by Jen Pretty
“Who is that?”
“My old boss from the Discount Emporium across town. I mean, I only saw our old landlord once. And nobody ever remembers me, but Mr. Fellum might.”
Frankie disappeared. Shit, I hoped he wasn’t about to hurt Mr. Fellum. He wasn’t a bad man.
I rubbed my eyes. I wasn’t thinking straight. I should have asked him before I gave up my old boss. This was a disaster and all I wanted to do was go back to bed.
“You should eat something, Lark. You haven’t eaten in nearly 24 hours.”
I picked up a dinner roll and broke off a bite. That might slow down the churning stomach acid that was eating away at me.
“I’m going to talk to Shiva, if I can calm down enough. Maybe he will have an answer for me.”
“Ok, why don’t you do that here,” he said and I got his meaning. If Durga came out while I was meditating, he could at least follow her around and clean up her mess instead of her sneaking out another window and making the mess even bigger.
CHAPTER EIGHT
I sat on the floor and crossed my legs, so tired that I wasn’t sure I would make it to Shiva before I fell back to sleep.
Closing my eyes and calming my breathing, I blocked out the feeling of Vincent’s gaze burning into me and let my muscles relax. Durga stirred inside me. It distracted me for a moment before I blocked her out and found my inner peace.
***
“Why are you back so soon?” Shiva asked in a clipped voice.
“I want to talk to you about Durga,” I said.
He had never been particularly patient, but he hadn’t sounded upset to see me before.
“Oh, Lark. Ok, sure, what about her?”
I paused. It sounded like he was expecting Durga again. Maybe she was talking to him while I was asleep too. “Has Durga been coming here?” I asked. There was no point in beating around the bush.
“Uhm,” he looked like I had caught him with his hand in the cookie jar.
His snake came out of his sleeve and I shivered. The thing had been inside his shirt.
It hissed at me and slowly rose in front of my face. I leaned back, trying to keep some distance between us, but it moved forward till it was nearly touching my nose.
“Ugh, get it out of my face, Shiva,” I muttered.
“Maybe you should go. He doesn’t like you. Come back another time.”
***
Durga kicked me in the stomach, knocking the wind out of me and I came back to Vincent’s office coughing and trying to suck air into my lungs.
“Are you ok?” Vincent asked. He crouched in front of me as I gasped like a fish out of water.
That old deity, bitch.
When I got some air in my lungs, I lay back on the floor and closed my eyes. This was not going well.
“He didn’t want to talk to me and then Durga kicked me out or something,” I said.
There was a knock at the door.
“What?” Vincent said.
Clive peeked in the door. “Boss, there are police officers out here”.
“Oh, shit,” I whispered, sitting up so fast my head spun.
“It’s fine, Lark,” Vincent assured me. “Show them in, Clive.”
Clive stood at the door for a moment before he walked away to do as Vincent had instructed him.
“I’m going to jail,” I whimpered. Panic starting to take over.
“You don’t say a word, Lark.” Vincent pointed his finger at me. “Sit on the couch.”
“I need a lawyer,” I whispered. I was in such deep shit. Scrambling to the couch, I got a glimpse of myself in the reflective glass of the window. My clothes were rumpled, and my hair was a mess. I patted it down and smoothed it out, trying to slow my breathing at the same time.
Clive walked in followed by two large police officers. The first officer was older-- mid-fifties. He had a greying beard and a pot belly. The second officer was in his late twenties with striking white hair. It was slicked back and nearly shone like the moon on a winter night. His shirt stretched across his chest displaying his prime physique. They looked like a typical pair you would see in a made for TV movie.
“Evening, folks,” beer gut said, eyeing me hard. “My name is Officer Blane and this here is Officer Jeffery. We stopped by to ask you some questions about an incident down town yesterday.”
“Of course, officer, I’ll be happy to answer any questions you may have,” Vincent said.
Officer Blane eyed me for a moment longer before turning his attention to Vincent.
