The Tomb of Blood

by Britney Jackson

  “She lied to me,” Audrey said. “She let me believe that she was still human when she was really a monster. You’re not taking that knowledge from me now. I deserve to know the truth about the person who called herself my friend.”

  “I am your friend,” Rose sighed.

  “She had no choice,” Kallias told Audrey. “Humans aren’t supposed to know about vampires…which is exactly why I need to erase your memory.”

  “I already knew about vampires,” Audrey reminded him, rolling her eyes. “I just didn’t know that she was one.” She gestured angrily toward Rose.

  “She’s right,” Rose said. “She already knew about vampires, which means there’s no reason to erase her memory. She has a right to know the truth about me and decide whether or not she still wants me as a friend.”

  Kallias scowled at Rose. “It sounds like she’s already decided.”

  Rose shrugged tiredly. “She has a right to that decision.”

  “This is dangerous, Rose,” Kallias said quietly. “She knows too much.”

  “It’ll be fine,” Rose sighed. “Let’s just go. I need a shower.”

  “Yeah, you do,” Audrey agreed, scowling at the blood that covered Rose’s face and clothes. “And I’m coming with you because I need to know whether Erik is a vampire, too. If I find out that asshole is a vampire, and he kissed me anyway…” She trailed off ominously, a murderous gleam in her golden eyes.

  Kallias winced. “Uh-oh. Should I call and warn him?” he asked Rose.

  Rose scowled at him. “Uh, I don’t think the Alana-is-alive conversation is a conversation that should happen over the phone,” she reminded him.

  “Right,” Kallias said with a horrified grimace. “This is going to be bad.”

  “Understatement of the year,” Rose agreed.

  —

  Erik stood as Kallias, Rose, and Audrey came around the corner. His eyes widened as he swept his gaze over Rose, noticing the blood that matted her messy, red hair, the blood that stained her face and neck, and the blood that soaked her black T-shirt. The scents of both her blood and Kallias’s blood filled his senses. “What the hell happened to you?” he sputtered as they approached.

  Audrey marched directly toward him and reached up, grabbing his face with one hand and prying his lips open with the other. He watched her bewilderedly as she looked inside his mouth. “Asshole!” she snarled when saw the two razor-sharp fangs. “How did you hide those when you were kissing me?”

  Erik flashed a cocky smirk. “I have a very talented tongue.”

  “A dirty joke? Right now?” Audrey said bitterly. “Classy, Erik. Classy.”

  “Does someone want to tell me what’s going on?” Erik asked nervously.

  “And tell your psychotic ex-girlfriends to leave me alone,” Audrey said. “Seriously, they can have you. I don’t want you. I’m not interested in monsters.”

  Erik frowned at Rose and Kallias. “Psychotic ex-girlfriend?”

  “To be honest, I’m not sure she knows she’s an ex,” Rose told him.

  “What the hell are you guys talking about?” Erik exclaimed. “And Rose, I can see your breasts. Not that I’m complaining. I’m just saying…that hole in your shirt is directly over your heart, which seems…bad. So, what happened?”

  “Alana forced Audrey to stab Rose in the heart,” Kallias answered.

  Erik stared blankly at him. “Er…what did you just say?”

  “Kallias doesn’t know the meaning of the word tact,” Rose muttered.

  Kallias shrugged. “Alana isn’t dead, Erik. We were wrong.”

  “I think I’m hallucinating,” Erik said. “I keep hearing you say Alana.”

  “Erik,” Rose sighed, giving him a sympathetic look. “She’s alive. She tricked you into thinking that she was dead, but she’s not. She never was.”

  “That’s not possible,” Erik mumbled, his brows furrowing.

  “You said you’ve been dreaming about her, Erik,” Rose reminded him.

  “Yeah,” Erik said slowly. He shrugged. “So?”

  “She’s a telepath. She’s been making you dream about her,” Rose said.

  “What makes you think that?” Kallias asked curiously.

  Rose turned so that she could look at both Erik and Kallias at the same time. “Do you guys remember when I had that dream in the hotel room? I said that a woman showed up in my dream,” she reminded them. “It was Alana.”

