“Adam, just drop it,” I pleaded. “Samuel doesn’t mean any harm.”
“He doesn’t, eh?” Adam said coolly. “He seems to mean harm any chance he gets.”
Samuel snorted. “Oh, of course,” he muttered sarcastically. “Look, Adam, I know you have not seen Julia in a long time, but tread a little more lightly here. She has been with us for about a year, and we have taken care of her. You were not around.”
“No, really? She was married, Samuel,” Adam said in response. “It would have been called adultery.”
“I’m well aware of that,” Samuel said dryly.
“Then what the bloody hell is your problem?”
I looked towards Mary Anne for help. All she did was look back at me and shrug helplessly. She still looked angry, but resigned at the same time.
“You know what my problem is,” Samuel said evenly.
I am glad Adam does, because I do not. I have no idea why you like fighting each other, I thought.
“Well, Samuel, let me clarify a few things here. You just came into her life, O Great One. I’ve known her for years. She made me a vampire to be with her. She said she loves me. So back off.”
Matthew stifled a laugh. “O Great One? That young one been reading my mind tonight.” He looked towards me and tried to stop laughing.
Samuel began to say something else but I interrupted yet again. “Would you two stop bickering like schoolboys? We’re not going to get anything done if we fight each other!” I shouted angrily. “And it will make us unhappy,” I said in a much quieter voice.
They glanced at me, surprise on their faces. I supposed they had forgotten that I was in the room. I didn’t want them to fight anymore. I have gone through enough fights with Gregory to last me a lifetime. I didn’t need my surrogate family to quarrel like this. It tore me apart in ways I couldn’t even have begun to describe, and it scared me as well.
“I don’t understand what you’re fighting about, but stop,” I continued, seeing I still had their attention. “Just stop,” I said shakily, holding back tears.
For a second it seemed they actually would stop. Samuel had even turned away to sit down again when Adam said something. It was so soft I couldn’t hear it, but Samuel obviously did. He whipped around and for the first time I saw his body tense with anger. “Do not tell me what to do,” he said in a low growl.
“Then do not tell me what to do.”
“Adam, please!” I shouted. Why did he have to say something else when it was obvious that Samuel was ready to drop the argument? Men! I felt I would never understand them. I didn’t know if there was any way to stop the fight now, but I did know that the pain of my past had bubbled up and poisoned my emotions already once tonight. I didn’t think I could bear it happening now, a second time.
“Do not be so touchy about this Adam. It does no one any good to be overly jealous.”
“Well then, Samuel, stop trying to seduce her!”
What did Adam mean by that? Was Samuel . . . no, he couldn’t be. Surely Adam was overreacting. After all, we weren’t in the human society anymore, so we could be much more open with each other than Adam was accustomed to.
“The way they’re going, they’ll be at it all night,” Jeffrey muttered.
My nerves were already on edge, and the last comments by Adam and Samuel sent me right over that edge. “Damn you both. I cannot bear this anymore!” I ran for the door, opened it and ran outside.
Dimly, I heard Adam yell, “Look what you have done, Samuel!” I heard him start after me. “Julia! You cannot go out alone!”
I heard others follow him outside. There were a few yells and a couple of thuds. Mary Anne’s voice rang out clearly above the noise. “No! You are not going after her! Leave her alone, both of you!”
I didn’t bother to look back. I fled into town and took refuge in one of the inns. I sat down at a table at the back of the room and buried my face into my hands.
A minute or so later I became aware of two very familiar voices, ones I hadn’t heard for almost two years.
“Crystal, you must make an effort to overcome this melancholia. It isn’t good for you.”
It was my brother and sister. I remained very still and listened.
“How am I supposed to feel, Peter? Damien is away attending to a sick friend, I lost my mother, my sister, and my niece all within three years,” Crystal answered, her voice filled with despair.
Peter sighed. “Juliana was a headstrong fool and deserved anything and everything that happened to her.”
Anger flashed through me but I carefully restrained myself from getting up. I was drastically tempted to go over and give my brother the shock of his life.
“Julia was married off when she was fifteen-years-old, against her will. She did not deserve anything that had happened to her! She did not deserve being treated the way Gregory treated her and you know it! You are cruel, Peter, and if you and Father had not forced our sister to marry Gregory, she wouldn’t have had to suffer as much as she did!” I peered through my fingers and saw them a few rows away getting up, still arguing. They were facing away from me. I leaned back into the shadows until they left, just in case they glanced my way.
After they were gone, I raised my hand to get the attention of one of the innkeepers. The man gave me an odd look, probably because I was an unaccompanied woman. “What will it be?” he asked after a second.
“Bring me wine, please.” I ignored the look. I did not know if vampires could get drunk but I was determined to try. I would find out tonight.
“Red or white?”
“I do not care. Just give me some wine,” I snapped, staring straight into his eyes. I put a little power into the stare, just enough for him to stop asking questions.
He hurried off with a frown and returned with a tall glass of white wine. I took the glass from him and finished it in several gulps. I never had the opportunity to use alcohol to drown my sorrows. Gregory had never allowed me drink much. I supposed if he had, I would have been a drunkard as a human. I ordered another glass.
