by Londyn Lenz
“Well anyway, I came in because I heard this is the best custom-made store.” I watched him take his black leather case with what I knew had his saxophone in it.
“I would like my name on the outside of the case and carved on the side of Lucile.” Me and Bella looked at each other then at him.
“You call your saxophone Lucile, like Negan called his bat on The Walking Dead.” I asked trying not to laugh but I couldn’t help it and neither could Bella. Gabe was laughing too while nodding his head.
“Aye he stole that name from my great-grandfather. But yes, this is Lucile and she means everything to me. So, can it be done?” I took the leather case from him so I could feel it and Bella grabbed his saxophone, I mean Lucile.
“Yea we can do it, give us two days.” Bella said and he seemed pleased.
“Great. Well, it was a pleasure again ladies.” He said while shaking my hand and then he shook Bella’s.
Then I noticed her expression changed and her hand relaxed in his. Their eyes seemed to have locked in a grip. He had a smirk and slowly slid his hand out of hers, turned and walked towards the door. I was about to say something when Bella surprised me and ran out the door behind him. I didn’t even hide the fact that I was watching. Our window was bullet proof and unless you were talking loudly, it was hard to hear. But my hearing was above the normal and I heard them loud and clear.
“When is the next time you play at Spoken?”
“Saturday night at nine.” Bella looked disappointed. Before I could hear her next sentence, Luna came in with her loud phone and blew my concentration.
“I’m back with the food.” I fake smiled and tried to nod as if I was happy while finishing spying, but I was too late. Gabe was giving Bella back her phone and she was coming back inside. Luna was rambling about the damn food as I grabbed Bella hand and pulled her in the back.
“What’s wrong?” She asked me.
“Bella, did you just let Gabe put his number in your phone?” Looking from side to side she answered.
“Uh yes, I like how he plays music and didn’t want to wait till Saturday to hear it.” I was shocked because she said it as if it was innocent.
“Ok well we could have found some fun activities that would help pass the time. Instead of you getting his number, Andreas will rip his ribcage out if he finds out.
“Who?” She asked that with such a serious tone and look.
“Andreas, your husband.” I looked at her confused and dismayed.
“Oh, yes I know and like I said. It’s nothing like that.” I thought for a second then remembered that we are hunters. Bella could be laying a trap.
“Do you want to feed on him---” I was cut off when her fangs came out and she hissed at me. I became a vampire before Bella even though it was only minutes before. But I still was stronger and we didn’t like being challenged. I turned quickly too and hissed back at her.
“We are not feeding on him!”
“What the hell is wrong with you Bella, who are you right now?” Her face returned back to normal and she walked away from me. I followed her back to the front and I thought she was getting back to work but she grabbed her food and left.
“Is everything ok?” Luna asked me and I played it off.
“Yea, we just sometimes argue like real sisters.” My phone vibrated and it was Duke. He was texting me telling me he had to cancel our plans for tonight. Great, I needed that little escape badly right now.
“What are your plans for tonight?” Luna asked me.
“Nothing anymore, why what do you have in mind?”
“So my friend is the manager of MJR theater. I own a cinema projector and she hooks me up with some films. I have Black Christmas and Doctor Sleep. Some wine and the best Jamaican food….. Ouch!” Luna cut her hand on the knife she was using to cut her steak up. The blood dripped from her finger and slid down it. I quickly turned around breathing hard and I felt my eyes change. My fangs popped out as I covered my mouth and closed my eyes. Calm down Faye. Think of the scenery in Morocco, the way the sky blends in color.
“Faye, are you ok?” Luna’s voice made me open my eyes slowly but it didn’t help. I could still smell her blood.
“Y-Yea I’m fine I just hate blood. Excuse me.” I ran to the back room and closed the door. Breathing hard I needed some air. We had an emergency exit door so I went out of it. It led to the back of an alley where the dumpsters and other businesses were. The cold air felt good on my skin. I looked down the clear alley and saw a guy leaning against the door smoking a cigar. I could smell it from here. I also could smell his sweet clean blood. Since I couldn’t feed on Luna because me and Bella made a pact not to feed on our employees. This random stranger would have to do.
