However, he wasn’t here when I awoke. I was alone in the cold room with the door closed. The curtains were drawn, but sunlight still seeped in around the edges, bathing the room in a soft glow.
I padded over to the adjoining bathroom and splashed tepid water on my face. My eyes looked dark, haunted, and tired, but I was starting to get used to myself without makeup, so didn’t even go for what I had in my purse to conceal some of the bags under my eyes. I released the messy bun and combed through my hair with my fingers. It was still matted with dried blood, so I wet my hands and did the best I could without jumping in the shower.
Wandering back into the bedroom, I checked out the closet and didn’t find any new clothes, but a pair of white bathrobes. Instead of changing back into my dirty things, I put one of the bathrobes over my nightshirt and ventured out of the room.
The massive apartment was as quiet as a tomb. All the curtains were drawn, but they weren’t as thick as the bedroom ones; they still allowed light into the rooms, just not direct sunlight.
“Matthew?” I called, but received no response.
As I entered the formal dining room, I noticed another silver tray in the spot where I’d sat the night before. A steepled white card stood atop the cloth napkin beside the tray. I walked over and picked it up. Inside was a note with perfect, elegant penmanship, which read: “Good morning, my sweet. Please enjoy some breakfast and relax. I didn’t know what you would like best, so I ordered a variety of food. I will be home before you know it. Matthew.”
I removed the lid from the silver tray and found he wasn’t kidding. There was French toast, pancakes, eggs, assorted meats, breads, fruits, and oatmeal. It was enough food for an entire family—no way I could eat it all alone. On the opposite side of the tray was a sealed thermos and empty coffee mug. I unscrewed its cap and poured the steaming contents into the mug. The coffee had already been mixed with creamer, so it was light and frothy. When I took a sip, I quickly realized it wasn’t just coffee with creamer, but a white mocha, not exactly like the ones I used to make at work, but wonderfully delicious all the same. I was so touched that Matthew had remembered such a personal detail.
I wasn’t more than a few bites into my decadent breakfast when Matthew came strolling into the dining room, carrying my suitcase.
“Good morning—or should I say, afternoon,” he said with a beaming smile, as he set the bag beside the table. “I hope there was something in there that you like.”
“You didn’t have to do all this. I would have been good with coffee and cereal,” I said. “However, the white mocha was a nice touch.”
“I couldn’t remember the exact specifications, but I did my best in directing the kitchen staff.” He pulled out the chair across from me and sat down. “I’m assuming you have some usable clothes in there—I didn’t look—didn’t want to go snooping through your stuff. Hopefully, what you have will work for now.”
The sight of my suitcase got me thinking about what was coming next. I wanted to know what my fate was with the True North Society and wanted to see Mom and my friends. As much as I also wanted to stay here with Matthew, I didn’t want to feel I was being held prisoner. I knew I couldn’t have it all but wanted some semblance of my normal life back.
“My mother must be worried sick,” I said. “When can I go home to her? You said last night it wasn’t safe.”
“Yes, well…” He looked away and his jaw grew tight. “I needed to make sure whoever came for you in Sisters of Mercy last night, didn’t have anyone else staking out your apartment.”
“What about my mother? Is she safe?”
“I have eyes on your apartment to ensure everyone’s safety,” Matthew assured me.
“That vampire last night, he said I was being punished for something my mother did. Do you know what he was talking about?” I asked.
He looked almost sad when he replied. “I have no idea. What would a vampire want with your mother?”
I shrugged. “From what I heard during my stay in the hospital, apparently there’s a lot I don’t know about my mother.”
“What did you hear? From whom?” Now he looked intrigued.
“Mallory,” I said.
This took him aback. “What does Mallory know about your mother?”
“A great deal, it seems,” I said, but I didn’t want to retell the shameful story Mallory had related to me. It felt too personal. “I don’t really want to talk about it, but let’s just say she’s not the saint I thought she was.”
“Parents rarely are,” Matthew said with an empathetic expression on his face. “But did it have anything to do with vampires?”
No,” I laughed. “Nothing like that. Just normal family drama.” I stopped to take a sip from my white mocha. “You’ve never told me anything about your parents.”
“That’s true,” he said, sitting back in his chair and folding his arms across his solid chest. “They’ve been gone a long time—both having died on the space station. Obviously, I couldn’t bring anything with me when I came here. I tried carrying some pictures, but they were erased as soon as I crossed through the portal.”
“I’m sorry,” I said.
“It was a long time ago now.”
“Do you still miss them?”
“I have my memories, as well as constant little reminders of who they were and what they wanted for me.”
“And what did they want for you?”
“To live—to live beyond the confines of the station and get to experience the best time in human history.” Matthew paused, his eyes burning into mine for a moment before turning his gaze to the far wall.
“Well, you did that. You made it off the station and look at everything you’ve accomplished. I think they would be very proud of what you’ve become.”
“What I’ve become,” he said, sadly.
“You know what I mean. Who you’ve become,” I clarified.
“No; you were right the first time.”
