The Bewitched Box Set

by W. J. May

  “Not working tonight?”

  Distracted, my eyes shoot to my side. I see droplets of fresh blood ooze from between Jazlynn’s lips and the way her tongue laps at them.

  “No; after last night I can’t be in the same room as Gaz. If I wasn’t a vampire, I think I would have ripped his damn head off. I need a break, a few days off. But whatever goes on at work, I’m not going to bring trouble home with me.”

  “Yeah, right. What about Vinny?” Jazlynn is quick to add.

  “Men don’t beat up women, and I’ve had no trouble with him since.”

  Our conversation ends as the momentum of my leg kicking increases. I swing higher and higher, breaking between the tree’s lower branches. I gaze down between the dappled leaves at Jazlynn. As a human I would have found her quite attractive; I may even have tried my luck with her at some point. She is a lady of good breeding, with family connections and undeniable good looks. Even standing below me as a vampire she still manages to hold on to some of her previous beauty. Unfortunately for me, unfortunately for us all, being as cold as death and with no beating heart there is very little point.

  “I’m not blind you know, I can still see that faraway look in your eyes. Is your mind still fixated on that girl? It won’t do you any good,” she huffs, screwing up her face. “You know you’ll never have her, so forget about her and get yourself to work.”

  My fists clench the rope tighter as I slow myself, and the tyre spins. I dig my heels into the worn mud, which spits up at me from below; gradually, I stop. Looking up, I catch the moonbeams as they flit across Jazlynn’s soft ivory complexion. Her long poker-straight hair is tucked untidily behind her ears, so black in colour that it almost loses itself in the darkness. The elongated sweep of her eyelids has quite the oriental feel, set back with elegance in the oval-shape of her face. Word had it her mother had been unable to conceive. It was something of a scandal when the family upped without warning, leaving their estate, and it was said they travelled overseas. On their return they had a ‘babe in arms’; coincidental, one may say. Not according to the rumours that circulated around Almack’s at the time. But two hundred years on, it really doesn’t matter.

  I cannot miss the sheen of her amber eyes; they seem to soften in my presence. Her lips appear fuller, almost kissable, though it’s unfortunate I feel nothing.

  Oh, to be human again, to hold the curved body of a woman in my arms. To feel the urge a man feels, to once again have that excitement. But this life I own gives me none of that, just years of unfulfilled desire and the broken dreams of a masked maiden with whom I fell in love, who has been long forgotten by time but never forgotten by me. What pains me the most is that she died never knowing my true feelings for her.

  “Talking of work...” he says.

  I look at her clothing, and see that she’s already changed out of her maroon dress and into a shirt and pair of navy trousers.

  “Seeing as you’re already dressed and ready, hadn’t you better get to your interview?”

  Jazlynn lifts the cuff of her shirtsleeve and looks down at her Rolex.

  “Guess some of us round here have to earn a living, especially the way you’re flashing the cash, our cash.”

  She storms off, lifting rough edges of bark from passing trees as if it were no more than paper. I watch her rip off a strip, leaving the sap to ooze and bleed.

  “A month from now,” she stammers as her amber eyes turn black and narrow like an awaiting dart, “we will have the country house in Derby, our new life which we all have our hearts set on. You know it’s going up for auction. Lucian, this is our one chance to get out of this godforsaken forest. I know how hard you men have saved these last few years, but you’re jeopardising all of our futures. We have the chance to claw our way above ground for good, but you don’t give us a second thought, do you?” she spits. “And you’re jeopardising all of this for a human, for her!”

  I frown and watch her continue.

  “Lucian, we are sick of living below ground like animals. It is not a castle any more, but a mass grave with dark windows and a dark past. Heed my words,” she snaps, pointing her finger into my face. “If you hand over ten thousand pounds to this girl, it will be the beginning of the end for our family as you know it.”

