by A J Brahms
And of me.
Aberdeen came forward and I didn't look up at him as he stood by my side. He was free from the Christa and because I didn't see or sense Mia, I assumed she was the one that freed him. But how did she slip her new Maker's leash?
"Stone Man—I would suggest you call off that—"
"I would choose my words wisely, Aubrey." Aberdeen's accent and graveled voice silenced the Night Walker. "You know what I am and what I am capable of."
Aubrey nodded.
"You know what Ren is, what his Maker did to him, and you know he can kill you."
"This is how he murdered so many for that bitch!" Aubrey spit out.
"Yes," Aberdeen said. "This is the secret he kept, and the one you will be keeping as well."
"Like hell! They have to know what he is and he must be destroyed. His kind murdered—no, slaughtered us!"
"That's not going to happen." He nodded to Julie. "Let her go."
He didn't move.
"Let her go or I won't stop Ren."
Aubrey looked at me and I drooled with the thought of tearing him limb from limb and drinking his blood. Eventually he released Julie and she stumbled away, backing as far from us as possible. Not coming to Aberdeen at all, but just staring.
At me.
"You can't stop me from telling Jedediah."
"I can. And I will." Aberdeen held out his hands and the garage lights winked out. Julie screamed. There was the smell of sulphur and then the lights came back on with a clank.
Aubrey was gone.
Sixteen
I shifted back to my old human-like self, devoid of clothing and immediately slipped into a nearby shadow. I watched as Aberdeen removed a large, black plastic bag from a roll in the back of my car and meticulously pick up Snow's bones. The flesh had turned to dust, but the bones always remained.
"Where…" came a small voice from behind my car. Julie emerged, her hair mussed and pulled slightly from her pony tail. Her shirt had come untucked as well as and she looked a bit dazed. "Where is he?"
"He's gone, Miss Wallace," Aberdeen said as he tied the black bag and returned it to the trunk. After slamming the trunk shut, he offered his hand to her. "I think it's best if we clear out of the garage. I'm sure someone has called the authorities about the noise."
She looked at his hand as if he were holding out a bug to her, then stepped away. Julie looked at the remains of her car and put her hands to her head. "I don't…I don't understand what just happened. I…I came here to see if Ren wanted to go to…to go see the babies…" She held out her arms and spun around. "Where is he? Where's Ren?"
"Ren isn't here."
"But I saw him, Aberdeen." She straightened her shoulders and balled her fists. "He was here, and so was a Talmadge Night Walker. I recognized him. You can pretend it didn't happen, but I saw it. And I saw Ren and he—" She put her hands to her mouth. "He's a fucking werewolf, isn't he? That's why he couldn't tell me."
"No, Miss Wallace. Ren is not a werewolf. Far from it." He held out his hand again. "I must go up to the apartment and check on Miss Tavern. You can accompany me, or you can remain here and explain why your automobile looks like it was car bombed." He lowered his arm and turned to the elevator.
Julie lingered a few seconds before she joined him. I melted into the shadow and luckily found a shadow large enough in my room to resurface. I grabbed my bathrobe and ran into the living room.
Mia was on the couch. She looked ashen, her skin cracked, and I knew she hadn't survived. Whatever she had done to free Aberdeen from the Christa had damaged her. Or she had bled out. I couldn't tell as I knelt beside her and wiped at my eyes as I touched her cheek. She cracked like ash and dissolved on the couch and into the carpet.
That's where I was when Aberdeen came in and Julie behind him. Changing like that, exposing myself to something I never did understand, allowing myself to succumb to such rage, had always taken its toll on my sanity. I put my face into my hands, unaware that I was covered in dried blood, from head to toe. My skin was tight with it as Aberdeen led me into my bathroom and prepared a shower.
I sat in the floor of the shower for a long time, letting the water wash away my sins, so to speak. It ran and ran until it was ice cold and my lips turned blue. Aberdeen came in and pulled me out. I dried myself off and dressed in the loungers and tee-shirt he laid out for me.
