by A C Warneke
“After lunch, do you want to play with my trains?” one of the little boys asked, the one that was closest to her age. “I have a whole set and we can pretend to be conductors and stuff.”
Malorie looked to Nadine for permission and when the woman simply smiled and nodded her head in encouragement, Malorie nodded, “Okay.”
The boy beamed at her and continued chattering away as he ate. It was distracting and wonderful and Malorie wished she had a brother or sister, too. She ate the rest of the meal in silence and afterwards, took her plate to the sink and started to wash it. Nadine gently grabbed her hands and Malorie froze, looking up into the smiling face in confusion.
“You are a guest here, Mal,” Nadine told her, taking the plate from her hands. “You go play with Timmy and I’ll take care of the mess.”
For a moment, Malorie simply stood there and stared at the strange, fascinating woman but Nadine didn’t relent. Reluctantly, Malorie released the plate and turned away, following the sounds of laughter. When she reached the doorway leading to the rest of the house, she looked over her shoulder and saw the concern in Nadine’s eyes as the woman watched her. Catching Malorie’s eyes, her frown eased and she smiled, “Go on, Mal, play.”
Timmy and his older brother Ryan were already playing and Malorie sat on the floor near them and watched, wrapping her arms around her shins and resting her chin on her knees. They didn’t keep their trains on the track and at one point they were using them as guns, pointing them at one another and making the bang sound. It made Malorie smile and she simply watched their interaction.
After a few minutes, the two girls joined them with a pile of dolls and Malorie couldn’t look away. Glancing over her shoulder in an absurd attempt to see if her father was watching, she inched closer to the girls. Once, her father caught her admiring a doll in a store window as they went into town to pick up some supplies. He told her that girls shouldn’t play with dolls because there was no point when vampires were a constant threat and dolls offered no protection. Then he bought her a wooden sword to practice with, telling her that a sword was much more practical. Taking his words to heart, she never let him catch her coveting the frilly toy again.
But she sure did dream of owning one.
Slowly, she reached out a hand and lightly ran her finger over an older doll’s cloth face, holding her breath until her lungs hurt. It was her birthday so maybe her father wouldn’t mind if just this once she played with one. Just this once. Inching a little closer, she kept her eyes on the well-loved doll, never daring to play with one of the newer ones. Feeling eyes on her, she looked up and saw the older girls watching her with curious expressions and she froze, her hand hovering over the worn doll.
“It’s okay,” the oldest girl murmured. Her name was Marcy and she was almost thirteen. The other one was Lucy and she was ten. With an encouraging smile, she added, “Sometimes Timmy likes to play with my dolls, too.”
Taking that as permission, Malorie snagged the doll and brought it up to her chest and was finally able to breathe. With a slight smile, she turned her attention to the doll, with its missing eye and dirty face, and thought it was the most beautiful thing in the world. Brushing the matted hair away from its face, Malorie hummed in pure joy.
A doll.
“Oh my stars,” Nadine breathed as she came into the living area with a plate of cookies. Malorie’s head shot up and she caught the look of horror on the woman’s face. Thrusting the doll away from her, she scrambled to her feet as Nadine put the plate down and rushed to her side. Nadine dropped to her knees and took Malorie’s hands in her own. Her light brown eyes glistened with unshed tears as she let her gaze roam over Malorie’s face. “You’re a little girl.”
Malorie gasped, struggling out of the warm grasp and racing out of the house and back across the street to the safety of her own home. Regret and joy warred inside of her as she quickly cleaned up her earlier mess and then retreated to her bedroom.
When her father got home, they would have ice cream and it was going to be the best birthday ever.
A few hours later, she heard the front door open and she raced down the stairs to greet her father with a large smile that quickly disappeared when she saw the grim expression on his face. Slowing her step, she hesitated. Did he find out that she went over to the neighbor’s? No, he looked exhausted and defeated. Dirt and vampire residue streaked his face and he seemed to have aged a hundred years. “Father.”
He looked up and offered a smile that faltered and his gray eyes looked even darker than usual. “Malorie.”
She swallowed against the disappointment when she noticed he didn’t have any ice cream. Maybe he was going to take her out to one of the diners for their special treat. “Were you able to destroy the nest?”
He swallowed bleakly and squeezed his eyes shut, “Yes.”
Her father had never been one for many words but tonight he was even more silent. Slowly, he peeled the dark coat from his body, wincing when it caught on his shoulder. Malorie quickly made her way down the rest of the stairs and helped ease the coat off her father. He groaned, “Thank you.”
“Are you hurt?” she asked softly, her eyes roaming over him and looking for any injuries.
“It’s nothing to worry about, Malorie,” he assured her but she still worried. “One of the vamps got too close and nicked my ribs with its talons. The anti-venom stung worse than the cut.”
She smiled slightly but caught her lower lip between her teeth. “Are you sure?”
“Yeah,” he nodded, rolling his neck a bit. “Give me a few minutes to take a shower and get cleaned up and then I will make supper. What are you hungry for? A salad or sandwiches?”
