A Vampire's Thirst_Grey

by Bella Roccaforte

One brave man approaches Mila cautiously eyeing Grey. “Child you aren’t supposed to be here.” He says in a kind voice.

  “Who are you to say where I can and can’t be?” Mila demands.

  “We are those who decide who goes to the underworld and who stays.” He says looking into Grey’s eyes then turns to Mila. “You aren’t supposed to be here.”

  “It’s not yours to decide who moves on and who stays.” Mila pushes past him brushing the pebbles off.

  “But you think it’s yours?” The Shomer says in a menacing tone.

  “It’s the natural order.” She says. “When they die, they come to us and…” Mila stops at the realization that the Shomers don’t know what’s next.

  “Mila?” Grey says staying close by her side.

  “You aren’t able to see the men standing right here?” Confusion reigns in Mila’s mind.

  Grey gazes into her eyes seeing her pain, “I’m so sorry, but I can’t.”

  “It’s okay, just keep removing the pebbles.” She turns back to the Shomer and tries to explain it to him. “If the dead don’t belong with us, we send them where they are meant to go, but no one is meant for this agony, being left in the grave...” Mila waves her hands, trying to staunch her tears for fear of appearing weak.

  The Shomer doesn’t back down, “Did you ever stop to think some of them chose this?”

  Mila looks around at all the graves, many of them still have pebbles on them. “All of them choose this over the afterlife?”

  “Maybe they would choose this over purgatory.” The shomer says raising his brow. “You don’t know.”

  “And you do?” Mila shakes her head, “No one, not you, not me get to decide who avoids judgement.”

  “In the Jewish tradition, they get to decide.” He says.

  “Mila, you’re really worrying me.” Grey puts his hands on her shoulders.

  “Don’t be worried, we’re getting the pebbles of the graves.” Mila phases in and out until all the pebbles are strewn on the ground. She walks past the Shomer. “It’s not your place, or theirs.”

  The Shomer takes a step back from Grey when he passes by, “But you’ll allow him to decide?”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” Mila stops in her tracks.

  “He’s not living, yet he’s here.” The Shomer says.

  “He is living.” She pins him with a look. “Haven’t you seen a vampire before?”

  “Mila.” Grey says.

  “Many, and they don’t belong here either.” The Shomer’s voice sounds like gravel as he grows larger.

  Mila doesn’t react, she feels a brief sense of panic but knows that Grey will keep her safe. “You don’t frighten me. I will do what’s right.”

  “You should be afraid, you have no power here.” Another Shomer comes up behind her.

  Mila ticks her brow, “You are mistaken.” She looks around at the souls leaving the grave heading for the Underworld. “Now they can go home.”

  Grey is watching on in awe and confusion. He’s not able to see anything other than Mila standing up for herself against an invisible force.

  Mila nuzzles into Grey, “Okay, we can go now.”

  He holds her, “I still don’t know what happened.”

  “I’ve set free the souls of those trapped here. They can move on now.” A breath of relief brushes across Grey’s chest.

  “What in the hell is going on out here?” The voice of an older woman with a thick Cajun accent streaks across the graveyard.

  Grey turns around keeping Mila behind him protectively. She remains still behind him, unsure of what threat she’s facing now. “Vivienne! Just who I came to see.”

  Vivienne looks around the cemetery, “Grey?” She doesn’t sound happy to see him. “What have you done?

  Mila feels Grey’s absence as he steps closer to the woman and embraces her. “I’ve done nothing. You know me better than that.”

  “Is that so? The Directive has sent out a notice that you are to be detained on sight, then you show up at my door causing a ruckus in the cemetery?”

  Grey turns and looks around, he sees nothing but the gravestones and Mila. “I’m not sure what you mean about a ruckus.”

  Vivienne brushes past him waving her arms, “Look at them!”

  “I don’t know what you two are talking about, I don’t see anything.” Grey squints his eyes trying to see what they see.

  Vivienne catches sight of Mila and freezes in place with her mouth hanging open. She goes to her taking her face in her hands gasping, “Genevieve?”

