by Lea Davies
A light moan escaped her throat as she closed her eyes and relived the experience. “You have until tomorrow night to present yourself at Isabella's mansion in Blackheath with an appropriate explanation of your recent actions.” She said. “Disappoint her at your peril, Matthew.” He scoffed. “Nothing would give you more satisfaction than to distance me from Isabella, would it.” It was a statement of fact, not a question.
He stepped closer and dug his finger sharply into her chest. “Do not ever presume that Isabella would ever choose you over me. The thought that you would even think it is laughable.” She knew it to be the truth but argued back anyway. “You haven't been around for quite some time Matthew,” she sneered, “a lot has changed.” He stepped back and gestured for her to leave. “You're boring me now,” he said, “get out.”
Tori escorted their unwanted visitor into the hallway and held open the front door, but Stephanie turned to face her as she stepped out into the warm evening breeze. ”I would greatly advise you to keep your brother on as tight a leash as you would a dog.” She smirked. “Don't be foolish enough to let him drag you down with him.” Tori held her ground and replied through gritted teeth. “And I would strongly suggest that you should keep your advice and your opinions to yourself.” She said and slammed the door shut.
Tori's voice was full of concern when she re-entered the room where Matthew, deep in thought, paced the floor. “I warned you this would happen, Matthew,” she said, “but did you listen? No, you did not. You casually tossed my concerns aside.”
Matthew looked at his sister. “I've not been summoned because Isabella's jealous Tor,” he said worriedly, “it's because she knows that Ruth attacked Jessica.” Suddenly, Ruth stood in the open doorway; Her whole body shook with fear. “What’s going on?” She asked. “Who was that?”
Scene Forty-Seven - Warning
Isabella's hawk like gaze followed Matthew as he paced the floor of the large orangery situated at the back of her mansion. “Stephanie informs me that she saw no evidence of the human girl being influenced to forget the altercation,” she said, “and, more importantly, what she saw. Is this true, Matthew?” The air was thick with tension. This was the detail he had been dreading having to explain more than any other, and he braced himself for what would come next. Isabella was old and was powerful enough to influence other vampires, and he knew that if she even suspected him of lying, she would use that ability to gain the truth from him.
“Unforgivably,” he said, “no, I did not, but I promise you, Isabella, that I will personally take care of it.” She looked angry as she berated him for his failure. “I think you've done enough, Matthew, don't you?” She said. “I've listened patiently to your explanation of the chain of events that has led to this, so now I will gift you with my wealth of knowledge and lay out the truth of the situation as I see it.”
She rose from her seat. Now, it was her turn to pace in front of Matthew. “Your sister was dying, and you wanted her to remain with you, so it came as no surprise when you became her Uno Parente.” She halted directly in front of him. “However, the decision to make your second child was made from between your legs wasn’t it, Matthew.” She scoffed, “from what you've told me about her life, I cannot believe that someone with your experience as a high-ranking enforcer of vampire law, did not realize that she would need to exact some sort of revenge on her tormentor. How could you be so stupid?”
He nodded. “You're right, Isabella,” he said, “and that is why I'm asking for your understanding and beg you not to punish Ruth for her actions.” Isabella's tight smile was not one of amusement. “Oh, make no mistake, Matthew,” she said, “it is you that I hold responsible for these events, not your child.” relief washed over him. “Thank you.” He said, bowing his head in respect, and she acknowledged the gesture with a curt nod.
As long as Ruth was safe, he was more than willing to take any form of punishment Isabella wanted to inflict on him, but to his surprise, she returned to her seat without showing even the slightest hint to any thought of retribution.
“Isabella,” he said, “I give you my word that I will find the girl and influence her to forget what happened as soon as I leave here.” He promised, but she casually waved his comment away. “Stephanie has already found her and cleared up your mess,” she said, “so stay well away.” His nemesis had spoken truthfully. It seemed that things had changed during his absence from Isabella. In the past, his Uno Parente had been nothing but irritated by Stephanie's constant desire for attention, so her new standing beside her came as quite a surprise.
“As you wish, Isabella,” he said, “thank you.” Again, she nodded curtly. “As you are well aware, Matthew, you were not parented on a whim. I watched as you grew for many years before making the decision to parent you, and have done this only a handful of times since the beginning of my existence. You should consider yourself extremely privileged.” He nodded as she continued. “But do not make the mistake of thinking it even remotely possible to use my affection for you as a weapon against me; it will not work. Even for you. Have I ever told you the tale of Anthony and Marcus Steroni?” She asked. Matthew shook his head. “No, never, who are they?”
She smiled in memory. “Anthony and Marcus were two fearless roman soldiers and also, twin brothers, that I parented over a thousand years ago. For centuries, they were by my side until Anthony grew bored, and because of my open affection for him, he thought himself immune from my wrath, and lay waste to an entire village in Romania.” She leaned forward in her chair for emphasis. “Unfortunately for him,” she said, “he was not, and I ended him. Take great care, Matthew. Do not become another Anthony Steroni.” Matthew acknowledged the threat with a nod.”
