by David Page
She glanced nervously towards the three other cells in her section where several women still slept, and then turned back to look up at him. “You turned into mist! You son of a bitch! I didn’t know that was possible until I saw you do it!” Her voice was an angry whisper.
“Nor did I,” Richard explained.
Beth motioned to the other cells with a tilt of her head.
Richard held up one hand. “Have no fear. The others will continue to sleep, along with the officers in the adjacent rooms… for as long as I wish it.”
“Did you kill them?” Her eyes narrowed suspiciously.
“Of course not.” Richard was surprised she asked, though, under the circumstances, he decided it was a valid question.
“Sorry, had to ask.” She sighed. “So what do we do now?”
Richard smiled broadly. “We get you out of here. The guards were good enough to erase your records from their computers. You should be able to disappear quite easily.”
He strode over to the cell and produced a set of keys from his pocket. He unlocked and opened her door.
“Nice keys,” she remarked dryly.
Richard shrugged. “Yes.”
Beth launched from the cell, wrapped her arms around him and squeezed tightly. “I thought something was wrong when you didn’t show up as soon as the sun went down!” She released him and stepped back.
“There were a few things I needed to attend to.” He smiled broadly.
“Tell me about the others. Dan, Ray, Modin?” Her face grew serious.
“Dan and Modin are under surveillance by the Department. However, we should be able to take care of that little problem, now that most the world thinks I am dead.”
Beth breathed a sigh of relief and pulled back to take his hands in hers. She studied him for a long moment and then leaned up on her toes and kissed his cheek. “Thanks for coming back for me.”
“You’re very welcome. It would seem that Radovan can now live on in relative safety and with a new source of funding… if you truly wish to build an organization to help my kind.” He looked at her, his eyes hopeful.
She beamed. “Absolutely. Do you really think we can get away with this? I mean, sneak out without them knowing and disappear to restart the movement?”
“I believe we can do just that.” Richard smiled. In the span of a week, he had gone from getting fruit thrown at him, to becoming the most powerful being in Seattle. This was indeed a new beginning for him. The glass vampire had shattered and he had risen from the shards. He was whole again, complete, again. Anything was possible.
“Good. And after we regroup, we go after Colette.” She met his gaze and in a look informed him that she was with him in that quest as well. “After all, with this to help guide us, that shouldn’t be too hard.” She pulled the cross from her tightly fitted tank top.
The instant Richard saw it, the past washed over him.
***
“He’s here.” Colette stood by the bed in a new dress, this one of purple velvet. It clung to her tightly, its bodice so low that it left the skin between her breasts bare. She pushed Richard aside, stepped in front of him, and planted her hands on her hips.
Dozens of candles spread out around the room providing ample light. Richard stood next to her, his sword drawn as they awaited the return of Percival. The weapon could provide little help against the ancient being as a blade and if he used it as a cross, once again drawing up God’s power, that would surely harm Colette as well.
The door burst open and swirling dark mist flowed inside, chilling the air and causing all but a few of the candles to wink out. The fog coalesced into a shadowy form in front of Colette and a moment later Percival stood there, his hood thrown back, his angry, youthful features visible. He looked at her, eyes glowing and then turned his fiery gaze on Richard.
Colette’s eyes blazed with her own fire. She lashed out, grabbed Percival by the wrists and held him fast. Percival did not look to be straining at all, however, and slowly forced her arms down to her sides. He glared at her.
“His life is forfeit. That was the price for my aid. He knows of us now. He knows of me. He must die.” Percival yanked his hands from her grasp.
“Wait! There is another way!” Colette looked up at the other demon, her eyes pleading.
An unspoken communication passed between them. They simply stared at each other for several long moments. Finally, Percival’s eyes returned to their normal color. He took a step back, looked Richard up and down and then his thin lips parted in the smallest of smiles. Something about his expression made Richard shiver.
“Very well. You have been spared, Richard Saxon. However, you may wish I had killed you.” Without further explanation, the demon spun around and stormed from the hovel the way he had come. The door slammed shut behind him of its own accord.
“What did he mean?” Richard asked.
She turned to him, eyes still red, and opened her mouth revealing her fangs.
“It is nothing Richard; nothing at all. We are victorious.” Her hungry eyes made him nervous.
“Do not fear me, Richard, this time will be better than the last.” She stepped forward, her smile suddenly sinful.
Richard’s lust flowed through him. He dropped his sword and practically lunged at her, wrapping her in his arms and kissing her breasts. She pulled him to her with nearly crushing force. Her lips brushed his neck followed by a sharp pain as her teeth bit into his flesh. He had to have her, would die without her. Together they sank to the bed….
Epilogue
Richard staggered and had to grab the bars of Beth’s cell to hold himself up.
“What did you see?” She frowned.
He shook himself. “I am not certain. Percival spared my life without explanation. Colette turned to me and…” He felt himself blushing.
Beth’s cheeks reddened. “Oh. Okay.”
“There was something different about it. It may be that it was the very night she marked me to become a vampire.”
A tall, dark haired woman in the cell next to Beth’s stirred in her sleep.
“We must go. I cannot keep them all asleep indefinitely.”
“Wait, what about Ray?”
“He has survived, though I’m certain he will not consider me a friend any longer.”
“Will he get in trouble?”
“I do not think so.”
“Good. He did what he thought was right.”
“Indeed. And almost got us killed.”
“Yeah.” Beth frowned, looked around and nodded. “Let’s get the hell out of here.”
“Agreed.”
Richard pulled away and headed for the door, conscious that she was but a step behind.
She tugged on his sleeve. “Wait. Frederick didn’t believe you had died, even when everyone else said you did. I don’t know what he can do, but knowing him, he’ll think of some way to make your life inconvenient.”
“I’ve seen to it that his superiors believe the rest of the men. By now, they suspect that Frederick is delusional and possibly a danger to those around him.” A feeling of cool victory washed over him.
She blinked. “You can be ruthless.”
“Thank you.” He inclined his head. “However, I do not think we have seen the end of him. He has proven to be a formidable enemy.”
“You could kill him.” Beth’s eyes narrowed and she studied him as if she were very interested in his response.
“He did something that I did not think possible; he called light from the cross. He is not an evil man, apparently. He is simply misguided. There will still be a reckoning between us someday, and I do not know if either of us will survive, but I cannot kill a man for trying to protect humanity.”
“I could.” Beth’s eyes grew cold and Richard knew she was serious. It surprised him, and at the same time, her efficiency and logic impressed him.
“But you will not?” He arched one eyebrow in question.
She smiled demurely. “Not unl
ess he comes after us, but if he does…” She made a slicing motion with her finger across her throat.
“You are an interesting woman, Beth.” And he meant it.
Her smiled became a grin. Her blue eyes widened and she blushed. “And you are an interesting man, Richard. And this sounds like the beginning of a beautiful partnership.”
Richard found her enthusiasm contagious. “Agreed.” He mirrored her smile, turned and reached for the door.
-The End-
