Roman (The Clutch Series Book 1)

by Heidi McLaughlin

  “I have not followed the rules of the Covenant,” he says, head hanging low. What fucking rule could he have broken?

  “Which of the rules have you taken upon yourself to disregard? Rules that are set up to protect our kind. Rules that keep us safe among the mortals, and give us the ability to roam freely in their world. What did you do?!” she demands, appearing to lose patience.

  “I have compelled humans wearing the cross.”

  The Sister with the black hair laughs, but it’s more of a deranged cackle. “Do you honestly think that we would come here because you compelled a few humans? Egan! Confess! Now!” she demands, her impatience becoming evident.

  As if he were taking a sigh, he pauses before answering. “I compelled humans who did not wish to be compelled. And then I fed on them.”

  “And what happened when you greedily fed on these humans, Egan?” Clotho’s soft voice inquires.

  “I drained them. I couldn’t stop myself. I was so hungry, and they were so beautiful.” He looks up at the Sisters, now all in a line before him, looking down upon him.

  “Oh, my child. You knew the rules regarding this behavior. It’s not acceptable and puts our kind at great risk. You must pay for these sins,” Clotho says sympathetically as she takes a step backward.

  “Please have mercy on me,” Egan begs, knowing that it’s too late. He killed humans. And not just one, several it seems. For pleasure, and for no other reason.

  The red-haired Sister steps forward. “Egan, you are now sentenced to defanging, followed by death. Your crimes are egregious, and there is no retribution befitting such a break in the Covenant. You’ve endangered your brothers and sisters, and therefore your life must be taken.”

  She steps behind Egan, grabbing him by the hair, and pulling his head back, exposing his neck dramatically as the dark-haired sister approaches. “Lachesis, hold him still as I take his fangs.” She grins manically; she enjoys this, which somewhat appalls me.

  “Yes, Atropos.”

  Now I know who is who, and it’s pretty clear that Atropos is the punisher in this trio. While I try not to give off any red flags of my own, I watch in horror as she pulls out Egan’s fangs – by hand. I’ve never seen anything like it in my life. If a vampire sustains a nonfatal injury, the parts injured will regenerate. It’s a perk of being immortal. I imagine that if there weren’t more to this punishment, his fangs would grow back, but by the amount of screaming that has begun, it must be painful as fuck.

  The rest of the room remains silent as Clothos approaches with a long, medieval sword and hands it to Atropos. Egan is on his knees, crying if such a thing exists for a vampire. I’ve not witnessed a vampire experience pain such as this, so I’m not even clear what the fuck is happening until Atropos wields the sword well above her head, and with one massive swing decapitates Egan.

  Never having witnessed a vampire beheading or a vampire death for that matter, the grey sticky substance that spewed from his corpse was not only shocking, but it also sprayed bits of his insides on anyone standing nearby, including myself. As I look down at the muck that has splattered on my shirt and jacket, I realize that Egan’s head has rolled next to my foot and I look back up at the Sisters, who all have grins on their faces.

  “Now that we’ve taken care of that, one of your sisters has not checked in. We will be leaving to address that violation, and we will be returning afterward,” Clotho says without any emotion, just her soft and kind voice.

  Atropos catches my glance. “You. Roman,” she says without inflection.

  “Yes?” I reply.

  “Burn his body. And you, Keeper!” she yells at Selene.

  “Yes, Sister?” Selene replies.

  “Make sure it’s taken care of. We will know.”

  “Yes, Sister.”

  With sword in hand, Atropos walks to the front door, Sisters in tow. In a moment, they are gone, and I’m standing in a room full of stunned vampires with a severed head, a body and a set of fangs to dispose of. What the fuck?

  24

  Fiona

  “Say something, Lydia. Do you think Roman’s in trouble?”

  “I don’t know, Fiona. I wish I could help, but my hands are tied. I can’t betray Damen.”

  “But you’re married to a vampire. Doesn’t that give you special privileges or something?”

