by Donna Altman
“See what you're missing.” Dee laughed as she walked past the vampire then hissed at him.
“Do you know what clan of vamps he's from?” I asked as I kept my eyes on him. He returned my glare. I felt the sexual feelings he had for me. I knew he was undressing me with his eyes.
“Yes. His father has contacted the Lords, and they have offered a trade.” She boosted and walking just within his grasp. He couldn’t help himself. He reached for her, and the vibrations from the restraint knocked him to the ground.
“What kind of trade?” I questioned. I turned toward her.
“It’s a trade for a witch that we have been looking for. She has evaded us for many decades. They offered to hunt her down and bring her to us. She holds many secrets we don’t want the vampires to learn, remember grandmother and grandfather. The vampires are foolish enough to trade her for this thing. They have no idea what we want her for; stupid, stupid, stupid vamps” She pointed in his direction.
“What is his name?” I inquired as I glared in his direction. I could see the liquid of lust dripped from his mouth. I rolled my eyes to display my disgust.
“Curtis; his maker is supposedly some high authority in the vamp world.” She explained as she shrugged her shoulders.
“They have such stupid names; Curtis, Daughtry, you know.” I smirked. I shifted my eyes in her direction to see if she caught the name that I spoke.
She turned to me quickly. A puzzled look was on her face, but she didn’t ask questions. I knew she had caught the name Daughtry, which I had thrown out there. Why had this bothered her? She turned her attention back to the vamp in front of us.
“He's just a little lustful worm. I think before it's over I'm going to tear him to pieces. The vamps should specify how they want him back. I think little pieces will do.” She laughed. “First we have to see what they know about this witch they claim they can produce.” She informed me and smirked in his direction.
She taunted him and gave him an occasional zap. We returned upstairs after she played with the vamp for a little while. I had many questions to ask her. I knew with Dee, I would be able to ask these questions without upsetting her. It was different with Suzy. She would never allow me to ask about the part of my existence I don’t remember.
Daught had been right. There was a part of my existence I couldn't recall. I asked Suzi once, and she told me if I kept inquiring about this time, she would punish me. I didn’t want this to happen. She scared me, so I didn't push the subject. Dee was different. She had always protected me, which was within itself unusual for a witchyre. However, she wouldn’t go up against Suzy if I pushed her to that point.
We settled into what most humans referred to as a family room. It was a large room of comforting chocolate colored furnishings. The walls were the color of burnt red crimson. A fire roared in the large circular stone fire pit that sat in the middle of the room. A solid copper circular vent hung above the pit. It took the smoke produced from the fire up through the house and out into the vast Canadian mountains. Dee turned to me. I saw the questions in her eyes.
“So why are you here little sister?” She asked. Dee was blunt and didn’t mix words when it came to her opinion of my life.
“I need to know why I don’t remember part of my existence.” I said. I looked for the reaction on her face. She went back to when I said Daught’s name. I knew there was some reason she reacted to his name. I saw the thoughts that passed through her mind as she looked at me. Her thoughts were pictures of an old house, and the smell of old blood.
“Ellie let it go, just get over it.” She said, “It’s not allowed.” She turned her back to me and walked further into the room with the large fire pit. I followed her.
“Why am I not allowed to know my own existence?” I demanded. She turned in my direction. The look on her face told me she didn’t want to have this conversation.
“You are being protected.” She leaked. I walked closer to her. She didn’t move.
“Why? From what?” I asked. I stopped just a few feet in front of her. Her eyes became dark and removed.
“They know about what you did during that time. They know. Suzy and I had to erase your memory before they destroyed you. The Lords were ready to omit you when Suzy agreed to go with them and become theirs.” She refused to go any further. She turned away from me. What was she talking about? What I did during what time? What does this mean?
“Suzy went with the Lords because she craved the power they gave her, and not even she would be able to stop them if they knew of something I did that was against them. You're protecting her, not me. I want to know why she erased my memory.” I demanded. My voice rose slightly and trembled when I spoke.