The conversation had quickly gotten depressing, causing me to make a mental note not to bring up his parents again—at least not in casual conversation. So I moved to change the subject.
“What do I have to do next for the True North Society?” I asked. “My candidacy isn’t over, is it?”
“I will talk with President Bolt this afternoon. We need to get the matter of you and Mallory figured out, so you both can hopefully move forward.”
“Can I come with you?” I asked, then picked up a slice of buttered toast.
“I don’t know if that’s the best idea.”
“What about getting a training session in? I need to make up for lost time, right?” I asked.
Matthew looked me over, then nodded. “I think that would be a fantastic idea. Get dressed and we’ll go.”
I scarfed down a few more bites of food, then grabbed my suitcase and headed for the bedroom to change. I had to show Janice that after everything she’d put me through, I was still as dedicated as ever and wasn’t going to quit. I was here to stay, whether she liked it or not.
29
Matthew
Fiona seemed to be a new woman this morning. She was ready to go in under five minutes, seemingly eager to come with me to the North building to pick up where she’d left off in training. While she did that, it would give me time to find Janice and let her know what had happened, if Douglas hadn’t done so already.
I called Vladimir, who had some time and was willing to work with Fiona one-on-one. She needed the dedicated time to acquire some base skills and increase her confidence. She didn’t need Mallory constantly knocking her down and making her feel inadequate just because she was inexperienced.
I stopped Fiona before she entered the locker room. “Vladimir will be waiting for you in the gym. I’ll come check on you in about an hour. Hopefully, I’ll have had the chance to talk with President Bolt before then. If you need anything in the meantime, Vladimir can get in touch with me.”
“I’ll be fine,” she said, put h
er hands on my cheeks, and kissed me.
“I know you will,” I said. A smile always seemed to be forming on my face when Fiona was around. So much for keeping my distance; I was rendered powerless in her presence.
She scampered off into the locker room, and I stood there watching her go and fighting to keep my fangs at bay. Every part of me wanted her, even the darkest parts of my soul, which was why I needed to get back to a meeting—to make sure I confronted the hunger before it became too overpowering.
Keep it together, Mercer, I told myself as I made my way to the closest bank of elevators. I called Janice on the way and requested a meeting. I reached her office before she did, so leaned against the wall and waited.
“Matthew Mercer,” a sweet voice crooned, causing me to look up.
The bombshell blonde I could never truly get rid of was suddenly standing before me. “Taylor Phagan,” I replied, certainly not matching her zeal.
“It’s just not the same without you, though I’m still upset you got me kicked out of the penitentiary. But… I’d be willing to forgive you…” she said and wet her lips, a sultry smile forming as she did so.
“I don’t feel bad about what I did,” I said.
“Neither do I.” She took a step closer. “I have a knife on me right now, if you’d like me to use it and show you a little blood. I might even let you taste me.”
“Don’t,” I said firmly, grabbing her by the shoulders and pushing her back a step. As I did so, I noticed Janice coming down the hallway—always with impeccable timing. “I’m sorry; President Bolt needs to speak with me,” I said.
“We’ll continue our game later,” Taylor said, placing a finger on my lips, then continuing down the hallway and nodding at Janice as they passed each other.
“Is there something I should be concerned about?” Janice said as she drew near.
I shook my head. “Nothing I can’t handle,” I assured her.
“Just as long as that doesn’t mean she’s going to disappear one day.”
“If she does, it won’t be because of me.”
She frowned, scrutinizing the sincerity of my words. “I don’t want to regret trusting you.”
“I don’t want that either,” I said.
Janice used her keycard to unlock her office and led me inside. She didn’t sit behind her desk but carried a chair closer to the couch, where she instructed me to sit. She had numerous pictures of her family—husband, two kids, and one grandson—and she’d outlived them all and was the last of her lineage. Only a son-in-law remained. It was easy to forget the tragedies she carried around; the primary reminders were all housed there. She was just trying to get us to the end and up into space, saving a few thousand people from the terrible fate awaiting the remaining 99.9% on Earth—where I knew I’d be.
“Should I be concerned about more retaliation from the Vampire Order?” she asked. “I mean, yes, we all know you’re the owner of Sisters of Mercy—but do they know about your connection to the True North Society? I would doubt it. It seems they’d frown upon some of the stuff we’ve done here in the name of human preservation.”
“I understand,” I said. “Which is why I plan to go to them. I don’t want anyone else paying the price for what I have done. But Fiona would have been killed. I had no choice.”
“There’s always a choice.”
“Then I live by the choice I made and would do it again.” I could clearly picture what I’d seen through the viewport of their room, the assassin sucking from Fiona’s throat. I didn’t hesitate, knowing full well I might die in the ensuing altercation—and if it hadn’t been for Jack, I probably would have. “Mallory would have been killed as well. They are both candidates of ours and were under the supervision of my facility. I am taking full responsibility, which I will tell the Order consul.”
“I trust you know what you need to do,” Janice said, no hint of warmth in her voice.
I nodded.
“So now we have the matter of our adversarial candidates. Douglas has already spoken to me briefly about it.”