  “No, this is Mila.” Grey comes to where the women are standing.

  Mila fills with hope and dread all at the same time taking a step away from Vivienne, “You know my mother?”

  “Your mother?” Vivienne says confused.

  “Yes, my mother is Genevieve.” Mila says, “Do you know where she is? I have to find her.”

  Vivienne’s expression changes from shock to fear, “You’re her daughter...from the Underworld.”

  Mila nods, “Yes. I am.”

  Vivienne shakes her head and speers Grey with an angry look. “That explains all of this and shame on you for bringing this to my doorstep.” She swats Grey’s shoulder as she passes him stomping back to her house. “Come on, let’s get inside before you burst into flames or someone sees you.” She motions to Mila.

  Grey follows behind. “When have you ever cared about The Directive?”

  They walk through the red door into Vivienne’s shop. The smell of herbs is overpowering to Mila. The lighting is dim and the air filled with the smoke of sage and some other incense. “I don’t go out of my way to piss Magno off. I like being on his friendly side.”

  “Yes, but this is a misunderstanding.” Grey tries to explain.

  “You have a blood fairy here, what’s not to understand?” Vivienne leans down behind the counter. The sound of glass rattling fills the smoky air.

  “That’s why I’m here, I need you to explain it to me.” Grey pleads with her. “And help us stay off the radar until this blows over.”

  “Way ahead of you.” Vivienne puts two small glasses on the counter and fills them with a red liquid, “Drink. Both of you.”

  “What is it?” Mila hesitates.

  “Something to keep you from being tracked, the last thing I need is The Directive in my shop.” Vivienne’s tone fills with more irritation every moment they’re there.

  She wraps her arm around Grey’s, “We should go.”

  “No, we’re not going.” Grey says turning to Vivienne, “I need your help.”

  “I don’t cover up murders.” She says with conviction.

  “I would never ask you to,” Grey says as though she should know him better.

  “You still haven’t drank, if you don’t, I’ll banish you both from my shop.” She walks away from them toward a door with a curtain, “Drink.”

  They both pick up the glasses. Mila watches Grey, she will drink if he wants her to, she trusts him. Grey nods and drinks the potion.

  “Okay, I will listen to what you have to say, then you will go?” Vivienne spits out and sits in a brocade chair in the corner of the room. She picks up a deck of tarot cards and starts shuffling them nervously.

  “We haven’t killed anyone.” Grey starts.

  “Then who did?” Vivienne gets to the point, “Because…” She motions to Mila and slides one card out of the deck and flips it over revealing the Death card, “It’s what they do.”

  “No, I didn’t kill anyone.” Mila steps forward, “I came here to find my mother. Some of my father’s men came for me.”

  Vivienne’s stare soaks in all of Mila’s secrets, “But there’s more to it.”

  “Yes, one of the men is my betrothed.” Mila hangs her head. “I think he’s responsible for the killing.”

  Vivienne begins to soften with remorse. “You can’t run away from the bonding. If that’s what’s been laid out for you.”

  “But I want to de
cide. I don’t want to be with him as his primary. It’s why I have to find my mother.” Mila stomps across the shop.

  “Your mother was a special case, and she’s not…” Vivienne trails off as though haunted by the memory of Mila’s mother. She shakes herself back to the present. “It’s your people’s way,” Vivienne says as though she’s trying to convince Mila that it’s the only way. “And it’s our people’s way to not have your kind here in the human world. You can’t control yourselves. Destruction follows you everywhere.” Vivienne turns to Grey, “That’s why you have to take her back.”

  “I can’t,” Grey says pinching the bridge of his nose.

  “You can and you will.” Vivienne becomes more stern.

  Mila watches Grey trying to regulate his breathing, his fists ball at his sides and through gritted teeth, “No one will touch her, and no one can make her go back.”

  “Magno Zara can.” Vivienne states it as fact.

  “Not even Magno can make me give her up,” Grey says with confidence that swells in Mila.

  “Oh really?”

  “Yes,” Grey’s fangs are protruding from his gums, he’s trying to hide them but can’t with the threat to his woman, “Mila’s my Bloodmate.”

