I put down my cherries and knelt to get a closer look.
"Is that …?"
"Blood," he answered. "AB negative to be exact."
I gave him a skeptical look and he informed me, "A vampire does not forget rare blood."
"Where did you get it? It's huge," I said, straightening up and retrieving my cherries.
"It was made by giants," he said, but offered no further explanation.
* * * *
We spent most of the next day rehearsing. After this week we would rehearse every night in preparation for next month's opening. After talking with Alek in the office they shared at the back of the theatre, we locked up behind him and escaped through the trap door. We had been working on a scene where The Phantom first appears to Christine and takes her beneath the opera house to his lair. Neither one of us had changed. Since I was the one wearing a see-thru white gown and a corset, I'd say he'd gotten the better deal.
As we moved quickly down the long staircase he stopped, unfurling his cape dramatically before securing it around my shoulders.
"I sometimes forget how cold it is down here." He smiled as he added, "My apologies."
?
Chapter Eleven
While I wondered if he had been reading my mind I took a few minutes to appreciate how good he looked. Once we were in the boat I sat facing him rather than take in the view of the approaching castle. He was absolutely gorgeous. He wore a deep wine-colored vest with intricate embroidery and a dress coat you'd expect of The Phantom, but he did so with far more style than I'd seen before. His long hair was pulled back tightly with a ribbon and there was a silk scarf tucked into his collar. He wore gloves also. The only part of his flesh that was visible at all was the left side of his face and his lips. I stared at him, allowing my mind to drink him in. Here he was at last, my romantic ideal and the man of my dreams all rolled up in one. So, why couldn't I take advantage of that? Because I didn't want to hurt him.
Once we were inside I sat down on the bed and began to remove my thigh high white panty hose. I couldn't get our opening song off my mind. Alek had positively harped on it tonight and we'd gone over it at least five times.
As I hummed the music, I heard the band begin to play. Even though we'd just been practicing with a live orchestra upstairs, I knew they hadn't followed us. I turned to find Dracula still in half of his costume and smiling at me. I had an instrumental copy of the music and he'd packed it along with my clothes for practice. Alek knew how much I loved to sing in the shower and had recorded it just for me. He gave it to me with a note attached to the top which read, "Practice."
"Shall we try it again?" Dracula asked as he removed the scarf and began to unbutton his vest.
As it turns out, his bedroom has great acoustics and we sang for a few minutes before we reached the part of the story where Raoul and Christine proclaim their love. I froze, unsure of how to continue.
"I have always wanted to give this one a try," he whispered during the opening cords of the song.
It seemed a bit strange, to have him sing a love song meant for Raoul. He reached for me and I stepped toward him. As he began to sing I felt something stir within me, something that I had not felt when I'd sang this song with Luther. I wanted to cry out and fall into his arms.
When Raoul sang the song, it was filled with joy, and hope. It was a request for love. But when The Phantom sang, it was not a request, but a fervent plea, a desperate longing to be loved. His voice was filled with a passion, a fire so consuming that I could not deny him. As I sang my part I meant every word in a way I never had. I couldn't help but feel that this was how it was meant to be sung. He begged me to love him. He did not ask to merely be with me always, but to become a part of me … and I accepted.
When the music stopped, he switched off the CD player. Silence hung between us. We both knew what we had just revealed. I let him hold me against him while both of us pretended we didn't want to cry.
* * * *
The next morning I was supposed to meet Bade at Original Sin. Luther had underestimated how much I could eat in a week and Dracula felt Bade would be sufficient protection for a quick trip into town. Luther and Johnny had been taking turns driving my car around town and leaving it parked at various places. Just so people wouldn't think I was in hiding.
I finished getting dressed and looked back to where Dracula lay sleeping. It was still too early for him to be up. He looked like a fallen angel with his dark hair spilling over the reddish pink satin of the pillows. The left side of his face was turned up and from where I stood he still looked perfect. As was usually the case when I looked at Dracula, I felt like I should fall to my knees. Not to worship him, but to thank God that I had eyes.
I kissed his face and slipped my cell phone underneath his hand. He had Bade's number if he needed to find me. Since I knew he would worry, even though he knew where I was going, I put a note beside him on the pillow that said, "I'll hurry."
He should be up in time to let me back in. Navigating a narrow boat across the lake was harder than I expected. Dracula had made it look so easy. But he had a way of making things seem easier when he was around.
When I finally made it to Original Sin I was already tired. I found Bade waiting in a booth near the front door. He was wearing a pair of torn designer jeans and a tight t-shirt which read: "Save a cow, eat a vegan."
I laughed when I saw him. "Love the shirt."
Bade rose to his full height as I stepped up to the booth and our bodies brushed together as he said, "Love the smile."
While he opened the door of his red convertible for me he said that Mason had been in touch. As it turns out, The Dungeon was more than a favorite hangout for vamps and shifters who were into S & M. It was also a safe house for visiting vampires who had no other daytime refuge. Some of the vampires after Dracula were actually staying below ground there. Mason was currently trying to gain their trust enough to set a trap. This was good news.
