by Jen Pretty
He was right. I took a deep breath and calmed myself. Then sent my senses forward. He was normal. He looked normal.
I moved past Singh and crouched be Vincent, rolling him onto his back. His face was bloody, but otherwise, he looked normal.
His eyes slid open. They were no longer red.
“Thank God,” I muttered.
His arm came up, and he touched my face with the tips of his fingers, tracing a line from my temple to my chin.
“You are real,” he said.
“Yeah.”
“Um, Lark, we might want to move. Like, right now.” I looked up to see a metro train coming up the tracks. Fast.
“Shit,” I muttered as I hooked my arm under Vincent and yanked him up off the ground. He was heavy as hell, but once I got him up, he could move on his own. We raced back towards the tunnel I had come in from. The train was bearing down on us when Vincent picked me up and leapt into the sewer a moment before the train passed by. We lay there in a puddle catching our breath for a minute. Singh stood over us like we were a couple of idiots.
Vincent laughed and turned to face me. His lips found mine, and I didn’t care I was soaking wet anymore. He kissed me with so much emotion when he pulled away, I was breathing heavier than before.
His hands cupped my face, and his glowing eyes were all I could see. They weren’t red and violent anymore. They were soft and beautiful.
“I’m sorry,” he said.
“It’s not your fault. Do you know who did that?” I asked.
He hummed. “Let's get out of here. I have a feeling Durga will want to hear the whole story.”
Ninel splashed up to us as we stood and headed back out of the tunnels.
“What happened to you guys?” I asked.
“We lost you and took a wrong turn,” Alex said before his eyes fell on Vincent. “Holy shit, it’s the king.”
“What?” Vincent asked.
As we walked back, I introduced Alex, who explained about the witch that gave him a prophecy hundreds of years ago.
“She said I would save the Lark and crown the king,” he finished.
Vincent's eyebrows rose. “So, why do you think I’m this king?” Vincent asked. “Vampires don’t have a king.”
Alex looked back at Vincent again. “The same reason I knew she was the Lark. You glow.”
Durga rushed forward and stared at Vincent through my eyes. He didn’t glow, he looked normal.
“No one is glowing,” she said sneering at Alex.
Alex’s eyes got wide, and he moved over to the far side of Ninel.
I tried to get back into the driver's seat, but Durga wasn’t finished. She continued to inspect Vincent. Singh strode forward and walked beside us. Durga used my hand to stroke his fur absent-mindedly as she studied the vampire.
When we got to the ladder that led to the street, Singh transformed into a man.
“You should not dismiss his words, Goddess,” Singh said.
Durga locked eyes with Singh and reached out to rest her hand over his heart. “I dismiss nothing, but I will not believe blindly either.” Then she retreated, leaving me to remove my hand from Singh’s chest awkwardly. Singh bowed his head and then climbed the ladder, following Alex and Ninel.
I moved to follow Singh, but Vincent stopped me. He gave me one of his rare smiles and brushed my hair back from my face. It was wet from falling in the puddle and stuck to my cheek. I didn’t feel the cold though, with his eyes tracing the features of my face.
“Thank you, for saving me. I thought I would rot there. I know what has happened to my brother now though. Vaughn is under the control of that beast.”
“The buffalo demon did that to you?” I asked.
“Yes. Mahishasura. He has a witch too; a powerful one.”
“Why are witches always involved? They need to butt out,” I said.
Vincent laughed, and it echoed through the tunnels, he let me go and waved me up the ladder. He climbed up behind Ninel and me and replaced the grate. The remains of the parade still dotted the streets as we drove back to Vaughn’s mansion. Vincent sat beside me in the cramped back seat of the car. His body against mine felt good. He was warm even though he smelled terrible. I rested my head on his shoulder soaked up the closeness I had been missing. I wanted to stay like that forever, but Durga flashed me an image of Elliana, lying dead beside Vaughn and the moment shattered. Sitting up, I looked out the window.
“What’s the matter?” Vincent asked.
