by Lund, S. E.
"Yes, I'm truly sorry, Eve." Vasquez moves to shake my hand, his arm clapping my back. I don't reciprocate. "You weren't strong enough for this work. Time to retreat, take stock and enjoy some serenity for a while."
I turn to leave, and then look back at Terri. I want her to come with me, to talk with me.
"Terri?"
She doesn't look at me. Vasquez smiles and cocks his head sideways as if he feels guilty.
"Sorry, but I need Terri for the rest of the afternoon. I'm sure you two will talk soon enough. Good-bye, Eve." Vasquez presses a hand against the small of my back and gently propels my outside the office. The ornate wooden door closes with a soft thud behind me.
I go to my office at the SCU to begin the process of packing up my personal items. I have a feeling people are trying to avoid me. Word must have gotten around that I was fired and I can't blame them if they want to avoid having to face me. Still, it's pretty cowardly.
I collect what little there is of my personal effects and check my e-mail one last time. There's only one -- from Seth. One of the techs who mines data for the SCU. He’s not working this evening.
I need to talk with you about the relic. Can we meet as soon as possible? This is very important. Please call me. Thanks.
Seth.
I phone the number he's included right away. His voice is strained, as if he's tired or ill.
"We need to talk somewhere private. Can we meet at your place? I'm staying at a friends for a few days so we can't meet at my place."
I agree and after glancing around the empty office, I go home. It feels strange to be on my own, without Vasily or anyone trailing me. Although I'm pleased at the prospect of hearing what Seth has to tell me about the artifact, I feel numb.
Once back at my flat, I turn the television on and watch the news coverage of the bombing of the embassy. Seth arrives, knocking at the door. He’s about twenty-eight, tall and skinny, with rimless glasses. He has fair hair and eyes and looks every inch the geeky IT guy. He comes in and stands in the middle of the living room awkwardly.
"I heard you were there," he says, pointing to the television news report. The camera shows the blast scene, the floodlights picking up debris, bloodstains and emergency personnel as they rush to tend to the wounded. The press had been on site, preparing to cover the news conference and so both camera crews and reporters were primed and ready to cover the carnage once the explosion occurred. They're playing it in endless loops on the news networks.
"I was at the wrong place at the wrong time, I guess."
"You're lucky to be alive."
I nod and sit down, planning on turning the television off so we can talk about the clay fragment.
"I'm," I say, my voice quiet. "I'm no longer working for the SCU. They took me off the case."
"I heard. That’s why I wanted to talk to you. The seal?"
“Yes?”
“It was from a tomb in a cave in Israel, removed about a century ago where they found some old scrolls in a clay pot. There was a lost scripture in it from the third century. Described the apocalypse. The end of days.”
I smile. “I’m not a religious person,” I say and take the research paper he hands me.
“Read this,” he says. “Don’t tell anyone I gave it to you but it’s a copy of a report someone on the Council prepared. I thought you should know because it involves you and when I heard you were fired, and heard what Vasquez told you about this seal, I thought you were being unfairly treated.”
I look over the paper. It’s titled Revelation According to St. Therese of the Reeds.
“I have to go,” he says. “I don’t want to stay in any one place for very long, just in case someone’s watching me.”
“Why would they be watching you?”
He shrugs. “Who knows? I know they watch everyone so if anyone asks why I was here, say it was because we were friends or something and I was saying goodbye.”
“How do you know about the tomb seal?”
“I mine data. All of it, even SCU data. I have a few tracers of my own included in the official search terms. I stumbled over some conversations and it scared me. Now I have to go.”
I lead him to the door.
“Take care,” he says. “Watch your back. I know you can fight, but I also know you haven’t been fully trained. I don’t know what’s coming, but I have a bad feeling about it.”
I close the door behind him.
Join the group.
Revelation According to St. Therese of the Reeds… I tuck the paper into a mental file marked Superstitious Nonsense and plan to read it later, when I have nothing else better to do.
