The Vampire's Redemption, A Paranormal Romance (Undead in Brown County #3)

by Wright, S. J.

  Our side. It was getting easier to think of Sarah and me as a unit, as one team working towards some kind of future to be shared between us. How had that happened? When had we crossed the line from strangers to friends and possible lovers? It was completely unlike me to attach myself to a woman. I wasn’t exactly a player, but I’d had my share of one-night stands with no return phone calls. Living alone at the ranch in my little apartment above the main barn was the norm for me. It wasn’t as if I could bring a girlfriend in there. I hadn’t really met anyone that sparked that kind of emotion in me. Until Sarah.

  Just the thought of her brought new life into my veins, pumped blood through me a little faster, brought a thin veil of nervous sweat to my upper lip. If she knew the urges she inspired inside me and how badly I needed her, she’d balk like a frightened calf. She was good at running away from conflict when it involved her own sordid emotional state and unless I wanted to lose her, I’d have to hang on loosely. She needed a foundation to build upon. I was willing to be that for her.

  Hell, I was willing to be anything for her.

  CHAPTER 17 – Sarah

  It wasn’t just a meeting. It was nothing like the first time that Teddy and I met in that fancy hotel in Indianapolis. This time there were dozens of burly guards, all dressed in casual street clothes and stealing furtive glances all around us like thieves. Given the fact that we met in the late afternoon with the sun still hovering in the western sky like a god, I assumed they were human bodyguards. They took up posts on the street corners while trying to appear like ordinary citizens. Despite the crush of pre-holiday tourists in downtown Nashville, they still looked completely out of place. Speaking quietly into hidden microphones in the collars of their dark blue wool coats, they seemed like aliens on the snow-covered busy sidewalks.

  This time, it was a restaurant where we met. She had reserved a private dining room in one of the more expensive steakhouses on the main road through town. There was a fire crackling brightly in a limestone hearth against one wall and an elaborately decorated Christmas tree in one corner. It all seemed too shiny to me when I walked in with Jackson a step behind. Somehow, it seemed wrong to meet with an ancient vampire in a room so cheerfully arranged for Christmas visitors.

  As it turned out, she was not alone. There were four male vampires in the room with her. Based on their casual body language, I didn’t believe they were Teddy’s bodyguards. Two had joined her at the large dining table, their faces eerily similar to each other. Both looked primordial with deep violet shadows under their eyes and grim creases around their gray lips. It looked as if Teddy was about to have lunch with two corpses.

  Of the other two males, one was tall and wearing a flawlessly cut black suit with a red tie. His hair was a nondescript brown shade and cut quite short in nearly a military style. His eyes were very much like Teddy’s, black and almost without definable pupils. Although his head moved to track us when we entered, the rest of his body remained perfectly still, standing erect near the fireplace. I noticed that he wore black gloves, the fingers curled slightly against the lapels of his expensive suit coat.

  The shorter male painted a different picture. He bounded forward like an excited dog, his plump face exuberant with some unusual energy as he shook our hands wildly. He was a comic figure in his brightly-colored wool sweater with a reindeer pattern stitched into the front. His hair was pure silver and a thick moustache teetered over his pale lips.

  “Good to meet you, by God!” He exclaimed.

  Teddy rose sedately from her seat at the polished table and came to greet us, her face calm and betraying nothing of the reason behind our meeting. Gently, she pried the pudgy vampire away from us and pressed her lips briefly to my cheek. She nodded shortly to Jackson before turning back to her brethren.

  “Brothers, I would like you to meet Miss Sarah Wood and Mr. Jackson Bennett.”

  The two at the table said nothing. The tall one swept us both with his dark gaze in a dismissive gesture and then looked away. The fat one grinned like an idiot and pulled out chairs for us at the table.

  “By God, it’s a pleasure to meet the two of you at last!”

  Jackson gave me a supportive wink and half a grin before sitting down next to me.

