“Wait here.”
I don’t dare move. I stand against the damp stone wall trying not to gag on the lingering stench that wafts up around me. Despite the lack of light, my eyes adjust and I can visibly see the end of the alley. I hear a scuffling of feet and a male pleading for his life. My eyes snap toward the commotion and I watch as Toby drags someone down the alley with ease. He stops a few short steps from me, and I’m not sure what emotion is plastered on my face, but he does not come any closer. I freeze as I watch him and his victim with horror. Grabbing the defenseless person by the shoulders, Toby concentrates on their eyes as he whispers silently through his moving lips. The human nods and seems to become listless standing there staring at nothing. Toby grabs his arm and directs him the few steps toward me. I stand plastered to the stone wall, too scared to move, my eyes unable to divert from the person standing just a meter from me.
“He is hypnotized; he won’t remember anything once it’s done.” Toby glares at the victim before his eyes come to rest on me.
I shake my head as I stare in shock at this poor, defenseless person. He could be a brother or a boyfriend to someone out there. Being in the wrong place at the wrong time has a whole new meaning to me at this moment. I watch as he blinks at me, expressionless and somber.
“Don’t think. Just do.” Toby seems to be getting impatient.
“I…I…” I stutter.
“Here is the best place for the thickest flow.” Toby points to the guy’s neck.
I stare at his neck, at the pulsing of his vein. I swallow my pooling saliva.
“You need to do this now. The sun is about to rise and I’d hate to think what would happen if the hunters show up.” Toby pushes the guy into me, his chest pressed against mine.
I can feel his steady heartbeat against my skin. He smells like expensive cologne. I look up into his eyes; they are non-responsive. He just stands there flush against me, not moving.
“Bite down hard on his neck. The skin is hard to pierce, but once you have a good connection, the blood should flow freely,” Toby explains as he stands guard.
I lick my lips and take in a stuttering breath as I gently place my hands on the guy’s shoulders and stand up on my tippy toes to be able to reach my mouth to his neck. His body radiates heat against my front as he stares down at me, his eyes lacking emotion. I lean in and my breath causes goosebumps to appear on his neck. This feels too intimate, but I push that thought away and close my eyes as I take one last clarifying breath. It’s now or never. I open my eyes as my heart rate—or is it his heart rate?— accelerates in my chest. I pull him into me. My mouth connects with the soft flesh of his neck and I bite down hard against the skin. I feel my canines pierce his flesh and connect with his jugular vein. I clamp my mouth down tighter until I am sure I have ruptured his blood source. I feel the warm liquid pulsate into my mouth once I ease up on the pressure. The blood flows into my mouth, filling it, and I am forced to swallow. It slides down my dry throat and coats my insides with molten warmth. I gently place my hand against the back of his neck and pull him tighter against my mouth, sucking harder. The blood flows faster with each thirst-quenching swallow. My eyes involuntarily close, and the sounds of the night soon disappear. I forget where I am. All that matters in this instant is the constant flow of blood. I feel a hand on my arm, pulling me away from the guy’s neck. Fingers pry my lips from the warm flesh. My eyes snap open and I stop feeding instantly. Removing my mouth from his neck, I gasp as I realize what I have done. I have no time to feel remorse as Toby tugs the guy out of my arms, licks his neck, and whispers to him as he stares into his eyes.
“The hunters are close. We have to leave,” Toby whispers, grabbing my hand and dragging me after him.
I stumble as I crane my neck to look back at my first victim. He is wandering down the alleyway in the opposite direction alive and well. I notice the light has changed. The sun will soon be breaking over the near horizon. It dawns on me as I follow Toby that I need to get out of the sunlight. Toby abruptly stops and squats. He lifts a large drain cover and motions for me to climb through. I hesitate to stare into the darkness below, and just as I am about to protest, Toby pushes me without a word. I fall landing heavily on my side in the sludge that covers the floor of the drain.
“What the hell was that for?” I sit up and watch him gracefully land on his two feet, barely making a noise.
