The Vampre's Salvation

by Martha Woods

  “Tell me that you have a car,” Veronica said with her eyes closed.

  “I’m a grandmother,” Deidra laughed. “There’s a big, fat SUV parked outside.”

  * * *

  Ally was out the door before Veronica could catch up to her. Feeling the fire of rage burning inside her, she darted up the stairwell, intent on catching the female vampire before she could disappear into the night. There was still hell to be paid.

  Right as Ally was preparing to jump to a lower rooftop, Veronica caught her by the collar of her leather jacket. She swung the female vampire back. Ally crashed into a metal air duct, the surface caving in beneath her.

  “We’re going to talk about our arrangement,” Veronica began.

  Ally snarled from her position on her ass. She pulled her legs beneath her as if she wanted to launch herself at Veronica.

  “Don’t you even think about it. We both know I could wipe the floor with your face.”

  “When did you suddenly grow a backbone? Did you shove Morgan’s cock so far up your ass that it works as a replacement?” Ally pulled herself into a crouching position.

  Veronica laughed. She couldn’t help it. Ally’s quip was kind of funny. She could see that her laughter struck a chord in the female vampire. Her scowl deepened even as her eyes darted about, looking for an escape.

  “Here’s the deal, munchkin. I funded your business so that you could be here to help us out when we needed you. You are paid to protect us. If you’re doing your job, then why did I get a phone call that the witches destroyed our home? Why did Tessa have to tell me that my brother was injured?”

  The look in Ally’s eyes said it all. Her body slumped, knees hitting the concrete. Her head fell forward and her shoulders began to shake.

  “I was trying to move on,” Ally whispered. “When Charley… when she brought Ryan’s head back I lost it. At first, I blamed her. I knew what happened, but I couldn’t stop myself.”

  Veronica’s stomach dropped. Shit. She hadn’t thought this the whole way through and it was coming around to bite her in the ass. Guilt made her tongue heavy as she tried to form words, any words. What did you say to a grieving vampire?

  “Ryan and I…” Ally began, lifting her head. Her eyes looked somewhere beyond Veronica, not really seeing anything. “He wasn’t part of this life, but I needed him. That need got him killed. I should have sent him far away. I should have told him to run as fast as he could. Maybe I should have even gone so far as to break things off with him months ago. Then, maybe then, he’d still be alive.”

  Veronica knelt in front of the female vampire, not sure what to do with her hands. She’d never had girlfriends. She didn’t know how to deal with these kinds of situations. Was she supposed to pull Ally into her arms? Was she supposed to say something?

  She didn’t have any words to say. Ally had been caught up in her own grief, unable to function at full capacity after the witches had killed her lover. She had thrown herself into her work, hunting the witches outside the New York apartment to ignore the pain from the empty space inside her.

  After what felt like nearly an hour, Veronica stood up and went back inside. She hoped that Ally wouldn’t sit on the roof, waiting for the sun to rise. She would send Charley up to pick the female vampire up off the roof later, just in case. It felt awful to have to yell at Ally, but she also had a job to do.

  They all had to live through this.

  * * *

  A marble countertop sat between Tessa and the woman who claimed to be her great aunt. Veronica could see the panic that vibrated through Tessa. The whites of her eyes were visible, her gaze locked on the woman.

  No, her lips mouthed over and over again.

  Kristian stepped closer to her. She flinched beneath his hand. Veronica couldn’t help but wonder if that was due to her fear of this woman or if she truly didn’t want her past uncovered. Would she forever try to look in the other direction? They needed to know why the Calder wanted her. They needed her to help them in return.

  Veronica tore her gaze away from her brother and Tessa, but it was too late. Deidre had already locked onto her train of thought. A deep v appeared in the woman’s forehead. She turned her eyes on Tessa, the look of tough love already on her face. It seemed like a look that settled onto her easily, one that she wore often.

  “Get out,” Tessa said before Deidre could speak.

  She looked startled. The younger witch stepped forward, a snarl on her lips. “Excuse me?”

