by Lisa Olsen
“It doesn’t have to be deep, just enough to block out the sun,” Bishop called out, pulling Rob from the car once he gauged Lee had the hole deep enough. Dead to the world, Rob didn’t stir as he laid him in the ground and we all brushed the dirt back into the hole, covering him.
“Will he really be okay like that?” I worried aloud, half of a mind to get back in the car with Carys and huddle under the tarp rather than think about going into the ground. “What if an animal comes along and digs him up?”
“Won’t no critters want to dig up the likes of you. You smell like death to them,” Lee said solemnly, starting on the next shallow grave. “Besides, I’ll be around to make sure nothin’ disturbs ya while you rest,” he promised.
Once Carys began to grasp the fact that we intended to stay put, she tottered out of the car, heels sinking into the patchy grass. “I don’t need to sleep yet, there’s no need to settle here. Let’s keep pushing on.”
As much as I hated to take her side in any matter, I had to agree. Almost anything sounded better than letting Lee bury me alive. “Maybe she’s right? For all we know there’s an inn on the other side of that hill.”
“It’s possible,” Bishop agreed. “Do you want to take that chance though? It’ll take some time to dig enough space for all of us. We’ll run out of time if we spend it all chasing after shelter that might not be there. But we’ll go on if that’s what you want.”
“What if Lee keeps digging and we drive farther up the road?” I suggested.
“It’s settled then, let’s go,” Carys declared, going back to the car, but Lee wasn’t as swayed.
“I’d rather stick by your side, see that you don’t run into trouble now that the sun’s comin’ up.”
“Then I’ll stay here too,” I decided. “I’d rather not be split up, but maybe you should go on without us?”
“That’s commendable,” Carys said, tugging at Bishop’s arm. “We’ll see you at dusk. Come along, Ulrik.”
Bishop didn’t budge an inch. “We’ll all stay here.”
Carys gave another tug, but he couldn’t be moved. “I told you, I won’t go to ground like an animal,” she whined.
“Then don’t. You can sleep in the trunk.” He gestured to the ample space and I wondered if there was room for me to crawl in there with her.
Her pretty features clouded with doubt. “Is it safe?”
“It’s perfectly fine. Check it out for yourself.”
She leaned inside, testing the texture of the carpeted interior gingerly before climbing inside, her face dubious as she settled her skirt around her legs. “Won’t you join me?” she called out as he started to close the lid and Bishop shook his head.
“There isn’t room. Besides, I’m not the one who has a problem going to ground. I’ll see you when the sun goes down, Carys.” With that, he slammed the trunk shut before she could make any more objections.
“I don’t know if I can do this,” I murmured, pulling the tarp up over my head now that the trunk was closed. “Being buried alive?”
“Sure you can,” Bishop assured me, ducking under the tarp with me. “You know once you pass out you won’t be aware of your surroundings, and it’s not like being actually buried alive at all.”
The rational part of my mind could accept those things, but it didn’t make me feel any better about the thought of going into the ground with all the bugs and crawly things. “What if I get turned around in the night and start to dig the wrong way out?”
Bishop’s arm found its way around my shoulders for a comforting squeeze. “It’s only a few inches of soil above you. You won’t have to dig your way out at all, I promise. And I’ll be there to pull you out if you get into any trouble.”
“Do you promise?”
“I promise. I won’t let anything happen to you.”
I looked deep into his eyes and saw his absolute pledge there and I believed him. If Bishop thought I could do it, I must be able to.
“I reckon this one’s deep enough,” Lee reported, standing back from his work, sweat standing out on his brow despite the chill of the morning air. Bishop let go of me to spread the tarp out for me to lie on. My eyes were streaming, partly from the sun and partly from the unreasoning panic that grabbed hold of me and didn’t let go as I climbed down into the hole.
“You’ll be fine,” he winked, smiling down at me before he wrapped the rest of the tarp over me like a taco, so I wouldn’t get too filthy. “I’ll see you in the evening, Anja.”
