To her shock, she saw her mother close to her, tawny curls flattened by the water and clinging to her pale face. On the banks of the river, a car was on fire. Within, Vanora saw a man thrashing about inside, trying to escape.
“Daddy!”
“Vanora! Listen to me! I don’t have much time. He’s coming for me. He’ll come for you.”
“Mommy!” Vanora kicked at the water, trying to draw closer to her mother.
“He’s going to kill me, Vanora. He knows if I’m alive I’ll protect you from him.”
“We have to get away! We have to get out of the water!”
“It’s too late,” Carys whispered. “I’m already dying.”
The firelight revealed red-tinged waves lapping around her mother’s body. Blood trickled from the corner of her mouth, and Carys wiped it away. Just below the surface of the water, the hilt of a dagger bobbed and sparkled in the moonlight. It was thrust into her mother’s chest.
“Mommy, no. Please, no.” Vanora wailed.
Carys seized her daughter’s shoulders and pulled her close. More blood spilled from the corners of her mouth and bubbled on her tongue when she spoke. “My power is your power. He claims you because of a prophecy, but I have seen my own vision of your future. The darkness will consume you, but you will always be a child of my light. Don’t let his lies cloud your mind.”
“She’s over here!” A woman’s voice called out of the night excitedly.
Vanora looked up to see a slight young woman with blond hair racing along the banks.
“You have to go now,” her mother whispered. “You have to return to the world of dreams and leave me to my fate. Remember what I said. My power is your power.”
Then her mother plunged Vanora’s head beneath the waves and the darkness of the river swallowed her. Vanora fought the currents, trying to kick her way to the surface, but the tendrils of darkness dragged her deeper. Above her, she saw her mother’s body silhouetted against the moon in the night sky. A dark shape flitted past the glowing orb, then her mother was violently wrenched out of the water.
Screaming into the murky depths of the river, Vanora struggled to follow.
*
Waking, Vanora kicked at her bedclothes and flailed at the darkness filling her room before realizing she was no longer trapped in the river. Blind, Vanora struggled to see through the murk around her, then slowly her vision returned and she saw the angel nightlight on her vanity gently glowering. Sitting up, Vanora dragged deep breaths of air into her lungs.
“Just a dream,” she whispered.
Trembling, Vanora hugged herself, pressing her forehead to her drawn up knees. She clung to the memory of her mother’s voice and her beautiful eyes, but was horrified by the dream itself. Her parents had died when their car had plunged off a suspension bridge over a river in East Texas and crashed into the banks below. It had burst into flames, killing both her parents.
Wiping her eyes, Vanora sniffled as she wept.
Her brain had to be playing tricks on her. Carys had died in the car with her father. She hadn’t been thrown into the river, or stabbed by an ornate dagger. Carys had burned to death in the arms of her husband.
Flopping over, Vanora clung to her pillow, which was soon damp with her tears. It had been a long time since she’d had a nightmare about the death of her parents, but it had never been so terrifyingly real. The dream clung to Vanora’s mind like thorny vines. What if it was some sort of message from her mother? What if she was truly warning Vanora about danger? And if she was in danger, who was the man she was supposed to fear?
Vanora rolled onto her back and pressed the heels of her hands to her closed eyelids.
She was terrified she already knew the answer.
Maybe she was supposed to fear the man who had already stolen her heart.
Armando.
Episode 5:
The Vampires
It was the hum of the car that drew Vanora out of her slumber. Her dreams weren’t of HIM, much to her relief, but they had not been pleasant either. In the last one she was standing on the lawn of the Socoli Mansion, watching great waves of darkness pouring out of the mausoleum. Frozen in place, she could only watch in horror as the surge rushed her and inky tendrils lifted from the miasma to wrap about her. She wakened just before she was entangled and dragged into the mausoleum to be claimed by the dead as one of their own.
It was a sweet relief to escape the nightmare until she remembered she was on the road to Houston to hopefully save the life of her brother. To make matters even more stressful, Armando was driving her car. Lifting a trembling hand to her head, she winced at the painful thud behind her eyes. The interior of the car was a blur of darkness streaked with light. She lowered her eyelids and rubbed them with cold fingers.
