‘Coffee anyone?’ I eventually asked.
‘Not yet, Lili,’ replied Crystal, pushing her empty plate away from her and crossing her arms on the edge of the table. ‘Let’s talk first, if that’s okay. So, how much do you know, Anita?’
‘Well, not much really. I mean, just what you told me on the day … and then later Ceylona told me that Zane was badly injured, and Angelica somehow managed to mend him. But that’s really about it.’
‘And you, Debs?’ asked Crystal.
‘Just what Anita’s told me,’ replied Debs, but her tone spoke of her desire to know more.
‘Okay, well, I’ll fill you in on what happened, and then we can talk about the future,’ said Crystal, turning to look at me. ‘Lili, you jump in whenever you like—I think you saw things that I didn’t, from where you watched during the fight, and before even.’
‘Okay,’ I answered, dreading having to think about the events of the day once again.
‘Well, it was rather sudden, as I suppose you’ve all gathered. There was no warning. Sam happened to be walking through the gardens and noticed this sort of haze developing. Then he spotted a group of very large, evil looking vampires. He immediately rang everyone, and we all got there as quickly as we could. I’d never seen anything like it—this haze that fell over the whole of the gardens. It seemed to sort of hypnotise the humans somehow … whatever it was, they stayed away, thankfully. I did wonder if it was meant to trap the humans inside the gardens, but thank the heavens that didn’t happen.’
‘I wasn’t hypnotised by it. I saw the haze,’ I said, nodding in agreement, ‘but I know what you mean. Nobody, none of the humans that is, walked through the gardens—they all walked around, along the surrounding sidewalks.’ I was surprised at how easy it was to talk about it after all. I looked at Crystal, and she continued.
‘By the time Angelica and I got there they were going at it in violent clashes. I told Angelica to stay back as I quickly distracted a number of them, but I could see Sam, Tom and Michael all fighting. These were the most vicious vampires I’d ever come across, and there were so many working together. It was most unusual. Vampires generally travel on their own, you see, but we sometimes find groups of two or three together—four, tops. I knew this was something horrible—and I feared Zunios was behind it.’
I looked at Crystal, and she paused, raising an eyebrow, silently asking if I wanted to contribute anything yet. I nodded.
‘We were hiding in Henry’s tunnel—Ceylona and I, Jackie and Zane, and Elizabeth and Cassie. It was safe in there, but the air was stale, so we had the lid open just a bit, to let some fresh air in. Zane was pacing nervously, and then suddenly he sprung out of the tunnel and was gone. Ceylona was after him before I could stop her, so I went after her. At first I couldn’t see anything through the haze. Then something really odd happened—the haze cleared, and I saw the whole thing like it was in slow motion. I can’t explain how it happened, but it did. And so I watched, in horror, as everyone was fighting for their lives.’
‘Lili, were you able to see Rebekah? Was she there?’ asked Crystal, staring at me intently as she heard this part of my story for the first time.
‘Yes, or at least I think it was her … standing a bit further away on the other side, just watching. I thought at the time that it was strange, her just watching like that—but I didn’t focus on her for long, so I can’t say for certain it was her, just that it could have been.’
‘No, it was her. Michael saw her too, but she denied being there,’ said Crystal, her face still calm but her voice taking on a more authoritative edge.
‘Yeah, I was pretty sure it was her. And I was surprised that she wasn’t helping Tom—not that he really looked like he needed help. But even so, Angelica probably could have used some help … that’s why Zane ran, I’m sure of it. He was running around the vampire that she was fighting with, trying to bite him. The vampire was so large and dark … dark, in an evil way I mean. I was pretty sure it was Zunios. I’m not sure Angelica would have won that fight if Zane hadn’t interfered.’
‘No, I don’t think she would have,’ said Crystal, nodding in acknowledgement. ‘She told me that she was really struggling—that vampire had her almost numb with a hypnotic stare. But it wasn’t Zunios, although this vampire was similar to him. You know that, don’t you?’
‘Yes, Sam told me later that it wasn’t Zunios—but he didn’t know who it was. Do you?’ I asked.
