Defeatedly sighing, Jewel grabbed her jacket off of her passenger seat. After retrieving the few groceries from her trunk and locking her car up, she made her way out of the garage.
It was strange. It seemed that there was nobody in that garage, but herself.
While this was a weekday, she would have thought the garage to still be heavily populated, with people arriving from work or partying. Yet, there was nobody. Possibly Nathan's death, had made everyone on campus a little more wary than they had been.
The moment Jewel started walking, she was again disconcerted by her footsteps being the only ones that she could hear.
They made this faint clicking sound, each time they came down. Granted she wasn't a light walker, like Genevieve, but still just hearing her own, lonely, foot falls, was enough to have her on edge.
Trying to calm her panicky heart down, she focused her thoughts on something more positive; like Genevieve.
Just the mere thought of Genevieve, had her smiling and her heart slowing to an even tempo.
Gen was the only one who had confidence in her. And she was definitely the only one in their family, who could give good advice; advice that she didn't expect Jewel to follow, unless she wanted to. In the end, when it all came down to it, it had been Genevieve's advice that she should have followed. When Gen had told her, that it was her own decision on what she wanted to do and nobody else's, Jewel should have listened to her. Yet, she hadn't; she had been too afraid of Amelia's wrath.
When she felt her grasp on her grocery bags start to loosen, Jewel was suddenly snapped out of her thoughts. Stopping to adjust her hold, it was then that she heard this second set of footsteps halt a few feet behind her.
She was so surprised by this, that she really hadn't the time to react to the knowledge that someone was following her.
She was just about to turn around and see who it was, when she heard this familiar voice in her head say, “Don't look behind..., just keep going...I'm here, I won't let anything happen to you.”
For some reason that, strange, familiar voice, was very reassuring. It was like a comforting caress that made her feel all warm and fuzzy inside.
Calmly squaring her shoulders, she swiftly continued on her way.
She could still hear the footsteps behind her, but she found herself utterly relaxed by the voice in her head. It was like her fear and disgruntle emotions had all been chased away—all she had to do was follow, what that voice was instructing her to do, and she would be okay.
XXX
The fledgeling was so hungry, that he could only think about the luscious female in front of him – her blood smelled so delicious.
It was that thought, that he would soon have her, that had him not thinking of whether or not there was someone following him.
Possibly if he had been more experienced, and not been following his blood lust, he would have been more on guard.
XXX
Cirpian would have loved nothing more than to continue lying next to his little Genevieve, but instead this nagging feeling, inside him, had told him to leave; something bad was about to happen. He had followed that instinctive feeling all the way to Genevieve's little sister, Jewel.
Before Jewel had shown up, he had stood there for an hour, in the garage, just acquainting himself to his surroundings.
He had picked up the other vampire, just as Jewel had pulled up and parked her car. The moment he had sensed both Jewel and this vampire, he had instantly known what was going to happen, and, just the thought of the misery that this would put Genevieve through, had him hastily coming up with a strategy on what to do about the problem in front of him.
Even if she hadn't been the sister of the woman that he loved...love, now there was an emotion that he had never thought he would ever be able to feel again for another woman...
Well, anyway, he was still obligated to protect her.
He had failed in protecting that last innocence. Yet, he would be damned if he failed in protecting this one.
As he tailed this fledgeling, he remembered briefly what Brian had, centuries ago, said to him, “You can't protect them all...and the few you try to protect, will only reward you with a stake through the heart...or a decapitation.”
For some reason, Brian's words had a smile creeping to his lips.
The moment that he sensed that Jewel was a safe distance away, Cirpian unsheathed his sword.
Silently raising his blade, he didn't even give the fledgeling time to react, before he decapitated him. As the fledgeling's headless body fell to it's knees, and then slowly disappeared, Cirpian was just about to sheathed his blade, when he sensed her.
Before he even heard her, he caught a slightly, pungent, whiff of her.
It was that sudden sound of her clapping, though, that had him instantly turning around. He could sense her and the others not but a few feet away from him.
His acute senses were picking up five males, including the female. Yet, there could have been more hiding in the shadows.
“You're amazing.” she licked her lips. In all her years she had never seen a vampire, quite as enticing as the one standing in front of her – he was splendidly beautiful.
“And you are?” and that sensually, sexy, voice had her wanting to rip off hers and his clothes, and do it right in that parking garage.
“Madeira.”
When he didn't even flinch at the sound of her name, Madeira didn't know if she should have felt insulted or intrigued by his lack of surprise.
Yet, instead of lingering on why this was. All she could think of was the torturous pleasures she would have enjoyed inflicting upon him. In the beginning he most likely wouldn't have enjoyed it, but, in the end..., she would have forced him to like it.
She wanted nothing more than to tame him.
Yet, at that moment, he had this coldly, stoic, expression, on his face. And it was that expression, that told her that he was one of these vampires that couldn't be tamed. No matter what she did or wanted to do, he wouldn't have submitted.
