by ML Michaels
“Sort of,” Asher looked at her seriously before making his decision. “Lagrand was the vampire who turned me into one of his kind. And the same night he turned me, he tortured me by killing you.” he proceeded to tell her everything about that night, making sure to soften the details about her death and completely omitting the rape. There was no reason to traumatize her more, he decided. Eliza absorbed all of this information silently, processing it until it made her head spin.
“So, what do we do now?” Eliza asked.
“We’ don’t get to do anything. I’ll finish him off myself.” Asher declared and Eliza gaped at him.
“Excuse me, but I’m pretty sure I wasn’t hallucinating when you were inches away from stabbing him but you couldn’t seem to do it, so I doubt that you can finish him on your own.” Eliza snapped. Asher bit his lip, knowing she was right. But he didn’t like where Eliza’s mind was headed. He didn’t want her to help him because now that Lagrand knew she was alive; he might use her to get to him. Asher would stab himself first before he allowed that to happen.
“He already knows about me,” Eliza said, almost reading Asher’s thoughts. “I won’t be safe from him either way. And I think I’ve almost died enough times to be an expert on survival.” She timidly raised her hand and brushed her fingers to Asher’s cheek. He closed his eyes and leaned into her touch, and she cupped his face comfortingly. “I’ll be okay this time, Asher. I promise.”
Asher opened his eyes, his gaze filled with undisguised fear and pain. He was about to open up about the feelings he had locked away a hundred years ago, feelings he wasn’t willing to admit but were spilling over anyway.
“I don’t know what I would do if you died again. I couldn't bear it, Eliza,” he whispered. Eliza closed the gap between them and kissed him softly on the lips.
“You won’t.” she whispered back, and Asher couldn’t help but believe her.
***
A week after the incident, Asher received an ominous invitation in the mail requesting his presence at an address isolated from the city. The message also said to bring “his lovely bride” along with him. Asher knew it was from Lagrand.
He discussed it immediately with the gang, and all of them looked apprehensive about the invitation.
“You said so yourself you can’t kill him because he’s your master or whatever, so why are you bothering to try?” Denver asked.
“I can’t let him roam around free knowing what he'll do. Too many innocent kids could end up like me. Killing him is ingrained in my soul just like Eliza will forever come back to fulfill some sort of destiny,” Asher explained.
“What makes you think Eliza has some unfinished business?” Toby asked.
“It's the only thing I could come up with that explains why she keeps coming back to life.” Asher shrugged. Eliza busily wrote down things in her journal before looking up at Asher.
“Besides stabbing you in the heart, what other ways can we kill a vampire?” Eliza asked. Carter snickered.
“I don’t think this is the time to be concocting ways to kill Asher, Liz,” Carter said, and Eliza waved her hand dismissively.
“Not for him, for Lagrand!” she exclaimed, and Asher chewed the inside of his cheek thoughtfully.
“Well, the only things I can think of are cutting off his head or setting him on fire,” Asher answered. Eliza nodded.
“Those aren’t bad ideas,” she mused.
“Yeah, but how are we supposed to do either one of those...those...vampire-killing action-hero things? Carter asked, and Asher looked at him incredulously.
“What do you me we?” Asher asked.
“Come of it, Ash. You know deep down that we wouldn’t let you do this alone,” Toby scoffed. “We’re in this together. Now tell us how to kill that bastard,” Denver agreed. Asher sighed but smiled at his friends in resignation. He was fortunate to have such loyal friends.
Eliza excitedly pushed her notebook to the center of the table for all of them to look at.
“I did some research on the address he gave and had one of daddy’s assistants take a picture of the place. So I started making plans about how to kill him…”
As Eliza continued to explain her plan, with Toby and Denver adding their own two cents, Carter leaned in to whisper in Asher’s ear.
“Dude, your girlfriend is badass,” Asher smiled with pride, not bothering to clarify that he and Eliza never discussed anything about the status of their relationship.
They continued to discuss their plans until nightfall, and as the group dispersed to their homes, Asher couldn’t help but feel elated that Lagrand was nearing his last breath.