"Does Dracula know?" I asked.
"I told him late last night. You were already asleep."
We took our time in town. Despite my promise to hurry I was enjoying being out, and I was enjoying Bade's company. It was a beautiful day. We even stopped to check on Kat's shop and make sure the "on vacation" sign was still hanging out front. We picked up lunch while we were out and took it over to the theatre.
After lunch, Bade offered to help me with some of the final touches on some props for the upcoming performance. While we cracked jokes and fixed loose ropes and wiring I completely lost track of time. We had a rehearsal scheduled that night, so I figured Dracula would find me there and know everything was alright. Besides, if he was really worried, he would have already called Bade.
It was dusk, and I expected some of the other actors to be arriving soon. The vamps wouldn't come out until full dark, but most of the cast were werewolves, so we could go on without them. Since werewolves needed to eat regularly and we would most likely practice well into the night, Bade and I had the bright idea of getting some doughnuts.
We had just walked back on stage when the front door banged open. I was startled to see Mason storming up the aisle. Mason ran The Dungeon, and its décor matched his style. He was wearing tight leather pants and a silk dress shirt. Mason is over six feet tall, and normally wears platform boots, making his slender rock star frame appear even thinner. His pale makeup made him look more frightening as well as the dark liner around his eyes and the cherry red of his lips.
"He said you weren't here!" he yelled at me.
"Who said, Mason? What's going on?"
I came down from the stage, dread growing inside of me as Mason approached.
"Dracula got a phone call from Marco," he said.
My heart stopped. "Has something happened to Marco?"
"No. But they think something has happened to you," he explained. "Marco got a phone call informing him that if he wanted to see the redhead alive again he would send them Dracula."
"W
hat? But I've been with Bade the whole time. Why didn't he call us?"
Bade reached for his back pocket nervously. "Shit, I forgot my phone!"
Mason gestured toward Bade as if to say, "That's why."
"He came up here to look for you and you were gone. He had no other way of getting in touch with you."
I didn't like the tone of his voice. "Mason, where is he?"
"He's gone to find you," he said helplessly.
I grabbed him by the wrist as I started toward the door. "Come on!"
"Where are we going?" Bade asked, following closely on my heels.
"You know where they are, right?" I asked Mason.
"Yes."
"We're going to get my vampire back."
These bastards had set a trap for the two people I was most willing to die for. I just hoped it didn't come to that.
* * * *
We drove for an hour straight to the middle of nowhere. I didn't even know where we were. I was too upset to pay attention. If they called Marco first then that meant he had gone too, they might both already be dead for all I knew. But I couldn't think that way, surely I would have felt it if one of them had died.
We pulled up at an old barn. There wasn't a house close by which was a big clue that we had no business there. When we got out of the car I remembered I was unarmed.
"Mason," I said, grabbing his wrist. "We don't have any weapons. I know you're a vampire and he's a werewolf, but we don't know how many of them there are."
"Calm yourself," Mason said in his deep smooth voice as he opened the trunk.
Mason's trunk contained an arsenal that would have made Alfred proud. There was a small flame thrower, a grenade launcher, several swords and daggers, guns, ammo, a mace, and a large water gun.
"What the fuck?" Bade said, pointing at the water gun.
"Holy water," Mason said simply.
I snatched the weapon up before either of them could claim it.
"If those bastards have hurt my men, I'll make them burn," I growled.
Mason's wicked smile showed his approval as he picked up the long spiked mace. Bade reached into the back and pulled out a thick silver chain. He started wrapping the chain around his knuckles as he put something I couldn't see in his back pocket.
"I have gloves so you can use that without pain," Mason offered.
Bade only smiled and said, "Thanks, mate, but I'll take the pain."
It was two weeks before the next full moon, and the night was almost completely dark as we entered the barn. There was a large trap door near the back and it was open. The barn itself didn't seem odd or threatening in any way. There was even fresh hay up in the loft. It was the feeling radiating from the place that made me sick.
"I'll go first," Bade said, putting a hand against my shoulder to hold me back.
For once I didn't object and watched as Bade dropped down the hole. I jumped in behind him, followed by Mason. The room underneath the barn was empty and didn't even look like it belonged with the rest of the building. It was concrete and the walls were painted white. It was completely empty of even any equipment or furniture of any kind. There was a door on the other end of the room and we all walked cautiously toward it. The barn had obviously been built long after this underground structure.
When Bade opened the door it revealed a staircase leading further underground.
"What choice do we have?" he said with a shrug as he started down the stairs.
These stairs were old and not made from concrete, but carved out of stone. What the hell had we gotten ourselves into? The stairs led to another door. Since it was locked, we knocked on this one. It seemed a little stupid, but what else could we do? Whoever was here was probably expecting us. The door must have been sound proof because I couldn't hear any footsteps; the door was just suddenly opened.
"Please, come in," said an oriental vampire with very little accent.
He was about five foot eight with short dark hair and a mustache. For some reason he instantly made me think if Ghengis Khan and that was not a good thing.
"Your would-be protector has just arrived," he said gesturing toward where Dracula stood.
