Blood Vine

by Amber Belldene

  “How do I rest if I can’t sleep?” Pedro straightened, shrugging off Bel’s palm.

  Bel rounded the table, and Pedro screwed up his eyes to make them focus. It sort of worked, revealing a concerned-looking Bel resting his elbows on the stainless steel surface.

  “Sit in a dark room. Turn some static on your radio to block out sounds.”

  Pedro snorted. “Maybe I should try whale noises and a lavender eye pillow. Or should I just book a day at the spa?”

  “Go to hell. I’m only trying to help. You need white noise and as little light as possible.”

  Pedro stumbled toward the door and then thought twice. With a grace that surprised him, he spun to offer his hand to Bel.

  His new brother stared at the proffered hand for only a moment before taking it. “Welcome to the family.”

  For the briefest moment, Pedro’s achingly tense face eased into a smile. Then the lights went out.

  “Shit,” Bel said.

  It was pitch black in the huge space, but Pedro knew the workroom like he knew his own cock, which was to say, better than the back of his hand.

  “Shit,” Bel said again.

  Pedro’s eyes adjusted, and the ambient light from a glowing red switch on a surge protector illuminated the room like a warm harvest moon.

  “Wow. I can see.”

  “Yeah. Only time I ever wish I’m a vampire is for the night vision.”

  The darkness ended the onslaught against Pedro’s newly sensitive eyes. It was a desperately needed reprieve. “Take my hand, I’ll lead you upstairs.”

  “Aw, dude. I didn’t know you cared.”

  Pedro smiled, the little jab assuring him Bel had none of Kos’s old homophobic hang-ups.

  Hand in hand, they emerged near the kitchen hallway. Down the hall, a closet door hung open and someone rustled around inside.

  “Hello?” Bel called out.

  “Help me with these boxes,” Andre said.

  With Bel in tow, Pedro arrived at the closet where Andre stood surrounded by precisely labeled boxes. He clicked on a flashlight and handed it to Bel, who shone the light like a nightclub beacon, skimming the hand-written labels.

  “Good old Kos. Always prepared.”

  Andre grinned, shuffling a box out of his way. “I must bring flashlights and batteries upstairs.”

  Pedro and Bel followed him to find Vania, Susan, Ally, and Zoey lighting candles. As soon as Andre set down his load, the women started to distribute the flashlights.

  “You think the Hunters cut the power?” Pedro asked.

  “No doubt about it. It would be easy to do, since the line is above ground. I should have had it buried.”

  “Upsetting the household is part of their usual bag of tricks,” Bel said.

  That was news to Pedro, and it made his torture less personal. Perhaps they would have treated anyone that way. Then he remembered Lucas’s knuckles crashing into his cheeks and the taste of his own blood. How could that not be personal?

  “This isn’t scary,” Ally said. “It’s like a camp out.”

  “Or like living before electricity—it’s kind of romantic,” Susan said.

  “We should be scared.” Vania jumped in, spoiling their play. “With no power, all the food will go bad. It will be damn hard to bring in supplies and there are a lot of mouths to feed here that don’t have fangs.”

  Everyone was silent; Pedro decided Vania wasn’t much fun.

  “It’s not so bad,” Andre finally said, attempting a reassuring tone. “During the day, the solar panels will power the estate. During the dark hours, the generator can run the refrigerator.”

  “You have a generator and solar panels?” Vania asked.

  “This is a working vineyard. The generator comes in handy all the time. And of course I have solar power. Vampires are concerned about global warming. We are the ones who will live to see it. I would not be surprised if we were behind all the major renewable power initia—”

  “Go get the generator, already,” Bel said.

  Pedro snickered at the familiar sentiment. When Andre talked like that, he never knew if the crusty old vampire was bullshitting or taking himself too seriously.

  Susan pointed her flashlight under her chin, casting a spooky illumination on her face. Zoey laughed, and Ally jumped, squealing with delighted fear. Bel drew up to Vania and began discussing the estate’s defenses. All the while, flashlight beams jiggled and flared. The din swelled, and so did Pedro’s newly altered brain. Before he knew it, his knees folded, and he was ass-to-the-ground at Bel’s feet.

