Your Red Always

by Leeann Whitaker

  He dips his head then peers bleakly. “I will hold that promise to you Elizabeth, but I need to get Nathan off the streets,” he appeals. “Please understand that. Go get cleaned up, then we’ll talk.”

  I agree. I have to. It’s more important right now to get Nathan back safely.

  Sara plucks out the last splinter of glass from my hand with her tweezers. It’s not as bad as I expected. It’s amazing how much blood came from such tiny cuts. She ties the towel tightly around my palm, and drops the bloody cotton wool buds into the dish. I find it odd that all this blood doesn’t have an effect her.

  “Do you know what that is?” I ask, looking at the symbol.

  She blinks slowly. “We all know what that is. Whether it’s real or not is another thing.”

  Adrien emerges from my room as Sara takes the dish away. I’ve heard him yelling in there, and I’m sure it’s not all been about Nathan.

  “Have you found him?” I’m desperate for news.

  He nods. “I’m tracing his cell, Elizabeth. As soon as we have a location, he’ll be brought straight to me.”

  “What’s going to happen to him?”

  He sits next to me and blows out. “He’s Vigore, I noticed the scent of him downstairs,” he explains. “New bloods have a pungent odour.” I stare vacantly. He didn’t smell of anything downstairs in that lobby to me. “He will look to feed if he hasn’t already.”

  I arch over, cradling my head with my hands. What has Nathan got to do with any this? I’m the one involved with Vampires, not him.

  “He’s been enticed by them.” He peers up at the symbol. “With false promises. He probably didn’t have a clue what he was getting involved in.” He purses his lips at me. “Whoever he made a deal with, obviously played on his emotions.”

  “What is that symbol?”

  He looks back to the wall. “That is the symbol of the Voax.”

  I examine. With all that’s gone on, I haven’t really thought of anything other than, shit, there’s blood smeared all over the wall. It’s a circle. Within the top and bottom half are what appears to be two triangles. Similar to a W in the upper half, and M below, meeting dead centre.

  “It’s an ancient symbol that depicts supremacy over all who are seen weak,” he sniffs. “It’s the mark of the Voax, a resistance group who believed that feeding from the living was a given right,” he angers. “And to go against their nature is an abomination to all Vampires. They haven’t been around since their last attempts in eighteen sixty-six,” he adds, with an uncertainty in his eyes. “They were all caught, and each one of them eradicated in a Nemuritori purification, performed by The Order.”

  “So they mean to kill me… why?”

  “It may not be as cut and dry as that.” He threads his fingers through mine. “I have informants, and there’s no evidence, apart from this, that they’ve reformed.” He hums in confusion. “There is no need for it; blood is easy to come by in this era. This… it makes no sense.” I scowl. I think it’s pretty damning evidence they have. “Look, I will not let anything happen to you, Elizabeth. I will get to the bottom of it and fix it quickly,” he says, clamping down his jaw. “Now you go and finish packing that bag on your bed.”

  Chapter 25: Meeting

  I haven’t slept. Both Adrien and I have been up all night. He’s been toing and froing in and out of his office, on the phone most of the time. And I’ve been wandering aimlessly around his apartment, biting the hell out of my fingernails. It’s now getting dark again, and Nathan has been out there alone for nearly twenty-four hours.

  The front door opens and in walks Dom and Ben. I race out from the kitchen, hoping for some news, any news that will put my mind at ease. Dom lowers his head, pursing his lips to the side as Ben skulks away. They don’t have to say anything, it’s clear they have no idea where he is.

  I curse and slump down on the sofa, heavyhearted. I’m no Vampire, I need to rest. Just a power snooze would do. But how can I when he’s still out there? This is all my fault. I’m an awful selfish cow of a friend.

  “Adrien, the Vigore council have been informed and are on their way,” Ben says, heading into Adrien’s office.

  I remove my hands from my head to see Sara holding out a mug. The steam floats under my nose. It smells herby with a hint of lavender.

