Pushing the memories of our four months together aside, I unclipped the back of the frame, took the photo out and laid it face down on the dressing table. Later, when I’d have time, I’d place it in my album. Matt had once been a part of my life, even if only for a short while.
‘You’re very quiet. Anything wrong?’ I spun around at the sound of Alec’s voice directly behind me. His gaze went from my face, to my hand, then to the key and I knew I couldn’t keep it from him.
There was a loud knocking on my front door. ‘Miss Dantonville? Are you in there?’
I groaned. That slightly croaky but belligerent voice belonged to one of my neighbours, Mrs Henderson, head of the Body Corporate. She knew all that went on and what she didn’t know, she made sure to find out. In other words, she was the local busybody. And unless I opened the door, there was a good chance she’d walk around the side of the building and press her face up against the windows to see if I was in. Matt and I once hid from her—behind the settee—pretending we weren’t home. ‘Checking up to see if everything’s all right,’ she would say.
‘It’s Mrs Henderson, from upstairs. I have to let her in or she’ll come noseying around the windows.’
‘You know there’s a solution for that.’ Alec’s eyes lightened in mischief.
‘No! Don’t you dare!’ I knew he could mesmerise people; saw him use it once.
He chuckled.
I palmed the key and hurried to the door. ‘Hello, Mrs Henderson. What can I do for you?’
She was in the process of rapping her walking cane on my front door again and stopped mid-action. Her wide frame filled the doorway, blocking any escape.
‘Are you all right, love?’ She said breathlessly. ‘Such a to-do earlier in the week, what with all the police and ambulance and reporters here asking so many questions. We heard you and your young man were hurt… taken to hospital…’ Her triple chins wobbled in excitement making her look like an oversized ram. ‘Dreadful business, being attacked like that in your own home. Are any of us safe…?’ Her eyes landed on Alec and she stopped abruptly.
Her jaw dropped mid-speech and her hands smoothed down her tent-like dress. Before I had a chance to say anything, nosey Mrs Henderson barged past me into the living room and made straight for Alec.
If I didn’t know what a big, bad vampire he was, I’d swear he backed up a step as she sailed toward him like a battleship on a mission.
Her cat, Salieri, on the other hand, took one look at Alec, screeched and arched it back. Its fur stood on end like porcupine quills as it hissed and ran off.
Mrs Henderson briefly turned to me and said, ‘Strange, that he’d react like that. Did the same, the night the police were here. I hope he’s not getting distemper!’
That was the night I was kidnapped and Matt was seriously injured trying to protect me. It appeared Salieri could sense the undead.
She promptly resumed her advance on Alec. ‘And who might you be?’ she asked in a honey-sweet voice.
‘Um… this is Dr Munro,’ I said. Alec was a doctor and head of Munro Research Labs, a research hospital that specialised in treating blood diseases. I’d been taken there the night I was attacked. Maris, a former lover of Alec’s, had tried to kill me by taking as much of my blood as she could, but in the process it had destroyed her. I’d been shocked to discover my blood is poisonous to all vampires, except those transformed by Lucius—Marcus Antonius’s son—such as Luc and Alec.
‘Well, well, a doctor. And how is your nice young policeman chap? He was here this morning, you know,’ Mrs Henderson said, without taking her eyes off Alec. ‘Saw him from my window.’ I felt myself pale. Next to me Alec stiffened. Mrs Henderson continued on her merry rant. ‘Oh, but you have the same eye colour! How unusual…a brother or cousin perhaps? I had the telly on that night you see and didn’t hear anything—’ she turned to face me ‘—till all these flashing lights woke me early next morning. And then a couple of nice policemen spoke to me—’ back to Alec ‘—are you a GP? You know I have this mild discomfort, right here—’ she placed her hand poignantly on her ample bosom.
If I wasn’t so tense I may have giggled.
‘Mrs Henderson,’ Alec interrupted, ‘I’m sure it’s only mild indigestion. May I suggest some antacid.’ His eyes lightened. ‘Just to be sure, I think it best if you go back to your flat and lie down for the rest of the day.’
‘Yes, lie down,’ she repeated slowly, her eyes glued to Alec’s.
He placed his arm around her shoulders and led her to the door. ‘That’s right. A cup of tea and a lie down.’
