by Clare Daly
His mouth was dry and he sat up, startled to see Wade looking at him from across the room. Damn it, it was real. All of it. His mind could have quite easily convinced him that it was a dream, a product of the whiskey filling his mind with fantasy but here he was. They were alone and he immediately realised his sister was not there.
‘Don’t worry Michael, she’s with Sasha. They’ll be back shortly. You my friend, look like you could do with some coffee.’
He handed Michael a cup, the sides hot, a wisp of steam trailing from the top.
‘Where is she?’
‘They won’t be long. You should drink that. You look like crap.’
‘Yeah well, I feel like it too,’ he said, the coffee warming his insides. He sighed. ‘If you’re giving me coffee I’m guessing you’re not about to kill me.’
Wade sat back.
‘I like you Michael and I’d hate to kill you. Me, I’m fine with humans if they’re fine with me and they generally are. I’m an easy guy to be around, as long as people behave. Sasha on the other hand, well he has a general low opinion of mankind. He doesn’t like to engage too much. For him, it’s easier to just think of them as food. Take the emotion out of it, you know. We are what we are and you, well you are what you are.’
‘He killed Vladimir.’
‘He sure did,’ Wade said. ‘But his brother tricked him into a scheme that left him in the hands of the most ruthless vampire that ever lived and for that he had to pay. I feel bad at what Sasha’s been through but if he hadn’t, me and Velle would never have met him and we’re all the better for that, and for Lincoln too. Sometimes you can’t help the cards you’ve been dealt. You just have to make the best of it.’
‘What does he want with Evelyn?’
‘He likes her that’s all you need to know. Never seen him like that about anyone. Like I said, he tends to keep emotions out of it.’
‘She won’t be with someone like that.’
‘A vampire?’ he laughed. ‘Well we’ll see huh? Be smart, Michael. You might wanna finish that coffee before they return.’
***
Sasha had known better than to speak to Evelyn on the way back. He took her hand as again they moved at speed, arriving at the steps on Fifth Avenue a few moments later.
‘I will teach you, so you can do that yourself,’ he said.
She realised that in all of Vladimir’s books in the study, not one would tell her how to behave as a vampire. No one text embraced it as a living, breathing entity, only a creature, born of superstition that must be repelled at all costs. Pages devoted to the power of religion and defences built on old wives’ tales of garlic and crucifixes that she knew first hand were useless. Perhaps no one had ever gotten close enough to such monsters to document them. She could understand that perfectly. The only thing she did know from her studies, was that the night was their friend, the sun their enemy. She did not know why but she supposed the beautiful golden light of the sun was akin to the kingdom of heaven, while the dark night swerved the corners of hell where such abominations flourished. Their place in this world was set and she would have to rely on Sasha for any answers she sought. He watched her as she looked at the slow break of daylight in the east, turning the dark skies a navy blue as it brought the dawn.
‘The sun will burn your flesh as hot as any funeral pyre and you will suffer a horrific death at its hands,’ he said.
She scoffed at the horrific death she had already endured thanks to him.
‘We sleep in protected darkness while the sun shines and when it has set, the night is ours.’
‘What if I just stayed here,’ she said, ‘and let it take me.’
‘You could do that but there are plenty of reasons not to, as well you know. Your brother, for instance. What would become of him?’
‘Don’t threaten me, or my brother’ she said. ‘I won’t be held to ransom.’
‘I’m merely stating what you already know. If you are destroyed, he will be too. He has seen too much.’
‘And the other reasons?’ she asked.
‘I think you want to see what Gabriel has planned for you. He believes in you and I haven’t yet put my finger on exactly why that is. But you know and you’re curious. The last reason is me. Gabriel brought us together. In time, I hope that you’ll forgive me and look at me the way you did when we met.’
It had been not two days previous and already it felt like a lifetime to her.
‘That girl is dead,’ she said. ‘She was killed by a monster.’
The front door suddenly swept open behind them and Velle stood there excitedly waiting to greet them.
‘We thought you weren’t coming back. It’s almost dawn. You can’t keep her to yourself all night Sasha. Oh my,’ she said looking at Evelyn’s transformation. ‘You are exquisite.’
She examined her as one would a museum piece.
‘You knew he was going to turn me.’
‘Yes, and I for one am glad,’ she said. ‘But look at your dress. We must rectify that immediately.’
‘Where’s Michael?’ asked Evelyn.
‘Talking to Wade in the study.’
‘Does he know?’ she asked.
Velle shook her head.
‘Good,’ she said catching sight of herself in the hall mirror. Velle was right. She did look different. Her skin was devoid of the sun’s freckles that had dotted her nose and cheeks, as if polished and buffed away. Her complexion was pale, luminous. He would know. There was no concealing it. She opened her mouth half afraid at what might greet her but her teeth were as they had always been, if a little whiter. Velle came to stand beside her, her reflection nothing more than a silver shimmer of light.
‘By nightfall tomorrow, yours will be gone too. It’s like a light dimmed until it loses all the contours, a memory of a person that’s ceased to be.’
