“I was foolish,” she whispered. She dared to take her hand from her cross to finish zipping up her other bags.
Armando growled with frustration, his hands gripping his hair as he paced before her. “I’m a vampire! You knew that. From the beginning, but you still saw me as the man I am and loved me.”
“And tonight I saw the monster!” Vanora jerked on her black leather jacket and yanked her hair back from her face, wrapping it in a tight bun at the nape of her neck and tucking the end to hold it. It was a defiant, cruel gesture. She knew how much he loved her hair loose.
“I didn’t feed,” Armando said again. “Vanora, I have abstained since finding Roman.”
“What do you want from me, Armando?” She felt as though she were about to explode. Dread, revulsion, and wrath drowned all other emotions.
Imploring her with those golden eyes, he said softly, “For you to come with me.”
“I can’t.” Vanora felt more tears slipping down her face to drip from her chin.
Armando stretched out his hand to touch her, but she scooted out of his reach. “Vanora, listen to me. What happened tonight was wrong, but it doesn’t have to drive you away. You have to understand we struggle with an unbearable hunger every moment of our existence.”
“A hunger for my kind,” Vanora snapped. “For my kind! How close have you come to biting me? How close? I trusted you, but looking back…” Shaking her head vehemently, she couldn’t believe how foolish she had been. When he had made love to her, she had felt his teeth lightly pressing against her skin several times, yet she had never felt threatened. Now she wondered how close he had come to biting her.
Armando averted his eyes, shame clouding his face.
“I thought so.”
“I would never bite you unless you allowed me.”
“Allowed you to kill me?” She gaped at him incredulously.
“I can drink without killing my…prey.” Armando exhaled with exasperation. “Everything I say sounds wrong.”
“Because it is!” Vanora darted past him and claimed her things from the bed. She’d have to risk going downstairs, which terrified her. There were at least thirty vampires below. To get to her car so she could drive to the airport, she’d have to risk it. Gripping her bags tightly, she walked past him.
“No!” Armando appeared in front of her, slamming his hand against the door.
“You can’t stop me from leaving!”
“You can’t go down there!”
“Why not?”
Armando’s face contorted with frustration and anger. With a growl, he said, “They’re in the bloodlust. It’s too dangerous. They may sense your fear and come for you.”
Swallowing the heavy lump that suddenly filled her throat, Vanora took a wary step back.
“I’m not like them. I’m not in the bloodlust,” he said immediately, seeing her fear.
“I’m leaving, Armando. I have a flight and I’m not going to miss it.” Clutching her luggage, she glared at him.
Covering his face with his hands, he groaned with aggravation. After a few tense moments, he finally uncovered his face and gave her a sharp nod. “I’ll help you leave the house,” he said at last. “Trust me this one last time.”
“You’re letting me go?” A tiny bit of her was hurt by his surrender, but she was also relieved.
Drawing close, he gazed at her with such yearning it scared her. “I’d rather you left than see you look at me in fear.”
Lowering her eyes, Vanora sucked in a ragged breath. She wanted to forget what she had seen in the ballroom. The blood, the sharp teeth, the limbs being ripped from bodies, all of it. Yet, she couldn’t. She was terrified of her brother, sister, and the man who had made love to her.
“How will you get me out of here?”
“The window.” Armando walked to the same one where they had shared their first kiss. He unlatched it to open it.
“You…can…fly?”
“I have talents.” At another time, he may have sounded cocky and teasing, but tonight he sounded defeated.
Vanora nervously pressed her lips together, then sighed in surrender. “Just to my car.”
Armando gave her a curt nod.
Walking to him, she flinched when he reached for her.
“Vanora, I will never hurt you.”
The break in his voice compelled her to look at his face in the moonlight. To her shock, he was crying. Instinctively she started to raise her hand to wipe the tears away but stopped herself.
“Can you tell me something to make this all better?” she asked, abruptly wanting nothing more than for her fear to dissipate and for him to hold her.
