by Casey Wyatt
Motivated to learn more, I dried off and dressed as fast as I could. As promised, Ian waited for me, arms crossed, leaning against the far wall. “Are you angry?”
I thought for a moment. “Yes.”
“Good. Fury will help you survive. Tears are the first phase.”
“I don’t understand.” Unease tingled along my spine. Unbidden, a new torrent of emotions bubbled over me – hate, wrath, a thirst for vengeance. I clutched my head and squeezed. Whose emotions were these?
“Jonathan wouldn’t want you to grieve like this,” Ian’s kind tone rubbed me the wrong way. I didn’t need or want his pity. Who the hell did he think he was? British bastard.
Rage unleashed in a flood. The force and sudden onset shocked me. Instead of tears, I spewed out verbal venom.
“I don’t care what he would have wanted. He’s not here, now is he? He left me in this mess!” Hysteria tinged my voice. My deep seated fear, that I wasn’t good enough or smart enough, reared its head.
“Cherry…” Ian reached toward me. Again, the knowing look in his eyes pissed me off.
“Leave me alone!” I stomped off. A petulant child at her finest.
Damn, I needed to get a grip. And figure out what had happened. With super human speed, I raced down the hall with no destination in mind. If Ian followed, I could care less. The rage in me hoped so. I wanted to hit something or someone. To feel bones crunching in my hand or metal ripping under my fingers.
I slammed into a wall and bounced onto my ass, my insane trajectory stopped. With an animal’s fury, I vented my wrath on the offending barrier. Fortunately for me, the ship was stronger. A few sizeable dents appeared, but I hadn’t caused permanent damage to the walls.
“What’s happening to me?” I rubbed the sting out of my bruised hands.
“Emotional backlash. Comes from the blood bond.” Gentle hands lifted me up from the floor. Ian pulled me into a tight embrace. “There now, luv. You’re not alone.”
Ian was right. I wasn’t alone and I needed to stop acting like I was. His hands encircled my waist, finally resting against my hips. Not holding me. I was free to move away.
For the first time in a long while, hope sneaked into my heart. I tilted my face upward, angling my hands across his stomach. I should push him away. I didn’t trust my emotions, raw and needy. Were they my feelings or someone else’s?
I opened my mouth to speak but no words came out. Tongue tied and unsure, I checked my mental shields, confirming they were firm and intact.
All the confusion was mine.
Ian stared down at me, his gaze intent, focused on my mouth. The ship’s lighting softened the angles of his cheeks and chin. Ian’s nearness assaulted my senses. Smooth muscles, hard as steel lay under my palms. I lightly flexed my fingertips, hovering over the ridges of his abdomen. With a small amount of pressure, I could touch him. Stroke him.
Desire curled in my belly, warm and lush.
A slow hiss escaped from Ian’s lips. His nostrils twitched as if scenting my need. Ian stilled, waiting for me to make the next move.
With deliberate slowness, I pinched the fabric of his jumpsuit between my thumb and forefinger. Ian arched an eyebrow, but otherwise remained motionless. A million uncertainties swirled in my head. I squeezed my eyes shut.
Where the hell was this coming from?
I should have moved my hand, but I remained frozen in place as if my feet were glued to the floor. A solid lump of warring emotions lodged in my throat.
Stop lying to yourself, Cherry. I squeezed my eyes shut. Unshed tears burned behind my lids. You always want what’s bad for you.
Ian could be a murderer.
Yet, he’d shown me nothing but kindness.
Stupid, fool. Experience had taught me not to trust hope. Fate always pulled the rug out from under me.
My eyelids popped open. Ian cocked his head to the side, silently questioning me.
A breathe hitched in my throat. Angst washed over me. No. I don’t want to feel this way.
The pressure of Ian’s palms on my hips lightened, then disappeared. He stepped back, face calm and impassive. Had I hurt his feelings? Did he care about me? Or was I projecting my feelings onto him?
I shook my head. I wanted to apologize. Instead I fled. Like a coward.
~ * * * ~
Life went on. I missed Jonathan but the painful, cloying grief subsided. Within a day I was back to my old self. Mostly.