***
The group arrived at the address on the invitation. It was, they knew, an abandoned warehouse. Asher pulled the sleeve of his jacket up to look at his watch. Ten minutes to midnight, it said. He looked at his friends' determined faces then to Eliza, who smiled reassuringly at him.
“This is the last time I’m going to ask this,” Asher started. “Are you sure you want to do this? You guys could die.”
Toby grabbed the gallon of gasoline he had placed at his feet and narrowed his eyes. “Stop being a wimp and let’s do this.” Carter and Denver nodded in agreement and got out of the car. Asher sighed and felt Eliza hold his hand.
“Don’t worry. You did tell them to stay out of the warehouse. The plan will work.” Eliza said, and Asher hesitantly nodded. He cupped Eliza’s cheek and kissed her gently.
“Don’t die on me,” Asher whispered. Eliza smiled.
“Right back at you,”
Once they finished setting up the gas containers and giving Denver the matches, all of them coordinated their watches to 30 minutes.
“If we don’t make it out in 30 minutes, set the place on fire and get the hell out of here,” Asher ordered, and the guys reluctantly nodded their heads.
“You both better get out, then,” Carter said, and Asher looked away.
“We will,” Eliza answered for him, and Asher shook his head.
“You’re not--,” Eliza put his finger on his lips, stopping him.
“We’ve been over this. I’m coming with you whether you like it or not.”
Asher shook his head but knew it was useless to argue with her. He was about to go before Carter stopped him, handing him a lighter. Asher looked up at him, confused.
“You’ll know when to use it,” was all he said. Asher pocketed the lighter and nodded at him in thanks.
Eliza led the way to the entrance, and Asher followed. They pushed open the door and walked in. Asher turned his flashlight on, and they looked for a switch, but the lights suddenly lit up, revealing Lagrand standing at the center of the empty warehouse.
“I knew you would come,” Lagrand called, his hands on his hips as he smiled mockingly at them.
Eliza made a move to walk towards him, but Asher held his hand out in front of her and shook his head.
“I need you here,” Asher said softly, and Eliza nodded. Since he couldn’t kill Lagrand, she was going to have to find a way to do it once he caught Lagrand off-guard. Asher walked towards Lagrand, stopping just a few feet in front of him. Lagrand tilted his head.
“Did you honestly think I don’t know what you and your little friends are up to?” I’ve sent my men outside to thwart your plans.” Asher glared but he didn’t budge, surprising Lagrand. “Not going to save them?”
“They can handle themselves. Besides, the best way for me to help them,” he raised his fists in front of him, adjusting his stance. “is to kill you.”
Lagrand raised an eyebrow in amusement. “We’ll see.”
***
Outside the warehouse, Carter, Toby and Denver were surrounded by eight vampires who were closing in on them. Carter held the makeshift torch and a bottle of alcohol to keep the monsters at bay. Toby was trying to get something from his bag.
“The boss said he had a surprise dinner for us,” one of the vampires said. “But they don’t look so appetiz
ing.”
“Hey, I happen to be AB negative, and that’s like, the finest and rarest blood right there!” Toby boasted, and Denver looked at him with both anger and incredulity.
“Is that really something you need to brag about right now?!” he cried.
“Toby, just do it!” Carter cried, and Toby took two guns from his bag and shot the four vampires in front of him…with water.
There was silence for a few moments before one of the vampires laughed.
“What were you going to do? Drown us to death?!” the vampire said.
“Maybe you should make use of your nostrils, asshole.” Carter remarked, raising the bottle to his lips.
The vampire frowned as he sniffed. The villains realized that it wasn’t water that Toby had squirted, but gasoline.
Carter blew the alcohol from his mouth to his torch, the flames reaching the closest vampires and setting them on fire. The vampires who got caught in the flames collapsed as the remaining demons scattered in pursuit of Toby and Denver.
