Revenant

by Janet Jones

  Talisen leaned her elbows on the table and rested her chin on her palms. How was she going to get away without a car? Maybe she could pretend she was going for a walk in the garden and go to the Benedikt and get a ride from Jeff and....

  Sean grinned. “So, now he owes you a set of wheels. Make him pay. What's your dream car? It's a materialistic world we're living in, girl. Which brings us to the second thing. Don't hit me, okay? Ellory wants to help you out with your bills."

  Talisen clenched her teeth. A nerve twitched in her eye. “I pay my own bills."

  Sean looked at the notebook in his lap. “He has that underlined three times. If you've got a problem with it, spare me, okay? Take it up with him."

  Ellory probably controlled anyone who came in contact with his life. A servant everywhere he needed one and no paper trails. If he thought she'd hand her life over to him like that, he was mistaken.

  She ate what she could of her breakfast and waited until Sean's chores took him upstairs. By that time it was late morning. Slipping outside, she walked down the front path to the gate. Her hands shook when she reached for the latch. Would it open for her? She half-expected it to remain closed in spite of her efforts. But it opened. She stepped out and closed it behind her. Fixing her gaze on the inn below her on the hill, she struck off at a pace that didn't make her look as frantic as she felt inside.

  The frantic feeling grew the further away from the summer house she went. By the time she got close to the inn, tears sprang to her eyes, and she turned to stare up at the summer house as if it could explain why.

  Her ball and chain wasn't the house itself; it was the presence sleeping deep in the earth below it. Ellory. She'd lost herself overnight. She couldn't fathom the depth of her need for him, couldn't begin to understand it, and yet she burned all the same. Burned and dreaded. His words came to her in a rush. You will need to be near me.

  She fisted both her hands, spun on her heel, and strode the rest of the way to the inn, all the while feeling like her soul was being torn in two. Her feet moved like lead weights. Her mind was in chaos. Her heart wouldn't slow down. There was a death-like pall over everything inside her. No. It was the presence of death. It was as if she were dying. Go back. Go back. She had to go back. She had to.

  No. She wouldn't. She'd get the Gerards to take her into Camden. She'd go to the bank, take out every dime she had and close her account. She'd buy a bus ticket to somewhere, anywhere, far away. And tonight, when darkness fell, she'd be sure she was with lots of people.

  She pushed herself up onto the porch and went inside the inn, feeling as though a horrible fate loomed closer to her with every step.

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  Chapter Eight

  Talisen's entire body shook as she locked the door of her hotel room. It was an old motor lodge kind of place just over the border of New Hampshire. She hadn't noticed the name of the town. The bus stopped here, and she was too sleepy to go any further. A day of fighting her compulsion to return to Ellory had worn her down until she couldn't hold her head up anymore.

  Switching the light on, she tossed her bag in the floor and half-staggered toward the bathroom. A hot shower and a soft bed—that was all she needed. She peeled out of her grimy clothes, turned on the water and stepped into the warm cascade with a sigh.

  There was no way Ellory could know where she was. Not this soon after leaving him. He couldn't possibly wake up and automatically know where she was. He'd have to discern it, or deduce it, or sense it, or whatever a vampire did to find someone.

  She refused to think about that. No sense in making too much out of his power. She was safe for now. She shampooed and rinsed her hair, standing under the water for a few minutes to work the stiffness out of her muscles. It felt so good to wash the bus off of her. Too weary to do more, she turned the water off and pushed aside the curtain, eyes closed to keep the water out of them.

  She felt for the towel on the wall rack outside the shower. It wasn't there.

  How long did it take a vampire to find someone they were hunting?

  She groped at thin air. Her hand lit on the soft terry cloth of her towel—and a warm hand.

  "Not that long, actually."

  Talisen snatched up the towel, dragged the curtain half-closed to cover herself and dried her face. When she met Ellory's gaze, she saw no threat of the reproof she'd expected in his eyes. Only laughter and undeniable relief. More shocking than finding him there was the way the mere sight of him eased the ache of separation she'd dealt with all day. Were her own heart and body betraying her?