‘Yes, well, we do now. Bartholomew. He was very powerful … and did bear a striking resemblance to Zunios—in terms of his aura. He was, indeed, extremely powerful. And yet he allowed himself to be distracted by Zane, and when that happened he wasn’t able to keep Angelica in his vision, and she was able to recover. If it hadn’t been for Zane, I believe he would have destroyed Angelica, then the rest of us … one by one. That was … very fortunate for us,’ replied Crystal.
‘Not so fortunate for him,’ I added. ‘But you know, I’d say he was annoyed by the dog, but it wasn’t only Zane that made him look away from Angelica. It was Ceylona. She screamed when he threw Zane to the ground, and that’s when he turned. He saw her … and he was heading straight for her. But Angelica recovered, and jumped on him. If it hadn’t been for Angelica, he would have gotten to Ceylona,’ I stopped, shaking my head at the thought of what might have happened, if Angelica hadn’t jumped him.
‘Yes, I heard her scream too,’ said Crystal, ‘and I saw Angelica jump on him. She did very well, my young charge—she twisted his head off with ease once she got up there and got some leverage.’
At this point Mom cringed. I could see her shiver from head to toe at the image that Crystals’ words must have summoned in her mind. Her face contorted, and she uttered a slight sound, like one you’d make if you stepped in something awful … something dead … and squishy. Crystal stopped, and turned to Mom, and asked if she was okay. When Mom nodded, Crystal continued.
‘And Zane, well he was nearly dead—he was certainly crushed, and would have died if it hadn’t been for Angelica. That’s her skill. She has this amazing ability with animals—to communicate with them, and heal them. I’ve never seen anything like it. Of course, I’ve only met a few dhampiras over the years. We all have a variety of skills, and those are hers.’
I shook my head in disbelief, and yet on some level I knew that what she’d said must be true.
‘So, Angelica can communicate with them, as well as heal them?’ I asked.
‘Yes. That’s why we left Mladen’s so quickly that day … you remember, when Ceylona was getting the dogs. Angelica didn’t want to be there to distract them from bonding with Ceylona.’
It came back to me—yes, they had suddenly decided to leave. I’d wondered about that. And there had been all that whispering. Perhaps it made sense now.
‘I must admit,’ I said, rather sheepishly, ‘I’d never really taken to Angelica. I mean, there were so many indications that she wasn’t being truthful about things. And the way she looked at me.’
‘Yes, many people fail to understand her. She … marches to the tune of a different drummer. I believe that’s the saying I’m looking for. She means well, but her communication skills aren’t the best. Well, at least with humans they’re not. I suppose, if she were human, she might be considered autistic.’
‘Autistic?’ I could feel myself blushing with guilt … for all the terrible things I’d thought about this woman who saved my daughter’s life—and from what Crystal just said, possibly everyone’s lives.
‘Look, Lili, I’m not a doctor, so I’m only guessing. But she certainly has difficulty communicating.’
‘You can say that again,’ I said, then bit my lip when I realised I’d said it out loud.
Crystal looked at me, and shook her head slightly. She sighed, then explained a bit further. ‘You see, Angelica’s real mother died when she was very young, and Lorenzo found her and brought her to the old woman he lived with. She stayed with them for a few years
but the woman could barely afford to look after herself and Lorenzo, let alone another person. The old woman worked many hours a day, cleaning for other people, so Angelica spent a lot of time by herself. Then one day Lorenzo, who was always listening in on conversations while he did his rounds of the village, came across Enrique—one of Mladen’s scouts. That’s how Angelica came to know about me.’
I shook my head, and looked at Crystal, then at Mom and Debs. They looked as confused as I was, if not more so.
‘Sorry, Crystal … who’s Lorenzo? I heard Angelica refer to him once before.’
‘Lorenzo was a dog—a German Shepard—and a very clever one at that. He lived with the old woman, but he was always doing rounds of the village, and on one occasion he came across Enrique talking to someone there in the village. Lorenzo knew Angelica was like Enrique, so he took Angelica to Enrique, and they talked for some time. It was Enrique who helped her get to Australia—to Melbourne—knowing she’d be safe in my hands.’
‘Wait a minute … Lorenzo … was a dog?’
