by Liz Crowe
“Um, uh, no, I don’t mind,” Jenna stammered. She looked back at me as Lorenzo swept her into the castle.
“Bye,” I waved. “Have fun!”
After they both disappeared inside the castle, I asked, “She’ll be safe with him, right?”
“She will be fine. There is no need to worry. As I told you, precautions were taken. Humans are safe here tonight.”
“Those precautions wouldn’t have had anything to do with that couple that was killed last night in Columbus, would it?” I couldn’t help but ask. The question was at the front of my mind all day.
Vincent stiffened and his eyes clouded over just as they had done when we were in the airplane hangar on Rattlesnake Island. “No,” Vincent replied coolly. “We had nothing to do with that.”
“I’m sorry, Vincent. It’s just when you said precautions and I heard that story…”
“It’s fine,” Vincent replied. “I understand why you would think that. But let’s not talk about any of that tonight.” Vincent grabbed both of my hands, took a step back and looked me over. “Hmm,” he admired. “Absolutely beautiful and I finally have you to myself. Are you ready?”
“As ready as I’ll ever be,” I responded. I felt my cheeks flush.
We walked into a large room, the great room, Vincent called it. The ceiling was several stories high with exposed chunky wood beams crisscrossing over the room. Fall foliage filled the gaps between the wood beams, giving the effect of a forest canopy. Large iron and aged wood chandeliers had been hung at a safe distance from the wood beams and provided a romantic glow. The walls were covered in sheer black fabric with back lighting revealing bare tree silhouettes. The images, some thick, others pencil thin, appeared to shoot straight up to the leaves in the ceiling, completing the trees. High top tables were scattered around the perimeter of the room covered in long purple silk linens. Centerpieces were crafted of fall flowers, gourds and small pumpkins. A deejay could be heard, although he wasn’t visible through the sea of people who were all dressed in costumes equally as extravagant as mine.
“Wow,” I said.
“Do you like it?” Vincent asked, his eyes never leaving my face.
“It’s beautiful and more than I expected for a simple Halloween party.”
“My family doesn’t do anything simply,” Vincent retorted.
I continued looking around the room, taking in the decorations and the other guests. My eyes settled on a doorway that was closed to the party-goers. Above the door, carved into the stone, was a crest like the one etched into my ring.
“I have to ask, what’s with the crest?”
“You noticed?” Vincent appeared surprised.
“Of course I did. It’s hard to miss. It’s the same crest that’s in this beautiful ring and your brooch.”
“That is the Drake family crest. My siblings and I assumed that as our last name many centuries ago and when we did, we had the crest created. All significant covens have a crest. That was the thing several centuries ago.”
I pondered that for a moment, but before I had a chance to ask any more questions, the music changed and a slow song wafted through the air. “May I have this dance?” Vincent asked. He bowed, extending his hand out to me.
I shot him a look. Dancing wasn’t something I liked doing normally, let alone in this huge dress. I thought I would consume the entire dance floor and didn’t want all that attention on me.
“Please, do me the honor,” Vincent said as he grabbed my hand and led me to the center of the room.
Vincent twirled me around, our hands interlocked as he caught my waist with his free arm. He pulled me close – very close. We effortlessly waltzed across the room. I didn’t give myself much credit as a dancer because I moved smoothly across the floor. Or maybe Vincent was just that good at leading. He stared deep into my eyes. We were so close I could count the gold flecks in his eyes. There where exactly thirteen in each eye, the same number I had in each eye. His body was warm, much warmer than mine, and his breath smelled sweet. We glided across the floor and it felt like others were moving out of our way. I broke my gaze, looked around and soon realized that everyone else was still on the floor, not paying particular attention to us. Vincent placed a finger on my cheek and turned my face back to his. Looking into his eyes, I felt like we were the only two here.
“Enjoying yourself?” Vincent whispered.
“Yes,” I breathlessly whispered back.