“G’nite,” I murmured, biting my teeth together to keep them from chattering, but I still whimpered when I felt the first clods of dirt hit the tops of my feet. It’s stupid, I know, but the more dirt Lee piled onto me, the more trapped I felt, even though it was a shallow grave at best. Even that small amount of weight pressed against me, and I went into full panic mode as my lungs constricted.
“I can’t do this!” I squeaked, pushing the tarp free and taking in great gulps of air as I sat up. The sun stung my exposed face and arms, and I could hardly see through the protective tears my eyes produced. “Just cover me with the tarp and weight it down with some rocks or something,” I wailed, still shaking from head to foot.
“That’s not going to be good enough,” Bishop frowned. At least his voice sounded all frowny, he was little more than a blur to me. “Give me that shovel.” I felt the dirt cleared off of my legs and breathed a sigh of relief, waiting for him to help me out of the hole. Instead of giving me a hand up, Bishop climbed in beside me, pulling the tarp over both of our heads as he held me close in the confined space, his knees drawn up to make room for his longer legs.
“Go ahead, Lee,” he called out, and almost immediately, I felt the thud of dirt on my legs again.
“No, I can’t do this,” I gulped, dragging in a painful breath as my lungs seized up.
“Anja, look at me,” he commanded, his stern voice penetrating my terror. To my surprise, I could see the outline of his face even with the tarp over our heads. “I’m here with you and you’re going to get through this.”
I heard the words, but the fear didn’t completely recede. “But… I can’t… can’t breathe…” I managed to get out, and he reached up to brush the tears away from my cheek.
“You don’t need to breathe, remember? Just relax. The only air you need is if you want to talk, and you can recycle the same air over and over again. It’s physically impossible for you to suffocate in here.”
My mouth popped open as I realized he was right, but it didn’t lessen the burning in my chest. “It still hurts,” I hiccupped, and he laid his hand over my heart where it ached the most.
“Hold your breath with me and count to ten inside your head.”
I did as he said and the pressure did ease some, though I still trembled with every new shovel of dirt that hit, especially when it landed directly over our heads and the dim light faded.
“Are you still counting?” he rumbled in the darkness. “Switch to German.”
I nodded, and he led me through a half dozen languages, leading by example when he hit upon one I wasn’t familiar with. My brain occupied, it got easier until I realized I was getting weaker, and that sent my panic into overdrive again.
“I’m slipping away,” I murmured, fighting against it, and I felt his lips against my cheek as he spoke.
“It’s just the sun rising higher in the sky. You face this every morning. Can you feel your body growing heavier?”
“Yes, I feel it.”
“Your body wants to sleep. Let it drift away.”
I was already drifting. He sounded farther away, but I couldn’t let go completely, not yet. “What if I don’t come back?”
His lips curved against my cheek. “Then I’ll find you and bring you back. You trust me to keep you safe, don’t you?”
“Yes.”
Bishop’s lips brushed against mine in the lightest of kisses. “Sleep then, Anja. I’ll be here when you wake.”
* * *
&nb
sp; There was light, despite the tarp pulled over our heads, that’s the first thing I noticed. The second thing I noticed was Bishop’s steadfast gaze and the way his lips curved into a smile when he saw I was awake.
“Hey, sleepyhead,” he said softly, his words rumbling through me where our chests pressed together. “Anyone ever tell you you’re a late sleeper?”
“I am not!” I protested, pretending to be offended, because I knew it’d make him smile more. “I think I do pretty well for a vamp who just entered her toddler years.”
“Yeah, I forget you’re such a newbie sometimes,” he allowed, smiling wider as predicted.
“How long have you been awake?” If I focused, I could hear muffled voices, Lee’s deep baritone and a higher register that was probably Carys.
“Not all that long.”
“You didn’t have to wait for me. It’s dark out, right?” I didn’t feel that pressure of the sun over head any longer.