“Hey you.” I walked up to him smiling flirtatiously. He returned the gesture and looked me up and down.
“Hey yourself---” I grabbed ahold of his eyes with mine.
“You are not afraid, in fact you’ve never felt more at peace.” His face looked so carefree and relaxed. “Take your hoodie off and do not scream, you’ll feel pleasure as if you were having sex.” He did what I said and his body was nicer than I thought. As soon as his chest was bare and that vein in his neck protruded when he turned his neck. I transformed so fast and was on him even faster. His back was against the cold brick and he was moaning low while I had a tasteful of him. Ughhhh it was amazing.
**
“You know you could have invited Bella if you wanted.” Luna said to me as she brought me a glass of red wine. I had been at her home for about twenty-minutes. She had a nice place and I couldn’t wait to watch Black Christmas.
“We still aren’t talking at the moment.” I pulled my phone out and looked at it again.
“You know that is the fourth time you’ve checked your phone. Are you ok Faye?” Thing is, Bella was my person. Always has been since we were kids. If I was sick, when I first got my period, crying over a boy. Whatever it was, I would go to her and she to me. Now, we are not talking and Luna was trying to be nice. I didn’t want to keep being rude to her and she seems sweet so why not.
“Honestly, it’s my boyfriend. He’s been acting off for the past couple of days. I mean he told me he was working tonight but I haven’t heard from him since earlier when we were working. That’s not like us, we text or have quick conversations.” She sat down on her couch next to me with her own glass of wine.
“Do you think he’s being honest about his whereabouts?”
“Of course, Duke wouldn’t lie to me.” She took a sip of her wine and widened her eyes as if she highly doubted it.
“What was that look?” I asked her.
“I didn’t give a look.” I chuckled and put my glass down.
“Yea you did, like I was dumb for saying he’d never lie to me.”
“I just feel like if he’s acting a certain way that’s far from the ordinary then there must be a reason.” I couldn’t say anything to that.
“I have an idea, but I don’t know how open you’ll be to it.” I watched her get up and go to her tall wardrobe chest. “I have a friend who has a certain talent.” She took out a tall metal cup. It a gave me a medieval feel and it had a black satin cloth over it.
“What kind of talent?” I asked her as she sat the cup down on the table and sat across from me. I then watched her take out a satin cloth similar to the one on the cup from under the shelf of her table. When she opened it, thought it was a bunch of crushed up weed.
“He knows how to awaken things within your soul.”
“Trust me, it wouldn’t work on me.” I was being honest because no matter how on the outside I was normal. There is no life on the inside, no soul, spirit and even the heart is rotted. That’s why it’s black, but the humanity. My humanity from when I was human gives me the modem to function as such.
“Trust me Faye, no matter how a person inside is. This will still work but it reveals exactly what you asked for. Truth wise that is, sometimes it may hurt or be hard to take.
”
“So you mean to tell me whatever’s in that cup will show me the truth?” If my best friend didn’t have a gift. If my father hadn’t revealed to me that I was a vampire slayer and that they exist. If I didn’t see the love of my life turn from wolf to man, I would have hauled ass out of Luna’s house. But knowing what I know made me curious.
“Yes, it can, he gave me this as a gift about my family. I couldn’t believe it but it’s real. All I have to do is place it in the middle of the table. Sprinkle the herbs around it and me and you must drink from the cup.”
Part of me said no but I couldn’t feel Duke anymore. Let me be clear, I could feel him sometimes during the day. It’s like reading a good book under the perfect lighting. Then every few pages you turn someone turns the light off for a few minutes. Then turns it back on, you read a few more pages and then it happens again. That’s how I felt with Duke, like something was making me not feel him on and off.
