Blood Therapy (Kismet Knight, Ph.D., Vampire Psychologist)

by Hilburn, Lynda

  He’d transported us to a rock outcropping. An overlook.

  I sucked in a loud breath. The scene in front of me was impossible. I slowly turned in a circle. Stunned as I was, I still managed to determine that I was looking at miles—literally miles—of antiquities, stretching out in every direction. Some were so massive I had to squint to see their boundaries.

  “Here,” he said, lightly touching the spot between my eyes. “This should help.”

  Suddenly the vague outlines of statues, relics, and works of art I could barely distinguish from such a distance were made crystal clear, as if I’d donned super-magnifying glasses.

  “Wow.” I pointed. “Is that a … cathedral? An actual full-size building?” The tallest spire jutted high into the air.

  “Yes. One of many.”

  “But, but, but …” I sputtered. “How did it get here?” I just couldn’t wrap my brain around the idea of moving an entire building without any humans noticing. “And why would vampires want a church?”

  Vampires. Church. Those words just didn’t go together.

  He chuckled. “I had forgotten how delightful it is to witness the appreciation of visitors. Unfortunately, it is not safe to bring many guests here, human or vampire, but I am thoroughly enjoying having you. What was your question? Oh yes—how and why?” He slid his arm around my shoulders. “Perhaps you would like a closer view.”

  In the flick of a bat wing, we were standing in front of the beautiful Gothic church, complete with ornate towers and arches.

  “There is a fascinating story to this particular acquisition,” he said, waving his arm in the direction of the breathtaking building. “This cathedral was erected in France in the nineteenth century. Shortly after construction was completed, one of our elders had a vision of its destruction due to an earthquake. At the moment the trembling began, we magically transported it here while creating a visual illusion for the mortals, letting them see the building actually collapsing into a rift that opened in that spot. Which is what would have happened had we not intervened. A day or two later we utilized the power of an aftershock to close the opening in the earth to prevent any enterprising explorers from noticing the lack of residue to excavate. It was an effortless rescue of an architectural masterpiece.”

  “Damn,” I said, impressed. “But why just keep it here? Why not find a way to resurrect it somewhere? Hardly anyone gets to see it locked away inside a mountain.”

  “You are correct, but no doubt you will soon realize that collecting—or hoarding as it is called now—is a vampire trait. We do not easily give up our acquisitions.” He gave me an odd look. “Things or people.”

  I was tired enough to blurt out what was on my mind without censoring it. Not a great idea when talking to vampires. “Why did you look at me like that? Are you saying I’m now your acquisition?”

  The corners of his lips rose. “No. Not mine.”

  “What—?”

  “You asked about vampires and church. You might be surprised to learn that many vampires are attracted to the energy surrounding religious sites. The vibrational field is permeated with the hopes, dreams, and fears of untold numbers of humans, not to mention an aura of death. Hiding in churches and temples was—and is—a common occurrence with the undead. Humans rarely have the courage to open the coffins of historical figures or loved ones to chase away a temporary bloodsucking lodger. Consequently churches are relatively safe havens for vampires. And of course Devereux has informed you that religion has no effect on us, one way or the other.”

  A blur of motion off to the side startled me, and I gasped.

  “There you are.” A tall, indescribably handsome male appeared on the other side of Zephyr. He was dressed in a modern dark-gray European business suit and matching shirt. His wavy ebony hair flowed inches past his shoulders. “I have been waiting to meet the charming and famous vampire shrink, and here you are, monopolizing her with one of your tedious tours. I should have known.”

  “You are so impatient, Dracul,” Zephyr said. “One would think that someone as old as you would have figured out the meaninglessness of time by now.” He turned to me and nodded at the new arrival. “Doctor Knight, allow me to introduce the infamous Dracul.”

  No way—Dracula? He doesn’t look anything like the pictures of the warrior he’s supposed to be based on. The live version is a vast improvement.

