by Jen Pretty
“Lark, hang on, ok?” Drew said. He was so pretty. Then his halo went out, and I was alone in the darkness.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
My eyes opened, and I was in the room Vaughn had set me up in. I closed my eyes again but had a flash of yelling and blood and darkness and sat straight up in bed. My heart pounded in my chest, I looked down, but there was no blood.
A massive paw knocked me back down on the bed, and a cold lion nose bopped my cheek before an epic purr started that sounded more like a motorboat.
“What happened?” I asked the lion, but Singh didn't shift back. Luckily, there was someone else in the room.
“The guys dragged you back here with two metal rail spikes in your stomach.” Kelly stood at the end of my bed. “I got you cleaned up and changed you. The rest of your team is downstairs, but your silly cat wouldn’t leave.”
I tried to wiggle out from under the lion's paw, but his nails extended like a warning not to move.
“You should stay there for a while, you lost a ton of blood,” Kelly said, coming around to the side of the bed and handing me a glass of water.
“I have to see Vincent. Is he here? It was an accident,” I took the glass of water and leaned forward as far as Singh would let me so I could drink it. I didn't realize how thirsty I was until the water hit my lips. It was cold and felt amazing as it slid down my throat. “Thank you.”
“Vincent isn’t here, Lark,” Kelly said, taking the empty glass from my hand.
I pushed the big paw off my chest and sat up. Singh grumbled but set his massive head down and went back to his nap. I sent out my senses and found Vincent right away. His light lit up like a spotlight in my mind. He was near the Neglinnaya River. I threw back the covers and looked around for my boots. I had to find him. There was something wrong with him. Durga rose along with her anger. She wanted to hunt Vincent.
“No,” I said out loud, dropping my shoe.
“What’s wrong?” Kelly said, coming back out of the bathroom with another full glass of water.
“Nothing, I'm sorry, I have to go. I pulled on my running shoes, grabbed the headlamp off the table and the glass of water out of Kelly's hand. I drank it on my way down the stairs. Singh was hot on my heels.
I headed for the front door, but the house human stopped me.
“Can I help you?” he asked.
“I need a car,” I replied just as Ninel and Alex came around a corner.
“Lark, what’s going on?” Ninel asked.
“I have to go get Vincent. Right now.” My panic was growing. Durga wanted to hunt him, and I wanted to save him. If he killed someone, I would have to kill him, and I couldn’t do that. Something was wrong with him.
“Ok, do you want me to get the team?” Ninel asked.
“There is no time. Let's go.” Ninel grabbed keys from the human and sprinted behind me to a car parked in the driveway. Singh shifted as he leapt in the compact car's door and we tore out of the driveway and towards the Red Square.
I tracked Vincent. He was moving around in the sewers. I wanted to get as close to him as possible before we went down.
“I dislike this plan, Lark,” Durga said with my mouth. She had never spoken to me with my own mouth before, and it shocked me. She relented control, and I replied out loud.
“I have to save him. There is something the matter with him. He isn’t fallen.”
“Perhaps you are too close to the vampire to see the truth,” she replied.
“Holy shit,” Drew wasn’t here, but Alex filled in for him with the colour commentary.
“I can’t Durga. He is mine. I won't let you destroy him!” I yelled. Durga didn’t come back. She sat back down inside me like she would watch this play out.
“You have to help me,” I said. She didn’t reply, and the car fell silent for a few blocks.
“That was fucked up,” Alex mumbled.
“Pull over!” I shouted, and Ninel slammed on the brakes. He pulled the car up onto the curb as car horns blared behind us, it was a no-parking zone, but I was sure Vaughn would handle a ticket if it meant saving his twin brother.
I jumped out of the car and raced to the closest sewer. The grate was heavy, but Durga loaned me strength, and I pulled it off with my hands before scurrying down the steel rungs and splashing down into the water in my running shoes. I turned and ran before anyone else made it down.
