by Lund, S. E.
“And you are?” Soren says to the man, who approaches the raised altar.
“I’m a doctor.”
“Check him and see if he’s truly dead.”
The man kneels down to Michel and presses two fingers on Michel’s neck. He’s still for a moment. Finally, he glances up at Soren and shakes his head.
“There’s no pulse.” Then, the man bends down and puts his hand on Michel’s chest, his ear to Michel’s lips. “He’s not breathing,” the man says, standing up. “He’s dead.”
Soren nods. “And the woman?”
The bearded man goes to the woman, who likewise lies on the red carpet on the altar floor. He checks for a pulse and signs of breathing but shakes his head again.
“She’s dead.”
“Observe, all of you who have eyes to see,” Soren says and kneels down to the woman, taking her hand in one of his and then laying his other hand on her forehead. He closes his eyes, and soon a bright light emanates from his hand, passing into her. Soren’s face is scrunched up as if he’s in pain, struggling.
Finally, the woman’s back arches and she inhales a long, gasping breath.
We all stand in mute awe at this. I don’t know what to think, except that she must not have been dead.
She must not have been.
There’s no other explanation. She must have been drugged with something that only makes her appear to be dead. There are medicines that mimic death, that slow the heart and respirations down so much that people have been mistaken for dead before. That must be what he used.
Still, the congregation surges forward, standing on the stairs leading to the high altar, crowding around them. They stare down at Soren, who is speaking softly to the woman, her neck healing from the bloody wound before our eyes.
Soren lets go of her hand and stands up fully.
“This is what I promise if you follow me,” he says. “I will destroy every vampire in existence. I will protect those of you from their predation. You need no longer fear them if you follow me. Dominion will be defeated if we stand together. But you all must swear allegiance to me.” He says nothing for a moment and a silence descends over the cathedral. “You must accept me as your only leader.”
The guard helps the woman up and she stands beside a fallen Michel, who lies motionless on the floor. Soren isn’t resurrecting Michel like he promised, and panic fills me. Michel’s dead.
He’s truly dead and Soren is standing over his body like a conquering warlord.
“Bring him back!” I manage to say, but my voice is hardly there; I’m still so weak from whatever drug Soren has given me.
I try to go to Michel, but I’m unable to escape and the guards easily restrain me, their hands gripping my arms. I stand there weeping, the realization that Soren has tricked Michel hitting me. He’s betrayed him. Now Michel is dead, I’m an abomination, Soren has regained his power, and the people are kneeling down as a group before him.
The last thing I see through blurry eyes as they drag me away from the altar and out of the cathedral is Michel’s dead body, his eyes staring lifelessly towards the ceiling, one of Soren’s leather boots on his chest.
Above his dead body, Soren smiles.
Chapter 98
“Love is the poetry of the senses.”
Honore de Balzac
The guard drags me to the vehicle and pushes me into the back seat, locking the door behind me so I can’t escape. Now that my body has adjusted to the drug Michel forced me to drink, my mind is clearer and the realization that Soren has tricked Michel sinks in.
I weep, my face in my hands, giving in to sorrow. Soren’s scientists must have developed a drug that destroys vampirism—the dream of my mother and of the Council, who hoped to end vampirism for good. Unlike the previous nanovirus, it doesn’t destroy the vampire’s body. It isn’t a real cure, though, because it kills the victim.
If Soren has succeeded, there’ll be no need for the Council or the Treaty of Clairveaux. There’ll be no need for Adepts and the SCU. Michel and Julien and all the vampires in existence—me included—will be destroyed.
I should be happy at the prospect of no longer being a vampire, but all I can do is cry.
My mother hoped to develop a drug that would reverse vampirism, but it appears that Soren’s drug kills the recipient and doesn’t merely eradicate the vampire genes. I can see how that might appeal to the masses, who live in fear of vampires (and rightfully so). They’ve been terrorized for weeks since the plague spread and vampires finally felt safe enough to emerge from the safety of the shadows, but still...
