by Gayla Twist
“What?”
“When we face the Bishops, we tell them that I’m the one who staked Grandfather.”
“No!” I exclaimed.
“Don’t you see? It’s the only way.” Jessie’s voice was pleading. “If I staked him, then it would have been a member of the undead protecting our entire community. But if it became known that a mortal killed a prestigious vampire, then…” He shook his head some more. “There are a lot of vampires who would want to see that mortal punished. Even if she is now a member of the undead.”
My head was spinning. The vampire world frequently didn’t make much sense. It was all codes and honor. And very little of it seemed to be based on rational thought. It reminded me of when men use to fight duels over perceived insults. They all must have thought they were so noble and romantic, but they were really more like toddlers squabbling with each other over the same sandbox toy.
“And you think by claiming that you staked your grandfather, the Bishops will go easier on you?” I asked.
Jessie nodded, the skin stretched tight over his mouth. I had the strong suspicion that he was lying to me again. “I think they will,” he finally managed to say.
“Okay,” I told him. “If you think it’s better for us to claim that you staked your grandfather, then that’s what we’ll say.”
“And you won’t tell anyone? No matter what?” he pressed.
“No, I won’t tell anyone,” I said, even though I was also lying through my fangs. “We’ll stick to your story, no matter what.” Unless it meant that telling the truth would save Jessie. If I thought that things weren’t going our way, I would tell the truth. I knew Jessie wouldn’t want me to, but he couldn’t always have it all his own way. Besides, I would have gladly face the sun to save him.
Chapter 5
“Aurora, you need to get up,” Jessie said, giving me a gentle shake.
“What is it?” I asked, feeling groggy. I hadn’t actually been sleeping, but I had sort of dozing, for lack of a better, word. “Is it sunset already?” It felt like the middle of the day.
“No, it’s actually early afternoon, but the police are here and they want to speak with you.”
“What?” I sat up in bed, disoriented. Jessie was fully dressed in a gray sweater and dark pants.
“Why are they...?” I rubbed at my eyes, trying to get oriented. I’d spoken to the police right after they’d found me and Fred and the other teens that Jessie’s grandfather had snatched. No one else could remember anything, so I feigned memory loss, too. I thought that had all been settled, but apparently not. “I’m going to need something to eat.” I said, but Jessie had anticipated me, thrusting a large glass into my hands.
“Try to hurry,” he said. “They know you’ve been sick, so it’s not unexpected that you might be in your nightgown.
“Okay, good,” I said, my voice sounding a little echoey because I hadn’t bothered to pull the glass away from my lips. Lying to the police was nerve wracking enough as it was without constantly thinking about ripping out their throats. I needed to be in control of my appetite.
“What do you think they want?” I asked.
“Probably just trying to get more information about what happened,” he told me. He cocked his head to one side and lifted a finger in the air. “They’re coming,” he said in a low voice.
A moment later there was a knock at the door. “Mr. Wanderlind,” Viggo said through the door. “There are some policemen here to speak with Miss Aurora.”
“Tell them to come in, Viggo,” Jessie said in a calm voice.
I sat up in bed and Jessie quickly stuffed a few pillows behind my head. Two men entered the room. Neither was in a uniform. They both wore rumpled sport coats and I could smell that at least one of them was a heavy smoker. In fact, the odor was so strong, I was sure I could have smelled it even without my heightened undead senses.
“Aurora Keys?” the older one of the pair asked. When I nodded my head, he continued with, “Sorry to bother you when you’re under the weather, but we’ve still got a kidnapper out on the loose and a pretty damn perverted one, if I’m any judge.”
“That’s okay,” I told him. “I’m happy to help.”
“Excuse me,” Jessie said, inserting himself into the conversation before it got too far along. “I’m Jessie Vanderlind. I didn’t catch your names.”
