Of Blood and Sorrow

by Christine Rains

  “Erin!” Cort growled. It came from deep within his chest, low and inhuman.

  Nicolas struggled again, hissing at the demon that held him. He slipped down, almost out of the hold.

  “Nicolas.” I held up my hands. Pushing thoughts of the Allu out of my head, I instead thought of Mary and what she would want for her son. “Stop. No fighting. If you want my help, you have to be calm. Can you do that?”

  “Yes.” Nicolas grumbled and went still again. His hands fisted and lips thinned. “Just tell this big lug to let go. He’s messing up my clothes.”

  “Cort, let him go.”

  “I’m not letting go!” Cort snarled. “This filthy leech will—”

  “Let him go and leave him here with me.” I folded my arms to hide the shaking of my hands. My gaze fixed on Nicolas’ face. How he looked like the boy he once was when he furrowed his brows. Misery from frustration and fear licked at my senses. “He’s not going to hurt me.”

  “No! Dammit. Get your ass—”

  “Listen to the lady, buddy. I’m not going to hurt her. I just need some answers and don’t trust anyone else to give them to me.” Nicolas was suddenly out of Cort’s arms and on the other side of the office. He straightened his stained shirt and ran his fingers through his hair. “Damn storm seemed to come out of nowhere.”

  “I’m not leaving you alone with him.” Cort strode over to me and snatched me by the wrist. I winced as he yanked me toward the hall. Yup, here was the frustrating big brother act.

  I pulled back, but couldn’t break his hold. “Leave me. I’m not going to get hurt. I know what I’m doing. Just go.”

  “I don’t know what you’re thinking, but you can’t handle a vamp yourself.” Cort gave me another tug and suddenly stumbled back into the hall without me. Nicolas stood in front of me.

  “She said to leave her alone.”

  Cort cursed, threw me a hard look, and stormed down the hall.

  “Alone at last.” Nicolas grinned and flopped down in the swivel chair behind the desk.

  I should have gone with Cort. I could have told Nicolas to wait for me and he would have done so. He didn’t know what was coming for him. I wished I didn’t. I kept telling myself it was the right thing to do. Vampires were unnatural. They didn’t deserve to walk this world.

  Then there was that other voice in my head. It was as if I could remember Nicolas as a sweet boy. The days when he acted and always got the lead role at school. I could see him as a runner, winning every competition. I knew that look on his face and what I felt from him when I mentioned his mother.

  Fighting those memories, I didn’t want to sympathize or feel sorry for him. I wanted to turn my back to him and walk away. To call forth my inner bitch. Yet no one deserved the fate the Allu would bring him.

  “Listen carefully. We don’t have much time. Cort will return with his father and brothers. Maybe something much worse. They’ll kill you.” I took in a deep breath and released it. I must be crazy doing this. “You need to get as far away from here as possible. They’ll try to track you, but if you get far enough, you’ll be all right.”

  “How am I going to do that? I have no money, no car. Nothing.” Nicolas frowned and shook his head. “I can’t go anywhere. I need to figure things out, and you seem to know the answers. You helped me out last night. Help me again.”

  Helped him? I’d only been trying to save myself. Stupid, selfish me. I gestured to the door. Thunder rumbled in the distance. “I can’t help you. You have to leave. Now. Steal a car. Steal some money. I don’t care, but you’ve got to go now.”

  “Please,” he pleaded and came around the desk. Oh those dreamy blue eyes. “I don’t know what to do. I almost killed a man last night. I don’t want that to happen again.”

  “Almost killed a man?” My surprise made me squeak. Almost. That meant he didn’t.

  “Yeah.” He hung his head. “One second, I was walking along. And then the next, I was drinking from some bum in an alley. I stopped before his heartbeat slowed. I’m hungry again tonight. Every person I see, I want to eat. Except you. I don’t want to eat you for some reason.” He paused and then added, “Or your brother. I definitely didn’t want to eat him. You two are different.”

  “He’s not my brother.”

  “Well, whatever. It doesn’t matter. I just want to make sure I don’t hurt anyone. I feel most like myself around you. I can control myself with you.” Nicolas reached for my hand, but I yanked it back.

