“Because this is bullshit, and we girls have to stick together. We all need a person we can depend on, sweetie, and I know that if things were different, you would do the same for me. Now, I’m going to go, but I’ll be back soon.”
Tabitha put her hand on top of D`nae’s, smiling for the first time and it was beautiful. D`nae smiled back and patted her hand before standing to exit the room. She looked out and turned quickly to look at Tabitha’s cage, knowing she had to find a way to get not only herself out, but also the woman-beast who had initially scared the life out of her, to a safe place where Alasdair could never harm her again. She knew what was at the bottom of the stairs so she took the ones that led up, in hopes of finding fresh water and maybe some food for Tabitha, the whole while looking for an escape.
The top landing opened up to a long hall that had several closed doors and one double wide one that appeared to lead up another short flight of stairs which ended at a metal door adorned with a huge padlock. She took to the right first, but all the doors were locked, so she went back to the left. The first door she tried was open and the room held four coffins that could only be what she figured was the day-resting place of Michael, Ramous, and the other two that would no longer need it.
* * *
His eyes flew open as soon as the sun set in Scotland, and the sound of rage tore its way from his throat. Danny knew that D`nae had been marked by another of his kind. The fire that burned inside his body was overwhelming and the pain that shot through his heart, knowing she had been touched by another, was unbearable. He sat up on the side of his dungeon bed, resting his head in his hands, wondering how he would make the trip back to the states… back to the only reason that he survived.
“Ah’ll ne’re let ye doon agin, me luv,” he said, fighting back the tears that were forming in his eyes. “Nithin wull stop me fae findin ye.”
He stood and started pacing the stone floor, doing his best to think of a way to get back to the U.S. in his new condition. “Tae hell wi’ it,” he said and picked up his black leather jacket, heading for the stairs. Once his eyes saw the night stars, his body leapt into the air and in no time at all, he stood outside the airport terminal in Scotland.
He stayed his distance from the crowd, knowing his very appearance would set the place into a frenzy of looks and questions that would eventually bring a nosy officer his way. Something going around the building on a carrying cart did take his interest from the growing crowd to a possible means of travel; it was the remaining normality of his thoughts that made him cringe at the visions that were floating around in his head.
The crate carrying the casket looked long enough for his build and the markings on the crate said it was headed for the states, but what lay inside was the thing that was getting to him the most. Questions popped in and out of his mind, like how big the body would be and how bad of shape it might be in, knowing the whole time he would be stuck laying on top of whoever occupied the space for several hours, many of which he would lie awake, at least until the plane took flight. He slipped into the loading dock when the workers left for their break and broke open the casket seal.
He closed the lid after peeking inside, then looked to the heavens and said out loud, “Cud ye no be fur givin a wee bit of a break here.” The body inside was the remains of an old withered man that looked like he had died weeks before his body had been found. He slowly opened it back up, shaking his head in disbelief. “Fit? Tis gaun tae be a much langer flight fur meself. Yer deid an wull ne’er ken a thin.” He climbed in on top of the very mushy corpse, and vampire or not, the stench was enough to make Danny gag several times. At one point, when he was getting himself in a position that might be somewhat comfortable, his hand went right through the old man’s chest. Before he could make so much as a complaint, he heard the heavy doors that led back into the loading area swing open, so he placed his face next to the corpse and closed his eyes, becoming as still as the dead man beneath him.
Hours past with Danny stuck in the same position before he heard the loud sounds of the jet motors come to life. The flight would be a long one, but at least he could sit in the cargo area throughout the night hours. He pushed his back against the inside of the casket to open it, but the thing wouldn’t budge. He now had both hands full of the remains of his new companion, trying his best to get the lid to pop open. With each force of his strength, the body beneath him became more disfigured and still Danny stayed trapped in the gruesome encasement.
