“Get out,” Adam barked.
Cosette pouted and released the guest. “Must you be such a bore? It’s disappointing,” she said.
Thierry was waiting for her in the hall as she slipped out of Adam’s room. He fell in step next to her and they walked hand and hand to her bedroom. When they reached it, he stepped in front of her, placing a hand under her chin as her lip trembled. “What’s wrong, Mignonette?”
“Adam still hates me. I thought he would adjust but he continues to reject me at every turn. I don’t know what I’m doing wrong,” she said.
Thierry pulled her close and embraced her. “He’s young and new to the change,” he said, running his fingers through her hair.
“It’s been two years already,” she said, looking up at him.
“Two years means nothing to people like us. You know that. Adam just needs more time. In time, he’ll come to understand how much you care for him. He’ll realize how much he needs you,” Thierry said.
But Cosette didn’t have time. She didn’t regret turning Adam, but he was still too young and there was still too much left she needed to teach him. A young vampire without a maker to guide him was vulnerable to any number of things. A disaster waiting to happen.
“If something happens to me will you look after him, Thierry? Can I count on you to shield him from the worst of us?” she asked.
Thierry’s eyes darkened. “Is there something you aren’t telling me, Cosette? Has someone threatened you?”
Her loyal guard dog. She pulled away from him and placed a hand on his chest, right over his heart. She could still remember the moment it took its last beat. “No. I’m fine, pet. But I do need your promise. It will put my mind at ease.”
Thierry lifted her hand to his mouth and kissed it. “I promise to take care of him. You have nothing to fear. And if it’s Christmas you want, then Christmas we will have.”
Chapter 2
The smell of death no longer bothered her. As a vampire she didn’t have to breathe, and she ceased the habit whenever she needed to do so. But as the pungent scent of decay filled the room, she was again encumbered by a shadow of guilt. The corpse on the autopsy table was Elliot Mason, and once upon a time she had been Cosette’s lover.
Her chest had already been cut with a Y-incision and stitched back up. Her heart was extracted and placed in a decorative jar on the metal tray beside her. The medical examiner handed the jar to Cosette. His gloves were still slick with Elliot’s blood. Cosette tucked it carefully into her oversized handbag and offered him an envelope.
“For your trouble,” she told the man. He disposed of his gloves, folded up the envelope, tucked it into his pocket and left the room without another word.
It was time now. She needed to finally look at her face, if only to convince herself this was real.
A sheet had been placed over her lower body. Her red hair had dulled since they sent her to ground, but it was still long and fanned outward around her head. Her pale skin was desiccated like wrinkled paper and stretched tight over her skeleton. Her lips were blue. She reminded Cosette of a mummy.
“When are we starting the rehydration process?” she asked, sensing the other presence in the room.
Bernard spoke up from where he’d been sitting in the corner. “Any minute now. The others have already set up her funds and her cover. They’re preparing the house.”
Cosette nodded and ran a hand along her sunken cheek. “The Consortium chose you as her handler. Are you sure you’re prepared to bring her to heel? It won’t be an easy task. You must not underestimate her.”
Bernard was next to Cosette in a blink. He grabbed her wrist and squeezed it tightly. “Don’t worry, dear Cosette. I’m more than prepared to clean up after the two of you. Or to put you down, if necessary. The rest of the Consortium may have forgotten, but I have a long memory.”
Cosette yanked her arm away. “We are on the same side. Neither you nor Julian have any right to treat me this way.”
Bernard got in her face. “We’re on the same side for now,” he spat.
Snarling through her teeth, Cosette raised her hand and slapped Bernard across the cheek. The man recovered from his shock quickly, his eyes vicious as he brought them back to her face.
“That’s enough,” said a new voice from the doorway. Mia stood there with her arms crossed. She glared at them. “Are we vampires or squabbling children?”
“Are you here to start her rehydration?” Cosette asked, ignoring the question. Bernard retreated to his seat in the corner of the room.
“Yes,” Mia said. “Are you staying?”
