Cocktales

by The Cocky Collective

  I fall back onto my heels, my hand dropping to my side. This isn’t the woman I’ve known for three years. The woman I’ve worked side by side with day in and day out. The woman I’ve shared meals and books with. The woman who helps me pick outfits for dates and who understands my obscure literary references.

  "Molly, it’s me. Ember. I’m here to help."

  She reaches through the bars and grabs my hair, pulling me toward her, my head thumping against the metal as I yelp from the pain.

  Sebastian growls and lunges for me. Sly just flicks his wrist and Molly howls in pain and lurches away, releasing me in the process.

  Sebastian pulls me away from the cell and holds me while I try to compose myself. "Are you injured?"

  I shake my head. "No, just . . . confused. What’s wrong with her?"

  Molly crawls forward again, her body still shuddering from whatever Sly’s magicks did to her. "What’s wrong with me? The same thing that’s wrong with you. We are pathetic. Two nearly middle-aged women with no romantic prospects. We’re librarians for crying out loud. Maybe you’re content with that boring life of drudgery and mediocre pay, but I wanted more. And then . . . I met a man. But he wasn’t just a man; he was a god. He promised to make me his goddess. We would rule mankind together for eternity, and I would bathe in blood and diamonds. That was what he promised me, and all I had to was one thing."

  My stomach sinks as a flash of memory whiplashes through my mind. I squeeze my eyes shut as the past overtakes the present and I am back at my house.

  I have wine and cheese set out, and I’m in a comfortable cardigan and loafers when she shows up dressed to the nines and not carrying the book we were meant to discuss that night. "What’s all this?" I ask.

  She hands me a bag with a slinky silver dress in it. "Put this on. We’re going out. No more librarian brain tonight. We’re going to drink and get laid."

  "Um . . ." I try to think of a protest, but she pushes into my house and leads me by the hand to my bedroom. Within twenty minutes, I have been transformed from mousy bookworm to a woman on a mission. My hair is fashioned in a tasteful updo that highlights my cheekbones, and the dress hugs my figure in a way that makes it difficult to walk without flashing too much of . . . everything.

  But Molly is a hard person to say no to, and her enthusiasm carries me out, into the sparkling night of the Las Vegas strip. We bar hop for the first hour before landing at a place I’ve never been. She insists we give it a try, saying we need to expand our horizons.

  I reluctantly agree. Though, I definitely feel a sense of foreboding.

  I know I should suggest a different bar, but I have Molly’s voice in my ear, urging me forward.

  This particular bar, in defiance of local laws, allows smoking indoors. A point I make to Molly in favor of finding somewhere more suitable for a night of well-considered debauchery. But again, she insists this is the place where our dreams would come true.

  We aren’t there more than five minutes when two gentlemen approach us and offer to buy us drinks. Molly, already cozying up to one of the men, agrees for both of us. I don’t trust these men—well, I generally do not trust strangers at bars, period. But I assume she knows them, so I have no hesitation in drinking the fruity cocktail the one who isn’t hanging on her gets me from the bar.

  That’s when things get muddy.

  I remember the world spinning.

  My stomach quivering.

  Being led outside for "fresh air."

  Molly laughing and twirling around like a fairy child.

  More men arrive, and all of them look ominous. Their faces shift and morph in my drug-addled mind.

  And then pain.

  So much pain . . .

  I scream in my memory, and Sebastian clutches me against his chest as my screams carry to the present.

  I open my eyes and stare at the woman caged before me.

  "What did you do?" My voice is hoarse, my heart broken.

  "I traded you for immortality. But like the selfish bitch you are, you didn’t fulfill your end of the bargain. And now he’s dead. My love. My life. He’s dead because of you."

  Sebastian moves to face her. "He’s dead because of me. Ember had nothing to do with that since your boyfriend and his pals drained her of blood. And he would have done the same to you if a hunter hadn’t captured you first and dragged your sorry ass here. Be grateful you get to live at all. That vampire you hooked up with is a serial killer with a particular taste for women."

  Her face pales, and she bares her teeth at him like an animal. "I was different. He loved me. We were going to rule the world forever."