His eyes widened at my appearance, but he otherwise showed no reaction. Marco was nowhere in sight.
"What game are you playing at Khan?"
He actually called him Khan! The other vampire smiled appreciatively, but I shivered at the sound of Dracula's voice. The voice that normally caressed when he spoke now promised violence I would not have wanted to be the recipient of.
"No game," Khan said with an evil smile. "I merely wish to show you something."
He wore long flowing robes almost like a wizard. They were a pale green trimmed in gold and it gave him a sort of regal appearance. I noticed as he opened the next door that Khan walked with a cane, but he didn't have a limp.
None of us were prepared for what was in the next room. A young woman with long red hair was hanging from the ceiling. There were hooks which were connected to the back of her shirt- at least I hoped they were connected to her shirt. What remained of her clothing had been torn, and her pants removed entirely. There was a vampire at both of her inner thighs and her legs were spread wide while they fed from her. There were many other bite wounds on her body. I was horrified, but I nearly threw up when she lifted her head. It was Mary.
"No," I said breathlessly. "Why would you do this?" I asked.
I tried to take a step forward but Dracula stopped me as Khan explained, "We thought she was you. Of course, after the wig came off we realized our mistake. However, you could not be found. If we could not find you, it stood to reason that perhaps he couldn't either," he said pointing to Dracula. "I never expected our bluff to work this well," he said, smiling.
"We thought that perhaps his bond was strong enough with you that he would feel your death, maybe even die himself," he said almost joyfully. "You see, there are those of us who wish to remain secret." He explained this as if we were having a casual conversation over tea. "If we can destroy the original then maybe it will be possible to drop out of sight. Make people believe there are less of us and that the few they encounter are rare." He sighed. "Unfortunately, without the council on our side, it is impossible to turn back time. Now, we must go on. But we can still punish his mistake."
"I acted in favor of the majority," Dracula said, his voice cold.
"Yes." Khan smiled. "But I've never been in favor of democracy."
"What about Mary?" I asked.
She whimpered and it was all I could do to keep from soaking him down with holy water.
"You can have her back," he said. "If you can claim her."
He had scarcely spoken the words before the other two vampires were upon us. I was knocked against the wall so hard I nearly passed out from the impact. I dropped the water gun. A large vampire that looked like a barbarian of some sort jumped on top of me. He growled as he pressed his face closer to mine. My hands were around his throat and his face was wet with Mary's blood. I could hear her crying, and that was enough to unleash the beast within me. I'm very strong, but when adrenaline kicks in my strength becomes super human. I dug my hands into his Adam's apple and extended my claws.
He had only a moment for the shock to register on his features before I ripped out his throat. However, it took more than that to kill such an old vampire. Bade's chain whipped through the air and caught him from behind. While he yanked the barbarian backward, Mason brained him with the mace.
I turned away while Mason bashed his head into oblivion and Bade ripped out his heart with his bare hands. I went for the water gun as the other vamp who had been feeding on Mary turned on me. I couldn't see Dracula, but I could hear his whip snapping through the air and hear him struggling with Khan somewhere to my left.
As the vamp lunged at me I unleashed a spray of holy water across his bare chest. His skin bubbled and began to melt before my eyes. It was the worst burn I'd ever seen and made me feel sick to think of what had been done to
Dracula's face. I'd never actually seen a vampire's reaction to holy water before.
He screamed and turned to find Bade standing behind him. To my surprise, Bade pulled a crucifix from his back pocket. Where was that in the trunk and why didn't I get it first? Mason recoiled from the sight but the other vampire only laughed.
"I'm an atheist," he snarled.
Bade pressed the top of the cross and a long blade extended from the bottom.
"Have some faith," he growled as he jammed the blade into the vampire's forehead.
He snatched the blade out and stabbed the vampire through the heart while Mason ripped his head from his shoulders.
?
Chapter Twelve
The walls were covered in blood and gore, and so was I. I turned around to see Dracula and Khan struggling near Mary. Khan was bleeding badly, and had several whip marks across his face. His clothes hung in shreds and in places so did his skin.
I ran forward and Khan flung his hand out in my direction. An invisible hand seemed to swat me backward. I hit Bade and we both hit the wall. Dracula backhanded Khan and as he fell to the floor he extended the blade which had been concealed in his walking cane. I screamed, but he wasn't going for Dracula, he was aiming at Mary.
Before I finished drawing breath to scream again, Dracula had jumped in front of her. The blade pierced his chest and Khan looked triumphant. But then Dracula grabbed Khan's hand and pulled the blade through him to the hilt as he hissed, "You cannot kill what is already dead."
Khan took a step back looking stunned. In one swift movement Dracula removed the blade as smoothly as if it had been in a sheath and slit Khan's throat.
With a scream of rage Khan spun around and flew from the room. A rush of air moved past where Bade and I still sat on the floor and he was gone.
"Where did he go?" Mason said, taking off toward the stairs.
"Fuck him," I spat as I ran toward Dracula.
He was removing Mary from the ceiling. Just as I had feared, the hooks were in her back and not her shirt.
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