by L.H. Cosway
Her eyes drift back and forth as through trying to spot me. She must have pinpointed my form because her gaze stops where I stand by the wall.
“You didn’t have to do that,” she whispers, her voice aeons away from the sass she gave me earlier.
“I wanted to. Besides, it looks like I still have some proving to do to show you I’m trustworthy.”
Turning off the dryer, she sets it down on the dresser and then makes her way over to the bed. She latches onto the bags and slips a hand inside one of them.
“You’ll have to tell me what’s what,” she says quietly.
“Oh, right, yeah,” I reply slapping my head dumbly. Taking the bag from her I pull out a pale yellow T-shirt, navy leggings and a black cardigan. Next I grab a pair of knickers and some socks.
“So, these are leggings and this is a T-shirt,” I tell her placing one in each hand and feeling like an idiot. I have no idea how to treat an almost blind person. “And, uh, here’s some clean underwear,” I go on throatily. “You can go change in the bathroom and then I’ll help you with the rest.”
“Thanks,” she answers and if I’m not mistaken she seems touched by how I’m assisting her. She walks into the bathroom but leaves the door open.
“At Michael Ridley’s,” she says talking to me from the other room, “I always had maids to dress and wash me, so I never learned how to deal with my blindness. Most people would have little tricks to get by, but I haven’t had the chance to learn any. I feel so clueless.”
That makes two of us.
“You’ll learn, Goldy. I can help,” I assure her.
A minute later she comes back out and I try not to focus on how the tight leggings cling to the curve of her hips and hug her perfectly round arse. The T-shirt is a good deal tight as well. I must have gotten a size too small.
I walk to her, take her hand and lead her over to the bed, sitting her down. “Here are your socks, do you need help with them?”
She shakes her head. “No, I have to get used to doing this by myself.”
Fumblingly, she puts on the socks and then the plimsolls and I help her into the cardigan once she’s done. “Now, that wasn’t so hard, was it?” I ask her with a smile.
Unexpectedly, she reaches up, puts her hand on the line of my jaw and places a kiss to my cheek. My heart skips a beat. She smells like soap and her lips are so fucking soft.
“Thank you, Finn. You’ve been incredibly sweet to me,” she says with gratitude, pulling away just as I’m instinctively turning my lips to hers. I shake myself out of the urge to plunge my tongue inside her pretty little mouth. The air is thick between us.
“Any time, babe. Come on, let’s go get breakfast.”
On the way to the diner I inform the receptionist on duty, now a young red haired woman, that we’ll be staying another night. I use my DOH credit card, knowing that it has a decently high limit and since Pamphrock is gone nobody’s going to care that I’m spending the money anyway. The cards are provided to higher ranking members to be used in emergencies. I’m thinking that since the city is trapped in a purple cage of magic and is now under the rule of an all-powerful vampire, that times are definitely in the emergency realm.
The others reach the diner at the same time as us and we go inside. I notice that Delilah’s looking a little worse for wear; she’s got dark bags under her eyes. Once we’re seated at a table and the waitress has taken our orders I decide to question her about it.
“You alright?” I ask eyeing her shrewdly.
“I’m just tired,” she answers in annoyance.
“Are you sure?” Gabriel adds. “When was the last time you had blood?”
A-ha. Now why didn’t I think of that? Sometimes I almost forget that dhamphirs need blood too.
Delilah scowls. “A while ago.”
“How much of a while?” Gabriel probes.
A sigh. “Just under a fortnight,” she tells him flatly.
“That’s far too long, Delilah,” he reprimands. “You need it every few days.”
“Yeah well, I’ve been a little preoccupied.”
“You can feed from me,” comes Ira’s low voice into the conversation.
Delilah looks at him in surprise and shakes her head. “No, I couldn’t do that. I always drink from donors. They’re already addicted.”
“It’s just one time,” Alvie puts in. “Harmless, really.”
“I want to,” Ira stands firm.
