I didn’t notice when my hand left the hilt of the Bowie knife, touching the bandage at my throat. It was an unconscious move, but one Brick followed with his eyes.
He stepped forward before I could move away, touching my arm lightly with his fingers.
“I am so sorry, Mrs. Black… truly.”
Stepping back, I shook my head. “That’s not going to help anything, Brick.”
Watching my face a beat longer, he nodded.
“I understand. The sentiment is sincere, however. It is unconscionable that we allowed him to get away from us twice. That chaos in the Mission…”
At my look, he let his words trail, shaking his head again.
“I am very, very sorry, Miriam. More sorry than I can adequately convey.”
I felt my jaw harden. Before I could decide how and whether I should answer him, a sound pulled my eyes over his shoulder, to the street in front of the wharf.
Behind him, a car pulled up to the curb.
It was a limousine. Black. With tinted windows.
He turned, following my eyes.
Those eyes returned to mine a beat later.
“It is a short trip, Mrs. Black,” he assured me.
“But why is it necessary?” I said.
Clenching my jaw briefly, I looked around at the empty pier. I could feel people walking on the street a few blocks away, and more sitting on the grass, but I’d pushed any homeless and others I’d felt heading this way to give this particular segment of pier a wide berth.
Most of the humans I felt were asleep in the nearby houses and flats.
“We won’t be bothered here,” I told him, returning my eyes to his.
He nodded, his expression unmoving.
“I understand your reluctance. But I am not toying with you, or trying to abduct you, Miriam. You must realize you are my only hope in this. I have no delusions that taking you would do anything but make your mate even more murderous.”
He paused, shoving his hands deeper into his coat pockets. “There is someone I would like you to meet. It might help you to understand a few things.”
I tensed. Keeping my expression still with an effort, I bit my lip.
“I thought we were going to talk about Nick,” I said.
“We can do that too, of course.”
“Did you lie to Black? Do you know where he is?”
Brick shook his head, his expression holding regret.
“No. I’m afraid I was telling your husband the truth about that.” Frowning delicately, he met my gaze, his expression disarmingly sincere. “We have been unable to find Naoko, Miriam. I have people out looking for him, of course, even now. Dorian is leading that operation, as the need to find him is quite desperate for us… particularly for me, as you might imagine. I know your husband will kill him the first chance he gets.”
Brick studied my eyes, frowning faintly.
“You may not believe me, Miriam, but I am concerned for him, too. My concern goes far beyond any worry I may have for my own wellbeing. As I told your husband, Naoko is family to me. I am quite ashamed of him right now, of what he did to you… but I love him. I would protect him with my life. I would protect him regardless of what he did, or whatever mistakes he made. He is still a child, from my perspective. Children often do stupid and cruel things.”
I didn’t bother to answer that.
I didn’t even try and decipher which parts of it might be true.
“Shall we?” he said, inclining his head towards the curb.
I didn’t answer that, either. When he turned and began walking towards the limousine, however, I followed him silently.
I’d come this far.
If they wanted me dead, I was already dead.
* * *
HE TOOK ME to Golden Gate Park.
I don’t know where or what I was expecting, but it wasn’t that.
We sat in the back of the limousine, just the two of us, despite my fears.
He didn’t try to talk to me while we drove. I saw a figure in the front of the car, driving the limousine, but it wasn’t who I expected. Rather than the tall blond vampire I normally associated with Brick, this one had auburn hair, tied back in a messy ponytail. He wore a dark suit, and a number of silver rings. He never once looked back at us as he drove, so I only saw his face and eyes in glimpses in the rearview mirror.
I remembered that Brick said Dorian was out looking for Nick.
I wouldn’t see him at all tonight.
When the driver turned us onto John F. Kennedy Drive, entering the park, and then off onto a smaller, winding drive, I frowned, looking through the tinted windows at the silent lawns and flower gardens surrounded by shadowed trees.
I could see lights in the distance now.
It wasn’t until the limousine drew closer to those lights, winding around another wide curve, that I realized what I was looking at.
The Conservatory of Flowers was lit up from within.
The tall, white, Victorian glass structure glowed like a beacon in the otherwise pitch-black park, its tall glass walls shining with white light. The limousine made its way around behind it in the dark, following the curve of road around it until it was on our other side, the opposite side from where I sat, and perched on a slight hill.
I bent down, looking at it through the window on Brick’s side of the car.
“What are we doing here, Brick?” I said, staring at those lit glass walls.
“It seemed a neutral place.”
I turned, frowning at him.
It might be “neutral” from the perspective of the seer and vampire conflicts, but it hardly lacked for drama. Moreover, it had emotional connections for me, personally, although there was no way the vampire could know that.
It had been my sister Zoe’s favorite place in the park, maybe in the whole city.
She would drag me here on the weekends sometimes.
I had shoeboxes full of photos of Zoe in various costumes taken inside the different rooms and segments of the Victorian-style greenhouse, and on the steps leading up to it, and in the glass vestibule that formed its entrance.