Chapter 43
“Take away love and our earth is a tomb.”
Robert Browning
THE NEXT FEW DAYS PASS SLOWLY as I try to adapt to my new life no longer employed by the SCU. I tried to go back to the warehouse but there was no response when I went to the service entrance and rang the bell. I couldn't get in and Vasily never answered my calls. Instead, I go back to my tiny apartment, feeling completely abandoned by everyone. I haven't heard from Julien or Vasily and I feel completely cut off from my life of the past few months.
Finally, I hear a knock at my door and I check the peephole. It's Vasily. I open the door.
"Eve," he says. "Why haven't you answered my calls? I've been so worried about you."
"What do you mean? You never answered my calls!" I go to my cell and check, but there are no calls registered on my phone from Vasily. "There's nothing here…"
He shakes his head. "I've been calling and calling. I came by your apartment but there was no answer. You weren't at SCU."
"I'm fired."
"What?"
I close the door behind him and we sit on my couch.
"I went to Ramallah to track Soren and when I got back, Vasquez fired me. I went to the warehouse but there was no one there."
"You went to track Soren?"
"I told you before I went. Don't you remember?"
He rubs his head, grimacing as if the very idea hurts him.
"You must come back to Julien's. You are not safe here. I can't believe you've been alone all this time…"
I sit there, so confused. Once again, I suspect that Soren's at the bottom of this. I fill my cat's dishes with fresh food and water and leave my tiny flat for Julien's warehouse.
"Where's Julien?" I say as we drive through the narrow streets bordering the waterfront. "I thought he'd at least call me."
"He is on operation."
"When will he be back?"
He shrugs. "I can't say. He hasn't contacted me."
I feel strangely at home at Julien's warehouse and spend the evening reading or watching television news and staring at the cityscape. I remember the last words Julien spoke to me, wondering what he meant when he said he's taking out one threat against me. Does he mean Luke? Finally, I'm too tired to stay up and say goodnight to Vasily. I fall asleep quickly, feeling for the first time in a while that there's nothing I can do to change things, and so I stop even trying to figure out how. All I know is that I'm falling in love with Julien. I miss him. I worry about him, and I want him back safe.
Noise from the apartment wakes me sometime in the middle of the night. I go to the bedroom door and crack it open enough to look into the main foyer. Julien has returned and is standing with Vasily, the two men speaking in low voices. His shirt is off and his chest bare. There's a bandage on his arm stained crimson.
I go to him immediately and cup his face, kissing him, not caring if Vasily and his other men see me.
"You're hurt," I say. "Can I check it?" He nods so I peel back the bandage to reveal a laceration several inches long, clean edges, the cut at least a quarter inch deep. "What happened?"
"Luke and I fought. He used a silver blade."
"Luke fought you?"
"Don't worry," he says and cracks a lopsided grin. "He got the worst of it."
Before my eyes, the wound begins to heal, very slowly, but it's
apparent even to my eyes. The blood seeping from it slows, and then the edges pull together so that soon, it's just a thin seam of white.
I daub the wound and the gauze comes back clean.
"Your skin isn't cold," I say and run my hands over his chest. I notice a light pink blush to his cheeks. "You have some color. You just fed."
"Luke," he says, grinning. "To the victor, the spoils."
I smile and put my arms around him, pulling him down to me, my mouth by his ear.
"I'm so glad you're alive," I whisper, tears making my vision blurry, my throat choked. He says nothing, just smiles and pulls my arms from around his neck. Then I see movement in the shadows.
Michel.
"Michel…" I whisper, my voice breaking. I can't help myself and run to him and he's there, his arms open when he sees me coming and I'm in his embrace and his mouth is on mine. He picks me up, lifting me off the floor, turning around, holding me there, kissing my face and throat and neck.
"You're here," I whisper.
"I'm here."
"How? I thought I'd never see you again."
