The Purity of Blood: Volume I

by Jennifer Geoghan

  In something of a blur, I saw Daniel’s body go flying through the air and collide with the back wall of the house, then I turned to see Demetrius’ cold black eyes as they locked onto mine. As if this was the end, he took a seductive step towards me, but before he could take a second Daniel came hurtling down on top of him, and I watched in horror as they disappeared back into their blurry battle.

  Suddenly snapped into reality, I ran out the back door as fast as I could only to stop short in the middle of the back yard. Where was I going to go? Suddenly I heard Lois’ words echoing in my head, This is where it has to end.

  In my moment of hesitation another loud crash issued from inside the house, and Demetrius’ dark figure suddenly appeared on the back porch. As I turned to run, he disappeared off the porch only to reappear a few paces in front of me, blocking my path. I reached behind, pulled out the gun and pointed it at his head. Maybe it would buy enough time for Daniel to get out here. He was alright. He had to be. Without a moment’s hesitation, I pulled the trigger and heard the sound of the gunshot echo through the trees of the valley. Demetrius took a staggering step backward allowing me to see the hole in his forehead the bullet had made. It was marked by a trickle of bright red blood against the alabaster skin of his forehead. Feeling a sense of rage over shadow any fear, I pulled the trigger again and then a third time, leaving three distinct holes in his forehead. As the echo quickly dissipated through the surrounding hills, I watched as he shook his head as if all I’d done was slap him. He appeared dazed for only a few moments before his sickeningly evil smile returned.

  “You are a stupid girl,” he said in his raspy old man voice. “Did you really think that would stop me?” Then he had the audacity to laugh.

  Before I could answer, he reached out, grabbed me by the shoulders and pulled me close. Leaning in, he put his skeletal nose to my neck and inhaled deeply. As he did, his eyes lit up like black diamonds. He looked like a drug addict, savoring the anticipation before getting the last, best high of his life.

  I know I should have been scared, but I was more angry than anything. For a moment I stared into those black eyes and saw Daniel lying dead in the living room behind me. I saw Randall, Lois and the others about to die and the end of all the problems and pains in my life. I was angry and growing angrier by the second. This creature wasn’t going to be my doorway to Heaven. The thing that stole my Daniel would never have me!

  I struggled in vain to get free of his grip, but it was no use and he laughed at how I writhed in his arms. In fact, his smiled widened as if my attempts to free myself were arousing him even more. As he raised his head like a cobra about to strike, I heard the back door slam open and out of the corner of my eye saw Daniel appear about twenty feet behind me.

  “Let her go!” he demanded.

  “It’s too late to save your little play thing now.”

  “Let her go and I’ll let you walk away. The minute you try to feed on her, I swear to God, you’ll be dead before you hit the ground.”

  Daniel’s eyes weren’t blue anymore. They were much darker and I wasn’t sure if I should be just as afraid of him as Demetrius at this point.

  Demetrius spun me around. With my back to his front, he had his arm in a death grip around my neck. I knew all he had to do was squeeze and I’d be dead in an instant.

  “Somehow I don’t think you will. I think you’re in love with this one. It must be agony for you.” He laughed at the absurdity of it in his mind, then leaned down and smelled my hair. “Just agony, to be so close and not bite down on that beautiful jugular vein.”

  I felt him trace the vein in my neck with his boney finger while he looked at it with longing. Daniel took a menacing step forward as if about to lunge causing Demetrius to increase his grip. When I cried out in pain, fear flashing in Daniel’s eyes as he instantly froze in place.

  Suddenly blurs appeared in front of me as Randall, Lois and the others materialized behind Daniel.

  “You’re out numbered, Demetrius,” Daniel said. His eyes were now surrounded by those spidery black veins I’d seen the night I’d cut my hand open.