  My eyebrows arch. Breathing in, I can smell her annoyance, though it is not all bad, for I feed off strong emotion. At times I find her to be quite an irritant, whilst at others she is a joy. I can still hear her constant bickering, though I choose to switch off to her opinions. She is not subservient like the other women, she has an opinion and we fight like cat and dog. Her nineteenth-century subservience has been swallowed up by her twenty-first-century attitude.

  “Jazlynn...” I lift my finger to her lips to silence her; she’s said enough. “I think it best you remember your place. This world is a vast and lonely one without me and the family unit to protect you. I must say, I admire your tenacity, but believe me when I say they will never leave me, none of them. Now, go paint some colour on that pale face of yours, or you’ll be late for your interview.”

  I watch her shoulders drop as she skulks away. My head turns, enabling me to watch her pass. It is obvious from the abruptness of her steps and the way her hands grab at the twigs and leaves that conceal the entrance to our underground castle that I have annoyed her.

  Nighttime is the time I enjoy the most. Small winged bats swoop around my head, resembling a black halo, and the hum of wings from my nightly friends is my constant companion. I can’t help but admire their loyalty; they eat and hunt like me, I am just bigger, with sharper teeth and far more power.

  I don’t just pick up sounds that emulate around me, but hear things far out of my range; it’s as if the volume switch in my head as been turned up a notch or two. At times it feels as though my head will explode, as I am bombarded by conversations, the high-pitched laughter and crackling fires of campers as they make merry many miles from here, the heady moans of couples who lie below canvas tents making love. The scurrying feet of armour-backed beetles as they busy themselves foraging to my heightened senses are like a rattling train that chugs its way into the station. I am overwhelmed by the constant presence of noises and press my hands against my ears; as if by magic I am left in peace. It is nice my senses give me a choice as to when and where they kick in.

  I sniff and pick up a strong scent, but it is one that won’t leave me. Could it possibly be Rose?

  Distracted, I look down as a vibration rips into my leg. I reach into the tight pocket of my trousers and pull out my phone. My eyes drop towards its illuminated screen; I smile as I read the message a couple of times. It is no surprise, for how could she resist me and my hypnotic charm? And how could she resist the ten thousand pounds I am offering her? A thousand pounds a night for the pleasure of my company? But then my smile falls; who am I kidding? She is the drug from which I cannot escape. She is my addiction for which I am risking the future of me and my family. My face straightens; my eyes follow and scan the words of Rose’s text once more: Yes to the ten thousand pounds, meet you on the bridge x

  She’s here, so close; she walks within the forest and will wait for me on the bridge. My teeth bite down and chew on my bottom lip. Could she possibly have remembered the night she tried to take her life? My hand was there and I saved her. Could she possibly have remembered the intimacy we shared? Those precious moments as we sat lost within one another on the soft forest bed covered with autumn’s rustic leaves? Farfetched as it may seem, the touch of her fingers relit my heart and for a short while she brought me back to life. Even now, the very thought of the girl stirs up feelings that I need to explore. I slip the tyre down past my thighs and watch its slow pendulum-like motion without me. I turn and head between thick bracken bushes, deeper into the forest.

  My open-mouthed breaths take in her fragrance, which entwines with the scents of summer. Step by step I grow closer. I am able to hone in on the same sadness that clung to her before; it remains just as f
resh and heartfelt. I pause and inhale, taking a deeper breath. This is not just sadness I sense, but anger too. With her given mood, I wonder how best to woo my lady.

  Tall, wispy ferns conceal the entrance to the bridge. Upon my approach, I can hear the gush of waters below. I look down at the blanket of grey mist that hangs clouding the inky depths and spiralling currents at play.

  I step back in awe. I watch as she enters the bridge from the far side. I can see her so clearly, though as I approach she appears oblivious. She turns towards the wooden rail, which she clasps in both hands, and stands looking out into the moonlit night. I walk tall on my toes so as not to be heard, and creep up silently from behind. One by one my icy fingers engage with her shoulders. I groan at the renewed life she grants me, and the tick of my heart begins.

