“Come on, Rainey, answer the damn phone.”
A voice came on the line. “This is Rainey, you know what to do… beep.”
“Rainey, you know how I hate talking to these damn things. Call me back. And if Julia calls you, do not tell her that you were in your lair today. Make up something. I tried to keep her away, so I told her you weren’t in. I said you might be in town, somewhere.”
Abe debated whether to go busting into Rainey’s lair to tell her about Julia and risk Ariana finding out too much, too soon, or just wait for Rainey to call back. Damn, he hated waiting. He got in the elevator and hit the button for the fourth floor. He was in bad need of a meeker. He needed blood, and quick. He noticed he’d had to use meekers more often lately and wondered if it was because of his newly found emotions. After the blood, he was going to have another drink, a strong one. And Code Red was just the place to get it. The sun had set and he still had several hours before dawn.
§ § §
“What are you doing, Julia? Don’t you know he could crush you where you stand? Vampires get stronger with age and he’s over five hundred years older than you.”
“I know, but he wouldn’t. I’m just toying with him, Max. I am just letting him know, in my own little way, that I know what he’s up to.”
Max sighed. “And what exactly do you think he’s up to, Julia? Does it even matter? He is the High Vampire. He can do anything he wants, he doesn’t answer to anyone. You aren’t anything to him, so stop lying to yourself, and most of all, stop provoking him or things will get ugly.”
Julia giggled. “I’m powerful, too.” She tapped her temple. “Up here.”
“I just think you’re playing with fire. Like letting everyone believe that you are High Vampess, or likely to become one. It’s just not going to happen. Abe hasn’t ever been in love, not once in over nine hundred years. What makes you think he will change his mind for you?”
“I don’t know what he’s up to yet, but he thinks I do. I’m just making him sweat, metaphorically speaking. And I don’t need his love. Wait, that’s it! Maybe he is in love and he’s trying to keep it from me. He was certainly acting strange; he was singing Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star in his head earlier, which is a sure sign he was struggling to hide something.”
“Who would he be in love with? Not you, obviously.”
Julia cringed at Max’s careless words; not that they weren’t true, but Max could be such an insensitive swine, at times. “Maybe Rainey. They are pretty close, and he always talks to her in secret. I know she was in her lair earlier. I could feel her presence, and maybe one or two more; I couldn’t really tell. I felt some powerful energy radiating out of her lair.”
“You’re saying that Abe lied to you about Rainey being gone? Why would he do that?”
“He didn’t want me there, not that it makes much difference. It will be easy enough to pick out the reason why from Rainey’s mind; it’s not that big a place to search.”
“What was it you felt?” Max was curious about the energy, but he didn’t have a good feeling about the two of them snooping in Abe’s business. He didn’t care about Rainey – Julia could handle her – but he just had a gut feeling they should leave this one alone.
Julia spoke as if she hadn’t heard him. “I don’t know, but I will find out. I smell a challenge, and you know how much I love winning the game.”
“You are so bad, you little witch,” Max said smiling, still hoping to distract her.
Max didn’t want her to dig into Abe’s business any deeper, so he tried a different tack. He walked up to Julia and wrapped his arms around her, bending down so their lips were only a breath apart.
Julia barely ran her tongue along Max’s lips, her mind busy weaving her net of intrigue like a spider preparing its trap. Absentmindedly, she whispered in his ear, “That’s why you love me. And that’s why I’m going to rid this island of its imperious High Vampire so a more suitable one can take his place: you, honey. There has got to be something in Abe’s simple little mind that I can use to destroy him. And that nosey wife of yours will have an accident, and then we can have it all.”
Julia wiggled out of Max’s arms, pulled the canopy drapes back and laid on her king-size bed. “Take my vein, lover.” She pulled her dress up to her hips so Max could find a vein. She didn’t dare let him have one that could easily be seen by Abe. She might have been born at night but it wasn’t last night. The wounds from a vampire bite would heal without a trace in a few hours but she wasn’t taking any chances. Nothing and no one would ruin her plans.
