2 Vampires, Warlocks, And Exes

by Laura Lee

  She lifted her hand and mini crackles of lightning shot from her fingertips. “I don’t know. It doesn’t hurt anymore.” She looked over to Vance. “Could it be?”

  “Could what be?” I asked.

  Vance ignored my question as he knelt in front of her, taking both of her hands, extinguishing the volts. He closed his eyes for a moment before responding. “Yeah, I think so.”

  “Could what be?” I repeated.

  She looked at me and smiled. “I think Jake returned my powers.” She said something in Latin and a mini funnel of wind rose from her palm. “No, I know he did!”

  We were struck silent in awe as we watched the mini tornado bouncing off her hand. I looked towards Vance who looked…doubtful? Sad, maybe? After a moment of awkwardness between us, my phone started ringing. I jumped from the couch and hurried towards the foyer to grab it before it went to voicemail. The number was blocked. Weird.

  “Hello?” I said.

  “Hello, Karli. Have you missed me?”

  Maria.

  *****

  “What do you want?” I said through clenched teeth.

  “What do I want? Oh, well that is a loaded question, my dear. I see that you got the present that I left for you in your apartment. Or should I say the prelude to the real fun?” She laughed a sinister laugh.

  “Wh-…What do you mean?” I somehow managed to ask.

  Vance must have heard my tone because he and Erica both joined me. It’s Maria. I said this to him telepathically.

  Vance’s eyes widened and he grabbed the phone from me. “Maria, what the hell do you think you’re doing?” he asked. “You’re not going to get away with this.” His face blanched for a moment, and then he lowered the phone. “She hung up,” he explained.

  “What?” I asked. “What did she say?”

  He shook his head. “Never mind, it’s not important.”

  My jaw dropped. “What do you mean, ‘It’s not important’? I have a right to know what she said about me.”

  His jaw clenched. “She didn’t say anything about you, Karli.”

  Erica looked as confused as I felt. “Huh? Well, then what did she say?”

  Vance cleared his throat and walked down the hall. He opened the coat closet door and began searching for something towards the back. He pulled out a foot long suede necklace with an arrowhead-shaped charm attached to it. He put it over his neck and tucked it under his shirt.

  “What’s that for?” I asked. “Vance, what did she say to you?”

  He frowned. “It will repel any spells that someone would try to subject me to. She said she left an anniversary present for me at our favorite place. Today is…well, would have been, our wedding anniversary. I didn’t even think of it until she said something.” He looked at Erica. “She told me to bring you there too.”

  I felt like throwing up. After counting to ten I asked, “And where exactly is your little special spot with her? And why would she want you to bring Eri?”

  He gulped. “Red Rock Canyon. We used to go there to look at the stars. It’s where I proposed to her. I have no idea why she’d want Erica there. I don’t trust it though. You two are staying here.”

  “What?” Erica shrieked. “No way! Jake could be there. I need to talk to him. I need to...tell him about the baby. I think he should at least know.”

  Vance and I both gave her a look of pity. Damn, this sucked. “Erica, no,” Vance insisted. “This could be a trap.”

  She put her hand on her hip and jutted her chin. “I don’t care. If you don’t take me with you, I’ll just follow you. I need to do this, Vance.”

  He sighed. “Is there anything that I could say to change your mind?”

  She shook her head. “Nope. Nothing.”

  He opened the front door and gestured for us to pass. “C’mon, let’s get this over with.”

  Twenty-five

  I called Leo on the way to the canyon and asked him to meet us there. Vance was pissed, as predicted, but he did grudgingly admit that Leo’s vampire senses might come in handy. We pulled into the park to find him standing next to a white Audi R8. Geez, how many cars did this guy own? Next to Leo was a dark Suburban, which Tara exited as we parked.

  Vance nodded to Tara. “Did you bring Kane?”

  She walked towards the back of her SUV. “Of course.”

  I gave them a confused look. “Who’s Kane?”

  She opened the back door and out came a giant beast barreling towards me. “Holy shit!” I shouted.

