Tainted Night, Tainted Blood (Kat Redding)

by E. S. Moore

  I looked around. Every house was lit up. “Doesn’t anyone sleep around here?”

  Levi laughed. “Only when they have to.” He sounded full of pride, like it was of his doing. I wasn’t so sure it wasn’t. “The night had been taken away from so many people for so long, they no longer wish to waste it. Here, they don’t have to.”

  I frowned. I still didn’t like it.

  “Stay, please,” Levi said. “What can it hurt?”

  There were quite a lot of people here I could end up hurting if I lost it at the wrong time.

  “I can’t.”

  “You can,” he said. “You don’t have to save the world tonight. It’ll still be here tomorrow.”

  I wanted to keep arguing with him, but something deep down stopped me. Did I really want to turn my back on this? Was this a chance for me to step away for a little bit, to clear my head? If I went home, all I would do is go to my room and wait out the day. Was I ready to deal with all the thoughts that would arise from loneliness?

  “Fine,” I said. My stomach did a strange little flip when I said it. “I’ll stay.”

  “Good,” Levi said, clapping his hands together. He acted like I had just made his day. “I have a spare room made up especially for you.”

  That made me hesitate, but I didn’t back down. I’d made my decision, no matter how misguided it was. I’d have to live with it.

  We walked back to DeeDee’s, our pace hurried. I still wasn’t sure this was the right thing to do, but I was committed now.

  Levi ran inside the diner to let Ronnie know what was up. He came back out a moment later and told me to follow him. He jumped into a red pickup truck and waited as I started my Honda and fell in behind him.

  It wasn’t raining now. I wasn’t so sure when it had stopped.

  Levi honked as he pulled out onto the road, waving into the rearview mirror. I waved back, surprising myself.

  Something was going on here.

  And right then, I really didn’t care what it was.

  16

  Levi lived in a quiet little neighborhood in the middle of town. Trees surrounded many of the yards, obscuring the lights from downtown that would otherwise ruin the blissful atmosphere.

  He pulled into his driveway and parked in front of the garage. The house wasn’t large, but it wasn’t small either. It looked inviting, nearly as much as Levi was himself. The curtains fluttered closed and a face I didn’t catch vanished within the house.

  I pulled in behind him and shut off my motorcycle. Levi was waiting by the front door for me.

  “Someone’s inside,” I said as I stepped up next to him.

  “It’s probably Eilene, my wife. She often waits for me by the window.”

  He unlocked the front door and held it open for me. I hesitated, unsure this was really what I wanted, but I went in anyway. I wouldn’t make it home before the sun was up. I really had no choice unless I wanted to look for some hole in the ground I could hide in.

  “Eilene,” Levi called. “Sienna. We have a guest.”

  A timid face peered around the corner as Levi led me into the living room. The girl was probably eighteen or nineteen, but the innocence in her eyes made her look younger. Her hair was blond, which was a stark contrast to Levi’s darker brown. Her eyes were such a bright green they nearly lit up the room.

  “Sienna,” Levi said. The girl came the rest of the way into the room. She kept her eyes down, only glancing up every few moments. “Where’s your mother?”

  “Upstairs,” Sienna said. “She isn’t feeling well.”

  Levi sighed. “Let her know we have a guest,” he said. Sienna nodded and scurried out of the room.

  “Daughter?” I said, skeptical. The girl looked nothing like her father.

  “Adopted,” Levi said. “She can be shy at times but once she gets to know you, she’ll warm up.”

  He led me to the couch and gestured for me to sit. I glanced toward the window. The sky was getting lighter by the minute. I had maybe thirty minutes before the sun would rise.

  “It’ll be okay,” he said. “I just want you to meet the family before I show you to your room. Eilene will be thrilled to meet you.”

  A moment later, Sienna came back into the room. She sort of slunk against the wall, out of the way, as if she was afraid to come any closer. She glanced at me through her lashes, trying to hide the movement with her hair. I pretended not to notice.

