JAVIER

by Miranda Jameson

  Cassia watched as he stared out at the last flushes of red streaking across the sky, his back straight and rigid;

  “I’m so sorry Javier. It was lucky for Beatriz though that you were late, she may have lost both her parents otherwise.”

  Javier turned and smiled bleakly;

  “I suppose so. It did not feel lucky at the time. Now, are you ready to go? I will follow your lead tonight in everything but security issues. Is that clear?”

  Cassia nodded as she followed him outdoors ready to shift. Something was up with him. He was distant and formal as though he had withdrawn into himself. How was he going to react later in the evening once the truth of her relationship with Harry was exposed?

  “Where are you taking us? I hope you realize you are only the second person I have ever allowed to be in control when I travel through space…apart from my parents when I was a child that is…” Javier grumbled as he grasped her round the waist and pulled her close. Cassia cleared her mind as she concentrated; the other person must have been Charlotte. They hadn’t moved, she was distracted. Summoning all the power in her mind she visualized the co-ordinates and their destination then felt a flash of relief as they slid between dimensions.

  They came to a halt in the daintily proportioned living room of her mews house in London’s Bloomsbury. Cassia jumped away from Javier and rapidly disarmed the sophisticated alarm system she had installed. She stepped back right into him; he had come up behind her and was peering over her shoulder;

  “Hm, very advanced. Have you got something to hide here Cass? Where are we anyway?”

  Cassia dodged round him;

  “I just like my privacy that’s all. It would take someone as good as me to break into this place. You’re in Bloomsbury Javier; I bought this little place in the nineteen sixties. It was terribly fashionable.”

  Javier wandered round the living room and looked into the neat kitchen;

  “Is this what they call bijou?” he dwarfed the place, Cassia thought, watching him prowl around.

  “It’s big enough for me. Living and dining room combined down here and the kitchen and a large bedroom, bathroom and box room upstairs. It’s a mews house Javier, they’re all bijou. I’ve also got a garage, very rare in London I can tell you. Look, I’ll get you a drink while I go upstairs and change. I’ll drive us to Harry’s in my car, that’s what I normally do. Best to blend in completely. There’s a TV if you’re bored, I’ll be as quick as I can.”

  Javier accepted the drink she handed him and settled down on the comfortable sofa. Idly he picked up the remote control and flicked through the TV channels till he came to the news. He watched half-heartedly as his mind wandered. It would be a miracle if she was quick, in his experience women took ages getting into evening clothes. He sipped his drink and smiled; it was a rare single malt whisky, not his favourite but an excellent one; her favourite perhaps.

  He heard the shower go on upstairs and had a sudden image of Cassia standing under the water with her head tipped back as soap suds slid slowly down…oh hell! Shaking his head to get rid of the picture Javier jumped to his feet and carefully examined the room. It was expensively furnished with stylish yet functional and comfortable pieces in a style reminiscent of nineteen thirties Art Deco. The bookcase was crammed with books about art and art history. On a table stood an old fashioned record player and a stack of records; mostly operas and songs popular in the nineteen thirties and forties. He wondered if she liked to dance; it had been a very long time since he had held a woman in his arms and danced to something slow and romantic.

  God, he really needed to get a grip. Finishing off his whisky he looked at the two paintings she had hung on the walls; both exquisite and both original. Even he could tell that and he wondered whether she had stolen them or bought them legitimately. Returning to the sofa he switched off the television when the news finished and waited, eyes shut. He had no real idea what to expect from the next few hours or even whether they were completely wasting their time. Reaching behind him he pulled out his gun, checked it and put it back in place. His knife was stuck safely in his boot as usual.

  “Harry never carries arms. You don’t need that.”

  Javier leapt to his feet and stopped dead, his mind suddenly completely blank. Cassia stood on the bottom step of the ornate spiral staircase, a necklace dangling from one hand. Her dress was long and black and cut to cling to every inch of her. The low draping neckline showed off smooth creamy shoulders and a cleavage that made his mouth water. Her hair was smoothed down and fastened in a neat chignon at the nape of her neck. Subtle diamonds glittered in her ears. He stared as she frowned and pursed her lips; scarlet lips, he noted.

