Death of Night

by Krissy Reynolds

  Anna gave a small sound. Lester leaned closer to me, and breathed in deeply. "She smells like him."

  Ophelia laughed. "I know! Isn't it just the oddest thing?"

  I suddenly wished Liam was here with me to explain. I didn't want to tell them Callum had purposely marked me as his own by giving me the jacket. Anna might have a heart attack by the way she was staring at me like that. I decided to shrug. It said nothing and everything at the same time.

  Raven turned her almond eyes to me. "Are you the one who pissed Rhiannon off?"

  "Oh," I said sheepishly. "Yeah."

  Raven closed her eyes and smiled. "Brownie point for you," she said.

  Ophelia smoothed out her dress, then looked sideways at me. "Is it true that you made one of us bleed?" she asked quietly.

  Michel choked. The others focused on me. I reached up to fiddle with my earring. Callum had said that only vampires can make vampires bleed. I muttered, "Yeah."

  The vampires sat up straight. They weren't scared. It was more a kind of alertness.

  I didn't want to be in this room any longer. "Can I see Cal—Mr. Knightley any time soon?" I asked, correcting myself.

  Ophelia licked her lips, and relaxed into the couch. "Aren't you having fun?"

  "Not really," I responded truthfully.

  Anna sucked her bottom lip under her teeth and drew it out. "You don't want to stay for the party?" she asked me. She fluttered her mascara-laden eyelashes.

  "What party?" I asked slowly.

  Anna leaned forward over her knees, and moved to touch my leg. She was making me really uncomfortable. I pulled my leg away. Ophelia grabbed Anna's small, chubby hand, and set it back in her lap. "I don't think my Dahlia wants to join our little party," she said to her.

  "Why not?" Anna sulked.

  "I don't think she's up for the kind of action we have planned," Chantal said with a husky voice.

  Anna put a hand to her neck. She pulled down the ribbon of her skimpy halter top, and touched a set of scars. She smiled at me while she did it. My stomach filled with revulsion as I realized the white scar tissue was in the shape of bite marks. My eyes went to Michel, and I counted four sets of teeth marks through the neck of his holey shirt. I swallowed and looked down at my hands. So that's why there were humans in Mr. Knightley's house. They were food.

  I saw Ophelia's wavy brown hair dip and brush the couch as she ducked down to look at my face. "Mr. Knightley was right; you are new to our world."

  I swallowed and looked up into her hazel eyes. "It's been about a week."

  Raven laughed loudly from the armchair next to me. "A week?" she said. "No wonder."

  "You've been attacked twice by vampires in one week, and you're still standing?" Michel asked, impressed.

  "Well, that's mostly because of Callum," I waved my hand to show it wasn't all that impressive.

  "Did Mr. Knightley really give you his blood?" Chantal asked, her brown eyes shining with interest and curiosity.

  "Yes," I said.

  "Did it taste good?" Anna asked.

  I frowned, fighting back my disgust at her question. "I don't know," I replied slowly. "I don't have anything to compare it to."

  The vampires laughed. The humans looked jealous.

  Lester folded his lanky frame into an armchair. He smiled at me, his canines flashing. "You can stay and play with us if you want. I'm sure Mr. Knightley won't mind."

  "No thanks," I said politely, and then asked, "Why do you call him Mr. Knightley? I mean, you live in the same house and everything."

  Lester inhaled, and replied calmly, "Mr. Knightley is our master."

  "Did he—" I struggled to remember the word "—sire you?"

  "No," Chantal cut in. "We are under his leadership. Most of us move around from master to master."

  I nodded like I understood. "Mr. Knightley said something about becoming a master at such a young age was rare."

  Chantal smiled, showing brilliant white teeth. "Oh, yes. There are only a couple high masters in each state. Mr. Knightley is the youngest there is. Most are at least a thousand years old."

  I cleared my throat. My head felt light. "High masters?"

  Ophelia ran a hand through her waves. "In our hierarchy, there are the newer undead at the bottom, then the masters, and then the high masters. Usually masters are heads of small groups, and the high masters are the heads of the masters. Though Mr. Knightley is a high master, he does not wish to be in control of other masters. So, as an exception, he acts more as a master than a high master."

  Anna sighed. "It sounds all complicated to a human."