  She looks great; her usual dolled up self. She’s had a shower and changed into black leggings, boots, and a cream vest. Her hair is neatly tied back, and she has even had the audacity to do her frigging eyelashes. I on the other hand, have on the same clothing I wore yesterday. Blood stained jeans, scrappy hair because I’ve been constantly twirling it, and I reek to high heavens.

  “Here, lavender and camomile tea,” she says. “Will help you relax.”

  Through the red raging mist I watch her. She has no clue about what real friendship entails. Stood there with not a care in the world, assuming that giving me something that tastes like gnat’s piss, will make everything alright.

  “I don’t need it,” I grumble in a snappy tone.

  She’s still there, holding out the damn thing near my face.

  “Elizabeth… drink the tea.”

  As soon as that last word departed her glossy lips, my hand swings hostilely across my body. I knock the tea out of her manicured fingers, and all over her vest. She gasps, arms out, shaking off the scold. If she wants to carry on, that’s fine by me. I need to take out this frustration on the fact no progress has been made, and she’s the perfect candidate.

  “Jeez Liz.” Dom rushes before Sara, fearing reprisals.

  I continue to glare up at her. Now she has lost that irritating false concern and is livid. Dom moves in front of a panting Sara, expecting a full on bitch fight any second.

  Adrien comes out of his office with Ben a step behind. He has his glasses on and is using the top rim to hit me with his sharp gaze. His pupils flick to Sara then me. She blusters and storms into the kitchen.

  “What!”

  I have every right to be angry. I thought he was like the mafia boss of his kind. Why hasn’t he found Nathan yet?

  “This is not a good time to be fighting with each other, Elizabeth.” He lets out a disappointed sigh. “You need to get some sleep.”

  I scowl the scowl of all scowls as Ben and Dom lurk away into the kitchen. I won’t rest, until I know he is safe.

  “Elizabeth.” He sits next to me. “We’ve tracked him down. Laurie and Connor are on route to bring him back now.”

  I blink and breathe out. Relief is what I should feel, and I do for a millisecond. Until I remember what he is, Vampire, and not the kind I’m familiar with.

  “Where is he?”

  “He’s in St James Park. Has been for the last half hour.” Frazzled, he rubs his hand over his messy hair. “Look, I have a meeting with some very influential Vigore. I will find out what happened to Nathan, why you were attacked, and I will resolve this.” He coils his fingers over mine and squeezes.

  A low groan emerges from my mouth. Is he trying to make me feel optimistic? Optimism is an implausible emotion right now.

  I wiggle my fingers until he removes his hold on me. His shoulders roll back because he cannot make light of this, and he knows it. Ninety-nine point nine percent of me has fallen so deeply for him there is no way back. But there’s a small part of me that is in conflict with that love, pecking away at my human soul. It’s dreadful, and keeps telling me that when I found out what Adrien was, I should have run a thousand miles from him.

  “Elizabeth… say something?”

  “How is this fixable?”

  He closes his eyes for a moment. “It isn’t… but I will make sure he’s okay.”

  “He’s a Vampire… he’ll never be okay.” A tear leaves my eye.

  He releases all the air from his lungs. “I will do my best to make sure he’s looked after.”

  I wipe my wet cheek. “Promise?”

  “You have my word, but you need to calm down, rest,” he says in a sooth
ing tone. “Sara is going to take you somewhere safe when I’ve organised transport.”

  “I’m not leaving,” I say, stubbornly.

  “Until I know whether or not the Voax have returned, or if this is just some scare tactic. I need you away from me. A place only I know of where no one will find you,” he insists.

  “And Nathan… I need to see him.”

  He doesn’t like the fact I’m questioning his power, but I don’t care. I not one of them, and he cannot stop me seeing Nathan.

  “Nathan is Vigore now, his future will be determined when he’s been quarantined,” he states. “But, I’ll vouch for his safety until I’m sure, and do you know why?” He sighs. “Because you are the most important person in the world to me.” He takes my hand again. “But he’s at a critical point which could go either way. If he tries to hurt you again, I’ll have no choice Elizabeth but to…” he hesitates.

  “What!”

  “Deal with him.”

  “You mean kill him?”

  “What will you have me do, talk to him?” He barks. “He may have fed already, and if he has, it’s one hell of a mess to clear up. That’s why you can’t be here. I will not allow him to see you.”

