Last Vampire Standing

by Nancy Haddock

  “No, but they hafta listen to me now, else be overrun by a bunch of evil pervert bloodsuckers.”

  “But, Mr. Gorman, you can’t just kill vampires,” Kevin objected, squaring his strap-laden shoulders. “It’s against the law, and, besides, I’m not finished studying Ms. Marinelli.”

  “Whaddya mean, studyin’ her?”

  “I’m getting my doctorate in paranormal phenomena.” Kevin fished in a pants pocket, pulled out some slightly battered business cards, then shoved one at Gorman and one at me. “I have a theory that vampires are predisposed to attract ghosts.”

  Gorman snorted. “So what?”

  “I’m here for a few weeks to take Ms. Marinelli’s tours and compile data. And if this guy”—he hooked his thumb at Jo-Jo—“is a real vampire, maybe he’ll let me study him, too.”

  “Kevin, why don’t you go to a city with a large vamp population to study?” I had to ask.

  The young man flushed. “I tried, but none of the groups would cooperate.”

  “Hell, son, what’d you expect from a bunch of monsters?”

  “We are not all monsters,” Jo-Jo informed Gorman haughtily, “any more than all humans are criminals.”

  “Yeah, right,” Gorman sneered. “We’ll just see how long it takes you to attack when we’re watchin’ your every move and back you in a corner.”

  Gorman walked off with such a spring in his step, I expected him to click his heels. And that awful horror movie laugh? He was scarier as a happy man than he was an angry one.

  “Well, the witch hunt is on again,” I said to no one in particular.

  “That is one twisted dude,” Kevin chimed in.

  “What do you think of my outfit, Highness? Is it too over-the-top for my act?”

  “What act? Do you do ghost tours, too?” Kevin asked, fumbling for the camera hanging beneath all those crosses.

  Crosses that were now faintly glowing. Yikes. I needed to shake Kevin before he noticed. He might not freak, but I wasn’t taking the chance.

  “He doesn’t give ghost tours, and it’s time for us to go.”

  “Okay. Just a few more shots.”

  Jo-Jo posed, slashing my rubber sword in the gusting wind as the camera clicked. I counted to five, grabbed his arm, and led him off toward the city gates.

  “See you tomorrow, Ms. Marinelli,” Kevin called after us.

  “Not if I call in sick,” I muttered.

  “Uh, Highness, vampires don’t get sick.”

  I shot Jo-Jo a sour look. “I get sick whenever I darn well feel like it, and stop swishing my sword.”

  Jo-Jo wisely handed me my prop and kept his mouth shut.

  Saber waited at the tiki bar on my patio and gave me only a welcoming peck on the cheek since Jo-Jo was there. The men settled in the living room while I changed out of my pirate costume, but I put my vampire hearing to good use and eavesdropped on them.

  Saber probed for more information about the vampire who was immune to silver, the one who had wounded Jo-Jo. Jo-Jo, though, seemed to have already told us what little he knew. Marco hadn’t been in Atlanta more than a year, and Jo-Jo avoided him. The confrontation over his longtime sweet-heart Jemina had come only after Jo-Jo had caught her with Marco.

  “You can’t tell us anything else about this guy?” I asked as I joined them, comfy in my baggy blue shorts and a T-shirt. “He doesn’t have one single scar anywhere on his body?”

  “Princess, we may all live together under Vlad’s rule and roof, but I had no reason to see Marco without clothing,” Jo-Jo said, then pursed his lips in thought. “The skin on his arms is whiter in some places than others.”

  “Like sun damage or a skin condition?” Saber asked.

  “I suppose, but the scarring or whatever it is would’ve occurred before he was turned.”

  “Yeah, but it gives me another detail to check with the VPA. Now, how long have you known about Marco’s immunity to silver?”

  “Personal knowledge? Only since he cut me.” Jo-Jo looked disgusted. “He ran his finger along the blade to gather my blood, then offered a taste to Jemina.”

  “Did she, uh—”

  “No, Highness. She spared me that humiliation, but Marco sucked his finger clean.”

  “Gag,” I said, fighting my own reflex.

  “That’s when I decided to flee. I didn’t pack so as not to alert Vlad’s spies. I left two days later, because everyone’s busy on Friday nights.”