  Raven gave her a disparaging look from her armchair, and then looked at me. "I think what you want to know is that Mr. Knightley is big cheese."

  I mustered a thankful smile. "Yeah. What's Damien, then?"

  Chantal and Lester exchanged looks, but Ophelia was the one who answered me. "Damien is not a master, but a leader of his little group," she explained. "His master is Thanatos."

  My lips parted in disbelief. "Thanatos? That guy Callum's talking to right now?" I asked quickly.

  Ophelia nodded. "Thanatos is on his way to becoming a high master."

  "He's jealous of Mr. Knightley," Lester said, sounding quite delighted about it.

  "Why's Thanatos talking to him?" I asked.

  Ophelia laughed her throaty laugh, and said, "He's furious that he bested five of his vampires in about one minute."

  "That, and he's mad Mr. Knightley protected you," Lester jumped in.

  I bit my lip. "Why did he protect me?" I asked.

  All four vampires shrugged. That really answered my question.

  I decided to ask a different question. "Why aren't you guys trying to kill me? Or turn me?"

  Lester grinned at me. It was not a nice grin. "We would, except our master has said not to. He hasn't chosen a side, so neither have we."

  The door suddenly opened and a gust of cool air blew on my back. I twisted around to see Liam. He wasn't a happy camper. His eyes had gone jet black, and his teeth were bared. He took one look at me, then at Ophelia.

  "Ophelia!" he barked. "Why did you bring her here? I've been looking for her for the past five minutes."

  She smiled, slow and coy. "Sorry," she said insincerely. "I thought you would be able to follow her scent."

  Liam shut the door behind him. He came over to us, and sat in a wicker chair. His leather pants glinted a dull black in the lights of the room.

  I gave him a look. "Is Callum ready to see—"

  I stopped. My skin was prickling. The hair on the back of my neck stood up. I shivered uncontrollably. Something was stirring in the air. It was power. And it wasn't coming from inside this room. I turned to look at the rest of them to see if they felt it, too. They were just staring at me.

  "Don't you feel that?" I whispered to them.

  Liam stiffened. "What?"

  "It feels like—" I decided on the wording "—like power."

  Liam stood up in a flash. He exchanged panicked looks with the other vampires. "Thanatos," he muttered.

  "Thanatos?" I choked out.

  "He's coming," he said.

  I stood as well. Liam was completely still. "Doesn't he want to kill me?" I asked loudly.

  No one spoke. Not even Anna. Panic slid through me. "Hey! Answer me!"

  Liam grabbed me and swung me behind him without me realizing it. "Quiet," he said.

  Ophelia stood up, her satin dress falling around her knees. "Hiding her isn't going to work, Liam. Her scent is too distinct."

  Thanatos' power was growing stronger. I don't know how to explain it. It's like being in a sauna and you put more water on the rocks. It gets hotter, so hot that you can't breathe right.

  "Don't I smell like Callum?" I whispered. "Won't that keep him off me?"

  Liam snorted. "I told you not to let it give you a false sense of security."

  "Yeah, but—"

  Chantal had stood, too. "He transferred his scent to her on p
urpose?" she said, stunned.

  "Yes," he answered.

  Now all the vampires were standing. "What?" Lester hissed.

  "He gave her the jacket," Liam gestured behind to point at me.

  The power of Thanatos vibrated through me. "He's getting closer," I muttered.

  "How does she know?" Anna squeaked.

  No one bothered to answer her. I think we all knew the answer.

  Thanatos was so close it hurt. I heard footsteps coming down the hallway, sharp and quick.

  "What do we do?" Chantal asked.

  Liam said to the others, "Distract him."

  He pushed me down on the couch behind me the moment the door flung open. His body pressed against mine, and I could feel his breath on my neck. "What are you doing?" I whispered hoarsely.

  "Act like Anna," he whispered into my ear.

  Act like Anna. That really told me a lot. Liam nestled his face into the side of my neck. I knew Anna had scars on her neck in the shape of teeth. Oh.

  The power had settled in, washing over me. My own power had begun to rise in response to it, and I knew Thanatos must be in the room. I heard Anne's voice purr, "Come to join the party?"