  A giant olive-skinned paw was in his face instantly, offering a boost. “Okay, bro. Off to bed with you. Can I trust you to rest, or do I have to send in Omar to give you the spa treatment?”

  “Screw you. I’ll rest.” He couldn’t bring himself to say thank you, but he squeezed Bel’s hand, hoping his gratitude didn’t go unnoticed.

  His feet carried him to his room without complaint, and he unplugged every glowing device, turned on static and threw a blanket over his stereo. Dios mio, if you listen to the prayers of vampires, please turn off all the juice running into my brain and let me find some peace and quiet.

  Kos squatted across the coffee table from where Lena sat, surprisingly calm and composed, on his couch.

  “Come on, we’ve got to go.”

  “I’m not going.”

  Had he known she was this stubborn? “You’re not safe.”

  “Kos, I feel better than I have in years. Thirty-six hours away from there, and I feel like my old self. I won’t go back. I have friends I can stay within the city. Take me to Santa Rosa and I’ll get a bus.”

  “Lena, if they know your name, they can find you anywhere. It’s possible they’ll even tail us from here.”

  “I won’t go.” She shook her head and crossed her arms. If it weren’t so infuriating, it would have been cute.

  Kos set his jaw à la Andre and put on his most determined expression. “You will.”

  Although she looked surprised at his forcefulness, she still said, “No.”

  He rolled his shoulders. Reason wasn’t working, neither was coercion. He had one more option. “Lena, do it for me. I’d never forgive myself if something happened to you.” It wasn’t strictly manipulation if it was true.

  “What do you mean?”

  He put his knees down and leaned over the coffee table. “In Croatia we lost four members of the household. I promised I’d never let that happen again. Please don’t put yourself at risk and put me through that again.”

  She inched toward him, but her arms were still crossed over her chest.

  “Please?”

  Finally she said, “Okay. I’ll go if I can borrow one of your books?”

  “I have tons of books at Kaštel too. You’re welcome to them.”

  “But I’m enjoying this one.” She touched the cover of A New Selected Poems by Galway Kinnell.

  “You are?”

  “I like the one about the footsteps.” She blushed, keeping her eyes on the book.

  That poem was one Kos’s favorites too, about how Kinnell’s son appeared every time his parents finished making love, to climb in between them in the bed where he was conceived.

  “It got me thinking I might not want to do this anymore, the household thing. Maybe it’s time for me to have a normal life.” Lena thumbed the pages of the book where it lay on the table. She still wasn’t looking at him.

  “I understand that feeling, but it’s a decision that will have to wait. I’ll help you with whatever you want, but first we need to keep you safe.”

  “Why is Kaštel safer?”

  “Magic.”

  “What?”

  “I’ll explain on the way.”

  He drove slowly, describing how Bel’s crew was protecting the house. After Lena asked a few questions and he answered to the best of his ability, she fell silent. As they approached Kaštel, she fiddled in her purse, closely examined her fingernails, became a
bundle of anxiety. He pitied her, and for the first time he was angry with Andre for the way he had neglected her.

  He called ahead and got Bel on the phone in case they had any trouble getting through the shield, which snugly hugged the house and the back building where they made wine. He turned off the highway into the drive.

  Just as the rank smell of Hunter wafted out of the air conditioner vent, something burst loudly and the steering wheel jerked—one of the front tires was blown. They were under attack.

  “Lena, listen to me. Hunters are shooting at us. When I say go, I want you to get out of the car and meet me in the front. I will carry you to the house.”

  “I don’t want to weigh you down. I’ll run myself.”

  “Lena, your weight is nothing to me and I’m ten times faster than you. I will pull you across the seat and out my own damn door, unless you do what I say. Okay?”

  She nodded curtly.

  “Now.”

  She opened her door and hopped out, but two Hunters were there waiting for her. Shit, he’d let his guard down to argue with her and hadn’t seen them. He froze in place as two of them pulled her backward off the drive into the bushes, pointing a gun to her head. His heart pounded in his chest.

