by Night, Ash
Chapter 1
Alex
“What should we say?” My brother asked after standing silent for almost half an hour. He was wearing a suit a size too big that I’d stolen from a local shop. I was dressed in my best Sunday clothes, the ones Mother loved. I couldn’t answer his question. I had no idea what to say. My brain was on autopilot, running through the events of today. Mother screaming at me to get my brother out of the house. My father shouting at her to shut up. My brother crying on the floor, a bruise welling up on his cheek from where Kistel had hit him. Even now, my blood boiled at the thought. My father knew I would rip his heart out for laying a hand on my brother.
But killing my father would have to wait. My brother and I had a funeral to attend. I’d compelled my brother to think Mother had died in a fire and then I had him go hunt squirrels while I buried her. It gave me time to think about what to do next. I was eight, not old enough to know how to raise my six-year-old brother alone. I was all my brother had and I would never abandon him. Mother always said family was important.
My blood ran cold as I realized she’d never say that again. She’d never cook us meals. She’d never sing to us. She would never scold me again. The thought nearly brought me to my knees. I choked back a sob as quietly as I could and looked at my brother. He was looking sadly at the grave, tears in his eyes.
Don’t cry. He was thinking, his hands balled into little fists at his sides. Don’t cry. You have to be strong. Alex is strong. I have to show him I can be strong too.
A smirk twitched at my lips. Little did he know, I did cry today. I cried as I buried Mother. I didn’t break down, but I allowed a few tears. It was strange. I never cried. My brother was the opposite. He cried over everything. I was always the strong one. I didn’t feel very strong today.
“I don’t know, brother.” I said truthfully. “I don’t know what to say.”
We’d stayed at the grave another half hour, and then started walking. My brother’s footsteps urged me forward. If it were only me, I’d have been dead the second I knew she was gone. “Alex, brother, have you fed?”
“No,” I said tiredly.
Concern caused him to stop walking. I did too. “Why?”
I sighed, not in the mood for questions. “I’m not hungry,”
He was silent. I heard a bird sing at the morning sun. Today was beautiful. The sun was harsh, the gentle breeze barely a whisper. A terrible day for a funeral. Funerals should be rainy, gloom-filled, devoid of color. “It’s because of Mother.”
“Yes,”
“Will you leave me too?” My brother’s voice was high with fear. It made me want to hit him for asking such a stupid question.
I turned to face him. His brown eyes were glistening with tears again. My anger softened. “No, I won’t leave you. I’ll eat soon. I promise.”
He smiled. “Good, I’m glad we have each other.”
“Me too, brother.”
I lifted the glass to my lips, forcing myself to stop reminiscing about the past. Things wouldn’t change. There was no bringing Mother back. Once vampires died, they were dead. The whiskey slid down my throat like fire. I poured another glass and downed it as if it were a shot. Today wasn’t going to be any less miserable drunk, but I was going to try my hardest to disprove that.
“Ready?” My brother asked, taking the stairs three at a time as he buttoned his jacket. He was dressed in a suit, but this time it actually fit. I poured him a glass.
“I figured we’d both need one or two of these to survive today,” I said, holding it out to him. He smiled wryly, but accepted the drink, and tipped his head back, mirroring my decision to down it like a shot.
“Or the whole bottle,” he said, nodding to the half-empty bottle beside my glass.
I smirked. “Wait until I tell Mother what a smartass you’ve become in the last four hundred and seven years,”
He grinned good-naturedly. “I’ll just tell her you rubbed off on me.”
I chuckled and took another drink. It was hard to believe our mother had been gone for that long. The blood moon from last night had rattled us, but it wasn’t going to stop the one and only tradition my brother and I had. Every year on this day we visited her. The hardest were the years the date fell on Easter. The original date. She’d died on Easter Sunday.
“Erin wanted to know if we could join her for Easter dinner tonight. I said yes. Do you want to come? You should be around people today of all days.”