“I’m actually here to talk to the little lady,” he replied.
“I see. Well, in that case, you will still have to speak to me. As her lawyer, I won’t have my client questioned by the police,” Vincent replied.
My jaw dropped. Was he even a lawyer? Probably. Vincent was full of surprises.
The officer grunted.
“Can you tell us where your client was yesterday around 1pm?” Officer Jeffery asked Vincent in a respectful tone.
I suddenly had a feeling that the younger cop was part of the community of supernatural beings. He spoke with his eyes lowered and a questioning tone that held no accusation.
Vincent rubbed his chin and considered the younger man. “Lark works for me, she was with me the whole day.”
“Can anyone else vouch for her?” the older officer asked in an obviously accusing tone.
“You think I would lie?” Vincent scowled. “I’m a lawyer and an upstanding businessman. I dine with the police chief and sponsor the Police Officers Christmas party every year. Perhaps I should call your supervisor to settle this matter.” By the end of his little speech, I recognized Vincent’s tone as the one he used just before he lost his temper.
Officer Jeffery took two steps back towards the door. Smart man. Officer Blane turned a shade of red that had me envisioning smoke coming out of his ears like in a cartoon.
“Thank you for your time, Mr. Crowden,” Officer Blane said in a stilted voice.
Both men turned and walked out the door.
As the door clicked shut, I tipped over and lay on the couch. I tucked my knees to my chest and closed my eyes. My life was going down the toilet.
“Lark.”
I opened one eye to look at the vampire who was now kneeling in front of me.
“Everything will be fine. I promise.”
“You can’t promise that. I’m being taken over by a deity who is ruining my life. I’m afraid to go to sleep and the police want to put me in jail. I guess Frankie didn’t get to Mr. Fellum in time though I’m not sure if I’m happy or sad about that. Who knows what the warlock was planning to do with Mr. Fellum.”
Speak of the devil, Frankie popped up in Vincent’s office. He took one look at me, curled up like a child trying to hide from the boogie man and turned his angry gaze on Vincent.
“What have you done?” He asked, looking at Vincent.
“Only what you couldn’t do,” Vincent replied.
“What is that supposed to mean?” Frankie replied angrily
“Exactly what I just said.”
Great. They were going to do this.
I uncurled myself from the couch and walked out of the room to the sound of their arguing. There were several vampires still in the dining room. I grabbed a coffee and walked to an empty table so I could sit by myself. It was late. I should have been out hunting, but if Durga couldn’t be trusted, I wasn’t going to risk the team.
“Hey, Lark. How’s it going?” Trevor slid into the seat beside me, his smile beaming at a million watts.
“Hey, Trevor.” He was such a bright light in an otherwise dull room. “Everything has gone to shit,” I said, dropping my head down into my folded arms.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered.
“It’s not your fault. I shouldn’t have expected the good things to last,” I muttered.
“This is just a bump in the road. You will get through it. I believe in you.”
God, I loved that kid. He h
ad been through much worse than I was going through, but instead of pointing that out, he tried to make me feel better.
Pity party over.
I took a deep breath and smiled at him. “Thanks, Trevor.” I drained the last of my coffee and stood up. “I’ll see you at 8 for class?”
“I’ll be ready.”
“OK, see you later.”
“Bye, Lark.”
I returned my mug to the kitchen and walked back down the hall towards Vincent’s Office.
“Lark, wait up.”
I turned to find Darya striding towards me. I still hadn’t had much chance to talk to her yet. I should get to know her better. Maybe we would be friends, but it seemed vampires kept getting in the way.
“Hey,” she said.
“Hey, how’s it going? You settled in?” I asked.
“It’s been great. Everyone has been very welcoming.” She smiled, and I noticed her gap-toothed smile. She was one of those women who you just knew had no idea she was gorgeous. “I wanted to see if we could hang out some time.”
“Sure, hopefully some of this craziness will be over soon. I’d like that.” I replied.