  Looking up into Demetrius’ face, our eyes met. In that instant, I could see he’d never give up, never admit defeat. At this point, I didn’t have to be a vampire to tell he was crazy enough that he’d rather go down with my blood in his mouth than leave empty handed. Knowing this was the end; I reached into my pocket and pulled the cover off the syringe I’d hidden there. Whipping it out, I quickly stabbed him in the leg, hastily depressing the end of the plunger as I did.

  I knew I’d hit my target when the look in his eyes changed. At first it was anger, rage really. I could feel his grip on me tighten as he started to lean down towards my neck. Then his expression darkened. Stepping back from me, he pulled the syringe out of his leg and threw it on the ground in disgust. He looked shocked now as if somehow off balance. As a searing pain flashed in his eyes, the dark lines begin to grow, spreading out to cover the entirety of his face.

  “What did you do?” he rasped out, barely able to speak.

  The next thing I saw was a blur as Daniel scooped me up in his arms and ran me up to the safety of the back porch. Once there, he set me down and held me in his arms so I couldn’t see what was happening down by the barn. But it didn’t matter. I knew Demetrius had lost and that he wouldn’t be bothering me again.

  A minute later Daniel stepped back and instantly felt me over from head to toe, making sure I was uninjured. When he felt his way back up my body, our eyes locked and in a flash he planted his lips securely on mine. His arms pulled me close, and for a minute I lost myself in him, in the intensity of his passion for me.

  Finally he pulled back, and I turned around to see the others starting a fire from old bits of wood Randall had collected from around the yard. I was about to ask the question when I looked closer. Coming out of the side of the flames, I saw a piece of Demetrius’ black cloak. Wihtout having to ask, I had my answer.

  Daniel stood beside me, and needing to feel him close, I wrapped my arm securely around his waist and felt him tenderly kiss the top of my head. Standing there holding each other, we watched as the others burned what was left of my hunter to ashes.

  After a few minutes, they finished, and walking across the yard came to stop at the bottom of the porch. For a minute they just stood there lost in their own silent contemplations.

  “Is he? …” I asked.

  “Yes,” Daniel answered, kissing my hair and pulling me closer.

  “What was that? What did she do?” Lily finally asked.

  “It was her blood,” Randall answered. He seemed somewhat shell shocked. I think it was the first time I’d truly seen him off balance before.

  Then he turned to me. “But how did you get the syringe to work. It shouldn’t have been able to penetrate his skin.”

  I smiled. Had I really managed to keep a secret from him? I felt something like hope spring up inside me.

  “I guess I owe you a diamond,” I answered, suddenly finding my smile again. “I broke off one of the diamond tips from the needles you use, and attached it onto the end of the syringe. I wasn’t sure if it was going to work, but figured it was worth a try. – I guess you’re theory was right. I am poisonous.”

  Randall smiled at me with pride, and as Lois came over and took his hand, I felt Daniel’s arms come from behind and pull me back towards him. I leaned back on his chest and felt the warm rays of the sun as they edged their way over the tops of the trees to begin a new day. Closing my eyes as I leaned back against his chest, I felt the strength of Daniel’s arms around me and breathed deeply.

  It was time to go home.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  SARA

  We stood around the back porch for what seemed like a long while. Standing in Daniel’s arms, I listened as they calmly discussed what had happened over the last horrifying hour of my life. Daniel was silent. He held me in his arms, and with my cheek resting comfortingly against his ches
t, I couldn’t see if he was listening to them, but I had a feeling he wasn’t either. All things considered, I didn’t really care to hear the gory details. I knew more than I wanted already.

  It wasn’t long after that when Daniel leaned over and whispered in my ear for me to get my things together. Even though Demetrius was gone, I think he needed me back in the safety and familiarity of New Paltz before he could truly begin to relax. I didn’t argue, I was just as ready to leave as he was. Besides, as I looked around, I knew I’d be back here again someday. It hadn’t been all bad memories here in Hopkinton.

  Before we left, I said goodbye to Lily and Thomas. They weren’t heading back to New Paltz, but were off to the west coast for a while. I hadn’t asked why. If they weren’t volunteering info, I figured it was probably best not to ask at this point. Although Daniel said Thomas and Lily usually travelled together, it wasn’t their way to stay grouped together with the rest of them for very long.

