Four Centuries (Damned and Cursed Book 7)

by Glenn Bullion

  "We're just going to leave him here?" Zoey asked. "This feels so wrong. He doesn't even know my real name. He just wanted to be nice, and he thinks I'm Jaima."

  "Do you want to stay behind and explain what happened? Maybe give out your real name?"

  "No," she said sheepishly.

  Every instinct told Zoey to run. She stepped forward with her right foot when Victoria grabbed her shoulder from behind.

  "Aren't you forgetting something?"

  Dangling from her finger were Zoey's wedges. She was still barefoot, standing on the pavement. She grabbed them quickly and slipped them on.

  "Walk, do not run," Victoria said tersely.

  Zoey craned her neck to look behind her.

  "Will he be okay?"

  "Yeah. He'll be fine."

  Zoey felt the weight lessen from her shoulders. The weight still hovered nearby, but it was a little lighter. She still couldn't stop crying.

  "Why did you leave the door open?"

  "So the medics will have an easier time spotting him."

  "Ohmygod. Our fingerprints, our DNA, it's all over that van!"

  Victoria laughed. "You watch too much TV. I wiped the phone because I could. But stop worrying."

  "I'm serious!"

  "So am I. There are countless fingerprints in that van. And just in the past few days, there's been a lot of sex in there. You would have smelled it, if you weren't so distracted. And is your DNA on file from a previous arrest?"

  "Uh, no."

  "He'll barely remember what you look like, and the others are drunk. They're unreliable. Shawn has no wounds. He wasn't attacked."

  "He was attacked!" Zoey said, her voice breaking. "By me!"

  "That's not how they'll see it."

  She tried to turn around again.

  "Shawn, I'm so sorry—"

  Victoria gently grabbed her neck and forced her to look forward.

  "Stop looking back. Just keep walking straight. One foot in front of the other."

  Neither of them said another word. Victoria was gracious enough to help Zoey settle into the Porsche. Zoey was too afraid to look her in the eye. Victoria buckled Zoey's seatbelt and gave her hand a squeeze. In another minute they were leaving the club.

  The night started out with the promise of fun and education. Zoey was surprised to discover she could still have a good time, still be social. The essence of who she was wasn't robbed from her in that alley. She liked to dance, smile at the guys, laugh, play pool, make jokes.

  But the nature of what she was still loomed over her.

  She was a vampire, and she was following her maker's path.

  CHAPTER 8

  It had been nearly a week before Victoria said more than two words to Zoey. She could hear the young vampire, moving about in the basement. The television, hot tub, shower, washer and dryer, the refrigerator opening and closing. But Zoey didn't leave, didn't even poke her head out to say hello.

  Victoria wanted to talk to her, make sure everything was okay. But the truth was she didn't know what to say. There wasn't actually anything to say. There were no words that would make Zoey feel better, magically pull her out of whatever rut she was in. Whatever she was going through, at least for the time being, she had to go through it alone. Zoey had to understand her own feelings before Victoria went poking at them.

  But Victoria would wait. She was a patient woman. Whether Zoey realized it or not, Victoria was watching over her.

  An interesting thought crossed her mind. Perhaps Zoey's growing pains was a perfect reason to visit a place such as the Vermilion. She didn't like the idea of Zoey possibly having sex with a stranger, but the mutual feeding aspect could work. With a willing partner, and Victoria's supervision, Zoey would be fine.

  Maybe a call to Frank was in the immediate future.

  Soft music played over the speakers in her living room. The television was on, but muted, a bad habit she picked up from some of her mortal friends. There was no sense watching television without sound, but she did it anyway. Her legs were curled up on the couch, a wineglass of blood in her hand. She was in the middle of an email frenzy, mostly business. Her laptop sat on a folding table in front of her. She'd answer one, two more would come in.

  Her ears perked up as a familiar sound reached through the music. The basement door opened and closed, followed by tiny footsteps. Zoey walked into the living room. She wore sweatpants and a tee shirt with no socks or shoes. Her hair was wet, having just gotten out of the shower.

