While Christian continued walking towards his hotel, someone watched. High above him, on a dark catwalk overlooking a dark alley, a dark figure materialized out of the shadows. Slowly, he lit a cigarette, his silver lighter glinting in the small, red glowing of the burning tip. He brought the cigarette to his mouth, watching as Christian disappeared into the night, before disappearing into the shadows himself.
Chapter Twelve
“Are you in pain?” Lorenzo asked as he bandaged Christian’s knee.
“No,” Christian answered through grit teeth.
“Then why are you gripping my shoulder so hard? I’m in pain.”
“I’m sorry,” he apologized, releasing the old man’s shoulder. One of the vampires had delivered a hard blow to his knee the night before; it had connected right with his kneecap. Christian was sure he’d be black and blue for awhile.
“How many did you say there were last night?” Lorenzo asked as he taped the bandage in place.
“Four,” Christian got out as he winced in pain. Caroline walked into the room with some more bandages, and though Lorenzo knew Christian was still in pain, saw it still swimming in his eyes, he stopped moaning and visibly wincing.
“How are you?” she asked, her voice heavy with concern.
“Much better,” Christian lied through his teeth. Lorenzo tried not to smile. Christian was not the macho type, but apparently, he didn’t want Caroline to know just how much of a baby he could be.
Angel continued to hang around, though she flitted in and out like the homeless waif she appeared to be. She no longer seemed to be in danger of running her mouth about vampires, but she and Caroline had bonded and were starting to spend time together. As much as Lorenzo did not like having another civilian in their midst, he knew that the female companionship was something Caroline had missed, now that her mother and sisters were gone. They had moved all the research into the room Lorenzo and Christian now shared in the suite, which they kept locked, or back to Saint Joseph’s, and continued to keep Angel as much in the dark as possible.
As for Caroline and Christian, though, they had actually stopped fighting as much. Lorenzo hated to admit that he had not seen Christian so happy since Caroline came. They would not be able to stay friends, but their time together seemed to be doing the Hunter good.
“Four vampires is a lot for one night,” Lorenzo said, trying to get back to the conversation. “They seem to be stepping up their activity. This is good.”
Caroline frowned in confusion.
“How is that good?”
“It means they’re getting nervous,” Christian answered. “It means we’re getting close.”
Angel walked into the room just then. While she had become a fixture at the hotel and a companion to Caroline, she still seemed a stranger to Lorenzo and Christian, probably because they only told her what they deemed necessary for her to know. For her part, Angel never asked any questions. She seemed quite content to just have a bed to sleep in and food to eat.
“I’m going to go for a walk,” she announced.
“Why don’t you take Caroline with you?” Lorenzo suggested. “It would be much safer.”
“No, that’s all right,” Angel protested, before Caroline could agree to Lorenzo’s suggestion. “I’m not going far, and I’ll be back before dark. I’ll be sure to stay in very public places.”
“I don’t mind coming,” Caroline said.
“No, really,” Angel insisted. “I’ll be fine.”
Caroline looked unconvinced, but Angel looked determined. Sighing, Lorenzo nodded.
“All right, then. Be careful.”
As the girl left, the phone in the kitchenette began to ring. Caroline went to answer it, and quickly returned.
“Lorenzo, it’s for you. It’s a Brother Anselm?” She looked confused, but Lorenzo jumped to his feet.
“I must take this call. Caroline, would you finish up in here please? Do you mind?”
“Not at all,” she told him, but he was already gone into the bedroom to pick up the extension, the door shut. She turned to Christian.
“What was that all about?”
“Brother Anselm is head of Manus Dei in the Vatican,” he explained. Caroline nodded in understanding, then gestured to all the gauze, bandages, tapes and balms at Christian’s feet.
“What can I do?”
“Lorenzo’s pretty much patched me up, but I think I was cut by my rib cage. It’s difficult to bend over. If you could just put a bandage on it…”
“I could do that,” she answered, although she didn’t look as sure as she watched Chris painstakingly remove his shirt. Caroline’s mouth went involuntarily dry. She should have guessed he would have had impeccable pecs and a perfect six pack. She guessed vampire hunting was a great way to stay in shape.
She knew she was blushing. She shouldn’t be thinking such things about a priest. It would be pointless for her to develop feelings for him as more than a friend; she would just be setting herself up for heartache. Besides the fact that she liked being his friend. Why couldn’t he have been just the slightest bit uglier or meaner? If he wasn’t so attractive and nice…
She finally noticed the gash, red and ragged, below his breastbone.
“Oh, that looks painful,” she cried, kneeling by his feet, grabbing some of the bandages lying on the floor. Oh God, he smelled good. She couldn’t look him in the eye.
“I’m sorry in advance if this hurts,” she told him.
Christian watched the top of her head as she kneeled by his feet, cutting the bandage to fit the gash on his chest. It was a bit painful to breathe, but he was alive. He could hardly move, but he considered himself lucky. Besides, he was a fast healer. As Caroline got ready to apply the bandage, he closed his eyes and braced himself for the pain, but there was very little. Her fingers grazed his skin, and her touch was cool and gentle. Involuntarily, he shivered. She taped the bandage into place, and he opened his eyes. She moved to stand, and he smelled the fruity scent of her shampoo.