  “You dreamed about Alana, and you didn’t tell us?” Kallias asked.

  Rose scowled at him. “I didn’t know that it was Alana, genius.”

  “I dreamed about her that same night,” Erik mumbled.

  “Yeah, I remember,” Rose said. “That’s my point. She got into your mind, and then, she got into mine. Which means…she was probably nearby.”

  “We would have noticed her scent,” Kallias argued.

  Rose shrugged. “Maybe. Or maybe not. Maybe we were distracted.”

  “How can you be so sure that it was Alana?” Erik asked hoarsely.

  “Blonde, beautiful, seductive, psychotic, likes to play mind games, and telepathic,” Rose said, listing each trait on her fingers. “I think that covers it.”

  “It was definitely Alana,” Kallias agreed. “I saw her thoughts.”

  “That…can’t be true,” Erik stammered.

  “Yeah, I’m not even going to pretend to know what’s going on right now,” Audrey said suddenly. “It’s been a long day. I may have failed at saving a friend’s life. I was attacked by a monster. I found out my best friend is also a monster. I found out that a monster kissed me. And now, I just don’t want to be around a bunch of monsters. So, I’m going back to my apartment to take a bath.”

  “You can’t,” Rose said worriedly. “What if Alana attacks you again?”

  Audrey shrugged. “Fine, I’ll take a bath and drink a bottle of wine.”

  “You need to stay with us,” Rose told her. “We can protect you.”

  Audrey laughed bitterly. “Sure, that makes sense. Because I’m afraid of a monster, I should stay with three monsters. I’m not that bad at math, Rose.”

  “I’m your friend, Audrey,” Rose said, desperate to make her understand.

  “No, Rose,” Audrey said coldly. “My friend is dead. You are a monster.”

  “And you are a bitch,” Erik said suddenly. When Audrey glared at him, he just offered her one of his charming smiles. “I still think you’re hot, though.”

  “I’m leaving,” Audrey snarled.

  Rose watched helplessly as Audrey spun around and started walking down the sidewalk alone, in the general direction of their apartment. She wanted to chase after her, but she felt as if her insides were shattering into billions of pieces. “Alana was right,” she realized. “She told me that this would happen.”

  “She told you what would happen?” Kallias asked.

  “In the dream,” Rose said. “She said that Audrey would react this way.”

  “It was your fear,” Erik said, his voice strangely impassive, as if he were still in shock. “She was using your fears to manipulate you. That’s what she does. On some level, you must’ve known that Audrey wouldn’t be able to handle this.”

  “I don’t know what to do,” Rose whispered, breathing deeply as she tried to hold back the unshed tears that burned in her eyes. “Audrey obviously doesn’t want me anywhere near her, and I don’t want to make things worse. But Alana knows that Audrey is important to me. What if she attacks her again?”

  “I’ll follow her,” Erik offered. “I actually enjoy making things worse.”

  Rose scowled at him. “I noticed. Don’t call her that again, by the way.”

  “What? Bitch?” Erik scoffed. “I can feel your emotions, Rose.”

  She frowned. “What does that have to do with anything?”

  “She hurt you,” Erik explained. “She hurt you so badly that I actually feel like crying right now, but that would make me look pretty ridiculous, considering you�
�re not even crying yet. The point is…she deserves a lot worse.”

  Rose smiled tiredly at him. “She’s my best friend, Erik.”

  “And you’re my friend,” Erik said. “I don’t like seeing you like this.”

  Rose tilted her head to the side, a grateful smile pulling at her lips. She stepped forward and put her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly. “You’re my friend, too,” she mumbled against his chest. “Please, make sure she’s safe.”

  Erik wrapped his arms around her back, returning the hug. “Of course.”

  “Um…Erik,” Rose gasped against his chest. “You’re crushing me.”

  “Oh. Oops,” Erik said. He released her and stepped back. “I like hugs.”

  Rose rubbed at her sore ribs. “I can see that,” she said hoarsely.

  Kallias took a step back as Erik approached him. “Don’t even try it.”

  “Aw, come on,” Erik complained. “You never hug me.”

  “I realize that,” Kallias said, “and I intend for it to stay that way.”

