by Kristen Reed
“That makes sense,” I said carefully.
“You don’t approve?”
“Your lifestyle is still very foreign to me and we don’t share the same moral standards, so I’m having a hard time putting myself in your shoes and understanding your choices.”
“It won’t be foreign for long,” he pointed out with a smile. “While I’ll return to my old life after this, there will be an important new addition to it.”
“Are you getting a dog,” I joked.
Augustus laughed and shook his head.
“I take being a maker very seriously, which means that I will be very involved in your life for a while,” he reminded me. “I also plan to continue cultivating our friendship even after you’re on your feet.”
“That’s fine with me as long as you’re okay with keeping our friendship PG-rated platonic.”
“PG-rated platonic it is,” he smirked in agreement. “Having you as a friend will definitely be an exercise in self-control.”
“I thought you were already a master of self-control.”
“Yes, but now I’ll actually have to practice it since most women don’t require me to.”
“What are your other friends like,” I deflected. “Are all of your friends vampires or are there a few humans in the mix?”
“The majority of my associates are vampires and the ones who aren’t desperately want to be,” he answered. “My closest friend, Liam, used to work for The Vampire League. He’s one of the few vampires who voluntarily resigned from his position.”
“Why did he leave?”
“He grew tired of the inherent danger that came with being a lord. As I mentioned before, vampires frequently challenge one another to duels to climb the ladder of success in the league. As the lord of a highly coveted area, he was constantly fighting and preparing for duels,” Augustus explained. “After an opponent nearly killed him in one particularly vicious match, he decided to step down so he could actually enjoy his immortality.”
“I’d probably do the same thing. I couldn’t imagine having to fight for my life all the time. It sounds exhausting.”
“Since Liam was bit of a romantic, he wasn’t fond of living a life steeped in death and having to harden his heart when he could have been enjoying the world’s beauty,” he continued. “He’s been away from the league for fifty years now and he’s almost back to his old self.”
“How has working for the league changed you?”
“Unlike Liam, I don’t hate the lifestyle I’ve earned. I’ve become smarter and craftier since I won my first duel, and I’ve also been able to enjoy the fruits of my labor.”
“Have you become more cold-hearted like he did?”
“My heart was barely tepid to begin with thanks to what happened with Cassandra,” he reminded me. “Spending time with someone tender-hearted like you has definitely helped thaw it a little.”
“If you think I’m tender-hearted, you should meet my friend Grace. She cries every time she sees a commercial about abused animals or engagement rings.”
Augustus laughed as he leaned back on his elbows.
“You are incapable of taking a compliment.”
“No, I’m not. I just know my strengths and weaknesses, so when someone says something I don’t necessarily think is true, I won’t agree with them.”
“Would you agree if I said that you were courageous?”
“I don’t know.”
“What about if I said that you were beautiful?”
I rolled my eyes.
“No, and it’s not because of false modesty or insecurity. I think I look nice enough if I’m wearing makeup, but guys tend to overlook me without it. How I look isn’t terribly important in the grand scheme of things, so it doesn’t really matter anyway.”
“I’ve never seen you with a stitch of makeup on and I think you’re gorgeous,” he countered. “Though beauty is more than the sum of your physical assets and whatever you paint on top of them, you’re fortunate enough to have both inner and outer beauty.”
I narrowed my eyes and tilted my head slightly.
“I can’t tell … Are you lecturing me or trying to seduce me with flattery?”
“Seduction wouldn’t work on you. You’re too strong-willed,” Augustus said. “Most women in your shoes would have compromised their morals by now.”
“Even under these circumstances?”
“Especially under these circumstances. Women have disrobed during less harrowing situations with much less effort on my part. When faced with stress and life-threatening danger, people either rise to the occasion and reveal hidden strengths or try to distract themselves from their dire circumstances with varying forms of pleasure.”
My thoughts immediately turned to Connor and Leah and my mood deflated as I glanced down at the last few bites of my dinner. The vampires had placed them in the same situation and they’d both responded very differently. I didn’t want to think of Leah as weak, but her struggles had been closer to the surface than Connor’s were and more easily aroused by the vampires’ manipulation. That turmoil didn’t spontaneously develop when Emmanuel’s men kidnapped her, and his supernatural suggestion wouldn’t magically heal her now that she was home. She had deep wounds that only Christ could heal, and I hoped that she would find the healing she needed before they caused her more harm than they already had.
“You’re thinking of your friends,” Augustus observed.
“I just wish things had turned out differently for Leah. I know Connor is suffering too, but he’ll forget about the physical abuse. Leah will still be stuck with her doubts.”
“Maybe you can help her with that when you return.”
“Getting closer to me is probably not the best thing for her. She may figure out that I’m holding something back, and that will make it harder for her to trust me.”
“If she’s perceptive enough to tell that you’re holding back, she’ll also sense that your guidance is coming from a place of love,” he pointed out. “You could tell her enough of the truth to appease her curiosity without revealing everything.”
