Ever After

by Heather McBride

  “What’s wrong? You can tell me. You know I love you no matter what.” I tried to reassure him. I knew he was always afraid to scare me.

  “Vincent,” he whispered in a barely audible voice. I froze I felt my stomach drop; I knew exactly who Vincent was. William had told me briefly about the one who changed him; it was very brief, and I didn’t push him that night for more details. I could see even at that, time speaking of his name was hard for him. I now understood why. Vincent was a dark one; it all made sense now.

  Chapter 22

  A painful past

  I could see the pained look on Will’s face. He was rubbing his eyes. I placed my hand in his to reassure him. I knew whatever he wasn’t telling me must be bad, by the way he was acting.

  “It doesn’t matter, William. He was bad, not you. Vincent and you are nothing alike. You are not a dark one like him.” He looked into my eyes. He was extremely intense and he didn’t even blink as he took my other hand in his.

  “Yes Corrine, it does matter. You have to understand the changing process.” I felt another chill down my spine. I wasn’t even sure if I wanted to know what it was. I was feeling unsure now, even scared.

  “When a vampire changes a human, the human takes on some of the blood from the vampire who bites them. We sometimes call the vampire who turns a human a mentor. The vampire is often considered a parental figure to the newly changed. The two combine somewhat; it’s very complicated.” He stopped to watch my reaction. I made myself stay calm. I didn’t want him to feel like he couldn’t tell me all of the details.

  “So the changed human will retain some of or all of the mentor vampire’s traits, much like a child has traits from parents. It’s almost like a rebirth of sorts, if you want to put it that way.” He shrugged and looked away.

  William seemed to be growing uneasy as he went on trying to explain the details of his complicated existence. I sat quietly, waiting for him to go on, giving him time to collect his thoughts. “The mentor vampire, will then guide the newly changed one, and teach him or her their ways, good or bad, depending on which coven they are tied to.” I sat there taking this all in, and now understanding the deadly seriousness of William’s revelation. The details to changing were many and now I understood why he was reluctant to reveal them to me.

  Vincent was a dark one, meaning William had traits from him, possibly many possibly few. I now had to think of how many and how strong they might be. Could William possibly turn on me, triggered by his inner make-up from Vincent? I tried to hide my uneasiness as I held William’s hand. I tried hard to block all the thoughts flying around in my head as William went on.

  “It’s why I left Vincent’s coven. I was desperate to be better than him, to not…” He paused taking a ragged breath, nearly in tears. “Not to be a murderer, a killer. I could not do it. I couldn’t allow myself to be like that. I am not as good as you think me to be. I have done things I can’t ever seem to forget, no matter how hard I try.” He looked down at my hand in his, shaking his head. “I have battled the part of Vincent instilled in me for decades…” He took another deep breath. “I haven’t always succeeded either,” he said in a whisper, not looking at me. I had to hold my breath. I knew exactly what he meant by that. He had killed. I tried not to panic. I guess I tried to block that part out. I mean I figured in his early days he had, but I guess I just blocked it out.

  “I never want to be him Corrine. I will never succumb to the dark ways. The dark covens enjoy inflicting pain and hurt on humans. I had to witness Vincent’s murderous ways. He seemed to reap extreme pleasure from making his victims suffer painful deaths; it was all too much for me.” I looked into his eyes so tormented, my beautiful William. He walked the line between an angel and a killer and I loved him either way.

  I hated to see him in so much pain. I could see him telling me all this was very hard. He may possibly have a tendency to be a killer. I knew he feared that I would become scared of him and turn away, leaving him alone. I could understand his fear; I too feared he would leave me someday when he could no longer justify his youthful appearance. I was aging and he was not, at least not very fast. I did recall him telling me he aged slightly, not like a typical vampire that never aged at all. I held onto his hand as he watched me with wary eyes, as if he were waiting for me to run away, much like the afternoon in the park.

  “Your past doesn’t matter to me Will; it’s who you are now that does. I know you can’t help what’s inside you from Vincent. I know you are a good person. You don’t like hurting others, and you’ve overcome the evil from him.”

  “That’s kind of you to say Corrine, but even now I still sometimes feel a pull toward the darker side of me. I hate myself when the thoughts even briefly cross my mind. I cannot control it when they do. I have to fight my mind to think of other things, to stop the insanity of it all.”

  “That day by the river…” I took a deep breath. I needed to know if he had thought of killing me then. I didn’t know why but I just had to ask him. “I was bleeding badly, did you… I mean…” I searched for words trying not to hurt him. He put his finger to my lips, his eyes filled with pain and regret.

  “Yes… Corrine. I thought of it then, more so than I had in a very long time. I had this voice in my head telling me over and over, just this once, nobody would ever know. I had to fight it so hard, you were unconscious, helpless lying there. It would have been so easy.” He didn’t look at me; he was ashamed of something he really had very little control over. I patted his hand reassuring him.