Eventually she would have had to kill him, because he would have tested her patience too many times.
What a waste.
Yet, she supposed there was really no way around it.
Cirpian could sense something in Madeira that was more desire than threatening. Granted she was dangerous, but at this point he couldn't handle her. Not when they were out in the open and there was, at least according to his sense of hearing, about to be a lot of people around; he could hear a bunch of rowdy college students heading in their direction.
Yea, it was definitely not a good idea to start a fight with her and her fledgelings; at least not at this time...Not with that many witnesses around.
Yet, the sudden approaching college students, wasn't what put him on edge; what had him on edge, was the desire he could sense in Madeira—he knew that desire.
He had sensed that same desire in another vampire. She of course was long dead, but it had been because of this female temptress, that he had almost gone down his own hellish path.
There were just some women out there, that could lead a man to do despicable things—that possibly that man wouldn't have done in a million years. Yet, it had been because of his past experience with his own she devil, that he now could resist the alluring aroma of Madeira.
Sheathing his sword, his thoughts, for the second time that night, went back to his beautiful Genevieve – he missed the sweet enticing feel of her body.
Noticing how he had sheathed his weapon, Madeira, who had felt some prickle of fear over the sight of the infamous sword, took a step toward him.
“Is there anyway, that I could entice you into going to bed with me tonight?”
“I don't think so.”
Madeira was not but a few inches away from him, and, taking him slightly off guard, she, leaning out, looped her arms around his neck.
“Oh come on, I don't bite...much.” she nipped at his lips.
Smiling, he untangled her arms, and
, pushing her away, he said, “Much...? I suppose you tell my cousin that, too.”
“Cousin?”
“I can smell him on you.”
“Does it make you jealous to know I've been with him?” she laughed.
Yet, it was his sudden cold smile, that had her quickly ceasing. “No...”
When his smiled broadened, she couldn't help but feel angry at his indifference. “How bout if I kill all the humans on this campus, including that one that you killed my fledgeling over; how would you feel about that?” she instantly noticed how this unnatural crimson tint, wrapped itself around his eyes' irises.
Yet, while his eyes had changed, his smile didn't even falter—it just became more sinister. “With them...?” he motioned to the fledgelings behind her.
Smilingly glancing behind her, she said, “Why not?” when she looked back at him. “Why...?” it was then that she noticed he was gone and, when she looked back over at her fledgelings, it was their shocked expressions, that had her hastily scanning the parking garage.
It took only seconds, for her to realize that he was no where in sight and, in that short time frame, she couldn't help becoming very nervous.
Very much unhinged, she turned to walk back over to her fledgelings. Yet, when she was only inches away from them, that was when she heard Cirpian's voice whisper, close to her ear, “You can try..., and I'll destroy you all.” quickly turning around, she was astonished to see that no one was standing behind her; she had been so sure he would be there—he had sounded so close. Yet, he was no where in sight; all she could hear was the ringing sound of his laugh – in her head.
XXX
She hadn't a clue where she was actually being led.
Every time her instincts told her to go right or left, she went the opposite direction. As if someone or something, was telling—showing—her a different path.
It was at the last turn that she made, that she saw her destination – a door out. It was boarded up, but she wasn't worried – she knew how to get through those boards.
Yet, before she could, she would have to relieve herself, at least for a short time, of her dead weight.
She was somewhat surprised when she didn't have to remove her dead weight, herself; instead it moved away from her. The moment she felt the weight on both her left and right side return to a more balance normal, she went for her right holster's gun; which had been conveniently blocked by her dead weight.
It was, at that moment, when she felt open air, that she realized that her holster was empty.
Her gun.
Where was it?
It was upon her searching effortlessly for her gun, that she came to the conclusion that she really needed to search for something to pry those boards off. Yet, when she started looking around that densely dark room, for that something, that was when she heard movement behind her.
Turning she saw someone standing over her dead weight; the words, “What, the hell, are you doing...?” instantly died on her lips, when the person turned to face her.
It seemed like eternity, before her brain was finally able to comprehend what her eyes were seeing.
While, she couldn't see the person clearly, because they were clocked in shadow; she could make out that this figure in front of her was holding something.
It took her eyes only seconds, to adjust to the darkness around her; which she was then able to make out what the figure was holding...it was...
It was a severed head!!!
She hadn't a clue on who the head was, because it was, still, too much clocked in shadow. All she could make out, was the hair, that was attached to the head's scalp.
When the figure, holding the head, stepped forward, she was able to make out a few characteristics – for one, he was male.
While this man, wasn't looking directly at her, at that moment, she noted the slightly scrawny appearance. He also had scraggly hair, that really needed to either be brushed out or washed – possibly both. And there was a recognizable tattoo on his shoulder, that looked very familiar.
In fact, it was that very tattoo, that had her gaze returning to it.
Where had she seen that tattoo?
Before she could figure it all out, it was then that this familiar, yet unfamiliar, person looked up at her.