  "Jerk,” she grumbled. But it lacked the force she wanted to give it.

  His smile widened, and his gaze slipped over her. Talisen had the distinct impression the old shower curtain wasn't much cover.

  He turned abruptly and opened the door, letting in a chilly draft. “I'll wait for you out here. Good thing you didn't bother to unpack."

  How far could she push him without regretting it? She didn't care anymore. Somehow, she had to break out of this weird compulsion he had over her.

  "I'm not going back, Ellory,” she said as the bathroom door closed behind him. She raised her voice. “Forget it."

  No answer.

  She stepped out of the tub and dried off, shivering, and wiggled into her pajamas. “I mean it."

  Nothing.

  It was like the silence she'd struggled with when she knew he'd gone to sleep that day, the desolation of not feeling his presence. Talisen crept to the door and listened. Not a sound. She opened the door a crack and peeked out. The room looked empty, but.... She came out and looked around her, wary of the silence. It felt wrong to her, like it had all day. She was alone. Ellory was gone.

  Just like that?

  A drop of liquid, warm and wet, hit the top of her head. What in the world? Leaky roof? It wasn't raining. She reached up and touched the top of her head, smeared the liquid, and looked at her fingers.

  Blood.

  Talisen's breath evaporated. She looked up. Above her, floating inches below the ceiling, was Ellory, eyes closed, bleeding from a gash in his throat and caught in the grasp of—

  A man? A human?

  Ellory's attacker looked scarcely older than Sean. He fixed his murderous gaze on her and grinned. No fangs. He was human. How could he do this?

  Her gaze lit on the young man's claws. He laughed, wiggled them at her, and then slowly ripped Ellory's jugular from ear to ear. He opened his arms, and Ellory hit the floor with a thud. His blood pooled on the dark green carpet.

  The boy floated to his feet, grinning at Talisen. His sweaty hair clung to his face. His eyes burned red-black. He wiggled his claws at her now, laughing like a demon. He wasn't human. No human could do this.

  Talisen scarcely felt her feet move. Leaping over the bed, she rolled into the floor, grabbing her tote bag as she moved. The creature bounded after her. She dodged him, screaming, while she fumbled inside her tote.

  Where was it? She always kept it there. Just as the boy rounded and lunged again, her hands closed over the cold can. She rolled onto her back, lifted the can of mace, covered her eyes, and sprayed it at him.

  The creature screamed. When she looked again, he was clawing at his eyes and bumping along the wall about a half-foot above the floor. He toppled over the lamp table, and the lamp went out. In the darkness, Talisen struggled to breathe and listened, clinching the can of mace. She glanced in the direction of Ellory's still form. The silence coming from him tortured her.

  No matter how dead he seemed, she refused to believe it.

  The creature's moans turned to angry growls. He was still blinded, but her eyes were adjusting to the darkness. She could make him out well enough to know where he was. His breath came in quick, thick snorts, like an animal's.

  Hadn't anyone heard all this noise? Someone would come to see what was happening. Someone would come.

  The creature took a step or two toward her. She didn't wait for him to get close, but cre
pt around the bed as quietly as she could. She watched him turn his head, following her movement like a robot with radar. She dashed past him in the darkness, spraying the mace into his face again. He bellowed and slung his arms out at her. Talisen backed away, eyes watering. She'd forgotten to cover them this time. She dropped to the floor and crept closer to Ellory.

  The creature stumbled after her, feeling its way to get to her. She let it get closer, then sprayed the mace at it again. The can spewed, spit, sputtered, and then all that came out was air. It was empty.

  And the creature was close enough not to need his eyes.

  She swallowed another scream when his hands closed over her throat and squeezed. Blotches of red, black, and gray exploded in her eyes, and she clutched at his arms, clawed at them, struggled for breath, while her lungs neared the bursting point.

  Suddenly the creature's eyes widened in surprise, and though he growled and spat, he eased her down onto the floor as gently as if she were a made of glass. With her vision dimming and her head spinning, she watched in horror as the creature turned and headed for Ellory's still form.