The fear that must have gripped humans as they realized a long-held fear—vampires! Here!—was real…
I’ve always known of the existence of vampires and that I could die from one the way my mother did. But your average human thought they were the product of fantasy, of vivid imaginations and medieval ignorance.
Now they know better.
A side door opens and two guards carry Michel’s body out of the cathedral. I cover my mouth in horror. Although I was furious that Michel was willing to turn me into an ascended vampire, I can’t stand the thought that he’s dead. I weep as I watch them load his body into the rear seat of the vehicle in front of me, laying him down unceremoniously and closing the doors afterwards. They stand beside the vehicle and one lights up a cigarette, then passes one to his companion. They smoke in silence, their eyes scanning the street and buildings.
After another few moments, the cathedral door opens once more and Soren exits, making his way toward the vehicle where the guards placed Michel’s body. A guard opens the door and Soren sits in the front seat with a driver beside him. The convoy of vehicles parades away from Holy Cross Cathedral just as the front doors open and the masses begin to emerge. They’re busy speaking to each other, pointing when they see Soren drive off. The reverence they feel for him is visible in the wideness to their eyes.
A murmur ripples through the crowd as they recognize him and even now I feel it flow through me, no doubt flowing directly into Soren. They will go back to their homes and neighborhoods to tell the story of what happened here tonight—that Soren is an avenging angel come to rid the world of the vampire threat. That he destroyed a vampire before their very eyes and resurrected his victim. That he promised to destroy all vampires if the humans swore allegiance to him.
A new mythology will arise because of this night. That truth, the knowledge that I am a part of it, sinks in and horrifies me. The very last thing in the world I want is to be part of some cult that worships Soren.
I thought this plan of Michel’s and Julien’s would result in the defeat of both Soren and Blackstone. Now, I’m afraid it has meant the death of both twins.
We drive through the streets towards Soren’s compound in silence, and when we pull up, one of the guards opens my door. I emerge onto the driveway behind Soren’s vehicle, running to the car to try to open the back door, where Michel’s body lies. He’s still, his arms above his head, his eyes half-lidded. Soren gets out of the front seat and I turn to him, wanting to strike him, wishing I had some kind of weapon so I could kill him.
“You lied!” I scream and try to hit his chest but he grabs me easily, my wrists in each of his hands. “You said you’d make him mortal, not kill him!”
He’s smiling but I can see and edge of anger in his eyes. “Cut the theatrics, Eve. I’m going to bring him back. I made a promise, and Michel delivered. So now I will as well.”
Soren drags me away while one of the guards opens the door and pulls out Michel’s body from the vehicle. Soren has wrapped his arms around me from behind, still holding onto my wrists, so that I’m restrained.
“You don’t realize how much you love someone until they’re gone, do you, Eve?” he says, his lips next to my ear. “Now you know how I felt when Michel killed my Marguerite. By all rights, I should leave him dead, but that would punish you instead of him. So I’ll revive him. He still has a part to play in this little story.
”
We follow the guard with Michel’s body into the mansion, through the foyer, and down the hall to Soren’s study.
“Place him on the sofa,” Soren says, pointing to an ornate sofa in gold and white brocade beside a wall of books.
The guards comply and lay Michel’s body there. I don’t want to look, to see his dead body, but I can’t look away. What is he going to do now?
Soren turns and smiles conspiratorially. “Watch this.”
He sits on the sofa beside Michel and motions me over. “Come here, Eve, and watch me resurrect your beloved. Oh, and this affects Julien as well, since the two of them are linked temporally by the serum.”
I step closer, my heart racing.
“Check first, so you know for yourself that he is truly dead. Feel for a pulse.”
I do, placing my two fingers on Michel’s neck. I feel nothing. Then I take Michel’s wrist and check for a pulse there. Nothing. His body is even starting to get cold, his cheeks cool to the touch. He’s not breathing.
He truly is dead.
“Julien is dead as well? Right now?”