  Having a vampire’s intuition, I know she won’t be an easy catch; already broken, she is not shallow enough to fall for my looks alone. I have no option but to go against my original plan and ease her in gently to the idea of loving me by using my powers of persuasion. Leaning forward, my lips graze the side of her ear, allowing the hypnotic pull of my voice to filter its way into the vulnerability of her subconscious.

  “Do you not know the coldness of the waters below? They will rip into your flesh like the fangs of a wolf. It will be a slow and painful death you face, for those waters will not be merciful once they invite you in, and there is no way back.”

  My words are carefully crafted and are the same as when we first met, when her life hung in the balance. With a tilt of the head, her face rests against my own and tonight, our eyes have their first meeting.

  “Lucian...”

  Her body softens, and I feel it relaxing into mine.

  “I never thanked you for saving me that night; I owe my life to you.”

  “Does that mean you’re forever in my debt?” I ask in a meaningful whisper as my fingers comb their way through the length of her hair.

  “I don’t know why,” she says with a cock of her head, “but since last night at The Silken Kite I can’t seem to get you out of my head.”

  And that’s the way it’s going to stay, I think to myself mischievously. I shudder away the cold from my body as warmth rises from my feet, and the human I once was rears itself. Unbeknown to her, this woman is the elixir to my life; I can’t afford to let her go, not that she’ll want to. I have her here, and tonight she goes nowhere.

  “Come, Rose, I want to take you home, introduce you to my family.”

  I reach out for her hand, though can see a hesitance behind her eyes.

  “Lucian,” she stutters, “I hardly know you. How do I know I can trust you?”

  She backs away.

  “It’s not just that...” She clears her throat. “A dear friend of mine has told me a lot about you.”

  I watch as she looks down at her feet, pausing as if she’s unsure what to say. My eyes widen in anticipation. Slowly she lifts her head.

  “According to Tristan, you’re a vampire.”

  I clasp my mouth in my hand, for how would anybody outside of the forest know this well-kept secret of ours? Her revelation is soon accompanied by her rising blushes.

  “So cut the crap; if you want me to spend ten nights with you then I want to know who I’m spending them with. So out with it, what are you?” With narrowing eyes, she adds, “What are you really?”

  “Rose, listen to me...”

  Again I reach for her hand, clinging onto her fingers, though this time I’m not about to let her go. I know my eyes are filled with sincerity as I look into hers.

  “I am no more than a man who stands before the woman he loves.”

  “But, Lucian,” she snaps with a shake of her head, “how can you say that? How can you possibly love me?”

  My, how women today have changed. With the thought process I have planted in her mind, she should have fallen into my arms without question, though question me is all she does. I take a breath and catch a scent of somebody else nearby and realise we are not alone. It is neither animal nor human. My head darts back and forth, catching the direction of the breeze and trying to locate whatever it is that intrudes.

  “Rose, it is my time to question. Did you come alone tonight?”

  I can see the way her fingers twist a gold stud in her ear and the way her teeth play around on her lips.

  “Well, yes and no,” she mutters, lifting her shapely brows. “Tristan brought me to the forest this afternoon and we had a picnic. He told me all sorts of unimaginable things, which has left me reeling, but then...”

  I watch with intrigue as she falls silent and see the seriousness on her face soften in an instant. Her eyes widen, their whites enhanced by the moonlight.

  “Lucian, the things I saw Tristan do were not magic tricks; what I saw was real and I saw it all with my own eyes.”

  Her dark fragrant hair whips out behind as her head flicks round. I follow the direction of her gaze. The rustling in the undergrowth is not squirrels at play, nor foraging rabbits. The silhouette of a tall man steps out of the camouflage, and again I sniff. This is no man, well not all man, of that I am sure. There is a detectable essence to him that is foreign to any of my senses.

  “Rose, come to me,” he calls.

