The Progeny

by Shelley Crowley

  Caius spotted Varsee and Evie in one of the booths, their heads bent in conversation. Alexander was in the middle of the dance floor, his white t-shirt glowing in the neon lights. He was wedged between a couple that Caius had noticed dancing together earlier. He was somehow managing to grind against both of their bodies while sticking his tongue down the woman’s throat. The man was at his back, brushing his hair back and kissing his neck.

  “Now that guy knows how to live,” said Robin, also watching Alexander. Caius thought back to what Alexander’s sister had said. He needs company. He can’t stand being alone with his own thoughts. A pang of empathy hit him in his gut, making him grimace. “I wish I was like that.”

  Bored of the woman, Alexander spun around and grabbed a fistful of the man’s long dark curls and kissed him deeply while his girlfriend grinded against the blond vampire’s back. In the corner of his eye, Caius saw Robin pull a face and avert his gaze. “Okay, maybe not like that.”

  Caius shoved him in the side lightly. “You go and stay with Varsee and Evie. I’m going back.”

  Robin looked appalled. “What? Why?”

  Caius glanced over to Evie, still caught up in a conversation. She looked like she was having fun. Having fun without him. Varsee had given her freedom to be herself. That was something Caius had never been able to do. And he was now kicking himself for it. “I don’t belong here.” He looked back at Robin. “Stay with them. Keep out of trouble. Be back before sunrise.”

  Robin opened his mouth to object but stayed silent. Caius sent him a sad smile and disappeared back through the curtain.

  The house was dead and silent. Caius stood in the hallway feeling out of place. It had gone from feeling like a home to being a dead old woman’s house again. He didn’t belong in that vampire bar. He didn’t belong in this house. Without Evie, he didn’t feel like he belonged anywhere.

  He noticed the white door Robin had mentioned before. A spark of joy brightened inside him at the memory of what he had said was hidden behind it. He opened the door and entered a lavish dining room filled with varnished mahogany. The table was bare except for floral placemats that sat in front of each of the six chairs. Six chairs? He thought Mrs. Braverman had lived here with just her husband? Perhaps she had had children that moved out? That explained the extra bedrooms.

  But Caius wasn’t interested in the dining room. He was intrigued by what awaited him on the other side of the door behind the table. He crossed the room and opened it. The musky smell of mothballs hit him as he entered. Blinking away dust from his eyes, he surveyed his surroundings and gasped out a surprised laugh.

  A huge grand piano stood at the back of the room and along the side wall were shelves and shelves of boxes filled with records. A record player sat on a cabinet by the door and a selection of guitars rested against the other wall. Caius felt the sudden urge to cry as he picked up an electric ebony Gibson. He plucked the strings gingerly and let his hot tears burst free when the beautiful sound bounced around the walls. Carefully placing the guitar back on its stand, he crossed over to the piano and played a few cords. The deep, baritone tune vibrated through his body and sizzled his blood with adrenaline. Feeling like a child at Christmas, Caius began to sieve through the shelves of boxes, pulling them down one by one and checking their contents. The collection of music was incredible. The vinyl’s ranged from The Beatles to Iron Maiden. Finding a record that he liked, he plucked it from the box and settled it on the turntable. He placed the needle on the record and brought it to life.

  He stood in the centre of the room, closed eyes to the ceiling and he swayed from side to side to Roberta Flack’s First Time Ever I Saw Your Face. He let the soothing music take full control over him and he could feel all his problems washing away like water off a duck’s back. But it wasn’t long until he focused more acutely to the lyrics and found himself thinking of Evie. Of how she had looked at him after he had Turned her. Her bright hazel eyes wide and expectant. Like he was the only person in the world that mattered.

  He missed that look. He missed it so much it felt like it was burning his insides. Was he selfish to be thinking like this? To want Evie all to himself again? But it wasn’t as if that was what he wanted necessarily. He liked that Varsee was making her smile. She looked so beautiful when she smiled. He just wished he could bask in her happiness with her instead of being tossed out in the cold.

  You cannot survive in a world like this without people to love and people to love you.

