by R. E. Carr
“If I am dead? The answer is simple, even if it is not easy for you. We are still connected. I could never remove all traces of me from your veins. Even if I did, we are part of a single thread, no? You are a part of me, just as I am a part of you. Death is merely an inconveniencia if you think about it.”
“Ghosts are real,” Gail said, reaching her fingers towards the screen. She jerked away as she saw sparks on her fingertips.
“Not ghosts, energy,” Javier’s phantom corrected. “We are all just whispers and energy wrapped up in packages of stardust, so why is it so impossible that you are talking to me now?”
Gail wiped a tear out of the corner of her eye. Javier smiled sadly. “You see me because you of all people believe the impossible is possible, mi princesa. You must stop feeling like a side character in the story and take your place where you belong. You see me now because you do believe in ghosts, but, I am so sorry, I cannot stay for long. The longer I stay, the harder the universe will push back on both of us.”
“Who killed you?” Gail blurted out.
“Of all the questions you could ask, that is the least importante right now,” Javier chided. “Please listen to me. I need you to remember. Remember the story I told you, the one about our beginnings. I have learned that we are all in grave danger, and your padre is right in the middle of this mess. I will do what I can, but right now, I need you more than ever. I need you to find a way . . .” The screen flickered and went black for a moment.
“No!” Gail banged the table, leaving a sizable dent. The screen flickered to life again, this time with a terrified-looking Javier pressing his fingers to his shimmering image.
“Por favor, mi am . . . Gail . . . Love can only do so much. Everything we see, and hear, and feel is little more than electricity and chemicals. All our perceptions can be manipulated in a blink of an eye, and only the very few can look beyond it. The obvious is never obvious! If you tell anyone what you have seen tonight, they will call you a tonta. Their innate logic will turn them against you. Sanity is a system that will only work against you now. Por favor. Por favor remember what I have said but keep it our secreto. The world is not ready to know everything, but you must convince them of something very important before it is too late.”
A dark shadow loomed behind Javier. His eyes flashed with a concern Gail had never seen before. “The Beast is real, and he walks among us. It is not a metaphor. It is not a nickname. The obvious is obvious for a change, and that bastard Imhotep is playing with fire and he doesn’t even—”
The call disconnected. Gail slumped into her seat. She looked in every corner of the room, but nothing happened. Even the normally finicky vending machine shone bright and solid.
“The obvious is obvious for a change,” she whispered as she looked at her notes. “Remember the story, and Imhotep is playing with fire. Javier, what the hell was so important that you had to come back from the dead, damn it?”
She flipped over a napkin covered in her chicken scratch. She scanned the “Time of One Law—Humans almost went extinct . . . then kings . . . then uprising . . . then Cesare time.”
“Imhotep is the guy that tricked Javier’s ancestors. I guess they are my ancestors too. What an asshole. Now he’s going to—what? Go all evil overlord and put us all in danger somehow?”
She scanned until she saw her doodles around the name Beast. “The Beast is real, and he walks among us—and there is a Beast of a Thousand Names who was feared because he could drink vampire blood and take their souls.” Gail pushed away from the table and gathered her things. She glanced at the Parthenon picture again. “And Imhotep fashioned himself in the likeness of Zeus.”
She crept through the hall and breathed a sigh of relief as she saw Lorcan standing alone just outside the door. He stared at the stars, startling slightly as Gail pushed the back door open. He raised a brow. “Did you get word from House Harker?”
“Yes, they are on their way. Um, do you mind if I ask you some questions?”
“Is it about this goddamn length of fur still attached to my ass?” he asked with a little snarl.
“No.”
“Then fire away.”
Gail looked up at the clear night sky. Even the lights of the city couldn’t drown out the stars. “We are all just whispers and energy wrapped up in packages of stardust,” she murmured. Lorcan turned to her.
“What happened to make you so haunted tonight?”
“Have you ever heard the expression the obvious is not obvious?”
“Sounds like something Javier would say, or perhaps it’s just vampire bullshit. You spend enough nights on this earth and everything changes; but every now and again, you’re reminded of something that is always the same. You had his blood in you, didn’t you?”