“I am,” replied Cosette.
After washing her hands, she snapped on a pair of medical gloves and pulled up a stool to the side of the table opposite Cosette.
“Do the others know?” Mia asked with a frown. “Does Gaspard?”
“Why is it my actions are the only ones ever met with endless questions?” Cosette asked.
Mia paused in the act of taping down the IVs inserted into Elliot’s arms. “Cosette...”
Cosette waved her hands dismissively. “Gaspard knows. Is the blood clean?”
“It has been screened. Healthy donors only with no previous exposure to the virus. Hard to come by, but we made sure.” Mia attached the blood bag. Her voice took on a new tone, one of apprehension, as though she worried how Cosette would react.
“There’s something you should know. Coming back like this might be painful for her. Similar to the pain of the change. It’s impossible to know how she’ll react.”
As blood flowed through the line, Cosette held Elliot’s hand. “I can handle it.”
Cosette wasn’t afraid of Elliot hurting her. Even if she lashed out, Cosette would deal with it. She knew Elliot, and she knew that Elliot’s vengeance would be carefully planned and mercilessly executed. Even in a feral state, she wouldn’t strike right away. Her fingers twitched in Cosette’s hold and she tensed.
The first two blood bags were empty and Mia quickly replaced them. “She’s doing well, but we’ll still be here a few more hours,” she said.
Suddenly, Elliot’s eyes opened. They darted back and forth before locking on to Cosette.
Cosette squeezed her hand. “You’re going to be okay, love. We’re feeding you. Bringing you back,” she said.
Cosette knew Elliot could hear her. Her blue green eyes hadn’t wavered. Elliot didn’t blink or look away. Mia tried to hold her down but Cosette shook her head. She lowered her voice and spoke directly into Elliot’s ear. “I’m sorry. I know it won’t change anything, but I am. You were right and I was wrong. And after everything, I still love you, Ellie. Even if you don’t believe anything else after this. Believe that.”
Rough hands pulled her away. “I won’t have this. We were almost lead to ruin once by the two of you. I won’t allow it to happen again,” Bernard shouted.
“Be careful,” Cosette snapped at him, wrenching herself out of his grasp.
The jar had tipped over in her handbag and she righted it carefully. She bared her fangs at Bernard. “Your paranoia is meaningless. Remember the mission. You watch over her. You make sure she goes to work everyday and maintains her cover. You keep all of us from being exposed. You keep her fed and healthy. And in exchange, she finds a cure for this disease.”
“If she can find one. Otherwise we crush her heart and end her once and for all,” Bernard replied.
Cosette gripped her handbag a little tighter. “Correct.”
Mia was watching her closely. “I think it’s best if you leave now, Cosette. There’s nothing more you can do for her.”
Cosette nodded curtly. “Take care of her,” she said.
The heart was extracted for insurance. It would ensure Elliot would help the Consortium and continue helping until their goal was completed. But Cosette knew better. Eventually, Elliot would come for her heart, and her revenge. Giving it to Cosette had been a test. Gaspard knew she objected to their plan, but she wouldn’t h
ave let it be kept by anyone else.
The only one allowed to decide Elliot’s fate was her.
Chapter 3
With Elliot now revived and among the world again, Cosette knew the clock had begun counting down. She felt like Ebenezer Scrooge, anxiously awaiting midnight. She needed a distraction and luckily, Christmas wouldn’t plan itself. As the second pair of fir trees were delivered to the foyer, Cosette beamed.
“One more in here and one for the parlor, I think. What do you think, Adam?” she asked.
Adam lifted the seven-and-a-half-foot tree and set it down so it aligned with the other on the opposite side of the staircase. “I think next year we get fake trees. Why are we even celebrating Christmas? Shouldn’t it be something non-religious or more general?”
Cosette waved away his concern. “Semantics. Besides, I used to be a good catholic girl once. I think I’m allowed.”
