Charles' Choice (Penny's Choice)

by Annette Archer

  “Are you okay?” Lorelei said, reaching over to rub his shoulders. “I’m not trying to upset you.”

  “No, no,” Charles said as he tried to relax. The truth was he really liked Lorelei. Previously he had only been interested in flings. And with his previous association and current problems with the Brotherhood, serious relationships, especially with human women, were never possible. Charles had never really thought about himself with someone who wasn’t human. Although part of that was probably due to the fact that most of the non-humans he had regular contact with were vampires. While he supported peaceful vampires’ right to live, they still mostly got on his nerves. They were moody, cocky, and vain. Except for Thomas, who was a complete freak of vampire nature. He didn’t mind Charli either; he was glad to have his twin sister back by his side. He no longer felt like he was missing his other half. But, other than those two, Charles preferred to stay far away from vampires. Thomas said it was because Charles was already so much like a vampire with his suave, mysterious charm.

  “Lorelei, I really like you,” Charles said, opening up. “So, I’m just going to be upfront. I have a crazy life. Take me or leave me the way I am. But I can’t leave what I have started.”

  “I’ll take you the way you are,” Lorelei said, placing a pale hand on his cheek, “because I love you just the way you are.”

  Charles pulled Lorelei into his chest and brought her lips up to his. He relished the feel of her soft, plump lips on his. Lorelei’s hands explored Charles’s chest while he kissed down her neck. “Will you follow me?” Charles whispered into her ear.

  “To the ends to the earth, mein lieblingsmann,” Lorelei said, breathlessly.

  (CHAPTER 6) The Chase to Ireland

  “So, we’re going to Ireland?” Penny said, buckling her seat belt. Thomas had insisted that they leave everything behind. He said that the Brotherhood would be watching their old hotel. Penny had noticed that they were being followed as well and knew that they were in for an interesting ride in the beginning.

  “Yes, but first, we are going on a wild goose chase,” Thomas said, sliding into his seat. He smiled and winked. Thomas loved the thrill of a car chase. The Brotherhood, despite crashing nearly a dozen cars in pursuit of Thomas, loved to engage them in high speed car chases.

  “Are they ever going to learn their lesson?” Penny asked. She grasped the car door, preparing for Thomas to hit the gas.

  “Hold your horses,” Thomas said, “I’m not going to do anything yet.”

  “You haven’t warned me the last two times,” Penny said looking out her rearview window. There was a small black sedan that pulled out into traffic just after Thomas left the curb.

  Thomas stayed in traffic for a few minutes, allowing the car to continue following them. The Brotherhood car stayed two to three cars back. “Do they think that they haven’t been spotted yet?” Penny asked, looking back at them again.

  “The Brotherhood is cocky,” Thomas said, looking up routes on the GPS. “You of all people should know that.”

  “I’m so glad that I know better now,” Penny said

  Thomas seemed to have found a route that he liked. He looked back at the Brotherhood car again. It was cut off three cars down by a larger truck.

  “Warning,” Thomas said. He gunned the gas and turned down a side street.

  Penny grasped the handle just in time as the car careened around the corner. Thomas slammed on the breaks and slid onto another side street. Penny looked behind them and didn’t see the sedan behind them. Thomas continued to weave in and out of the small, cobblestoned German streets.

  “I don’t see them anymore,” Penny said. She still didn’t release her grip from the handle.

  “Yeah, I think we are safe,” Thomas said, pulling onto a main street again and then taking a quick right onto the Autobahn. “And now I can go as fast as I want.”

  Penny gripped handle as Thomas accelerated as fast as could up to 200 kmh, which was pretty fast in the non-descript sports car. Thomas has insisted on fast, maneuverable cars that wouldn’t stand out from a crowd of cars. Penny knew that when they got to Ireland that Thomas would purchase another car since they had already been spotted in this one. Perhaps they would even stop on the way.

  “So are you going to tell me why we are going to Ireland?” Penny asked. She relaxed her grip on the handle as the car’s speed evened out. “Or am I going to have to guess?”