‘Yes—an incredibly clever dog.’
‘And he can talk too? Or what? I mean, how did he know to take Angelica to Enrique?’
‘From what Angelica said, it’s their keen sense of smell. To us, we smell just like humans, but perhaps to dogs there is a difference. I understand that’s why Lorenzo knew to take Angelica to Enrique.’
‘Ah … maybe that’s why all the dogs at the park always liked Ceylona so much,’ I said.
‘That may be. Look, Angelica’s very shy, and doesn’t like to talk about any of this. I’m sorry that we kept it from you, but she asked me not to say anything. I simply respected her wishes. I’m only telling you now because I think you need to know the truth about her. I want you to become friends with her, Lili.’
The guilt was overwhelming. Here I’d been thinking she was some evil traitor when really she was just a bit … different. Or then again, was this more of her trickery? Did she simply have Crystal completely fooled?
‘But that day we went to the Dandenongs … I was sure she was up to something.’
‘Yes, but don’t you remember me telling you she had a skin condition? I’m sure I told you that.’
‘You did. But I thought she had you fooled, too.’
‘Oh, Lili, Angelica wasn’t being deceitful. I’m sorry you thought that. She’d had some tattoos done on her arms … and they weren’t healing properly—she needed the creams to help them heal.’
‘Tattoos?’
‘Yes. You’ve seen the footballers with them? Well, silly Angelica … she saw them on the football players, and wanted similar ones for herself. But her skin was too sensitive, and wasn’t healing well. That’s why she was always wearing long sleeves. She was covering up the tattoos and the bandages over them.’
I thought about it, and Crystal was right. Angelica had always worn long sleeves. Even when her dresses had plunging necklines, the sleeves went right to her wrists.
‘Oh … I feel so stupid, Crystal. I’m sorry I didn’t trust your judgement, I just thought she had you fooled.’
Again, I could see that Mom and Debs were even more confused than I was. I quickly told them about the day we’d gone to the Dandenongs, and the suspicions both Claire and I’d had. Mom gave me this look, like I’d been naughty, and just shook her head slightly.
‘Like I said, Lili, Angelica wasn’t fooling me, or anyone else. But as it turns out, we were all being deceived, just not by her.’
‘So, who was deceiving us then, if it wasn’t Angelica?’ I asked.
‘It was Rebekah.’
‘Who’s this Rebekah,’ asked Mom and Debs at the same time.
‘Rebekah? As in Tom’s girlfriend Rebekah?’ I asked, turning toward Mom and Debs with a questioning look on my face.
‘Yes. All that business about being cultured … and teaching Sam and Tom how to drink people’s blood without killing them … it was all just a lie so that we would allow her to stay.’
‘How do you know … I mean, what gave her away?’
‘As I said, Michael saw her too—in the gardens, just standing there while the rest of us were fighting. He didn’t have time to do anything right then, obviously. But when the fight was over, and she was nowhere to be found, he sent Tom to look for her. It took Tom several days, but he found her, and brought her to Michael.’
‘Oh … so that explains why they weren’t here for Christmas. So, all that time I’d been thinking Angelica was lying to us, it was really Rebekah?’
‘Yes, it was Rebekah. Michael questioned her until he got most of the story from her. You know, she was the one that told me we were being watched. She kept at me, gradually building my suspicions until I was looking over my shoulders constantly. She may even have been using potions on me at that stage … something to increase the paranoia. And of course, the others believed me when I said I was worried … why wouldn’t they? But all along it was just that she wanted to get us all under the one roof so she could keep an eye on us and hear everything we spoke about. She admitted her connection to Zunios, and that she’d been reporting back to Zunios with everything she learned. She’d been lying to all of us, and using her potions to control us. She used a love potion on Tom, and she used confusion potions on the rest of us.’
‘Potions? Like, in food or drinks? How … I mean, Sam and Tom … well, they don’t really eat or drink.’
‘It was something to do with our clothes. She was putting potions onto the fabric that soaked into our skin—around the collars.’
‘Wow, who’d have ever guessed that? And did you say she was reporting to Zunios?’