“Great, I’ll see you around. Vlad said we aren’t going hunting tonight so he is taking me out for diner,” she said, blushing a bit.
I smiled at her shyness. “That’s great. Have fun.”
“Thanks,” she said as she hurried off back down the hall. I hoped we would have time soon to hang out.
I carried on down the hall way and paused at the door to Vincent’s office. It was quiet so I figured it must be safe. I didn’t bother knocking, just strolled in to find the two of them sipping whiskey and standing over a bunch of contracts.
“I am not satisfied with this clause. This limits your ability to build on the new site to the specifications you desire,” Vincent said.
“I see. I’ll take it back to the lawyers then. Thank you,” Frankie said.
My jaw almost hit the floor. How long had I been drinking coffee?
“Are you feeling calmer, Lark?” Vincent asked, still looking at the files on his desk.
“Yes,” I replied still standing in the doorway.
“Good, I have to go deal with some business; Frankie will stay here tonight and keep an eye on you.”
I glanced at Frankie.
“We can watch movies or something. It’ll be fun,” Frankie said.
“Alright,” I replied.
“Good,” Vincent said before he picked up his briefcase and brushed past me out of the room, leaving Frankie and me in his office.
“So, movie?” Frankie asked.
“Sure.”
Down the hall, in the entertainment room, Frankie flicked on the TV while I poured two glasses of whiskey at the bar, then tucked the bottle under my arm and carried our glasses towards the couch.
My phone rang in my pocket halfway across the room. I set the drinks down on the coffee table in front of the couch and hit the answer button on my phone.
It was Randy letting me know my old yoga instructor was looking for some extra classes and agreed to cover for me whenever I needed her. Finally, good news. My dream wouldn’t crash to the ground.
Frankie and I watched an action movie, though my mind was too distracted to pay attention. This was a waste of time, but I couldn’t figure out what I should do instead. Should I be trying to talk to Shiva again? Trying to figure out how to avoid going to jail? Hunting down rogue vampires? Quiet nights were not my normal anymore.
“Did you find Mr. Fellum?” I asked during a lull in the action on the screen.
Frankie looked at me with a sad smile. His eyebrows were drawn down and I saw his throat bob.
“Oh my God. You didn’t kill him, did you?”
“No, Lark. Mr. Fellum passed away almost a month ago.”
“Oh, poor guy. Shit. He was always nice.”
“I’m sorry.”
We sat in silence for a while, except for the bombs exploding on the TV screen.
“If he didn’t identify me to the police, then who did?” I asked, pulling out of my thoughts about poor Mr. Fellum.
“We don’t know, Vincent is going downtown to find out though. He has vampires on the police force. He will get answers, Lark.”
When the bottle of whiskey was gone, I pulled out a bottle of vodka, and we toasted Durga. The vodka went down like water.
“You know, it’s pretty weird that you have another person living inside you,” Frankie slurred.
“I know, it’s like sharing a room. When I was fourteen, I lived in this foster home and had to share a room with three other girls. They were always taking my things and making a mess.” I laughed. “Durga totally takes my things and makes a mess.”
“She is making a huge mess of your life,” Frankie laughed. “God, I just realized you are never really alone.” He lost his smile and looked at me like he had just figured something out. “Is she here right now? Like sometimes you say she is sleeping. Is she sleeping right now?” He moved closer, inspecting me like he could see her if he looked hard enough.
“She’s never gone, it just seems like sometimes she is closer to the surface and sometimes she is sleeping. Unless the world turns red, I’m not sure she is watching what is going on.”
“Like when your eyes change, she is watching?”
“I think so.”
“Your eyes aren’t red now.”
“No.”