Delilah shoots Gabriel an exasperated look and throws up her hands. “Fine, fine, we’ll do it later.”
“I can put a glamour around the table if you want to do it now. You look like you need it,” Gabriel offers.
She bites on her lip, considering it. “Well, alright then.” She turns to Ira and mouths, are you sure? He nods silently. When my eyes flick down to Allora I can tell that she’s listening to the conversation intently. She seems nervous.
“It’s morning, right?” she whispers leaning close to my ear.
“Yeah. Delilah’s a dhamphir. So is Gabriel. This is a vamp free zone.”
“Okay. That’s good.” She exhales heavily.
I study her curiously. “Have you seen vampires in your visions?”
“Yes. I’ve seen many.”
“Hmm,” I say, rubbing my chin.
I want to ask her more questions but my attention is drawn to Gabriel who’s muttering an incantation to create a glamour. Once it’s up no one will be able to see that Delilah is feeding from Ira. The red head leans close to my friend and seems to take her time breathing in his scent. His posture goes still as stone and I notice her small fangs sticking out past her lips.
A moment later she places her hand on his shoulder, sinks her teeth into his neck and begins to drink. Ira is one of those stoic giants. He never lets his emotions show outwardly, but I have to wonder if he’s turned on right now, since something’s obviously been brewing between these two for a while.
It’s kind of funny how awkward and quiet everyone gets as we watch them. Several gulps later, Delilah pulls away and licks her lips. Her pupils are dilated to the point where they almost cover all of the green. Feeling devious, I jiggle the table leg with my foot.
“Hey, Ira. Get your stiffy under control.”
Gabriel and Alvie burst into laughter while Delilah gives me the death stare. One end of Ira’s mouth curves as though he’s trying to suppress a smirk. Allora blushes next to me, even though the comment had nothing to do with her. Wow, this girl is shy. I’m probably not the best person for her to be around, since half the things that come out of my mouth need an 18+ rating.
The waitress comes and begins setting food down in front of us and I dig into my bacon and eggs with gusto.
“So, what’s the plan for today?” Gabriel asks.
“I booked us in to stay another night here. Today I was thinking we could drive into the city and scope the place out, see if the vamps are still killing or if Cristescu has ordered them to behave themselves. We’ll come back to the hotel to sleep. We’ll check my street, too, and see if everything’s okay. If it is then we’ll head back there tomorrow. I can’t be putting you all up in the lap of luxury like this forever,” I joke.
Delilah snorts. “I think I saw a cockroach this morning.”
“Ah, a nice bit of wildlife to give you the full experience,” I tell her with a wink.
Another snort.
“If we’re going to the city,” Allora begins to speak. “Could you bring me to my parents’ house? It’s on Edmund Street just past the north side of the river.”
I glance at her, something tightening in my chest at the thought of her leaving already. I swallow.
“Sure. We’ll go and see if they’re there. If not, and there’s a big likelihood that they fled, you can still stay with us.”
She nods her head and takes a sip of coffee. She looks cute in the clothes I bought her, just like the pretty girl next door. Seeing her appear out of nowhere in that ethereal gown last night made
her seem almost like an apparition. But now she’s sitting beside me eating her eggs Benedict, a light sprinkling of freckles across her cheeks, looking like everything I’ve ever wanted in a girlfriend.
I think about the possibility of her family still being in the city. Will she want to stay in contact with me if they are? Perhaps when everything settles down she might even let me take her out on a date. These are good, healthy thoughts. I’m not trying to save her like I tried to save Tegan. I just really like her in a very normal, boy meets girl sort of way.
If I keep thinking this perhaps I’ll eventually convince myself it’s true.
We finish breakfast and then everyone loads up into the van. On my way back from the shopping mall earlier I stopped by the parameter of Theodore’s enclosure, noting how even more people have gathered there now. There’s a frantic, desperate energy about the place.
