by J. C. Diem
“So, two thousand years or so ago, the Prophet saw the future of the vampire race,” I summed up the pages I’d just read through. “The deal that had been dealt with our Father had a twist. It says here; ‘When the light of humankind dies, vampires shall rise.’ What do you think he means by that?”
“I believe he is speaking of when the son of earth’s creator died.”
“So, vamps were lying low before the big J decided to take the bullet for mankind?” At Luc’s nod, I nodded back thoughtfully. Vampire legends had become far more prevalent after Christianity had become so popular. I returned to the journal.
“It goes on to say that vampires had begun to turn evil over the millennia. Huh,” I mused, “I thought they were born evil.”
“Do you feel evil?”
I thought of the naked bout of gymnastics I’d put him through twice now. I also pictured myself snacking on unwilling humans. Unwilling before my vampire mojo took their will away and reduced them to mindless sheep. “Sometimes,” I said glumly. After reading through several more pages, I perked up a bit. “Now he’s mentioning me.” It was weird, I’d been famous two thousand years before I’d even been born.
Leaning down, we studied the picture. It didn’t look much like me. I’d say we were about the same height judging her size to those around her. But she was far prettier with a voluptuous figure that I’d never possess. Standing in a circle of kneeling vampires, she wore a skimpy robe with a plunging neckline and slits to the thigh on both sides. She held her hands up, palm out. The twin crosses stood out clearly. I held my left hand out to compare the imprint against the drawing. They were identical.
“Just for the record, I’m never going to wear an outfit like that,” I told Luc solemnly, pointing at the skimpy robe then bent back to the journal. “It says; ‘Thus Mortis, destroyer of the damned, shall arise’.” I quickly scanned through a few pages. “You were right, I am hard to kill. Apparently, stakes can’t kill me, holy water does nothing, holy objects aren’t going to be a problem. Fire isn’t going to have much effect either.” That was good to know even if I had already figured a couple of those out for myself.
“Does it mention sunlight?” Luc asked. It unnerved me a little that he was so interested in finding out what could kill me. I hoped it was simple curiosity.
“Nope. I guess I’d better still avoid that.”
Flipping through the pages, I read up on what the prophet predicted was in store for me. None of it made much sense. “It talks about the person who has started killing off the vampires. Apparently, she’s convinced herself she’s Mortis.”
“How can she be when she doesn’t bear the signs?” Luc wondered.
“Dunno,” I shrugged. “She’s probably got a screw loose.” I read some more and frowned at the words before relaying them. “There will be a confrontation between us and we have to fight to the death.” Great, I’d be facing my own impersonator and I had zero fighting skills. Meanwhile, whoever was pretending to be me was killing off our kin left and right with apparent ease.
Luc looked at the far wall of the cellar thoughtfully. “So, the faction behind Mortis is currently working for the impostor without even being aware of it.”
“Is that a good thing or a bad thing?”
His answer was a shrug. Personally, I was disturbed by the idea of anyone killing other vampires for me. Even if most of them did deserve it.
“What happens after your battle with the pretender?” Luc asked.
I read through a few more pages and felt a chill run down my spine. “I begin the ‘great purge’ and start decimating the damned.”
After reading through a few more pages, I put on a falsely bright tone. “There is some good news. Apparently, a champion will come forward and stop me before I can utterly destroy vampirekind.”
“What do you mean?”
Now it was my turn to shrug. “He’ll destroy me, I guess.”
With a doubtful frown, Luc stood. “We should put some more distance between us and Vincent’s remaining servants.” He didn’t offer his hand to help me up. He was no doubt scared he’d catch on fire if I touched him now that I bore both of the holy marks.
Before we left the safety of the cellar, I took one last look at the final picture in the journal. I hadn’t shown it to the vampire cop and had no intention of ever showing it to him. Tearing it out quickly, I folded it several times and stuffed it into my pocket. Only two figures were depicted on the page. A man, tall and dark haired, stood with a sword in his hand. A female, presumably me, lay on the ground with her severed head lying several feet away from her body. The head seemed to be screaming.