I remembered something. ‘Alec wait! I need to give her my phone number. The flat’s going to be empty for a few days.’
‘Good point.’
‘Mrs Henderson, listen carefully.’ He stared into her glazed eyes and repeated my mobile number. ‘Ring Miss Dantonville only if necessary. Now go and have a lie down.’
She nodded dumbly and he closed the door behind her.
‘All right! This time I agree with the mesmerisation.’
‘It has its merits.’ He leaned back against the door, arms folded across his chest. ‘Sommers was here. They must have discharged him this morning.’
‘And he came straight here.’ I sighed, held out my hand and opened my palm. ‘It’s my spare key. Matt had it. He left it on my dresser.’
Alec’s brow creased. ‘I noticed his scent when we arrived. I thought it must be the remnants of his blood on the doorframe. Damn!’ He looked thoughtfully at me. ‘Why come here? He could’ve sent it. And why your bedroom instead of the kitchen table?’
I shook my head. ‘Don’t know, but nothing else was touched,’ I said when I saw the questioning look in his eyes.
‘Mmmm…’ His lips drew together in a tight, disapproving line and he glanced at the window. ‘There’s no time for that now. We should get back so you can have a rest before tonight’s Pledging ceremony.’
The Pledging. It was scheduled for midnight when all the Prefects from around the world would swear their loyalty to Alec and myself. It was binding on all the Brethren in their respective countries and the penalty for breaking the oath was death. Since the ceremony could take several hours, a nap beforehand would ensure I stayed awake and alert.
I placed the spare key back on my key ring. ‘If Matt’s got amnesia, how come he knows where I live?’
‘Detective Delaney probably told him.’
Detective Senior Constable Dave Delaney was in charge of the investigation into the break-in at my flat and the assault on Matt and myself. He interviewed Alec and then later me, at the hospital. To Matt he was both mentor and friend.
‘Of course.’
It didn’t alleviate my uncomfortable realisation that Matt had been here without my knowledge. Had he hoped to regain some of his lost memory by coming somewhere he thought would be familiar? Why did he have to do it behind my back? Yet the fact he left the key behind was proof our relationship was truly over.
After locking the door securely, Alec and I headed out to his car for the drive back to my father’s old-Victorian gothic mansion in Vaucluse. Mrs Henderson wasn’t anywhere in sight.
She must be lying down after her cup of tea, I thought. Salieri hissed at Alec as we strode past, then ran and hid in a nearby bush.
I took a long, last look at my unit as we drove away. Who knows when I’d be back here. Luc and Judy were keen to have me stay with them and as long as rogue elements among the Brethren wanted to seize me for their own purposes, it was safer to remain with them.
As we drove through the wrought-iron gates of Luc’s palatial residence in Fitzgerald Street, the LEDs that lined the gravel driveway lit our way to the front entrance. The house itself was dark. Apart from the porch light and the tiny twinkling bulbs on the Christmas wreath on the front door, everything was in darkness, except for a glow emanating from the top storey where the ballroom was located.
As we stepped into the hall, nobody seemed to be around
. He flicked a switch and the place burst into light, illuminating the stencilled griffins and unicorns that ran the length of the plastered walls, and the stuccoed ceiling with its moulded roses picked out in bold Victorian colours of red, blue and gold.
Luc’s house was a relic of a grander era when riches found on the goldfields of Swan Hill and Bathurst were poured into the lavish houses of the nouveau riche. It was one of the few stately homes that the National Trust hadn’t been able to acquire. And Luc aimed to keep it that way.
Thankfully, he had it modernised where required.
Well, this is home for now, I thought and inwardly sighed as Alec and I strolled hand-in-hand to the kitchen at the other end of the house, feeling less and less the independent twenty-first century woman I once believed myself to be.
List of Characters and Places and Terms
Alec Munro – Vampire, Princeps and together with Lucien Lebrettan, leader of the ‘Brethren’, a community of vampires living in Sydney. Originally a doctor, he had enlisted in the AIF soon after the death of his wife and child. He was later transformed by Lucien while serving in an army medical field hospital in northern France in 1918. He owns and manages a private hospital in Sydney dedicated to blood disease research.