“What happened to Marcus?” He asked. She scoffed. “He vowed to take revenge but has never made a single attempt to do so. There has been no trace of him for over eight hundred years,” she said, “maybe he's dead.” He thought he saw a touch of sadness in her eyes but suspected that he only saw what he wanted to see.
In a blur, she stood before him, and tenderly laid her hand on his cheek. Her bright red painted lips brushed his. “I've missed you, Matthew,” she whispered seductively, “come to my bed.” He reached up and gently removed her hand from his face. “Every time we made love, it was a great honour for me and one that I will always cherish,” he said with genuine affection, “but I'm now in a relationship with my child Isabella. When you said my decision to parent her was influenced by lust, you were wrong. The truth is, I love her.”
The tension in the air from earlier returned tenfold. “Please say you understand.” He begged. She stepped back from him and returned to her seat. “Tell your child to tread very carefully, Matthew.” She snapped. “Make sure that she knows that not only she, but also her beloved Parente, would not be granted even the slightest bit of mercy if she fails to abide by our laws again, do you understand?” “Of course, Isabella.” He replied. “Thank you for your understanding.” She nodded curtly. “Leave now, Matthew,” she said, “but remember my words. You will not be granted another audience on this matter.”
Scene Forty-Eight - Jealousy
There was no doubt that Matthew was her favorite and the most cherished offspring she had ever created. Still, since learning from Stephanie that he had parented another child and had openly shown affection towards her, her feelings for him had changed, and she decided to end him. It wasn't the fact that he had parented again, but the reason he had chosen to do it that was the cause of her hatred. She knew he had had many lovers in his bed over the years, but he had never claimed to love anyone before.
Isabella’s eyes narrowed as he left the orangery and the wooden arms of the chair in which she sat splintered into tiny fragments as she dug her nails into them. Rejection was alien to her; How dare he spur her advances.
“He must love his child a great deal if he’s prepared to risk my wrath in such a way.” She thought. Never, in her entire existence, had anyone ever come remotely cl
ose to stirring any emotions such as genuine affection, and she vowed to make him suffer for making her feel it. By allowing herself to have even the tiniest bit of affection for Matthew, she had betrayed her mother's legacy and thought in hindsight that maybe it was a good thing that, at least for now, her search for her had been unsuccessful. If her mother learned of the current situation with Matthew, she would be beyond angry, and Isabella worried that even she would not be immune from her mothers’ wrath.
She was glad that at least for the time being, she had held her anger in check because Matthew was no fool. Under normal circumstances, she would have ended him on the spot, but she decided that a short game of cat and mouse would be hugely entertaining and smiled wickedly as a chain of events unfolded in her mind. “I come second to no one.” She thought.
Scene Forty-Nine - Mistrust
The chiming of the antique grandfather clock echoed around the room as Ruth and Tori waited nervously for Matthew to come home after being summoned to meet with his Uno Parente. Earlier, Ruth had reached near hysteria when Tori had voiced her fear that he may never return, but relief swelled in each woman's chest as they heard his car pull into the driveway. He tried to smile as they met him at the door, but it was blindingly obvious that he was concerned. He sat down heavily on the sofa, and Tori handed him a huge glass of whiskey.
“She let me walk out of there with just a warning Tor,” He said, exasperated. “Can you believe that?” Tori shook her head in disbelief. He turned and looked pointedly at Ruth. “She warned me that she would destroy you and I if we were ever to step out of line again, but that in itself worries me, Ruth, because Isabella isn’t known for her leniency. I can feel in my gut that she’s up to something.”
Ruth had never seen Matthew look so stressed, and she felt terrible about the danger she had put them all in. He looked at each woman in turn. “I think we should be vigilant,” he warned, “don’t let your guard down, not even for an instant.” He ran his fingers through his hair and hung his head in dread. Tori gently placed her hand on his arm. “Maybe we’re overthinking it, Matt,” she said, “we both know that if Isabella had wanted you dead, then that's exactly what you would be. Dead.” “Hopefully, you're right,” he sighed, “but I’m not so sure.”
“None of this would have happened if I had listened to you,” Ruth sobbed. “I’m so sorry.” Tears fell from her eyes, and Matthew stood and put his arms around her. “This isn’t all on you, Ruth.” He said. “As Isabella herself pointed out to me, most of the blame for what happened between you and Jessica sits on my shoulders. She’s angrier with me than she is with you, so try not to worry.” He smiled reassuringly.
She was surprised by his comment. “I’m not worried for myself,” she said, “It’s you I’m worried about Matt. Tori has told me a little about your history with Isabella, and I think she’s right about the possibility of her hating you for loving me.” He glared at his sister. “She has a right to know these things, Matthew,” Tori said defensively.
He turned his attention back to Ruth. “As long as we keep to ourselves and abide by vampire law, everything will be ok.” He said. She looked into his eyes. “There must be a part of you that wishes we hadn’t met?” she whispered. He pulled her closer to him, and Tori discreetly left the room. “Don’t be silly,” he said lovingly, “I can't imagine a world without you in it, Ruth, and I would rather be dead if you're not here with me.”