“A salad will be okay.” She watched her father and knew he had forgotten her birthday. His injury had to be worse than he let on for him to forget. Forcing a smile, ignoring the ache in her chest, she laid his heavy coat on the rickety chair that came with the house, “I’ll get the lettuce and dressing out.”
“There’s my good girl,” he murmured absently, ruffling her shorn hair before heading up the stairs. “I’ll be down shortly.”
When her father came back down she had everything set up on the table. He offered her a tired smile as he sat down and started to eat, not bothering with words. Concerned, she kept stealing glances at him, barely able to eat the food that was on her plate. “You need to eat, Malorie. We’ll be heading out in the morning.”
“But I like it here, sir,” she whispered.
He looked up at her and she felt the heat creep into her cheeks. “What have you done, Mal?”
Before she could answer, there was a knock at the door and Malorie’s face flushed even hotter. Pushing back from the table, Gus cautiously made his way to the door while she followed. She stood behind her father as he opened the door and she saw Nadine standing on the step. The woman was fidgeting but when she saw Gus, she stilled. Her light brown eyes widened and a slight smile curled her lips. Malorie panicked because she knew her secret had been discovered.
Gus’s voice was rough as he asked wearily, “Can I help you?”
“Hi, um, I haven’t had a chance to introduce myself. I’m Nadine, your neighbor,” Nadine said. There was something wrong with her voice. It came out strange, like she had been running from vampires and was finally able to stop and catch her breath. She held out her hand and Gus reluctantly took it. “And you are?”
“Gustav Hunter,” her father answered, trying to let the woman’s hand go. She held on, gripping it with her other hand as well.
“Mr. Hunter,” she breathed. “A pleasure.”
He grunted a response but she didn’t seem to take the hint that Gus didn’t want to talk. Somehow, Nadine managed to make her way into the house as Gus and Malorie took a step back. The woman held onto Gus’s hand as her other hand was fluttered over her hair, her dress. Malorie was fascinated by the strange behavior.
With wide eyes, Malorie watched as Nadine smiled down at her and crooned, �
�Your daughter is simply adorable, Mr. Hunter. I was wondering if you might wish to let her stay with me when you have to work.”
“That won’t be necessary.” His eyes narrowed as Nadine’s fingers went to the front of her dress and she started unbuttoning the buttons. Reaching behind him, he put his hand on Malorie’s shoulder and without looking at her, he murmured, “Mal, go to your room.”
“Yes, sir,” she replied, slowly backing away from the two adults. Quietly, she made her way to the top of the stairs where she could still spy on them and hear what they were saying, if Nadine was going to tattle on her for leaving the house.
“Is there a Mrs. Hunter?” Nadine asked, shrugging out of the dress until she stood in front of Gus wearing the flimsiest undergarments Malorie had ever seen. They weren’t at all practical.
“I was never married,” Gus grunted, his knuckles white as he squeezed his hands into fists.
“But Malorie’s mother….” Nadine let the words fade away as she stepped closer to the frozen man, running her fingers over his chest.
Gus swallowed thickly and closed his eyes as a brief moment of agony washed over his features. When he opened his eyes again, his hands had relaxed and he grabbed Nadine by her elbows, halting her advance. “She is not in the picture anymore.”
Nadine’s tongue darted out, running over her lips as if she were enjoying the last drops of ice cream. “That is unfortunate.”
A strange groaning sound came from the back of Gus’s throat and he spoke without moving his lips, “I can’t do this.”
“I’m on the pill,” Nadine whispered, freeing a hand and removing the bra from her body until she stood before Gus in just a pair of panties.
With a defeated sound, Gus closed the distance between them and smashed his mouth against hers. At first Malorie thought he was hurting Nadine because of the horrible sounds she made but then she was asking for more and people didn’t ask for more of something unless they liked it. Unable to watch any longer, Malorie stood up and silently found her way to her bedroom, closing the door behind her. But the thin door didn’t block the loud, rhythmic bumping that was coming from below, or Nadine’s cries or her father’s pained groans.
Pulling the pillow over her head, Malorie struggled to keep her tears from falling and concentrated on the parts of the day she had enjoyed. It was difficult because it had been her birthday and her father had forgotten the ice cream. She didn’t care that he didn’t give her a gift, it’s not like she would have been able to keep it if they had to move in a hurry. But she had wanted her ice cream.
After staring at the blank wall for what seemed an eternity, she heard her door open and she knew that her father was finally coming in to tuck her in for the night. “Are you asleep?”
“No, sir,” she said softly, listening as he made his way across the small room and sat down on the bed. The bed shifted beneath his weight but she remained frozen in place. His warm palm unerringly cupped her cheek in the dark and she wanted to cry.
“I forgot your birthday,” he said softly, remorse in his voice.
“It’s okay, sir.” Taking a deep breath, she knew that she could be mature about it. “I don’t mind.”
“I understand you met the new neighbors,” he said softly. When she started to shake her head no, his soft chuckle stopped her denial. “It’s okay, sweetheart, I’m not angry.”
“I’m sorry,” she mumbled softly.