“Are you okay?” Armando asked.
Opening her eyes again, she barely discerned his pale face in the murk that clouded her vision. Reluctantly, she reached into her purse and pulled out her glasses. Shoving them onto her face, her vision improved, but was still hazy.
“Vanora?” Armando sounded worried.
“I’m okay,” she lied.
“You’re wearing your glasses.” His tone was slightly accusatory.
Shoving her trembling hands into her white-blond hair, Vanora rubbed her scalp. “I have nightmares, and sometimes afterward my vision is...off.”
Armando’s elegant fingers slid beneath the mantle of her hair and massaged her neck. His digits were so cold, they actually felt quite delicious against her aching muscles. Turning her face from him, she tried to ignore the way her heart sped up, fighting the urge to jerk away. Didn’t he realize what his touch did to her?
“Did you just have another nightmare?”
She nodded.
“About what?”
Did she sense fear in his voice? His fingers stilled against her flesh.
“Darkness consuming me.” She shivered at the memory.
“I won’t let that happen,” he said at last. His voice was rough and grim.
The cool press of his fingertips elicited terrible, desperate feelings of desire, but they also frightened her. He was so strong; she was so weak. He was a predator; her kind were his prey. Fear slithered through her and she pulled free of his grip. Pressing herself against the door, she folded her arms across her breasts. The soft exhalation of a sigh from the vampire surprised, thrilled, and frightened her. Armando was so very good at twisting her all about.
“Armando, what aren’t you telling me?”
As her car sped down the darkened highway, the vampire behind the wheel remained stoic and quiet. She let him fall into silence for just a half minute before she said loudly, “Well?”
“Tell me about your other dreams.”
“They’re not important,” she answered crossly. She didn’t want to talk about HIM. She didn’t want to even consider that HE was real.
“You’re keeping something from me.” Irritation flared in his tone and he glanced at her, golden eyes dangerously bright.
Vanora smiled at him triumphantly. “Then I guess we’re even.”
“This isn’t a game, Vanora. This world is very dangerous.”
“I know that! Why do you think I ran away?” Anxiety shredded her calm and she clutched her hands together. The bracelet he had given her so long ago glinted in the pale illumination of the dashboard lights. “I know what you really are. What my brother and sister really are. Remember, I saw it!”
Armando slammed his hand against the steering wheel.
“Armando, you can’t be angry at me for being afraid of you! Of them! Of what they did! I thought you weren’t like…like…” She resisted the urge to clutch his arm. A piece of her wanted to feel his touch again, to be consoled, but a much larger aspect of her was terrified of him.
“Like the one who made Roman?” The vampire’s laughter was cold and inhuman. “Vanora, we are monsters with human faces and human hearts. The worst sort of hell, don’t you think?”
“What happened that night...what they did…it haunts me. Terrifies me.” Vanora shuddered, pressing her hand to her forehead. Her vision swam and nausea gripped her. She didn’t want to remember, but the truth was that she couldn’t forget.
“The hunger is a power so overwhelming it crushes us into slaves,” Armando said in a voice that was both softer and remote.
“And nothing can defeat it?” Vanora wiped a tear from her eyes.
The touch of his hand on her cheek rendered her speechless. She desired to nestle into its soothing caress. Instead, she drew away.
“No, Vanora. Not even love.”
July 2007
Vanora was bone weary and a little ragged from her long trip home from the ranch in Bandera. Uncle Nicolau had insisted on accompanying her to Houston, riding shotgun as she drove her new car home. Though she was physically blind, she had passed her driving test with flying colors. She was so adept on relying on her sixth sense that she could pass any eye exam. A new doctor had even declared that the prior diagnosis was inaccurate. Apprehensive about her abilities and her youth, her uncle had insisted on tagging along. She’d dropped him off at the airport before driving the last leg of her journey to the Socoli Mansion.
