by Drew D'Amato
“What a shame,” Malachi said as they made their way stealthily across the rooftops of the city.
“What, the woman?” Jericho asked.
“No, the blood staining a perfectly good Cadillac.”
They laughed, everyone knew Malachi loved Cadillacs.
“Do you think she didn’t deserve that fate?” Michael asked as he landed on the next building.
“Every woman is responsible for the man she ends up with. She didn’t mind buying minks and cars on the blood of innocents.” Jericho said.
“What if she didn’t know? Would this girl Jasmine be responsible for ending up with our master?”
“It’s a little different. Valvino was in the papers, there is no way the wife did not know who he was.” Jericho started to get a bit defensive. He was the one who made the decision to kill the wife too, when they saw Valvino was not alone.
“Yes, I am sure morally, Valvino’s wife had some blood on her hands, where as this Jasmine is innocent. But that does not change the fact that by her associating with our master she is putting herself in harms way.”
“I am more concerned that master is putting himself in harms way.”
Jericho looked at Michael and sent images of Vlad into his mind. Michael received an image of Vlad with a woman. Neither of the two had seen Jasmine themselves so the woman in the image had blonde hair and more shape to her figure then Jasmine. That was not important. The two both understood what she represented.
Vlad and the woman looked into each other’s eyes and kissed. Behind Vlad, Radu and his men used their bare hands to kill Michael, Jericho, and the other vampires. Not even a fair fight, they were more or less slaughtered, ripped open without much of a struggle. They appeared too weak to fight, and Vlad just stood there with his back to them kissing Jasmine. Radu grabbed Vlad from behind and bit into his neck.
Michael nodded to Jericho in agreement. He sent back to him: [Vlad should not be turning this much attention to her, not now, not with everything that was going on. She could be the death of us.]
“Guys, maybe he needed to just get away a little bit after what happened last night?” Malachi said, implanting himself in the conversation. He noticed the two were literally sharing a thought.
“But Malachi, how can he think it would be wise to see her after what just happened? Does he think Radu would hesitate if he found Vlad with her?” Michael said at a low tone.
Jericho concurred. “He wonders why Radu is getting so close. It’s because he’s not paying attention. Last night he tried putting all the blame on Michael because he’s too messed up to see for himself. He didn’t notice the Yukons or anyone outside when he came home. He’s blind now.”
“Yes,” Malachi said. “But he is also motivated.”
2
Jasmine did not live in a shabby home by any stretch of the imagination. She still lived at home with her parents. Her older sister lived with her new husband. Her younger sister lived there but at the time was away at college, Stamford. The house had two stories, but was fifty feet wide on all sides giving a two hundred foot perimeter of the house. Big picture windows faced the street from the front of the place. The house was in the nicer part of Santa Monica, near Palisades Park, on a cul-de-sac.
At the back of the house was the Pacific Ocean. A motorboat rested on a small dock, and the back porch had more square footage then most studio apartments in Los Angeles. Vlad did not see the porch or the boat as he pulled up, but it was there. He just saw the white color of the house, the picture windows, and a few lawn ornaments. The father had done well for his family, this house was nothing cheap.
After Vlad left the vampires at the old house, he bought a red Bentley Mulsanne for the night. He felt it was a good choice for a date, as it showed class. On top of that it showed that he did have money and that would help him establish trust. He wanted to prove to her he wasn’t lying about who he is, even though he was. He pulled in the driveway, got out and walked to the front door, hearing only his footsteps and the interior monologue going on in his mind. Walking up the path he felt like a young knight entering a castle to ask the king for the princess’s hand in marriage. He rang the doorbell and waited, some butterflies flew around inside his stomach.
Her father opened the door. He had on a light grey sweater and khakis. His hair was grey but full. Vlad was surprised to find the man taller than him. The father was shocked at how Vlad looked. He was older than he expected. Jasmine said he was older because she knew she couldn’t hide that, but he had thought maybe around his late twenties or early thirties. Now as he looked at Vlad he thought this man might be closer to his age than his daughter’s. He did not trust whatever his intentions were. The pony-tail didn’t help win his approval. This guy looked like some kind of porn star or junkie. Jasmine decided not to tell him he was a prince. She feared then he would just start liking him for superficial reasons, like he felt toward Kevin. He’s the son of a senator, a prince. She could just imagine how he would act if Jasmine told him she actually met a real prince.
“Hello sir, I am Vlad O’Connell, a friend of your daughter. May I come in?”
“Sure, make yourself at home. Jasmine’s in the back room with my wife,” the father said, not sounding too amused. Vlad sensed that. Nonetheless he had invited him in. Vlad could use his powers.
