Redemption (Jane #4)

by Samantha Warren

  "Hurry, hurry! It's the one with Kenley!"

  I plopped myself onto the couch next to Marta, who shared my affinity for the quirky fastener-loving fashionista. Kenley's sense of style was unlike any other and she turned out beautiful pieces time and again, though her penchant for bursting into tears does get a bit old after you've watched that season a dozen times or so.

  Annie, a true hostess, had brought drinks and a bag of potato chips, so I settled down with my fellow female vampires and spent the rest of the day in fabric heaven. By the time the reruns ended, the bag of chips and the six-pack of wine coolers were all gone and we were lamenting once again over the misguided choices of the judges.

  "I want food," declared Marta randomly, popping up off the couch. "Let's go out somewhere."

  Annie and I smiled at each other. Marta, when she was in a good mood, was a bundle of energy and happiness. She could even make Felipe crack a faint smile on occasion, if she didn't let him scare her away right off the bat. Her red hair and bubbly personality belied the dark demon of depression that sat just below the surface, waiting for the right moment to rear its ugly head. But Annie and I did our best to keep that demon hidden well away, and we had noticed a difference over the past months. It was a long, slow process, but as long as Marta remained with us, she would continue to improve, and that was something to look forward to.

  "Should we call the boys?" Annie was always the voice of reason, worried about offending Felipe and Jax if we headed out on the town without them.

  "Noooo. Come on. They're so depressing!" Marta actually stamped her foot as a frown marred her pretty face and she clamped her hands on her hips in defiance. I did my best to control my smile, and it ended up as more of a smirk. It was so easy to forget how young she really was--only sixteen--when you considered everything she'd been through recently. Lucky for us--not so much her--we had some excellent tutors, one of whom hailed from ancient Egypt. Marta was receiving a top-notch education, despite her attempts to forgo learning and join my team of vampire hunters.

  "Fine, fine." Annie raised her hands in submission, a smile showing her pleasure at having a girls' night out without the moody men. "So what do you want to eat?"

  "Gelato!"

  "You have to have some real food first. Let's go to that little restaurant by Donna's salon. There's a gelato shop that stays open late on that street, too."

  "Sounds good," I agreed. "We can stop in and see Donna, too."

  Donna hadn't been doing well with the loss of both her sister and Ado. And she was still angry at me for essentially stealing Felipe away from her, though I hadn't done that intentionally. Donna was the first female vampire friend I had, and it broke my heart knowing that I was the cause of so much of her pain. I'd been at the death of her sister--though she didn't know that--and I'd taken the only men she really cared for--even if Ado wasn't really my fault.

  We piled in Annie's car, a sensible sedan that held five adults comfortably and looked like it should belong to a soccer mom and not a half-vampire. The sun had barely sunk below the horizon, but it was enough that we could head outside without the fear of burning to a crisp. Annie, of course, didn't have to worry about that as much, but Marta and I preferred our skin a nice tan shade instead of the color of carbon. Annie was a much better driver than Felipe or Donna and we made it safely to the restaurant.

  As Marta climbed out of the back seat, I looked to where I knew Donna's all-night doggie groomers would be. My mouth dropped and I felt my brow furrow as I saw the sign on the door--Closed. It was a 24-hour salon; it wasn't supposed to close. I walked up to the door, hoping for some indication of why Donna's livelihood stood dark. There was nothing aside from the rarely used CLOSED sign, black with bright orange letters, hanging in the window. Through the windows, I could see all the equipment and supplies, but no people or canines.

  I heard Annie gasp beside me as I pulled out my cell phone. Donna hadn't returned the last dozen voicemails I'd left for her, but I held onto a slight hope that someday she'd forgive me. The ringing grew in my ear as I watched Marta press her face to the window, leaving a faint greasy impression of her forehead on the dirty glass.

  "Whoever you are, I'm not interested in talking to you right now. Leave a message and if you're lucky, I might call you back. If this is Jane, leave me the eff alone."

  Well, then. At least Donna wasn't bitter or anything... I frowned, biting my lip in frustration and drawing a little blood.

