Silver

by Pieslak, Dixie

  I felt Brecken react just before that group and Russell showed at the Tavern door. And Conor reacted too, so I believed it was a vampire thing. They somehow knew when another was around. Well, I knew that too, apparently. Logan, Brecken, Conor, and now Russell. My life had turned frighteningly fictional. No way to pretend I was imagining it all when one sat right in front of me, ready to control my actions at any odd moment.

  “I asked you a question.” Russell’s impatience leaked through. “You thinking about him?”

  “No. I’m not thinking anything.” I was tired of sitting around and was losing the patience to sound helpless and cowering. “You’ve got me, Russell. Now you want my thoughts, too?”

  “Hey, sweetheart, I just figured I’d warn you. I know Brecken and you can’t trust him.”

  He knows Brecken? Oh, my God. I couldn't help yelling at him. “Listen, Brecken has never hurt me. Never kidnapped me! Never done anything to me!”

  He squinted, angry at my defense. “There’s a lot you don’t know about him, Henna. I’ve taken you, but you’re not hurt. I’ll keep you safe. You think you know him but he’s been keeping secrets. He pretends. Brecken is nothing like you think.”

  I tried not to listen, but his words cut deep. It's true that Brecken was not what he pretended to be.

  “He came to see me after I spotted you in the Tavern? Did he tell you that?”

  This wasn’t news I wanted to hear. They talked to each other? Something crushed inside, but I faked, playing the role. “Not much chance for Brecken to tell me anything. You kidnapped me, remember? I haven’t seen him.”

  “But he could have called you. We had quite a talk. Not the first time we’ve talked, either. I’ve been by his place behind the big house, too. Known him for a while and you can’t trust him at all. His name probably isn’t Brecken, but mine is Russell and that’s the truth. I can tell you lots more.” He beat a rhythm on his leg and looked smug.

  I wanted him to go on but I was scared of what he might say. Somehow I felt safer having the truth hidden, with Russell unaware that I knew anything at all about what they were. “I don’t want to talk about Brecken,” I snapped, then caught myself. “I mean, if you don’t mind.”

  He turned back to the television. I curled in a chair and shut out the rest of the world.

  My head drifted and the next time Russell said something to me, I was very much thinking about Brecken. Not lies or whether he was genuine, but the good stuff. His sexy smile, the constant attention, the frank desire to be around me. My own desire to be with him. Nice things, play, long walks and quiet hours of me watching him watch me. But I was sort of afraid to stay in the warmth of those memories. They were precious, but they made me feel desperate.

  Russell was sharing his plans. “We’ll move on tomorrow night. Go up North.” He flipped the remote control onto the table and leaned to my chair and touched my hand. I edged it away and he frowned but let me.

  “It’s Ashley's territory, but I have an agreement for us to stay there a while. I’ll teach you what you need to know. Believe me, Henna, you’re going to get the shock of your life.”

  I ignored everything but the moving part. “North?” I thought of my Mom's house. “Where?”

  “Town called Walnut Creek, near San Francisco. You probably know it, since you lived around there.”

  I sat up. “How do you know that?”

  “Internet,” he grinned happily. “Aw, Henna, don’t you know I’ve looked for you ever since you left Venice Beach? I don’t do computer stuff so I had someone do it for me. There was an advertisement from the Village Tavern and your name showed up. There you were. And here you are.”

  I stared at the ground. So easily he had found me.

  “Henna,” he spoke distantly and mirrored my earlier thoughts. “It's easy to tell when you’re close by. You look pretty, you know. Even better up close like this.”

  I squirmed, uncomfortable with his eyes roving across my face and hair. I’ve been with him for almost a full night and day and he hasn’t touched me. No suggestive looks or words. No feeling I was in that kind of danger. No bites. I scooted off the chair and went to the kitchen for a drink just to get away from him.

  Like before, I tried to act normal. I brought him a glass of water, with ice in it since Brecken chews on ice. No thanking smile. He set it on the table and ignored it.

  “It’s going to be great having you in the house all the time, Henna. Seeing you every day. Talking and going out together. I’ve been waiting for all that.” He looked vaguely past me.