  Over the crackling music, he heard the front door opening. Quickly, he removed the needle and placed the record back in the box. Laughter was coming from the hallway. He recognised Alexander’s cackle straight away, then it was followed by his sister’s, and then Evie’s soft laugh. Caius’ chest felt tight as he shut the door behind him and he made his way passed the table and chairs. Robin was there, too. He could feel their tie strengthen with the close proximity. Several sets of footsteps clambered up the stairs and then there was silence.

  Caius entered the empty hallway and closed the white door quietly behind him. He stared up the stairs longingly for a moment before he began to scale them. He needed to talk to Evie. He was just about done with all this uncertainty.

  Chapter 21

  Caius stood on the landing in front of the closed bedroom door. Feeling too numb and drained to be anxious, he knocked.

  “Yeah?” called Evie.

  “Evie, it’s me,” Caius replied.

  He heard shuffling behind the door before it flew open. Evie stood before him in a simple white vest and plaid pyjama shorts. Her long red hair flowed in waves over her shoulders. Behind her, the bedroom was scarcely illuminated by the bedside lamp. “What’s up?” she asked, sounding a little more irritated than concerned.

  “Can I come in?”

  Evie shrugged and slipped to the side, gesturing him in. Caius crossed the room and sank onto the edge of the bed. She closed the door and rested her back against it, watching him.

  “I love you, Evie,” he admitted hollowly.

  She arched an eyebrow. “I know that. You didn’t have to come in to tell me.”

  “Do you though?” He sent her a pointed look and immediately felt a stab of guilt when her face blanched at his hardened tone. “Because lately it seems like you don’t.”

  To this, Evie massaged her throat with a wince as if soothing a pain then hugged herself. “I love you, too.”

  A ragged breath left his mouth as Caius felt a weight lift off his heart. He had so desperately wanted to hear those words coming from her lips but a part of him thought that ship had sailed. And that thought had been killing him.

  “Then what has happened to us?” he asked, his eyebrows pinched as he fought back the burn of hot, swelling tears. “We seem to be growing apart. You- you’re pulling away from me. Is it this place? Is it Varsee?”

  Evie’s nostrils flared with anger and her fingers curled into her vest top. “This has nothing to do with Varsee.”

  “Then what is it?” Caius asked desperately.

  Her eyes flitted away like she couldn’t bear to look at him. “It’s Robin.”

  Caius bowed his head in shame. “I’m sorry if you feel replaced. It wasn’t my decision to Turn him. I never wanted another progeny.”

  Evie scoffed bitterly. “Yeah, sure looks like it.”

  “What do you mean?” He lifted his head and was met with her strong hazel gaze.

  Her bottom lip quivered. “You didn’t want to Turn me, either. I understand that.” Her gaze lowered to her feet. “You hated me at first. I understood that, too. I knew why you did. Catherine was taken from you and in her place was… me. A girl you didn’t even know. And you had to raise me. To teach me to be like you, even though you hated yourself for what you were.” She expelled a breath, collecting herself.

  “But then things started to change. We started to connect. To become more than just Maker and progeny.” She smiled wistfully down at the floor. “We fell in love.” Caius smil
ed, too, but then her face fell and a cold shiver of dread ran up his spine. A red tear rolled down her cheek. “But even then- even after all the years we’ve been together, all the happy memories. When I look at you, in your eyes, I see your love for me. But hidden underneath, there’s resentment. It’s regressed through time, becoming harder and harder to notice, but it’s there.

  “And up until a week ago, I didn’t take it personally. I know I remind you of Catherine. I know, in a way, I will always be her replacement. I know you never wanted to be a Maker. But then I see the way you look at Robin. And there’s nothing but admiration there. So, lately I’ve been thinking, maybe it is personal.”

  Caius was rendered speechless for a moment. He just watched her, completely motionless as she wiped her tears with the backs of her hands. “You think I resent you?”

  She shrugged- a fake nonchalant gesture. “I know it’s not intentional.”

