by S. J. Wright
She slept for another three days. Her eyes had become accustomed to the darkness of the cell, so when she opened them for the first time in that room, she was startled by the light and afraid.
Gasping , she scrambled off the bed and ducked behind it to hide from the sun. Since she had become a vampire, she had lived her life in the shadows, only venturing out when the sun had gone down.
“Relax. You’re wearing sunstone beads.”
It was Marco. He was watching her from across the room. He gestured towards the sunlight.
“As long as you keep that necklace on, you can be in the sun all day and nothing will happen.”
Kate looked down. She lifted the necklace that was around her neck and peered at it suspiciously. She had known about the crystals that some vampires used in order to travel by day, but she had never seen one. These small stones were transparent with flecks of orange interspersed with swirls of silver. The orange color reminded her of fall leaves. They reminded her of home.
She stood up cautiously and stretched one hand out towards the light. There was no pain. Once she realized she was safe from the light, she began to notice the other things in the room.
There was a plain pine nightstand by the side of the bed with several drawers. On top sat a lamp, an alarm clock and a red plastic cup. There was a dresser across from the bed. On top of that was a tray with a pitcher of ice water and several small paper cups, which were empty. Next to the tray stood a vase potted plant. Kate thought it looked like a cactus, but it had some growth at the top that looked like a closed flower.
“Discocactus placentiformis.”
Kate turned her head and found Marko smiling at her and gesturing towards the plant.
“It’s also called Burger’s Onion. All sharp and dangerous on the outside. But on warm summer evenings, it opens so that all the world can see what beauty lies inside sleeping.”
He strolled to the dresser and poured some of the ice water into one of the small cups.
“That plant reminds me a lot of you, Kate.”
She gave him no response, but sat back down on the bed. He brought the cup of ice water to her.
“Drink.”
Putting anything in her mouth seemed like tempting fate, but she took it and gulped down a few sips. He opened the top drawer of the nightstand and pulled out a small plastic container with a lid on it.
“Blood?”
Kate could smell it.
“Yes. Not human blood. Swine blood. We add a few additional elements to it for flavor and to help preserve it against going bad. With what we’ve added, refrigeration isn’t necessary.”
“It’s not cold?”
“No. How do you feel? Are you ready to try it?”
She had never been more ready for anything in her young life. She drank it from the scratchy lip of the container. She was so far past worrying about the manners that Nelly had taught she and her sister as they were growing up. She finished it quickly.
Along with the unusual taste, Kate felt a subtle power begin to move through her slowly. It drifted down into her hands, through her flat abdomen and down into the tips of her toes. There was something different about this. She hesitated to compare it to the taste of human blood. The effect was similar, but there was a part of her brain that was shouting at her—screaming about getting clean and doing things right. As she drank the liquid, she felt as if it were cleansing. It was pushing away her longstanding resentment—shoving it into a little corner in her soul.
But now, as she sat across from Marko at the tiny café, it occurred to her that her journey was only beginning. And it started the moment she let the door close on her past, mimicking the heavy iron door that sealed her inside a very dark place for thirty long days.
Chapter 12
Given the dramatic turns of emotion that Sarah tended to have when faced with difficult situations, it was no surprise to Alex see her up and dancing three hours after her transition was complete. What he hadn’t expected was the instant arousal he felt when she first opened her eyes and smiled at him.
Wherever it had come from, he wanted it gone. Things between them were already complicated enough. She was going back into Michael’s arms soon. He shook his head at the outrageous promise he’d made to Sarah while she was in the middle of her transition and suffering the pain of the newly undead.
Katie. Get Katie back to me. I need my sister.
How could he refuse her? She had been lying there in the damp basement, and sweat had been forming on her brow as her body fought the unstoppable threads of immortality beginning to weave themselves through each cell in her body.
Foolishly, he had agreed to the demand. He would have said anything during those few moments to bring her even a tiny spoonful of peace. Would she remember? Even if she forgot the promise, he had given his word. He had to do as she asked because he knew that she needed Katie more than she might ever admit. He was quite sure that if he were to bring it up after the change, she may deny that she’d ever asked for her sister.
So Alex was watching her dance in the backyard, her simple white country dress dappled with the late afternoon sun coming through the trees. She looked like a joyful angel. He hated to put an end to the celebration, but they had a lot of talking to do now that the deed was done.
He crossed his arms and leaned against one of the posts up on the back deck.
“Come on, Miss Sunshine. We need to iron out some details.”
Sarah tipped her head to the side and grinned at him. There was a devilish light in her blue eyes.
“Details are the last thing on my mind at this moment.”
It was spoken with a spark of attitude, but her body was poised for merriment. She couldn’t hide the relief that had come washing over her the moment she realized she was immortal. For someone who hadn’t been very happy in her mortal life, Sarah seemed to be enjoying the whirling lightness of the creature she had become.
Vampires are dark and spooky?
Sarah didn’t believe it. Not now.