  “Kane, down. Return!” Tara commanded. He heeded to her command and stood in attention next to her side. “Good boy.”

  After my momentary panic subsided, I could see that Kane was a giant dog—a mastiff of some kind if I wasn’t mistaken. “Why’d you bring a giant dog?” I asked.

  Tara patted said dog’s massive head. “Kane isn’t just any dog. He’s an officer. He specializes in search and rescue. He’s never missed his mark.” She gave Vance a dirty look. “Besides, you ladies should be thankful for the extra protection since you have no idea what you’re getting yourself into. The vampire I get, but this is not a place for civilians. My partner here clearly had a lapse in judgment.”

  “Oh. Well, um…” I stammered, knowing damn well she was right.

  Leo walked up to us and grabbed my hand. “My love, I’d have to agree with Detective Macku. You and Erica should not be here. Maria is dangerous.”

  I jerked my head towards Erica. “Yeah, well, I’m not leaving her alone and she insisted on coming.”

  Erica huffed. “Ugh! I get it, we’re not welcome, but we’re here, so can we get this over with?”

  Vance put his arm around her shoulders. “Let’s make the best of this, okay?” He looked at Tara. “Where should we start?”

  “Kane, go!” She patted his back and he took off with his nose to the ground. We watched as he sniffed the dirt in circular patterns until he seemed to pick up on something and started barking. “It seems like we’re starting over there.”

  The five of us followed the dog for about a mile into nothingness. The moon was full which helped a little, but I could barely see and kept tripping. After my last stumble I asked, “Why didn’t we bring flashlights?”

  Vance whispered, “Because we don’t know who’s out here, Karli. We don’t need to draw any unnecessary attention to ourselves.”

  Wolves howled in the not too far off distance. “Oh great, she sent us here to become dog food,” I whined.

  Kane growled. Guess he didn’t like my dog comment. Leo froze, forcing me to bump into him.

  “What is it?” Vance whispered.

  “Over here. I smell something,” Leo said. He grabbed my hand and slowly walked about five feet away. Kane was already there…it looked like he was standing over someone, but I couldn’t make out who or what it was.

  “Leo, can you tell what it is?” I asked.

  He bent over and examined the figure. “Yes,” he replied. “It’s a man.” I heard some ruffling as Leo stood. He handed what appeared to be a piece of paper to Vance.

  “Leo, do you know who it is?” Erica pressed.

  He stepped towards her and grabbed her hand. I think. “My dear Erica. He’s dead. He’s been drained to death.”

  “Who’s dead?” she asked. Oh no, Leo, do not say who I think you’re going to say.

  “I’m sorry, but it’s your husband.” Fuck.

  *****

  “What?” she shouted. “No, you’re wrong!”

  Vance muttered something in Latin and all of a sudden I was shielding my eyes from a blinding light. We were surrounded by a bright yellow glow and could see everything within a ten foot range or so. We all looked down at the same time. Yep, it was definitely Jake. And he was definitely dead. Two perfect bite marks on his neck with blood crusted down the side of his tawny skin. His head was hanging limp, like maybe his neck was broken.

  Erica dropped to her knees. “Oh God!” she cried.

  Vance shoved the pape
r in his jeans pocket, fell to his knees beside her, and pulled her into him, trying to turn her head away from the gore. She kept fighting him and wouldn’t stop looking at Jake’s body. She crawled over to him and took his face in her hands.

  “No, baby, no,” she cried. “You can’t be gone. We were going to work this out. You were going to tell me that Maria was threatening you to do something against your will! No-no-no-no-no!” she screamed.

  I don’t think any of us knew what to do. We just stood there watching her grieve. My heart was breaking all over again for her. Leo stepped behind me and put his hands on my shoulders. Vance finally managed to pull her away and picked her up in his arms.

  He looked at Leo and said, “Leo, I don’t think she’s in any shape to walk back to the car. Will you ...you know, do your vampire thing to get her back there faster?”

  “Of course,” he said as he scooped her into his arms. “You three will be safe walking back. I don’t sense anyone else around.” In the next instant, they were gone leaving a gust of wind behind them.

