Death be Charmed

by Epstein, Katie

  “Beautiful, eh?” Bernard asked as he saw my face.

  “It really is. Part of me can understand why they hide out here in this part of the world. Why would you need anything else?”

  “I don’t know. I like the sun on occasion. Even though the night is my home, variety is a good thing.”

  “Does it get them down not being able to stand in the sun, do you think?”

  “It may bother some. But even a vampire who can walk in the daylight will always feel more comfortable at night. It’s as if a pressure lifts from us. It feels right.” Bringing his lips to my hand, I turned to face him.

  My hand tingled with the contact, but then I noticed the apology in his eyes. When I went to ask him what was wrong, he leaned in, gathering my face in his hands. He kissed me. Softly. And I found myself kissing him back. I mean, what could I do? If I pushed him away with vampires around, then that wouldn’t convince them we were a loving couple. But the kiss was nice. Familiar.

  Bernard leaned back and chuckled once he finished his kiss. He then picked me up and twirled me around in his arms. This carefree side of him was always infectious, and I found myself laughing along with him. Once I landed on my feet, he twirled me around before leaning me back in his arms. “You were made for fairy tales. You were made for beauty.”

  His green eyes shone as they looked into mine, then he lifted me back up and kissed my forehead. “Are you ready to go back and let me help you get ready for the ball?”

  “You just want to see me in a dress,” I scoffed as he put an arm around my shoulders. But as he did so, I noticed a male vampire watching us from one of the balconies on the first floor. His presence oozed power. No wonder Bernard had put on a show.

  The vampire possessing a pretty face and long dreadlocks nodded in my direction as we walked away. I smiled at him before giving my full attention back to Bernard, not sure what else to do. If Bernard had seen him, he made no show of it. So I followed his lead, aware we couldn’t discuss anything until we were back in the privacy of our bedroom.

  While passing back through the lands of the House of Sanguis, Bernard took me along a different route through the gardens. He began to explain why they used Latin here as well as Celtic. But before he could finish telling me about the Latin guise they used to keep the Fey off their backs, someone crashed into me. Hard.

  Bernard tried to catch me before I fell to the floor, but he wasn’t quick enough. Instead, he went down with me, providing a cushion between the ground and I. Someone else was flailing their limbs in an attempt to get off me, and I couldn’t move until the person could disentangle.

  “Sorry!” a female vampire said once she broke free. “I’m so sorry.”

  With hair as black as night and eyes to match, the vampire who had crashed into me looked crestfallen. She tried to back away, but as she did her arm caught my leg. As soon as the contact was made, a rush of images raced through my brain.

  Death. Sorrow. Regret. A grand ball, people dancing, a female vampire was happy. But then another woman appeared. Daia. Daia. Daia. The name whispered in my mind as I saw images flash through my mind. The vampire was speaking with a man with blond hair and flickers of red in his eyes. She was happy. Then the pain hit. Grief. Anger. Fear. I saw a dead woman on the bed. Her throat was slit. Blood was everywhere. Then the vampire who’d crashed into me was scrubbing at blood. She was sobbing. Carrying the body had been hard work. She’d helped him bury the woman he’d killed. Guilt. Anger. Regret. Pain hit my stomach as the sorrow amplified, then, from a distance, I heard Bernard calling my name.

  “Terra?” Bernard asked as he helped me to sit up. “Are you okay?”

  “W-what happened?” I asked, faking disorientation while settling my eyes on Bernard’s worried expression. The vision had thrown me for a second, and I didn’t want any of this fanged lot knowing I could see visions from such little contact.

  “You took a little knock. But you seem okay.”

  “I’m so, so sorry. I really am,” the female vampire apologized. “I wasn’t looking where I was going as I was trying to carry all the books in one go.”

  “It’s fine,” I cut her off. “Honestly. Bernard, help me up.”

  He did as I asked and helped me to my feet. I dusted myself off and put my hand out for the vampire to join us. She hesitated, but then she put her hand into my own.