“Nothing,” I said giving him a fake smile I hoped looked genuine. He didn’t press the issue, and once we got back to the mansion, I hurried up the stairs to take a shower, while Vincent went off to find his brother.
Singh was hot on my heels and ducked into the bedroom before I shut the door, but then I locked it and slid down to the floor. Fuck.
I dropped my head into my hands and felt the first prick of a tear welling in my eye.
“Goddess will change her mind,” Singh said. “If he is the king, she can’t keep you from him.”
“What does that even mean? Everyone keeps talking about the king, but the vampires don't have a king. I don’t even know what that means. ” There is only one king who would matter to Durga. The king of thunder. Indra.”
The room turned red as Durga rose to speak. She stood and pointed her finger at Singh. “You will stop. The king has long since perished. A drought has taken over, and the desert sands blow in the hot wind.”
“But do they blow for all of eternity? Or will our king rule once again and bring a new life to what was thought dead?”
Durga turned and stormed into the washroom. She slammed the door behind her and turned to look at the mirror. She braced her hands on the counter and moved closer to the glass.
“I do not believe he will return, Lark. This is foolishness. Continue our mission. Kill Mahishasura, and we will live forever, together. Your humanity will be your downfall.”
My face was a stone mask. I didn’t even look like myself in the mirror when Durga was present, but as I watched her retreat, my face smoothed into its usual shape and the red colour bled from my vision.
I needed to find out more about this king, but she was right. If I let Mahishasura carry on, who knows what kind of trouble he would get in to. He almost destroyed the earth last time he had free rein. I had to take care of him before he ruined everything.
I turned back and flicked on the shower, letting the water heat. My hair was drying, and it was crusty and gross with sewer gunk I didn’t want to think about.
I washed it a few times before it felt clean and then stepped out and rooted through my suitcase. I found yoga pants and a hoodie and felt almost normal. As normal as I could get, anyway.
I came back out into the bedroom to find Singh sleeping as usual, and a plate of cheese and crackers was waiting for me on the table along with some juice and water. A few bites later, I sat on the floor and calmed my mind. I didn’t want to fall into meditation and pop up in front of Shiva. Last time that happened he set his snake after me for disturbing him unnecessarily. So, I kept my eyes open as I slowed my breathing and heart rate.
I lay back and let my body sink into the floor. Let my libs feel like they weighed hundreds of pounds. Then I rolled over onto my stomach and pulled my knees up under my body. I pushed to my feet and rose in a slow uncurling of my spine. The pops and creaks felt good, and my lungs opened fully, taking a deep cleansing breath.
Once I was standing upright, I swept my arms above my head and went through the sun salutations routine. Curling through the windows, the evening sun welcomed me too. The corners of my lips curled up in a smile. I felt my calm place just beyond my fingertips as I swept my hands down to the floor, enjoying the stretch over my frame and through my lower back.
I continued, going through increasingly difficult poses until my body had a light sheen and my muscles felt loose and powerful.
Almost an hour later, I came to sit on the floor, legs folded in the lotus
position. My hands rested on my knees and my spine straight. I felt so relaxed. I didn't even care if I accidentally interrupted Shiva and his damn snake. Then it occurred to me he might have information about this king, Indra.
I paused, trying to decide if I wanted the information or not, but Durga decided we wanted to talk to Shiva and sent me into meditation. She had shoved me out before, but never in, so my mind spun when I opened my eyes, and I was seated in front of the Hindu God. He blinked his eyes open and then raised an eyebrow. His snake slithered into his sleeve, disappearing from view.
“Why have you come? I thought we agreed you would leave me alone.”
“Sorry. I have a few questions,” I said, no idea what he was talking about.
“Oh, Lark. My apologies. I thought you were Durga.” Shiva's snake peeked out of his sleeve and stuck its tongue out at me. His tongue flipping in and out of his mouth. Then wound his way out and up Shiva's arm to tangle in his hair and slip around his neck like a gross necklace.
I did not need to know about Shiva and Durga’s marital problems, so I let that go. “I wanted to ask you about Indra.
