“What do you know?” Brodie bit back, but Archie didn’t let it get to him. He simply smiled and shrugged.
“I know she’s hurting, and that it has to do with her being in love with your friend back there,” he said, pointing down to where he knew the vampire was still being held. He then breathed a sigh and held up his hands, not having had to try hard to see Brodie was seething. “None of my business, for sure, but I still think it might be nice to take a break.”
He retreated into the living area where he plucked down one of the many titles Rafferty’s collection had to offer, and pushed the disc into the DVD player.
By the time the movie had started, Brodie was sat on the sofa opposite, and Archie didn’t say a word. He simply let him be and was pleased when he heard him laughing at the goings on in the film. He’d chosen well, and by the time it was over, the jinni seemed a lot more relaxed.
“So, you feel up to having a flying lesson?” Brodie asked when they were done, “I’ve got everything ready.”
Oh, so that was what he was up to outside that blustery spring morning. He was prepping the helicopter, and in doing so meant he kept his promise from the night before. Archie was immensely pleased to hear it.
“Yeah, definitely,” he answered, and couldn't hide his enthusiasm. This was exactly what he’d been after, and he wasn’t going to refuse any opportunity he had to learn to fly.
It was slow going at first and it wasn’t helped by the fact that Brodie wasn’t the most patient of teachers. He shouted and seethed whenever Archie wasn’t getting it fast enough, and not once did he tell him ‘well done’, but by the end of those first few hours they had really gotten somewhere. Archie had grasped the basics and had even lifted their chopper up off the ground for a few seconds at a time here and there, but was reminded each time not to take them too high. They couldn't allow for the chopper to be seen from the mainland. Their presence was clearly a secret, and Archie found himself wondering, yet again, as to why.
They stopped their lesson only because the dark night that descended, and on the way down, he decided to broach the subject at last.
“What exactly are we doing here, Brodie?” he asked, and at first he thought his companion might be about to ignore the question, but then the jinni stopped outside the opening of the cave and turned back to him with a frown.
In the dark light of the descending sun, Brodie looked directly into Archie’s eyes, and he felt like it was the first time the strange creature had really done so. He’d never properly looked back at him or seemed to consider him as more than a nuisance, and it was unnerving to finally have his attention after all this time. But Archie didn’t wilt. He didn’t fall back either. Instead, he joined him by the rock edge and stared back at him.
“There are things in this world that are worse than the cold-hearted jinni standing before you, or the vampire assassin held captive deep within this cave,” he answered, and Archie nodded. It was the age-old story of there being a more oppressive danger, and regardless of it being the strange creatures involved, the threat was clearly very real.
“Who are we hiding from?” he asked.
“More like running,” Brodie quipped, “from a vampire like no other who had Wynter in his sights. She was his Blood Slave and his favourite plaything. And she was flesh and bone, just like you. She was fragile, and so I was instructed to protect her. To stake my own type of claim on her human soul while he decided whether or not to turn her and make her his immortal bride.”
Damn, that certainly put things into some sort of context.
“But she loves the other guy?” Archie replied, remembering how he’d seen their bond for himself, and all without ever actually having met her yet.
“That she does,” Brodie concurred, “and so she was forced to run. She gave her life so that Jakob could live. And so that I could become whole.”
Archie nodded again. He remembered how the story went, and knew she was indeed alive within their shared body, but was weak. She wouldn’t be able to show herself until she had become stronger, and when that day came, it would be Brodie’s turn to hide away and do the same.
“So what now?” he asked, and turned to look out at the ocean ahead. It was a calm evening, but was quickly turning into a dark one. The sun was barely still with them, and yet the sky was lit enough for him to see for miles.
“Marcus cannot find us here, at least not while we lay low and stay hidden from sight by the mainland. Creatures like Jakob and I only leave the faintest of traces, and so I’m counting on Marcus to have sent his vampire soldiers after Wynter’s scent and not ours. They will track her as best they can, but fundamentally she ceased to be before we’d even left his grounds.”