  He shattered my image of vampires. He didn’t want to kill people. Vamps did that for fun, didn’t they? But I didn’t even believe myself when I thought it.

  Not Nicolas. He was different.

  No. I had his mother’s grief within me still. It was clouding my judgment. And his stupid sexy vampiric charms. At least that’s what I’d tell everyone else.

  “Maybe I can help you.” I was going to be sorry for this later. I wanted to take back the words, but I kept talking. “Meet me after work. Uh, someplace where there’re no people around. James Street Cemetery. You know where that is?” With his nod, I pointed to the door again. “Now run. They’re going to kill you if you stay here, and I won’t be able to do a thing about it.”

  “Seriously?” He didn’t budge.

  “Demons. They’re demons, and they can kill you.”

  “Demons?” His eyes widened. “But won’t they kill you too?”

  “No.” I nipped my lower lip. “Because I’m one of them.”

  Why did I say that? Very few people knew our true nature. Maybe it was a protective reflex. My instincts were wiser than my heart.

  Nicolas gaped. Footsteps pounded down the hall, and he was gone in the blink of an eye. The front doors swung shut hard with a gust of wind. I covered my face with my hands.

  I claimed to have fallen victim to Nicolas’ charms. It was the only rational explanation I could give the Putzkammers. I wished it were completely true so I could get myself to accept what I’d done. None of them needed to know how deeply I drank in a person when feeding on their sorrow.

  Cort roared about it and threw a chair, but once he calmed down, he apologized and took full responsibility for what had happened. I offered a few protests, but when everyone refused to hear I had anything to do with it, I silenced myself.

  The Putzkammers examined and coddled me like a child who had fallen off her bike. It was lucky those with the blood of Ammut weren’t mindreaders. All the while they were fussing over me, I tried to decide if I should go to the cemetery or not. From Nicolas’ gobsmacked expression when I’d told him what I was, I didn’t think he’d show up anyway.

  The Allu arrived not twenty minutes after Nicolas had fled. It was as if the stormy night itself walked in. I didn’t see what faces they wore that night, but I wasn’t curious in the least. I claimed to be still shaky and remained in the rear office with Bolona and Connor as Aleo and Cort spoke to the Allu.

  I was ready to ask Connor for a ride home when Aleo peered in through the door. “Erin, dear, Abdiel would like to speak with you.”

  Oh, hell no. I stiffened, and Bolona rubbed my back.

  “It’s all right. I’ll sit here with you.” Bolona gave her husband a look. A look that made any mother hen fiercer than the rooster.

  The Putzkammer matron never failed to amaze me. She was a human living in a household of demons, working in a business that catered to demons, and currently comforting a demon. Bolona was a witch, but not of immense power. Her strength resided in her indomitable will and huge heart.

  Connor glanced at the door as if debating his escape, but he didn’t move soon enough.

  Abdiel came in, more of a glide than a walk. He wore black leather like a biker, including the gloves and big boots. A hood from a second jacket under his leather one was up and shadowing his face. I could still see his distinctive features and tried not to let it unnerve me even more. He had JFK down to the square jaw and dimpled chin. Even the voice was eerily accurate.

  “The
vampire didn’t harm you.” He narrowed his eyes.

  “No.” I kept my gaze upon his hands rather than his face. It hadn’t been a question. More of an accusation.

  “Why?” Allu demons didn’t waste time with words. They were beasts of action.

  “Because he couldn’t eat me.” That much was true.

  “Such things do not stop vampires.” Abdiel’s Massachusetts accent made the sentence sound ridiculous. “Cort said he came to you for help. What sort of help?”

  “Explanations. He didn’t understand what was happening to him and what he should do.” Again, the best way to go with the Allu was to tell the truth. I knew I was going to have to lie, though, and it made my stomach churn.

  “Why you? Where is his sire?”

  “I don’t think he knows his sire, or even what a sire is. As for me…” I swallowed. “He thinks I helped him last night and that I’d help him again.”

  “Did you help him?” Abdiel’s tone grew colder.