It was black as coal in the unmovable space and nowhere near enough room for him to turn to his back without sliding the remains up against one side, smearing even more of the putrid gore over his upper body. He held himself up until his teeth clenched and his arms trembled, but soon after, turbulence made the choice for him. Danny rolled to his side pushing one hand down the front of his own chest over and over, trying to remove what had burst out of the man’s suit, when he was bounced into what he now considered the fruits of his labor, only making it worse by rubbing it in, he just closed his eyes.
The flight was long and being in the position that he was, he had plenty of time to think on what he had done in the past years, the years of walking through the dark side, taking life like it was a gift given just to him. Now understanding that he, too, could have been nothing more than a rotting corpse, it also brought to light that he had placed death in a box and this was his justice. How could he place someone to rot when he was no God, but simply a creature not of his choosing?
“Dae ye thin it wud be tae late tae say Ah’m sorry Lord?” he paused trying to remember how to pray. “Ah dinnae ken, Faither, why Ah am fit Ah am, an Ah wisnae planin on this tae be me life. Ah ne’re should hae done tae thin’s Ah did, but somethin cam ore me that Ah cud nae control. Ah wull be askin for yer forgiveness. Noo, Ah wud nae blame ye, Lord, but Ah’ll only tak fit Ah’ll be needin tae survive, ye hae me word.” Danny’s thought went to the first backpacker that he took the life from, remembering the cries of despair and pleads for mercy. “Ah deserve tae be deid fur fit Ah’ve done Lord, an Ah dinnae ken how Ah cud even hae ask fur yer understandin, but me lassie needs ye mair then err. In yer Son’s Name.”
Danny laid there with nothing more to do but think about his past, wonder where his beloved was and who had marked her. He knew it had to be done by a powerful force, because he knew their love was far too strong for D`nae to betray him. He also thought on what it would be like to come face to face with another of his kind. If the beast had not placed harm on his woman, he may have had a chance to learn more about the new creature that he had become. Now all that he wanted to do was find her and take the head of the one who laid claim to her. In his eyes, it would be no sin to kill one like himself, for he knew he was already dead to the world that lived and breathed as he once did.
Danny fell into darkness with many thoughts running through his mind as the sun made its appearance while the plane made its way into the view of the good ole USA. The crate carrying the coffin was placed on another plane in New York and sent to a small town in Idaho. It was close to sundown when the mortician found his way down into the basement of the mortuary where the casket had been placed, waiting for its final preparations. The mortician was a bald man in his late sixties, with a good sized pot belly covered by a white plastic apron. He was standing by the sink when Danny thrust the casket lid open so hard that the top broke off completely. Neither was more shocked than the other; Danny thinking he was in a loading dock somewhere, figuring by the silence that the coast was clear, and the poor mortician thinking he was just going to check over a clients body, like he had done for over thirty five years.
Both were frozen, Danny still on top of the old man in the casket and the mortician standing with his mouth slightly moving like he was trying to make sound but nothing was coming out. “Wud ye mind if Ah get oot?” Danny asked.
“Well… well… not at all, son. Is Mr. Johnson in there with you?” he asked in a shaky voice.
“Aboot that, he�
��ll be in yer box alright, but aw Ah can say is he’s a wee on the awfu side,” Danny explained, jumping down from his morbid prison.
“Yeah, I heard they found him in pretty bad shape. What on God’s green earth are you doing in there with him, son?”
“Tis a long story, an Ah hae tae be aff.”
Danny stepped over to the morticians sink and washed his hands. He looked over at the man who was turning a little pale, and decided to keep the unexplainable to himself. He reached over for a paper towel, and the mortician dropped like a rock. Danny looked down, shaking his head. He stepped over the unconscious man and headed up the steps to the main floor of the funeral home. He walked in the first room and turned on the light, finding a room filled with flowers of just about every type and one silver coffin, right in the middle of the far back wall. Out of pure curiosity, he stepped up and opened the lid.
