Blood and Guitars

by Heather Jensen

  “We’ll lay low until then,” I reassured him. “I won’t let you out of my sight. It’ll be okay.” Trey nodded, trusting me fully.

  Antonio lived in a wealthy part of town, but the houses in his neighborhood looked plain compared to Trey’s. I pointed to the Victorian style home and Trey parked in the driveway. He reached to open his door but I touched his arm to stop him, taking a second to scan the area with my mind. It didn’t appear we’d been followed. I nodded and released him. Trey didn’t ask what I was doing, though he might have guessed. We walked together up the front walk and then I stepped in front of Trey and raised a hand to the door to knock. It opened before my knuckles touched the expensive wood. Antonio smiled at me from inside.

  “I’ve been expecting you.” His voice was exceptionally kind, and there was understanding behind his eyes. Although I’d seen this gentler side of Antonio before, I hadn’t expected that I would find it tonight. It seemed that Antonio-The-Lecturer would have been more appropriate, considering recent events. It might have been easier that way. My behavior lately certainly warranted a lecture or two. “I’m not going to berate you.” Antonio sighed, clearly reading my reaction. “No. I expect you’ve been doing enough of that for both of us.” He was right, of course. “And you must be Trey.” Antonio looked over my head and I stepped aside so Trey could come forward. “So you’re the human who captured Aurora’s heart.” He offered his hand and Trey shook it without hesitation. Antonio’s perceptive eyes turned back to me. “Come in, child. There is much we need to discuss.”

  Trey and I followed him into the grand foyer where a small flame was flickering in the fireplace, curls of smoke weaving up through the air above it. Trey and I sat on the plush sofa while Antonio sat in the leather chair across from us. He clasped his hands together and looked at us, waiting for me to speak first.

  “What have you heard?” I asked.

  “Enough.” He gave me a sympathetic smile and I felt the hum of his power, but it wasn’t directed at me. I wouldn’t have sat idly by and allowed just any vampire to read Trey’s thoughts, but I knew Antonio was only trying to protect me. And above all, I needed him to understand. “Your name is on the lips of many of our kind tonight.” He was talking to Trey now. “But I can also see that you love Aurora. She is like a daughter to me, and for that reason I will do what I can to help you both.”

  Trey looked relieved as he nodded at Antonio and then turned his head to look at me.

  “Would you mind giving us a moment?” I gave Trey a small smile.

  “Sure.” Trey got to his feet.

  “Feel free to explore the house,” Antonio said to him.

  Trey nodded and squeezed my hand before walking out of the room. I took a deep breath and dropped all of the protective walls around my mind. There was no point anymore, not with Antonio. If I was going to ask for his help, he needed to know exactly what I was asking.

  Antonio’s head lifted just slightly, but it was enough to tell me that he’d just felt me drop my reserve. “I’ve backed myself into a corner,” I began slowly. “I can see only one possible solution.”

  “You want to make him one of us,” Antonio stated mechanically.

  “’Want’ isn’t exactly the word I would choose,” I said with a sigh.

  “It is true that this human of yours is in grave danger.”

  Normally I would have made a sarcastic remark on his ability to state the obvious, but all humor had gone from me. Instead, I opted for pure shameless truth. “I love him,” I said boldly.

  Antonio’s wizened eyes bore into me, and I felt the familiar tingling of his power like invisible tentacles as he searched my mind, shifting quickly through my memories. As he searched, memories flashed through my mind like snapshots taken on a Polaroid of my days with Trey. Only two or three seconds had passed but Antonio had seen enough to know how true my declaration was. I did love Trey. Anyone who could glimpse my mind would know that was indisputable. Thankfully, not just anyone could get into my head.

  “The two of you share a unique bond,” Antonio said. I assumed he was referring to the way Trey’s emotions flooded through me when we kissed. “I’ve not seen anything like it in all my years.”

  “I’m hoping that will work to our advantage,” I admitted. “Making Trey a vampire wasn’t something I had even considered until tonight, but I don’t see that I have a choice now. His life is in danger.”