“I will tell you no more. It’s too dangerous for you to know more.” She raised her voice at me. She was direct in her speech as she turned away from me. I couldn’t hold back any longer. I knew she would have no choice but to tell me about why the name Daughtry upset her.
“I met someone that knew me during the time I don’t remember. He’s a hybrid,” I said. I continued to watch her reaction. The anger in her eyes told me I was pushing to far, but I couldn’t stop. I walked closer to her and grabbed her arm. She turned to face me.
“That damn hybrid. Why are you talking to that hybrid again?” She demanded. Her tone was harsh. She jerked her arm away from me and slammed her hand down on the table in front of her.
“What do you mean again?” I asked shocked from her reaction. She again tried to turn from me. She corrected her tone and calmed her reaction.
“Nothing. You misunderstood me.” Her attempts to correct her anger had no affect on my questioning her. I realized she knew more than she wanted me to know. Her voice changed, but I knew her tone showed a hint of fear.
“He keeps telling me I know him. For some reason, there is something familiar about him.” I pushed as I looked in her direction without turning away from her.
Dee was visible upset. She turned away from me and tried to act as if she didn’t know what I was talking about, but she couldn’t keep her reactions hidden any longer.
“Come back here to live. You must forget about him. He's deranged.” She pleaded as she turned in my direction. Her eyes now showed her fear. I didn’t understand this reaction of fear. Dee was a warrior. She didn’t show fear. At least, I had never seen her show it.
“Why are you so scared?” I asked, demanding an answer. I slammed my fist down on the back of the nearest chair.
Dee walked toward the door. I thought she was going to leave the room, but she stopped when she reached it. She reached her arms out to the door and stood there not moving for several seconds. I wasn’t sure what she was thinking as I waited for her next reaction, and then she closed the door to the room that we stood. She pulled the curtains and placed a magnetic strobe over a beam of light. I knew she was blocking out our thoughts so that her children couldn’t over hear them.
The only time a witchyre could read the thoughts of another witchyre was when they were direct kin, sister and sister, parent and child. She didn’t want them to hear her thoughts or her words. This was one of the few weaknesses of the witchyres. We could only hear the thoughts of other races, unless we were directly related. Dee pulled me to the center of the room. She then walked over to the bookshelf, and she pulled out a book of ancient spells.
“You can never tell anyone about our conversation. You can never let Suzy know that I have told you about this. The only reason I am telling you is that I know you will not let it go, and if Suzi and the Lords find out you are asking questions, you won’t be safe. We won’t be safe,” She explained. I could hear the conviction in her voice. She was truly fearful of Suzi and the Lords.
“Of course I won’t tell anyone. Whom do I have to tell? So what is it?” I asked. Her fumbling around the truth made me tired. I rolled my eyes at her, and she could see I was getting irritated. She motioned for me to sit on the sofa. I settled myself on the plush chocolate fabric, and
she joined me. She sat close to me and touched my hand.
“Listen to me. Ellie, please don’t interrupt me. I don’t know that I will have the courage to continue if you break my thoughts.” She explained. She looked directly into my eyes, and I could see her fear. I learned of a story that I never dreamed was part of my existence. Daught was telling me the truth. There was a reason I felt I knew him. A reason I felt connected to him and was jealous of him.
“You were in a rebellious state. You didn’t believe nor did you live as we lived. You rebelled against the witchyre ways of hunting and feeding. You began to have compassion for your food. We thought you were going through a short phase, but we were wrong. I begged Suzy to allow you to go out on your own and learn that our family was where you should return. I knew the harshness and loneliness of the outside world. I thought you would come back, but you didn’t return.” Her voice trembled as she turned to look at the fire that blazed in the pit. I didn’t interrupt her concentration.
“A witch tempted the Lords with stories of a witchyre that played with her food and changed it to make a lover. This was her way of payback for you not burning at the stake so long ago and for our grandmother’s annihilation. The Lord's called Suzi to their castle. She denied this telling them she would bring you back and prove you weren’t a part of the lie this witch had spread.