  “You’re staring Javier of Seville. Close your mouth or you’ll catch flies.”

  Javier snapped his mouth shut.

  “Erm, you look…very…” Dear god, he’d forgotten how to speak!

  Cassia sashayed across the room towards him in killer high heels;

  “I know. It’s a bit over the top but Harry’s is that sort of place and he likes seeing me dressed up and looking like a proper woman. Can you fasten this necklace for me please, the clasp is really fiddly.”

  Javier took the necklace as she turned her back to him and bent her neck forward;

  “What is this Harry to you?” Cassia didn’t seem like the kind of woman who would tolerate a man telling her how to dress. He felt an irrational and vicious stab of jealousy.

  “Friend, business partner, teacher, mentor and stand in father I suppose.” she replied.

  “Significant then. Is he also your lover?” Javier asked.

  “Never ever, not that it’s any of your business.” Cassia retorted sharply, “Are you going to fasten my necklace or not?”

  “Stand still.” he commanded abruptly.

  She stood at over six feet tall in her high heels, not much shorter than him. Moving closer Javier looped the necklace over her head then leaned down to fasten it. His eyes focused on her jugular and suddenly his vision zeroed in on her pulse beating gently at her throat. He felt his canines punch out into his mouth as his head bent forward; his blood drumming in his ears as raw, desperate hunger swept through him. Sweet like wine, every cell in his body seemed to be crying out for her. Javier’s fingers trembled as he fastened the necklace and stepped back. He needed to move away from her quickly; he needed to move right away. Muttering something incoherent he sped up the winding staircase and looked wildly for the bathroom before lurching into it, slamming the door and locking himself in.

  Big mistake. The room was still steamy and filled with her scent. Squeezing his eyes shut Javier gripped the sides of the washbasin and fought to bring his body under control. It felt as though someone had turned him inside out. He buried his face into his sleeve to hide the sound of the low despairing moan that came out of his mouth then stared at his reflection in the mirror. His pupils were so dilated his eyes were almost black and his canines tingled.

  He knew what this was and it could not be happening. He rejected it completely. Not with her, not with anybody. It was impossible. Taking a deep breath Javier tried to summon up Charlotte’s face but she eluded him. All he saw were deep midnight blue eyes.

  “I’m sorry,” he whispered, “I’m so sorry.”

  “Javier! Javier are you alright?” Cassia was knocking on the door, her voice sharp with concern.

  God, she must think he was a complete idiot. Javier splashed his face with cold water then grabbed a nearby towel and dried himself before raking his hand through his hair. Then he closed his eyes and imagined himself going through the slow meditative sequence of movements he often performed when he was practising with his sword. That worked; his body slowly returned to normal.

  “Javier, if you don’t open this door I’m picking the damned lock and coming in.”

  He unlocked the door and pulled it open. Cassia’s eyes were wide with worry; Javier pushed past her on the tiny landing and went quickly downstairs.

&nb
sp; “Sorry. Something I ate. Let’s go. Who’s driving, you or me?”

  He avoided her eyes as she set the alarm and locked up then led him a short way down the mews to a garage.

  Cassia’s car was an old red two-seater Mercedes SL and she hitched up her skirt and climbed into the driver’s seat with a grin;

  “My car, I drive. I bought this in the nineteen sixties as well. Like it?” She drove the car through London’s streets as though they were competing in a grand prix.

  “Love it. Stealing paintings is obviously very lucrative Cassia Mathrafal. What are you hiding from me about your friend Harry?” Javier laughed as Cassia’s head turned sharply towards him and she almost missed a gear.

  “Nothing. Why would you ask that?” She called out above the sound of the engine.

  “I can just read you. You haven’t told me how long you’ve known him but I have a feeling it’s a long time. He’s a Human; I know what that means.”