I groaned, setting the bottle down. “You know I hate people.”
He shrugged. “It’s just Erin, Mrs. Sapphire, and Topaz.”
“Ah, the mutt. No thanks. I’d rather slit my own throat.”
“Come on, Erin looks forward to getting us together.”
I sighed. “She’s crazy, you know. She insists she’ll one day be able to get the mutt and I to like each other. I’d rather sit in a fountain of holy water, drained of blood, as the sun rose.”
His eyes narrowed in frustration. “Fine. You two can sit at opposite ends of the table, but please try to be civil. This dinner means so much to Erin. She considers us family.”
I stood up and adjusted the cuff of my jacket. “All right, all right, quit whining. I’ll be on my best behavior.”
He chuckled. “I hope so. I’ll make you promise to Mother just to make sure.”
When we got to her grave, it was the same as every year. Neither of us spoke for an hour. I realized I still hadn’t told my brother how she really died. I had no idea if he could handle it. I looked over at my brother. He no longer cried on this day. The sadness still hit him like a punch to the stomach, but he knew tears wouldn’t help. Both of us knew in our hearts we would never truly move on. Whoever said time heals all wounds deserved to be set on fire. No amount of time could ever lessen the pain of the death of the only parent we had.
“It’ll be okay, brother.” I said as we walked away.
He nodded. “You know, you say the same thing every year.”
I smirked a little, saying nothing. I flicked a stray leaf off my boot. It had recently rained and everything was muddy. If it had been a few hundred years ago, my brother and I would’ve pushed each other in the puddles and played for hours. Once we were done, we would have had to strip to our underwear before setting foot inside the house. Mother would have insisted. She hated dirt. Having two boys must have been a nightmare.
“You’re thinking of pushing me into that puddle, aren’t you?” he asked, grinning.
I met his eyes. “Why, yes,”
“I’m in a tux, Alex.” He laughed. “What would Mother think?”
I raised my eyebrow. “She’d be horrified, of course.” He laughed again and threw his jacket to the side where it landed safely in a dry patch of grass before I tackled him.
“No fair!” He yelled while laughing as he tried to get his hand around my ankle to pull me into the muddy water. I slipped away, hanging my jacket on a branch. My brother appeared behind me in a heartbeat and threw me down.
I coughed and spit out mud, growling. “This means war,”
“Oh, into clichés now, brother?” he mocked, sprinting away. I streaked past him, tripping him before he could register I was even there. In a lightning-fast motion, I felt him pull on my pant leg. Shaking him off, I ran into the forest, heading for the pond. He raced after. Silently, I slipped into the water and waited. This was the same pond we used to catch frogs in and a few of the amphibians swam past me as I waited. The wait was long but, being a vampire, I wasn’t constrained to needing air every thirty seconds or so. I felt my brother’s presence and, when he was close enough, I sprang out of the water and pulled him in.
He sputtered and coughed when his head broke the surface. “I can’t believe you did that!”
I laughed, enjoying the coolness of the water. “My maturity is taking a day off.”
“Was it ever on duty?” He slapped at the water. I dove under and pulled him to the bottom. That stunt always scared him as a young child. Now, however, he was smiling.
He got away and pushed off my arm to swim to the surface, crawling up to the bank. I stayed under for a few minutes, enjoying the way the sun lit up the pond’s depths. It was as if nothing had changed. If I stayed down here, I’d never have to face reality again. I could pretend my brother and I were still kids and Mother were baking a peach pie in the kitchen, waiting for us to come home.
Finally, joining my brother on the pond’s edge, I smiled at him. My brother was dripping from head to toe. He grinned, reminding me so much of himself when he was five. I loved it whenever I saw that grin. I rarely saw it anymore. My brother was the one constant in my ever-changing world and my best friend. I was glad to have him by my side.
There was no scent of baked peaches and cinnamon in the air. There never would be again. My brother and I knew that, but just for a moment, out here by the pond next to our childhood home, we could pretend.