‘We need to rest now,’ said Sasha interrupting. ‘The sun is rising. Lincoln is everything ready?’
Lincoln was coming down the stairs with Baker, who was carrying a small toolbox.
‘All the necessary windows have been sealed and extra locks put on the doors,’ he said.
‘I need to see my brother,’ she said walking past him to the study.
Inside Michael and Wade sat by the fire. Wade stood as she entered, patting Michael on the shoulder.
‘Could you leave us alone please?’ she asked.
Wade nodded, taking in the changes in her appearance before looking back to Michael sympathetically.
‘Go easy on him. He’s had enough liquor to sink a small ship.’
He didn’t envy either of them the conversation that was about to take place. Even Mafdet stayed at the door, not following her mistress inside. When Wade closed it behind him, Michael rushed to the window, opening it just enough so that they could climb out.
‘Quick, we don’t have much time,’ he said.
Evelyn stood still, brushing a silky strand of hair behind her ear.
‘We can’t stay here,’ he said motioning to her to hurry. ‘What’s wrong with you?’
His eyes slowly registered the changes in her appearance.
‘I’m so sorry,’ she said reaching her hand to him and even that small movement was different as if her body had learned a new rhythm in how it moved. Quicker, more fluid.
‘Fuck,’ he said, taking a step back from her. ‘You look like Velle. Fuck.’
‘I didn’t choose it. He lied to me.’
She was trying to be strong for him, but her voice was thick with the betrayal, the shame of what they’d done to her. Moreover, she lamented the loss of her power. There was no need to tell him that now. Tell him what had led them to her in the first place. How she had brought this down on them.
‘We’ll figure something out okay but we need to go. C’mon.’
‘I c
an’t leave now,’ she said. ‘You’ve seen what they are. They won’t let me go and we can’t outrun them. But you, on your own, have a chance.’
‘I’m not afraid of any of them,’ he said. His eyes flickered to the door.
‘If you fight they will kill you, Sasha said as much, so this is your chance now. Your chance to get out.’
‘What if we fought them together?’ he said.
‘I don’t know how.’
‘I’m not leaving you.’
‘You have to. There’s nothing else they can do to me now. It’s done.’
‘Really. So, you’re going to just stay with them, without me?’ He paused. ‘I knew he’d done something to you. How could you trust him?’
‘You don’t understand.’
‘Jesus, the first man to turn your head and look what you get into?’
‘That’s not fair. Besides with you around to bat them away, it’s a wonder he got close at all.’
‘Yeah well, I’ve never had to bat away a vampire before have I? Jesus. So, I stay and what?’
‘You won’t be safe.’
‘You can protect me.’
‘From them? Michael, I died tonight. Do you understand that? I know no more about the strengths and weaknesses of vampires than you do.’
‘Well I’m not leaving without you and I’m not joining their…I don’t know what you call it…their coven of whatever…and neither are you. They killed innocent people tonight.’
He went to drag her by the arm, the first light of dawn creeping low through the open window, the air cool, their escape waiting. Evelyn knew it was already too late for her, the first glimpse of the sun waiting to welcome her.
‘You are just a toy to them, another trinket like her.’
‘Stop it,’ she said.
‘You did this, you brought this on us. It was you who wanted to come here. We could have gone anywhere. We could have stayed in Liverpool for God’s sake.’
‘You go. Disappear. Build yourself the life you deserve, have the chance you wanted. You’re not bound to me.’
‘But you see I am. This is it now. You and me.’
He wasn’t going to give up, was he? What if he stayed? He would never forgive Sasha and where would that leave him? Did they even keep humans with them? Would his blood become a temptation? No, he was in danger if he stayed. Getting out was his only chance. She saw no other solution.
‘The truth is Michael. I don’t want you here with me.’
‘Don’t say that,’ he said.
‘Your sister is dead. I belong to Sasha now. You were right. I do like him. From the moment, I saw him. He tells me that soon I’ll leave my humanity behind, become that creature that wants only the blood of humans, a killer. That’s what I am now – a killer.’
‘Stop,’ he pleaded.
‘I won’t need human connection anymore. Sasha’s blood is inside me, changing me. I don’t need you. The only thing I will ever need from you now, is your blood.’
She grabbed him and flung his body to the floor, using just enough force to scare him. She was different now. Something else. His sister gone. But he didn’t run. He just lay there, in confusion.
‘Go, before your beating hearts tempts me. Even now,’ she said panting, ‘it calls to me, drawing me close. I can almost taste it.’
A pain began to build in her sinuses, the bones shifting in her face to allow the first emergence of her supernatural form. Her cheekbones ached and she stretched her mouth open as two knifelike teeth cut through her gums, bringing with it her own blood spilling onto her tongue. She let out a cry of pain as Michael recoiled from her in terror.
‘This is what I’ve become and this is all I want now,’ she said, putting her hand on his chest. She brought her mouth close to his, her blood dripping from her lower lip. In his eyes she saw the belief, the horror of what she had become.
‘If I ever see you again, I don’t know that I could control it.’
