In silence, they crunched along the drive to the garage. Vanora found herself jumping at the sound of every creaking branch and the sight of every slithering shadow.
“They’re in the house,” Armando said sadly when he noticed her skittishness. “We’re alone.”
Inside the garage, Armando loaded the trunk of the car with her things before closing it. She kept far from him, waiting for him to move away from her vehicle.
“I could drive you.”
“No, I’m fine.”
Folding his arms over his chest, he swiveled toward her. The intensity in his eyes filled her with sudden dread. She felt close to breaking apart. The insane desire to feel his kiss one more time seized her, but instantly the memory of his bloodstained face obliterated it.
“Vanora, please let me take you somewhere safe.”
“I am going somewhere safe. Somewhere I should have gone a long time ago.” Vanora fought back a sob. “God, Armando, it’s all been a lie. All of this. Ever since they died, my life has been a lie. They’re not the same people they were when they were alive.”
“Yes, they are. They are still your brother and sister. Afflicted, but they still love you! I love you!”
“Don’t say that! Don’t ever say that!” Hurrying to the driver’s side of the car, she opened the door and flung her purse inside.
“It’s the truth!”
“I don’t believe you! You wanted us to flee before this ever happened, didn’t you? You wanted to run away. But that wasn’t about my brother was it? What are you keeping from me?”
Armando flung up his hands in aggravation. “I wanted us to be together!”
“And to be together we had to go off and hide somewhere? My brother can be a jerk, but he would have gotten over it.” Something horrible occurred to her. “Or were you really afraid he’d kill you. Has he changed that much?”
“No! Never!” Armando looked aghast at the thought.
“Then why did you want to leave so badly?”
His jaw flexing, Armando stalked back and forth before her, but remained silent.
“See? More lies!”
Vanora slid into her driver’s seat, banged the door shut, and turned on the engine. Gripping the steering wheel tightly, she pressed her forehead to it. If only she could forget what she’d seen. If only she could go back to her naivety. If only Armando would tell her what he was keeping from her. If only she could return to the moment when he came inside her, whispering her name.
Striking the steering wheel with the flat of her hand, she let out a ragged scream. A quick shift of the gears, a tap on the accelerator, and her little car shot out onto the driveway. Looking about, she realized Armando was nowhere to be seen. Hurt, yet relieved, she drove toward the gates.
***
Armando burst into the ballroom, knocking one door clear off its hinges. The vampires were scattered across the bloody room, lost in the blood stupor. Bits of skin, meat and bones littered the floor. Kicking the head of one of the victims out of his way, Armando stalked to where Roman lay among his people.
Vanora’s brother was slathered in blood, but his body was so sated his skin wasn’t drinking up every last bit of it. Lips drawn back to reveal his sharp teeth, eyes hooded, Roman remained unmoving when Armando leaned over him.
“Get up, Roman,” Armando growled, gripping the man’s black shirt and shaking him. “Get the fuck up!”
Thick eyelashes fluttering, Roman struggled to focus.
“Roman, listen to my fucking voice and wake the fuck up!” The fury inside Armando was dangerously close to breaking free. If it exploded out of him, Armando feared what he might do. Thinking of Vanora, he managed to rein in his desire to pummel Roman into so much pulp.
At last, Roman managed to open his eyes fully. “Armando?”
“Get up, Roman. Now! Get up and take care of your fucking people!” Without mercy, Armando wrenched Roman to his feet. Sweeping his arm in an arc, he indicated the vampires lost in their blood stupor. “Get them up, Roman. They’re drunk with blood and death. They haven’t fed in so long they’re bloated ticks. Anyone could come in here and slaughter all of you. Get them up!”
Struggling to concentrate, Roman slightly swayed. “I don’t understand.”
“You kept them from feeding for years! They’ve been half-starved on animal blood. Now that they’ve had human blood, they’re drunk on it. Get them up!” Armando shook Roman violently, satisfied to see his friend’s head snapping back and forth.