Antonia Pulchra - Daughter of Marcus Antonius Pulcher, twin sister to Lucius. First to carry the Ingenii mutation. Lived for 218 years. Mother of Paulus.
Appius – Vampire, Roman soldier, part of the First Cohort of Frisians cavalry unit, stationed at Vindobala (Rudchester). Took his own life by walking out into the sun, soon after his transformation into vampire form by the Pictish witch, Eithne.
Barbara Norris – Human, Detective Constable, partner of Detective Senior Constable, Dave Delaney.
Bloodgifted – Term given to certain members of the Dantonville family who carry the cursed gene, giving them unnatural long life and youthfulness. Their blood alone provides vampires with superior strength and senses and the ability to tolerate the sun. They are much coveted by the Brethren community and were the epicentre of two previous rebellions; the first taking place in the tenth century, resulting in the deaths of tow of Luc’s men – Galen and Martius – and the other in the seventeenth century.
Cal – Calixtus – Vampire, Roman soldier, First Frisian Cavalry Regiment, stationed at Vindobala (Rudchester), on Hadrian’s Wall, northern Britain. Cursed by a Pictish witch into vampire form. Widower. Bodyguard to the Ingenii. Friend to Alec Munro. Owns an Armagnac distillery in France.
Claudia Cardacci – Human, doctor in the emergency department of RPA. Romantically interested in Matt Sommers.
Clement D’Antonville - Fifteenth Ingenii. Killed in the First Rebellion in 1062.
Dave Delaney – Human, Detective Senior Constable, friend and mentor of Matthew Sommers, in charge of the investigation into his assault.
Douglas Mason – Vampire, surfer-boy transformed by Maris Quesnel. One of a group of vampires who took part in the Third Rebellion to eliminate the Principate. Killed by Alec Munro.
Elders – Group of the world’s oldest vampires, who set the rules by which all blood- drinkers must abide, in order to keep their presence hidden from the human world. They have power over life and death in the Brethren community. They also officiate at every Coming-of-Age ceremony and induct the Princeps.
Eilene Dantonville – Human, wife of John Dantonville. Her first child, a baby named Katie, died of SIDS at aged three months. She and John accepted the infant Laura in place of their deceased daughter, in order to help out Lucien and Judith.
Eithne - Pictish witch and high priestess of the Caledonian goddess, Melusine who cursed Marcus Antonius Pulcher and his men for killing her people in the mid 3rd century, effectively turning him and his men into vampires. She used kidnapped Roman captives as human sacrifices in bloody religious rites.
Fils de salope! – French for, son-of-a-bitch!
Galen - One of the soldiers of the First Frisian Cohort Cavalry Regiment stationed at Vindobala (Rudchester). Cursed into vampire form by the Pictish witch, Eithne. Bodyguard to the Ingenii. Killed by vampire hunters during the First Rebellion.
Gallia – Human, wife of Marcus Antonius Pulcher and mother of Lucius and Antonia. Father was Roman, mother was a Gaul. Lucius inherited her fair hair and complexion. Gallia ran the family estate in Gaul while Marcus was campaigning in Britain. She loved Marcus and supported him after his transformation by the Pictish witch, Eithne.
Gaul – Ancient Roman name for France.
Hades – The place the ancient world believed all souls entered after death. It was divided into separate realms. The good went to Elysium - a type of paradise. The bad were sent to Tartarus – a place of torment.
Hadrian’s Wall – Stone fortification wall in northern Britain that stretches from Newcastle in the east to Wallsend in the west. Built by the Romans in the second century to keep out the so-called barbarians from raiding Roman territory.
Ingenii – Latin term meaning ‘Bloodgifted’.
Jake – Caius Justinius - Vampire, Roman soldier and physician attached to the First Frisian Cavalry Regiment, stationed at Vindobala (Rudchester) on Hadrian’s Wall, northern Britain. Cursed by a Pictish witch into becoming a vampire. Bodyguard to the Ingenii. Friend of Alec Munro. Loves sports cars and racing horses.
Jean-Philippe Louis Auguste de Reynard - Vampire, and 18th century French nobleman who once fought for Napoleon. Lucien’s illegitimate son and Laura’s half- brother. His mother was the Duchess D’Orleans. He is also a well-known portrait artist. First met Laura in Italy where he fell in love with her, unaware he was her half-brother. Introduced himself to her by his second name, Philippe. Lucien broke up the relationship.
