by Andrea Wölk
Late in the afternoon Eva took a long walk on the beach. Although the sun was shining, the air was ice-cold and a brisk wind was blowing through her blond hair. It was going to take another month before spring would be visible.
The ocean was choppy, just like how Eva was feeling. The little wound under her ear had already healed by noon, but when she began to think about Shia, the throbbing returned. Her encounter with him was slowly becoming like a dream to her. Her reason wasn’t coming to grips with what her memory had saved. Could it really have happened? Did he really drink from her neck? Were there really people who drank blood? These questions sent chills running down her spine. Then the face of her grandmother appeared before her eyes. Eva could remember how she used to sit in her rocking chair on the front porch and tell the same story over and over … that she’d been attacked by a vampire as a young woman. He’d bitten her in the neck and that all traces of the bite had disappeared by the next day. She’d told that story so often until she was put in a home and declared mad. Had Eva experienced something as crazy as that? The thought made Eva shudder.
The house on the cliff could be seen from the beach and as soon as it got dark she was going to take a closer look at it. But the sun wouldn’t be setting for another hour. Because it was located in a cul-de-sac, it was impossible to approach the house without being seen, at least not before sunset. Eva’s house was on the same street, but in the opposite direction, and the closer you got to the cliff, the smaller the street became. So you could see the house, but it was still quite isolated from strangers. An excellent location strategically if you wanted to live in secrecy … that’s what Eva was thinking. Dark clouds were coming in from the west and it began to rain, although the sun was still shining. Eva missed the wonderful weather in Los Angeles. What the hell had ever driven her to move out here to Seattle?
She’d tried to convince herself that after Jim’s murder, her life in L.A. had been unbearable, but it was actually the murder of fifteen other people over a period of two years, which wouldn’t let her rest. All the crimes had followed the same pattern. The victims had been disfigured beyond recognition and completely drained of blood. Their bodies covered in bites, as if an animal had attacked them. No traces of DNA, human or nonhuman, were found on the victims. The Seattle Police Department had called Eva in as an expert in ritual murders and she’d been working on the case for more than six months. New murders occurred almost weekly and the time between the murders was getting shorter and shorter.
Eva had learned a great deal about myths, legends and superstitions while studying, but the things she was seeing here, went way beyond anything she’d learned. In the end, she’d become a victim of a vampire herself the previous night. Clearly these myths only existed in people’s minds, but Eva had learned that life went far beyond what the mind was willing to accept. Her cell phone rang and she sat down on a large stump that had washed up on shore years ago. »Esposito, what do you have for me?« »Hi Eva, I wasn’t able to find anything about Shia Keane, but I did find some information on a Sara Keane. An actress, not a superstar, but pretty well known in theater circles here in Seattle. Even the chief knew who she was. And believe it or not, she owns a house on your street.« He took a noteworthy pause. »And you weren’t able to find anything out about Shia?«
»No, not even a birth certificate or driver’s license. Sorry.« »Okay, thanks anyway. See you on Monday. I owe you one.« »I won’t let you forget that, Butler.«
»Sara Keane,« mumbled Eva softly and turned to look up at the large house on the cliff one more time.
It was dark when Eva finally got home. The small light she’d left on in the living room was now out. She took off her jacket and sat down on one of the stools near the kitchen counter. She felt a chill on her neck, which made her shudder and a spicy scent of musk and ambergris was lingering in the room.
»Hello, Mr. Keane!« she said into the silence, although her eyes hadn’t adjusted to the darkness. She could feel his presence, like a glowing source of light warming her in the room. Shia’s silhouette moved from the kitchen window and stared at her spellbound. She undoubtedly remembered him, which was totally impossible, something, which just could not be.
