“Don’t try it unless you want me to convince you otherwise again.”
Her last compulsion was still a fresh memory. I forced an expression of neutrality back onto my face and made myself comfortable again.
Christy let out a whimper of pain. Her form shimmered as the glamour dropped and she filled out her dress.
Marlene sniffed again. “A pregnant witch, no less. You do run with an interesting crowd these days, Lucinda.”
“I can’t help but notice you keep calling me that.”
“And I’m sure you can’t help but notice that I’m in a position to call you whatever I so please.”
I gritted my teeth and took it, despite wanting to smash hers in. “How’d you know about her? I didn’t think many of our kind...”
“You silly girl, this is Vegas. Half the stage magicians on the strip are the real deal and most of them are regular customers.”
Oh. Yeah, I guess that’d do it. It really had been a long time since I’d been here.
Marlene’s focus immediately turned back to Christy. In a flash, her claws extended and she placed them at the still stupefied Kara’s throat. “Be good.”
I glanced down and saw an angry red glow had begun to surround Christy. She looked at me, hot death flashing in her eyes, and I gave my head the subtlest shake I could. Powerful as she was, this was a losing battle...for now. God help this place if anything happened to her baby, though.
Fortunately, she still had her wits about her. The glow persisted for a moment longer before subsiding.
Marlene retracted her claws, but kept one hand on Kara’s shoulder. “That’s a good pet. A woman in your condition shouldn’t get herself too worked up. Now keep quiet and let the superior species converse.”
That’s one thing about most vamps - when they have the upper hand, they’ll just keep on pouring salt into the wound. I usually found it to be an endearing trait, but I could see how it might get on one’s nerves.
“Are we about finished with the games, Marlene?” I had a feeling if she pushed Christy enough, the poor girl would let loose with everything she had. I kinda preferred not sitting next to her when that happened. “Let’s cut the bullshit. You obviously know why we’re here. What do you want for the girl?”
“Ooh, so we’ve moved on from posturing to negotiating, have we? Fine, I’ll play along. I’m sure you’ll appreciate that I hold all the cards, so my price might be a bit inflated.”
“Are you going to wait for me to die of old age, or are you going to name it?”
“I don’t think old age is going to be a problem for you, child. First, though, tell me what this girl is to you.”
“She’s nothing.”
“If she was nothing, you wouldn’t be here.”
True enough. “She’s important to the witch.”
“We’re getting closer, but I’d say we’re still not there. Tell you what - I’ll give you one more try. Give me a straight answer, or I’ll gut this pretty little thing here.”
She meant it. I knew what a vamp of Marlene’s age was capable of. Even if Christy somehow managed to nuke this place, she still wouldn’t be fast enough to keep Kara’s innards from spilling onto the floor.
“Fine,” I said through gritted teeth. “I know her brother and kind of owe him one. This is me squaring my debts.”
“You know,” a voice called from behind us, “it’s funny to hear you say that, when you owe so much more to others.”
Christy and I turned our heads to watch the newcomer step from the shadows. I had been so focused on what was happening around me that I hadn’t heard anyone else enter.
“You son of a bitch!” Christy spat. “Is this how you repay Kara’s love? You drag her here to this den of wolves?”
I could only stare, my mouth agape as she continued her tirade. Earlier, Marlene had said I looked as if I’d seen a ghost. Now I really was seeing one.
“Mark?”
Chapter 20
1979
I raced through the still dark streets, trying to get as far from the nightmare I’d left behind as possible. With each moment, it felt more and more like a bad dream, but with each passing step, the guilt began to weigh on me.
By the time I reached the edge of the Strip, I’d half-convinced myself that the whole affair had been a bad dream brought on by my subconscious. In some ways, Jeff was a monster, but he hadn’t flashed a set of fangs and killed me. That was stupid. Obviously, the cocaine mixed with the inherent guilt of having cheated on Mark had done a real job on me.
I stopped in my tracks, realizing I needed to see him. Whether it was to confess and beg forgiveness or just to be with him, enjoying the normalcy of our lives, I wasn’t sure. I’d cross that bridge when I came to it.