“And what about locals? Won’t they talk about this strange island and the inhabitants if this vampire comes looking?”
“This island is warded against humans and their prying eyes. Not invisible, but there are protections in place thanks to Rafferty and his due diligence. Plus, there’s no one close enough to see or hear us. The chopper, perhaps, but not our comings and goings on foot.”
“But what about the lighthouse keeper?” he asked with a frown, and pointed to the next island across where there had to be someone living. He’d seen the light turn on and off for himself so knew someone had to be doing it.
“He is no one you should ever hope to meet, trust me,” Brodie groaned, and he seemed to sense that wasn’t a good enough explanation before Archie even had to question him further. “Vampires, Jinn, goblins… the myths and fables might be wrong, but the reality is true. You know this now.”
Archie nodded and then stared back at the island ahead intently, looking for some evidence of what might be there. It was clearly some other kind of mythical creature.
“What is it?” he whispered.
“A werewolf. And not the kind who howls only at the full moon,” Brodie ground, “his curse is to change every single night. As you can imagine, after a couple of hundred years spent ripping your own human body to shreds every night before transforming into a beast twice your previous size, there’s little humanity left to cling to. He’s a monster. They all are.”
“And in the daytime?” Archie asked with a gulp.
“Still no better. They are creatures purely driven by instinct, even in human form. They take their land and mark it. Anyone who dares set foot there is classed as theirs for the taking, or so they see it. If you came upon a werewolf in its beast form they'd undoubtedly attack.” He then paused for a second, as though deciding whether or not to say the rest, but then seemed to think it was for the best. As if it was better Archie knew the truth so that he didn’t take his warnings lightly. “They're known for dragging their prey back to their dens before fucking them half dead and then finishing the job with their teeth. By dawn, there’d be nothing left bar the freshly picked clean bones. When in human form wolves are no different. The wolf on that island would gladly take unwanted visitors captive and have his way with them before the sun sets, and then starting all over again in his other guise once transformed.”
“Remind me not to go exploring,” Archie replied, and he let out a whistle as the dark connotations of what Brodie had said made some pretty vile images come to mind. As he continued to stare across the water, he suddenly realised there was someone watching him back. Or something. He could just about see the dark shadow at the base of the lighthouse steps, but what was most disconcerting was the red eyes. They were so bright it was almost like a laser, and he suddenly felt incredibly vulnerable.
He stepped back and snagged his heel on the rock, and cursed as he fell back onto his behind on the mucky ground. On instinct, he put his hands down to absorb the shock of the fall, and then lifted both palms to find that each one was bleeding.
Archie clambered back up onto his feet, feeling embarrassed, and he saw Brodie look away. He then hissed something to himself and charged for the cave entrance before beckoning him to follow.
“You okay?”
the jinni asked when they were safely inside and they had some light again, and Archie inspected his palms and nodded.
“Just grazes,” he answered, and then paled when he saw the odd expression on Brodie’s face. Was something wrong?
“Would… she wants to know…” he winced and Archie knew why. Wynter had to be giving him hell from within, and even though it had previously been Brodie’s desire to see the vampire in his keep suffer, he seemed to be caving.
“If Jakob can have it?” he asked, and the jinni nodded.
He figured why not. All he’d do was wash it away and patch up any bleeders, so there was no reason the vamp couldn’t have the few drops already starting to clot in his palms. He’d surely needed far more than the half cup Brodie had allowed before, so if he could have even this small bit extra, then Archie was willing to share.
He just hoped there wasn’t much more than that, otherwise he was liable to end up in a crumpled heap on the floor again. He was well aware there was no reason for his squeamishness and yet every time he saw blood in droves, he had gone. Passed out like one of those women in the movies who placed the back of their hands against their forehead and then swept backwards in a graceful arc. At least their suitor would catch those women before hitting the ground. Archie was never so lucky. He’d wake up with cuts and bruises galore every time. Hardly graceful.
