by Tonya Nagle
"In Spain where I was born, I would be called hechicero (sorcerer), but my mother brought me to this country when I was small."
"What happened to your father?"
"I do not know. My mother told me she met him during the festival of the Night of the Dead. He stayed with her for seven days. When they parted, he said he would return for her one day but he never did."
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Oh, but he did. The demon waited for her at the door of death. The thoughts just popped into her head, but she knew they were true. Adam, obviously, was more than human.
"How long have you been a vampire?"
"One year, I think." She tried to remember how it happened. She couldn't.
Laura forced her mind to concentrate on that moment. Despair washed over her. She tumbled out of the chair, suffocating. Her vision blurred, as she drowned.
Adam fell to his knees on the thread-worn, coral-colored carpet. He pulled her into his arms, and rocking back and forth, soothed her with gentle words. "I am here with you. I'll be here as long as you want me."
The hopelessness inside her waned. She looked up at him. He moved a strand of hair out of her eyes.
"Are you feeling better?"
She
nodded.
"Maybe if we took a walk on the beach, the fresh air would help?"
She nodded again. He helped her up with her still firmly in his embrace. They walked arm-in-arm into the kitchen. Brilla chopped off the head of a squawking gull.
The beautiful, white bird's head rolled off the chopping board unto the floor.
"Brilla, gulls are protected."
The mambo sneered. "Nothing's protected, La-la."
Laura rushed out the door. Adam followed. Catching up with her, he caught her hand.
"The mambo upset you, didn't she?"
Digging her heel into the sand, Laura growled. "She's just plain evil."
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"No, she's an amateur at best." He pulled her into walking beside him as they strolled down the beach. "I've seen true evil, and she's not even close. But let's not speak on that when the stars welcome us."
Laura smiled. The night was star bright. The sea's fragrance wafted over her, soothing her temper. A storm brewed offshore and it whispered to her. She rubbed her fingers together in anticipation.
"You shine like a star." He breathed in her ear.
Laura grinned, embarrassed by his attention. "So how did you meet Brilla?"
"I met her in the art supply shop, but I confess I contrived the meeting."
Her eyebrows went up. "How so?"
"I've been watching you and I wanted to meet you."
Laura stepped back from him. "What do you mean watching me?"
"I live in the third house down the beach. You are truly magnificent when you dance in the storm."
"Oh." Laura laughed, even though he made her nervous.
"It must be a freeing experience—weaving lightning, soaring among the clouds, and yet be untouched by its fury." He caressed her hand.
"Sometimes." She gazed off into the undulating surf. "Sometimes no matter what I do, I feel trapped."
"Hmm. We are both prisoners of our magic. Humanity thinks that having power cures everything. But the truth is having magic brings its own set of burdens."
"That's for sure." Laura chuckled, turning to him.
"What a beautiful smile you have, but your eyes are so sad."
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She sighed. "I don't know why I feel this way. I can't remember much before coming here. Perhaps I've just been lonely." She walked further down the beach handin-hand with Adam. "It doesn't make sense." She shook her head. "Brilla's with me, and she's magic too. I shouldn't be lonely."
"No," he interrupted. "It makes a lot of sense. Brilla, though she may possess some natural talent, is learned magic. But, you and I, we are magic. It exists in our very cells whether we choose to use it or not." He brought her hand to his lips and kissed it.
"We cannot deny the magic within us."
They strolled, picking up shells and examining them, running from the surf and racing into it. He pulled her to him, his mouth close to hers.
She turned away. "I can't. Not yet anyway. I don't know why."
"I can wait." He squeezed her hand. "For you, I can wait."
The stars were fading, the sky brightening.
"May I come back and see you tomorrow?"
The sincere sweetness in his eyes overwhelmed her. "Yes. I'd like that."
"Until tomorrow then." Taking broad strides, he approached the fish head barrier, stepped over it, then turned to wave. "Shouldn't you be going in?"
Suddenly conscious of the time again, she hurried to the backdoor and entered.
Brilla handed her a glass of blood, and she drank it down. "Thank you." Then she went into her bedroom.
"What did you think of him?" Brilla asked through the door.
"I'm still thinking." Laura scrunched up a pillow. "I need to sleep."
As soon as she said the words, sleep embraced her. Dreams took her back to an odd day in the kitchen of her mother's house in New Orleans. Her sister, Evelyn, was 149
busy mashing sweet potatoes for a pie. Mama was shelling peas, while Brilla cleaned shrimp.
"What can I do?" asked the four-year-old Laura.
Brilla smiled down at her. "Now you're a small child. Go play and enjoy being a child while you can."
But Laura didn't leave. She just tucked herself behind her mother.
"Gordy Hanson asked me to the movies for Friday. He might be good, Brilla. I mean he's a member of the Société and all," said Juliette.
"Hmm. Hmm. Hmm. He's a handsome enough man, and magic he is, but I'd pass him by."
