Damned and Cursed (Book 7): Four Centuries

by Glenn Bullion

  Victoria's phone rang. Jack took his empty plate to the sink as she checked the caller ID. She was surprised to see it was Tony. She hadn't spoken to him since she visited before her trip to India.

  "Tony?" she said. "How are—?"

  "Victoria. I need you to get to the club. Now."

  The call went dead.

  She stared at the phone in disbelief, and slowly began to worry. The urgency, the panic in Tony's voice was obvious.

  "What's up?" Jack asked.

  "I have to go."

  "Ah, and I was just getting comfortable."

  "Is everything okay?" Zoey asked.

  "I don't know. That was a friend of mine. He needs my help."

  "I'm almost done washing up," Jack said. "And I'll be on my way."

  "You should come with me. It's been a while since we've spent time together."

  "Can't. My plane's all ready to go, and my pilot's waiting."

  "Your pilot?" Zoey said. "You own a plane?"

  Jack ignored her.

  "I shouldn't have even stopped here, but couldn't pass through without visiting family."

  "I'm going to a strip club."

  "Hmmm. Maybe I can the delay the flight a little longer."

  Zoey rolled her eyes and scoffed. "Typical guy. Pig."

  "I can see female body parts whenever I want," Jack explained. "I just like to remind the dancers what shitty career paths they've chosen."

  "I'll bet you do."

  "Let's go," Victoria said. "Tony didn't sound right. Zoey—"

  "I'll pass," she said. "I don't want to go to a strip club."

  "You'd probably die from jealousy," Jack said. "You should make a stop soon, though, to see what your future holds. Maybe take some notes."

  "Screw you."

  Victoria wasn't going to invite her, so the result was the same regardless. She nodded while grabbing her phone and purse.

  "Okay. Ready, Jack?"

  "Yeah. Stray can tuck herself in without you, right?"

  "Goodbye, Jack," Zoey said. Her voice dripped with ice and sarcasm. "I just can't wait to meet you again. Next time, bring…what's her name? Tiffany? Bring her down. I could use a little snack."

  Victoria froze in place and clenched her eyes shut. She was already in the hallway, half way to the front door. Jack was behind her in the kitchen doorway. She turned and saw that look. She pleaded with her eyes for Jack to let it go.

  But Jack simply wasn't capable.

  He turned and leaned in the doorway. Crossing his arms, he did nothing but stare at Zoey. He didn't utter a word. Victoria was afraid to imagine the dark thoughts swimming through his mind.

  "Oh, you can dish it out, but not take it?" Zoey said.

  Jack said nothing. Thirty seconds passed before she began squirming in her chair.

  "What's your problem?" she asked. "You think I'm cute? Like what you see? I'm a little young for you."

  Still nothing. All it took was those dark eyes of his and another two minutes before Zoey's tone had changed.

  "Y-You know I'm not serious, right?" she said, her voice shaking. "I didn't mean anything by it. I was just trying to piss you off."

  Finally, he spoke.

  "What a strange goal. Well, congratulations. You've succeeded. Now, let's talk about your reward."

  Zoey flinched as Jack simply stepped back into the kitchen. He sat next to her and turned her chair toward him. Zoey couldn't look away, her face etched with fear.

  "I'm actually going to give you some advice," he said. "On how to stay alive. First thing, always listen to Victoria. She won't steer you wrong."

  "I…like Victoria," Zoey said.

  Jack's tone grew darker.

  "Now, here's another thing. Don't ever talk about my daughter. Ever. If you do—"

  "I swear—"

  "Don't. Interrupt me. You're going to meet her one day, I'm sure. If you even look at her like she's a lollipop, I'm going to mount your head on a pike, as a warning for any future strays Victoria takes in. You understand?"

  Zoey was afraid to speak. She'd brought her legs onto the chair and was hugging her knees without even realizing. All she could do was nod her head.

  Jack left without another word. He joined Victoria in the hallway, and the pair left the house together. She shook her head in frustration as she pressed the remote for the garage door.

