Harper was standing there, her hands shoved deep in her pockets, a look of confusion and guilt on her face. "Can we talk?"
Sarah blinked. "Of course," she said. "Come in."
It never crossed her mind to wonder why Harper had come to her instead of Brittney. Instead, she just went to the coffee pot, put on some to brew, and then patted the bed. Harper approached it, but didn't sit.
"What's happened?"
"Conner."
"What about him?" Sarah asked.
"He kissed me," Harper said.
"Oh."
"Well, and I kissed him. It was a mutual kiss. I mean, we didn't let it get out of control. He didn't let it get out of control. We were drinking wine, and things just happened."
Sarah tilted her head. "And you feel guilty because of Alec?"
"Yes," Harper said. "I know how he feels about me, and I know how I feel about him... and I know we can't work out. It would never last between us, no more than the relationship between him and Ileana worked out. With Conner, though... well, there's a chance that something could grow."
"Do you love Conner?"
"I don't know," Harper said. "Maybe I'm not supposed to fall head over heels in love with someone right away. Maybe it's better if things move slowly and progress on their own. Love isn't like it is in the movies. You don't see someone and just know."
"And so you came to me."
"You seem to have everything so together all the time," Harper said. "I thought you might have some advice for me."
"Are you certain things can't work out with Alec?" Sarah asked. "Really, truly sure?"
Harper was silent for a moment, and then she nodded. "He won't turn me, and I should probably be grateful for that, but that means I'll grow old, and he'll stay the same. It's not just that, either. There are a dozen reasons it wouldn't work."
Sarah nodded. "I understand. I think you should think about where things will go with Conner. Give it a chance. Alec will recover."
"You think so?"
"Yes."
"Then why do I feel so guilty?" Harper asked. "I don't want to feel guilty. I just want to have a good time, kick some demonic ass, and maybe get a tan before we go back home."
Sarah heard the coffee pot click off. She got up, went over, and fixed them each a cup of coffee. She took hers with cream and sugar. She put the one with just cream in Harper's hands.
"You can't control everything, Harper," she said.
"I know that."
"I don't think you do," Sarah said. "You want to control how Alec feels, how you feel, how Conner feels... but you can't. You can only decide what's right for you, and you know in your heart that Alec isn't right."
Harper nodded.
"Then live with the guilt," Sarah said. "Because it's not going to go away over night. But you have the right to be happy. You don't have to be miserable because you couldn't make things work with Alec. With Conner, you have a chance."
"Thanks," Harper said.
"Want to go the gym with me?" Sarah asked. "There's one downstairs."
Harper groaned.
"You don't want to lose all that muscle you've worked so hard for," Sarah said. "Besides that, I've found that exercise often cleanses one's soul. It gives you plenty of time for introspection, and when your mind is racing, trying to keep up with your body's adrenaline, in those moments of exertion, the answers come."
"Well, if you think it will help," Harper said. "Sure. I'll go get changed. Meet you downstairs?"
"Sure," Sarah said. "That works."
She took a sip of her coffee as Harper left to go back to her room. She shook her head, glad that her biggest problem was whether her clothes stayed on after becoming a fox.
FIFTEEN
Brittney took a deep breath and adjusted the strap on her purse.
"How do I look?" she asked the others, twirling around so they could get an overview of her outfit. She was wearing a pair of crisp white slacks, open-toed sandals, and a red blouse that brought out the black in her hair and the pale of her face.
"You look lovely," Chloe said.
"You really do," Sarah agreed.
Brittney looked over at Harper. There was something off about her friend lately, but she didn't know what. Even now, Harper was staring moodily out a window instead of paying attention.
Brittney looked around. "Harper?"
"What?" Harper asked.
"How do I look?"
"Oh," Harper said. "Sorry. No, you look great. You really do. Like a real business executive, honestly. Those slacks have great lines."
"And the purse?" Brittney asked the group. "It doesn't look too big?"
