Damned and Cursed (Book 7): Four Centuries

by Glenn Bullion

  "Sure thing."

  He turned and eyed the two young ladies. Tiffany was lost in her own world, but he had Zoey's attention. He gave her a curt nod.

  "A word," he said.

  "Dad," Tiffany said. "Can Zoey spend the night at our house when we get home?"

  "Nope. Not tonight. Not ever."

  Tiffany wasn't deterred. She leaned close to Zoey to whisper, and sadly, thought she was being discrete.

  "Don't worry. I'll talk him into it."

  The one mortal who made him laugh consistently did so once again. He kissed his daughter on the forehead before leading Zoey to the back of the plane, near his office. They sat in one of the remaining rows of seats. Zoey had changed clothes and cleaned up before leaving Illinois, looking very pretty and much more her age, and not the assassin she was trying to emulate earlier.

  "Tiffany is amazing."

  Jack knew Zoey was trying to appeal to him, get on his good side. That didn't mean she was wrong. He'd take any chance to dote on his daughter.

  "She is. I've been alive two centuries. There's never been another like her."

  "You said you had an airplane," she said, admiring her surroundings. "Not a flying house."

  "It has wings. It flies. It's an airplane. How much did you hear?"

  "Hear?"

  "Of my conversation with Victoria."

  Zoey glanced at her legs, refusing to make eye contact.

  "Nothing. I was talking with Tiffany. And the noise on the plane—"

  "Stop lying. How much?"

  She looked up, meeting his gaze as she fidgeted in her seat.

  "I couldn't hear her, but I heard you. You don't think much of me, do you?"

  "No. But don't take offense. I don't think much of anyone."

  "Well, I think you're an asshole."

  He almost let out a smile. "But I do love honesty."

  "Victoria isn't going to kill me, is she?"

  "No. Victoria is a very special woman. And she thinks you're special. But she has been wrong before. After all, I'm the closest person to her."

  Zoey smiled playfully. "Yeah, I see what you mean."

  "So, I'll be keeping an eye on you. Don't disappoint her."

  She nodded. "I'll try my best not to."

  He liked that answer. No grand, sweeping promises.

  "Listen," she said. "I know you did it for Victoria. But if you didn't show up when you did, I'm pretty sure Steven would have killed me. I don't like what you did, but you saved my life. So, thank you."

  He nearly responded with indifference, but noticed Tiffany watching the pair over the back of the couch. The young girl hung on every word Jack said, his every action. She was the reason, the only reason, he tried to be a better person in his life, even if he didn't always succeed. Tiffany would not respond to gratitude with indifference.

  What would Tiffany do?

  "You're welcome."

  Zoey smiled, and for a brief moment, Jack almost liked the young woman. At the very least, he sympathized. Being a young person could be tough. Not only did Zoey have to find herself and direction in her life, but she had to do it with the rules of being a vampire hanging over her head. He decided to pass along some wisdom.

  It would be nothing like the wisdom he shared with Tiffany.

  "One day, Stray, you will have to kill someone."

  "Uh, no. I won't."

  "Yes, you will. And it won't mean you're a bad person. You're going to be alive a long time, and during that time, some vampire hunter will trap you in a corner. You're going to have to make a choice. Them or you. You might have to kill sooner than you think."

  "What do you mean?"

  "Glinda's in trouble."

  "Who?"

  "Kevin. The witch. Shit, doesn't anyone watch The Wizard of Oz anymore?"

  "What's wrong with Kevin?"

  "I'll be honest, I don't know all the details myself. Victoria's behind the wheel on this one. But she thinks people are out to kill him."

  Zoey's face wrinkled with confusion at the thought of someone wanting to kill the friendly witch.

  "Why?"

  "For the same reason people hunt vampires and werewolves. Because they exist. Would you help? Victoria wouldn't let you, if she knew I was asking. But if you want to eat at the big table, you have to grow up. I won't lie, it might be dangerous."

  She hesitated and took a deep breath.

  "Are you serious? This isn't just you being fucking weird?"