“I wanted to be here when you woke up.”
“Thanks. I don’t think I could’ve gotten through this without you.”
“Sure you could’ve. You’ve handled everything else that’s been tossed your way.” Bishop had just enough wiggle room to brush the hair back from my cheek. “Maybe that’s part of why I forget you’re so young sometimes.”
“Only part? Is there some other reason?”
“Maybe because it feels like I’ve known you for a lifetime.”
I digested that in silence for a few seconds, enjoying the way his steady gaze warmed me. It wasn’t true, of course, he’d known me for a tiny fraction of his four hundred and sixty-five years, but I appreciated the sentiment. “It’s been an interesting year,” I allowed.
“I’ll say,” he sighed. “You’ve definitely shaken things up in my world.”
I wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing. “I’m sorry,” I started to say, but he shook his head.
“I like it. I wish…”
“Are you going to rise or not!” Carys’ shrill voice cut through the thin layer of dirt insulating us from the outside world, and I felt his frustrated puff of air against my cheek.
Bishop turned his head and barked, “Hold your goddamn horses.”
“There are no horses here,” came her confused reply.
“We should probably get up and start moving,” he said a lot softer to me. “Watch your eyes now.” Bishop was right, there was very little digging involved in getting up. Mostly we sat up and the dirt brushed away. There was more dirt over our legs, and I had the idea that maybe he’d already sat up once and brushed away most of the dirt covering our heads so I’d feel less claustrophobic when I woke.
Carys stood by the shallow grave, looking as perfect as she had the night before, not a hair out of place. I felt grubby by comparison, but a few brushes got rid of most of the dirt and the tarp had done a good job keeping the worst of it away.
“Is Rob okay?” I remembered suddenly, looking for the other fresh mound of dirt, but it lay undisturbed.
“Your childe still sleeps,” Carys replied, sidling up to Bishop. “We’re not going to wait here until he wakes, are we? I’ve already had my fill of conversation with that dog.”
My eyes flicked to where Lee slumped in the driver’s seat, his hat tipped low. Was he catching up on a few winks, or had he had his fill of conversation with the Wicked Witch of the Welsh?
“We don’t have to wait here for him to rise,” Bishop decided. “Let’s dig him up and then we can get a move on.”
Rob hadn’t moved an inch since we put him into the hole, and he didn’t show any signs of stirring as Bishop pulled him out. For all her hurry to get on the road again, Carys insisted we clean him off thoroughly before we let him into the back seat next to her, and Bishop and I spent a few extra minutes brushing off the worst of the mess. One nice thing about vampire physiology, the dirt didn’t stick to his skin the way it would a live human. It came right off the leather jacket too, and there was nothing a few good pats couldn’t get rid of on his jeans.
“Now then, shall we go?” Carys asked the moment we propped Rob upright in the back of the car.
“Sure, if any of you have an idea which direction to go,” I pointed out. None of us were any more familiar with our location than we were the night before. “What we really need is for Rob to wake up and show us the way. Beyond that, we could wander for hours on these back roads and not end up any closer to where we need to be.”
“I didn’t see hide nor hair of anybody along this lonely stretch of road the whole day,” Lee reported from where he slouched in the driver’s seat. He looked worn out.
“Why don’t you scoot over and take my seat? I’ll drive for a while,” I offered.
“You don’t mind?”
“No, not at all. I guess we keep going down the same road and hope for the best?”
“If we keep heading east we’ll eventually hit the ocean,” Bishop shrugged.
“Oh, I can wake him up,” Carys declared in an impatient huff. Biting her wrist, she held it to Rob’s lips. On automatic pilot, his mouth fastened over her wrist and he sucked greedily, drawing a soft sigh of delight from her. The tang of her blood filled the enclosed space, and I put down the driver’s side window, desperate to clear the air. I’d only fed the night before, but I wasn’t immune to the tantalizing scent of such powerful blood. Neither was Bishop from the look of it, his body was already canting toward hers, tongue darting out to moisten his lips.