  “Banshees,” Thomas said. His lips curled up in a happy smile.

  “Banshees?” Penny asked. She racked her brain for information about banshees. She had heard about them before, but didn’t know much about them. And she probably had the completely wrong idea about them like she did with the Nixen or even vampires and werewolves. Nothing in the supernatural world was at it really seemed. These creatures best defense was often the misinformation about them. “Aren’t they the creatures that scream and haunt people?”

  “Sort of,” Thomas said, patting Penny’s knee.

  “Let me guess, I have them all wrong.”

  “Well, they do scream. And they scream very well. But you will get to meet them when we get to Ireland. They can be very helpful as a first line of offense,” Thomas said. Penny knew he was lost in his thoughts and that any further conversation would be useless.

  Penny laid her head back onto the seat back and dozed off. She awoke later as they were entering Great Britain. Thomas stopped to exchange the car and they were off again to a remote spot in Ireland. While Penny was sleeping he had made several calls and procured them a small cabin in small Irish village.

  Thomas sent Penny into town to get some new clothes and supplies while he finished up his plans for the assault on the Winchester Mystery house. When Penny got back to the room, he was still hunched over his computer making a few more adjustments. Penny unpacked the few things she and purchased and headed into the bathroom to shower and change into a new outfit.

  “I was thinking about ordering in tonight,” Penny said from the bathroom. She looked at herself in the mirror. He long golden hair hung around her shoulders and cascaded over her silk teddy. She had picked it up at a local boutique while Thomas was working on his plan.

  “Ordering in?” Thomas asked from the bedroom. His interest was piqued, just like Penny wanted.

  “Yeah, a little snack for you,” Penny said with a smile. “Ya know to hold you over.”

  “My, my, aren’t you a jealous one,” Thomas said, chuckling. Penny walked out the bathroom in her new outfit.

  Thomas stopped his heckling and stared at her. “Well, now, don’t you look good enough to eat!” He ran his hand down Penny’s neck. “I don’t want our…sexual relationship to degrade into me feeding on you.” Thomas pulled away from Penny and sat on the bed. He still couldn’t take his eyes off of her.

  Penny sat on Thomas’s lap and put her arms around his neck. “Oh Thomas, I actually really like that. It’s really kind of selfish. I want you to bite me.” Penny lightly pressed her lips against Thomas’s lips. He reached up and ran his fingers through her hair.

  “I love you, Penny,” he said, drawing in her close to him. “What did I ever do to deserve you? Oh wait, I kidnapped you and ruined your life.” Thomas chuckled.

  “Thomas, you need to stop doing that,” Penny said, scowling. “I’m happy that I am with you. Bad things happen and that can’t be changed. But I am happy with my life, happy with who I am, and most of all happy that I am with you.” Penny kissed him again. “Now if you don’t mind you are killing the mood.”

  Thomas laughed. “You are the most amazing and resilient person that I have ever met,” he said, returning the kiss. He picked her up and threw her on the bed.

  “No,” Thomas said, suddenly pulling away from Penny's warm body. “This just isn't right.”

  “What?” Penny said, bolting up. “You've done it to me plenty of times before.”

  “Something's bothering you,” Thomas replied, caressing her cheek with the back of his hand.
“Something about me. And you've been acting strange around Charles too. Are you having second thoughts about me? I mean I would totally understand.”

  “What?” Penny said and slapped Thomas across the face. She started crying and ran out of the bedroom back into the bathroom. She slammed the door shut.

  “Penny,” Thomas said, knocking on the bathroom door. “I didn't mean to upset you.”

  “Well then you shouldn't have asked about Charles,” Penny said, trying to contain herself. It wasn't like her to cry so easily.

  “But you seem so jealous or Lorelei,” he said through the door. “Look just come out here and we can talk about this.”

  “I'm a mess,” Penny said between sniffles.

  “Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn,” Thomas quoted the famous line from Gone with the Wind and chuckled.

  Penny swung open the door. “That's just it. How can you not give a damn? She's perfect. A frickin' mermaid. I'm human. I chose a vampire over a human. Why would a vampire ever choose me...over someone more...not human...that will last longer.”