“Wait, Lark,” Singh called before his voice turned into a roar. He could catch up. I ran through the puddles, my socks soaked and feet squelching on the bricks. I rounded a bend and climbed up into a higher drain. It fed out into the Metro. I stopped at the entrance. The tracks glistened in my headlamp. I listened but didn’t hear any trains coming. I could feel Vincent's presence now. He was up ahead. Durga flashed my knife into my hand, and I threw it the opposite direction.
“Please?” I whispered. She didn’t reply, but something flashed into my hand, and it wasn't my knife. It was a bolt of lightning. It was hot and electric in my palm. Red eyes flashed up ahead, and I slowed to a walk. Now I was here, and I wasn't sure what the hell I was doing.
A low growl behind me alerted me to Singh presence. I took a deep breath. He was my will and determination. Well, he was Durga’s, but I would borrow some of that will and determination.
“Vincent,” I said as I got within a hundred feet of him. He rose from a crouch. I shone the light at his feet. It was another vampire. His neck a red ruin. That wasn’t right. His eyes burned into me. They trailed down my body and back up to settle on my face after a momentary pause at the lightning bolt in my hand. When I blinked, Durga flashed me an image of the lightning bolt shooting across the tunnel.
I would have to trust her, because as I came to a stop, Vincent stepped over the vampire at his feet and bared his teeth at me in a menacing hiss.
I held up the hot bolt and Durga took my voice, speaking words in a language I didn't recognize, but I assumed was Sanskrit. She chanted as he gained speed and raced towards me.
The sharp bolt of electricity I had seen became real, and it shot through the air of the metro until it reached Vincent. It consumed him, shooting out of him like sparks from a campfire. There were no flames, but he yelled and then collapsed to the ground, not moving.
I panted, and tears welled in my eyes. Had I killed him anyway? I held my breath until his chest heaved a shuttering breath then I released the air from my lungs and ran the final steps towards him. Singh dashed in front of me before I reached him. He transformed into a man.
“Look with your senses. Do not trust your eyes alone,” he said.
He was right. I took a deep breath and calmed myself. Then sent my senses forward. He was normal. He looked normal.
I moved past Singh and crouched be Vincent, rolling him onto his back. His face was bloody, but otherwise, he looked normal.
His eyes slid open. They were no longer red.
“Thank God,” I muttered.
His arm came up, and he touched my face with the tips of his fingers, tracing a line from my temple to my chin.
“You are real,” he said.
“Yeah.”
“Um, Lark, we might want to move. Like, right now.” I looked up to see a metro train coming up the tracks. Fast.
“Shit,” I muttered as I hooked my arm under Vincent and yanked him up off the ground. He was heavy as hell, but once I got him up, he could move on his own. We raced back towards the tunnel I had come in from. The train was bearing down on us when Vincent picked me up and leapt into the sewer a moment before the train passed by. We lay there in a puddle catching our breath for a minute. Singh stood over us like we were a couple of idiots.
Vincent laughed and turned to face me. His lips found mine, and I didn’t care I was soaking wet anymore. He kissed me with so much emotion when he pulled away, I was breathing heavier than before.
His hands cupped my face, and his glowing eyes were all I could see. They weren’t red and violent anymore. They were soft and beautiful.
“I’m sorry,” he said.
“It’s not your fault. Do you know who did that?” I asked.
He hummed. “Let's get out of here. I have a feeling Durga will want to hear the whole story.”
Ninel splashed up to us as we stood and headed back out of the tunnels.
“What happened to you guys?” I asked.
“We lost you and took a wrong turn,” Alex said before his eyes fell on Vincent. “Holy shit, it’s the king.”
“What?” Vincent asked.
As we walked back, I introduced Alex, who explained about the witch that gave him a prophecy hundreds of years ago.
“She said I would save the Lark and crown the king,” he finished.
Vincent's eyebrows rose. “So, why do you think I’m this king?” Vincent asked. “Vampires don’t have a king.”
Alex looked back at Vincent again. “The same reason I knew she was the Lark. You glow.”