She wiggled her bare toes in the shaded coolness of the grass below her. She had never imagined it would feel like this. Always, the images of the undead forced her to see them through a dark veil—always tinged with a chaotic chorus of dread and dripping with the blood they craved.
Where was the desperation she’d heard about? What about the barbaric need to feed? It wasn’t happening to her. She was a feather, twisting in winds of change. Alternating from ecstasy at the breeze flowing across her smooth face to the calm brought by the feeling of the solid ground beneath her. But she didn’t yearn for anything. Not food and definitely not blood.
“Alex, shouldn’t I be hungry?” she asked lightly, fluttering her hands through the splashes of shade and sunlight raining down from above. Her eyes crinkled at the corners as she followed the movement of her hands with her eyes.
“Maybe not right away,” he said.
How could she not be hungry?
“Come sit down for a minute, Sarah.”
She didn’t like the serious tone in his voice. Her chocolate-colored eyelashes fanned closed for a moment as she let herself relax on the ground at his feet. She sat, leaned back against the hard edge of the first porch step and crossed her legs before her with no regard for the clean dress she wore.
“So talk. Tell me the rules. I know that’s what you’re thinking about.”
He ignored the teasing lilt in her tone and frowned.
“You’re seriously not hungry at all?”
“No. Is that unusual?”
Alex was uneasy at this unexpected boon.
“I think it’s probably unheard of. But once we get to Michigan, some of the older vampires should be able to confirm that.”
“Why don’t you call Teddy?”
“I don’t want her knowing what we’ve done quite yet.”
She gave him a solemn look.
“You’re scared? You do realize that nobody can hurt you, right?”
S
he was talking about his physical body, of course.
“Right. But people I love can be hurt,” he whispered, thinking of her, the girls and Katie.
That thought reminded him of his promise. He would have to leave Sarah to bring Katie back. He didn’t know if the clinic would release her yet.
Deal with it later.
“The rules.”
She sat up and nodded politely, causing the strands of hair caught in her customary ponytail to brush against her shoulder. The corner of Alex’s mouth turned up in a half smile.
“You’re going to be serious, right?”
“I’ll do my very best.”
“Okay. Obviously, different vampires observe different rules. Some use mind control to make the human forget that they ever saw a vampire. That’s pretty common. Using compulsion takes some time to learn, though. It won’t come to you automatically.”
“Is that what you do for blood?”
He shook his head with a wry grin.
“No. I never quench my thirst on anything living. Not anymore. I don’t need blood very often. When I do, there are some vampires who are willing to accommodate me. Just various acquaintances who have been kind to me.”
“Is vampire blood better than the human variety?”
“The taste varies a lot, depending on the age of the vampire whose blood you’re taking. It’s a little like selecting a fine wine. Generally, the older ones have the best flavor and texture.”
He slid down and sat next to her, watching clouds of gnats rise and fall in the waning afternoon sun.
“But you don’t need to worry about any of that. I think if you start out drinking my blood then you’ll be fine to try anything else. But we’re drifting off subject.”
She looked startled at the idea of drinking his blood. Her cornflower blue eyes were wide.
“I thought I would only have it one time so I would change.”
“Where you get the blood is your choice. I won’t force you to take mine. I’m only suggesting that it might be the best bet for you, at least in the beginning.”
“And what happens after that? I could drink from Michael?”
Alex didn’t want to think about that. It was going to happen, he was sure. “That’s up to you two. If you want cold bags of human blood instead of animal blood, I’m sure arrangements can be made. But, until you learn compulsion, you cannot put your teeth on a human. That’s rule number one.”
She nodded.
“Okay.”
“Rule number two. If you are going to be around humans on a regular basis, you will need to discipline yourself to act as a human.”
One of her dark eyebrows rose.
“I wasn’t acting human a few minutes ago? Since when is dancing outlawed for mortals?”
“Yeah, well… just keep in mind that anything out of the ordinary can be reported back to the council. Not that they would do much to you, given your position.”
“I want to thank you.”
She shrugged her shoulders. “I lost all my hope when they left. I thought my life was over.”
Reaching out with one hand, Alex grazed her chin with his thumb.
“I was happy to help.”
His hand dropped away and he smiled brilliantly.
“When Michael tries to kill me, you be sure to put in a good word.”
Sarah rose fluidly from the ground and brushed the leaves of grass off the back of her dress before reaching a hand down to help him up.
“Once the shock wears off, he’ll probably hand his crown over to you for doing this. He really loves me, Alex.”
Of course he does.
Chapter 13
“Michael.”
He had been sleeping again. Back in Indiana, he’d rarely slept until he had become human. Now he felt the kind of intense pressure that sapped him mentally. He assumed that was the reason, anyway.
Michael turned heavy-lidded eyes towards Teddy. She hardly showed up at the apartment at all anymore, but she’d never entered his bedroom without knocking beforehand. She was agitated. Once again, the telltale sign of twisting her hands tipped him off.
