by R. E. Carr
“Oh, no,” Jonathan said, shaking his head. “Blood and I do not mix, thank you very much.”
“Um . . . you’re a—”
“I thought I was a werewolf now,” Jonathan replied, turning to Paige.
“You are,” she replied. “But you’re a vampire too.”
“No way! That’s pretty awesome.”
Paige stared into Jonathan’s bright, dilated eyes. “Are you . . . high?”
“Man, he’s had corn, peppers and tomatoes, and eww, are those olives?” Steve asked. “He’s having a massive sugar buzz. This is not going to be pretty. My buddy, Gingersnaps, used to sneak carrots—”
“I feel fucking great!” Jonathan said. “But man, I am still starving. Where is that waitress?”
Paige tried her best to get his attention. His glassy eyes continued to dart around the room. Finally, she grabbed his hand. He became instantly fascinated. “Two teeny fingers!” he exclaimed. He then furrowed his brows and stared across the room. “Uh-oh. Remember how I said that Javier got in a fight with a big guy? Well, there is the big guy,” he said, pointing to a mountain of a man speaking to someone at the bar.
“Oh, crap,” Steve said, rising to his feet. Unfortunately, that drew just enough attention to catch the eye of the stranger. The large gentleman smiled just enough to show off his fangs. “Sugar.”
“Why are you going on and on about sugar, dude?” Jonathan asked.
“Not sugar, Sugar, as in Mr. Sugar,” Steve began to say.
“Why yes, that is me,” the very large, dark-skinned vampire with a bright smile and even brighter diamond earring replied as he approached. He waved his huge hands toward the ambiance and laughed. “You certainly found a way to make this old pirate feel at home,” he said, his native island accent shining through.
“I feel like I should know you,” Jonathan said. “But I got nothing.”
“That is quite understandable, Mr. Dean. From what I can tell, you have been through quite a lot. Please, my friends, know that I am only here to talk. If my mistress wanted you to come to any harm, she would have sent one of her other servants,” Mr. Sugar said, his voice ever so even and calm. As he smiled, even Paige relaxed in her seat.
“Oh come on, Kane—” Steve started.
“Kane? Your name is Kane Sugar?” Jonathan asked, nearly snorting the dregs of his beer. “Is your sister Candis Cayne?”
Mr. Sugar smiled even broader. “My original masters were not the most creative when it came to names, I’m afraid. I am glad it gives you such amusement.”
“You’re a vampire, but you’re not like him,” Jonathan said, looking back and forth between Mr. Sugar and Steve.
“You are correct. I am not like the good Mr. DeMarco. In fact, I am like you,” Mr. Sugar replied. “My human half is alive and my other half is alive as well. That is why the mistress wished me to talk to you, Mr. Dean. Perhaps if you met one of your own kind, it would help with the . . . confusion you feel.”
“How long before the others in your little band of merry men come for us, Sugar?” Steve asked, eyeing the door.
“I am here alone. I am only here to offer you a choice, to offer all of you a choice. You can either leave with me, or go your own way; but next time you see me, I will have to be a bit more forceful, I’m afraid. The mistress only gives so many chances, after all.”
“A chance? Really? Since when has mommy dearest ever felt like free will is an option?” Steve asked, the stink of alcohol still wafting from him. Mr. Sugar fanned it away.
“I see that the truth has become known to you, Mr. DeMarco. I hope this helps you realize why the sheriff has taken such an interest in you all these years,” Mr. Sugar said, taking the seat next to Steve.
“Oh, and I found out that I have rogue powers too. Isn’t that what the pack called them?” Steve asked.
“He means the power like Rogue,” Paige corrected.
“Aw, damn,” Jonathan interrupted. “I love the X-Men.”
“Can we get back to the matter at hand?” Steve asked. “The sheriff, or mom, or whatever you want to call her, isn’t just going to let us go.”
“She is for now. Whether you believe it or not, she really does want what is best for her children. She would prefer for you to join her of your own accord, and will refrain from forcibly capturing you until there is no other option,” Sugar said.
“Why are you looking at me too?” Jonathan asked.
