Armando’s warning had been clear.
Roman’s life was in danger.
Reaching for the knob to turn the music on even louder, Vanora felt her thoughts slipping, dreamy images filling her mind’s eye. The car slid off the road onto the shoulder. Vanora barely jerked herself awake before completely nodding off. A tree loomed in front of her. Shoving her foot down on the brake, she brought the car to a skidding stop.
The driver’s door whipped open, eliciting a surprised cry from her lips. Armando crouched beside her, his hand on her shoulder. “It’s just me.”
“The door was locked,” she stuttered.
“I’ll pay to have it repaired,” he answered simply. “You frightened me.”
“Yeah, well…” She yawned, covering her mouth quickly with one hand.
Reaching into the car, Armando shoved the gearshift into park. “I’ll drive.”
Feeling almost drunk, Vanora slid out of the car, standing beside the vampire. He startled her by placing an arm around her shoulder but allowed him to guide her to the passenger side.
“You’re not telling me everything, are you?” she said, her eyes narrowed.
“No, but do I ever?” Again, his teasing smile spread over his shapely lips.
The heat in her face embarrassed her. Here she was at twenty years of age acting like a sixteen-year-old again. Settling into the passenger seat, she swept her long white-blond hair from her face, scrutinizing him openly. Ever the gentleman, he buckled her in. He was so close she could feel his aura sliding over her skin. It was like cold silk brushing over her heated flesh. His soft curls tickled her lips briefly and she turned her face away.
“Are we still being followed?” she finally asked.
“Not anymore,” Armando responded. “I took care of them.”
“Who are THEY?”
“We’ll talk about it later,” Armando shut the door and hurried around to the driver’s seat. Once settled in, he pulled the car back onto the highway.
Exhausted, Vanora tilted her head against the headrest, staring at him through her lashes. “Why not now?”
“You need to sleep,” he answered simply.
“I don’t want to sleep.” She didn’t want to dream of HIM.
Armando’s fingers were whisper soft against her cheek and chin. “Sleep, Vanora. I’m here. I’ll take care of you.”
Armando’s touch transfixed her and she inclined her face away from him to escape it. “But I don’t trust you.”
“Perhaps not in all things, but in this you must trust me.”
“Because of Roman…”
“Yes.”
“Because he might die.”
“Yes.”
Wiping a tear away, she struggled not to fall into the embrace of sleep.
In spite of her distrust and her terrible attraction to him, when Armando took her hand to console her, she allowed him to.
“Sleep, Vanora,” he said.
And she did.
25
The boundaries of their small world exploded outward with the arrival of the new vampires. No longer did they live in a small world enclosed by the stone walls surrounding the Socoli Estate. There were no more delusions that they were alone in their dark world. Armando had brought to the Socolis the knowledge that other vampires existed; the new vampires brought with them the experience of their own lives. Together, as a whole, they constructed a new existence for themselves.
Slowly, the Socolis saw beyond the horizon of their own existence into a world where vampires were created in moments of mad bloodlust and abandoned by their Masters to exist alone in the darkness of the night. It soon became apparent that the vampires often lived alone, or in small packs, always seeking out a vampire who could give some meaning to their dark existence, always searching and never finding the one who could answer all their questions. Only Roman, a comparably young vampire, seemed to hold any answers at all, and they were willing to follow him faithfully.
Roman believed firmly in taking control of one’s humanity and pursuing a life in the mortal world. To vampires who had existed in the shadows, terrified of detection, haunted by memories of the hunters, Roman’s beliefs were exotic and seductive.
All the vampires were born and reborn in the Americas, with the exception of Sheila. She was the only foreign vampire, born in Australia, transformed into a vampire by her own father along with the rest of her family. She alone had escaped a massacre that had destroyed her family and had shipped herself to America. Arriving in Louisiana, she had found Alexander, a gigolo who had seduced too many young rich virgins and had his throat slit by an irate father. A vampire had found his bleeding body and brought him over. Alexander had also been abandoned by his Master. Mute, due to the savage slice across his throat, and alone, he’d been chased by the hunters, and narrowly rescued by Sheila. Together, they had hidden together through the centuries, avoiding the hunters, trusting only each other.