“Yer a wee bit of bonnie comparing ye to me last look-see.”
He closed the lid, snickering at his own statement as he walked out, deciding to go up to the second story, where he figured he would have better luck finding at least a clean shirt. He was halfway up the stairs when he heard a woman humming a tune he didn’t know, but found pleasure in. It had reminded him of the way his mother used to hum when she was doing chores around the house, only this was not his Mum, nor was this his house. He was about to turn and go back down the stairs when he heard the sound of water splashing, stopping him and changing his mind altogether.
He used the gifts that came with the enormous change to glide across the hallway. He listened at the door that was slightly ajar to make sure the woman was still in the tub. He looked across the room and saw another bedroom and with silent speed, disappeared inside, closing the door behind him. He found what he was looking for in the closet and started taking off his stiff saturated coat, dropping it to the floor. As he was unbuttoning his shirt, the woman walked in with towel wrapped around the center of her body.
Her gray curls trembled as her mouth dropped open to make a possible cry for help, only giving an inaudible gargle. The closer he got, the tighter she held the towel, until he towered over her short plump form. He gazed down in her eyes and immediately she began to relax. He placed his fingers to his mouth and gently eased out, “Shhh…” touching the side of her hair. Her body leaned back on the door facing and her face went blank of all emotion, as if he had wiped away not only her fears in that one touch, but any thought she might have had at all. He ripped the shirt open he was wearing and threw it across the room. He reached in the closet, pulling out a white button up and a black suit jacket, then dashed out of the room, down the stairs and out the front door.
* * *
D`nae searched every room, finding nothing in the way of escape, but she did find a refrigerator that had bottled water and some fresh fruit inside. It wasn’t much, only one orange and handful of grapes, and she figured it must have been the snack for one of Alasdair’s daytime helpers. She took the fruit and all the water she could carry, quickly making her way back to Tabitha. When she pushed the door open, Tabitha was crouched close to the back of the bars. When she saw D`nae, she moved to the bars, shaking her head.
“I cannot believe you came back.”
“If I say it, then I mean it,” she smiled, handing her the fresh cold bottled water. “I didn’t find us a way out, not yet. I don’t know what we’re going to do, but I won’t stop until we get out.”
“I will fight at your side, even to my death,” Tabitha replied reaching out, taking D`nae’s arm. “You have given me something that I haven’t had since I was a little girl.”
“I don’t understand?”
“You have showed me compassion in your eyes. My mother was the last to give me that gift.”
“Oh honey, you’re gonna make me cry,” she said, reaching in and pulling Tabitha in a hug.
Tabitha froze momentarily, then slowly put her arm through the bars and delicately laid them across D`nae’s back. Both women cried, D`nae because her heart broke for the woman who had been treated so terrible, and Tabitha because for the first time in years, she was offered freedom and friendship, ironically by the very person she had helped to capture.
“He will wake soon, I can feel the day leaving us. You better return,” Tabitha said, leaning back from the embrace.
“Yeah, I know,” D`Nae replied, wiping the tears off of her face. “Tabitha, if we get out of this mess, I really want you to live with me. My Mom will just love you, and you’ll never have to be told what to do again, ever.”
“You have a mother?” Tabitha asked, getting to her knees and pressing close to the bars.
“A wonderful mother sweetie, and she loves everyone. We visit each other a lot.”
“Even if your plan doesn’t work the way you wish, it’s still a wonderful dream. I will rest well having such beautiful ideas that you’ve put in my mind.”
“This is one dream that you’re going to witness coming true. Somehow Tabitha, I swear.”
“Go, I thank you, even if I don’t understand you,” she replied picking up the fruit, then sliding back to the rear of the cage. “Your Master is a lucky man to have such a special creature.”
“We’re lucky,” D`Nae emphasized, getting to her feet. “He’ll take care of both of us.” Then walked over to the door, smiling once more before closing it behind her.
