Once Upon A Midnight

by Stephanie Rowe

  I could see her in my mind’s eye, standing by her desk, hands on her hips, wishing I was in front of her, so she could pin me with one of her scolding glares. The look would say, “Kris, as always, you’re being an idiot.” I loved that about her. She wasn’t afraid to call me, or anyone else, on their shit.

  Helen was over ten years my senior, and in a lot of ways, filled a void my mother had left deep within my heart the day she disappeared. They were the two very different sides of a coin. My mother, Lizet, was tall, blond, and irresponsible. Helen was average height, with short, raven-black hair that was beginning to grey at the temples and the widow’s peak. She was a responsible woman and had decided early on that I would become one of her pet projects. I remembered the first time we met. I walked into her office to apply for a waitressing position. We connected the instant she told me to get rid of the baseball cap and tossed me a brush.

  “Conner will turn you away instantly looking like that,” she said. I was a bit of a tomboy back then, and I guess in a way, that never changed. However, because of her sound advice, I not only got the job, but was bumped to the higher position of dealer. The advancement meant a better hourly wage and incredible tips. Considering I’d just inherited a mortgage and a mouth to feed, I eagerly jumped at the job offer. I always thought it was Helen who talked Conner, the owner of the casino, into giving me the highly coveted position. She continued to deny it, but I never believed her.

  “I’m sort of in a bind.” She must have picked up on something—a tremble in my words, a veiled sob in my voice—because unlike her, she kept quiet and didn’t interrupt me. “Something horrible has happened to Torra, and I’ve been trying to help her. My hands are tied, and so far, I’ve done nothing but fail her.”

  I expected to feel a sense of relief in telling Helen, my closest confidant other than Jude, what I’d been keeping bottled up inside me. But instead of a wash of release, tears welled up in my eyes, and pent-up sobs racked my body.

  Firm arms enveloped me, and Rush pulled me back against his chest. I could feel his heart beat through my skin. It was beating fast, increasing with my tears. He stood there, holding me, while I explained to Helen, from the beginning, what had been happening over the last couple of days.

  Chapter Twenty-four

  Twenty minutes later, I hung up the phone. Helen had been beside herself with grief and worry over Torra’s kidnapping, and she was extremely supportive, a wonderful shoulder to cry on. I was feeling a bit lighter for it. She assured me that she’d take care of my shift for the day and would make sure that my vacation request passed over Conner’s desk ASAP. I owed her big time. The only thing left for me to do was to find my sister and make things right by Devil. Piece of cake! Yeah, right. Nope. It was a little slice of Hell that I was in no way looking forward to.

  “Are you all right?” Rush asked tenderly.

  He had remained quiet during the long, emotionally draining phone call. He was content with letting me lean on him, so I could soak up his comfort. I soon realized that the circle of people I could trust and count on had grown by one. It wasn’t the sex between us, even though it had been mind shattering, which brought us closer. It was his being there for me through that ordeal. I was beginning to open my eyes wide enough to see the reality of it and him. We were falling in love.

  I took in a deep breath that seemed to shake. “I’ll be okay. Even better when we find Torra, and completely sated once all this is over, and I’m back in bed with you again.”

  Out of the blue, I found myself swooped up and pinned against a hard chest. Rush’s mouth came thundering down on mine. Our tongues warred, hearts pounded. That kiss was different, scorching but sweeter, because it followed my realization of how truly deep my feelings were for him. I closed my eyes as the hunger rose. Eager hands found my ass, pulling me against him. Sweet Jesus, I could feel every inch of his excitement rubbing across my inner thigh, making me squirm and gyrate even harder, countering his sensual attack. When our hips finally aligned, his growing bulge rubbed between my legs.

  The sound of a throat clearing reached me through a lust-induced fog. I somehow peeled myself out of Rush’s arms. He groaned. I was embarrassed.

  “Hey, Jude, what’s up?” I asked, rolling from my heels to my toes. I shoved my hands into the pockets of my shorts, softly whistling.