  The hours of T.V. were senseless hours of boredom, but being bored was better than this overly intimate conversation. I wanted his attention off me and put on my cheerful face. “What do you like best on TV?” It worked.

  “Oh, I watch everything. Lots of free time.” He grabbed the remote. Back to channel surfing.

  I sunk back into emptiness.

  Chapter 64

  We decided Louie would search the expansive Inland Empire to the East while I meandered through the more likely cities surrounding Los Angeles. We sensed occasional unfamiliar vamps tucked in amongst the millions of humans and called any numbers we squirreled out of them. None knew Russell and zero sign of Henna.

  There were fewer of our kind than we expected; good for humans, not so good for finding Russell. No one recognized the names of his followers. Louie suspected they were newbies, but as far as I was concerned, they were deader than dead.

  Just before dawn, Conor drove up and gave Christina new memories about where Henna was. He planned to phone Jeff later and tell him Henna was sick and he'd take her stint that night. Then he spent the day in my room, phone ready, hoping she'd return.

  I roamed up the coast to Ventura. Logan, for what good it did us, reported that only one vamp had passed through since he moved in and she only stayed one day.

  There were literally hundreds of miles to search. All night we drove and into the next day, constantly on the phone to each other. For me it was quick, as I would recognize Russell’s energy, but Louie had never met either him or Henna and was compelled to verify every sensing. That took slow diplomacy, since vamps are naturally skittish, but Louie excels at diplomacy and exudes the power of centuries. All I exuded was raw voraciousness to find and destroy.

  The second night before Conor left for the Tavern, we converged in Claremont to hash out our options. I gritted my teeth and asked Louie to call around police departments and ask whether an unidentified woman's body had been found. Negative answers were the only sparks of relief I'd felt in twenty four hours.

  “You'd think some other vamps would sense her,” Conor commented. “She feels so much like one of us.”

  “What?” In a flash I had him slammed to the wall, fangs in his face. “What do mean, she feels like us?” He gurgled, trying to talk, but my hand was crushing his throat. I loosened my grip.

  He coughed but recovered fast. “You said she drank blood and it was gone out of her, but she still kind of felt vampire, even two days ago. I thought you knew that.”

  Denial raged and Louie was at my side, pulling at me. “The Silver,” he said. “Ease off, Brecken. Conor isn't the problem here.”

  “You know Silver can't be sensed. And it wouldn't make her one of us.” I snarled and whipped to Conor. “Why didn't you tell me about this before?”

  “Like I said, I thought you felt it, too. I mean, how could you help it? I tried to talk about it but you always shut me down whenever I say her name.”

  How was I so befuddled I missed this? I pulled fangs in and turned away in confusion. “I thought she was okay and it was gone out of her system but she must be turning after all. I turned to Louie. “She hasn't been hurting. Would Silver keep her from getting sick?”

  Louie was shaken, too. “I've never heard of anything like that. Still, if Conor says Henna feels vamp, she does. If she is ... she is, and nothing we can do except get to her and help her finish the process.” He hesitated. “You do
know, Brecken, if she changes before we find her, she'll be able get away from Russell on her own.”

  I closed my eyes. “Or stay with him and go on the hunt. Draining.”

  “A possibility.”

  “No,” Conor cried. “Don't say that. I didn't drain anyone. Didn't even drink anyone. Have faith in her, Brecken. And I didn't say she felt exactly like us.”

  Gutsy guy, but I slammed him again anyway. “What else have I missed?

  His vampire was suddenly out, facing up to me. “Maybe if you weren't so sappy over the rest of how Henna feels.” My fangs flared and he hissed at me. “Let go of me, Brecken. I didn't see anything but what you saw. Not my fault you didn't sense it.”

  He shoved hard at me and I let him fling me off, his words boring into my head. Was he right? Have I been so entangled my own issues that I missed the bigger picture?

  Louie was frowning. “All this is fascinating, but it doesn't help us find Henna. You still want to find her, brother - or not? Your call.”

  My chest heaved and saliva ran. “I want her, no matter what. Human, vampire … she just does it for me. Oh God, Louie.” I gulped. “Henna is my Sonja.”