  “You can read me? Now you’re talking like a bloody Empath Javier. We’re here.”

  Cassia swung into a parking space, slammed on the brakes and turned in her seat to face him;

  “I trust him completely. Promise me you won’t hurt him. You can’t wipe him now, it would destroy his mind. Promise me Javier.”

  “I cannot. You lied to us, to LaSalle. We have laws for a reason Cassia. Let’s go.”

  As they headed towards the doors marked “Harry’s” Cassia grabbed his sleeve and pulled him round to face her;

  “If you hurt him you’ll have to hurt me first. I was responsible; you’ll have to go through me.”

  “Don’t be so melodramatic Cass. How long? How long have you worked together?”

  Cassia crossed her arms and looked down; people skirted around them as they stood blocking the pavement;

  “Harry is seventy-five now. We started working together over forty-five years ago.”

  “For god’s sake! Didn’t you ever think about the risk? The law is there to protect all of us against them. To protect our world and our way of life from discovery by them.”

  “Oh really? That law gets broken all the time Javier and you know it. How do you think you’ve ended up with a whole brigade of Half-bloods? Are you seriously trying to tell me that all those human women had no idea their lover was a Vamp or that all those human men didn’t know they were sleeping with a Vampire female? Really?”

  She was yelling at him now, one hand on her hip and her stance aggressive. Javier wondered how it would feel to push her against the wall with his body and kiss the hell out of her. Except that was absolutely not going to happen. Ever.

  “Keep your voice down Cass. Are we going in or not? The doorman is watching the show with great interest.”

  Cassia took a deep breath and tucked her clutch bag under her arm. Javier followed her as she greeted the doorman with a devastating smile. She swept confidently through the vast club and he noticed the many admiring glances both men and women cast in her direction. It wasn’t surprising; she was a stunningly beautiful woman. He wondered how many of the men also found her completely intimidating. She fitted in well with the surroundings; Harry’s nightclub and restaurant made him feel as if he had travelled back in time to the glamour of nineteen thirties high society London. It had the ambience and style he remembered from the old Claridge’s or the Savoy.

  They headed away from the public areas down a quiet carpeted corridor till they came to a large oak door. Cassia smiled at the burly black suited man who put down his newspaper and stood as they approached.

  “Evening Walt. Is he receiving?”

  Javier swept an experienced eye over the man. Harry might not carry a gun but Walt was certainly armed. He noted the suspicious stare cast his way;

  “He’s always in for you Miss Mathrafal. Who’s your friend?”

  “Oh he’s not my friend Walt, he’s my new bodyguard. Had a spot of bother. Best to be careful. I’ll make sure he behaves.” Javier swallowed his laugh as Cassia threw a disdainful look over her shoulder at him.

  “Too right. Go straight in Miss. He’s a bit off colour tonight, you’ll cheer him up.”

  Walt held the door open and Javier followed Cassia into an elegant wood panelled office.

  The man who rose slowly and came round the desk with his arms open had thick silver hair and a strong wiry build. He was a couple of inches shorter than Cassia in her high heels and his smile as he clasped her close was warm. Cassia hugged him back with equal affection then pulled away and examined him anxiously;

  “Harry, are you ill? Walt said you were a bit off colour…”

  “Oh don’t listen to him, lovely girl. I’m as strong as an ox. Hip’s a bit dicky though. Getting old my love, getting old.” His voice surprised Javier, it was deep and rich and cultured. Javier realized he had been expecting some kind of stereotypical East End gangster. Intelligent shrewd eyes swept him up and down;

  “Introduce me to your friend Cassia.”

  “This is Javier…”

  Javier cut in and extended one of the business cards from his pocket;

  “Javier Alejandro Mr…?”

  “Marshal. Harry Marshal.” Harry glanced at the card then smiled thinly, his eyes amused;

  “Import Export…conveniently vague Mr Alejandro. Forgive me, you don’t come across as a businessman to me.”