“We could do this for all eternity, you know.” Vincent moved his face forward, resting his forehead on mine.
“I know.” I couldn’t help the way I felt right now. I was so enthralled with this moment and this man that eternity sounded like the perfect plan.
“Then you know what you have to tell me, right?”
I stared into the blue eyes staring back at me. Vincent picked his head up and moved his lips closer to mine. A rush of desire flowed over me which I quickly suppressed. Seconds before he had asked the question, I would have voluntarily consented to transformation. But the weight of his question snapped me back to reality and kept me from acting on my impulses.
“Not now.” I forced myself to say the words.
“But Allison,” Vincent stated before I cut him off.
“No. Not now,” I sternly replied.
The song ended and not a moment too soon. I pulled myself away from Vincent’s body. “I’m thirsty,” I said, wanting to change the subject.
“Then let’s get you something to drink.” Vincent’s mouth broke into a crooked, almost devious smile.
“Thank you,” I responded, not believing he was giving up this conversation so easily.
Vincent took my arm again, and walked with perfect posture as we glided through the crowd. He held his head high, almost appearing proud to be walking with me. I looked at each partygoer as they moved out of the way of my mammoth skirt. Some had average looking eyes while others had eyes with the now familiar yellow flecks. Vincent had told me the party would have both humans and vampires, but I hadn’t believed him until this moment, when I was seeing it for myself. Here I was, in the middle of a dance floor full of vampires and mortals intermingling. I wondered if the humans knew who, or what, company they kept this evening.
“Vincent,” I called as we made our way through the crowd. “So the humans really can’t tell who is a vampire?”
“What do you mean?”
“The eyes are a dead giveaway, pun intended. The thirteen gold flecks that sometimes revolve around the pupils.”
“You can see that?”
“Well yeah. I can tell who in here is mortal or immortal by looking at their eyes.”
“Interesting.”
“Why is that so interesting?”
“Mortals do not see what we see, what you are seeing. They do not see the tiny specks that swirl around the eyes and increase in intensity when we are hungry. But our eyes are part of our aura, and they’re hypnotic to humans. The eyes help draw them in, make us irresistible.”
“And since I’m part…”
“Yes,” Vincent cut me off. “Watch what you say in public though. Because of what you are, you can see the difference.”
Any doubt remaining in my mind about my being part vampire was erased with that statement. My vision was something other than that of a mortal.
We made our way to the glass topped bar. My body was starting to overheat, but I wasn’t sure if it was the dress and all the fabric I was lugging around or just my body’s vampirey new habit.
“You are feverish,” Vincent stated. He stared into my eyes as if he was looking for something.
The bartender approached. “Mr. Vincent, what can I get you and the…” he stuck his nose in the air, as if trying to sniff for something, “…the lady?”
“Isaac, don’t be rude. This is Allison Carmichael.”
I grabbed Isaac’s extended hand, and he, too, kissed my hand. One look into Isaac’s eyes was all I needed to tell what he was. A vampire would be servin
g our drinks.
“Pleasure to meet you, madam,” Isaac said.
I nodded my head.
“I’ll have the house drink and the lady will have…” Vincent said to Isaac but the music was too loud for me to hear the rest. Isaac dashed around behind the bar grabbing bottles and pouring the liquids into shakers. I saw him grab a familiar bottle – a green one with a black label and crimson colored diamond crest. Upon closer inspection, it appeared the shape that was indiscernible to me at the cottage was that of the dragon that was etched in my ring. Isaac poured the red liquid into both shakers, shook the drinks and dispensed them into glasses. Vincent handed me a wine goblet. I swirled the red liquid and inhaled its scent. It smelled sweet like flowers.
“What is this?” I shouted over the music.
“It’s a special drink, just for you,” Vincent responded. “Try it.”