  “And Trey … he wants this?”

  “Once again, the word ‘want’ might not apply.” I sighed in frustration. “He wants to live,” I stated, trying to find the words to explain. “He wants me.”

  “And you’re certain this is the only way?”

  “Do you see another?”

  He frowned at the pleading tone of my voice and shook his head sadly. “You’re just still so young.”

  “I’m strong,” I stated. I was counting on my strength and sheer will power to be my saving grace.

  “Perhaps someone else should change Trey,” he suggested.

  “I would be breaking no vampire laws to change him myself,” I countered.

  “That is true. But nothing is certain when a vampire so young tries to create another. Sometimes things go wrong.”

  That was also true. It wasn’t often that a vampire chose to create another before the Synod granted them full use of all the moon-given abilities. There were obvious reasons for this. Not many young vampires wanted the responsibility of watching over another young vampire. It was often problematic. Also, sometimes in the process of changing the other vampire, the bond between the new vamp and the maker would overwhelm the maker and their instincts, still somewhat unbridled, could take over, resulting in the human dying before the change could be made. But the biggest risk would be to me. Young vampires were not always able to handle the physical strain that comes with creating another. We’re meant to take blood from others, not to give it.

  “It has to be me,” I insisted. “I won’t do this to Trey if he can’t try to continue his life of music. I’m the only one who can make sure that doesn’t change.” Antonio didn’t argue just then. He didn’t say anything, which still seemed worse in a way. “I love him,” I repeated, feeling the truth of my words resonate within me. “I need to know if I can do this.” I looked up now, catching the last flicker of flame from the fire before it gave up and extinguished into a coil of smoke. I gazed at Antonio, seeing the concern in his eyes for me. “You, my maker, the one who gave me this immortal life,” I began. “You know me. You know what I am capable of, more than anyone. I need to know if you think I can do this. Do this, and not kill Trey in the process.”

  Chapter 50

  I walked aimlessly through the vampire Antonio’s house, trying to sort out the questions in my mind. I had so many without answers it was starting to feel like it might take an eternity to figure it all out. At least I had Aurora to help me through it. I walked down a hallway, pausing in front of a large painting. It was of the moon. The shadows on it made the image of a woman’s face. Naturally, my eye went to the bottom right corner of the canvas where I saw Aurora’s signature. I began walking again, eventually coming across a large room lined with book-filled shelves. Apparently I’d stumbled into Antonio’s personal library. A high-backed leather chair rested near a lamp a few feet away, and I considered sitting down to wait, but I was too anxious to sit still. Instead, I paced around the room slowly, letting my mind run wild with all the uncertainties that lie ahead.

  What about the guys? They were my best friends; my brothers. Would I be able to make such a transition and keep it hidden from them? Could I continue singing in the band? I couldn’t imagine my life without Catalyst, but what would all of that mean for Aurora and me? I’d only just gotten her back. I wasn’t about to let her go ever again. And I definitely wasn’t going to tackle this whole vampire thing without her by my side. I remembered the way she’d looked in the park tonight. The way her teeth had changed form, revealing two razor-sharp fangs. But i
t had been her eyes, luminous and green and impossibly familiar – despite their subtle glow – that assured me nothing had changed. Not really. She was still the woman I’d fallen madly in love with, and not even a pair of fangs could change that.

  Aurora came for me a short time later, finding me in the library. When she said it was time to go we thanked Antonio for his understanding and he insisted that he would do everything in his power to help us. Then he’d shown us to the door and promised to stay in contact with Aurora.

  “So, what do we do about the other vampires who want to… eliminate me?”

  Aurora reached over, taking my right hand in hers as I drove with my left.

  “Antonio is going to speak to the Synod on our behalf. He will divulge our plan to make you one of us, and they will pass word on to the Emissary that you’re off limits. Hopefully the general knowledge that you’re going to become a vampire will be enough to dissuade any who would harm you. Just to play it safe, we should try to lay low until the full moon comes.” I nodded. “For now, I think we should go back to my place and let you get some sleep.”

