by Rena Marks
“Are you all right?” He seemed shaken.
“What the hell just happened?”
“He really did it. A real hypnotism—beyond a human power of suggestion. It was like a hypnotism from the old days, like one I’ve never seen before. You sang in seven different languages, Anjelia.”
He motioned with his hand and two men appeared. One was the undercover Detective Oser. He no longer looked like a junkie, I noticed. The other officer I had not met.
“Was that real or set up?” The new officer demanded.
“Do you speak seven languages, Anjelia?” Julian asked me, while looking at the officer. “You sang in French, Italian, Japanese, Hawaiian, Spanish, Arabic and German.”
“I don’t speak anything but English.”
“There has to be a reasonable explanation,” the new officer said.
“How the hell is this possible?” Oser asked.
“I don’t know,” Julian said. “But, imagine the possibilities. Can he command a vampire to drain humans dry, killing them, without them even being aware of it? We heard him verbally command Anjelia to remember. What if others don’t remember what acts they commit?”
The consequences would be horrid.
“Is he an employee of yours?” Thomas asked.
“No, this was his interview performance. He arrived in my territory a couple of weeks ago.”
“Okay, let’s keep him close. Can you hire him tonight? Get his address, personal information? Pretend you're impressed with his power.”
Julian nodded. “No pretense necessary. I’ll go talk to him.”
He turned toward me. “Anjelia, stay here with the officers. I want you around Merrick as little as possible.”
I did as Julian asked, and sat with Oser and Mitchell, strumming my fingers on the table.
“So, um, what were those songs you were singing?” Oser asked.
“I have no idea.”
“How’d you end up with vampires, anyway?”
I smiled at Oser’s attempt to make polite conversation. “Just lucky, I guess.”
“Lucky?”
“Um-hmm. You know what they say about a guy with big feet? It’s true as far as vampires go. Except they don’t have the big feet.”
I leaned back in my chair.
“Very funny,” he snapped.
I laughed. “Then loosen up.”
I watched a smile crack on his face. Then he muttered, “Next time I dress up like a junkie, I’m buying shoes two sizes larger. Just in case that rumor's true.”
An alarm beeped. He glanced at his partner and said, “We gotta run.”
I motioned to Anna, Lily and Nicki. “I'll go sit with them.”
They walked me over to the table where the sexy female vamps were draped, and I saw Oser physically swallow.
I sat as he left. “Quit tempting the cops.”
Anna grinned.
The hypnotism exhausted me mentally and physically. I watched the dancing around me in a clouded daze.
Soon it was closing time, and the four of us still sat. I closed my eyes for just a second.
In my mind, I heard Nicki tell Lily that she forgets I’m human until they absolutely exhaust me by keeping me up all night. I heard Anna joke back, saying that she’d be willing to re-energize me.
“I heard that,” I growled at her. “Keep your fangs to yourself.”
There was silence.
I opened my eyes to find the three of them staring at me. “What?”
Anna spoke slowly and succinctly. As if I were a slow-wit.
“Answer me back, Leah. I enjoyed our kiss. Did you? Would you like to try again?”
I wondered if I should speak just as slowly. “It was fine. I’m glad there was no tongue. I wouldn’t count on it.”
“Wow. I think she’s too tired to notice,” Lily said.
I turned toward Nicki and raised my brows. The smart one would explain things. “Leah, you’re speaking French. We were conversing quietly in French. You understood. And answered.”
“Oh. Crap.”
“Do you know any of the other languages he hypnotized you for?” Lily asked.
I did a quick mental run through. “I think so.”
Nicki stood up. “I’d better get Julian.”
Before I knew it, he had arrived. He took the seat next to me and held my face between his hands.
“Je t’aime, ma bonbon.” I love you, my sweet.
His hands were cool on my cheeks. I turned my head slightly to rub my cheek in his palm.
“Je t’aime, aussi.” I love you, too.
“Ainsi vous parlez français. Que diriez-vous de l’Italien?” So you do speak French. How about Italian?