  “You heard me. This is my home and I’m telling the two of you to get out.”

  “Oh, no. This isn’t how this is going to work, sweetie,” Deidre proclaimed. “It has been a damned long time, Theresa. There is a lot that we need to talk about and you’re sure as hell going to get over whatever it is that you’re so hung up on.”

  “Up until a couple weeks ago none of this existed!” Tessa shouted, waving her hand to encompass vampires and fire throwing witches. “You’re telling me that I need to get over it? And stop calling me Theresa!”

  “Maybe you should calm yourself, sweetie.” Deidre’s words were calm and even. Veronica wondered if she had enough experience from calming the young witchlings of their flick as they came into their powers. “If you had just read the damned book then we wouldn’t have this problem. I get why you hate witches, why you might even hate me.”

  “I don’t even know you,” Tessa growled.

  “A spell was woven over you and your replacement family,” Calla said. “The journal would have broken it on you. Your replacement parents found it and it broke the spell on them. They panicked when they realized their real daughter was dead.”

  “What are you saying?”

  “We’re saying that the people that put you in that institution weren’t your biological parents,” Deidre said. “I’m saying that you have some real family left and you are so hung up on irrational fears that you refuse to acknowledge them. Your family could help you hone that noggin of yours into a fine tuned machine.”

  Tessa’s brow furrowed as she took in the two women. Deidre looked like someone’s eccentric grandmother. It was easy to look into her eyes and want to trust her. It was Calla that seemed off. She acted as if she didn’t want to be there and Veronica guessed that she probably didn’t. Calla had been called Deidre’s escort. She probably had to accompany her elder whenever she left the flock’s territory.

  “Why can I not read you?” Tessa demanded to know as her eyes bore holes into Deidre’s head.

  “Because I’m trained,” Deidre challenged, a glint in her eye.

  “Listen, sister.” Calla’s arms uncrossed. “Whether you like it or not, our blood runs in your veins. You are the only daughter of our High Priestess. Your magic is strong and rare. You would do good to learn to harness it. If not for us, then for your new family. They look as though they love you deeply and for you to learn your magic would help put them at an advantage against the Calder. Then, Deidre and I can go home to our families.”

  “You aren’t going to try to make me leave with you?” Tessa’s voice sounded unconvinced.

  “I would have very much liked you to,” Deidre said. “Your true home is with your flock, but if you think that you belong here then so be it. Who are we to rip you out of the arms of love? I only suggest that you resign yourself to visiting the flock every so often.”

  Tessa visibly relaxed. She studied Deidre’s face for a long moment. Calla looked between the two, something unreadable passing through her eyes. Veronica longed, once more, for Tessa’s gift. She could see that something was happening, a silent war raging between Deidre and Tessa, but she could not fathom why.

  “Stay,” Tessa declared. “But only long enough that I can learn my magic. That’s all.”

  Her voice sounded cold. She was still the same woman, still prone to running. There was still a distrust in Tessa’s voice, in her face. She wanted to shake the girl’s shoulders, to tell her that they had found exactly what she had longed for. She
wanted Tessa to be grateful.

  Kristian’s hand squeezed Tessa’s shoulder. Her hand rose to hold it, a sign that their love would get them through whatever happened. He had taken the news of her blood rather well. He’d told Veronica that he figured she hadn’t been raised by the flock and they hadn’t put anything into her head. Tessa was still the human that they had come to know. The fact that they knew now that she was a witch didn’t change that.

  But, it did change what Tessa was possibly capable of. The two women they’d brought to their New York apartment had claimed that two forms of witch blood ran through Tessa’s veins. She was both Firehaven and Calder. Could Tessa harness the gifts that the Firehaven witches displayed? Or, would the Calder blood corrupt the Tessa that her brother loved?

  * * *

  Veronica slumped in a high backed, leather chair. It could only be something that Kristian picked out. It was good to see that he had healed enough to return to decorating. The whole city of New York was splayed out before them, only an invisible glass wall between them and hundreds of feet of air space. She liked the new apartment.

