by R. E. Carr
Georgia finally let go and gave Arthur a satisfied smile. The vampire king, however, only appeared mildly amused. Georgia smiled and nodded as a flood of congratulations were directed their way in equal parts English and Italian. Even the normally stoic Lord Jaeger came to meet the couple, a wry smile on his face.
“Don’t embarrass our family, Stefano,” The Jaeger said, giving Steve a little nudge. Steve immediately leaned over and whispered. “I am sorry for anything at this point.”
“I plan on so much wine, sweetie,” she whispered right back, her fake grin now completely plastered on her face. “I’m not gonna remember anything . . . for once.”
“That’s fair, Sweetheart.” He started leading her back down the aisle. Arthur, however, deliberately blocked their way. Steve eased protectively in front of Georgia, and Arthur laughed coldly.
“Please . . . I only came to offer my congratulations,” he said, his British accent exceptionally thick and proper. “I’m certain the real fun is yet to come for you both.”
“Thank you for your good wishes,” Georgia said, as sweetly as she could.
Arthur grabbed Steve’s arm before they could slip away. Georgia couldn’t quite hear exactly what was said, but Steve’s eyes glazed over for a moment. As Arthur pulled away, a dribble of blood trickled from his nose.
“Let’s get out of here, Sweetheart,” Steve said, whisking her away. She could barely even breathe as her new bridegroom dragged her into the lower level of the villa, past a rather nondescript hall of metal doors and to an alcove of suites. He fumbled a few times with the lock.
“Steve?” she asked.
“We just need to hurry,” he said, his fangs now protruding over his lips. “Can you please, you know . . . quickly . . .?”
“I really don’t know how any of this works,” she muttered. She let out a deep sigh as she saw the four posted bed and the candlelight. “Ohh, yeah. Fuck.”
“Great choice of words,” Steve said, still looking shaken. “I mean, I’m supposed to have, you know, the vampire part of the ceremony.”
“Oh man, I don’t have to drink your blood out of a cup do I? That was just gross,” Georgia whined. “Although, I can’t think of any more pleasant alternatives either.”
“Um, you want me to be, you know . . .”
“You know . . .?” she prodded.
“Romantic and stuff, or just get it over with?”
“Oh,” she said. “Don’t get any ideas, Steve. Just do what you gotta do, and bare minimum… no, wait—”
“What?” he said, before grabbing his mouth and staring at Georgia with a look of pure frustration.
“This isn’t my dress, and it’s white,” Georgia said, as she struggled with the zipper.
“It belongs to a vampire,” he protested.
“It’s still vintage, and I don’t want to be rude,” she said, wriggling out of the dress. His complaints ceased immediately as he found himself staring at Georgia wearing only a frilly set of bra and panties.
“Are those vintage?” he asked hopefully. Georgia did snicker at that. She then tilted her neck slightly to one side and gave him a pained smile.
“So, you know . . .” she muttered. “Get on with it.”
“Damn, I can’t lie. I have waited for this moment for such a long . . .” Steve said as he sauntered over to her. He took a deep breath and swept her into his arms. She closed her eyes as he brushed the hair from her neck. She felt warm breath against her skin, and then, nothing.
She waited for a while before peeking with one eye. Steve was still right there, holding her in a romantic room full of candles and vampire musk, but his fangs just weren’t protruding. “Um, Steve?” she asked.
“Just gimme a minute,” he said, sounding pained. He took a deep breath and lunged again. Nothing.
“Are you . . . nervous?” Georgia asked after a few more attempts.
“Just, gimme another minute,” he said, sweat starting to drip from his forehead. He finally pulled away. “This has never happened to me before, I swear!”
“You mean that you can’t, um . . ?” She raised a brow before offering, “Would it help if, you know . . . we just . . . had sex first?”
“Yeah, let’s try that,” he said quickly. A moment later his shirt was off and they were rolling on the bed. As Georgia went to unbuckle his pants, there was an uncomfortable moment of realization between them both.
“That has never happened to me before either,” Steve said, looking down in horror. “You know that, babe.”
Georgia took a moment to take matters into her own hands. After another minute she just gave Steve an incredulous look. “Um, Steve?” she asked.
