A mess of booming, clashing notes made Evie start. She headed into the dining room and peaked at Caius in the adjoining music room.
“This is boring,” moaned Robin. “Can’t you teach me guitar instead? Chicks dig guys that can play guitar.”
“The piano is more eloquent. Women like men who can play piano,” replied Caius.
“But guitars are just cooler. I mean, look at this one. It’s all shiny.”
It seemed Robin had an even shorter attention span than her. Her heart sank a little that Caius was using the same method of bonding with his new progeny, but she didn’t dwell on it. It wasn’t his fault. It wasn’t Robin’s fault.
It was Nico’s fault.
After checking all of the kitchen cupboards several times, Evie opted to make Alexander some soup, with the pretence that he probably shouldn’t eat anything too heavy as he’d probably just end up throwing it back up again. In truth, soup was easy to make.
With the steaming bowl in her hands, she carefully made her way back up the stairs, hoping she’d given Alexander long enough to shower and change.
She almost fell back down the stairs when she caught sight of bloodied-up Varsee coming out of her bedroom. She looked like Stephen King’s Carrie.
Varsee found her, her eyes wide in question. Evie gestured to the bathroom door with the bowl. “He was in there.”
Varsee pushed open the bathroom door, revealing an empty room. She furrowed her brows then moved to Alexander’s closed bedroom door. Evie was close behind when she entered.
She froze in the doorway. Alexander was sitting at the foot of the bed, silver bullets in one hand and a gun in the other.
“Alex!” Varsee was a red blur as she dashed across the room, ceasing the silver bullets pinched between her brother’s fingers. She screeched and threw them on the carpet. Evie caught sight of the three burn marks on her palm. The gun was next to be knocked to the ground. “What the hell?!”
Alexander didn’t even look fazed by the sudden intrusion, and instead just looked up at his sister. His eyes searched hers as she towered over him, chest heaving and hands fisted.
Then something happened and he shattered. “I need to breathe now, sis.” He sobbed, tears springing from his eyes. “I need to breathe but it’s so hard.” Varsee dropped by his side and he cried even harder. “Why is it so hard?”
He collapsed against her and she held him. His hard, dragging sobs wracked his body. They were so intense that Evie thought he was going to keel over right there and then.
“What were you doing with the gun, Alex?” Varsee’s voice wavered with emotion.
“I don’t know,” he sobbed against her bloody blouse. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay. As long as you know that killing yourself is not the answer.”
“No, it’s not.” He pulled away from her. Varsee watched him, her arms ready to catch him again. But he sat up straight beside her and brushed away his tears. His hair was damp, dangling in tendrils to his shoulders. He hadn’t fully changed and was dressed in a white net vest and boxer shorts.
He blinked at his sister, no longer crying. “But I know what is.”
“What?” She tucked a stray strand of hair behind his ear and stroked his cheek with her thumb. Alexander leaned into her touch and held her hand.
He cocked his head and squinted at her as if seeing her for the first time. “Whose blood is that?”
“It’s from a sheep,” she replied dismissively.
A sheep? Alexander mouthed, before shaking his head and squeezing his sister’s hand. “I want you to do something for me.”
She shuffled closer, eyes wide with intrigue and unconditional love. “What?”
“It’s the only way to save me.”
“Alex, what is it?”
He took a steadying breath and looked down at her hand in his. He gazed at it for a moment. Evie felt herself leaning in as the tension built. “Sis.” Varsee’s eyebrows pinched. He flicked his eyes back to her, locking. “I want you to wipe my memory.”
Varsee jumped to her feet. “What?”
Alexander’s eyes were shining, pleading. “I need you to wipe my memory, sis. It’s the only way.”
“You’re crazy.” Varsee’s voice was a terrified whisper.
“No. This is the most lucid I’ve been.”
“What the hell made you think this?”
His gaze flicked to Evie still in the doorway. Her eyes widened. She had almost forgotten that she was visible.
Then Varsee was barrelling towards her with thunder in her eyes. “You put him up to this?”