I raised the glass to my lips and took a sip. The drink was heavenly. It tasted just like it smelled, like a sweet garden filled with flowers and fruit. I nodded my head in approval of the delightful concoction. Vincent grabbed my hand and led me back to the dance floor. Along the way, Vincent introduced me to people, but I could barely hear their names or make conversation because of the loud music. We made our way back to the entrance where it was less chaotic.
“What do you think?” Vincent asked as he waved his hand at the party.
“A bit cliché, don’t you think?”
Vincent looked puzzled with my response. “What do you mean?”
“Really Vincent? Castle…vampires…Halloween party?” I burst out in laughter and he did too.
A stranger approached Vincent and asked if I would mind if he stole Vincent for a few minutes. Vincent’s eyes scanned me and my beverage, as if concerned.
“It’s fine,” I reassured him. “I need to sit down anyway. This dress is really weighing on me.”
Vincent threw his hand up in the air, flagging someone I couldn’t see. In a flash, a beautiful angel was at my side, seemingly materializing out of nowhere. She wore a long white Grecian gown, pulled tightly around her tiny waist. Sheer wings sprung from somewhere on her back, and I couldn’t tell how they were attached to the costume. A silver halo floated above her long flowing red locks.
I looked at the angel and studied her face for a few seconds.
“Nurse Marlo?” I asked in shock. There was no mistaking the long red cascade of curls and the lavender hued eyes.
“Allison, this is my sister Marlo,” Vincent introduced us.
“But how …” I started.
“I’ll tell you later.” She wrapped an arm around my waist. “Let’s get you somewhere you can sit down.”
Vincent grabbed my goblet as Marlo led me to the closed off door I had noticed earlier. I instantly felt at ease with Marlo though we had only spoken a few words. Her face was soothing to look at, almost as if she really were an angel. Marlo tapped something on the wall and a door slid open.
“Can you make it up the stairs?” Marlo asked as she surveyed my bulky costume.
“I think so,” I replied. I hiked up my skirt so as not to trip on it and started to ascend the steep, spiral stone staircase. I paused at the top, realizing the stone wall was cool and pressed my body into it for some relief.
Marlo touched my face, “You’re boiling hot.” She grabbed my arm, her hand a few degrees cooler than my hot flesh. I was starting to feel light headed and my feet were starting to tingle. I should have known I couldn’t wear such an elaborate outfit all night.
“Can you walk a bit further down the hall?” Marlo asked, pointing to our destination down the long hallway.
I shook my head. Marlo led me to a chaise in some sort of sitting area off of the hallway.
“Here, have a seat.” Marlo touched my head with the back of her hand. “You’re really burning up. Do you want something to drink?”
“Please, my stomach and throat are killing me.”
Concern washed over Marlo’s face. “What does your throat feel like?” The tone in her voice suddenly changed. It wasn’t as velvety as before but full of concern.
Realizing where her concern was leading her mind, I lied “It’s just a little scratchy. Probably just a sore throat.”
She eyed me up and down and appeared to believe my lie. She was gone and back in a second with a tall glass of water.
“Here, drink,” Marlo instructed in her smooth voice.
I took a sip of the water and it provided momentary relief to my aching throat. Marlo was watching every move I made.
“Better?” she asked.
“Yes,” I lied again. The back of my throat felt like an inferno as did my stomach. The heat had returned and was churning away.
Wanting to get her attention off of me, I changed the subject. “So, um, are you going to tell me why you were at the hospital?”
Marlo stood frozen like a statue, still observing me. I took another sip of water, to prove to her I was okay, though I really wanted to chug the whole glass.
“Thanks for the water,” I said, trying to act normally. I didn’t want to tip Marlo off that anything was wrong.
Marlo relaxed and sat in a chair across from me. Her eyes never left my face and her stare was most uncomfortable at the moment. She was studying me like a book.
“Vincent called that night. He was on duty watching you. He told you about the Secret Coven, right?” Her demeanor had changed again. She sat there like she was gossiping with an old friend, and truth be told, it felt like I’d known her my whole life.
