Delivered to Eternity, An Alesta the Vampire Book

by Yirak, Laura

  “I already knew it would happen.” Nicholas whispered behind her. “I’ve seen the way he looks at you, the look of one who has found that one thing in the world that makes him feel alive. I have to say I am just a little jealous. Does he know the truth?”

  “Jealous, you have nothing to be jealous of. Look at you, I love you. I love you forever and no.” Alesta turned to him standing there behind her and pulled him down to sit by her. “I have not told him. I don’t want to tell him. It’ll complicate everything and I like him just the way he is, even though I realize it doesn’t work like that.”

  Nicholas took a seat next to her on the damp log, “You care for him don’t you?”

  “Yes. I do. Why does this always happen to me?” Alesta put her head in her hands, “You’d think after all these years and all my mistakes that I could just have figured it out by now.”

  “Love doesn’t work like that. You can’t just turn it off or pick and choose. It’s the one thing in this world that is still unpredictable, even for me.” Nicholas put his arms around her. “Just take it slow; it’s always that much more complicated mixing love with the dead and the living, look at you. You’re as white as a ghost. You need to eat, my dear.”

  “I know. I’ve been busy. It’s busy tonight.”

  “If you want it to work, you’ll have to tell him. Nothing good can be founded on a lie.”

  “Sure but look at me, the walking dead, and look at him, the picture of youth, a full life ahead of him. I’m afraid of what might happen if he finds out. I’m a vampire.”

  “Yes, but if he really loves you, he will learn to live with it or even accept it!” Nicholas pulled her up to standing.

  “Now go, he’s still in the kitchen, I can hear your Patrick stressing.”

  Nicholas was good to her, so good that maybe she took him for granted. She peeked in the window and watched Patrick washing the dishes she had left behind. All she could feel was the pound of her heart and swore it skipped a beat in there. She wanted to scream in that moment and couldn’t remember the last time she had felt this vulnerable. She opened the door to him.

  “I knew you’d come back. Can’t resist me can you?” Patrick turned to greet her with big hopeful eyes.

  “You’re not mad at me?” Alesta asked.

  “How could I be? Look at you.”

  “I’m sorry, I ran out like that. I’m conflicted.”

  Patrick interrupted, “It’s him isn’t it? Nicholas? You love him.”

  She took his hand, “No that’s not it, I mean I do love him, but it’s not like that, we have known each other a long time. We used to be together, but not that way now.”

  “So you’re broken up?” Patrick asked with hope.

  “Eh, well I guess you could say that,” Alesta said.

  “Then is it because you’re my boss?”

  “No, that’s not it. It was that before but…..you see….. there’s something you need to know about me. I’ve been keeping a secret.”

  “Yes. I know.”

  “You know????? How?”

  “Well earlier this week……” Patrick stopped because the phone was ringing. “Eh? Should I?”

  “Yes, yes,” Alesta nodded.

  “Hello McKenzie Manor,” Patrick said.

  “Patrick! My God Patrick!”

  “Judy? What is it?”

  “It’s Father Mac Namara. I got a call from Ellen there, one of the nuns at St. Michaels. She didn’t know who to call, said the Father has been blabbering my name. He’s in trouble. He’s down the town.”

  “What?” Patrick raised his brow.

  “You just need to get down there. He’s running amuck on the High Street, we have to get him back to the church or somewhere.”

  “Jesus,” Patrick said, “Right, uh, I’ll…..” Alesta motioned him to get off the phone, “Sure where exactly is he?”

  “You’ll see, he has a crowd following him. Just be there!” Judy hung up.

  “Bloody hell,” Patrick said.

  “I heard,” Alesta said, “Let’s go! I’ll have Nicholas watch out for us.”

  “Nicholas?”

  “Yes. He’s helped me out before. Come on then.”

  Alesta gave Allister a quick visit before they got on there way. This time he was fully awake and appeared to enjoy every minute of the encounter. The scene would only be recalled in fragments of dreams. She left the Manor in the hands of the Count who would also pay a visit to an unsuspecting guest.