Panic shot through Evie like lightening and she held the bowl of soup higher up in an attempt to protect herself.
“Sis, no!” Alexander tugged her back. She turned back to her brother, nostrils flaring. “This is my decision. I figured it out after talking to Evie. We were so convinced that there was no solution to this. To what has happened to me. But there is. This is it.”
Varsee shook her head, the strings of bloody hair slapped around her shoulders. “I don’t understand. How is wiping your memory going to help this?”
“Think about it.” Alexander grasped her by the tops of her arms and stared into her eyes, imploring. “In this body, my mind is weak. It’ll keep dragging up my past and suffocating me. But what if all that bad stuff never happened? Or at least, I thought it never happened.”
“But all those bad memories are what make you who you are. Without them you’d be…”
“Different,” Alexander finished when Varsee lost her words. “I know. But I’ll be alive.”
Her eyes fluttered to the floor. “Why did you have the gun?”
“I was making sure that this was the right option. And it is. I could never pull that trigger.”
“But wiping out that much red, Alex, it’s risky. I don’t even know if I could do it. I know I’m an ancient but- I’ve only ever wiped away minutes. You are talking about taking away whole chunks of your life. Your memories will be full of holes, Alex. You could end up worse.”
“At least I would have tried.” His voice was resolute.
“What exactly do you want me to wipe?”
Alexander’s eyes flashed with momentary delight. “Does that mean you’re considering it?”
“It means I’m acknowledging it.”
Evie could tell by Varsee’s stance and the firmness in her voice that she was trying her hardest to look strong, but it wasn’t fooling her. Evie could feel her Maker’s anguish like it was sitting in her blood.
“I want to forget Elizabeth and Nathaniel.”
Varsee stepped back in horror. “What?”
Alexander’s smooth expression cracked. His lips began to tremble, making his chin dimple. “I can’t remember my life with them. Just keep the time I had with my mother. That will do. And my father, too, I guess.”
“Okay. What else do you want to forget?”
His blue eyes shone at her. “You.”
The whole world seemed to tilt. Evie watched her Maker stumble and found herself losing her footing, too.
“You want to forget… me?” Varsee’s voice was nothing but a whisper.
Alexander’s expression tightened into a look of unfathomable sorrow. Varsee shook out of her brother’s hold and covered her quivering lips with a bloody hand.
“I don’t want to, sis,” said Alexander. “But I have to.”
“Why?” Fresh blood tears began to pool under her eyes.
“If I want to have any hope at having a human life, which I do – I can’t stay here with a bunch of vampires – I need to forget you. I need to forget how much I love you otherwise I won’t be able to turn away.”
“So, you get to move on but where does that leave me, Alex?” she asked, anger replacing the hurt. “We have been together for a hundred and eighteen years, and you just want me to wipe that all away? I thought I’d lost you once, Alex, I can’t do that again.”
“Then get someone to erase me from your memory.
Caius’ Maker is probably strong enough.”
Varsee sent him a look of disgust. “How could you even suggest such a thing? What is wrong with you?”
Alexander’s bottom lip started to tremble uncontrollably, making his words wobble. “So much, sis. You have to help me. It’s either this or you lose me for real.”
Varsee was shaking her head. “I guess if you want to forget me, you want to forget them, too.” She gestured to Evie.
Alexander nodded. “Evie and Caius, but not the kid.”
Varsee’s jaw dropped. “Robin? You want to remember him but not me?”
He shrugged. “Just something to keep me connected to all of this- ” He looked around the bedroom, “even if I won’t remember any of it. Plus, I know you enough to know that you won’t just drop me like a hat. You’ll want someone to infiltrate my life and keep an eye on me. You can use him.”
“Is there anything else you want to forget?” said Varsee, exasperated. “I’ll be surprised if there’s anything left.”
“Just Seb.”
“Who is Seb?”
Alexander squeezed his eyes shut and freed a tear. He gulped hard and looked down at the floor. “I met him at Nico’s. He… he died in there.”