  "Do you know where his brother is?" Sebastian asks.

  She answers by spitting in his face.

  Sly cringes at the display and hands him a handkerchief, which he uses to clean up the saliva. He then stands and helps me to my feet. "We aren’t going to get any more from her." Sebastian gives Sly a look and then the three of us leave the dungeon as cries of despair follow us out.

  When we reach Sly’s library, I sink into the couch and pull my legs to my chest. I feel weak. Tired. And so very sad.

  "Allow me to give you both some privacy while I check on other matters of concern. I’ll see what the hunters have dug up about the remaining Rendali brother and what his plans might be, and I’ll have a room prepared for the two of you. You might be here a while."

  Sly leaves, and I stand and pace the room, thinking. "Are there phones here? I need to call work and let them know I’ll be taking an unexpected vacation."

  "No phones. Tech isn’t very reliable in The Black Lotus, and you can’t leave. It’s the only place you’re safe with Steven Rendali gunning for you."

  I nod. "Fair enough. I’ll figure out a way to explain my absence upon my return. Perhaps some forged medical documents showing I was in a temporary coma?"

  Sebastian raises an eyebrow and smirks. "I expected there to be more tears and less planning."

  "My tears will come. Right now, the rage I feel is turning them to fire." I stop and face him, feeling utterly vulnerable and alone. "I trusted her, and I don’t trust easily. How could she do this to me?"

  He comes to stand close to me, his hands reaching for mine. "There are no limits to what people will do for the chance to live forever. And the Rendali brothers are very cunning."

  I square my jaw at him and frown. "I would never succumb to such an immoral plan."

  A grin plays at his lips. "I have no doubt you would always make the right choice, Ember."

  Another wave of memory washes over me, and I stumble into his arms as the past crashes into my brain.

  Teeth sinking into my neck. So many men feeding on me at once, draining me.

  Pain. Anger. Fear.

  I feel violated.

  And I hear her. Molly. Laughing. Flirting.

  Then I see her, licking one of the open wounds on my body, tasting my blood, rubbing it on her face.

  Then it all goes blank, and when next my eyes open, they look upon the face of a dark angel. Sebastian, with his ocean eyes and black hair flopping in his face.

  I blink, the past version of him fading to reveal the real man . . . vampire.

  "You’re regaining your memory?"

  "Some," I say. "It was . . . horrible. She’s a monster."

  My eyes prickle with tears, and my throat clogs with emotion. "The pain. I can’t describe the pain."

  "You’re shaking. You need more of my blood to help complete the transformation." He holds his wrist to his own mouth and bites. Blood pools on his pale skin as he holds it to my mouth.

  We are inches apart. His blood drips onto the floor as he waits for me to feed. The scent of blood, of his blood, overwhelms everything. My teeth elongate, and I sink into his wrist and drink.

  His other arm wraps around me, holding me against him as I feed on him. I feel what he feels, sense what he senses. There is affection. Worry. Fear, which he is not used to feeling.

  When I am done,
I release him and step back. My emotions bubble to the surface unrestrained. I crave him like I’ve never craved anything or anyone. I need him. Want him.

  Yet, I haven’t forgotten what he and Sly said about our marriage, and I step back and pull the huge ring off my finger, holding it out to him as I steel my heart against the desire and—dare I say it? Love—that is growing there.

  He frowns. "What’s this?"

  "I know you only married me to avoid whatever punitive punishment this council might effect. I release you from that vow. Thank you for saving my life. You owe me nothing further."

  I can’t read his face as he stares at the ring, but I just need him to take it. I will never be able to move on from him, but I must try. I certainly won’t hold him to a vow he made to save me, just because my ridiculous emotions are making a hormonal teenager of me.

  "Ember, this isn’t—"

  A blaring sound fills the room, and Sly appears behind us as if from air. "We have something of a situation," he says.

  "What’s happened?" Sebastian asks, turning away from me. I slip the ring back on for the moment and face Sly.

  "Molly is dead."