  Lucy left as well. She didn’t bother to say goodbye to me which was just fine. She still didn’t like me and the feeling was way more than mutual. I wasn’t sure what it was in their shared past that allowed Daniel to be more than just friends with her, and to be honest, it scared me to think about it. I desperately wanted to know, but – No, I’d never ask.

  Had I forgiven Daniel? I wasn’t sure it was necessary anymore. I trusted him and that trust over road any need for it. Whatever had happened was the past and I trusted that past, present and future, he’d never do anything to hurt me.

  Daniel packed up my things in the kitchen while I went upstairs and did the same there. Standing in the doorway of the empty bedroom, I knew I’d miss this house. I loved its rustic wooden beams and creaky floor boards. In the short span of my time here, it had really grown on me. I wasn’t so sure about its builder though.

  When I walked back into the kitchen, Daniel turned and handed me my gun.

  “I’m not sure how I feel about that,” he said with a frown.

  I tucked it in my backpack and slung it over my shoulder.

  “Don’t stress about it. I probably know more about firearms than you do,” and as if trying to erase his frown, I reached up and placed a chaste kiss on his lips before he opened the back door for me.

  He’d pulled his car out of the barn already and opened the door for me as I approached.

  “Ready to go?” he asked.

  “Why do I get the feeling we’ll be back here again someday?” I asked as I slipped down into the seat.

  As we sped down Interstate 95 on our way back to school, I asked him where Lucy had gone off too. I’d seen them talking before she’d run off in a blur down the driveway.

  “I’m not sure. She didn’t say. I think she’s still a little mad at me.”

  “Why?”

  “Who knows? She’s a hard woman to read. She says she wants to be with me, but I know she likes to play the field way more than spend time curled up at home with me. I’m too boring for her.”

  I rolled my eyes at this. It just seemed too incomprehensible for words to me.

  As the exits quickly raced by, I opened my window. Enjoying the crispness of the air, I rolled my head over and watched the wind as it moved through Daniel’s hair. It reminded me of fields of wheat on a Nebraska prairie and made me wonder how something dead could look so alive. I loved him so very much, but he still seemed like something of a riddle to me. Leaning back in the seat I wondered what lay ahead for us. More than one thing had been settled on that hill in Hopkinton. Demetrius was dead and so was the idea of me ever becoming a vampire. What did that mean for Daniel and I? I felt like the time we could have together had been drastically shortened. I had never really wanted to become a vampire, or so I thought, but now that it was no longer a possibility I felt sad. Options are always a good thing to have, even if they aren’t the ones you’d particularly want to choose.

  A question popped into my head.

  “Would you rather I wasn’t a pure?”

  His head turned my way, but I couldn’t read his eyes behind the mirror of his sunglasses.

  “No, I don’t think so. Yes, it would be nice to not have to be so extra guarded around you, but … I want you just as you are, someone pure not only in your blood but also in your heart, mind and body. I guess I like the whole package,” he smiled.

  As he turned back to the road, I looked out the window hiding my deep blush at his mention of my overall purity. I suppose I’d always wondered if he knew I was a virgin. From his smile, I’m guessing it was something he didn’t mind.

  I wished I could come up with some response to interject a bit of humor into his answer, but nothing came to mind that seemed anywhere near appropriate to such a compliment.

  I leaned back in the seat and watched the trees fly by the window. Something had been bothering me all day, eating away at me as I tried to enjoy Daniel’s smiles and kisses again. It was who the nameless pure was Demetrius had fed on. Was it someone like me, someone who was just going about her everyday business when suddenly she disappeared and was never heard from again? I had to accept the fact that I’d never know, and that bothered me. I wanted to mourn whoever it had been properly, but was forced to grieve for a nameless person who’d been murdered because of me. My only consolation was that his or her killer was now dead and would never have the chance to kill one of us again. But still, I knew I’d probably shed a tear tonight for my nameless fellow pure. I was just holding them back long enough so I could express them in the privacy of my room in Capen Hall.

