The Stage

by Catherine Russell

  “I could so get used to how this feels, how you feel…” I touched his face, the burning sensation of his venom just under my fingertips. I wanted to keep him prisoner for the night.

  “I think I can distract you,” he said, eying me sinfully. He knelt down and I hopped onto his back as the icy pellets came down faster. My nerves about free-falling were short-lived, however, as he didn’t go down. With the slightest of movements, he cleared the upper two stories of my building and softly landed on the roof. The city was magical up there. I wasn’t cold at all, thanks to the venom, so I took a moment to test my courage. I stepped up onto the ledge and stood, perfectly balanced. He joined me, wrapping his arms around me.

  “Do you know how to make snow angels?” he asked.

  I looked at him as if he’d lost his mind. “Seriously? You are talking to the queen of snow angels, dude.”

  “Then let’s go.” The need for speed was clearly playing out over the link. I jumped on and he bounded off the ledge to the next rooftop. If there was ever a time I felt like a flying reindeer, it was now. He effortlessly made his way across the tiled rooftops and the heart of the city, ending in Volunteer Park. Of course we were the only ones there at this hour, and we made row after row of snow angels. Then we made pint-sized snowmen and placed them on the ledges around the park, making it look like a madman’s playground.

  “Oh, my God! This much fun should be outlawed.” I tossed a poorly aimed snowball at him as he jumped up into the lower boughs of a tree, burying me in snow. We laughed out loud, amazed at how our voices echoed off the world around us.

  But our bliss was short-lived. Our movements were being watched, and he

  suddenly realized we weren’t alone. Where? I asked as I stood behind him, hyper- aware that we were out in the open, with nowhere to hide.

  There, by the fountain. I couldn’t see as far as him, so I pushed across the link as he stood in front of me, motionless. Near the base of the fountain I could see the outline of a figure. Slowly, the figure stood up and began walking toward us. From the motion I could tell it was a woman, and not just any woman, but a vampire. Her eyes glowed eerily in the dark, and her scent wafted towards us.

  I felt him relax, but I was still nervous. You’re in no danger, I promise. It’s Serena, my Inner Circle contact.

  As she approached, it was clear that she was curious about me, the way her head tilted to the side, eyeing me carefully.

  “Good evening, Serena. It’s nice to see you again.” He clasped her offered hand.

  “And you too, my friend. Who is this hiding there behind you?”

  “Just a friend. What can I do for you tonight?” His words were cordial, but the link was stretched thin with tension.

  She reached into the folds of her overcoat and handed him a leather folder. “Marco is not pleased with you. He believes the covenant is broken because of… the situation.”

  “No such thing has happened,” he said, glancing at the information.

  I swallowed down hard. So I’m a situation? I didn’t like the sound of that. I stepped out from his shadow, bravely taking his hand in mine. Then I took a step forward and offered to shake her hand. “Hi, I’m Megan.”

  She took my hand, but only in the loosest way, barely touching my fingers. “My pleasure, Megan,” she said as confusion washed over her face.

  “Is there anything else?” he asked. I could feel his agitation blistering at me across the link.

  “No, not tonight, but allow me to give you a word of caution. If I could find you this easily, so can they.” Then she drifted back into the shadows and disappeared.

  He motioned for me to climb on his back, and within moments we had left our winter wonderland behind and were back on my balcony. Once inside, he organized his thoughts and started talking. I remained quiet, taking my tongue-lashing like I knew I should.

  “Megan, you know I love you with all my being, but sometimes,” he pinched the bridge of his nose, “you make it so difficult to keep you safe.”

  My hard-wired response snapped out before I could contain it. “Well, I’m sorry you feel as if you have to.”

  “It’s not that I have to. It’s because I want to. I love you, Megan, and I will do whatever it takes to keep you safe… from anyone.”

  “I’m sorry, but I don’t like being called a ‘situation.’”