  "Very serious."

  He watched her think it over, reading the emotions. Fear, uncertainty, doubt. But at the tail end, strength. He would never tell her, but he was impressed. Zoey was only hours removed from confronting the vampire who'd changed her and killed her friend. Now she was ready for her next challenge. Jack already knew her answer.

  "Okay. I'll help."

  Jack smiled.

  "Welcome to our club," he said. "Here's what you need to do."

  CHAPTER 19

  Kevin cast another glance to Leese as he stepped into his jeans. His beautiful girlfriend slept soundly, a small smile still on her face. He was as quiet as possible as he finished dressing, slipping a shirt over his head, tying his shoes. Stumbling once in the dark, he stared at Leese, but she only responded by turning on her side and letting out a snore. Tracy, her roommate, was moving about in the hallway, using the bathroom. He waited until the hall light went out before reaching for his coat on the back of the chair.

  He already had his night of work planned out. The picture of the warehouse server room and a glass vial sat on the desk. He grabbed both and nearly approached the wall, but admired Leese one more time. If he didn't say goodbye she would not be happy the next time they were together.

  "Leese," he said, leaning over the bed. "I'm heading out."

  She was barely conscious as she reached out for a hug. They embraced, and she kissed his neck. He laughed quietly, and then she found his mouth. Leese turned their goodbye into a brief make-out session. He responded in kind, smiling at her as he pulled away. She stared back with sleepy eyes.

  "I'll see you after work," she said.

  Another kiss. He approached the bedroom wall and went through the motions. To him, the procedure was routine, but Leese still watched with fascination behind him. A drop of the potion on his finger. A trace of a portal on the picture. A trace of a portal on the bedroom wall. Place the picture on the wall. A portal appears, the picture vanishes. The server room of one of the companies he worked for lay before him, a state away. Only red and green LEDs cut through the darkness. He slipped on a pair of five-dollar reading glasses. With his touch, they let him see in the dark, as well as through walls. He leaned through the portal.

  "Is anyone here?"

  Silence. He didn't like working at such a late hour, but it would guarantee solitude. No night shift, no supervisors working late. Stepping through the portal, he turned and gave Leese another wave. She waved in return, then pulled the blankets down to flash him as he closed the portal.

  "Oooh," he said, shaking his head. "I'll get you for that."

  Kevin turned on the office lights as he headed for the alarm panel. He punched in his code and called the alarm company to let them know he was working. Returning to the server room, he sighed as he took in the work ahead of him. Six lines needed to be pulled through the open ceiling in the warehouse. The dirty, dusty, nasty ceiling. He could set up the computers and printers during the day, but running cable always went better at night.

  He laid his coat along the workbench and removed the necklace from around his neck. He took his magic with him, wherever he went. But he only needed one trinket for the task at hand.

  He plucked the magic feather from his coat, and grabbed two boxes of cable. He passed through the offices and cubicles to the warehouse. The warehouse was huge, full of life and light during the day, but eerily quiet at night. He flipped the switches on the wall, waiting for the lights to turn on. Machinery that he would never fully understand star
ed back at him. There were only a few computers spread about the large space, a task he was assigned to correct. A sense of loneliness hit him as he carried the boxes of cable to the wiring panel in the center of the warehouse. He should have brought Oscar, his cat. It would have been fun to watch him run about.

  Kevin let out a quiet laugh as he noticed the scissor-lift against the wall, the proper tool to use when running cable through a high space. Witches didn't care much about the proper use for anything.

  He clutched his feather with two fingers. Any more than that would have sent him crashing into the ceiling. Grabbing the cable from both boxes, he leapt upward. The feather propelled him forward, defying gravity. He held one hand out to stop his ascent, hovering two feet below the ductwork and hanging lights.

  He smiled at the absurdity. A being that could control magic, using that power to ease the burden of pulling cable through a warehouse ceiling. Jack had told him once that witches were all about shortcuts. He couldn't agree more.

