Scent of a White Rose

by Tish Thawer

  "I'm scanning Jillian and her memory of the evening is just as you described. She knows Justin from 'yoga'. They were making out up here, and then she broke a glass, sending pieces flying into her neck. What I don't understand is why I just saw an image of Terrance float through Rose's mind." Evie stared at me.

  "I have no idea." I was starting to feel panicked when I suddenly remembered that she had been with me when Terrance broke out of the woods the other night. "She saw him coming out of the woods the other night, remember?"

  Evie stood silently for a few more moments. "Right now, she's thinking of everyone she's met here: Dom, Tori, us, and though Terrance flashed through her mind just a moment ago, he's no longer present in her subconscious."

  Relieved, I sat down on the couch. "I just wish that we would get a sign of the new Sire already. I'm so sick of keeping my life from her. I want to tell her the truth."

  Evie made her way over to the couch and sat down beside me. "I know it's hard Christian, but until you have approval from the new Sire that the change will be made, you know you can't tell Rose about us."

  I knew she was right, but I just couldn't help thinking how much easier it would be if Rose knew about us. I couldn't wait to start making plans with her, maybe even move in together. And the best part was, I'd finally be able to feed from her. But that just wasn't going to happen any time soon. "Are we done here? I need to get back to Rose."

  "Yes, we're done." Evie looked sympathetic as she took Dax's hand and headed towards the curtained exit. "I feel so bad for him," I heard her whisper.

  "Don't feel bad for me Evie. I know it will all work out soon."

  Suddenly, she whipped around and launched herself directly at me, grabbing me by my shirt as she slammed me down onto the couch. "What the hell?" I yelled.

  The curtains flew open, and I saw Rose and Jillian standing there, trying to take in the scene before them. I was lying on the couch as Evangeline hovered over me, both hands wadded in the front of my shirt.

  "What the hell's going on here?" Rose demanded.

  Evangeline stared deeply into my eyes before smoothing the front of my shirt back in place, and then she plastered a smile on her face. "Christian just saved me," she said as she righted herself. "My heel snapped and thankfully he broke my fall."

  I looked at Evie and got the distinct feeling that something major had just happened between us, but I truly had no idea what it was, and now was obviously not the time to find out. She bent down and removed her shoe, which did in fact have a broken heel. After apologies and polite goodnights, she and Dax left the room.

  Rose turned back to me with a skeptical look on her face. I remembered that she had questioned Evie and my relationship when we'd first started dating. I had told her the truth then; that she was the only one for me and had nothing to worry about. And I was going to tell her the truth now; I was in love with her and only her. But right now, instead of telling her, I just really wanted to show her. "Jillian, could you excuse us for a few minutes?”

  * * * * *

  (Rose)

  Jillian took Christian's hint and left us alone. "What really happened with Evangeline?" I asked. I didn't like that I was questioning Christian, but walking in here to find him sprawled underneath his gorgeous boss on the couch, had really set off the jealousy bugs in my brain.

  "Rose, I promise nothing strange was going on. Dax and I were cleaning up the broken glass and she came in to check to make sure everything was okay. She tripped on something and then the next thing I knew...boom; we landed on the couch."

  I guess I believed him; I mean Dax had been standing right there. "Alright. I believe you." I sat down on the couch and let him pull me close. Finally, time alone.

  It felt so amazing to be wrapped in his arms. He maneuvered me so I was lying on top of him. "Have I told you how sexy you look tonight?" he asked.

  "No you haven't."

  "Then how about I show you instead?"

  Christian's kiss was sweet at first, but with the way his hands rubbed up and down my sides as I laid on top of him, it didn't take long for our passion to heat up. "I want you so much."

  Christian's breathing was heavy and small moans repeatedly escaped his lips. "I want you too, Rose. More than you can possibly know. But we can't. Not here."

  I was so disappointed. I was writhing like a snake on top of him and didn't think it would take much more for him to raise my dress and let me turn our private party into something truly intimate.

  "Rose, you have to stop. You're driving me crazy, and I have to get back to work." Christian's voice carried a hint of laughter and a dash of frustration. I was glad that I wasn't the only one who felt frustrated.

  We proceeded to make out for another few minutes until Christian's self discipline had him heading back to work for real.

  "I don't want to leave." I sounded like a pouty twelve year old.

  "And I don't want you to leave." Christian kissed me long and slow. "But you have to. Plus, now that you have your bracelet, you can come in whenever you have the chance."

  "You're right, but it will still be only once a month until I'm able to move out."

  The look on his face reminded me that he wasn't thrilled with this idea, but right now was not the time to discuss it. Plus, soon enough, he would see things my way. Everyone would.

  * * * * *

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  Terrance

  (Evie)

  "Evie, what's wrong? You seem distracted," Dax asked.

  "I'm going to talk to Terrance. I'm still feeling uneasy about seeing him in Rose's thoughts tonight. I of course remembered that she'd had seen him coming out of the woods recently, but I had a gut feeling that there was more to it than that. I didn't mention anything before, because I didn't want to alarm Christian."

  "How on earth could Rose know Terrance?"