Finally breaking free from his malaise, Roman shoved Armando away. “Fine! I’ll do it!”
“You had better, Roman! They need to get up and clean up this fuckin’ mess you’ve all made!” Armando savagely kicked half a ribcage across the room.
“My God,” Roman gasped. He gaped at the remains of the two men strewn about the reposed vampires. “We did this. What have we done?”
“You did what vampires do: feed.” Armando dragged his fingers through his hair. The emptiness within him was a gulf of darkness. He had lost hope. He had lost his light.
“Vanora,” Roman breathed. “Vanora! Where is she?”
“She’s gone,” Armando answered in a dismal tone.
Horror filled her brother’s eyes. In a panic, he searched the room, obviously terrified he may find bits of her among the bloody destruction.
“She left for Austin, Roman.” Dragging a chair out from a table, Armando collapsed onto it. “She saw the feast and fled. She’s gone.”
Overcome, Roman let out a howl of agony.
Armando was instantly on him, grabbing his shoulder and violently shaking him. “Get your shit together, Roman! She’s safe! She’s away from this darkness! This horror! Now take care of your people! Your other sister! You created this family! They’re your responsibility! Do your fucking job!”
Visibly, Roman drew on whatever inner strength he had remaining within his soul. It poured into his posture and filled his eyes. With a curt nod, Roman wiped tears from his face along with the congealing blood.
“Alexander, Angel and Sheila are the oldest. Get them up first and make sure they’re fully alert. Then have them help you rouse the rest. Their power will subdue the younger ones and make them compliant. You need them to clean this room up. Burn everything you can. The bodies need to be disposed of. All of this needs to be gone. Do you understand?”
Again, Roman nodded. “Thank you for being a friend.”
Casting an incredulous look at Roman, Armando moved over to where Alisha laid soaked in blood. “I’m doing this for Vanora. She didn’t deserve this.”
With a somber expression, Roman said, “I know.” The tall vampire then began to search for the oldest of his people among the ruins of the Halloween Ball.
Kneeling next to Alisha, Armando felt his anger leave. Slick, cooling blood covered Alisha. She looked startlingly like Vanora as she slumbered. Armando dreaded the thought of Vanora in similar circumstances, lost in the blood lust. It was best she was far away. Armando had to gather his thoughts, make plans, and hopefully find a way to save her from her destiny.
“Alisha,” he said, in a much more gentle tone than he had used with Roman. “It’s time to wake up.”
***
Alisha gradually stirred when Armando shook her.
“Alisha, you need to open your eyes,” his voice persisted.
It was difficult to obey. Her body felt heavy, sated and numb. Even her eyelids felt weighed down by an all-consuming lethargy.
“Alisha, I need you to open your eyes and look at me. You need to help Roman deal with this.”
Deal with what? Alisha couldn’t fathom why Armando was in her bedroom trying to wake her up. Nor did she understand what he was talking about. What was she supposed to deal with? She felt exquisitely replete and peaceful.
“Vanora is gone, Alisha. She saw you feeding on the humans. It terrified her and now she’s gone.”
Like a slowly blossoming rose, the memory of the feast filled Alisha
’s mind. Consciousness returned like the blow of hammer. “Vanora!” Alisha sat up, gasping, her hands reaching for Armando. He didn’t pull away, but allowed her to cling to him. The horror of what had occurred filled her, obliterating the wonderful torpor she had luxuriated in after murdering the child molesters. “We killed them!”
“And Vanora saw.”
Alisha was shocked to see tears swimming in Armando’s golden eyes. The look of utter devastation on his face said it all. It took only a few seconds for Alisha to understand what had happened between him and her sister. “I’m so sorry.”
“It doesn’t matter now. She left. She’s going to the airport.”
“To go where?”
“Austin.”
It made sense that Vanora would run to the only other family she had now that Roman and Alisha had let her down so catastrophically. “I have to talk to her!”
“Alisha, let her go,” Armando urged.
“How can I? I love her!” Tears spilled down her face, leaving trails through the blood.