The oldest of the new vampires was Angel, a vampire from Mexico. Nearly three-hundred years old but having the appearance of a sixteen-year-old, he was the most skittish of the vampires. He had traveled with many different packs: some that had fallen apart due to infighting, others destroyed by the hunters.
The youngest vampire was a freckle-faced, red-headed vampire from East Texas named Zachary. He was so young, his picture was still being regularly printed out on missing person posters.
Even though the vampires came from many different cultures, ethnic groups, and time periods, they all desired one common, seemingly unattainable dream: To live without fear in the world of the mortals and to not be alone. Roman’s Law had drawn them together, but Roman Socoli gave them a family.
After that first, tense night, the vampires knew they had found a new leader and a new existence. Though some were reluctant at first, many of the vampires abandoned their nightly hunts in the city for human blood in exchange for consuming animal blood. Others became brave enough to fake their way into human society and took up jobs. All began to legitimately buy homes or rent apartments, deliberately interacting with the mortals around them. But no matter what they did in their lives, they always returned to the Socoli Estate to consult with Roman. Soon they began to bring other vampires they found wandering the night. Calling themselves Roman’s vampires, their ranks continued to grow.
Roman took it all in stride. He had always been a leader and he easily slipped into the role of mentor to the vampires. Alisha was frightened at first but soon connected with individual vampires in a very personal way. Sheila and Alisha became the best of friends, both sharing a common rebirth and views on their vampire existence.
That left Vanora Socoli on the outside looking in.
Vanora was the only mortal among the vampires. For the first year after their arrival, Roman kept her apart from the vampires who were only allowed into the house after she was safely in bed. Then, gradually, Roman allowed her to visit with the newcomers when he, Alisha, or Armando was present. To Vanora’s surprise, the vampires loved to hear of her mortal life and always treated her as though she were some sort of princess. It was clear that their admiration of her brother rubbed off a little on her and Alisha.
Vanora was proud of her brother and glad that her siblings were not alone in their dark world, but the Monopoly board sitting on the game table untouched spoke volumes to her. Every piece remained in the exact position it had been the night the vampires had arrived.
26
January 2007
One night, Armando found Vanora in Roman’s study around midnight staring at the game board. The merry voices of the vampires visiting with Roman echoed through the house. It was a Friday night and Armando knew Vanora had just returned from a concert with her friend Rhonda. He had noted that her siblings were too busy to notice her arrival and had kept a watch for her. His one-on-one interaction with the girl had been limited in the year since the arrival of the vampires. His Master was not pleased with his slow progress and insisted on him finding a way to keep
a closer eye on the girl.
“Good evening,” Armando said from the doorway.
Vanora glanced at him, her long whitish hair falling over her shoulders. Clad in a black dress, ankle boots, silver jewelry, and wearing makeup, Vanora looked older than her years. Armando was momentarily stunned at how beautiful the girl was becoming. Already the remnants of the child she had once been were melting away from her features. Soon she would be a very lovely young woman, but for now, she was a teenager struggling to find her way into adulthood.
“Why aren’t you with the others?” Vanora asked gloomily, her fingers tracing over the Monopoly board.
“I heard the car pull up and you get out. I have very good hearing, you know,” Armando said, flashing his wickedly, charming smile. “Alisha told me you went to a concert with some school friends. Who did you see?”
“Rhonda’s older brother is in a band. He wanted me to go. Rhonda says he likes me.” Vanora shrugged her delicate shoulders and folded her arms over her breasts. “I guess they’re starting to become a big deal locally. It was okay, I guess.”
Arching an eyebrow, Armando said, “So you don’t like this boy who tried so hard to impress you tonight?”