  “Fine,” Erik pouted. “I’ll see you guys later.”

  “Hey, Erik,” Kallias called as Erik turned to leave. “Be careful.”

  Erik shrugged. “Don’t worry. Alana would never kill me,” he said with a bitter edge to his voice. “If I died, she would have to stop tormenting me.”

  —

  Audrey rounded the corner and ran directly into a tall, solid object. She stumbled backward, but his hands clasped around her shoulders, catching her against him. When it occurred to her that she’d run into a person, she screamed.

  Erik pushed her against the wall of the building and covered her mouth with his hand. “Relax,” he sighed, calming her with his abilities. “It’s just me.”

  She stared at him, her brows furrowing, as strange, serene emotions washed over her. She thought that she should panic, scream, yell…but her emotions weren’t cooperating, for some reason. When he finally uncovered her mouth, she repeated, “Relax? It’s just you? You are a vampire! How can I relax?!”

  Erik covered her mouth again. “Sorry about this,” he said, smiling at her, “but I can’t uncover your mouth until you stop screaming about vampires.”

  She sighed against his hand and looked up at him, hoping to convey with her eyes that she was finished screaming. But as she looked up at him, her breath caught in her throat, just like it always did when she looked at him. His features were so perfect—his bright green eyes, his boyish grin, his clean-shaven jaw, his wavy, blonde hair. She didn’t even notice when he removed his hand.

  Erik grinned at her. “You were saying, kitten?”

  Audrey blinked, suddenly realizing that she was gawking at him…again. “Right,” she said irritably, “I was saying that I don’t want to see you right now.”

  “Then, maybe you should stop staring at me,” Erik quipped.

  “Funny,” Audrey said sarcastically. “Let me be clear: leave me alone.”

  “Sorry, princess,” Erik said, offering her a charming smile, “but I can’t do that. I promised Rose that I’d see you home safely. You see, my ex-girlfriend, as it turns out, is still alive, and in case you didn’t notice, she is a psychotic bitch.”

  “Oh. I noticed,” Audrey assured him.

  “Good,” he said, nodding. “Then, you understand why I’m here.”

  “No,” she snapped. “Tell Rose that I don’t want her help. Or yours.”

  His bright green eyes narrowed at her. “Your friend cares about you.”

  “My friend—or former friend, actually—is a monster,” Audrey snarled, “just like you.” She stepped past him with every intention of walking away.

  But his hand caught her arm. Then, with no warning, he slammed her against the wall again. He leaned against her, pinning her hands against the wall. All of the boyishness and playfulness had vanished from his face. He now looked terrifyingly furious. “No,” he growled at her. “Rose is not like me. Do you know how many people I’ve killed? No. Of course you don’t. Because I don’t even know. I have murdered more people than I can count. On my first night as a vampire, I murdered fifteen women before I stopped, and even then, I only stopped because Kara—an old friend of mine—forced me to stop. Alana found the entire ordeal amusing. She said that she wanted to see how many women I would kill before my hunger was sated. Luckily, her girlfriend didn’t want to bury an entire village. That is what a monster is, Audrey. I am a monster. Rose is not.”

  Audrey trembled, her eyes wide with terror, as she struggled against him.

  Erik froze suddenly, his green eyes softening with sympathy. “Oh, no. I’ve terrified you,” he sighed regretfully. He pressed his hand against her face, projecting calming emotions to her. “I’m sorry I scared you. I lost control of my anger. I haven’t killed a human in over a thousand years. I would never kill you.”

  “What are you doing to me?” Audrey asked, confused by her emotions.

  “I’m calming you,” Erik explained. “I’m an empath. It’s a psychic ability, like your precognition. But instead of seeing the future, I control emotions.”

  “Rose told you about my dreams?” Audrey asked.

  “She didn’t have a choice,” Erik said as he removed his hand from her face. “You saw my best friend dying, remember? Rose and I had to save him.”

  Audrey’s brows creased with worry. “Is that why she became a monster? Because of my dream? Did something happen to her after she saved Kallias?”

  “She survived that night,” Erik told her. “It was later when she died.”