“I’m Detective Bowers and this is Detective Gobel,” the older man said. He was probably in his fifties and his partner was probably around thirty-five. Underneath the smell of cigarettes, there was the smell of cheap cologne and bitter soap. After that I could smell the pungent musk of their bodies. They weren’t the most appealing men in the world, but being in the same room with them still made my stomach growl. “I know she’s unwell, but we’d really like to speak to Miss Keys alone.”
Jessie looked from one of the detectives to the other and then said, “No.”
Both men processed his one word reply for several seconds. And then Detective Bowers pulled a chair that was leaning against the wall closer to the bed and took a seat. I could tell that Jessie found the man’s behavior rude, but he said nothing. Gobel just stood there, notebook in hand, pen at the ready. I wondered if cops ever considered recording these kinds of interviews, or if that would somehow violate my rights. They probably only recorded people who they arrested or brought in for official questioning.
“I read your statement that you gave after they found you and the other kids,” Bowers began. I didn’t say anything, but listened attentively. He went on. “It didn’t give us much to go on.”
“I’m sorry,” I told him. “I keep going over everything in my head, but it’s no good. I just can’t make myself remember.”
“They did a toxicology screening at the hospital while you were there,” the detective continued. “None of you kids showed any trace of drugs or alcohol in your systems, so it seems pretty peculiar that none of you can remember anything.
“I know,” I told him. “And I swear to you, I’m really trying.”
Bowers frowned and scratched at the stubble on his chin. “Have you spoken to any of the other children since you were released from the hospital?”
“No.” I shook my head.
“She’s been quite ill,” Jessie said. “She’s barely been out of bed.”
“We understand,” the detective assured him. “And we appreciate her time. It’s just a pretty damn important crime that we’re trying to solve, here. I bet neither one of you wants more of your friends snatched off the streets. The next group of kids might not be so lucky.”
“I really want to help,” I insisted. “Please, ask me whatever you want. Maybe it’ll shake something loose.”
“They found a pile of burnt rags very near to where you were discovered,” Detective Bowers said. “We had the lab run some tests on a sample and it came back showing that it was human DNA.”
“On the clothes?” I asked.
“Um… Yeah,” he said. The detective exchanged an uncomfortable look with his partner. “The clothes were mixed with some human remains. Kind of like what you’d find after a cremation.”
I gave him a confused look. “Cremation?”
“Yes. There were human remains in some old clothes.”
“I don’t understand,” I told him.
Detective Gobel chimed in with, “Yeah, that’s the problem; neither do we.”
“Maybe it was spontaneous combustion?” Jessie suggested.
“What?” I asked, giving Jessie an alarmed look.
“It’s the ignition of organic matter without apparent cause. It’s usually hay or coal or something like that, but there is some evidence to indicate that humans can spontaneously combust.”
“There’s very little evidence for that,” Detective Gobel insisted.
Jessie shrugged. “How else do you explain it?”
I look at the detectives. “So you think the guy who grabbed me just somehow burst into flames?”
“W
e never said that,” Detective Bowers said, a little too quickly.
“Then why are you here?” I wanted to know.
“We just wanted to ask you if you had any recollection about it. Why was there was a pile of incinerated human remains at the crime scene? Do you have any idea who it might have been?”
It was right then that Detective Gobel dropped his pen and bent swiftly down to retrieve it. His movement cause a mild shift in the room’s airflow and a waft of his scent floated over to me. I gulped and gripped the bed’s comforter tightly. “You need me to identify a burned body?” I asked. “You mean like go down to the morgue or something?” I knew perfectly well that wasn’t what they were asking, but the mere thought of it upset me. Not because they would want me to go out in the daylight, but because I’d already been to the Tiburon morgue once in the seventeen years I’d been on the planet. And that was to help my great grandmother identify the body of her sister, Colette Gibson; the girl I used to be.
I was losing it. My hands clutched the comforter even tighter, tearing small holes in the fabric. I knew on a conscious level that draining two detectives who had come to question me would be a huge mistake, but that didn’t stop me from desperately wanting to do it. The animal inside of me was taking over.