Eva slid off the bar stool and walked around the counter towards him. She pulled her weapon. »Feel like dancing, vampire?«
When Sara got out of the taxi she could hear the piano playing from inside the house. Curiously, she walked up the front steps and as she got closer to the living room, she saw a man sitting totally absorbed at the piano with his back to her. The sound was melodic but a little melancholy. She stood behind him in silence. He was tall, with chin-length, dark hair and had the distinguishing build of a warrior. Blood began to hiss in her ears and her pulse sped up. Whoever this stranger was, his presence alone was enough to allow Sara to get lost in the fascination of the moment. Channing could feel Sara’s presence behind him, but he didn’t turn around. Everything that he’d heard about Sara had totally confused him. He didn’t believe all this talk of fate. He calmly finished the piece and then let his hands rest on the keys.
»What a wonderful melody.« Sara walked slowly across the room and stood next to Channing. »I’m Sara ... « »Sara, you’re unmistakable.« He looked over at the photograph, which stood in a silver frame on the piano. »But aren’t you expected to be back in two months?« She shrugged. »I had second thoughts. And who, if I may ask, are you?« Channing smirked a bit about her somewhat arrogant tone of voice. »Well, who do you think I am?«
»Do you always a question with another question?« and when he didn’t say anything, she said, »you’re clearly a warrior.« »What makes you think that?« Channing lifted an eyebrow curiously and stood up.
»Even your beautiful piano playing couldn’t cover up one hefty dose of testosterone. So who can I welcome into my home then?« »I’m Channing.« Sara looked up in surprise. »You aren’t Dr. Channing McArthur, are you?« »Yes, that’s me.« He was considerably younger than she’d imagined and he was a vampire! She’d pegged Dr. McArthur for a much older man, but this man seemed to be in his mid-thirties. »I see you two have met.« Maroush’s dark voice broke through the silence between the two of them. »Roush! Oh my God! I’m so happy to see you.« She went up to him, gave him a hug and kissed him on the cheek. He grabbed Sara around the waist and pulled her closer to him, an intimate gesture that Channing couldn’t help but notice. A low growl spread through his chest, but he got himself under control and didn’t let the sound leave his throat. »What’s been happening here?« She looked into Maroush’s eyes questioningly. »We’ve been expecting you. Shia could sense that you were on your way home.« »Where is he?« »He’s out looking for information about the attacks downtown. He should be back soon, when he senses that you’re here.« Sara looked over at Channing who’d been standing motionless at the piano the whole time. »What happened to you? When you left Paris, you were still a human being.« »Shia had to transform him, otherwise he would have died,« explained Maroush, »but I suppose he’ll want to tell you that himself.« Sara nodded. »Good, I’ll go unpack and wait for him to get back. I’ll be in my room.« She smiled at the men and walked away.
»Maroush, is there something between you and Sara? I was watching you yesterday when you left the room and now today.« Channing approached him and looked at him intently. Maroush wanted to turn away, but Channing held him by the arm. »Please, it’s important for me to know. I’m not here to destroy anything. I don’t believe in all this talk and hocus-pocus about fate either. What is Sara to you?« Maroush brusquely pulled away and looked Channing directly in the eyes.
»Sara is my sister, just like Shia is my brother. There isn’t anything else to say.« »That’s not enough!« »You mean you don’t believe me?« Channing held his gaze.
»I want to trust you and that’s only possible when everything is clear between us. I have to know you won’t stab me in the back.« Maroush nodded. »It was me who transformed Sara after she’d been attacked by
a creature, one of the hunters of darkness, whose blood type didn’t match. Shia couldn’t do the transformation. Although the same blood flows through their veins, it’s impossible for siblings to perform. She would have bled to death, so I saved her life. There’s been a bond between us ever since. Sara needs to be fed now and then and I’ve always taken care of that. Nothing more. I am not her soulmate. Never have been and never will be. That’s you. Even if you don’t believe in all this hocus-pocus, you can’t escape your destiny. Inschallah, my friend!« Maroush held out his fist and after a few seconds of deliberation, Channing lifted his hand and bumped fists with Maroush.