  It’s a gruesome sight, what’s left of Molly Lambert. Her hair is torn out by the roots and left in clumps around her cell. Her eyes have been plucked out and left to rot by the pissing pot. Her skin has been scratched and bitten until there’s almost nothing left identifying her as human. But none of that killed her. No, it’s her torn out throat that did the deed.

  I squat over her remains as something niggles my brain. I’ve read enough cozy mysteries to dissect a crime scene in my sleep. I point to her hands. "She did this to herself," I say in a low voice.

  Sly leans over to look at what I’m pointing to.

  "Notice her nails? She tore out her hair, plucked out her eyes and scratched up her skin. Even pulled out her throat."

  "That would make more sense than someone else being able to kill her here," Sly says. "I would know if anyone attempted to harm someone under my care."

  "Why would she do this?" Sebastian asks.

  Sly shrugs. "Madness inspires mad acts. But worry not, you’re safe here."

  Except I’m not just worried about my safety anymore. "Maybe Molly was always insane, and I’m just now seeing it, but I can’t help but blame these brothers. How many women have they killed?" I ask as my mind inadvertently flashes to that night.

  To the teeth.

  The bites.

  The pain.

  "They’ve been around a while," Sebastian says. "So . . . a lot. In the thousands, likely. Or more."

  My stomach drops. Thousands? Or more? They aren’t serial killers. They are mass murders. They are insane. "The women on the news recently? The ones missing?"

  "Not missing, I’m afraid," says Sly. "We’ve had our Council of Hunters searching for them, but this is the first lead we’ve had. They’re good at covering their tracks."

  "And he wants me dead because he blames me for his brother dying?" I ask.

  Sebastian nods. "That’s my fault. He should be coming after me, not you."

  Sly smirks. "Rest assured, dear boy, he’s coming for you too. She’s just easier prey."

  An idea that’s been knocking around in my brain finally lands. "Then let him find me."

  Sebastian frowns. Sly looks intrigued.

  "Use me as bait. If he wants me so badly, then use that to catch him."

  "No way," Sebastian says. "Not going to happen. He’s unpredictable. Capable of anything."

  "Exactly. He’s unpredictable and likely to make mistakes. If you’ve been looking for him as long as you say you have, this should be a no-brainer. Surely with all the hunters you talk about, you could keep me safe."

  Sly’s eyes shift to Sebastian, and the vampire frowns. "No. The hunters are fallible. People in their care get hurt. People who trust them. I won’t let you die for this."

  And then it all clicks into place. "You were one, weren’t you? A hunter?"

  Sebastian nods.

  "And someone under your care was hurt? Died?"

  He looks away.

  I reach for his hand. "I’m not them. And I get to make my own decisions. You said so yourself. I always have a choice. And this is what I’m choosing. You have to trust me."

  We lock eyes, and I can see he’s still going to fight me on this, so I push harder.

  "I’ll do it without you if I have to." It’s a hard thing for me to say, but it’s still true. And part of me hopes he’ll walk away and let me risk this alone. So he’s safe. So my heart can break free of his. The more time we spend together, the deeper I fall into something that won't ever be, and the weight of that knowledge is threatening to break me.

  "Stubborn woman," he mutters.

  I just smile. "Does that mean you’re in?"

  "It means I’m not letting you do this alone."

  Sly claps his hands together and grins. "Excellent. I do love a good bait and trap. Let us head to the drawing room to prepare, shall we?"

  I’m anxious to leave the corpse of my best friend and breathe some fresh air, so I follow quickly and I don’t look back. There’s a part of my heart that’s mourning for the person I thought she was. For the memories we shared. The time we had together. The friendship I will miss. But then I remember the things she said and did. I remember her smearing my blood on her body and laughing as I died, and bile rises in my throat.

  It’s a strange thing to finally see the truth of someone and to then have every memory re-colored by this new reality. It’s disjointing. But I don’t have time to play with the past. First, I must stop a killer.

  The plan we settle on is pretty straightforward. Sebastian will take me home and I will wait for Steven to come and try to kill me. Hunters will be stationed around my house and ready to pounce once he arrives, and we will all live happily ever after. Well, except Steven.

  Sebastian looks perpetually worried.

