Congregation Of Darkness (Full Moon Series Book 2)

by P. Mattern

  Charley’s eyes softened as he returned her gaze, and he gently lifted her hand that was resting on his and brought it to his lips.

  “I will always love you too. As fiercely as you do me. It’s in our Southern genes. Devotion I believe it’s called.”

  Cass and Mitzi departed the next day. Before she went into work Fress drove them to the transatlantic portal to Paris and they waved goodbye gaily as they entered it. It was one of the sky portals ,but only 500 feet above the ground ,and she waved back at them until they disappeared inside it, Cass keeping a protective arm around Mitzi the entire time as they-and the babies she was carrying-floated inside it. This was a sort of honeymoon for Mitzi and Cass, she reflected, and she sincerely hoped they enjoyed themselves thoroughly. She thought idly of taking Daniel to Paris, because she missed the city of Lights and also the provincial countryside, having spent several centuries there.

  Charley had gotten up early to see his mom and Cass off also and planned to be in classes most of the day. He had promised his mom that he would look after Buttercup, and made sure the wet nurse was comfortably settled in for the day. Buttercup had insisted on giving both Cass and Mitzi a feeding before they departed, even though they were so excited about their tiny vacation that neither of them were very hungry ,so she didn’t actually need Charley to feed on her ,but Charley asked for a light feeding session anyway, sensing that Buttercup was feeling somewhat lost without Mitzi around. Buttercup offered to cook dinner and even though it would just be the two of them Charley enthusiastically accepted ,planning to invite Merilee over for the meal in the evening.

  Two days passed quietly and without incident. Charley attended class and had Merilee stay with him at Mitzi’s underpopulated house, a change of pace that they both enjoyed. Buttercup fussed over Charley and his new girlfriend just as she had catered to Cass and Mitzi. On a whim, Charley and Merilee invited Buttercup to come with them to see a movie, an activity that the wetnurse had never experienced. The couple were amused at Buttercup’s over-the-top reaction to the experiences of the characters involved-Buttercup both laughed and cried, called out warnings to the cast as danger approached and seemed to vicariously experience everything the film had to offer. Charley and Merilee found themselves more entertained by Buttercups antics than they were by the movie.

  On the evening of the third day of Mitzi and Cass’s retreat ,Mitzi and Cass called to check in and make sure everyone was okay and told him excitedly that they were having a wonderful time.

  Charley hadn’t meant to spend that night at Merilee’s apartment,but at some point ,after a rigorous lovemaking session they collapsed in her bed, bodies langorously entwined as they slept together. Fress had had the intention of calling Mitzi’s house to check on Charley and Buttercup, but Daniel had fallen asleep in her arms that evening ,and exhausted herself ,she soon joined him in dreamless sleep.

  Only Mitzi, hundreds of miles away in the Ritz Hotel in Paris, awakened early,her heart pounding unevenly in her chest as a panicked feeling overwhelmed her.

  Cass immediately sat up and drew her to him.

  “Vivi? What the hell? Are you okay??”

  “Cass?” she responded querrilously.”I think something bad is about to happen at home-I saw it-like a home invasion…can we leave ?”

  Cass hesitated just an instant, then realized that he was with a ‘thrice-bitten’ now and Mitzi’s prescient abilities were ramped up to that level.

  There was no reasoning or arguing with a vampire operating on that level of prescience.

  “Sure.” He responded, his keen disappointment causing him to become instantly awake. Quickly he shucked off the deep royal blue silk pajamas that Mitzi had insited on buying for him in Paris and pulled on jeans and a casual shirt. Mitzi wordlessly grabbed clothing and began shoving it back in her travel bag at double speed.

  Looking over the bed at her, her strawberry blonde hair awry ,her baby bump obviously big enough now to impede her progress, he fervently wished that they could have had one last, leisurely morning in Paris. He crossed over to her, saying, ”Let me help my love. Remember me? I’m the travel bag genie! I can get that beast of a bag to close, even with a few new outfits tucked in.”

  Mitzi nodded gratefully.