  “Died?” she repeated, her voice hollow. “What do you mean by that?”

  “I mean exactly what I said,” Erik said, shrugging. “Rose died. Her heart stopped beating. She was gone. I had to watch my best friend grieve for her. I had to feel his emotions. And I couldn’t let him suffer like that. So, I made the decision, and I don’t feel any remorse for that decision. I saved my best friend an eternity of grief, and I gave Rose—who is also my friend—the chance to live. As a vampire, yes. But it’s life. In my opinion, that is still better than death. But…if you want to be angry about what Rose is, you should be angry at me.”

  “So, it was you,” Audrey said. “You turned her. Not Kallias.”

  “Kallias just took the blame,” Erik confirmed.

  “Then, I hate you,” Audrey snarled. “I’d rather she be dead than this.”

  “Then, you’re not much of a friend, now are you?” Erik said. He let out a short, barking laugh. “Humans are such babies about things like this. You can’t handle change. You can’t handle people being different from you. I can’t believe I, of all people, am saying this, but…grow up. So, your friend changed. So, she’s different. Accept her for who she is now. If you can’t, you don’t deserve her.”

  Audrey glared at him. “You are an asshole.”

  “What I am is someone who is willing to say exactly what you need to hear,” Erik argued, “and I know that makes me seem like an asshole. That’s okay with me.” He flashed a cocky smirk. “I can get away with it because I’m hot.”

  She couldn’t help but smile at that. “Why must you be so hot?”

  “It’s a vampire thing,” Erik told her.

  Her smile faded. “Oh.”

  “I am walking you home, and you can’t stop me,” Erik said. “If you want me to leave afterward, I will. But I promised Rose I would see you home.”

  “Fine,” Audrey said stoically, stepping away from the wall. “But once I get home, I want you to leave, and then, I don’t ever want to see you again.”

  Erik nodded. “If that’s what you want.”

  “And I don’t ever want to see Rose again either,” Audrey added.

  Kara Unnarsdóttir

  “Why is it so cold here?” Rose complained, shivering as an icy wind blew through the empty parking lot. She tossed two duffel bags into the trunk of the rental car and raked her fingers through her tangled, recently slept-on hair.

  “Becaus
e it’s Northern Europe,” Erik said, “and you’re from Florida.”

  Rose flipped the hood of her black hoodie up over her long, auburn hair and crossed her arms across her chest. She shuddered as another gust of wind enveloped her. “I would have brought a coat, but I don’t think I even own one.”

  Erik snorted at that. He leaned lazily against the small, beige rental car as they waited for Kallias to finish talking to the pilot. “The cold doesn’t bother me. When I was human, my mother used to say that I was bred for the cold. Apparently, she and my father…eh…created me during a snowstorm.”

  Rose wrinkled her nose. “Vikings have no concept of too much information, do they?” she asked, watching as her breath poured out of her mouth like smoke.

  “No,” Erik said with a playful grin. “We really don’t.”

  Rose rolled her eyes. “So, what is the plan? Where do we go from here?”

  “Hmm,” Erik said thoughtfully, tilting his head back against the hood of the car, staring up at the black sky. “Step one is to find a beautiful woman.”

  Rose scowled at him. “How will that help?”

  “It will help me have a great night,” he said easily, as if it were obvious.

  She rolled her eyes again. “I mean…how will that help us find Alana?”

  “Oh,” he said, his smile fading. “Hang on. I’ll try to think of a good lie.”

  She sighed, “Do we even know where we’re staying during the day yet?”

  “Nope,” Erik said. “Probably a hotel of some kind.”

  “Then, first, we need a place to stay during the day,” Rose said. “Right?”

  “I guess so,” Erik groaned. “Why do you have to be so boring?”

  Kallias suddenly appeared beside them, moving so quickly that Rose and Erik didn’t even realize that he’d finished talking to the pilot until they saw him.

  Erik and Rose both jumped, startled by his sudden appearance.

  “Get in the car,” Kallias growled as he swept his gaze around the empty parking lot. His brown eyes narrowed at a wall of five tall, block buildings just beyond the parking lot. “Rose! Did you not hear me? Get in the car! Now!”