The father led him to the back parlor. Vlad made note of the expensive furniture, high-priced paintings, wooden floors, and white painted walls. He also noticed a photograph. It was Jasmine, her father, and who he assumed was her mother and two sisters on board a yacht in the open sea. They were all smiles and the sun was setting in the background. Jasmine’s father noticed him staring at it.
“One of my first big purchases when I got some money was that boat. I taught all my girls how to sail. They’re ASA certified, too. Have you ever been out on a boat?”
“Yes, but not in years. I don’t really have the sea legs I guess.”
The father’s face said an oh well, and they continued on through the house. Vlad got a sense of what the father was like. He was new money. He did not come from money, he made it himself. There was much more pride in one who acquired money that way. He was a man of high morals. His daughter was twenty-three and still he greeted Vlad at the door. He had to meet him first before he could enter his house. He did not want his daughter to be out with a much older man. He was sure whatever Vlad told his daughter, Vlad was much older in actuality. He had no idea how right he was.
Vlad followed the father through the entrance of the house past the wooden curved staircase. That must have cost a fortune, Vlad thought. The father led him to the drawing room in the back of the house. In there Vlad found her mother leaning against a oaring fireplace, as the wood cracked and popped. She smiled as the two of them walked in.
“Hello Vlad, you’re Jasmine’s friend,” the mother said. The first one to show an olive branch. The father took a seat in his recliner and had a disapproving look to him. It would have been an uphill battle to win some respect from this man, if Vlad couldn’t use his powers. It was a good thing he was invited in.
“So Vlad, Jasmine said you’re from Europe?” the mother asked.
“Yes, well my family was from what is now called Romania.”
“O’Connell is an Irish name,” the father interjected looking for any hole in his story.
“Well we moved to Ireland when World War II broke out. My mother married an Irishman so that explains my last name. I’m not sure if in America you consider me Irish or Romanian?”
“And what do you do for work?” the father asked, his frown starting to turn a bit upside down. Vlad had started to seep into his mind with his powers.
“Well I’m a descendant of royalty. A prince, though I have no land that I rule over now, but the family has kept the fortune.”
“Old money?” The father’s face looked like he still had some distaste. If not for Vlad, then for people who came from money.
“Very old money.�
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“So you came here for school?” the mother said trying to lighten the mood. She could see why her daughter was interested in this man—he was exotic, he had class, he was a prince—but the father could only see why this man was interested in with his daughter. “Jasmine said she met you in one of her history classes at UCLA.”
“Um yes,” Vlad was quick enough to pick up on the ruse. “With my family’s bloodline I am very interested in history.”
“Yes, Jasmine is going for her degree in history. She wants to be a school teacher.”
“A very noble profession.”
Vlad heard someone walking in from behind him. Jasmine entered the room and all three pairs of eyes turned to her. She wore a black shoulderless dress. Vlad took a second to gather himself after noticing her physical beauty. Her black hair sat parted in the middle and straight down to her shoulders. She could be in movies Vlad thought. She found herself looking at Vlad. His powers were not restricted to just her father.
“Hi… I guess you found this place all right,” she said with a slight stutter after hi.
“No problem, great directions.” He found himself staring back at her too.
Her mother decided to break up the staring contest. “Okay you guys, go out and have fun. Don’t stay out too late.”
Vlad smiled back at them. Jasmine gestured to leave, and Vlad followed her. The father walked the two of them to the door. His face had started to perk up. Vlad’s subtle powers were starting to have an effect.
“Have fun guys,” the father said and waved as they made their way down the walk toward Vlad’s car.
“This is nice,” Jasmine said about the Bentley.
“Just got this today,” Vlad replied.
“Oh my God, I hope you don’t plan to spend the whole night talking about your money.”
“No, I’m just telling you the truth.”
“Okay, I believe you with your money. Now let’s get something to eat.”
It was important to establish trust if you planned to lie a lot. Then it is harder to doubt any questions in your stories later on.
They both waved good-bye to her father and drove off.
Surpisingly her father found that he did like this older man his daughter had just left with.
3
“So, your boyfriend is working late?” Vlad said as he pulled away.
“All night, and he told me not to wait up for him. I know the election is three days away and I should be more understanding, but it just seems like he doesn’t put in any effort or time for me.”
“Well can I assume you don’t know for sure what working on a senate campaign entails?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, I don’t think you know if he does have legitimate work to do or not. I think the question is whether you trust him.”
Jasmine was quiet. Vlad got a little nervous.
“Okay,” she said. “Can I tell you something?”
“Of course.”
“I’m a virgin.”
“Really, they still make those?” Vlad laughed.
