I picked up another notification. It was a request for assistance—recognisable by the insignia on the back of the envelope.
The nearest Seat had probably dealt with it, but I needed to make sure. There were times when unruly vampires fell through the cracks and we ended up picking up the pieces, but The Seats were good at keeping our rules. I was loath to admit it, but I needed them. I needed them to keep their own in check so I could do what I had to do with as little help as possible.
Still, requests for assistance couldn’t be ignored. I tried to think of something other than this problem that would likely require me to leave the country—it was too close to William for comfort—but when I let my mind wander, all I thought of was the night before.
All roads lead to Rome. All thoughts lead to . . .
I almost hurled my pen across the room. I would have, anything to stop my thoughts from going there again, but Helen said, “Are you accepting visitors?”
There was a strange look in her eyes that I couldn’t quite place. “Why not?” It would grind away the hours. “Who’s visiting?”
Glancing at the clock, I saw it was just after lunchtime. I’d spent the entire morning wading through my pile of notifications. Perhaps the waiting wouldn’t be as hard as I’d thought.
“A certain Mr. Synclair.”
My heart stuttered in my chest for the briefest of moments. What reason did he have for visiting me? I’d met him only briefly, and only once. Surely my sudden departure couldn’t have worried him enough to visit.
Maybe he felt the same way. Maybe he’d felt that connection, as well.
I sighed. What a silly notion. How could he possibly feel anything for me after meeting me only once?
I had hoped to hear from William before I was once again confronted by the enigma that was Mr. Ray Synclair. The Fates were turning against me, a collaborative, determined effort to bring about the end of my race.
“Serenity?”
“Sorry,” I answered automatically.
My heart raced with the sheer anticipation of seeing him once more. It made me want to run away from everything.
I followed Helen out of my study and to the sitting room. Even as I paused in the doorway, Helen scampering off to attend to something, I lost all ability to form a coherent sentence. And he hadn’t noticed I was there yet.
He had his back to me, standing by the glass display cabinet where I kept my collection of precious stones. Every few seconds he leaned forward slightly, looking closer at one stone or another, perhaps trying to figure out what they were. It took a rare and knowledgeable person to be able to identify the uncut gems. Only I knew their origins, having collected them throughout the years.
His hand fluttered over the dark blue of the lapis lazuli, almost grazing the rough surface. Then he pulled back, as though he thought he shouldn’t be touching it.
Clearing my throat, I forced myself to speak. “Mr. Synclair, to what do I owe this pleasure?”
He straightened up, his shoulders tensing as he turned around and repositioned himself. “Miss Cardea, please, call me Ray. I’m sorry for intruding, but you left early last night . . .” He paused, struggling for words.
“I’m sorry about that. I felt unwell. I’m fine now.” It was a lie. Fortunately, I had years of practice.
“Are you sure? You know we still have some excellent doctors at the hospital.” His playful smile was infectious, and I found myself smiling brightly at him.
“I’m quite fine. There were just a few too many people, that was all.” Even as the lie left my lips, guilt washed over me, which was a first.
“Would you come for a walk, Miss Cardea?” he offered, a faint blush creeping up his cheeks as he spoke.
“Serenity. I’d much prefer for you to call me Serenity.”
I should have refused his invitation. I should have waited for William’s reply, but I couldn’t. I felt it again, that burning desire to stand with him like this forever. How could I possibly deny him? He looked so unsure of himself as he spoke. There was no way I could watch the uncertainty in his unusual eyes grow into something more when I had the power to stop it.
“We can take a walk through the gardens, if you wish.”
I kept a reasonable distance between us while we walked. It was a pleasant and clear day, and with the warmth of late summer in the air, we didn’t need to bother with coats. The nights were starting to turn chilly again, with the season starting to wind down, but there was one thing I still took pleasure in: the full blooms of my exotic flowers. The gardens of the few houses I had dotted around various countries were considerably larger than this one, but it suited my needs.
“How are you liking the city?” Ray asked, after a few minutes of comfortable silence.
“It’s not the same as it used to be,” I blurted out.
It had been years since I was last in London, though that information wasn’t commonly known. I cursed myself for not thinking before speaking.
“You’ve been here before?” His tone was curious, but I felt as if he’d read more into my words than he was letting on.
“Many years ago,” I admitted. It wasn’t an easy task to avoid looking at him, not when I was drawn to him so.
“I don’t think it’s changed that much, but I didn’t get out a lot when I was younger,” he said quietly.
“But you have lived here your whole life. The differences would be less noticeable to you.”
“I suppose that’s true,” he conceded.
Neither of us spoke again as we toured the small gardens. Ray never enquired about the more unusual plants I’d planted nor did he try to close the gap between us . . . though he wanted to. Whenever I looked down, his hand was twitching, as though he was contemplating reaching for mine but hadn’t quite summoned the courage. What scared me was if he had, I wouldn’t have stopped him.
“May I . . . ?” I paused, nodding towards the cane he was leaning on.
We’d come to a stop by the back door, but I wasn’t ready to go inside yet. There were so many things I wanted to know about him, and for a moment, I was going to indulge myself.