Armando shook his head sorrowfully. “No, no, I can’t. This is something you’ll have to deal with in your own way. If I could change this night, I would. I would take you far away from here before you ever saw that…event. I would take you somewhere safe where no one could ever hurt you.”
She believed him. Every word. She could see the truth in his eyes, but when he touched her arm, she shuddered in alarm. Dropping his hand, he sat on the window ledge and rubbed his face with his hands.
“Vanora…”
“I have to go, Armando.”
With a slight nod, he took her luggage and dropped it into the bushes below. “Then you have to go. But to get you down there, I have to touch you. Okay?”
Trying to keep calm despite the tremors of fright rippling through her body, she nodded. Armando slid to his feet, scooped her up in his arms before she could even protest, and leaped out the window. They landed on the drive seconds later. The vampire immediately set her down, then collected her luggage.
In silence, they crunched along the drive to the garage. Vanora found herself jumping at the sound of every creaking branch and the sight of every slithering shadow.
“They’re in the house,” Armando said sadly when he noticed her skittishness. “We’re alone.”
Inside the garage, Armando loaded the trunk of the car with her things before closing it. She kept far from him, waiting for him to move away from her vehicle.
“I could drive you.”
“No, I’m fine.”
Folding his arms over his chest, he swiveled toward her. The intensity in his eyes filled her with sudden dread. She felt close to breaking apart. The insane desire to feel his kiss one more time seized her, but instantly the memory of his bloodstained face obliterated it.
“Vanora, please let me take you somewhere safe.”
“I am going somewhere safe. Somewhere I should have gone a long time ago.” Vanora fought back a sob. “God, Armando, it’s all been a lie. All of this. Ever since they died, my life has been a lie. They’re not the same people they were when they were alive.”
“Yes, they are. They are still your brother and sister. Afflicted, but they still love you! I love you!”
“Don’t say that! Don’t ever say that!” Hurrying to the driver’s side of the car, she opened the door and flung her purse inside.
“It’s the truth!”
“I don’t believe you! You wanted us to flee before this ever happened, didn’t you? You wanted to run away. But that wasn’t about my brother, was it? What are you keeping from me?”
Armando flung up his hands in aggravation. “I wanted us to be together!”
“And to be together we had to go off and hide somewhere? My brother can be a jerk, but he would have gotten over it.” Something horrible occurred to her. “Or were you really afraid he’d kill you. Has he changed that much?”
“No! Never!” Armando looked aghast at the thought.
“Then why did you want to leave so badly?”
His jaw flexing, Armando stalked back and forth before her but remained silent.
“See? More lies!”
Vanora slid into her driver’s seat, banged the door shut, and turned on the engine. Gripping the steering wheel tightly, she pressed her forehead to it. If only she could forget what she’d seen. If only she could go
back to her naivety. If only Armando would tell her what he was keeping from her. If only she could return to the moment when he first came inside her, whispering her name.
Striking the steering wheel with the flat of her hand, she let out a ragged scream. A quick shift of the gears, a tap on the accelerator, and her little car shot out onto the driveway. Looking about, she realized Armando was nowhere to be seen. Hurt, yet relieved, she drove toward the gates.
47
Armando burst into the ballroom, knocking one door clear off its hinges. The vampires were scattered across the bloody room, lost in the blood stupor. Bits of skin, meat, and bones littered the floor. Kicking the head of one of the victims out of his way, Armando stalked to where Roman lay among his people.
Vanora’s brother was slathered in blood, but his body was so sated his skin wasn’t drinking up every last bit of it. Lips drawn back to reveal his sharp teeth, eyes hooded, Roman remained unmoving when Armando leaned over him.
“Get up, Roman,” Armando growled, gripping the man’s black shirt and shaking him. “Get the fuck up!”
Thick eyelashes fluttering, Roman struggled to focus.
“Roman, listen to my fucking voice and wake the fuck up!” The fury inside Armando was dangerously close to breaking free. If it exploded out of him, Armando feared what he might do. Thinking of Vanora, he managed to rein in his desire to pummel Roman into so much pulp.
At last, Roman managed to open his eyes fully. “Armando?”