“Good,” I said. “I couldn’t allow them to stay any longer with the current breach of security, though it is being remedied as we speak. But I also believe the girls have been working hard to overcome their differences in the short time they were in the hospital. I’m hoping approval can be granted to allow them to move forward instead of moving them to the penitentiary, which Ashley may have suggested.”
“She did,” Janice said. “I’d like to speak with them and observe them interacting before making a particular suggestion to the Assembly. Remember, it was their own doing that got them into this mess in the first place.”
“I haven’t forgotten,” I said, sourly. “Fiona is in the gym now, working with Vladimir. Do you have time now?”
“I do,” she said, so we promptly made our way to the gymnasium.
Instead of finding Fiona training with Vladimir, we found her sparring with Mallory while Vladimir coached. My heart sank when Mallory tripped Fiona, sending her tumbling to the mat and her sabre skidding out of reach. Janice folded her arms across her chest, glancing at me before returning her attention to the girls. But then to my amazement, Mallory offered Fiona a hand and helped her to her feet.
“You have to watch your footing,” Mallory said and demonstrated the technique she’d mastered. “Like so.”
Fiona nodded, mimicked what Mallory had shown her, then went to retrieve her sabre. Vladimir stepped in to say a few words but emphatically agreed with Mallory’s direction. Then the girls parried again.
“This seems promising,” Janice said.
“Like I said, the girls have been working hard to put their differences behind them. Their candidacy is more important,” I said, with more confidence in my voice this time.
“I’d still like to speak with them, but this is definitely a good start.” Janice turned to leave.
“I thought you wanted to talk with them?” I asked.
“I don’t want to interrupt their lesson,” she said, placing a hand on my shoulder. “Bring Fiona by later. I’ll tell the same to Aaron. Tell the girls to keep up the good work.”
“I will,” I said, so thankful the girls had performed so admirably.
30
Sean
I never found the pictures with Matthew in the background. In going through my files, I discovered it wasn’t just the prints that were gone, but the files too. The text message picture from Candace was also missing; everything I had of Matthew had somehow been erased. Then there was the little detail of my car battery mysteriously coming back to life. So many strange things all centered around my blackout, and I wasn’t the only one passing out bizarrely.
After school, I drove over to Hot Coffee to talk with Alexis and Candace about my blackout and see if they had any further insights to share.
“Did you ever get to talk to Fiona’s mother?” Alexis asked after she finished taking a customer’s order.
Candace and Eli were at the bar making a mixture of hot and blended drinks, with a large group of customers watching them work.
“Yes,” I said. “Sorry, I didn’t tell you about it earlier; I’ve been… sick.”
“Well, what did she say?”
“She said this Matthew guy was harmless and him being in the photos was coincidental. I felt like she was brushing me off, but there wasn’t anything I could do.”
“How does she seem? I wanted to stop by and check on her.”
“Calm,” I said. “She said the police are taking care of things and she’s just waiting for word. She’s supposed to call me when she hears anything.”
“I want to know too,” Alexis exclaimed.
“I know; I told her that. I’ll pass along anything she tells me.”
Alexis had to pause our conversation as another customer ambled up to the register. I sat at the barstool and watched her interaction. She had such a welcoming way about her, a disarming disposition that always made others want to smile.
It reminded me of why I’d liked her so much when we were kids—that, and the fact she grew more beautiful every year, the approachable kind of beauty.
A minute later, she came back to where I was sitting, but then quickly turned to the sound of an alarm going off and brewed a new urn of coffee.
“You told me about a blackout you had some weeks back,” I began while she finished setting up the new urn of coffee to brew. “What do you remember just before it happened?”
“It doesn’t make a lot of sense,” Alexis said, as she came back to the counter. “We were out at Black Star, sitting around a bonfire. I had one hard cider. Fiona and Candace had one or two each—”
“I had one or two what?” Candace asked, walking over to us while Eli made a beeline for the office.
“We were talking about the night in the canyon when we each blacked out,” Alexis said.
“I thought we were never going to talk about that again?”
“Sean was asking about it?”
“Why?”
“Because I think I had something similar,” I said, causing the deer-in-headlights stare from both girls.
“What’s this now?” Candace asked.
“Something happened to me a few nights ago and I still can’t explain what. At least you guys had been drinking. I hadn’t drunk anything. And that Matthew guy has to be behind it somehow.”
“What makes you say that?” Alexis asked.
“Because all the pictures I showed you with him in the background are gone.”
“What do you mean, they’re gone?” Candace asked.
“Exactly what I said. Gone. Prints, files, everything,” I said. “One minute I remember being in the parking lot of Fiona’s apartment, and the next thing I know, I’m throwing up on my bedroom floor.”
“Been there,” Candace said with a nod.
“That does sound like what happened to us,” Alexis said. “Fiona said she’d blacked out too, but she didn’t seem to want to talk about it. Another thing that’s strange is that Mallory’s been gone for a while too. I have a class with her. And she hasn’t come into the shop recently either.”
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