“Because you are the sheriff’s eldest son. Well, you were before your transformation,” Mr. Sugar replied. “Mr. DeMarco here is your brother.”
“Oh, so we’re all family,” Jonathan said, his eyes lighting up. “That must have been why I had a hard time killing you, Paige. What kinda sick test do you vamps like to put a guy through? Wait, don’t answer that yet. I need more beer.”
“You and Ms. DeMarco—” Mr. Sugar started to say.
“Hey, the poor guy is jumbled, and just getting his memories back bit by bit, OK?” Paige said. “Let’s not completely confuse him. Yes, Jonathan, we are all family - which is why we came looking for you.”
“That seems . . . right,” Jonathan said staring off into space. “Still, I keep hearing all these voices . . . seeing things when I close my eyes . . .”
“You are hearing the other you, Mr. Dean,” Mr. Sugar said softly. “I can only imagine how confusing it must be. My other self was a newborn when we woke up together, your other self is ancient indeed.”
“Other self? You mean Lorcan?” Paige asked.
“I don’t like that name,” Jonathan snapped. “I’m not Lorcan.”
“No, you are not, Mr. Dean. You are you and he is his own self, but you must learn to work together or you will go mad . . . as I once did, as all the Undying have from time to time. I can help you, if you want me to.”
“You seem really chill,” Jonathan replied.
“That’s his power,” Steve replied. “He’s making us all feel calm. We stay around him long enough and we’ll do whatever he wants because we will be so damn relaxed.”
“I mean no harm, Steven. You have known me for a long time. Have I ever wronged you?”
“No, but I know a lot more now than I did before - and I’m sorry, but mom or not, I don’t trust a vampire who can shapeshift and fake her own death all the time. I mean, the rest of the family nearly got wiped out in a war because she decided to play dead. She’s insane!”
“You have to understand that she—”
“What? Had her reasons? The same reasons she left me with the Jaegers? Or the same reasons she tortured this poor dude and shoved bag-o-vampire in him? At some point I want an explanation; but I think for now, I just want to drink,” Steve said, the color rising on his cheeks.
“I’m missing a lot here,” Jonathan sighed. “But yeah, I’m with you on the drink, bro.”
Paige stared at Mr. Sugar. She caught his reflection in a beer bottle, and heard his heart beating, even over the jukebox. He gave her a slight nod.
“You’re really—” she muttered.
“I do want to help,” Mr. Sugar said softly. “But I am only one path among many. Mr. Dean, whether you realize it or not, you have been thrust into a world much bigger than you ever knew, and you have an important part to play in the days ahead. If you do not choose to come with me now and rejoin your mother—”
“My mother is dead,” Jonathan replied flatly. “Of course, that might be more of you bloodsuckers screwing with my brain.”
“Your vampire mother,” Steve said, rolling his eyes.
“Vampire mom? Hinky. Do I have a vampire dad too?”
“Yes, that is Arthur,” Steve sighed.
Jonathan paled. “The dude who stabbed me? Oh god, I slept with his wife—”
“No, his wife wasn’t your mother,” Paige tried to explain. “And it wasn’t really you who slept with his wife, it was your second body. Oh man, this is hard to explain.”
Paige, Steve, and Mr. Sugar tried their best to condense
the long, twisted tale of Mordred becoming Lorcan to Jonathan into a digestible synopsis. A few drinks later and Jonathan stared incredulously at all of them.
“So, what you’re saying is I’m a body-snatching Irish dude with daddy issues?” he asked. “All that Camelot stuff is real, and I’m some long-lost descendant of Lancelot and . . . Guinevere? That’s why this inner vampire’s mama did experiments on me and tortured me, so that I’d be spare parts for the dead, Irish, traitor vampire? You honestly expect me to believe that? Why did she send me after you then, and just have me attack you? It makes no sense.”
“Unfortunately, logic is not always the answer, Mr. Dean,” Mr. Sugar said, with a smile. “An Undying can only be born in the most tragic of circumstances. The mind must be troubled and the body broken. My mistress sent you to be attacked over and over, until you either died, or were the perfect host.”
“So, the sheriff is just like Merlin, trying to make Lorcan stronger?” Paige asked.