Since she was six years old, she’d said she would be married here.
Even after I was in junior high and high school, we would ride our bikes out here when the weather was good, and eat sandwiches on the lawn. The conservatory perched on one of the only hills in this part of the park, overlooked a sloping view of JFK Road and a section of the nearby gardens, so it was perfect for people watching.
We would sit here and talk about psychic stuff.
We weren’t really allowed to talk about that openly at home, so we’d do it in the park, or at Ocean Beach, where we thought we wouldn’t be overheard.
Gazing up the glowing glass walls of the antique building, I fought to push the memories of Zoe out of my mind. I hadn’t been here in years. I hadn’t avoided it consciously, but looking up at the domed roof and the two, L-shaped wings coming off the central structure, I found myself understanding why I hadn’t been back.
There was no possible way I could come here without remembering my sister.
My jaw hardened at the thought, my anger aimed at myself that time.
I also found myself wondering if Black would want to get married here.
Maybe that was something I could do for Zoe. At least one of the Fox girls could still get married here, even if it wasn’t the right one.
I shoved that out of my mind too.
It was probably better if I waited to see how this meeting went––and whether Black found out it took place––before I started planning weddings here.
Someone opened the limousine door, right next to where I sat.
It wasn’t the driver.
Looking up, I met the crystal eyes of another vampire I didn’t recognize, this one female. She had black and red dyed hair, her lipstick matching the red streaks in her long, half-curled hair. She smiled at me, and the smile almost looked real, disconcerting only because it was
paired with those clear, soulless-looking eyes.
I took her offered hand without thought, and let her help me out of the back of the car.
Walking past her, I waited a few steps from the open door, watching Brick help himself out, then pause to lean to the female’s ear, murmuring something to her, too low for me to hear. Brick tugged the dark coat around him then, giving me a faint smile as he walked up to join me at the base of the Conservatory steps.
Without a word, we climbed the steps together, aiming our feet to the lit vestibule that led into the exotic plants greenhouse.
We were approaching the doors, when I found my steps slowing.
I stopped, looking at him.
He made it a few more steps before he stopped as well, looking back at me.
I could see his face clearly now, under the glow of the lights inside the Conservatory.
“What is this, Brick?” I said.
At his quirked eyebrow, I bit the inside of my cheek.
“Aren’t we going to talk about Nick?” I said. “About how to fix things between our two camps? Assuming they can be fixed?”
Brick looked at me for a minute, his smile fading.
As I watched, that smile transformed into a thoughtful, more conflicted frown.
Then, moving slowly, deceptively slow, almost in a glide, he approached where I stood. Before I’d decided how to react, he took my arm gently in his, looping his hand and forearm through my elbow without pulling my fingers off the hilt of the gun I wore.
It struck me in the same few fractions of a second that he hadn’t attempted to disarm me.
He hadn’t even had one of his people frisk me.
“Come inside, Miri,” he said, his voice gentle. “All of this will make more sense once you do.”
Watching his face, not hiding my skepticism, I stepped forward when he did.
That misgiving remained in my chest, pulling at my light, tightening in my throat. It wasn’t about Brick, per se. For some reason, I didn’t think he brought me here to hurt me. Whatever he wanted from me in bringing me here, it wasn’t that.
He was still holding my arm as he led me through the glass doors. Two of his people held open those doors, smiling at me as I walked past. Another female vampire and a male, both of them with black hair. The male looked Middle Eastern and wore a short, trimmed beard. The female had dark skin with tightly-cropped, black curly hair. She watched me with crystal eyes, and I saw an open curiosity there, almost like she knew me.
Maybe she just knew who I was.
Still, something about the familiarity in her eyes brought back that shiver of misgiving.
“I know you have your doubts about what your friend Nick will become,” Brick said. “I know it isn’t only your husband who is skeptical about this, Miriam.”
His voice was low, almost paternal in that soothing, melodic tone.
When I glanced over at him, he smiled, studying my face with slightly sharper eyes than his facial expression would suggest.
“…I know you have no way to judge that, by looking at me,” he continued, still watching my face. “I know you have no way to judge that by looking at or speaking with any of my people. Like human beings, vampires vary in temperament, in violence, in compassion, in wisdom, in foolishness, in experience, in character.”
He led me into the octagonal pavilion and my eyes scaled up, taking in the arched roof, as well as the glass clerestory and dome. Around us, tropical plants surrounding the central segment of the conservatory, with passageways going to the left and the right.
Brick steered me towards the right.
We entered an exhibit I remembered vaguely, and he took me to the right again, so that we followed a path along the south wall, towards the eastern arm of the building.
Tropical plants surrounded and loomed over us, giving the feel of a jungle.
I found myself looking at the colorful flowers and dark palm leaves as Brick continued to talk, guiding me gently deeper into the conservatory.
