by Mairsile
Dorothea screamed, “Chupacabra!” and grabbed her crucifix, her face pale and her eyes fearfully tearful. “¡Por favor no!”
Vince was behind Lilah in an instant, wrapped his arm around her throat and pulled her back across the room. Had she not already fed, Vince knew it would have been much harder to control her. He kept a firm grip on her, but at the sight of Dorothea’s terrified face, Lilah lost the lust that had demanded satisfaction.
“I’m… I’m so sorry,” she cried, and rushed back to the da Polentas’ suite.
Dorothea collapsed in the armchair, praying to herself. Beulah went to comfort her as Ludovico fixed himself a drink. No one saw the tears in Leonard’s eyes.
Chapter Twenty-Five
November 20, 2016
da Polenta Ranch, Texas
“Vince, please, get me out of here,” Lilah cried as she paced in the living area of the immortal’s suite. “You were right, and I was stupid not to listen to you.”
“You may be gone a long while, Lilah. As long as a year, even,” Vince explained.
Lilah stopped and wiped the tears blood stained tears from her flustered cheeks. “I don’t care. As long as it takes to make sure I never have to see the fear and pain in Dorothea’s face again.”
“Do you want to say goodbye first?”
She shook her head. She couldn’t bring herself to look at them for fear she would lose control again. That and she knew it would hurt too damn much. “I’ll leave Dad a note,” Lilah replied, walking into Ludovico’s office. “Oh, but I need to pack first.”
“We’ll get whatever you need later, piccolo,” Vince informed her. “I don’t think you want to risk running into Dorothea again.”
Lilah winced. God, that was awful. She will never forgive me.
While Lilah was composing her note, Vince grabbed his canvas satchel bag from his room and went into the kitchen.
Beulah walked in as Lilah came out of the office holding a note. With a timid smile, she handed the folded note to Beulah.
“Would you give this to my father, please? I’m leaving for a while and am too much of a coward to say goodbye in person.”
“Oh, no, honey lamb,” Beulah said, reaching a hand to Lilah’s cheek. “You’re brave enough to know it’s for the best for now. Soon you will be in control and return to us much stronger and healthier.”
Lilah began to cry, wiping pink tears from her eyes. “Thank you… Madre.”
Beulah had told Lilah that she expected nothing to change between them, but that simple gesture of acceptance meant more to Beulah than she dared hope for. Her eyes swirled with pride as she smiled lovingly at Lilah.
“Will you do me another favor, please? Will you tell Nikki that I remembered everything and that I love her even more?”
“She will be very pleased to hear that,” Beulah said.
“Ask her to come to me as soon as she’s able,” Lilah said excitedly.
Beulah looked at Vince who had been listening to the conversation. Apprehensively, he shook his head.
Lilah caught their exchange and could feel the anxiety radiate off both of them. “What’s going on? What aren’t you telling me?”
“To keep you safe, honey lamb, no one but Vince will know where you are for a while,” Beulah explained, and cut Lilah off as she was about to complain. “Irinushka knows of our villa in Switzerland so you can’t go there. She can easily pry information from our people, and she can hear our thoughts. Plus, Ludovico thinks she has people on the inside, spying on us. Vince must take you some place safe that no one knows about. Not even me.”
“But, for how long?” Being cut off from her family was going to be hard enough, but to not have Nikki with her when she had so much she wanted to tell her, was going to be pure hell.
“As long as it takes for you to control your bloodlust and your element becomes second nature to you,” Vince explained. “That’s the only way you can protect yourself and the humans you love.”
“But Nikki?”
“Niko is not in her right mind right now. When she is better, I will get word to her, I promise,” Vince assured her.
Reluctantly, Lilah agreed. “Let’s get going then. I’m anxious to kick this vampire thing in the ass and get back here.”
“I like your motivation,” Vince quipped, going back into the kitchen for something.
“Here, take this,” Beulah said, handing Lilah an envelope full of thousand dollar bills. “You will need clothes and food, and if that’s not enough, Vince can arrange to get more.”