  Randall and Lois had stayed behind in Hopkinton. I don’t think he could stand the idea of leaving his house behind in the state he’d found it in and Lois had remained to help out in whatever way she could. Their relationship was still a mystery to me. Antagonistic on the surface, it was obvious she loved him deeply. Yet Daniel said she’d leave soon only to reappear in their lives when she was ready to return. Why, I wondered.

  When we pulled off the thruway in New Paltz, Daniel didn’t drive back to campus, but up to his house. I didn’t say anything as I was happy just to be with him, and there was plenty of time to get back to school.

  We pulled into the garage and went into the house feeling relieved but drained. When I looked into his eyes, I could see the past few days had taken as much of a toll on him as they had on me. I slumped down onto the sofa and somewhat vacantly stared out the window at the lake.

  “I thought you might like to freshen up before heading back to school,” Daniel said as he dropped into the seat beside me. Taking my hands, he laid his head on my shoulder.

  “Why?” I asked absentmindedly, wondering where our relationship could possibly go from here.

  “You’ll see,” was all he said in reply as he began to twirl a lock of my hair around the fingers of his other hand.

  After a few minutes, my curiosity got the better of me and I left him on the sofa. I headed for his room and into the bathroom where I looked in a mirror for the first time in days. That was when I saw what he’d been talking about. I looked beyond terrible. My hair was filthy and even though I’d washed up a few times as best I could, I still looked like I had a layer of grime all over my skin.

  Most women, I thought to myself, try to look attractive for their men. This is what Daniel gets. Poor guy. He could do a lot better.

  I stripped off my clothes and got in the shower. Oh, the hot water was heavenly on my sore muscles. My neck still hurt from Demetrius’ grip and a faint ring of black and blues hung around my neck as a reminder of my hunter. In truth he’d also reinjured by shoulder, but I’d purposefully neglected to mention that to Daniel. He already winced every time my bruises were visible above my shirt collar.

  Once I got under the water, I was in no hurry to get out. I scrubbed every inch of my body raw and then started all over again until the hot water finally ran out. In the end, I had to tell myself that no matter how hard I scrubbed, I’d never wash away the memory of the feel of Demetrius’ hands on me. Not only tha
t, but how the evil creature that had almost killed me was basically the same as the creature that sat in the next room, the one I loved beyond all measure. Was that just an extension of the irony that permeated my life – or was it just wrong?

  Reluctantly, I stepped out of the water. Wrapping myself up in a big towel, I dubiously looked around to see if Daniel had purchased a hair dryer yet. When I didn’t find one, I wrapped my hair up in a towel to dry.

  I picked up my shirt but didn’t want to put it back on. Now that I was clean, I could smell Demetrius’ revolting stench all over it. Looking around, I saw the long sleeve blue dress shirt of Daniel’s I’d worn last time still hanging on the back of the bathroom door and slipped it on instead.

  I was tired, tired in my bones, and found myself sitting down on the edge of the tub before I had a chance to fall down. I felt free from the mental weights that had dragged me down for weeks now, but still felt the after effects of all the stress I’d been shouldering as it was finally lifted free. Taking a deep breath, I’d begun to consider getting up when I heard a gentle tap on the door.

  “Yes?” I answered weakly.

  “Are you decent?”

  “I suppose so,” I answered, looking down at myself.

  When the door cracked open, Daniel appeared on the other side of the threshold. His shy smile spread across his face, quickly erasing the look of hesitation he’d opened the door with.

  “I was beginning to worry. You’ve been in here over an hour.”

  “Why are you looking at me like that?” I asked.

  “Like what?”

  “With that goofy smile on your face.”

  “I was just remembering something.”

  I cocked my head to the side as if asking him to explain what he meant.

  As he started to walk away, I heard him say over his shoulder “You still look awfully cute in my shirt and that towel.”