Zack stepped back away from Kyli. Startled, he was actually imagining doing what the voice had asked him to. Zack could see himself killing Kyli, enjoying the act as it said to. Kyli looked at Zack in distress. She didn't know what had happened.
Zack screamed to the sky. “I won’t! You will never make me!!”
The dream changed again. There was no music. Kyli was gone, the forest was gone. Zack was at the edge of the meadow now, standing on a sandy shoreline. Before him was a vast sea of endless blood. Turbulent and breaking upon the beach.
The form of a person appeared far out near the edge of the breaking tide. It was walking to the shore. The female was covered in thick blood, masking any real detail to her body. The figure appeared to be made from the blood it was soaked in. The naked female apparition walked up to Zack. As he stared at her body, Zack could tell it resembled Kyli. The shape of her face, the length of her arms and legs, even the curves of her hips. This thing was meant to entice Zack, to incite him to action. Its feet stepped to the edge of the breaking tide. Zack came closer to see its face. Its eyes were open yet glazed over from the flowing blood that constantly dripped down its skin. Zack could feel it staring at him.
The blood specter began to speak to Zack. The words were mumbled, gargled with drowned blood that poured out of its mouth. It was too difficult to make out. Its right hand reached to Zack, a wet trail tracking it's movements in the sand. It placed its hand on Zack's neck. With blood coating his chest, Zack couldn't resist. It disturbed him. At the same time, it was warm, soothing.
Zack closed his eyes.
“Finally, you open your heart.” A dark voice echoes through to Zack's core.
Zack could feel sharp wet fingertips pierce his skin.
“Remember the pain. It will make what is to come much easier.” The voice spoke calmly to Zack. Sure of itself in a way that Zack admired.
“What are you?” Zack managed to speak as his throat clasped tight.
The dark presence paused, breathing slowly into Zack's right ear. “I am a choice.”
Zack snapped awake. Kyli had softly struck him across the cheek. There was a solid pain on the left side of his face. Kyli had nearly fractured Zack's jaw to rouse him. The sound drew the attention of the people around them. They were stunned that she hit him out of nowhere. Kyli smiled back at them and checked Zack's face. There was already a bruise forming. She put her arm around Zack and grinned. The people staring went back to listening.
The 5th symphony was still playing from almost the same moment Zack slipped into the daydream. Only a few seconds had passed.
“Zack, let go, you’re crushing my hand.” Kyli whispered to Zack.
Zack’s fingers were piercing the back and sides of Kyli’s left hand. A few of the tips were buried halfway to her knuckles. He was drawing blood that was spilling out on the carpet. Zack stopped, tenderly pulling his fingers from her hand. He gently applied pressure. “I’m sorry.”
“Then I guess I can forgive you enough to heal that shiner on your face.” Kyli smirked at Zack.
“What?” Zack hadn't noticed the slight swelling.
“Never mind. I'll take care of it in a minute.” Kyli said nothing for a moment, then whispered into Zack’s ear. “You’ll owe me for now though.”
“Okay, I trust you.” Zack leaned towards Kyli. “Again, sorry.”
Zack quietly sat through the rest of the concert in peace. He didn’t know what the daydreams were exactly, they seemed painful enough to be real. They were too disturbing to of actually happened. Zack still had to explain why he had hurt Kyli's hand. He wasn’t sure if she would believe him or not.
Demetrius Del Marin had no intermission to the concert, it was a straight two hour sequence of songs with little interlude between them. Marin played everything from variations on symphony number sever to selected bits from Rachmaninov.
Kyli explained there was a heater under the table of goblets that kept the blood from coagulating, long enough to play the concert. Eventually by the midpoint, the blood began to die. When that happened the pitch of each note was altered. A change that affected the entire second half of the performance. Kyli told Zack that the first section of the show was all classical pieces to accommodate for this. The later half was filled with original works by Marin himself.
When the last note rang off Marin's finger, everyone had been lulled silent. Each person was nearly put into their own state of bliss. All Zack wanted to do was stay awake. He was hoping to ward off any more dreams. He was still gravely distraught by the vision he had.