“Because you love her you must let her go. Do you want her to be a part of this?” Sweeping his eyes over the chaos that surrounded them, Armando made his point.
Alisha sobbed, shaking her head. There was glitter in the blood that covered every part of her body. “No, no.”
“Me neither. Let her find her happiness.” He sounded as miserable as Alisha felt.
“You love her.”
A brief nod confirmed Alisha’s suspicions.
“She loves you, you know.”
“It doesn’t matter now.” Armando dragged Alisha to her feet. Gesturing toward Roman, he said, “You need to help him. He has to regain control of his vampires. Get this cleaned up and set straight. You only have each other now. He’ll need you.”
Alisha let out a hiccupping cry as that truth drilled into her soul and heart. “Oh, God, we fucked up so badly.”
“Yes, yes, you did.” He gently pressed her toward Roman.
Alisha gingerly stepped over the vampires, careful not to slip on the blood. She turned back to see if Armando was following, but he was gone.
“Shit. We fucked this party up,” Sheila groaned nearby.
“Alisha,” Roman said, reaching out to touch her arm. “Are you okay?”
“No,” Alisha answered truthfully. She went into his arms, welcoming his fatherly embrace.
“I’m so sorry.” Roman whispered in her ear. “I’ll make this right.”
“You can’t, Roman,” Alisha said, sniffling. “This time you can’t.”
Roman’s stubbornness sparked in his eyes, but was washed away by sorrow when he surveyed the room. “Maybe not.”
“I’m sorry, Roman,” Angel said as Alexander helped him to his feet. Yanking off his blood-soaked sequined glove, he tossed it away in disgust. “I got lost in it.”
“We all did,” Sheila muttered.
Alexander nodded, moving on to wake another vampire.
“Where’s Armando?” Roman looked about the room for his friend.
Accepting a sticky hug from Sheila, Alisha answered, “He left. And I don’t know if he’s coming back.”
“Why not?” Roman looked genuinely confused.
“Because we let him down and now Vanora is gone.”
“I don’t…” Roman finally seemed to grasp what he’d been missing for months. “But he’s too old for her.”
“It doesn’t matter anymore. We have all lost her.” Alisha felt fresh tears coming. “Vanora’s gone.” Staring across the bloody, ruined room Alisha felt a strange relief. “She’s away from this hell like she should be.”
***
Gladly falling into her seat next to a window, Vanora tucked her purse under it. Only a few more minutes until the plane took off and she’d escape Houston. It had been a nerve-wracking process getting through security and making it to the gate on time. She’d just made it as they were boarding her section. In a way, she was glad for the rush. There hadn’t been time to sit and think about what she’d seen and what she had lost.
A peek at her phone told her that the plane would be taking off soon. She turned it off and stowed it in her jacket pocket. Nervous, her fingers plucked at the bracelet on her wrist. The awareness of what she was doing gradually bloomed and she ripped it off. The tiny moon and star charms glinted in the dim light of the cabin. Hastily, she shoved it into her purse. She wasn’t certain what she’d do with it, but she couldn’t stand to think of Armando. It was difficult enough to concentrate on just living from second to second without reflecting on the vampire. The ache between her legs and tender spots on her neck and breasts where his mouth had concentrated on making her writhe made her want to cry. She had been so happy, but so reckless.
At one point during her sprint to the gate, she had wondered if he would somehow find a way to say goodbye. He was always so adept at being mysterious. It had been part of what had drawn her to him. And now it was the monster within him that was driving her away.
Vanora.
Startled, she swiftly looked about to see who had called her name, automatically seeking out the flight attendant. Was there something wrong with her last minute ticket? Everyone was busy finding their seats and stowing away their luggage, and didn’t seem the least bit interested in her. Vanora felt uneasy as the disquieting sensation of being watched washed over her. Sitting at the edge of her seat, she again searched the cabin, scared of what she might find.
Here.