“Yes, I know. I’m not like waiting until marriage—at least I told myself that years ago and here I am now engaged—but I just wanted to wait until I was really sure about it. When I date guys they say they are fine with it, but after a few months it is a problem, and we break up. They hope that by dumping me I would regret not sleeping with them, but it only makes me feel more confident in my decision.”
“I understand. You want to see if the guy wants more than just sex.”
“Yes, well, Kevin never had a problem with that.”
“So what’s the problem then?”
“Part of me thinks he really likes me, and another part thinks he doesn’t have a problem with no sex because he is getting it somewhere else on the side.”
“Why do you think that of him?” Vlad knew she was probably right. Women’s intuitions are usually dead-on.
“Well, I know his father cheats. We caught him out one night with another woman. Kevin had known about it for years, but he had no problem with it. He even helps his dad lie to his mom. He’s a politician and he said that information would crush his father’s career and their family, but it doesn’t sit right with me—him betraying his own mother for the sake of his father’s affairs.”
“You think the acorn doesn’t fall too far from the tree?”
“Yeah.”
“So, you fear he might be out doing the same thing behind your back?”
“Yeah.”
Vlad noticed the irony as the two of them were on their way out together behind her boyfriend’s back, but he said no word of it.
“What type of place do you think he would be at?”
“Honestly, probably a dance club with the most girls. He likes places like that.”
“So you don’t think he has a steady affair, just random hook-ups?”
“I don’t know, I never caught like a strange number on his phone or any incriminating texts. I really don’t know anything for sure, but I just don’t trust him. And I don’t know why I agreed to marry someone I don’t trust.”
“You need trust in a relationship.”
“Yes, you do.”
“You want to go to dance clubs and look for him?”
“No,” she laughed. “And what if I catch him? Then I’d have to explain you.”
“Well we’re just friends. You’re buying the drinks tonight.”
They shared a laugh.
4
Kevin Kern and his two buddies stood against the bar of the Beauty Bar in Hollywood. They held their different mixed drinks and looked at the group of girls dancing.
“So what did you tell your girl you were doing tonight?” Terrence, a white, black-haired, brown-eyed, short friend of Kevin asked him.
“Finishing up some stuff for the campaign.”
“You’re really milking that. Gotta start using something new,” Taylor the black-haired, green-eyed, pretty boy responded.
“I’ll think of something soon. Holidays are coming, lots of shopping to do.”
The three of them laughed.
“So if she was sleeping with ya, would you still be cheating?” Terrence asked.
“Yeah, but I would feel guilty then. Now I don’t. I need to get wet.”
“Amen to that,” Taylor said.
“Look, she’d make a great politician’s wife. She’s beautiful, has no skeletons in her closet, and comes from a good family. Her dad’s restaurants can help when I need to campaign. I will marry her, I just won’t be faithful. My dad’s been pulling it off for years.”
A petite blonde walked up to the bar next to them. She wore a tight white dress and had a nice body underneath it. Kevin offered to buy her a drink.
5
They got a seat at a high-top a few feet from the bar. Vlad drank a Manhattan, Jasmine a margarita, frozen. The bartender rolled his eyes when he learned he had to make a frozen drink. Vlad put down his glass and looked at her.
“So did you ever confront him on your suspicions?”
“I never had anything close to proof to confront him with. It’s just a feeling I have.”
“So you just suspect it, and say nothing about it.”
“I don’t want to mess with the status quo. You know he is a senator’s son, he’ll probably become a senator too himself. It’s just seems stupid to end a long relationship on just an assumption.”
“It’s not just an assumption. You don’t trust him.”
“It’s probably why I haven’t slept with him yet. But what if I end it, and he really was a good guy? Someone like that who will remain faithful that long with no sex is not easy to find.”
“Look, don’t use logic when it comes to love. Logic and love are like oil and water.”
“So what are you saying?”
“If you don’t feel love don’t question if you should stay, and if you are in love don’t question why you are in love with him.”
“
So wise, so why then are you single?”
“I haven’t found love…yet.”
The two looked into each other’s eyes. A moment of passion passed between them, and Vlad had not used any of his tricks.
The remainder of the conversation was not as intimate. They talked about history and Jasmine was amazed at how much Vlad knew. It was as if he had lived through the Enlightenment.
The intimacy sparked back up again in his car when he pulled up to her house. There was a silent moment. She thanked him for the night out. They stared into each other’s eyes. Their heads moved toward each other. Vlad decided to go for it. Damned if you do, damned if you don’t. He would regret not trying.
At the last moment, Jasmine pulled back.
“No, I don’t cheat, I never have,” Jasmine said pulling away as Vlad almost went in for his final descent.
“That’s what makes you a great person and I would not want to ruin that virtue. But that does not mean I would feel any less of you if you did.”
“Why, if I cheated on him, you would still trust me?”