  “You’re not. Trust me. It’s just that things are changing, and the Inner Circle does not care for change. They’re in dire need of fresh blood—no pun intended.” He grinned, and the tension dissipated. I stood my ground the best I could, feeling his wanting to cave and give me the information I was asking for—yet wanting to keep me safe at all cost, even if that meant keep me safe from myself. He chose his words carefully as I realized that maybe…just maybe… I should listen to his advice and stay, just this once, in the dark.

  “After I changed, I tried to help others who were trapped under Marco’s

  tyranny. I wasn’t always the man that sits before you. I was the epitome of what you were raised to fear—a vampire in the darkest context. But finding you, feeling the love that binds us, that kind of love changes people, even if they’re the darkest kind.”

  While side-stepping the obvious details, he made the step-jerk look like a saint compared to Marco, who was cruel even to his own family.

  “But it all started with you.” His love for me in that moment was crystal clear.

  “Let me show you.” His eyes lit up like a kid in a toy store on Christmas Eve. He sat down and offered his hand, but I chose his lap, making myself right at home.

  I took a deep breath and relaxed. I wasn’t sure what to expect. First it felt like a whisper, and then the memory started in partial darkness. The smell of freshly turned soil, wet and damp, mixed with the scent of cedar trees.

  I began to hear something like small handbells, maybe. Then a sweet scent, reminding me of what sunlight smelled like. What on earth could possibly give off that aroma? I could see him looking at a collapsed portion of what looked like an old tunnel. Quick and with ease he began to move the huge amounts of dirt and fallen timbers.

  “Leave it to a human to stumble into this old mess,” he said aloud in the memory. He threw the last beam aside and the dirt fell away, revealing what appeared to be a child covered in dirt and mud.

  Suddenly the scent was so potent, almost palatable. I could feel his uneasiness, the aroma totally foreign to him. His eyes focused on the small, trembling figure. If I could’ve jumped between him and it I would have, yet I could only watch. He inhaled deeply, searching for something, a scent that wasn’t there, confusing him.

  “Why can’t I smell her?” His question hung in the air.

  The child had been crying, cheeks stained with muddy streaks, clothes hidden under a layer of loose dirt and leaves, the tiny hands too weak to push out from under the soil. The child’s eyes were clear, bright even with the grime and tears. The sound I’d heard was it crying out. A small smile spread across the mouth, showing two missing front teeth. The child fell silent, looking at Geoffrey. The hands reached upward, asking for help silently.

  “She’s here!” he gasped. Geoffrey’s memory locked down on the child’s eyes. Even under the filth, one blue and one green stood out like jewels.

  Oh, my God! It was me. This was his memory of when he saved me, literally. Feeling his emotions towards me as a child was nothing short of astonishing. I could feel instantly how protective he was of me, like we were being pulled together by an unseen force. Even in this memory, he had an overlay of images flashing before him, of me growing, maturing like a fast-forwarded movie. The overwhelming emotion of love saturated his very being. That day had always been the scariest day of my life. Yet for him, it was life- changing, and I had just witnessed it. When I opened my eyes, I saw him in a whole new light.

  “I never knew.”

 
“I’ve never spoken to anyone about that day. Our link was so pure there was never any doubt in my mind I belonged at your side.”

  Then it brought up another question. “So, that’s what I smell like to you?” I asked curiously.

  “You felt my reaction to you. I’d never experienced that before, nor since. I don’t smell you the same as others because the link overrides that need. That doesn’t mean, however, I won’t taste it in the air, should you be cut. It would take nothing short of a miracle to change that, I’m afraid.”

  I had one nagging thought and had to bring it up. “Why does the Inner Circle want me dead?”

  “Because your kind isn’t supposed to know about us. But I don’t believe they want you dead, not now. Dawn was an unfortunate mistake on their part.”

  A dark thought skidded across the link, and I was floored. “He wants to what with me?” I swallowed down my bile.