  "Are you proud of yourself?"

  "Always," he said, without hesitation. "But which of my many accomplishments are you talking about?"

  "You scared the shit out of a teenage girl."

  "If being scared is her biggest problem, I'd say she's doing okay for herself."

  "Nice," she said. "Now I'm going to have to fix that."

  "Fix?" Jack slid into the passenger's seat of the Porsche and flashed Victoria a confused look. She left her property and pulled onto the freeway. "Did I break something? Is she that fragile?"

  "She's been through a lot, Jack. Give her a break."

  "Stray shouldn't go around threatening little girls. Especially my daughter."

  "Would it kill you to call her by her real name?"

  She immediately regretted the phrasing of the question. He arched an eyebrow at her.

  "Sorry," she said. "But no one was threatening Tiffany. Zoey was just running her mouth, like teens do."

  "Well, she won't do it again. Or I'll kill her."

  "You won't be killing anyone."

  Her intent was clear. Their eyes locked for a moment, and he simply nodded in understanding. Close friends or not. Family, or not. He would not harm someone under her care.

  "Besides, don't you think you're being overprotective?"

  "Tiffany's mother died, her father left her. She was only four years old," Jack said. "I think she can handle overprotection for a few more years."

  "How is she?"

  "She's good. She's getting mostly B's and A's. The teachers love her. She's the most incredible girl I've ever met. And, sorry to say, that includes your little stray back there. But, as you can guess, there are moments."

  Victoria smiled and waited for him to continue.

  "I've seen Frozen more times than any living creature should. She sings that ridiculous song, and runs and jumps all over the house. I've actually skipped a few nights' sleep, because I'm afraid I'm going to dream about that shit. And that's not the worst part."

  "There's more?"

  He nodded. "Glinda…encourages her. He likes that shit as much as she does. And they'll play games. I want to kill him, Victoria. So much. But I can't. Not if I want peace one day."

  "Yeah. That might not be a good idea, considering he saved her life and everything."

  Jack was quiet. Victoria had never pressed him about Tiffany, after India. But they were together now. There wasn't a better time.

  "Is Tiffany okay? With what happened?"

  "She knows something," he said. "She can't put it into words. But she draws pictures of the four of us. Glinda, Batboy, you and I, with capes and costumes on. She knows we're different."

  "So you never really talked about it?"

  "You mean did I tell her she walked through a witch's portal into another country, on the other side of the world? Nope. Didn't talk about it. It was easier to just put Frozen on."

  Victoria laughed.

  "Enough about me and my problems," he said. "Were you getting lonely in the big, empty mansion? Decided on adopting a stray?"

  "I'm just helping Zoey get on her feet. She was in rough shape for a while. All skin and bones. She's a good kid."

  "If you say so. You're sure she won't screw you over?"

  "What do you mean?"

  "Well, kids are stupid. It doesn't matter if they're mortal or not. What if she steals your car? Or your money? What if, right now, she's calling up one-hundred of her boyfriends, and they're having wild sex on your bed? Just kinky, sticky vampire jizz all over your sheets. And that's before she starts sucking blood."

  "My bedroom's locked, for one t
hing."

  "Eh, well, don't say I didn't warn you. Now hurry up and drive. I want to see this strip club."

  Victoria shook her head. Jack didn't ask about the reason for their trip, or who called. She'd known him ever since he was cursed by a full-blooded witch, nearly two-hundred years ago. There was a period of about ninety years when they gave each other the silent treatment. But families were allowed to fight. She knew him better than anyone. He didn't ask any questions about their destination for one simple reason.

  Jack didn't care.

  But Victoria did. Her mind went back to Tony on the phone, and she drove a little faster.

  CHAPTER 9

  Zoey would never admit it to Victoria, but there was something definitely freeing about lounging naked in a hot tub.