After our little adventure, we went our separate ways to change into our usual clothes. For me that meant black jeans, a dark red silk button down shirt, and my black jacket. I sighed in content as I slipped it over my shoulders. My black jacket was a comfort to me. It was the jacket of the tuxedo I brought for my wedding, a symbol of my undying love for my one true love, Anastasia Blackwell. Seeing the blood moon had stirred up feelings again, feelings that left an ache in my chest. I was a fool to believe Erin Sapphire could have the same power over me. She was cute, I adored her, but it wasn’t the same.
Instead of indulging in a bit of misery like I had this morning, I squashed the memory before it had a chance to form, to suck me in, to make me hollow. I turned to my dresser to inspect my hair and face for any mud the pond had somehow missed. Finding none, I forced a smile.
Today was going to be okay. I may have told my brother that every year, but I had to tell myself that every day.
Satisfied, I walked out of the room. I still had no idea what to do about Kistel. If he was in town, that would be a problem. The town could be his personal diner for all I cared, but I didn’t want him sinking his fangs into Erin. I’d only had the pleasure of that once myself, but she belonged to my brother now and I felt responsible for her safety as much as my brother’s. Kistel would not cause my brother the same pain. He’d have to kill me first before he hurt either of them.
A forbidden memory poked at my brain. I stuffed that memory back into the darkest corner of my mind, shut and bolted the door, wrapped it in chains, and locked it all behind another, even heavier door. Any memory of Anastasia was to be locked away because every one led back to that one. And that one would lead to me meeting the sun, starved of blood, or with a stake in my heart.
My black jacket and her wedding dress, which hung in my closet, were the only two objects I allowed myself to keep. The house too, of course, since it was in her name and I couldn’t bear the thought of anyone sleeping where she had taken her last breath.
Shaking my head vehemently, I refocused my attention on tonight. I ran, a blur to the rest of the world, to my brother’s house. He was donning on a new cologne. Erin would love it. I slipped into the house without an invitation. “Getting ready?”
He smiled at me in the mirror. “Yes, I see you got dressed up too,”
I laughed, throwing myself into the big armchair in his living room. “You know me, I love my usual.”
“Mother rubbed off on you,”
“Change is fun for a while, but the styles get less interesting over time.”
Walking over, he joined me in the opposite chair. “We all have certain preferences. Speaking of which, have you fed?”
I smirked. “Afraid I’ll eat her mother? Not my type. I prefer slender, pretty girls. She’ll do if I get peckish though, I suppose.”
My brother rolled his eyes.
I laughed. “Lighten up, I had a few girls from the local college a few hours ago. They’re sleeping it off in their dorms as we speak.” It was a rule of mine to never kill the day of Mother’s death. She never approved of my diet, but allowed it since I’d never killed once while she was alive. I respected her birthday and the day of her death as sacred. It wasn’t like I killed every time I fed anyway, but I was extra aware of the human heartbeat on those two days.
“Thank you,” he said seriously. I pulled out a silver flask, took a swig, and offered it to my brother. He shook his head. I raised the flask as if to toast him and drank deeply. “Still trying to drown out today?”
“Absolutely,”
He shook his head again. “Ready to go?” I nodded and stood up. We walked over to Erin’s house. It was a short walk, but the silence was deafening. Neither of us wanted to talk about the blood moon just yet.
“Hello, boys! Come on in!” Erin’s mother greeted us at the door and ushered us inside. The house was warm and bright with amazing smells coming from the kitchen. I could hear Erin humming while glasses clinked as she set the table. I left my brother who was making small talk and glided to her side. Grinning, I caught a glass before it could hit the ground.
“Hello sweet pea,” I said, setting the glass on the table.
She smiled wide and hugged me. “I’m so happy you’re here!”
“It’s so easy to make you happy, isn’t it?”