Lilah looked inside the envelope and handed it back to her. “Oh, no, Beulah. I can’t afford to—”
“You’re my daughter now, honey lamb, and it’s my responsibility to take care of you. Besides, I can afford it,” Beulah responded, pushing Lilah’s hand back.
She nodded and stuffed the envelope in her front jean pocket, then she hugged Beulah. “Please tell Dorothea that I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare her like that.”
“She knows, Lilah. She understands,” Beulah replied as she patted Lilah’s back. As they pulled away, Beulah turned to Vince as he walked back in stuffing a six-pack of beer into his satchel bag, one bottle at a time. She waved her finger at him and demanded, “Take good care of my honey lamb.”
“Yes, ma’am. Count on it,” Vince assured her. Beulah looked at the beer bottles in his hand curiously, and he quipped, “It’ll keep the blood cold.”
They jaunted up the stairs and left out the back door, Lilah both excited and reluctant. Beulah watched as Vince picked her up and disappeared into the clouds.
“Sugar plum?” Ludovico called as he walked into the living area of the suite. “Vince? Lilah? Where is everybody?”
“Out here, dumplin’,” Beulah called to him from the doorway.
Ludovico rushed to her at twice the speed of humans. “I just heard from Yamamuro. Nikki will be here later tonight.”
“Oh no! This is terrible news!”
Ludovico cocked his head. “But, I thought you’d be pleased, sugar plum.”
“Oh, I am. But Nikki won’t be. Vince just left with Lilah.”
“Oh. You’re right, Nikki will not be happy and if she’s still in a mental state, which Yamamuro seemed to think that she was, she is too dangerous to be on her own.”
“What should we do?”
“We’re going to have to lock her up for a while, for her own good.”
White Sands, New Mexico
Flying at a leisurely speed, Lilah curled up in his arms, asleep, Vince slowed their speed even more as they flew over the northern Chihuahuan Desert in New Mexico. He liked the feel of her in his arms, the warmth of her body, the soft mummers of her dreams. He knew she was in love with Nikki and that his sister loved her, but there was something that he couldn’t explain, pulling him closer to her. Her beauty. Her bravery. Her sorrow. He’d never felt that way toward a woman before so he wasn’t sure what he was feeling, but he was afraid to put it into words because that would make it real. Just get her trained and then go find Nikki, nothing more. He held her tighter in his arms. She snuggled under his chin and he could feel her breath on his neck. He sighed and kissed her on the top of her head.
Suddenly, Lilah sat straight up. “Wait. Stop! I can hear her!” she shouted.
“Hear who?” Vince asked, maneuvering the wind to encircle them in a wall to keep Lilah from falling to the ground.
“Nikki. I can hear her. I can feel her close by,” she said, looking around and realizing she was flying above the clouds,
“You were only dreaming, piccolo,” Vince explained.
Lilah gazed at him and he gave her a reassuring smile. “Was I?”
“Yeah, you fell asleep right after we left the ranch.”
“Oh,” Lilah mumbled, disappointed. “It felt so real.”
“Lovely Lilah Rose. I must find her.”
Lilah tilted her head. “Wait. There it is again. I heard her, Vince. I heard her!”
“Lilah
, what are the odds that you heard her way out here in the middle of nowhere? Are you sure you’re not wishing it was her?”
Lilah glared at him for a moment, then relented. It was absolutely wishful thinking on her part, because of the sensual dream she had been having. A dream so real to her that her fangs were elongated from where she dreamed she was biting Nikki’s inner thigh. Something she had dreamt of doing three years ago.
The disappointed look on Lilah’s face filled his heart with remorse. “Speak to her in your mind, piccolo. If it is her, she will hear you, and answer you.”
Lilah smiled excitedly. “Good idea,” she said, already thinking a thousand things at once.
“Lilah? Is that you, lovely Lilah Rose? I can’t understand you.”
“She heard me! Oh, my, God, she heard me. That is so freaking cool,” Lilah shouted excitedly and struggled to break free. “Vince, put me down. She’s down there waiting for me.”
“Wait a minute, damn it. It’s not safe. You don’t know who’s down there.”