  “Evie-” She lifted her head hesitantly as he walked over to her. He took her face in both hands and she smiled weakly at the contact. Angling her face up to his, he gazed down at her reddened eyes. His chest tightened at the sadness in them and he kissed her softly on the forehead. A soft sob left her mouth and she leaned into him. “I’m so sorry.”

  She shook her head. “It’s not your fault.” She rested her head against the curve of his neck. “I’m sorry for acting so jealous.”

  “You have nothing to be jealous about, Evie,” Caius consoled, his hands slipping around her waist and his lips brushing her temple. “You want to know why it’s not possible for me to hate Robin?”

  He smiled as her eyes sparkled up at him, taking in her innocent beauty. “I can’t because his existence saved your life.”

  Evie slipped out of his hold of her. “What?”

  Feeling a little flustered, Caius ran his fingers though his long hair and worried his bottom lip. “I have been withholding the truth from you.” He avoided her eyes. “It wasn’t Milah who wanted me to make another progeny.” He paused, feeling the burn of her gaze. “It was Guardian.”

  Caius winced at her gasp. She had shrunk away from him, her back pressed against the door. Her hand was clenching the handle for support. “What? Guardian’s- he’s back?”

  “He never left, Evie. He’s been watching us the whole time. Through Milah. She’s a part of the Court now. He knows everything.”

  She blinked. “Everything, as in…”

  “As in everything. He knows about the cure. That it worked on you, and then Varsee Turned you back. He forced me to Turn another because he felt like losing you was like me getting out of my punishment. And if I refused to make another progeny, he threatened to kill you.”

  Evie looked as if all the energy had just been kicked out of her. Her knees gave out a little as her eyes searched the floor. “If he knows about the cure, he knows about Nico and… he’s not done anything?” She looked back up.

  Caius shrugged, helpless. “He said he’s not an immediate threat and there’s no point causing a war if there doesn’t need to be one.”

  “But he’s kidnapping vampires! Using them as lab rats! He’s tracking me down. Us down.”

  “That’s not his problem. Not yet, anyway.”

  Evie fell silent, her eyes casted downwards, looking like her mind was reeling. Caius watched her a moment, wishing there had been a way to keep the information to himself. But it had been threatening their relationship so he had had no choice. “For what it’s worth,” he said, “I met Guardian again last night and he told me he had no intention of killing you, he was just giving me a push. In fact, I think he’s quite fond of you.”

  She peered up at him with a dubious eyebrow raise. “Fond of me?”

  Caius nodded. “So if Robin stays out of trouble, Guardian will go back to just being a ghost in the shadows.”

  “Always there,” mumbled Evie, hugging herself protectively. “That’s not comforting.”

  A pang of sorrow hit Caius in the gut and he crossed the room. He held her close and felt her body jolt with a sob as she curled her fingers into the hair at the nape of his neck. “I’ll never let anything happen to you, Evie.” He buried his face into her red locks and pressed her slim body against his. “I may not be your Maker anymore, but I will always be here.”

  “I’m sorry for being such a bitch,” she mumbled against the curve of his neck. “I feel so bad.”

  Caius hushed her. “I love you. I will always love you.”

  His barren heart jumped at the touch of her lips on his neck. He turned and she caught his lips with her own. A content sigh hummed between them and, caught up in the heat of the moment, Caius pushed her back against the door and pinned her body against it. Evie gasped and deepened the kiss. Her hands ran up his arms to the collar of his jacket. Caius released his hold of her just long enough for her to slip her it his shoulders. Before his jacket even dropped to the floor, Evie was already clawing at his t-shirt, eagerly stripping him of that as well.

  Evie’s hands ran over his naked torso. Almost dizzy with desire, Caius spun them both around so Evie had her back towards the bed. Still kissing, Caius pushed her slightly, making her back up. Her nails dug into his back and she froze with a start when her thighs collided with the bed. She broke the kiss with a gasp and Caius’ gut twisted at the stark horror in her hazel eyes.

  “What? What’s wrong?” rushed Caius, panicked. He still had hold of her loosely around the waist and could feel her muscles grow taut under her skin.