“The king?” Why would you ask about him?”
"There is a vampire named Alex who we found in the tunnels. He said an old witch told him he would save the Lark and crown the king." I put air quotes around it with my fingers. It still sounded absurd. "Now he says Vincent is that king."
Shiva sat in silence. His snake even froze. Four eyes blinked at me. Shiva's third eye stayed closed, but I felt the uncomfortable swell of his magic.
“He has returned,” Shiva whispered.
CHAPTER TWELVE
“Who has returned? Are we still talking about this Indra guy?” I asked.
Shiva’s eyes flicked back to me. “You must go, I have much to do!”
“Don’t you dare!” I shouted as his snake came slithering down his arm and dropped to the ground on its fat belly with a plop. It didn't stop at my words, It kept coming towards me, hissing. I stood and took a step back.
✽ ✽ ✽
I tripped and fell backwards, but strong arms caught me, and in a blink, I was back in the room in Vaughn’s house, and Vincent was holding me.
“Are you ok?” he asked. His warm breath tickled across my cheek as he righted me.
“Yes. Sorry.” I said turning around to look at him.
“Is everything all right?” The look of concern on his face made me melt. My resolve to focus on the job at hand wasn’t very strong. I gave my head a shake.
“I just…” I glanced at Singh who was lying on the bed, his massive lion head on my pillow and his eyes open watching us.
“Shiva is just a jerk. Well, his snake is a jerk.”
Vincent chuckled. “Come with me,” he said, sliding his hand down my arm to take my hand.
“Where are we going?” I asked.
“I want to take you out for dinner and explain what happened. Durga will want to know.”
“Yeah, the buffalo demon is all she is interested in now. Well, him and Vernon.”
The smile fell from Vincent's face. He nodded. “Why don’t you get changed and we can talk about it over dinner.”
He turned and walked out the door. I sighed and rooted through my clothes. I had nothing nice to wear, so I walked down the stairs to find Kelly.
“Hey, Lark,” she said as I entered the kitchen.
“Hey. Do you have something nice I could borrow? Vincent wants to take me out to dinner and I all I have is yoga pants and hip waders.” I laughed.
“Sure, come with me,” she said, drying her hands on a towel and leading me out of the kitchen. Her room was on the main floor. It was much smaller than the one I was staying in, but she had decorated in beautiful colours and floral prints. I had never even painted a room I stayed in. I always assumed it was temporary, but I would never be the type of person who decorated their room like this. This was the room of a happy person and seeing it reminded me I would not get my happy ending.
I borrowed a navy dress and a pair of heels to match and got changed before meeting Vincent in Vaughn’s office.
“You look amazing,” Vincent said. “You ready to go?”
His face lit up like I had never seen before. I doubt anyone from back home could tell him from his twin now. They had matching smiles. It was weird.
“Sure, let's go,” I said, plastering a smile on my face. He took my hand and led me from the house.
The bad feeling in my stomach as we drove through the city didn’t ease up. The street lights illuminated the roads, still flooded with commuters. They slowed our progress, and I felt the urge to get out and walk. Vincent seemed relaxed and at ease, but my muscles twitched and fingers tapped against my thigh.
I had been to a couple of restaurants in the city during my time here, but none compared to the one that Vincent drove me too. The valet parking was the first hint I would not be eating fast food. When we walked in, the restaurant had low lighting, with candles on the covered tables. A man in a suit spoke Russian to Vincent who replied in his mother tongue. I watched as they exchanged a few more words and the man led us to a private table in a back room. The walls were lush burgundy, matching the table clothes, but our feet clicked on the rich wood floors.
Vincent pulled out my chair, and I slid in as he pushed it in towards the table before taking his seat across from me. He smiled as the waiter spoke. I hadn’t picked up any Russian that didn't have to do with the tunnels since I had been here. Knowing the words for sewers, metro and diggers didn't help in regular conversation. I also knew the Russian word for rat thanks to one run in with the giant sewer rat. Drew still says it was a beaver, but Alex, who always believed in the giant rats, was now telling the story of our run in like it was a near death experience.