Turning to stare down at me as if he sensed all was not well, Luc gave me a long, unreadable look. The sword he’d pulled from my chest hung from his right hand. I didn’t need to take another look at the picture to know the weapon was an exact duplicate.
Now that’s irony. The man who is trying so hard to protect me will be the one who will eventually chop my head off. That was my luck for you. Just when I’d finally met a hot guy who wanted to have sex with me, it turned out he’d end up killing me.
·~·
Chapter Nineteen
While Luc drove, I sulked in silence. I hadn’t asked for any of this and now I was going to die. Again. This time it would be forever. Death might suck but I was just starting to get used to it.
“We should return to the Court before they send out guards to find us,” Luc decided. “I don’t want them to become suspicious of us and they need to know of Vincent’s treachery.”
“What are you going to tell them?”
He spared me a glance. “That he broke the rules and had to be exterminated. The Councillors will pick someone else to be the Prophet’s guardian. Perhaps they will keep a closer eye on Vincent’s successor in future.”
“Yeah, maybe they’ll even install phones,” I mumbled to myself. “What are you going to tell them about me?”
“Nothing. They can continue to believe you are my servant and are of little consequence.”
“But Danton and his guards know I could understand the Prophet. Word will get back to the Court eventually.”
“We will be long gone before that happens.” Luc gave me a strained smile that I didn’t believe for a second. Why would he abandon the Court for me? He wouldn’t. Not after seven hundred years of loyalty.
“Why are you helping me?” It was a question I’d wanted to ask since we’d met and now was as good a time as any.
“Perhaps I hope I can convince you not to destroy our kind,” he said lightly and without meeting my eyes.
“Uh huh.” I believed that one even less than I did his smile. Like he’d said the first time we’d met, destiny couldn’t be outrun, not even by a creature like me. The only way to avoid the total destruction of our kind was to lop off my head. Well, he had the tool to pull that off now. He just didn’t know it yet.
For a change, we stopped in a town and hired a room in a hotel rather than finding a hole in the ground to spend the day in. Compared to the tiny village we’d stolen the truck from, this place was a sprawling metropolis. The hotel Luc chose was on the outskirts of the town. Presumably this was so we could make an easy escape to the nearby highway if we were discovered.
Houses were more modern than I’d been expecting in a country like Romania. I’d pictured the entire place being covered in villages of stone and thatch buildings. This town had wood and brick houses, telephone poles and big screen TVs. We could have been in any small town in Australia. Exiting the truck, we headed for the reception desk.
Luc had no trouble procuring a room, once he managed to shake the clerk awake. Sitting up, the clerk blinked at us owlishly. He had a crease mark on one cheek from where it had been lying on a magazine. He was youngish, in his early thirties, and I suspected he’d imbibed an illegal substance before he’d taken his nap. His pupils were huge and his hands shook uncontrollably. Long, unwashed brown hair hung around his face. I coul
d smell the grease from several feet away. Stronger than that was the smell of sweat that stained his grimy red shirt. I was hungry but not hungry enough to be tempted by this guy. Besides, I’d already had a taste of drug tainted blood and I wasn’t about to try it again.
I understood their brief conversation but wouldn’t be able to speak Romanian myself so remained silent. Luc spoke the language fluently, of course. The clerk was probably stoned enough that he wouldn’t remember us but if I spoke English, he might. Taking the key, Luc handed over the required amount of cash and gallantly allowed me to exit first. With no luggage to speak of, we made a strange sight as we trudged down the hall to our room. It was late enough that we didn’t run into anyone who might have noticed our lack of belongings.
Our room was sparse and garishly decorated. It was a ghastly combination of colours but at least the ugly blue curtains were thick enough to keep out the sunlight. The window faced north anyway so we should be safe enough come morning. The queen sized bed looked lumpy and uncomfortable beneath the eye-searing lime green comforter. A tiny couch, covered in lurid orange fabric, looked even worse.