  Vivienne stills and gasps, “No.”

  Grey nods, “So she’ll be allowed to stay.”

  “Are you certain?” Vivienne leaves her chair swatting away the herbs hanging from the rafters and goes back to her counter.

  “I have never been so certain of anything in my life.” Grey wraps his arms around Mila protectively, “I will not allow them to send her back.”

  Vivienne scrutinizes them through squinted eyes, “Well there’s only one way to be sure.” She leans down making a terrible racket fumbling through something behind the counter. She places a white bowl on the surface and holds an egg in the air. “Come closer.”

  Mila and Grey move toward her cautiously, Grey squeezes Mila’s hand to reassure her. Vivienne touches the egg to each of their hearts and then cracks it on the counter, emptying the contents into the bowl. Her eyes widen as she sucks in a sharp breath, “I’ll be damned.”

  “Probably.” A voice comes from the doorway.

  They all spin around to see a very tall, but well-built vampire.

  Vivienne smiles knowingly, “Clarence. How are you?”

  “I’m quite well now that I’ve caught up with them.” He says taking two more steps into the room.

  “Clarence,” Grey stands protectively in front of Mila.

  “I’m rather disappointed that I’ve had to trek across the country to speak to you.” He steps closer to them and stops when Grey’s fangs glisten in the light.

  “I’m sorry you had to come all this way for nothing.” Grey keeps Mila behind him. “You should have called.”

  “We surpassed a simple phone call in this matter quite some time ago. This escalated far too quickly for that.” Clarence pulls his lips to the side, “I’m sorry Grey, she’s forbidden. She can’t control herself, she’s breaking so many laws just by being here.” Clarence swats away the hanging herbs as he walks toward them. “This isn’t a law cooked up by The Directive, this is part of a treaty among the realms. Those from the Underworld don’t belong anywhere but...the Underworld.” Clarence is the first one that seems to be trying to rationalize any real reason Mila can’t stay. “Her killing spree is a prime example. They’re too dangerous.”

  “I haven’t killed anyone.” Mila steps out from behind Grey to speak for herself.

  “Clarence, it doesn’t matter, you can’t send her back.” Vivienne says coming from behind the counter.

  Everyone turns to Vivienne, Mila wonders what’s caused her change of heart. “They are Bloodmates.”

  Clarence wrinkles his brow with concern, “That’s not possible.”

  “It is.” Grey smiles wrapping his arms around Mila’s shoulders.

  “Look.” Vivienne comes across the room carrying the bowl and presenting it to Clarence. He looks down at the two blood-red yolks that have merged into one another completely, but still remain two.“It doesn’t matter, I have to take her to Magno.” Clarence says as though he’s not convinced.

  “No, I won’t go.” Mila backs away from all of them.

  “Clarence, surely Magno will have an interest in a blood fairy from the Underworld that is Bloodmate to a vampire. The fact that anyone finds their Bloodmate is nearly unheard of as it is.” Vivienne argues.

  “I’ve seen a few cases in my time,” Clarence says looking down at the eggs. “I would need to see more proof than the ramblings of a crazy old witch.”

  “Who are you calling old?” Vivienne flashes Mila a secret look to the large bottle of potion on the counter.

  Mila understands in that moment that Vivienne wants her to run. Terror and pain run through her at the thought of being separate from Grey. She gazes upon him longingly, but she doesn’t want him to be in danger.

  Mila doesn’t know where to go or even how to hide, nor does she know who to trust aside from Grey.

  “Vivienne, Magno will need more proof than this. We also can’t break the law, just because she has a Bloodmate. The other factions would nail us to the cross.” Clarence huffs a laugh.

  “Interesting choice of words, but I think any faction would understand the purest of bonds.” Vivienne says pacing, then coming to a stop between Clarence and Mila. With her hands behind her back she waves for Mila to go.

  Mila wrestles with the thought of leaving Grey, her insides crumble.

  “After all Grey has done, he’ll be able to be with her,” Clarence says with an edge to his voice. “Providing dead vampires go to the underworld.”