  "Where is she?" said an unfamiliar voice. It was deep and husky, cavernous, if a voice could be so. I yearned to see the face that went with the voice, but I was forced to be harassed by Liam's sharp teeth. I put my hands on his back, and moved into the crease of the couch so no one could see my face but Liam. Liam shifted to cover all of me, and placed his fangs on the side of my neck gently.

  "Get off me, stupid human," Thanatos' voice snarled. "Where is she?"

  Ophelia's voice sounded soothing as she asked, "Who?"

  "You know who," he snapped, and footsteps came closer to the couch I was laying on.

  My breath was coming and going in short bursts. I could hardly breathe with the strength of Thanatos' power and the weight of Liam's body. Liam's slick hair was rubbing against my cheek. It smelled faintly of citrus.

  The footsteps stopped. I held my breath. Suddenly, Liam was thrown off of me in one movement. He landed on the sofa where Anna and Michel had been sitting on. I looked up and matched the face to the voice.

  The vampire Thanatos was glaring down at me. He was short, fat, and had a receding hairline. He had small, beady eyes that were painted black with anger. He was wearing a necklace that seemed to be made of bone. A black cape was draped over his shoulders, making him look like the vampire cliché. I found myself wondering who had wanted him to live forever.

  I propped myself up on my elbows and smiled up at him. It wasn't forced, either, because I was still suppressing the laughter that threatened to bubble up. Thanatos stared at me for thirty full seconds, then reached down and grabbed me by the shirt. My smile faltered as I hung there, suspended, his thick fingers bunched around my t-shirt.

  "Fe fi fo fum," Thanatos leered, "I smell the blood of a little human."

  He was holding me up with one grubby hand, not looking strained in the least as I tried to struggle out of his grasp. The Firestar had slipped out of my waistband, its heaviness absent. I felt for it on the sofa underneath me, patting around until my hand met metal. Thanatos' small eyes had narrowed as he glared at me. He was too busy holding me up and fighting off Liam to notice I had the butt of the gun clutched in my right hand. My aching wrist pinched with the pull of the compact 9mm gun, but I shoved the pain aside and focused on what was happening.

  Liam had picked himself off the couch, and was currently attempting to throw himself Thanatos. Chantal and Lester were standing with their arms at their sides by the edge of the couch I was hovering above, doing nothing but watching. Ophelia and Raven had disappeared with Anna and Michel. I figured they were getting them out of harm's way.

  Thanatos licked his thin lips. With a little bald patch and a pot belly, he looked like a used car salesman. Just by looking at him, you could tell he was a slippery little bastard.

  "What is your name?" he asked me, black eyes probing. He had one hand behind him, keeping Liam at bay.

  I didn't think telling him my name would be a good idea, so I kept my mouth shut. My eyes darted around the room. No one was going to help me out. Lester and Chantal seemed to be enjoying the show, and Liam was getting nowhere. Where was Callum? I was being assaulted in his house. Shouldn't he be here? A sudden thought struck me. What if Thanatos had challenged him…and won?

  Thanatos was not a patient man. He shook me with such force that it knocked my breath out. "What is your name, girl?"

  I gripped the gun harder, slipping my index finger onto the trigger. I didn't say a word.

  "What is your name?" he shouted in my face. He shook me again, his cape coming loose from around his shoulders.

  I grimaced, turning my head to the side to escape the smell of his breath. It smelled metallic, like a rusty pole. I had a feeling the odor was of blood, and not a piece of metal. "Dahlia," I told him.

  Thanatos' hand whipped out of nowhere, and hit me square in the jaw. My skin went cold with numbness from the blow. Because of the threat to my safety, and my anger at being hit once again, the power rose in me. It filled my veins with warmth, and my head with bright white light. It took over, setting my mind to act with its otherworldly instinct, not my basic human one.

  I bent my leg at the knee and sent my boot up into Thanatos' stomach. He grunted, but didn't budge or loosen his grip. I kicked at him again, but he just sidestepped my flying foot.

  "You're the Flora?" Thanatos sneered. "I'm disappointed."

  "What did you expect?" I grumbled as I tried to send my left fist into his face. He caught it easily and threw it down into the couch.

  "Not you," he replied.

  Thanatos pulled me closer to his round face and took a deep breath. "You smell delectable, but you're nothing but flesh and bone."