  Teddy rolled her eyes and waved a hand towards the cheerful one. “That is Charlie. Please excuse his excruciating manners. He’s been looking forward to this for a while now.” She sat across from me and looked at the tall one. “Vincent, would you care to sit?”

  He ignored her and turned his head to stare intently into the fire.

  “These two handsome boys are Troy and Richard.” She said with a graceful turn of her head, indicating the corpses. There was an amused curl to her lips when she introduced them.

  “How do?” Said one dead guy.

  “Hello.” Groaned the other.

  Cringing in distaste, I took a quick sip of water from the sweating crystal goblet on the table before me and tried not to look at them. “Good to meet you.” I lied.

  “The Council wanted to ask you here in order to discuss the current situation with the containment field, as well as future plans that you both may have.” Teddy said.

  I sputtered. “Future plans?” She had spoken as if Jackson and I had made plans. Like together.

  “Yes. I realize that the two of you haven’t had much time to get to know each other, but if I’m not mistaken, I sense a real connection between you.”

  Jackson looked all around, at everything except for me. No one else in the room had trouble holding my gaze at that moment. Even Vincent, the tall surly one, managed to cast me a serious look across the room before turning away again. I flustered under the attention and cleared my throat.

  “We don’t have any specific plans right now.” I replied slowly.

  “Teddy, am I right in assuming that everyone here besides Sarah and I are on the Council?” Jackson asked.

  “There are several more than just us. Three more, actually.” She said, “We will be happy to explain all of that to you. However, you must understand that everything we tell you here must be held in confidence. Isaiah has powerful friends.”

  “More powerful than the Council?”

  Teddy nodded at my question firmly. “Yes, indeed. But let me tell you a bit about our Council. We are a simple group of rulers who try to maintain a common set of rules for the vampires here in the United States. It isn’t an easy task to convince a legion of bloodthirsty immortals that they needn’t kill in order to obtain blood.”

  “It’s impossible to reach out to them all,” Charlie broke in breathlessly, his brown eyes still dancing with excitement. “But with the social networks available to us now, it may be possible. If it weren’t for the rogues…”

  “They should be eliminated.” I wasn’t sure which dead guy was Troy and which was Richard at that point, but one piped up to interrupt Charlie.

  Teddy shook her head a little. “We’ve been over this. There are individual cases in which rehabilitation is possible. Take Michael, for example.”

  Charlie’s head bobbed up and down. “Yes, yes. Michael has made significant changes.”

  “Only because he was not in the Arizona camp.” It was Vincent this time. He moved to stand behind the creepy crypt brothers with steady purpose. “And he wasn’t guilty of breaking the code anyway. We all know why Michael was really sent away.”

  There was an uncomfortable silence between them then, and my gaze flicked to each of their faces in turn. “Why was he sent away? It wasn’t because of Alex?”

  “Who told you about that?” Vincent growled.

  “My mother.”

  Thing One looked blankly at Thing Two. “Selena.”

  “Please, let me continue,” Teddy said coolly. “The code is a set of laws that all vampires are required to follow. As the Council, we make sure that no one breaks it.”

  Jackson cleared his throat and sat up. “So what happens if they break it? They get sent to the containment field in
Indiana?”

  I saw Teddy’s gaze fly to Vincent’s face before she answered.

  “If they break the code, they are considered a rogue. Depending on the crime, they are either sent away for containment or they are executed. Michael’s case was unusual. Alexander was considered to be a human under protection. When Michael turned him, he broke the code.”

  “That’s not true and you know it.” Vincent leaned over the table and stared fiercely at Teddy. “Only two people on this Council agreed that Alexander should be under our protection.”

  “Do we need to discuss this right now, brother?” She asked.

  The tension between them was thick and overwhelming. I sensed that Alex had been a sore subject between the two of them for quite a while. Vincent must have sensed my unease. His eyes were on me in careful consideration when I turned back to him.

  He relaxed slightly and shook his head. “Later.”

  “Wait. What is the Arizona camp?” Jackson asked.

  “It’s a mistake. That’s what it is. Never should have put any of them out there.” Charlie whispered his dapper grin fading.