It was raining over Atlanta. I stood at my window and watched it from my perch over the world. The lights beaded and bled together like water poured over a wet canvas of paint. I realized again the water was in my eyes and I desperately wanted to stop crying.
I thought I'd forgotten why I was devastated.
And then I knew. She'd see me at my absolute worst. Julie Wallace, the woman who held my heart in the palm of her hand, had seen what I truly was. A monster. A fiend. One of those things she fights so hard against. She'd seen me rip apart a person—yes she'd been a Night Walker—but she'd been human once. Maybe she'd wanted this life, and maybe she hadn't.
But I killed her.
I'd become that thing again, and killed her. And what really hurt in the depths of my despair was that no one else was calling the shots. I wasn't doing my Master's bidding anymore. I did it because I chose to do it. Because my actions were my responsibility now.
"Ren?"
Thunder rattled the glass in the seal and I blinked, not sure I'd heard my name. I turned and realized the lights were off. Light streamed through my open door and framed in the center of it, was Julie. I sniffed and wiped at my face and looked back out the window. "It's not a good time, Julie."
"Ren, I just wanted to talk to you—"
"I'm a monster, Julie. I was made a monster a long time ago. I've killed, and I have powers and I—" I what? I'm sorry? I'm devastated I killed a monster who wanted to kill you? "I—I understand if you don't want to spend time with me anymore."
The door closed and the room became dark and silent again. I hung my head and nearly came out of my skin when arms wrapped around me. I stepped back but she wasn't going to let go and I saw Julie in the dim light from the window. She was looking up at me with a half smile. She was the most beautiful woman in the world.
Julie ran her fingers through my damp hair, and even stroked my beard. "Aberdeen told me what you are, Ren. No—don't get mad. He told me what was happening, and he told me what Mia was, what a Ghoul is. It's okay."
I wanted to strangle that damned Gargoyle!
But then she kissed me. Soft press against my lips. I put my hands on her shoulders. "What I am—"
"Is unique and powerful. And you should never hide that power, Ren. The way your creepy room mate described you, I'd have believed you were Superman. He admires you and he respects you."
I swallowed. "And did he tell you about himself?"
"His story is harder to believe, but it makes sense. And it sort of takes the creepy away from him." She smiled. "Sort of. But thinking he's a Knight of God makes me believe God has a sense of humor."
That made me laugh. "I'm sorry you found out like this."
"I'm not. I saw you in action. I saw what you are really capable of. Aby said he'd never seen you as a wolf. That was the first time you'd done that in front of him."
"Hell Hound. Looks like a wolf." I smiled. "I have to have strong blood to do it." And I'd drank from an Ancient.
"Either way," and she moved in close to me and wrapped her arms around my neck. "I came to see if you wanted to visit Luke and the babies."
I stared at her.
"She had twins."
Oh that's right. I laughed. "Is it okay if I do that tomorrow? Maybe during the day?"
"I was going to suggest we spend the evening watching funny movies and drinking, to help you unwind." She leaned in. "That was Aberdeen's suggestion."
I had something I needed to do, but it would wait till tomorrow night. Early evening, I think.
I had a delivery of my own to make.
But not tonight. Tonight I wanted t
o relax with two of my best friends. Watching old movies.
Like a human.
Seventeen
It was just after seven the next evening when I parked my Prius under the scary bridge across from Cimitir Hall. I'd dressed in dark slacks, a white shirt and suit jacket. Italian shoes. The ones I'd bought in Milan last year. On my arm was my bag. No cameras. Just…stuff.
I was greeted at the door by two new faces. No Aubrey. I honestly didn't know what had happened to Aubrey, and Aberdeen wasn't telling. So I'd dropped it at that cause…scary.
These two were younger, a blond and a red head, both female. They escorted me up to Jedediah's study, the one with the fireplace, leather chairs and floor to ceiling books. Not to mention the stained glass, recently repaired from when Aberdeen had come barreling through.
The Prince nodded to me as the two Night Walkers left and I moved to the chair beside Jedediah's. "You have what I wanted?"