Four glasses of wine later, I was indeed drunk. I had the answer to my question: vampires could indeed become inebriated. I stood up, threw several coins down (though I didn’t remember having any money with me) and left.
I walked a little further down the lane on unsteady feet and entered another inn. I sat down and ordered red wine this time. My legs might have been unsteady, but I was mindful to ensure my fangs were not showing when I smiled.
Our fangs were sharper and slightly longer than a human’s incisors, but careful lip movements hid them from sight.
I was half done with my first glass when a strange man sat down across from me. He had longish black hair and dark eyes, and it took me a few minutes to realize he was a vampire. I let out a long exasperated sigh. “If you want to kill me, at least wait until I’m finished with my wine.” My voice were slurred, and sounded strange to my ears.
The vampire smiled. “Congratulations. You’re the first vampire ever to get drunk. Why would I want to kill you?” There was amusement in his voice.
“Let me see. Everyone seems to have it in for me lately. I was nearly killed last night, and today my housemates are all fighting like lunatics.”
He gave me an odd look. “Really? Who are you and what’s so special about you that everyone wants to kill you?”
I shrugged. “I guess I’m just a special girl. No, actually the question is who are you and what the hell do you want? I came out here to be alone,” I said, finishing my glass. I promptly ordered another.
“Girl, you do not need any more wine.”
“Oh, but I do. And do not call me ‘girl.’ Now answer my question before I get up and leave.”
He sighed. “The name is Richard and I am looking for Samuel.” He looked at me closely. “I don’t suppose you know who that is.”
I began to laugh. “Samuel?” I laughed even harder. “Oh, yes, I know who he is. I just left his company. Why do you wan
t to see him?”
“What’s so funny?”
I shook my head. “Nothing. What do you want, Richard? I think he’s busy right now.”
Richard frowned. “Who are you?”
I grinned. “I’m Julia, Samuel’s fledgling. Everyone tries to kill me, and it’s rather funny really, their thinking I’m a threat.”
Richard nodded, but said nothing.
“So, Richard, you probably don’t want to see Samuel right now. He was in a middle of a fight when I left.”
“Oh. Well, at least you still have all your Resistance members.”
“You are Resistance too? You are the first Resistance member I’ve met outside of my little group. What’s going on? I feel so privileged.”
Richard’s expression seemed to darken but he waited to speak until after I received my wine. As soon as the waiter left and I began to drink, he spoke again. “I came here looking for your maker because we are in trouble.”
“Explain,” I said simply and continued to sip my wine.
Richard inhaled deeply and dropped his gaze. “Two days ago, some of Valentino’s followers attacked and killed my entire group. I was out hunting at the time.” His voice was soft and I heard the unmistakable trace of guilt in his voice. I was far too familiar with the emotion.
“I am sorry, Richard. What do you mean ‘we’re in trouble’ then, if you are the sole survivor?”
“I mean the entire Resistance. Yesterday, on my way here to London, I got word from another group that they were attacked also, and three of their seven members were killed.”
“Bloody hell,” I muttered, thinking how lucky we were last night. “So why do you want to see Samuel?”
“And now I find out from you that your group was attacked too. Were any of you killed?”
“No, though two of us quite nearly were. One was very badly injured.”
“How many members do you have who are fairly healthy?”
“Eight of us,” I answered.
Richard nodded. “You are the only Resistance group within three towns that is still close to full strength. We’re being tracked down, killed, or seriously crippled. We need to get a movement together to strike back, to force them to stop.”
I frowned, understanding what he was saying, even as drunk as I was. I finished my wine and set the glass down. “I thought they weren’t supposed to go after other vampires unless someone directly challenges them?”
“They’re not. Obviously, the rules have changed,” Richard answered thinly. “No one has gone after them. We are not ready to make a challenge, only to give them problems. That’s why it’s so important that I talk to Samuel. He is the leader of the entire Resistance Movement. He needs to know what is happening.”
I scowled. “I am not going back home,” I said, ordering another glass of wine.
“Julia, stop that! You are going to pass out!”
“I don’t care, Richard. Let my fledgling and Samuel beat each other up all night.”
Richard looked at me. “Why are they fighting?”
“I don’t know. I guess they annoyed each other again,” I shrugged and picked up my glass. “Anyway, I’m sick of all their nonsense, especially after I implored them to stop, so I left. I’ve been going to inns ever since.”
“What glass is that?” Richard asked. “How much did you drink?”
“This is my seventh glass,” I replied calmly. “At least, I think it is. I don’t know, maybe I lost count.”
Richard winced. “Why don’t I take you home now, Julia?”
“No,” I replied flatly. “They need to learn a lesson. I am not going home tonight. So you can either stay with me or try to find them on your own. And I will not tell you where they are either, because then you will tell them where I am.”
Richard shook his head. “Why is it that you can think clearly about that, when you are intoxicated to the verge of passing out?”
“Maybe it has something to do with being accustomed to being beaten by my husband,” I muttered.
Richard looked at me sharply. “What?”