“He was the one who committed suicide?”
Alexander nodded.
“So, you want to forget what happened at Nico’s?”
“No. Just Seb. I can’t forget all of it. It’s too fresh. And plus, I need it so this makes sense.” He gestured to his branding.
“Why is Seb so important?”
“Just erase him. Okay?” He sent his sister a frosty glare.
“Alex, there’s no way I’ll be able to do this successfully if I don’t know details.”
Alexander jutted his jaw with irritation. Varsee approached warily and touched his shoulder.
He slapped it away. “I was in love with him! Okay? And he died.” He roared, face red and eyes streaming tears. “Are you happy?”
Varsee jumped back and paused, watching her broken brother before her. His chest heaving, nostrils flaring, fists tightening.
“No,” she said softly and approached him again. She wrapped her arms around him and he melted into her, sobbing. “No, of course not. I’m so sorry.”
“I thought I helped him,” he cried into her chest. “I really did.”
Varsee just held him, her chin resting against his temple. Evie watched from the doorway, batting away tears of her own, still holding the – now cold – soup.
“I’ll do it.”
Alexander’s head rose. Blood smeared his cheek but he didn’t seem to care. He blinked away tears as he looked deep into his sister’s eyes. “What?”
“I’ll do it. I’ll wipe you.”
He gasped with delight and surprise. “Really?”
She smiled, a tight smile that was so full of heartache. “I love you so much.” She stroked his cheek. “I always thought it would be me and you against the world. And I will never be ready to let you go. But I’ve always said I’d do anything for you, Alex, and I meant it. So, if this is what you need – no matter how much I hate it – I’ll do it. For you. I release my progenies when I think they are ready to go off on their own, and I guess this is kind of the same. But you will always be my brother, Alex. Always.”
He hugged her, his whole body shaking. “I love you, sis.”
Now that he could not see her face, Varsee showed her despair. Evie’s chest tightened at the look of complete and utter devastation on her Maker’s face. She cried openly, red strings running down her marred face. And she held her brother tight against her with all the strength she had.
She pressed her lips to the top of his head and murmured. “I will always love you.”
Evie let a sob escape when she read the hidden message in her Maker’s tone. But you won’t always love me.
While Varsee got cleaned up, Evie went back downstairs to break the news to Caius and Robin. She was greeted by more disjointed piano notes when she entered the dining room.
“I can’t do this,” grumbled Robin, slamming his fingers down on the keys.
“Yes, you can. Just be patient.”
“I’m sick of being fucking patient!”
Caius’ fingers paused on the keys and his eyes blazed with molten fury down at his disrespectful progeny. Robin gulped audibly, bowed his head and stared wide-eyed down at the piano, surprised and instantly regretting his own outburst.
Tension filled the little box room like thick smog. Evie cleared her throat and they both looked to her.
“Group meeting in the living room,” she said.
Caius furrowed his brows and flipped his long legs over the piano stool to stand. “What’s going on?”
“I think it’s better if you hear it from Alexander.”
“Evie, you’ve been crying.” Caius was over to her in a flash, running his thumb across her smudged red tear tracks.
Evie held his hand and guided it away from her face. “Just come.”
She deposited the bowl of cold soup in the kitchen and met back with Caius and Robin who were now standing in the living room looking a little out of sorts.
“You can’t just leave us hanging, I’m getting all freaked out,” said Robin, hugging himself.
Evie sighed. “Okay. Alexander’s figured out a way that could possibly help him.”
Both Caius’ and Robin’s eyes lit with intrigue.
“He wants Varsee to wipe all his bad memories so he can’t remember all of the bad stuff that keep coming back to him.”
“Holy shit,” breathed Robin. “That’s… surely that’s risky?”
Evie shrugged. “He’s willing to take his chances. He can’t carry on like this.”
“But, he won’t be the same. Your past makes you who you are.”
“I know. But that’s not going to affect us because he wants to move on and have a human life.”