Jessie must have sensed that I was clinging by a thread. “Gentlemen,” he said, stepping forward to draw their attention. Both men glanced up and he fixed them with his eyes. “The fiend who kidnapped Miss Keys and her friends is dead. You found his remains. He will not be bothering the citizens of Tiburon, or anyone else in this world, ever again.”
“But,” Detective Bowers stammered, “DNA testing shows the remains were over a hundred years old. They couldn’t have…”
“The kidnapper is dead,” Jessie insisted, fixing him in his sights more intensely. “You are convinced of this fact and have no reason to investigate this case any further.”
“I think we have everything we need,” Detective Gobel said, snapping his notebook shut.
But Detective Bowers shook his head. “There’s just too many loose ends that don’t tie up.”
“You have everything you need from Miss Keys,” Jessie said, focusing all of his influence on Bowers.
“We have all we need for now, Miss Keys,” Bowers said, getting to his feet. “But don’t leave town any time in the near future. This is an ongoing investigation and we might have more questions.”
“I understand,” I told him, desperately wishing they would just get the hell out of my room before it was too late.
“Good afternoon, gentlemen,” Jessie said, showing them to the door.
I let out a gasp of relief when he’d closed it behind them. Part of me wanted to rip the door off its hinges and pursue them down the hall, but that was only a small portion of my being. The rest of me felt in control.
“That’s not good,” Jessie said, frowning as he returned to my bedside. “Detective Bowers is remarkably strong. His mental faculties are impressive.”
“Do you think it’s going to be a problem?” I asked.
“Not as much of a problem as if you had suddenly sprouted fangs and tried to rip out their throats.” I gave Jessie a panicked look, but he simply smiled and kissed me on the forehead. “Don’t worry. It’ll get easier. I promise.”
Chapter 6
Things started moving very quickly in terms of our departure. They had to. The Bishops were demanding that we appear almost instantly and it was only due to Alice’s cajoling several officials over the phone that we were given any grace period at all.
Jessie arranged it so that my mother’s fancy new job needed her immediately. Her employers even supplied movers to help pack her up and get her on her way. “I’ve barely had to lift a finger,” she told me on her next visit. “And they’re treating all our stuff like it actually has value. Everything is bubble-wrapped and placed in sturdy boxes. They even told me they’d show up on the other end and help me unpack.”
“That’s great,” I told her, snuggling in her arms. I’d guzzled more than a liter of blood in anticipation of her arrival, so that I could just enjoy being with her without thinking about my belly.
“Oh, there’s something I need to talk with you about,” Mom said, suddenly frowning. “It’s about Grandma Gibson.”
“Oh?” I squeaked, fearing the worst. My great grandmother was closing in on her one hundredth birthday so anytime there was “news” it made my stomach lurch.
“No, it’s nothing like that,” Mom hurriedly assured me. “She’s fine. It’s just that I want to move her with me to Denver, but she’s refusing to go.”
“Oh.” It just figured that my great grandmother would be stubborn about something like this. She was the only mortal in Tiburon, Ohio, outside of the castle’s household staff, who knew that the Vanderlinds were vampires. She’d warned me about Jessie, doing everything within her power to keep us apart, but I wouldn’t listen. And now I was a member of the undead. She’d been right after all.
My emotions were in a tangle. I loved Jessie and every fiber of my being wanted to be with him. He was kind and brave and handsome. But I’d sacrificed an awful lot to be with him. I’d given up daylight. I’d given up sunshine on my face. I’d given up watching the sun rise and then seeing it set. And I didn’t even want to start thinking about all the food I would never be able to eat again. Ice Cream, chocolate, and cheese all topped the list, if I ever allowed my brain to stray in that direction. And all those things weren’t even the worst of it. I still had more sacrifices to make. Transforming into a member of the undead had separated me from my family forever. That was the hardest part to bear.
