by Dylan Keefer
Mei stepped towards the bar. She hadn’t been in one before and didn’t see the appeal. Her eyes scanned the bodies on stools in front of the bar. She stopped at one man. He wasn’t big and burly, but he was very toned and built. His hair was neatly trimmed in a very uniformed manor. A tight shirt revealed rippling muscles all over his upper body.
This is him. I know it.
The seat next to him was empty; so, she slid in between him and another guy who was chatting it up with his friends.
“Hey, now,” the other guy turned to follow her with his gaze as she sat down. “A pretty little piece of ass doesn’t walk up into a place like this by herself without me buying her a drink.”
“Thank you,” Mei said, “but no thank you.”
She crossed her legs on the stool and placed her elbows on the bar. The conversation hadn’t ended though. She felt the gaze and hot breath of the other man.
“Baby, it looks like to me that you are in need of a really good time, and I am a really good time. Why don’t you let me get you something to help us get to know each other better?”
“No,” Mei said a little more direct. She jumped a little as she felt a hand on her thigh.
“You don’t say ‘no’ to me, honey.”
“Well, she did.” A growl barreled out of the man next to her. He hadn’t even taken his eyes off the point of reference he had been staring at. “Leave her alone.”
Mei smiled softly even though he wasn’t looking. The man on the other side slid off his chair. “I don’t remember asking you for your input, buddy.” Two of his friends stood up, too. “Maybe you should mind your own business.”
“Maybe you should go fuck yourself if you think you’re so good at it.”
Mei wasn’t sure if she should stop it. She didn’t. She didn’t need to. In what seemed like seconds, her rescuer had grabbed her antagonist and slammed his face into the stool he had been sitting in and sent the other two flying towards the door. The two friends recovered and dragged their unconscious buddy away.
“Thank you,” Mei said softly. She didn’t receive a response. She tried again. “It’s nice to know someone really cares.”
“I don’t care,” he said. “I just don’t think you should be in here with me—people like that.”
“Where did you learn to fight like that?”
The man looked at her briefly. “Military. Marines.”
Mei’s eyes widened. So, this was what happened to Serge. It made sense from what she knew about the American military. He picked up his glass and downed the contents.
“Thank you for what you did and do for me,” Mei found herself saying. Serge laughed.
“Well, I didn’t do it specifically for you, but I’m glad Americans aren’t all complete assholes about it.” He raised his hand to the bartender for one more drink. “One more, and then I’m out for the night, Tom.”
Mei placed a hand on his shoulder. Serge jumped and turned to her with a frown. His face showed signs of weariness and loneliness, but his eyes were kind and strong. She knew him. “No,” she said. “I really meant thank you for what you did and do—for me—Serge.”
Mei believed ten minutes was up and waited to see if he could see her—the true her. Serge sat up straight. Slowly, recognition washed over his face along with shock and awe.
“Mei?” He gasped in a quiet whisper with his eyes moistening.
“Hi, Serge,” she smiled with tears forming in her own eyes. “It’s me.”
Serge stared at her, his eyes unblinking. Mei wondered if the shock was too much for him. Maybe she should have been a little more sensitive to the fact that they hadn’t seen each other in four hundred years. Serge turned back to the bar and downed his glass before tapping it on the counter in front of him.
“Tom, hit me.”
Tom looked at him with a curious look. “Didn’t you just say that the last drink was going to be your last?”
“Changed my mind,” Serge said. “And I’m going to need the next one a bit stiffer.”
Tom shrugged and went to make the drink. Mei cleared her throat. “Um—Serge?”
“The name is Sam,” Serge said under his breath, but loud enough for her to hear it. “What are you doing here?”
“Oh.” Mei felt a little taken back. She wasn’t sure how she pictured their reunion, but something in her mind thought that he would embrace her in a hug, or they would laugh out loud after finally being reunited. “You aren’t happy that I’m here.”