  She sat in the hot, vibrant water, as it bubbled and bounced all around her. The hour was late, at least according to mortal standards, at several minutes past midnight. Every light and electronic device was active in the basement. The TV was on, but either due to the late hour, or her own pickiness, nothing was worth watching. She'd browsed through Victoria's music collection, and while most of it Zoey had never heard of, there was the occasional good song. She even took a chance in listening to the obscure stuff, and was surprised that she liked it.

  Another thing she would never admit.

  She leaned back with her eyes closed, the remote to the entertainment system in one hand, a glass of blood in the other. The past few days were nothing but tears and guilt. She'd hurt a mortal, a good one, and that image haunted her every time she laid her head on the pillow. Her figure was back, and just when she started to develop a bit of confidence, she nearly threw everything away in some bloody sex craze. Her sleep schedule was all over the place because of the incident with Shawn, but the blood in the refrigerator helped. It seemed blood could make her forget everything, at least for a while.

  Several tear-filled conversations with her parents also eased her mind. Despite everything, becoming a vampire, her parents growing apart, the entire family dynamic changing, they would always be there for her.

  "I knew you'd leave someday," her father had joked. "I just thought it would be because you got tired of us."

  Her parents could always make her laugh.

  More than anything else, Victoria's kind words and friendship helped keep her sane.

  Zoey didn't want to disappoint her. She'd disappointed enough people in her life. The teachers in her school, her parents, Kylie. She never wanted to be in a situation where Victoria had to pry her away from a mortal again.

  It had been an eventful night, one she was still trying to understand. Werewolves were real. She laughed quietly to herself and dipped lower into the hot water. It had taken her weeks of moping in her basement to accept the fact that vampires were real, and she was one of them. But the thought of werewolves never crossed her mind. Did they change during a full moon? Did silver hurt them?

  What else was out there?

  Not only were werewolves real, but Victoria had a friend that liked to have sex with them.

  Zoey shook her head in disgust at the thought of Jack Kursed. Victoria and Jack seemed like complete opposites. They were so close that they claimed each other as brother and sister. She understood that could happen. She'd always thought of Kylie as a sister, even though they were very different.

  But Victoria and Jack, Zoey didn't see how it was possible.

  As infuriating as Jack was, she was intrigued. It had taken her a week of spending time with Victoria to realize that vampires had a different scent than humans. Jack smelled human, yet obviously wasn't. What was his story?

  She would ask Victoria. There was no way she would ask Jack.

  Another song from Victoria's collection played softly over the speakers. Zoey tossed the remote a short distance onto the carpet, so it wouldn't get wet. She took another moment to appreciate where she was. She felt like a celebrity. A relaxing hot tub, clothes optional. A drink in one hand, luxuries on all sides.

  "I guess it could definitely be worse," she said, to no one in particular.

  There was a noise on the floor above her. Zoey closed her eyes and sniffed the air, something she'd seen Victoria do many times. The basement was too isolated for her to pick up anything. Hopefully it was only Victoria arriving home, but she still didn't like the idea of the older vampire seeing her nude. Victoria didn't mind the entire world seeing her without clothes. Zoey wondered if she'd be like that in a few more decades.

  The thought of Jack seeing her nude was out of the question.

  She turned the hot tub off and stood up in the water. Reaching over the edge, she grabbed a white towel from the floor and quickly dried off. She stepped on the mat near the stairs and worked on her legs and feet.

  Another thud upstairs made her jump. They weren't footsteps, more like someone bumping into something.

  Zoey stared at the ceiling with curiosity. Something didn't feel right. Victoria simply didn't make much noise. It was one of her creepier traits. Maybe it was Jack, fumbling around in the dark. Zoey turned the lights out when she came to the basement.

  But Victoria would just turn them back on when she walked in the door.

  Zoey wrapped the towel around herself and knotted it on the side. She approached the computer on the desk across the basement. During her self-imposed exile she learned how to browse through the security system for the mansion.

  Her breath caught in her chest as she browsed through the cameras.

  Victoria's Porsche wasn't in the garage, nor was it in front of the mansion. Only what looked like a relic from a junkyard, presumably Jack's truck, was parked in front.