“He mentioned that you, your brothers, and he together were the Secret Coven that watched over Cain’s half mortal, half vampire descendants.”
“Yes, well, we took shifts watching you over the past several months. Sometimes one of us would watch you for a week, other times one of us would watch you for several weeks. Vincent looked after you mostly. He is quite protective of you.
“That night, Vincent called and said you were in a very bad car accident and that he wasn’t able to remove you from the scene himself. A passing car saw yours on the side of the road and dialed for help. Vincent called to tell me they were taking you to the hospital because you were unconscious. I had to be there to ensure the mortal doctors didn’t suspect anything or try to treat you in some way that would harm you.”
“Oh,” I said. “Well I suppose that makes sense.” We sat there in silence for a moment as I sipped my water. Marlo continued studying me.
“So tell me Allison, what has my brother told you about your options?”
“Options? I really don’t think I have any options, do I?”
Marlo smiled and glanced at the floor. “Of course you have options.” Her eyes returned to mine. “You can’t be transformed without giving your consent.” She said it as if it were that simple.
“Oh yes, that’s right, the vampire rule,” I scoffed.
“We have other rules too,” Marlo said as she continued staring at me.
“That doesn’t surprise me.”
“Vincent hasn’t told you?”
“No, he hasn’t mentioned anything other than my permission is needed to transform me.”
“Hmm. Well Allison, like every society, we too have certain rules to live by, punishments in place if the rules are not followed, and a governing body to judge and punish the rule breakers. Our life isn’t as glamorous as Vincent might have made it appear to you. We can’t just do what we want, when we want to whomever we want or whenever we want just because we’re immortal.”
Now we’re getting somewhere, I thought. Maybe I’ll get some answers to the questions I had wanted to ask Vincent.
“You should know these rules, to be fully informed, before you make your choice,” Marlo stated smoothly. She stood up as she continued her lesson. She spoke like a professor teaching class.
“We have three simple rules, really. You already know the one.”
“Right, you must have permission before transforming anyone; kind of like carry
ing on Cain’s tradition.”
Marlo whirled around and studied me as she absorbed my response.
“Well yes, carrying on the tradition, if you want to call it that. But do you know why Cain asked Ina for permission and why she asked all of us?”
I didn’t know what to say so I said nothing.
“It avoids the situation of having a disgruntled vampire. You have to know what you are getting into and you have to choose this life. We cannot force anyone into it for fear of not knowing how they will react and the danger they may present to our existence.”
I sat there still not knowing what to say. Her words made sense; you cannot damn someone and expect them to act a certain way. They have to want this life.
Marlo looked back at me as she paced the small hallway. “Here’s another rule – you can never reveal your true self to any mortal.”
“That makes sense,” I said and shrugged my shoulders.
“It does, but it isn’t as easy as you think. There are people in your life, like Jenna, whose life will continue on after your transformation, not aware of the changes in you. She will still want to hang out and be friends, like things never changed. But you will have changed. You may not be able to control yourself around her. You may not be able to see her alone, or at all. She will wonder what has happened and will question you. You will not be able to tell her what truly has changed and it will be difficult. She may eventually become despondent with your lack of answers and one day stop calling all together. Do you think you can you handle that?”
I sat there, somewhat stunned at what I just heard. I hadn’t thought about how my transformation would affect those around me. I would have to keep my secret and hurt my dearest friend since I couldn’t be truthful with her. I didn’t answer Marlo’s question.
“It’s not without basis that we have this rule. Imagine the fear that this truth would impose upon mankind once they realized it was a truth. Think about it; bloodsuckers living among man. Hunter and prey living alongside each other. The two cannot coexist when each have the knowledge of the other’s existence. Therefore, for our own self preservation, mortals cannot know we exist. Our kind can only live on in their myths, legends and movies.” Marlo paused, allowing me to absorb the rule she just explained.