With the concert over, Kyli pulled out a small vial from inside Zack's blazer breast pocket. She unscrewed the top and poured a small amount on her hand. The rest she put in her mouth. Kyli turned to Zack and kissed him, forcing the blood down his throat.
Zack coughed. “What was that for?”
“You can't be walking around here like that.” Kyli wiped Zack's lips. “Besides, I told you I'd take care of everything. This is me making good on that promise.”
Zack shrugged off the taste the blood from his mind.
“Milky enough for you this time?” Kyli was poking fun at Zack.
Zack wasn't in the mood for games. He was anxious about meeting Marin. All he knew was that Kyli somehow knew him, that her father didn't like him, and he was wearing a tie that was specially chosen for the occasion. Zack's stomach was in a knot.
Kyli and Zack made their way conspicuously down to the backstage entrance. Kyli's red dress caught the eye of everyone as they passed. Kyli led Zack to the roped off area where the after party was being held. They approached the doorman.
“You're names?” The large, burly bouncer asked Zack. His jet black, greased back hair made him look like a muscular version of a 50's musical character. As big as he was, Zack could tell he was at least human.
Zack looked at Kyli.
“The man asked you, not me.” Kyli told Zack.
“We're guests of David Waterfield.” Zack said skittishly.
The doorman quickly moved to the side. He undid the red velvet rope letting Zack and Kyli in immediately.
As Zack passed inside the black corridor there was a ten foot passage with black curtains shielding the room from the other side. Zack stopped at the curtain.
“What's wrong?” Kyli asked Zack.
Zack wasn't sure what he'd find on the other side.
“It's okay. I didn't know what was beyond the veil the first time either.” Kyli took a hold of Zack's right hand. “What's important is that you move forward.”
Zack pulled the curtain to the side. Dim red candle light flooded his eyes. The inner room was filled with large golden chandeliers lining the ceiling. They cast a red hue over the crowd. The room was vaulted with black walls reaching to a white backdrop for all the ornaments hanging above. The other side of the archway had solid dark red crown molding and trim.
There was a cold draft that touched on Zack's neck as he entered with Kyli. A nagging thought in the back of his mind that he shouldn't be there.
“Glad to see you have the nerve to continue with this.” Kyli smiled at Zack. “Let's go.”
The room was packed with tall, gorgeous people. Men and women of all nationalities were there, mingling with each other. Most of the women had crystals, diamonds, blue sapphires, and red gems on them. Most of the men wore variations of black suits. A portion of them had on long flowing black and gray robes. A clear status symbol to the remaining men in the room. There was no one color scheme to their clothing. It was a sharp contrast to the audience outside.
Zack felt very out of place. Large parties weren’t his forte.
Kyli linked her arm with Zack's and led him to the center of the crowd. In the center of the room, there was a gathering of people. The black and white colors most of them had on were dazzling. These were the darkest blacks and the purest whites that could be represented in a threaded garment. There were a few specially dressed individuals that uniquely separated themselves
from the rest. They wore older styles of Victorian dresses and late renaissance attire. Some of the men were in white, some not. The same followed for the women. They seemed refined, as if this was not their first ball in a way. Maybe their thousandth. A few of them looked gaunt, the same taught skin that Orhn had the day he kidnapped Zack. They looked at Zack and Kyli with disgust as they approached. Zack was sure there were other vampires in the room, though they seemed not to pay any attention to their passing into the thick of the party.
At the center of the mass of people was Demetrius Del Marin. He stood urbane. He was entertaining a wide panel of guests with witty banter and happy smiles. He was drinking one of the goblets of blood from the show. They had the same unique low bulbed shape. Zack viewed Marin as a deipnosophist with this crowd. He seemed more at ease. His teeth were showing. They sparkled wet from the last sip he had taken. None of the more regular looking, surely human people standing around him were startled by this fact. He simply kept talking as if he had a golden smile and a gilded tongue.
Zack let one word slip out as he reached their destination. “Vampire.” He was a mere three feet from Marin.