  “Thank you,” she said as I helped her get up. She pushed the fallen hair back from her face. “Again, I’m so sorry.”

  “Nothing to be sorry about. It was an accident.” The pain I’d felt from the vision was still fresh. And the sudden empathy I felt for this vampire almost knocked me off my feet. “It’s nice to meet you. My name is Terra. I’m Bernard’s wife. He was just giving me a tour of the grounds.”

  “And I’ve ruined it,” she said mournfully as she bit down onto her lip. “Let me get out of your way.” She kneeled down to pick up the books she’d dropped, and Bernard and I crouched down to help her.

  “A Guide of the Governess?” I asked checking one of the titles before handing it back to her. She looked at me sheepishly.

  “That’s what I am,” she chuckled. But it sounded forced. “I hand these out to my students.”

  “Oh, that’s cool,” I said once we’d gathered all the books for her. We stood up and helped her steady them. “So you’re like a teacher?”

  “Yes. Kind of. I teach both the young and new vampires about etiquette and how to behave in our society. The hierarchy of the vampires is sometimes a complex one.”

  “Well it was very nice to meet you …?”

  “Vienna. My name is Vienna Lysa.”

  “Are you going to the ball this evening, Vienna?”

  “Oh my, you’re the ones who Ramses is holding the reception for,” she said, horrified. “I am so terribly sorry that I’ve ruined your evening. You are the guests of honor of a Head of House, and I’ve gone and thrown my books at you.”

  I couldn’t help it. I had to laugh. Mainly because of the comical look on her face, but also to lighten the situation for her. She was so mortified.

  “Well, I think it was a very original greeting. I’ve never been tackled by a Governess before.”

  Relief crossed her features, and her eyes sparkled with grateful mirth. “I don’t think I’ve ever tackled the new bride of a vampire before. It’s a first for me, too.” The large pile of books in her arms didn’t waver as she effortlessly shuffled them to one side. She held out her spare hand. “I am pleased to make your acquaintance.”

  “Yours, too,” I said as I shook it, then Bernard did the same. “Shall we see you this evening?” I asked, eager to delve deeper into what I’d seen in the vision. I always believe visions were shown to me for a reason, especially since I didn’t experience the sensation with everyone whose path I crossed. And I wanted to know more about this dead girl who’d been buried on what appeared to be Darkwood lands.

  “It would be a honor to speak with you later on,” Vienna told me. “I have, like all vampires across the houses, been invited.”

  “Then we’ll see you later.”

  She smiled, a large smile that took away some of the sadness in her eyes. “That will be wonderful. I will see you at Final Cycle.” She bowed her head then walked away. I glanced at Bernard.

  “Final Cycle?”

  “It’s what they call evening here. First Cycle is like their morning, Mid Cycle is afternoon, and Final Cycle is evening. It’s their way of having some form of routine that regulates with the rest of Portiside. Only they like to put their own spin on it, as always.” He took my hand and fed it through his arm. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

  “I’m fine,” I gave him a meek smile. “Just shook me up a little, is all.”

  He knew there was more to the story, but he didn’t push. Not while we were out here.

  “Alright. Let’s go and get rested and washed up for the ball. It’s going to take me an age to try and make a pretty style from your nest of hair
.”

  “I have one word for you right now.”

  “And what’s that?”

  “Annulment.”

  Bernard’s laugh was loud and hearty as he led me back to our room.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  “I’M A MIRACLE worker,” Bernard said once I stepped out of the walk-in closet. It was big enough for me to get dressed in..

  “Just what every girl wants to hear.” I twirled around, and he clapped and whistled appreciatively.

  “Beautiful. You and that dress were meant to be.”

  “This old thing?” I picked up the skirt part of the dress and shook it. “I bought it under pressure and because I wouldn’t destroy it when I shoved it to the back of my closet.”

  “Well, for some reason, it works.” He stood up to stand in front of me, the pair of heels I’d packed allowing me to meet his height. I could see that there were some serious advantages to being this tall all the time. Chasing down criminals wouldn’t be one of them though.