  Thomas looked surprise at the anger and yelling coming from Penny. He didn't quite know how to approach the sensitive topic. “Well, actually, the way I see it is you picked the dorky, goofy brother over the hot, Rico-suave brother, which doesn't make sense to really anyone in this family.”

  “You just don't realize how amazing you are,” Penny said, still attempting to control her tears.

  “And I don't think you understand how beautiful, talented, intelligent, resilient, and on and on that you are,” Thomas said, brushing a tear soaked strand of Penny's hair from her cheek. “Never doubt that I love you. I thought this was about you not loving me. Feeling like you were stuck with me.”

  “You're a silly vampire,” Penny said, trying to muster a smile.

  “Indeed I am,” Thomas said, returning the smile. “I am your silly vampire.” He leaned in and kissed her on the ball of her nose.

  Penny relished being held in Thomas’s arms. Even though they were being pursued around the world, she felt safe and loved. Thomas stroked the back of Penny’s neck as she nestled further into his chest. “I love you, Penny,” Thomas said, kissing the top of Penny’s head.

  Penny looked up at Thomas and gave him a long kiss. Her lips lingered on his chin and trailed down his neck. She remembered what her original intentions were regarding Thomas that night.

  Penny pushed Thomas on to the bed and jumped on top of him.

  “What is it with you always attacking me?” Thomas said breathlessly as Penny tore off his shirt and kissed down his chest.

  “Sometimes I just need you,” she replied, barely taking her lips off his body.

  (CHAPTER 7) Smell of Death

  The stars were out bright on the clear Irish night as Thomas and Penny sat outside at the local cafe. Penny was eating a plain pastry with fruit and cheese. Thomas had a cup of coffee and another small bowl of fruit in front of him. Penny had insisted that if he had to order food and she had to eat the food for him, that he order something low fat and diet friendly.

  Penny sipped on her coffee as she looked into the quiet night street. The town that Thomas had procured their cabin in had a population of just fewer than 1,500.

  “So, why such a small place?” Penny asked. She took a bite of her bread and nibbled on the cheese. She wasn't too sure about the cheese. It was a little stronger than she preferred, but the rich Irish butter on the pastry was heavenly.

  “Banshees prefer the country,” Thomas said in a low voice.

  “Unlike vampires who prefer cities?” Penny said with a smile on her face.

  “Bigger cities have better nightlife,” Thomas said. He pretended to take a sip of his coffee and then shuffled the fruit around on his plate.

  “So the Banshees like it quiet?” Penny said, making a guess.

  “You've got it.” Penny ate the rest of her fruit and took a few pieces from Thomas's plate when the waitress, an overweight redhead, wasn't looking.

  “Yes, are you sure that you want to go with though?” Thomas asked, raising an eyebrow.

  “Why?” Penny said, stealing another forkful of fruit. While they were in a small town it was even more important to keep up human appearances. Small town folks were nosier and more observant.

  “Well, they are pretty scary.”

  “I sleep with a vampire,” Penny said, rolling her eyes. “I think I can handle some screaming ghosts.”

  “If you say so,” Thomas said spilling some coffee on the dirt before the waitress exited the cafe with a carafe of coffee. “But don't say that I didn't warn you.”

  “Are they going to hurt me?” Penny asked.

  “Oh, no, Banshees are mostly harmless. Their bark is much worse than their bite,” Thomas said. The waitress refilled the cups of coffee and laid out the bill for them. She didn't speak a word to Penny and Thomas except to take their orders. She kept watching them out of the corner of her eye like she didn't trust them.

  “Oh you mean like you,” Penny giggled.

  “Wait I bark?” Thomas said, laughing. “I thought I just bit without warning.”

  “Well, sure, I guess, but your bite is very polite,” Penny said, continuing with the lighthearted banter.

  “I was thinking that my bite was more passionate.”

  “Well, I hope that it is just passionate with me,” Penny said, winking. “I hope you bite all those little boys politely.”