At least the last time he’d visited Jak he’d made it back to the house before giving into his wooziness. Saved face a little.
Yeah, who was he kidding?
The pair reached the cell and Archie expected Brodie to approach the malnourished vampire first, but he didn’t say or do a thing. He simply watched over them and nodded at Archie to go closer. He did, but he questioned his sanity the entire time. What the hell was he thinking? The guy could easily reach through those bars and drag him nearer before draining him dry, and yet here he was, clambering closer? It was sheer insanity.
Jakob was asleep, or at least appeared to be, but the moment Archie got close, his nose seemed to catch the smell of his semi-fresh blood and his eyes snapped open, making him jump. “Here,” Archie whispered, his voice shaking as he reached between the bars of Jak’s cell and showed him the grazes to his left palm.
Jakob didn’t so much as wipe the cut to clean any dirt or debris away. He just leaned forward and Archie watched as his tongue darted out and he licked the cut clean. Not once did he grab at him or force his hand into his mouth to go in for a bite, and it occurred to Archie just how controlled he was. The vampire was showing such restraint it was actually pretty admirable.
He shuffled in his stance and pushed the other hand inside the cell, and watched as Jak did the same again. He didn’t move anything other than his head, and when he was done, he finally fixed his intense blue eyes on Archie’s face.
“Thank you,” he whispered, but then frowned. “You’re not afraid. Why? I could kill you even now. Drink you dry. I don’t stop because of him, but because I choose to.”
Archie knew he must be talking about Brodie and was sure there was no love lost there, but that it was another person Jak was doing this for. Wynter.
It was a love he himself couldn't fathom, and yet, he knew it was there. The adoration Jakob felt for the woman trapped inside Brodie was shining out of him.
“Fuck you, bloodsucker,” Archie then heard from behind him, and he turned to see the jinni was livid. He wasn’t entirely sure why either, but moved away from the bars when Jakob suddenly sprung into action and cracked his neck, like he was limbering up.
“No, fuck you. It’s time we settled this once and for all. I’m ready, let’s go,” he growled, confirming Archie’s suspicions, and then even had the audacity to put up his hands and then bend his fingers back in a ‘come here’ gesture.
“You killed my wife, Jakob! This will never be settled. I will hate you forever and would gladly beat the shit out of you every time I had to look at you,” Brodie hissed, and then he approached the bars of the cell and glowered at the vampire. He wasn’t at the locked door, and so Archie thought he was just planning on hurling insults at the guy, but then the unimaginable happened. Before his eyes, the man he’d spent the day with turned to smoke. It was like nothing he’d ever seen and he let out a curse in his shock.
The misty blackness moved forwards through the bars and inside the cell before transforming back into Brodie’s usual guise, and the sight of him transfixed Archie. What the hell was that? Jinn really were nothing like the myths and legends had let on, and while he was horrified, he was also fascinated by what he’d seen.
“I’m not sorry and I never will be. She was a psychopath but you were too blinded by love to see,” Jakob bellowed, and he stepped closer, squaring up to Brodie. It was like something out of a movie, and while Archie was on edge, he couldn't tear himself away. Jakob had clearly had enough of being the captive and was ready to have his say, even if it meant sparking another fight between him and Brodie. “And where do you think the order came from, huh? Camilla? Not a chance she’d have the power to order that kind of kill.”
Brodie faltered just a little as the thought seemed to finally occur to him about why this had happened, and while Archie knew only what’d just been said between them, he could tell Jakob was right. He’d been too blind to see it.
“Then who?” Brodie mumbled.
“The only power I truly answer to, and the only one who pays me no fee for my work…”
“Death herself, the Grim Reaper? But why?”
“Because she took too many. That’s the Lady of Death’s job and so of course she grew resentful. She needed Ada gone, but when it comes to the immortal creations born of magic she often requests my help. And in return she keeps me out of the underworld,” Jak answered, and although it clearly wasn’t what Brodie expected to hear, he still refused to back down. Refused to stop avenging the woman he still clearly loved, and Archie couldn't blame the guy.