  "Anything?"

  I shook my head at Annie, not trusting my words yet. I could feel tears building at the back of my throat, but I refused to let them show. I took a deep breath and turned away, heading toward the restaurant. The other girls followed in subdued silence. Thanks to the wonderful Marta, the awful mood didn't last long and she soon had us laughing so hard the other patrons were giving us annoyed looks. By the time we paid our bill and headed for gelato, I'd all but forgotten about Donna's closed shop. I made a mental note to speak with Father Bellini about it when we passed the dark store on the way to get sweet, creamy goodness.

  As we pulled into the garage, still eating our cones, Felipe left Father Bellini's office, heading to his car. He kept his head down and didn't acknowledge us, though it was entirely possible that he hadn't even seen us. His forehead held deep creases, his face was pinched, his lips pursed. He had his hands shoved in the pockets of his jeans and he walked hunched over in a manner I'd never seen before. He was always strong, confident, and sure of himself. At that moment, he looked confused, lost, scared, and extremely angry.

  When Marta made to intercept Felipe, I grabbed her arm, shaking my head rapidly. She looked at me questioningly for a moment, then actually focused on him. Her own face dropped, sadness creeping across her features. She was a very empathetic child. She hated to see others in pain and took their burdens onto her own shoulders, even if she didn't know what they were.

  Annie and I decided it was time to call it a night. Marta's room was right next to mine, a decision made by both Bellini and I in an attempt to keep an eye on her. It wasn't often that a vampire so young was brought to the sanctuary and we weren't equipped for many of their needs. I bid her goodnight and headed to my own room, mulling over the events of the evening. Donna's 24-hour salon, closed. For good? I had no idea. Felipe, taking on a vulnerability I'd never seen before. What had Father Bellini told him? Was it something about the new vampires? Did someone else die? Did Donna die? I mentally slapped myself, refusing to give into that line of thought. It wasn't true and it would only lead to more sadness. No matter how hard I tried that night, sleep would not come.

  THREE

  The sun was still high in the sky when I finally gave up on sleep and rolled out of bed. I knew because the clock on my nightstand read 1:00 and I'd gone to bed way after that. My head felt cloudy and I could feel the blood pounding in my temples. It's rare that a vampire gets a headache, but when the do, it's a very painful experience. I recognized the symptoms from my time as a human. A shower didn't ease the aching throb, so I grabbed my keys and threaded my way through the sanctuary. It was a sprawling, multi-level behemoth located just below Santa Maria de Maggiorre. At that point, I'd only really seen about a third of it and my time was spent mainly in the dining hall, lounge, two dormitories, and training rooms. Just then, I needed the infirmary desperately.

  The medical center was located a good ways from the vampire dormitory--a safety precaution for the sick against new vampires who may not have mastered their willpower yet. Like most other places in the sanctuary, it was staffed by both vampires and humans. Vampires rarely needed medical assistance, but if they did, it was crucial that the doctor in charge knew what they were doing. An injured vampire is often a violent vampire, so several sick bays were set up specifically for the blood-sucking species, complete with thick, unbendable metal bars and cheap furniture. A vampire could technically be imprisoned in one of the sick bays, but it rarely ever happened.

  "Afternoon, Jane. What can I do for
you?" I was greeted by Richard, one of the human nurses, as I walked through the double doors leading to the brightly-lit cave.

  "Hey, Ricky. I have a headache that won't go away."

  "Oh my. That's no good. Let me see what I can do."

  As he turned away, he waved at a wooden chair with a pink cushion, typical hospital decor. I plopped down, leaning over to rest my head on my hands. I dug the heel of my hands into my eyes, trying to deflect some of the pain from my aching skull. After digging through some drawers, apparently unsuccessfully, Richard disappeared behind a curtain off to my right. I stopped trying to listen for him after a full minute passed and focused instead on calming my angry stomach. Migraines in vampires are as vicious as they are in humans. Light, sound, anything makes them worse, and they often lead to pain of another kind if left unchecked.

  "Jane?"