  “I’m so sorry “ she said, looking up at Cass, ”I just can’t stay when I have…this feeling. I’ll make it up to you, I swear.”

  “Hey you!” he said scooping her up for an embrace. ”Nothing to apologize for. I’d rather be with you wherever you are…even though this has been fun. I love our life together Vivi!”

  Cass muscled up all the luggage and Mitzi had to run to keep up with his long strides in the hallway as they began their return trip home.

  About the time Mitzi sat bolt upright in bed, Buttercup the wetnurse, puttering around the kitchen in Mitzi’s big ,empty house in Fort Hunt stood stock still in her Dearfoam bedroom slippers. Being a clone(#352) created expressly for wetnursing, Buttercup had a heightened and sophisticated olfactory sense that assisted her in the services she provided. She had a keen sense of when a vampire was dehydrated-to her that condition in someone she was close to produced an arid dry leaf smell-though it was an undetectable smell to vamps and humans. She was also sensitive to blood smells of different types, especially the smell of a wounded human. Blood issuing from a wound had its own bouquet ,a piquant odor as opposed to blood in a bag or glass container. She also could discern different types of grass, tell the source of water (tap,river,fresh spring). She could also sniff out the elusive black truffle in a forest setting, much like the trained pigs in France.

  But she was smelling none of these as she stood frozen in place in Mitzi’s kitchen. What she was smelling, with her exceptionally refined olfactory abilities, was the strong smell of ancient massive stone, and earth.

  The odors caused a shudder to run through her. It was the familiar smell of Faquier Hall, Adrastos’ castle home carved into the side of a mountain. Or another mountain or cave dwelling. But the fact that Buttercup could smell that particular odor at that moment, and in Mitzi’s kitchen no less, was unfathomable.

  Buttercup wouldn’t have time to continue her pondering, however, as in the next moment she was roughly grabbed from behind by a hooded figure that pulled her head upwards and back by her long hair, simultaneously holding the rusted, dirty serrated blade of a hunting knife against her throat, pressed tightly enough against her pale delicate skin so that she felt the prick of the sawtoothed edges.

  “WHERE ARE THEY?” the perpetrator hissed menacingly, pressing the knife blade more deeply into her throat.

  Buttercups heart was beating so rapidly she had trouble catching her breath to answer.

  “Gone!” she cried, ”They’re away on a trip!” As she answered she heard the trampling of heavy footsteps seemingly all over the house-up and down the stairs, upstairs overhead, and in other rooms on the main floor .Occasionally she heard ominous thumps and the sound of glass breaking.

  The man holding her spun her around to face him just as two others entered the kitchen. He was still holding the knife between him.

  “What ARE you girlie?” the man asked, giving Buttercup a onceover. “You look like a human… but you don’t smell like one, does she boys?”

  Nearly frozen with fear and stuttering as she spoke, with great difficulty she answered.

  “A -w-w-w-wetnurse…a clone. I work h-h-here.” She said, her teeth chattering.

  One of the men seemed to recognize her designation, and smiled.

  “Oh I know what this is-she’s made for services-either feeding vampires or humping them. I’ve heard of such. Hey!” the dirty black haired male with tusklike teeth said grabbing her arm to pull her toward him-“Are you a runaway from Castle Adrastos?”

  Buttercup’s terror heightened to the point of causing her to become mute, and all she could do was shake her head .In the doorway she could see other hooded figures staring at her. And then the unthinkable happened.

  With a
war whoop the hybrids swooped into the kitchen and began violently tearing off her clothes. Two of them jumped back in disgust as they viewed her frontal nudity.

  “Ugh,” said one of them.”Look at that. She’s got nothing there. What a waste.” He finished disappointedly ,backing away from her.”Why have the fine big breasts and no-“Without finishing his sentence he turned and stamped out of the room. One of the other males followed. calling back over his shoulder to the man with the knife, ”Coming Uric?”

  Buttercups eyes rolled back in her head and she slumped forward in a dead faint over the untidy pile of her torn clothing. The dark long haired male with the cromagnon brow looked down contemplatively at Buttercups generously proportioned, dimpled behind. A unsavory gleam came into his eyes and he began fumbling with the laced up crotch of his loose fitting leather britches hurriedly.

