by E G Bateman
Snap her neck.
He kissed the side of her head and left.
You’re getting quite persistent, Azatoth. You seem to forget who’s in charge here.
Forgive me, lord. You will gain powers beyond your wildest dreams for freeing me. The sorcerer imagined Azatoth cowering at his feet, which he would be…soon.
He climbed into his Porsche. The engine gave a throaty roar before he pulled away down the drive and onto the street. He was pleased with himself. The girl would soon be beyond the protection of her pack and the meddling witches. The moment she married into Stanley’s pack, she would sign the property over to him. He wondered about telling her new husband to throttle her.
After. The place of ritual must belong to you.
“I know that, Azatoth.” He spoke aloud to the demon. “I’m merely planning ahead. She’s been a nuisance.”
I agree. Azatoth assaulted his mind with visions of Kate being hung from a roof by her entrails.
He shook his head. “Well, that’s a little exotic for me.”
You could give her to me as a little gift. But you will learn to take great pleasure in these things, his inner companion whispered seductively.
Caleb doubted it. He could be vicious but the demon was…well, demonic.
Chapter Eleven
Lexi lay in the dark and wondered what had woken her barely after midnight.
She thought about the day. They’d gotten Dolores back and she’d lost her craving for vampire blood. She couldn’t believe how healthy she felt, but she knew she’d miss the benefits of it.
Only until I’ve built up my natural strength and speed again.
All of that was encouraging, yet she was wide awake. Why? Irritated, she sat and pulled clothes on before she wandered down the hall to the kitchen. She stuck her head into the living room as she passed and saw the still-sleeping figure of Dolores on the couch. As her eyes grew accustomed to the dark, she realized Dick was seated in the armchair watching over her, as still as a dead guy.
“How is she?” she whispered.
“We talked for a while. She’s sleeping now. I don’t think she’ll suffer any long-term ill effects.” He tilted his head. “Maybe the munchies.”
She face-palmed and shook her head. Choosing not to respond, she wandered to the refrigerator and took out a carton of milk.
“Can’t sleep?” he asked from the doorway.
After a quick shake of her head, she found a glass and poured the milk into it. She swallowed half before she turned to him. “I didn’t know what woke me up at first.”
“Something’s coming.” He nodded. “I feel it too.”
Lexi looked at him in surprise.
“I feel things. I’m undead, not dead.” Dick went to the blinds and lifted one to peer out into the darkness.
“Sorry.” She shrugged but he didn’t see it.
He turned to her. “Think of it like an electric car. It runs on a different fuel but it’s not any less of a car than a Trans Am.”
She choked on her milk and placed her glass on the counter. “Yeah, it kinda is.”
“You’re right. That was a terrible analogy.” He laughed.
“Could you pour one of those for me?” Edward sat at the table while she took another glass from the shelf and filled it with milk.
The shifter looked at her. “The calm before the storm?”
Rather than answer, she nodded.
“I’ve been watching wolves in the tree line. I hope they’re yours.” Dick indicated the window with his head.
“Yes. It’s only a few of the pack.”
Edward took the glass from her and nodded his thanks. “How’s Dolores?”
“She seems okay.” She moved to return the milk to the refrigerator.
He turned to Dick. “What exactly is she? The shrinking thing—I’ve never seen that before.”
The vampire walked away from the window. “She’s a sylph. It’s an air sprite—fae.”
“How did you meet her?” Lexi had been about to ask but Edward had beaten her to it.
“I’ve known Dolores for ninety years. She arranges my papers when it’s time for a new ID.”
“You must be coming to that time soon.”
“Yes. I’ll have to discover I have a son somewhere in Europe, rent the house out, and go live out the remainder of my days with my son and grandson William…again.”
“Why not choose a different name?” She had wondered about this for the last couple of days.
Dick shrugged. “I don’t want to.”
“I’ll be sorry to see you go.” Edward turned from him to Lexi. “What’s your story?”
“I don’t know what you know about Kindred, but most of us don’t really have stories. Some are born into the organization but mostly, we’re runaways. Apparently, I was in the system—a foster kid. I ran away and met a kid from Kindred who introduced me and I joined.”
“What could they possibly have said to you to make you join an organization like that?” He shook his head.
“My mind was wiped so I guess we’ll never know.”
“Oh, right. That’s what the vamp blood was for. How do you feel about never knowing?”
“I’m already thinking about doing it maybe once a year. Not enough to get into the mess I was in but I still want to know.”
“What if you find out something you wish you hadn’t?” Dick asked.
“I’ll ask Scott to melt my brain again.” Lexi smiled.
Edward studied her curiously. “What made you leave them?”
“A vamp tried to turn me and that night, memories started coming back to me—missions I didn’t remember being on. I realized they’d regularly hidden my memories. By the morning, I’d remembered too much for me to be safe.” She stood and walked to the sink.
I’d remembered Bryan.
“You know they put us into family units, right? We live in regular homes in neighborhoods all over the world.