  “No.” I looked up at the dead president. If I ever saw JFK’s face again, it would never look the same. My skin crawled as if Abdiel had somehow gotten into my body and was poking around like a hungry rat. “I did what I had to do. If I would have tried to stop him, he would have killed me.”

  “If you did help him, I would do what I have to do.” Abdiel didn’t hiss or growl. Each word rang clear and sharp.

  “Enough for now, Abdiel. Erin was being smart. She sent the vampire away without a fight and contacted me,” Aleo stated.

  “Are you going to help him?” Abdiel’s dark eyes bore into me.

  Bolona’s arm tightened around me as I inched closer to her. Safety resided in her embrace. I shook my head, not trusting my voice. My heart thudded loud enough to echo in my ears. Did Abdiel guess I was considering meeting Nicolas later? He couldn’t read my mind, right? Think something mundane. Think of coffee. Black and strong.

  “The bastard can’t use his charms on her if he can’t get to her. We’ll make sure of it. You just find him and kill him.” Aleo’s accent was thicker now than I’d ever heard it before.

  “Language.” Bolona chided him.

  “We’ll find him.” Abdiel didn’t look at Aleo, but at me as he said it. He disappeared from the door and marched down the hall.

  Everyone was silent until they were sure he was out of hearing range.

  “Ich bin ein Berliner.” Connor did his best JFK imitation with a cheesy growl at the end.

  I was too terrified to laugh. In fact, his attempt at humor scared me a little more.

  “Behave.” Bolona was a woman who could put a lot of power in one word commands.

  “You’re coming home with us tonight, Erin.” Aleo straightened his tie and took a deep breath. “The ceremony for Mrs. Lutz is still going on. The Allu will be quick with theirs. Connor, take your mother and Erin home.”

  I should go with them. It was safe. Bolona would feed me, chat my ear off, and make me forget. Well, at least for a little bit. And it would also take away having to decide if I should go to the cemetery or not.

  Still…

  “Shouldn’t I stay—” I was cut off by a shake of my boss’ head.

  “No, it’s all right, dear. Cort and I can clean up after everyone has left.” Bolona replied, and Aleo didn’t wait for her to say anything more. He hurried off down the hall.

  If I stayed at the Putzkammers’ house, I’d be far from the cemetery. Nicolas would be left without answers. I surprised myself with that thought. It meant I’d already decided I’d be going.

  “I appreciate everything you all are doing, but I don’t want to impose. I’ll at least need clothes, so I’ll have to go home for them anyway. The Lady has the house well warded. I’m as safe with her as I am with you.” My landlady’s house was safer than any in town.

  “While I don’t doubt the Lady has the house secure against unwanted visitors, she’ll already be asleep with the sun down.” Bolona stood and motioned for her youngest son to hand her the jackets on the coat tree. “After the night you’ve had, you need a nice cup of hot chocolate and fresh baked cookies. I don’t trust anyone else to feed you, not even you.”

  “I want hot chocolate and cookies.” Connor passed over the jackets.

  “You eat too many sweets.” It was said with an affectionate smile, though. It was Bolona who fed them to him after all. “And Erin needs to eat more.”

  Cort peeked into the room and interrupted us with a cough. “Sorry, but I need you, Mom. The ladies have finished their ceremony and all the trays are empty. Dad’s attempting to make coffee too.”

  “The gods help us all if anyone drinks what he makes.” Bolona handed her jacket back to Connor and bustled out of the office. She paused long enough to give me an apologetic smile. “Go on to our house, dear. Connor will take you. Weather magic makes women very hungry. We might be here a little while.”

  I was about to offer my help, but Cort and Bolona were gone before I could open my mouth. My gaze fell on Connor. Only one hurdle left.

  “What would it take for you to just drop me off at home?”

  “I’m not going to do that. Mom and Dad would have my hide.” Connor snorted and tossed the short black trench coat to me.

  “Come on. If I’m fed sugar at this time of night, I’ll never fall asleep. I’ll be useless tomorrow.” I slipped my arms into my jacket and proceeded to do up the big buttons. “Plus, your dad’s snoring rattles the house. I can’t sleep through it. You know the Lady has her house safe. What does everyone think is going to happen? I just want to go to sleep and forget that JFK interrogated me.”