  “Unfortunately, he’s right.” Teddy sighed and turned her head away. “The Arizona camp was our first attempt at containing rogues. When Isaiah joined the Council, he suggested a containment zone after hearing rumors of such a thing through his contacts. We were able to discover the connection between the Pawnee and their ability to conjure such a place through their ceremonies. We hired a Pawnee to put it together and manage it.”

  “An utter failure.” Sighed one of the corpses dramatically. His brother nearly smiled. I was glad he didn’t, as I would have hated to see what the creep’s teeth looked like.

  Teddy sent a sharp look towards both of them. “I think it’s safe to dispose of the glamour, you two. Mr. Bennett seems entirely trustworthy to me.”

  “Are you quite sure, Teddy?” Asked one.

  “Do we have to?” The other whined. “It’s so much more fun when we look all scary like this.”

  “Now, please.”

  There was an audible popping sound in the room that reminded me of firecrackers going off and then a subtle glowing erupted around the two brothers. When the strange light died, leaving the room once again clad in late afternoon shadows, two giggling girls were sitting in the crypt brothers’ seats.

  I gasped and Jackson rose halfway out of his seat in alarm.

  “I apologize for the deception, but it is imperative that we keep the identity of the girls from anyone who could possibly do them harm.” Teddy looked them over briefly and turned back to Jackson and me with a gentle smile. “They are very important to the future of the Council.”

  The one with the straight blond hair wore it in a cute little bob and had merry blue eyes full of mischief. She looked slightly older than the other, who had very curly light brown hair and wide eyes the color of blue bonnets.

  “I’m Samantha.” The older one said brightly, winking at me.

  “I’m Anne.” The other giggled. “Teddy, can we be the scary guys at every Council meeting?”

  Samantha hooted in laughter. “The look on Sarah’s face was priceless.”

  Charlie laughed with her before receiving a warning glance from Teddy.

  “Absolutely not.” Teddy leaned over towards them both. “What did I tell you two before we came here? I expect a certain amount of decorum and self-control.”

  They both looked contrite at that statement and tried to appear calm. Samantha looked down solemnly and Anne sighed in disappointment. I was thinking that it had to be a joke. Who were these two girls? And what in the world were they doing in a vampire council meeting?

  “Believe it or not, they are both junior members of the Council.” Vincent murmured.

  My mouth dropped open.

  There was a quick and clear knock at the door. Vincent went to it, opened it slightly and nodded. He stepped back and into the room swept a female vampire I’d never seen before. She was gorgeous, confident and seemed to be expected. Waves of dark red hair spilled down her back like silk scarves. She had a perfectly proportioned face with a clear, almost sparkling complexion. Her lips were full and dark red like her hair. She also had the body of a young supermodel. Except for the huge boobs she was barely able to keep contained in her tight little black dress.

  “Amanda.” Teddy nodded at her familiarly.

  The newcomer turned her calculating, long-lashed eyes on me and smiled. For some reason, the hairs on the back of my neck stood up, sending shivers down into the core of me. This was the enemy.

  CHAPTER 18 – Michael

  When we arrived at the inn, it was deserted. Katie had let us all into the containment field, but I knew before we crossed into it that Sarah was not there. I tried to reach Sarah several times on my new cell phone but only got her voice mail.

  “I don’t like this.”

  “Relax, mate,” Jones said. “They could be in the woods.”

  “I would have sensed them. Her, especially. Where could they be?” I slapped my hand against the dashboard of Victoria’s car in frustration. She had parked the vehicle in front of the house, but none of us had gotten out except for Katie. She had proceeded up the steps onto the porch without a backwards glance.

  I watched her warily. “Victoria, should I trust Katie?”

  Her reply was low. “No. She’s been trying to block me since we met at the airport.”

  “Get out of the car, Michael.”

  In the rearview mirror, I saw the captain’s face and cringed. Apparently, it was time to pay the piper. Jones’ face was set in a hard, ruthless scowl that I’d seen before, and his eyes were vivid with barely checked rage. I opened the passenger side front door and faced him.