“We can stay for another week so you can play with children your own age but then we absolutely must leave,” he told her and her heart leapt for joy and she couldn’t stop the smile from stretching her lips. He bent his head and placed a tender kiss on her forehead, slipping something into the bed next to her. It didn’t take her long to realize that it was the doll she had played with at the neighbor’s house. “Happy birthday, Malorie.”
She was too overcome with emotions to speak as she wrapped her arms around the doll and held it to her chest. As her father stood up, she looked at him and offered a tremulous smile. He was the bravest, strongest man she knew and he would always take care of her. “We’ll get some ice cream in the morning, Mal. We’ll invite the neighbor’s over to celebrate your birthday.
“Get some sleep, sweetheart,” he said from the doorway. “We have a busy day ahead of us.”
When they left the house a week later, the best week of her young life, she had left the doll behind. Having spent the week laughing and playing with other children, she realized her father had been right. It wouldn’t do to go soft because vampires didn’t care if you were happy, only if you were stronger than them.
But she never forgot Nadine and the week of her eighth birthday.
Chapter 1
17 years later
Malorie Sinclair was dreaming and she knew that she was dreaming but this dream was unlike any that she had ever had before. She was walking through an ancient cavern that was at once familiar and utterly alien and beautiful beyond description. The walls were dry and they had a strange sheen that glistened in the low light. The temperature was warm and comfortable and the air was filled with the faint scent of metal, stone, and ozone. Every room she passed by seemed to have a different scene playing out, as if she were walking through the labyrinth of someone’s mind.
There was something she was supposed to be looking for, someone, but all of her memories and Feryn's memories were jumbled together and she was no longer sure which memories were hers and which ones belonged to Feryn, her Aradian mate. When she was awake, the memories sorted themselves out and made sense but at night, while she was dreaming, it was such a mess that she wasn’t sure if the caves were something from her past or from Feryn’s. All she knew was there was a sense of foreboding and, oddly, hope.
No, they weren’t from her past because she would have remembered walking through something so fantastically alien and strangely beautiful. Then why didn’t it feel like Feryn’s memories either? When she came to a wall, her brows pulled together into a frown because there was something about the wall that wasn’t quite right, like it was supposed to be a door, an entrance.
As she stared, a soft voice echoed in her head, “Find me”
Waking up with a gasp, she felt the end of the dream fade into the recesses of her mind as Feryn’s warmth blistered her skin. She twisted to get away from the heat but he only tightened his grip and she let out a sigh. His heavy arm was draped over her waist, holding her against him as if he was afraid she was going to disappear. But she wasn’t going anywhere. How could a person be exactly where she wanted to be and still be uncomfortable?
Staring up at the ceiling, she tried to recall more of the dream but the heat was becoming stifling. In the days since she almost died at the hands of her not-exactly dead vampire husband, Feryn hadn’t let her out of his sight for even a moment and she was… uncomfortable with his crushing protectiveness. She wasn’t used to having someone hover over her. Her father had never hovered and she found it difficult to breathe.
Carefully extracting herself from his hold and sliding out of the large bed so as not to wake Feryn, she quietly made her way over to the window and looked out at the street that had seen so much carnage just the week before. It was so silent, even the nocturnal birds and insects that usually filled the night seemed to be quiet out of deference to the dead. Of course, all of the bodies had been cleared out of there the day after the massacre but she could still see them, lying in the middle of the road, their expressions frozen in horror as the vampires rampaged and feasted.
She placed her hand over her flat stomach and sighed. Before she went anywhere she had to figure out how to travel through the space between worlds because she was on an island that was slightly out of synch with the rest of the world. It was necessary to keep the Aradians safe from prying eyes but it made escape impossible. Not that she wanted to leave, not exactly. She loved Feryn and she knew that her son Toby was in the one place that was safe for a Breeder male. But she was anxious and she couldn’t put her finger o
n what was troubling her.
Part of it was the fact that she was still living in the neighborhood where there was a massive vampire attack only a week before. After so much carnage, she usually moved on to new hunting grounds, always living on the outskirts of civilization, and it was difficult to ignore twenty-five years of training. Staring out at the empty streets, she tried to put her finger on what was making her sixth sense twitch with unease.
It was there, on the tip of her brain, and if she had remained in the twisted landscape of her dreams she might have been able to figure it out. The elusive anxiety was part of the reason why she was reluctant to return to the main Aradian compound, though she was running out of excuses to stay away. If only she could remember what it was that she had forgotten. Or maybe she had never known and she was just trying to put off the inevitable because once they returned to the main compound, it would be like admitting defeat. She just wasn't sure if she was the winner or the loser.
Feryn was no help, treating her as if she was a delicate flower because he had almost lost her in the vampire attack he hadn’t seen coming, despite Malorie's warnings. He hadn’t wanted to see it and it was infuriating because he was still underestimating Taella, the vamp-mad Aradian that had come so close to killing Malorie.
No matter what Feryn believed, Malorie knew that Taella was still a threat and sitting around and doing nothing while the Aradian went further underground made her increasingly uneasy. They should be coordinating their men to bring Taella to justice, if for no other reason than the fact that her vampires killed the entire village of human pets. The only ones who had escaped were those living with their Aradian owners on the main island and Malorie, though not for a lack of trying on Taella’s part.