Over his shoulder I see Julien, a frown on his face.
"How? Tell me!"
"Soren released me."
He glances at Julien. I turn back to Julien and he's not looking at me, his hands in his pockets.
"Why did Soren release you?"
Michel shakes his head and leads me into the bedroom, shutting the door behind us.
"I made a bargain with the devil. I've just done a thing that I detested very much, but I had no choice. When I learned you met Soren in Ramallah, I knew what I had to do. Julien knew what he had to do. I have to be very careful from here on in. Every step has to be taken with complete calculation, every move perfect."
“What do you mean? What did you do? What did Julien do?”
He smiles softly.
"Eve of a thousand questions. I can't tell you. Just accept that I'm back." He brushes hair from my cheek. "I have to sacrifice if you do."
"What do you mean?" I say, confused at his cryptic comments.
Vasily pops his head into the room. "The others have arrived."
Michel closes his eyes briefly. "I have to go. Please put on the black dress Luke gave you and join me."
"Why?"
"Eve, I want you there with me," he says, running his fingers through my hair.
"For what?"
"For our ascension." He goes to the door. "Hurry."
Ascension? When he opens the door, I see a group of vampires, their pale skin clear identifiers of their nature. They're a dangerous looking group, all dressed in black, like a group of warriors in leather.
When they see Michel, they all bow. Michel closes the door and I sit on the bed for a moment, a chill going through me at the show of obeisance to him. Then I comply with his request, slipping on the black velvet dress Luke gave me. I go into the bathroom and brush my hair, splashing water on my face. My shoes are outside in the closet in the foyer. I'd have to go barefoot. I take in a deep breath, and then open the door. The scene I witness when I step into the hallway stops me in my tracks, adrenaline flooding through me.
In the main living room, Michel and Julien stand with their backs to the windows, bare from the waist up, what look like huge black wings spread out behind them, the feathers shining iridescent in the light from overhead lamps. Before Michel, one vampire kneels and kisses the golden ring on his hand. He then moves to Julien.
My heart pounds and my legs wobble. I can't take my eyes off the wings and the paleness of their bare skin. All eyes turn to me as if I'm a specimen on display. Michel looks up when I enter the room, then extends his arm and offers his hand.
"Come," he says, his voice soft. "Don't be afraid."
But I am afraid and I turn around and go back into the bedroom, closing the door behind me. I slide down the wall to the floor, my heart pounding, my vision closing in. Then the door opens and Vasily enters, closing the door behind him. He kneels down beside me and takes my hand.
"Eve, are you OK?"
“No, I’m not OK.” I shake my head. "I feel faint," I say, my voice barely audible.
He takes me over to the bed and makes me lie down to stop from fainting, and then he goes to the bathroom. He returns with a wet facecloth, pressing it against my forehead and neck.
"Rest for moment. Take deep breaths."
I do, and in a few minutes, I start to feel better.
"I saw something," I say and look up at him. "I can't believe it. I thought I saw wings...” I say and shake my head. "But it's impossible."
"If you feel better, Michel wants you with him."
I hold my hand out.
"No," I say. "I'm not going out there."
"You must. He wants you with him."
I turn over, refusing to move. Finally, he leaves the bedroom and I hug my pillow, trying to comprehend what it was that I saw. The door opens again and it's Michel and I see those black wings spread out behind him and I close my eyes, pressing my face into the pillow.
"Eve," he says, his voice soft. He sits on the bed beside me, but I refuse to look at him, keeping my eyes shut tightly.
"Go away," I say.
"I want you to come with me. I want the others to see me claim you."
I shake my head quickly. Then, he lays his hand on my head and my fear dissipates, replaced by calm. I exhale slowly and relax, my tense muscles all loose.
"Come," he says, taking my hand. I don't resist.
He pulls me gently outside the bedroom and through a path the vampires make for us.