“You don’t have to answer,” I added when he didn’t say anything.
“I don’t remember a lot of it. Any, really. Flashes now and then of what happened in the years after,” he began, staring intently at his hand, a small scowl on his face. “It happened during the Great War. I was very small at the time, and my mother didn’t get to me in time. No one was expecting the first wave of bombs, and our house was caught in it. The only reason the doctors saved my leg was because they thought it would strengthen as I grew.”
“Did it?” I asked gently when he stopped.
“Yes,” he said, glancing up. “I couldn’t walk at all when I was a child. It’s why I spent so much time surrounded by books. They were my best friends, and I still love them. Before this mess started, I was training to be a history teacher.” He was smiling brightly again, and it was clear he was set on that path for life.
“Why are you really here, Ray?”
He winced. “The truth?”
“That would be a good place to start.”
“I honestly don’t know. I have no idea why I was so excited to dance with you. I don’t know why I had to come by today to make sure you were well. There were so many stories about you from the other teachers, and something in me told me that I absolutely had to meet you. That somehow I had to get to know you. You must think me mad.” He didn’t meet my eyes when he spoke, opting for staring at the ground instead.
“Thank you,” I whispered, causing him to look up.
“For what?”
“For checking on me today, for wanting to dance with me, and for telling me. I’ve enjoyed your company.” I stopped myself right there. It would be so very wrong of me to continue.
“As I have enjoyed yours. More than I should admit.”
“Join me for dinner.” It was supposed to be a question, but it came out more like an order.
The day had shown me beyond any doubt that I couldn’t wait for William’s reply before seeing him again. I doubted Ray would keep away for a whole week, especially when I’d already offered dinner. As much as I wanted to fight what I felt, as much as it terrified me, I needed to keep him where I could protect him.
For now.
“I’d love to.” His smile was so wide that I grinned back.
The twitching of his hand told me just how nervous he’d been about admitting the depth of his infatuation.
I wanted to tell him everything, and it took a great effort to keep from doing so. He would surely run if I were to blurt out my deepest secrets without any warning. Or he would be off to the asylum before I could stop him. Neither were reactions I wanted. And again, I was getting ahead of myself. There might not be a need to tell him everything.
Hope was a wonderful thing, even if it seemed increasingly unfounded.
After extending the dinner invitation for two nights’ time, I watched as he walked down the road, presumably to his home. There was a bounce in his uneven step, and I could almost see the grin he was surely wearing. When he glanced back at the corner and saw me, the smile I’d envisioned was shining brightly as he raised his hand slightly before walking on.
I would need to find out where he lived, and soon. I wouldn’t go there unless I was invited, but I wanted to check the area surrounding his home, in case there were any threats that needed dealing with. Just as I would watch the people close to him for any signs of anyone more than human.
“And you said you would never find him,” Helen accused, closing the door.
“I don’t know that,” I said, hoping to avoid the subject.
“You invited him to dinner?”
“Yes, two nights’ time. Will you join us?” It would be more comfortable if there were more than just the two of us.
“Yes, but you’re avoiding the point, Serenity.”
“I know.”
“You know what William’s reply will say. Why are you trying to fight it?”
“Because this is no life for him. This is no life for anyone human. And I’m scared.” My reply was but a whisper at the end.
“What in heaven’s name for?”
I hung my head as I answered her. “He’ll run away.”
“Serenity Cardea! Don’t be so foolish. Ray has a good heart, and he will be as accepting of who you are, as of what you have to do to keep him safe. I know that look in his eyes, Sere. He may not know what he feels just yet, but he does feel something. Nothing is going to be able to change that.” It was rare that Helen became this confrontational, but when she did, she was serious. “As for this being no life for a human, what is it you think we are?”
“Keepers.”
“Un-matured Keepers. Essentially human. We’re vulnerable. We don’t have the kind of senses or immortality that you do. And I do quite well for myself in this world, thank you very much!” Her indignant tone was on the verge of dissolving into laughter.
She did more than “quite well” for herself. I’d lost count of the times she’d patched me up and ordered me about over the years. Jayne would end up the same, with a tough streak a mile long, three miles high, and the world wide.
“Don’t fight this and tell him.”
She was right, of course. It was the same advice I’d given William when he came to me about Alison. He’d been so frightened about telling her. Scared she would run off or think him insane. For hours he’d paced around our sitting room, all the while pouring out his deepest fears. It used to be such a beautiful time when we found our partners, but after our numbers started to dwindle, it became a fear. Finding our partner meant our lives were over. As the only two left, it was hard to know our days were numbered.
If Ray were the one for me, how could I possibly tell him that our lives were linked so absolutely? How could I tell him that he would be hunted because of our connection?
I would tell him, but not yet. I’d wait for William’s reply, and cling to that last shred of hope that I was wrong. Not for my own sake, but for Ray’s. Knowing his life would become a deadly game of cat and mouse would be hard enough to understand. Accepting the existence of mythical creatures like the professor was enough to scare anyone off.