Frankie leaned until his lips were so close to mine, I could feel his hot breath on my lips. The smell of alcohol mixed with his own scent of leather and my pulse jumped. Finally, his lips touched mine and I leaned my head back into the couch. The moment stretched until my mind was mush. Frankie’s strong arm came up and wrapped around the back of my neck. Lost in the moment I was surprised when he pulled away until I heard feet shuffling behind us. Some vampires walked in. I took a deep breath and tried to calm my stupid heart. I was too drunk to be kissing men. Heck, I was too drunk to be doing anything, but passing out. I took another sip of the vodka anyway.
I’d like to see Durga try and climb out a window this drunk. I laughed, snorting alcohol out my nose.
“What’s so funny?” Frankie asked. He was a hilarious drunk.
“You can’t read my mind?” I asked.
“I’m too drunk, just tell me,” he replied.
“Aha! Now I know the secret. Get you really drunk!”
“Shit, you know my weakness,” he laughed. “Now tell me what is so funny.”
“Durga is so drunk, she would probably fall down if she was here,” I laughed. “Durga, come out and play.”
“Don’t call her. She’s such a downer.”
He was right. I didn’t want her here either. Boring old deity.
The vampires who had joined us pretended to watch the movie, but they mostly watched Frankie and me. I wasn’t sure vampires could even get drunk.
We sat in silence, side by side, pretending to watch the movie too.
“What the hell have you two been doing?” Vincent’s stern voice echoed from the doorway. Startling me momentarily, but his angry look made laughter burst up from some place deep inside me that had no sense of self preservation.
I leaned over and buried my face in Frankie's shoulder. “Uh oh, busted,” I whispered between bursts of laughter.
“I thought you were going to take care of her, not get her intoxicated,” the bossy vampire said.
“Lighten up, Vinny. We are having fun,” Frankie said. Vincent’s face had gone beet red.
“Oh shit, Frankie, I think you broke Vincent,” I whispered again between giggles.
The rest of the vampires who had been sitting around watching us get wasted scuttled out of the room, leaving us to face him alone.
“Chickens!” I yelled.
In a flash, there was an angry vampire right in front of me. “Why have you done this?” he asked, his rage barely controlled by the concern on his face.
“Why not? Everything is g
oing to shit. Who cares?” I said.
Frankie reached toward the bottle on the coffee table, but Vincent grabbed it and launched it across the room, shattering the bottle against the far wall.
“Calm down, Vincent,” Frankie said, standing up and swaying slightly. Vincent pushed him back down on the couch easily.
“This is not the way. Who knows what effect this will have on her. Do you really want to have an intoxicated Durga in a house full of vampires?”
Frankie scratched his head. “Yeah, I didn’t think of that.”
“No, you didn’t think,” Vincent replied with a sneer.
Vincent turned his angry eyes back toward me, but the anger melted into a look of helplessness as our eyes met. Vincent angry I could deal with, Vincent worried? Nope, that just made me worried and I was already freaking out enough. I pushed forward and tried to stand up. Vincent backed up, giving me space, but my legs were numb, and I tripped, falling into his arms. He held me for a moment, staring into my eyes. The world turned red for a moment.
“Please, Durga. Let me keep her,” he whispered. Durga moved inside me, but then she was still. “I’ll do anything,” he said pressing his forehead to mine. I closed my eyes and relaxed into his arms completely.
He picked me up and carried me through the mansion, leaving Frankie behind. I remember him setting me down in my bed and pulling off my boots and then I don’t remember anything else.
CHAPTER NINE
DURGA
Proving my point.
Idiot girl thought she could poison me with that vile liquid. Fool. I can’t believe these are the people at the top of the hierarchy. The vampire is smitten with the stupid girl as is the most powerful warlock I have met in all my millennia. It seems power and intelligence are not one and the same.
I rose to discover there were several vampires in the room. They were members of the team who travelled with the foolish child I am tied to.
“What do you want, vampires?”
“Oh, shit that is so creepy,” one of them said, I believe his name was Drew. An absurd name.
“We would just like to assist you in your work,” Vlad said. I knew him from a previous incarnation. I pulled on Lark's boots and grabbed her money cards. They had proven quite useful.