  Javier bent his head to one side; the expression in this man’s eyes reminded him of LaSalle’s. Sharp, astute and perceptive. Cassia looked from Harry to him then back again;

  “No? What do I come across as?”

  “I noticed you scan every corner of this room as you came in. You did it in seconds. You carry a gun in your belt at the back; you checked it automatically as you scoped the room. You have the physique of a man of action, not a man who sits behind a desk. How am I doing Mr Alejandro…if that is indeed your name?”

  Javier couldn’t help smiling. He started to answer but Cassia cut in;

  “He is called Javier of Seville. He’s a soldier Harry and, much to his dismay, he’s currently tasked with making sure I’m safe and behaving myself.”

  Javier couldn’t believe it. “Cass! Did no one ever give you lessons in discretion?”

  “I told you I trust Harry completely. We need to tell him the whole story if we want his help.”

  Harry interrupted smoothly;

  “Well, excuse me you two. Do sit down. I’ll order some refreshments then you, Javier of Seville, can tell me why my girl needs a bodyguard.”

  He spoke rapidly into the phone as Cassia and Javier sat then raised an eyebrow at Cassia;

  “He’s one of your lot isn’t he? Are you all like this or is it just you two?”

  “Like what Harry?” Cassia asked, looking puzzled.

  “Tall, strong, physically perfect. Beautiful.”

  “Er, you’ve never asked me anything like this before.”

  “I’ve never seen another like you before. I’m right am I not Javier? My Cassia was born in eighteen fifteen. What about you?”

  Javier examined the Human calmly. This went against all the rules; every instinct. He had been accidentally discovered before but he had always wiped the memories from the Humans concerned. All they had been left with was a half remembered dream; a ghost of a memory just out of their grasp.

  “I was born in Seville in the year seventeen hundred and sixty seven. The Hanoverian, George the third was on the throne of your country.”

  Harry Marshal stared at Javier with fascination;

  “My God, you’re two hundred and fifty years old. The things you must have seen, the experience and wisdom you’ve accumulated; it’s almost beyond my imagination. Could I ask you about it sometime?”

  He paused as Javier remained silent then nodded once sharply;

  “You do not trust me. Well, why should you? Back to business perhaps. Now, both of you, what’s happened and why are you here? I have never betrayed Cassia and I never shall; that much you can trust Javier of Seville.” />
  Javier exchanged glances with Cassia. She turned her attention back to the Human and Javier realized she loved him. He sighed inwardly at the thought of the heartbreak waiting for her; sometimes their long lifespan was a curse. Perhaps the ancestors had been thinking about more than the exposure of their species when they had written the laws prohibiting close contact with Humans.

  Together they related the events of the last month; Cassia starting the story and Javier picking it up from time to time, filling in the details. When they finished Harry looked sadly at Cassia;

  “That was a cruel deception my darling. You have never been cruel.”

  She shook her head and Javier noticed tears instantly flood into her eyes and get blinked back rapidly. This Human’s opinion mattered to her. He passed her his handkerchief;

  “She didn’t know. She had to do it. I would have too, given the circumstances. And don’t forget, she could have left me behind…she didn’t.”

  “How can I help?” Harry asked.

  “We have our joint Intelligence teams working on finding these people in and around London. Cassia thought you might be able to put out feelers or that you might have heard something…strange. We could do with a lead on the Humans involved.”

  Harry Marshal didn’t miss anything;

  “Joint teams? I’m sorry but does this mean there are others like you? Not…human I mean? Another species?”

  Javier rubbed his eyes. He knew this had been a bad idea. The hole they were in was getting deeper and deeper. Perhaps he could just wipe this conversation from Harry’s mind afterwards. It was tricky though, his memories about Cassia were deeply embedded and went back decades. There was a risk of complete mental breakdown; it was a known side-effect. He would have to assess the situation and make the decision later.

  “I cannot give you any details; you already know more than you should. Suffice it to say that there are others and we have been enemies for centuries. Currently we are feeling our way through a new and delicate rapprochement.”

  Harry Marshal digested this latest piece of information then asked;