"I do. But first," I set the bag on the floor and retrieved the black plastic bag from the night before, the one with Snow's bones.
Jedediah moved faster than my eye could trace. One second he was in his chair, the next he was at the door. I glanced at him and set the bag of bones on the floor beside his chair. "Her name was Snow. I'm sure you'll want to deposit her bones with the rest."
He seemed to regain his composure. In fact, it was so fast I almost got whiplash. "What happened to her?"
"I was told she met with an angry Gargoyle." I shook my head. "I did warn you about Aberdeen."
"I could have that Gargoyle destroyed."
"Maybe," I said. "But I doubt it."
"And Aubrey?"
I shook my head. "No idea."
"He's missing."
I shook my head. "Not my problem."
"I don't like your attitude, Mr. Grainger. Do you forget who I am?"
"No. In fact, I've learned more about you in the past five days than I wanted to know. A lot of it I had to piece together, and last night," I reached into the bag and retrieved the cup. "I came up with the truth." I tossed it at him. He caught it. "The first truth being, that's a fake."
If there was one thing about Jedediah, it was that he couldn't act. And his feigning disbelief was kinda funny. "That's ridiculous. If this is the one the Ghoul stole then it is the Cup of Alemont."
"Oh it's the one Mia stole—she's gone, by the way. Dust." I moved my bag and poured a Scotch as I talked. "Now, stop me if I get this wrong, but I don't think I will. When that cup was stolen from the New York safe house, you already knew it was fake. But you couldn't let anyone else know it, so you contacted me. The ever obedient servant that I have always been. Even un-fettered. You knew I'd be able to find Mia."
I held the Scotch out to Jedediah. When he didn't take it, I left it on the table and went to the fireplace. Jedediah remained where he was. "The true Cup of Alemont was rumored to possess the magic to revert a Vampire into a human, fully intact. I had the pleasure of meeting the Ancient, Casper Tungsten, who told me he commissioned the cup so he could have a way to revert his Ghouls into humans, not Vampires into humans."
"You spoke to him?"
"Yes. He's awake now. No more siphoning blood."
"You're not his Ghoul."
I held up a finger. "I'll get to that. Now, I'm betting, that you heard about this legend of Vampire to Human, and you, being the aspiring young vampire you are and the most well read, wanted to see if this worked. So you had a copy made and swapped out the original a very long time ago. How long?" I smiled at him. "Since before you were made Prince. Before Ellery was killed."
"What are you insinuating?"
"You had nothing to do with Ellery's death, but the last thing you wanted was to lose the election of Prince to anyone. Not just Beau, but to your only rival. A Night Walker by the name of Angelika Durant, Mia's Maker."
Jedediah didn't move.
"Angelika was very popular. I had to do a little reading last night. Aberdeen has some fascinating diaries."
Now the Night Walker moved and he was right in front of me. I didn't flinch. "What diaries?"
"Yours. Seems you were a little careless, leaving your journals about. Imagine my surprise when I saw they'd been delivered by Mia Tavern, on behalf of her Maker, Countess Angelika Durant. Oh, but where was I." I looked at him. "Angelika was an old vampire, nearing her designation as an Ancient. She'd already slept a span of ten years, which is the first step. And she knew about the cup, because she knew Casper."
Jedediah didn't move.
"She also knew you. Intimately. You were lovers, while you were lovers with Ellery."
"That wasn't a secret."
"No it wasn't. And when Angelika read what you'd been plotting, she placed a compulsion into her Ghoul, a need to bring the cup, and a Greenteeth's blood, to her. She tried very hard not to fall into the trap you'd set, but you'd already changed the blood and injected it into a late night snack. She drank it without even realizing it." I smiled at him. "You killed her. It was easy while she was a human, wasn't it? One slice of her throat and you knew she'd never come back."
Jedediah raised his fist. I braced. But he didn't strike me. Instead, he turned away and faced the door.
"You didn't expect her to cling to her bones. The truth was you killed her too fast. If you'd have waited twenty-four hours, she never would have remained, and she could have had her release."