Steve buried his face in his hands. “That limey cocksucker!” he cried into his palms. “I can’t get his voice out of my head.”
“Steve?”
“Arthur,” he said, now clutching at his head. “It’s like he’s right here, judging everything I do, and telling me over and over that I can’t touch you.”
“Wait, are you telling me that Arthur used his powers to . . . cockblock you?” she asked, sinking next to him on the bed. “He can do that?”
“This isn’t like the other times. I can’t ignore it. I can’t ignore it at all,” Steve said. “Damn it, he’s still yelling in my head. Can you put on some clothes?”
Georgia dove into Steve’s closet and found her Red Sox shirt and some sweatpants. She grabbed him a shirt too and tossed it on the bed. “You wanna talk about it?”
“Nope,” he replied flatly.
“Steve—” She trailed off as she saw two duffle bags on the dresser. “I think I found the wedding gifts Klaus mentioned.”
Steve welcomed the momentary distraction and unzipped one of the bags. He pulled out a sundress from one bag while Georgia gulped at shelf-stable packets of dried blood in the other. They quickly switched luggage.
“Hey, we’re Mr. and Mrs. DeMarco,” he said, glancing through a pair of passports. “Klaus is not nearly as creative as the Matsuoka were.”
“Don’t tell anyone where you go on your honeymoon,” Georgia murmured. “I’ve got a bad feeling about this.”
Steve suddenly lunged for her again. Once more, nothing. He shook his fist in the air. “Damn you, Arthur.”
“His nose bled after he talked to you, Steve,” Georgia said, zipping her bag. “It does take something out of him to give those commands. And who knows, maybe it will wear off.”
“Oh, come on,” Steve scorned. “Don’t you dare tell me this isn’t a relief. Hell, I’m surprised you aren’t laughing at me already. Isn’t this what I deserve?”
Georgia could only stand there, dreadfully quiet. Steve smirked, but the smile soon faded. “Yeah, I thought so,” he said bitterly. Before he could say another word, there was a knock on the door. He motioned for Georgia to stay back.
She didn’t have to wait long to see why he suddenly looked concerned. She recognized the snide tone of voice the moment Steve opened the door.
“Good evening, Steve. I’m sure I’m not interrupting anything,” Arthur said. “Do you have a moment for your king?”
Georgia ignored Steve and ran to the door. Arthur took one look at her outfit and sneered. The king leaned against the doorway, a supremely smug smile on his face.
“You!” She started.
“You know, my offer still stands from last night,” he said, looking right past Steve.
“Fuck you!” she snapped.
“Gladly, woman, but I have a little business to take care of first.” He stopped to pick what looked like a hair out of his pink-stained fangs. “You know, I talked to everyone in the castle, and they all told me the same thing, that the werewolves had left town with my son.”
“That’s because they left,” Georgia said, squeezing Steve’s hand. Arthur finally turned his attention to Steve.
“They said the exact . . . same . . . thing,” Arthur said, his voice dangerously low. “I thought that was slightly suspicious, s
o I took matters into my own hands.”
Arthur suddenly stood up straight and revealed exactly what he was hiding behind the doorframe. Steve’s fangs abruptly started working again as Arthur tossed a dark-haired woman to the ground, loosely holding Excalibur in his other hand.
“Maria!” Georgia cried as Steve’s granddaughter fell at her feet. Steve lunged, but Arthur easily knocked him back.
“Now then, old friend, shall we have a little chat . . . or should I finish the job?” Arthur asked as he pressed Excalibur to the helpless woman’s throat.
14
“Something is wrong, something is very wrong,” Paige said as she waited with Nadia and Kayleigh. “It’s been too long.”
“And just how long is it supposed to take to transplant a vampire into a new body?” Kayleigh inquired. “Do you know, Paige, or are you just being paranoid?”
“Last time they did it, it was on a battlefield two thousand years ago. I somehow doubt it took this long for a wounded soldier to die,” Paige growled. All three women flattened against the wall as they picked up a new scent. The door burst open to reveal a blood-soaked Kyle carrying a rucksack over his shoulder.