The guests around Marin all stared at Zack and chuckled.
Demetrius Del Main grinned with his long teeth partially hidden under his lip. “Yes, you have hit the nail on the head child. I am what I have always said, a vampire. True as day, if you’ll forgive the play on words.” He was suave, smooth, his voice not so skittish as it was on stage two hours ago. He was in his element here.
Zack turned to Kyli. She was manically smiling, excited that she was meeting her idol. Zack thought Kyli was going to save him. A sense of abandonment washed over Zack as he decided to act. Zack realized he had to man up and do the saving for himself this time. “Sorry, it’s a bit weird seeing the fangs at first.” Zack tipped his head down towards Marin and the others. “This is Kyli Waterfield” Zack gestured to Kyli.
Kyli curtsied.
“I’m Zack Giver. It’s a pleasure to actually meet you Demetrius Del Marin.” Zack surprised himself with his courteous language.
“Marin.” Marin said quickly to Zack.
“What? You go by just your last name?” Zack asked.
“Call me Marin, all my friends do.” Marin was calm, and confident. He smiled as he spoke to Zack.
“But we’re not-” Zack was about to say that they weren’t his friends. He was swiftly jabbed in the right side by Kyli.
“-Friends yet.” Kyli interjected. “So we didn’t know. From now on we’ll call you Marin.” Kyli was back in the game and running strong, though still smirking like a giddy school girl within reach of a pop star. She had a lionized view of Marin.
Marin stared at Zack for a second. He was searching for something in his eyes, something that Marin didn't seem to find. He resumed normal banter with the rest of the group. They discussed the concert and other classical pieces that would sound better when played by bloody goblets. They were ignoring Zack and Kyli.
Zack had a question that was bothering him. “What makes the blood sound different than water?” The group stopped talking again.
Zack was making novice chatter that they weren’t used to. Marin had answered these questions a thousand times before at his concerts and events. Zack seemed to be the only one that hadn’t read Marin's explanations of why he chose blood to work with.
“Besides my obvious affinity towards it as a preference. The tone it produces is warm. The first half of the concert is all classical pieces for a reason. When the blood is fresh, it rings as clear notes. As the night slides forth, the tones diminish and the blood allows my songs to pour over the audience in the way they were written.” Marin was explaining the same thing Kyli had told Zack during the concert.
“You mean you write your material with those duller notes in mind?” Kyli was on top of it, perhaps a little too much. She was acting like she had just figured it out.
Zack had to intervene. “You mean you plan ahead? For it to eventually happen that way? So that your music is as dull as it’s originally meant to be. Is that right? Or am I misunderstanding your intentions for writing the second half of the concert?” He didn't understand the common use of comity when meeting new people.
Zack’s comment stunned the group. It was bold. Too bold for him, as a newcomer to say. Any admonishment Kyli could have built Zack up with had been dissolved. Most of them shied away, not wanting to remain in such an area of tension. Over a third of the group left. The others gulped a sip of wine and waited for Marin’s repose. They wanted to watch Marin verbally tear Zack apart.
“Clever boy you have there, Ms. Waterfield.” Marin was ignoring the question.
Zack had won the minute. He had stolen the show from Marin.
Marin refused to drink the last sip of blood in his glass out of protest. Looking at Zack with detest.
Zack waited for Main to respond.
“The blood has lost its taste.” Marin cleared his throat.
Marin turned to put his goblet down on a waiter’s tray. With Marin momentarily distracted, Kyli suddenly punched Zack’s right arm. She gave him a mean look.
Marin focused his attention to Zack. “Zack, there’s something I want to debate with you. Will you follow me?” Marin didn’t seem angry, only fascinated by something he wasn't sharing. “Can I borrow him for a moment?”
“It’s fine with me, as long as you keep him safe Marin.” Kyli let go of Zack’s arm and passed him off towards Marin.
“I will for as long as I can.” Marin's answer was cryptic, yet trustworthy. He was acting as if he was on stage being shy and timid.