  Of course they were. The long workweek over, they kicked back on Friday nights. Happy hour with blood on tap, then hook up later for a little bite. Yuck.

  “So the only things missing from Vlad’s nest are you and your laptop?” Saber asked.

  Jo-Jo looked sheepish. “Well, there are a few other things, but nothing that didn’t belong to me.”

  Saber narrowed his eyes. “Like what, and if this will bring trouble down on Cesca, you’re a goner.”

  “As in dead or just gone away?”

  Saber gave Jo-Jo his cop face.

  “Okay, okay. I brought the cash I had on hand, and my bank account books. I still have the Christmas Club account I opened in 1952,” he said proudly, but he hadn’t spilled everything yet.

  Saber made a growling sound as I opened my psychic eye to take at peek at what Jo-Jo was dancing around.

  “A key?” I said, a picture of it suddenly clear. A small version of a brass skeleton key but flat rather than rounded. “You brought an old key with you?”

  Jo-Jo’s eyes rounded in amazement. “Yes, Highness, but how did you know?”

  “Never mind that,” Saber said. “What does the key unlock?”

  “J-just my safe-deposit box in New York City, honest,” Jo-Jo stammered, clearly shaken that I’d read him.

  Since I hadn’t been able to read him until now, I was surprised, too, but that was beside the point.

  “Why are you being so cagey about a safe-deposit box?” I demanded.

  “Well, I’ve had the box since 1927, and some of the things in it could belong to Jemina. Like a piece of jewelry.”

  “Is she or anyone else likely to come hunting you for the key?” Saber asked.

  Jo-Jo frowned. “I don’t think so. She mentioned the box to me about a week before I caught her with Marco, but not like it was important. It’s been so long, I’m not even sure what’s still in there.”

  Saber and I exchanged a glance.

  “You getting anything else from him, Cesca?”

  “There’s an opal ring and a jet necklace in the box, and he knows it. Jemina swiped them both a long time ago, and Jo-Jo’s kept them for her. Other than guilt that he’s holding out on her now, that’s it. The coins, a few rings and some papers are his. Oh, and he knows what’s there, because he made an under-the-radar trip to New York last winter to check on the contents.”

  Jo-Jo paled a little more than even a vamp should. Saber gave a single nod.

  “I’ll contact the agent in Atlanta and put out a general call for information on immunity to silver. If there’s any scoop on this, one of my contacts should know.”

  Jo-Jo sank back into the club chair with a shaky sigh and a wary eye. “Princess, how did you—”

  “See the key and the other things in your thoughts?”

  “Yes, and without me knowing you were in my head the first time? I didn’t even feel you when I knew you were reading me.”

  I shrugged. “I don’t know. I don’t mind-probe that often.”

  “Did you probe those guys who threatened you tonight?”

  Saber’s brows slammed into a scowl. “Who threatened you?”

  It was my turn to sigh—and figure out how to get Jo-Jo to keep his big mouth shut—but I filled Saber in on Gorman and Kevin.

  “I’ll check out Kevin Miller,” Saber said when I’d covered the highlights, “but Gorman shouldn’t be coming near you. Not with a restraining order on him. Damn, you have to be more careful, Cesca. You have to know when to vamp speed away from trouble.”
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br />   I drew myself up straight. “I will not run from Gorman, Saber. I won’t give him the satisfaction.”

  “Then learn to fly at least enough to evade him if he grabs for you. Seeing you hover over him like an avenging angel would probably have him wetting himself.” He paused and speared Jo-Jo with a glare. “We need to start tonight’s lesson.”

  “Yes, sir,” Jo-Jo said, shooting to his feet.

  “No way,” I snapped and stood to face them both.

  “But, Princess, we have perfect weather for the lesson.”

  I stared. “Since when is a hurricane good for flying?”

  “It’s not a hurricane,” Saber admonished. “It’s barely a tropical storm.”

  “And the wind will add lift, my lady.”

  I planted a hand on my hip. “Mary Poppins and the Flying Nun needed lift, Jo-Jo. I’m supposed to levitate, right?”

  “Well, yes, but pure levitating takes more energy. Jumping is one way to, er, jump-start the process, but a good, stiff wind will give you an extra boost while you’re learning.”