  Victoria and Jack weren't home, yet there was someone above her.

  Zoey fought panic. There were no cameras inside the mansion, only outside. She was blind. The worst thoughts rolled through her mind. Victoria was wealthy, with a large house. Of course there would be attempts to rob it. Thieves probably stayed just beyond the gates, out of camera range, waiting for Victoria to leave.

  She jogged quickly across the basement. Peering over the back of the couch, she cursed when her smartphone wasn't on the cushion. She'd left it up in the kitchen, along with her sketchpad.

  The computer. She could use it to call for help.

  Her fingers were over the keyboard when she paused. Who would she call for help? The police were out of the question. Victoria wouldn't want human police investigating her home. What would they even be investigating? She didn't have any idea of what was going on.

  It dawned on her how silly she was acting. She heard two noises. She also happened to be a vampire. She was a creature of myth, capable of instilling fear into mortal hearts, and she was shaking at the thought of an intruder.

  Gathering her courage, and laughing at her own stupidity, she walked up the basement stairs. She swung open the basement door, expecting to see nothing but darkness. It was dark, but some light did spill out into the hallway, coming from the kitchen.

  The fear returned in a hurry, and sharpened her senses to a level she rarely experienced. She could hear a steady thumping, the heartbeat of a single person. A curious scent touched her nose, one she'd never smelled before.

  She walked on the tips of her toes in the dark. The light wavered and moved in the kitchen. Was it a candle? A flashlight?

  She didn't make a sound as she made her way down the hall. Were vampires naturally quiet? She'd nearly made it to the kitchen doorway when she realized she was barely breathing.

  She heard and smelled the uninvited guest, but still let out a quiet gasp when she leaned one eye into the kitchen and saw him. It was a him. He stood with his back to the doorway, rummaging through the kitchen drawers. The refrigerator was wide open. She couldn't make out many features in the dark, and didn't want to cast light over the kitchen with a pair of glowing eyes.

  Zoey took one step forward, then another. She half-expected the thief to turn around at any moment. He didn't. He had no idea she
was even behind him, which gave her a feeling of power she never felt before. He was only a mortal. There was nothing he could do to stop her.

  He was going to regret trying to rob Victoria's house.

  She was three steps behind him. Still, she didn't make a sound. She was holding her breath completely now. The intruder side-stepped to the next kitchen drawer, rummaging through its contents. He hummed a tune to himself.

  She cocked her arm next to her head. It was only at that moment she realized she was still wearing only a towel. Her other hand was entwined in its folds, making sure it didn't drop to the floor. It was too late to turn back to get dressed now.

  The intruder either finally heard something, or just sensed a pair of eyes on him. He let out a startled huh as he turned around.

  Zoey swung her fist as wildly as she could.

  The intruder managed to get his arm up, but it did very little to soften the blow. There was a loud cracking sound as she connected, and he sailed across the kitchen. He completely left his feet and crashed into the wall, buckling the drywall. Zoey ran to the lights, her movements a blur, and flipped all of them on. She knew she could move fast, had done it before, but it was still a sensation that nearly made her sick.

  She turned to see the intruder on the floor on his side, cradling his arm. He winced and writhed back and forth in pain. Zoey marched across the kitchen with purpose, still holding up her towel. She grabbed a chair and gripped it like a bat.

  "Whoa!" he shouted, through gritted teeth. "What the hell? Hold on! Who are you?"

  "Who am I?" Zoey said, amazed. She held the chair over her head without effort. Sometimes it was easy to forget how strong she was. "You break into a house and ask who am I?"

  "Shit, would you stop? Would you please put down the chair!"

  She cocked it back, threatening him with it.

  "Not until you tell me your name."

  "Okay, just relax. I'm Kevin."

  Zoey didn't back down.

  "And that's supposed to mean something to me? I don't know you."

  "Well, I don't know you, and I'm not beating you up and poking a chair at you."

  "This isn't your house!"

  "I know! It's Victoria's! I'm a friend of hers."