  It took nearly forty minutes to run the cable. He bounced along the ceiling, the feather never leaving his fingers. Even with gravity leaving him alone, the task wasn't easy. He fished cable under ducts and over beams, trying to stay as far away from the lights as possible. The ceiling was not a clean place. By the time he was done he was covered in dirt. Still, it was much faster, and more fun, than using the scissor-lift.

  He dropped the lines along the wall where two new employees would be sitting. Taking a breath, he admired his work while enjoying a short break. Already he couldn't wait to take a shower.

  "Okay," he said. "Two down. Four more to go."

  He'd only taken a single step back to the main aisle when the lights went out.

  "Shit. Are you kidding me?"

  Putting his hands on his hips, he stood in the darkness, waiting to see if they'd come back on. Did the power go out? The weather was fine outside. The wiring panel was ahead down the aisle, and the network switches were dark there as well.

  His glasses, along with the rest of his magic, were back in the office. If only he had a simple mothball he could create his own light. He felt his way in the dark, trying to find the center of the aisle. Taking slow, careful steps, he'd passed the wiring panel when his shin smacked into something. A ladder, hand-truck, shelf, he had no idea. He winced in pain and bent over to rub his leg.

  A noise caught his attention. Even in the dark, he could see movement coming from the office. The glass door reflected the bit of light, and he could tell the door was open. He was told he'd be alone, but occasionally an engineer or someone from marketing would come in during the early morning hours. They would always claim it was due to work load, but he suspected it was to get away from family.

  Kevin nearly called out, until he realized they were not engineers.

  He watched as the door moved multiple times. It looked like a line of people were making their way into the warehouse. They tried to be silent, but their footsteps echoed in the quiet dark.

  Something wasn't right.

  A hand clamped down on his mouth as an arm snaked around his waist. His eyes shot open. Someone dragged him away from the aisle, deeper into the darkness. He resisted, tried to pull the hand away, but the person's strength was incredible.

  "Shhh!" a familiar voice hissed. "It's me. Zoey."

  *****

  Zoey waited until Kevin stopped resisting before removing her hand. She wasn't sure what he'd gotten into, but he smelled terrible, covered in dirt and grime. Her clothes and arms were now covered with filth. Even her cheek had a smudge. She tried to push all that aside. There were much more important things happening.

  They were safe for the moment, tucked away behind two large crates. She kept her voice low as she whispered in his ear.

  "I slipped in through a window," she said. "There's like ten guys here. Jack said they're here to kill you. He sent me to help."

  "Kill me? Why?"

  "I don't know. He just said that's what they do."

  "Shit. What has he gotten me into now?"

  They were quiet for a moment. Zoey slid on her stomach, poking her head out from behind the crate. The men searched, in constant communication. They wore goggles, so she assumed they could see in the dark. Every single one carried a gun, with another strapped to their backs.

  She pulled back behind the crate, leaning against Kevin.

  "Okay, so, what do we do now?"

  He looked in her direction with confusion.

  "You're asking me?"

  "Jack said you'd know what to do. He said you could handle all of this."

  "He really said that?"

  "Yes! Now, what do we do?"

  "I can't do a thing. I left my coat in the office."

  "Your coat?"

  "It has all my potions in it. And I don't even know where the office is. I can't see."

  "Don't worry. I can."

  She gripped Kevin's hand and peered around the corner. Two of the men were approaching slowly. In another moment, they would be on top of them. Zoey pulled her head back quickly, squeezing his hand. Kevin understood the message. He didn't make a sound.

  "Ramses says he saw a girl outside, watching us."

  "You think there's two of them?"

  "I hope not."

  "Actually, we'd get paid twice."

  "But that guy in Baltimore didn't say anything about two. Killing one is hard enough."

  Their voices were close. Another step, and they'd be right next to them. Zoey couldn't let that happen.

  She stood and ran, dragging Kevin behind her. He let out a surprised gasp as he stumbled behind her. A shot rang out, cutting through the darkness, sending sparks flying from a metal cabinet next to Zoey's head. She didn't know where she was running, had no sense of the layout of the warehouse. For now, the direction of away would have to do.

