“Wait, what?” Alex asked, more confused than ever. “You two? When? What about dad?”
Dante furred his eyebrows, not understanding, but Margaret did.
“Ally, it’s not what you think. Dante was wonderful to me and as you can see he still is, but nothing ever happened between us. I was proud to be his but I never slept with him.”
Alex studied both of them for a minute. “You never? Not even once?”
Dante was the one that convinced her, shaking his head slowly from side to side. “She loved your father very much. He was also a friend of mine, although it did take him a while.”
“Dad knew?”
“Of course, I could never keep something like that from Ray.”
“So you’re saying my father was ok with a vampire feeding off you? Wasn’t he a pastor before he got sick? That doesn’t make sense.”
“He wasn’t ok with it to begin with, but he slowly saw how Dante was with me. Our friendship was nothing but healthy appreciation for each other. I met Dante only a few weeks before Ray actually. It took a lot of time, but eventually he came around. There were other things as well. Dante’s very existence strengthened Ray’s belief in the divine, when he learned for himself vampires were real. He was always open-minded, and the world unknown to us was fascinating to him. Ray judged that by drinking from me, Dante did not need to go after anyone else. He was also grateful to be around something he felt was so spiritual. In his job he had to see terrible things. Real things on the streets, society abandoning the young and the old. Yet here was a creature wanting to adapt, to better himself when his very nature depicts the need to kill. He did not view feeding as perverse or evil, because Dante did not kill to get it. He felt personally fulfilled someone he loved would be helping a dear friend continue to live an already amazing life,” Margaret finished, looking up at Dante with affection.
Alex felt queasy. “So…he would, like, watch?”
“Only the first time. Just to see how it was done. He never did again because he trusted me and truthfully, I think he was a little underwhelmed.”
“I doubt that,” Alex scoffed, making a face. She pulled back from her mother and this time it was Margaret’s turn to look puzzled, and likewise it was Dante who answered.
“I never performed the Ritual with your mother, Alexandra. I drank only from her wrists. We were clothed the entire time.”
The truth from Dante’s lips soothed Alex’s confusion, but her anger lingered. While she understood this was never Dante and Michelle’s relationship, she couldn’t help but wonder why they had felt the need to keep all this from her.
“So, if Dad knew, why couldn’t you tell me? What was the big need for secrets? Why did you pretend not to know me for all these years?” Alex looked from her mother to Dante, waiting for answers.
Dante appeared to steady himself. “Maria Esmeralda Drakeman.”
“Who is that?”
“A couple of decades or so ago, I was a part of the Elements of Night, a strike force that worked to capture let’s say unruly members of the vampire community. Maria as it turned out, was one of these. Her lover had been killed by three men—human hunters. And she went on a relentless and sadistic rampage, violently killing those men, their families, even people in the vicinity; she just would not stop. Vincent, the King of Sydney ordered her capture, and my team was sent to a warehouse where she was known to be. She was successfully captured, but not before she’d killed most of my team, and as she was led away she vowed I would watch as one day those dearest to me would suffer. And that included your mother on a very short list.”
“But you put her away, right?” Alex asked, shivering at the thought. “She’s…she’s gone?”
“We did. And I believed she would have no way of making good on her threat. But I was wrong. She persuaded another vampire to get her revenge.”
“Revenge? How?” This wasn’t making a lot of sense.
Margaret put a gentle hand on Alex’s. “Sweetheart, your father did not die of cancer.”
Comprehension dawned for Alex. “Dad? Dad was killed?”
Margaret nodded, her lip beginning to tremble. “I came home and found him nailed to the front door. Christ-like. He had been placed there as a message to me. I was next. Dante had driven me home that night and just dropped me off, but when he heard me screaming for Ray, he came back for me. Though I knew you were inside, I didn’t dare enter the house. The utter fear that you would not be alive was overwhelming.”