Denver took something out of his pocket and threw it at the nearest vampire, who screamed as his face started melting off. He kept up with his projectiles as Toby dropped his toy guns and took out a nail gun from his bag and shot the other vampires in the heart.
Finally, the trio collapsed on the ground, exhausted.
Toby looked at Denver strangely.
“What were those vials, man? he said, and Denver shrugged.
“Chemistry major,” Denver replied. Toby shook his head.
“Remind me not to piss you off.”
“Well, what about you, idiot? Where’d the nail gun come from?” Carter asked.
“Nicked it from woodworking class. Nice huh?” Toby said gleefully. Carter sighed. He checked his watch and cursed. There were only 10 minutes left.
“Man, I hope they’re doing okay in there,” Carter mumbled.
***
Eliza watched as the fight between Lagrand and Asher continued. She was confident going in that Asher could get the upper hand but as the exchange of blows kept piling up, she wasn’t so sure anymore. She peeked inside a large drum by the corner where she stood and saw that it was a quarter full of what smelled like kerosene.
A roar caught her attention, and she turned back to the fight.
She gasped as Lagrand’s kick connected with Asher’s jaw, sending him spiraling into the air and then crashing heavily onto the ground. Asher was coughing up blood when Lagrand picked him up by his throat, choking him.
“Allow me to save you the trouble of dying a slow death,” Lagrand sneered.
“Let go of him!” Eliza screamed, throwing one of the vials Denver gave him earlier. It hit Lagrand’s back and he howled as the tissues on his back disintegrated. He dropped Asher to the ground and ran towards Eliza. She pushed the drum, spilling the contents on the floor before trying to run away. Lagrand caught her arm and twisted it, making Eliza scream.
“You witch! I’ll make sure you never live again!” Lagrand cried.
Asher roared as he got up and tackled Lagrand, who dropped Eliza to the wet floor. Asher rolled them on the floor until he was on top of Lagrand and proceeded to pummel him. Lagrand managed to block one of his punches and push Asher off of him. Lagrand wrapped his big hands around Asher’s throat and started choking him.
“You never learn, boy!” Lagrand cried.
Asher struggled for a moment then smiled at Lagrand as he reached into his pocket.
“Actually, I do.” Asher showed the lighter to Lagrand, the flickering flame making Lagrand’s pupils shrink as fear consumed him, and Asher dropped the lighter.
Lagrand screamed as flames consumed them both. Legrand tried to crawl away, but Asher kicked him back into the flames before falling onto a dry part of the floor and rolling to extinguish the flames on his back.
“Asher!” Eliza screamed. She paid no heed to the fire that was slowly spreading everywhere as she got closer to Asher. She pulled him to his feet, and they trudged out of the warehouse, where the guys waited for them. Toby wrapped Asher up in a huge blanket, and Carter took a match to light up the gasoline they had spread around the perimeter. They hurried to the car, not bothering to watch as the warehouse caught in flames.
Asher slowly lost consciousness, with Eliza’s humming the last thing he heard.
One month later…
Eliza scowled as their new guitarist, Andy, screwed up another song. Toby had insisted that he was good, and his audition backed it up, but it was his attention span that was the problem.
Eliza watched as Andy waved and winked at one of the girls at the table nearest to them, and he messed up another chord. She stepped hard on his toe, making him wince and tried to focus on the song again.
Once they finished, Eliza glared at Toby.
“Replace him!” she said, and Toby sighed.
“Not everyone can be as good as Ash, you know.” Toby pointed out, but Eliza said nothing, her face somber. Carter slapped Toby upside the head.
“Sorry,” Toby mumbled, but the damage had been done.
Asher’s burns were so extensive that he needed a lot of blood to recover. Eliza had offered herself, but Asher was adamant, saying that if he drained too much of her blood that she would turn like he had. When she said she didn’t mind, Asher had looked at her with loathing. The next thing she knew, Asher had left without a word.
He had contacted the boys after a few days of being AWOL, but no matter how many times Eliza begged or pleaded, the guys never told her where Asher was, except that he was recovering.