Shit. This stuff really was serious. Whoever this woman was, Archie knew it was some next level kind of power and that Brodie needed to be careful. Him too. He’d been invited into their world without being told why until it was too late for him to back out. He’d be tied to the pair of them now, and Wynter included, should things turn sour. And if they pissed off some higher power, then surely he’d be the first piece of collateral damage to go. Humans always did seem to make the perfect scapegoats—or at least that was what happened in every movie he’d ever seen on the subject of man-verses-monster.
“Do you know what, fuck you both,” he suddenly yelled, and his outburst seemed to surprise the two foes inside the locked cell. They both turned to him with questioning looks dominating their faces, each dumfounded. “When’s it gonna be enough, huh? When you kill each other, or when one of your many enemies finds you and does the job instead?”
Brodie scowled across at him, but Jakob seemed to agree. Instead of telling him so though, he appeared to decide on a different approach. He head-butted Brodie right between the eyes and then proceeded to pummel him with punches that would have undoubtedly broken a human in two, but not the powerful jinni. He took the first few, but then roared with anger and unleashed his own kind of hell on the vampire. It was the bloodiest and most brutal thing he had ever seen.
Archie wanted to leave them to it and walk off in a huff. They clearly couldn't be helped or stopped, but actually, he couldn't tear his eyes away from the gory scene unfolding before him. Anyone else would be nothing but mush by now, but not them. They were clearly both seasoned fighters, and the show was better than any UFC or boxing match he’d been to watch in the past.
As the fight carried on, Archie actually wondered if all hope for them was truly lost, and that was when the third party apparently decided to intervene. Each of the two men were suddenly thrust apart by a bright white creature who appeared out of nowhere and took a human-like form between them. A womanly shape then seemed to materialise out of the smoky residue and Archie watched in awe as she took form. He foll
owed the curves of her back up to the hands stretched out to either side—each one clasped around the throat of the two men either side of her.
“Enough!” she hollered, and Archie could only watch in awe as both Brodie and Jakob finally backed off.
Brodie retreated and then disappeared into the shadows in his smoky form too, and Archie let him skulk away from the cell rather than immediately follow him. The poor guy probably needed some time to cool off anyway, and he needed to process exactly what he was seeing. The misty woman no longer had her hands around Jakob’s neck, but at the back of his head and she was pulling him towards what must be her mouth. They were soon kissing, he realised, and turned away rather than spy on them.
He went to leave, but then felt a hand on his arm and stared down at it in shock. He could feel her as though she were real, and yet the hand was made up of nothing but white smoke. It was messing with his head.
Archie followed the arm upwards and then realised she was standing between him and Jakob, the bars of his cell cutting her in two, and yet she didn’t seem to notice at all.
“Wynter, I presume,” he whispered with an awkward laugh. She giggled as she let go and returned to her lover, and Archie stepped closer, watching the strange entity intently.
“Nice to meet you properly at last, Archie,” she answered, “thank you for looking after Jak. I know it isn’t easy coming to terms with allowing yourself to be fed on by a vampire, but please trust that he won’t hurt you. And believe me when I tell you I will protect your life with my own. We owe you that and much more.”
“I really haven’t done all that much,” Archie answered her with a shy shrug, but Wynter shook her head.
“I know what it takes from you, and so does he. That’s why Jakob hasn’t drunk directly from the vein, and he won’t bite if he can help it. You’re not yourself when ensnared by a vampire bite, trust me.”
Archie simply nodded and then stepped back. He didn’t know what she was getting at, not really, but decided to trust her. The entire situation was just nuts, but he reminded himself that only a few months before she too had been human. Wynter had been trapped by the other vampire, Marcus, and had gotten away having had to pay a huge price to do so. Things must've been really bad if he’d forced her to resort to such measures.
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