  “Marco collects rare things. And you, my love, are just that, a jewel he wants in his crown, to prove to the Inner Circle that his rule is absolute. But that won’t

  happen. He won’t get anywhere near you, trust me. I’ll die… again… before anyone tries to take you from me.”

  I tried my best not to dwell on the fact that a psycho vampire ruler had his sights set on me as his next crown jewel. I was no one’s prized possession.

  Chapter 26

  Christmas Eve morning found me scrambling to finish Geoffrey’s gift. He had insisted someone from the family be with me at all times. Pepper and Tracy gladly agreed to babysit me today because they wanted one more power shopping trip, and insisted I join them. By the time they arrived and traded places with Mitch, I had finished working on the portrait. I carefully wrapped it in white tissue paper and topped it off with a huge red bow. Bless Mitch’s heart; he heroically withstood my crazy flurry of last-minute touches to the portrait. I’m sure I looked totally obsessed, adding just one last thing, and then another, and another.

  Pepper updated me on the info they’d been able to find on the link. “There are myths in just about every culture we’ve crossed, but they vary widely. Some say links became human slaves to their partners, others that they didn’t survive the exposure to venom over time. There was one story about an ancient member whose link could invade the minds of others.”

  My heart sank at her lack of good news, and she sensed it immediately.

  “There’s still hope, though. We haven’t heard back from a couple of researchers yet. Don’t lose that smile. Remember… you’d better not pout, you’d better not cry, because Santa Claus is coming to town…”

  Pepper pulled into the underground parking at Westlake Center. The aroma of fresh baked pretzels churned my stomach as we made our way through the glass doors.

  Westlake Center was crowded with shoppers, and I wondered if I was safe in such a public place. I must have looked apprehensive because Tracy said, “Cheer up. You know he’d never let anything happen to you, and neither will we. That’s what families do.” I gave in as they herded me from store to store, using their credit cards faster than lightening. They wrangled bargain after bargain with every sales clerk. At one point I didn’t think they’d leave anything on the shelves for the poor last-minute shoppers.

  Weeks earlier I had been able to get their gifts on the sly. It wasn’t easy with always having a bodyguard, but they each actually helped give me ideas for the others. I had prowled second-hand stores for my gifts. For Pepper I found an old steamer trunk, the kind a world traveler would keep priceless treasures hidden in. Tracy’s gift was simple yet exotic, just like her: a beautiful silk head wrap with fascinating patterns of bright colors. For Robert and Mitch I found an old, very intricate and complicated triple layered chess set, made from dark oak and onyx. I unearthed a centuries-old leather-bound recipe book for Andrew in the recesses of an antique shop, some of its pages dog-eared by previous chefs.

  We finally headed home after stuffing the Audi’s trunk full of packages. At Geoffrey’s place we unloaded every bag into the front room—it looked like a huge department store window, decorated to the hilt. Then I did a double take. What I thought were expensive purchases turned out to be supplies for gift baskets. Household items like soap, toothpaste, shampoo, you name it. Then Tracy started unpacking crayons, coloring books, blocks, and other toys. Andrew carried in boxes of homemade Christmas cookies and treats. I was totally confused.

  “What exactly are you guys doing ?” I picked up an Elmo doll. That’s when I saw a sheaf of pages on the counter.

  “Is this what I think it is?” I held it up, reading names.

  “Yes, it’s a gift list. But not naughty or nice—all nice,” Pepper said, and Tracy giggled. They turned around and both had on matching aprons, outfitted with tape guns, Christmas tags, bows and ribbons. They looked like warped elf assistants.

  “Oh, my God! Are you what I think you are?” The giggles began to overtake me. This was by far the oddest, yet coolest thing I’d ever seen—vampire elves. For the better part of the night, I got to be their assistant in a very well-organized assembly line, each station with its own function: one line for presents, the other for candy and cookies.

  “Where is all this stuff going?” I asked, curling ribbon on the edge of my scissors.