  Six yards to one Hunter, eight to the one with Lena. Rage boiled up inside him that they dared to threaten her. He could break both their necks and have her safe before they could shoot her. Toes twitching in his shoes, he gave himself a countdown. Three…two…one. Another shot rang out and a bullet grazed his side.

  He was on the ground again behind the Hunters before he realized he hadn’t sprinted, but flown. Bullets were still raining down where he had stood seconds earlier.

  “Hell yeah!” he said, both shocked and thrilled by his first flight.

  Both Hunters turned. He went for the bigger one first, snapping his neck in a quick motion. The other one yanked Lena and tried to hold her in front of himself. She fought him, throwing an elbow to his gut and a heavy stomp to his foot. He pushed her down and she landed hard.

  “Lena?”

  Kos froze, and the sharp shooter had time to aim. A bullet tore through his shoulder, burning through flesh and bone before exiting the other side.

  It didn’t matter. Was Lena hurt? Her slender rib cage rose and fell rapidly where she lay on the asphalt. The Hunter stood over her, his frightened eyes glued to Kos. In one fast step, Kos closed the distance between them and snapped his neck too.

  Hunters approached on all sides. He went to Lena and saw a line of blood trickling from her hairline. He bent and, banding his arm around her ribs, said, “Hold on.” His shredded shoulder was on fire, but it was already knitting back together. What hurt him most was to see Lena, clutching his book of poems in her hand as if it were her lifeline. He launched them into the air, fueled by the need to protect her.

  “Oh my God,” Lena whispered. “You’re flying. Kos, you’re flying.”

  Her child-like excitement broke through the fear she must have been feeling. He landed at the front door more gracefully than he expected. Bel promptly opened the door.

  “Son of a bitch. You flew!” he said, as he dragged Lena inside. “Shit, Kos, you’re soaked in blood. How bad are you hurt?”

  “Fine. Healed already.” With the door closed and the shield keeping the armed Hunters out, Kos shooed Bel away and focused on Lena. She was shaking with fear but holding herself together.

  “Kos, you’re bleeding,” she touched his shirt and her hand came away red.

  “Not anymore. Look.” She would worry until he proved he was fine. He undid two buttons on his ruined shirt and bared his chest to show her the wound was closed.

  “Oh, wow.” Dazed, she looked from her hand to his chest and back.

  “Lena, where are you hurt?”

  “I’m fine.”

  “You have a head wound. Anything else?”

  She paused for a second to touch her head where she was bleeding, then said, “My wrist.” He looked down to see it beginning to swell. He manipulated her hand and she flinched a little, but her range of motion was good. “I don’t think it’s broken. Just a sprain. But let’s get some ice on it.”

  “Why is it dark in here?” she asked.

  Kos panicked. Was she blacking out? Then he noticed the lights were out.

  “Hunters cut the power,” Bel replied. He tried to hand Lena a flashlight, but she refused to put the book down and her other hand was clearly causing her pain.

  Kos took it for her. “Bel, two dead Hunters out front need to be taken care of.”

  “Sure thing. Chances are their friends have taken care of them already. They’re as committed to leaving no trace as we are.”

  “Lena, come down to the kitchen for an ice pack.” Walking slowly, he stayed next to her so she could see the ghostly sphere illuminated by the flashlight. He sat her down on a stool at the counter, scooped a handful of ice into a plastic baggie and wrapped it in a kitchen towel. While she placed it on her wrist, Kos cleaned the blood off her head.

  He’d never been so close to her, aside from their quick flight to the front door. Her hair was soft under his fingers, and she smelled like the salty ocean air at his house.

  “Lena, this is already bruising. How hard did you hit the ground?”

  “I don’t remember.” Her forehead creased with the effort.

  “That’s not a good sign.”

  “I guess not.” She wiped her brow with the back of her hand.

  “Are you feeling tired?”

  “Very.”

  “Also not a good sign.”

