The Sanctuary 2: The Vampire's Passion

by Athena Blackrose

  ADDY

  Since Leo went back to work, I figured I should, too.

  Monday rolled around and we went our separate ways after spending a few more days together. I watched him roll off in his truck and felt more confident than I had in days. We’d gone out together several times, for groceries a few times, and I introduced him to my rancher at the farmer’s market. We’d been surrounded by plenty of humans and he’d barely flinched.

  We’d talked through what he should do if he felt he couldn’t resist an urge and he promised to call me right away if it happened.

  The fact that he was insisting he could now read people’s minds was fascinating to me. I wasn’t sure what that meant, but I was curious to explore it. He didn’t seem to enjoy it or find it as fascinating as I did, though. Luckily, he’d indulged me the few times we’d gone out.

  “What was she thinking?” I’d asked him after a waitress at the corner cafe walked away after taking our coffee order.

  “She was trying to remember if she packed her kid’s lunch in her backpack this morning,” he said.

  “Hmm,” I nodded. “I’ve talked to her a few times before. Her daughter’s name is Hannah.”

  “I know,” he said, laughing. “And apparently, Hannah absolutely hates tuna.”

  And after introducing him to Seth, my rancher at the market, Leo puffed up a little as we walked away.

  “What was he thinking?” I said. “I take it you didn’t like it?”

  “You could say that,” he said, warily.

  “Tell me!” I said.

  “He was lamenting about how much meat you’ve ordered from him over the years. He thought that was the only meat you were getting, until he saw me.”

  “What?”

  “Apparently, he thought you were a lesbian,” he said. “Have you turned him down for a date before? I guess he figured if you didn’t want him, you must not want any man. He wasn’t too pleased at my presence.”

  “Oh, my god!” I said, looking at him in awe. “You really can read minds!”

  “You think I’ve been lying?” he asked, holding up his hands.

  “No, of course not,” I said. “But if I ever had any doubt, that blew it away. I’ve been bowing out of his advances for years. I put up with them because he has the best cuts I’ve found in the city.”

  “Well, I think he’s a prick, so maybe we should find somewhere else to shop?”

  “Fair enough,” I’d laughed. “I did hear about this new place that opened up.”

  I was still laughing about that this morning. After Leo left for the station, I headed to work myself, thinking about how different everything was now.

  And yet, here I was, driving the same car to the same job, still in the same flesh and using the same identity. But I felt like my life had been altered in a momentous way.

  Leo’s love, his presence, gave so much meaning and color to my life. I’d never expected, that day Bessie mowed me down in the park, that I would be here now, that we would be here, together. And after I learned Dane took him away, after feeling the terror and worry that wrecked me to my very core when I thought I’d lost Leo, this ending was the last thing I expected.

  Whether we were blessed or lucky, I was beyond grateful.

  When I imagined how I’d have felt today if things hadn’t turned out this way, it made me shudder. Maybe that’s why I felt anxious as I parked my car in the hospital’s garage. I kept imagining my life without Leo, and after falling so hard for him, it was a misery that cut through me deeply.

  I walked through the automatic doors and headed down the long hallways that led to my office. I wasn’t scheduled for any surgeries until tomorrow and I wanted to just take this time to reintegrate myself and feel things out. I’d left in a hurry and I was hoping there weren’t any repercussions because of that.

  Laura walked in my office shortly after I sat down at my desk. I was going through messages, and I lifted my head, smiling up at her.

  “Hey, there,” she said, “welcome back.”

  “Thanks,” I replied. “It’s good to be back.”

  “Did you go to the sanctuary, Addy? You left in a hurry, Sandy told me.”

  “Yes, I did,” I shrugged. “Needed to get away, I guess.”

  “Well, do you know what happened with Leo? Your missing patient?”

  “Oh, him?” I asked, feigning innocence. I felt bad lying. In fact, I wanted to confess everything to Laura, but it was too risky. She could turn me into the Council for turning Leo and for killing Dane, not to mention Stefan. I couldn’t tell anyone the truth, no matter how badly I needed a friend. “I think he was found, or he showed back up, rather. Went off on some retreat. Just decided to go, I heard,” I shrugged.