Robin looked like he’d just been kicked in the ribs. He clutched his chest and fell silent.
“So, he’s leaving Varsee?” asked Caius.
Evie looked to him, eyes bright and sorrowful. “He doesn’t even want to remember her.”
Varsee was back to looking immaculate. Her blonde hair was clean, dry and straight. Her new cream blouse was free of blood and the old tears had been washed from her face. But Evie figured it wouldn’t be long before they were replaced.
“By the looks on your faces, I’m guessing Evie has filled you in,” said Alexander, now also clean and dressed in a leather jacket, silver shirt, white skinny jeans and boots. He was standing beside his sister in the living room, opposite Caius, Robin and Evie.
“This isn’t a good idea,” said Robin, shaking his head. “This can’t happen. You can’t just forget us all and move on. It can’t be that easy.”
Alexander sent him and endearing smile. “I don’t know what you’re getting your knickers in a twist about. I’m keeping you.”
Robin spluttered. “What?”
Alexander quirked his eyebrow. “Ah, so Evie hasn’t completely filled you in then.” He stepped forward, gazing down at Robin who stared up at him, his eyes huge and full of awe. “I’m not wiping you, kid.”
Robin’s mouth open and closed like a fish. “Wh-what? Wh-why? And not the others?”
“My sis needs a mole. And you’re a good kid. In my new life, it’ll be cool to have a vampire friend.”
Robin just stared up at him with a smile wide enough to split his face in two. He’d never looked so happy in all the nights Evie had known him. This was a big moment for him. It seemed that all Robin had been looking for was someone to care about him. And Alexander cared so much that he wanted to take him with him into his new life. Seeing Robin so elated seemed to cushion the blow of Evie’s loss ever so slightly.
“I still don’t see how this will work,” said Varsee. “How am I supposed to make your relationship make sense? You only know Robin through Caius and you won’t remember him.”
&
nbsp; Alexander shrugged. “Just make something up. Something flimsy. We met in Crimson Moon when I was working there.”
Varsee pondered a moment. “It’s going to take me a while to weave this whole new life for you.”
“Let me just say my goodbyes and then we’ll leave, just dump me somewhere with a head full of fresh memories.”
Varsee rubbed her hands up and down the tops of her arms as if warming herself after a sudden cold breeze. “It’ll feel like I’m just abandoning you.”
Alexander rested his hand over the top of one of hers and looked into her eyes. “It has to be done, sis.”
She sighed, defeated. “I know. But where will you go?”
“I’ll find the other Cured. Everything’s going to be fine.”
Everything’s fine. Evie shuddered.
“You won’t be alone when I’m gone. You’ve got these guys. I’d have never considered doing this if it meant leaving you by yourself. I hate having to do this to you, sis. You’ve been my everything for so long that it’s- it’s hard to picture my life without you.” His voice began to waver as Varsee gazed at him, eyes flickering to hold back tears. “Promise that you’ll still look out for me?”
She cupped his face with both hands. “Of course, I will. I’ll make sure Robin never leaves you alone.”
Alexander laughed, holding onto her wrists.
After a few more moments of holding each other, looking like they were in their own little world, Alexander released himself from his sister and turned to Caius and Evie.
“Well, let’s get on with these goodbyes.”
Cold prickled inside Evie’s heart. She was at a loss for words. What was she supposed to say? She had never had a bond with Alexander, but at the same time had felt Varsee’s love for him as if it was her own.
“I’ve got something to tell you, Evie,” he said. Evie’s eyes brightened. Okay, he was going to take the lead. That was good. “It’s about Joe.”
Evie blinked, stunned. “Joe? What about him?”
“He didn’t throw you under the bus. He was forced to make that phone call that nearly got us all captured. Nico was using him. He had the woman he loved held hostage. She was a vampire, actually.”
Evie thought back to their first meeting in the pub. How he had instantly known that it was vampire blood on her cheek. And how he had experienced loving and losing a vampire.
The Progeny Page 57