“Why should I be? There is no reason for you to be here; no reason for you to find me.” Tom returned with the drink which Serge took before it hit the bar. Mei smiled as the bartender looked at her curiously.
“You look different,” he said. Mei shrugged. Tom shook his head and went back to his other customers.
“Ser—Sam, I’m here because I’m going after the throne. I’m going after the Dom…” Serge’s head whipped in her direction startling her. He downed his drink and tossed a tip next to the glass.
“Not in here,” he said brushing by her on his way out of the bar. Mei followed him into the brisk night air. They stepped onto the sidewalk. Mei didn’t see Madi anywhere nearby, but she didn’t look too long before Serge snapped his finger in her face. “Hey, don’t tell me you’re thinking about going against the Dominion! In what world, do you think that’s a good idea?”
“Do you know what’s going on?” Mei grabbed his arm. “I finally figured out my past because my memory was erased when I was put in the crypt. The Dominion killed my family, they kidnapped a friend of ours and are trying to use his research to take over the human world, and they are trying to kill me. They’re evil. You know this.”
“It’s not my problem, and since they are trying kill you, you should stay away from them.”
“You protected me from them. You raised me when I had no one.” Mei couldn’t believe how he was acting. How could this be the person that she had looked up to like her own father?
“I helped you run away. I helped you run away, and all you want to do is run back there and get yourself killed.” Serge shook his head and began to pace back and forth. Mei gulped and looked down to the ground. She felt like crying. All that they had gone through, and this was what happened.
“How did you find me?” He asked. She looked up.
“Um, well, I thought you were dead. It was your brother, Gregory.” Serge stopped, his eyes grew wide.
“He is no brother to me,” he said. Mei continued.
“I had him. I had him just like when we were in the woods before—when I was younger. I was about to kill him, and—then he told me you were alive. That was a month ago, and I've been searching for you ever since then.”
“And did you kill him? Did you kill Gregory?” Serge asked. He leaned forward as if waiting anxiously for her response. Her cast away gaze gave him his answer. “And you think that you can defeat the Dominion?”
“With your help, I can,” Mei pleaded. “Serge, if you'll just listen to me.”
“My name is Sam,” the man said in a soft, but blunt voice. “Serge is dead. Go back to the crypt, Mei. You shouldn't have left it.”
She was speechless. Serge turned and walked away from her without a glance back or hesitation. Mei wanted to run after him or call out, but she couldn't. Maybe he was right. Maybe Serge was dead.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Madi closed the door behind her when they got into their hotel room. Mei hadn’t felt like talking much on the way back. She herself had been in a corner watching as Mei and Serge spoke. It didn’t seem like the right time to introduce herself to the vampire mentor.
“I’m so tired,” Mei said. “I’m a vampire. I’m supposed to have unmatched strength and energy.”
“You need blood,” Madi said. “And you need to stop wearing that necklace.”
“I don’t want to risk what I will do if I let my vampire and summoner side come out,” Mei said. “I don’t think it’s going to be good.”
&
nbsp; Madi walked up to Mei and wrapped her arms around her in the middle of the hotel room. Their faces were inches apart. “Mei, you’ve worked your way into my heart. I’m not very proud that I caved so easily.” “Easily?” Mei laughed. “You think it was easy?”
“Shh,” Madi said as she unzipped her jacket and tossed it on the floor. She smiled mischievously as she slipped her shoes off. “You know that I chose this hotel because they have jacuzzies in the hotel room. And right now, I think you should get undressed while I fill up the tub, so we can soak.”
She dropped her jeans to the floor leaving her just in her shirt and panties. Mei blushed. Madi had a way of taking her off guard, and at the most unsuspecting times. She watched as Madi pranced into the large bathroom. “You are too good at that,” Mei said. She had become less self-aware about being naked around the girl. Madi didn’t make it feel awkward, and while a part of her missed Clayton and Milo, she felt nervous around them. It wasn’t so around Madi.