‘Yes. You see, she was Buck’s wife, and it seems Zunios had promised both of them great power if they helped him. Zunios had gone to America when he left here after Mardukian and Anubinse were destroyed. That’s where he met Buck and Rebekah. Zunios taught them about the potions and then sent them here—to annoy us mostly. They weren’t trying to kill us, just make things … uncomfortable … for all of us. As a payback for what we did to him.’
‘So Rebekah was Buck’s wife? Poor Tom—being duped like that. But I didn’t think Rebekah was American. I mean, she had some sort of accent, didn’t she?’
‘I don’t know, Lili. Did she? Or was that just a further part of her deception?’
‘What, putting on a fake accent? Why bother, I don’t get it.’
‘No, I don’t either. But who knows what was going on in her twisted mind. Maybe she worked on the theory that if Buck got caught there would be less of a link to him? I really don’t know—it’s just a thought.’
‘I still can’t believe it. So, it was Rebekah, not Angelica … all this time. And she was just using Tom.’
Then it hit me. Why Sam had been so distant around me. Confusion potions, that’s what Crystal had called it. She’d been drugging him. And the problem with his phone—maybe she’d messed that up too. She certainly had access to it, there at the house. Oh, if only I’d not focused so much on how strange Angelica was, maybe I’d have seen through Rebekah.
‘I’m sorry, but who is Buck?’ asked Debs, breaking my train of thought.
‘You mean, who was Buck,’ replied Crystal. ‘He was destroyed by Michael a few months ago. He led a band of vampires that were very hard for us to catch—we couldn’t detect them until they’d killed a human. It made it very hard, but in the end we got them all. Or at least, we thought we did at the time. Buck talked—under questioning by Michael. But he never said anything about being connected to Rebekah … or Zunios.’
Debs rested her elbows on the table, then put one hand on each side of her face and shook her head. ‘I had no idea what you’ve been up against. And here I thought you spent your days just visiting the elderly, and looking beautiful. I’m so … in awe … I suppose that’s the word I’m looking for.’
I shook my head, still not quite able to put everything together. ‘But who was this Bartholomew? I mean, you said Zunios sent Buck and Re
bekah over to mess with everyone … but how did this Bartholomew character fit into things? Did Rebekah say who he was and why he was here?’
‘Yes. Bartholomew was Buck’s brother. When Buck was destroyed, Rebekah told Zunios. He obviously mentioned it to Bartholomew, who then came over to avenge his brother’s destruction. Bartholomew was very powerful, and intended to kill all of us.’
‘Ah … so it was Bartholomew that started that last fight. And Rebekah standing on the sidelines … she probably wasn’t sure which side would win, so she just stayed out of it.’
‘Yes, I think that may have been exactly what she was doing—hedging her bets so to speak. She had nowhere to go after Buck was destroyed, so she stayed on with Tom. But if Bartholomew had won on the day, she’d probably have joined allegiance with him after that.’
Mom looked at me, and there was concern in her eyes. ‘I don’t pretend that I follow everything that’s been said here, but my God Lili, any wonder you were afraid to bring Ceylona back here when she was just an infant. But even for you … is it safe, really?’
‘It’s my home, Mom. And Sam’s … and I won’t leave him ever again,’ I said, staring at Mom, steeling myself so as to not show any sign of weakness.
‘I know this is your home. And I suppose I can understand how you feel, but Lili … I’d so rather have you come back home with me.’
‘Sam will protect me… as will Crystal, and Michael, and Tom.’ I turned to Crystal, and she smiled and nodded.
Crystal then turned to look at Mom, then back at me. ‘I suppose now might be a good time to talk about the baby.’
‘Baby?’ I asked, staring at her.
‘Yes. I suppose with all that’s happened, you possibly haven’t even noticed the changes in your body.’
‘No, I certainly haven’t. I’m expecting again?’ I looked at Crystal, then at Mom. Crystal was serious, and Mom was smiling tentatively.
‘Yes. It’s a very strong, healthy heartbeat too. I didn’t notice it on Christmas day either, so it must have happened after that,’ Crystal replied.
Deception (Absent Shadows Trilogy Book 3) Page 23