“No, my mistress only reacted to her father’s actions. She merely wanted to save her son’s life. The sheriff has never agreed with Merlin.”
“Oh, so she’s got daddy issues too. I’m starting to see a theme,” Jonathan muttered. Steve and Paige both joined him in snickering. Jonathan turned back to Mr. Sugar and said, “I’m sorry, but this is all real weird, and I’m starting to think that I should go find the Mexican guy and run off to Tijuana for the rest of my life or something like that. I don’t feel like a knight of the round table, or whatever I’m supposed to be. I think I’ve figured it out, I’m tripping balls, aren’t I? You guys aren’t even real!”
“To be fair, if I heard that I was part of the Arthurian legend from an actual pirate at a pirate-themed cowboy bar, I’d probably think I was on drugs too,” Steve said, burying his face in his hand. “Wouldn’t you agree, Pip?”
Paige nodded. Mr. Sugar leaned over and asked softly, “Why are you purposefully omitting your own connection to these events? It might help convince him to stay with you at the very least.”
“I’m trying not to confuse him anymore than I have to,” Paige whispered back. “He’s . . . not Lorcan, I get it.”
“But—”
“What are you two going on about? Should I be jealous?” Jonathan asked, leaning over to Paige and Mr. Sugar. “Wait, why did I say that? Are you sure we’re just distant family, Paige?”
“It’s complicated,” Paige muttered.
“Everything is complicated. Now, will you consider coming with me, your pack will be well-treated by the Lung family—”
“Lung? Really? That’s an actual name?” Jonathan asked with a smirk. “I’m sorry, I thought you guys were just kidding when you mentioned it before.”
“He ate olives. I’m sorry,” Steve explained.
“Oh, dear,” Mr. Sugar replied. “Mr. Dean, you should probably lay off the vegetables for a while, and the alcohol. It may be affecting you more than you realize.”
“I feel great. So, this pack, do they really get along well with the Lungs or spleens or whatever they are called?”
“No,” Paige snarled. “We’re just experiments to them.”
“And Steve, Bro, is your mom really an evil shapeshifting bitch who started a war?”
“You do realize she’s your mother too, right?” Steve asked.
“Yeah, that’s why I called you bro, Bro.”
“Then yes, she’s really an evil shapeshifting bitch who started a war,” Steve said flatly.
“You know, you seem really nice, Sugar Kane guy, but my gut tells me that I belong with these two, and they don’t seem to trust you completely,” Jonathan said. “You also got in a fight with my Mexican buddy. Is he OK?”
“Javier, his name is Javier,” Steve said.
“And he technically took you away from us the first time. Wait a minute, wasn’t he taking you to the sheriff?” Paige asked, suddenly confused.
“We talked. He said he only promised to get me away from you guys, and he never explicitly said he had to turn me in.”
“Javier is known for being particularly annoying in getting out of debt by adhering to the strictest letter of his promises,” Mr. Sugar explained. “It is one of his least endearing qualities. However, he gets results, so my mistress continues to indulge him.”
“You beat him?” Steve asked.
“I forced him to retreat for a time. For all I know he is watching us now. Javier can blend in anywhere,” Mr. Sugar sighed. “Please, Mr. Dean, even if your pack does not wish to take advantage of the mistress’s offer, I beg you to come with me now so that we can help you learn who you are and what you can do—”
“You know, these guys offered to help me too, and they still don’t seem sold on this mistress of yours,” Jonathan said, motioning to both the nonplussed Paige and the seething Steve.
“Very well, if you choose to stay with them, I will not stop you, Mr. Dean.”
“Really?” all three of them asked.
“I am here only to offer you this choice. Next time may be different, but I am a man of my word. If you ask me to leave, I will do so peacefully.”
“Why?” Paige asked.
“Because a long time ago, I was a confused creature – a man by day and a raging monster by night. One man offered me his hand once. His family took me in, and his wife nursed me back to health, both in body and spirit. Once I was well, he offered me a choice to either serve him or be free. I chose freedom, and he honored my request. I owe it to the universe to return the favor.”
“Lorcan,” Paige whispered. Mr. Sugar nodded at her again.