  Another set of doors in the walk-in wardrobe had opened up to a beautiful vanity dresser laden with accessories. Bernard had taken full advantage of it when he’d forced me to sit still while he’d worked on me.

  He’d used the straightening irons along with a few curse words to force my hair to wave, and it now fell down my back. Then he’d gone and sprayed some weird gunk on it to give it life. The make-up in the vanity had been no match for him as he’d painted my face as if it were a masterpiece. Nothing too dramatic was what he’d told me, as subtlety was the key with my bone structure, apparently. But he’d done a good job. And I told him that he could always retire and run a beauty shop if he became bored of hunting vampires. He didn’t seem very happy with that suggestion.

  “Are you going to try to get closer to Vienna?” he asked as we made to leave. After engaging the magic of the stones I’d told him all about the vision I’d experienced when Vienna had touched me. He’d listened carefully, explaining that he didn’t know anyone called Daia personally, but then he hadn’t met Vienna before tonight either. We’d caught a break when I’d described to him the location of where they’d buried the body though. He knew of the location. Apparently it sounded like the top of the Viridi Hill at the back of the Sanguis House.

  “I’ll try and get closer to her this evening,” I said, answering his question. “It’s worth poking in that direction even if it’s not relevant to hunting down Romeo. I can’t just leave it.”

  “No, you shouldn’t. Your visions are important. But be careful. If anything has happened to someone here, you don’t want to start stirring things up. Romeo needs to be your priority right now.”

  “I know. But I need to determine if the vision was something that happened in the past or if it is yet to happen. If it’s something that I can change …”

  “From how Vienna behaved and what you described to me, I would say it’s already happened.”

  The image of the dead girl flashed before me and the regret hit me hard. “Yeah. I’m thinking that, too.”

  He put my arm through his then gave me a light kiss on the temple. “You can’t save everyone.”

  “I know that. But I have to try.”

  “Of course you do. You wouldn’t be you if you didn’t. Are you ready to go?”

  “Oh, hang on sec. I forgot to ask you … When we were outside the House of Atlantis, did you see that vamp lingering on the balcony?”

  “That was Marco Perduto. The head vampire for that house.”

  “So you did see him?”

  “Briefly. But we want to avoid an introduction with him if we can help it. If we are at the ball, it can’t be helped, but try not to let him corner you. He’s too clever for his own good.”

  “You put on a good enough show for him,” I said as he led me to the door.

  “Who said it was a show?”

  My frown was quick as it edged its way onto my face. But Bernard just winked at me while muttering the magical words to disengage the stones. “Let’s go have ourselves a party.”

  The ballroom we entered was huge. High ceilings. Chandeliers. Grand staircases. And circular tables scattered around the room.

  Vampires were crammed into every orifice, some were chatting away in groups while others had taken to the dance floor swaying romantically to the classical music playing in the background.

  “So here we are, in their Final Cycle,” I said as we hovered near the doorway. A few people looked our way, and others tried not to act indifferent. But it was evident we were the stars of the show whether we wanted to be or not.

  “A vamp’s favorite part of the day.”

  “Do they have clocks here with the cycles on them?” I asked, my nerves kicking in as I gripped his arm a little tighter.

  “No,” he chuckled. “They have the usual clocks and they know what times fall into those cycles. But many vampires know the difference without seeing one.”

  “Don’t tell me,” I muttered, trying to take in every face in the room, “your fangs grow longer at Final Cycle.”

  “Something like that.” He leaned close and kissed my cheek to try and settle me. I was grateful for it as I fell into our pretense of husband and wife.

  “So are you fanging low tonight then?”

  “They don’t necessary grow longer,” he explained, “but our thirst becomes more potent during the night of Portiside. And the Final Cycle is the best time for us to feed. It keeps us in control,” he lowered his voice and whispered, “and I know how much you like control. Especially in the bedroom.”

  A laugh burst out of my lips, helping me to get rid of the nerves. “I’m a control freak. You know that.”