  Jude smiled with his transparent features and pointed to my purse. “Your phone’s been ringing off the hook. Well, loud enough to raise the dead, as it were.”

  It took me a second to understand, but when his words penetrated, I sprinted to my phone.

  I put the phone to my ear. “Hello.”

  “Ah, seems like I was dialing the right number.” Wolf’s voice floated away. “See, Torra, your sister doesn’t wish you dead, after all.” I could hear growling resonating in the background. It came from his end of the line. Then I heard a pissed-off feminine roar. “Fuck you, prick!”

  Inappropriately, my heart welled with pride. It sounded like Torra was fighting that monster every step of the way. I just hoped her rebellious spirit wouldn’t land her in the grave. I decided to check my own attitude, so as not to poke the bear any harder than she already had.

  “I’m sorry it took me so long to answer. It won’t happen again.”

  Wolf chuckled and addressed my sister for the second time. “At least, one of you Chase sisters knows how to behave like a lady.”

  I bit back the curse rapidly forming on my tongue. “Do you have those final instructions for me?” Ignoring his backwards compliment, I tried to draw his attention back to me and off my sister.

  “Have no fear, necromancer. My need for your participation will soon come to its conclusion. As a matter of fact, tonight you will have your sweet sister back with you, tucked safely in your arms. All that’s left to do is meet me at the Hallowed Hills Cemetery at midnight. And please, be a dear and bring all your nifty instruments. You’ll need them.”

  Our call abruptly came to an end. My head dropped, and I quenched the urge to scream. That stupid son of a bitch wanted me to raise another corpse. I just knew it.

  “Did he tell you anything useful?” Rush asked.

  I put my phone back in my purse. If Wolf needed me to create a life to save my sister’s, well, then that’s what I was going to do.

  “Can you get me the equipment I used in Rafe’s ceremony?”

  Rush turned me around. “Let me see your beautiful face.” I obliged him by tilting my chin. “Yes, beautiful. I can get you whatever you need.” His thumb came up to swipe under my eye. I hadn’t known I’d been crying. “This will all be over soon. We’ll do whatever that asshole wants. And if I get the chance, I’m going to kill him for what he’s put you and your sister through.”

  I smirked, and after wiping the remaining tears from my eyes, I rose up on my toes and gave Rush a kiss on his scrumptious lips. The kiss helped chase my sorrow back to its cage, where it needed to stay locked up for a while longer. “Trust me. If such an opportunity arises, you’ll have to climb over me to get to him.”

  Chapter Twenty-five

  After two days of being run through the gamut, the time to end it all had finally arrived. So much had happened, and I was extremely anxious for it to be over.

  My eyes roamed over Rush. He was sitting in the driver’s seat, eyes focused on the road with one hand on my knee. It hadn’t left that spot since we got into the car to drive to the cemetery ten minutes earlier. Turns out, there were two cemeteries in the area, and Hallowed Hills, our destination, was the city’s oldest one. I’m not sure why that fact evoked a deep forlorn feeling in the pit of my gut.

  “Are you sure you grabbed everything?” I asked Rush while rifling through the duffle bag full of candles, salt, and anything else he could find in my family’s awakening chamber at the Center.

  Rush had gone for the provisions alone, stating that he would be able to get in and out quicker without me. I had to agree with him. My fingers brushed against the sacred dag
ger, and a chill of remembrance traveled up my arm. The chill spread over my palm and reached the same spot on my forearm where I had sliced open the flesh there to administer Rafe’s first feeding. In that moment, with my concentration focused solely on the vampire I’d created, I was shocked to find that I could actually see him in my mind’s eye. Not only could I see Rafe, but somehow, I could feel his thoughts. They registered through me as if they were my own thoughts and feelings.

  Rafe was in the process of opening his eyes from a deep and restful slumber. He felt refreshed and stronger than he’d ever imagined possible because of his vampire awakening. He was excited to put that new-found strength to good use by helping Devil fix up the bar. He had no idea that he was being watched. As soon as I realized it, I pulled back on my mental probing. The abrupt yank of power, he did feel. And as my view of him receded, I watched as he stared right at me. His mouth gaped as he reached for me.