“It’s her, I know it is,” Lilah insisted.
“Then let’s find out, but don’t go rushing down there until we know for sure,” he said, building up the wall of wind around them as he descended through the clouds. “I’ll get us closer so we can see better, but we’re staying in the air where it’s safer, understand.” It wasn’t a question.
“Hold on, Nikki. I’m coming.”
They skirted high above the tall yuccas plants, dipping down over the dunes, floating across the combed, white sands of New Mexico.
“Help us find you, sis,” Vince thought as he looked across the white horizon.
“Lilah? Lilah Rose, where are you?”
“She said my name, Vince,” Lilah exclaimed. “Nikki, tell me where you are. Vince and I are close.”
“Tell her to go to the National Monument. We’ll meet her there,” Vince instructed, turning slightly to the left.
“Nikki, meet us at the monument. We’re going there now. Come to me, Nikki. Hurry.” Lilah tilted her head, waiting to hear her reply. “Nikki?” Lilah turned to Vince with a pensive look on her face.
“What did she say?” Vince asked.
“Nothing. If she said anything, I didn’t hear it.”
“Let me try.” “Niko, come in, Niko. Can you hear me now?” Vince waited a moment. “I’ve got beer.”
Lilah tilted her head as if to get a better reception. She waited a moment and finally said, “Nothing from her.”
Vince cocked his head, as an idea came to mind. “I’m going to fly back to where you first heard her and see if we can try and pick her up again.”
“Carlsbad...”
“Wait, Vince. She said Carlsbad!” Lilah exclaimed. “She’s at Carlsbad Caverns.”
“Hang on,” Vince said, manipulating the air into a tornadic speed and propelling them across the desert.
“Carlsbad is about 105 miles as the vampire flies, right?” Lilah asked, giddy with anticipation.
“I don’t know, I’ve never been there, but if it is, we should be there in about a half an hour.”
“You’ve never been there? Oh, you should go. Oh, wait. You will be there soon,” Lilah laughed. “Anyway, you’re going to love it. It’s a beautiful place with lots of caves to explore. You could get lost in those caves for weeks on end, if you wanted to.”
“Sounds like fun. I’m really impressed that you can hear Niko, who is most likely hiding in those caves. I’ve never heard of that happening before. You shouldn’t be able to hear her because of the distance and the insulation of rock. Not even the oldest Spirit alive could do that.”
“Really? That’s curious.”
“Keep talking to her. Let her know we’re on our way.”
“I’ll be happy to,” Lilah said with a grin. “Nikki, my love. Can you hear me? We’re coming for you.”
“I’m ready for you, you bastard!”
“Oh, no!”
“What is it?” Vince asked anxiously.
“She said she was ready for us and then she called me a bastard. I don’t understand? Did she think I was you?”
“Uh, no. I doubt she knew it was you. Remember, she’s still fighting insanity.”
“Vince, can we help her? Can we take her with us wherever we’re going and help her?”
“I want to, Lilah. Don’t doubt that. But I don’t know if I can handle both of you at once.”
“Uh, excuse me? You’re not handling me. You’re training me, and I think that can wait until we get Nikki through this. I owe her that much even if I weren’t madly in love with her.”
“I’ve known her a hell of a lot longer than you, and I’ve taken care of her before when she was too far gone to even feed herself. You are in basically the same shape except that you’re not insane. Would you like me to turn you lose on the humans the next time you’re hungry and let you and them fend for themselves? Is that what you want?”
“No. You know it’s not, damn it,” Lilah snapped. “But I don’t want you handling me either.”
“Fine. I’ll use a different term. If Nikki is still insane, I can’t take care of the both of you by myself.”
“That’s better,” Lilah quipped. “Then tell me what we can do to help her?”
“Call Father and ask him to send someone after Niko. They can provide for her much better than I can at the moment.”
“Oh…” Lilah muttered. That was not the solution she was hoping for because it meant not being with Nikki again. She felt, perhaps naïvely so, that if she could just be with her, the world would right itself again. All her questions would be answered, and not just about them, but about what it meant to be a vampire in love. She was very unsure about that part, and only Nikki would understand.