  “I know you’ll be safe at your house. And if you’re not at mine, all the more cookies for me.” Connor pursed his lips and stuffed his hands into his pockets, rooting around. “I’ve got no cash on me. How about you buy me a pack of smokes and a bottle of Jack, and I’ll say you strong-armed me into taking you home?”

  Blackmail. Yup, that’s my Connor. And I loved him more so that he was willing to face Bolona’s wrath for me.

  “I’m not buying you cigarettes and alcohol.” I hoped I didn’t sound too much like his mother.

  “I’m old enough to smoke.”

  “All right. The smokes then. And you bring in some cookies when you come in tomorrow.”

  Connor mumbled something about not wanting to share but grinned as he led the way out. “Deal. Can I still say you bullied me into taking you home?”

  “Yeah, as if any of them would believe it.” I sighed.

  “They just don’t know you like I know you.” He winked, still smiling.

  He was right. The others treated me as a delicate piece of porcelain, and I let them. Not because I liked to be thought of as a helpless child, but for the fact I loved them too much to say otherwise. Only Connor knew I was made of stronger stuff, but we had always kept that truth between us.

  I turned back to the entrance of the cemetery for the second time. The wind whipped at my hair, strands flying into my face. I brushed it back with a gloved hand and shivered. Being in a graveyard in the middle of the night didn’t unnerve me. It was who I was going to meet that did.

  I shouldn’t be helping a vampire. Dead things shouldn’t walk and talk. Be rational. This whole situation needed to be thought out more thoroughly. Though, okay, I’d never met a vampire before. They stayed away from demons because vampires couldn’t eat them. Any ordinary human would think demons and vampires both as monsters. Sometimes they were right.

  Not that all demons were full-blooded. In fact, most weren’t. I was a Mutt. Every demon I knew except the Lady was a Mutt. They were far more human than vampires could ever be.

  Walking between the graves, I dragged my fingers over the markers. A chill nipped at my exposed flesh. I shouldn’t be here.

  I’d heard stories. Even humans grew up listening to gruesome tales of the undead. Those tales were meant as warnings and many took them for fact. Now they were labeled as fiction, and in a world where there were so
many humans doing terrible things, the vampires blended right in.

  Nicolas was a vampire. Did I hate him? I’d been trying. I stopped and turned around again, facing the cold stones and even colder night.

  He had attacked me, but it had been the hunger. He apologized for it. His mother loved him even though he was a druggie. There had to be something beyond the drugs and beyond the hunger. If there wasn’t something else, I was incredibly stupid to be doing this.

  “Erin.” A soft voice twisted with the wind.

  I froze and then snapped my head from one side to the other. My night vision was keener than a human’s, almost like a cat’s. A faint whiff of musty cologne tickled my nose before I saw him step out from behind a tall headstone.

  “Blah! I’ve come to suck your blood.” He stumbled toward me like a slow moving zombie.

  I rolled my eyes.

  Nicolas chuckled and stuck his hands in the pockets of his suit jacket. A jacket he hadn’t had before. A very expensive looking one with the trousers and dress shirt that begged for a two hundred dollar tie. The only things that didn’t match were the black Converse sneakers. What the hell? Did he kill someone for their clothes? Maybe I should’ve gone home with Connor.

  “You came,” he said softly.

  “I said I would.” Idiotic as that was.

  “I didn’t expect you to. I didn’t know if I would come.” Nicolas stood a few feet in front of me and leaned against the nearest gravestone. He cleaned up very well. Damn. He could be a GQ model.

  “I almost didn’t make it after the interrogation by your hunters.” I shuddered and hugged myself as if that could shield me against the cold wind. Or, more so, the thought of the Allu hunting. “I still suggest you get far away from here. The demons hunting you will kill you in the most horrible way they can think of. And they have large imaginations.”

  “While I admit that’s great motivation, but aren’t I already dead? I have these amazing powers—”

  “Yes, well, wonderful as it is, you can still be killed. Again. And it will hurt.” Any sane person would race from the city, from the state, from the continent. Just one harsh look from Abdiel and I wanted to flee. “You’re far from invincible.”