Zack knew that Marin was Kyli’s idol. She trusted him, so Zack agreed to follow him. Marin led him to a small hallway in the back. Similar to the one that Zack entered through. A black hall with a dark curtain covered it. Marin lifted the passage for Zack to follow. As the curtain fell into place, Marin stood next to Zack. There was a second hallway that went out to the full auditorium. It appeared to be barred up on the other end so that no one could access it from the stage. It was longer and had gray sound foam attached to the walls to dampen any noise made beyond that point. It seemed not to be used as much. There were small webs in the upper corners near the far door. Zack and Marin walked in, they were more than ten feet from the nearest person. They were alone, no one else could hear them.
“Zack, you have a sharper wit than you let others perceive. I'm impressed.” Marin was complementing Zack.
“No offense Mr. Marin, but you don’t know me.” Zack wasn’t going to be belittled by a stranger even if he was Kyli's idol. Marin didn't have any right to take the liberties he was. Marin was first and foremost in Zack's mind, a vampire.
“I’m telling you the truth, Zack. You are special. And call me Marin, I'd like us to be friends.” Marin said it sincerely.
Zack stepped back. His hands pressed against the wall. “Hey, I don’t know what you’re thinking, but I’m not like that.”
“Zack, now you’re misunderstanding. I know what you are. Who you really are. You are a newly virgined vampeal.” Marin put a hint of innuendo to his words. He was provoking Zack. Prying without so much as saying it.
“I don’t like what you’re implying, Marin.” Zack came forward. He cleared his throat. “And I’m not a vampire.”
“I never said you were, and I never asked you to lie to me.” Marin was astute, he noticed Zack's stretching of the truth immediately.
“You never asked me not to.” Zack quipped.
Marin narrowed the gap between them instantly. “You really are smarter than you realize.” He was bearing down on Zack, towering over him.
“I have to go.” Zack turned to the curtain. He headed towards the party. He wanted to be away from Marin.
Marin planted his right arm on the wall, blocking Zack’s retreat. He had moved six feet in a flash. There was no sound, no movement to follow, no other sign of his action other than the fact he was already there. Zack knew what this was.
He had seen it before. Zack had been a witness to this display of speed before. He knew, without a doubt that Marin was a vampire.
“You’re coming with me.” Marin told Zack forcefully.
“I can’t.” Zack pushed against Marin’s arm, it was immovable. It was as if Zack was pushing on steel.
“It was not a request.” Marin’s voice changed, it was deep, there was a grumble to it.
Zack didn’t argue, he agreed to Marin’s demand.
“You are smarter than the rest.” Marin said in a devilish manner.
Zack shuttered to think of the extent to which Marin was referring.
Marin took Zack's left wrist. Zack attempted to struggle. Marin's hand was iron, there was no fighting it. He guided Zack beside him to a thin theater control room door in the hall. A small silver decorated door handle was the only thing that appeared to be in normal use in the area.
Marin stood next to Zack. “A fair warning: don’t sweat. Stay calm and collected.”
“Why? And what do you want to discuss in private all of a sudden? What's all this about really?” Zack was unsure of the moment, his trust was diminishing. Zack's nerve was failing him. He wanted out.
Zack tugged at his arm. Marin did not budge. He was a solid obstacle.
“You will-” Marin was interrupted.
At the best possible moment, Kyli burst in. “There you are! I’ve been looking for you two. What are you doing back here?”
Zack looked at Marin, who curled the side of his lip into a partial smile. A subtle signal to Zack to not mention the previous scene to Kyli. “Marin was going to show me something. It has something to do with you.” Zack glared at Marin.
“Is it a gift?” Kyli was twisting her shoulders left and right to be coy and overly dramatic.
Marin returned a glimmer of Zack's glare to him and then turned to Kyli with a fake smile.
“It’s a secret. Marin was about to give it to me when you came in. If you’ll excuse us, I’ll meet you by the refreshments in twenty minutes.” Zack was playing it cool, he knew what Marin could do to him. Zack didn’t want to tarnish the image of Kyli’s idol in front of her face. He was going to man up and follow Marin through the door.
Demon Vampire (The Redgold Series) Page 16