I looked for you and finally found you, but you weren’t alone. The witch’s story was true. Suzy ordered you back home. She sent me to retrieve you and ordered me to make sure you destroyed your toy. I knew you wouldn’t extinguish him. You hid him from me when you realized I was near. I knew what you had done, but I couldn’t make you destroy him. I brought you back to this lair. I told Suzi I had witnessed the end of this creation of yours. I knew if I didn’t act fast, Suzi would find out he was still walking the earth. I knew we had to combine our powers to erase your memory. If Suzi or the others found out that you concealed him, they would kill you. I couldn’t take that chance. Before Suzi realized what was going on, we erased your memory. I knew if you didn’t remember, and if you felt the same hatred that all witchyres felt for hybrids, the Lords would spare your life. We convinced the Lords the witch was lying.” Dee turned back to me and looked deep into my eyes. I knew she was telling me the truth.
“Suzi held herself as the high priestess. The Lord's appointed Suzi as their wife. They came one night and killed her husband. That was the last night I saw her. A few months ago, I saw they were coming so that was why I sent you away this time. Word had come that the three wanted two wives. They had Suzi, and they wanted you, as well. I couldn’t let you end up this way.” Her voice became soft, and she lowered her head.
Dee was visibility upset. I knew she had done everything she could do to help me. She could have told Suzi that Daught was still alive, but she hadn’t. My mind was still in shock of learning I was in love with a vamp. Now I knew I was as insane as he was. I had to get my memory back, so I could understand how I could love a vamp.
“Can you give me my memory back?” I asked with a softer tone. She touched my hand.
“Not without Suzi. Only he can my dear, and our witch creator,” she told me as she lowered her head. Her words shocked me. Did I hear her right? Did she say ‘my creator’?
“Who?” I asked. I didn’t understand what she was saying. Was she talking about my dead grandmother?
“The one that created us, our grandmother, and the one you made. The one that loves you.” She said and confirmed my thoughts. I shook my head. For once, I didn’t say anything. I kept hearing the words, ‘our witch creator’. I turned to look at her and found she was staring at me to catch my thoughts.
“But we don’t believe in love. It doesn’t actually exist. Not to mention our grandmother is kind of extinguished,” I told her.
“Believe in it or not sis, I saw the way he looked at you long ago, and I saw the way you looked at him. As far as our grandmother goes Ellie, we are half witches, and you above anyone have the power to bring her back.” She pushed my arm and smiled. I was still struggling to understand what she told me. I shook my head and turned in her direction. I needed to know more.
“I don’t understand. I made this vamp, and I, for whatever reason, loved him. Once more, if Suzi and the Lords find out, I’m dead. We are all dead.” I shook my head in disbelief. The vamp was telling the truth. I couldn’t believe my family had kept this from me for so long. Daught undoubtedly was telling me the truth.
“I’m giving you this book. There is a spell in here that will bring our original creator back from abolishment. You’ll have to find the right spell, and then she’ll know how to restore your memory. He will help her to restore it, but you have to want it.” Her words were soft. She smiled at me and touched my hand again.
“So he's telling me the truth, and you've kept this from me. Now, he's the one that has to help me get my memory back.” I asked her. I felt the anger build inside of me. I still couldn’t believe they kept this from me. I pulled my hand away from her. She knew I was upset and feared I would hate her. I got up and walked to the window.
“Yes Ellie, now it’s up to you. You can go to him and together you will find out how to return your memory, but you have to be careful. If Suzi over hears your thoughts and realizes your creation is still alive. She will have no mercy on our insubordination. We will never be safe again.” I knew in her voice that she was scared. She stood and walked toward me. She touched my shoulder. I wanted to pull away from her, but my mind kept going back to the realization that she could have made me kill him.