  Lydia shakes her head and glances toward the restaurant. I’m keeping her from her job, which is selfish, but I need answers. “Being married to a vampire means I have a husband who is going to outlive me and likely die from starvation after I pass. The bond Damen and I have is nothing like the one you’re sharing with Roman. It goes beyond deep. It’s eternal. But it doesn’t mean I’m privy to vampire business nor am I allowed to insert myself. When Damen received the text today, he kissed me, told me the Sisters were coming and that he’d see me later.”

  “How could he be so confident?” I ask, hoping Roman is feeling the same way.

  “Because Damen hasn’t done anything wrong. The life Damen and I have is simple. We both work, and when we’re not working, we’re together. In fact, some might say we’re boring, choosing to sit in front of the television rather than hit a nightclub.”

  “So you don’t go to Clutch?”

  Lydia shrugs. “Sometimes. Damen and I will go on dates. We like to dance and there he can be free to be himself without judgment.”

  “Lydia?” We both turn at the sound of her name being called by the hostess. “You have a table waiting for their check.” She doesn’t wait for Lydia to respond before walking back into the restaurant.

  “I have to get back to work.” Lydia starts to walk away, but I grab onto her arm. I don’t know what to do or where to go. Going back to my apartment seems logical, but I don’t know if Roman will go there when he’s done with his vampire business or not, and I don’t have a key to his place.

  “What am I supposed to do?” My voice breaks. I’m on the verge of hitting the wall of emotions. I want to cry because my heart is breaking, thinking Roman’s in trouble because of my father. If I find out my dad alerted someone, I’ll never forgive him.

  If I’m expecting Lydia to placate me, I’m sorely mistaken. She removes my hand from her arm and steps back. “Look, you seem really nice, and Roman seems to really like you, but I can’t help you. Vampires have a Covenant they must follow, and you have to respect that and know Roman's going to keep secrets from you. He has to. Accepting Roman for who he is, comes with accepting the good, the bad and the secrets. Damen can’t always tell me everything, and I respect that.” Lydia walks back into the restaurant without a glance, while I’m left standing in the middle of the vast hallway with people bustling by, bumping into me as if they don’t see me.

  After being hit one too many times by fleeing tourists, I finally start moving toward the exit. Lucky for me, I only live a few blocks from this hotel, and the walk is easy. As soon as I step outside, I notice the lack of people, which is odd for Las Vegas. Sure, during the holidays we have fewer tourists, but not in the middle of the summer. Also, it’s cold, much colder than I remember it being when I arrived at the Bellagio.

  My arms cross, and I rub them up and down against my skin to create some friction as I walk down the sidewalk to the street. There isn’t anyone milling around for the fountains either, which never happens, and the lights are dimmer now than they were before I arrived. People pass by in a rush to get wherever they need to be. I pick up on bits and pieces of their conversations, hearing things about an energy surge, the end of the world is happening and the UFOs have finally left Area 51. Unfortunately, all three are more likely to occur in Nevada. We always have those waiting to be abducted by aliens or predicting the world is going to end. However, Las Vegas does consume the most energy, and a surge is likely.

  By the time I get home, the streetlights are out, and police officers are trying to direct traffic by flashlight, telling drivers to return to their homes and stay there. The automatic door for my hotel is ou
t of order, and inside, none of the slot machines are working. There’s a line at the elevator, and while tempted to wait, something tells me it’s not safe. The last thing I want to do is get stuck inside a cramped car, with no oxygen. I’d have an instant panic attack. I make my way toward the stairs, but the door won’t budge. “What the hell?”

  “It’s on a timer,” one of the security guards says. “And we can’t access it because the computer went down.”

  “What’s going on?”

  He shakes his head. “Don’t know, but we’re short staffed, and people are starting to freak out. If the power doesn’t return soon, I fear we’re going to have a riot on our hands.”

  I have a feeling he’s right. When people tend to panic, violence manages to take over. It’s the trickle effect. One person throws a rock and all of a sudden, the next person thinks it’s fun and does the same thing, and so on. “How am I supposed to get upstairs?” I ask the guard.