  “You go on and finish the search. I have some unfinished business with the clone here.”

  Charley hadn’t been crazy about going back over to Mitzi’s that night, but a promise was a promise, and he had promised his mother he would keep an eye on her house-and in particular Buttercup. After the sexual exertions of that evening that Merilee had demanded from him ,he was definitely tempted to skip it ,but a combined sense of both guilt and duty prevented him from drifting off to sleep at Merilees.

  The spring evening was calm and serene as he kissed his lover goodnight and ran out to the parking lot. Even though he still got a pang when he thought of Fress ,he thought of her less often, and realized that even though they were no longer a couple they were still part of an amazing blended family and surrounded by love. In his slowly maturing mind it was what mattered the most.

  Having an affair with Merilee had cleared his head and shifted his perspective. Now-not limited by a finite course of human years, immortality gave him a less rigid view of loving, love affairs, and existence in general. He was finally beginning to understand why sexual fidelity ,although a HUGE sticking point in relationships for humans ,was not such a big deal one way or another in the existence of most vampires. For vampires, biting and being bitten was the most intimate act, the one that connected them more deeply and permanently than sexual relations ever could. In many ways, blood and venom had a mystical and creative power surpassing even the wonder of procreation.

  Charley was lost deeply in his train of thought as he pulled onto his street, and nearly passed his house because it was completely lit up. It seemed as if all the lights in the house were blazing, and as he pulled into the driveway he noticed that though the storm door was closed, the front door of the house was wide open, pouring a golden square of interior light onto the front walkway.’WTF’? he wondered as he surveyed the over-the top illumination of the domicile.

  Hurriedly he parked in the driveway ,and jumped out. By the time he reached the wide-open front door he was running, looking around him as he ran as though he expected to see … actually he didn’t know WHAT he was expecting to see. Maybe something that could explain the “open house.”

  Stepping inside he called out ”Buttercup?” and stood still for a moment to discern any movement or noise. There was none, so he repeated calling for the wetnurse.

  On his third call, as he made his way in ,half in shock at the wild disarray that greeted his eyes as he glanced inside every room that he passed, he got a response-a low moan issuing from the kitchen. The scene that confronted his eyes as he entered the kitchen was something he wouldn’t forget for an eternity.

  Buttercup ,as completely nude as a Botticelli model, lay facedown on the floor on a pile of her clothing. There was blood issuing from somewhere underneath her, making stains on the fabric and ,smears of blood on the floor in places. Barely breathing himself , Charley reached out a tentative hand to feel for Buttercups pulse and found it-weak, fluttering but still detectable .And then he heard someone behind him .He whirled around ,fangs out, and prepared to attack. But it was Ariel and Celeste standing there their eyes wide, their faces with a stunned expresseion.

  Looking up into the faces of Ariel and Celeste he realized that the horrified expressions on their faces must have mirrored his own.

  “HYBRIDS!” Celeste exclaimed. Just then Buttercup moaned and Charley stood back as Celeste and Ariel scooped her up and flew upstairs with her.

  They couldn’t exactly call 911.

  Celeste was back down in the kitchen shortly, telling Charley she’d contacted a vampire doctor from out of town that had experience in treating clones and was familiar with their unique physiology and it would be mere minutes before Buttercup was examined.

  “She’s an expert-Buttercup has been traumatized though Charley…and clones have delicate systems. Most don’t live long anyway, even by human standards. We’ll just have to wait and see.”

  Charley was on his knees with a kitchen towel trying to clean up the blood on the floor, his head bent down, his hair hanging over his face.. He was feeling pure anguish and rage on Buttercups behalf, and his fangs were still partially extruded due to his upset emotional state. He looked up at Celeste, pain showing in his eyes, and said three words that came out sounding like broken thunder.

  “THEY RAPED HER.”

  Celeste nodded. Charley thought he could see tears standing in her eyes as she stood there, running one hand through her hair . She looked stunned.