“More than I’d like.”
“There are always echoes,” Lorcan said. He let out a deep breath and motioned to an unbroken section of curb. They both sat down but continued to look up at the night sky. “I can still feel Mina in my bones, though she is long gone, and even though my whole body is different. You can’t just let go of that bond, it infects you. It . . . lingers.”
“Even after death?”
“Part of him is still alive in you. It’s one of those quirks of being a vampire. Every living creature has its own residue—”
“Its own energy and chemicals?” Gail offered.
“Precisely, and the deeper we drink, the more we take on one of those we have consumed. Their echoes are always with us, whether we like it or not.”
“And who are you thinking of?” Gail asked softly. “You seem a little haunted too.”
“I’m sorry, but I don’t want to talk about her right now.”
“Mina?”
Lorcan shook his head. “No, this is a sad story. A story about a mistake I tried to correct a long time ago—the outcome, it appears, was written in the stars. I always try to save her, yet she always dies because of my mistakes.”
“I thought you weren’t going to talk about her.”
“Didn’t you have questions, child?” Lorcan asked, snarling with a bit of Jonathan’s gravelly Texas accent.
“Have you heard of a vampire called Imhotep?”
Lorcan burst into laughter. Gail crossed her arms over her chest and glowered at him, and he rolled his eyes. “Imhotep is yet another name for my grandfather. Most modern folk know him better as Merlin. Trust me, if you give a vampire enough time, they will reinvent themselves multiple times throughout the centuries. You’re an infant, and you’ve already changed names, haven’t you?”
“I suppose so. What about a vampire called the Beast?”
“Which one? It’s a fairly common epithet among our kind.”
“Really?”
Lorcan nodded. “The current Beast shunned his title when he decided to convert to Buddhism in the twentieth century. He was a reformed barbarian from Germania who fought with my father. His name was Sir Gawain, the right hand of the King, while I was expected to be the left hand—you know, the assassin and spy. He goes by Klaus now.”
“Steve’s father?”
“The very same. He was given the title after his rather . . . efficient methods of dispatching Arthur’s enemies. The Beast before Klaus was a Cesare who granted him the title sometime early in the Roman Empire. This Cesare was apparently quite mad. The legends go on and on about those who were particularly ruthless taking on the moniker because of the legend, you know?”
“How would I know? My vampire teacher is dead.”
“Did he tell you about the myths? The vampire kings and all that?”
“He seemed pretty convinced they were real, Lorcan.”
“Maybe they were, but I’m fairly certain the Cesare exaggerated their importance. I’ve met enough humans to know that they don’t stand for a monster’s rule for very long. Well, the greatest of the kings called himself the Beast, until he went mad, and the Cesare had to bind him. I think they said they threw him in the sea or something lik
e that. Before him was a mythic Beast who some say may have been the inspiration for the devil.”
“Really?”
“I had a professor who Mina allowed to join the family long ago. He studied all our kind’s myths and legends. According to him, the very first vampire to walk among man—”
“Was the Beast?”
“No, it was known as the Darkness. However, he spawned—with what I don’t know—and his two children went on to terrorize the world. The eldest was known as the Beast, and the younger was known as the Lost. It’s all rather biblical, if you ask me. Anyway, this Beast went mad and nearly wiped out mankind—so, naturally, this is the name that all our kind aspire to.”
“But they are all different vampires? Right?”
“Of course, they are. Our kind lives for ages and ages, but after ten thousand years, we simply can’t outpace the slow death. Eventually time wins. These stories take place in pre-history, and the oldest living vampire in the Cesare was still young when Sumer was founded. The real Sumer, not the one in the history books you’ve read. My grandfather is getting close to the limit, which may explain his insanity with Arthur.”
“Do you think he would try to bring back the Beast? I mean, one of the other ones?”
“One legend that keeps coming back to haunt us—eventually the Beast goes mad, and we all suffer. It’s a warning not to push angry, powerful vampires too far . . .” he trailed off and looked at the sky again, then gulped at the same time as Gail.