It was sometime after four a.m. He’d be home, most likely asleep unless he had the breakfast shift today - I couldn’t quite remember his schedule. My head was still fuzzy and I was getting hungry. Hopefully he wouldn’t mind if I snuck something from the refrigerator of the small apartment he rented.
A few catcalls rang out as I turned the corner to his street. I looked and saw some drunken tourists whistling and waving at me. One, wearing a gaudy floral print shirt, pointed a finger toward his crotch.
Fuckers! They’d be hard pressed to whistle once I had torn their throats out...
What the hell? Did I actually consider killing those people just for being assholes? As if I even could. Still, that was weird. For just one small second, an overpowering rage bubbled up inside of me. Combined with the hunger eating away at my midsection, it was oddly overpowering.
I needed to get my head on straight. Fuck my job. I’d call Marlene later today and tell her I was sick. After that, maybe I’d contact Uncle Colin and let him know what kind of person his friend was. He’d probably be cross with me, but I had faith that he wouldn’t associate with someone like that if he knew their true nature.
At last! The squat building where Mark lived came into sight. I took a step, then nearly doubled over as my stomach cramped up. It felt like my organs were getting ready to digest themselves. I needed to get something inside of me and fast. I couldn’t understand it. Sure, I’d only had a salad for dinner the night before, but that wasn’t different from most days. I wasn’t a big fan of meat and had the feeling too many dishes of pasta wouldn’t be amenable to my current job.
Maybe it was the drugs again. Did cocaine speed up your metabolism? I had no idea. I was nothing more than a dabbler at best.
It was only then that I realized I could make out every little detail of the building. Come to think of it, how could I have seen the shirt on that tourist? On the Strip, that was easy. It was never dark there. Once past the casinos, though, the glitz petered off. Hell, here on Mark’s street, it was downright gloomy, yet I could see everything as if the sun was shining high in the sky.
My stomach growled again. I hurried on, opening my purse and digging out the key that Mark had given me some months back. He’d been dropping subtle hints about moving in together, but I’d been pretending to ignore it. Now, though, racing to be with him, I wondered if perhaps I’d been hasty. Maybe this ordeal was a wakeup call for me. I might not love him, but he’d never hurt me...maybe that was enough.
I let myself in, not bothering to turn on the light. His apartment stood before me in perfect clarity. My stomach cramped again. Food was my top priority.
“Lu? Is that you, darling?” Mark called from the bedroom. Immediately, all thoughts of the kitchen fled my mind. It was strange, but suddenly I needed him more than anything.
The entire apartment was awash in his smell. I took another breath, letting his scent fill me. I licked my lips, feeling a minor prick of pain as I did so, but barely noticed it.
“Lu?”
“I’m here,” I whispered, kicking off my shoes. It was only a few steps to his tiny bedroom and I practically tore my dress off heading there. My need for him was overpowering. How could I have strayed? What could I have poss
ibly seen in Jeff? The hell with Pandora’s Box and everything else in this godforsaken town. I was never leaving Mark’s side again.
“You’re up early,” he replied groggily as I entered his bedroom. “Is something wro...”
“No,” I replied, tearing the sheets from atop him.
I straddled his hips, leaned down, and plunged my tongue into his mouth. Our bodies pressed together and his heart beat loud and strong through his skin.
He pulled back from my kiss for just a moment. “Whoa, Lu, you’re ice cold. Been hanging out in a freezer all night? You might want to tell them to turn down the AC at...”
“Enough.” I urgently pressed against him again. He smelled so good. His pulse raced as he became more excited, not that I needed anything to be able to tell - he was definitely responding to my attention. I crushed his mouth with mine, wishing us to be together as never before.
“Mmmrph!” He again pulled back from me. “Ow! What the hell, Lu? You got a razor blade in your mouth?”
The smell of blood filled my nostrils...his blood.
He started to gently guide me off of him. “I love it when you’re aggressive, but maybe we should...”