Tedium was my nemesis. After our tender moment in the hallway, I steered clear of Ian. Or maybe he avoided me. Either way, I didn’t see him for the rest of that day.
Have I mentioned before how boring space travel is? There’s nothing to do except read Prior’s mission reports (I’d rather stick pins in my eyes) or wander around the ship. A week into the journey and I was grateful for the posters on my walls. I missed the sky, the flowers, trees, and most achingly, my lake. Aside from special shower chambers, I hadn’t located running water on the ship. And, as I suspected, windows, portholes, whatever you call them were absent.
Jay kept the door to his quarters locked. He told me to stop disturbing his studies. Jay was experiencing his own form of denial. He believed he’d be earning his PHD when this was over. I didn’t want to point out this was a one way journey. Who needed a PHD when we carving out a new society?
I shuddered at the thought of manual labor. Hey, I was a pampered rich girl. We had servants do everything for us. Even at my lakeside cottage, I hired someone to tend my meager lawn. I hated dirt. Grit under my nails, even more so. Which is ironic since I loved plants, but not the work involved in their upkeep.
The ship lacked amusements. When I mentioned it to Prior, he sniffed, “This isn’t a vacation cruise, Ms. Cordial.” I resented the attitude that I was somehow defective because I didn’t find reading his mind numbing reports fun. There wasn’t even a checker board. Or cards. Nothing. Nada. Zilch to do.
Jay suggested I try taking naps. That got old after a few hours. His next recommendation to practice singing, I scoffed at as well.
Eventually, I broke down and searched for Ian. We hadn’t discussed my breakdown in the shower or my wall abuse. He remained surprisingly scarce. I figured out where his quarters were, but he never seemed to be there. When he did appear, he was always with someone like Captain Twit (aka Trent) or Prior. Was he avoiding me?
In desperate need of something to do, I decided to map the layout of the ship. The first day, I was so hopelessly lost I feared I might never find anyone ever again. Jay had been correct.
The ship was massive and definitely not made by humans. The big tip off. The total lack of human toilet facilities (other than makeshift crappers for the human crew). Plenty of showers. Whoever built the ship valued cleanliness.
For all I knew, Vampires could have built the ship. Every once in a while I’d encounter runes similar to the ones on the Queen’s old bracelet. Whenever I neared certain areas, the bangle would heat up, glow or some combination of both.
On day three, Jay decided to join me. Curiosity about the ship drove him away from his studies. Like me, Jay grieved for Jonathan. Sitting around with nothing to do but let the mind wander was not fun.
“Remember when we first met Jonathan?” Jay smiled broadly.
“Of course. We made fun of his silly frock coat. And crop pants.” Jonathan’s attire had been at least a century behind the times. He had still commanded the room. The rich and aristocratic fawned over him equally. Some of it was vampire charm, but most of it was Jonathan’s alluring presence and charisma. He exuded enough confidence to talk even the Queen out of her panties. Later, I’d heard a rumor he’d actually succeeded in getting into the Queen’s knickers. I never did find out if it was true.
Sadness gutted my insides, leaving an aching hole I was convinced would never be totally erased. As much as Jonathan and I quarreled, I loved him in my own way and I missed him.
“I was extremely jealous of him. I wanted his female escort. She was
fabulous.” Jay steered me to the left. I followed his lead since his sense of direction was better than mine.
“Pearl. Such a great beauty. As long as she keeps her mouth shut.” The girl spoke like a sailor. If I had known then Jonathan was trolling around, looking for additions to his entertainment stable, I would have shorn off my red hair and ran.
Jay grew serious. “I miss India. I always believed I would go back there. I regret never taking the time.”
“I hear you, buddy. Regrets suck. If there’s a way for us to go home, we’ll find it.” I didn’t want to be exiled from my home because of Thalia’s false accusation.
One problem at a time. Ian and I would be stuck on Mars together. Sooner or later I would get the truth out of him.
The air in the hallway freshened and the lighting grew brighter. “Jay, did something change?”
“We’re in a new part of the ship, I think.” He smoothed his palm along the wall. “The metal here is different. So shiny.”