  “What about all the bugs and debris swirling in the wind? Shouldn’t I wear goggles?” And an apron to protect my clothes.

  “We’ll stop at the all-night drugstore,” Saber said.

  I swallowed a growl at Saber and turned back to Jo-Jo.

  “What about your act?” I asked, that desperate for a diversion. “You wanted help with the routine and your costume.”

  “I need to work on my own for a while. Besides, your consort has charged me with teaching you,” he said, steadily meeting my gaze, “and teach you I will.”

  There are times when I want to roll my eyes so far back in my head, I’m sure I’ll see my brain. That’s one way to have it examined.

  And this was one of those times.

  High above the wind-whipped whitecaps, I stood quaking in my sneakers on the temporary bridge spanning Matanzas Bay, the one in use while the old Bridge of Lions was being rebuilt. Sure, I was safe on the pedestrian walkway—for now—squarely behind concrete barricades topped with strong metal railings. But I wouldn’t be high and dry for long, not if I went through with this lunacy.

  “Guys, for the last time, I am not taking a flying leap off this bridge. Somebody’s watching. I can feel it, and they’re going to report me as a jumper.”

  Saber put an arm around my shoulders and huddled the three of us closer so he didn’t have to shout over the wind.

  “Cesca, it’s nearly two in the morning. There is no traffic right now, so we won’t alarm drivers. Plus I called the city police and the sheriff’s office to tell them we’re conducting an experiment.”

  “In what? Doing belly busters off the bridge?”

  “You’re not going to fall, honey. You’re going to fly.”

  “Besides, Highness, you’re the one who insisted we practice over water.”

  “I didn’t mean from a million feet in the air.” Another strong gust blew, and I death-gripped the railing. “Why can’t I jump off something shorter?”

  “Like what?” Saber asked.

  “Like a curb,” I snapped.

  “My lady, you have to be high enough to catch the up-drafts,” Jo-Jo said.

  I could tell his patience was waning, but me jump off the bridge? Not in this afterlife.

  Saber rubbed his forehead. “I have an idea.”

  “Oh, goody, another one?”

  “Jo-Jo, how much weight can you carry when you fly?”

  “Saber,” I said, partly objecting to another scheme, and partly to insist that someone watched us.

  “Are you thinking I should take the Princess up for a test spin? Like a tandem parachute jump?”

  “Exactly. Can you do it?”

  Jo-Jo looked uncomfortable. “I can if Highness will allow me the liberty of touching her person.”

  Both men looked at me.

  “Face and conquer your fear, honey,” Saber challenged.

  I hate it when he’s right, and short of making a dash for freedom, I was stuck on the damned bridge. For the moment.

  I squared my shoulders. “Fine. How do you want to do this, Jo-Jo?”

  “Let’s give the piggyback position a go.”

  He crouched, and Saber gave me a boost onto Jo-Jo’s bony back. It was like mounting a malnourished horse. I feared I’d slide right off, but Jo-Jo hooked his arms under my legs.

  “Good, Princess. Now put your arms around my neck while I climb up and test my balance with you on my—aargh,” he croaked. “Arms. Too. Tight.”

  I loosened my hold on his neck, then slid off his skinny back when he arched to rub his throat.

  Attempt aborted, which was fine by me. I still felt watched, and the watcher was creeping closer.

  I peered into the shadows, even used my vamp vision, but saw nothing. I didn’t smell anything either—like Gorman’s foul breath—but I wouldn’t if the lurker was downwind. Should I alert Saber?

  “Cesca, pay attention,” Saber hollered and tipped his head toward Jo-Jo, who gave his abused neck one last rub.

  “By your leave, my lady, I’ll hold you in front of me. You’ll be able to feel the liftoff better from this position anyway. May I demonstrate?”

  I shrugged, and he stepped behind me. His arms around my rib cage, he told me to start walking with my right foot.

  “You won’t take off without warning me, right?” I yelled over my shoulder.

  He shook his head, so I stepped when he did. One. Two. Three.

  “Good, Princess. Now we do it for real.”

  “We’re not going to climb on the rails?”

  “No. Hold on.”

  His leg nudged mine.

  One step. Gulp.

  Two steps. Eek.

  Three steps. Panic.

