The Undead Heart (#1 in the Blood Thirst Series)

by Stephanie Jackson

  Jenny patted his arm and reassured him, “Don’t worry, he won’t hurt her. She’s his sister now. He loves her so much already, just as I do.” Richard watched Potter land a soft blow to Beck’s outer thigh and follow through by swinging a fist at her head, stopping just before making contact.

  “Like that?” Potter inquired. “Perfect, let’s go,” she said and took her guard.

  Richard watched her fight, landing as many blows as the hunter. She was very good. She spun Potter around with a kick, and then had him down with the same move she had gotten him with in her memory, ‘a Rear Naked Choke’ she had called it.

  Potter was stunned. “How did that happen?”

  “You’ve got to keep your guard up. If you get distracted for even a second, it’s over,” she instructed, and they walked back to where Richard was sitting.

  “See, that wasn’t so bad, was it?”

  “No,” he lied.

  “Your turn,” she said, reaching down for him. “Let me show you something,” she said as she pulled him to his feet and led him out into the yard.

  Potter followed them. “I’ll referee.”

  “Okay.” She then looked at Richard. “This wouldn’t work in a human fight, but with your strength, it will be a good way to tear a head off.”

  She dropped to a squat, bringing her leg around and sweeping his legs out from under him. She launched herself at him, landing with her knees on his shoulders and using her hands to give his head a sharp twist. It would work. She was smiling down at him, gloating.

  He couldn’t help himself. “Hunter,” he said, smiling up at her.

  “You wouldn’t,” she said.

  “Throw this human in the air,” he continued, and Potter didn’t let him down. He grabbed her by her hips and launched her into the air, and just like that, he and Potter were family. He popped up and jumped to get her, laughing at her giggles on the way down.

  ***

  She spent most of the day, after fighting, talking to her new family. They were full of questions about the future and how she had gotten here.

  “I don’t know exactly how it works. I knew from Richard that I had come to the past before. I knew it worked, so I didn’t bother to ask D.J. exactly what made it work. I do know that it only takes a moment for the process to be complete. Even though I’m here for ten weeks, there I’m only gone for a couple of minutes.”

  “You’re only going to be with us ten weeks?” Saphira said, sounding disappointed.

  “Yeah, but I expect to see all of you when I get back,” she said, looking at everyone.

  Daryl asked, “Why did they send you back to this time?”

  “Oh, there’s going to be a series of murders in Whitechapel. I kinda0 specialized in those murder cases in college. They become known as the Jack the Ripper murders. The murderer brutally killed five prostitutes in the ten week period that I’m here for. They never discovered the identity of the killer, so they sent me back to observe the murders and ascertain the identity of the murderer.”

  “Excuse me? You’re not doing that!” Richard snapped.

  “I’m not going to watch all of them, but I have to see at least one,” her tone daring him to start another fight.

  “You can scream and yell at me until you turn blue in the face and pass out. You’re still not going.”

  “One of us can go and tell you who it is.” Bruce offered. “No, you can’t. If I’m right, and I know I am, then the killer is a vampyre. If you were to go, he would sense you and the murder may not take place. It would change history, and I can’t let that happen. It’s very important that the murders play out as they would have if I weren’t here.”

  “You want these women to get killed?” Harley asked incredulously. “No, of course I don’t want them to be killed, but you need to understand that to me, these women have been dead for over a hundred years. If we change history as I know it, the repercussions could be severe.”

  “What makes you believe that the killer is a vampyre?” Rita asked.

  Because Richard had told her, but she didn’t say that.

  “Because, all but one of the victims were killed out in the open. None of them had any defensive wounds or so much as screamed. It’s believed the killer was very fast, and in every case, he killed with wounds to the victims throats before he mutilated them.”

  “He mutilated them?” Heidi asked. “To different degrees of severity, yes. The last one being the worst.”

  “So, you want to follow a lunatic vampyre through the streets of Whitechapel?” Richard asked roughly.

  “I don’t need to follow him. I know exactly where he’ll be for all five murders.”

  “You’re not going!” Richard fumed.

  Potter, trying to maintain the peace said, “I can go. He won’t sense or scent me. I can watch and tell you who it is.”

  “No, you can’t, Potter. It’s in your nature to protect humans from vampyres. I just don’t think you would be able to watch a human being attacked and not do anything to stop it.”

  “I could if you were with me. I would be more concerned with your safety than that of a random person on the street. This way, I could keep you safe, and you would get to see your killer.”

  “We can do that, but only if you’re sure you can control yourself.”

  “YOU’RE NOT GOING!!!” Richard bellowed. “I am going, and don’t yell at me about it, because it’s not going to do any good. I’m supposed to watch all five the murders. I’m agreeing to just watch one so you don’t have a complete meltdown, but you’re going to have to live with this. I have to see this for myself.” Richard leaned back in his chair and stared at the opposite wall. She had to see what Elderson looked like, see what she was up against. She was worried about the impact of what she was going to do, and how it would affect the future. If she was successful, and her blood killed Elderson on November 12th, then Mary Kelly’s murder would not occur. Was she willing to risk altering the future even by that much to save this family? Yes, she was.