“Sometimes you need to not think,” he mutters.
He holds a hand out to me to help me up. I glare at him as I pick myself up off the ground without taking him up on his offer. One side of me is covered in putrid sludge, the smell almost unbearable.
“We need to get a move on.” He scans the dank tunnel.
“Do I have a choice?” I mutter under my breath as I follow him further into the darkness.
We walk silently for a couple hundred meters, the sludge under our footsteps making the only noise.
“How much farther?” I ask.
“I’m not sure which way to Maria’s place. I think this ancient tunnel connects with the catacombs that will lead us to the church near Maria’s.”
“Great. Catacombs,” I sigh.
“Not a fan?” he asks.
“Nope. Not at all.”
“Why is that?” He stops to face me.
“Bad experience. That’s all,” I respond.
He watches me through his dark eyelashes. Something passes across his face that gives off the slightest inkling of guilt.
“It was you!” I exclaim as I push at his chest with both my hands. He braces himself for the force and steps back to cushion the blow. “What the hell were you thinking? Why were you there?”
“Yes, it was me in the burial chamber with you. What can I say? Your scent intrigued me.” He shrugs.
“You scared the living daylights out of me.”
“I’m sorry.” He smiles his cheeky smile at me.
“Did Dominic know it was you? I mean, when you dropped in on us last night—could he tell it was you from the burial chamber?” I stare at him, waiting for information.
Toby turns and continues to walk through the tunnel. I stare after him, annoyed that he has not answered my question.
“Are you coming?” His voice echoes around me.
I quickly catch up to him and fall in step. “Are you going to answer my question? Did he know it was you?”
“Yes, he knew.” He continues to stare forward.
“Did you follow me to Craco?”
“Maybe.” He suddenly turns down a narrow corridor.
“Why? Is there something more to this?”
“It will all reveal itself when the time is right. That is all I am going to divulge about the subject.” His voice is sharp.
“Just answer one more,” I plead.
“Only one. Make it worthwhile.” He huffs.
“Are you really the nephew of the woman that lives in the villa in Craco?”
I wait for him to answer. He continues forward without slowing. I follow him.
“Toby?” My voice is just above a whisper.
“No, I’m not,” he says stopping in front of an entrance blocked off by wooden planks.
“What? What happened to her nephew?” My voice quivers with fear. “You didn’t…” My hand covers my mouth in shock.
“I didn’t kill him. Just immobilized him for a while. He should be okay by now.” He runs his hand through his hair and stares at the wooden planks.
“What did you do?” I mumble under my breath more to myself than to him. I watch as he rips the bolted planks from the stone wall like they’re stuck there with craft glue.
“Come on.” He holds his hand out to me as he steps through the gap he made.
I blow out a breath of air and take his hand to follow him. We stand in an ancient burial ground. Thousands of human skulls are piled in rows, covering the walls from top to bottom. I gasp taking in the sight before me, my eyes roaming the walls. The skulls look as though they died in agony. The stale air t
ickles my nose as I breathe in the dust. Toby motions for me not to make a sound and I freeze, too afraid to move.
Toby’s eyes catch mine. “We’re going to have to run.”
I nod in response. He takes my hand and gently pulls me after him, taking off at a steady pace through the catacombs. We come to a dead end. There’s scaffolding lining the walls, tools and buckets are scattered throughout the room, and the distinct smell of vanilla permeates the air.
“These parts must be getting excavated. We’re going to have to backtrack a bit,” Toby explains.
“Do you know where you’re going?” I look at him.
“Don’t you trust me yet?”
“Not really.”
“Well, in this instance, you need to trust me to get us out of here safely. We have the hunters roaming above us on the street level and the sun has well and truly risen. So, you either trust me or stay down here until the sun goes down.”
I have no response. I just stand there looking at him.
“I think we can take the last corridor we passed on the left, and from there I will have to try to get to ground level to work out where we are,” he says.
“Why don’t hunters come down here?” I ask.