  My rubbery legs suddenly locked, and I dug the heels of my tennis shoes into the concrete.

  Jo-Jo tripped over me, and we stumbled forward like a couple of stooges.

  “Are you all right, Princess?” Jo-Jo asked when we’d righted ourselves, his arm still curled around my waist.

  “Fine, and I’m sorry. Really. I’m just positive someone is watching.”

  At that moment, a flash of golden fur landed smack in front of us, and a brain-rattling “rrryyow” rent the night.

  Jo-Jo screamed, “Aaaiiieeee,” tightened his hold around me, and vaulted away from Pandora.

  Next thing I knew, I was dangling from Jo-Jo’s crooked arm, ten feet away from the bridge and a hundred feet over dark, churning water.

  NINE

  I froze, my limbs spread-eagled like the cartoon flying squirrel, my right arm plastered against something warmer than sheer air. As my afterlife flashed before my eyes, one coherent thought persisted: Flying was so not like surfing.

  On the upside, I wasn’t thrashing and flailing in hysterics. No, because I was far too angry.

  “Why the hell did you do that?” I screamed at Pandora.

  To get you off the ground, she answered in my head, paws on the barricade, regarding me with a feline smirk.

  “A th-thousand pardons, Princess,” Jo-Jo yelled. “I’ll put you down as soon as that panther leaves.”

  “Wait, Cesca, stay calm.” Saber held his hands out as if to soothe me, but he was struggling not to laugh. “Jo-Jo, as long as you’re out there, you might as well fly a couple of laps around the bridge.”

  “No, Saber,” I yelled. “No lapping.”

  “Honey, I swear I’ll make this up to you. Just do it.”

  “Just do it? Since when am I a freaking poster girl for Nike?”

  “It’s the best chance you’ll have to get a real feel for flying, Cesca. Seize the opportunity.”

  “Grrrr,” I said, stiffening more when Jo-Jo grunted and his arm began to tremble.

  I craned my neck to look up at him. Maybe his face seemed more ashen because of the bridge lights, but his expression of horror was real.

  “I-I’m truly sorry for not warning you before I jumped, Highne
ss.”

  “Forget it. Pandora surprised both of us. I’ll deal with her when we land.”

  Humph, Pandora huffed.

  “Does that mean I should do as your consort asks? Fly a few laps?”

  “Might as well. Just don’t drop me, okay?”

  “Never, Highness, but would you kindly remove your elbow from my crotch.”

  Now I was fuming and flaming with embarrassment. Great.

  We started slowly, with an easy loop from one end of the bridge to the other. Except for feeling like a piece of luggage under Jo-Jo’s arm, the experience wasn’t bad. He kept up a patter of vampire flight control tips that helped me relax, and he even talked me into touching down on the roof of a motel on the island side of the bridge.

  When he’d readjusted our positions into what he called a skater hold, I thought levitate for all I was worth. We took off again to make a short circuit around the bay, and I imagined we were skimming on the wind. Astounding but true, I actually supported my own weight part of the way. Not a solo flight, but it was progress.

  Not that I was going to admit the thrill of victory to Pandora—or Saber either. Not with that big told-you-so grin on his face.

  As soon as Jo-Jo gently lowered both of us to the bridge walkway, Saber grabbed me for a hug and a smacking kiss.

  “I knew you could do it, Cesca. Good work, Jo-Jo.”

  I smacked Saber back, in the shoulder with my fist.

  “We wouldn’t have been out there if we hadn’t been am-bushed. Did you know Pandora was skulking up the bridge?”

  Saber crossed his arms. “No, I did not. I would’ve warned you if a two-hundred-pound cat that I don’t trust was about to pounce.”

  “There is that.”

  I patted the shoulder I’d hit and turned to eye Pandora, who gazed back with a bored expression. She had morphed to a house cat size and draped herself on the top rail of a barricade a few feet away, nonchalant as you please.

  “All right, Pandora,” I said with hands on my hips and a rein on my temper. “Why did you scare Jo-Jo?”

  “Yeah, that wasn’t sporting at all,” Jo-Jo scolded. Guess he felt braver with Pandora in her small form.

  Pandora shrugged. It is imperative that you claim this power, and it was merely expedient to startle you both.