by C M Thorne
He turned all of the lights on in the massive room, even the recessed lighting set into some of the expensive cabinetry housing ties and jewelry. Caleb walked down to his clothes and thumbed through the pants and shirts. There wasn’t much to organize, especially since the past few days’ clothes were occupying the built-in laundry basket. He couldn’t help but look down at Rainer’s things in the closet. He moved down, running a hand along the soft and silky dress shirts hanging closest to Caleb’s clothes.
His hand came to rest on a particularly soft deep blue button-up. Without thinking, he grabbed the fabric and brought it to his nose, inhaling deeply. It smelled incredibly good, causing a slight, involuntary quiver throughout his body as he exhaled shakily. He imagined being this close to Rainer and slipped the shirt off the hanger. He held it up to his nose again and inhaled, losing himself for a moment. Caleb realized he was being more than a little strange, but he justified that plenty of people enjoyed someone who smelled good. This wasn’t that weird. Right?
Caleb couldn’t really think of sound reasoning for why he found himself undoing the buttons of the shirt and slipping into it, however. He just couldn’t stop himself. Rainer was a couple of inches taller than Caleb, though he did not consider himself a short man. But the vampire was quite obviously a few inches broader than Caleb in the shoulders, he realized. The shirt hung past his butt and was far too long for his arms. He rolled the sleeves up as he walked back into the bathroom, thinking about how he would put the shirt in his laundry after he was done being a total weirdo and wash it the next time Rainer left for the afternoon. He doubted the vampire would even notice. Right? He had so many clothes and had not even come back into the master closet since taking a chunk of it into the over room nearly three weeks prior.
Debating whether to button any of the buttons, Caleb turned and looked at his reflection. The slight largeness of the shirt and the deep shade over his grey shirt was actually very flattering. He looked at himself from a few different angles and decided that he liked the vibe it put off. He imagined wearing it if the two of them were dating. His stomach felt fluttery as he thought about how nice it would be to wear some of his things. Caleb had always liked when couples shared a few items of clothing. It was a unique way to be intimate without outright physical displays of affection, especially in public.
He smelled the collar of the shirt as he walked back through the closet, flipping the lights back off. “Maybe I’ll just start dinner and then put it in the laundry afterwards,” Caleb muttered to himself, stepping out into the hall. “No harm done really.” He justified his actions to himself as he walked across the living room, moving his hand along to the cello and organ sonata playing over the living room and kitchen speakers. He opened up the refrigerator as a series of rapid knocks echoed down from the front door.
Caleb closed the door and slowly walked down the hallway, jumping a little as louder knocks sounded from the door. His stomach dropped, feeling a chill settle over his skin. What was that feeling? He leaned his hands on the door and looked out the peephole cautiously. Becca was standing in the foyer in a flowing white summer dress covered in pale pink and soft yellow flowers, but she seemed strangely close to the door, not how she usually approached doors. It was awkward and he couldn’t fully see her face. Caleb couldn’t really see around her either. “Becs? Is that you?” Caleb asked through the door.
“Yeah, sorry!” She made a strange face as she backed up a little, nearly over herself as if she wasn’t fully in control of her body. “Don’t mean to stop by unannounced, but can I come in?”
“Uh,” Caleb answered, feeling uneasy as his chest tightened. Something wasn’t right.
“Caleb!” Becca cried out, sounding in pain.
Without thinking, Caleb unlocked the door and jerked it open. Standing a little over a foot from the doorjamb was Becca, only now he could see that her left arm was twisted behind her and someone was obviously standing behind her. “Becs?!” He shrieked, voice filled with sudden unfettered terror.
Becca was moved slightly to the side and a woman revealed herself, stepping out and standing to her full height. She had long mahogany brown hair that fell in perfect loose waves around her shoulders with dark hazel eyes boring into Caleb’s with a blank, but intense look. She was wearing a royal purple dress that synched around the waist and drew up over one shoulder, trailing elegantly down her back. The woman was at least an inch taller than Becca and she had the most brilliant ivory white skin with a slight undertone of the palest olive. She was stunning and, without a doubt, a vampire.