  No words were exchanged. Victoria eyed her quickly, as inconspicuously as possible. Zoey didn't glance in her direction. She carried her sketchpad under her arm and sat in the chair across the room. Victoria caught a glimpse of the portrait she was still working on. She wasn't joking when she told Zoey her work was amazing. When things settled down she would perhaps look into art school for Zoey.

  Zoey tucked her legs under her like Victoria, drawing a smile from the elder vampire. She worked on her portrait, but did more fiddling with her pencil than actual work. Victoria continued to wait patiently, answering emails and moving money between different accounts. She also investigated some land she was thinking of buying in Maine, assuming the werewolf population died down somewhat.

  "I'm sorry I let you down."

  Victoria glanced up from her laptop. Her eyes met Zoey's briefly before the young teen looked back to her sketchpad.

  "What? Let me down?"

  "Yeah. I'm, uh, I'm sorry."

  "Zoey, you didn't let me down. Did I make you feel that way?"

  "No, it wasn't you. But it's the truth. I'm not…doing good. I keep screwing up."

  Victoria closed her laptop and crossed the room. She dropped to her knees and placed her hands on Zoey's.

  "You're not screwing up. You're young. And I know none of this is easy."

  "You make it look so easy."

  "I'm over four centuries old. I've had a lot of practice."

  "Four centuries?" Zoey cleared her thoughts of this new information, returning to the subject at hand. "I'm going to kill someone. And I don't want to. You believe that, right? I didn't mean for that happen to Shawn."

  "If it makes you feel any better, he's okay. They gave him some blood, and he's already back at work."

  "You checked up on him?"

  She nodded with a smile. "I know people. And I know you didn't mean it. I'm not worried at all."

  "How can you say that? I'm worried. I'm terrified. I can't go to sleep now without seeing Shawn's face."

  "And that's why I'm not worried."

  Zoey frowned. "What do you mean?"

  "Not all of us turn out good, Zoey. Even the ones who were good mortals, don't always turn out to be good vampires. They change, thinking vampires are better than mortals. I've seen a vampire kill a mortal and say 'Well, there are billions more'. But not you. What happened to Shawn, that affected you. I could see it in your eyes. Not only were you a good mortal, but you're a good vampire, too. And I know you'll get it. You won't let what happened to Shawn happen again."

  Doubt flickered across Zoey's eyes, but Victoria also saw a touch of confidence. Of defiance.

  "It won't."

  "You didn't let me down," Victoria said again. "And I'm very happy I brought you here. It's been a lot of fun. Challenging, too." Zoey couldn't fully appreciate the challenge. Victoria still had a few secrets to hold onto. "But fun. Even if you do dance better than me. And you'll never repeat that."

  Zoey laughed, and for the first time, Victoria realized how much she missed Zoey's laugh over the past week.

  "Maybe in another four centuries."

  "You can only hope to look this good," Victoria joked, tossing her hair over her shoulder. "Are we cool?"

  "We were never uncool," Zoey said. "I just needed to get my shit together."

  "Well, gather your shit, and let's do something. The night is still young. Catch a movie? Inner Harbor? Annapolis?"

  Zoey gestured to her clothes. "I'm not exactly dressed
for a night out."

  "Hey, we can relax here and soak in the hot tub."

  "Will you keep your clothes on this time?"

  "No. But I'll warn you so you can close your eyes."

  Victoria had barely made it to her feet when the doorbell rang. Zoey jumped at the sound, and Victoria turned her head and frowned. She received company so rarely, especially company that knew the code to the gate.

  "Expecting someone?" Zoey asked. "Alex?"

  "I wouldn't mind at all, but no. He always lets me know before he stops over."

  Victoria lifted her nose to the air and sniffed. The scent didn't strike her at first. The door wasn't exactly close.

  Finally, it hit her, and she couldn't believe it.

  "Holy shit," she said. "You've got to be kidding me."

  Zoey tilted her head to the side, not sure if Victoria was ecstatic or angry. Victoria left the living room and approached the front door. Zoey stayed back and leaned her head from behind the archway, watching down the hall into the foyer.

  Victoria opened the door and rested a hand on her hip.

  "Well, well. Look what the cat dragged in."