  “Are you a ghost?” Rafe whispered, his face a mask of disbelief.

  His eyes clouded over with strong emotions. I faded more, but before backing away fully, I had enough time to shake my head at him. Everything went black, and in a flash, my eyes opened. I found myself flat on my back on the cold, hard ground.

  The first thing that came into focus was a patch of bright stars in the sky. Next, my eyes landed on an old, wooden sign that read Hallowed Hills Cemetery. It swung, eerily screeching, over the arched entryway to the graveyard. Beyond that opening was darkness as far as the eye could see, and in that sable sea rested the bodies of hundreds of people. In some cases, it was also the home of some of those poor souls’ restless spirits. I could see vague images of them floating around, darting in and around some of the gravestones.

  Rush’s head popped into view, startling me. I jumped and slammed my skull back against the ground. “Ouch!”

  “My God, woman! Can’t you go ten seconds without getting blown up, passing out, or getting hurt? You’re going to send me to an early grave.” He looked around and smirked. “At least, I wouldn’t have far to travel.”

  Rush slipped his hand between my head and the gravel. He helped me into a seated position and after a few moments of recovery time, to my feet.

  “What happened?” I asked, rubbing my throbbing head. I removed a few blades of grass and shook the dust from my hair. It flew everywhere before landing on my shoulders in a knotted mess.

  Reaching forward, Rush plucked out a few remaining pieces of grass.

  “I don’t know. One second, you were asking me about your tools, and in the next, you were staring off into space. It was like you were hypnotized, or something. Then, as soon as we pulled up to the cemetery, your eyes slammed shut and your body seized. I dragged you from the car. You fought me to the ground. You scared the crap out of me, Kris. I didn’t know what to do.”

  “I was with Rafe.” I didn’t know how to explain how or what I’d experienced.

  Rush’s brows shot to his hairline, almost jumping off his forehead. “Unless that vampire is hiding in my backseat, or has had the misfortune of being staked and is now a ghost, I can’t see how that’s possible.” He gave me a worried look and began inspecting my body. He felt the back of my head, and I winced as his fingers traced over the bump there. “I think you might have a concussion.”

  I moved away from him. “I’m okay.”

  “You don’t look okay to me, beautiful. Maybe we should sit in the car and let you rest for a while.”

  “That can’t happen. Time isn’t a luxury we can afford.” I took his hand and gave it a squeeze. “And what I meant by, ‘I was with Rafe,’ was that I connected to him somehow. I had a bird’s-eye view of what he was doing, and I was experiencing his thoughts and feelings.” I scowled. “It was almost as if I was a living, breathing…ghost, which of course, isn’t possible, right? You have to die before your spirit can rise up and leave your body. But that’s how it felt, anyway.”

  Rush’s features were stark with disbelief. He mumbled something under his breath before he gave me a puzzled look. “What you’re describing is impossible. Are you sure you aren’t suffering from a concussion, or maybe you dreamed all this up?”

  “Hey!” I blurted, offended. “Are you accusing me of lying to you? Do you really think I don’t know the difference between what’s real or imagined?”

  “I’m pretty sure I said nothing of the sort.”

  That got my attention. Rush wasn’t the domineering type, at least not when it came to me, so for him to raise his voice or be curt gave me pause. I had to admit, though, his backbone turned me on. He reached over and grabbed my shoulders.

  “If what you described really did happen, then we have to bring this to the Council’s attention.”

  “You’re out of your mind. I want nothing to do with the Center, Rush. All they care about is money…how to make it and how to keep it. I refuse to be used as a pawn to further their ambitions. I won’t do it. Not even for you.”

  Nothing could have gotten my back up more than what he suggested to me. I may have falsely judged the vampire race as a whole, but I knew for certain that the Center was bad news. Just ask my mother about what those assholes made her do to further their cause. You’d probably find what remains of her bellied up to a bar, staring down the bottom of a whiskey bottle.