“It will be dawn in an hour,” Luc said with a quick look at his watch. “I suggest we both hunt now so we can get an early start when we rise.”
“Ok.” Yeah, the sooner we get back to the Court, the safer I’ll feel. Not. I kept my misgivings to myself and followed Luc quietly to the exit at the far end of the hall. He left the door open a crack for a silent re-entry. Even someone as stoned as the clerk would be suspicious if he saw us leaving the hotel at this hour. Most stores would be shut so what reason could we have to leave our room? A romantic pre-dawn walk? Not likely.
Luc melted away into the night and I was left to fend for myself. Two blocks away from the motel and deeper into the town, I revised my thought that I could be in any small town in Australia. We didn’t have many cobbled streets back home. I could swear I heard a horse clomping by a couple of streets away. For a minute I was scared I’d been warped back in time. The sight of bright electric lights shining through the windows of a tavern ahead eased my mind.
Three levels high, the pub had been around for at least a few hundred years. White paint had been applied so many times that it would be impossible to strip it back to the original stone beneath. Cracks ran in haphazard patterns in several places and had been inexpertly patched. The windows were large and dirty but I could make out a few diehard drunks inside.
I wasn’t in the mood to search further so hung around outside the tavern and waited for a victim to stumble into my trap. With time running out, I mentally urged one of the men to leave. It was spooky standing all alone in the shadows. A low, dense mist began to rise, adding to the eerie atmosphere. I had to remind myself that I was the scariest monster in the area.
My patience was rewarded after about half an hour as two men exited the tavern. Speaking quietly, they stuck to the street lights and avoided the shadows. Following in increasing frustration, I was about to jump them both when they parted. One continued down the main street. The other trotted down a dim alley. “Big mistake,” I whispered with a grin and hustled after him.
Either my undead feet scuffed the ground or he sensed me closing in on him. Sending a look of pure terror at me over his shoulder, he took off with a cry of, “Aiiiieeee!”
“People really say that?” I muttered. “Hey, you! Get back here! You can’t resist my evil allure!” I whisper-shouted after his retreating back.
I had to give my fleeing meal credit, he alllllmost made it to the safety of his home. His key was jittering in the lock when I yanked him backwards into the bushes. We’d made a bit of noise during our chase and I didn’t want anyone seeing me snacking on him. It seemed prudent to get out of sight quickly.
He was a big guy, broad through the shoulders and a good foot taller than me. Unfortunately for him, I’d gained considerable strength as the unliving and held him down easily.
When I angled my head so he could see my eyes, he squeezed his own shut so he wouldn’t be caught in my spell. Damn, the food is wily around these parts. I didn’t want to hurt him but I also didn’t want him to remember the encounter. Holding him down with a hand over his mouth, I reached down and grabbed hold of his nuts. As expected, his eyes popped open. “You are a she devil.” His horrified whisper was muffled behind my hand but was still audible.
“Buddy, you have no idea,” I sighed without any actual air escaping my lungs. Now that our eyes were locked, I had him under my control. “Sleep,” I commanded him then bit down on a tasty spot on his neck as his head sagged to the side. He’d wake up sometime later in the bushes, thinking he’d stumbled into them drunk before passing out. From the trampled look of the shrubbery, it wouldn’t be the first time.
Getting my bearings, I scurried off toward the hotel. I’d run quite a distance during the chase and dawn had to be close now. Full of blood, I couldn’t sense the arrival of the sun as easily as I usually could. Thanks to the alcohol in my meal’s system, I felt a little drunk myself.
“I am surprised you did not unleash your flesh hunger on the hapless man after snaring him so...handily,” Luc said from right behind me.
Staggering sideways, I put a hand on my unbeating heart. “Cripes! Don’t do that.”
“Has your flesh hunger risen yet?” he asked me pleasantly.
“Nope,” I lied. It reared its ugly head every time Luc cocked an eyebrow in my direction.