  Sleep. That brought a question to my mind. I felt stupid for asking, but I was quickly getting that it wasn’t a good idea to assume anything about Aurora.

  “Do you sleep?”

  She grinned at me. “Not usually at night, but you already knew that.”

  “Huh.” I mulled that over for a second as I turned the corner onto Aurora’s street. When I pulled into her driveway, a sick feeling rose in my stomach. The last time I’d stood in this yard, Aurora had been breaking up with me. I pushed the memory out of my mind and got out of the vehicle, going around to the passenger side to open the door for her. We walked up to the front door hand in hand and she unlocked it, letting us in.

  Aurora went to the bedroom to put her purse away. I waited in the living room, making myself comfortable on the leather couch. After learning everything I had learned tonight, I felt like I was looking at her home for the first time. The color scheme of the decor –shades of red and black – seemed fitting. So did the lack of food in the refrigerator. That was something I’d wondered about once or twice. I’d just assumed Aurora wasn’t really into cooking and ate out a lot, or that she didn’t want to spend that much time in the kitchen. But now I wasn’t even sure she needed to eat food to survive.

  Aurora walked out of her room and glanced at the houseplant near the window. “I haven’t watered that thing forever. I can’t believe it’s still alive.” She considered it a moment and then walked decidedly into the kitchen, presumably to get the plant a drink. A few seconds later I heard her cell phone go off. It played a short clip of a classical song.

  “Want me to grab that for you?” I offered.

  “If you don’t mind.”

  The song had already stopped playing so I was pretty sure it wasn’t a call, but a text message from someone. I walked back into her bedroom and saw her purse sitting on the precisely-made bed. I opened it and pulled out the phone, turning to leave again when I saw something that made me pause. I was staring back at myself from a poster on the wall. I remembered that photo shoot. The guys and I had posed around an old pickup truck in hundred degree weather in Nevada. I wondered briefly whose bright idea that had been and I grinned, shaking my head, and went back to the other room to hand her the phone.

  “I like your room,” I said to her, unable to hide the smile in my voice.

  “Thanks,” she said as she bent over the plant, pouring a glass of water into the pot. Then I saw comprehension dawn on her and she turned to face me. “Uh … I guess you saw the poster.”

  “Poster?” I pretended to look surprised. “I saw myself in a mirror. I was just a year younger and leaning against a pickup truck in the middle of a desert. I’m fairly certain it’s a magic mirror, though, because I could see all the guys too.”

  She laughed and shrugged in defeat. “Okay, so I may or may not have joined your fan club after I found out who you were.”

  I nodded, amused by the thought of Aurora browsing our site online. “It’s cool,” I said with a grin. “Honestly, I was just relieved to find a bed back there and not a coffin.”

  Her face grew serious and she said, “But … that’s only because I haven’t shown you the entire house yet.”

  Horror gripped my heart like a closed fist. I opened my mouth to speak, but nothing came out. Aurora grinned at me and I realized she was kidding. I was too relieved to care that I looked like a complete idiot. “Ha ha ha. You’re real funny.”

  “Coffins are for the dead.” She stepped close to me, wrapping her arms around my neck. Her breath on my skin sent shivers skittering down my spine. “Do I seem dead to you?”

  I raised an eyebrow at her and she leaned forward, brushing her lips against mine. She tasted like strawberry lip gloss. “Dead is the last word I would use to describe you,” I breathed.

  She grinned. “The house is one hundred percent coffin free. I promise.”

  “You’re forgiven then.”

  “Although,” she added thoughtfully. “If I had known I was going to be telling you all my secrets, I might have bought a coffin just to freak you out.”

  “Says the vampire.”

  “Got your heart racing though, didn’t I?” She grinned as she stepped away again. “I could’ve heard that from across the street.”