  She gulped and looked down. “The last time we did this…”

  Caius thought back and a sinking feeling took over him. Flashes of images invaded his mind. The bruises. The bite mark. Her winces of pain. “I’ll be gentle.”

  She shook her head and met his worried gaze. “Don’t be. I’m not human anymore.”

  The hollow acceptance in her voice was distressing to hear. Caius wanted so desperately to console her but he had no idea how. Evie had been given a second chance and it had been snatched away from her. Sure, it had momentarily shattered their relationship and had turned Caius into a wallowing emotional mess but he knew how much she had wanted it. It had been that thought that had destroyed him so much.

  Caius jerked back at the soft touch of Evie’s fingertips on his jawline. “Kiss me, Caius.”

  That was something he could do.

  Sending her a sad smile, he pressed his lips to hers. Caius gladly let her pull him down on top of her on the bed. Shifting positions, he placed her head on the pillow and caged her with his body. She broke the kiss and traced the lines of his face lovingly with her fingertips. Caius’ fangs sprang free. Evie smiled and freed her fangs as well.

  He lowered his head and kissed her neck, dragging the tips of his fangs over her smooth skin. She writhed beneath him, the sensation making her breathing quicken with anticipation. Her hands stroked his bare back and through his hair. As the need grew too strong to ignore, he sank his fangs into her.

  Evie gasped and juddered beneath him, her fingers knotting in his hair as he drank from her. The most intimate act between vampires. Caius bared down on her. Evie locked her thighs around his narrow waist, rooting him to the spot. The taste of her filled Caius’ senses. Vampire blood didn’t sate the hunger the way human blood did, it fed something else entirely.

  He broke away with a gasp and sought for her mouth. Evie gladly accepted his questing lips. They kissed passionately, her blood leaking from their chins before Evie tilted her head and sank her fangs into the base of Caius’ neck where the pulse point should be.

  Caius stirred awake and smacked his lips. His cheeks felt caked in crust and when he wiped his hand over them, he realised it was dried blood. Evie was curled up against him, her knees tucked against his chest and her forehead resting on his shoulder. The duvet had wound up in a ball on the floor so the only thing protecting their modesty was a thin white sheet that was knotted haphazardly around their entangled limbs. Knowing that Evie wouldn’t be awake for a while because of t
he new-born’s tendency to sleep in, Caius freed himself and padded around the room in search for something to cover himself with. After wrapping himself in the dressing gown he had claimed, he shut the bedroom door behind him and crossed over to the bathroom. Thankfully, it was empty. Robin’s bedroom door was still closed and so were Alexander’s and Varsee’s, but the noise coming from downstairs indicated that the latter two were already up.

  In the shower, Caius lathered up his body with soap and scrubbed the dried blood from his neck, chin and torso. All the evidence of Evie’s questing fangs had healed up but Caius couldn’t help but smile as he ran his fingers over the unscarred spots where the bite marks had been. He had Evie back. She had been slipping away but now she was back. Back with him. Evie may have a new Maker now, and Caius may have a new progeny, but his and Evie’s relationship went beyond that tethered binding. It always had and always would.

  After towelling himself dry, he wrapped his naked body back in the old man’s dressing gown and headed back to the bedroom. When he returned, Evie was pulling on an olive-green knitted jumper to go with her blue jeans. She popped her head out of the head-hole and beamed at him. “Hey.”

  “Hi,” he replied and kissed her. She held him there longer than he had intended before she broke away with a satisfied sigh. She seemed to have scrubbed away as much of the dried blood that had painted her as she could but Caius caught sight of a spot of crimson in the crease between her jaw and earlobe. He ran his teeth over it to scrape the blood from her skin.

  Caius shrugged on what he had been wearing the night before. He noticed a string of light from under Robin’s bedroom door as they passed and figured he was on the move, too.

  When the two of them entered the kitchen hand in hand, they were met with kimono-clad Alexander grinning at them in the centre of the room. Varsee was relaxed in the corner, resting against the kitchen counter looking prim yet fierce as always.