  I pulled my coat tight around me, hiding my weapons. I probably looked dangerous dressed as I was. Showing off my sword or gun would probably make Levi regret ever bringing me. His daughter looked scared enough as it was. I didn’t need to be making it worse.

  The sound of footsteps approached and Levi hurried out of the room. He returned a moment later with a frail-looking woman on his arm. She was painfully thin, almost to the point of emaciation. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail, exposing taut features. She reminded me of Davin in a not-so-pleasant way.

  “Eilene,” Levi said, guiding the woman to a chair across from me. She sat with his help, staring at me all the while. She looked terrified. “This is ...” He glanced back at me. I had never given him my name. “A friend.”

  “Hello,” Eilene said. Her voice sounded as pained as she looked. It hurt just to hear it.

  “Eilene’s been sick of late,” Levi said. “She normally is a lot peppier and would have fixed you some tea or coffee.”

  “It’s okay,” I said. “I’m not thirsty.”

  “Are you going to take him away from us?” Sienna asked from her spot against the wall.

  Levi’s head jerked up and a frown marred his usually pleasant features. “Sienna,” he warned.

  She looked down at her feet and didn’t say anything more.

  “No,” I said, feeling oddly guilty. Did these two women think I was trying to replace them? I didn’t plan on staying here ever again. “I’m just visiting. I can always go somewhere else if would be easier for everyone. I don’t want to cause any trouble.”

  “I’ll have none of that,” Levi said. “She just doesn’t understand.”

  Sienna flinched as Levi gave her a look. She seemed to cower in on herself. If she could have pressed herself into the wall, I think she would have done it.

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Eilene said, bringing everyone’s attention to her. “It’s been a while since we had anyone new in town.”

  “It’s an interesting place.” It was the only thing I could think of to say.

  Eilene smiled, but it didn’t look natural. “Levi mentioned you before. He wasn’t sure if you’d come back.”

  “I didn’t think I would.”

  “You shouldn’t have.”

  My brow furrowed at that. Levi cleared his throat like he was going to say something, but Eilene made a sound I took for a laugh.

  “I’m just saying that it’s hard to leave,” she said. “Delai is one of those places, you know?”

  I did. The place strangely felt like home. Even though I was a stranger in his house, Levi and his family somehow made me feel comfortable despite my trepidation. Maybe there was something in the air.

  Eilene turned her head toward Levi. Something sparked in her eye, but I couldn’t quite make out what it was. “Where’s Ron?”

  “DeeDee’s,” Levi said. “Garrett will drop him off later.”

  “Ronnie your son?” I asked.

  “Just a friend,” Levi said. “His family died and he had nowhere else to go, so we take care of him. He won’t bother you.”

  The way he said the last made me squirm in my seat. There was something in his tone that made it sound like Ronnie could be dangerous. I’d only seen the other man twice now and as far as I could tell, he did nothing but sit and stare at nothing, much like most everyone else in Delai.

  Aside from Levi and his family. They seemed different somehow.

  “Shall I show you to your room?” Levi said, holding out an arm to me.

  I stared at the proff
ered arm and suddenly wanted out of there. The dark hair covering it seemed somehow obscene, as if I was seeing more of him than was decent. I almost told him to forget it, that I would find somewhere else to stay, when Eilene spoke up.

  “Let me.”

  Levi looked at his wife. She stared at him defiantly, as if she was daring him to object. They locked eyes and something passed between them.

  Finally, he nodded. “Take her to her room and then come back up,” he said. “I have some things I wish to discuss.”

  Eilene rose. She took her time as if every movement hurt. “Come on,” she said. “You too, Sienna.”

  The younger girl look surprised. Her eyes darted to Levi before going to me. They were round, full of fear.

  “I don’t bite,” I said. Oh, if she knew the truth.

  Levi laughed. “It’s okay,” he said. “I’ll get cleaned up.”