  Since I hadn’t been able to tear away my attention from the gorgeous man since he showed up, my gaze remained cemented to his. An exotic aroma surrounded him, and I inhaled the enticing fragrance, which caused my heart to flutter. As I stared into his dark eyes, I suddenly thought about the picture I must have presented with my tangled hair pulled back into a messy ponytail and no makeup. For some reason not looking my best felt unacceptable. I wanted to please him. I had an overwhelming urge to rip off my clothes and press my naked body against him.

  Uh-oh. What’s happening?

  He smiled and stepped toward me, displaying even white teeth and dimples. He unbuttoned my coat and pushed it down my arms until it dropped to the floor. “In my time, there was much poverty. Women did not have the luxury of wearing makeup. I am accustomed to appreciating the natural beauty of the females under my care.” He lifted my hand and kissed it. “You, Doctor Knight”—his eyes scanned my body, lingering on my breasts—“are exquisite.”

  “Er, thank you.” He was the most amazing-looking individual I’d ever seen: exotic, with perfect facial structure and features. I couldn’t drag my eyes away from his. And as I watched, his irises changed from almost-black to blood-red. I groaned and moved closer.

  He wrapped me in his arms.

  “Dracul! Stop it.” Zephyr grasped my shoulder and tugged in an unsuccessful attempt to pull me away. “We have business to attend to. I don’t think Doctor Knight came here to be seduced by the Dragon.”

  “Do not be such a spoilsport, Zephyr. There is plenty of time for everything. Perhaps she would like to be seduced. Let us ask her. Doctor Knight?”

  “Yes. I really would,” I said, without conscious thought. Did I say that?

  “You know full well she will not be able to make an informed decision. She is the prop— er … friend … of an important vampire,” Zephyr said. “You have already entranced her. Why must you arouse every female within miles of you? Surely you must be satiated by now.”

  Dracul rubbed his hands up and down my back, pulling me tighter against his firm chest. “I am fully aware of whose property she is. And you know I cannot help it—I am a prisoner of my urges. You are lucky to be free of sexual desire. It can be a harsh taskmaster.”

  Zephyr finally managed to pull me away from Dracul and snapped his fingers in front of my eyes. “Doctor Knight.” He lifted my coat from the ground and held it out for me to put on.

  Startled, I came back to myself. Shit! How had Dracul done that? Was he able to override my brain’s protection, too? I slipped into the coat and re-buttoned it.

  “Yes,” Zephyr answered, “indirectly. Dracul has the ability to borrow vampiric gifts. In my presence, he is able to use my ability to access anyone’s brain. I apologize—I should have warned you. He is what would these days be called a sex fiend.”

  “Um, probably not a sex fiend,” I said, grinning at the 1950s-type reference. “That’s a little dated. Maybe a sex addict, though.”

  Dracul gave a charming smile. “I love it when people talk about me and my idiosyncrasies.”

  Zephyr sent Dracul a frustrated frown then looked at me. “Ordinarily, perhaps, Doctor. But in Dracul’s case, I believe the word fiend is appropriate. Come.” He eased his arm around my shoulders. “Let us address the issue that provoked your visit.”

  “Wait,” Dracul said, stepping in front of me, his expression serious. “The reason I wanted to meet you was that I wish to make a confession and to caution you, Doctor Knight. First, I believe I may be responsible for the insanity of the human who now torments you as the vampire who calls himself Lucifer. R
ather an arrogant name, yes?”

  Zephyr dropped his arm from around me and sighed.

  At the mention of Lucifer’s name, my stomach twisted. He knows about the psychotic’s behavior? And he’s responsible for it? “What do you mean?”

  Dracul took my hands in his. “No doubt you have heard the story of my old friend Renfield? How he went mad as a result of my influence on his brain?”

  I nodded, uncomfortably familiar with the idea.

  “Of course, that was not his real name. I asked Bram to disguise everyone except me.” He bowed. “I do enjoy being notorious. Consequently it will likely come as no surprise that I have had many human slaves in addition to Renfield over the centuries. A hundred years ago, I met a religious man when I was traveling through the mountains of the American south. Quite insightful and intuitive, actually, because he recognized my darkness immediately. He erroneously assumed I was a literal demon, but I became fascinated by his ability to sense me. I had to have him.”