“Not really. He’s nice, but…” Vanora lightly bit her bottom lip, her cheeks blushing.
“I thought girls liked boys in bands,” Armando teased.
“I’m no ordinary teenage girl. I’ve got vampires for relatives, remember?” Vanora collapsed into a chair and crossed her legs.
“I sense that you are not in a good mood.” Armando sat across from her, his golden eyes studying her face.
“Duh,” Vanora said softly, her fingers tugging at the hem of her dress.
Armando rubbed his chin, studying her thoughtfully. He wasn’t very well acquainted with how a girl’s mind worked, but he had enough dealings with Carlotta to guess. She was always sulky when she didn’t get enough attention. “I suppose that you aren’t too happy about the others being here every night.”
“It’s that obvious?” Vanora’s snowy lashes were painted black and the heavy, dark fringe framing her pupils brought out their lovely shade of lavender. It made her look older.
Armando chuckled. “I was guessing. It was either that or a boy you like doesn’t like you in return.”
Vanora’s eyes slightly narrowed at him. “Uh. Right.” She fussed with her hair and fidgeted in her chair.
Armando was surprised to realize her crush on him remained. It had been nearly a year since his arrival in her life, and he assumed she would find a teenage boy to fall for. Uneasily, he wondered if this would work to his advantage or not.
“You know it wouldn’t be so bad if they weren’t here all the time. I mean, I know they adore my brother, but why can’t they just get themselves a life and leave us alone?” Her teeth pulled on her bright red lower lip.
Armando lifted an eyebrow, considered what she said, and then said, “If it was only that simple. As a vampire, you live a very long life. You are supposedly immortal, but you know that if a hunter finds you, your life ends, you cease to exist, and you move on to judgment. We’re all terribly afraid of death. So being afraid, we sometimes isolate ourselves. So when we do find others, we want to hold onto that unity.”
Vanora sighed and curled up on the chair, swinging her long legs over the armrest. “I can understand that, but do they have to be in my house? Armando, when you got here, I mean, it was like no big deal. You just hung out once in a while and you’re pretty cool and all, but, geez, they’re here every freakin’ night!” Vanora threw up her hands. “It drives me crazy! And the worst thing is that I really like a lot of them. I mean, Sheila is so cool.”
Armando chuckled, eliciting a frown from the girl. “You’re just jealous. Plain and simple. You want your family to yourself and that is perfectly understandable. I miss visiting alone with Roman, but I have lived long enough to realize that nothing remains the same for long. Life is a series of changes, and you must adjust to survive.”
“I don’t want things to change,” Vanora lamented.
Armando leaned forward, his elbows on his knees. “But you’re changing, Vanora. Every day you take one step closer to the woman you will one day be.”
“It can’t happen soon enough,” she answered gloomily.
“Enjoy being a teenager. From what I’ve seen on television, it’s a lot more fun than it was when I was your age.”
Rolling her eyes, she shook her head. “Older people always say that. But they forget how hard it really is. It’s like having to take a test every day. Tonight some girl asked me how I get my hair so white.” She flicked her wavy tresses with her fingers. “When I told her I was an albino, she acted like I had the plague.”
Armando winced, then shook his head. “She sounds like a simpleton.”
“If you mean she had the ‘stupid’ disease, I couldn’t agree more.” Vanora tugged at her hair. “It makes me want to dye my hair and spray tanner on myself.”
“But your beauty is unique,” Armando protested. The thought of such a pretty girl altering herself to suit the tastes of idiots was very repugnant to him. Yes, her coloring was quite startling when first viewed, but Armando never thought of her as anything other than lovely. “It sets you apart.”
Raising her eyes to the ceiling, Vanora sighed. “Yeah. That’s what I really want. To be apart. To be a total outcast.”
It was time to set his plan in motion. He had waited for a very long time for such an opening. Armando reached into his pocket and pulled out a sheet of paper. “You’re a very talented outcast then. I picked this up that night we were playing this game.” He gestured toward the Monopoly board.