Durga rushed forward and stared at Vincent through my eyes. He didn’t glow, he looked normal.
“No one is glowing,” she said sneering at Alex.
Alex’s eyes got wide, and he moved over to the far side of Ninel.
I tried to get back into the driver's seat, but Durga wasn’t finished. She continued to inspect Vincent. Singh strode forward and walked beside us. Durga used my hand to stroke his fur absent-mindedly as she studied the vampire.
When we got to the ladder that led to the street, Singh transformed into a man.
“You should not dismiss his words, Goddess,” Singh said.
Durga locked eyes with Singh and reached out to rest her hand over his heart. “I dismiss nothing, but I will not believe blindly either.” Then she retreated, leaving me to remove my hand from Singh’s chest awkwardly. Singh bowed his head and then climbed the ladder, following Alex and Ninel.
I moved to follow Singh, but Vincent stopped me. He gave me one of his rare smiles and brushed my hair back from my face. It was wet from falling in the puddle and stuck to my cheek. I didn’t feel the cold though, with his eyes tracing the features of my face.
“Thank you, for saving me. I thought I would rot there. I know what has happened to my brother now though. Vaughn is under the control of that beast.”
“The buffalo demon did that to you?” I asked.
“Yes. Mahishasura. He has a witch too; a powerful one.”
“Why are witches always involved? They need to butt out,” I said.
Vincent laughed, and it echoed through the tunnels, he let me go and waved me up the ladder. He climbed up behind Ninel and me and replaced the grate. The remains of the parade still dotted the streets as we drove back to Vaughn’s mansion. Vincent sat beside me in the cramped back seat of the car. His body against mine felt good. He was warm even though he smelled terrible. I rested my head on his shoulder soaked up the closeness I had been missing. I wanted to stay like that forever, but Durga flashed me an image of Elliana, lying dead beside Vaughn and the moment shattered. Sitting up, I looked out the window.
“What’s the matter?” Vincent asked.
“Nothing,” I said giving him a fake smile I hoped looked genuine. He didn’t press the issue, and once we got back to the mansion, I hurried up the stairs to take a shower, while Vincent went off to find his brother.
Singh was hot on my heels and ducked into the bedroom before I shut the door, but then I locked it and slid down to the floor. Fuck.
I dropped my head into my hands and felt the first prick of a tear welling in my eye.
“Goddess will change her mind,” Singh said. “If he is the king, she can’t keep you from him.”
“What does that even mean? Everyone keeps talking about the king, but the vampires don't have a king. I don’t even know what that means. ” There is only one king who would matter to Durga. The king of thunder. Indra.”
The room turned red as Durga rose to speak. She stood and pointed her finger at Singh. “You will stop. The king has long since perished. A drought has taken over, and the desert sands blow in the hot wind.”
“But do they blow for all of eternity? Or will our king rule once again and bring a new life to what was thought dead?”
Durga turned and stormed into the washroom. She slammed the door behind her and turned to look at the mirror. She braced her hands on the counter and moved closer to the glass.
“I do not believe he will return, Lark. This is foolishness. Continue our mission. Kill Mahishasura, and we will live forever, together. Your humanity will be your downfall.”
My face was a stone mask. I didn’t even look like myself in the mirror when Durga was present, but as I watched her retreat, my face smoothed into its usual shape and the red colour bled from my vision.
I needed to find out more about this king, but she was right. If I let Mahishasura carry on, who knows what kind of trouble he would get in to. He almost destroyed the earth last time he had free rein. I had to take care of him before he ruined everything.
I turned back and flicked on the shower, letting the water heat. My hair was drying, and it was crusty and gross with sewer gunk I didn’t want to think about.
I washed it a few times before it felt clean and then stepped out and rooted through my suitcase. I found yoga pants and a hoodie and felt almost normal. As normal as I could get, anyway.