“There are no doorways either.” God, I hoped we weren’t in a missile launch tube or garbage chute, about to be ejected into space.
“Wait here, don’t move. I want to mark our location.” Jay had been writing on the walls with a marker. So far, no one had caught on. Prior would stroke out, then scold us for defacing USI property. Not that I cared.
I watched Jay retreat. He blinked out of sight. Gone. Vanished.
“Jay!” I ran toward the area where he disappeared. A force wrenched me backwards. I turned fists up, ready to fight.
No one was there.
The bracelet flared to life. Colorful characters flashed across its gold surface. A dark space opened that, sure as heck, hadn’t been there two seconds earlier. A portal to who the hell knew where. My feet marched forward, my body no longer under my control.
“No!” The area was black as night. Everyone knows what happens to females who enter dark, scary rooms. So what if I was a vampire. I wasn’t stupid. I was alone and who knows where I might end up. Despite my efforts to stop my traitorous feet failed.
The opening grew, expanding towards me. Cold air rushed into my face, whipping back my hair. Oh God, not space!
The hole had better not lead to an outside airlock. Prior kept saying vampires were perfect space travelers, but I didn’t want to spend an eternity floating in space, eventually starving. A gaping maw, the portal enveloped me, swallowing me whole.
I’m not ashamed to admit it. I screamed. Loudly and with gusto.
The hard wind ceased. I blinked a few times. My fear was misplaced. Thank goodness. I was in an empty chamber. Dim lighting from an unseen source cast long shadows. As far as I could tell, there were no windows or doors. I was trapped.
I tapped the bracelet. “This is your fault. If I find a hammer, you’re coming off.” I momentarily contemplated sawing my hand off, then discarded the notion. Too painful and probably impossible to do to oneself unless in really dire circumstances. I wandered around testing the walls, finding no seams or crack.
“Great. There’s no way out of here. Where’s a hacksaw when you need one? I wonder if I could chew my hand off.” I gnashed my teeth.
The blasted bracelet buzzed, probably nervous. A faint humming emanated from somewhere in the room. The tune, tantalizingly familiar.
The music spiraled around the chamber. With each new note, a glowing rune appeared and floated in mid-air. Out of arms reach, they circled around me, appearing in various shapes and colors.
“Lovely,” I groused. “What’s the point? I don’t understand.”
The music grew louder. A rune flew toward my head. I dodged it. When I turned to evade a return strike, another one snuck up on me and landed on my neck. I slapped at my throat as if swatting a mosquito. A futile gesture. Instead of a sting, a comforting warmth filled my throat. The constant ache, the one that kept me from singing, eased and lifted.
I had always assumed I couldn’t sing anymore because I wouldn’t allow myself too. Now, a new possibility existed. The guilt and despair had physically hurt my body. A century is a long time to carry one’s sins. A new lightness filled my spirit. I hummed along with the tune, the vibration in my throat pleasant.
After another moment, I recognized the song— “Daisy Bell” otherwise known as “A bicycle built for two.” An oldie, even to my ears. The lyrics popped into my mind. With new found confidence, I sang.
The runes danced to my timing. The acoustics in the room amplified my voice, giving it the haunting quality Jonathan had loved so much when I was human. It was then, the metaphorical ton of bricks crashed onto me. Again. Blood tinged tears coursed down my cheeks. I grieved for my maker, my friend. The lover I could have had, had I not refused him so adamantly.
Mirroring my unhappiness, the runes colored red, hovered nearby, bouncing to my sobs. Finally spent, I let out a harsh breath, wiped up the tears, and cleared my throat.
I squared my shoulders and spoke to the runes. “I’m not a scared child anymore. I’m not a stripper either. I’m a sire. Head of my family. Thank you for the gift of my voice.”
A halo of light circled me as the symbols sped up around me. The rotation screeched to halt, ending the light hula hoop.
“Now, will you show me how to get the hell out of this room?”
~ * * * ~
I whistled a happy tune as I sauntered back down the hallway toward what I hoped was my room. The rune chamber had ejected me onto a main hallway. I recognized one of Jay’s telltale marks. When I approached an intersection, buoyed by the return of my voice, I confidently took the left hand path. About five minutes later, my certainty wavered when I realized I had no idea where I was. Again.