“…To truly understand the differences and similarities, you would need to interact with a vampire you knew before their transformation,” Brick continued, glancing at me. “With things as they are now between your husband and myself, I worry now that Naoko may not live long enough for you to see that transformation through him…”
Feeling me wince, he glanced at me, squeezing my arm briefly in his.
“That is not an outcome I relish either, Miriam,” he said, his voice lower. “Even if I somehow managed to survive it. And while I have misgivings about what I am about to show you, I feel it is the only way to prevent that from occurring. I hesitated to go this route with you previously for a number of reasons… not the least of which being I frankly had no idea how you might react.”
Pausing, he glanced at me again, leading me through the glass and plant-lined corridor.
I saw vampires here and there as we passed, all of them staring at me.
I saw that familiarity in some of their faces, too.
Brick continued speaking to me in that low, melodious voice.
“…But now I have no choice,” he said, his words firm. “I can only hope you forgive me for not telling you sooner. Be aware that wasn’t my decision, either, dear heart… trust me when I say, it was no small feat to convince the affected parties to agree to this meeting tonight.”
I bit my lip, trying to make sense of his vague words, even as I followed his graceful steps. Distracted by two more vampires standing on either side of the next glass doorway, I focused on the pond covered with flat, round water lilies just beyond that opening.
He’d taken me to the aquatic plants section.
I’d spent way too much time in here as a kid.
Maybe that was confusing me, too.
“What are you telling me?” I said. “I’m confused.”
Something in my mind clicked then, and I turned, giving him a harder glare.
My jaw tightened as I continued to turn over everything he’d said.
“Are you going to try and turn me into a vampire, Brick?” I said, blunt. “Because you have no idea how fast Black would kill you if that happened.”
Pausing, I added,
“If you somehow tied your life to mine, the way you did with Nick, he’d kill every single vampire around you… and probably throw you in a cage in his basement and experiment on you when he was bored.”
I stared at him, knowing every word I’d just said was true.
Even so, fear shot adrenaline through my blood and light, making it hard to breathe, hard to think clearly, despite my own words.
“Trust me, Brick,” I said, my voice harder. “You don’t want to do that.”
Brick raised his fingers, waving off my concern with a patient, dismissive gesture.
“Do not concern yourself, Miriam. I was in no way leading up to anything like that. I have absolutely no intention of turning you into a vampire.”
It took a second for my mind and body to react to his words.
Then I exhaled silently, feeling a relief that was nearly physical.
“However,” Brick said, raising his hand a second time. He motioned gracefully, indicating across the pond to the other side of the aquatic plants exhibit. “…I can perhaps clear up one mystery for you tonight. In relation to what you just said.”
He turned, meeting my frown with a smile.
“You and your husband have asked me, on more than one occasion, why I was so sure I would be able to turn you, if I so chose.” Noting my puzzlement, he smiled a touch wider, flashing a starker white of fang. “Perhaps I can offer the answer to that question finally.”
Frowning, I just stared at him.
When he nodded across the pond, however, still indicating for me to look towards the other side of the L-shaped glass room, I turned my head.
For a few seconds, I didn’t see anything.
The water was utterly still, a mirrored surface covered in dark green lilies, surrounded by ferns and dark v
ines, making it look like something from a prehistoric pond. I stared across the dense green undergrowth, remembering being in here as a kid––
When a form appeared on the other side of the pond.
It glided silently, softly, moving like liquid, appearing from behind a giant fern.
My eyes took in the body in a confused glance, logging details without comprehension. Long, lean, muscular legs encased in black leather. Tall red boots, also leather. A form-fitting white lace top over a generous chest, accented with a pale green teardrop stone hanging on a silver necklace. Red leather belt. Lean, muscular arms. Long-fingered hands covered in silver rings, resting on curvy hips below a narrow waist.
My eyes rose to her face.
I froze.
For a long-feeling few seconds, I thought my memories had superimposed over the scene in front of me.
I was dreaming… hallucinating, anyway.
I had to be.
Then she smiled.
“Hey,” she said, raising a hand.
It was the same, goofy, half-assed wave she would have given me when she was seventeen.
I stared.
I couldn’t blink.
I couldn’t look away.
I couldn’t fully see her, either.
“Miri.” Her voice rose, growing a touch sharper. “Hey… big sis. Take a breath. Breathe, okay? You’re not seeing things. It’s me.”
She turned, her eyes shifting to the space next to me.
Some part of my mind knew she was looking at Brick, but I didn’t look away from her to follow her gaze, to confirm what I knew.
I also didn’t breathe.
I couldn’t breathe.
“Miri.” Her eyes shifted back to mine. Her lower lip jutted in a worried pout. “Hey, I’m sorry. I didn’t want to do it like this. I told them we shouldn’t do it like this.”
Again, her eyes flickered sideways, then back to me.
“Don’t blame Brick. It’s not his fault.” She frowned at the other vampire. “Although I told him you’d probably have a damned coronary… and then you’d probably beat him to death with your bare hands.”
TO BLACK WITH LOVE: Quentin Black Mystery #10 Page 45