  “So he didn’t leave with Dr. Benjamin?” She asked.

  “I don’t think so,” I said. “Speaking of Dr. Benjamin, has anyone heard from him?”

  “No, I don’t think he’s due back till next week. I’m not sure,” she shrugged. “Anyway, I’m glad you had a good time. Did Sandy get you an updated schedule?”

  “She sure did, thank you, Laura,” I said. “I’m looking forward to getting back into the operating room.”

  “Let me know if you need anything, Addy,” she said, walking out.

  I sighed with relief, going back to my messages. I knew I’d have to answer a lot of questions when I returned but it still wasn’t easy to lie. As a vampire, you get used to lying to humans, but it’s never easy to lie to another vampire.

  I spent the day returning calls and catching up on emails, going over files and looking in on my patients. Some were waiting for surgery tomorrow and some were still in the hospital recovering, where technically Leo should be.

  By the time the end of the day rolled around, I felt back in the swing of things. I left Sandy in my office organizing files and actually left on time, something I rarely did before I had anyone to go home to.

  Today, I couldn’t wait to get back to Leo.

  We hadn’t talked about moving in together or had any discussions about which house we would live in, but instead, we’d just fallen into spending every night together. I knew eventually we’d have to discuss it, but for now, just knowing I’d spend the night in his arms was enough.

  Portland’s horrendous traffic proved to be heavy as ever and I crawled home at a snail’s pace. I’d told Leo that I would meet him at my place at six and it was half past that now. I picked up my phone and dialed his number.

  One, two, three, four rings later and he still hadn’t answered.

  I put the phone down with a shrug. It’s possible he was still at work, so I wasn’t worried. I turned up the radio and sang my way home, finally arriving twenty minutes later.

  As I parked the car, I saw Leo’s truck in the driveway and my heart soared with joy. I couldn’t wait to see him, my body buzzing with excitement.

  “So this is how it feels,” I whispered to myself as I walked in, my smile a mile wide on my face.

  Quackers and Bessie attacked me as soon as I walked in the door and I stopped a moment to pet them, their tails wagging a mile a minute.

  “Babe?” I called, as I continued walking in.

  “In the kitchen,” Leo called out.

  “Are you eating again?” I said, walking down the long, narrow hallway that led to my kitchen. “It’s a good thing we both have good jobs, so we can afford our butcher bill.”

  I rounded the corner, my stupid, happy smile still plastered to my face.

  I gasped at the sight, my body frozen in its tracks.

  The white hat perched precariously on Apollo’s head, his flawless white suit so blindingly white it was as if the moon had fallen into my kitchen. His smile was kind, sincere, also blindingly white. Leo stood next to him, still and unsmiling.

  “Adriana,” he nodded, tipping his hat with one hand. “It is so wonderful to see you!”

  “What’s going on?” I asked, my eyes searching Leo’s. He put a hand up, as if to tell me to
be still. Apollo’s eyes were sparkling blue, the kind of blue you find in a pristine lagoon. His dark hair hung to his shoulders, curling at the ends.

  “Oh, surely you know who I am.”

  “Of course I know who you are, Mr. Youngblood,” I said.

  “Of course you do. And please, call me Apollo, won’t you dear? It’s just that you left the sanctuary in such a hurry we didn’t get to reconnect. I thought maybe you’d forgotten to say hello.”

  “You came all this way for a hello?” I asked, my head spinning, my heart thundering in my chest.

  “Oh, you’re smarter than that,” he said.

  “Why don’t you come into the living room where we can talk?” I asked.

  “That would be delightful,” he said. “Make sure you bring along your little baby vampire. We were just getting to know each other. Leo, you’ll join us, won’t you?”

  My heart sank at his words. They knew. The Council must have discovered I’d turned Leo. I was just confused as to why they sent Apollo. I’d never seen him away from the sanctuary.