“Do you think Arthur might push this incarnation of the Beast a little too far?”
“Klaus gave up his past; yet, I also know that my father could test the patience of God himself. It would probably be wise to rescue all those we care about sooner, rather than later. After all, if there is one thing young master DeMarco has taught us, it’s that his bloodline’s powers are nothing to be trifled with.”
“Just for the sake of a silly argument—what if the real Beast did somehow find a way to cheat death, like you did, and he really was, you know, around today?”
“Then I’d say we were all damned, and my little half-brothers are the spawn of Satan. What a cheerful thought. Then again, if any woman were able to tame a beast with her own innate viciousness, it would be my mother. Why, pray tell, are you suddenly so curious?”
“Because sometimes, the obvious really is obvious. Excuse me. I need to check some results . . . and stuff.”
11
“These results are extraordinary,” Paige heard as she drifted into consciousness. She groaned as she felt restraints on her arms and legs, and a heavy haze filled her vision. She could clearly see, however, her even larger belly pushing against a green sheet. A frosty blonde appeared in her view. “One more change, volchitsa, and you are going to pop that little monster right out.”
Paige snarled, but the result was slow and comical, like a drunk schnauzer not really putting up a fight. She turned her head to see multiple IVs dripping into her arm. “You tricked me,” she barely whispered.
“Your bloodwork wasn’t strong as we would have liked. My mistress brought you in for proper treatment. That ginger brute would have killed you both if I left you in his care,” Dr. Antonova said as she fussed at Paige’s bedside. She turned a knob, and the world grew hazy again. “Now you be good little bitch and sleep.”
In her fog, she could just see a shadowy form with an expanding belly. Paige craned her neck just in time to see a dead ringer for herself inserting an artificial tail into an uncomfortable place. “No,” she whimpered. Her doppelgänger leaned over and flashed a fanged smile.
“I really hope my son buys the whole ‘I’m pregnant and not in the mood’ routine or else we are going to have to live out a Greek tragedy, I fear. Now you get some rest, little one. I don’t think my grandson is quite ready yet.”
“Lorcan!” Paige cried before passing out.
“Lorcan Darcy—my, how you’ve . . . grown,” Mina Harker said with a twinkle in her eye. Gail smiled awkwardly at her adoptive family. Edwin, Winona, and Beulah all flanked the exquisitely dressed Mina Harker—a vision in a gold sundress and floppy hat. “Where is your dear little wife?”
“I didn’t feel like upsetting her so early in the morning,” Lorcan said coolly.
“Especially in her condition,” Mina said with an equally icy smile. She extended her hands. “Come now, let’s dispense with all this pointless bickering. Take my hands . . . and let me embrace you as a noble and as an old friend.”
Lorcan took her hands, and Mina’s eyes lit up with delight. “You’re so warm!”
Gail cleared her throat. Mina immediately let go and engulfed Gail into a sloppy hug worthy of their Southern surroundings. “Oh petal, I am so sorry that we weren’t there for you. It’s a tragedy what happened to Javier.”
“When I find that coward who stabbed my old friend in the back,” Beulah snarled.
“You will turn him or her over to the sheriff for a proper trial,” Mina said with a warning look. “As great as our grief is, we must remember our laws.”
“Oh, come on—her husband was murdered. I don’t think she wants to hear some honeyed words about justice, Lady Harker,” Beulah replied, her voice breaking from the strain of not yelling.
Gail smiled awkwardly. “Laws are laws.”
Beulah took over the hugging once Mina was done. “I will find the bastard,” she hissed in Gail’s ear. “I won’t kill ‘em, but I guarantee by the time I hand them over to the sheriff, they will wish they were dead.”
Gail returned the massive hug and took a moment to breathe in Beulah’s decidedly-sweet miasma before pulling away. Edwin smiled in his usual pained way while Winona gave a halfhearted wave. The young girl leaned over and whispered, “Dude, since when did Lord Pendragon get so hot?”
