by C. J. Pinard
She nodded and they strolled slowly over to the group. The one feeding raised his head. His shaggy blonde hair fell in his face, but it didn’t cover the blood trailing down his chin. He hissed as the Immortals approached.
Quickly, Kathryn went to grab for the other one but he started to run. She took off after him. Jonathan lunged for the feeder and easily had him by the throat in seconds, pinning him up against the wall. The human fell to the ground in a heap, unmoving.
“Who the hell are you?” the vampire choked out, blood and spittle flinging from his mouth.
“The Zie Council tends to frown on you feeding from humans. Wouldn’t you say? Looks like you might have killed this one.”
“Who cares? They’re just meals. Nothing more. Now put me down, you oaf!” he yelled.
Jonathan narrowed his eyes at him. “No.”
“And what council are you talking about? I ain’t ever heard of no council.”
Jonathan laughed. “Well, ya know what? Since you’ve never heard of the council, that probably means they’ve never heard of you. So I guess you won’t be missed, will you?”
The vampire’s black eyes grew big as Jonathan pulled a sharpened stake from his back pocket and plunged it into the vampire’s chest, then dropped him next to the human girl. The body quickly turned brown, then gray, then to a pile of clothing and ash.
Leaning over the human girl, he felt for a pulse. She had one, but it was faint. He picked her up and yelled for Kat, who was nowhere to be found.
He carried the woman around the corner into the alley he had seen Kat chasing the vampire into. He yelled once again, “Kathryn! Let’s go.”
Panic and dread began to creep into his chest when he couldn’t find her. He carefully set the woman down and started to walk down the alley. Then he heard a faint scream and took off running. He found her struggling with the vampire. It was clear she had tackled him but he now appeared to be getting the upper hand, as his fangs were inches from her neck.
Jonathan yanked him off and threw him. The vampire barely had time to get up when Jonathan was on him again. Without a word, he grabbed the vampire’s head between his hands and twisted until his neck cracked and his head separated from his shoulders. He threw the head into a nearby dumpster, football style.
Kathryn had seen him kill vampires before, but never quite like that. She stood with her mouth open.
“Let’s go,” he said. “I need to get the human to a hospital.”
“That was disgusting,” she said, looking back over her shoulder at the headless body, which was now just a shriveled corpse in clothes. She guessed the vampire was a lot younger than his dining partner.
Jonathan picked up the woman, who was still unconscious, and together, they silently carried her to the hospital. Kathryn took a peek into Jonathan’s mind and she heard him cursing to himself that he couldn’t help both the human girl and Kathryn at the same time. Then she heard a long stream of thoughts about how he needs to find himself a male companion to fight crime with. This hurt her feelings, but in a strange way, she understood. What she did was very unconventional for women in that time.
∞∞∞
Portland, Oregon – Present Day
The younger vampires were sitting outside at the picnic table. The sun had just gone down and they knew the other vampires would be getting up soon.
“So what do you make of Darius?” Eric asked, bouncing a small rubber handball on the table.
Brandon looked at him seriously. “I don’t know what to make of him.”
“It’s clear Angel wasn’t happy with you being the clan leader,” Bryan said, looking at Brandon.
“Yes, it would appear that way. But she can’t make all the decisions around here. I don’t care how old she is,” Brandon replied.
“Well seems Darius is in charge now,” Vania replied, twirling her finger around one of her ponytails. She popped a bubble, then peeled it off of her black lips, sticking the gum back in her mouth.
Brandon sighed. “Yes, it would seem that way.”
“Do you think we’re going to be punished for killing Pascal?” Eric asked, still bouncing the blue handball up and down.
“Would you knock that shit off?” Brandon said, pointing at the ball. “To answer your question, I think we will. So we can sit here and take it, or we can leave Portland and try to go somewhere else.”
Vania’s eyes got big. “Really, you’d run away? Leave Angel, too?”
“Yes, I would.”
∞∞∞
Serina was drinking tea and watching Malina sleep on the couch. She could see her belly squirming under her purple top as the baby seemed to be searching for a comfortable position. She sat contemplating her decision, when Malina jerked awake. She looked around the room, temporarily confused.
“You okay, honey?” Serina asked.
Malina sat up and nodded, rubbing her forehead. “Yes, bad dream.”
“You’ve been having those a lot lately.”
“I know.”
Serina smiled as she blew on the hot tea. “You know what will make them go away?”
“I told you, I’m not ready to go home yet,” Malina answered. “Did you give them their doses?”
Serina’s smile faded. “Yes, but Thomas threw his away and then left. He never got his dose.”
Malina gasped. “What happened?”
“He said he’s not taking it until you come home. Then he begged me to tell him where you were. I won’t lie, hon. I almost caved. He looks downright dreadful. I don’t think he’s eating or sleeping.”
Malina’s eyes filled with tears. “I don’t know. I’ve got to find a way to be with him and our child, Serina. I can’t let them go on without me after I die.”
Serina set her cup down and stood. She pointed at Malina with a pink fingernail. “No! What you need to do is get a grip and deal with this. This is the way it is; it’s the nature of what we are. Have a baby, become a mortal. There’s no way around it. I’m not happy with losing you eventually, but you know what? I have fifty years to deal with it, and so do you. Do you actually think Thomas is gonna continue to drink our potions and remain immortal while you don’t? All that boy ever wanted was a family and a life. Now he has it, and you’re taking away his happiness. He worships you, Malina. He adores you and you’re killing him.”