Then Vanora knew. Slowly, she turned her head and gazed out the oval window toward the tarmac. As she had feared, Armando stood there dressed all in black, his overcoat flapping in the wind like wings. Though she could clearly see him, the ground crew continued to work, oblivious of the vampire among them. Of course, Armando had abilities she wasn’t even fully aware of. He’d entered her closed room earlier without any trouble.
“Go away,” she whispered, knowing he’d hear her.
Armando’s golden eyes felt like they were boring into her very soul.
You don’t deserve to live in our darkness. I was wrong to try to keep you here. Run, Vanora, run! Don’t ever come back here again. Only Death exists here.
Intense chills raced over her body. On her lap, her hands trembled.
Do you understand, Vanora? Do you hear me?
“Yes,” Vanora whispered.
Armando didn’t seem satisfied, but he managed to smile faintly. Find your happiness, Vanora.
Before she could respond, Armando’s coat flared out above him, catching the wind, lifting him from the ground. The coat wrapped around him and he dissolved into the night sky.
Vanora felt incredibly tired and weak. Covered in gooseflesh and shivering, she curled up in her chair, resting her forehead against the window
Never come back, she thought. I don’t ever intend to.
***
Roman shut the doors to the mausoleum and locked them. It felt like a desecration of his ancestors to once again hide the bodies of victims among their remains, but Roman had no other choice. Pocketing the heavy keys, he strolled across the vast lawn toward the mansion. On the back patio, near the pool, the heavy wrought iron and granite fire pit was filled with flames. Within the inferno, the last of the evidence of the blood feast slowly turned to ashes.
The vampires were gone now. Their fervent apologies and reaffirmations of their faith in him still echoed in his ears. Roman wondered if they could recover from what they had done and rebuild the solidarity of their vampire family.
Alisha’s long white dress and heavy sweater flickered shades of orange and yellow in the firelight. Her blond hair was loose about her shoulders and she looked more human tonight than at any point since her death. An aftereffect of drinking human blood was a more robust appearance. It was ironic that when vampires were at their most inhumane, they appeared the most human.
When Roman reached her side, he slid an arm about her shoulders. She laid her head against his chest, her arm settling around his waist.
They were all that remained of their family. Vanora was apart from them now.
“I was wrong,” Roman said at last.
“You did your best.”
“I tried to make everything right for all of us after we were transformed. I tried to force us all into a life that was no longer ours. I should have sent Vanora away to live with Uncle Nicolau.”
“You did what you always do. Fix things and make it better for us. After Mom and Dad died, you were there, Roman. You held us, you wiped away our tears, you were more than a brother. You were our everything. We trust you because you never fail us.”
“But I have. I remember how determined I was that being vampires would not alter our lives any more than it had to. I rushed us to a sense of normalcy without considering the true implications of what might happen.” Roman held Alisha tighter, wanting desperately to protect her from the darkness that filled them both.
“You made it right for all of us for a very long time. We probably shouldn’t have even done as well as we did for the last few years.” Alisha sighed, closing her eyes. “You made us feel safe.”
Watching the flames devour the last of the tablecloths and rags used to clean up the blood, Roman embraced his new truth. “This was inevitable.”
Alisha nodded. “Yes.”
“So now we continue on together.”
“Yes.”
“She was our light, Alisha.”
“And now,” Alisha said somberly, “We are alone in the dark.”
Epilogue
Sirens split the solace of the night inhabiting the sky over Paris. Somewhere, a fire burned out of control, flames and smoke spiraling into the darkness. Armando hurried through the front doors of the tall building close to the Champs Elysee, the heavily armed werewolf guards in human form escorting him to the elevator. It was an old birdcage lift with an ornate design.
“The Master is waiting on the top floor,” one of the guards said, sliding the gate shut.
Armando shifted on his feet to keep his balance as the old birdcage elevator drew him upward past marble staircases and landings populated by vampires and werewolves celebrating their Master’s latest triumph. He had arrived just as his Master had achieved yet another victory in his never ending war.
In Darkness We Must Abide: The Complete First Season: Episodes 1-5 Page 30