Madi was laying in the tub when Mei walked in, her bare, white skin almost glistening. She held up the book that she had grabbed from their luggage. “I want to read some more of this. Do you mind?” Madi shook her head. Mei had gotten her on board with reading the books that her ancestor, Elizabeth, had left about her life. It was fascinating to learn history, and Madi seemed to get lost in the words when Mei read. Mei settled in the jacuzzi next to her.
My love is gone. The thing is that I have peace, and with this peace, I need to move on. There is word that a ship will be leaving in the next few months to the New World, and I need to be on that ship. My only problem is that as a woman—as a widower—they will not give me the time of day. But I have plan. That plan is the gentleman that has come into the area with his daughter. You should see them. I know that a few people around think that he is rude and abrupt, but I see a mystery. He is tall, stout, handsome, and there is no wife in the picture. Many rumors have been going around that she may have died. I don’t say all of this because I’m attracted to him. I don’t think that I’ll actually ever marry again. I have no desire with Edward gone. He knew who I was, and as much as it would be nice to share it with someone else, I do not want to take the chance. No, while I am attracted to him in a mysterious way, my main interest and attraction is with the girl. She is beautiful. I saw them walking in town the other day. She was talking to him. Her eyes danced like stars in moonlight as she prattled on about something. I followed them. I know shame on me. Even more shame on me, I repeated a spell in order to listen to their conversation. Clear as day, I hear the girl talk about a rabbit that they had found in the front of the house they were staying in. The rabbit was injured, and she was so worried about it being eaten by another animal or captured by someone and used for dinner. He was patient and kind in listening to her. His gruff demeanor hiding the fact that he cared about this girl so much. He told her that the best thing to do would be to put it out of its misery and give it peace. I followed them for several minutes just listening to them talk. That night, I walked by the house where they were residing. She was there on the porch with the rabbit. Tears flowed down her face. I reached my hand out and whispered the words. She suddenly jumped up with the animal in her hands. She cried out for the man, Serge. He came running out of the door as if ready to take on an army to defend her, and she cradled the rabbit explaining how the injuries just seemed to magically heal. He couldn’t explain it, but he did wrap his arm around and tell her that she needed to let it be free now that it was okay. I walked away at that moment with a warm feeling in my heart. That feeling went away when I woke up in the middle of the night from a dream—a nightmare—a vision, I’m not sure. I just remember seeing her face—that little girl. She was standing in a field alone. In front of her were thousands of creatures—vampires. She glowed like she was on fire. She had fangs that were sharp and glistened in the sun. A necklace hung around her neck, and it shattered. Suddenly, there was an explosion. When everything was clear, the thousands of vampires that stand against her were now on their knees. I woke up in a sweat. This is no ordinary girl.
Mei closed the book. Madi shivered. “Wow! So, she had been watching you for a long time,” she said. Mei nodded.
“She said she could see that Serge loved me,” Mei said. “Madi, I have to try to reach him. Who I saw at that bar is not the same person who I knew.”
Madi reached out and stroked her arm. “Mei, I wouldn’t expect you to do anything else.”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Serge lay in bed staring up at the ceiling. He hated sleep. Sure, he needed it just like anyone else, but not as much. Also, after living hundreds of years, dreams and nightmares were more frequent and vivid. With what he had seen in life, he didn’t want to relive them in sleep. He sighed and looked at the clock on the night stand beside his bed. The large red numbers alerted him that it was finally five in the morning. Five. That was a good time to go for a run on the mall.