I re-traced my footsteps and found the cross roads. I veered right this time. I didn’t find my room. I found the cargo hold, larger than any area I had encountered on the ship thus far.
Stasis chambers lined the walls and ceilings, hung in neat, organized rows. The air, while fresh, smelled metallic. The entire room was tinged green from the overhead lighting making it appear gloomy.
The boxes were a uniform matte gray, with a see through front. Like display cases at a giant doll store. Each occupant wore a thin metal head band and appeared to be in a restful sleep.
I ticked their names off mentally in my head as I reviewed each box. Pearl slept in the last box, before Ian’s family appeared in the lineup. The intimidating scarred vampire scowled even while slumbering. I shivered. I’d better stop doing it. I suspected he was the type of vampire who got off on fear.
The rogues were an eclectic bunch. There were bouncer types: big, brawny vampires. We had some of them in the family too. Then there were the accountants or brains of the operation. While they looked like they were afraid of their own shadow, they could hack into anything, make any deal and launder money like no one’s business. Not sure how useful they would be on Mars. More concerning were the ass kickers like Mr. Scar. They could be an issue down the road, if they didn’t like to follow the rules.
In the distance, a door slid open, then shut with a metallic clang. “Cherry?”
“I’m over here.” I walked toward Jay. At first, I didn’t notice the change in the boxes’ occupants.
“I don’t know what happened. One minute I was—”
“Jesus Christ!” I barked. I blinked, rubbing my eyes. It had to be a hallucination. “Who the hell thought it was a good idea to send these guys.”
Row upon row of revenants filled the stasis chambers. My flesh got the creepy crawlies looking at their semi-translucent complexions. I was no expert on them, but due to an abundance of spiritual energy, revenants were more ghostlike and faded when not concentrating. Unlike the vampires, who still wore street clothes, the revenants were attired in standard issue USI jumpsuits. Someone planned their addition.
“Cherry,” Jay warned from a few yards away. After several human lifetimes together, I knew when Jay was afraid. The faint tremor in his voice, the thin press of his lips told me everything I need
ed to know.
I raced to join his side. “No. Not—”
“Flesh eaters.” Jay turned on his heel, heading for the exit.
God damned zombies. There were at least twenty-five of them, dead eyes staring straight ahead. They didn’t sleep like the rest of us, but they could still hibernate. Thankfully, the chambers kept them incapacitated.
I followed Jay out into the hall. The tips of his hair stood on end, reminding me of a victim of too much static electricity. “This has to be Prior’s doing.”
Jay sighed, resigned. “There’s nothing to be done about it now. I know I’ll be sleeping with my eyes open from now on.”
I couldn’t be as practical as Jay. “Yeah, well someone has some explaining to do. You should go rest.”
Jay gave me a knowing look before we parted ways. The, I know you’re going to raise hell, look.
“Take it easy on Prior. He’s a smart vampire. We’ll need his expertise to survive.”
I waved at Jay and made my way to the ship’s mess hall. The single common room on the whole ship, and of course, no Prior. A familiar blond haired vampire poked his head up from a game of solitaire.
“Still skulking about the ship?” Ian’s crisp accent made my girl parts warm. He arched an eyebrow.
Crap. “Yes, I am. And do you know what I found in the cargo hold?”
“I haven’t the foggiest, but I bet you’re gonna tell me.” Ian patted the chair next to him.
I fingered the playing cards, covetous. “Where did you get these?”
“I brought them with me. We can play later. You had something to tell me. Yes?”
I told him what Jay and I had discovered. I kept the rune chamber to myself. If I told anyone, it would be Jay. Not Mr. English, who while sexy and desirable, may also be a two-faced murderer.
Ian gathered up the cards, shuffled then dealt us each a hand. He coolly eyed me from behind his cards. “You need to stop being so prejudiced against other species.”
“What?” I spluttered. “Since I’ve met you, I’ve almost been drained by revenants and eaten by zombies. Sorry, but it’s kind of hard to feel the love.”