  “Right now, you can’t until the fire department arrives to take down the door. Unfortunately, every hotel is experiencing the same thing and --”

  “And let me guess, we’re on the list?”

  He nods and grimaces slightly. “Yes, ma’am.”

  I sigh heavily, realizing there isn’t anything I can do, but wait. “What about food? Drinks?”

  “I’m not sure, you’ll have to check the restaurants.”

  I’m tempted to head back to the Bellagio and find Lydia, but I don’t want to be caught somewhere and end up stuck. It’s best to stay near my home and wait out whatever electrical storm is going on. I find a spot along the wall, but facing the window so I can see what’s going on outside even though my vision is clouded by the darker tempered glass. At best, I can see people running, trying to seek shelter from the unknown. I pull out my phone, only to find it dead. Either I didn’t charge it enough or whatever is going on outside has messed with our electronics as well. It would make sense.

  As time goes on, people become increasingly agitated. Children are restless, people are pacing, and voices are starting to increase. Everyone is on edge. The anxiousness of the people around me turns into anger, which results in a lot of yelling. We want answers or at least some news on what’s going on and how long we’re going to be without power. There isn’t a time I can remember when the entire city was dark. Honestly, this is unheard of and quite odd. I have an eerie feeling this electrical outage has to do with whatever Roman and his friends are up to.

  The longer I sit here, the more scared I become. Not only for myself but Roman as well. I need him. Not just to feel safe in his arms but to know he’s okay.

  25

  Roman

  After I drag the vampire corpse to the back alley behind Clutch, Selene hands me a bottle of lighter fluid and a fancy lighter. I heave the body into the dumpster against the wall and squirt the pungent smelling accelerant all over it. Igniting the lighter, I toss it on top of the body, just before launching Egan’s head in with the rest of him. I run my hands through my hair, watching the fire burn brightly while Selene stands silently next to me.

  Neither of us knows what to say. While neither of us was in any kind of trouble ourselves, that visit was dramatic and stressful. There’s no other way to describe it. The Sisters have an aura about them that invokes fear, even when you know you have no reason to be concerned. The sky above us had turned a dark purple and gray, and the city seemed to have lost its usual buzzing sound. Typically I’m tuned into the clatter of the humans as they toured, and the ringing of the slot machines; they’re much like white noise to me. But what I hear is almost a deafening silence.

  “Do you hear that?” I ask Selene, breaking our silence.

  “Hear what?” she asks.

  “The sound of nothing.” I turn my gaze back up to the sky and notice the wind picking up.

  Selene also looks up, shaking her head from whatever her thoughts were, and she glances back at me, appearing surprised. “I didn’t realize it until you pointed it out. The power is out in the city.” She pauses before another revelation hit her. “The humans will surely begin losing their shit at any moment. You know how they panic when they have no control over the elements.” My thoughts immediately shift to Fiona. I need to get to her.

  “I need to go.”

  “What if the Sisters come back?” she asks.

  “Then text me to come back, but I need to go. I need to make sure Fiona is okay.”

  Selene rolls her eyes. “That human is going to get you in trouble, Roman. You need to check yourself. I know you think you love her – I can see it in your eyes, so don’t even bother trying to deny it. But you are setting yourself up for everlasting heartache if you let this get any deeper. She will die. And you will be alone. Don’t you see that?” She is almost pleading with me, but I just don’t care. Fiona’s lifetime is enough for me to have eternal love. Selene will find hers someday, but you can’t explain that, and it’s not the time. I need to go.

  “Selene, someday you will understand. I promise you. But the Sisters have left, and I need to go. There’s no reason to stay for any of us. We were essentially dismissed while they go find the vampire who was foolish enough not to check in.”

  Pursing her lips, she shrugs her shoulders. “I suppose you’re right. But for the love of all that is sacred, be fucking careful. I have a bad feeling about things that I can’t shake. I don’t like it, and I think you’d be safer with your kind right now.”