  Eilene led me through the house toward a set of stairs leading down into the depths of the house. They led into a sitting room not much unlike my own. The fireplace was cold, but it looked inviting nonetheless. I could see myself spending quite a lot of time here.

  A door off the sitting room opened up into a windowless room. Eilene flipped on the light. The room was pretty spacious. There was a bed big enough for three, as well as a pair of reclining chairs. A writing desk sat against the wall, and a swivel-back chair was pushed into the leg space.

  And it looked lived in.

  “Whose room is this?” I asked, stepping inside. There were no posters on the wall, nothing on the desk that would indicate someone held claim to the room, yet I was certain I wasn’t the first to spend time here.

  “Yours,” Eilene said. She gestured toward a door just inside the room. “The closet is empty if you wish to hang up anything. We have some spare clothing you can use if you wish to change.”

  I looked down at myself. The leather might not be the most comfortable clothing to sleep in, but I wasn’t about to change into something else. Not here anyway.

  I started to thank her when I noticed the fear in her eyes. Eilene stared at me as if she expected me to attack her at any moment. Either that or take Levi from her. I wasn’t sure which, and quite frankly, I wasn’t so sure it mattered.

  My guilty feeling returned. I didn’t want to come in here and screw up this woman’s life. She looked as though she had suffered enough without me coming along and ruining her relationship with her husband.

  “Look,” I said, turning to face the two women. They stood huddled close together as if for protection. “I’m just staying the day. I’m not going to stick around.”

  Eilene closed her eyes and sighed. “A vampire,” she said, opening them. She looked sad.

  I didn’t want to answer, but I didn’t want to lie either. “Yeah.”

  “I thought so. Why else would you need this room?”

  “I won’t hurt you or your family.”

  She glanced at Sienna. The younger girl looked so scared I was sure she would bolt and never stop running if I as much as bared my fangs. I felt bad for her.

  They just stood there, looking at me, then at each other, like there was something they expected to happen. I didn’t know what to do, so I walked the rest of the way into the room and sat on the bed. I’d take my coat off when they left.

  “It can be nice here,” Eilene said after a moment. “Levi tries to provide for everyone in town.”

  “That’s nice of him.”

  Eilene sighed. “If you say so.”

  I cocked my head to the side at that. “What’s wrong?”

  “I ...”

  “Mom, please.” Sienna looked pleadingly at her mother.

  “She should know,” Eilene said. The fear in her eyes ramped up to eleven.

  “Know what?” I said. My skin was starting to crawl. I wasn’t sure if it was the coming sun that did it, the way the two were acting, or if it was something more.

  Eilene started to speak, but the front door opened upstairs. She snapped her mouth closed, her eyes going wide. “It’s nothing,” she said. “I’m just feeling ill is all. I wouldn’t want you to worry you might catch what I have.”

  I didn’t quite buy it but didn’t say anything.

  “I should go see if that was Ron,” Eilene said, spinning around and hurrying away.

  Sienna hesitated in the doorway. She refused to look at me for the longest time. I was about to ask her if there was something she wanted, when she finally looked at me.

  “I think I might like you,” she said.

  Before I could respond, she hurried away.

  I sat on the bed, dumbfounded. Something wasn’t right here. As much as Levi might appear to have everything in control outside his home, it was obvious he had some serious issues to deal with within his household.

  But that was none of my business. It was his wife, his life. If they were unhappy together, then they could deal with it. I wouldn’t get involved.

  I rose and closed the bedroom door. I took off my coat, as well as my shoulder holster and belt. I dumped the bundle on the desk, not wanting to hang them in the closet where I couldn’t get to them quickly.

  I went to the bed and laid back, hands behind my head. It would be hard to relax and let the day pass. At home, I could take a bath, go through my things, and find something to do. As a vampire, I didn’t need sleep, but I did need to rest my body. Even a vampire could feel weary.

  But there was a difference between rest and boredom. I wished Eilene or Sienna would come down to visit. I was curious as to what the older woman had really been about to say. I didn’t buy the bit about her sickness. Something about it didn’t ring true.