Max sank his fangs in a vein at the top of her left thigh. She gave a long sigh and surrendered herself to him. She really did love giving him her vein; it was exhilarating, akin to feeling pleasantly inebriated.
Vampires could exchange blood with each other, but it just gave them the satisfaction and not what their bodies needed to live. Abe wouldn’t ever take her vein; the only time he did was when he changed her. Oh, how she’d wanted this world. She’d always wanted more than she had, and being a vampire on top of the gifts she already had made her more powerful, stronger in every way. She could do anything. Well… except walk in the sun.
When Max finished taking her blood he closed the wounds with a sweep of his tongue. Vampire saliva was like the rest of their bodies, invincible and quick healing. He started kissing up her stomach, working his way to her breasts.
But Julia bored of him. She stopped his advance and slipped off the bed, her hands already working, fixing her dress.
“I really have things I need to do, Max. Important things. Go tell Lidia I found that spell she was looking for yesterday. I don’t know why she keeps felling nauseous. You haven’t gotten her pregnant, have you? It would make me feel really bad to have to kill a witch with child. Then again, I guess we could wait till she has the little bastard and then kill her. I want a child, and since I can no longer have them, I’ll just have to take a baby from someone else.”
She didn’t feel bad about not bedding Max. She hadn’t ever. She just used him to get what she wanted most: power. She always left him wanting more. Plus, it didn’t feel right to sleep with just any man after Abe. There could be no one better than him. She knew, of course, that he wasn’t even trying to please her, the thought hadn’t even passed his mind; he was still amazing.
Julia opened the door of her chambers and turned to look at Max, her hand resting on the door handle. He stared back at her, dumbfounded for a second, then walked through the door without another word.
“Goodnight, my love,” Julia said as she locked herself in her room.
CHAPTER 11
“What does this mean? And what is all this stuff running through my head?” Ariana said as she sat back down. She was hoping for a change in the liquid from red to green, but she wasn’t expecting it to turn such a dark shade. There must be some mistake. She hadn’t ever showed any signs of having even a little magic, much less being a powerful witch.
Rainey, still in shock over what she was looking at, blinked and closed the mouth she wasn’t aware was hanging open. “Ah. I’m not sure, exactly, but I think it means you’re a witch with a lot of power. And, evidently, you’re also a mind reader. That is what’s in your head. Everyone’s thoughts. Not just us three, but probably everyone on the island, if you are as strong as this spell shows. You will learn to control it, in time. I will try and teach you, but I’m no mind reader. The only mind reader on the island is Julia and I doubt she’ll be pleased to take you under her wing, not with all that’s going on right now. What would be the best thing to do?” Rainey mused, absorbed and more than a little anxious at the rapidly multiplying number of unforeseen problems.
Some psychic she was! Once again, Rainey felt things were moving too fast. If only she could take a day or two to think in peace, she might be able to avoid or prevent a crisis that could have a catastrophic domino effect on the lives of so many of the Island’s people, herself included. If only she’d delayed telling
Abe about Ariana, or simply delayed bringing her over by a few days… or even a few hours… Just long enough to solve this riddle.
“But I’ve never done any magic or even felt like I could.” Ariana was shaking so bad, she was sending little wavelets through the sofa cushions which were strong enough to shake Becky, too. She felt elated and scared at the same time.
“That is because you never awakened your inner witch. It is definitely awake now.” Rainey stood and started pacing around the room. “I’ll put you in my class starting Monday. You’ll start class at eight a.m. and after lunch you will go to work. Tiff is your boss; I will let her know the arrangement. I’ll tell her to only schedule you to do half a shift so you won’t be too tired; you’ll need your rest if you’re going to work on your newly discovered skill so soon. Speaking of rest, you need to get some sleep. Come over in the morning and we’ll see what we can do about quieting down those voices. We’ll try to make you as comfortable as possible between now and Monday. With all that going on in your head, Ariana, I’ll be surprised if you get any sleep, but try to shut it all out. I hear it works like a light switch. Try turning it off.”