  Judy had been right, there was a crowd of people and Father Mac Namara was wobbling into another pub with little Ellen the nun at his side. Ellen surprisingly was physically stronger than she looked. It’s not like nuns had an easy and care free life. They worked hard and gained a little muscle in there.

  Patrick parked the Rover close by and followed the group by foot. Alesta and Patrick came up behind the assembly and tried to push their way to the front, but they couldn’t. It was the curious mob and all of them wanted to see the same thing, the town Priest having a walloping good time. Little did they know the more people Ian could gather, the more energy he could drain and the more powerful he would become.

  “Bloody hell,” Patrick said. “Now what?”

  “I’ve got to get in there,” Alesta said. “You stay here in case he comes out the front, call me if it looks that way, and I’ll go round the back. I’ve got my cell on.”

  “Right,” Patrick said and tried to jump up and down to get a better view of all the shouting going on inside.

  The little glimpse he did get was of the Father perched on another bar stool starting an old Scottish song, one he hadn’t heard in years, even the words were slightly changed and he clanged pints with some merry fellow who joined in and that was it, the rest was left to the ears. It was almost soothing.

  There was a back door but it was locked, instead of breaking in, Alesta climbed the wall like a spider noticing an open window on the upper floor. It was a bedroom, a rather messy one and she tried not to trip on the piles of junk laid all about. The hallway was just as cluttered, but she could hear Father Mac Namara’s voice and knew without a doubt that it wasn’t him singing down there in the pub. She decided to call on him.

  She whispered his name so that only he could hear and when the voice arrived to him floating lightly in the air it was as if she was standing right next to him, “Come to me.” She repeated it and heard him stop the show he had been providing, making his way through the onlookers to find her.

  “Ian,” she whispered.

  The footsteps on the stairs were unbalanced. She kept to the end of the narrow hallway back away a dark corner, showing only her bright blue eyes. Ian slowly walked towards her.

  “I’ve dreamt of this moment,” he said.

  The smell of intoxication lingered a little on the air.

  “Come to me Ian.”

  The two stood face to face, eye to eye, his black reflecting her blue. Alesta placed her hands upon his face and gently stroked his cheeks. His face was unshaven and young. He closed his eyes and relaxed under her caress. The energy from him was so intense that she wanted to take it all in. She unbuttoned his black shirt to reveal his firm bare chest. She placed her hand over his heart. A light kiss to the neck and she slowly locked her lips over the Father’s bounding pulse.

  Alesta extended her sharp white fangs and let them tickle his skin just a little, he jerked in pleasure. She pressed her lips tighter to his neck and sank her fangs in.

  “Eeeeeee………” Alesta screeched and jumped back, mouth wide open, her tongue seared from holy blood.

  Ian stood there with a look of delight, “I’m protected in this pure and Godly flesh. Why do you think I chose this body?”

  And he was right; it was something she had no knowledge of as it wasn’t customary to feed on Priests, just one of those things briefly mentioned in her teachings from Nicholas.

  She stood back from him, shocked, against the wall, “If I can’t then how can you?”
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br />   “I am not flesh, not bound by the earthly domains. I can come and go as I please to any body.” Ian stepped closer to her, “You know what I want, give it back!”

  “Your soul? That can only happen if I am dead,” Alesta whispered.

  “So be it,” Ian said.

  Father Mac Namara, under the control of the shadow vampire, tensed up preparing to pounce.

  “Wait,” Alesta said placing her hands in front of her for defense. “I never intended it to be this way for you. I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry. That night was unforgivable. I cared for you. For years I have suffered thinking about that night and everything that happened. I took revenge, revenge for you Ian. I killed William.”

  Ian stopped not expecting what she had said.

  “The Laird, my Master?” he whispered.

  “Yes. He set the whole thing up, starved me for weeks because he saw us together, to punish us. I never intended this. Remember I went away? Please forgive me,” she slumped down on the floor, tears in her eyes. “There must be another way to help you get what you need. Please, just come with me. Please.”