  She didn’t know what the repercussions would be, but she was willing to risk it. She was already risking her life, why not the future? She would have to find a way to calm Richard down about this. She was coming back from another bathroom trip in the woods, when she saw Leso leaning against a tree waiting for her.

  “You died the last time you were here, didn’t you?” he asked, straightforwardly.

  “Shh! He’ll hear you,” she whispered.

  “They can’t hear me from here.”

  “Potter can. All of his senses are more attuned than vampyres.”

  But it was too late. Potter had cleared the house and was at their side in two seconds.

  Damn it! She’d not wanted this to happen. “What does he mean, you died?” Potter asked.

  Beck sighed. “Where’s Jenny?” Potter was not going to be deterred. “She went hunting with Richard and Harley. Now answer the question.”

  “Why do you think I died?” she asked Leso. “Because of the stories you told me while we were shopping. You told me how Richard was at the hospital to see for himself that you were born again. Not born, but born again. About how hard it was for him to let you go back here again. But why? If you had stepped back in your time as you were supposed to, there should have been no question of you being born.

  Why would he have been scared to send you back here? What danger would you face here that we couldn’t keep you safe? It’s not just the things you said or say, but what you don’t say. Things you won’t tell him. A lot of the things you have said only make sense if you never made it back to your time.”

  She didn’t know what to say. She knew she couldn’t lie to Leso, he would know.

  “Could we just let this go?”

  “No, we can’t.” Leso said. “Look, it’s not important anymore, because it’s not going to happen this time.”

  “Beck, it’s important to us,” Potter said. “What happened?”

  “Do both of you promise not to
tell anyone?” They both nodded. “Yes, I died the last time I was here. Actually, I was killed. I know who did it, and I know when and why. When he tries this time, I’ll be ready.”

  “Do you expect this person to attack you again?” Leso asked. “I’m counting on it.”

  “Will you tell us why you wish for this to happen?” Potter asked.

  “No, I won’t. I shouldn’t have told you this much.”

  “If you tell us, we can help you.”

  “I don’t want you to help me. I’ve got this.”

  “If you change your mind, you’ll let us know?” Leso inquired.

  She nodded and walked back to the house.

  ***

  She was just as insane as he had first thought she was. She wanted him to allow her to go and watch a sadistic vampyre kill and mutilate women on the street. She’d spoken of it as if she were going to see a play! Did this woman have no sense of self-preservation at all? And he was supposed to stay at home like a good boy and hope that she would come back. He didn’t think he was going to be able to do that. Why would she keep asking him to let her walk into danger and do nothing to stop it?

  She’d been right about Potter, but what if she was wrong about this? What if she didn’t come back? What would he do when he found her again in the future? Would he send her back again? No, he wouldn’t. No matter what happened this time, this would be her last trip through time.

  He should have grabbed her in the future and ran. What had his future self been thinking to send her again? If anything happened to her, it would be his fault. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Potter. He just didn’t trust anyone but himself to protect her. But she didn’t want his protection. Did she not trust him to keep her safe?

  Did she not know that he could have killed Potter the other night if he had wanted to? Did she think him inept? He’d seen Potter’s protective stance over her, had known that they had been mistaken in their assumption of his intent. But his only concern had been to get her off the ground, and to stop Potter from attacking them.

  Potter was a very good fighter, though; better than any other hunters he had ever seen. Had it only been Harley and Bruce, they would be dead now. If his family was to be attacked, it would be good to have Potter on their side. He needed to talk to Potter if he was to entrust Beck’s safety to him.

  He needed him to know that if he messed this up, Jenny was going to be unhappy for a very long time, because he going to kill him.

  Chapter Nine

  She was nervous. It was a bit creepy to leave the house knowing she was going to stand witness to someone’s murder. It was August 31, at 3:15 a.m., and it was Mary Ann Nichols time to die. Her body would be found at 6:40 a.m., 200 yards away from the London Hospital.

  Before she left, she gave Richard a big hug and kiss.

  “Don’t worry. I’ll be back before you know it.”

  He ran his cool hands up her neck pulling her close to kiss her again. “Please be careful.”

  “I always am.”

  She could feel the tension, worry, and fear coming from him.

  “I love you, Little One”

  “I love you, too” she said and stepped over to Potter. Potter put his arm around her shoulders. “Are you ready?”

  “Whenever you are.”

  They took the carriage only as far as the end of the road where Potter hid it in the woods, then walked the rest of the way into the city. It was a fairly long walk, but it gave her a chance to pull herself together. She tried to convince herself of what she had told everyone else; that she was just going to watch something that had already happened.

  It was bullshit. Right now, in this time, Mary Ann Nichols was alive and walking the streets of Whitechapel. Mary Ann Nichols, Polly to her friends, had no idea that her life was about to be over. It seemed unfair that Mary had no one to protect her; that the one man that could protect her was being forced to stand with Beck and bear witness to her death.