Faith and Distrust
Chapter 7
Something had gone wrong, but Shia had no idea what. He thought, looking into the mouth of the Glock. There was no way Eva should be able to remember him, not his name or the dance. Holy Shit! »If I were a vampire, do you really think you’d be able to stop me with that thing?«
Shia moved so slowly towards Eva that she didn’t even notice that he was moving at all.
»This thing has stopped a lot, whatever it was. Or at least it’ll cause you a large amount of pain, Mr. Keane.« Her arms were stretched, the gun aimed at his chest.
»Mr. Keane? I thought we’d moved on to first names last night, Eva!« »Don’t move, Shia or I’ll shoot and I don’t really want to have to do that.«
»That’s better. Why are you aiming that at me?« He smiled disarmingly at her. »So that you answer a few questions so absurd I can hardly ask them.« In a single movement, he grabbed her gun and in a flash, disarmed her. »I think we can relax a little more now, don’t you think?« She didn’t have a chance against him. He was much too physically superior to her, so Eva stood frozen in the darkness, still feeling Shia’s touch although he’d already let go of her hand. »Can you turn on the light?« Her voice was shaking. »For such a tough cop, you’re sure afraid of the dark.« Shia thought this was funny, which really made her angry.
»That’s not why. I want to be able to look you in the eye when you lie to me.« She was provoking him now. »Ouch, that hurt.« The little lamp in the living room window came on as if by magic. He was able to bring the light to a glow simply with his thoughts. Eva looked into his eyes and for a second she saw something like tenderness, but then it was gone again.
They stood there starring at each other, but neither of them was in the position to break the silence. After Shia had slid the gun to the other side of the counter and out of her reach, Eva moved out of his field of vision and stood at the kitchen window looking out into the darkness.
»Why did you do it?« »What?« »Bite me, drink my blood?« Shia drew his hands through his hair looking for an answer and then exhaled slowly. »Actually, you weren’t even supposed to remember. Usually mortals lose their memory after we drink their blood.« »What are you?« » What you think I am exactly? I’m a vampire, if you want to hear it from me. I am something, which actually can’t exist; a creature, which feeds on human blood to survive; something that only exists in legends and myths, lurking behind bushes waiting to bite and kill humans. I am exactly what you think I am.« His voice was quiet and came out his mouth exerted, which made Eva turn to him. »You bit me and I can’t understand why you feel I’m accusing you of something.« »Because it’s just like you said … so absurd that it’s impossible to put into words.«
Eva took a step towards him. »I don’t know why, but I’m not afraid of you. Even worse, I believe you. I think we’re both ready for the nut house, but when I came home earlier, I could feel you. Yeah, maybe it sounds crazy to say that you’re a vampire, but I experienced it myself when you took my blood. But I have to know if you have anything to do with the murders happening in this area?« Now she was standing right in front of him. If she’d held out her arm, she would have been able to touch him. The closeness was too much for Shia. He turned away to create some distance between them.
»No, of course not. I’m one of the good guys.« »Does that mean there are more of you?« Her voice was getting softer and softer. Shia nodded. »Yes, quite a few actually. But not all of them are good. We hunt the creatures that kill humans. When we catch them, we dispose of them so that they crumble to dust. Unfortunately now they are multiplying and we’re having trouble stopping them.« Eva shook her head. » I can hardly believe any of this, it’s so incomprehensible.« She didn’t want Shia to turn away from her and shut her out. Every answer led to more questions. She grabbed his arm and held him back. Surprised by her touch, Shia’s blood raced through his body and began to throb loudly in his ears. Her hand seemed to melt into his arm and his skin was burning like he’d been holding it to a flame. He snapped his hand back as if he’d been burned. »It would be better if you stayed away from me.« His reaction to her touch hadn’t escaped Eva’s notice. »Why? What do you want from me? Why were you waiting for me last night in the dark? That’s what you were doing, right? Don’t tell me it was a coincidence bumping into each other last night.«
Although he hadn’t wanted it to, her touch had excited him. His body began to tingle and he felt his fangs come alive in his mouth. He tried with all his power to stop it, but he wasn’t able to.