  Still, thundering heart and all, I led us into the living room, taking a seat on the couch. Apollo sat on the chair across from me, looking like something out of a painting in my small living room. He was large and looming, his presence overwhelming and intimidating.

  “So what brings you here, Apollo? I’m surprised to see you away from the sanctuary.”

  “Oh, yes,” he said, speaking slowly, the vowels seeming to languish on his tongue before turning into words. “Contrary to popular opinion, I do take time off occasionally.”

  “Well, we all need vacations,” I said, trying to muster a smile.

  “Indeed,” he said. “And did you enjoy your recent stay at the sanctuary?”

  I paused, unsure how to reply, finally resorting to a simple, but noncommittal, “Yes”.

  When his laugh bellowed through the house, I felt even more confused.

  “Oh, darling, let’s cut the bullshit, shall we?” he asked. I glanced over at Leo and he appeared just as confused as I was.

  “I know what happened, Addy,” Apollo continued. “I won’t play games with you. I play games for a living, why should I do that now? We’re all vampires here, albeit, some of us younger than others.” He glanced over at Leo, smiling admiringly. “I must say, you chose a very handsome man to turn, Addy. Good job!”

  “Thank you?..”

  He laughed and continued.

  “I always say the ugly vampires are the worst. I mean, they are far and few between, thank the gods. Anyway, I must say, you’re very clever, Addy. Although, I do wish you’d not killed poor Stefan, he was such a darling boy, but I understand he got in your way. You did what you had to do. Just like you did with your little boy-toy here that you were trying to save, right?” He smiled again, lifting his chin, as if knowing my secrets made him proud. “And putting the blame on Dane Benjamin?” He nodded, his eyes wide. “I must say I’m impressed. Very clever.”

  “Apollo, what is going on? Did the Council send you here? Take me, but please leave Leo alone. None of this was his fault.”

  “The Council? Oh, heavens no. I haven’t told them,” he said. I sighed with relief, my shoulders relaxing slightly. “Not yet anyway.”

  Shit, I wondered. Is he here to blackmail me?

  Leo reached over and grabbed my hand. Apollo smirked, and then a soft gentle smile spread across his face.

  “Ah, true love,” he whispered, his voice a low, haunting chant, “I used to be so cynical, didn’t believe in love at all. But look at you two! You clearly love each other, yes?”

  “Yes, we love each other very much,” Leo replied.

  “Isn’t it wonderful? That feeling when you’re away from each other and you can’t wait to get back to each other’s arms? Staying awake and making love all night, whispering under the covers. It’s absolutely delightful, don’t you think?”

  “Sure,” I replied. “Apollo, please, I don’t understand why you’re here —.”

  “Oh, but you do! I'm here for the very same reason you’re here, Adriana. Love!”

  “Love?”

  “Yes, love!” He cried, his eyes lighting up.

  “I still don’t understand.”

  “I’ve fallen in love, Addy! That’s why I’m here!”

  “Excuse me?”

  “Oh, you are so impatient, aren’t you? Sit back for a few minutes and let me tell you a story. You’ll understand why I’m here before long. I promise, I’m only here for love, darling.”

  THIRTY-FOUR

  APOLLO

  “My name has always been Apollo Youngblood. I was young, barely twenty-two, when I was gifted with the darkness. That’s what we called it back then, because we didn’t dare step out during the day. Not because of the sun, as you well know, but because we looked so differently from humans — we ate differently, we moved differently, we talked differently — not to mention we tended to kill the humans when we were around them,” I laughed.

  “There wasn’t a lot of self-restraint practiced back then. We kept to ourselves, wandering the streets and countryside in the darkness, claiming the night — the darkness — for our own.

  “I was a rising star back then. An actor,” I said, pausing to look over at Addy and Leo, sitting side by side on the couch, holding hands like a couple of teenagers in love. “You can see it, right? I’ve still got my dramatic side.”

  They nodded in unison, their attention captured by my story. I knew they were confused, but they would understand soon enough. First, I wanted them to understand me, to understand my past, to understand what had brought me to them, why I was here, why I needed them so badly.