Carys felt his movement and turned to capture Bishop’s mouth in a searing kiss, while I stared in the rearview mirror. Fifteen minutes ago you could’ve easily convinced me that Bishop wouldn’t have wanted to touch her with a ten foot pole, but there he was, giving his best impression of an Oreo with Carys as the fluffy cream filling between them.
There was a sound of creaking leather and I looked down to see that my fingers had left permanent impressions on the steering wheel without me even noticing it.
“Steady now, mija,” Lee soothed, his touch light on my arm. “You wanna take a walk or somethin’?”
But just as quickly, it was over, Carys having decided she’d had enough for the moment. Breaking the lip-lock with Bishop, she pulled her wrist free and shared a blood-fueled kiss with Rob, who was very much awake now.
“Such a lovely man,” she purred, smiling like the cat who ate the cream as she arranged her skirt primly. “Now then, shall we go?”
I couldn’t look at either of them, I didn’t want to see how affected they were by the whole experience. All I could think was – if I hadn’t been there and they’d been back at the farmhouse, would it have turned into a full blown threesome between them? A week ago I would’ve said no, neither Rob nor Bishop would be up for such a thing, but now? All it would take was for Carys to crook her finger and they’d both come panting, compulsion or not.
Would they do the same for me? Holy Hannah, that thought was almost as scary in its own way.
“So, um… where to?” I asked, my eyes focused straight ahead.
“Give me a moment to get my bearings,” Rob replied, stepping out of the car, his back cracking as he stretched, muscles straining at the confines of his t-shirt. Such a lovely man indeed. He lit a cigarette, and I got out of the car too, needing a breath of air. “Sorry,” he said, turning to keep the smoke out of my way.
“It’s okay,” I replied automatically, holding my breath until the wind swirled it away. But when I looked up at him, I could tell he meant about more than the smoke. “It’s fine. I know you needed it and she can feed you better than I can.”
“Only because I don’t care none about hurting her.”
“It sure sounded like you liked it,” slipped out before I could stop myself.
“It’s blood, what’s not to like?” he shrugged, taking a final drag and pinching out the smoking coal with his fingertips. I turned to go and he caught hold of my wrist, keeping me in place. “She don’t taste as sweet as you,” he said, his voice
a low rasp for my ears only.
My gaze dropped to his lips. “The things you say…”
“Did you figure out where we are?” Bishop’s voice cut through the fog of intimacy that’d spread around us, and this time I wished he’d stayed in the car.
“Yeah, I know where we are. We’ve strayed from the path, but I reckon we can find our way back right enough,” Rob replied, his gaze never leaving my face. If only it was that easy. “There’s a way back to the main road about a mile ahead, it’ll put us where we need to be.”
“Oh good,” I smiled, relieved. “I was starting to think we’d be wandering out here in the middle of nowhere for days.”
“Never happen,” Rob said with a shake of the head. “Country’s not big enough to get that lost. I’d have expected you to know that,” he added, looking to Bishop with an accusatory stare.
“Sorry, I haven’t been in this part of the country for about eighty years or so,” Bishop replied. “Besides, I thought the point wasn’t to get back to the main highway, but to wander these back roads to find your family. That could take days.”
“I guess we’d best get started then,” Rob said, taking the keys from my hand. “I’ll drive.” That put me in the back seat with Bishop and Carys. Cool beans. Oh man, I hoped we found the gypsies soon! I didn’t think I could take another favor from Carys in feeding Rob, and I sure as heck didn’t want to be around when she asked Bishop for some of his blood as a refill.
Thankfully, luck was with us, as we found the gypsy encampment.
Chapter Eighteen
You know those movies with gypsies where they’re sitting around the open cook fires, living out of a bunch of garishly painted, barrel shaped wagons parked in a circle?