  I opened my right eye a bare slit, peeking at the person kneeling in front of me. I recognized the round, dark face of Dr. Anita McCora and sent up a silent thank you. She held in her hands two tiny white pills and a glass of water. I gave her a grateful smile, or as much of one as I could muster, and popped the pills in my mouth, chasing them with a big gulp of water. She led me to a dark room off to the side and motioned at the bed. I climbed in, falling back onto the pillow as the world began to spin.

  Ibuprofen and acetaminophen, your typical mortal pain killers, do nothing for vampires. The pills I'd taken were experimental, a concoction Dr. McCora came up with to combat the brutal symptoms of a vampire migraine. Unfortunately, they had some nasty side effects. First, and most disconcerting, was the dizziness. Without fail, those pills would cure a headache. They would also put you on your ass for a good hour or more. Dr. McCora kept strict control over the medication, doling it out personally and watching over every patient until the headache and side effects passed. She used the information she gathered to tweak the drug, but so far, she had been unable to remove the dizziness, or even figure out the cause.

  I lay on the cot in the dark with an arm over my eyes, desperate to block out the meager light that was offending my sensitive corneas. According to the doctor's instructions, I took deep, slow breaths, hoping to calm the roiling storm in my stomach. As I inhaled, I focused intensely on the rise of my chest, refusing to give in to the threatening nausea. After an eternity--really it was only about five minutes--the tempest inside my guts faded and I was able to relax. Shortly after that, the world stopped spinning rapidly and I no longer felt like the room was going to tip over and send me plummeting to the ceiling. Dr. McCora returned while I lay there with my eyes closed, still breathing slowly and steadily.

  "How are you feeling?"

  "Less like I want to die."

  "I hate to tell you this, Jane, but you're already dead."

  I opened one eye slightly and appraised the doctor through the haze of eyelashes. She laughed at my slightly raised eyebrow and patted my arm. "Stay here for a bit. I'll send Ricky in in awhile and have him check on you, but you should be alright after an hour or so, as long as you're not feeling any other side effects."

  She meant as long as I wasn't vomiting up blood or leaking it from anywhere else on my body, I would be free to leave. That was another downside to the experimental medication--blood loss. And not just trickles of it. We're talking full on body purges. Luckily, she'd perfected the drug enough that it wasn't as frequent an occurrence now, but poor Ronin had been knocked out of commission for two weeks when she first put the drug into use. He had to have 24-hour blood drips to stay alive.

  I nodded and thanked Dr. McCora for her help. She patted my arm once more and left, pulling the door shut to block out the remaining light. I sighed and turned to my side, drifting off to sleep. A light knock woke me and Ricky came in. He checked my vitals, humming to himself. Then he grinned and told me I could leave. I patted him on the head, a gesture I knew irritated him to no end, giving him a weak grin as I left. The light still hurt my eyes and head, but I could handle it without wanting to barf.

  Walking slowly and taking deep breaths, I wandered back through the maze of tunnels and found Father Bellini's office. My knock went unanswered, though, and I couldn't hear any movement inside. Frowning, I turned to head back to my room and nearly trampled the frazzled priest. His hair was disheveled and it looked like he hadn't slept since the last time I saw him. His robes were rumpled and he had dark bags under his eyes. The weariness on his face had been ever-present since Ado's death, but it seemed worse than normal.

  "Jane. What a pleasant surprise." Bellini's voice was raw and raspy, more evidence of his lack of sleep. "Please, come in."

  "I'm sorry, Father. I don't want to disturb you if you have other business to attend to."

  "Nonsense. We haven't had a one-on-one chat in too long. And I've been meaning to talk to you, anyway. There have been some, uh, developments that you should be appraised of."

  As he spoke, his smile, while still plastered across his face, lost its genuine touch and the twinkle died from his eyes. I suddenly had the urge to turn and run, avoiding anything he had to tell me, but I followed him into his office. It was not as neat as the last time I'd been in there. His desk had always been cluttered in a haphazardly organized kind of way, but now the entire room was in shambles. Papers and books were strewn across the floor. A table had been set up on one side and it was heaped with books, papers, scrolls, and even a stone tablet. Some of the books were open and a couple that had fallen on the floor suffered from crushed innards.