“Maybe … We’ll see. I really need to pray about it because I don’t want to hurt Leah. She’s already been through so much.”
“What other concerns do you have?”
“One thing I’ve been avoiding thinking about is the fact that I don’t know who my biological father is. I know that my mom is my real mother because I look just like her, but the man who raised me was definitely a human because I’ve seen him outside in the sun more times than I can count. Is there any way I can find out who my real father is?”
“The birth of known dhampirs is documented by The Vampire League, and your name is nowhere to be found in our records. I called the headquarters shortly after Emmanuel’s men brought you in. Either your mother didn’t know what you and your biological father were or she decided to keep your unusual nature a secret.”
“Is there a record of vampires who were in Dallas that year?”
“Yes, but not all vampires register their locations … especially if they’re just passing through,” he explained. “Even if you reached out to the men listed in the registry, they might find your line of questioning impertinent. Your investigation would be more fruitful if I was the one conducting it, and I’d be happy to do so once this is over.”
“Thanks. I’ll think about it.”
“Do you think the man who raised you might know anything about your true father?”
I pulled my knees to my chest and wrapped my arms around them as I chewed on his question.
“I don’t know … probably not. Since I’m a dhampir, my mother probably had an affair. Considering how nasty my dad’s temper was, I don’t think he would have stayed married to her as long as he did if he knew that she cheated on him.”
“How long were they married before you were born?”
“About five years.”
“He could have been more forgiving in those few years.”
“I doubt it. I’ve never seen an ounce of mercy or compassion from him.”
“Maybe his resentment toward you is a result of your mother’s indiscretion.”
“That makes sense, but I’m not sure if I want to open that can of worms just yet. He probably doesn’t know anything anyway.”
“Are you reluctant to approach him because you think he will be a dead end or because you’re still afraid of him?”
“Both. I know he won’t be able to hurt me physically. I’m more scared of the hurtful things he may say. I’ve never left a conversation with him feeling anything but defeated and broken.”
“There is a way around that. I could use my influence to temper his tongue during our little interrogation and make him forget that you ever saw one another.”
“I can’t let you manipulate him because I’m a coward. Either I’ll see him without any vampire tricks involved or I won’t see him at all.”
“If you insist.”
“Did you ever see your parents after you became a vampire?”
Augustus’ lips curved into a half-smile.
“Yes. Unluckily for them, I didn’t quite have the same sense of honor that you possess.”
“What did you do?”
“Have you ever seen a grown man crawling on his hands and knees and barking like a small dog in public wearing nothing but his underwear?”
“No, and I hope I never do,” I chuckled.
“Well, half of Florence did several centuries ago. They never let him forget it,” he continued. “What would be the ultimate revenge for you against your father?”
“I don’t want revenge … or at least I don’t want to want it,” I answered. “During some of my darkest days, I’ve wished him dead or hoped that his career as a surgeon would be taken away from him, but holding a grudge never did me any good. It just kept me from moving on and finding joy in my life.”
“What kind of surgeon is he?”
“He’s a cardiothoracic surgeon.”
“So a heartless man spends his time operating on the organ he doesn’t have. How ironic.”
I rolled my eyes.
“I’ve thought the same thing,” I said. “Don’t get me wrong. I pray for him a lot and ask God to soften his heart, but his life is going just fine by his standards from what I’ve heard. He doesn’t think anything he’s done is wrong and he hasn’t suffered any consequences that matter to him, so he doesn’t think he has any reason to change.”
“Did you?”
“Did I what?”
“When you had your encounter with that evangelist, did you feel like your life was on the right path?”
I pressed my lips together for a moment as I mulled over his question.
“Well, my life wasn’t perfect, but I didn’t think I was on the wrong path until that happened.”
“Then perhaps he’ll have a similar encounter one day.”
I smiled and leaned my head to the right slightly.
“Be careful. You’re starting to sound like you have faith.”
“I never said that I didn’t have faith … I just said that I wasn’t a Christian.”
“Then what do you have faith in?”
“Only a fool would deny that there are supernatural forces at work in this world. I have faith that the entity in charge isn’t without mercy and love. After all, we had to have learned it from somewhere.”
“Where do you think we learned evil from?”
“Isaac Newton believed that every force has an equal and opposite, and I’m inclined to believe that applies to the supernatural as well. Whether that good and evil exists in the same being, I haven’t decided.”
“Do you have any enemies?”
“Of course.”
“Are they more powerful than you are?”
“No.”
“Then why haven’t you killed them?”
“Because either they haven’t irritated me enough to incite my wrath or their deaths will serve me better at a later time.”
“Couldn’t the same be true of good and evil? Good lets evil remain because the time for its defeat hasn’t come yet.”
“Possibly,” he said, “and I suppose you believe good to be more powerful?”
“Of course.”