  "We've got them," the voice said calmly behind them. "All to me. Two targets."

  Zoey could sense them closing in. She pulled Kevin down a narrow aisle, with workbenches on one side and shelves on another. The heartbeats, the scents, the excited chatter, all rang through her senses. It wouldn't be long before they were surrounded.

  She stopped halfway down the aisle. Someone ahead of them bumped into a toolbox as he made his approach around the corner. He was seconds away from turning and seeing them.

  "We're trapped," she whispered.

  Kevin's response was one she didn't expect. He grabbed her shoulders, turning her toward him, and started feeling her. His hands ran down her cheeks, her arms, and finally to her hips. He left trails of dirt behind. She gasped and put her hands on his shoulders as he pulled her close, invading her personal space.

  "This isn't what it looks like," he said. "Hold on."

  He scooped her up, forcing her legs around him, and jumped. Zoey's body went rigid when the jump didn't end. She wrapped her arms around Kevin's head and pulled him into her neck, holding on for all she was worth. He struggled for a moment, and she realized he couldn't breathe. She pulled away, allowing him to take deep breaths.

  "Sorry," she whispered.

  "Shhh." They continued to float upward. "Watch the ceiling."

  Zoey stuck her hand out and stopped their trajectory. The men below converged where Zoey and Kevin were, only four seconds ago. They argued for a moment on who lost sight of them. They kicked nearby desks and benches. The one thing they didn't do was look above them.

  "Am I heavy?" she asked quietly. "Are you okay?"

  The question seemed ridiculous. They were being pursued by men with guns, and floating in the air. Things were far from okay.

  "Yeah, I'm fine. My magic feather cancels your weight. But…it is a little weird holding you like this."

  She smiled, if only to not think about the men below. "I won't tell if you won't."

  "Grab the ceiling and turn us flat. You can lay on me and look around."

  Zoey did as he said. It wasn't easy, but his grip was strong. They faced each other, as if lying in
bed. Her back bounced against a beam in the ceiling. He kept his arms locked around her while she peered over his shoulder to the floor below.

  The men were scattered all over the warehouse, their search turning violent and frustrated. One man thought he saw the pair and fired his weapon. It turned out to only be a chair with a jacket draped over the back. Still, Zoey was frightened. One errant shot could easily find them. Victoria said only fire and sunlight could kill a vampire, but she knew she wasn't bulletproof, and didn't think Kevin was either.

  "They're everywhere," she said. "What do we do?"

  A voice called out below.

  "Hello! My name is Eugene Ramses. I'm speaking to the young woman that was outside watching us. One of my men saw you inside with us now. I don't think you know what you've gotten yourself into."

  With that, Zoey had to agree.

  "The creature you're trying to help right now is a witch. And that's all we want. We're here for him. I promise, come out now, and we'll let you walk right out of here. We have absolutely no reason to harm you. We're not being paid to."

  She looked into Kevin's eyes to see concern, fear. Hugging him in return, she pressed her head against his chest to keep them from swaying back and forth.

  "Maybe he's right," Kevin whispered. "This is my fight. Maybe you should leave."

  "No. I'm not leaving you. And they wouldn't let me just walk away to get help."

  "I have no idea of the relationship between you two," Ramses continued. "I'm not sure if you know about witches. They're the ones behind the Black Death in the fourteenth century. Nearly the entire Dark Ages was plagued with witches doing bad things. Let's not forget Salem. Hitler nearly conquered Europe with the aid of a witch. Do you really think that was a terrorist attack in Baltimore, a few years back? More witch magic, gotten out of control and covered up."

  "Bullshit," Kevin hissed. "We had nothing to do with Baltimore."

  Zoey's eyes went wide. "But the others?"

  He said nothing.

  "So, you're not coming out?" Ramses called. "I can only imagine how this looks, but we're not heartless killers. I wanted to at least give you the chance."

  The search continued. Zoey watched them, moving about like ants below. They wouldn't be able to stay above them forever.