Adam raised an eyebrow as he freed his vape from his back pocket and sucked. A cloud of strawberry scented smoke swirled around him as he exhaled. Not even death had curbed his nicotine dependency. “Really? Because that explains a lot,” he said.
Cosette stuck her tongue out at him and he laughed. The sound was carefree and unrestrained, a beautifully pure laugh that she was sure he’d had in his mortal life. It was untainted by the harshness of immortality, and Cosette took it for what it was: a small, treasured gift. Maybe the divine still listened even at the furthest reaches of salvation.
“Oh shit, are you crying? Was it something I said?” Adam asked.
His eyes were wide with calculating panic and she could imagine the wheels turning in his head. She smiled and let out her own watery laugh in the midst of her tears. “I’m fine, dear boy. Sometimes you just overfill my heart with long forgotten joy. You’re still so refreshingly human and I was lucky to have made someone as wonderful as you.”
Adam blinked, processing this information. He took another pull from his vape. Cosette bit the inside of her lip, anxious she had become too vulnerable and caused him discomfort. She grabbed the topmost box of decorations stacked by the door and carried them to the naked trees. She gently untangled the metal hooks and threaded them through the gold and silver baubles.
“Yes, well, there’s plenty for us to do since tonight is Christmas Eve. We’d better get started,” she said with her back to him.
Adam stepped up behind her and Cosette glimpsed his distorted reflection in the bauble she’d hung from the nearest branch. He put a hand on her shoulder. “I haven’t always been nice to you, have I?” he asked.
Cosette stayed silent. It felt callous to state the truth, even though she had expressed exactly that to Thierry the day before. Adam’s turn hadn’t been an easy transition. He’d gotten more blood sick than her other progeny, and afterward the pain of being forever separated from his human life, his human family, had caused him no end of emotional turmoil. Cosette tried to fill in the gaps as best she could, but she’d never be able to replace what he’d lost. That was a part of the curse of vampirism. But if you cannot help someone who needs it, the least you can do is cause no more harm.
When she didn’t answer, Adam continued to speak. “I chose to become a vampire instead of die that day. You saved my life. I don’t regret that and I don’t really blame you. You told me there would be consequences. You said I couldn’t go back to my family. You even tried to explain how horrible it could be and that I wouldn’t really understand until I was on the other side of it. You gave me a chance most vampires never get. It isn’t your fault that sometimes I feel so awful. But you’re here. Half the time it’s like you’re an overbearing mother and half the time it’s like you’re my girlfriend, which is an issue for me since I’m gay. So, it’s not that I hate you. It’s that sometimes I have to hate you so I can stop hating myself. And I’m sorry, because you don’t deserve it.”
Cosette turned and pulled Adam into her arms. “It’s alright, Adam. I accept you and love you and all of the pain that comes with it because it’s part of being a maker. Sometimes it can be a toxic bond. I’ve seen vampires tear each other to pieces. But if we can find a way to coexist it can be wonderful. I want the best for you Adam, and I want this place to feel safe to you. You are safe here, with us, to be both your best and worst self as you find your way through the world again. Someday, I hope you can even think of it as home.”
When they separated, Adam’s lashes were damp and his eyes were ringed with red. Cosette kissed his forehead. “As for being your girlfriend, I’ve never minded sharing Thierry, but at some point you will have to confess to him how you feel. I’m not blind, but he’s always been a little oblivious to the way he effects other people,” she said.
If vampires could blush, Cosette was certain his face would’ve been scarlet. She handed him a bauble. With the two of them working together the trees didn’t take long to decorate.
“Thank you,” Adam whispered as he placed a star at the top of the second tree.
Cosette nodded. Thierry walked through the front door, bringing in crisp, icy air, and kicked it closed behind him. His arms were loaded with shopping bags and Adam took a few from him so he could set down the others.
“I’ve braved the crowds of feral humans and returned with trappings and trimmings worthy of offering to our beloved Christmas angel,” Thierry announced.
When he caught sight of Cosette, he looked her up and down. His gazed lingered licentiously.
