by Jen Pretty
Singh was grumpy when I finally got up. He growled when I turned on the light and again when I made noise, rooting through the dresser to find clean clothes.
“Shut it, or I’ll make you into a lion skin rug,” I said, giggling. I was strangely not tired. I should have been exhausted, but I was ready to fight some bad guys.
I got dressed in leather pants, a light t-shirt, and a heavy leather jacket. Then pulled on my boots and I was ready to roll.
“Coming, lazy bones?” I asked.
Singh roared at me and rolled onto his other side. I flicked the light back off and went out to find Frankie and some dinner. The night was young.
In the kitchen, I found Frankie cooking. The smell of frying onions filled the air making my stomach rumble. I watched him silently for a few moments.
“Dash of salt,” he muttered. “Add the peppers.” I leaned against the wall and watched him. He went on like that for a while before he seemed to sense me behind him. He stopped what he was doing and turned to look at me.
I broke out laughing.
“Do you always talk to yourself?” I asked between gasping breaths.
He tossed a dish towel at me, but it landed by my feet.
“Maybe I just need expert advice,” he replied, laughing too. It was good to see him laugh. His smile lit the room and I loved it. I loved him.
That smile disappeared instantly and his eyes locked with mine. Fuck. Right. I would never get used to controlling my thoughts.
He disappeared and reappeared in front of me.
“The food will burn,” I said and heard the click of the stove turning off. Magic was a bit too handy.
“Did you mean that?”
“I don’t know what I mean, Frankie. I don’t even know who I am half the time.”
His eyes searched mine. I loved Frankie, but Vincent…
He sighed and dropped his eyes. And there it was. He scooped up the dish towel he had thrown at me and walked back to the kitchen, flicking on the stove.
“Frankie.”
“It’s fine, Lark. Just promise me when you figure out what you mean, you don’t make me read your mind to find out.” He smiled at me, but it wasn’t a real one.
“So, I hope you like stir-fry,” he said changing the topic.
I took another deep breath and walked to the counter, and slid up onto the stool.
“I love stir-fry,” I said. The vampires usually had some form of stir-fried vegetables at the dinner buffet.
The sizzling of the pan was the only sound to fill the awkward silence until Singh came walking out of the bedroom as a human and slumped down beside me.
“I’m not sleeping with you anymore if you can’t sleep quietly,” he muttered.
“I didn’t ask you to sleep with me,” I reminded him. “In fact, I tried to kick you out of my bed, but you weigh four hundred pounds as a lion.”
He just yawned and ignored my statement of facts.
“It’s still weird that you are here, you know. I’m surprised your partner hasn’t tracked you down. Did you even quit your job?” I asked.
He took out a cell phone, hit a button, and brought the phone to his ear.
“Chief, its Jeffery,” he said, waiting a moment. “Yes, sir, I quit actually. I’m shacked up with a nice rich lady, and I can’t drag myself out of her bed.”
I punched his arm. What the hell?
“Thank you, Sir, goodbye.”
He closed his cell phone, shoved it back into his pocket and then folded his arms on the countertop, resting his head in them.
“Are you happy now?” he muttered.
“No.”
Frankie set a plate down in front of each of us with perfectly cooked vegetables and fluffy rice. Then he came back with a third plate for himself. He was an excellent cook.
When my plate was empty, my stomach was so full I could hardly move. I rolled off the stool, waddled to the living room, and collapsed on the couch. Durga seemed restless, but she didn’t have anything to show me. Even when I concentrated on her, she was just anxious.
It made me feel a bit jittery, even in my overstuffed state. We hadn’t heard from Frankie’s father, Bennet, in 24 hours and I had no hope that he had just wandered off to live a peaceful life on a deserted island.