The moment she saw his face, and those dead eyes, she knew.
It was that sudden overwhelming fear, bellowing up inside her, that choked her from even uttering a scream.
When he took a step toward her, she instinctively took a step back; and tripped over something.
Whatever it had been, that she had tripped over, had her instantly losing her balance. She was falling – in slow motion—and this person was coming toward her. Soon he would be upon her, and she wouldn't be able to do anything.
When she hit the ground, she didn't even have time to cry out in surprise. For it was what she had tripped over, that now had her present surprise replaced with this new astonishment.
It was a dead body, that looked very familiar. Yet, because this person's hair was covering their face, all she could tell, from the physique, was that this was a woman.
Not even hesitating, she moved the hair aside.
It was that still new astonishment over seeing that she had tripped over a corpse, that had her not screaming right away. Yet, once the sight, of the once vibrant woman, now caked in decay and with magnets crawling all over her face, had sunk in, she wanted nothing more than to cry out for help.
Yet, before she could do even that, she heard movement. Looking up, she was surprised and disgusted to see the man, that she had been trying to get away from; standing there – still holding that severed head.
“The Sandman will protect you, baby.”
As her gaze went quickly to his familiar face and then to the severed head, that she could now see clearly in the obscure light emanating from the boarded up door, she again wanted to scream, but she once more was surprised over the familiar hazelnut eyes that were staring back at her; from that pasty, dead, face.
“Yes...,” when she heard this second voice, she shockingly looked behind her missing stiff from the morgue; and saw a dark figure standing there. “let the Sandman protect you, Gen.”
When this dark figure came into the obscure light, she saw him. And, this time, instead, of letting surprise choke her screams back—she screamed.
She screamed at the sight of Cirpian and her missing stiff from the morgue—standing together as if they were friends.
She screamed over how the dead, lifeless, eyes of her two love ones', stared at her—as if accusing her for their lifeless condition.
And most of all, she screamed, because it felt better than just sitting there – staring like a witless half wit, at the scene playing out before her eyes.
As these two sinister individuals, both closed in upon her, she found herself paralyzed by her fear – unable to move...
XXX
It was her alarm clocks' annoying shrill, that had her, not just instantly coming awake, but rolling off the bed on to the floor.
If Genevieve hadn't been fully awake then, she definitely was when she felt that floor at her back.
As she sat up, she disorientatedly looked around the room.
At first, she was unable to place where she was. Yet, it was her brain, and the persisted shrill of the clock, that finally had everything clicking into place.
She was safely in her apartment – not in some abandon place, witnessing...
To stop herself from remembering that horrible nightmare, she swallowed down that painful, sour, lump in her throat; she needed to keep reminding herself, that it was just a nightmare.
Yet, no matter how hard she tried, that nightmare, kept trying to rear it's ugly head at her.
It was her clock's consistent shrill that had her, finally, retrieving the hardcover book next to her bed, and, as she knelt beside her nightstand, she vexatiously brought the book down upon her clock.
Chapter Twenty-Two
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nbsp; A hot shower did help somewhat to chase away a few remnants of the nightmare, that Genevieve had been afraid of plaguing her during the remainder of the day.
And once she had emerged from both her bathroom and bedroom, fully clothed, she went directly into the kitchen; where she was now standing, drinking her coffee and staring at the broken alarm clock in her garbage can. Lucky for her, she had made sure to stock up on alarm clocks.
When Walmart had last had a sale on alarm clocks, she had made sure to purchase at least a dozen of these annoying devices; for she had broken her fair share by either accidentally dropping them or putting them on the floor and kicking them around a few times.
Okay...maybe it was more on purpose than an actual accident.
Possibly her partner was right and she had some serious anger issues.
Once she had adverted her gaze away from the clock, Genevieve looked over at her cell phone; that sat on the sink's counter – the desire to call Jewel and Kyle was gnawing on her.
Yet, she didn't want her little sister to think that something was wrong – Jewel had enough to worry about. With classes wrapping up, and Jewel having to decide whether or not she should take summer courses or wait until August. And then, if that wasn't enough of a hassle, she had that pestering worry, over where she was going to store her belongings for the summer.
Jewel hadn't wanted to ask Amelia, because, last summer, Amelia's husband had given a few of Jewel's belongings to Goodwill. And then torn up some of Jewel's clothes. He had sworn up and down that it had been an accident, but Jewel and Genevieve had known better. The man just didn't like them. Nor did he want them around.
So, with all things considered, Genevieve found herself conflicted over whether or not she should call Jewel. Considering how stressed she was, with either being nagged by Amelia over finding a job, having to study for finals, having to pick her next semester's college courses, and then having to deal with being harassed by the register's office over money; it just didn't seem right to put more on her.
Yet, before Genevieve had even successfully talked herself out of calling either one – her partner or Jewel—she was subconsciously reaching for her cell phone and dialing her little sister's number.
The Alexandru Chronicles: The Beginning Page 19