Some people are saying the barrier is a sign of the apocalypse. Others think that the devil has taken hold of Tribane. Most people are saying it’s aliens. If I didn’t know any better I’d think it was aliens too, trapping us in a cage so that they can study humanity.
The motorway is practically empty on the way into the city, and when we arrive the streets have very few people on them. Those present scurry from building to building, afraid that if they stay outside too long they might get snatched up by a fanged monster.
An old homeless man is sitting on the doorstep in front of a shop when I park the van. He’s got a bottle of whiskey in a brown paper bag, taking sips every once in a while. I glance around, seeing two human policemen on patrol on the other side of the street.
“Any spare change?” asks the man when I pass him.
I stick my hand in my pocket, pulling out a twenty I’d forgotten was there. Ah crap, I hate when that happens. Now I’ll look like a prick if I don’t give it to him. His eyes light up when he sees it and I stick it in his dirty palm.
“Go wild,” I say before skipping purposely towards the two male officers.
“How’s it going around here?” I ask them with a meaningful look.
They’re both young, in their early twenties, and wear expressions of anxiety on their faces.
“Quiet,” says the blonde one. “Not many are leaving their houses. This morning there were several raids in supermarkets. People are stockpiling food.” He pauses and leans closer conspiratorially. “There haven’t been any more…vampire attacks, but we’re all expecting them tonight. They can only come out at night, right?” He swallows hard.
“Yeah. What about the telephones and computers, are they still not working?”
Both officers shake their heads. The dark haired one eyes my clothes.
“You’re one of those slayers, aren’t you?” he says with barely contained excitement. “My uncle was one before he died. At least that’s the rumour in our family.”
“I am, not that it means much anymore. Most of us have been killed.”
His excitement quickly deflates. “Is that why the vampires are killing people?”
“No. Listen, boys, you’re doing a great job. Keep up the good work.” I pat each of them on the back before returning to the others who are still waiting inside the van.
Just before I get there, though, I spot someone pass through one of the alleys just off the street. A suspiciously familiar blonde head of hair. Stealthily, I slip down the alley and climb up a ladder to a small nook on the side of the building. I breathe as little as possible and keep watching.
Seconds later Cristescu passes beneath me. Shit, the fucker really can come out in the daylight now. He walks at human speed and has this weird look on his face as though every little thing he sees fascinates him. A moment later he’s gone, disappearing down another alley. I let out the breath I was holding.
Seeing him walk by like that was strange. He didn’t seem like the all-powerful, scary new being he did on that roof. He seemed like his usual self, i.e. a confident, ‘knows all too well how good looking he is’ prick.
I pull out my phone and dial Tegan’s number, but it goes straight to voicemail. I wonder where he’s hiding her.
Keeping my little sighting to myself for now, I return to the van.
“Right, we’ll take Allora to her house first and then we’ll drive around, see if we spot anything unusual.”
“We should try to find Rita,” says Alvie. “If we can somehow convince her to leave Theodore I’m sure she’ll be able to break the seal around the city. She’s the only one who can.”
“Have you not seen your witchy friend recently?” I ask him. “She’s gone to the dark side, and I’m talking Darth Vader dark side. It’ll be very near impossible to get her back.”
“I never would have taken you for a trekkie nerd,” says Delilah snidely.
I point a finger at her and smile. “Star Wars, babe, not Star Trek, though I am partial to a woman in one of those tight Starfleet uniforms.”
“You like a woman in uniform. How original,” Delilah deadpans.
“Rita’s stronger than you know,” Alvie disagrees ignoring our back and forth. “If anyone can break through darkness like that it’s her.”
I give him a considering look before pulling the van out of its parking spot. I know Rita’s powerful, but I still think the chances of her coming back to us are about as likely as me pulling Scarlett Johansson – in other words: nil.
Allora’s neighbourhood isn’t too far from my own, a ten minute walk at most. She tells me the address and I stop once I reach her house, number 15 Edmund Street.