  “I have a flair for the dramatic, what can I say? I was born this way. My family were travelers. Romani people. Gypsies, some called them, which they hated. When I was young, we’d caravan through Rome, traveling from town to town with our huge extended family. The children would entertain the locals each night that we landed, regaling them with song and dance and little plays that we would perform, the adults robbing them blind while they were distracted. It was quite an education, but all that traveling got old after a while.

  “Once I became a man, I wanted a different life. I wanted to settle down, start a family, have a normal life, a life like all the locals I’d seen my parents steal from over the years.

  “I’d never lived in a house before, or had a girlfriend, or even a friend that wasn’t related to me in some way. So, I left the caravan and my family behind and ventured off into the world alone. I was lost, destitute, but I did have my good-looks, and I quickly learned to live off of them. I began by seducing women, bedding them just so I’d have a place to sleep at night. Then, I discovered that if I asked, they’d even pay me to service them. But even with all their adoration, it was a lonely life. I learned to gamble and soon found most of my solace in the bottom of a wine bottle. I grew terribly lonely and I missed my family, but being on my own gave me a thrill like no other, so I never turned back.

  “There was nobody to answer to but myself, and eventually, I put the bottle down and my confidence soared as I vowed to make something of myself. I began by auditioning for a small vaudeville play in a tiny little town in Italy, landing the lead part. I was ecstatic! I was finally a man, I'd thought back then. A real job. Of course, it paid pennies, but it was something. Soon, I managed to find a little room in a boarding house and I was on my way to becoming sucessful, to being somebody…”

  I paused, taking a deep breath, my retelling of this story, a story I’d hardly thought of for decades, brought me right back to it. I could still smell the dusty, velvet curtains of the stage, still hear the piano player banging away on the off-tune keys.

  “The play was a huge success,” I continued. “I was written up in the papers and our run was even extended. People traveled from the next town over to see us and before I knew it, I’d auditioned for another play, in a larger town. I got that part, too. And the next one, and the next
one, until I was living in Paris and making a living doing nothing but stage acting. I had a lovely little flat on top of a tiny bistro that served the most tender and melt-in-your-mouth croissants I’ve ever tasted!”

  I sighed, almost tasting the buttery flaky goodness on my tongue today.

  “Well, as it happens, I fell in love. With my costume designer, if you can believe that. She was trés Francois! She spoke with a thick, seductive Parisian accent, existed entirely on wine and cheese and croissants, and she made love like a wild cat!

  “Her name was Sabine, which by the way, actually means catlike. And that was Sabine, exactly like a cat. Not just in bed either.

  “The way she moved, sleek and smooth and graceful…

  “Huge green eyes dominated her small face and she had the tiniest little lips…

  “She would cuddle up against me at night, wrapping herself around me in the most beguiling way! Oh, she was special, yes she was…

  “We spent a year together, both of us working different plays, some of them together, some of them not, but each night we found our way back to each other, unable to bear witnessing even one dawning day outside of each other’s arms.

  “She was the sweetest, most enchanting woman I’ve ever known.”

  I stopped, catching my breath, my heart racing as I thought of Sabine.

  “Well, that was a long time ago,” I continued. “It’s been so very, very long that there are days that I’m sure I’ve forgotten what her face looked like, and I’ll curse myself for forgetting something so dear and precious to me. But then, on some unsuspecting night, she’ll come to me in a dream and there she is again, her memory having a life of its own, weaving in and out…

  “I lost her,” I said, cynicism returning to my voice. “You probably figured that out, of course. I lost her, but not of my own doing!” I turned to Leo, drinking in his all-American good looks.

  “You know, Leo,” I said, “You could be a model. Have you ever thought of that? I can just see you selling Calvin Klein underwear or perhaps rolling around in some Ralph Lauren bedsheets. Don’t you see it, Addy?” I asked. They looked at one another with bewilderment. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy this little game. I was keeping them on the hook longer than necessary, but it was so much fun watching them dangle in confusion.