“I didn’t notice,” Gail said, motioning to the hotel they had arranged at the request of the Harker family. Winona sized up Gail’s sensible shoes and her T-shirt with cats on it. The other Harker girl raised a brow but said nothing else.
“She is not dead,” Gail heard Edwin hiss as she walked by. “Nor a lesbian . . . I think.” Gail frowned even more when Mina pulled Lorcan’s arm around her waist as he led her into the gargantuan lobby of the Gaylord resort.
“Mina, while I appreciate all that we had—” Lorcan started.
Mina cut him off with a loud laugh. “It’s never over, love. Remember, you asked for my help. You are also the one who showed up in an absolutely delicious body, and I am expecting you to share.”
“Is she always like this?” Gail asked. Edwin sighed next to her.
“Only when it comes to father.”
Gail bit her tongue. The bulk of the Harker entourage proceeded in uncomfortable silence to the deluxe corner suite. However, Mina chattered incessantly about music and the view, filling the room and staying in constant contact with Lorcan. Finally, her ex shoved her away. “Can you ever be quiet, woman?”
“Oh boy,” Edwin muttered.
“Woman?” Mina asked, pink flushing her cheeks. “Did you just call me woman, stillborn?”
“This is our cue to leave,” Edwin said as he grabbed Gail with one hand and Winona with the other. Beulah hustled out of the room behind them and slammed the door.
“But—” Gail stammered.
“Either they will argue for twelve hours straight—” Edwin started.
“Or totally trash the place while getting it on,” Beulah finished. “Either way, I don’t want to get between them.”
“But he’s totally married to someone else!” Gail protested. The other Harker clan members all exchanged incredulous looks.
“Honey,” Beulah said, putting a hand on Gail’s shoulder and leveling her gaze at her. “Whenever Lady Harker wants something, she gets it. No furball from a forced marriage is gonna be more enticing than his lover for fifteen centuries.”
“Ugh,” Gail exclaimed. “Has she no—?”
“Shame? No, I’m pretty sure the word doesn’t exist i
n Mother’s vocabulary,” Edwin replied. “When you can’t fight in a traditional sense, you need to use every weapon at your disposal. Still, I dream sometimes that, in the end, she always loved my father, even if she had a strange way of showing it.”
“Hey,” Winona interjected. “Is it true that you’ve been shacking up with a pack of werewolves? Are they as hot as they look in the movies?”
“This is going to be a long night,” Gail muttered as she led them to the bar for some light refreshments. After they had all snagged a tourist and caught up on small talk, Gail breathed a huge sigh of relief as her alarm went off to signal the start of her shift at work. “You won’t believe this, but I actually have a night job. I hope you all can manage.”
Beulah smiled broadly enough to show off her fangs. “These are my stomping grounds, chica. I’ll take care of everyone. Are you sure you don’t want to blow off work and hit the town with us?”
“No, I promised I’d keep up appearances. There is a lot of data to review too, so um, have fun, and don’t get into too much trouble.”
As she was walking away, she could still hear giggling and the words, “Hot werewolves.”
“Oh, if only they knew,” she sighed as she began the nasty drive to the now familiar strip mall. By the time she was back at Biogenesys, her phone notifications filled up her lock screen. Her sexy werewolf welcome wagon consisted of Williams picking a wedgie out of his crack while he was smoking and Bernard still building an unknown contraption out of salvaged parts.
Gail smiled and nodded, peeking around the dumpster to see that the dojo lights were still on in the strip mall. The outside guards waved to her. Williams got his usual hopeful expression.
“Hey Gail! How are you?”
“Fine, thanks.”
“So, I’ve heard there are even more bloodsuckers in town. Are they here to help find Skrull Steve?” Williams asked. Bernard burst out laughing.
“Did you see that guy? He turned all super Saiyan on us,” the furry werewolf exclaimed. “Now we have two shapeshifting bloodsuckers running around. Hell, he made me shoot myself, and I couldn’t stop it. Next time I see that bastard, I’m firing Mr. Prickles right up his ass!”