  “Yeah,” he said softly. “Then let's get going. On the off side she makes her way home, write a note for Conor to leave at her house. Then we'll continue as we decided.”

  I wrote the note asking her to call immediately and underlined my number. Louie gave me a quick hug of encouragement. Conor looked hard at me and I looked back. Then I nodded, the best apology I could manage. He picked up the note and headed out the door.

  Chapter 65

  Russell whooped. It was windy and dark and I was in a panic charge for freedom. I raced along the beach, heading for the lights on the pier, knowing it was futile and running anyway. I had to try. Russell was a short ways beyond me. He could chase me down in an instant and chose to play, instead. I had no choice but to do his miserable game of chase. This was my only chance to get away.

  I heard him splash as he ran along the edge of the waves. I pumped on the wet sand just beyond reach of the water and it crashed and rolled towards me, then receded to rise and crash again. Raging, dark accompaniment to my hopeless flight.

  My breath rasped, but my body responded to adrenaline and the drive to reach the pier. It seemed so far away but there was no fog and lights were easy to see. I felt a surge of strength from some inner source. It was an awesome and wasted strength, since it wouldn’t be enough. I could never outrun him.

  “He-e-nna-a,” he called in a singsong voice. I heard him zigzag, toying with me, letting me believe I could reach the long pier and the highway with cars and stores and people. So close and so remote from this cruel game.

  I could have screamed, but screaming could alarm Russell and he’d take me down fast. So I ran, knowing my efforts were pathetic, yet not willing to give up the only chance I had. The lure of the beach town and people fueled me and I was used to running. Not on wet sand, but at least the sand was nearly flat, not uphill sidewalks. My toes dug into the coarse wetness, giving me extra traction.

  The pier was getting closer, but I had no plan of what to do if I managed to reach it. There was no hiding under it and no way to climb up from the beach, though it was possible to go alongside towards the highway and the people. Running through that dry sand would be hard and it sloped away from the ocean. I’d try, though. It was a desperate plan and I knew it. For sure he would catch me before then. Yet, the pier was right there and Russell still toyed around.

  Why had he brought me here? Was it for this? To see my puny attempts to escape? Why did he prolong the chase? Was this mockery of freedom a lesson?

  “He-e-nna-a-a.” From high up on the sand that time. Then behind me again and I could tell he was closing the gap. I could hear him, could feel him bringing this flight to an end. His teasing laugh rose behind me, spurring me on.

  He had led me to the fire pit, carrying a log, blanket and the bag of food. He messed with matches for a few moments and got a blaze going. I stared at the flames, prisoner on a public beach, and hoped for a chance, any chance. Russell circled the fire. “This is like families do,” he said, waving his arms. He scrounged through the bags, tore open packages and pulled out food. I settled on the blanket and took off Alina's wide shoes to empty the sand. Socks off too, and he laughed at me.

  “Hungry, Henna?” I watched him stuff a cold hot dog in his mouth then spit it out. “You need to burn them crisp. Not good cold.” The eating sham was for my benefit but I turned to the pit, ignoring him. The wind blew my hair and the fire made jerky shadows. I shivered and buried myself inside.

  Then came the orders. “Roast this while I get the sodas.” He handed me a hot dog skewered on a metal clothes hanger and left me to blacken it over the fire while he went to the car. I watched him flit across the sand. Scant seconds to go the distance I had trudged over. I’ve never seen anyone run so fast. Why didn’t he worry about giving himself away?

  Under the parking lot lights, I saw him poke his head and arms into the trunk of the car and the empty beach stretched towards the brightness of the pier and the town. The people. I dropped the hanger and lunged towards the hard sand along the edge of the waves. I ran like I had never run before, and in no time I was at the water and angling towards the pier and help. And Russell starting whooping.

  I saw the figure of a woman under one of the bright pier lights. She was facing out towards me and I made her the focus of my efforts to escape. Maybe she'd call 911. Maybe Russell would back off. My heart thumped and I grasped at those straws. And the woman jumped from the pier down into the receding wave.