  “Wonderful,” I said, my voice dripping with sarcasm. “Remind me never to invite you to poker night with the guys. Who needs mind reading when you’re a walking lie-detector?”

  “I already told you, I only read your mind last night.”

  “Right.” I sighed, willing my pulse to slow as Aurora watched me thoughtfully.

  “You’re exhausted,” she stated. There really wasn’t any point in arguing with her. I could guess where that would get me. It didn’t help that she was right. To say that my brain had been overloaded in the last few hours would be an understatement. Without another word she took my hand, guiding me toward the bedroom. I smiled to myself again at the sight of the Catalyst poster on the wall and wondered if Aurora was the first vampire to join our fan club. That thought led to other more disturbing ones and I shook my head to clear it. Aurora had turned the bed down and was watching me with concern.

  “It’s not the Four Seasons,” she said, forcing a smile.

  “It’s perfect.” I opened my arms as she stepped toward me. I held her for a moment, reassuring myself that she was real. “I’m just not sure I can fall asleep with Chase staring at me like that.”

  Aurora rolled her eyes as she glanced at the poster on the wall. “Shut up,” she said, poking me in the ribs. I chuckled and pinned her arms against my body to stop the assault on my ribs. Not like it would have done any good if she’d really wanted to get me.

  “I have a phone call to make,” she added. “Don’t wait up for me. You need to get some sleep. This is only the beginning of what could be some long nights ahead.” She stepped back and planted a kiss on my forehead before leaving me alone in the room.

  The clock on the nightstand said it was half past midnight, but it felt like I’d been awake for a week. I kicked my shoes and socks off, and then in an attempt to not look like a complete slob I sat them side by side near the wall and added my jeans to the pile. Clad in my tee-shirt and boxers I slipped into the sheets, feeling like I’d been enveloped by a silk cloud. Sleep came surprisingly easy.

  Chapter 51

  Not wanting to disturb Trey, I went back into the kitchen and pulled my phone from my pocket. The text I’d received was from Damir. I opened it and read it again.

  I know about your human.

  I silenced the phone and typed back to him. You and everyone else. So?

  His reply came almost instantly. Dangerous game you’re playing.

  Why did everyone assume I was playing a game? Trey hadn’t been a game to me since he’d shown up for art lessons at The Waking Moon. He was much, much more.

  You’ve got a lot of room to ta
lk, I countered.

  I can guarantee your human’s safety.

  Well, that made no sense. The only one Damir cared about was Damir. I had never trusted him, and he obviously had ulterior motives, but I couldn’t help wondering if he meant what he said. I didn’t have to wonder long. Another message came through before I could reply.

  Come be with me and I’ll see to it your human survives.

  I choked out a humorless laugh. Damir wasn’t even trying to hide his obsession with me.

  Thanks but no thanks. We’ll manage.

  If you’re confident in your ability to keep him safe, was his reply.

  A chill traveled down my spine and I slid my phone across the counter, not wanting to discuss Trey’s mortality with a vampire I practically hated. I hoped I was doing the right thing by Trey. I left my phone in the kitchen and silently made my way back to the bedroom. My eyes took on their supernatural luminescence which allowed me to see in the dark. I changed into a tank top and a pair of cotton shorts and walked over to the bed.

  Trey was sleeping on his side, his hair already messed up by the pillow. I gently lowered myself into the bed next to him and lay there watching him. I’d never watched him sleep. Not really. He’d fallen asleep at Ken’s studio several times, once or twice with his head in my lap on the couch in the lounge or the sound room, but I’d never been able to stare unabashedly at him like this until now.

  I recalled the night I’d become a vampire, and how strange it had been to see an immortal version of myself staring back at me in a mirror, and I wondered what Trey would look like after the change. I couldn’t imagine any part of him that could be improved upon. He was perfect just the way he was. His strong jaw, his dark lashes, those soft lips that so often twisted into a lazy smile that I always felt was for me and me alone. Trey would be a beautiful vampire. There was no doubt about that. But it would be because he was a beautiful man, inside and out.