Blood of a Red Rose

by Tish Thawer

  * * * * *

  (Renard)

  It didn't take long for Jeremy to notice that he was being tailed, so I backed off and let him think he lost us. Evie had been very specific with her instructions. We were to follow him and find out where he and Meredith lived, but were not to engage either of them.

  After tailing him to some pizza joint and the liquor store, where he purchased a bottle of wine, we finally watched him pull his Lexus into the garage of an old brownstone off of 29th Street. It was a nice neighborhood; the streets were lined with tall trees and the lawns were manicured to a perfect green. We parked across the street and flew from the car to the shadowed area within the park that sat slightly to the east of their residence.

  After feeding from a couple who'd been strolling in the park, I made sure the street was clear before Loni and I crept towards the house. We took care to remain as stealthy as possible, since we were still unsure of the extent of Meredith's demons powers. There was no need for us to worry though, as we found them very occupied and distracted. From what we were seeing, it looked like Rose's father was enjoying being with the demon very much.

  We spent the night watching the house from the car. After their lovemaking ended, they went to bed like any normal couple would do. We used our enhanced hearing to listen as Meredith washed her face while Jeremy brushed his teeth, then they slid into bed and slept until their alarm woke them. We were still up at 5 a.m. as the sun had yet to rise. But knowing it would happen soon, we had to decide where we were going to hide for the day, because after we called Evie to report their inactivity, she asked that we stay for another night to see if we could catch a break of any kind.

  "What about the hotel we saw just around the block? We wouldn't even have to move the car, we could just run there and check in," Loni suggested. She hated being in the car.

  We'd recently returned from our honeymoon in Europe, where we'd trekked across the region during the night, hiding and sleeping in hotel rooms with "Do Not Disturb" signs hung from the doors during the day. It had apparently become our "thing."

  "Sure thing, crumpet. That sounds like a good idea. We'll leave the car here so we don't lose our spot. Let me just grab our things out of the boot and we'll knock off." We climbed out of the car and I took note of how soon the sun would be up. It was something that was built-in to our vampire DNA. We had less than two hours before the sun rendered us comatose, so we started walking down the sidewalk towards the hotel. After a few steps, I took one last look back at the brownstone and saw Jeremy looking out their bedroom window from the second story. Blood hell. We were busted.

  My gut instinct was to grab Loni, and with our vampire speed, get the hell out of dodge. But I didn't want to give Jeremy any more fodder to fuel his assumptions. So instead, I reached out for Loni's hand and hoped it looked like we were just a young couple out for a stroll. At five in the morning...yeah right.

  I didn't risk turning around again, and in just a few minutes we reached the hotel, checked in, and hung the Do Not Disturb sign on the door. With the locks in place, Loni headed for the loo to take a bath and I dialed Evie to check in one last time before nodding off.

  "I think Jeremy saw us."

  "Don't worry. Your recent absence is something that will work in our favor. Neither Jeremy or Meredith have seen you or Loni here before. Get some rest, but as soon as you wake, head back to the car and see if you can find out anything that could be of help to us."

  "Roger that, Evie. Goodnight."

  "Goodnight, Renard."

  * * * * *

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  Falling Apart

  (Christian)

  After Rose's and my fight, I left our room once more, slamming the door in my wake. I was so mad at the way Rose was acting. It had been really hard to hear she was feeling like a prisoner here. How could being with the person you love feel like a prison? And I loved her beyond measure. So much so, that I had recently gotten a tattoo to demonstrate the very fact.

  It was three words done in Slavic runes: Truly, Madly, Deeply. It was located on my upper right shoulder-blade and was meant to describe how I lived and loved. I loved Rose with all my heart, but I was starting to question if she still felt the same.

  I understood finding out Meredith was alive changed the situation for her...for all of us. It had been good news that Rose wasn't a wanted criminal, but I knew, once again, she feared for her father's safety. What I didn't understand was why this had changed things between us.

  "Hey. Can I talk to you?"

  I hadn't realized I was in front of Terrance's cell until he'd called out.

  "What do you want to talk about?" I leaned against the opening of his cell and watched as he paced what little distance he could while still chained to the wall.

  "Have you found out where that demon bitch is yet?"

  "Evie has Renard and Loni checking it out. They're supposed to be back tomorrow night."

  "I'm going to kill her, Christian. Just find out where she is and let me out of here and all our problems will be over. I'll make her pay for what she did to Loraine and me."

  I remembered Terrance expressing his feelings for Loraine when Rose and I had questioned him months ago, but none of us had talked about it since.

  "Did you really love her?"

  "Yes." Exhaling, he stopped his angry pacing and leaned his back against the cell's gray cinderblock wall. "She was honestly the first person I loved since I'd been turned and lost my family." As his shoulders sagged and his head dropped, I realized that I finally felt sorry for him.

  "Well, as soon as we learn how to kill her, I'll let you know. But honestly, I'm not sure Evie will let you out even though you're obviously drifting back. She won't risk that Meredith may still have the ability to control you. This may be a fight you're just going to have to sit out."