They arrived at the natural entrance to the cavern that self-guided tourists would take, but Vince remained in the air, hovering on an updraft as he sniffed the air. It was close to three in the morning by that time and he did not pick up the scent of anyone, human or immortal. “I can’t smell her, can you, Lilah?”
Lilah inhaled through her nose and was overwhelmed by smells again. “Wow,” she exclaimed. “I smell everything and nothing. I don’t know what I’m supposed to be smelling, Vince.”
“Oh, yeah. Sorry about that. Remind me to tell you about that later. I can help you focus on each different smell, to locate the one you want to trace. Right now, I have to be sure that you’re safe and that it really is Nikki inside the cave.”
“Nikki. It’s me. It’s Lilah Rose. We’re at the cave entrance. Are you there?”
“I’m here, lovely Lilah Rose. Wait. How in the hell are you hearing my thoughts?”
“You revived me, remember, Nikki?”
“I think so.” Nikki willed the memory to find its way through her senseless thoughts. “Yes! I remember! It’s so good to talk with you. But don’t come in. I’m afraid that I’ll hurt you.”
“You would never hurt me,” Lilah said in her thoughts. She turned to Vince. “She’s in there and said not to come in because she’s afraid of hurting me.”
“All right. You stay here,” Vince ordered as he glided them to the ground. “And I’ll go in and talk with her.”
“Yeah, that ain’t happening,” Lilah said in a heavy Texas drawl. She rarely used ain’t because her college professor forbade it in English class, but once in a while it just seemed to fit what she was trying to convey.
“Damn, you’re the most stubborn, infuriating woman I’ve ever met,” Vince lashed out.
“Well, get used to it, buddy, because I don’t see a problem with it,” Lilah retorted.
Vince bared his fangs, but not for the reasons Lilah thought. He struggled to maintain control because he had an overwhelming urge to bite her lip. Damn, my sister is so lucky to have a girl like you.
“I heard that, Vince. And you’re right. I’m very lucky. Wait. Vince? You’re alive!”
Lilah cocked her head and looked at Vince. “Nikki said she h
eard you and that you’re right, she was very lucky. What is she talking about?”
“That’s between my sister and me,” Vince hedged, chastising himself for his loud thoughts.
Lilah frowned at Vince as she talked to Nikki in her mind. “Yes, Vince is alive, Nikki, and we’re coming to help you.”
“Lilah, do not come in here. Please. I’m begging you. I don’t know how much longer I can think straight. Send in Vince. Only Vince.”
Closing her eyes so she could concentrate, Lilah said mentally, “No, Nikki, please. Let me come to you.”
“I said no, damn it! Do as I say, bitch, or I’ll… oh, God. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.”
“It’s all right, Nikki. I’ll send Vince in, but I’m not going to wait out here too long.” Lilah opened her eyes. “Vince, she says for just you to come in, but like I told her, I’m not waiting too long, so whatever it is you need to do, do it quick.”
Vince nodded, knowing that arguing with her would be a waste of time. “Ask her where she’s at.”
“Nikki, Vince wants to know which part of the cave you’re in,” Lilah asked silently.
“The furthest point from the entrance.”
Lilah nodded and glanced at Vince. “She’s in the big room. That’s the furthest point from this entrance.”
“Okay, stay here, I’ll be right back,” Vince said. He took off the satchel bag and pulled one bag of blood from it. He handed Lilah the satchel, and, taking one final sniff of the air, descended into the cave.
Although Nikki was only a mile deep inside the cave, it took Vince a bit longer to traverse the cavern because he kept flying into low-hanging stalactites. “Damn it!” he yelled for the third time before finally reaching Nikki.
“Vince, man, it’s so good to see you,” Nikki said, rushing to greet her brother. “I thought you were dead for sure.”
“I almost was. So, what the hell are you doing holed up in here, sis?” Vince asked, looking around at the large, cold room full of stalagmites jutting up from the ground, some of them meeting the icicle-like stalactites hanging from the roof of the cave. Calcium salt water seemed to drip down all around them, echoing throughout the hollow cavern.