  He motioned to a chair that sat near his desk, oblivious to the heaps of files stacked on it. Shrugging, I picked up the pile and set them carefully on a clean space on the floor before dropping into the seat. As I did, I noticed a stack of weapons a corner. I didn't recognize any of them, but somehow I knew they were weapons. They looked very deadly and I could smell the faint traces of long-faded blood, a sort of bitter coppery smell that permeated the air around the area. Bellini fidgeted with some papers on his desk, then began reading one. I sat quietly for several minutes, watching and waiting. The creases at the corners of his eyes deepened as a frown settled on his face and he leaned his chin onto his hands. He shook his head, mumbling to himself. I could've heard what he said had I attempted to listen, but I was convinced at that point that he forgot I was in the room and I didn't want to be rude.

  At last, Bellini glanced up, jumping visibly in his seat when he realized I was sitting in front of him. "Oh, oh my. I'm sorry, Jane." He began moving the papers around again, scrunching them into unorganized piles and pushing them to the side. Once he decided he was done, he cleared his throat and clasped his hands, settling them on the desk in front of him.

  "So, Jane, how are you today?"

  I told him about the onset of the headache, then worked my way back through the previous day, recounting my lack of sleep and my evening with Marta and Annie. We stopped and talked about Marta and her growth for a bit. We were both pleased, considering her rough start in life. After a brief silence where Father Bellini seemed lost in thought, I broached the real reason I wanted to talk to him.

  "So, I saw Donna's shop was closed last night..."

  I bit my lip, torn between the response I was hoping to get. On one hand, I hoped he had information on her and could tell me she was doing better. On the other, I was terrified of hearing that she'd taken a turn for the worst and wished that he would be just as surprised as I was. Neither of my hopes came true.

  Bellini nodded, staring at his desk. "Yes..." His pause lasted longer than was comfortable. "About two weeks ago, she asked me if I could help her find a buyer for it. She mentioned that she was going to move, start fresh somewhere. When I spoke with her, she seemed upbeat, more excited about her life than she has been since Victoria's death."

  "That's a good thing, right?" I could tell it wasn't by the strain on the priest's face. His nostrils flared gently as he took several deep breaths, fighting some feeling he didn't want to give in to.

  "In most cases, I wou
ld say yes. But I spoke with the American consulate and she has not contacted them about a move, which is required for vampires moving from one territory to another. And I haven't heard from her since. The shop is closed, her Jeep was up for sale in a lot at the edge of town, and her apartment is empty. For all intents and purposes, she's disappeared."

  "What?" I felt my lower jaw go slack as I stared at Father Bellini. I knew Donna was depressed, but vampires just do not disappear. It was dangerous, to say the very least. She could be considered a rogue, an outlaw, put on a bounty list, tracked and eliminated by the several assassins and bounty hunters in the world. My mind began to race, trying to think of all the places she could have gone, how I could find her.

  "We have some information... It is not confirmed, by any means, but it is all we have. She, or a vampire matching her description, was spotted at a meeting of some rogues that are known to be involved with all this mess."

  "You know who's involved?"

  "Yes. Well, sort of. We know three of the more prominent leaders, but we haven't been able to get our hands on them. One is Conrad, the vile man you met the night of Ado's death. The others were friends of his, and he was apparently able to sway them to his cause. We have several people who are risking their lives to gather information for us, but it's just not enough. By the time we get a team in place that is strong enough to take on the trio, they've moved on, leaving a rash of new vampires in their place. And we know they're not the only ones involved. There have to be at least a dozen rogues all over the world, rogues older and stronger than we first believed."

  I didn't know what to say. My mind was a confused jumble of half-thoughts. Why would Donna seek out the men who killed her sister? And how had so many rogues gone unnoticed over the decades to allow them to amass as they apparently had?

  "I don't know, Jane." Father Bellini was shaking his head as if he'd heard my thoughts. "So much has happened. I just don't understand how it got so far out of control so quickly."