  “You didn’t William; you were able to control it. Don’t hide your face from me. You have nothing to be ashamed of.” He looked over to me, his eyes damp. He took a deep breath.

  “I’m sorry, Corrine. I never wanted to tell you that, but you asked and I will never keep anything no matter how bad, from you about myself.”

  I moved closer into his arms. I needed to feel him closer to me to feel his warmth. He pulled me into his arms and held me.

  “I was having trouble resisting till you opened your eyes. I fell in love with you that moment and the desire to harm you was instantly gone. I had never felt anything like that in my life, a force so true and powerful. I knew from that moment I had to have you in my life somehow.”

  “I felt it then too. I couldn’t even speak for a little while after I saw your eyes. It was so amazing William, it was truly fate.”

  “I agree. I have heard of such things, people falling in love like that.” He sighed, kissing my forehead. “I just never thought it possible for it to happen to me.”

  “No. I never thought any of that love at first sight stuff was real. I really thought it was all crap, especially after Todd and all that.” I leaned my head up under his chin. I felt so safe, so loved so protected there. I never wanted to know a day in this life without him. I couldn’t possibly handle that ever. I had to have him with me; thoughts of him consumed my mind at all times. He was the love of my life half-vampire or not. That was simply the way it was.

  Chapter 23

  Peace… for now

  That summer was perfect…well minus a few things. We spent all our free time together, and I was so happy with William; he brought out a side of me I had thought gone. I learned to love and trust again, because of him. I had been given a gift in his presence. He made me stronger and fuller of life, and I was able to move on from my past. I had learned that anything is possible in this life. The many down times we all have to endure are just paths leading to better things.

  I had come to believe in a theory of my own, that we are rewarded for enduring the difficult times in our lives. If we soldier on and do our best to overcome the many obstacles in life, we all face. God rewards us with something we truly need and deserve. I had no doubt that my reward was having William come into my life and give me the kind of love I had only ever dreamed about having.

  The summer as I said was like a dream. I met Will’s parents and his extended family. All were welcoming, despite me not b
eing a vampire like them. I also learned William was only one of only a handful of half-blooded vampires. The fact was he had never even met another like himself yet. Doc explained that most humans, if they do not fully change, do not survive to become like William. I marveled at how many human traits he had and was thankful for them, but I knew I would have loved him either way.

  The other thing I learned that summer that was not so very great at all. In fact, it was terrifying. I had learned William’s father, not his biological one of course, his creator Vincent, had been in contact with Doc and Lydia. Lydia is William’s mother.

  Doc told me the story of how Lydia was really William’s birth mother. In the time of William’s birth in New Orleans in 1894, Doc was her attending physician. Lydia was dying from childbed fever, so common in those days. Doc could not bear to see such a young, beautiful woman die. Doc saw to William, who was remarkably healthy, and sent him home with his birth father and a wet nurse. Lydia on the other hand, was dying. Doc had told her husband she had already passed, and secreted her away to his massive home in the back woods of New Orleans.

  Lydia’s human life ended only two hours upon arrival to Doc’s home, which was also the home to the others in his coven. Doc was the leader of the coven of vampires known as followers. They did not live off blood not willingly given to them by humans. The coven had strict guidelines. Doc was sure they all followed them.

  Doc cared for Lydia, and she had been thankful to him for saving her. Lydia only wanted to look after William, from a distance of course. William grew up strong and healthy, as Doc and Lydia watched over him from a distance. Doc would often step in when he thought William was in a dangerous situation, or help him to avoid any risky behaviors.

  Lydia fit into the coven well, accepting the code of conduct the followers had. The only thing was she had to keep a low profile since she remained in the city where she had lived her human life. This was rare for vampires to do. Lydia refused to leave her human son, even if it was only from afar that she could watch him grow up. Doc understood this.

  The followers at that time received their life-sustaining blood from willing donors. In the community, some humans knew of the coven. In return for protection from the dark coven’s murderous ways, they donated their blood to Doc. The medical procedures were in early stages at the time of William’s birth, but blood donations were possible even then.

  Doc had his many connections amongst other covens like his own, and his medical connections to help sustain his coven in receiving blood from blood banks. The practice of receiving blood from a living donor was rare now, but it did still occur. It was very dangerous to the human so the coven discouraged it.

  Doc was an elder vampire even in 1894; he was about 180 years old at that time. He had mentored many new vampires, and was proud of his coven. Doc however had one very failed and disappointing “child”, if you will. His name was Vincent. He had been unruly from even his first days as a new vampire. The rules were clear, but he pushed the boundaries. He had a side to him that refused to adhere to the code.

  Doc worked with him, never giving up hope that he would come around and fall into line. Vincent did not. He grew more hate-filled and evil. He ran away from the coven many times, only leaving a trail of death for Doc to follow. It was as if he wanted to destroy the peaceful existence Doc had built over many centuries.