  I slide my hand from his to cover my face. To accept this is ludicrous. I can’t believe he’s even contemplating killing Nathan. I blow out and sniff up the flow of fluid dripping from my nostrils.

  “I will walk out of that door and never come back.” I bite my lip hard. “I don’t care if I’m attacked, or if this Voax find me.” I stare. “I have to do this because I won’t let Nathan pay for something that has absolutely nothing to do with him,” I snap. “No false promises. If I mean anything to you, you will do everything in your power to make sure he’s not hurt, no matter what he’s done.”

  He shakes his head collapsing back into the couch, chafing his fingers against his stubble.

  “Dammit Elizabeth, you know I’ll do anything for you. But I can’t give you assurances because I don’t know what he’s done,” he says. “What if he’s murdered innocent people?”

  “Then that is on our heads… not his,” I argue.

  “Okay.” He takes my hand. “But only on the condition you do everything I ask of you.” I reluctantly nod. “Which means right now grabbing a shower, while I organise your transport.” He kisses my hand gently and leaves me on the couch.

  ***

  I stand before the fire surround in the guest room, scrubbing my clean wet hair with a towel. I shiver, like someone has walked across my grave. I hear Adrien’s raised voice through the door panel which has drifted open a little when the front door was slammed shut. The bedroom has become strangely dull and the ambiance has changed, like a bright sky suddenly being veiled with thick black cloud. Something is zapping all hope from the air. I toss the towel on the bed, and make my way to the wall.

  Stealthily, I take hold of the panel as irate voices grow louder. I hang back to listen, opening the door just enough to see through with one eye. I linger in a thin fragment of light and see the back of a head I’m not familiar with. It’s definitely a man, though I was confused for a second, because his brown hair is longer than mine. And there’s a woman next to him. Same length hair, but hers is wavy, strawberry blonde in colour. My pupils skim from left to right, hoping to see Nathan. But no, he’s not here.

  “You have ordered us here, for what?” The woman snarls, sliding a bag of blood across the table. “You have a lot going on in that skull of yours. You need to work on keeping up your shield.” Whoever she is, she’s clearly not thrilled about being here. “And who on earth is that hiding behind the wall?” She looks over her shoulder and her big eyes hit me.

  “Shit!” I gasp, holding my chest while clumsily stepping back into the bedroom.

  “Well-well-well. I see you’ve had your eye off the ball and on something else Mr Knight,” she smirks. “I told The Order that replacing our old Executive would be a mistake. But like most Sang’s, they never listen. First you send us contaminated blood, then make demands that we attend this meeting because you require our help.”

  I move back out of earshot. To stand eavesdropping was a big mistake. Hell, they can read my frigging mind. Think boring thoughts Liz. Your crappy dissertation will do.

  I try hard to clear my head, reciting word for word of my uni work. But I can still hear everything that’s being said, and it’s so difficult not to listen.

  The panel opens and Sara enters, gesturing her head. She’s changed her vest to a grey one and still looks pissed-off about my outburst earlier. Her glaring eyes and silence is telling me to watch my back. I stay still for a moment, take a breath, and then gingerly move by her.

  The members of the Coven are all present bar Laurie and Conner, who are still out there on Nathan’s trail. Ben appears in a world of his own, gazing at the rain battering the windows. I’m guessing it’s a tactic to prevent the Vigore reading his thoughts. Sara doesn’t seem concerned. She makes her way around the table and sits in the chair next to Ben, as Dom flirts, winking at the Vigore sitting opposite.

  Adrien stands. He presses his fingertips down on the glass, watching as I loop my eyes nervously around the room. I’m awkwardly frozen behind the Vigore, who haven’t even turned to see me yet.

  “You know I have dealt with that batch… and I reimbursed you,” Adrien states. “I will find out who laced those bags.”

  “Yes, let’s hope you do, because I have anxious Vigore looking elsewhere to feed.” She hums, inhaling the air wholly from side to side. “Ah, I’ve forget how pleasurable it is to feel the flesh of a warm blood,” the woman says. “I’m not surprised you have dropped you guard Adrien. She’s quite the little pleaser isn’t she?”