"Why?" Mama dropped a pea.
"He is a man of power, Juliette, and those men of power are usually so fine, with their good looks and money and how they beguile and entice with great shows of compassion and generosity, but . . ."
"But?"
"All they really want is to add your power to their own. Once they have you, everything about them changes. Take it from one who knows."
Juliette didn't reply.
The scene washed away then changed. Music jumped to the beat of flashing lights. It was a nightclub, and Laura danced with a handsome, tall blond man. Then another man cut in. Then another. Each man was handsome, but from each one she picked up the most disgusting vibes. They wanted her for sex. That was all. While dancing with them, she saw their thoughts on how they intended to use her. Then a man in a dark suit asked to dance with her. He was good looking, adorable yet 150
handsome with his dark brown, curly hair. She saw her reflection in his dark eyes. As he gazed at her, his kind smile released her from the anxiety she felt.
"Are you all right?" His words reflected his genuine concern.
"I am now." She smiled back at him and rested her head against his chest. His strong arms folded around her, and she delighted in his embrace.
When another man tried to cut in, he firmly said, "No," and Laura was happy.
She looked up at him, and they kissed. She felt his fangs against her tongue.
Looking into his eyes, she asked, "Are you real?"
He laughed, "Yes, I'm real." They kissed and she closed her eyes.
When she opened them again, they were in bed together. She had never felt so satisfied and content. He took her left hand and kissed the platinum band of diamonds she wore.
"Why aren't we together?" she asked.
"Don't you remember? Brilla stole you from me. But don't worry. We'll be together again soon."
Laura almost asked when but decided it was best she didn't know. She wanted to make love, before she awoke in her prison. His every kiss and caress was precious to her. She needed every second with him.
"You can bite me if you want," she said in the heat of passion.
He kissed her neck. "Don't you remember? I said I would never bite you again."
Then he caressed her every
part putting her into such sweet ecstasy. She hungered for him, and his every touch cherished her. As he grew harder, his touch became gentler.
Their bodies merged, and he held her close even past that amazing moment when she 151
could barely breathe. Quivering and warm, Laura enjoyed his tenderness. He kissed her lips, her cheeks, her eyes. She felt how much he loved her.
"Everyday I'm forgetting more." She looked into his wonderful, dark eyes. "I know she put something in the blood. I try not to feed, but I don't know how much longer I can hold out against the hunger." She touched his lips with her fingers.
"Please, tell me your . . ."
Thunderous pounding shattered the dream, and Laura flew out of bed.
"Wake up. Wake up now. You'll miss it." Brilla pounded on Laura's bedroom door.
Laura burst from the room. "What is it?"
"You were sleeping the night away." Brilla handed her a glass. "Some nice blood will perk you up."
"No." Laura put the glass down. "Why did you have to wake me? What will I miss?"
"The storm. It's coming. It's time to use your talent to dissolve a rainstorm."
Exasperated, Laura ran out the back door and into the sky meeting the first drops. She hovered there. The rain didn't touch her. The wind barely moved her hair.
She smiled and did nothing. The barriers were in place so she couldn't leave, even in the sky Brilla controlled her, but that didn't mean she'd have to obey. The rain poured on the mambo standing on the sands below.
"How's it going?" she yelled up.
"Just fine," replied Laura in her amusement. If she couldn't have her dream, she'd at least get back at Brilla for robbing her of its sweet sanctuary. She needed him and she knew deep down that Brilla was keeping them apart.
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"How's it going now?"
Laura didn't answer. A broken heart has no words.
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Chapter 13 ½
Dreams tore Laura apart. Though she hardly knew Adam, she felt his presence strongly when her head touched the pillow. She closed her eyes and felt his arms around her. He leaned forward to kiss her and she moved away.
"I can wait." He strolled down the beach. This time she followed. She wanted to know this mysterious, handsome man.
Then she stopped following. He stopped walking. Though a distance apart, she heard his voice as if he were beside her. "We are magic, you and I. We have a lot to give each other."
Laura trembled. He either made her feel very good or terrified. "You don't know anything about me really."
When her mother moved them to New York, Laura's world had changed drastically. Everything was different. The Société de Nouvelle-Orléans de Magie had kept them insulated from humanity's cruelty. A tear slipped down her cheek. "You don't know me."
He walked into the surf and turned facing her. "The hell I don't. My mother was a great sorceress. We left Spain just ahead of the assassins. Every day she lived in fear that they would come for us." He walked right up to Laura. "She taught me everything 154
but it wasn't enough. There was no solace for me, when I came home from college and found her face down in a pool of her blood."
"Murdered?"
"Assassinated for what she knew, for who she was."
Laura looked down at the ripples of white water reaching for her shoes.
"So I know. I know what it's like to be empty inside, so lonely you'd break in half.