  When Mila hears Clarence threaten Grey’s life, she knows she has no choice but to go. She glances apologetically into Grey’s eyes and phases out.

  Once outside the shop she phases into the cemetery to the Shomer, “Take me under.” She says for lack of a portal.

  “I can’t, I can only keep you here my dear.” The kind older gentleman says.

  “I have to find a portal.” Mila looks back at the shop and phases away several times. She’s drawn to a cemetery on the Mississippi River. She huddles in the corner of a crypt and drinks down the contents of the bottle she took to mask her presence. Tears spill over her lids from the emptiness of being away from Grey. The thought of him being killed because of her is unbearable, she understands that the only way she can save him is to go home.

  She considers dying herself and crossing over as the only alternative to being here and so far away from him. But blood fairies are nearly indestructible, closer to immortal than vampires.

  Chapter Twenty

  “Mila!” Grey calls out as she disappears from the room. He rushes for the door, but Clarence stands in his way.

  “I have people outside, she will not get far,” Clarence says giving Vivienne the evil eye.

  “Don’t give me that look, I had no idea what she was going to do. But if you hadn’t been acting a damn fool we could’ve convinced her to go and see Magno. If Magno meets them, I’m sure he will make an exception for her to stay.” Vivienne says going back around her counter. “Now, we’ve got a frightened blood fairy loose in New Orleans and in a matter of mere moments a crazed vampire.” She motions to Grey.

  Grey rushes to Clarence grabbing him by the lapels, “Clarence, you’d better pray she’s safe and I find her or I won’t be the vampire crossing over into the underworld.”

  Clarence maintains his cool momentarily, “Grey, your friendship with Jana will only take you so far and you’ve about exhausted your latitude by accosting me.”

  Grey releases him and drags his fingers through his spiky hair. He knows it’s no use to go outside, she’s long gone. He also doesn’t want to lead The Directive operatives straight to her. He has to be smart about this, he has to mislead them, to save her.

  Clarence adjusts his shirt, “You will have to answer for what you’ve done.”

  “Wh
at’s that?” Grey says flippantly.

  “Aiding and abetting an illegal supernatural.” Clarence doesn’t wait for Grey’s rebuttal, he stalks out the door.

  Grey turns to Vivienne in a near crazed state, “I have to find her.”

  “I know sweetheart. You will.” She reaches for another bottle of potion. You have to take this, four ounces every hour and they won’t be able to track you. So don’t be stupid and leave any other kind of trail.” She warns.

  Grey nods, positive that he’ll be able to find her, but concerned about The Directive finding her first. If Magno gets hold of her, it’s over. “Her mother,” Grey says as a revelation. “You know her mother.”

  “I knew her mother.” Vivienne corrects him.

  Grey hesitates before asking, “Is she dead?”

  “I don’t know, but if she’s alive, there’s hope.” She comes to a stop in front of him.

  “How?” Grey asks desperately.

  “Her mother is not a blood fairy. If you can prove her lineage, she may be able to stay.” Vivienne says.

  “If she’s not allowed to stay, then I will go with her. I have to be with her.” Grey is determined to figure out a way to be together.

  “That’s also a problem.” Vivienne’s voice hitches with warning.

  “How?”

  “She’s betrothed, without the blessing from one of her parents you will not be allowed to be with her.” Vivienne tips her chin downward, “So if you do find Genevieve, I suggest you be nice.”

  “Of course I would be cordial to her mother, but no matter, I’ll be able to be with her if her betrothed is dead,” Grey says in a low tone.

  “It’s not that simple. We can get into it more later, but you need to find her. I’ll see what I can do about finding out if Genevieve is still alive.” She raises the bowl with the eggs to Grey.

  “What do you want me to do with that?” Grey asks with concern.

  “You already have the bond of the Bloodmates, but if you drink these you will be led right to her.” Vivienne’s eyes twinkle.

  “You are amazing.” Grey kisses the top of her forehead and drinks down the eggs. He feels queasy and unsteady for a moment.

  “You’ll be fine, give it a moment and go find her.” Vivienne urges him. “And be careful, they’ll be watching you.”