“Ok, we can do this.” Worse case, I will rip Luna to shreds if she puts me in harm. Worse than that, I rip Duke’s lungs out if I see something I shouldn’t. Pretty simple. I watched her sprinkle the herbs around the cup and she lit a candle. As soon as she did the cup grew smoke from it and her lights dimmed. Looking around then back at Luna she picked the cup up and said.
“It’s ready.” She took a sip first then gave it to me. Was I really about to do this, sink this desperate? Hell yes I was, I took a sip and there was no taste but it didn’t taste like water. Luna took the cup from my hand and sat it back down in the center of the herbs.
“Give me your hand.” She said and when I did she took a thread needle out and pricked my finger. Dint hurt at all but when she did hers my fangs almost popped out but I controlled myself. I had just ate before I came here so I had enough will. She dripped my blood and hers in the cup and the smoke became a little thicker out the cup. It wasn’t like regular smoke, it didn’t spread throughout the room. It made a straight line from the cup and hovered over it.
“It’s happening.”
Luna said and sure enough the smoke became thicker till it was black. A clear circle centered it and Duke’s face appeared. I was out done because part of me thought Luna was crazy. I didn’t know where he was but I saw him open the passenger door to his Ferrari. Some woman stepped out with a smile on her face from ear to ear. My breathing changed and by then my eyes changed. I no longer had control, I felt myself grip Luna table so hard that it broke. Making the cup fall but the picture didn’t fade.
“Where is he!?” I yelled and looked at Luna. Yea, I was fully turned because the look on her face was full of fear and she fell back.
“I-I-I don’t know, it will show you.” I looked back that the picture and I saw him walk the woman to a door. Her address was shown and so was her street. I used my vamp speed and was out Luna’s house in half a second. I knew something was wrong, I had talked to Bella about it when we were having wine in Andreas cellar the other day. We brushed it off and said it was nothing like that. Bullshit, I saw it for myself and I slowly felt my humanity slipping.
“Faye no!” Duke yelled out when I came out the wind grabbing the woman throat before she could open her door. I pulled her close to my face, locked her in my trance and said.
“Invite me in.”
“Would you please come inside my house.” Upon entering I threw her crying ass against the wall and stood in the doorway looking at Duke. He tried to come in but was stopped because he had never been invited. That was good, means he’s never been inside this girl place. Still looking at him, I said to her.
“Let him in.” She did and I moved out the way surprised he didn’t rush to her. If he did, it would have been a blood bath. I know he’s older but I still would have killed her. Speaking of her she was screaming and crying.
“Shut up!” I yelled and she zipped her mouth as quick as I commanded.
“Who the fuck is that and why are you with her?”
“Bae, it’s not what you think---”
“Not what I think? You’ve been lying to me, sneaking out when you thought I wouldn’t know. All to be with her!” I rammed him so hard into her wall that he almost went through her brick house. Speeding to the woman I had her by her neck again, I was so angry that all my fangs were out all through my mouth. I could fill my eyes being filled with redish and burnt orange like an eclipse. When Duke got up and turned to me, he was full transformed to.
“You care so much for this woman that you will fight me over her?” Now a little fact, age gave him more strength, but it gave me more speed. By the time he got to her I would have a chunk of her neck in my mouth. He knew it to because he didn’t try it.
“My love, I would never hurt you. I just need you to calm down and listen, you won’t believe me if I told you so I must start from the beginning.” I didn’t let her go but I made a look that told him to start talking.
“You asked me had I ever been in love a while back. I told you yes, her name was Willow.” I growled angrily and squeezed her neck tighter.
“You told me she killed herself, is everything you say to me a lie!?” I was so damn pissed and at this point. I wanted to fight him even if I didn’t stand a chance.
“I-I did.” Her words strained out and I looked at her. Loosening up my grip some, I asked.
“What are you back from the dead?” She nodded her head yes and looking at Duke he was doing the same.