“The underground here in the city is vampire territory. Hunters value their lives too much to come down and roam the catacombs. I will show you the underworld when you’re ready,” he adds as he stalks back the way we came.
I follow him like a lost puppy. “What do you mean the underworld?”
“Down here is a whole other world. Some vampires choose to stay down here and never venture above ground. There are whole cities mapped out down here. It truly is a marvel of the ancient world,” he boasts.
“So other vampires live down here?”
“Yes. Ask Sofia about it when we get you back. She could tell you a thing or two.”
“But it’s so gross down here.” My eyes roam the space around me.
“This part of the catacombs is uninhabited. There are palaces that have marble floors and gold fittings. Piazzas with blood bars and normal coffee bars. There are the famous underground nightclubs where humans would give an arm to get into. It is all quite civilized,” he explains all this like it is the norm.
“Blood bars?” My curiosity gets the better of me.
“Where they sell blood as opposed to normal food.”
“Seriously?” I’m intrigued.
“Seriously. I’ll bring you down sometime. If you want?” He turns to look at me.
I force a smile and quickly look away from him. The thought of drinking blood like you drink coffee makes me uncomfortable. The mere thought of blood causes my canines to elongate and the hunger deep within me to stir. I push it aside for the moment and continue to follow Toby through the underground maze.
“Wait here. Don’t go wandering around by yourself because we don’t have the time for you to get lost,” Toby cautions me.
“Okay.” I huff as I cross my arms.
“I shouldn’t be long,” he calls as he lifts himself up through a trap door and disappears into the building above.
I sit cross-legged on the ground, admiring the pattern of the pavers that cover the floor of the room. Picking at the dried sludge on my clothes, a noise gets my attention and I look up to see if it is Toby. The trap door is still tightly sealed. I close my eyes and focus. A clanking noise echoes down the hall. Before I am aware of what I am doing, I stalk down the hall toward the noise and stop mid-stride when I come across a man chiseling away at a far wall. He does not sense that I am here and continues with his work whilst whistling a tune I do not recognize. A small lantern hangs from the center of the ceiling casting shadows around the room. I inch closer sniffing the air; he smells of shower gel, sweat, and the slight lingering smell of bacon. It must be just past daybreak. I edge closer to him, taking careful, calculated steps until I am but a meter away. Saliva pools in my mouth and I swallow biting my bottom lip between my teeth. I stare at his neck, the movement of his arms causing the vein to pop and disappear. Clenching and unclenching my fists, I can only think about how sweet his blood must taste. I fight against the urge to feed. My pulse quickens and I crouch ready to launch at him when I hear someone clear their throat.
“I can’t leave you alone for two minutes.” Toby smirks.
I let out a growl of frustration. The man turns and stares at me with his tool held up as though he is going to use it as a weapon. His heart beats rapidly and I can smell the fear rolling off him.
“Continue working,” Toby says without looking at me. “We are close. Let’s go.” He turns and stalks back the way he came.
I take one last lingering look at the man chiseling away at the wall. It takes all my strength not to tear his throat apart. At that moment, the world I left behind—with its innocence and simplicity—the world in which I was human, seemed as far off as the next galaxy. I ball my fists up and dutifully follow Toby. We walk in silence; our footsteps fall into a rhythm until he stops at a beautiful carved door with two large iron door handles. I watch him closely. He hesitates before turning to me.
“We are entering the civilized part of the underground. Don’t make eye contact with anyone, don’t linger anywhere, and don’t leave my side. The vampires down here will be able to sense that you are new, and they will be curious,” he warns.