Rainey turned to Becky next. “After breakfast, Becky, give me a call.”
The girls looked at each other and stood up. Becky put her arm around Ariana’s shoulders and led her gently to the door.
Rainey’s phone beeped. “I have a missed call. I didn’t even hear it ring,” she muttered.
Rainey waved at Ariana and Becky as they walked out the door and pressed the button to retrieve Abe’s message. Talk of the devil… Well, think of her, really, and she appears. Yes, Julia could well become a complication. They would have to play their cards right and, for goodness’ sake, not do anything rash. The slightest mistake could cost Ariana her health, or worse. And Abe his happiness.
Rainey drifted around the place, trying to soothe her mind enough so sleep – and the much needed rest – would come. After all that had happened that day she thought she’d be fighting a losing battle, but soon after her head hit the pillow she started her dream journey.
Rainey walked along the beach on the other side of Eternal Island far away from the palace walls. She knew this because she could see the top of her favorite restaurant, Mackie’s; they made the best chicken quesadilla she’d ever put in her mouth. She didn’t know why she walked the beach barefooted and alone, but her dreams sometimes could be deceiving.
Rainey got most of her insights from her dreams, so she always welcomed them. But tonight she wished they would give her a break and let her get some actual rest. She was fast approaching information overload, and when that happened she was certain her brain would explode. She already had trouble keeping track of all the ramifications of visions, events, dreams and conversations; it couldn’t be long until something would go terribly wrong. She wondered vaguely if psychics could be overworked.
The dream took her farther down the beach and soon a man sitting in the sand caught her eye. He was staring out towards the ocean. She didn’t think he was aware of her presence.
When Rainey got within twenty-five feet of him she could tell something was amiss. The man’s face was blurry, like she couldn’t focus enough to see him clearly. His body was buff. Shirtless, with only flip flops and khaki shorts on, this man was Heaven sent. Maybe her subconscious was trying to tell her to take some time off. Hell, yeah, this dream was starting to be very welcome.
As she walked closer his face still didn’t focus but he started talking to her; it had to be her, as there was no one else but the two of them on the beach as far as eye could see.
“Excuse me, are you talking to me?” Rainey asked the mysterious hot guy, to be sure.
“Yes, Rainey.” The man sounded as if he had a smile on his face, but he was still too out of focus for her to tell. He stood up, walked to her and stopped only inches from her face. She estimated he must have been about five foot eleven. “I’ve been waiting for you to sleep. My name is Kade and I’m a psychic dream walker. I had a vision of you today.” Kade looked around them as if confused. “Where are we? I thought… the beach… but it doesn’t look like California to me.”
Rainey was awestruck. “You aren’t in California, you’re in my dream. This is where I live. Eternal Isl… Uh, where did you say you’re from? And why can’t I see your face?”
Kade chuckled. “California is where I’m from. L.A., to be exact. And I’m kind of new at dream walking, so I’m not sure why you can’t see my face. I can see yours, and you’re beautiful.” Kade raised his hand and brushed Rainey’s cheek softly.
Rainey knew she had to be blushing because her face felt really hot, all of a sudden. “Why are you here, Kade?”
“I had a vision of you and… other people… and you were in some kind of trouble, but I’m not sure what, exactly. I wanted to help you. I don’t know what I can do from where I am, but I’ll keep in touch with you; I’ll let you know if I have another vision. Actually, I would like to keep in touch with you even if the visions stop. If that’s okay with you, that is.” Kade reached out and took Rainey’s hand. He brought it up to where his lips would be if she could see them and she felt the slightest pressure on the back of her hand. “I have to go now, but I will see you again, soon. Be careful, Rainey, please. There is something really evil lurking in this place.”
Rainey couldn’t say a word. She could only stare at Kade as he slowly vanished into thin air. “So much for time off. I finally meet a hot guy and he’s only in my dreams; that figures.” She began to retrace her steps through the sand, deep in thought. “And if this guy’s right, I have not a moment to spare. Thanks so much, Kade.”