“What?” he said.
“We’ve received a call from the Brazilian clinic. Apparently, they’ve received an external request for Katie to be released early.”
Michael drew one arm over his face.
“Who sent the request?”
When she didn’t answer immediately, he moved his arm so he could see her.
“Who?”
Her dark eyes were huge against the contrast of her elegantly pale complexion. Her hands continued the infernal twisting. He waited. Teddy took a deep breath and her chin rose a fraction of an inch.
“Alexander.”
Michael was still reeling from the effects of the dream he’d been having. He wasn’t sure he heard her correctly.
“Alex? Why would he…”
Then he realized it was Sarah. He could imagine if Sarah were going through an especially hard time, she would naturally want Katie to be there with her. They still had a great deal of making up to do. But, the fact that Alex had made the request could be an indication that Alex was with Sarah.
Sitting up at the edge of the huge bed, Michael rubbed at his sleepy eyes.
“What did you tell them?”
“Only that we trusted whatever decision they felt was right. If she’s truly ready to be integrated back into the fold, we could use her help.”
“I have a feeling Katie’s not going to be very open to the idea of helping any of us. You should have said no.”
Teddy looked on him with a glimmer of pity.
“They’re going to fax me her official status report. Luckily, she ended up with Marko for a mentor. He usually succeeds in getting his clients clean for life. We can trust him.”
“I don’t care about her damned mentor. Unless they know for a fact that she won’t hurt Sarah, she should stay at the clinic. Katie killed over a dozen innocent souls, Teddy. You and I both know she should have been sent to Arizona.”
“Yes. Arizona. She would be dead now if that had happened. Just being Sarah’s sister doesn’t make her valuable to the council. They care about that Pawnee blood that’s running in her veins. What have you heard from Victoria and Jones?”
“Not much. The last time I talked to her, they had arrived at the camp with Jackson Bennett but hadn’t yet located the bodies they expected would be there.”
He frowned.
“You think they’re in danger?”
“I don’t know. I would feel better if Sarah’s sister was there as a backup.”
“I’ll call Alex and find out what’s going on.”
But, when he picked up his cell phone from the nightstand and looked at the display, he saw that Alex had called while he was asleep. There was a voicemail message.
“Michael, it’s Alex. I’m sure you’ve heard by now that I’ve requested an early release for Katie. Sarah needs her now. I can promise you Katie will cause no harm to her. I’ve dealt with Katie when she’s at her worst. Safety is my first priority. So I’m hoping you won’t try to stop me from getting her back.”
The message ended.
Teddy sighed shortly.
“Call him back and tell him that before she can be around Sarah, she’ll need to prove herself. Jackson Bennett is still human. If Katie can resist human blood, a trip to Arizona would be an excellent test of her ability to control her appetite.”
“Eh,” he grunted.
“I don’t like that idea, Teddy. Putting her inside the containment camp with the most dangerous rogue we’ve had so far seems too risky. If she dies, other rogues out there might get wind of this. We don’t how many rogues are out there. Do you want a war? The reports keep coming in, Teddy. Twenty-four human deaths in the last two weeks. That doesn’t include the bodies found at the edge of Estes Park. We still don’t have that one in custody.”
“Santiago is looking for her. Lucille Warner has been up in those mountains
for a century, Michael. It might take awhile. Please call Alex and tell him to take Katie to Arizona.”
Michael stood up and met her gaze firmly.
“No, Teddy. These are the kinds of decisions you brought me here to make. I had little choice in taking this title. It’s not what I wanted. But now that I’m here and have sworn my allegiance to the council, I will be the one to decide how things proceed.”
Her response was crisp and chilly.
“I see.”
“I mean it, Teddy.”
With a sniff of disdain, she turned away from him and walked out. He didn’t see the slow smile of satisfaction that she wore as she closed the bedroom door behind her. She pulled her own phone from her expensive leather handbag and saw the text message she had been waiting for.
Alex: We fly out of Rio this evening. I hope you know what you’re doing.
She replied: Your contact from this point forward is Captain Jones. NOT Victoria. Send Michael a text once you land in Phoenix, telling him that the clinic won’t release her for a few more days. That should give you enough time to get the rogues under control. How is Sarah?
Alex: She’s doing very well, but she still claims that she doesn’t have an appetite for anything.
Teddy’s only concern at that moment was the fact that Jones may not be able to get Victoria’s phone away from her so she couldn’t contact Michael directly. As she walked across the marbled entryway towards the front door of the apartment, she put the phone back in her bag.
Mahdi Lone had to die. He had learned far too much about the American vampires before he was relocated to the Arizona camp. She knew how powerful he was. They had fought one-on-one centuries ago. He had nearly killed her in that village outside of Barcelona. In Europe, his necromancy was well known. Other vampires knew to stay far away from Lone. Any ancient who could raise the dead and make them his slaves deserved a good deal of respect, in Teddy’s opinion.