  "I have no idea, but you can damn sure bet that I'm going to find out." I turned and stomped towards my office to make use of my private entrance into the rising pit, leaving Dax to deal with the club's closing.

  There were a number of things about tonight that had me feeling on edge: the strange image of Terrance in Rose's mind, the fact Rose's best friend ended up being Justin's chosen visitor, and the most shocking?; Christian had commented on something that I had thought–not said.

  I was so shocked when it happened that without even thinking I launched myself at him. The poor kid had probably thought I was attacking him but I wasn't. It had been almost ninety years since I lost my Siring ability, and if Christian was starting to hear people's thoughts that meant that he was developing powers. That was first sign of a vampire being triggered to become a Sire. I realized that I had overacted, but the thought of Christian becoming a Sire had jolted me. I just wish that I would have had time to explain that I was ecstatic at the development–not angry.

  Could it really be Christian who was in line to become Sire? My god, how amazing would that be? But oh, how I would miss him when it was time for him to leave us.

  All new Sires were expected to leave their current clan in order to start a clan of their own. I would retain my powers and control over my clan, but I would lose someone that I loved very much. I couldn't think about that right now.

  As I made the trek into the pit, I kept going over what I had glimpsed in Rose's head. I'd seen images of Dominique and Tori helping her at the bar, of Dax and Christian entering the private room together, and of myself sitting in my office. But then I had seen the image of Terrance. It had been just a quick flash that gave me no way to pinpoint the specifics and that was what really bothered me.

  As I rounded the corner, I heard Terrance rattling his chains. I shouldn't have been surprised that he didn't like the idea of being alone with me. I may not look imposing or frightening to the naked eye, but since I was the one who decided if they lived or died, my clan couldn't help but fear me. Luckily I had never been forced to kill anyone in my clan...yet.

  I approached the cell which
had no door, but instead a large square opening that lead into the room. The walls were composed of gray cinderblocks and had several sets of chains mounted to them as well as to the ceiling and the floor. I realized that this was the first time I had ever had to use them. It made me sad. "Terrance. How are we feeling tonight?" His eyes were locked on mine, radiating hatred. This wasn't a look I saw very often. After all, we were family, and there was very rarely a reason for discord among us.

  "What do you want Evie?" Terrance's tone was laced with contempt, "You already had Dax scan me, remember?"

  "Yes, I remember. And I know that you're hiding something. But I'm not here to talk about the girl in the woods. What I want to know about is Rose." I had hoped the abruptness of my question would shock him into revealing something right away, but no such luck. It wasn't like I was an expert interrogator. So instead of catching a glimpse of any new information, I only picked up on our current conversation that was running through his head.

  "Rose, who?"

  "Rose Reynolds, Christian's girlfriend."

  "Oh. The curvy blonde he's been dying to take a bite out of for months?" His tone was harsh and sarcastic.

  "Christian loves her. He knows he can't feed from the one he loves without giving himself and his secret away. Do you love anything anymore Terrance?" I asked.

  "Look at me Evie. I think you know the answer to that question." He was referring to his now permanently darkened appearance. It was obvious that he no longer felt love for anything and wasn't going to drift back. He was forcing me to inflict the true death on him. It's almost like he was asking me for it.

  "Are you ready? Or would you like to see Dax one last time?" I couldn't help the quiver in my voice. I knew I had no choice, but Terrance was like a son to Dax. Back when I had turned Terrance, Dax had made it a point to watch over his wife and children, ensuring they were safe and well taken care of before we moved on. That had sealed their friendship for centuries.

  "No. What's the point? Just do it." Terrance went slack and lowered his head.

  The true death wasn't as horrific as it had been portrayed on TV or in any of the books people had read. In reality, it was quite simple. All I had to do was sink my fangs into Terrance's neck and program my sedative to carry the poison of true death into his system. Another power that resided only with the Sire. The poison would then spread through his veins, effectively paralyzing him as it hardened his body, eventually reaching his heart.

  While the heart of a vampire no longer "beat," it was still the main energy source for their afterlife. Once the poison reached the heart, it hardened and withered, and then they simply turned to dust. No mess, no fuss...just dust.

  As I approached, I could feel the tension drain from his body. He knew that this was the end. I gently placed my hands on his shoulders and guided us both down onto our knees. I looked into his eyes and then kissed him once on the cheek.

  As I extended my fangs and lowered my head to his neck, I couldn't stop the tear that ran down my cheek and landed on Terrance's shoulder. He tensed as the evidence of my emotions ran down his arm. I felt a slight shudder move through him. Finally. When faced with the end of his existence, he started to show some emotion...and that's when I struck.

  * * * * *

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  Questions

  (Rose)

  After I dragged out my goodbye with Christian for as long as possible, Jillian and I climbed into her car and headed for home. "Did you end up having any fun tonight?" Jillian asked.

  Not really. But I didn't want to tell her that; she'd think it was all her fault. "Sure, it was fun being able to hangout inside for once, and spending time with Christian is always great." I tried to sound convincing. It didn't work.

  "Then what were you guys fighting about earlier?" She looked at me with that don't bullshit me look on her face, that only a best friend could pull off.