As the waiter walked away, Vincent leaned forward and reached across the table, taking my hand in his.
He inspected my hand, rolling my fingers through his like he was thinking of something far away. It was a strange feeling to be sitting across from him and not have his attention. He was always so intent, his focus like a laser.
“You want to tell me about Mahishasura?” I asked, breaking the silence when it got too heavy.
His eyes refocused on me and he gave me a crooked grin. “Sorry.” He let go of my hand and sat back in his chair, taking a deep breath.
“I wanted to talk to you about Vernon,” he smiled, and that sick feeling crept back into my stomach. It wasn’t Durga making me queasy, but she took notice when Vincent said the name.
“Ok,” I said, stretching out the word like I wasn't sure it was ok.
“Listen, I know this will sound crazy, but I think Mahishasura is controlling him.”
I gave him a doubtful look.
“Just hear me out. When you broke me out of the stasis or whatever that witch had me in, I felt like I was not myself. I was hungry, but not in control until you brought me back in the metro tunnel. The same thing might have happened to Vernon. I talked to Vaughn, and he agrees that it could be possible for you could bring Vernon back to us.”
Vincent was so excited. He believed what he was saying.
“Listen, I wish that were true, but you and he were not the same. Vernon is of his right mind; you weren’t. You were almost feral. Vernon is in control.”
“Is he? How do you know?” he asked.
“He blew up three different buildings, Vincent. He killed people. Humans. Randy. That wasn’t the work of a feral vampire. I felt his evil, Vincent, and if you are asking me to stop hunting him, I won't.” Durga flashed in my eyes, confirming my statement. “We will avenge the one who killed our own,” she said.
Vincent’s face fell. “You can't kill him if you can save him.”
“Who will save those he has already killed? I can’t bring them back, can you?” Durga insisted. She settled down inside me again, content she had said her piece.
Vincent ran his hands through his hair and down his face. He sighed and bit his lip.
The waiter came to take our orders. I let Vincent order for me, but I wasn’t hungry anymore. As the waiter walked away, Vincent's eyes bore into mine.
“Can I tell you a story?” he asked.
I nodded and took a sip of my water, wishing it was vodka.
"Before I moved to America, my brothers and I were wild. We had been vampires for so long that nothing thrilled us anymore. We hunted and..." he looked up at me. "...killed. Sometimes for no reason. Life would bore us, and so we would find trouble to stir up." He looked away like he didn’t want me to see the truth of his words. Durga already knew though. She has deemed him worthy of life, despite his past.
“One night, Vaughn and I were out drinking — alcohol, I mean — at a pub when a woman walked in. She was fair and beautiful and so young. I wanted her. I wanted her youth, her beauty and her blood. Her scent rode the air behind her as she walked past me. Vaughn and I attracted attention wherever we went, but this woman, she didn’t come talk to us as the other woman did in the city. She sat, ignoring us and spoke to a man who was old and balding before she turned and left. Her eyes swept over me, but it was like I was invisible. Her eyes never landed on my features. During this time in history, people were poor and sick. They died young, and a healthy-looking man was hard to find. It was so strange to have a woman not interested in me or my brother that I had to follow her. I had to consume her.”
He looked away again embarrassed.
I took another sip of my water and waited for him to continue. He told me he was not a good man or vampire before he left for America and that he left to change his ways, he hadn't given me details before.
“I followed her. The woman. Girl, really. She was young. Maybe 17.” He shook his head. “She walked down the street and out of the village. I tracked her through the woods and across the meadows to a small cabin. It was just a one-room shack with smoke curling up into the night sky from a short chimney. I peeked in the window, hoping she would be alone, but she wasn’t. Inside was a man, crippled with the plague. His cough rattled the cupboards. He was not long for the world. I figured I could speed the process if I took away the girl. She would die anyway since she was in proximity to the sick man. He was coughing up blood. That was the last phase before death.