“Something went wrong,” he started to explain.
“Now is not the time!” Dr. Pang cried from the hallway. “We must hurry.”
A bloodcurdling howl echoed from the bowels of the castle. Nadia grabbed Paige before she could protest any further. “Where is Morgan?” she yelped, as the whole party ran for the stairs.
As they reached the door, the pack could feel the pulsing, nerve-wracking tone echoing from the walls. “Silent alarm,” Dr. Pang said. “Werewolf-tuned frequency! Trouble.”
“Morgan?” Paige insisted again, this time the force in her growl making Kyle pause.
“He’s coming, I swear. It’s just . . . complicated.”
“Run first, explain later!” Dr. Pang ordered. He barked something in Chinese and the other assistants picked up the pace.
“Where are we even going?” Paige asked.
“Yes, where are you going?” a cold voice asked. The pack circled around Paige, while the vampires banded together with Dr. Pang. All of them stared at Arthur, leaning against the wall that led to the courtyard – blood on his lips and sword in hand. “In case you’re wondering, yes, I have people on the way.”
Nadia popped out her claws. Paige snarled.
“We have sanctuary here, Arthur. The Beast and Lord Jaeger—” Dr. Pang said.
“Are currently very busy. It seems there’s been a problem with the staff,” Arthur said, picking his nails. The distinctive sounds of guns being cocked and readied echoed from the courtyard. “See for yourself.”
Paige inched so she could see the courtyard. “Mom!” she shrieked as she saw Maria pointing a gun at Steve and Georgia. Across the way, Nonna Estella had a crossbow pointed at Klaus’ heart, while the other servants had handguns at the ready.
“Paige, your great-grandfather is a monster!” she cried, blood still dripping down her chest. “He attacked me. He’s gone crazy!”
“Come on, Arthur!” Steve cried. “We just wanted to be left alone. This is pathetic . . . even for you.”
“You would be the expert on pathetic, wouldn’t you?” Arthur shot back. “Maria, if these werewolves try to attack me, go ahead and shoot yourself, OK?”
“No!” Paige cried as she saw her mother nod. “What did you do to her?”
“Oh, I just gave her a little of myself. She loved it. You really have a fine specimen of a mother. I mean, it was fun admiring her while your great-grandfather carted me around to check in on her, but it was even more fun to finally have a taste.”
Paige yowled, but held back her claws. Maria continued to hold the gun.
“You know, Beast, if you don’t need her, I think I’ll take her with me,” Arthur called into the courtyard. “I might take all of them. Good help is so hard to find.”
“I see you found your strength again, your Highness,” Dr. Pang said, adopting an even more nasal, sniveling tone. “It is most impressive.”
“Well, you knew it wouldn’t take long. Not after you gave me the injections. Merlin has adapted the formula as well. It’s stronger than what you made.”
“Very good,” Dr. Pang said, smiling meekly.
“It’s almost as if you formulated the medicine to be weak,” Arthur mused.
“You do need time to gain strength. As an Undying, using your abilities can be so taxing,” Dr. Pang said. “Now please, I will be happy to keep serving you.”
“Dr. Pang, what exactly are you doing here?” Arthur asked.
“I was asked to treat the dying. It’s what I do, but it was impossible. He simply could not be saved, my king. . .” Dr. Pang stammered.
Arthur took a pointed step toward the simpering vampire. The king cocked his head and gave Dr. Pang his most sincere smile. “Oh, come on, Doctor, we go way back, don’t we? You’ve known this host for years. You picked him for me. You helped Merlin make me exactly who I am today. Don’t you think you owe me the truth?”
Dr. Pang quivered slightly. “Please, I could not save him. If you go downstairs, you will see, your son is dead. I swear. He is just a shell,” he said.
“He’s dead,” Paige whispered.
“We tried, Little Bit,” Kyle whispered back.
Arthur smiled. “Very well,” he sighed. “Everyone just remain calm and remember your instructions. You, werewolves, stay still and no one has to get hurt. Dr. Pang, if what you say is true, and I do see a dead Lorcan Darcy, then you have nothing to fear. Everything will be resolved. Vampires, with me. Don’t let that monster out of your sights, Maria!”