It was early evening when she arrived and the sun was just below the horizon, yet she knew her brother and sister were awake. After nearly a month and a half away, she could acutely feel their presence, her stomach fluttering slightly. The energy of the house whispered over her skin, darker than she remembered, yet she was very excited to be home with her family.
Summer vacation this year had been different from previous ones. At the insistence of her aunt and uncle, she had spent several weeks in Austin followed by a long stay at the Bandera ranch owned by Aunt Crystal’s family. Vanora had spent long days lounging on the porch of the big ranch house, snuggled in the shade of the tall pecan trees reading novels and chatting with her extended family. Barbecues, horseback riding, and late afternoon dips in a nearby creek had rounded out her adventures. She’d been very cautious with her skin, making sure to always be covered, but she’d still had fun.
Now she was home and the imposing mansion was a welcome sight. Parking her car, she slid out of the driver’s seat.
“Can I help you carry your luggage?”
Vanora started to a stop. Since their unexpected intimate moment on her birthday she’d not spoken to Armando in private. The few times she’d seen him after their kiss, he was with her brother. The vampire had been cordial, but nothing more. Now he stood near the car with the night wind playing with his curls and an amused smile on his face. The mere sight of him made her body sing with pleasure and her cheeks blush.
“Sure,” she said awkwardly.
Armando held out his arms, offering a welcoming hug. “It’s good to see you. You were missed.”
A month of late night talks with Felicia over her deepening feelings with Armando and admonishments from her aunt rang in her ears. Armando had been right when he’d said she was not for him and he was not for her. They were separated not only by their natures, but hundreds of years of life experience. It hurt her to realize that she was probably a mild form of entertainment in his eyes, so she ignored his offered hug. Unlocking the trunk of her small sedan, she tugged out a suitcase and handed it to him.
“Did you have a good time in Bandera?”
“It was a lot of fun. I learned how to ride a horse, shoot a gun, and how to use a hunting bow.” She kept her voice clipped and unemotional, or at least she hoped she did.
Armando grinned with delight. “My, my, you are becoming a force to reckon with.”
“Are you teasing me?” She arched an eyebrow.
“No, no. I’m serious. And you drove all the way home alone. That’s impressive.”
Vanora narrowed her eyes at Armando. It was difficult to discern if he was having a bit of fun with her or being genuine. “Uh huh.” She handed him another bag.
“I did miss you.” A touch of seriousness infected his smile, his eyes sobering.
Vanora pulled her makeup case and overnight bag from the trunk, slamming it shut with her elbow. “What do you want, Armando?”
Armando blinked, then let out a startled laughed. “Excuse me?”
Too tired to feel anything other than cranky, Vanora stepped toward him. “Uh, you kissed me on my birthday, then hardly talked to me before I left for my summer vacation, and then when I return you’re like what…my new best friend?”
“Ah, the kiss…” Armando said rather dramatically.
Peeved, Vanora set off toward the house. To her surprise, he grabbed her arm, stopping her in mid-stride.
“What?”
“You didn’t tell anyone about the kiss we shared, did you?” Armando’s gaze was vivid golden fire.
“You mean like my big brother?” Vanora rolled her eyes. “Yeah. Right. Like I really want him to make a big scene throwing you out.”
“And not Alisha?”
“No. No one.”
“Oh.” Armando looked relieved, but also, perhaps, disappointed.
“Well, I did tell my cousin, Felicia, but she told me to stay away from you because you’re bad news.”
The vampire had the audacity to look hurt. “Bad news?”
“She doesn’t know you’re a vampire. She just thinks you’re a friend of Alisha’s that’s way too old for me.”
“I see.”
“According to her, older men are trouble for young impressionable women like me,” Vanora continued.
Armando frowned.
“Or should I say old men. Really old. Ancient.” It was fun to irk him after the countless nights she had spent awake remembering the cold flame of his kiss.
“I get your point,” Armando said, lowering his arched brows.
“Do you?” Vanora sighed, observing the way emotions flitted over his features too quickly to discern.