And though no one had ever run before, there was always a first time.
I sat by the window almost every day after that first week, eagerly awaiting Sam’s return. It had also seen me by Ray’s side more often. I wasn’t putting up much resistance where he was concerned. There was still a small part of me that was attempting to fight the connection and praying I didn’t have to force him into the world of myths and legends. However, the more time I spent with him, the more I realised Helen had been absolutely correct; I did know the answer William would send.
The dinner we’d shared together, two nights after our walk in the garden, had resulted in some interesting conversation, and an amusing introduction to Jayne.
“Hi, Uncle Ray.” She’d practically attacked him when they first met, throwing herself at him and wrapping her tiny arms as high around his waist as possible.
“Erm, hello,” he answered, awkwardly patting her head.
“I’m Jayne.”
I’d stood back, watching the whole exchange with an amused smile on my face. She hadn’t even let me say my own greetings. Instead, she’d taken a firm hold of his hand and almost dragged him into the dining room, chattering all the way. It was all Ray could do to keep up with her. After those first few seconds of unexpected contact, he was completely comfortable with her, quite content with letting her talk his ear off until dinner was served.
“Jayne, it’s time for bed,” Helen said, not long after dinner was finished.
“Good night, Uncle Ray. Good night, Aunt Sere,” she sang, giving us each a peck on the cheek.
“Good night, Jayne,” we both answered, though Ray had a slightly confused look on his face.
“Thank you,” I mouthed to Helen as she went to tuck in her daughter.
Turning my attention to Ray, I apologised for the exuberant nature of Jayne. “I’m sorry about that. She tends to get overly excited when she meets new people.”
“She is absolutely adorable. I thought she was your sister?”
Ah, there was a question I didn’t want to answer. Jayne had told him many things about the short life she remembered with me. Everything from the secret passages I had shown her in our old house to the frequent “trips” I took. Fortunately, a quick look had silenced her. She hadn’t mentioned anything about our relationship. Mainly because she was not yet old enough to understand the complexities. She knew I was her aunt and Helen was her mother. Outside of that, she didn’t comprehend the need to differentiate between who I was and who I was supposed to be.
“In a way. She’s Helen’s daughter, and I’ve known her since she was born. They’re family.” There was no need to add that I had also known Helen since her birth.
“You’re very lucky.”
“Yes. I don’t know what would have happened without them.” That was a lie. I knew exactly where I’d be if William hadn’t suggested taking Lona’s daughters in all those years ago. Only one of my sister’s children took me up on my offer, and I’d never looked back. “Tell me about your family.”
“You met my mother at the auction. Her name is Liza, and she is the most wonderful woman. It’s a good thing she likes having me around the house. I can barely cook anything beyond burnt toast, so I’m fortunate she enjoys cooking for me. In all honesty, she’s been there for me more than I could’ve hoped. I can’t imagine someone more kind and loving.” The picture he painted of his mother was done with absolute reverence. It was clear he loved her very much. “Of course, it’s been just the two of us since my father died.”
“Do you miss him?” I asked, gently laying my hand on his arm.
“I don’t remember him. He died in the first year of the last war. He’d been in the army before the war, and from what
my mother has told me, it was what he loved to do. All I have is the book he left for me before he went away to war,” he said, smiling. His eyes had a faraway look about them, as if he were trying to find even the briefest memories of his father. “Do you remember your parents?”
I took a deep breath, fully prepared to lie, to relay the same falsities everyone was told: my mother died in childbirth and my father soon after. But I didn’t. I should have, but something stopped me.
“Yes. They were wonderful people. I do miss them, but they led a good life, and I know they’re happy. Helen has been in my life for so long now that she is my family.”
If he was aware of the lie that had already been told countless times in the city, he didn’t say anything. For that I was grateful. The reasons behind my falsehoods were simple: people asked fewer questions when they thought you never knew your parents.
“I’m sure they would be very proud of you.” His response surprised me. There was plenty for them to be proud of, but nothing Ray knew about. “You have made such a difference in the time you have been here.”
It all became clear then. He was referring to the donations I’d made to aid the evacuated children. It was a meagre amount in the grand scheme of my life, but enough to ensure that Jayne and Helen were where I could protect them and that Sam was overlooked when it came to the war.
“I was brought up to help those I can.” How true that was. “It’s something I do wherever I am.” It felt good to tell Ray the truth. Seeing the sparkle in his eyes when I revealed even the smallest piece of information was exhilarating.
It was one of the numerous things we discussed that night at dinner, and many an occasion afterwards. Our conversations gave me the distinct feeling he knew something was off.
“Tell me more about the places you’ve lived,” Ray said eagerly.
Jayne had been talking to him again, telling stories of the places I’d seen. But I couldn’t tell him that yet. How could I explain the wonderful and amazing cities I’d lived in, when most of them were nothing more than rubble now? Rome, one of those many places, still stood, but it was desolate compared to its original glory. How could I describe America at a time when its existence was unknown and India back when the humans thought the world was flat? He must have noticed the change in my expression as I contemplated what to say.
The Last Keeper Page 3