Soren nods. “They’re linked. What happened to Michel also happened to Julien.”
“You used Blackstone’s serum?”
“Modified, but yes. Cooperation with your enemies for the short term is often beneficial.”
I cover my mouth, my heart racing to think that Julien is also dead. I watch as Soren turns Michel’s head to face him. He cups Michel’s cheek in one hand and lays the other on his chest.
“Michel,” he says, his voice soft. “Nous revenir. Come back to us.” A bright light shines from under Soren’s hands and he leans closer, repeating the words. “Revenez à moi, Michel.” He presses on Michel’s chest and shakes him. “Come back to me.”
Before our eyes, Michel takes in a huge breath, his chest straining and his back arching. His eyelids flutter and then he focuses on Soren.
“Yes, Michel. You’re back. Good,” Soren says and smiles.
Michel makes a face as if he’s in pain and then tries to sit up. “What happened?” he asks, blinking rapidly. “I feel…” He frowns and shakes his head as if confused. He reaches up and touches his face, then looks at his hand like he’s never seen it before. “Did you…”
“Yes,” Soren says and I’m so shocked, I can’t do anything but stand there with my hand over my mouth in disbelief. “You’re mortal. I’ve given you your wish.”
“And Julien?”
“Him as well, although I suspect he won’t be nearly as happy about it as you are.”
Michel turns and sees me. “Eve…”
I cover my mouth with both hands, tears blurring my eyes.
He’s mortal.
I can see a flush in his cheeks for the first time since I met him, his color normal. He no longer has that pale skin I’ve grown accustomed to, and he looks even more beautiful, if that’s possible.
“I’m mortal.”
“Yes,” Soren says, chuckling. “You’re mortal. Eve still can’t believe it, for she doesn’t really believe I can do such things. But you know it to be true and that’s why you agreed to my little plan.”
“Yes,” Michel says. “I know what you are.”
Soren stands up, leaving Michel to slide his legs over the edge of the sofa so that he can sit up. Michel runs his fingers through his hair and down his chest, as if checking to see what it feels like to be mortal once more.
“Michel,” I say, kneeling down on the ground at his feet, my joy that he’s actually alive overwhelming my earlier anger at him for forcing ascension on me. “You’re mortal.”
He smiles. “I am.” He takes in a breath and there are tears in his eyes. “Finally.”
I can’t help myself and I wrap my arms around him as I kneel between his spread legs. I bury my face in his neck and let myself cry, really cry, hard.
Finally, when I’ve regained control, I pull back. “I thought you were dead,” I say, my voice catching. “I didn’t believe he could do it.”
“Now you know.” Michel cups my face with his hands. “You have to trust me, Eve. You have to know I’m only doing what’s best.”
I nod and wipe my eyes, smiling through my tears.
He kisses me, his kiss tender. I kiss him back, needing to feel his arms around me, his mouth on mine. Of course, being so close to him, I smell his blood and it smells like heaven. For the first time, I know how he must have felt all that time when I was still mortal and we were lovers. The bloodlust is never far from the surface and it competes with my emotions.
I turn to Soren, wiping my eyes. “Make me mortal, too.”
Soren shakes his head, his eyes half-closed. “Not in the cards just yet, Eve. I need you as you are.”
I stand up and face him. “What do you need from me?”
“I need you to help me resurrect my brethren,” Soren says. Then he turns to Michel. “Now you have your most fervent wish. You can become a priest once more, if that’s your desire. And in my church, celibacy is optional, so you two can go back at it, if you so desire.”
Soren wags his eyebrows at me suggestively and I make a face, turning back to see Michel’s response.
Michel frowns. “Priests are celibate. You’re not God, Soren, however much you’d like us to think so. If I’m a priest, it will be of the one true Church.”
“Have it your way,” Soren says, shrugging. “I’m starting my own church, or at least taking over the Catholic Church in America, and in my church, celibacy is optional. So if you choose it, it will be entirely your own decision. Eve can always go to Julien if she needs some lovin.” Soren grins lasciviously at me.