  That was wonderful, and that was wrong. The distance was too high, yet she didn't seem hurt. I threw my panic and hope at her. “Help me! Help!” I shrieked. My breath rasped but my legs churned with desperate will. The woman moved towards me and Russell called my name.

  To me, events sometimes occur in a flash, like the car accident. Or life slows down and every detail is crystal clear. This night moved into the crystal clear.

  I veered up onto the dry sand, trying for the highway, and the stranger shouted. “You’re trespassing on my beach, girl.”

  Russell yelled, right at my shoulder. “Beaches are free territory, Vanna, you bitch. Get out of here.” And his arm swept around me, lifting me in the air and slamming me down behind him. My face scraped into the grainy sand and I lay there, gasping, Russell firmly planted between me and help.

  “Stay there.” His orders were strong and I wanted to do just what he said. “Shut your eyes.” I did and felt the grit in my lashes.

  But this was a compulsion I was able to resist. I rubbed my eyes clean and saw my help moving in front of Russell, but not helping. And sickening vibrations rolled across me. She was screaming and glaring at me, but focused mostly on Russell. My breath caught. Another vampire! My fifth, as though I were a perfect magnet. Frantic, I clutched at the cold sand and felt my throat gag. Maybe I could still run. If they didn't look at me. But Russell's feet were inches from me and - no - she was charging.

  They didn't dodge and jab, but grappled like wild cats, hissing and slashing. I froze at the raw power and I couldn't grab enough air to run. They rolled to the water, twisting and swinging, then separated and sprang again, clawing, clothes shredding. The ocean waves swelled, engulfed them and pulled back. The two stood, feet sunk into the sucking sand, and sprang again.

  The woman, Vanna, was strong like no woman can be. She had Russell in the air, dropping him hard and falling on him, head buried between them, arms flailing. Vicious snarls assaulted the air. Muffled thumps. Sprays of sand. Sprays of water as the powerful surf tugged at them. Two bodies rolling as one into the next wave. The wave foamed near me and the two vampires were nowhere. Then the water slid back and I spotted them on the sand, still grappling.

  Russell cursed viciously and I saw him kick up, saw Vanna thrown back, landing hard, skidding with the receding wave. She sprang back, right to me and Russell l
unged on her, so fast, smacking and tearing at her head. Dark blood splattered my arms. Their entwined bodies jerked towards the water and I gathered myself to run.

  Too late. Men were on the beach now, watching the fight and watching me. In a flick they were beside me, one big, one average, and - oh God - both vampires. I cringed, wanting to dig a hole and bury myself. Yet, the sound of a siren, people from the sidewalk rushing our way. Cries, police, my human saviors scrabbling across the dry sand. “Help me!” I screamed. And something slammed into my brain.

  A body rose, lifting through the air and beyond the waves. I didn’t see her fall. She must have, but I didn’t see it because Russell snatched me off the sand and threw me over his shoulder.

  “Dagger, you handle Vanna,” he shouted. “I'll get hold of you later.” My chin bounced against his back and I saw the bigger vampire move towards the water. Russell dropped me on the passenger seat, slammed the door and, lights off, we squealed out of the parking lot and into the dark night.

  At the house, Russell led me to the bathroom and paced the short hall muttering while I washed the gritty sand from my face and swished my feet under the tub faucet. My body ached from landing hard on the beach. A scrape ran along one cheek from hairline to chin. I splashed it gently. Sore, a few layers of skin missing but thankfully, no blood.

  Russell barely glanced at me. He was grumbling and his words were confusing. “He’ll hear about it. He'll know it was me.” Frustration poured from him and he cursed. Little spits sprayed the air.

  I backed to the tub, afraid of his anger. He noticed my bruised cheek and frowned and jerked his head at the bedroom. I darted past him and onto the bed. A long look from Russell and the door closed and I was alone in my bedroom prison. My refuge.

  No mind control to resist. No - I rubbed my arms - no punishment for disobeying. Just me in the dark room and lightening flashes of two vampires roaring and tumbling so close in front of me. Two savage beasts in the night, echoing the untamed force of the ocean. Beautiful and horrifying. Coarse and beastly. Unbelievably dangerous.