»Shia, answer my question. Why me?« She stepped up behind him not letting go of his arm. Suddenly he turned to face her. Dark green eyes were starring back at her and large white fangs were protruding out of Shia’s mouth, as if he were trying to warn her. Terrified, Eva stood there unable to move.
»This is what I really am. A creature people think only exists in stories. Even if I wanted, I couldn’t be anything else for you, even at the risk that I could scare you to death.« He sounded so regretful, but it revitalized Eva.
»Although I’m terrified of you, I want to know how you want me in your life.« She hadn’t run away like her instincts has told her to do when she saw Shia’s frightening appearance, but pulled herself together. There was more behind this fear-inducing facade and she wanted to find out what it was.
Shia broke away from her and took a few steps back. Using a lot of effort he got his blood pressure back down by calmly breathing in and out and his eyes and teeth took on their normal appearance. When he got everything under control, he turned around and looked at Eva.
»I need information. There have been too many murders in Seattle lately, which my warriors and I are trying to put a stop to. But we need leads and a direct connection with the police department.« »A-ha, and you thought because I live here in your neighborhood, you’d make a new friend.« Eva angrily crossed her arms in front of her chest. Great. Those were just the words she’d wanted to hear. But what had she expected from someone who could turn a light on telepathically?
»Okay, I get it!« »No Eva, you don’t. It’s not like you think. Please, believe me.« »Come on. I understand completely. You don’t have to pretend. We don’t need your help. The police are the ones responsible for this case, so you can go back to where you came from. Where ever that is.« Shia let out a contemptuous growl and Eva took a step back, her eyes widening.
»Do you really think you have the situation under control? You’ve been investigating for a year and you don’t have a single lead, let alone prevented a murder.« »We’re following leads.« »What leads?« »We assume that we’re dealing with a perpetrator who has a mental disorder known as Renfield Syndrome.« Shia nodded. »People who have the need to consume blood?« He raised an eyebrow and looked at her questioningly. »Yes, I consider it a type of schizophrenia.« He nodded again slightly amused. »So that makes me schizophrenic? In your eyes, mentally ill?« Eva looked at him a moment and shook her head in resignation.
»No, of course not.« »Okay, then answer one question for me: If you don’t even believe that vampires exist, how are you going to track them down? It’s not so easy to just disappear. After all, we’ve lived here in Seattle for centuries. »How long have you been a vampire?« »Since 1889. I was transformed when I was twenty years old.« Eva nodded. »Then everything you told me yesterday was
a lie!« »I had no intention of lying to you, but the truth sounds too much like a b-movie.« Shia looked over at her desponded.
»Eva, what should I have told you then? Would you have believed even an ounce of what you’ve learned about me today?« »No, I definitely wouldn’t have believed you, but you would have kept on lying to me if you’d erased my memory last night. But you wouldn’t have necessarily needed to drink my blood to get information from me.« Shia shook his head slowly. »No, that wasn’t necessary.« »Why did you do it then?« He exhaled loudly as if it were difficult for him to say.
»I saw you for the first time at a crime scene downtown near the new club. I was watching you and tried to gather some evidence after you had left. A day later I saw you again here in front of the house. I couldn’t believe it. I ... I had to see you again.« He slowly approached Eva.
»You move something in me. I was under pressure and didn’t want to drink your blood, but then you were so close to me and your smell and your aura made me crazy. There was nothing I could do against it.« He cautiously touched her lips with his thumb. Eva closed her eyes and let him do it. She wished that he were just a normal human being at that moment. His tender touch made the world stand still, if only for a second.
»You enchant me. There is something between us. You must be able to feel it, too.» He was whispering now. »Dance with me like we did last night.« She looked into Shia’s eyes and could see his desire and was yearning for the feeling that she’d felt last night when he took her in his arms and moved to the music. She wanted to feel that way one more time and then forget it forever. As if Eva were made of porcelain, Shia carefully took her by the arm and turned her slowly around to the beat of the music suddenly coming out of the CD player.