"It has to be big," Chloe reminded her. "You're carrying a stake, a gun, holy water, and a smoke bomb. I mean... that's a lot to carry."
Brittney glanced at her bag of tricks and nodded. "I know that," she said. "But how does it look? I don't want to look like I'm carrying."
"The purse is fine," Harper assured her.
"Thanks," Brittney said, feeling a measure of relief wash over her. She didn't know why she was so nervous; it wasn't the first demon she'd faced, and besides that, she'd walked into the Trinity Gang's hideout where there were over fifty vampires and other demonic creatures hiding.
And yet, she still felt stiff and uncertain. Perhaps it was due to her positioning herself as the group's leader. She felt like an intruder, someone who didn't belong. It should be Alec meeting with Miriam, not her. This wasn't part of her job.
But she'd signed up for it when she told the others she'd do the talking. It was her responsibility now, whether she wanted to do it or not.
"Don't worry," Chloe said, as they all headed towards the rental car. "The rest of us will be right across the street. If something goes wrong we'll be there. Sarah will be ready to kick ass. Right, Sarah?"
"Right," Sarah agreed.
"Hey, what about me?" Conner asked. "Does nobody want my opinion or help anymore? I don't get to comment on the outfit, and Sarah's the one going to kick ass? What about me? I can kick ass."
Chloe turned to Conner and blew him a kiss. "Don't worry, big boy, there's plenty of work for all of us."
Sarah and Brittney both snickered. They climbed into the car and drove over to the restaurant that Brittney would be meeting Miriam at. The others left to go across the street to a small, local coffee shop. She watched them file inside, and then turned to the restaurant.
She took a deep breath and then went inside. The woman standing just inside approached her.
"Do you have a reservation?"
Suddenly Brittney realized she had no idea what she was doing. Did she have a reservation? Was she supposed to sit and wait for Miriam at a table, or was she supposed to wait at the door? And what if there weren't any tables available? Then what would happen? Would they go elsewhere? That would mess up the view the others had of the restaurant.
She was saved by Miriam, who swooped in from the table she'd been sitting at. "She's with me."
"Ah, yes," the woman said. "Of course."
"Good to see you again," Brittney said, as she followed Miriam back to the table. She took a seat opposite of her and placed her bag down at her feet.
"And it's quite a pleasure to see you again, too, Brittney. I heard you ran into trouble the other night at your hotel."
For a moment, Brittney's breath caught in her throat. So maybe it hadn't been pure convenience that those vampires had entered the hotel. Still, how could they have known that she and Chloe would be soaking in the tub? Miriam must have someone watching them.
"Nothing we couldn't handle," Brittney said. "Though, you may want to lay off sending the goons. The next ones come home with a stake in their hearts."
Miriam laughed. "Just a little test of your abilities," she said. "After all, if you are to join us, you will need to be strong. I was pleased when you did not succumb."
Brittney decided not to comment on that, and instead turned to the waiter who'd just approached. He gave a
half bow, and then asked, "Can I get you ladies started with something to drink? Perhaps a bottle of our House Merlot?"
"None for me," Miriam said. "Though I would enjoy an iced tea."
"I'll have the same," Brittney said.
"Certainly," the waiter said. He presented them with two menus. "Take your time, ladies."
"Thank you," Brittney said. She browsed through the menu without really reading it. She was waiting to see what Miriam would say next. It seemed like the vampire woman was busy deciding what to eat, though.
After a few minutes, Brittney closed her menu and set it down. "So you tested us," she said. "And if my assumption is correct, you found us up to the task of aiding you."
Miriam set aside her menu, and stared into Brittney's eyes. For a moment, she felt that strange sense of hypnotism coming over her, but she shook her head to clear it. "Yes," Miriam said. "I have decided it would benefit Serendipity to recruit you. Tell me, though, do you not wish to join our army of vampires? You will have exceptional strength and charisma that nobody will be able to ignore. It is a glorious thing, to be undead. To live forever."