I came back out into the bedroom to find Singh sleeping as usual, and a plate of cheese and crackers was waiting for me on the table along with some juice and water. A few bites later, I sat on the floor and calmed my mind. I didn’t want to fall into meditation and pop up in front of Shiva. Last time that happened he set his snake after me for disturbing him unnecessarily. So, I kept my eyes open as I slowed my breathing and heart rate.
I lay back and let my body sink into the floor. Let my libs feel like they weighed hundreds of pounds. Then I rolled over onto my stomach and pulled my knees up under my body. I pushed to my feet and rose in a slow uncurling of my spine. The pops and creaks felt good, and my lungs opened fully, taking a deep cleansing breath.
Once I was standing upright, I swept my arms above my head and went through the sun salutations routine. Curling through the windows, the evening sun welcomed me too. The corners of my lips curled up in a smile. I felt my calm place just beyond my fingertips as I swept my hands down to the floor, enjoying the stretch over my frame and through my lower back.
I continued, going through increasingly difficult poses until my body had a light sheen and my muscles felt loose and powerful.
Almost an hour later, I came to sit on the floor, legs folded in the lotus position. My hands rested on my knees and my spine straight. I felt so relaxed. I didn't even care if I accidentally interrupted Shiva and his damn snake. Then it occurred to me he might have information about this king, Indra.
I paused, trying to decide if I wanted the information or not, but Durga decided we wanted to talk to Shiva and sent me into meditation. She had shoved me out before, but never in, so my mind spun when I opened my eyes, and I was seated in front of the Hindu God. He blinked his eyes open and then raised an eyebrow. His snake slithered into his sleeve, disappearing from view.
“Why have you come? I thought we agreed you would leave me alone.”
“Sorry. I have a few questions,” I said, no idea what he was talking about.
“Oh, Lark. My apologies. I thought you were Durga.” Shiva's snake peeked out of his sleeve and stuck its tongue out at me. His tongue flipping in and out of his mouth. Then wound his way out and up Shiva's arm to tangle in his hair and slip around his neck like a gross necklace.
I did not need to know about Shiva and Durga’s marital problems, so I let that go. “I wanted to ask you about Indra.
“The king?” Why would you ask about him?”
"There is a vampire named Alex who we found in the tunnels. He said an old witch told him he would save the Lark and crown the king." I put air quotes around it with my fingers. It still sounded absurd. "Now he says Vincent is that king."
Shiva sat in silence. His snake even froze. Four eyes blinked at me. Shiva's third eye stayed closed, but I felt the uncomfortable swell of his magic.
“He has returned,” Shiva whispered.
CHAPTER TWELVE
“Who has returned? Are we still talking about this Indra guy?” I asked.
Shiva’s eyes flicked back to me. “You must go, I have much to do!”
“Don’t you dare!” I shouted as his snake came slithering down his arm and dropped to the ground on its fat belly with a plop. It didn't stop at my words, It kept coming towards me, hissing. I stood and took a step back.
✽✽✽
I tripped and fell backwards, but strong arms caught me, and in a blink, I was back in the room in Vaughn’s house, and Vincent was holding me.
“Are you ok?” he asked. His warm breath tickled across my cheek as he righted me.
“Yes. Sorry.” I said turning around to look at him.
“Is everything all right?” The look of concern on his face made me melt. My resolve to focus on the job at hand wasn’t very strong. I gave my head a shake.
“I just…” I glanced at Singh who was lying on the bed, his massive lion head on my pillow and his eyes open watching us.
“Shiva is just a jerk. Well, his snake is a jerk.”
Vincent chuckled. “Come with me,” he said, sliding his hand down my arm to take my hand.
“Where are we going?” I asked.
“I want to take you out for dinner and explain what happened. Durga will want to know.”
“Yeah, the buffalo demon is all she is interested in now. Well, him and Vernon.”
The smile fell from Vincent's face. He nodded. “Why don’t you get changed and we can talk about it over dinner.”
He turned and walked out the door. I sighed and rooted through my clothes. I had nothing nice to wear, so I walked down the stairs to find Kelly.