“Get up, Roman. Now! Get up and take care of your fucking people!” Without mercy, Armando wrenched Roman to his feet. Sweeping his arm in an arc, he indicated the vampires lost in their blood stupor. “Get them up, Roman. They’re drunk with blood and death. They haven’t fed in so long they’re bloated ticks. Anyone could come in here and slaughter all of you. Get them up!”
Struggling to concentrate, Roman slightly swayed. “I don’t understand.”
“You kept them from feeding for years! They’ve been half-starved on animal blood. Now that they’ve had human blood, they’re drunk on it. Get them up!” Armando shook Roman violently, satisfied to see his friend’s head snapping back and forth.
Finally breaking free from his malaise, Roman shoved Armando away. “Fine! I’ll do it!”
“You had better, Roman! They need to get up and clean up this fuckin’ mess you’ve all made!” Armando savagely kicked half a ribcage across the room.
“My God,” Roman gasped. He gaped at the remains of the two men strewn about the reposed vampires. “We did this. What have we done?”
“You did what vampires do: feed.” Armando dragged his fingers through his hair. The emptiness within him was a gulf of darkness. He had lost hope. He had lost his light.
“Vanora,” Roman breathed. “Vanora! Where is she?”
“She’s gone,” Armando answered in a dismal tone.
Horror filled her brother’s eyes. In a panic, he searched the room, obviously terrified he may find bits of her among the bloody destruction.
“She left for Austin, Roman.” Dragging a chair out from a table, Armando collapsed onto it. “She saw the feast and fled. She’s gone.”
Overcome, Roman let out a howl of agony.
Armando was instantly on him, grabbing his shoulder and violently shaking him. “Get your shit together, Roman! She’s safe! She’s away from this darkness! This horror! Now take care of your people! Your other sister! You created this family! They’re your responsibility! Do your fucking job!”
Visibly, Roman drew on whatever inner strength he had remaining within his soul. It poured into his posture and filled his eyes. With a curt nod, Roman wiped tears from his face along with the congealing blood.
“Alexander, Angel, and Sheila are the oldest. Get them up first and make sure they’re fully alert. Then have them help you rouse the rest. Their power will subdue the younger ones and make them compliant. You need them to clean this room up. Burn everything you can. The bodies need to be disposed of. All of this needs to be gone. Do you understand?”
Again, Roman nodded. “Thank you for being a friend.”
Casting an incredulous look at Roman, Armando moved over to where Alisha laid soaked in blood. “I’m doing this for Vanora. She didn’t deserve this.”
With a somber expression, Roman said, “I know.” The tall vampire then began to search for the oldest of his people among the ruins of the Halloween Ball.
Kneeling next to Alisha, Armando felt his anger leave. Slick, cooling blood covered Alisha. She looked startlingly like Vanora as she slumbered. Armando dreaded the thought of Vanora in similar circumstances, lost in the bloodlust. It was best she was far away. Armando had to gather his thoughts, make plans, and hopefully find a way to save her from her destiny.
“Alisha,” he said, in a much more gentle tone than he had used with Roman. “It’s time to wake up.”
* * *
Alisha gradually stirred when Armando shook her.
“Alisha, you need to open your eyes,” his voice persisted.
It was difficult to obey. Her body felt heavy, sated and numb. Even her eyelids felt weighed down by an all-consuming lethargy.
“Alisha, I need you to open your eyes and look at me. You need to help Roman deal with this.”
Deal with what? Alisha couldn’t fathom why Armando was in her bedroom trying to wake her up. Nor did she understand what he was talking about. What was she supposed to deal with? She felt exquisitely replete and peaceful.
“Vanora is gone, Alisha. She saw you feeding on the humans. It terrified her and now she’s gone.”
Like a slowly blossoming rose, the memory of the feast filled Alisha’s mind. Consciousness returned like the blow of a hammer. “Vanora!” Alisha sat up, gasping, her hands reaching for Armando. He didn’t pull away but allowed her to cling to him. The horror of what had occurred filled her, obliterating the wonderful torpor she had luxuriated in after murdering the child molesters. “We killed them!”