Singh and Frankie started a card game at the kitchen island and I clicked on the TV and switched the channels for a while. There was nothing worth watching. I grabbed my phone from my bag and checked in with Vincent. I waited for his reply for a few minutes then set my phone down. He was probably off doing business stuff. Durga sent me a flash of him with the tall blond bombshell from the other day. His teeth sunk into her creamy white skin, a trail of blood running down her neck and his bright red eyes fixed on mine. Thank you, Durga.
Lion Singh sauntered over and climbed up on the couch beside me. There wasn’t enough room for him, so he moved slowly, as I edged closer to the armrest.
“There isn’t room,” I said.
He kept moving and finally he just flopped down, crushing me to the couch with his massive head in my lap.
“Jesus, Singh.” I squirmed to try and get out from under him and, after fighting for a minute, he finally lifted his head and let me slither out from under him until I was sitting on the floor in front of the couch, my sweater pulled up and caught in his nails, so I was strangling myself.
“Freaking lion. Do you know how inconvenient you are?” I waved my arms about until he unhooked my clothes from his claws. I straightened myself out and realized I had probably flashed the room.
Singh licked his lips and then started grooming his foot, his razor-sharp talons exposed at the end of each toe.
Frankie came over and raised an eyebrow at me in question.
“He booted me off the couch,” I complained, taking his offered hand so he could help me to my feet.
“Come on, I have something to show you,” he said, laughing at me.
He kept hold of my hand and pulled me over to the window, then let go to slide the window up revealing a fire escape. It wasn’t rickety, but it was a steel grate instead of a solid set of stairs. It gave me a bit of vertigo to be up high and able to see straight down to the pavement below. The stairs led up, and once we were both through the window, Frankie motioned me to keep walking. I kept my eyes up and climbed two more flights of stairs that led up to the roof.
The roof was flat and tarred smooth. There was a railing that ran all the way around the edge, but we were up high enough to see pretty far across this part of the city, right down to the river. The city lights twinkled until a few blocks from the river where they faded out. The moon reflected off the water in sharp contrast to the darkness. I followed the river with my eyes until I saw a ship travelling up towards the docks. Its lights flashed in time with my heart. Frankie stood right behind me, breaking the wind of the cool night. The heat from his body sent goosebumps on my skin. I closed my eyes and sent out my senses. I could sense the vampires back at the mansion. They were moving around in the house. I wondered which one was Vincent and one of the lights shone brighter than the others for a brief second. I smiled. Durga had some neat powers. That was one that would come in handy.
I searched farther, letting my senses expand as far as they would go and the world lit up in little pockets.
“Whoa,” I whispered.
“What is it?” Frankie asked in the same hushed tone.
“I think I just found every vampire in the state.”
“Holy shit.”
“Yeah.”
Frankie wrapped his arms around my waist and I focused on the vampires. One of them could be Vernon. If he was in the state, I had problems. But the longer I concentrated on them, the surer I was that he wasn’t here. Just as well, for now.
If this power could get stronger the more I used it, I had to keep trying. The farther away I could sense that fallen vampire, the better.
I tried to find Bennet. He was out there somewhere, but I couldn’t sense him.
I closed my eyes and just let the city wash over me. With Frankie behind me and the city before me, I felt like a goddess. I felt like Durga. Powerful, invincible and unstoppable.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
It was nearly 3 am when Durga shoved me towards the door.
“Frankie!” I yelled, pulling on my coat and kicking my sleeping lion.
Frankie came out of the bathroom, his hair dripping wet. He was buttoning his pants with his shirt tucked under his arm.
“Where is he?” he asked, pulling his shirt over his head.
I focused on Durga. “He’s at the mansion”
“Vincent’s?”
I nodded. “Go, I’ll catch up,” I said, turning to head down to the parking garage, but he wrapped his still damp arms around me and suddenly we were in Vincent’s house.
There was a scream from the north wing. I took off that way at a dead run, my knife flashing into my hand. Rounding the corner in the hall, I caught a quick glimpse of Bennet before he disappeared.
“Shit.” I slid to a halt and flung open the door he’d come out of.