As if to prove his thoughts correct, she cocked her head to the side towards his sister and bared her fangs. “Good evening, Caleb,” the woman addressed him directly making his heart skip a beat. She had a smooth, seductive voice that had a refined and unaffected accent. “Mind letting us in?”
“Who are you?” Caleb asked. “What are you doing with my sister?”
“She is my bait to get you, dear Caleb,” the vampire woman smiled maliciously. “And I,” she continued, flourishing her free hand out slightly, “I am Livia. I presume you had heard of me?” Her tone was amused, arrogant almost as she nearly laughed, looking over at him haughtily.
Caleb’s heart caught in his throat and his felt his eyes bug out as he looked to his terrified sister. Livia sniggered, “Yes, I have come to collect my precious Philippe.” She narrowed her gaze. “You are going to help me do that, dear Caleb.”
“Like hell!” Caleb retorted without thinking.
Becca cried out in pain as Livia twisted her arm behind her back further. Caleb swore he heard something crunch as Livia moved her mouth near Becca’s exposed neck. “Help me,” Livia’s eyes flicked up from Becca’s carotid artery to Cal’s eyes, “or I kill your family, starting with beautiful Rebecca here.”
Caleb clenched his fists, but said nothing. He just stood there, feet planted indignantly, as he tried to think of a way out of this situation. Caleb had been no match for Henri, however, and Livia was much older and much stronger.
“I’m sure she tastes delicious,” she lowered herself closer to Becca’s neck mockingly.
“Stop!” Caleb yelled.
“No, Cal,” Becca protested weakly.
He shook his head and responded, “I can’t let her kill you, Becs.” He looked Livia directly in the eye and spoke slowly, “Come in.”
Livia’s eyes lit up and Becca’s arm crunched and popped loudly as the vampire raised it to mouth. Her lips curled back over her fangs and clamped down on Becca’s arm, teeth slicing through her flesh and ripping as she tore upward in a manner that struck Caleb as being carelessly violent. Becca screamed as the ancient vampire shoved her to the side in a messy heap. She flashed forward, sending Caleb flying down the hall. He hit the ground hard and he lost all the air in his chest. He tried to push himself up onto his arms as the vampire slowly walked down the hall, head raised to the music.
“Ah, Gabrielli,” she looked down at Caleb as she stopped a few feet in front of him. “You know, he only composed for cello because of my Philippe.” She grinned wickedly as Caleb tried to scoot away from her.
She flashed forward then, pinning Caleb to the hardwood as her fangs sank into his neck. It stung at first, sharp and hot, a million times worse than any bee sting or bite he had felt before. Then his mind grew fuzzy. He tried to protest, but he could not even move against the unimaginable strength of the ancient vampire pressing him down into the ground. Before he could even think of what to do, his vision closed in around him and everything went black.
At a quarter till seven, Rainer pulled up in front of the Oleander building and slipped out of his car, leaving it for the building’s car service to go park it. He walked at a mundane pace into the building, enjoying the thought of going upstairs to Caleb once more. Something made him stop as soon as he was inside. A strange feeling in his gut that spread slowly. He could sense that there was no one in the lobby or nearby. Cocking his head to the side, he listened f
or anything around him. There was nothing immediately noticeable, however. No muffled heartbeats, no faint breathing, or soft sound of someone walking down the hallway of the conference rooms or the other building’s services. He inhaled deeply, letting his vampiric senses take in the most diluted of aromas in the air. The sharp, metallically sweet, and enticing notes of human blood hit him like a fast slap. It was fresh.