  "I hate cats. Ever since Glinda, that silly son of a bitch, has been working in my town, he's been eating dinner at my house. How the hell did this happen? It seems like we have dinner every six hours, he's over there so damned much. And guess who he brings? That fleabag he calls a cat. So don't talk to me about cats."

  Victoria opened her mouth to offer a greeting, but decided against it. The oldest member of her inner circle was on a roll.

  "And now because of all that shit, guess who wants a cat? I'll give you a hint. She's nine-years-old, and shaped like a thorn that fits perfectly in my ass. The little crumb-snatcher thinks just because she flashes a cute-face, she's going to get what she wants. Where the hell did she learn how to do a cute-face?"

  Victoria brought a hand to her chin.

  "I was wondering why Tiffany was sending me so many cat videos."

  "Did you have something to do with this?"

  She raised her palms in self-defense.

  "No, no!" She smiled as she shook her head. "Ah, Jack. I've missed you."

  Jack Kursed bowed his head in greeting. He didn't smile. It was more of a twitch of the lip, an almost-smile. Warm welcomes and teeth-filled grins weren't a big part of Jack's personality. Victoria moved aside to let him in. He straightened his shirt and stepped into the foyer.

  He was immaculately dressed, like always. A white dress shirt and tie, although the tie was loosened. Black slacks and shoes. He'd be at home in a board meeting, but that would imply he was a people person.

  Jack was a large man, over six foot tall with wide shoulders. His eyes were dark, intense. No doubt they were a product of being awake, until recently, for nearly two centuries. His eyes only brightened on a few occasions, such as when he was in the company of the few people he cared about. But that list was very small.

  Another occasion was when he was causing chaos.

  "Ah, Victoria. I see your house is still the same size."

  "And I see you still drive the same piece-of-shit truck."

  "Sounds like jealousy."

  Victoria laughed as they walked down the hall.

  "So, what brings you to Baltimore?"

  Jack turned past Zoey without giving her a second look, or even a first. Zoey glanced at Victoria, confused. Victoria stood near her by the archway as Jack got comfortable on the couch.

  "Just a quick stop, really. I'm on my way back from Montana. Had to check in on my bar up there. Check out this goofy shit. My werewolf friend and I were going at it. I'm talking some really impressive sex. And all of a sudden, in the middle of it, she asks me if I want her to change into a wolf. You believe that?"

  Victoria shook her head in disgust and dismay as she joined him in the living room. Zoey followed suit, sitting next to her, across from Jack.

  A disturbing thought struck her that she couldn't keep to herself.

  "You…said no, right?"

  "Of course I said no. What the hell is wrong with you?"

  "Hey, just checking. I thought maybe you two did it doggy-style."

  Zoey tried to hold in a chuckle, but didn't quite manage. She lowered her head and kept her eyes to herself.

  "How long have you been waiting to use that joke?"

  "Oh, a long time. Her name's Marie, right? When are you bringing her over here?"

  "Over here? To Baltimore? I don't think so. She'd probably catch mange as soon as she stepped off the plane. On the way over here, a hooker tried to hit me up for a hundred bucks. Said it would be the night of my life. I talked her down to seventy-five. Then I told her I was just kidding, to go get a real job. Damn, I love Baltimore. The look on her face was a work of art." He reached for his phone. "I took a picture, if you want to see."

  "No, Jack," Victoria said, holding her head in her hands. "I don't want to see." She put a hand on Zoey's shoulder. "I'm not sure if you noticed my house-guest. This is Zoey."

  He still wouldn't look at her.

  "Oh yeah, I noticed. I've just been ignoring her. Since when did you start taking in strays?"

  Zoey's eyes lit up with raw emotion. She glanced at Victoria in shock before casting an evil glare to Jack.

  "Who the fuck are you calling a stray?"

  "Ah, another genius." He gave her his attention for the first time. "There are three people here. I'm not talking about myself or Victoria. Can you work the rest out for yourself?"

  Zoey frowned at Victoria.

  "Who is this?"

  "Zoey, this is Jack. I've known him a long time, and consider him my brother."

  "Is he always an asshole?"