D`nae made her way back to Alasdair’s room, where he still lay in the same position on the bed that he was in when she slid off. She walked around in front of the fireplace yawning, thinking about curling up on the floor by the roaring fire, but thought Alasdair may find it suspicious. She glared at him lying on his back, vulnerable, wishing that she had a long sharp knife, envisioning it cutting deeply into the soft flesh of his throat. D`nae pursed her lips, and sighed, knowing it wasn’t likely that he would leave a weapon just lying about waiting for someone like herself to take advantage of it. Every bone in her body was exhausted and the bed was becoming more inviting every time she looked in its direction.
She cleared her throat, covering her mouth to dampen as much of the sound as she could, before it dawned of her that it wouldn’t matter with his special circumstance, being dead at dawn and all. D`nae walked over, cringing as her fingers traced the marks on her throat, all the while intently watching the beast that had put them there. She climbed over his legs at the foot of the bed, contemplating on kneeing him in the privates, but crawled to the far side instead, knowing it wouldn’t be worth it unless he felt the pain. It didn’t take long for her eyelids to become heavy, and within minutes of finding a comfortable spot, she had fallen into a deep sleep.
Sunset was less than an hour away when D`nae fell asleep; it was also right before Alasdair awoke from his daily rest. His skin began to take on a difference in texture, from the cold stone appearance that only the dead wore to a softer hue as the life came back into his body. His hand twitched as his leg slid up, bumping D`nae in the thigh. She rolled over and repositioned herself against him, using his chest as a makeshift pillow. Alasdair’s eyes fluttered then slowly opened, his brows immediately furrowing as he looked down at the pressure on his side. He bowed his chest up, hoping she would roll off, but her arm instinctively went over his waist and she snuggled closer.
The shock of waking to find her in any form other than afraid was spread all over his face. He raised the hand of the arm that she laid on and touched hers lightly, as if he were afraid to wake her. He pushed the hair that was lying across her face behind her ear, running his fingers delicately down her cheek, causing her to move her head slightly toward his hand. He froze in his actions until she again became still, then laid back looking down at her, trying to figure out why he was seeing her so differently than he had just the night before. Was it the way her body draped over his that reminded him of the only love he had ever known, or was it simply something that he had deprived himself of for so very long?
He turned over on his side, taking D`nae under the neck and laid her
down on the pillow. He reached down and picked her arm up off of his waist, gently placing it beside her, then curled up facing her, studying every little detail, starting at her face and going down.
“What is it about you that makes me want for the first time in so long, that I dare to try and remember?” he whispered. When she moaned, he, like magic, moved from the top of the bed to standing by the foot. A memorable fear had slapped him across the face, one that he hadn’t felt since the night before his world of revenge began, and she hadn’t done anything more than make a sound. Alasdair was not one to fear for any reason, but there he stood, looking down at the one thing that had changed that by merely rolling over in her sleep.
D`nae stretched out, then just as fast brought her knees back up, gripping the large pillow much like she had Alasdair. He watched the way her body moved from a different angle, giving him a whole new aspect of the desire which was building inside. He found her to be beautiful when his mind was in a calm state, and it was at that very moment that he realized that he would not be able to take her life, in front of the Gilmore that he hated or otherwise. He had been having her trailed for several years, but never on a personal level, where he actually put in his own time. It was only the past few months that he had grown deeper involved into the matter, and the last few days where he had taken her literally, in hopes of finding the one that he now knew existed.
Alasdair’s chest rose and fell to match D`nae’s. His anger at her one and only craved going to her side, yanking her awake, and feeding it’s fill off of her while she screamed for him to stop, yet the man who looked on with eyes of passion wanted to go to her side and lift her into a lover’s embrace, without stilling her mind, and make the love that only a man and woman could make. Alasdair’s thoughts were cut short when a disturbing feeling engulfed his body, spinning him around and out of the room at lightning speed.
Dark Knight of the Skye Page 8