He flashed over to the front desk at the far end of the lobby, leaning over and seeing the splash of garnet red blood starting to turn sticky and thick on the lower portion of the desk that was the employees’ workspace. No body appeared to be stashed behind the desk however. His head snapped towards the elevators as he thought of Caleb upstairs. He blurred forward at vampiric speed towards the stairwell around the corner from the elevators, speeding up the stairs with a moment’s hesitation. Rainer was much faster than the elevator at full speed and he hoped it would be enough. Henri was not bold or powerful enough for a head-on assault like this. His thoughts turned dark as he imagined who had attacked the building and what state he would find Caleb in.
He accidentally tore the heavy metal door off its hinges, exiting the stairs on his level at breakneck speed. The smell of blood and a shape on the floor of the foyer stopped him. There was a great pool of fresh blood encircling the crumbled heap in front of the door. He flashed forward, crouching down over the person on the floor in a blur, realizing that it was Caleb’s eldest sister, Rebecca. Her arm was twisted around in a way only possible through shoulder dislocation and her elbow looked to be broken. White bone peaked through the jagged tear running deep along the mangled forearm of the woman. Without a second thought, Rainer bit his left wrist and cradled her head, lowering his wrist to her mouth. He let the blood drip into her mouth as his wrist healed. Rebecca swallowed the blood and her eyes popped open, fear clearly spreading across her flushed face.
She sat up, scampering away from Rainer as she started to cough. Her eyes looked around frantically and she took a deep breath. “Where’s Cal?” She squeaked, voice cracking. “That woman…she wanted him,” she coughed, “she took me from the street.” She rubbed the back of her head and continued, “I was meant to meet some friends. Oh, coffee. Probably so worried. Should’ve texted. Couldn’t,” Rebecca laughed, seeming a little out of sorts still to the vampire.
“What woman Becca?” Rainer asked her, trying to draw her attention. “What did she look like? The woman, Becca?”
Her eyes looked towards the elevator. “Some beautiful woman on the street. She wanted to get to Cal,” Becca muttered and looked at Rainer squarely, eyes focusing, “she wanted you.”
Rainer’s eyes widened as he turned and blurred away from Becca at vampiric speed into the condo. He stopped at a small pool of blood at the end of the front hallway before the kitchen. He fell to his knees before the tacky looking puddle when the smell hit him. It was unmistakable to him now. The blood belonged to Caleb. He had smelled it three times now and knew it so intimately. It was more than intoxicating to him. It called to him, singing some song that he alone seemed to hear or know.
He popped up and sped throughout the rooms of the condo, hoping beyond hope that he was still here. He stopped in the living room, looking around frantically. His mind chastised him for allowing himself to become close to a human. Rainer should have just killed Henri and compelled Caleb. He would have been safer that way. Rainer would have been safer that way. He had not made such a grave mistake in well over a century. He would pay now. Caleb would pay. He probably already had. He turned around frantically, stopping as he noticed the white patch on his coffee table.
Rainer moved closer to the table, seeing his name scrawled on an envelope in a deep blue ink in the ornate handwriting of his sire, Livia. His hand shook as he reached out and grabbed the envelope, opening it slowly. A note written in a dark red that smelled faintly of Caleb’s blood fell out. He caught it before it had a chance to fall, opening it and reading quickly.
My precious Rainer,
I have taken your little pet. Come to your club to resolve this little chase you’ve led me on.
Ever thine,
Livia
Rainer fumed, nostrils flaring as he dropped the letter, flashing out of the condo and up the remaining flights of stairs to a Sip of Life above.
CHAPTER 12
Caleb’s vision slowly opened up as he raised his hand to rub his eyes. He sat up, feeling stiff and incredibly sore in numerous places that he didn’t even know could hurt. The back of his head throbbed and his throat burned like he had choked on salt water. He groaned and blinked against the harshness of the lights around him, slowly realizing that he was sitting on the far side of the dance floor at a Sip of Life. He looked around confused, trying to focus on what he saw. There was no music playing and only the high, recessed lighting of the club was turned on against the darkness that had fallen from the early hours of night. A group of people were standing on the other side of the dance floor, closer to the elevators.