  “Brother Luther?”

  Dracul looked up and to the side for a few seconds, remembering. “Yes, I think that was his name. His sensitivity worked against him because he lasted barely a decade before his mind completely broke, and he began displaying other personalities. Several of them. Being the mischievous bloodsucker that I am, I thought it would be fun to bring him over, to hold onto him for his entertainment value.”

  “You turned him after he was insane?”

  “Yes. It was very amusing, for a while. Just imagine how strong he was, since I sired him. But as so often happens, I quickly lost interest, and the last time he escaped, I did not bother sending anyone to find him. In fact”—he squeezed my hands—“I forgot all about him. He only came to my attention again a decade ago, when the elders met to share future visions.”

  “Lucifer was in the elders’ visions? Does that mean you’ll be able to help capture him before he kills more innocent humans?”

  He leaned in and kissed my cheek, his eyes still deep red. “We did see him, but no—according to the vision, everything must unfold as foretold. I’m merely giving you this information to help you understand the roots of his derangement, for your own edification. I thought it was the least I could do since my offspring has become obsessed with you and caused you so much trouble.” He released my hands.

  “Do you know why he’s obsessed with me, or is that some mysterious secret?”

  “I know exactly why he is interested in you, and it is not a secret at all. In fact, the reason is quite banal. It happens all the time.”

  “What happens all the time?”

  “Familiarity. When I met Lucifer in his human form as the religious man, he was already slightly mad. His wife had just died in childbirth, along with the babe.” He chuckled. “The poor sod actually sought me out and, believing I was a literal demon, asked me if I could bring her back. By the time he invited me to her body, it was too late. Her form was cold, and her crimson essence congealed.”

  “That’s horrible.”

  “Yes, it was. I would have enjoyed drinking her blood. What a waste. But the wife was quite lovely, even in death. She had dark hair and blue eyes.”

  “You mean—”

  “Yes, you look quite like her. So when Lucifer saw you, it was undead déjà vu. He does not know why he wants you, since he is unaware of his other personalities. He only knows he does. Long ago, Brother Luther convinced himself that his wife and child had been taken by God for some infraction on her part; consequently Lucifer is not only attracted to you, he also needs to punish you. He has no idea why.”

  “So,” I said, mostly to myself, “he’s just reacting to a memory.”

  “Yes. Unfortunately for you.”

  “You’re just going to let him continue murdering people? You don’t care about that?”

  Zephyr answered. “As a rule, we never involve ourselves in the affairs of humans. Vampires have always preyed upon mortals—it is simply the way of nature. But we do try to control situations that might bring unwanted attention to us.”

  “Although some of us long for the olden days when vampires ruled the food chain,” Dracul said. “As so often happens, visions of many possible futures were explored, and it is just as likely as not that vampires will triumph.”

  “This is not the appropriate time or place for such a discussion, Dragon,” Zephyr said, his tone hostile.

  “Ah, yes—we should not discuss vampire politics in front of Devereux’s human toy, but I doubt very much if she is aware of his work to keep the undead cowering in the dark, pretending to be humans with fangs.”

  “Enough, Dracul!” He turned to me. “Come. We must conclude our business.” He clutched my shoulders again.

  “One more thing,” Dracul said. “Most people believe I am the oldest vampire on Earth because I am the most well known, but that is not the case. There is one who is much older. He is my maker. You would do well to ensure you do not come to his attention in the future.”

  He bowed, then vanished.

  “What does that mean?” I said just as Zephyr tightened his grip and we moved through time and space. Had Dracul said that last thing about his maker to scare me? I didn’t see how I could be any more frightened than I already was. After meeting him, I definitely preferred the movie versions to the real thing.

  This time we landed in a vast area that actually looked like a library, a closed-up, musty smell thick in the air. Thousands—millions?—of bookshelves filled with all manner of books, scrolls, papyri, and loose pages, each tome or collection enclosed in a glass box, filled the area as far as the eye could see.