In the middle of the room, someone was on fire. Flames shot upwards and licked across the ceiling. The smoke alarms in the house went off and the ringing added to the chaos. Behind me, vampires ran past. I looked down the burning figure and saw a familiar shiny dress shoe below the flame.
“Vincent!” I yelled.
Frankie shouldered past me. His magic collected around his feet and rose to his arm where it flowed out and encircled the fire, snuffing out the flames.
Suspended by magic, Vincent’s blackened face was frozen in a silent scream. His clothes had burned away, revealing leathery skin stretched over his skeletal frame.
As Frankie released his magic, Vincent collapsed in a pile of limbs like a marionet with cut strings.
“Where is he, Lark? We have to find him now.” Frankie said.
I rushed forward and tried to lay Vincent out flat. He wasn’t dead. That’s not how it worked, but he looked dead.
“Lark.” Frankie’s voice rose above the wail of the fire alarm.
I tipped Vincent’s head back and looked into his solid black eyes. They had no shine or colour, just black. Vacant.
I stared at him for a moment, willing any life to show.
“Lark!” Frankie yelled.
Vincent’s mouth moved once and I sighed in relief.
Frankie grabbed my shoulder and squeezed. “Where is Bennet, Lark?”
“I don’t fucking know!” I replied, trying to shake free from Frankie’s grasp.
“Look for him!”
“Fuck off, Frankie!” I yelled back.
He stormed out of the room.
I turned back to Vincent. His jaw moved like he was trying to speak, but there were no words.
“Holy shit, what the hell?” Drew said, as he slid down beside me.
“Who is that?” he asked
“Vincent,” I replied, still numb and not sure what to do to help him.
“That’s too gross. Dude, you have to feed him, like, right now.” He stood up and, pulled a curtain down from the window then used it to cover Vincent. “Lark, you have to. There is no one else here. Just cut your wrist.”
“Shit,” I whispered, calling my blade to my hand. I pointed it at my wrist, my hands shaking and tried to puncture my skin. I couldn’t bring the knife close enough to cut the skin. Stabbing vampires was one thing, cutting myself was another.
Drew grabbed my arm and bit it so fast I didn’t have time to react, then he shoved my bleeding wrist between Vincent’s open teeth.
My blood ran into his mouth. Before my eyes, his lips filled, then his cheeks and his neck. As my blood ran into his body, he regenerated. His skin plumping and returning to normal apart from the black soot that marred the surface. I wiped his cheek and the skin was whole underneath. Once his mouth was back to normal, his lips sealed over my skin, and he drew gulps of my blood into his body. His hand came up and locked my wrist to his mouth. Durga had been quiet until now, but as I started to feel light headed, she shoved me out of the way and used my voice to command the situation.
“That is enough, Vampire. Do not make me cut you.”
Vincent let go of my arm at the same time Durga released control and I tipped backwards, nearly falling flat on my back, but Drew caught me. I was dizzy, and everything looked strange and wobbly. I blinked so slowly, the world disappeared for a moment.
“Easy now, Lark,” Drew said. I looked up into his blue eyes. A foggy halo hung around his head, and my vision tunneled down until I could only see his nose. I wanted to beep it. His cute little button nose, but I couldn’t feel my arms. I giggled and then it was lights out.
***
“And what made you think that you could make that kind of decision?”
Oh goody, Vincent was yelling. I kept my eyes closed and willed myself back to sleep. Then I remembered what had happened and sighed. At least Vincent seemed to be feeling better.
“I would think you had been here long enough to know your place!” he said. Someone muttered something in return.
“It’s too late to be sorry. This is unacceptable.”
“Yes, sir.”
Wait, was that Drew? I opened my eyes. I was in Vincent’s bed, but the door was open and he was still yelling.
I threw back the blanket, noticing that my wrist had healed. Thank you, Durga.
My feet were bare, so I made no sound as I crossed the room and walked into Vincent’s sitting room. Vincent’s back was to me and Drew stood in front of him, his eyes to the ground and shoulders slumped.