§ § §
Abe walked into Code Red with a big chip on his shoulder. So much was going on and he just couldn’t shake his bad mood. Julia had pissed him off for the last time. He couldn’t understand why that little witch vampess was playing games with him. She was forgetting her place.
He walked up to the bar and ordered two doubles of Jack. Abe downed the first one and grabbed the other, when his cell phone rang. After looking at his caller ID and cursing out loud, he answered the call.
“What the hell do you want, Jonah? I thought I was clear the last time we talked that I never wanted to speak to you again.” Abe remembered just in time what happened to the last phone he’d squeezed this hard and loosened his grip a little.
“Is that any way to talk to your favorite cousin? Just letting you know that I’m on the Island and I need a place to stay.”
“You’re my only living cousin, but that doesn’t make you my favorite. And, technically, the last time we talked I believe I made it clear that you are dead to me and no longer welcome on my Island. Why are you here? Trying my patience is not a good game to play.” It occurred to Abe at that moment that maybe Jonah could take care of the Julia situation. Jonah hated Julia and had always wanted to ‘choke that life-sucking manipulative bitch’, as he put it. Time to put it to the test. He forced a chuckle. “Anyway, since you’ve made the trip already… I’m at Code Red, meet me here.” Abe ended the call, turned around with his drink and bumped into Jonah.
Jonah smiled. “I knew where you were before I called, cuz.” Jonah pointed at his head. “Built in tracking system, remember? Too bad all you got out of your change was brutal strength and some pointy teeth. You look like something is bothering you. What’s weighing on your mind?”
Abe downed the rest of his drink, ordered two more and handed one to Jonah. “I have a job for you, and don’t you dare say no. You owe me. Besides, I think you will enjoy it immensely.”
Jonah, just happy to be in Abe’s good graces for a change, jumped at the opportunity. “Name it and it’s done.”
Abe turned and stared Jonah straight in the eye. “Get rid of Julia.” Abe smiled as Jonah’s jaw dropped.
CHAPTER 12
Jonah and Abe weren’t blood related in that sense. They had both been turned by vampires who were actually brothers, as humans. Of c
ourse, the brothers were long gone now. They got bored with life in general and introduced themselves to the sun. That happened a lot in the vampire world. Vampires get bored with day to day life and can’t find enough activities to keep them occupied so they off themselves.
Not Jonah. He’d planned an eternity full of activities, and in his seven hundred thirty-eight years he had managed to only accomplish about a quarter of it. He was adding new ones to the list every single day.
When Jonah met Abe for the first time he called him ‘cousin’. Abe had been so pissed off that Jonah decided to stick with it. After all, that’s what Jonah did best, piss people off. That, and bed as many women as possible. There’s nothing unhealthy about having a lot of women, he concluded, as nothing bad had come out of it so far. Vampires couldn’t get diseases of any kind unless you called getting burned to a crisp by the sun in less than ten seconds ‘skin cancer’.
A few of those women had almost driven him to the sun, God bless them. He got too close a few times, almost fell in love, but realized at the very last minute that he was immortal and didn’t want to spend his eternity with the same woman. No, Jonah was too wild for that, too free. Plus, he had very strict life rules: he cared about only one thing, himself, and that’s just how he liked it.
The only problem he really had was keeping the women he had from bumping into each other. He had about twenty-five or so on speed dial and about ten more on the side, in case of emergencies. What could a poor vampire do? He loved women and that was not illegal in any country he’d loved them in so far. Nothing to feel ashamed about, nothing to be hunted down for. Except, maybe, for his phone number.
Despite not liking Julia so much, Jonah was disturbed as he walked out of Code Red. Abe’s request was weighing heavy on his mind. That was a rarity in its own right, because Jonah didn’t worry or even think that often. Julia wasn’t one of his favorite vamp-witches or whatever the hell she was, but he had thought she was one of Abe’s.
Eternal Island (Book 1 in the Eternal Series) Page 6