  Somewhere out there, Jared and Ally were making their rounds. Veronica was still not happy with Ally. She had practically driven the female vampire out of the house once she returned. They’d had a conversation and Ally had been properly apologetic, yet that hadn’t quenched the fire burning inside of Veronica. So, Ally had taken Jared to do perimeter checks. Jared had taken one look at Calla and seemed reluctant to leave.

  But, Veronica liked that they had new allies. She watched the Firehaven witch smack Tessa’s hand with her own bejeweled hand. Kristian had splurged and bought Tessa an ornate meditation chair, a wicker monstrosity with a quilted cushion in bright, jewel colors. The Firehaven matron had taken one look at it and shook her head. She was a stalwart woman, very much set in her ways. She told Tessa that it was the floor or nothing so the two of them sat on the cold, wood floor to meditate.

  “Quit laughing at me, Veronica,” Tessa growled.

  The Firehaven witch slapped her hand again. She jerked back, holding her hand to her chest. The weight of the silver rings had to hurt more than the slap, Veronica thought.

  “I didn’t laugh!” Veronica said, trying to suppress a smile.

  “Not out loud, but you were thinking it!”

  “Shhh,” the Firehaven witch said.

  Kristian stood in the kitchen, brow furrowed as he watched the witch handle his lover. Veronica wondered if he put the marble countertop between them for a reason. It wasn’t much of a physical barrier, but it was enough to keep him in place. He would get over it when Tessa came into her true power.

  “Everything is so much...louder this way. It’s impossible to concentrate.” Tessa’s shoulders slumped. She cracked open her eyes and gave Kristian a pleading look. She still wanted little to do with the witches.

  “You will learn to master this. There are no other choices.”

  Tessa pursed her lips, but turned back to her meditation.

  Morgan appeared, falling onto the couch beside Veronica’s chair. She left the leather chair to fall onto the couch beside him. He pulled her into his arms. Their bodies melded together. Morgan nuzzled her ear. Tessa grumbled in the corner, making them laugh.

  “I have something for you,” Morgan whispered in Veronica’s ear.

  A shiver raced down her spine. She twisted in his arms to study his face. Thoughts raced through her mind. Had he bought her jewelry? He should be buying himself a new car. They’d left the Shelby in the ravine for the witches to burn.

  “Follow me,” he commanded.

  He slipped away and Veronica could barely wait to follow him. She was okay with his gift being in his pants, too. She crept down the hall toward her room. The door closed quietly behind her. Morgan was standing beside her bed. Laid across it was a series of black sheaths.

  “You’re going to learn to use all of these better than me.” Morgan grabbed her by the wrist and gently pulled her closer. He began strapping the elastic sheaths onto her limbs, his fingers lingering against her skin.

  “And here I thought you were going to buy me a ring or something shiny like that,” Veronica joked. It wasn’t like she needed a confirmation of their relationship. At least, that’s what she told herself. She didn’t need to get married again. Marriage meant nothing to her anymore.

  Morgan smirked. He stood up straight and produced a small, velvet box from...somewhere. Veronica had no idea where he had it hidden before he pulled it out. He reached her her hand, placing the velvet box in her palm and closing her fingers around it.

  “I also thought you’d like that, too.” Morgan said.

  Had she been alive, her heart would have thumped. She pulled her hand back, hesitant to open the small box. She looked up to Morgan, meeting his eyes. She hoped that he could see the storm brewing in her eyes.

  “This isn’t a question,” Morgan said before he placed a soft kiss on her lips. His hand held her fingers tight around the velvet box between them. “Think of this as a proclamation. I love you, Veronica. I always have and I always will. Perhaps we both became undead because we were destined to meet despite our distant lives.”

  Veronica leaned into Morgan, her head tilted back to face his. She wrapped her arms around his trim waist and was about to kiss him when a scream split the air. They jerked apart, both running towards the source of the sound.