“You were unhurt,” Dante said sadly, yet with a smile. “You were screaming your lungs out though.”
“Oh, Dad…” Alex wiped more tears away as Margaret continued.
“You couldn’t know how devastated I was when he died and why. But also the fact was you were in danger. The note didn’t say anything about you, but Dante and I knew if Maria or the vampire she’d sent were aware I had a husband, she’d know we had a daughter. It was decided we would send you to Aunt Maureen and I would come here. Dante informed the hospital staff I was to receive no gifts or visitors and he would supply all my food. All we told Maureen was that Ray was dead and I couldn’t handle it. I told her not to let you come to see me, but Maureen did not have the heart to keep you away.”
“Maureen was lovely. She knew how much I wanted to see you. She had fights with the staff because they would refuse us entry.”
“I know,” Margaret replied. “Little did she know how much danger it was placing you and I in. I had to let you believe I didn’t know who you were; it was the only way I could think of to keep you away from here. To keep you safe! Dante promised to protect you and he swore to me he would find the person who killed your father, but until then we had to be vigilant. We had no idea who was working for whom. It was like this dark cloud hanging over all of us.”
“Couldn’t they have just walked in here at any time?” Alex asked.
“He did,” Margaret replied.
“You saw him? What did you do?”
“Vile thing. He said he wouldn’t kill me until he could see my face when I found out my daughter was dead. Happened at four o’clock in the morning exactly four months after I was put in here. How he found out is anyone’s guess. But he could only stand just outside the room and look in. Dante had an old friend work a barrier around the room, as if this was my home. So after he left I collected myself and rang Dante. It was then we both knew what had to be done. You had to be kept away from me and under his constant watch. We didn’t want to lie Ally, but we had to protect you.”
Alex turned to Dante. “You killed him?”
“With sheer pleasure.”
“You protected me?”
Dante nodded deeply. “All your life, and proudly. Truthfully, you were a very good girl compared to most others in their teens and so forth. I had very little to do. After years of cat and mouse games, it was you that finally led me to the vampire responsible.”
“What? How?” Alex asked.
“The art award you and your students won from the Prime Minister two years ago. I was in the audience when you received it. You didn’t see me but I wanted to be there to represent your mother as well as myself. Everything was fine until they took your picture for the paper and the evening news. Suddenly your face and name were out there, and I knew this would give me the opportunity to draw him out. I trailed you every night for weeks until I saw him.”
“So you made, I dunno, mince meat out of him?” Alex said.
“I wish it had been that easy. He was an assassin, much older than I was and incredibly strong.”
“How did you do it?”
Dante shook his head as if he didn’t really want to say. Yet after a moment he continued. “We fought for hours in an old car yard you had cut through on a short cut after your yoga class. I had stepped in his way and refused to let him follow you. We had beaten each other bloody in a climb to the top level, but I could sense there was no way I could hold out much longer. In a fit, he rushed at me. I got lucky and
flipped him and he went over the side and fell several storeys to the pavement, but I still needed to make sure. I quickly pushed an old, rusted car over the edge after him. It landed on the top half of his body. The last thing I saw as I blacked out was his head exploding off his shoulders.”
“What about you?”
“I needed blood and lots of it. Two vampires obviously patrolling for food spotted me. I offered them a reward to take me home. Had they not been impressed with the bloody way I had finished him, I doubt they would’ve accepted.”
The words from Michelle’s story rang in her ears. A fight with an elder. To the death.
Alex did not move. She let Dante’s sobering words wash over her. He had almost died saving her life. Michelle had almost died saving his. All from that same night and all for her. She looked at her mother who in turn looked back, waiting for a response. Margaret had obviously heard the story before, and let Dante continue.
“With the vampire gone, I was sure Maria had played her one and only hand. Her contingency plan had failed and she was still buried deep under Vincent’s mansion. All that remained was finally getting to meet you. As luck would have it, you came to me. Lauren brought you right into my club. You were as bright, beautiful and charming as I had hoped. Thankfully, you took a liking to me as well, but there was no easy way of saying ‘I know the reason you think your mother is insane,’ so I waited.