“So that’s why you were friends with the Pendragon?” Steve asked. “Huh.”
“You’re the carrot . . . Kevin is the stick?” Paige asked. “Something like that?”
“Something very much like that, Ms. DeMarco. No matter what, though, Arthur is our mutual antagonist. At some point soon, he must be dealt with, and he must be dealt with by you, Mr. Dean. There is no escaping the destiny placed upon you.”
“Oh, come on, that just sounds like a bunch of movie nonsense,” Jonathan said with a snort. “There is always an option to run away.”
“Not for you. No matter how far you run, it will find you. We will find you, Mr. Dean.”
“Oh, with your mystic vampire powers and my destiny voodoo?” Jonathan scoffed.
Mr. Sugar pulled his phone out of his pocket. He flipped it around to show a map with a little red and green dot hovering over their location. “No, I have an app for that,” he replied. He then turned to Steve. “And you should be warned, Mr. DeMarco, that Arthur has a new accountant on staff who is very good at tracking where all the Jaeger family credit cards are being used – even the ones that are supposed to be off the record.”
“You’ve got vampire LoJack?” Jonathan asked in horror.
“Lung technology at its finest,” Mr. Sugar said, standing now.
Paige rubbed her arm. “Chips? You put a chip in him?” she asked.
Mr. Sugar nodded. “The mistress keeps a close eye on everyone who serves her, even if they don’t realize it. You can try to run. You can try to hide, but in the end, we will find you when the time comes.”
He then set a business card on the table – a plain white one with only a single phone number typed dead center. “If you change your mind, just call. You’re always welcome home, both of you.”
Steve picked up the card and turned it around a few times. Finally, he tucked it in his pocket and stood up as well. “Well, have you said everything you plan on saying, Mr. Sugar?” he asked.
“One more thing,” Sugar said, raising a finger as if he just remembered something. “The mistress wisely guessed that you would not be ready to come home, so I’m afraid she is making alternative arrangements to keep her brother distracted while we wait for Mr. Dean to recover and learn his role in all this mess.”
“Alternative arrangements?” Steve asked.
“That is all I can say, I’m afraid. Good night,
my friends. Please know that my hand is always offered to you, Mr. Dean.”
“This is all bat-shit crazy,” Jonathan said before chugging the rest of Steve’s beer. “Damn, still thirsty. Anyway, I need to ditch this phone I grabbed because clearly they are tracking me on it—”
“I don’t think it’s your phone,” Paige said. “Last time the Lung captured us they tried to put chips in our arms. You know, tracking chips like they have for lost pets.”
Jonathan’s eyes widened. He then pointed to his own chest. “So, they really LoJacked me. You’ve gotta be kidding!”
“Steve, if the sheriff chipped all those that served her . . .” Paige started.
Steve whipped out his phone. “We’ve got to warn them. After all—”
“Gail is with them,” Paige finished. She pulled out her phone too, and let out a deep sigh of relief as she saw her messages. “They are alright and looking for us. Damn it, why didn’t I think of this sooner?”
Steve, on the other hand, looked dreadfully pale and serious as he looked at his screen. His hand trembled. “Bro, you all right?” Jonathan asked.
“Steve?” Paige grabbed his shaking arm. “Steve!”
“‘I’m sorry, but I never want to see you again. Don’t try to find me – Georgia,’” Steve read.
“Which one is Georgia?” Jonathan asked innocently.
Steven frantically began messaging. He growled as the error popped up that his responses were being blocked. Paige’s phone rang.
“Nadia,” Paige said as she quickly took the call.
“Which one is Nadia?” Jonathan asked. “I’m sorry, but it’s a lot to keep straight. Also, is the world spinning for you guys too?”
Both DeMarcos watched helplessly as Jonathan passed out in the booth. Paige kept her game face on, however, and calmly explained to Nadia where they were and that they needed to move fast. She put down her phone slowly, gnawing at her lip as Steve looked at her expectantly.
“Georgia went off with Gail to get my mom. They never . . . they never showed up.”
31
“I’m dreadfully sorry that it had to come to this,” Georgia heard as she came to. “Actually, who am I kidding?”