  Victoria didn't want to lie, so instead chose to say nothing. Jack's lip merely twitched in a semblance of a smile.

  "So, a fourteen-year-old vampire," Jack mused. "I bet that has to be rough."

  "I just turned eighteen. I'll bet it's rough for you to look into a mirror."

  He raised his eyebrows at Victoria. "How exactly do you take her for a walk? She probably chews through the leash."

  Zoey rose to her feet, balling her fists.

  "Let's see how jokey you are when I break your nose."

  "Enough!" Victoria said, rising to her feet. "Jack, will you behave?"

  Despite her irritated exterior, Victoria struggled to hold in laughter. Jack suffered from a curse that prevented him from dying or sleeping. It was only recently that he was able to enjoy a night's sleep, thanks to a magical artifact from Kevin. Another seeming side effect of his curse was the uncanny ability to crawl under a person's skin.

  That was perhaps exactly what Zoey needed. There was no other person alive that was able to take Zoey's mind off her troubles than Jack Kursed. Maybe a dose of him would change her outlook.

  "Are you hungry?" Victoria said, more to diffuse the tension in the living room than any concern about Jack's appetite. "I can cook you up something."

  He waved her offer aside. "Not a bad idea, but I'll cook my own food. You can't even walk in the daylight. Like I'm going to trust you around a stove."

  Victoria let out a tiny smile. Jack's powers of perception never ceased to amaze her. In the few minutes since he'd arrived, he picked out that Zoey was a vampire. He also determined that Victoria hadn't shared the world of magic with Zoey, and that Victoria still had her own secrets.

  Jack led the way to the kitchen. Zoey lagged behind, and grabbed Victoria's arm for a private conversation.

  "Victoria, seriously," Zoey said. "Who is this dickhead?"

  "Jack can be a pain, I know. But once you get on his good side…." She couldn't follow that thought to its logical conclusion. "Actually, it doesn't get much better."

  "And how do you get on his good side?"

  "I really don't know."

  Victoria continued on to the kitchen, with Zoey sighing behind her. Jack already had a chicken breast in olive oil on the stove. He was cutting broccoli as he prep
ared the steamer, making himself right at home.

  "It's a shame the only thing you two can choke down is blood," Jack said. "You haven't lived until you've had food prepared by my hand."

  Victoria rolled her eyes at Zoey. "Oh, if only we had the honor."

  "Remember when you actually tried chicken that one time? Winnipeg, in 1898. I thought you would be sick forever. You threw up some shit scientists are still trying to figure out."

  "Don't remind me." She shivered at the memory.

  "You were in Winnipeg in 1898?" Zoey asked. "And you ate chicken?"

  "I'd lost a bet," Victoria said. "Another life lesson for you. Don't make bets involving mortal food."

  "Wait a sec." Zoey looked back and forth between the older beings. "Jack, are you old? You were alive in 1898?"

  "I was. And your thoughts on old will change sooner than you think."

  "But you're not a vampire?" She looked at Victoria. "What is he?"

  Jack didn't bother turning around.

  "What I am is my business."

  "Okay, jeez. Sorry."

  Jack grabbed the spare key in the drawer to the refrigerator of blood. He poured two glasses and set them on the table.

  "Here you ladies go," he said. "I'm not eating alone. A little baby glass for you, Stray. We can't have you pissing in the crib."

  Zoey scowled, but accepted the glass. "Thanks, asshole. My name is Zoey."

  Jack sat across from them and tore into his chicken and broccoli. He was quiet as he ate, not feeling the need to fill the room with idle chatter. Zoey drank her blood in peace, only casting Jack the occasional irritated glance.

  "I do have some bad news," Jack said, near the end of his meal.

  "What's that?"

  "Tiffany wants to come for a visit."

  "That's great news. I miss her."

  Jack laughed. "Ah, you think so? Wait until the visit is over. She'll fall in love with this place and invite all her friends."

  "She has friends? I was a little worried about her there, for a while."

  He shook his head sadly. "Everyone loves Tiffany. Which means everyone loves coming over to my damn house."

  Zoey leaned closer to Victoria. "People actually let him watch their kids?"