Marked

by A.N. Meade

nor admirer, but a kind of Guardian.”

  Marc pointed to the books she held in her hands, “What books did he give you to read?”

  Aimee had almost forgotten about them in the bustle to get to their gate at the airport. She scanned the titles quickly. “The Bible and the Dead Sea Scrolls, by James H. Charlesworth, and a copy of the King James Bible. It looks like he’s marked some of the pages as well.”

  “Let’s hear them.”

  “Has he never discussed this with you before?” Aimee was surprised that Marc didn’t know what these books meant in relation to Liam. They had been friends for so long.

  “I never asked him.” There were many things between Liam and Marc that they never discussed with each other. This was one of them.

  “To have experienced so much, vampires surely seem to keep a lot of secrets.”

  “Some things, my love, are not meant to be known to all who ask.” Marc admired her boldness, and her desire to understand and build a friendship with Liam. She had been pulled completely out of her comfort zone since meeting him. She was trying to adjust, and he wanted to support her in that.

  “Why do you think that he has chosen to tell me?” Aimee could see the point that Marc was making, but she didn’t understand why Liam would open up to her, and not to Marc. She didn’t want to press the issue, since she wasn’t sure how Marc felt about it.

  “I don’t know yet.”

  Aimee picked up the first book, the Bible and the Dead Sea Scrolls by James H. Charlesworth and began to read from page 215, which spoke of an eternal priest.

  Aimee thought for a moment and then furrowed her brow. When she was serious about something she always had that same expression. It seemed strange on her. To have been through so much, there was still a haunting innocence in her eyes. It endeared him to her even more. “What does this mean, Marc?”

  Marc wasn’t really sure. “Let’s read the other passage.”

  Aimee handed Marc the bible. He opened it to a page flagged with a red ribbon and read aloud. It was Hebrews Chapter 7 verse 21: “Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec” Marc glanced from the bible to the book n Aimee’s lap. He read over the marked passages again in his mind as they sat side by side. “I think it means exactly what it seems to be saying.”

  “Liam’s a guardian angel? Get real.” Aimee laughed. There was a whole lot that she had been forced to accept in recent weeks. The idea of a guardian angel was logical enough, but Liam? Liam was not exactly the angelic type.

  Marc continued, he was sure of the interpretation. “No seriously, I mean you didn’t think that we existed did you? It’s pretty straight forward what he wanted you to read.”

  “It doesn’t make sense. Why would he care what happens between immortals, for one thing?” There were many other reasons, but Aimee decided that she’d have to start somewhere.

  “He only cares if it affects humanity. Of course the actions of vampires could affect humans, they do all the time.” Things weren’t clicking for Aimee, but for Marc they were starting to really make sense.

  “Damian is a terrible being, yet he has let him continue his life. It doesn’t make sense. If he is an angel, where is his strength? His wings? His halo? Why doesn’t he speak of God and of heaven?” There were many things about Liam that Aimee could not possibly reconcile with her idea of angels.

  Marc’s mind went immediately back to that morning. The thing that had flown over him in the wilderness must have been Liam. They had been friends for so long now. Marc could not believe that he had been able to keep something as big as this hidden from him. “You are presuming to know what he is, what he looks like, speaks like, and acts like. You speak of lore, children’s stories. You of all people should know that truths are not revealed in such fairy tales.”

  “That is true of our kind, but how could we know if it is true of Liam? We have no way to be certain what he is, or what he is capable of.”

  They continued to talk for a while over coffee and their newest reading material. The flight was long, but there was a lot to discuss and that made things seem better. The topic of Liam gave them something else to focus on for a while besides worrying over what had happened in Paris with Damian. They would have to talk about it sometime, and soon, but for now things were interesting and peaceful discussing the possibility that their friend was something supernatural.

  The plane landed in Atlanta for a layover. All the stress that they had been under was beginning to show on both of them. They found one of the less crowded sections of seating outside the gate, and sat down, leaning into one another for support. They were so tired.

  Marc looked over at Aimee, taking her hand in his, “It will be so good to be home again.”