  I appreciate her loyalty and her unwavering friendship. While she may be right, I need to go to Fiona. Leaning in toward her, I pull her in for a hug, her very least favorite human interaction. “Thank you, Selene.”

  “Ugh, unhand me.” She pushes me away with a grin. “You’re too human. It’s so annoying. Just go.” I know she is teasing me, but there’s also some truth to it. I’ve adapted to living an immortal mortal life. A concept foreign to many vampires, I truly live the vast majority of my time outside the supernatural other than for sustenance.

  I move less quickly than usual as I go to Fiona’s, taking in the scene around me. What appears to be an electrical storm has descended upon the city, but I know it’s the Sisters. Clutch didn’t experience the power outage that I see all around, and the humans who are out, are scattering like bugs. I can sense their heightened anxiety. As I hone in on Fiona, I can discern her anguish, and I pick up the pace.

  As I approach her building, I feel her upset more. Once I’m inside, I find her immediately, lifting her off the floor into my arms.

  “Fiona,” I whisper into her hair, holding her tightly. Expecting her to be relieved, I’m shocked when she pushes me away.

  “What the fuck, Roman?” I can see that she’s been crying, but she also looks like she wants to punch me.

  “Fiona, I couldn’t talk. I’m sorry you’re upset, but it’s imperative that you stay out of these matters.”

  “You couldn’t have told me that before you took off? I have been worried sick about you! You know that I thought something terrible may have happened!?”

  Her concern is evident, and I can see that I should have sent her a message of some kind assuring her that things would be okay. The monster inside me doesn’t always think of these things. “Fiona, we are bonded. You would feel it if something happened to me.”

  “Are you sure everything is okay? Lydia told me the Sisters have come.”

  “You went to see Lydia? Fiona, I am sorry that I did not inform you of the visit. It is an unusual circumstance, and it’s best to keep you as far removed from them as possible. But know this. You are mine. And I am yours. You need to understand that the life of a vampire can become complicated at times, and you will not always get the answers that you desire. This has to be acceptable to you Fiona, or we will not work.” I don’t mean for it to sound like an ultimatum because it’s not. But, if Fiona cannot respect the Covenant in which I must abide by, she will lead a life of misery and could put us both in danger.

  “You need to explain mo
re to me, Roman. I’ve been wandering the streets looking for you. I need you to communicate with me.” I understand her needs, and I want to compromise with her, explain our history and how we became who, or rather what, we are.

  I realize that we are still standing in the lobby, and I don’t understand why she’s not safely upstairs in her home. “Why are you down here? You should be upstairs.”

  She waves her hand at the building dramatically. “Everything here is run on electric, so the doors and the elevator are locked because there’s no power. So, I’m stuck down here.”

  “Come. We are going to my place.” I take her by the hand and pull her behind me.

  In light of the storm, and the high anxiety of the city, I make the decision that we will walk the short distance to my place without using supernatural speed. I do not want to draw any undue attention to us, and while I’m pretty sure that the vampires are free to leave Clutch, I don’t see any others out and about at the moment. When emotions are running high, it is then, that humans who pretended to be supportive of those unlike them tend to show their true colors, and I’ve seen first hand how poorly that can end for vampires.

  We arrive at my home, where the power is out as well, but we are able to get into the building without issue. When we get inside, I sit Fiona on the couch and cover her with a warm blanket. Her skin is ice cold, almost as cold as mine.

  I watch her snuggle into the blanket, and then I settle in next to her. “Fiona, I’m going to explain to you how vampires are created, and who the Sisters are. They made us, and gave us the mark of the Fates as it’s referred to.”

  “Okay,” she replies quietly, seeming somewhat uneasy.

  I rest my hand on her leg and gently rub it. “I don’t want you to be scared, I want you to understand. When I am called away, it is not a choice. It is a requirement that I go, or there will be terrible consequences for my disobedience. I will never leave you for any other reason. Do you understand?”