Vanora leaned forward and peered down at the pencil marks she had scratched on the corner of the paper. It was a sketch of Armando and a fairly decent one at that. Her cheeks reddened.
“You were keeping track of how much everyone owed you on this piece of paper, but you sketched me in the corner,” he said gently.
“Oh, yeah, I do that all the time when I’m bored. You should see my notebook at school. I actually got points deducted from a test because I drew Mr. Lambert in the margin.” Vanora smirked at the memory.
“You’re very talented.”
She dismissed his compliment with a shrug. “Oh, I’m not half as good as Alisha.”
“Your styles are very different, but I think you have a lot of talent.”
“Really?” She looked at him with disbelief, but also a smidgen of pride.
“Yes, really. Would I lie to you?” Armando gave her his most charming smile.
Her eyes widened slightly. “I guess not.”
“Vanora, you really should keep sketching and honing your skills. I would love it if you’d continue to show me your work. I also believe Roman and Alisha will be thrilled if you developed your talent.”
“You think so?” Vanora pondered this for a second. “Well, you know, I have been considering taking an art class at school. I’m going to be a senior and I have a ton of elective slots.”
“I think you should.”
Vanora’s expression brightened, obviously pleased with the attention she was receiving. “Then I will. But you’ve got to promise not to make fun of my stuff. I’m not as good as Alisha.”
“I would never do that. Besides, I think you have the potential to be as good as your sister. You definitely have talent. At least in my humble opinion.”
Her blush intensifying, Vanora lowered her eyes. “Well, thanks.”
Armando lightly touched her arm. “You aren’t alone, Vanora. I’m your friend. You know that, don’t you? Even when your sister and brother are busy with their new friends?”
“Thanks, Armando.” Vanora attempted to stifle a yawn but failed. “I guess I’m a little more tired than I thought.” She looked reluctant to retire, but another yawn caught her.
Armando stood and, taking her hand, gently pulled her to her feet. “I think I’d best get back to the others and you’d
better get some rest.”
“Can you tell Roman and Alisha that I got home okay?”
“Of course.”
Vanora gave him a swift hug, then hurried out of the room, her head tilted forward so her hair would hide her reddened face.
Armando watched her leave with a sly smile on his face. The girl was beginning to confide in him. The Master would be pleased. It had been difficult these last few months to even get close to the girl. Roman and Alisha had kept careful tabs on her, never allowing her to be alone. Tonight he had successfully laid the foundation for a continuing dialogue with her, and he hoped to gain her trust. He supposed he could use her crush against her, but he was leery of doing so. His Master tended to be jealous.
Yet somehow his success tonight was devoid of any pleasure, and this caused him some concern. Armando had grown accustomed to the emptiness within himself and the lack of any deeply felt emotions. Lately, to his surprise, he was beginning to feel connected once more to those around him. It was almost as if his human self had been slumbering and only now was beginning to awaken. Sometimes, when he was with Roman, he would look at his quarry and feel what could only be described as brotherly affection. This was worrisome, dangerous, and frightening. Armando could feel himself slipping from just acting the role his Master had assigned him. Tonight, for a mere moment, he felt as though he were betraying Roman by obeying his Master’s wishes to gain Vanora’s trust. He had to harden himself against these foolish thoughts.
Armando folded the piece of paper carefully and stowed it away in his coat pocket. Soon his time here would be at an end. Soon his Master’s plans would commence, and Roman’s little world would be shattered.
27
Vanora was freshly showered and combing out her wet hair when she heard a gentle knock on her door.
“Who is it?”
“Me,” Alisha’s voice answered.
“Come in!”
Alisha scooted in and looked apologetic. “Armando told me you got home a little while ago. I’m so sorry I didn’t hear you come in.”
Vampire in the Night: In Darkness We Must Abide, #1 Page 16