  A long minute passed and Ian then knelt down beside her, “Okay.”

  She looked up to see his eyes lighten up a little to reveal Father Mac Namara’s.

  “Where am I?” he glanced around, then back at her.

  “My name is Alesta,” she said.

  “I know you. You’re a nurse, from the hospital. I remember you.”

  “Yes, now, I don’t have time to explain, but you must come with me.”

  A look of confusion followed, “Where’s my collar, why is my shirt unbuttoned?” The look was completely innocent, but Alesta took him by the hand and they both climbed back out the way she had come in.

  “Patrick! Get the car started.” He turned their way as they came running from the narrow alleyway.

  She tossed him the keys, “Hurry, before the mob notices he’s really gone and not just disappeared to the loo.”

  “Right.” Patrick ran over to the Rover and started it right up.

  All got in, ready to pull away, not expecting little Ellen the nun to plant herself in front of the bumper with hands on the bonnet.

  Patrick lowered his window and yelled out, “Sister! Move it. Shove off!”

  “No…..Take me with you.”

  Alesta lowered hers, “We can’t. Now please…..get out of the way, he’ll be safe with us, just go back to the church and cover. If you really care, that’s what you’ll do.”

  Little Ellen, the young and obedient nun, took the order and watched the Rover speed off with an excitement she had never known.

  “What happened back there?” Patrick asked.

  “Ian is taking a back seat for now till we figure out what to do.”

  Father Mac Namara just looked at them, “Tell me now, what is going on here? Are you kidnapping me?”

  “No don’t be daft, well maybe, sort of….Father you’re possessed. Don’t you remember, Judy, the woods, the loch, Ian?” Patrick said trying to concentrate on the road ahead.

  “I can’t remember anything really. It’s cloudy. I’m possessed?” he asked with a raised tone.

  “Yes by Ian, the ghost, the thing. You’ve got to try to remember Father so you know that we mean no harm tae ye.” Patrick insisted, “You came over, because Judy called you about Ian.”

  The Father tried to concentrate hard, “Nothing, nothing at all, but I believe you. I don’t know why?”

  “You do?” Alesta took his hand as she was sitting next to him. “That’s good. You’ll be fine. I’m going to help you. We are going to help you,” she corrected as Patrick flashed her a look in the rear view mirror.

  The Manor was dark, most of all the lights out as they came to a stop in front.

  “Patrick, let’s go to my house. There’s no one there, no one to notice,” Alesta said.

  “Aye, didn’t think,” Patrick said before turning the car off.

  The house was cold and quiet as usual as they all entered. Mitsy came to greet them, meowing for more food.

  “Some heat maybe. Aw kitty, we left you all alone.” Patrick watched Mitsy rub against his cream knee high socks.

  “You can start the fire in the living room,” Alesta directed Patrick. “Father, are you hungry, would you like something to eat?”

  “No, no, I’m feeling off, and dizzy. I need to……”

  Alesta saw the signs and pushed the Father into the bathroom as he vomited, thankfully making it to the toilet. She ran the hot water at the sink and handed him a clean washcloth.

  “For when you’re finished,” she said and closed the door.

  The evening at least had calmed down a bit. Alesta felt thankful that Ian had not decided to completely rip her head off or something of that nature. With all the energy he had gathered from all those people, it was entirely possible. Maybe it was all those pints or maybe not all was known to him about his abilities as a shadow vampire.

  Patrick thought about the whole thing as he made the fire. Realizing that Ian had taken control of the priest and that whatever he was ghost or not there was another one down under the pantry, with red eyes. After all he’d witnessed, he would never take that way into the Manor underground again. It had been pure luck or strength that he had escaped. He could have ended up like Father Mac Namara, possessed. Once the fire roared away, he took a seat next to Alesta and laid his head upon her lap, quickly falling asleep. She stroked his hair being careful not to touch the stitches she had placed earlier in the week. By the looks of them, it was a few more days before they would need removing.