I tried switching to Italian. “Penso che li parli tutti. Lo spaventa. Che cosa sta accadendo?” I think I speak them all. It scares me. What is happening?
“Non so, il mio dolce. Raddrizzeremo questo fuori.” I do not know, my sweet. We will straighten this out.
Julian commanded Merrick be brought to us. When the hypnotist arrived, Julian motioned for him to sit across the table.
“What the hell is wrong with my Anjelia? She can now speak the languages you hypnotized her to sing.”
Merrick’s already pale face turned even whiter. “I–I don’t know.” He stammered. “I’ve never had this happen before,” he looked at me, puzzled. “She is human, right?”
Julian nodded. I nodded.
“Do you practice witchcraft?” he said to me.
“No.”
“Do you mind if I do a couple of tests?”
Actually I did mind. But it was Julian’s call. I turned toward him. He tucked a piece of hair behind my ear.
“Harmless?” he asked Merrick.
“Of course.”
Julian nodded. “I’ll be watching.” His tone held a hint of a threat.
Merrick leaned toward me. “Close your eyes.”
I closed them, and hoped I wouldn’t fall asleep. It was so late, and I was still so exhausted.
“What do you see?”
“Colors, swirls of colors.”
“Keep your eyes closed but let your vision wander upward. You are now looking out your third eye. Which colors do you see there?”
“There’s red and pink and a little purple. Some yellows, a little green.”
There was some silence for a while. In any case, I forgot about Merrick and began to daydream.
A hand grabbed my chin. It turned my head toward Julian quickly, sharply.
My eyes opened instinctively, then closed on their own.
It wasn’t Julian’s face I saw but a vision behind my eyelids.
I looked beyond the beautiful face and saw Julian standing.
“What do you see?” Called a voice. “Beyond the colors.”
“The colors are clearing.” Was that my voice speaking? “They clear and leave a fog. I see a man. I see—It’s Julian.”
I felt lips pressing against my fingers. It was reassuring. I felt strong enough to go on. “Julian is…desperate? It rolls off him in waves. It's so tangible, I can taste it. A heady sweetness. He wants something. I don’t know what.”
“Look around. Where is Julian at?”
“He’s standing on my front porch. He’s looking into my house.”
“What is he looking at?”
“I can’t see.”
“Enter his mind, Anjelia. Out your third eye and into his. Look through his eyes.”
I was sucked into Julian. I looked into my own house.
“I see my living room sofa. I’m lying on it. I am…naked. I’m bloody and bruised…and I vomit blackness. Julian can’t help me…He can’t get in. The invitation is revoked. I will die.” My voice was flat and matter of fact, as if it weren't my death I discussed.
“What are you dying from, my sweet?” Julian’s voice cut in.
“I am weak. I trust no one. I only want the release of sleep. I love Julian, Julian doesn’t really love me.”
�
��Of course I love you, Anjelia! I will always love you.”
“No, Julian. I am human, you are not. You cannot love me. But…” I paused, as a new idea rolled through my mind. “Should I be human? I don’t understand. I should be more than human, stronger. Able to heal myself. The moon, the full moon welcomes me. Why is that?” My head tilted to one side.
Silence met my words. But I knew. Something was there. I could feel it. “Have you changed my life, Julian?”
“Yes, Anjelia. I changed your life. You are mine, you will always be mine. You were never meant to be wolf.” There was no apology in his voice.
“I am more than human now but not wolf as I should be. What am I?”
Merrick answered. “You’re a medium, I think.” His voice was wondering. “Why is it that you didn’t know? Why is it that your power is untapped? Why is it that you’ve…” His voice dropped to a whisper, “forgotten?”
It was too much for my brain. I snapped out of my relaxed state with a jerk that left pain behind my eyes. I turned to Julian but couldn’t see him. There were blind spots in my vision. I reached for him and he hugged me tight. My face was buried in his neck as he stroked my hair.
“I am sorry. I would not have hypnotized her if I’d known she was psychic. Those gates should not have been opened,” Merrick said.