“Why do you think good is bidding its time if it’s more powerful than evil?”
“We all have evil in us. If good — or rather God — completely eradicated evil, where would he draw that line? Would he start with the murderers and rapists or the self-righteous and judgmental,” I asked. “God hasn’t ended the war because he’s still waiting for more people fighting on the other side to defect.”
“You’ve really thought about this, haven’t you?”
“Considering the bad things I’ve lived through and done, I had to think about it.”
“I suppose you did.”
As I waited for Augustus to share more of his thoughts, he simply watched the tiny crab that had scurried into view a few yards away. Despite my desire to find out what he thought about my Christian take on good and evil, I kept quiet. I had a nagging feeling that pressing forward wasn’t the best way to go. I’d given him something new to contemplate, and I had to let it sink in a little.
“So where’s this shelter you wanted to show me,” I asked a few peaceful minutes later.
“It’s not far. Follow me,” he answered as he stood up and offered me his hand.
I let Augustus help me up and he picked up his jacket, dusting the sand off before draping it over his arm. As we walked, he gave me some insight into how he chose the location.
“The other vampires will no doubt seek shelter in the shadows of the trees or risk returning to the house. This area would be too exposed and too far from the house to be a tempting refuge for anyone.”
Augustus and I came to a stop at a section of the beach that was littered with rocks and seashells of various sizes. Some rocks could fit in the palm of my hand, but there were quite a few boulders large enough for two or three people to sit on. After the vampire led me to one of the largest stones by the tree line, he leaned down to grab one of the knobbier parts of the rock. Then, he effortlessly tilted the crag over to reveal a trench. The ditch was about six feet deep with rocks embedded in the walls and a bed of palm fronds and other greenery on the floor. Augustus also had carved a crude handle onto the boulder’s underside, which I assumed he would use to pull the boulder into its original position and shield us from the unusually bright solar eclipse.
“How long did this take?”
“A few minutes.”
“I didn’t realize vampires were that fast,” I admitted.
“We just haven’t needed to show off our abilities in your presence. It’s a shame that you won’t get to see the coven in action on Monday night. Watching them flee from the unusually potent eclipse will be quite the testament to our speed.”
“I bet.”
I wrapped my arms around myself and rocked back and forth on the balls of my feet for a moment as I gazed down at the trench, which seemed no larger than a bathroom stall.
“We’ll have to be down there all day?”
“Yes, but you won’t be conscious until the sun sets Monday evening because of your transformation,” he reminded me. “Even then, I will likely awaken before you do.”
“How will we get off the island?”
“I’ll contact The Vampire League with our exact location after your transformation has begun and they will send a helicopter to pick us up. We will land at a private airfield in Haiti and take my jet back to Dallas. The Haitian authorities will corroborate our story that I spotted you adrift in the sea and brought you back to the island without you ever having to to speak with them. The police will say that they interviewed you at the hospital and, after determining that you truly had no memory of your abduction like the others, they released you into my care to bring you home.”
“And you’ll somehow make sure they believe all of this?”
; “One of my colleagues will influence enough key players in the area to corroborate our story. Considering the slaves’ return, their hands will already be full and they won’t be terribly concerned about a single outlier,” he explained. “You will have to do the same if anyone else approaches you about what happened.”
Even though I couldn’t picture myself messing with someone’s mind, I nodded in acknowledgment. Telling the truth about where I’d been and what I’d become was out of the question. I’d wind up stuck in a padded cell with a very unsatisfying diet, running from a crowd armed with assault rifles and stakes, or strapped to a table in Area 51 with unscrupulous scientists poking and prodding me for the next hundred years. I didn’t want to explore any of those options, and knowing about what happened wouldn’t do anyone any good.
“What about the American authorities? Won’t they have to look into it since U.S. citizens were involved?”
“I’ll make sure the local and federal authorities don’t investigate yours and the others’ reappearances. However, you will have to give a statement about your lack of recollection as a formality.”
“Are you sure this is going to work?”
“I’ve covered up scandals larger than this without being discovered. You have nothing to worry about.”
I ignored the disquiet I felt and reminded myself that Augustus clearly knew what he was doing. Even if my well-being wasn’t at stake, he still had to shield himself and The Vampire League from human scrutiny.
“Okay,” I breathed after a moment.
“Will your fellow missionaries still be in Haiti by the time we leave or will they already be back in Dallas?”
“They’ll be home tomorrow unless someone decides to stay longer because of Connor and me.”
“Good. I’ll have my ally find out if someone is planning to stay and convince him or her to leave with the others,” he explained. “I’ll also ensure that you have a change of clothes. If you show up in Dallas wearing a designer dress and diamonds, something will definitely seem amiss.”
“Right. Speaking of clothes, we should start heading back so I can find a dress for the eclipse party.”
“Alright,” he agreed, lowering the boulder back into its original position with ease before we began the trek back to the house.