“And Vanora saw.”
Alisha was shocked to see tears swimming in Armando’s golden eyes. The look of utter devastation on his face said it all. It took only a few seconds for Alisha to understand what had happened between him and her sister. “I’m so sorry.”
“It doesn’t matter now. She left. She’s going to the airport.”
“To go where?”
“Austin.”
It made sense that Vanora would run to the only other family she had now that Roman and Alisha had let her down so catastrophically. “I have to talk to her!”
“Alisha, let her go,” Armando urged.
“How can I? I love her!” Tears spilled down her face, leaving trails through the blood.
“Because you love her you must let her go. Do you want her to be a part of this?” Sweeping his eyes over the chaos that surrounded them, Armando made his point.
Alisha sobbed, shaking her head. There was glitter in the blood that covered every part of her body. “No, no.”
“Me neither. Let her find her happiness.” He sounded as miserable as Alisha felt.
“You love her.”
A brief nod confirmed Alisha’s suspicions.
“She loves you, you know.”
“It doesn’t matter now.” Armando dragged Alisha to her feet. Gesturing toward Roman, he said, “You need to help him. He has to regain control of his vampires. Get this cleaned up and set straight. You only have each other now. He’ll need you.”
Alisha let out a hiccupping cry as that truth drilled into her soul and heart. “Oh, God, we fucked up so badly.”
“Yes, yes, you did.” He gently pressed her toward Roman.
Alisha gingerly stepped over the vampires, careful not to slip on the blood. She turned back to see if Armando was following, but he was gone.
“Shit. We fucked this party up,” Sheila groaned nearby.
“Alisha,” Roman said, reaching out to touch her arm. “Are you okay?”
“No,” Alisha answered truthfully.
She went into his arms, welcoming his fatherly embrace.
“I’m so sorry,” Roman whispered in her ear. “I’ll make this right.”
“You can’t, Roman,” Alisha said, sniffling. “This time you can’t.”
Roman’s stubbornness sparked in his eyes but was washed away by sorrow when he surveyed the room. “Maybe not.”
“I’m sorry, Roman,” Angel said as Alexander helped him to his feet. Yanking off his blood-soaked sequined glove, he tossed it away in disgust. “I got lost in it.”
“We all did,” Sheila muttered.
Alexander nodded, moving on to wake another vampire.
“Where’s Armando?” Roman looked around the room for his friend.
Accepting a sticky hug from Sheila, Alisha answered, “He left. And I don’t know if he’s coming back.”
“Why not?” Roman looked genuinely confused.
“Because we let him down and now Vanora is gone.”
“I don’t…” Roman finally seemed to grasp what he’d been missing for months. “But he’s too old for her.”
“It doesn’t matter anymore. We have all lost her.” Alisha felt fresh tears coming. “Vanora’s gone.” Staring across the bloody, ruined room Alisha felt a strange relief. “She’s away from this hell like she should be.”
48
Gladly falling into her seat next to a window, Vanora tucked her purse under it. Only a few more minutes until the plane took off and she’d escape Houston. It had been a nerve-wracking process getting through security and making it to the gate on time. She’d just made it as they were boarding her section. In a way, she was glad for the rush. There hadn’t been time to sit and think about what she’d seen and what she had lost.
A peek at her phone told her that the plane would be taking off soon. She turned it off and stowed it in her jacket pocket. Nervous, her fingers plucked at the bracelet on her wrist. The awareness of what she was doing gradually bloomed and she ripped it off. The tiny moon and star charms glinted in the dim light of the cabin. Hastily, she shoved it into her purse. She wasn’t certain what she’d do with it, but she couldn’t stand to think of Armando. It was difficult enough to concentrate on just living from second to second without reflecting on the vampire. The ache between her legs and tender spots on her neck and breasts where his mouth had concentrated on making her writhe made her want to cry. She had been so happy, but so reckless.
Vampire in the Night: In Darkness We Must Abide, #1 Page 30