  “It’s so weird when he does the super speed thing,” I remarked.

  Tara called the dog to her side. “We’re going to head back to the truck to call in a squad.”

  Vance nodded. “Thanks.”

  I looked back at Jake’s body and grimaced. “Oh, poor Erica.”

  Vance said something which reduced the light to a radius that only surrounded the two of us. He pulled a paper out of his pocket and started smoothing it out. He took a moment to read it, and then scrubbed his hands over his face. “Fuck.”

  “What? Give it to me.” He started to protest but I managed to grab it before he could stop me.

  “Karli, no,” he said. “You don’t need to read that.”

  “Vance,” I warned. I looked down and saw the same beautiful script on this note as the one that had been left in my apartment. It read,

  My darling husband,

  Happy anniversary. What would this have been? Forty years of wedded bliss? It really is a shame that you couldn’t get over the little matter of my vampirism, because having you inside of me was a beautiful reminder of what once was, and what could have been all these years. Every kiss and every powerful stroke had me in ecstasy. You really do know how to make love better than anyone I’ve ever met. But alas, you had to fall in love with the fairy. Yes, I know what she is, Vance. And if you don’t stop looking for me, I will come back to remove the rest of her blood. That’s not a threat, my dear; it’s a promise. I hope you enjoy my little gift. I will be leaving the country for a while so you can relax for now. But know this, lover...we will meet again.

  Eternally Yours,

  Maria

  I crumpled the paper in my fist, and bent over to puke up my lunch. After I was done retching I said, “I don’t even know what to say.” I conjured some dust in my hand and placed it on my tongue, imagining minty freshness. Ah, much preferred over bile.

  Vance had been holding my hair back for me, and released his grip as he took the note from my hand. “What did she mean when she said she’d be back to remove the rest of your blood?”

  I winced at the reminder of Maria’s attack. “Um…she drank from me. In the warehouse. Twice,” I admitted.

  Vance’s jaw tightened. “What? Why didn’t you tell me this before now? Why does it always take you so long to tell me the most important stuff?” He was referring to the fact that I’d failed to tell him about the first time Leo had drank my blood until several days after the fact.

  “Excuse me for the lack of full disclosure, but I was in the process of picking up the pieces of my broken heart! I didn’t think it was relevant at the time. I had Irina remove the blood bond so it’s no big deal.”

  “No big deal?” he shouted. “Are you kidding me? You could have died! Again! How in the hell did she resist the bloodlust?”

  “I don’t know,” I snapped. “I wasn’t exactly in the mood to ask her.”

  He raked his hand through his hair. “I don’t get this. First Leo, then Maria. They’re not supposed to be able to resist your blood. What in the hell is going on?”

  A wolf howled in the distance again making me shiver. “Look, can we please get out of here?” I nodded towards Jake. “This isn’t exactly an ideal location for a heart to heart.”

  “Let’s go,” he grumbled as he led me back to the car.

  Twenty-six

  When we got back to the parking area, I could see that Erica was sitting inside Leo’s Audi. “How’s she doing?” I asked him.

  “As expected,” he replied.

  Tara walked up to us. “A team should be here in about thirty minutes.” She looked at her watch, then at Vance. “It’s just after midnight. Why don’t you take the ladies home and meet me back here afterwards?”

  “I can take them,” Leo offered.

  I nodded towards his car. “Does that thing have a back seat?”

  He looked ashamed. “I’m afraid not. I’m sorry, my love… I didn’t think about it.”

  Vance dug his car keys out of his pocket. “Take mine,” he said, throwing them to Leo.

  “How are you going to get back?” I asked.

  He shrugged. “I can hitch a ride with Tara.”

  Leo gave him his keys. “Don’t be silly, Detective. We’ll trade. But if you break it, you buy it.”

  He looked at the R8 and I swear he had a little gleam in his eye. “I’ll try to take it easy.” Oh lord, what was it with men and fast cars?

  Leo helped Erica switch cars and held the door out for me expectantly. “Are you coming, my dear?”

  Vance looked at me. “My house keys are on that ring. Take her home and I’ll be back as soon as possible.”