I swallow to ease the anxiety and nod as I stare at him. He opens the heavy door, takes a deep breath, and leads me through the threshold. Barely two steps in and nervousness overwhelms me, my heart rate thudding loudly in my ears. I thought as a vampire I wouldn’t fear anything. I thought my human traits wouldn’t continue to show. I scan the area before us. We have stepped into some sort of market square. The mosaic floor shines like it has been freshly glossed, and the carved wrought iron lampposts dotted around the underground piazza cast a warm glow, making it seem like a summer’s day. Colorful frescos cover the stone walls and I can smell the dampness. My eyes come to rest on a group of vampires, sitting casually at an outdoor table as though they are out for lunch. Toby pulls me after him, his head down and shoulders squared. I glance sideways at the vampires sitting at the coffee shop. Their curious eyes follow our hurried movements across the piazza. I lock eyes with one. He stands slowly and watches me, his gaze never leaving mine. I cannot look away as I am dragged across the piazza toward the exit. The vampire watches intently, head cocked to the side; his eyes don’t leave mine until I am out of sight down a dimly lit passageway.
“Who was that?” I whisper once we are far enough away.
“Who?” Toby looks at me perplexed.
“The vampire with the dark hair back there.”
“I presume you are talking about Donato and his over-privileged friends?” he scoffs.
“Who are they? They all watched us scurry through the piazza.”
“Did they?” Toby huffs. “Great. We have piqued his interest. I knew it was a bad idea taking you through there.” He runs his hand through his hair as he paces back and forth in front of me.
“Why was it a bad idea? They don’t even know who I am.”
“Donato is the ruling family’s beloved youngest son. They keep track of all the vampires that reside in Rome as well as the ones that are merely passing through. You have not registered as a visitor and you are not a resident of Rome, so he is probably on the phone right now to his guards to inform them there is either an intruder or a bloodling. Shit.” Toby punches the wall and leaves a fist-size hole in the stone.
“What the hell does that mean?” I stare at him. “What’s a bloodling?”
“I’ll explain later. We have to get back to Maria’s. It’s not far.” He strides down the narrow passage with purpose.
I follow closely behind as Toby navigates the underground. We pass through many tunnels and open piazzas but never come across another vampire. Toby slows his pace as we approach a set of stone stairs leading up to a wooden door.
Toby turns to me standing with one hand o
n the handle. “Ready?”
“Yes.” I try to sound sure of myself. I feel the anxiety ebb its way up from my stomach as I come to stand in the foyer of Maria’s building.
I lead the way up with Toby a few steps behind, grateful that the stairway has no windows to let the light through. Hesitating on the last step, Maria opens the door and I freeze. Once her eyes take in that I am okay, she rushes out and embraces me.
“Oh, sweetheart. Are you all right?” She holds me at arm’s length. “Why did you run? We tried to track you, but we found no trace of your scent. The hunters were out in droves. I thought…” She is unable to finish her sentence, the anguish and relief clear in her eyes.
“I’m okay now.”
I sense when she realizes Toby is behind me; her stance becomes tense and she takes a step back. Her eyes dart from him to me, questioning.
“Come inside.” She holds open the door to let us pass, her glare at Toby not going unnoticed.
The apartment is unusually dark for this time of day and I notice all the curtains are drawn. The tense atmosphere in the lounge room is palpable. Toby seats himself next to me on the chesterfield closest to the door. He relaxes back into the cushions and waits patiently for someone to begin.
Maria seats herself opposite me and I can see she is running questions through her mind. She leans forward reaching out for my hand. “How do you feel, sweetheart?” Her voice is soft.
“I feel fine.” I manage a small smile.
“Now the truth please?” She squeezes my hand and glances at Toby.
“I’m scared. Confused. I feel like crying. All my senses are heightened. I can’t control my limbs to move at a normal speed. I have no idea what I’m going to tell my parents. I fear my future and I’m so bloody hungry I just want to eat now,” I let out in one breath.
“You will be fine.” She squeezes my hand. “I presume you have fed already?” Maria looks at Toby.
“Yes.” I look at my knees.
“Thank you.” Maria nods at Toby. “Now tell me everything that happened between when you ran out of here last night right up until now.”
I relay all the events of the previous evening, any gaps I miss Toby willingly fills in. It’s once I start to explain about the underground and the insistent stares of the vampires that Toby falls silent.
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