That's why I escape into my art." He paused. "Until I met you, there was no one even remotely like me."
A scent washed over her, as he approached. Laura shook her head to clear it then closed her eyes. Ah, she sighed.
He reached for her, his hand gently brushing her hair.
She enjoyed his touch but didn't want to. Something stood in the dark haunting her memory. A fragrance of rosemary, citrus, and roses wafted over her. Laura sat on the sand.
He sat beside her.
She looked at him. "I am trapped in eternity."
He pulled her into his lap. "If you're with someone who loves you, eternity can be a gift." He looked into her eyes. His eyes smoldered with desire. "I can see the depth of your soul, the loneliness of your heart. Give me your heart, my darling."
The dream dissipated like steam, and Laura, though trembling, was glad.
Suddenly she was standing alone on the sand. Laura frowned. She looked down at the fish bones. Then she jumped to cross over but was slammed backward to the ground by an invisible force. Damn. She got up and brushed herself off. Then she kicked at the bones. Not even a dent in the pattern. Laura sat on the sand and started 155
to dig. What if she dug up the lava rocks? She dug and dug but couldn't find them. A prickly sensation crawled up her neck.
Laura turned around. Brilla stood there. She was probably watching all along.
"Are you going to keep him? A small nip on the neck would make him your pet."
"I'll consider it." Laura leapt into the sky.
Higher she flew into the heart of the silver and gray clouds. Twisted fire danced around her limbs. Her every movement sent sparks shimmering. She flew even higher leaving a trail of light. The storm sang to her. Laura swayed in its currents. The storm's power embraced her. Her fingers and toes tingled. Then bolts of lightning shot willy-nilly from her fingertips. After some experimenting, Laura could control the bolts--their intensity, when and where they struck.
Dawn breached the dark. Laura threw down a bolt to the beach and rode its force downward faster than she could fly. She hurried past Brilla into the kitchen, going straight to her room.
Laura groaned as in her dream she returned to her bed. Her dreams were like her life. Something was missing. Someone was missing. Please, help me. She didn't know who to call. The pain in her heart wouldn't stop. Mama, help me. I'm lost. And for an instant she felt her mother's being. Gentle hands touched her brow. Then another presence embraced her. She felt vampire fangs against her shoulder, teasing, and she laughed. Please, don't let me go.
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Chapter 14
Cajun music poured from the radio. Donovan, who had been napping, yawned and stretched. "Sounds like New Orleans."
"It's a station out of Savannah playing a tribute to New Orleans. Several charities are running fundraisers for the city," replied David, as he drove.
Their headlights cast eerie shadows on the side of the road. Out of the gloom, a lit-up service station came into view.
"There's a gas station up ahead. Can you pull over?"
David parked.
"I'll be back in a few." Donovan went out the door.
The radio crackled into white noise, and David turned it off. The station was on the edge of a tiny town with only a handful of small houses. Lights were on here and there but no one was on the street. Cars sped past every five minutes or so. David didn't remember seeing any sign for this town. Even the gas station showed no indication of a name. A little sign with the single word "service" blinked its neon message in the dark.
Waves of panic washed over David. Something was wrong. He knew it and leapt out of the car into the store. The lights were on, a radio played, but no one was there.
Going back out, he turned the corner of the building. Two figures struggled on the ground.
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With one hand, David lifted the 300-pound bald man off of Donovan. "What are you doing to my pet?" he shouted to the surprised vampire.
Donovan scrambled to his feet.
"Your pet? There's no mark on him!"
"He hasn't earned the mark of obedience. He's a lazy slave." David spoke with such authority that the other vampire stood baffled.
Looking at Donovan, David spoke to his mind, Get in the car and take off. I'll catch up.
Donovan's eyes went wild then he ran off.
"If you don't mark him, he's fair game," complained the other vampire.
"Regardless, he is my property."
The other vampire grunted his reluctant agreement.
In a blink, David was in the air and away. Sometimes it's wiser to avoid a fight.
Seconds later he saw the blue Buick rental racing down the highway. David grabbed the handle, opened the door, and jumped in slamming the door of the moving car.
Donovan floored the gas. He looked over. "Man, where did you come from?"
"Flew. I got out of there before he had time to think about what I said." David caught his breath. He didn't want to admit he was shaken.
The vampire appeared in the road ahead of them.
"Run him over," David shouted.
"What?" Donovan swerved.
Next thing they knew the car was off the road and dangling precariously over a swamp. Then it slipped, slamming into a tree. Donovan screamed. The vampire 158
reached in through the shattered window and pulled him out. "What a meal you'll make, little man."
"Help!"
"Oh, crap." David climbed out his window. He jumped the huge vampire and was thrown into the air.
Donovan fought to get free from the vampire's grip, but the creature only laughed as he dangled him above the ground. Again David attacked. With tornado force, he swung the vampire into the air. The bald vampire dropped Donovan into a tree.