  “Oh, are you and Charles ever going to let go of that? I don't eat little boys, just young men,” Thomas said lowering his voice. “And I just have a little nibble.”

  “Oh come on now,” Penny said, getting up from her chair. “You know that Charles and I have to take advantage of whatever we can to pick on you...with your quick wit and all.”

  Thomas paid the bill generously despite the grumpy waitress and walked after Penny. “We're not going to take a car,” Thomas said, grabbing Penny's arm and redirecting her. “The Banshees are luddites.”

  “What?” Penny asked. Sometimes Thomas used words that were way above her comprehension level. Although, her vocabulary had grown by leaps and bounds since she had met Thomas.

  “A luddite is someone who is afraid of technology...basically,” Thomas said. He walked in front of Penny and slid between two small houses and headed up a hill.

  Penny followed Thomas reluctantly; she wasn’t quite sure what she had gotten herself into this time. Charles was back in Germany probably sunning himself with beautiful mermaids and here she was in a desolate Irish town tracking down a creature that even a vampire thought was scary.

  “So how long of a walk is it to their…hideout?” Penny asked, catching up to the tall vampire.

  “There’s an old Celtic burial mound not too far away from here where they like to rest,” Thomas said, still in a hushed tone.

  “Is someone following us?” Penny asked when she noticed that Thomas was still whispering.

  “No, but we are going through a croft right now and the farmer is out tonight.”

  “For goodness sakes, could you please stop using so many big words?” Penny said, exasperated. Didn’t he know that not everyone was a genius with a vampiric photographic memory?

  “Sorry,” Thomas said giving Penny a smile, “I have to harass you somehow. A farm. It’s just a type of farm.”

  “K. Watch out for the farmer,” Penny said. She walked exaggeratedly on her tips toes. Thomas rolled his eyes and pushed her over. Penny got up and dusted herself off. “Aren’t they going to notice when the banshees start wailing?”

  “Nah, banshees don’t always wail like that,” Thomas said, brushing off the last of the grass on Penny backside. “Besides, the people around here are pretty used to the sound. Some of the older more superstitious folks still say it is banshees, but most people nowadays say it is a natural occurrence from the underground springs around here.”

  “Humans will do just about anything to convince themselves that they are the only
sentient beings on the planet,” Penny said.

  “Oooh, you used a big word!”

  Penny shoved Thomas playfully, but he didn’t budge.

  “They’re just over the next hill,” Thomas said as he reached the peak of a hill.

  “Do we need to identify ourselves,” Penny said, suddenly getting very nervous.

  “Oh, no. They have a great sense…” Thomas said, stopping trying to find the right word.

  “Smell?” Penny said, wondering if they had sense like vampires.

  “Ha, ha, no. Their sense of smell is pretty deadened from the smell of rotting flesh,” Thomas said, wrinkling his nose like he already smelled the decomposition. Penny sniffed the air, but she didn’t have the keen sense that Thomas did.

  “From being in a graveyard?” Penny said, confused. She assumed that there wouldn’t be much decomposing left to do in ancient burial grounds.

  “No, from themselves,” Thomas said, gagging.

  Suddenly the wind shifted and Penny got a brief whiff of what Thomas smelled. It wasn’t bad enough to make her gag, but wasn’t something that she would want to wear as a perfume.

  “They are like Zombies or something,” Penny said. She smiled as Thomas plugged his nose.

  “No, they’re more ghost like, but the smell is a self-defense mechanism,” Thomas said with his nose still plugged.

  “Against vampires?” Penny said, giggling. “Is holding your nose actually helping? Or does it just make you look stupid?”

  “Give it a few more steps and you’ll be doing the same thing,” Thomas said. He released his nose, but Penny could tell that he was no longer breathing. That meant Thomas couldn’t talk but another couple sentences until his lungs ran out of air and he would have to breathe again. Penny was about to make fun of him again and try to make him have to take another breath, when the smell hit her hard.

  “Oh, yuck,” Penny said, bending over. Thomas just smiled. Penny wished that she had the same ability to hold her breath indefinitely like Thomas. The smell was almost unbearable. “I think that I might throw up.”