  “Oh, you’ll see. You get to help, too!” Pepper squealed. Around midnight, the boys came home from their hunting trip. Geoffrey had asked me not to try to reach him while he was gone, since seeing him hunt should not be on my list of things to watch.

  He pulled me aside as the others disappeared. Then, from behind his back, he brought out a huge white box with a red bow. I froze, thinking about the same exact wrapping on my gift, hidden in his bedroom.

  “It’s for tonight!” he said, his face lighting up.

  “Is it safe to open here?” I asked, trying to look across the link.

  He grinned and shook his head. “No peeking,” he said.

  He knew I didn’t like surprises, but I also didn’t want to be a party pooper. Praying that it wasn’t some sort of sexy lingerie, I took the lid off. Inside, nestled between sheets of white tissue paper, was a red and white velvet costume, with gold buttons and embroidery. And underneath that… a matching pair of green elf shoes.

  “What the…? Huh?” I looked up and suddenly saw him in his own elf costume.

  “Santa’s helper, of course, what did you think I meant?” He toyed with me and the obvious double meaning of his words as his blue eyes twinkled from behind the gold rimmed glasses and thick white beard.

  “Oh holy nuggets, Batman, you’re serious?” I halfway chuckled, trying to regain my composure from the thought of being a naughty elf. Before long, we were all dressed and ready. I was half expecting him to have a sleigh hidden somewhere with eight tiny reindeer.

  “No, no reindeer. They’re too gamey,” he teased. Seriously, a vampire who joked about his food was hilarious. He never ceased to amaze me.

  We all climbed into Mitch’s Hummer, plenty of room for us and the cargo. When we arrived at the mission, and then at the women’s shelter, Geoffrey told the attendants, “We’re from the agency.” Without a second thought they let us in and we went to work.

  The agency? I silently asked.

  Keeps the questions minimal. We receive anonymous donations to benefit various charities. We haven’t hit a snag yet.

  Makes sense, I thought as I quietly placed the gifts under each cot. They all moved in silence, and I watched my every step as well, trying to do the same. Very soon we were done. Though seeing the sleeping children, some in their mother’s arms, others huddled together, sharing beds, made me glad we could do this one thing to brighten their lives, if only on this day. They were safe for now.

  We sang Christmas carols all the way home. The smile on my face wasn’t coming off anytime soon. The feeling of giving back was rewarding. Even though we scarcely had anything ourselve
s when I was growing up, mom always gave what she could to the local shelters: my hand-me-downs and some of the Christmas cookies she baked.

  “Now, it’s our turn,” Robert proclaimed, and everyone headed toward the tree, the largest I’d ever seen in a house. I was lucky to get a Charlie Brown Christmas tree as a kid, let alone something like the behemoth in the front room.

  One by one, we exchanged gifts. Tracy handed me a gift, and instantly I wanted to fade into the background. “You guys didn’t need to do this, really.”

  “But you had beautiful gifts for us! One of these days you’ll learn. You’re part of the family.”

  “Thank you, all of you.” Inside was a beautiful red leather-bound journal with my initials on the silver name plate. It was simply perfect.

  “Well anyhoo… we’ll just go down to the studio, jam a bit,” Pepper said as the others took her cue and left us to ourselves in front of the warm fireplace. I tapped my leg in full twitch mode because I was so nervous.

  Breathe, I told myself as I got up to retrieve my gift to Geoffrey.

  “I have something for you, it’s nothing fancy. I hope you like it.” He chuckled, seeing the similar wrapping to his earlier surprise. His confused grin told me I’d been successful in hiding my thoughts. I carefully handed it to him and sat down.

  “This is what you where shielding from me, wasn’t it? I thought as much.” He smiled as he carefully opened it.

  “Guilty,” I said softly, as I fiddled with the gold buttons on the costume.

  The paper fell gently to the floor as he studied my work. He held it up before him, his face completely unreadable. I reached for the link, wanting to know what his feelings were. With my luck, I’d blown it, the picture looked nothing like his mother.