  Rolling onto her hands and knees, Talisen tried to crawl after him, coughing for air and rubbing her swelling throat. The scent of blood filled the room. But not Ellory's blood. The creature had sliced his own throat. With every muscle rigid with rebellion, he held itself poised over Ellory and bled into his mouth. Talisen's head spun again, and nausea pushed her toward oblivion. The last thing she saw before passing out was Ellory reviving enough to grasp the creature and drag him closer.

  * * * *

  Talisen.

  His voice roused her a little, just enough to know she wouldn't be awake and aware for long. She tried to open her eyes but couldn't.

  No, sweet. I don't want you to wake up until I bid you to do so. We're on our way home, but you won't like the way we're getting there, so I want you to sleep.

  Home. Back to the summer house. Her escape had failed. She tried hard to focus, to clear her head and fight him.

  No, my lamb. You will sleep.

  His words wrapped her in a dose of bliss that permeated her body, mind and spirit. Sleep and sleep and sleep. That was all she wanted.

  * * * *

  She woke beneath a blanket, feeling as refreshed as though she'd slept for hours. She was in her bed in the guestroom at the summer house. She peered through the darkness at the illuminated digits of the clock on the dresser. Six-thirty p.m.?

  No wonder she felt rested. Ellory had found her at the hotel last night. She'd slept the rest of the night and all of today.

  Ellory. The thought of him filled her mind, stirred her blood and ground every sleepy muscle into action.

  Ellory. She was out of her room and halfway down the stairs when she heard the clang of pots and pans in the kitchen. It sounded like Sean was cleaning up the kitchen. The rich aroma of beef stew made her stomach growl.

  Ellory. She swooped into the den. Empty. But the table in front of the fireplace was set. For one. A candle burned low in the center of the table, vying with the firelight. She turned, crossed the hall to the kitchen and stopped in the doorway, fixed to the spot by a rush of contentment she could scarcely believe, let alone allow herself to accept.

  Ellory danced in place at the stove, wearing headphones, listening to music from a CD player clipped to his belt. He was obviously fine. Had she dreamed the whole thing? No, she couldn't have.

  He was chopping carrots and celery into the stew and had a dishtowel slung over one shoulder. She watched his graceful gyrations with everything in her body trying to respond to him at once, as though she'd been too long away from a drug her body needed. He had moves the human body wasn't built for. Yet he seemed utterly human. Painter pants and a plain white tee had never looked so good.

  Of course, he knew she was there. She had no doubt when he turned, flung his dishtowel aside, and pranced in her direction. She threw her hands up and backed away.

  Too late. He closed the distance between them, caught her up and levitated, singing in a flawless baritone voice, “Baby, be gooooood to meeeeeee."

  Talisen squealed as they bobbed a few feet off the floor. Clutching at Ellory, she chucked his headphones off his ears. “You seem to have survived our scrape with whatever that thing was. What was he, by the way? A mutant vampire?"

  "No.” He pirouetted with her to the ceiling, humming. “But it won't be bothering anyone again."

  It? She couldn't bring herself to think of anything that was—or had been—human as an it.

  Ellory grinned. “I'm very proud of you, Talisen."

  She pushed aside the rush of gratitude that emanated from him. She shouldn't be able to feel his feelings like that. “So how did you make that guy let me go without laying a hand on him? How did you make him.... “She swallowed against a flip-flop in her stomach. “...you know...."

  "Revive me? That was the easy part, once I took hold of its mind. But there was a moment when Dylan and I were waging an all-out war for the poor cretin. I was closer to it than Dylan, so I gained the upper hand, and Dylan had to let go."

  "And after you...."

  "Fed?"

  "Yes. What did you do to him?"

  Ellory's smile hardened. “What do you think? That I patted him on his head and sent him back to the one who made him? I put him out of his misery and then cleaned up the mess so the motel housekeeping staff wouldn't get a nasty shock."

  Talisen's appetite left her. “What was he? Really."

  The unexpected vehemence of his answer made her skin crawl. “The most despicable thing that exists in my world. A revenant."