“I’m easy to please,”
Holding her in my arms, I dipped her. “Yes, you are,”
She giggled. “I’m not finished setting the table.” She blinked as I stood her up and set the table for her.
“Done,”
“Showing off again?” My brother asked as he walked in, Erin’s mother in tow.
I chuckled. “You know I love an audience.”
He turned to Erin’s mother. “Don’t worry. His tricks get old after a while.”
“Oh, don’t listen to him. He just pretends not to be impressed.”
Erin hugged my brother. “Hi,”
“Since I’m positive my brother didn’t say it, thank you for inviting us.”
“I was getting around to that. Showing off just distracted me, that’s all.” I said, standing beside my chair. “Shall we?”
Erin’s mother clapped her hands. “Yes! We have plenty of food so dig in.”
My brother pulled out Erin’s chair for her. She grinned. “Thank you, sir.”
“You’re welcome, milady,” he said, pushing her chair in and sitting down between Erin and me.
“Alex, would you like to say Grace?” Erin’s mother asked, looking at me.
I turned to my brother. “But you know it so much better, brother.” He sighed and recited the prayer our mother had said at thousands of meals.
“Sorry I’m late, everyone. I never was very good with time.” The mutt walked in just as we were dishing out our food, carrying a pan of brownies with plastic wrap over them. He set it on the end of the table and took a seat on the other side of Erin’s mother. “I hope my famous double fudge cookie dough brownies will make up for my being late.”
Mrs. Sapphire grinned conspiratorially at her daughter as they each bit into a brownie. “Shall we forgive him?”
Erin nodded and swallowed. “Yes! These are amazing, Paz!”
The mutt winked at her. “My baking skills have made princesses leave their kingdoms.”
I sighed. This was going to be a long night.
“Thank you for the lovely evening, Cathy.” I said with a convincing smile. “I had a wonderful time.” I was itching to drain her just so I’d never have to hear one more word pass the woman’s lips. She was that most talkative woman I’d ever met. Erin beamed at me. I turned to her with much more sincerity in my voice. “Thank you for inviting me.”
“You’re wel
come here anytime, Alex.” She said, hugging me. I smiled, inhaling her scent. Her blood sang to me. I allowed myself one more deep breath and then pulled away. “Please come back soon.”
I chuckled. “I’ll be your brother-in-law soon enough so I’m sure I’ll be back.”
She blushed cutely. “I love Aubrey very much.”
“He reminds me constantly.” I drew her hand to me and brushed my lips gently across her skin. “I bid you adieu, my fair princess.”
I left her blushing on her doorstep. My brother was one lucky bastard.
After an eternity, my brother came in through the front door. I was fixing myself a drink in his kitchen when he walked in. “Have fun?”
He reached past me for a blood bag in the fridge and soon after the hum of the microwave filled the small space. “I don’t kiss and tell,”
I grinned. “That’s half the fun. How can you stand those anyway? Reheated blood? That’s disgusting.”
“I’m too tired to hunt,” he said simply. I shrugged and turned back to my drink. A heavy silence followed us into the living room. I raised an eyebrow.
“What?”
“Do you really think Kistel is in town?”
Sighing, I sank into a chair. “Yeah,”
“What should we do?”
“I’m not sure. I’m secretly hoping he’ll get bored and just go away, but I bet he wants something.”
My brother’s face went white as a sheet. I could already tell what he was thinking. The memory threatened to pull me under for the second time that day. I tensed, clutching the armrests, trying to shut it out. Memories of her weren’t usually this hard to suppress. A cold chill wafted through the house and suddenly I knew why I couldn’t stop thinking of her.
“Hello, boys,”
Chapter Two
Erin
Cold water filled my lungs as I grasped at nothing, trying to find the surface. I screamed helplessly for Aubrey. He always came. It felt like an eternity without him as I sank further and further down. My vision was starting to fade and I could hear my own heart slowing down. A man’s face appeared. It was the same man from my other dream a few months ago. In that dream he had been kicking Alex in the stomach.