“Thank you,” he mumbled, suddenly feeling as though he was stripped naked in front of her. He was noticing too much about her. He fumbled to put his shirt back on, wondering if he looked as uncomfortable as he felt. Even as he felt himself getting closer to Caroline every day that they were together, he felt his calling – priest and Hunter – driving a wedge between them. Paradoxical, really, but then, nothing in his world had ever made that much sense to begin with. Why should it start to make sense now?
Angel watched as the Master paced back and forth in front of her, a frown marring his otherwise perfect face. She tapped her foot nervously, chewing on her lower lip, waiting for him to say something. A wave of nausea rolled over her, and she clutched her stomach.
“I wish you had more to tell me,” he finally said, not even looking at her. His voice was even and deceptively soft and calm.
“Well, I mean, they’ve accepted me. I’m in,” she told him. “The girl - she trusts me completely. She thinks that we’re friends.”
He turned to her, his eyes boring right through her.
“But what of the hunter, my Angel? What can you tell me of him?”
Angel fidgeted nervously in her seat.
“Nothing yet. I need a little more time, but I’m getting close. I promise you.”
He turned from her, staring out the window at something far beyond. She fought another wave of nausea. Finally, he spoke.
“You are with child, are you not?”
Angel blushed in spite of herself, but he spoke again before she could answer.
“I can feel it, the power emanating from your womb. You have chosen wisely to stand by my side. One day, my Angel, your son will rule the world.”
She was captivated by his words, and she could do nothing but stare at him, awestruck.
“I will send Gideon and Anya after the hunter tonight. Keep him on his toes. We don’t want him out of practice when the Apocalypse occurs, and very soon, it will.”
&n
bsp; Caroline was too engrossed in a really interesting, dusty book about medieval medicine to actually see Christian sit next to her on the couch, but she felt it. When he didn’t say anything, she finally put the book down.
“What?” she asked, not even trying to hide the exasperation in her voice.
“I just wanted to make sure you’re okay,” he said nonchalantly.
“Oh, good,” she replied, mustering every once of sarcasm inside her, “because in the ten minutes since you last asked me, I’ve suddenly developed a bad case of tuberculosis.”
She hit him with her book, sending up a cloud of dust. He laughed, and she sneezed.
“You know I was kidding, right?” he asked.
“No, but I’m glad to hear it,” she muttered, her eyes still watering and nose still itching from the dust.
“Where’s Angel?” Christian looked around the empty room. Lorenzo was scouring the darkest corners of the New York Public Library and Angel was not around. For someone who had no place to go, she was gone an awful lot. He supposed he should be thankful for small favors. Better that she wasn’t around so much. Caroline shrugged.
“I don’t know. I haven’t seen her since lunch.”
“How are you guys getting along?” Christian asked, curious. They seemed to be getting along fairly well, but Angel didn’t seem like someone Caroline would have been friends with under normal circumstances. Not that these were normal circumstances. Again, Caroline shrugged.
“All right, I guess. I mean, she’s nice enough, but when she’s around, I feel kind of obligated to be with her. But other than that, she seems harmless enough.”
“Good,” he replied. He trusted Caroline’s judgment.
Caroline was quiet for a minute, and when she spoke, her voice was soft and serious.
“If you could do it over again, would you treat me like you treat Angel? Keep me on a need-to-know basis?”
Christian didn’t even hesitate – it was something he had contemplated on his own, but he always came to the same answer.
“No,” he insisted. “First of all, your case is different. Angel’s family wasn’t killed and as far as we know, she’s not a target of the vamps. Your case is more similar to mine than to hers. You need to help. Plus, you’re not stupid. You would have started asking questions sooner or later. Probably sooner than later.”
Neither of them said it, but it occurred to them both how curious it was how many questions Angel was not asking them.
Christian tapped Caroline on the leg, taking the book from her hands as she sputtered protestations.
“You need a break,” he insisted.
“But I was just getting to the good part. They were just about to try to cure a woman of her wandering womb!”
“Okay, Lorenzo,” Christian teased. “We’re going to a movie.”
“Really?” Caroline paused. She hadn’t been to a movie in weeks. The last time she was supposed to see one had been that night… She missed doing normal things like going to the movies.
“Can we afford to do that?”
“You mean, do I have the money?” he asked, pretending to be insulted. “Don’t worry. I’ve been saving my allowance.”
He actually had a pretty hefty savings account, thanks to the monthly stipend given to him from Brother Anselm from a secret allocation of the Vatican treasury.
“No, I mean can we afford to take two hours away from these books,” she said softly. Christian took her hand and looked her straight in the eye.
“You need a break. You won’t be helping anyone if you burn yourself out, okay?”
“Okay,” she answered, only partially convinced.
“So, let’s go. Have any recommendations?”
They both stood up and got their jackets.