  “Oh…you think I have a concussion? I don’t think I hit that hard.”

  “Lena, you just said you don’t remember.”

  Her lopsided smile was an admission that she’d been caught in an inconsistency.

  He filled a glass of water for her at the sink and slid it across the counter. “Listen, I want you to stay in my room so I can watch for any signs of a concussion while you sleep. I’ll wake you up every few hours.”

  “There’s no need for that. I’ll sleep in my room. I can set an alarm and wake myself up.”

  “Sleep wherever you’re most comfortable. But I’ll be keeping watch either way.”

  “Really?”

  He nodded.

  “Then I’d prefer your room. Mine will bring back all the unhappy memories of living here.”

  “No problem. Let’s get you settled.”

  As they stood, Andre walked in carrying the generator. He gave Lena a cursory glance and then focused on Kos. “What happened?”

  “Hunters att—”

  “Andre, Kos flew!” Lena said.

  As the news sunk in, Andre’s face lit up with surprised eyes and a huge smile. The corners of Kos’s mouth pulled to mirror it. The way Andre was looking at him reminded him of feeling Andre’s pride as a little boy.

  “Davo, Kos. That’s good news.” He set down the generator and embraced Kos.

  “I don’t know whether I’m happier to fly, or to know the damn wine works.”

  “It works.” Andre shook his head, still smiling. “Blood Vine. It is called Blood Vine.”

  “Is it? Did Zoey come up with that?”

  Andre nodded absently. So Kos was sharing Andre’s pride with Zoey. He didn’t mind. There seemed to be enough to go around.

  Andre’s smile faltered, and he spared attention for Lena. “You’re all right?”

  “I’m fine.”

  “Good. I need to know how many days’ worth of food you have. We have so many humans here, I am concerned we’ll run out.”

  “Days? Are you kidding? Didn’t you check the pantry?”

  “Pantry?”

  With only a flicker of hesitation, she surrendered the book she was holding to Kos in exchange for the flashlight. “I’ll show you.” She led them into the back of the kitchen where a door opened into a hallway. The final door on the right opened into a huge pantry, stocked from floor to ceiling with dry goods and n
on-perishable items.

  “Whoa,” Kos said.

  “My grandmother taught me that a vampire household always needs to be prepared for a siege. I’ve been building up this stockpile since you hired me. There’s more in the still room.”

  “Why didn’t Susan tell us all this is here?” Andre asked.

  “Honestly, she probably didn’t know. I did most of this work at night. I should have mentioned it when I left with Kos, but I was distracted—”

  “I knew the women appreciated your cooking, but I had no idea you were preparing us for an emergency.” Andre looked from side to side as if there were a tennis match in the pantry.

  Lena smiled, revealing her satisfaction with the preparations she’d made.

  Kos had rarely seen her smile genuinely. It was lovely. But something made her even sexier than that heartfelt smile. Her orderly pantry was so much like the way he stockpiled supplies, hid money in offshore accounts and prepared new identities. That obsessive part of him had a raging hard on for Lena. Not just a pretty face, but a planner—could she be more perfect?

  “Andre?” Zoey called out from the kitchen. Kos could see the beam of her flashlight moving across the doorway.

  “Down here.”

  She followed his voice down the hallway. “Hey, I was just coming to see if you got the generator set up. I’m hungry—” She stepped into Lena’s little utopia and scanned up and down the shelves with her flashlight. “Wow. I guess we don’t have to worry about running out of food after all.”

  Kos noticed Andre’s posture relax immediately. He hadn’t looked so at ease since Kos was a child.

  “Kos, would you help me with the generator?”

  “Sure.”

  The two men walked away, and Zoey found herself standing alone with Lena.

  “He’s different around you,” Lena said with a shy smile.

  A gooey, warm feeling radiated outward from Zoey’s heart, as if Lena had passed her a note across the sixth-grade classroom, promising that Andre like-liked her.

  Yep, she was different around him too, which was a problem.

  She changed the subject. “You’ve been preparing for some kind of emergency?”

  “Yes. Just in case.”