“When Ryan came into the club and sat with you, I could smell vampires on him. That’s what alerted me to the fact maybe I was wrong and that somehow Maria Drakeman may have tried again to come after you from a different angle. But Ryan wasn’t associated with Drakeman. Turns out, he was just a pathetic excuse for a man and human being. Once you knew what I was, there was no reason to delay what all of us had wanted so badly. I do wish this all had been under better circumstances. I’m sorry.”
Dante ducked his head, looking somehow disheartened. Alex realised he was apologising that her father had been killed because of him. Alex wasn’t sure how she felt about that. She’d missed having a dad, but she had never really known her own father. Was it possible to love a description of someone you didn’t know? Or be angry at someone who felt responsible? Alex moved so fast she even caught him by surprise. She kissed his cheek slowly.
“You have no idea how grateful I am to you and what you have done for me and my mum. How can I ever repay you?”
Finally he smiled. “You’ll never have to. I told you I care about you. Not just because you are this lovely woman’s daughter, but because in your own right, you have a wonderfully kind heart. That’s a rare thing for me to see in this day and age.”
What happened next stunned Alex in the best of ways. With an effortless motion, Alex moved in a lightly brushed Dante’s lips with hers. It was supposed to be a small kiss for many reasons. But she was the one who couldn’t stop. Before she knew it, Alex had both hands at the back of his head, bringing him in. Desire suddenly erupted like a volcano inside her as his lips softly, expertly danced around her mouth. She pressed herself harder into him, demanding more.
Dante pulled away, not sharply, but not slowly either. Alex’s eyes slowly opened and focused on his. He turned to Margaret with an apologetic look, and strangely Alex could see why. Margaret looked like the cat that lost the canary. “That’s enough of that,” she said. Her tone wasn’t light as it had been, not cheery at all. In fact, she sounded pissed off.
“Well…I should be going,” Dante said, letting go of Alex and stepped back. “You two have a lot of catching up to do and I have business.”
“Isn’t the presentation soon?” Margaret asked.
“Tomorrow night. You do have a wonderful memory.” Dante nodded.
“Presentation?” Alex was confused yet again. Would this night’s many questions ever be answered fully?
“It’s for vampires and our chosen humans or donors. We present ourselves and them to the others with donors to let them know who is exclusive to us. This prevents any unwanted attacks, supposedly. It is stupid in my opinion because if there were any attacks, it wouldn’t likely come from any with donors already would it?”
Dante took his wallet out. “Margaret is free to go now. Just walk out. I’ll make sure Rose doesn’t stop you. Here is a few hundred. Call a cab and get some take away on me when you get to Alexandra’s place. Enjoy the rest of your night, ladies.”
Dante hugged Margaret and whispered, “You’re very welcome. Don’t worry…I know,” as she thanked him and then for something Alex couldn’t quite hear. Margaret’s manner was back to normal, Alex noticed. As if she had not caught two under age kids canoodling and roused on them. But Alex had a feeling that was what the second part of Dante’s answer was about; reassuring Margaret that the kiss was a once off. A mistake. Something that shouldn’t have happened.
Alex placed a hand on his chest as she asked, “When am I going to see you again?”
Dante studied her before taking her hand and kissed it. Obviously his favourite move. “Soon. Take the time to spend with your mother.”
He gave her the grin she loved as he walked out of the room.
*
“How did it go?” Michelle asked when Dante climbed into the car.
“Better than I’d hoped.”
“I’m so glad for them. It’s about time they got some good news lately. Especially Alex.”
“I didn’t tell her about Lauren yet,” Dante said, looking straight ahead.
“Why not?”