It had been a month since the fight at the warehouse, and Eliza was getting frustrated.
“Guys, I’m just gonna go ahead. I’ll see you tomorrow.” She didn’t bother waving goodbye and just picked up her things and left the club.
She walked despondently back to Asher’s apartment, where she had been living. Her father wasn’t thrilled with the idea and was even more determined to drag her home when she told him everything that had happened and why he was suddenly short a business partner. But she needed to do this. She and Asher were connected to each other, and she wasn’t about to let him get away. If he were ever going to come back, it would be to his place. And once he got back, she was going to hit him over the head for abandoning her.
She unlocked the door and entered the apartment putting her stuff on the table in the hallway. She flipped the light switch and gasped as the man who’s occupied her every thought for the last month stood at the center of the room, face turned towards her and looking completely calm.
Eliza blinked and she ran to Asher and jumped into his arms, and Asher wrapped his arms tightly around her. Eliza held his head with her hands and peppered his face with butterfly kisses.
“I missed you,” Eliza whispered, and Asher wiped the stray tears caught in her eyelashes.
“I’m sorry,” he said.
“You’re not allowed to leave me again.” She ordered.
“I won’t,” he promised.
Eliza kissed him sweetly, but Asher hungrily returned her kiss, sucking on her bottom lip and making her gasp. He took advantage of her gasp as he let his tongue slide inside her mouth and their tongues battled for dominance. He slammed Eliza into the wall, pinning her hands above her head with one of his. He let his hand travel down her neck, to her collarbone and to her breasts. He squeezed her left breast and she moaned, wrenching her mouth away from his, breathless at his assault.
“I want you,” Asher whispered in her ear.
Eliza shuddered and replied. “I love you.” Asher froze for a moment; his teal blue eyes focused on her face. Slowly, the haze of lust that clouded his eyes turned into something more, deepening their hue until his eyes glowed beautifully. The change in him took her breath away.
“In all your lives, and in the long one of mine, I have never loved anyone as much as I love you. The truth is I've never loved anyone but you,” Asher said.
"I've never had anyone else either," she said nerv
ously. “Something always seemed to be missing.”
Asher swept his arms beneath her and carried her to the bed. He slid on top of her, sitting on his knees with her trapped between them.
Asher lifted his shirt over his head, and Eliza moved her hands around and above his stomach, brushing her lips on his chest. Asher groaned, and he pulled off Eliza’s shirt, then lifted her up to sit on his lap. They kissed as their hands continued memorizing each other’s skin, and Asher removed the clip of Eliza’s bra from her back. He held both of her breasts with his hands then twisted her nipples with his thumb and forefinger before pressing them gently. Eliza cried out and clutched Asher’s shoulders.
He bent down and took one nipple into his mouth, sucking hard. Eliza couldn’t help but cry out. Asher licked her nipple and dragged his tongue to her other nipple. Eliza moaned and pushed him to the bed. She unfastened his belt and unbuttoned his pants, snaking her hand inside to feel his erection. Asher groaned, and he lifted his body up to help her remove his pants. She pulled his boxers down and her eyes widened at his girth. She wasn’t sure if she would be able to accommodate his size. Asher took advantage of her busy mind by shifting his body and laying Eliza with her back against the bed.
He took her pants off and used his teeth to pull her panties down her legs. Eliza was half delirious with the overwhelming feelings Asher made her feel. He placed a kiss on the inside of one thigh and then another, before spreading her secret folds and blowing on her clit. Her hips rose in response to the sensual sensation.
“You should hold on to something,” Asher warned, and Eliza screamed as Asher tongued her, swirling his tongue on her clit before moving it back and forth inside, a promise of what was to come. Eliza scrambled for purchase and grabbed the bars of the headboard for support as Asher continued to ravage her, inserting one digit into her core, and then another. She finally felt herself reach the peak, and her hands dropped down to pull Asher’s head closer to her as she climaxed. Asher lapped every drop of her as her core clenched around his fingers. Eliza collapsed in exhaustion, and Asher removed his hand from inside her.