I snarled and grasped his arms. My nails dug into his skin, and I easily overpowered him.
“Jesus Christ! What are you do...”
I didn’t hear anything further. The scent of him, the sound of his heartbeat, the taste of him still in my mouth - it all filled me with an animalistic need. A small part of me realized what was happening and tried to cry out, but it was too late. When I pressed myself against Mark again, it was teeth first.
♦ ♦ ♦
I drank in great swallows, enjoying the ambrosia as it flowed into my mouth in spurts. It was incredible. All at once, everything unpleasant in my life receded into complete unimportance. How could something taste so good? I had never in my life imagined anything so wonderful.
I took another swallow and shuddered as the equivalent of a dozen orgasms racked my body. My other times with Mark had been good, but never so satis...
Wait...Mark?
I seemed to remember something about him. Hadn’t I been intent on joining him in bed? Perhaps, but that had been before. Now there was nothing but the blood. Full as I was, I found myself hoping it would never stop.
Sadly, though, it didn’t last. What had been a fountain slackened into a tiny trickle, weakly pumping as the heart behind it slowed.
...Heart?
I sat up, reluctantly pulling my face away from the wound I had created. Almost instantly, the euphoria receded as I saw the now vacant eyes of my lover.
“Mark?” I asked weakly. “Mark?” I gave his shoulder a shake, but there was no response. The flesh I’d torn with my teeth was the only answer I would be given.
Chapter 21
Present Day
I was completely speechless, torn between the sight of Mark standing there and the realization that he’d been the one to lure Kara away from her home. Had Bill been present, he’d have probably marked the occasion with a wiseass comment. I wished he were - whatever he said would, no doubt, have spurred me out of my shock.
“Now this is just delicious,” Marlene purred, but she might as well have been miles away for all the attention I paid her.
I stood up, half expecting another compulsion to be shot my way, but none came. I stepped forward and took in the sight of him. He was dressed differently, far smarter than when I’d known him. His hair was similarly styled. He was no male model, but I had to admit, he cleaned up pretty well. If I’d had my current sense of fashion back then, I could’ve worked with this.
The differences seemed to go deeper than just appearances, though. The shy man I’d known was gone. Mark carried himself with a swagger that suggested he was used to getting what he wanted. I could see how a girl like Kara might be taken in by him. It was amazing what a little bit of attitude could do for a person.
I stopped in front of him and he grinned, his teeth long and sharp.
“How?” I asked.
His answer came in the form of a fist rocketing into my face. I flew back and shattered the table Marlene was still seated at.
I found myself staring, dazed, up at the lights. He had a heck of a left hook.
“You were sloppy, love,” he said, entering into my field of vision.
“Leave her alone!”
“I will caution you to stay out of this, witch,” Marlene warned. “My tolerance for your existence will not extend toward interfering in our private affairs.”
“It’s okay, Christy.” I spat out a wad of blood and pushed myself to my elbows.
“Sally, are you sure...”
“Sally, is it?” Mark scoffed. “I’d heard you were going by a new moniker. Not exactly what I’d have chosen. Reminds me of that actor from All in the Family. You remember watching that together, right?”
“How are you here?”
“It’s like Mark said, child,” Marlene replied. “You were sloppy. But then, you were sloppy about a great many things back in those days.”
♦ ♦ ♦
1979
I stepped out into the street to get away from the scene of my crime.
Oh, God...Mark! He’d been a good man. He didn’t deserve what I’d done to him. What kind of monster had I become?
Almost as if fate responded to my question, I immediately felt the most intense pain I’d ever experienced. A bright beam of morning sunlight struck me and judged me unworthy of its embrace. The blood that still covered my exposed skin bubbled, along with the flesh beneath it. The scent of smoke filled my nostrils as I burst aflame.
A small part of me wanted to let the unnatural fire consume my body and eat away whatever I’d become, but the pain was too intense and I was too weak. I screeched and ran back inside, hoping that nobody saw me. Thankfully, the streets were empty, the residents either already at work for the morning shift or sound asleep.
