’s child. I looked from one woman to the next, both hurt by my actions. Would poor Fate follow the same demented path as the psycho threatening us? No…her heart was too big for that. I told myself. I hoped I was right.
“You’re smart and beautiful, Taya. You can have any man you want. Even Antonio.” I added. “I’ll help you now that I know you’re home with us for good and you still love him.”
Her footsteps echoed on the hardwood as she paced back and forth. “It’s too late.” She spoke softly, but seemed to be debating with herself. “I’ve been watching and he loves this rebellious twit.”
I gave an amused snort of a laugh. “He’s a man. They change their minds like the weather when it comes to women. You can make him forget about her.” My acting impressed me, but I didn’t know if she would buy it.
“I don’t believe you! He never forgot about you, did he!? I did everything to make him forget!” The words were screamed at me. Her fingers stopped stroking Fate’s hair, entwined into the extensions, and then she jerked. Fate cried out, but the sounds were muffled by the tape over her mouth. The tendrils of dark red hair fell from Taya’s hand to the floor.
The situation was getting beyond control and I was desperate. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Marc’s baseball bat leaning against the wall in the bedroom. Often, I’d argued with Marcus to store the worn bat in the closet. His grandfather had given it to him when his dad disappeared, so I relented. Now it was the only weapon at hand. I was still sitting in the floor, but I thought I could stand. If I had just a small amount of time or some way to distract the psychotic, obsessive bitch….
Fate’s eyes widened. I followed her gaze, but there was nothing in the room that I could perceive. Then, as if heaven heard my thoughts directly, the opportunity presented itself.
The television came on, static blaring at full volume. The refrigerator door swung open and shut, over and over. Lights flickered and music blared from my stereo. It was like what Fate recounted when she had been cornered by the frat boys at the party. Who was helping us this time?
“Are you doing this, you little witch!?” Taya ripped the tape from my friend’s mouth.
Fate spit into her attacker’s face. “My mom is here, you ugly cunt!” I’d never heard her speak that way to anyone, but the insult was justified.
The anguish was terrible as I made my way to standing on my good leg, holding to the wall for support. I hobbled into the bedroom toward the bat. Taya still hadn’t seen me. I heard the impact of her fist against Fate’s jaw. By the time Taya had realized I had moved. She was too late to stop me. I was poised on the other side of the doorway with the bat in hand, ready to exact well deserved revenge. My television blew out loudly, throwing sparks just as Taya was about to enter the room.
Marcus is going to be pissed about his widescreen, I randomly thought amongst the chaos.
Foolishly, she turned toward the direction of the sound blasting from the TV. Without hesitation I crept closer and I swung, smashing her in the back of the skull with the wooden weapon. There was a loud crack. I saw her body collapse to floor in an unconscious heap. I didn’t know if she was dead or not, but I dared to hope.
“Eve…you’re bleeding….badly….” Fate’s voice was filled with panic. Her face was red and there was a small cut underneath her eye from Taya’s ring.
I followed her gaze as she spoke. My ears were ringing. When I bowed my head down to look, everything went dark and I fell to my knees in a pool of both mine and Taya’s blood. This time, I was gone.
Fate struggled with her bindings, but to no avail. She was forced to sit there, watching me bleed to death. Luck would have it, Marcus and Antonio arrived shortly. Both men raced inside the house when they heard the screams for help from Fate.
Unknown to me, Antonio had left the house to pick Marc up from jail. “The Warden” had managed to have all charges dropped against him. Poor Christophe’s body had disappeared and all records of his existence wiped. No funeral or recognition for the deceased vampire. It was sad, but there was nothing left to accuse my husband of doing. It made me never want to get on the Society’s bad side. When they erased you, they did it well.
The police officer assigned to keep an eye on the premises was later found dead in his car, throat slit from ear to ear. The only reason Antonio had left us alone was because of the cop, but he had been no match for Taya. A beat up VW was parked behind the police cruiser.
“No…oh no…” Marcus rushed to my side, sitting in the floor beside me, my head cradled gently in his hands. “Don’t leave me, baby. You’ll be okay.”
Antonio called 911 before walking over to Taya’s body. He knew instantly she wasn’t dead. She was alive, albeit briefly. He was enraged, the smell of blood pushing him to the brink of insanity, his anger uncontrolled.
“Close your eyes, love.” He told Fate and she listened, turning her head to the side. She peeked only once and the horrific sight of Antonio with extended fangs terrified her into clenching her eyes closed tightly.
“Tonio…I love you.” Taya croaked weakly, her eyes half open.
He reached down, grabbing Taya by the hair of the head. There was a gruesome sound of ripping flesh as his fangs tore into the skin of her neck. After he’d drained her of most of her blood, he put his hands on either side of her head and ripped it off the body. Despite my raw hatred of the woman, I’m glad I didn’t have to witness it. Afterward, he calmly pulled out his phone once more, calling for another kind of help. Vampires we
re on their way to prevent another media fiasco. The crew of vampires did the job of cleaning up mistakes.
Marc was in tears and so was Fate. Antonio kept his composure, walking into the kitchen and washing Taya’s blood off his hands. He then released Fate from her bindings. She ran to my side.
“I can’t lose her or the baby. I just can’t.” Marcus looked to Fate, hoping she could tell him I was going to be okay.
“The baby is fine so far, I can sense his life force is strong.” Fate told Marc. “Eve is fading fast. The flicker of life is going out. We….” It was hard for her to speak as she cried. “We may need to say our goodbyes.”
“No, no way. It’s not over yet.”
All Fate could do was nod at my distraught husband. Words were no use in comforting him.
“Can’t you feed her blood or something, Tony?” He begged.
“I’m afraid of making things worse. Her best chance will be the medical professionals.” In that moment of panic and distress, the difference in the aged vampire and his young human companions became disturbingly evident to everyone in the room.
Sirens were within hearing distance. The ambulance was almost there. “I love you, Evey. You hear me. Stay strong! I mean it!” He backed away reluctantly as the medics went to work. “I still need to watch Casablanca for you…. I promise I won’t fall asleep.” He whispered softly.
Vampires with hypnosis skills took care of the police and bystanders in the neighborhood. I later learned there were many vampires trained to use psychological weapons. I wish I could have seen it, but what I was experiencing was even more magical.
I saw the light. It was warm, all enveloping, and it numbed the pain. Every bit of my being seemed to be urging me toward it and I was going willingly. The time was at hand. I’d lived more lifetimes than I probably deserved. I had seen the perils of war, the wonders of technology, found joy in the simplest moments. My heart had been broken, put back together, and I’d loved completely once more. What was left but to go?