  Rush took a deep breath. It seemed to fortify him. “I only suggest this because it’s their job to make sure they are privy to the ins and outs of necromancy. We have questions, and they will probably have the answers. Wouldn’t you like to know why your magic is different from all other necromancers? You marked a vampire, for Christ’s sake, and let’s not forget your little ghost walk….” His hands traveled up my shoulders, to my face. He cupped my cheeks and looked deeply into my eyes. “Trust me. You don’t have to play nice with the Council. I only want access to the vast knowledge and experience they have.”

  I twisted my lips and tapped my chin, looking off into the sky as if pondering over his proposal. In actuality, I was thinking about how there was no way I was going to chat it up with those elitist snobs.

  “I’ll think about it.” It was a teeny-tiny fib, but for the sake of our budding relationship, it was a necessary one. I knew that soon I would need to come to terms with the fact that my new lover belonged to a group of people that I viewed as despicable. But considering that I was still reeling from the incredible sex we just had…twice…my reservations would have to wait until a later date for resolution. Every relationship had its snags. Why should ours be any different?

  ~~~

  Rush and I made our way into the cemetery on foot. Wolf hadn’t specified where he wanted us to meet, so I kept my eyes peeled for anything that seemed out of the ordinary. You know, a psycho kidnapper, possibly a killer, hiding behind a tombstone, waiting to jump out and plunge a knife into my gut—that kind of thing. Needless to say, I was staying vigilant.

  We walked for what seemed like forever. At first, the gravestones that marked the plots we passed were new and well maintained. Some even had fresh flowers from recent visitors.

  As we continued on through the cemetery, the headstones began to show deterioration, morphing into dilapidated landmarks that represented the lives and deaths of a town of people from centuries past. That part of the cemetery was sectioned off by a black and rotting cast iron fence. Moss and vines crawled menacingly up the bars, twirling and constricting, kind of like the knots in my stomach were doing at the thought of pushing through the waist-high gate, so we could venture on our path to finding—

  A shot rang out! Rush dropped to his knees. He wore a look of confusion as he stared at me with wide eyes. All I could do was watch in horror as he fell forward, almost in slow motion, to the ground. I took my gun from its shoulder holster and stepped in front of Rush, acting as a barricade to hinder the aim of the person shooting at us. Everything inside me screamed to check Rush’s pulse, to see if the shot had been fatal, but I held my ground. I would be of no use to him dead. I called out into the n
ight.

  “Show yourself!”

  Rush lifted his head at the sound of my raised voice. “Leave me. Run!” he choked out before his head fell back to the ground.

  Realizing that even if he was severely hurt, Rush still lived, I felt my heart slam against my chest as if it just started beating again. I intended to keep it that way, so I shushed him with a whisper. “Keep quiet and reserve your strength, handsome. My ass isn’t going anywhere. And you’re not dying on me.”

  I spied blood blossoming from his shoulder blade area; it had soaked all the way through his jacket. That could be good or frightfully bad. If the bullet hit his shoulder, exiting out the back, he would probably survive the gunshot wound. Even with a complete draining of blood, a necromancer could survive. We were built to create and sustain vampires. On the other hand, if that bullet had plunged into his heart…I shook away the morbid thought. I wasn’t going to put any power behind that possibility.

  The rustling of leaves and muffled cries alerted me to an encroaching visitor. My arm swung to the right, and I trained my gun on the vicinity of the noise. Thick blackness and a shadowed tree trunk were all I could make out of my surroundings. However, I could still hear somebody’s quick approach, and I had to swallow my fear to meet whomever it was coming at me, head-on.

  “I thought I made myself clear. There was to be no one from the Center with you,” said the disembodied voice that, up until then, I’d only heard over the phone. It came from behind the cover of a copse of trees that lined the dirt path I was standing on. His tone sounded calm. The blasé attitude disgusted me. “Come on, sweets. Pick up those feet of yours. Kris has been waiting ever so patiently to see you.”