  His chains rattled as he started drifting and pacing again. "She killed Loraine and messed with my mind! Made me lie to everyone I cared about and to Rose. She has to be stopped, and I want revenge for Loraine. I loved her, Christian. I really did."

  "Then you and Rose have a common goal."

  It was in that moment I realized I wouldn't be biting a human to guard Rose during the day. She needed to meet with her dad and start planning revenge for her mother. She hadn't killed Meredith the first time, but with all of our help...she wouldn't fail again.

  "Hang in there, Terrance. I'll let you know what we find out."

  * * * * *

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  Merry Little Men

  (Meredith)

  "I'm impressed." The logging site Damien had scouted really was ideal. Merry little men hustled around doing their manly work, yet in the last designated area of the site there were only two workers, far removed from the rest of the crew. "Let's go check out the hunting shack and get everything set up, and then we'll head back down here just before quitting time."

  "Ok, boss. Sounds good. Let me grab the stuff from my truck."

  I watched Damien gather his supplies as I did the same. We were parked far enough from the work site, along a lone dirt road, that if anyone happened to stumble upon our vehicles they would most likely think they belonged to a couple of hikers exploring the woods.

  "Do you have everything?" I asked.

  "Si. Do you need me to carry anything for you?"

  "No. Let's just get this over with. I want to have everything set up before sundown, so when the final horn of the day blows we can just grab them and go."

  The excitement on his face was clear. He couldn't wait to kill these men and get another taste of fresh blood.

  "Do you think if we moved this week's meeting up to tonight all of your cousins would be able to attend?"

  "I think so. But why do you want to move it up? So the blood will be fresher?"

  "Actually, it's because I saw a strange car outside my house this afternoon before I left. I think the vampires have found me and I need to get our people ready to fight as soon as possible
."

  "Are you sure it's the vampires?"

  "No, but I won't risk it. I'm going to check the car out tonight when I return home, but I think it's better to be safe than sorry. Call your cousins and tell them the meeting's tonight."

  "You got it."

  * * * * *

  (Jeremy)

  As the squawk of my morning alarm penetrated my ears, I slowly started to wake. But suddenly, the alarm wasn't the only noise piercing the silence. A car door slammed outside my bedroom window, followed by the chirp of its alarm being set.

  This was usually a very quiet neighborhood, and not many people were out the door before me. So, I sluggishly made my way to the window to take a look. The moment I noticed the young couple walking down the sidewalk, my weary eyes popped open and my paranoia revved into high gear. The car they just left parked across the street looked like the one from last night–the one that had been following me.

  The young man glanced back at the car and then met my eyes for a split second. He wasn't anyone I recognized, and neither he nor his girlfriend looked menacing, just out of place. They resembled what I'd describe as a couple of European grunge pop stars. At least that's how Rose described some of the bands she used to watch on MTV.

  Rose. I missed my girl so much, and now having this couple show up here, a couple that I was sure had followed me from The Rising Pit...I had to get back there and continue my search.

  Maybe this weekend I would take Meredith out for a night on the town. A night that would include dancing...at The Rising Pit. When I'd been there looking for Rose it seemed like a really nice club, and hopefully, if I could spend a little time inside, I might just discover the clue I needed to find my daughter.

  Dinner, dancing, and some detective work sounded like the perfect weekend to me.

  * * * * *

  (Damien)

  I was so happy Meredith was pleased with my plan. I'd remembered this logging site from when my cousin had been one of their part-time workers a few months back. It was notorious for always having different workers constantly coming and going. Once I'd scouted the area I figured the far back parcel would be the perfect place to snag some blood donors.

  I gathered my supplies: some drugs, needles, pipes, etc., and the tubs we were going to be draining the blood into, and then headed over to Meredith.

  She was so beautiful. Her long blonde hair and that tight little ass. I'd blamed my reaction in the alley on the blood high I'd been experiencing, but really, it was because I'd wanted her from the moment we met.

  I worked on the east side of town as a construction manager, and very rarely had a need to travel into the city, but on that particular day I was headed downtown to drop off some building permits. That's where I'd first laid eyes on Meredith.

  She and Jeremy were having lunch at one of the outdoor cafés that littered the downtown area. The moment I laid eyes on her my body reacted. Desire flowed through my veins like hot lava. Not only was she sexy, but the red flare in her eyes had me assuming both she and Jeremy were demons. Finally, another female demon that wasn't related to me.

  After gaining control, I'd walked past the lovebirds and went about my business, but on my way back out she'd been sitting alone and waved me over.

  We started talking and she explained that she realized I was a demon when my eyes flared as I walked by the table earlier. I guess I hadn't hidden my reaction to her as well as I thought I had. She told me that Jeremy was still in the dark about his heritage, but that she was planning to set up a group where demons could get together and discuss their ancestry. She was happy to hear I had a large extended family that I thought would like to attend.

  "Do you have everything?" she asked, pulling my attention back to the present.

  "Yes. Do you need me to carry anything for you?"

  "No. Let's just get this over with. I want to have everything set up before sundown, so when the final horn of the day blows we can just grab them and go."