Scene Fifty - Influence
Stephanie stood directly in the path of Callie's car as she drove home from spending the evening with Riley. Thinking it just to be a somewhat strange-looking woman needing help, Callie slowed the vehicle and unsuspectingly wound down her window. She stuck out her head. “Hi, are you O.K?” She asked. “Do you need help?” Stephanie remained silent as she stepped aside, and Isabella elegantly stepped out of her black limousine.
Instant fear gripped Callie, and all her instincts screamed for her to run. She quickly put the car into reverse and sped backwards but slammed on her brakes when Stephanie suddenly appeared in the road behind her. Her entire body shook as Isabella opened the passenger door and gracefully slid onto the seat beside her. Her smile was not one of familiarity, but one of wickedness.
“Be calm,” she said, “You will not be harmed. Park the car.” Isabella's rich, velvety voice, was beautiful and melodic; It was almost as if she sang her words. “We don't want to look too conspicuous, do we.” She said. Callie pulled the car into a space on the side of the road and killed the engine.
Isabella turned to face her. “Now, my dear,” she cooed, “tell me everything you know about Matthew and his new child. I want to know everything about her life, death, and any friends or family that she's involved with.” Callie was unable to resist Isabella's command and told her everything she wanted to know about her cousin.
Satisfied, Isabella opened the car door and got out, then turned and spoke through the open window. “You will not remember this meeting or any part of this conversation,” she ordered. Callie nodded as the limousine pulled alongside them, and Stephanie held open the back door for Isabella. As they drove away, Callie came out of her haze and wondered why she had parked the car, but she casually brushed it aside and restarted the engine.
Scene Fifty-One - Berated
Stephanie grinned from ear to ear as Isabella shared the details of her heinous plans for Matthew and Ruth. She had certainly earned her new position of authority on the council and was beyond happy when she learned of the huge part she was to play in Matthew's downfall. She couldn't wait for it to begin, but Isabella grew irritated at her over-excitement.
“I have known for many years of your dislike for Matthew, but as the saying goes, all good things come to those who wait.” She said. “But heed my warning, Stephanie; Do not use this as an opportunity to gloat. Matthew did not earn his position on the council because of my affection for him, but on his own merit. It would be extremely foolish of you to think that you could match him in cunning or intelligence, so dampen your enthusiasm before it becomes evident that I have plans for him and his whore.”
Isabella's harsh words cut deeply into Stephanie, but still, the grin never left her face as she nodded in acceptance. Isabella placed her finger under her lover's chin and pulled her in for a kiss. “As you know,” she said, “there are still a few things to put in place, but you won't have to wait too long, my dear; It's almost time for phase one.
Scene Fifty-Two - Karma
The glow from the match momentarily exposed the cruel lines of his face as he lit the roll-up hanging from his mouth. He cupped his hands around the flame to protect it from the breeze and casually tossed the dead match to the ground after it had served its purpose.
Jerry Weller drew deeply and filled his lungs with smoke as he continued on his way back to his car. The large wad of cash in his pocket dug into his leg as he walked, and he smiled, exposing nicotine-stained teeth. His whores had been busy, and tonight had been a fruitful one.
He squinted his eyes when he spotted a woman sitting on the boot of his car, and his good mood began to diminish. “Fuck me,” he thought as he got closer, “what an ugly bitch.” He sneered. “Oi, get off my fucking car.”
He ran his tongue over his teeth to remove loose strands of tobacco and spat them to the floor as he circled menacingly around her. The woman smiled inwardly as her feet touched the ground. “I hear you're the man to go to for work around here.” She said. “Oh yeah,” he scoffed, “where did you hear that then?” She turned as he walked around her, keeping her eyes firmly locked onto his. “Oh, I've been around the block a few times.” She said. “Yeah, it fucking looks like it,” he laughed cruelly, “I mean, what fucking look are you going for, an ugly version of Morticia?”
He took a long drag on his roll-up as he looked her up and down with disdain. “I don't know if any of my johns would give you a go,” he said, “but you never know, there are some sick fuckers out there that are into the butt ugly squad. Maybe you could we
ar a wig.” He laughed.
The harshness of his words had actually hurt her feelings, but she shook it off and decided it was time to drop the act and get on with what she had come here to do. She was really going to enjoy this.
The roll-up paused halfway to his mouth as she spoke. “Oh, you really do need to be taught a lesson, don't you, you piece of shit.” She said. “I know it was you who stabbed Lesley Myers.”
He stepped forward and grabbed her by the hair, yanking back her head. Saliva flew from his mouth as he put his face against hers and spoke through gritted teeth.
“She should have known better than to tell you about that.” He snarled. “You'd better keep your fucking mouth shut, or the same thing will happen to you, bitch.”
He pulled a knife from his back pocket and held it to her throat.
Not wanting to alert him of her true strength, she used just enough force to dig her elbow into his rib cage, and he doubled over, coughing. She stood and watched with fake tears as he regained his composure. He took a quick look around to make sure that no one was watching as he stepped forward, and plunged the same blade that he had used on Lesley, deep into her stomach several times.
“You fucking whore.” He said. Panting from his effort, he stepped back and watched as her hands flew to her wounds, and she tried to stem the flow of blood.