“Mom,” Paige whimpered. Maria remained focused on Steve. The vampire DeMarco shot Paige a smile.
“Hey, Pip, it’ll be OK,” Steve called over. “Maria, listen to me. I didn’t attack you.”
“Shut up!” Maria snapped. “Just shut up.”
“Arthur can manipulate people,” Klaus said calmly. “But it doesn’t last. The longer he is away the sooner they will come to their senses. Just do what he says for now. We still have allies who can help.”
“What happened up here?” Kayleigh asked, looking at the tangled strings of lights and flowers everywhere. “Did a tea party go to hell or what?”
“Where’s Morgan?” Georgia asked.
“It’s complicated,” Steve replied.
Paige inched a little bit closer to the courtyard. “Mom, it’s OK,” she said. “Why don’t you put the gun down for a second?”
“What, and let that . . . thing come at me again?” Maria asked. “He’s gone crazy ever since he got married.”
“Married?” Paige asked.
This time it was Georgia who responded, “It’s complicated.”
“Yeah. Don’t worry, if Maria doesn’t kill me, I’m sure Morgan will,” Steve said with an awkward laugh. In between giggles, Steve shot a quick glance over to Klaus and then back to Paige. Paige, meanwhile, played a silent game of ‘count the Glocks’.
“Where did all the guns come from?” Paige asked.
“I am tasked to defend the Arce Monstrorum,” Klaus sighed. “From all threats.”
“It’s a Jaeger thing,” Steve added.
The standoff continued until finally a slow procession of vampires walked back up the stairs, with Dr. Pang in the lead, and Arthur obscured behind the physician assistants.
“See, it is just as I claimed, my lord,” Dr. Pang said. “Lorcan Darcy is dead and his corpse is rotting in the cellar!”
“And we’re all calm. No one is attacking anyone,” Paige called back.
“Indeed” Arthur sighed. “You know, I almost believed you, Doctor.”
“What?” he asked. “What do you mean?”
“What did you do to my son? Tell me now,” Arthur said, his hand now visible against Dr. Pang’s throat.
Dr. Pang burst into triumphant laughter. “I did it, don’t you see? I finally figured out your fath
er’s work! I transferred Lorcan into a new vessel and there is nothing you can do about it, Boy-King.”
“Really?” Arthur asked. Dr. Pang gasped as the tip of Excalibur poked through his chest. Arthur leaned around and said, “You will never make a mockery of my father’s work, ever again, Lung.”
“Arthur!” Klaus barked. “You cannot do this. Even you must answer to the first law.”
“This wound won’t kill him,” Arthur said dismissively, shoving Dr. Pang to the ground. Arthur then smiled and put a hand on the assistant vampire doctor. “Go ahead, rip him apart,” the king ordered. He then turned to the two others. “Help him.”
“No!” Klaus cried as he watched the vampires descend on the helpless Undying.
Arthur stood triumphantly over his work. “And when you’re done with him, rip each other apart, would you?” he asked as he wiped a bit more blood away from his nose and mouth.
Paige could see the blood staining the king’s collar and cuffs, the effect only amplified as the other vampires went feral and more bodily fluids sprayed in the air. Arthur smiled as the screams and yowls filled the night, but he did stumble slightly as he stepped over the mess.
“You’re a monster,” Paige snarled.
“Maria, do you remember what I told you?” Arthur called over. Paige’s mother nodded. “Good girl,” he replied.
“Liu!” A new voice screamed as Bam-Yin faded into view. A twisted mess of flesh and blood remained where Dr. Pang once stood. The last of the vampires groaned as he tore out his own throat. Lord Lung stared in horror at his son’s corpse.
“Damn werewolves,” Arthur said, even as the blood dripped off his sword. Bam-Yin’s eyes turned from blue to solid black as he glared at Arthur. Claws extended from his hands, red talons as opposed to the werewolves’ black ones.
“No!” Paige begged.
“I will tear you apart, Pendragon,” Bam-Yin promised.
“Maria, if he tries anything, shoot Georgia,” Arthur warned. “You do have a soft spot for her, don’t you?”