  I’m powerless to take air, burning with shame. How does she do that? I’m not even thinking racy thoughts.

  Adrien’s face begins to form angry lines. He lowers his head to the table. I feel bad; I don’t know how to block her. Sara grins slight. Now fulfilled I’m embarrassed, my payback for early.

  “Look,” Ben moans. “Why do you Vigore always have to be such jackass’s? Just let’s get on with this.”

  The woman laughs and pushes herself up from the chair. She turns to me with a huge confident grin, revealing her gleaming white teeth. She’s dressed in black jeans, biker boots, and a short brown leather jacket. She looks around my age, with pale blues eyes and white skin. She continues to analysis me as I conclude I don’t like her very much.

  “Adrien, you really need to keep a lead on your little whore.” She scowls right at me. “I’ve killed people for thinking less.”

  Great, she knows my subconscious is calling her a bitch. Fearfully, I back up against the wall, counting back from hundred silently.

  Adrien Flits behind her as the male Vigore ejects up from his seat. But she knows he’s coming. She twirls with speed on the spot so her nose is nearly touching his chin. He rasps a breath as his iris’s blackening. He’s fighting with the idea of punishing her, letting his Vampire loose. He growls with his eyes shut, trying to keep control.

  She sniggers. “You should never attack a Vigore with virtually no shield. You need to calm down Mr Knight,” she says. “You may have strength and speed, but tis of no use to you when I can detect your every move.”

  “Elizabeth,” Adrien says confidently. “This is Leanna, and this is Gerard.” He smiles, like he’s now got a hold of his senses. “They seem to forget who they have to answer to.”

  “Much better Adrien,” Gerard says in a low rumbling tone. “Now you just have on teach this young beauty.” He eyeballs me.

  I faintly curve my lips and blow out as the Vigore return to their seats.

  Adrien remains on his feet at the end of the table. “We have a common problem that needs dealing with,” he states assertively. “Seems an acquaintances of mine has been turned by one of your Vigore. A Vigore who has dishonoured the Sange Pentru, and tried to hurt someone very important to me.”

  Gerard
huffs out. “You really think you can put the blame on us. You should look closer to home. Your ranks are failing Executive.”

  “The symbol of the Voax has been produced,” he declares, waiting for a response.

  “It is not the Voax,” Leanna says in a cutting tone. “Everything has a price, and it’s seems one of your own is the threat. If you followed your judgements, instead of your dick, then we wouldn’t have a problem here would we.”

  Why in god’s name am I still here? It’s bad enough they’ve probably seen every detail of my relationship with Adrien. But now I’m responsible for this mess because Adrien has neglected his duty.

  “I will warn you once Leanna,” Adrien glares. “Do not question my authority. I can make things very difficult for you,” he warns. “You know what happens to those who cross me.”

  Leanna suddenly shoots up from her chair. Sara retaliates by Flitting all the way around the table. She grabs Leanna’s bicep hard. I’ve never seen Sara use this ability before, and it’s knocked me for six. I watch them both displaying catty eyes. But Sara wins, and Leanna is thrust back down in her seat.

  “Now, I want answers.” Adrien prods the glass.

  “Okay,” Gerrard drones. “We’ve had a few Vigore disappear off the grid, and six of our kind assassinated. We’ve tried to home in on them, but only found one. The only reason we did find him was because his shield was broken.”

  “His throat was slit… beyond repair,” Leanna adds. “He told us a Sang was paying handsomely for services.”

  “Who?” Dom arches over the table.

  “Well that’s for you to find out. And when you do, we’ll be first in the queue to make them pay for this,” Gerrard angers. “Six Vigore bodies we’ve had to burn, all with the same ammo. Whoever it is has a concrete shield. My Father is livid… I’ve had to talk him out of breaking the treaty.”

  “So Mr Knight, seems like the problem and the blame is with you,” Leanna sighs. “I hate to think of what your Selene would say if she finds out you have a traitor in you midst. A Sang who risks our identity running around killing willy-nilly… trying to start a damn blood war.”