  I’m actually pretty okay with this plan. At least right now. I’m sure the crazy of it all will settle in eventually. I had toyed with the idea of going back to work, following my normal routine, etc., but I don’t want to put my colleagues at risk. Presumably, they aren’t all psychopaths bent on mayhem and murder. I’m pretty sure only Molly holds that distinction.

  Since Sebastian hasn’t been to my house, he can’t use a mirror, but apparently, I can now that I no longer have a reflection.

  "You’re officially a vampire," he says. "How do you feel?"

  I shrug. "Stronger. More attuned to my senses. But still mostly like me, just a powered-up version of my former self. I don’t dislike it."

  He nods. "There are some things you’ll have to get used to."

  "Right. Like finding blood sources. Can I use animals?" I’m not a vegetarian, so what’s the harm in drinking my dinner rather than grilling it?

  "You can, but you won’t like it much. There are clubs that humans attend in order to offer themselves as blood donors. We can find one for you if you’re interested. Especially in Vegas. There are a lot of vampires living there."

  "Really? How interesting. And the sun? I assume that’s a no-no?" It’s an odd time to be asking questions, but I expect that he and I will part ways when this is over, so I need to learn all I can now.

  "On this world, yes, the sun is harmful to you and can kill you with too much exposure. There is a world you can go to that would allow you to live in the sun, if you are ever interested. I think you’d like it."

  That peaks my curiosity. "I think I would like to at least visit and see. I have nothing much holding me here other than my job. Does this world have books?" This is a serious question, obviously.

  He chuckles. "Yes, and they are full of fantastical stories and ancient knowledge that would take you lifetimes to read."

  My heart flutters at the thought. "Then it’s a good thing I now have lifetimes!"

  His smile is full of warmth as he takes my hand and instructs me to imagine the mirror I want to
transport to. I think of the mirror in my bathroom at home and touch the shimmering glass.

  Just like before, we are wrapped in magic and darkness and sucked through a portal that shakes up my insides and sends me spiraling into the cosmos before depositing us on my bathroom floor.

  As I pull myself to a standing position, I notice my floor needs a proper mopping and my shower drain has bits of hair trapped. Everything here looks so mundane after where I’ve been.

  And seeing Sebastian, this tall, gorgeous, vampire god standing in my bathroom is utterly absurd.

  "I’ll need to check all your exits and entrances," he says. "We don’t want him getting in without us knowing."

  I nod and show him around. It’s a small place. One bedroom, one bathroom, a cozy living room, and open kitchen with a two-person dining table. It’s usually only me, and sometimes Molly or the occasional short-term boyfriend I might bring home for dinner and a movie. Netflix and chill, I think the kids call it.

  There are a few windows, a backdoor and a front door. He locks everything and comes to stand in my living room, looking entirely out of place.

  "Now what?" I ask. "Do you leave so I look like I’m alone?"

  He shuffles on his feet. "That’s the plan. But I don’t like it."

  "I know. But this isn’t going to end the way it did last time for you. Trust me. I got this." I don’t really have this, but it seems to be something he needs to hear. And I’ll definitely give it the old college try, as they say. I feel reasonably optimistic of my odds of survival. That’s something. "I’m getting stronger and stronger." I flex my arm like that would prove anything.

  He reluctantly grins at that. "Very well. I’ll take my leave. But . . . well, when this is over, we need to talk."

  I nod, afraid that if I speak, the raw emotions in my voice will betray me. I know what he needs to talk about, and I won’t make it harder for him. But, in my heart, I worry that saying goodbye to Sebastian Kingston might be harder to survive than being eaten alive by evil vampires.

  The house feels intolerably lonely once Sebastian leaves. In the quiet of the night, as I wait for a psychopathic vampire to try to kill me, I consider my life choices that have led me to this moment. If you’d asked me a few days ago if I regretted anything in my life, I would have said no. I’ve done all the things I set out to do by this point. I got my degrees. Traveled widely. Landed my dream job. What more could I ask for? But, as I look around, I realize I have kept everyone at a distance. And the only person I let close was a murderer. What does that say about me?