“Why doesn’t Grandma Gibson want to leave Tiburon?” I asked. She didn’t have any particular friends at the old age home where she lived, that I knew of.
“She says she needs to stay here for you,” Mom told me. “She feels like she has to protect you. I guess she’s worried about you being sick.”
“Oh.” I felt my stomach lurch. Grandma Gibson was still probably trying to save me from the Vanderlinds. She still wanted to protect me from Jessie. She didn’t know that it was too late. I was a member of the undead. The best thing she could do was go with my mother to Denver. “I’ll call her,” I said. “I’ll call her and talk to her. I’ll let her know that I’m alright.”
“That would be really helpful, sweetie,” Mom said, kissing me on the head. “I know you won’t be able to visitor her before we move, but I’m sure she’d love to hear from you.”
After my mother left, Jessie gave me some time alone in my room to cry. Vampires in the movies are always so cool and collected. I was an emotional mess. I knew once everything got ironed out and I adjusted to my new life I would probably do a lot better, but at the moment, I was in a lot of pain. When I was a mortal, I had foolishly believed that if I could just find a way to be with Jessie, then everything would be alright. But that wasn’t the way it was turning out. I guess we were destined to be star crossed lovers, no matter the circumstances.
“I need to see Grandma Gibson,” I said, when Jessie came into the room to check on me. “She’s refusing to move with my mom because she thinks she needs to stay here to protect me.”
Jessie shook his head and gave a rueful smile. “She sure is a feisty one.”
“Will you help me?” I asked. “I want to see her tonight.”
“Of course,” he immediately said, taking my hand. “I know this has all been very…” he searched for the right word, “turbulent for you. Whatever I can do to make it easier, please just ask.”
Jessie was so wonderful. He was like a storybook prince. “Just this. And not running off to Budapest without me,” I said, draping my arms around his neck.
He lowered his head to kiss me. Being a member of the undead had turned my world inside-out, but one thing hadn’t changed; Jessie’s kissed still filled me with electricity from the top of my head to the tips of my toes. “Oh, Jessie,” I sighed, pressing myself against his chest.<
br />
“Aurora,” he whispered, his voice ragged with feeling.
We kissed again and the world melted away. I couldn’t think about all I’d given up and all the dangers we had yet to face; all I could think about was wanting to feel his flesh against mine.
We’d made love once when I was a mortal and I thought I would never see him again. It had been the most wonderful, most pleasurable thing I had ever experienced in all of my seventeen years. I felt a quickly increasing yearning deep down in my body just thinking about it. All of my emotions contracted and intensified down into one burning feeling; desire.
I pushed him backward onto the bed and then climbed on top of him, my body singing with the pleasure of feeling him beneath me. I knew by the pressure beneath my legs that he wanted me just as much as I wanted him. “Let’s be together,” I said, sliding up against him and kissing his lips. “Let’s be together now.”
Jessie let out a low, reverberating moan that sent a million tingles racing up my spine. And then he deftly rolled me off of him and got to his feet.
“What are you doing?” I asked, completely confused. I wanted him and I knew that he wanted me. “What’s going on?” I had to wonder if I’d been so lost in kissing him that I hadn’t noticed that one of the servants had entered the room.
Jessie cleared his throat. “I want you, Aurora,” he said. “Believe me, I want you more than…” He shook his head with dismay.
“I want you too,” I said, sitting up with every intention of wrapping my arms back around him.
“But,” he said, holding out an arm, palm flattened toward me to keep me at bay, “I think we should wait.”
“Until later tonight?” I ask, wondering if he was concerned about my visiting Grandma Gibson.
“No.” He shook his head. “Longer than that. I think we should wait… You know,” he said, looking about as embarrassed as a vampire can look.
“Why?” I asked, feeling bewildered and a little bit hurt. “We’ve already been together.”