“We’re here,” I tell her softly before getting out and walking around to her side. I help her out of the van and lead her to the front door. The garden gate lies on the ground, torn off its hinges. I don’t mention this to her because I don’t want to upset her, but it can’t be a good sign. At least the front door is still intact. I take the knocker in my hand and bang it twice.
Radio silence.
I knock again, this time a little louder. Still nothing.
“Maybe they’re gone out,” Allora suggests.
“Yeah maybe.”
“I wish I had my key to get in, that way you could leave me and get on with the other things you need to do.”
“I’m not leaving you until I know you’re with your family, Goldy,” I say tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. She sucks in a quick breath at my touch and lets it out when I draw my hand away from her.
I tap my toe against the step. “How do you feel about me breaking in?” I ask eyeing the door and knowing it’ll be a piece of piss to get it open. Most people don’t know how easy it is for their homes to be broken into, especially by sneaky buggers like me who know exactly how to do it.
“Um, yeah, okay. But can you try to do as little damage as possible?”
“I won’t leave a single scratch,” I tell her smiling and pull a small piece of wire from my wallet.
I stick it into the keyhole, jiggle it around a little until I get some traction and feel the lock turning. Seconds later the door pops open and I walk inside, taking Allora’s hand. My jaw drops when I see the state of the place and I don’t know how to break it to her that her parents either fled in a hurry or their house got trashed. Whether it was by chaos infested humans or vampires, I don’t know. Either way, things aren’t looking great.
“What do you see?” Allora asks just before she trips on a smashed picture frame.
“I hate to break it to you, hun, but the house is trashed,” I answer and she stills.
“Trashed?” she questions me shakily.
“Yeah, I’m sorry, Goldy. Look, I’m gonna check all the rooms and see if I can find any clues as to where your folks might be.”
She nods and swallows, saying, “I think I need to sit down for a minute,” seconds before her eyes fall shut and her body drops, convulsions taking her over with another vision.
Chapter Four
What a Very Nice Trail of Dead
Tegan
I wake up to Ethan�
�s gentle rocking as he holds me in his arms. It’s odd to be able to conduct a daytime routine with him now, sleeping at night and going out during the day. His silky fingers trail along my spine before caressing my lower back. I arch up into his touch.
“Hi,” I practically purr as I revel in the feel of him against me.
“Good morning, beautiful. Shall we go and visit your dear bunica today?” he asks with a hint of a smile.
“Bunica?” I question, brow furrowing.
“Your grandmother,” he translates.
I snicker. “She may be my grandmother, but she’s certainly not dear.”
“So you don’t want to go?”
“I never said that,” I reply and crawl out of his lap to stand at the foot of the bed. My clothes from yesterday are strewn across the floor and I crinkle my nose at the idea of wearing them again.
“You don’t happen to have anything I can wear lying around, do you?”
Ethan stretches his chiselled torso out and my eyes are drawn to the V of his hips. “Go to Delilah’s room and take whatever you like.”
I crinkle my nose further at the thoughts of being stuck in something that Delilah would wear. I’d barely be able to fit my boobs in one of her tops, never mind everything else. Still, I go to her room and begin searching through her walk-in wardrobe. Ugh. Everything she has is so tight. No comfortable baggy jeans or tops for her.
After a good fifteen minutes of searching through silky dresses I finally lay my hands on a pair of khaki combats, the kind you’d find in a women’s boutique that’s trying to be ‘edgy’ and a Metallica T-shirt. I think the T-shirt must have belonged to an ex-boyfriend of some variety because I highly doubt Delilah is into heavy metal.
I throw on the clothes and return to Ethan’s room where I find him dressed in loose jeans and a long-sleeved T-shirt that frames his shoulders nicely. Downstairs, he makes us breakfast and then we hop into his car to drive to Emilia’s house.
Reaching her stately abode, I stare out the car window and up at the house where my mother was raised. It’s so far away from anything I’ve ever known that I feel like maybe Darya wasn’t really the Dora that gave birth to me. But she must have been, there’s no other logical explanation.