“Shut up, Vincent,” I said, interrupting his rant.
He spun around and moved towards me, but my finger pointed at his face stopped him.
“Stop yelling at my Drew. He is mine, you hear me? Whatever he did, that is not your concern,” Durga flashed in through my mind in agreement. She turned my vision red and I knew that Vincent would see her in my eyes.
Vincent took a step back and studied my face.
“He should not have risked you,” he said finally.
“Do you think you can hurt me, vampire?” I asked.
His eyes scanned my face, I couldn’t tell if he was trying to decide who he was talking to or how to respond, but he was definitely on shaky footing. I reached out and took his hand. That small action seemed to settle whatever war was raging inside him because he wrapped his arms around me and buried his face in my hair.
“Thank you,” he said quietly. He still smelled a bit like burnt toast and the scorched image of him would probably haunt me forever.
“We need to find this bastard.” I sighed and rubbed my forehead. “Where is Frankie?”
“I haven’t seen Frankie.”
“Shit. Ok, I can find him. I’ve done it before.” I spun around and went back into Vincent’s bedroom. I needed to calm down and center myself to use my senses.
I climbed back onto his massive bed and sat in the middle. I pulled my breath in and let it fall back out, slowing my pounding heart. I couldn’t believe he ran off by himself.
I shook my head and let go of the thoughts then sent my senses out. The vampires from Vincent’s mansion were all back in the house. Now that the fire was out and everyone was ok. I focused on Frankie specifically, like I had the time the rogue vampires abducted him. I found him in the last place I would have suspected; though I should have maybe thought of it first.
I opened my eyes to see Vincent standing in the doorway. I gave him a sad smile.
“I’m going to go get him,” I said.
Vincent nodded but didn’t look me in the eye. My SUV was still in the warehouse so I walked. I needed time to think and maybe I hoped I would run into Frankie’s father so I could slice him up a bit.
The clouds, high in the sky hid the sun, but I wasn’t tired. I went several blocks before hopping on a bus and taking it all the way back to my old neighbourhood.
Arnie’s bar didn’t
get much business this time of day, but the open sign hung on the door. What else was a retired warlock supposed to do with his days? Inside, the music played, but only one person was sitting at the bar. Perched on a stool, his familiar leather jacket clad back hunched over the counter top. I sat down, one stool between us and waved to Arnie who slung his dishcloth over his shoulder and poured me a drink. He slid it across the bar and raised an eyebrow. Then he went back to wiping the counters.
Frankie didn’t look up, but I knew he was waiting for me to say something. So, I thought about him, sitting there, looking lost and sad, knowing he would pluck it out of my mind.
“I’m fine,” he muttered into his glass, then he drained it and slammed it down. He raised his hand to Arnie who came back over with a refill. Yeah, he was fine, all right.
“I don’t need this from you, Lark.”
“Don’t need what?” I asked.
“I don’t need you to doubt me too. I can handle this. I have to handle this or I will lose control of my coven. Then I’ll have nothing, Lark. You don’t understand.”
“No, I don’t understand, Frankie. You don’t have anything to prove.”
He threw back his drink and raised a hand to Arnie again.
This time, Arnie came and set the bottle on the bar, but before he turned away, he pointed his finger at Frankie. “Don’t you fuck this up with your pride, boy,” he said.
Frankie snorted a laugh and whispered, “I’ve already fucked up everything.” He grabbed the bottle and filled his glass again. Before he could pick up the glass, I took it and slid it down the bar and snatched the bottle from his hand, holding it as far away from him as I could reach.
“Snap out of it,” I said. “You haven’t fucked up anything. Shit happens, Frankie. We deal with it, remember?”
The bottle jumped out of my hand and into Frankie’s.
“Frankie, this is a public place,” Arnie called. The warlocks were banned from magic in public places. Frankie was lucky it was just us here.