“Well,” Caroline said as Christian opened the hotel room door, “there’s this guy I’ve been seeing for a few years now. Every few months or so we meet at a local movie theater and he tells me the most amazing stories. His name is Channing Tatum, and I’ve heard he’s in town for awhile…”
“Channing Tatum, huh? So, do you like him better than you like me?”
“Chris,” Caroline told him, looking completely sincere, “I like everyone better than I like you.”
He didn’t know whether to laugh or to hit her, so he followed her to elevator and teased her the entire way to the theater.
“Do you have the Book of Ages, Caroline?”
Caroline glanced up from the book she was looking through, to see Lorenzo looking at her questioningly. Each of them was seated with a high stack of books in front of them. They had been paging through them for the past few hours, ever since she and Chris had gotten back from the movies. It had been so nice to do something that used to be so normal, so routine. The movie had been good too. To his surprise, Chris had liked it as well. Caroline was sure the pretty lead actress hadn’t hurt. Chris had seemed to like her. She knew he had a higher calling, but sometimes he was just such a typical guy. He had told her that it was the first movie he had seen in over two years. Caroline couldn’t believe that.
Clearing her head, she returned to the present – to the room, the books, to Lorenzo. He had asked her a question. She shook her head in response, glad for the interruption. All the letters on the pages were beginning to swim together, and she was getting a headache.
“No, I don’t have it,” she told him.
“Are you sure?” he asked, frowning.
“Positive.”
“It must still be at Saint Joseph’s,” he mused to himself, glancing at his watch. Caroline took a look out the window. Darkness was already falling.
“Is it something that can wait until tomorrow?” she asked him.
“I would rather not,” he admitted. “I know it’s late, but if we all go, we should be safe.” He stood, and Caroline followed suit.
“What about Angel?” she asked him, unable to keep the worry out of her voice. “How will she get in if there’s no one here to meet her?”
“It’s dark. Angel won’t be returning anytime tonight. She’ll wait until sunrise. I hope.”
Caroline watched him go into one of the bedrooms to wake Chris from where he was napping. Frowning, she looked out the window again, at the growing darkness. She hoped Angel had the good sense to hole up somewhere for the night.
“Ready to go?” Caroline turned to see both Lorenzo and Chris entering the room. Despite having just woken, Chris looked wide awake. Caroline realized that this was normal for him; he did most of his hunting after the sun went down. She stood.
“Yes,” she answered them. She grabbed her purse and started when Chris reached out and grabbed her arm.
“Here,” he said, holding out his hand. “Don’t forget this.” She looked down and saw he was holding a crudely carved but extremely sharp wooden stake. She took it from him, the wood feeling heavy in her hand. Chris had shown her some of the most efficient ways to stake a vampire in the heart, and she had practiced on pillows, but she had never actually used one to defend herself. She wondered if tonight would be the night that changed.
“Thanks,” she said, and he held the door open for her. Lorenzo followed close behind them. They rode the elevator down and walked out to the street; darkness had fallen quickly, and the streets were unusually quiet and empty. The three of them walked side by side, with Caroline in the middle, but despite the protection, Caroline felt herself shiver. She told herself it was the cold, but there was something in the air, an unearthly stillness, and despite herself, it frightened her. As much as she wanted her family’s killers to pay for what they had done, she suddenly wondered if she would have the strength and courage to collect the debt.
“It’s all right to be afraid,” Chris whispered to her. “In fact, it’s smart to be afraid. Just remember: neither Lorenzo nor I will let anything happen to you.”
She couldn’t answer; her mouth had gone dry and her teeth were chattering, but she nodded, and he took her hand, squeezing it reassurin
gly before releasing it.
They had walked no farther than two blocks when two figures appeared out of the shadows in front of them, blocking their path. Chris stopped walking, and Lorenzo and Caroline followed suit. Though she couldn’t see, she sensed more figures materializing out of the darkness around them, and despite Chris and Lorenzo’s presence by her side, she was suddenly aware that it wasn’t the cold; she was very much afraid.
Christian watched as the two in front of them approached. Next to him, he could hear Caroline’s breathing getting faster and shorter. Stay calm, he silently told her, trying to mentally reassure her despite the fact that they were outnumbered at least two to one. He had known it was possible they would be attacked on their way to the church, but he had not thought it would be by so many at once – he had never seen vamps run in a pack this big before.
He knew what Caroline was feeling; she hadn’t actually been in contact with vampires since the death of her family. He very much wanted this situation to go much better than that had. He hoped she would remember everything he had taught her; he had a feeling she was about to need to use it.
The two in front of them were deathly pale, a male and a female, and both had feral, evil grins on their faces. They were the two from the parking garage, the two who had run away when he had saved Angel.
“Wanna play?” the female asked, her voice both playful and seductive, and next to him, he heard Caroline’s sharp intake of breath, and he immediately sensed a change about her. The fear was still there, but now there was something else, and he heard it in her voice when she spoke.
After the Fall: A Vampire Chronicle (Book One) Page 10