  “A freak in the sheets. That’s what I love about you.” He grinned with affection and then gently urged me deeper into the room. He didn’t hesitate in making a beeline for Ramses and Nephthys. They were standing by a table that was covered with glasses of what I assumed was champagne. It was sparkling anyway, and I was relieved it was clear. Picking up a glass filled with red liquid and wondering whether it was wine or blood would have been a bit embarrassing among this lot.

  “Bernard, Terra, over here,” Ramses greeted us, as he spotted our approach. He waved us forward and introduced us to a few people.

  Bored and stony faces stared back at us, counteracted by those that were overeager to please. We had to answer a few questions about our recent wedding, and why we’d done something so crass as eloping in Vegas on Earthside. But Bernard played his part to perfection. After a few more introductions I was really getting into it. There was something quite liberating about creating a pretend life, and a few glasses of champagne in, our stories were getting a little more embellished.

  “Bernard, my dear friend,” a voice came from behind us, and Bernard stiffened as soon as his eyes fell upon the speaker. He set a polite smile on his face, facing the male vampire who’d approached us. As I turned around, I saw a glimmer of knowing in Marco Perduto’s eyes.

  “Marco,” Bernard nodded, and Marco turned to face me.

  “Welcome to Darkwood.” He bowed extravagantly, the twirl of his arm a little over the top for my taste. But as he straightened, he was smiling devilishly. I chuckled as I assumed he wanted me to.

  “Thank you very much. We’ve had such a wonderful welcome.”

  “Marco Perduto,” Bernard said as if bored, “this is my wife, Terra. Terra, this is the Head for the Atlantis House, Marco Perduto.”

  Dressed extravagantly in a suit of bright purple and gold, Marco took the hand I held out to him to make an introduction. Instead of shaking it, he lifted my hand and dropped a small kiss there, rubbing the same area with his thumb before releasing it.

  “Such a pleasure to meet you.” His voice was smooth and seductive as he looked me up and down approvingly. “You’re a find and half.”

  Feeling uncomfortable under his scrutiny, I smiled, unimpressed by the blatant assessment he was performing on me. But that didn’t put him off. He caught my eye and kep
t looking. He didn’t stop looking, as if he was trying to maintain eye contact with me. Then he said, “Terra, why don’t you go and get yourself another glass of champagne.” He looked down at the glass in my hand. “Yours is almost empty.”

  “I’m fine, thank you,” I replied, confused by the request. I didn’t quite know what else to say as tension suddenly fed its way in between Bernard and Marco.

  “Come on, Terra. Let’s go dance.” Bernard wasn’t impressed.

  He said nothing to Marco, and I couldn’t help but throw Marco a look of apology as Bernard practically dragged me toward the dance floor. Marco just smiled and waved before disappearing from view.

  As soon we hit the dance floor, Bernard pulled me against his chest and placed one hand on my waist. “Are you okay?” he asked, and I didn’t like the anger that had etched onto his features. It made him seem hard. Cold, even.

  “I should ask you the same thing? What’s wrong?”

  The anger disappeared from his face as quickly as it came, then he spun me away from him. When he pulled me closer he had a smile spread across his face. “Nothing’s wrong. I just wanted to dance with my wife.” He held his other hand out and nudged me to take it. I reluctantly did so, but soon I was laughing as he swept me across the dance floor. His charm was on full blast, and it was easy enough to bounce off of.

  “Our first dance as a married couple,” he said as he ushered me to the center of the space. I let myself be swept away in the moment.

  “You’re a very popular vampire if this is the turn out to celebrate you finally getting wed.”

  “All vampires love a party.”

  “That they do.”

  We danced for a while as I followed his lead. Then he twirled me out and positioned me so that my back was pressed against his chest. I was grateful for the move as it gave me the chance to assess the room some more and get a sense of who and what was. All I saw was vampires who, at first glance, seemed nothing more than a bunch of overdressed humans. Nothing about them screamed predator, or fanged-monster-that-could-break-you-like-a-toothpick for that matter . But that’s what made them so dangerous. Their appearance and behavior was so human-like that it made many underestimate them.