“You look splendid, Mignonette. We should just lift you up and place you atop a tree,” he said, abandoning the bags.
Cosette had dressed for the holiday in a white 1950’s swing dress patterned with cartoon candy canes and gingerbread people and a pair of cherry colored pumps. Thierry scooped her up gently and spun her around. The petticoat under her dress made the hem twirl with them. She giggled. “Put me down and show me what you’ve bought,” she said, playfully pushing his shoulder.
“With pleasure,” he said. Catching the lingering scent of artificial strawberry, Thierry wrinkled his nose. “Adam, have you been smoking with that children’s toy again?” he asked.
Adam handed him the bags he’d taken earlier. “Yes. I’ve been smoking with my vape. And it’s not a children’s toy,” he replied with a glare.
“Adults smoke a cigarette,” Thierry said with an answering smirk.
“Do you know how many chemicals they use in cigarettes, Thierry?” Adam asked, crossing his arms defensively.
“What’s it going to do,” Thierry asked mockingly, “kill you twice?”
Adam grinned and Cosette stepped between them. “Stop flirting and show us what you’ve bought,” she insisted.
Thierry obliged. He lifted a ham from the shopping bag. Vampires didn’t need to eat food because it provided nothing they required to survive, but they still delighted in its flavor.
“We’re going to treat ourselves to a nice holiday meal,” he said.
Adam frowned and rubbed the back of his neck. “Aren’t we taking food away from humans that need it?” he asked.
Thierry shook his head. “There were quite a few left when I bought it and I also paid for the groceries of the people in line behind me. My way of spreading a little Christmas cheer.”
Adam’s face softened. His eyes seemed to glow as he looked at Thierry. “Hey, it’s a Christmas miracle. The Grinch actually has a heart.”
Thierry flipped Adam off and Cosette rolled her eyes. She couldn’t understand why Adam often hid behind this wall of sarcasm and did everything contrary to what he felt. Why couldn’t he express his feelings to Thierry?
Then again, Cosette’s direct nature and open heart had always made her somewhat of an oddity among the other vampires. And perhaps Adam was simply afraid Thierry would reject him.
“I also bought this. I’ve never had it but the salesperson said it was a favored drink around the holiday,” Thierry said, holding up a carton with the word eggnog written on it.
Cosette’s brow furrowed. She had never s
ampled the concoction either, but Adam pulled his shirt over his nose and made the sign of the cross with his two index fingers.
“Hell no. This is where I draw the line,” he shouted.
“What’s wrong with it?” Cosette asked.
“One, it tastes disgusting. Two, tell me you got alcohol. Because there’s no point in drinking it if you didn’t,” Adam replied.
“Surely you’ve had worse things in your mouth, Adam,” Thierry said. The innuendo was not lost on Cosette, nor did it seem, on Adam.
He grinned and turned his face away. “Yeah, well, I enjoy most of what I put in my mouth, but not this.”
“Did you buy any alcohol?” she asked Thierry.
He shook his head and a devious idea formed. Maybe what Adam needed was a gentle nudge. “Well then, you and Adam should go back out and get some once we’ve put all of this away. You don’t mind going out again, do you, pet?” She asked Thierry.
The glint in Thierry’s eyes told her he knew she was up to something. “Anything for you, my dove.”
Chapter 4
That night, not a creature was stirring except for Cosette. She laid wide awake next to Thierry, who snored softly as he held her against his chest while he slept. She carefully unclasped his hands so she could get up.
She dressed in her silk robe and placed her phone in the pocket. When pacing the floors of the house offered her no respite, she returned to the bedroom and walked out onto the balcony, where the sounds of night welcomed her like an old friend. She didn’t know when, but she knew soon she would have to face her sins.
The phone buzzed in her pocket. She didn’t say hello when she answered it. There was no need.
“Here I am. Your ghost of Christmas past,” Elliot said as her greeting.
Cosette shut her eyes. She wanted to feel her. She wanted it to be as if she was standing there with her. So far, but always so close. Even underground, Elliot reached for her.
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