  Of course, it really wasn’t my business. Once the moon rose again, I was going to leave, get back to my mess of a life, and put all of this behind me. It was a mistake to ever have come. I had too damn much to do.

  A little while later, a knock came at the door and Levi’s voice came from the other side. “You there?”

  “Where else would I be?” I said.

  “Can I come in?”

  “Suit yourself.”

  He opened the door and slipped inside. He looked indecisive for a moment before choosing one of the chairs closest to the door. He sat down, though he stayed sitting at the edge like he didn’t plan on staying long.

  “Are you leaving when night falls?”

  “Yeah,” I said. “Don’t you ever sleep?”

  He smiled. “Not if I can help it,” he said. “Why are you leaving?”

  I gave him a strange look. “Because I don’t belong here.”

  He rolled his eyes. “We went over this.”

  “I can’t abandon my life,” I said. “It’s nice of you to let me stay for the day, but I’m not planning on making it a habit.”

  Levi lowered his head. “Something is holding you back.”

  I scowled at him. “Yeah, my life.”

  “It’s more than that. Something is keeping you from getting away from all the pain and death. Something is refusing to let go.”

  “I’ll deal with it on my own,” I said. I really wanted to change the subject. “Why is your family so scared?”

  Levi looked up at that. “What do you mean?”

  “They seem scared of something.”

  He sighed. “They don’t understand why I do what I do. I try to help people. They’re afraid it might get me killed.”

  “It might.”

  He shrugged. “Like your life is your own, so is mine. I’ll manage it the best way I see fit. I can’t be afraid.” He stood and crossed the room to stand in front of me. “I want you to come back.”

  “I’ll think about it.”

  “Come back and stay.”

  “Unlikely.”

  He smiled. “It might seem that way now, but once you overcome whatever is holding you back, you might see things differently.”

  “Doubt it.”

  He laughed. “Always so negative. I like that. It gives me something to work
on.” He reached out and touched me on the arm. “You’ll find exactly what you are looking for. You’ll deal with it and then you’ll be free to return, your burden lifted.”

  A jolt of electricity ran up my arm from where he touched me. I jerked back, my hand going to my waist where my sword would have been if I hadn’t taken it off.

  “What did you do to me?”

  Levi backed away. “I didn’t do anything,” he said. “It must have been static electricity. It happens a lot around here. I’ll leave you to rest.” He turned and walked out of the room, closing the door behind him.

  I sat on the bed, rubbing my arm. I’d felt something, but what? I couldn’t say, but it had been there, and it sure as hell hadn’t been a static charge.

  I stood and grabbed my weapons from the desk and tossed them on the bed before lying back down. I felt better having them close beside me.

  No one came down for the rest of the day. As soon as my body told me the sun had gone down, I rose and made straight for the door. No one was upstairs when I came out. They must have still been in bed. That was fine by me.

  I left the house without saying good-bye. I never wanted to see any of them again.

  I mounted my Honda and tore out of the driveway as if I couldn’t run away fast enough. I swept past the houses, through the downtown, ignoring the calm peace that seemed to permeate the place.

  The farther I got from Delai, the more I realized the peace was a lie. Something was going on there, something that didn’t quite fit with the way I saw the world. I didn’t know if it was a good thing or a bad thing.

  I only knew I didn’t plan on coming back to find out.

  17

  I had every intention of going straight home, but I found myself riding back roads, avoiding the main part of Columbus. The night was clear, a bit on the chilly side, and that chill helped clear my head of all the swirling thoughts threatening to invade. I didn’t want to have to think about Delai or Levi or anything else for that matter.

  So much for time away. Going to the town hadn’t helped. It only made me even more confused.

  A howl lit up the night, so loud I could hear it over the wind whipping around me and the muffled sound of my Honda. Ethan had worked on the bike, making it quieter than a normal motorcycle, but it was still loud when you were sitting on top of it.