  I count the three or four steps he takes towards us. I cannot deny that he looks human enough, though as I sniff the air I wonder what really lies beneath. I throw my arm up before Rose as a barrier. She’s going nowhere; this is my territory, and I say who walks around my forest at night.

  “Rose...” I can hear the growing agitation in the man’s voice. “Get away from him, Rose!” he bellows. “Run to me.”

  His arms are outstretched as he continues to walk nearer.

  “When I told you to go to Lucian this afternoon and tie up all loose ends, I thought I was doing the right thing. I thought I could watch you fall in love with someone else, even knowing that the person I sent you to was a vampire. I thought I could stand by and let him take you from me, but God, I was so wrong. I can’t do this; my human side is much weaker than I realised. I love you more than life itself ... I proved that the day I fell for you. They say love can conquer all, and I believed my love was strong enough to let you go, but I was a fool, and whatever consequences may come of this, I want you by my side.”

  I grind my teeth and can feel them sharpen in readiness.

  “What are you?” I shout, asking him the very same question Rose asked me only moments ago.

  “My name is Tristan, and I am as holy as you are evil.”

  “Back off,” I scowl.

  “Please let her go.” His voice is not raised, and I can hear no anger.

  The only angry voice I hear is my own, for with my arm pressed against Rose’s chest I am able to pick up the acceleration in the beat of her heart and the rise in her body’s core temperature, both of which are telling me that he is a threat.

  His eyes pierce mine.

  “Lucian, I know you are the devil’s spawn, a vampire. I know because you being the way you are is my fault. I hold my hands up and I am truly sorry, but what’s done is done. The past can’t be changed without dire consequence, so I have to find a compromise with the gods and his angels somewhere.”

  With my arm pressed against Rose, I am able to feel, which allows a violent anger to seep inside me. Enraged, I start to shake.

  “If, as you say, me being this way is somehow connected with you, then what I have in store for you is a fate far worse than death.”

  He stands before me, enabling me to see the angelic glow that radiates around his body. I see his true identity; I know what he is, but am unsure why he is here.

  “God has no business with me, for no rules have been broken. We have killed nobody, so I think it best you be on your way.”

  I thrust my hand towards the sky.

  “Fallen angel, go back up to the little piece of heaven from where you fell. I can assure you, it is more desirable than the life I have and the future that awaits
me.”

  “Lucian...” Once again he addresses me.

  He has more nerve than sense, I think to myself as he places his hand on my shoulder. A friendly gesture it may seem, though this man of God is no friend of mine. I hiss at him between clenched teeth, yet still he talks.

  “Please don’t take Rose down with you. She has a life, let her live it. I can make her happy, something you never can.”

  Has he any idea how close to death he really is? I can feel my family, their presence as they gather. Like an ant, my messages are silent, but heard by them all.

  I feel his arm as it brushes past me and realise the nerve of the man as he takes Rose by the wrist and pulls her aside, so that my arm holds no claim over her. I grab at her forearm. The veins in my head are like a bubbling cauldron. I not only feel red, but see it. Never before have I been driven to this kind of anger. My instincts are to rip his body to shreds and let my family bathe in his blood. Let the dark angels bring silver bullets, I don’t care.

  I peer down at my hands and watch my nails lengthen into pointed talons. I reach up and grab Tristan by the throat, and with my free hand I guide Rose out of harm’s way as gently as I can.

  “Stop!” Rose cries, though her words fall on deaf ears.

  There is no stopping me. With my tightening grip on his neck, I shoot forward like a bird of prey, slamming his head into the bark of a tree. Then, with the full force of my strength, stretching my arm I lift him off his feet. I’m strangling him. My smile is one of exuberance as I see his face redden and hear his raspy gasps for breath; this only makes me squeeze tighter. My knuckles turn blue. I look into his pathetic eyes; he looks like prey, hanging in mid-air. There is no fight in him, he’s better off dead, and he expects me to let him look after my lady; I think not. I feel the throbbing pulse in his neck; but not for long, I think as my claw-like talons dig into his flesh.