  "He wasn't thrilled when I announced that I'd be moving out soon." My voice had gone flat. I understood that he worried so much because he loved me, but it was imperative that I got out of Dad's house as soon as possible. With everything that had happened–I just couldn't handle being there anymore.

  "You'd think he'd be psyched that you're getting your own place. I mean, it's total freedom and you guys would get to see each other all the time. What's his problem?" See, this is why I loved my best friend. She got me.

  "That's exactly what I was thinking, but when I told him and Evangeline, he just freaked and said that he didn't like the idea of me being out on my own." It still chapped my ass when I thought of him treating me like a kid. "But I know that once I have my place, he'll chill out and realize just how brilliant it is. We'll be together all the time. Together forever."

  Jillian remained quiet for the stretch of a few miles. "I was hoping that we would be able to get a place together, but it sounds like you're setting up house for just you and Christian." Her voice was quiet and rang with disappointment.

  "Oh! Well, I guess I hadn't thought much about a roommate. And you don't graduate college for another year and a half." Jill hadn't taken the AP courses like I had, so even though she was older than me, she was only in the middle of her junior year. "Plus, I thought your plan was to keep mooching off your parents for as long as possible," I joked.

  "My parents aren't as strict as your dad, and I'm already twenty-one. If I want to move out I'm sure they will keep paying for college and everything as longs as I keep my grades up." She was certainly defending her case well, but with what I had planned for my future...I really couldn't have a roommate.

  "I don't know Jill. Won't it be weird to be there while Christian and I are together?" I usually didn't mind talking to her about this kind of stuff. I mean we talked about sex all the time, but when it came to this, I really just wish she'd drop it.

  "Um, haven't you ever heard of setting rules and using code? A tie on the doorknob, switching off days of the week, a certain colored hall light? Or, we could always just look for a place that had a great layout where the bedrooms were far apart. I'll be having Justin over too ya know!" Wow...she was really picturing this happening.

  Snagging the opportunity to change the subject I said, "Tell me more about Justin. I can't believe you guys met at a yoga class. That's just so...strange."

  "Why is it strange? I found the class when I was walking home one night after a volleyball game with Penny. We thought it looked fun, so we stopped in to grab a brochure, and as we were coming back out we ran into Justin."

  "So he doesn't actually take the class? He just lurks outside of it?" This just kept getting better and better.

  "What is your problem with Justin? Is it because I didn't tell you that I'd met someone new?" She was getting defensive. "Like I said, we met about four months ago, but we've only gone out a few times. I guess I just didn't want to say anything until I knew how I really felt about him. And, honestly, before tonight we hadn't even made out." Her cheeks were red and she was breathing in small, tight huffs.

  "And so, after one makeout session, you're ready to invite him into your house and make it more official?"

  "Yeah. Actually I am." The look she gave me dared me to say anything else.

  We rode the rest of the way home in silence.

  * * * * *

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  Surprise

  (Christian)

  After we had all fed and finished closing the club for the night, we started to make our way down to the pit. Dax and I told everyone what had happened with Justin and Jillian. Their laughter and jokes weren't helping my mood.

  All my vampire brothers and sisters thought it was hilarious that after 602 years I went and fell in love with a human. So, anything that made my situation with Rose more difficult was like the punch line of a joke to them: totally hysterical.

  They continued to tease me and laugh as we made our way to the bottom of the stairs. The circular enclosure that acted as the top of our pit and the dance floor to the club sett
led in place with its customary boom. And that's when we all heard Terrance scream.

  Dax glanced in my direction with a panicked look on his face. He took off in the direction of the scream and we all rushed to follow.

  With our preternatural vampire speed, we all filled the opening outside the cell within seconds. Once there, we shared a collective sigh.

  Evie wasn't delivering the true death to Terrance, but was instead looming over him with both of her hands clasped on either side of his face. He screamed again, just as Evie whipped back her head of jet black hair.

  I'd never seen anything like this. I had thought she was "making him sing," but he wasn't "singing." No words broke his lips. Only screams.

  Right as I saw Dax move forward, preparing to enter the cell, Evie let Terrance go. He hit the ground like a drunk who'd finally reached his limit. Dax caught Evie just as she started to do the same.

  Her hair immediately drifted back to its medium brown. She held his eyes for a moment and whispered, "There's a woman." Then she collapsed in his arms.

  Dominique was the first to move. She helped Dax gather Evie then followed him to their room. Bobby, Tori, and I slowly made our way forward and could do nothing more than stare at Terrance lying on the floor, still in chains.

  "So–who the fuck is this woman?" Tori's question broke the silence. It was laced with a bit of venom, as she and Terrance had been known to mess around occasionally.

  "I don't know," I said.

  "Well, I guess we're gonna have to wait until tomorrow to find out. The sun's almost up and I'm barely going to make it to my room as it is." Bobby waved us off as he headed down the hall.

  We were your typical vampires. When the sun rose, we'd fall. Literally.

  Even though the sun didn't burn us, once it rose we were rendered comatose and wouldn't rise again until it set.