“I have never been drawn to another woman since you have come into my life. My heart is inside your chest. When I met Alicia, Willow, I knew something was wrong because I was drawn to her. Faye there is so much shit that’s going on and Luna----” I dropped two single tears because I didn’t hear nothing passed what he said.
“You were drawn to another woman?” My heart felt like someone was gripping it with fire and trying to pull it out. I couldn’t handle it, the heightened emotions made me hurt at a capacity. I looked at the woman and then at him.
Throwing her into him so hard that they both fell back. By the time they got up, I was gone. I was headed home to talk to Bella but I knew Duke would be there. Plus, something came to my mind that I didn’t recognize earlier. Oh snap, forgot to invite you in. Come on, I have this vintage wine I know you’ll love. Speeding to her house I replayed when I showed up on her doorstep earlier. I had planned on joking about be invited in. The talk of wine and then movies distracted me from her comment she made.
Knock. Knock. Knock. Luna came to the door after my third knock.
“How did you know to invite me in?”
Luna
Everything was working out perfect. I had laid my traps out and they were going off. Having Gabe summon Willow soul and put it in Alicia body was everything. I needed a vessel and she was perfect. I had met her when I first moved her at the gym. Getting to know her I learned she had only a hand full of friends, a mother and a brother who lived in Baltimore. She was perfect for me but it was bad timing on her part.
Gabe was so good at his power that anytime Alicia was around her loved ones, she was herself. But when she was alone and around Duke, she was Willow. That’s why she was confused and didn’t know which way was up. Duke did like Gabe said, the minute he saw her he was intrigued. His behavior had Faye skeptical and I just set back and watched the damage happen. I was so excited when she decided to drink from the cup Gabe filled with a truth spell.
It was sad to see her hurt but I was glad that she took the bait. Duke had to suffer before me, and Faye killed him. What I didn’t expect to happen was for her to show back at my door asking something that could expose me. Maybe I could play it off and have her believe it was just good old hospitality.
“What do you mean----” She cut me off by grabbing me by my hair and once again her face had changed. This time it was worse than when it happened earlier. Now I was terrified because I couldn’t see Faye at all. I saw what I hated, what killed our parents, a monster.
“It is not wise to play stupid with me right now Luna. How. Did
. You. Know.” With tears down my eyes I confessed.
“Because I already knew what you were.” Getting angrier she asked.
“Bella, Duke and Andreas. Do you know about them?” I nodded my head yes.
“Who the fuck are you, was that shit all fake earlier with that cup?”
“Not at all, I know a witch and he really did give me that. It was a liquid truth spell---”
“Do you have more?” Thank God I did.
“Yes I do but you don’t need it. I will tell you whatever you want to know.” Finally she turned back to normal but she still didn’t have that sweet good natured feel to her. In fact, she seemed hollow, the same way Gabe told me how vampires get when their humanity is off.
“Who are you and the minute I feel like your lying. I will kill you Luna.” I began telling her the exact story of my life. From the people who I thought were my real parents raising me. Till the day a man showed up on my doorstep. But I left out the part about it being Gabe. Then I told her about me learning who my real parents are. My slayer training and how me and her were the last of the blood line.
“You think because you sit up here and tell me you are my sister I’m supposed to jump for glee. In case you haven’t noticed, I’m a vampire baby sister. I won’t be slaying anything, why would I do that to my own kind?”
“Faye I have a way for you to be human again but it comes at a price. You must slay vampires with me. You think Andreas and Duke are the only ones, they are not. They’ve turned many who walk around at night for prey. One thing about your species, you do not like to be alone. We can kill them all and past it down to our children. That way the blood line will never die.”
“Those monsters took our family—” Faye laughed when I said that.
“Luna, it’s not our family, it’s mine. They didn’t even know you and trust me you didn’t want to know them. they were bigots who made my life hell by trying to control it.” That made me angry when she said that. I didn’t have a terrible upbringing, but I still grew up with people who were not my family. I felt like the freak when all along I didn’t have to. I had a family who would have understood me. Faye however took it for granted, it was time to use what Gabe left for me.