  “This is far enough,” Potter told her. They were standing on Buck’s Row. Beck could see the hospital from where they stood.

  “Hold tight.” Potter said as he put one arm around her waist and leapt to the top of a three-story building, landing without a sound. “We should be able to see everything from here.”

  The street wasn’t very bright, but it was lit well enough to see the cobblestones below.

  “Will he be able to smell me?” she asked in a shaky voice. “Probably not, there’s a good breeze tonight, and we’re well above street level. Don’t worry; I’m not going to let anything hurt you.”

  “I know you won’t,” she said, and threw him a nervous smile. “So, when did I start using my real name again?” he asked. “Do you know?”

  She knew he was trying to occupy her, and she was grateful. “Actually, I do know. You told me you stopped using your name after your family died. You didn’t want any reminders of who you were, or what you had become. You said after meeting Jenny, she helped you come to terms with who you are, and you did the same for her. She made you proud of who you are now. Ever since then, you have always used Potter as your first name. You were answering to Potter Harris when I met you.”

  “It is very strange to hear you talk of things I haven’t told you yet. How did I meet Jenny before?” he asked.

  “Are you sure you want to know?”

  “I wouldn’t have asked if I didn’t want to know.”

  “Alright then,” she said, and told him the story that he’d once told her.

  She had just gotten to the part where Bruce’s ghost had forgiven him for killing him, when Potter said, “Shh, a vampyre is coming.”

  He tensed beside her, waiting. She tried to look over the edge of the building, but Potter pulled her back. He held up a finger, telling her to wait. It was a few more minutes before she heard footsteps from the street below. He pulled her to the edge of the building and pointed to a corner a little ways down from their position on the roof. On the corner stood Mary Ann Nichols, Beck recognized her from the photos taken of her body after her murder. Only a minute or so passed before a man approached her. He was about six-foot tall, or as close to it as she as could tell from the roof.

  He was very slender, with long legs and arms. He had shoulder length, brown or dark red hair that partially obscured his face. He stared for a moment into Mary’s face. He turned and walked up the street towards them to a stable directly across from where they hid. Mary followed as if she were attached by a leash. When she stopped behind him, he turned and delivered a hard blow to her face that sent teeth flying from her mouth. Still, she did not move.

  He reached out and grabbed Mary’s face in his hands, jerking her head back to expose her neck. He struck her neck with what Beck could only assume was a small knife. He had his mouth on her throat before the blood had time to drop onto her dress. When he finished feeding, he released her. and dropped to the ground, landing with a dull thud. He crouched over her and started cutting her abdomen in fast strokes. The deepest wound to her lower abdomen made a small ripping noise, and Beck had seen enough.

  She stepped back from the edge of the building and turned to Potter. Fear shot through her when she looked at him. His face was twisted, as if he were in terrible pain, and he had one arm held tight across his chest.

  She stepped over and touched his arm. He grabbed her and pulled her tight against him. It would have looked like an embrace to anyone watching, but Beck knew he was trying to hold onto himself. To keep himself from doing the one thing he’d swore to do.

  His body shook in her arms, his breath heaving against her neck. She held onto him just as tightly, letting what she had just witnessed wash over her. She wondered what had happened to the Elderson brothers as children that would cause them to stalk and kill women and girls in the street.

  What would cause a man to not only to kill a woman, but to rip her guts out?

  They stood there for a long time before Potter stepped away . “He’s gone. Let’s go home.”
/>
  She took one more look at Mary Ann Nichols broken body lying in the street, and then held onto Potter as he jumped from the building. It was full daylight when they got back to the carriage. She wasn’t surprised to find Richard there waiting for them.

  He picked her up and worriedly looked into her eyes. “Are you alright, Little One?”

  “I’m fine.”

  “And you, brother, are you alright?” he asked Potter, setting her on her feet and placing his hand on Potter’s shoulder.

  “I will be.”

  ***

  They rode home in silence, too emotionally wrung out to talk just yet. When they walked into the house, the entire family was waiting for them in the living room.

  After Jenny handed her and Potter a cup of coffee, Daryl asked, “Did the murder you predicted occur?”

  Mary Ann Nichols face flashed through her brain. “Yes, it did.”

  “And was it a vampyre?” Saphira asked.“It was,” Potter said in a strained voice. Jenny sat next to him and took his hand in hers.

  “It could have been worse,” Beck said. “At least he mesmerized her first.”

  Potter turned his head and looked at her/ “That’s not exactly true. He did mesmerize her, but only enough to keep her silent and still. She was very aware of what he was doing to her. He fed from her neck wounds, but did not drain her. He kept her alive enough to feel the mutilation of her body.”

  “Oh my God!” Rita gasped. Beck was shocked. She’d no idea that Mary could feel what was happening to her. She could feel bile rise in her throat and had to fight to swallow it down.

  “I didn’t know you could feel how Mary felt,” she said, stunned.

  “I can’t, but I can sense vampyres. When he consumed her blood she became part of him. I could sense him, so while she was still alive, I could feel her, too.”

  “You never told me that you could feel the humans that the vampyres fed on.” she said.