I stand in front of them with him in front of me, tears welling in my eyes, for Michel and Julien appear so unreal as if they've just stepped out of a Renaissance painting. While they look like the twins I know and have the same features, they seem otherworldly in a way that's entirely new, their bodies larger, more powerful, their skin more luminous. I can't find a word for it but it's as if they've been transformed.
Michel turns me around to face the other vampires. I feel their gaze on me as an almost physical force – as if they could smell me and taste me from a distance like predators sensing their prey. Despite their differences in coloring – some are fair haired, others are dark haired – they are uniformly tall and well-built, their skin the same luminous quality, whether they were dark-skinned or fair as Michel and Julien's.
Michel pulls my hair back, smoothing it, exposing my neck. He's almost a foot taller than me and when he pulls me against his body, his chin touches the top of my head.
"So this is the one?" one of the vampires in the back says, his accent heavily British.
"She's Natalia's daughter, Eve. In case there's any doubt, she's ours. If any one of you dares to even come within arm's reach of her without our leave, we'll destroy you."
He tilts my head to the side, exposing Julien's bite wound, running his fingers over it tenderly. Then he bends down and covers the wound with his mouth. I close my eyes at the feel of his lips on my neck, the touch of his tongue on my skin sending a stab of desire through me. My knees give out from the intensity of his emotions flooding through me from his touch, but he grabs me and holds me up, one arm around my waist.
He bites me, his teeth sharp, breaking through the skin where Julien bit me earlier as if he's trying to overwrite what Julien did. Despite the pain, I feel what he feels, his overwhelming bloodlust, and he hates that Julien had me first but he also feels that finally he's having me the way he wants me, even if he has to share this moment with Julien. He takes in a mouthful of my blood, savoring it like its some rare old wine and he doesn't want to let go. He didn't want it to be like this, in front of everyone but when we were alone, our bodies naked, joined in pleasure.
Soon, the pain recedes. He hates this, drinking my blood and claiming me like some spoil of war in front of everyone but he feels he must. He pulls his mouth away and our connection breaks. My eyes open, only to stare into those of a dozen vampires, watching hungrily as blood trick
les down my neck. Then Julien takes my hand and bites the other side of my neck and I feel him at the edge of my consciousness. He's glad that Michel's back but unhappy that he has to share and afraid of what this means – the two of them now Soren's possessions, one a bishop and one a knight like they were in 13th century France.
Julien pulls away, and Michel motions to Vasily, who comes to my side and takes my arm.
I turn back. Julien's in hunter mode, his eyes blood red, his pupils huge, fangs extended. He licks my blood off his lips and that image makes me so weak that I stumble and Vasily has to hold me up. Michel and Julien are now clearly the most powerful vampires – or whatever it is that they have become – showing them all that I'm their pet. That they own me – the two of them.
Vasily leads me through the vampires and I feel their gaze on me as a barely repressed current of hunger, jealousy, and desire. I glance back and the procession of vampires bowing before Michel begins once more. One vampire with pale hair kneels before them and takes Michel's hand, kissing his ring as if Michel were the Pope himself. Then he moves to Julien and repeats the gesture.
"What are they doing?" I whisper as we leave.
"Swearing fealty to their new Lords."
"They were Luke's before?"
"Yes," Vasily says.
The evening's events finally catch up to me, and my composure crumbles. The sight of the vampires kneeling before Michel and Julien, whose huge wings make them resemble angels instead of vampires, the perfection to their faces and forms, the otherworldliness to them, overwhelms me.
I looked up at Vasily, my vision blurry.
"What are they?"
"What do you think they are?"
They resemble angels, but what are angels? Are they shape shifters, able to change their form at will? One moment they were both ordinary, and the next they had wings, and I wonder if this isn't some kind of psychic projection.
"I'm going insane," I say. "They're projecting into my mind," I add, remembering what I've read about telepathy. "They have telepathy and are sending images, making me think I see wings."