"She told you this, when you spoke with her that first night?" Jedediah said.
"No. She told me very little to nothing. Like I said, I had to puzzle it all out. You never told Beau what you did, and he never told you he'd murdered Ellery. And yet you remained fast friends. Pretty scary." I looked down at the fire. "But because of what you'd done with the cup, you couldn't keep it, so you gave it to Aubrey and told him what to do with it. Aubrey made a fine profit from it. Even stock piled some Ancient's blood for himself."
"I would know if he did that."
"Well, you didn't. And he did. We've found it and it's been destroyed." I smiled. "By the owner."
We faced each other for a while. Finally he said, "I could have you re-Ghouled so you couldn't tell anyone."
"You could. But then you'd have two problems immediately dropped into your lap. One would be Aberdeen—and I know you don't want that basement flooded with Holy Sacrament, now do you?" Basically dumping Holy Water on all those Vampire bones.
Jedediah cringed.
"You would also have a lot of explaining to do with The Mórrígan, Jedediah. You funded, allowed, and even encouraged one of your own to kidnap and torture a Faerie, and drain her of blood. Not to mention, once the Ancient finds out whose been using him as a pincushion—"
Jedediah held up his hand. "I get the point, Ren. I leave you alone, and you keep my secrets."
"And you keep mine."
He stood perfectly still for longer than a minute, which creeped me out. I didn't like it when they did that. Finally, he blinked and nodded. "None of this ever happened. Greybeard is gone, so is his place on the Lake. I assume the Greenteeth has been returned as well."
"Yes."
"And Mia? You said she is dead?"
"She died saving me from your henchman." I looked at the bag. "And Snow. I believe Angelika just wanted Mia to bring the truth of the cup to life, expose you for what you did, at the proper time."
"And I suppose this was it?"
I shrugged. "Who knows." I picked up my bag. "I won't bother your people, Jedediah. And you don't bother mine." At the door I turned to him where he'd moved to the fireplace. "Call me if you need me."
He looked surprised.
"I am a Chevalier, my Prince."
I left.
Julie was at the hospital and I wanted to change before I joined her. Aberdeen wasn't home but left me a note beside a box on the table. It said that Faeries had brought this special delivery and it was for my eyes only.
Huh. I stared at it a few seconds. It was black. Smooth. And terrifying. I hoped like hell there w
eren't any Brownies in it. Cause Faerie Brownies were scary fuckers.
Finally I put my hands on the top and lifted it off the base.
Heavy smoke, like dry ice, spilled out over the sides and I blew on it so I could see inside, hoping there wasn't a head. Shades of Seven here.
No head.
Just a cup, exactly like the one I'd just handed Jedediah, and a smaller box full of vials of what I assumed was blood. I set them all back in and pulled out the hand written note inside.
Ren,
Again I wanted to thank you for saving my life. I wanted to repay you but wasn't sure how, until I got the brilliant idea to give you the Ancient blood. There are seven vials of it, as well as two vials of my blood. You can guess why I included those. The cup is for you—I stole it when I stole the blood.
Being a Ghoul isn't easy. I could see it in your eyes. But being human isn't so easy either. The choice wasn't yours to become an object of power, but the choice to be human again can be. All you have to do is pour the blood into the cup in the light of a full moon and drink. It works. And if you change your mind, pour another vial in under the dark moon and you'll regain everything you lost.
It's the best I can do.
All my hopes,
Ginny
I stared at the glass tubes and held the cup again, thinking very hard. It was a full moon now, and would be for another twenty minutes. I went to the window and looked up, even though it was obscured by dark clouds.
I could be human again.
Normal.
I could be human for Julie.
I could eat real food…
I could have children.
Or, I could just wait and see.
The opportunity was mine now, the choice I'd always wanted. So I put the box with the vials and the cup into my personal safe and said a silent thank you to Ginny Greenteeth.
My phone rang and I had to hunt it down on my bed. I expected it to be Julie, asking me where I was. But it was Luke. "Hey, did Julie tell you to call me? Tell her I'll be there soon as I can."