Dante glanced to the hospital. “I couldn’t. She was just too happy. She had a lot put on her tonight, including the circumstances about her father. Yet she still never failed to impress me on how well she took everything. I didn’t want to completely ruin the reunion further.”
“I think you should’ve told her, honey. It would’ve been best coming from you.”
Dante nodded grimly. “Perhaps, but we still have no proof she has been turned. It only looks that way. And Vickrant did not admit or answer my question at all last night. Maybe I care about Alex too much. But if there is one thing I have learned, when it comes to news, good should always take precedence over bad. Bad news can wait. There is always more of it around the corner.”
“True enough,” Michelle rubbed Dante’s leg affectionately as she started the car and drove off.
Chapter Twenty
The Next Night
Alex could not have been happier here in her own living room surrounded by Margaret, Michelle and Dante. Less than a day ago, she might have considered this the strangest assortment of people ever.
The previous night was a blur of happy tears and shared stories. Dante had been right about the nurse, Rose. Whatever he did or said to her worked, she had not stopped them leaving. When Alex and her mother arrived back at Alex’s apartment, they talked until both had simply fallen asleep from exhaustion. Among a mountain of other things, Alex asked why Margaret looked so cross at the kiss she had shared with Dante.
“It didn’t mean anything mum. It was just, I dunno, a thank you.”
“Darling, don’t kid yourself, it is never that simple with a vampire. With Dante. He is wonderful and if I thought there was any chance you two could be happy, I would say go for it,” she replied, thrusting her fist in the air to give added emphasis. “We can’t let ourselves fall in to that trap. Humans I mean. There has never been a successful relationship between a vampire and human. Not one. That’s because most vampires, like Dante have no idea how seductive they are. The others do, and prey on that. It is pure ignorance and has found a lot of men and women either broken hearted, turned, or dead.”
“It’s not like that, really,” Alex assured her. Margaret had given her a disbelieving look, but let the matter drop.
In the morning, they woke still holding hands.
“Let me make some breakfast,” volunteered Margaret.
“Oh, mum, no. You don’t have to do that.”
“I want to, sweetheart. I’ve been waiting for this opportuni
ty for many long years now, and you’re not going to stop me.” Margaret gave her daughter a determined grin.
After breakfast, they ventured out shopping together and went to the movies. They both felt they were making up for so much lost time.
Later that evening, Michelle arrived with Dante, clearly to check on them, but Alex was grateful. So here they were, laughing and reminiscing about old times. Michelle as it turned out hadn’t told Alex the truth either, she had known the story about Alex’s parents, but obviously couldn’t say so. But as Alex looked over, she didn’t mind now. Michelle and Margaret had never spoken before, yet immediately they were like best friends. It would’ve been perfect for Alex except for one thing. Matt wasn’t here. She really didn’t know how she felt about him anymore, which probably meant she no longer loved him. And maybe she hadn’t for some time. But she still missed him. Those three years had meant a lot, to her anyway. She wondered if there was any point in salvaging things. Was Matt the type who could still be friends?
“Alexandra, there is something I feel I should tell you,” Dante called, from what felt like far away.
“Hmm?” Alex snapped back to attention to find all three looking at her with serious faces. “What is it?”
“It’s about Lauren.”
Alex looked around at the three of them. “Oh god. Have you found her? Is she dead?”
“I don’t think so. I think…I believe she is a new-born vampire.”
“What?” Alex could barely get the word out. Her mind was reeling. How could Lauren be a vampire? “Ryan? What did he do to her?”
Dante nodded. “You’re on the right track. The night you and Michelle went to Ryan’s apartment was what gave it away. When I stood outside, I could smell blood of several different people, including vampires, in the apartment. Seeing as though we haven’t yet found a body, it seems the only logical conclusion. I’m sorry.”
Alex put her head down. She didn’t cry, she felt as if her sorrow was too great even for that. “I tried to get her away from there. I tried…”
“You did everything you could.” Margaret put an arm around her shoulders.
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