I silently swore at myself. I must have been drunker than I realized to be saying that so carelessly. I pushed away my half empty glass. “I just said that it must be because I’m used to getting hurt accidentally during training,” I replied. I got up abruptly and swayed on my feet. I dug into my pockets and found more coins. I threw them on the table. “I need a place to sleep,” I said, looking around. I suddenly felt disorientated. I tried to take a step and nearly fell into the table. Several men from nearby tables suddenly looked at us with keen interest.
Richard rose and grasped my arm. “The sun will be up in about a half an hour. How about the rooms above, if you are truly determined not to go home?”
I nodded, looking at the other men. “Whose idea was this anyway?” I muttered quietly.
“I think it was yours, Julia.”
“Oh, silly idea. What on earth was I thinking? Oh well, it is too late now. I want to go to sleep.”
Richard put his arm around my waist and helped me over to the stairs leading to the rooms. “I wouldn’t be able to tell you what you were thinking, Julia. Perhaps you wanted to make Samuel and the other fellow worry about you. But it is all right. You will be safe.”
“Aye, yes, I suppose so. I will probably be safer with the Irish’s little leprechauns . . . whatever they will look like,” I replied. I had no idea what I was saying. I heard Richard laugh though, right before I passed out.
Chapter 11
Very gradually I awoke, with no understanding of where I was or why I was lying in a strange bed. Almost as gradually, I remembered. I had not returned home last night. But where was I?
I inspected my surroundings. The room was sparsely furnished. In a chair on the other side of it sat the vampire I had met the night before. My goodness, what was I thinking, going off with a strange male? Oh yes. I was drunk last night. I wasn’t thinking much at all. I sighed and slowly sat up.
“Hello, sleepyhead,” he said quietly.
“Your name is Richard, is it not?”
“Aye. I’m surprised you remember, you were so intoxicated when I introduced myself.”
“I have a prodigious memory. How on earth did I get here?”
Richard laughed. “You passed out. I carried you upstairs and put you to bed.”
I frowned, suddenly worried. “Please don’t tell me —”
Richard rolled his eyes. “Nay. I do not share a bed with strangers, and even if I did, I would not have with you. Samuel would have killed me, not to mention the other man you said he was fighting with.”
“Well, yes, you have that right,” I muttered, getting up. I smoothed out my dress the best I could and ran a hand through my hair. Surprisingly, I felt reasonably well despite all the alcohol I had consumed the night before. There’s an advantage to drinking as a vampire: apparently we are spared the unpleasant effects I had observed in humans the morning after overindulging.
“Thank you Richard, for keeping me safe. That was rather foolish of me to do, I admit. I’m a woman; I should have at least had a drinking partner if I wanted to get that drunk.”
Richard smiled. “Live and learn. I was surprised to see you alone downstairs. Usually we try to act human in public.”
I laughed. “True, but I wanted to be alone. I really didn’t feel like acting like a human.” A deep sigh escaped me. “I suppose I should be on my way home before they send out a search party.”
“What’s wrong, Julia?”
“You wouldn’t understand,” I said, shaking my head.
“What wouldn’t I understand?”
“Forget it,” I said harshly on my way to the door. I opened it and looked back at him. “Are you coming?”
Richard nodded and followed me out. We walked down the stairs and left the inn. I turned west and Richard followed. “You are so elusive about what’s bothering you,” he said quietly.
“It’s personal,” I answered, and
kept walking. “What time is it?”
“Probably about two hours to midnight,” Richard replied. The uncanny ability to know time was useful. We vampires seem to have an internal clock which is usually correct. I suppose it is because we need to know exactly when dawn will break.
I scowled. “If it was not so important that I take you to Samuel, Richard, I wouldn’t be going home now.”
“You really do not like their fighting, do you?”
“I hate it when they fight. I wish they would learn to get along.”
“I can tell,” Richard said, moving a step away.
Good man, I thought. Out loud I said, “I don’t like very many people, Richard. It tears me apart when I see people I am fond of fight like that.”
“Do you like me?”
“I haven’t decided,” I replied frankly. Richard shook his head but said nothing. We were silent the rest of the way, myself absorbed in my resentment and Richard out of respect, it seemed. I began to like him more and more. Perhaps he could become a friend, who knows?
Finally, we arrived and I gazed at the house. I did not want to venture inside yet. This was the first time I had not thought of this place as home or a safe haven. It made me angry, but even more, it saddened me more. Richard looked towards me expectedly. I was tempted to tell him to go up and knock on the door himself, but then realized that the others would find out one way or another that he had contact with me.
“Will you get in trouble?”
I shrugged. “They can all burn in hell as far as I am concerned.”
“I thought you only used this language while drunk.”
“No, actually, I’ve made a vow to use it more often.”
“How ladylike,” Richard commented sarcastically.
“Damn being ladylike. I spent my entire miserable human life being ladylike. I do it no more,” I approached the door and knocked, though of course I could have walked right in as I always did. I suppressed a snicker as the door immediately swung open. I knew someone had been waiting for that knock since I left.
Lost Soul (War of Destiny Book 1) Page 15