Jenny Callen – Human, Laura’s best friend and work colleague in a primary school in Balmain. Lives near Laura.
John Dantonville – Human, Laura’s foster-father and maternal uncle. Judith’s youngest brother; Eilene Dantonville’s husband. Took in Laura as a favour to Lucien and Judith, but came to love her as his own. His pet name for her is, ‘baby’.
Judith Dantonville – Human, thirty-third Ingenii. Pressured into marrying first husband, William Allerdyce, by her father, Owen Dantonville to clear gambling debts. Only meant to be a business arrangement, he raped her on their wedding night. Met Lucien some time after and they became lovers. Later divorced and secretly married to him after giving birth to Laura.
Kwome – One of the Elders. Originally king of the ancient kingdom of Benin. He was
transformed by his teacher and mentor.
Lamia – demon, vampire in ancient Roman mythology. Often represented as a young, beautiful female with the lower body half of a serpent. The lamia were believed to suck the blood of young men.
Laura Dantonville - Part human/part vampire. Thirty-fourth and current serving Ingenii and Lucien and Judith’s biological daughter. Primary school teacher, former girlfriend of Detective Inspector Matthew Sommers, before meeting Alec Munro. She was raised by John and Eilene Dantonville, believing them to be her parents. Ignorant of her relationship to Jean-Philippe.
Lucien Lebrettan – Vampire. Underwent the Change at puberty. Also known as ‘Luc’ to his friends. Born Lucius Antonius Pulcher, son of Marcus Antonius. First Princeps, and Alec Munro’s sire and friend. Laura Dantonville’s father. Secretly married to her mother, Judith. Lucien Lebrettan is the Gallic version of his Roman name, and means ‘Lucius the Briton.’
Lugdunensis – Area of southern France, with its capital at Lyon. Famed wine growing region.
Marcus Antonius Pulcher – Vampire, Roman legionary cavalry commander – Praefectus Equituum - stationed in Vindobala (Rudchester) in Britain in the mid 3rd century AD. Cursed by the witch Eithne and turned into a vampire. Father of Lucius and Antonia. Husband to Gallia. Left Britain after his transformation into a vampire and went into hiding in his villa in Gaul (France).
Marie Duchesne – Human, nineteen-year-old waitress at her father’s, Café Duchesne in Picardy during WW1. Lov
er of Owen Dantonville and mother of his child. Died of influenza late 1919. Child raised by grandfather.
Maris Quesnel - Vampire.18th century French noblewoman who’s family chateau in Maille Maille in northern France was burned down by local peasants during the Revolution. Saved by Sam and later transformed by him at her request. Former lover of Alec Munro. Together with Russell Brandt, she was one of the leaders of the Third Rebellion to eliminate the Principate. Unintentionally killed by Laura Dantonville.
Martius – Vampire, Roman soldier in the First Frisian Cohort cavalry unit stationed at Vindobala (Rudchester). Cursed into vampire form by the Pictish witch, Eithne. Bodyguard to the Ingenii. Killed by vampire hunters during the First Rebellion
Matthew Sommers – Human, Detective inspector. Laura’s boyfriend and rival with Alec Munro for Laura’s affections. Attacked and nearly killed by rogue vampires while trying to protect Laura.
Melander – Human, Roman soldier of the First Frisian Cohort Cavalry Regiment stationed at Vindobala (Rudchester). Sent back as guard to Nepos who had been wounded in a surprise Pict attack. Killed by Calixtus during the early stages of his transformation.
Nepos – Human, Roman soldier of the First Frisian Cohort Cavalry Regiment stationed at Vindobala (Rudchester). Seriously wounded in a surprise attack by Pictish raiders and sent back to the fort by his commander, Marcus Antonius Pulcher. Killed by Terens in the early stages of his transformation.
Owen Dantonville – Human, doctor. Thirty-second Ingenii and Judith and John Dantonville’s father. Unintentionally shot Alec Munro in 1918, and then begged Lucien to transform him to avoid being hanged for murder. Father of Marie Duchesne’s child, born in France 1919. Married off his daughter, Judith, to William Allerdyce in payment of a gambling debt.
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