“You could not have known. Anjelia did not even know. What will the side effects be of hypnotizing her and reopening that link be?”
“I don’t know. I’ve never been able to. There have been rumors, long ago, of hypnotizing supernaturals. They go insane if they don’t just die. My powers have become twisted since becoming a vampire. But I’d perfected my technique over the centuries so that I could practice on humans. It should not have worked on her, though.”
“So we don’t know if the languages are permanent? If the psychic abilities will grow or disappear?”
Merrick shrugged. “I have no idea. I am sorry.”
I closed my eyes. “There’s more,” I said. “I can’t see.”
I felt Merrick wave his hand over my eyes and in moments, vampire power took over and I was asleep. I wanted the sleep, I wanted to shut my mind down. The thoughts, the confusion, I wanted it to go away. I was seeing things, ghosts of things not really there, colors around objects. I saw the air, the very air that we breathe, and thought to myself, how does one see air?
A distant voice sounded from somewhere. “Anjelia, my sweet, awaken now.”
Cool lips brushed my forehead.
I was still on his lap, my head tucked into the curve between his shoulder and neck. I looked around, my vision was better but still not completely normal. Merrick was gone.
“Are you awake?”
“Um-hmm.”
“I’m taking you to bed. I will stay with you.”
I wrapped my arms around his neck. “I’m glad.”
There was a pause before he wrapped his own arms about my waist. I wondered what that meant.
Julian carried me downstairs, down to the coffin chamber. He set me inside it slowly.
The warmth of his homeland soil comforted me. I definitely needed the comfort. Julian was removing his clothing outside his coffin quickly, lest his coffin be singled out by a passer-by. I sat up and undressed also. We folded our clothes and Julian placed them in a locking drawer underneath. He lay down next to me and we wrapped our arms around each other in the close quarters.
“Do you think anyone will notice if I got a double-sized coffin?” Julian asked.
I laughed, knowing everything would be fine. Though, I wondered how I had forgotten about being psychic. Why else would I get the strange “feelings” that I do? The vacuum-induced watchings?
* * * * *
I dressed for my luncheon with Leo, although we were just meeting at the hospital since he was on duty. I had that vacuum feeling again, where the air becomes still. The feeling that someone watches me. I thought about it briefly before dismissing it. It’s happened for so many years that I just don’t care anymore. I dressed slowly, thinking that whomever was watching must simply be a voyeur.
Grabbing my car keys, I quickly left. I'd already texted Leo to let him know. He’d meet me on my way down the elevator as usual.
“Anjelia.”
I looked up to see him, a smile lighting his face. I marveled at how handsome he was, how he could have been a Greek statue brought to life. Plus, he was a catch, a surgeon, no less. Rich. Powerful. He wanted me for his queen. How did I end up with vampires?
Leo kissed my cheek. He placed his hand on the small of my back, massaging my brand. I watched his face as he did it. It was an unconscious caress. Nothing sexual.
“What are you having?” he asked, as we headed through the line.
“Hospital food is getting tastier. There are so many choices.”
He laughed. “Or else you’re getting used to it.”
We reached an empty table and sat down. Still laughing at Leo, I saw when he looked beyond me. His mouth tightened. Before I had time to turn around, another person stood at our table.
He was unfamiliar to me, until I looked at his eyes. His eyes I'd seen before. He wore a white coat, obviously a doctor in the hospital. I tried to figure out who he was. He stared back, hostility in his piercing gaze.
I knew he wasn’t human. He was a werewolf and knew Leo well. I wondered if he was with Leo’s pack, then hoped so. That would make Leo his king.
“She’s still human.” His voice was gravelly.
Leo shrugged. “It’s her choice.”
“No one will follow a human queen.” The other doctor's voice was rising.
“Lower your voice. This is not your concern,” Leo snapped.
Our attention was diverted to the others sitting around the cafeteria tables, watching curiously.
“She should be full werewolf and our queen by now, not smelling…” He made a show of sniffing me, “reeking of the undead.”