I reentered the apartment and slammed the door behind me before curling myself into a ball and trying my best not to cry out. Tears streamed down my face, although whether from the pain or what I had done to Mark, I wasn’t sure. All I knew was that I dared not look toward the bedroom where his body still lay.
Soon, a strange thing happened. The pain began to fade. I risked a look at my charred flesh, the scars that I would rightfully wear - marked as the Judas I now was. I held up my hand and stifled a gasp. Before my eyes, blackened flesh regained its color. Angry blisters started to recess back into my skin, losing all definition until I couldn’t even tell they were there. My body was somehow healing itself at an astounding rate.
It was all too much. My sanity began to tear loose from its moorings. Everything in the past several hours had been akin to a nightmare. I needed something...something normal to tell me that there was still hope - that this could still be some far-out hallucination.
God help me, but I needed my family.
I grabbed Mark’s phone and hesitated for just a moment before putting my finger in the rotary and dialing. It had been so long, and they were going to be so angry, but that was okay. I could deal with their disappointment in me because it was real, tangible...normal.
It rang five times on their end. I was about to hang up when I heard it answered at last.
“Hello?” a sleepy voice asked.
“Linda?”
“Yeah. Who is this? Do you know what time it is?”
“It’s Lucinda. Listen, I know it’s been...
“Lucinda? You’ve got a lot of nerve calling. You’ve put Mother through hell, wondering if you were alive or dead.”
“What? I thought Uncle Colin told Dad I was okay.”
“What are you blabbering about? We haven’t seen Colin in over a year, since right before you left. Considering our father was given the pink slip eight months ago when his department closed, I doubt we’ll be seeing him again.”
“That can’t be right. He said...”
“Are you drunk?
”
“Huh?”
“Stoned, maybe? Because if you’re calling for money, I’ll just tell you right now there isn’t any. I had to move back in to help with the bills, all while you...where are you, anyway?”
“I’m in Las Vegas. Listen, Linda, I’m sorry if I...”
“Las Vegas? You fucking bitch! Mom’s a mess and Dad’s started drinking again and you’re off partying like some whore.”
“It’s not like that. Something bad happened. Please, put...”
“No, I don’t think so. We have enough problems without you. Just do us a favor and forget this number. Pretend we’re dead, because you sure as hell are to us.”
“Wait, please!”
My pleading came too late, though. The only reply was the beeping of the disconnected line. I considered calling back, giving my sister a piece of my mind, but realized it would be futile. She was the same old Linda. Some things never changed.
In frustration, I slammed down the receiver - shattering both it and the base. I jumped at the savage display of strength. It was just one more reminder that whatever I was now, it wasn’t human.
No! I refused to accept that fate. It had to be wrong. This whole mess had to be some horrible mistake and I’d prove it. I had a life. I just needed to embrace it...live it as if normal. If that happened, maybe I’d wake up tomorrow to find that the whole affair had been nothing but a dream. I wouldn’t give in to the nightmare. It had no power over me.
I opened up Mark’s closet and found what I needed. Donning the raincoat, and throwing a bath towel over my head, I once more made for the door.
♦ ♦ ♦
I busied myself for the remainder of the day. After arriving home, I took a shower, closing my eyes so as not to see what washed down the drain. When I was finished, I dared a peek into the mirror and smiled at what I saw. I wasn’t some disfigured burn victim. My old self stared back. Maybe whatever was in those drugs was finally wearing off, but I needed to be sure.
Ignoring the strange weariness that I felt, I dove into the most mundane thing I could think of: housework. After closing the blinds and taking the phone off the hook, I cleaned my small studio apartment, washed the dishes, folded laundry, and rearranged my meager possessions...with the exception of a picture of my family. I wasn’t sure the phone call with my bitch of a sister hadn’t been imagined, but nevertheless felt no need to feel her accusing eyes upon me. That particular item went straight into the bottom drawer of my dresser.
Sunset Strip: from the Tome of Bill Series Page 9