  After my head cleared from the trip, and I was confident I could remain upright, I walked to the closest shelf and peered into one of the clear containers. I stared at the non-English text. “Is this where the special ancient vampire knowledge is kept?”

  “Yes. This is the small library.”

  I looked at him to see if he was joking. If there was a larger room than this, I couldn’t imagine it. “Really? This is small?”

  He laughed. “Comparatively speaking.” He pointed to a nearby round wooden table and two chairs. A jumbo book with an ornate jewel-and-silver-encrusted cover filled the center of the table. “Please sit. Be comfortable.”

  I did as he asked, pulling my coat more tightly around me. We must have been farther underground because it was colder than at the previous locations. I could actually see my breath, like being in a meat locker.

  Meat locker. Am I the meat? That thought sent a shiver of fear through me that had nothing to do with the cold.

  Zephyr claimed the other chair and waved his hands over me. I immediately felt warmer.

  “No, Doctor Knight, you are not the meat. Not that meat plays any role in a vampire’s diet.” He smiled at my frown. “But you were thinking metaphorically, of course. You might as well relax.” He pointed to the edge of the seat where I was perched. “We are going to be here for a little while.”

  I scooted back in the chair, suddenly nervous about the magic spell I’d apparently signed myself up for.

  “We will not be performing a magic spell today.”

  I tensed. “I don’t understand. I thought you’d decided to help me so I could benefit the vampire community. Has something changed?” Knowing I was broadcasting my thoughts to him as clearly as if I was speaking them aloud, I tried not to give vent to all the worst-case scenarios crowding my consciousness.

  “I should have said, we will not be using only a spell. I will help you, but first I must explain why your situation is complicated. Please continue to breathe—I would hate to have to give you mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.”

  He was right. I had stopped breathing, so I shuddered out a burst of air, feeling dizzy. “Complicated?”

  “Yes.” He pulled the book across the tabletop and patted the cover. “There is a spell in here, one I created myself, that works perfectly for ordinary humans.”

  “Ordinary humans? Are you saying I’m n
ot one of those? I keep hearing that, and I wish someone would explain—”

  “Yes, yes. I know. You are unique, but that is not what I am referring to in this instance. For us, your non-ordinariness comes from the fact that you’ve already drunk the blood of several very powerful vampires, including Devereux. That changes everything. And it constitutes a major part of your difficulty.”

  “My brain is being destroyed because I drank blood at the ritual? I thought it was because all vampires give off a vibration that’s damaging to humans. I’m so confused.”

  “Merlin’s Fangs!” Annoyed, he slapped the table. “I am not accustomed to speaking with humans. You all ask so many questions! Let me begin again. Perhaps I can be more succinct. It is true that all vampires negatively affect human brain physiology over time. The stronger the vampire, the more profound the effect. Not to be indelicate, but this has not been a big problem in the past since most vampires did not keep their humans alive long enough for the damage to become apparent. And in the rare cases where the mortals were exposed longer—as Dracul mentioned—they all lost their rational minds. Do you follow?”

  My stomach tightened at his blunt reminder. Whatever I decided about my future work, I couldn’t let myself forget who—or what—I was dealing with. If there was no way to keep my brain safe, I would be out of the vampire counseling business. “Yes. I understand. Go on.”

  He nodded, no doubt having heard my inner debate. “Let us use the example of Renfield. Had Dracul come to me and asked that I use the spell on his … associate … he would have been able to retain his faculties. He could have served his Master for as long as Dracul wished, since the human was controlled by him mentally and not through blood sharing. Of course the Dragon would do no such thing, since he enjoys being sadistic and liked watching Renfield go mad. But since you have shared blood with vampires, and your energy field already had unique qualities that enhance you—making you sort of a human-plus—you are in a different category.”

  Yes! Finally, someone who knows.

  “Human-plus?” I leaned forward. “I really want to hear more about that. What—?”