“Yes. I’m old. You’re young. I’m a vampire. You’re not. We’re definitely not destined for any sort of relationship.” Armando looked completely somber and a little morose.
“You suck,” Vanora decided, and trudged toward the house.
“Wait!” Armando caught her arm, spinning her about. “About the kiss…”
“It meant nothing, right? A birthday kiss. That’s all it was. I’m not for you, and you’re not for me.” Vanora said the words far more calmly than she thought possible. Even as she said the exact phrase he had said to her, the sentiment wounded her all over again. The fresh pain made her eyes burn with unshed tears.
Armando lowered his lashes, his fingers lightly holding her close to him. “Yes.”
“So, we’re okay. Friends.” She could still remember the press of his lips against hers and the way her body had responded to his touch.
“Always,” he said, slowly raising his face to stare into hers.
“Then, why the drama?”
The vampire gazed at her for a very long moment. His fingers were beginning to chill her, yet she didn’t try to pull away. “There isn’t any. I just…you were gone for so long. You’ve never been gone that long before.”
“I’m seventeen, Armando. I’m leaving for good in December.” She hated how her heart sped up at the thought of him actually worrying about her, thinking about her.
“I thought maybe you left because of what happened between us. I should have spoken to you afterward, I know that. Made sure things were right between us.”
Vanora sighed. She looked everywhere but directly at him. The warm, humid night air clung to her already sweaty flesh and she yearned for a shower. “Everything is fine.”
“Then look at me.”
Vanora smirked. “Is this a vampire trick? Are you going to try to make me forget that you kissed me?”
“No.”
Swiveling her head about, she gazed into his golden eyes. His power did electrify the air around her, but she didn’t sense it trying to penetrate her thoughts.
“Maybe you should
stay closer to home. Not go so far.”
Surprised, she lifted her eyebrows. “What?”
“Roman and Alisha need you.”
Pressing her lips together, Vanora stared at him in confusion.
“You’re very important to them. You anchor them.”
“I have to live my own life.” It was her new mantra, but one she found difficult to utter. Despite her desperate need for independence, she still felt guilt over the thought of leaving her brother and sister behind.
“Of course,” Armando faltered. Shifting his hand from her arm to her cheek, he kissed her forehead, surprising Vanora once again. “You’re right.”
“You’re so weird,” Vanora decided.
Armando laughed, the sound strained, yet somehow happy. “I’ve been called many things…”
“Like what?”
The question unsettled him. Vanora could see it in his expression, but he shoved it away with a wide, fake smile.
“Handsome. Charming. Intelligent. Young.”
“Nah, you’re old.”
“I was made into a vampire at twenty-two!”
“You look older.” Vanora enjoyed teasing him. It alleviated a bit of the tension between them.
“Life was harder then. People guess I'm twenty-six. Tops.” Armando playfully sneered at her.
“Old. So old!”
The front door slammed open and Alisha rushed out. “Snow Pea!”
One second her sister was on the doorstep, the next she had traveled twenty feet and was snuggling Vanora. It was disconcerting.
“Hey, sis. Did you miss me?” Vanora asked, drowning in her sister’s embrace.
“Oh my God! Did I ever!”
Alisha swept Vanora toward the mansion entrance, Armando trailing behind them. Vanora glanced over her shoulder and mouthed at him, old.
***
Alisha was feeling human again. It was a relief to be warmed by the love she felt for her sister, and to once more feel grounded in the foundation of family. Though she hated to admit it, during Vanora’s absence, she had been disconcerted by a dark, predatory coldness that had seeped into her soul. Without Vanora to focus her on the mundane, everyday aspects of human life, she had slid fully into the world of the vampires. They had visited quite often in Vanora’s absence. The entire atmosphere of the house had altered with their presence. Even though the vampires were following Roman’s Laws, their internal darkness called to hers in a way that was frighteningly unnerving. Whenever she was around the others for too long, Alisha felt the hunger within her stir. Her senses became heightened, and she started to regard the world around her with a predatory gaze.
In Darkness We Must Abide: The Complete First Season: Episodes 1-5 Page 21