“Pity.” With a sly glance at me, he indicated we’d arrived at the hotel with a nod. He pulled the still unlocked back door open and gestured for me to enter first. Manners sure had changed over the past few hundred years. Men rarely held doors open for women anymore. If they did, they’d get an affronted stare half the time. I’d never minded gallantry. Not when it saved me from opening the door myself.
Luc locked our door after a quick glance around to make sure no intruders had snuck into the room then began stripping immediately. His eyebrows rose when I didn’t emulate him. Tugging the curtains closed so there was no possibility of the sun getting in, I took a seat on the couch.
“There is plenty of room in the bed,” he pointed out.
“I’m fine here.” I’d also be away from the temptation of using his body to sate my flesh hunger on. It would be far too easy to take advantage of him again if I woke up naked in his arms. Taking my shoes off, I lay down. It was immediately obvious that the couch was far too small. Bringing my knees up to my chest, I turned my face away from the window and snuggled into the coarse orange fabric. It was dusty and smelled like old farts and cabbage. Cabbage farts. Wonderful.
Rustling came from the bed as my companion made himself comfortable. He made several satisfied sounds to let me know just how comfy he was. Clenching my hands tightly, I ignored him as best as I could. My fingernails bit into the twin holy marks as I worried about my impending death. Just how long did I have left before my head became separated from the rest of my body?
Dawn came before I had my answer and I sank into darkness’s embrace willingly.
·~·
Chapter Twenty
As soon as I rose for the night, I checked to see whether my hands were covered in plastic bags, socks or any other form of makeshift gloves. They weren’t. I was also still fully clothed and lying scrunched up on the couch.
Luc sat on the edge of the bed, grimly checking the edge of the sword. I hope it’ll be sharp when he hacks my head off with it, I thought morosely. If I had to die, I’d prefer one blow to do the job rather than several. The idea of Luc needing to take a few swings to get the job done didn’t fill me with delight.
I received a sardonic look at my rather obvious whole body inspection and chose to ignore it. Leaving the hideous couch, I headed for the tiny bathroom. Turning the water on full blast, I took care of the flesh hunger Luc knew full well was raging through me as quietly as possible. After one good orgasm, I was good to go. Of course, I had to bite my hand to muffle the sounds. Forgetting my new
strength, I bit right through to the bone. My blood had definitely changed but it wasn’t quite as acidic and horrible as Silvius’ had been. Luckily, the bite marks had healed by the time I finished blow drying my hair.
“Shall we?” I said snidely to my sombre companion and picked up the book from where I’d left it on the coffee table. With my cross in place and book in hand, I was ready to leave.
Narrowing his eyes, Luc studied me then shook his head. I was a puzzle he’d never be able to solve. Hell, even I didn’t know how I worked. I didn’t have the uncontrollable hungers normal fledgling vampires had. I felt sorry for my meals. I didn’t particularly want to kill anyone. What sort of vampire was I? A fairly lame one so far.
It would take too long to drive back to France so we headed for the nearest airport instead. Luc stopped long enough to buy a long black coat to conceal the sword that would be the instrument of my death. I could imagine the screams of panic if we entered the airport sans coat.
Leaving the beat up old truck at the far end of the short term parking lot, we hurried toward the small airport. It was still early enough for it to be crowded. Luc drew stares either from his constant frown or his brooding good looks. He scanned the flight boards and located the next plane to France.
“We must hurry. The flight is scheduled to leave in twenty minutes.”
“That’s cutting it close,” I murmured. We still had to buy the tickets and make it through the x-ray machines before we could board the flight.
Smiling down at me and making me feel all fluttery in the stomach, Luc winked. “Trust me, Natalie. We will make it.”
My heart also tried to flutter but couldn’t since it was dead and shrivelled. I hid my dismay that we would be back at the Court in just a few short hours. “My hero,” I said in a high pitched falsetto tone and batted my eyelashes. This earned me another small smile as we reached the end of the ticket line.
Once again we had a space around us that kept us insulated from the rest of the people in line. I was glad we’d eaten before we went to bed. Hunger hovered somewhere in my subconscious but it wasn’t knocking on the door of my stomach and demanding admittance.