She released him and he crawled backwards away from her, finding his feet, clambering for the open window. He took one frightened look back at her before disappearing, his feet scrambling to gain speed, her ears picking up every footstep, as he ran farther away. Gradually her teeth receded back into her gums and she collapsed on the floor. The taste of her own blood had awakened something in her and she was glad he was gone, for she’d spoken the truth.
‘Are you happy? Did you get all that?’ she said as Sasha came into the room.
He said nothing but took her hand, the journey a flash as seconds later, he tucked her under the covers of the four-poster bed. He pulled the deep red curtains around it as Mafdet curled in beside her. The shutters on the window had been sealed, the room in darkness and Evelyn felt herself give in to her first preternatural sleep.
***
When she awoke, she found Sasha lying beside her. His eyes were closed and she propped her head up on her elbow as she looked at him. She thought of the kiss, the feeling of his lips on hers in the darkness, when he opened his eyes.
‘You slept here,’ she said.
‘I wanted to take care of you.’
‘More like, make sure I didn’t run away.’
‘That too,’ he said. ‘It’s better that Michael left, you know that, otherwise you wouldn’t have scared him away.’
‘He was so afraid,’ she said, falling back away from him.
‘That is why we cannot exist side-by-side with them,’ he said. ‘They are our food when all is said and done and they know it. Are you hungry?’
His question hung in the air as she tried to gather an answer. She was not hungry in any sense she’d known before. There was no growl from her stomach or emptiness in her that yearned for sustenance, but there was something else. She felt a pang in the empty chambers of her heart and she knew she wanted blood, that it would nourish her in ways that food never could. The more she focussed on it, the more she wanted it.
‘Show me,’ she said.
‘Get dressed,’ he said hopping up. ‘Velle left some clothes for you. We’ll hunt alone. I don’t want us overwhelming you on your first night.’
When she came down the staircase, he was waiting for her. He wore black tie with an opera cape and top hat and she was glad she’d made an effort. Velle had left three dresses in the armoire for her and she’d chosen a purple gown with a high collar and fitted sleeves that ended in a point on the back of her hands. It was stunning and she felt herself channel some of Velle’s confidence as she moved in it. Sasha was lost for words as he swept the cloak around her shoulders and she knew she’d had the desired impact. She squeezed her slender hands into a pair of soft purple gloves and they made their way to their waiting carriage.
‘It doesn’t always do to whisk about at our own speed,’ he said as they passed through the busy streets. ‘It is early in the night and we do well to blend in where we can. Also, if you take the pace of humans you are less likely to miss something in observing them and choosing your kill. The choice is so vast Evelyn and you must choose carefully. You will not always crave the same meal. Sometimes it’s fine-dining on the decadent and sometimes it’s a fast bite of nourishment wherever you can get it, be it the soup kitchen or the tenements. It’s the variety that’s interesting.’
‘What will it be tonight?’ she asked, feigning interest.
‘Someone deserving of this fate. They are easily plucked off any street. The evil-doer, the thief, the murderer...’
‘One murderer killing another,’ she said.
‘You won’t always see it like that,’ he said not rising to her cynicism. ‘Think of it as ridding this great city of its vermin.’
He tapped his cane on the roof of the carriage and it came to a halt. As he stepped onto the pavement, he reached for her gloved hand, delicate in his own and he held onto it, curling her hand around his arm as
they walked, a couple out for a romantic stroll. At the next corner, two municipal policemen stood with a local merchant, his frock coat swinging with gusto as he recounted the details of a story, the two officers rapt with smiling curiosity. Opposite them, a man was walking but when he caught sight of them, he swerved into the shadows.
‘Him,’ Sasha said.
The man had disappeared down a side street but when they followed, they found nothing but a dead end. Evelyn could smell him though. She could even hear him breathe. Close by, hidden. Was he behind her? She was about to turn when she felt the cool metal of his knife at her neck. The scent of dried blood rose like nectar to her.
‘Don’t scream Miss, or I’ll slice your throat. I’ll be having your purse now. Sir, your pocketbook too.’
Sasha’s hand was on his arm before he knew what was happening. With a quick twist and kick to the man’s legs, he was on the ground, his knife flying out of his hand. Sasha held his throat, his body immobilised, his voice unable to make the scream it wished for. His face was a million regrets. He had met a foe he should never have troubled with his petty thievery. Sasha took off his top hat, handing it to Evelyn, who subconsciously took a step back, hugging it to her chest.
He picked the thief up and slammed him against the wall. The impact crumbled the bricks, dusting the air in fine red powder. He bid his pupil to come closer and she did, the hunger beginning to rise within her as he quickly slid his hand up to the man’s neck. He bit the tender flesh, a flash of blood visible for only a second, before it disappeared into his mouth. The entire world seemed to go quiet and the only sound that Evelyn could hear was the steady loss of a human life, a heartbeat that was only moments before beating rapidly, now slowly succumbing to a dull thud as Sasha drew away its lifeblood. Evelyn felt her own teeth want to burst through but she fought it, her human instinct telling her instead to intervene and save this man from the hands of a monster. But it was too late.