At first, he thought they were all standing around and watching him, but he noticed that the people around the edges of the group were keeping the others huddled together. He squinted into the shadows that partially shrouded the group, seeing that those herding the others had their fangs bared, like angry, hungry animals, threatening their prey. Vampires must have taken over the club. Why was he here though? He hadn’t been back to the club since moving into the building. Everything came flooding back as he reached for what had happened, remembering Livia showing up and hurting Becca before attacking him. Cal’s left hand flew up to his neck but he couldn’t feel a bite wound.
He looked around wildly for Livia, finally spotting her up in the VIP area, hunched over a young woman, who looked near death, grey and slumped against the pale, powerful gripping at her and holding her up effortlessly. Her eyes blazed as she fed, watching Caleb down below. Her long hair was thrown back over her shoulders and he noticed that she was holding the woman away from her, as if to keep herself clean. Cal tried to look away, but it was like she had ensnared his mind with her fiery gaze. He was stuck, pinned under the weight that blazed through the air from the ancient vampire. He had read about her numerous gifts in her log, but he wasn’t sure what she was doing that pinned him to the spot, unable to look away from her.
Livia released the woman’s body and stood up as it crumpled, lifeless at her feet. “Finally awake I see,” Livia’s voice rang down as she accepted a cloth napkin from one of the vampires standing near her upstairs. She dabbed at the corners of her mouth and dropped the napkin on the body, walking toward the stairs. “How are you feeling, darling Caleb?” Livia mocked.
Caleb wanted to talk, but he felt like he was trying to swallow sand. He glared at the vampire as she stepped down from the stairs. She must have drained a lot of his blood to make him feel so weak and out of it. Caleb’s mind flashed with the idea that he was probably going to die. This was the end. There was so much he had left unfinished. Things he had never said or done swirled around in his mind and he blinked hard to bring himself back to the moment, not believing that some ancient vendetta between vampires was going to end his life. Was his father right? Oh, no! Caleb groaned at himself and the idea that his father’s constant spouting about sin and danger were potentially proving true. Livia stood on the other side of the dance floor and more of her vampire minions seemed to take shape in the shadows of the club. He whirled around looking at all of them as his mind snapped back into the current moment.
Livia laughed, “Yes, Caleb, forgive me. This is my coven.” She opened her arms to show that everyone in the club not human or corralled into the group near the elevators were her progeny. His eyes focused on the people and she glanced over her shoulder. “Yes,” she answered an unspoken question flippantly, “I decided to keep some of the early arrivals for a meal.”
Some of the people in the group cried out and she turned sharply, glaring at them. Some of her progeny moved into the group, grabbing the people that wo
uldn’t settle down. Their cries stopped then, but Caleb thought, or hoped rather, that they were still alive, just being held by the vampires.
“There are laws,” Caleb choked out finally, glaring at Livia as he resisted wincing against the sandpapery pain that radiated down his throat from speaking.
“Ha!” Livia shook her head. “Human laws? The laws supposedly decided on by the seven races?” She paced in front of the hostages, looking them over. “No, no, no, darling Caleb. We vampires do not need to heed such laws. Some do in order to keep the peace.” She spat the last three words, her alabaster, stone-like visage screwing up into pure, angry disgust.
“Peace is not something we need worry about. If vampires wanted, we could rule over these puny humans. They are food. They are nothing.” She turned, squaring herself with Caleb, who had come to lazily sit on his knees with a great deal of effort. “We are the strong.” She held her held high, smiling a fangy grin.
Caleb went to move, to pry himself up off his knees, but a loud crash echoed throughout the club. A flash of a vampire’s shape moved toward the dance floor from the darkness and Livia was sent flying towards a nearby bar, breaking through it with another loud crash. Rainer blurred onto the dance floor between Caleb and Livia, who had recovered not even a second after Rainer stopped in front of him. His back was to Caleb, but it heaved with angered breaths as a deep, guttural sound left him. A growl? A roar? It was primal, hungry and consumed by rage.
Livia started laughing as she moved forward slowly, “Oh, precious Philippe! Finally come out to play.”