“I had a kind of brother called Bryan—a mage. He wasn’t my real brother, but when we were kids, he looked after me like one. Then, when we were about sixteen, he was bitten by a shifter. He shouldn’t have even been there, but he was with us when we were called in on an emergency mission and wasn’t supposed to get out of the car. Because he didn’t want to get into trouble, he hid it from us. A couple of days later, he got ill and became delirious. He started talking about missions no one remembered. Then, people came from another Kindred unit.
“I wasn’t supposed to go near him, but he was my favorite brother. I know you’re not supposed to have favorites, but he was much like Scott. We did everything together. He gave me this.” She indicated the gold ring she always wore. “I was in the room reading to him, trying to calm him as he thrashed around. They walked in, Braxton dragged me out, and they shot him. Then, they counseled me and I forgot he ever existed. So they took him away twice. For years, I had no idea where this ring even came from.”
“’Counseled?’” Edward sounded puzzled.
“Counselling is what they call hiding our memories.” Lexi stared into the middle distance. “Anyway, when I was given vampire blood and the memories started to come back, I realized that it must have been the same as him being bitten by a shifter. I knew I wasn’t safe so I ran.”
He shrugged. “But aren’t all you legacies enhanced with blood from all the supe species anyway?”
“Yes, but that happens once, in the ritual.” She didn’t feel like dealing with where this conversation was heading—back to the fact she was a dud. “I think I’ll see if I can get some sleep now.”
Dick stood. “I’ll go to check the house. I’ll call if I can’t get back.”
“Are you sure it’s safe?” she asked as she stood.
He put his hand on his heart. “Well, Lexi Braxton. You care.”
“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. I merely don’t want to be the one chasing that dog around with a pooper scooper.” She shuddered.
“You
care,” he accused her retreating back.
“I’m going to bed. Don’t get yourself killed…again.”
Chapter Twelve
Todd drew up outside the house. He couldn’t remember why he had come to see his friend William, only that it was imperative he find him. It seemed impolite to ring someone’s doorbell at one-thirty in the morning, yet he was doing it.
“Hello?” said an accented voice.
“I need to see William,” was all he could think to say.
“Listen, you. I’ve called the hospital, so they’ll come and drag you back, you crazy motherfucker. Leave Mr. Levin alone.
“I’m sorry? I don’t quite understand.”
A light came on over the gate.
“Oh. Who is it?” Jesús asked in a sing-song voice.
“Can you tell him it’s Todd O’Donnell?”
“Mayor O’Donnell? Of course. Please come in.” The man buzzed the gate and Todd drove up to the house.
He climbed out of the car and retrieved the tote bag from the trunk. While he couldn’t remember why he’d brought a tote bag with him, he felt it was important.
A man opened the front door. He recognized him as William’s houseboy, Jesús.
“Please come in, Mayor O’Donnell. Mr. Levin isn’t home yet, but he texted earlier to let me know he’s on his way.”
“Thank you.” He entered and walked straight to the cowhide chaise longue.
He was vaguely aware of Jesús staring in horror as he sat on the antique.
“I’m sure this is more comfortable.” The man indicated the couch.
“This is perfect.” Todd sat, straight-backed, on the seat’s edge.
Jesús finally shrugged. “Well, you’re the mayor, so I’m sure it’s okay.” Then, he said something else.
“What?” Todd shook his head to clear it. In the space of a few moments, he’d actually forgotten he was seated there.
“Can I offer you a drink while you wait?”
“No. Thank you.”
He realized the man was staring at his tote bag and placed his hand on it. “Why are you staring at my bag?”
“Your— No reason. Would you like me to keep it for you?” Jesús spoke slowly. Perhaps the boy was dim.
“No, it’s fine.” He moved it closer.
He watched absently as Jesús went to the bar, poured a scotch, returned, and handed it to him.
Did I say yes? I must have.
He took it. “Thank you.”
For some reason, he felt nervous, but he had no idea why he would feel that way. He’d been in this house several times. He knocked the whiskey back and coughed. “Would it trouble you to pour me another?”
As Jesús turned to refill the glass, Todd fidgeted with the lighter in his pocket.
Chapter Thirteen
It was nearly two am when Dick arrived at his home. He parked in a cul de sac leading to the property behind his own, moved quickly across their tennis court, and hopped the wall. He walked silently around his pool, slid the patio door open with almost no sound, and entered.
He was hyper-alert as he walked past the back of the couch toward the kitchen. He smelled sweat in the air. Not Jesús’ but a familiar scent he couldn’t place. He also detected the smell of whiskey—his Scottish Glenfiddich single malt—and gasoline. He froze and sensed the air move near him before the light went on.
In the two seconds between registering the smells and sensing movement, he moved to the middle of the room. When the light came on, he stood in front of Betsy.
The woman appeared confused for a moment and looked where she thought he had been and then where he now was. She climbed off the couch.
“I didn’t know what else to do,” she mumbled and burst into tears.
Dick hugged her. “It’s all right, Betsy, dear, but first things first. Why is Todd passed out on my chaise?”
They moved to the dinner table.
She sat. “He’s all right. Jesús roofied him.”