I couldn't believe what she told me. She was so ready to lie to me about Suzy until I told her about Daught. The sound of his name scared her. I had never seen my sister scared of anything. Where do I go from here? I didn’t know what to do with this book she gave me. I knew I needed to see Daught. Damn, I hated to admit that. After I had been so mean to him, I now needed him to help me. This was going to be hard. He would enjoy watching me squirm. However, maybe, if I made him believe I was giving into his persuasion.
Now I understood why he got under my flesh. I was his maker. How many times had I wanted to kill him, but I didn’t think I could. What if I had killed him? Ouch, then I would never be able to get my memory back. According to Dee, I would have protected him with my life. I had protected him with my life, but I don’t remember it. I had to remember that part of my life, but where do I start. I never learned the ways of the witches from my past. Yes, I could disappear and stop time; things like that, but to cast a spell I wouldn’t know where to start. Why had she given me this damn book? I looked at the book and opened it. Hmmm, they just look like words that rhyme.
I said my goodbyes to Dee. She kissed my cheek and told me she would be near if I needed her. It’s funny that witchyres aren’t supposed to love each other, but Dee and I had always had a compassion for each other. I knew I could count on her. Even though, she had kept this secret from me for so long I knew she was concerned about me, which was strange for our kind.
I returned to my dorm, which was the place where I last saw Daught. His scent was still lingering. Why did I have such a hard time believing this was genuine? Now I knew why he was so familiar and that it was true. I certainly was his maker. I had actually done this forbidden act. I must have been tempting death to do such a thing. I would surely be killed if they found out I had done such a disreputable thing. The Lords would kill Dee and me because Dee concealed my indiscretions from them. Suzy would be dishonored and expelled from being the wife of the three. If the Lords didn’t find me, Suzy would find me and make me kill Daught for the pure pleasure of it. I couldn’t do this to Daught. What was I saying? He was a vamp, why would I care what happened to him? I sat on my bed still shocked by what I had found out about my life.
Damn it, I now knew why I cared. I had changed this vamp. I was his maker, and he belonged to me. Oh my God, I was insane. Daught had infected me with his mental illness. I threw my head on the pillow and buried my face.
I knew I might as well wait for Suzi and the Lords to show up, so I could accept my fate. I knew I was going to die. Oh, wait maybe not. This could be fun.
My thoughts couldn’t help but go back to Trish. She had a need to have the attention of Daught. Now I know why this thought irritated me. I smiled to myself. I had to see him now. I had to see Daught. Why did I feel so enlightened about seeing him? What the hell was wrong with me? I knew his derangement had rubbed off on me. I headed for his dorm room. I hoped he was at home, so I didn’t have to wait on him. What was I talking about? He never went anywhere. Of course, he would be at his bland dorm. I remembered my conversation with Trish the other night. She complained of him never going out at night to mingle with the other students. If she only knew, what he undoubtedly did at night. It surprised me that he had not at least tried to suck her blood. Of course, the sound of her voice would make him want to comment vampire suicide. I tried to imitate her giggle, but even I couldn’t bring myself to make that sound.
I made my way to the building where he lived. It was across the campus from the female dorms. They thought separating the sexes would keep them apart. Like, separation was going to keep men and women apart. Humans were so ridiculously complex. They over thought the simplest things. Males and females, no matter what the race or mortality, were always going to find a way to get together. They may as well just deal with it and stop trying to act like these college kids were in kindergarten. My thoughts went back to Michael and his friends. Never mind, I understood why the college elders thought the way they did.
Chapter Twelve
HUNTING
Hunting helped me to clear my mind of the things that obstructed my visions from what might happen, or what I wanted to happen. The vampires and witchyres drew the boundary lines of their hunting grounds clear and precise. All races of immortals saw me as a hybrid vampire, so I had to stay within certain lands to feed. When I was hunting with Ellie, I was able to hunt closer to home because she would scan the area to make sure no witchyres were nearby, but now not even she would protect my trespassing. My strict diet of feeding on people that had recently died or were in the process of intimate death made it harder to feed in the lands designated for hybrids. At times, this could cause enormous stress. I had to search for these humans.