  "And you're nothing but dead meat," I shot back.

  Thanatos reared, about to strike me with his fangs.

  The truth was that no one was coming to save me this time. So, I pulled out the Firestar from under me and pressed the barrel into his chest. He froze, and looked down slowly to look at the gun. A nasty smile spread across his face. "Bullets won't kill me, Flora."

  It was my turn to smile. "What about silver bullets?" I asked sweetly.

  Okay, so it was a bluff. I had remembered what Liam had said in the BMW about vampires' allergy to silver. It may have been a stupid thing to say, but the expression on Thanatos' face made it worth it. His eyes protruded out of their sockets, and he was left speechless, mouth moving but no words coming out. His fists tightened on my t-shirt, then dropped me back on the couch. I kept the trustworthy Firestar pointed at his heart as I scrambled to my feet.

  "Silver bullets won't kill me, either," he spat.

  "Maybe not," I replied, "but they won't do you a whole lot of good, will they?"

  Thanatos' beady eyes searched my face. I kept it carefully blank, except for the confident quirk of the lips to keep him on edge. He stood perfectly still, his cape trailing on the hardwood floors. "I was under the impression that you're new to this world," he said.

  I shrugged. "I catch on quick."

  Liam came to stand beside me. His fists were clenched at his sides. I looked sideways at him. He met my eyes, and widened his own. "Your eyes are black," he whispered.

  I was really going to have to look in the mirror the next time I felt this power coursing through me. My eyes were supposed to be a clear gray colour. The colour of smoke, or so I've been told. I hoped I didn't look like a pissed off vampire. Their irises were completely swallowed up by a black cloud, with no original colour showing through. It was disconcerting and quite disturbing. On the other hand, maybe I did want to look like that. May scare a few away.

  I ignored Liam's comment, and looked at Thanatos' squat figure standing four feet away. The gun was trained on his chest. I was proud of myself for keeping my hands relatively steady. I knew I couldn't shoot him because that would destroy my
threat of silver bullets. I didn't want to know what would happen if I shot at him with good ol' metal ones.

  Thanatos drew his cape around him in a flourish. "Go on," he egged, "shoot me with your pathetic excuse of a weapon."

  I blinked at the Firestar. "I can pop seven shots in your chest before you can say Dracula."

  "Care to test that theory?" Thanatos asked.

  Cold sweat broke out along my spine. "I wouldn't want to waste the bullets," I replied.

  Thanatos looked like a car salesman who just lost his best costumers. "I'm a vampire, foolish human. I could break your neck with my pinky finger."

  I didn't doubt it, so I said nothing in return. My arms were getting tired of holding the gun up in the air, but I didn't move. Liam changed his footing next to me, like he was preparing to jump. Thanatos shifted his eyes to him, and said, "Why, Liam. Since when have you started to protect humans?"

  Liam glared at him. Thanatos glared back. A used car salesman and an angry Elvis Presley. I would have laughed if it hadn't been for the glistening fangs.

  Liam told him, "Leave."

  Thanatos shook his head. "Not before I have her blood on my hands." He pointed at me.

  I took a step towards him. "That's not going to happen, fang-boy."

  Thanatos cackled with glee. "Fang-boy?" he repeated. "You are a brave one, Flora. You would make a good vampire."

  I gulped as he took a step in my direction. He was closing in the space between us. "Maybe I should turn you," he murmured. "Perhaps Damien was right."

  His white, stubby hand flashed out. I knew it must be moving at the speed of light, a blur of motion, but I saw it travel through the air slowly. My arm instinctively flew up and knocked it out of the way before it hit me. "Don't touch me," I snapped.

  "How did you—" Thanatos spluttered. He flexed his hand, staring at it blankly. He reached out again, and I grabbed his hand.

  "I said, don't touch me," I told him, twisting it, then throwing it down by his side.

  Thanatos crouched, a snarl ripping from his throat. The Firestar was shaking, and I tried to stop my hands from trembling. I backed up, but the back of my knees hit the edge of the couch.

  There was nothing I could do to stop Thanatos from killing me. The bullets in my gun would be about as useful as pelting acorns at him, and my fighting skills were nothing compared to his centuries of practice and training.