  “How long had she been down there, you bloody Yank?” he roared, pacing back and forth before me.

  I took a short breath, glancing between him and Victoria, who was glaring at me with equal animosity. “She was brought into the caves three years after we arrived.”

  “And you were her lover?” He towered over me, a skyscraper with red hair and blazing eyes.

  “I was at one point in time. You were still sailing.”

  He growled and kicked at the car, leaving a large dent in the bumper. Victoria sighed and rolled her eyes. “Was that really necessary?”

  “Sorry, love.”

  “I am sorry for it, Jones. Now I wish I’d never met the bitch.”

  He shook his head. “You knew what she’d done to me.”

  “It was a long time ago.”

  We were interrupted by the sound of a truck coming up the driveway, the headlights cutting across us like lasers. It was Sarah’s truck. I’d never been happier to see that old piece of rolling rust. She pulled up next to Victoria’s car, cut the engine and jumped out. Jackson, sitting beside her on the passenger seat, followed more slowly.

  “Michael!” Her voice was sweet and silky in the air as she rushed towards me.

  “We’ll finish this later, mate,” promised Jones at my shoulder.

  When Sarah reached me, she grasped my hands and gave me a sad smile. “We just had a meeting with the Council. Is Katie here?”

  I glanced quickly at Jackson. I was depending on him to help her with this, but a civil conversation would be necessary in order to ensure his cooperation. I nodded at Sarah. “She’s inside.”

  She turned from me immediately and ran towards the house. I jerked my head towards her when Victoria gave me a questioning stare. Understanding my concern, she took the captain’s hand and pulled him along behind her as she followed in Sarah’s wake. Jones shot me a dark look before he ascended the stairs.

  When the three of them had disappeared through the front door, I turned to Jackson. “The Council met with you both? Where was it?”

  “In town.” He crossed his arms over his chest and watched me warily. “Teddy called this morning and asked for a meeting.”

  “Who was there?”

  “Vincent, Charlie,
Teddy and two girls. Isaiah wasn’t there.”

  The girls. Their sweet faces were as clear in my mind as the day I’d turned them both. Handing them over to Teddy had been one of the hardest things I’d ever had to do. If they had been at the meeting, it was a good sign. Especially if Teddy had allowed them to reveal themselves in front of Jackson. It meant that she trusted him.

  “Someone else came in after the meeting started,” Jackson said abruptly.

  “Who?”

  “Her name was Amanda.”

  It took me a few moments to gather my thoughts. The idea of Amanda being in the same room with Sarah scared the hell out of me. But ultimately, she had done exactly as I’d expected her to do. According to Victoria, Vincent had been furious when he discovered that Amanda had been entombed at the farm. There was definitely a connection between the two of them, so I knew where she’d go once she was free. Whatever hold Vincent had over Amanda, it had been kept a secret from me. Victoria was unable to discover the source of their mysterious relationship.

  Jackson wanted answers, but I wasn’t ready to give them.

  “Any word on Isaiah?” I asked, attempting to deflect him from the Amanda issue.

  He sighed and stuffed his hands into his jacket pockets. “Nothing concrete. They know that he has Alex. They’re ready to move against him for it. He’s also refusing to comply with a new ordinance they want passed.”

  “What?”

  “No killing of humans by any vampire. They’re spooked by the advances in DNA science. They think it puts them at too much risk for exposure.”

  I laughed bitterly. “It would be easier to ask the sun to stop shining. Isaiah kills without thinking about it. Unfortunately, he doesn’t always do the best job at cleaning up his messes.”

  “But it’s more than just him, isn’t it? There’s no way to know for sure how many vampires are out there, much less try to control them all.”

  I eyed him curiously. “You seem to know more than you’ve let on.”

  “My grandfather used to talk about vampires. I was one of the few in our family who didn’t think he was crazy.” He looked vaguely uncomfortable talking about it. Not that I cared. I had more important things to think about.