Brittney had never heard it put like that; she'd only ever talked to Alec, and Alec hated being a vampire with every fiber of his being.
"I'd rather not," she said. "Perhaps in the future. But I know the first few weeks of existence are purely dedicated to, ah, feeding. I would rather be in an acute mental state for what's to come."
"As you wish," Miriam said. "You're not wrong. The first few weeks are the roughest. Perhaps when we have peace."
"Perhaps," Brittney agreed.
The waiter reappeared with their teas. "Are you ready to order, or would you like more time?"
"We'll both have the special," Brittney said decisively. "Thank you."
The waiter bowed again, and then disappeared to place their orders. Miriam arched a brow but didn't comment.
"We can't help you if we don't know what you're planning," Brittney said. Before Miriam could speak, she held up a hand. "We know some of the pieces, of course. You're building an army of vampires. But for what purpose?"
Miriam took a sip of her tea. "Do you know what we are called in Latin?"
"No."
"We are called the Maledicti Sunt," Miriam said. "The cursed ones. People have legends and books and tales about us. They see us as evil creatures. They do not recognize the truth of our existence."
"And what is the truth?"
"The first thing we teach our recruits is control," Miriam said. "We teach them to wait out their hunger till they find the right target, to only attack when the time is appropriate. Some of them go rogue, of course, and they are dealt with."
Brittney waited.
"We are justice," Miriam said. "Phoenix will soon be a city of vampires. When we reach that point, we will begin to cleanse this world."
"Cleanse it of what?" Brittney asked.
"Everything," Miriam said. "We will stop the pointless wars, we will take out the corrupt politicians, we will punish the murderers, the rapists, the burglars. We will make this world a peaceful place to live under our domain."
Brittney tipped her head to the side. She was trying to decide if Miriam believed in what she was saying; that she wanted justice, not just power. She finally decided that it was true. She honestly believed what she was doing was somehow justifiable.
"What of those who don't want to be part of this? You're turning people who have no option."
"Necessary evils for the greater good," Miriam said. She paused as the waiter brought their food out. Once he'd set it down and left, she continued. "I do not like the shedding of innocent blood, but we are not offering them death, but rebirth. They are born again, in God's light, so that they might help us clean this world."
"I see," Brittney said.
"You wish to help us," Miriam said.
Brittney considered for a moment; she was in a vulnerable position. If she refused to help, then Miriam and her army would know they were the enemy. If she agreed, though, what would that entail?
"Perhaps," Brittney said.
"There are people after us constantly," Miriam said. "From both sides of the aisle. Misguided fools who think they're doing the world a favor by stopping us, and creatures far worse than we are who believe their tyranny will come to an end when we have our power. We need defense. Can we count on you?"
Brittney glanced out the window. She couldn't see her friends from her seat, but she knew they were there. It gave her the resolve she needed to nod.
"Yes," she said. "You can count on us."
SIXTEEN
Harper and the others made themselves comfortable in the coffee shop across from the restaurant. Chloe paced back and forth, obviously worried. Both Sarah and Conner looked wholly unconcerned, however, and Conner eventually produced a deck of playing cards. They offered a game of rummy, but when both Harper and Chloe refused, the other two started a game of gin.
Harper knew they thought she was like Chloe; worried about Brittney, and what was happening. Yet, she wasn't. She was thinking over her conversation with Sarah. She deserved a chance at happiness, even if that hurt Alec.
Working out with Sarah had helped a little; it was like she said, when she exercised, her mind seemed to magically clear and everything seemed so simple. It didn't stay that way, though. The center didn't hold.
She wished she had someone to talk to about it, someone who could truly understand. None of the others had ever fallen in love with a vampire. She couldn't even call her mother and ask for advice, because that would entail telling her mother why things wouldn't work out with Alec, and she couldn't do that.