  Back in the living area, Kristian was crouched atop the marble counter. His eyes flashed between Tessa’s body and the lean witch standing before him. Fire burned in Calla’s hands, but the look on her face was apologetic. Behind her, Deidre stood over Tessa’s body. She jerked back her hand, a small, silver knife flashing. Tessa writhed on the floor, clutching the wound in her chest. Her mouth moved, but nothing came out.

  Veronica moved first. She was faster than she’d ever been before. One moment she was beside Morgan, the next she had Deidre hoisted up by her neck. The witch no longer looked like someone’s happy grandmother. Veronica knew what she was.

  Deidre was a Calder witch. She had led a Calder witch right into their home. She had been fooled by them again.

  Her lips pulled back in a snarl as Veronica felt the air crackle around them. Heat singed her hair for a moment. She felt the impact, but no pain at first. The pain followed in a blinding rush. It radiated from her stomach and on through the rest of her body. Her fingers relaxed against her will. Strength left her body.

  Deidre slipped from her grip. She heard the old woman cackle softly. She would not go down without the witch, Veronica thought. Gathering the last ounce of her will, she squeezed the velvet box in one hand and reached for a blade beneath her shirt with the other.

  “The girl’s power will be mine and no one else’s,” Deidre growled.

  The blade sung through the air towards the sound of the cackling. The edges of her blurred vision were turning black. She heard a soft thud before a gurgling sound filled the room. Veronica slumped to the floor, all of her strength sapped. There was a hole through her stomach, charred and burnt.

  Dying had not felt like this before. The pain faded into cold numbness as the world turned dark.

  “I swear I didn’t know!” Calla’s voice screamed. “I’m not like her. I’m not like her!”

  “You’re going to die here,” she heard Kristian’s voice, low and ominous.

  “No!” Calla sounded shrill, afraid. “Give me the chance to make this right!”

  * * *

  Veronica woke in her own room. The blankets were rumpled on the bed beside her. A cream colored faux fur blanket had been thrown over her. Was there an afterlife for vampires after all? If there was, then why did it look like her bedroom in the New York apartment? Why couldn’t it have been the beach house?

  She turned her head and saw the velvet box sitting on her nightstand. The black box was stark against the cream painted wood. There was a promise of a life she could have had. She only hoped that Tessa had lived, for her brother�
�s sake.

  Her phone vibrated on the same table, startling her. With one eyebrow raised in confusion, she reached for the cell phone. Charley’s face appeared next to a text message.

  Get better soon, Vamp Leader One. It’s mission Rom Com when you’re back in shape. You and Ally need it.

  So she wasn’t dead. While Charley was a demon, she doubted that one could send a text in the afterlife. Her eyes fell on the velvet box once again. It waited for her, patient and unmoving. Kind of like the man who had given it to her. Morgan had never really left her. She’d been the one to run from him. All along, all she had to do was follow him into the fray. She doubted that he’d be too happy about her doing it again after her brush with death, but he’d have to deal.

  If that was what dying felt like, then she’d already faced it all. She could take on the world.

  She could open the box.

  For a long moment, she simply stared at it. Then, reaching with an arm that didn’t ache as much as she thought it would, she grabbed the box. It’s weight was familiar. She’d clutched it like a good luck charm as she killed Deidre.

  Chewing on her lip, she flicked the box open. Nestled inside was a gold band with a coffin shaped diamond. She clamped a hand over her mouth, but she couldn’t suppress the laugh that bubbled up through her. On either side of the coffin shaped diamond was another diamond supported by gold skulls. It was beautiful in such a silly, macabre way.

  She slipped it onto her finger, not thinking which finger she had chosen. Once she pulled it back to admire the ring, she realized that she had placed it on her left hand. She was startled by how right it felt.

  The door cracked open and Morgan slipped inside. His hair was stuck up in every direction. And he looked like he hadn’t eaten anything in at least a day. His skin was nearly translucent. Those dark brown eyes lit up when he saw that she was awake. He crossed the room in an instant, gathering her into his arms. He jerked back, a grimace crossing his face.