“Perhaps you are spending too much time with your brother, Doctor. Is he telling you tales?” There was a threat to Leo’s voice, one that I didn’t understand.
The other doctor visibly paled.
“This isn’t over yet.”
He walked away before Leo could respond further.
“Who was that?” I asked.
“You don’t know him. You did meet his brother, though.”
“The skinny werewolf?”
Leo nodded. “The one that ripped the clothing from your back to show us your mark.”
“What do they want with me?”
“The skinny brother, Val, has always been a rebel. A troublemaker. He’d been spoiled by Dr. Grossler, after the death of their parents. It was decided that he would attend a college, make a place in the world and stop with his wild, teenage antics. Val refused to attend school. He started to spend more and more time in wolf form without anyone in the pack knowing. Dr. Grossler covered for him, claiming later that he didn’t know Val was in wolf form all the time. He said he thought he just needed some alone time to sort through his teenage rebellious stage. When we finally saw Val, he had features he was unable to revert back to human. He can no longer attend a college or be among humans. He got his way, but members of the pack are so upset with his rebellion that they wanted him put to death—his looks threaten to expose us all. His brother, Dr. Grossler, bargained for his life, promising to keep him hidden.”
“And they want you to turn me?”
He nodded.
“Why?”
“You were marked for my queen, Anjelia.” Leo’s voice was gentle and his hand covered mine. “It’s a matter of pride. Wolves have a lot of pride.” His thumb began to rub on my hand. “We’re also loyal. And we mate for life.”
“I’m already committed for an eternity, Leo.”
He sighed. “I know. You chose the life of the undead.”
I turned my hand in his and clasped his gently. We held hands for a minute before I spoke.
“I’m sorry, Leo. But I’m
happy.”
“I know. It’s the only reason I haven’t forced you to be my queen. And it’s the only reason why we haven’t slaughtered the vampires now that I’ve found you again.”
He pulled his hand away and resumed eating, unaware of the chill that ran up my spine. Suddenly the full violence that the werewolves carefully contained dawned on me.
After lunch, I returned to the gym. I wasn’t supposed to go out back by myself. But Gigi was inside the gym, training a client. I was doing the nightly chores, closing my books, dumping out the garbage. I opened the back door to the gym and looked out. There was no one around and the back parking lot was well lit. It would take but a minute, even less. I’d be back before Gigi even realized I stepped out.
I grabbed the plastic trash bag. My feet were quiet as I walked quickly to the dumpster. I swung the bag up and over the edge and began walking back. It was easy.
Before I reached the back door, the wind shifted so quickly I nearly stumbled. Suddenly someone stood in front of me. I never saw her come.
Danielle.
Her fangs extended, and her eyes glowed red.
“Oh, goody. It’s our favorite little human. What is that cute little nickname they call you? Leah?”
“What do you want, Danielle?”
“Want? Just to talk. You’re utmost on our protection list, aren’t you? You should feel safe.”
“We’re in an empty lot. And I certainly don’t feel safe with you.”
“Are you safe with any vampire, Anjelia? You’re sleeping with one but do you trust him?”
“I wouldn’t be sleeping with Julian if I didn’t trust him or love him. But it’s none of your business.”
“It’s my business that you’re outside alone. Tasty. You’re trusting Julian so much. Did he give you a line of bullshit? Did he tell you that by being his human servant he has to feed from you or die? That he can no longer sustain himself with just any old human blood?”
I refused to answer and she slithered closer to me. Her cheek was pressed to mine as she whispered in my ear.
“He actually needs more blood now. Binding yourself to a human weakens you, even a tough, old, master vamp like our Julian. So has he told you that he’s a lot hungrier?”
“Where are you going with this?”
She was so close that my breath blew in her hair.
“What do you know of vampires, Anjelia? For all you know, Julian is draining women dry. He’s a vampire, an evil creature. We are all evil creatures. You knew that before. Long ago. You would never give him the time of day. Only after you were mesmerized were you with him.”