  The Father whispered behind her, “I’m shattered.”

  She whispered back, “There’s a bed upstairs, go lie down and rest yourself.”

  He nodded, “Thank you.” And he dizzily made his way.

  “You’re welcome.”

  Alesta sat quietly awake pondering about her next move.

  Dawn was quickly approaching and the fire had died, Alesta lifted Patrick’s head and slipped out from under him. He was in a very deep sleep, so she left him there, placed a pillow under his head and placed a blanket over him.

  A quick peek at the Father, who was also passed out on top of her bed and she made her way over to the Manor. A thick fog had rolled in. It was heavy, almost suffocating. There was just something about it that gave her the creeps, just a feeling like something wasn’t right, but she couldn’t put her finger on it. Alesta pushed the feeling aside and figured it was just the fog and nothing else.

  Nicholas was absent from the front desk and she found him in the Great Hall sitting like he’d been there for hours.

  “Not quite the evening I pictured,” he said to her as she came in.

  “Thank you so much for looking out.” Alesta went to him, put her hand on his shoulder, and wound one of his curls up around her finger watching it bounce back perfectly as she released it.

  “I saw that you found the Priest,” he inquired enjoying her touch.

  “Yes, Ian still has a grip, and I can’t release him.”

  “Very smart trick that one pulled; never thought a shadow vamp could figure out a thing like that.”

  “Yes, he did, the bugger. How do we get him out?”

  “We could kill the vessel,” Nicholas said.

  “Are you serious? Kill a Priest? When I do leave this eternity, I’ll end up…..Who knows. Is there a hell for hell? No. Absolutely not. No one is going to die here, especially not a Priest!”

  “Then we take him to another Priest for exorcism.”

  “Maybe, or maybe I could just talk him into leaving,” Alesta said.

  “Like you’re going to talk Ro into telling all?” Nicholas was thoroughly amused now. “I love your way of thinking. Simple!”

  “Oh! Things don’t have to be that complicated.”

  “But they are meine liebe!” Nicholas laughed now.

  “You watch. I’ll surprise you.”

  “You probably will.” He pul
led her onto his lap. “Let’s get to bed a little early. I want to…..”

  “Fine,” she said even though that was the last thing on her mind. “Just let me make sure Judy’s up.”

  “Oh she is,” the Count said. “She checked on me a little bit ago, said she’d be down so I could go. She gave me quite the look.”

  “A good one or a bad one?”

  “Well, you know.”

  “Judy checked you out.” Now Alesta was amused as well. “Did you chat her up? No, not your style. Your looks do have that effect. Today is going to be a busy day for them. I’ll meet you down below. I need to speak with Judy aye, the poor woman.”

  The Count grabbed her before he left, “I just love the smell of you. It’s never changed.”

  Explaining everything to Judy wasn’t something Alesta was prepared to do not even in different circumstances, that being she had known her for years and maybe they were good acquaintances. The woman was easily warmed to, but she knew too much as it was. Why had Ian picked her as a target in the first place she wondered as she stood outside Judy’s door?

  “Good morning!” Judy said as she opened it.

  Judy looked good considering everything she had experienced over the past few days, you couldn’t tell, but what Alesta didn’t know was that Judy had caught a glimpse of her old sweet heart the previous night while out with Cara for dinner and after that it was only roses and fluttery feelings for Judy. He had seen her and given her a smile for the ages. The call from Ellen shortly after her arrival at Cara’s new place was easily passed on for someone else to deal with as Judy was away thinking of her youth.

  “You look well,” Alesta said, “May I come in?”

  “Thank you.” Judy hummed as she finished making her bed.

  There were moving boxes around on the floor and the table, some opened, some sealed. The room was taking on a different look. There were pictures of family in delicate silver frames, some black and white photos, and some in color. There were hangings on the wall of beautiful floral bouquets and a vase with pretty pink fresh flowers on the window sill. There was even a faint smell of potpourri. It was all Judy and reminded Alesta of her own mother all those years past.