“I understand,” Michel says. “Besides, Eve has already chosen for me.”
Michel looks in my eyes and of course, he’s right. I did choose. I know that has been his desire for centuries since he was turned into a vampire. To be mortal again, to return to the priesthood and to die at the end of a life of service to the Church.
Now is his chance.
Tears blur my eyes.
“It’s for the best, then.” I wipe my eyes and stand up, leaving him seated on the sofa.
We’ll see how long his celibacy lasts, Soren says to me in his mind, our blood connection still in action. He won’t be able to resist you forever, Eve, if you still want him.
I turn to him and frown, but he merely smiles as if he’s amused by the idea of me trying to seduce Michel to break his vows.
Soren passes me. You’re the only woman he’s truly ever wanted. I doubt it will be too hard to seduce him away from the priesthood. If you really want him, that is. You do have Julien.
He wags his brows briefly in that way that infuriates me.
I don’t want to communicate like this with him. I don’t want him to think I welcome this intimate connection.
“I’ll respect his vows,” I say out loud, unable to keep a touch of acid from my voice. “Unlike Marguerite. If she had, she’d probably still be alive. She had Julien as her slave. She didn’t need Michel as well, especially considering his vows.”
“She was a needy little thing,” Soren says aloud, and I’m thankful he’s given in to my refusal to do the mind-meld thing. He frowns at me, and I wonder if I haven’t gone too far, but then he shrugs and speaks quietly with a guard standing by the door. The guard leaves and the three of us are now alone in the cavernous library.
The door opens and a servant brings in a trolley with a tray of food. “I’ve ordered some food for Michel. He must be hungry for something real now that he has no bloodlust.”
Michel sits at the table, peeking under the silver domes to see the food. He wastes no time and starts to cut the meat and eat, a look of relish on his face. He smiles, and it’s so full of pure joy that I can’t help but smile with him. He really is happy to be mortal again, to live free of the burning need for blood that plagues us every moment of the day.
“After I’m done, I want to go for a walk,” he says and shovels a
forkful of meat into his mouth. He chews for a moment and nods. “I can’t wait to see the stars. Feel the sun on my face.”
“You’ll need protection,” Soren says, seemingly amused at Michel’s newfound enthusiasm for life. “Eve can look after you. She’s good with a stake and sword, or so I hear. Now that she’s ascended, she’s even more formidable. I know she’ll protect you. Imagine that! Eve protecting a mortal Michel as he administers to his new flock. How ironic, considering that she’s the one who tempted him out of his pseudo-celibacy.”
“I didn’t tempt him. He tempted himself.”
Soren smiles. Oh, don’t tell me you didn’t lust after him, Eve. Why, I know you did. He knew as well, which is why he broke down. It’s silly, anyway—celibacy. Complete waste of time. A human ideal, not one of God.
Michel is still busy eating, taken by his new existence free from bloodlust. “I wonder how Julien is,” Michel says as he finishes a piece of meat.
It’s then I remember that the serum Michel took would have changed Julien as well. I turn to Soren. “Is Julien mortal as well?”
Soren pours himself a glass of blood. “Whatever happened to Michel happened to Julien. I imagine he’s waking up with a bad headache and no longer feels the need to bite whatever human he’s near.”
“You might want to check on him, Eve,” Soren says matter-of-factly. “In fact, I insist. Hopefully, when he started to feel strange, he had the good sense to lie down or else who knows where you’ll find him. Go get him and bring him to me. I’m sure the brothers would like to spend their first days as mortals together. But I want you back here for Friday mass. I’ll send one of my guards with you to on the trip.”
“You took a big risk. What if he’d been doing something dangerous? Like driving a vehicle?”
“Seeing as he didn’t see fit to come to me, that was the risk he took,” Soren replies. “I’m aware of his ties to Blackstone and have been for a while now. You can’t hide anything from me, Eve, so don’t bother trying.” With a wave of his hand, Soren dismisses us and sits down at his desk.