  “Ariel and I washed her off and dressed her in a clean gown. I was getting visuals but didn’t know what I was seeing at first. We came as soon as I could figure out what was going on… but too late. I’m so sorry Charley.”

  It suddenly occurred to Charley that it was fortunate that Cass and Mitzi were still out of town, that it might have been his own pregnant mother that he found lying on the floor-then he remembered that she probably would have been with Cass-and Cass would have protected her and Buttercup at any cost.

  “I should call Cass.” He said, standing up. ”Maybe they can stay away a few more days, until we figure out what’s going on-why we’re being hunted.”

  “Too late for that,” Celeste replied. “Mitzi picked up on what happened her using her thrice-bitten prescient abilities. They’ve already contacted Lux to pick them up from the portal landing. I told Lux that under no circumstances should her bring Mitzi here. He’s going to try to enlist Fress to keep her at the cottage. But Lux and Cass will be here, and soon.

  Charley felt a little better realizing that Cass and Lux were coming. They were his brothers-in-arms, and he knew that together the three of them would get to the bottom of who was responsible for such an outrage.

  There was a tentative knock on the front door and Celeste exited to usher in a beautiful woman with long dark hair and an unusual scar that covered one of her cheeks. It was in the shape of an encircled septagram. The vampiress introduced herself as Sephla.

  “This is the nurse I spoke of before,” Celeste explained. ”She has experience caring for clones-she once lived at Faquier Hall.”

  Charley’s mouth almost fell open, but since time was of the essence, he decided wisely to reserve his questions for later. He knew that the vampiress Sephla must have a story to tell…probably an ugly one, judging by the deeply etched scar on her right cheek, which he now recognized as a branded mark, a mark that must have been branded onto her face by a hot branding iron before she had been turned-otherwise it would have been healed.

  Charley sat down heavily in a chair to wait for the arrival of the others. He felt at least a century old.

  As soon as Lux picked Mitzi and Cass up at the portal site, he gave Mitzi a hug and, looking over her head at Cass exchanged a meaningful look with his brother. Cass immediately nodded-he understood that, whatever had transpired at Mitzi’s house, Mitzi must be kept away from there for her own sake and the sakes of her unborn children. Both the twins realized that it would be a tall order, given Mitzi’s Southern penchant for being headstrong. But they were determined.

  Mitzi started her protest as soon as she realized Lux was traveling toward the opposite
end of town from where her house was.

  “LUX!” she cried with urgency, raising her voice to him for the first time in Lux’s memory. ”No side trips-I need to get home right away!”

  Cass, sitting beside her in one of the back seats as Lux played chauffeur was prepared for her protest-and prepared to restrain her ,as gently as possible, if he had to.

  “My love,” he said in a gentle voice ,as though speaking to a wild mare getting ready to bolt, ”You were right. Something bad has happened. Charley is fine, he is there now with Ariel and Celeste.

  But it’s not safe for you to return there yet, Mitzi. And you are not going to…think of the babies inside you. I know you want to go-I know how badly you feel you HAVE to go…but I can’t allow that. I’m so sorry.”

  Mitzi stared at him as he spoke, her face changing from shock to seething anger to-finally- something unreadable. Archly, even though Cass could tell her heart was not completely in it, she said in a harsh voice.

  “I am a thrice-bitten Cass. If I want to go there even the BOTH of you can’t stop me!”

  Watching the exchange between Mitzi and Cass by looking in the rearview mirror as he sat up front in the SUV drivers seat Lux sent up a silent prayer that he wouldn’t have to assist Cass in restraining Mitzi. Lux wasn’t entirely sure of what she was capable of given her more powerful, thrice bitten status, but he knew he didn’t want to be on the receiving in or anything she might dish out. The next few seconds ticked by with maximum tension.

  “Mitzi” Cass said quietly, cupping her chin in one of his hands . Looking deeply into her eyes he could see the reflection of the wild hurt she was feeling, ”Please. The children.”

  He gently rested his other hand lightly on her abdomen, and saw something change in her eyes as her shoulders slumped.

  “I’m sorry. You’re right…but promise me you’ll be careful, both of you. And make sure that Charley and Buttercup are safe.”