The only person who could possibly understand was Ileana, and she was long dead. Harper fiddled with the locket around her neck. It had belonged to her great-grandmother and was one of the first things Alec had given her.
A thought crossed her mind; what if she could talk to Ileana? She'd never tried it before. Every other time she'd envisioned her, she'd become her. What if it didn't have to be that way, though? Alec said her powers would grow... it was worth a shot.
She glanced at the others. Sarah and Conner were laughing over something, and Chloe had perched in the window seat and was staring across the street, her brow furrowed in concentration.
Harper drank down the last dregs of her coffee and then went to the ladies' room. There were two stalls, and she went to the last one, closing and locking it behind her. She put the toilet lid down, and sat there for a moment, trying to think of how she wanted to try this.
She closed her eyes and thought of Ileana; her beauty, her grace, her strength. "I need you," she whispered out loud. "I need your advice. Please, help me, Ileana."
When she opened her eyes, she was once again standing on a snowy hilltop overlooking a small Russian city. This time, though, she wasn't dressed in Ileana's clothes, and she wasn't wearing Ileana's face. She was herself.
She wrapped her arms around herself, shivering. She had been wearing a tank top in the coffee shop; she hoped she wouldn't get frostbite.
"You must be Harper," a voice said.
She turned and saw Ileana, in her gypsy dress, and her leather soled shoes, and her locket tucked beneath her dress. It was odd, because Harper too was wearing the same locket. "Ileana?"
"You called out for me," Ileana said.
She approached Harper, and laid a hand against her face. "How beautiful you are! My lineage lives on... it is so wonderful to know. But you are troubled. Why?"
Harper hesitated and glanced down at the village. There would be a set of twins running through the streets any minute. There would be a vampire waiting in the shadows. She swallowed. "Alec."
Ileana's face grew confused for a moment and then cleared. "Yes. How fitting that my long ago lover would fall in love with my great-grandchild. Harper, I must warn you. Alec is a good man, perhaps a great man, but he is not the sort of man you fall in love with. He will leave you with a broken heart."
Harper shook her head. "That's not the problem," she said.
She quickly spilled her secrets, telling Ileana all about her long talks with Alec, about her kiss with Conner, about her developing feelings for the incubus, and about her guilt over hurting Alec.
She didn't know what she'd expected when she told Ileana, but the look of anger on her face wasn't at all what she expected.
"What's wrong?" Harper asked.
"Harper, what are your friends doing right now?"
Harper blinked. "We're waiting for Brittney -- that's my best friend -- to finish talking with a vampire about how we can help her. So we can stop her, of course, but we need an inside first..."
"And Alec?"
"He's out infiltrating the vampire army," Harper said.
"And what are you doing?" Ileana asked.
"I'm talking to you," Harper said.
Ileana nodded. "About your relationship problems. You have friends out there risking their lives, and here you are complaining because you can't decide between two men. You can't make a decision, so you thought I'd have one for you. I don't. I can only offer you advice."
Harper felt like she'd been slapped. She stood there, her mouth slightly open, staring at Ileana.
"My advice is this. Stop worrying about men and love. Focus on what's important, and that's yourself. Have you made any headway with your powers?"
"I've been working on my power of Sight," Harper said.
"What else?"
"I don't know," Harper said. She felt like a scolded child, and her indignation wanted to rise up. "I don't know what else I'm supposed to be able to do."
"You are a powerful woman," Ileana said. "And yet you have wasted yourself by worrying about something that will work itself out in the end. Love has a way of beating all obstacles. I'm not saying this to hurt you, Harper. My Gods I know I spent enough of my youth worrying about what to do about Alec. But you cannot put your focus solely on this problem.
"You should be learning precognition," Ileana continued. "And retrocognition, and psychometry."
"I don't even know what that is," Harper said sulkily.
Phoenix Under Fire (Afterlife Book 5) Page 10