  Doc was beside himself with grief that he had created such a monster. One so evil and so unlike the others in the coven that it was shocking. Vincent continued to leave and return to the coven on and off. Doc had to make a choice about him. He would have to banish him forever or risk exposing the coven’s true identity to the outside world.

  Vincent’s killing sprees were increasing, and he was beginning to kill closer to New Orleans and the home of the coven. The authorities would soon begin to investigate the numerous murders and it would not take them long to follow his trail to Doc. This behavior was too risky, and it had to end right away.

  The decision Doc had to make would determine the fate of his existence and that of his coven. The newspapers were beginning to report the deaths of numerous people and they were all in the local area. Damon was getting sloppy and he didn’t care if he exposed the them. Doc had decided to disown Vincent and banish him from the coven forever, never to have contact again.

  The other choice, which I had always wondered about, was soon explained to me. I had always wondered why Doc ever moved here. Doc explained the area where they lived was too corrupt now, so he decided to move the coven eastward to Cambridge, Massachusetts. The distance was great from New Orleans, and he hoped the horror stories of a murderous vampire on the loose would not follow them.

  He also explained how William came to be in the area. I wondered why he had just moved back to the coven and Cambridge this past fall. Doc as a measure of protection against Vincent often sent Lydia and William to London for long periods to keep Vincent guessing where they were. They went on these trips two or three times a year or as often as needed. Doc was quick to explain why Lydia and William had to be kept away from Vincent.

  It seems that Vincent, before he was banished, had fallen in love with Lydia. She of course would have nothing to do with him ever. Doc had made it clear to him that Lydia would choose her own life partner and he was not it. He never got over being jilted. She had chosen Andrew, another coven member who was good, and a follower as she was.

  Vincent seethed with anger at her refusal. The coven was on high alert for rebellion for weeks after they relocated to Cambridge. Vincent sent threatening letters and called her threatening her and William with horrible things.

  William was the other major problem then. Lydia refused to move, at that time. Will was nearing adulthood and Lydia wanted to be close to protect him from Vincent. Doc could not allow her to stay. He had to trust that William would be safe and that Vincent’s anger and hostilities would remain focused only on Lydia and the coven.

  This was sadly not the case. Vincent knew of Lydia’s extreme love for her only child, and he knew how Doc had favored Will since his birth. The way to seek revenge on Lydia for denying him and Doc’s banishment of him from the coven was to destroy what they both loved and that was young William.

  Vincent set out to find William and kill him. As Doc told me this story, it seemed to be very hard for him to talk about. He went on to say Vincent was hell bent to hurt the ones he felt wronged him so deeply. He set out to return to the South. He had been wandering since his banishment, all a ploy to make Doc believe he was not going to harm William.

  He had no trouble finding Will; he was right where he had been his whole life, living with his father and his stepmother. William was about to start his first year of college and about to begin his adult life, but that was not to be. Vincent had spent weeks forming a relationship with William; he had posed as a college advisor. The whole thing was a set-up so he could get close enough to William to kill him without the authorities knowing right away.

  Will fell into the trap easily. He was very trusting and could not comprehend what was about to happen to him. I didn’t push Doc or William on the day of this conversation as to how Vincent attacked Will. I could see the pained look in his eyes as Doc spoke. Will looked down at his hands for most of this story, clearly upset. I did not want him to have to relive that memory to feed my curiosity. I knew in time if he felt strong enough to tell me, he would, but not this day.

  I listened to how Doc and Lydia learned of what Vincent had done. Doc did not learn of William’s changing until six months had passed. William was desperate to escape Vincent’s control and the dark coven he had formed in the Deep South. Will was trapped in this dark evil world, and he was very confused as to what he should do. He knew killing was wrong, and he had to leave somehow.

  The only good thing Vincent did for Will was to tell him who Doc really was and all about his birth mother, Lydia. He knew if he wanted to escape, he had to find Doc’s coven. Doc came to William when he finally was a
ble to contact him, telling him of the horrid things the dark coven was doing. William was desperate to leave as Vincent was grooming him to lead the coven one day. Damon had plans to go to Europe and start a dark coven there. He had plans to become the master of all the dark covens, and to be the most powerful and unstoppable. He seemed to be severely protective over William, and he was irate when he ran to Doc and his coven.

  Vincent vowed he would watch over William, and when he came to his senses, he would welcome him back to his side. Lydia explained to me that she wrote Vincent on a regular basis to appease his need for information on his “son.” This is how he viewed Will as a son and refused any other title for him.

  To Vincent he would always be Will’s true father. The worst thing I learned was that he was now growing restless. He was calling Lydia now, pushing for why he was hearing strange things about his son’s behavior. Vincent has a gift of sight and was getting glimpses of his son acting more human than he should be. The other bad thing was he was getting glimpses of me… and he didn’t like it at all.