  *****

  We drove back to Vance’s. Erica said she needed to sleep, so I got her settled in bed before meeting Leo back out in the great room. He was looking around the room and appeared to be uncomfortable for some reason.

  “Are you okay?” I asked.

  “Yes, of course, my dear. It’s just a little disconcerting being in this home, considering all of the animosity between the detective and me.”

  “Yeah, I bet. I’m sorry about that.”

  “Plus I can smell you all over this place,” he said.

  I blushed. “Huh?”

  “Your scent is all over Vance’s home,” he clarified. “I don’t like it.”

  “Oh…well, um, I have been here all day. I guess that makes sense.”

  “I still don’t like it,” he growled.

  I put my hand on my hip. “Since when are you so territorial?”

  He looked around the room. “Since I realized I don’t like your scent in another man’s house.”

  I took a deep breath. “Look, Leo, I think we should stop talking before this conversation heads down an ugly path. Thank you for bringing us back here. I’m going to stay with Erica. Vance has wards around the house so we’ll be safe. You need to get back before sunrise. I’ll call you later, okay?”

  He took my arm and kissed my inner wrist. “Of course, my love. Call me if you need anything. I can send my day guy if need be.”

  “Your day guy?” I asked. “What’s a ‘day guy’?”

  “His name is Takk. He’s a were. I trust him implicitly to take care of anything while the sun’s up. Security, business, picking up drycleaning…if you need him for anything, he’s yours.”

  “You have a servant?”

  He grinned. “I’d like to think of him as my assistant…or a trusted employee.”

  “Yeah, an assistant who’s also your bitch.”

  He smiled and kissed me on the head. “Well, whatever you call him, let me know if you need him. Just don’t call him my ‘bitch’ to his face. Werewolves can be temperamental. Get some rest, my dear.”

  “You too.” I closed the door behind him.

  Twenty-seven

  I wandered around the house for a while, not really knowing what to do. I was so tired, but my brain wouldn’t shut off. I
peeked in on Erica several times but she was sound asleep. I tried watching TV, but nothing but infomercials were on, so I decided to try a bath. I walked into Vance’s bedroom and noticed that he’d bought a new bed. The old chocolate leather headboard set had been replaced by a Mission-styled bed. His cream and light brown comforter set was now slate blue which complimented the mocha walls well. I’d hate to admit this, but I was relieved that he didn’t keep the old stuff after what happened. Not that I was thinking of ever being in his bed again, it was just nice to know that if nothing else, he felt guilty enough to get rid of the old stuff and buy new stuff. I walked into the beautiful golden bathroom that I loved dearly. With a shower big enough for a football team and a Jacuzzi tub built for two, it was definitely meant for indulgence. Twin sinks to my right framed in granite and a large walk in closet to my left told me that Vance had never truly given up on the idea of sharing his life with someone after Maria hurt him so badly. This was a couple’s bathroom. I started feeling grief that I wouldn’t be the other half of that couple, but I shook it off reminding myself that I wasn’t going to be sad over Vance anymore.

  I started running the tap and searched under the sink for some bubble bath. I found the lavender scented kind that Vance and I once used together. Squashing the memory, I poured some in the tub. While it was filling, I walked back into his bedroom and opened the nightstand drawer. Bingo! His iPod was still there with headphones. I lit a candle on the bathroom counter, switched the overhead lights off, and climbed in the tub. I sank back, placed the ear buds in, and hit play. Coldplay came through nice and crisp, relaxing me big time. I started remembering my dream about being in Faerie with Vance. I knew that’s where it was because it matched the memories that he had shared with me. Despite my best efforts to change my train of thought, I lingered on how he felt inside of me…how I had woken up feeling like he was just inside of me. It felt so real…so good. I couldn’t help myself as my fingers moved down my body, cupping my breasts, tugging on my nipples, moving down to my needy core. I pulled on my nipples with one hand as I massaged my most sensitive parts with the other—all the while, thinking about being with him. After a series of frenzied strokes, I cried out his name as I came. Wow.