“I didn’t roofie him. I merely crushed a few Xanaxes and Ambiens.” Jesús entered with a throw, which he draped around Betsy. She patted his hand as he continued, “Betsy brought the pills with her.”
He raised an eyebrow.
“I’m sorry, William. Todd came here to kill you.” She began to cry again.
“Todd? Are you sure?” He looked at the unconscious man. The mayor didn’t have a mean bone in his body. Dick had always thought he was too nice for politics.
“I didn’t believe it myself until he turned up a half-hour after his mamma with a gas can. It’s in the garage. He kept calling it his ‘tote bag.’” Jesús shook his head.
“I don’t think he knows what he’s doing. Caleb…did something to him when he came to the house this evening. I was taking lemonade to them through that little side room to the study. You remember? Where Harv used to keep that couch he called his daybed?”
Dick nodded.
“They were talking about you and Bianca, except they said she wasn’t really Bianca. I didn’t understand that but then he told Todd to come here and set fire to your home. He also told him to let himself die in the fire and Todd agreed, just like that.”
The vampire tried to sound calm, but he needed to know what she knew. “Do you have any idea why he would suggest such a thing?”
“He asked Todd to send paperwork through about a property deal. Are you in business with him?” She took a handkerchief from her purse.
He shook his head. “You were very brave to not give yourself away.”
“I wanted to kill him.” Her hand scrunched the handkerchief. “When he came to see me in the kitchen, I had to put the knife down. I couldn’t trust myself.”
“He must have used some kind of hypnosis on Todd.” Dick tried to think of an explanation Betsy would believe.
“I always knew.” She placed a hand on his arm.
Dick looked at her and opened his mouth to ask what she meant.
“I always knew that somehow, you were our William. I always felt silly for believing it, but it was my secret belief that I never shared with anyone.” New tears appeared in her eyes. “He said you’re a vampire. It’s strange but it makes perfect sense.”
This was the moment when he could have denied it. He should have denied it. Kindred could end him for telling the truth but he couldn’t bring himself to open his mouth and deliver another lie to this woman. “You’re not afraid?”
“Of you? Never. But William, I’m terribly afraid of Caleb.” She pulled the throw around her as though she had suddenly felt cold.
“I intended to return. I wanted to be his best man, but this happened.” He gestured vaguely at himself. “And I wasn’t…civil at first. I couldn’t be near people for a long time. I had to be sure I wouldn’t hurt the people I loved. Can you understand that, Betsy?”
The woman stood and embraced him. “Welcome home, William.”
Dick sobbed once, then sniffed and pulled away. “Did they say anything else?”
Betsy paused. He could see from the look on her face that he wouldn’t like it.
She returned to her seat and he returned to his as though he knew he should be seated for this. Betsy leaned forward and placed her hand on his. “He told Todd that he murdered Harv.”
He felt as though she had delivered a blow to his gut and froze.
“William, William.” Harvey ran toward him. They had been playing tennis and stopped for martinis. He turned to watch his approach, thinking he was beautiful in his tennis whites. Not for the first time, he thought the man should have been the movie star, not him. Harv knew William was in love with him but he loved him like a brother so he accepted that was all they could ever be.
“What’s up, pal? You look like you’ll have a heart attack.” William held a martini out.
His friend took the drink and knocked it back in one. “She said yes. I popped the question and Betsy said yes. I want you to be my best man.”
“That’s great news. Harv. I’
m thrilled for you both.” He shook the man’s hand enthusiastically and smiled until his face hurt.
But it was too much for him. He needed time and distance so he went overseas a week later and never returned, not as himself. The next time he saw Harv and Betsy, it was as his grandson. They were elderly but he still loved Harv and he loved Betsy for the years of happiness she’d given the man he loved.
“William, William.” Betsy’s hand was on his arm and she shook him out of his reverie.
“I will destroy him.” His voice was strangled with rage.
He left at vamp speed.
Chapter Fourteen
“Lexi.” Edward spoke as he knocked on the door.
Her eyes snapped open. She felt like she had barely closed them, but a knife was already in her hand.
She yawned. “Edward?”
He stood on the other side of the door. “I think we have a problem.”
Lexi opened the door quickly enough to make him jump. She stood in a t-shirt and panties and carried a knife and a gun as she looked left and right down the hallway.
He turned and hurried down the hall. “Get dressed. William’s missing.”
Sixty seconds later, she was in her leathers and on her way to the kitchen. As she walked past Scott’s room, she looked in to see him hopping around as he tried to get into his jeans. She knew they’d probably been inside-out on the floor and rolled her eyes as she continued up the hall.
Edward looked up from his cell phone as she entered. “Jesús called. Dick’s gone after Caleb.”
“On his own? What’s gotten into him?” She pulled her jacket on.
“I’ll call someone in to watch Dolores.” He stood at the window and stared out into the darkness. All she could see was his reflection in the glass.
“And why do I need to be watched?” The fae stood in the doorway with Marcel in her arms.
“Because you look awful. You’re pale and weak and no one wants to die protecting you in a fight,” Scott said from the hallway.