Serge swung out of bed and started to grab his workout clothes. He had gotten in the habit a long time ago of running in the mornings. Sometimes, he ran for several hours just because he could. In D.C., you could run and feel like you were finding out all that was going on in the world with just a loop around the city. It was nice to have that reprieve since he was used to being deployed or in boot camp or somewhere in the military. That had been the easiest option when Mei had been put into the crypt. He became a military man, and that had stuck on and off for four centuries. He had fed off the blood of wounded and dying men. He had quenched his thirst by killing the enemy. He had learned to live as a fighter. Of course, things had changed multiple times over in those years. He had seen the start of a great nation, and while there were things that he loved about what America had become, there was a lot more to hate when you live for that long. There were more times that he wanted to kill himself than to live, and the only thing that kept him going was the fact that he didn’t know what was on the other side.
His feet pounded the pavement as he passed by buildings and street signs. Traffic was rising along with the sun. He made it to the Washington Monument as the sunrise started to reach its pinnacle and stopped for a moment. He was aware of the footsteps that trailed behind him for the past few minutes. She had stayed far enough back to not look obvious, but still--she was obvious. “I knew you weren’t going to give up that easy,” he said as he started running again. Mei caught up and matched his pace.
“You never gave up on me,” she said. He looked over at her in yoga pants and a tank top. She had been the constant dream he had the entire night. He didn’t expect to see her again. Now, here she was-- older, beautiful, and determined. Her voice trembled with the vibrations as she bounced up and down on the pavement. “I’ve been out of the crypt for a while now. I’ve seen things and met people. I’ve had people die, and I’ve grown to love others. The Dominion know I’m still alive, and they are going to come after me. I need to bring the fight to them, and Ser--I mean, Sam--no, what the hell, I mean, Serge. I need you. I don’t need you to protect me. I don’t need you as a father. I need you as my friend. Please.”
They kept running. Serge shook his head. “The world is different now,” he said. “You could make a life for yourself and live among the humans. You said you know about your past now. You’ve got your memory back. Why would you willingly go into this fight?”
“Because,” Mei said grabbing his arm and stopping in mid-run. Serge jolted back and faced her. “If I don’t--if I don’t fight for the throne that I deserve then everything that my parents did to protect me, that you did to protect me, that the Davenports did, that others have done will be for nothing. And if I don’t fight, then evil is all that will be my legacy--our legacy as vampires.”
She was so damn passionate. He wiped the sweat off his forehead. “Fine,” he said. “Let me finish my run. You can tell me your plan as we go.”
The two began running again, and Mei started from the beginning. “It all started when I woke up from the crypt.
There was this ambulance.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
“Spiritus auxilio invocabo.” Madi sat in the middle of the floor of their hotel room. The doors leading to the balcony were open and sunlight beamed into the room bathing her in its warmth. Her eyes were closed. Her body and breathing were relaxed. For the past few weeks while they had been searching for Serge, she had been taking time each day to channel the Dominion. She had taken samples from the ground at Lynn Woods. Some of it was now spread around her in a circle with some sage and blood that she had mixed together. Thankfully, housekeeping didn’t say anything. They just vacuumed up the random mess that was left on the floor.
The spell was a simple one. Me adducere mihi historiam producat usque ad praesens. Bring me your history. Bring me to the present. The Dominion walked the streets of Boston and worked like they were just like any other human. They were in the schools, churches, hospitals, businesses, and the only thing they didn’t do was live among the people. Try as she might, Madi couldn’t figure out where they were. There had to be a powerful spell that was keeping anyone from seeing the Dominion dwelling place.
Her world was black as she was chanting for the spirits to help her--the witches--the Summoners of the past. So far, she had seen the coming of the Dominion over to the Eastern shores. The centuries of siring. The infiltration into human society. They were all there.
“My child, what are you seeking?”
Madi stood in Lynn Woods. She watched as a younger woman walked towards her. Her hair was a deep brown. Her eyes were coal black, and she had the most quizzical expression. Madi knew who it was immediately.
“Elizabeth,” she whispered. “Elizabeth, you’ve come to me.”
“I’ve never left you, daughter,” Elizabeth said. “You’ve traveled your own path and have followed your own hate which has caused you from seeing me, but I’ve never left you. Neither have any of the Summoners.”