  She was so strong and in control, and that was fucking sexy. I couldn't wait to see how she handled herself tonight. How she would use her demon strength and speed to take care of business.

  I wasn't sure if I would be able to control my lust for her a second time.

  * * * * *

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  Shocked

  (Rose)

  I felt the tears soaking my face before I even realized I was crying again. I'd been so shocked when Christian stormed out of our room after our second fight of the day.

  What had he meant when he said I was wrong if I thought he couldn't stop me? He better not be thinking of biting me and using his sedative on me or else this whole charade would be over in a heartbeat.

  As things stood right now, it wouldn't be too far of a stretch for people to think I'd walked away after finding out Christian had been keeping things from me. That was a "typical" reason people broke up all the time. The problem was...I loved him and I wished I didn't have to leave, not to mention I had nowhere to go.

  I couldn't go back to my house and I couldn't go after my dad since Meredith was there waiting for me. I didn't think she was controlling him, even though I couldn't tell Christian and his clan that. They'd wonder how I knew or what made me so sure. The fact that he was a demon would be the first clue, but I wasn't even sure that was an accurate assumption. God, this was such a mess.

  A knock at the door startled me. I wiped the tears from my face as I crossed the room.

  I opened the door to see Evie's smiling face. "May I come in?"

  "Sure."

  "Thank you. Do you mind if we sit and talk for a moment?"

  "Sure." I sounded like a broken record. I wasn't sure what Evie would have to talk to me about, and I really wasn't in the mood for another speech about how much Christian loved me. I knew he loved me, but unfortunately that didn't matter anymore.

  "I wanted to talk to you about Terrance." Evie sat on the edge of the bed and I slowly eased down beside her.

  That was a shock. "Okay. What about him?"

  "I'd like to talk about the time you spent with him while your mother was alive."

  Oh hell no. This was not something I wanted to get into with Evie. When I explained all those months ago that Terrance had been the first vampire I'd met, I told them that while everything he said had been a lie, he'd never hurt my mom. What else could she possibly want to know?

  "Specifically, I want to talk about Terrance's relationship with your mother. You said he was always very gentle with her, but do you truly believe that he loved her?"

  "Um...I'm not sure. Like I said before, he never hurt her and always treated her like she was special to him, but in love with her? I...I just don't know. Why does it matter? My mom's gone and even if he did love her, she loved my dad...not Terrance."

  "I know that, Rose. Please understand, I'm not trying to insinuate they were having an affair, but Terrance has claimed he wants vengeance on Meredith for killing your mom...the woman he loved."

  I was suddenly on my feet. "What? He wants to go after Meredith to avenge my mom?"

  "Yes, that's what he said."

  "Well, isn't that a good thing? That he's remembering and wanting to go after her?"

  "Yes, I'm very happy he's showing signs of drifting back and that his memories are returning. But what I'm concerned about is that he may be using his feelings for your mother as an excuse to get released, when instead he could be following Meredith's commands without our knowledge. That's why I'm asking your opinion. Looking back, do you think he was truly in love with your mother?"

  I thought about my response and knew what I'd say could make a difference in Terrance's release or not. But if he was willing to go after the person who killed my mom, I thought the risk was worth it. "Yes. Thinking back to their interactions, I could definitely see that he was in love with her."

  "Alright. Thank you, Rose. I have a lot to think about, but just know that as soon as I hear from Balam I'll call a meeting to discuss our plans t
o go after Meredith. I want to make sure you'll be there. No more secrets, I promise."

  "Thank you, Evie. That means a lot to me."

  I watched as she gracefully made her way out the door and thought to myself...no more secrets? Yeah, right.

  * * * * *

  (Christian)

  As I rounded the corner at the end of the hall, I saw Evie knocking on Rose's and my door. She rarely entered our private rooms, so I was more than curious about her presence here.

  I watched as Rose answered the door and then Evie disappeared inside. I thought now was as good a time as any to practice my newly developing skills, so I eased up to the door and flattened myself against the outside wall.

  I'd never tried to use my super-hearing on purpose before, so I was unsure of how to even begin. But remembering the advice Evie had once given me, I began to relax and concentrated on exactly what I wanted to do.

  I took four deep breaths as I imagined my ears opening up to let the outside thoughts around me filter in and then I heard Evie asking Rose, "...but do you truly believe that he loved her?"

  I remained calm and listened as Evie continued to talk to Rose about Terrance and his feelings about her mother. But it didn't take long for me to realize that I couldn't hear anything Rose was thinking in response. The thoughts rapidly drifted away and I was left with nothing but my irritation.

  Why did Rose still feel like she had to hide her thoughts around us? I knew that was exactly what she was doing because she'd explained Terrance had once informed her it was necessary. At the time though, she didn't know that only Evie and Dax were capable of scanning, and they could only see the thoughts of what you were immediately thinking. We explained all of this to her, and I thought she trusted us enough to no longer feel it was necessary. Guess I was wrong.

  I supposed I couldn't blame her for not wanting Evie to know what she was thinking at the moment. I'm sure her head was spinning, having to contemplate another man besides her father being in love with her mom. Under those circumstances, I would probably want to keep those thoughts private too.