  Talisen would've laughed, but for the fact that the thing had nearly killed them both. “A revenant? Like the zombies in vampire movies?"

  "Dylan sent the little henchman to kill you and cloaked its presence, so I didn't realize it was nearby until it attacked me. It's a good thing it didn't get to you during the daytime, or I wouldn't have been there, and it would have killed you."

  "You mean a revenant can handle daylight?"

  "Just like you can. That makes them effective assassins for a vampire to use against other vampires."

  It was unbelievable to think that anyone could catch Ellory by surprise, but it was terrifying to think there things that could attack her during the day when Ellory couldn't protect her.

  Ellory was looking at her with a soulful smile on his face. “You stayed and defended me. That was the bond, of course. You realize that, don't you?"

  She looked away. “Was not."

  "Don't lie."

  "It wasn't."

  "Then why did you do it?"

  No way was she going to tell him. She fidgeted in his arms. “I'm getting motion-sick. Would you please put me down?"

  He lowered her almost to the floor but stopped. “Answer my question first."

  She frowned at him. “Okay, I'll tell you. Vampire or not, you're the only dad Shelby has, and she needs you. All right? I didn't do it for you. I did it for Shelby. That's all."

  He smiled slowly. “Hmm."

  She fidgeted again. “Where is everybody?"

  "Gone below, madam. The quarterdeck is ours.” He gave her a hard, fast kiss. “Have a good nap?"

  "Nap? I slept a whole damn day. Don't do that to me again."

  "Oh, but I'm afraid I will, and without as much as a by-your-leave."

  Talisen's indignation hit the roof of her head like a rocket. She stared at him, speechless.

  He looked completely unabashed. “I'll give you two minutes to stop looking at me like a guppy and say something caustic in retaliation."

  "I—you—"

  "Time's up. Think of all the late hours you'll be keeping in my company. Fatigue will lower your resistance; rest will fortify you. After that scrape with Dylan's assassin, you needed rest. And now what you need is food.” He gave her a little squeeze, as though for emphasis. “How's your appetite this evening? I hope you like beef stew."

  She opened her mouth
to tell him what to do with his stew, but the flicker in his eyes and the telltale taut lines around his mouth silenced her. She wasn't the only one who was hungry. By now, whatever he'd gained from that revenant must have worn off.

  She felt for the floor with her toes and inched her way out of his arms. “I was just about to ask you the same thing."

  His eyes twinkled, chiding and warm. “I asked you first."

  "I'm starving.” She sidled away to the stove, picked up the ladle beside the pot, and gave its bubbling contents a stir. Her mouth watered. “I'm impressed."

  "Kindly note, it isn't liver and onions."

  She smiled with her back to him. “Glad you got my memo."

  "Sean also told me you object to my taking over your financial wherewithal."

  "Good.” She banged the ladle clean on the lip of the pan. “Just so we understand each other—leave my bills alone."

  One heartbeat. Two. She felt his warm breath raise the hairs on the back of her neck and froze, ladle in hand. Did he have to keep doing that? Creeping around like a cat?

  He reached around her for the salt and sprinkled some into the stewpot. Her gaze fixed on the fine black hairs on the back of his hands and along his forearms. Big hands. Warm hands. She closed her eyes and willed away thoughts of his caress, of the pleasure he had given her the night before last.

  "Just so we understand each other,” he mocked softly, “I don't recognize boundaries when it comes to protecting those in my care. What's mine is yours, whether you want it or not."

  She turned and frowned up at him, ignoring the fact that she was sandwiched between him and a hot stove, ignoring how good it felt to be close to him, ignoring the insane mix of anticipation and terror over what the evening held in store.

  The fear of losing her autonomy overshadowed all else. “You're not going to turn me into some kind of shut-in."

  "Shut-in?” His voice was smooth and implacable. “Hardly that. In fact, I have an outing planned for us all tonight."

  It didn't sound like he was in a hurry to be fed. Talisen relaxed a little. “We're going somewhere? All of us?"