  The thought of home was comforting to Aimee. That was their safe place, their refuge in the wilderness. It was tempting to hide away there forever apart from society, and just enjoy one another’s company until time passed away. “Yes, it will.”

  Marc felt more at peace when he was home too. He felt better able to protect Aimee in that house. In his own home he knew what to expect. He could make her happy there. He knew it. All the noises began to melt away, the merchants, the speakers, even the planes. Everything that he had hoped for he held there in his hands. He kissed her hair as she leaned over onto his shoulder. He loved the way she smelled, like jasmine and vanilla. When she sat close to him like that, Marc knew that he was the luckiest man in the world. He lay back, resting his head on the top of the chair, and let himself drift off to sleep.

 

  Run Away

  The cell phone alarm was buzzing when he woke up. It was only twenty minutes until time for them to board their flight. The lights seemed brighter. Marc shielded his eyes from the sun. Leaning onto Aimee’s chair, he noticed that it was empty. He walked over to the food court, thinking that she may have been hungry or wanted to use the restroom. After a few moments, though it became clear that she wasn’t there. His heart raced. Marc began to panic. Where was she? Was she safe? Why would she just wander off like that?

  He took a deep breath. He could smell the humans all around him. The scent of their blood filled the air like fresh meat. He could smell grease and sugar from the food court. Then, he noticed it, the faint scent of jasmine. He pushed through the crowd, trying his hardest to follow her trail. He followed her scent to the front lobby, and then outside, where the wind took away all trace of her.

  “Damn it!” His eyes flashed and took on an eerie opaqueness. His voice was loud, forceful, angry, and frustrated. He kicked the parking meter beside him so hard that it fell backward onto the concrete, sending coins flying. People walked a distance around him, staring and afraid.

  He did the only thing that he knew to do. He took out his cell phone and dialed Enric. “She’s gone.”

  “What do you mean she’s gone?!” Enric was in shock. He didn’t know what to ask next.

  “We fell asleep at the terminal and when I woke up she was gone.” Marc explained as quickly as he could.

  “Well, did she leave anything behind?” Marc and Aimee weren’t due back for days. Enric did not even ask why they were coming home so soon, he only wanted to find her.

  “No, she took her bag with her.” Marc was thinking through every scenario that he possibly could in his mind.

  “Do you think someone’s taken her?” Enric could not believe that she would just leave like that.

  “I don’t know. I followed her trail outside, but then I lost it.”

  “No human would be capable, right?”

  “I never had a chance to explain our immortality to her. If she was scared, she could have been intimidated into going with someone.” Marc should have taken the time to teach her. He was so preoccupied, and now she would pay the price.

  “What if it was another vampire?” Enric didn’t think it was likely that a human could intimidate her into leaving. All she would have had to do was wake Marc. He would have slaughtered the entire l
ot of them to save her.

  “Not possible, I’m not picking up the scent of anyone near here.” Marc’s sense of smell was acute. He would notice another vampire.

  “Would she have left on her own for any reason you can think of?’

  “She seemed happy to be going back home. Things were going really well between the two of us. I don’t know what’s happened, but we will find out. Get ahold of Liam, it may take a while for you to reach him. I’m in Atlanta. The only way she could have left was in a car or on foot, I’m going to go try to find her.”

  “Be careful, Marc. If there is anything else that I can do, just give me a call.”

  “Thank you, Enric.” Marc hung up the phone, a thousand emotions swirling inside of him. He felt out of control, and wasn’t sure how to get it back. Many thoughts rushed at him. What if it was Damian? What if it was her crazy ex-husband? What if she had just decided to leave him on her own? He knelt down in the rain and snow, curling his body over his knees. The weight of the situation hit him like a knife to the chest. For the first time in a long time, he cried.

  By this time, Aimee had a good half hour of driving time behind her. Part of her felt terrible for leaving him at the airport like that in Georgia. He looked so peaceful sitting there. She did love him, more than even she herself had the ability to comprehend fully. He meant everything to her. It was awful to have to do it like this, but there was no other