Serina’s eyes were now both flashing and tearing up and she turned on her heel and went into her room and slammed the door.
Malina put her face in her hands and cried.
∞∞∞
Thomas folded his arms. “Well guess what, I don’t know where she is. So go away.”
Angel was still smiling. “I don’t believe you. Isn’t she pregnant? Did you lose her?”
Thomas let out a ragged breath. All he wanted to do was go inside, shower, eat, and go to bed. But there was no way he was going to enter the code to the door panel with her watching, nor was he going to invite her into the apartment.
Although, the look on Jonathan’s face when he came home and saw that might be worth it…
“Are you listening to me, cop?” she asked, her smile gone.
“Huh? What?”
Angel cocked her head to the side. “You look like crap, man. What is the matter with you?”
“I truly don’t know where she is. We… had a fight.” It was all he could think of.
Angel frowned. “Seriously? That sucks.”
“What do you want with Malina anyway? You should probably know she doesn’t like you. You know, the whole kidnapping thing and all.” Thomas smirked at her.
“Will you do me a favor and tell me when she returns? Here’s my cell phone number. I really need to speak to her. I mean her no harm, I promise. It’s… council business,” Angel said.
“You can speak to me about council business.”
Angel shook her head. “It’s kind of girly and private. I really don’t have anyone I can speak to, another female, that is.”
“Whatever.�
�� He snatched the card from her hand and shoved it in his pocket. “I’ll tell her you stopped by. Now can you leave so I can get some rest?”
She nodded and disappeared behind the door that led to the stairwell.
Once the door was closed, Thomas quickly entered the code and went into the apartment. He flipped on the TV to ESPN to distract himself and took a shower. He felt a little better after that, then went to the fridge and grabbed two slices of cold pizza and plopped himself on the sofa, munching on it. Once he was finished, he looked over at the credenza and decided Jonathan probably wouldn’t mind if he helped himself to a couple glasses of his good scotch.
As he lifted the heavy decanter and poured a measure into the thick tumbler, he was just downing his first when the front door opened. Jonathan, Kathryn, and Tyler entered, all stopping short when they saw Thomas with his head back and the glass at his lips.
Jonathan threw his keys on the table and laughed. “You’re turning into me. Pour me one, will you?”
Thomas swiped his hand over his mouth. “Sorry, boss. Just needed something to take the edge off.” He handed Jonathan a half-full glass.
He laughed. “Hey, that’s what it’s for.”
“I’m off to bed, I have rounds at seven a.m.,” Tyler said.
“Goodnight,” Kathryn said as she made her way to her room.
Jonathan watched them both disappear down the hall then turned back to Thomas. “We need to talk.”
Chapter 17
∞∞∞
San Francisco – 1946
Kathryn was sitting at her desk, thinking about Jonathan. Since moving to San Francisco, they had started to drift apart. They were together exclusively about ten years, but then the fights began. She concluded they had turned into an old married couple, and Jonathan decided he needed a break. This included seeing other people, which Jonathan had, but not in front of her. She had her own apartment in the building, and he had his. She had gone on a few dates with humans, but nobody really interested her that much.
The truth was, since David, Jonathan was the only one she could let herself love, and the split with him had been gut-wrenchingly painful. She constantly put on a brave face, acting like she was in total agreement with the split, and how it was best for them, but deep down, she didn’t want it. Seeing him every day hurt. She tried to evaluate this. Was it because she was comfortable with Jonathan and didn’t want to start over? Or was it that she truly loved him with all her being and knew there would never be anyone else for her?
A bike messenger exiting the Hyde Street bank building after making one of his deliveries distracted her. He got on his blue bike and pedaled down the street. Kathryn watched him ride off.
Moments later, Jonathan came out of the elevator. “Kat, did that bike messenger leave yet?”
She nodded and pointed. “Yes, just rode off that way.”
Jonathan watched him go, then he turned back to Kathryn. “I think I’m gonna ask the council for another coven member.”
“O-kaaay… I mean, I think we need more members, but what’s that kid got to do with it?”
“I want him,” Jonathan smiled.
“Why him?” she asked, pulling out a bottle of pink nail polish from her desk drawer. She began painting.
He looked at the nail polish then up at her. “That’s why.” He pointed at her fingers. “I need more men around here.”
She gave a wry smile. “That would be wonderful.”
He frowned. “Don’t even think about it.”
“You started it,” she said, blowing on the glossy polish.
He shook his head and put his hands in his pants pockets and walked back toward the elevator.
As the doors were closing, Kat called out, “He’s just a kid, John.”
“That’s the point,” he mumbled as he slammed the elevator cage closed and pushed the button for the sixth floor.
A week later, Jonathan got his wish… not on his timetable, however. A vampire attack from which he rescued the bike messenger – Thomas – became the young man’s introduction to the world of the supernatural and his involuntary induction into the council.
Jonathan had moved Thomas into his apartment and promised him he could have his own apartment in about a year after he was fully trained.
Kathryn tried to stay out of Thomas’s head, but it was difficult. She could feel the sadness emulating off of him in waves. She longed to tell Jonathan about how miserable Thomas was, but she knew she’d better not. She just hoped and prayed he would get better. In fact, she knew he would. In a few decades, when all the humans he ever knew were dead and gone, he would be okay. Experience told her this.
One day after work, she went up to the gym Jonathan had made on the third floor of the building. As she entered, Thomas turned to face her and he looked shocked. I guess he doesn’t recognize me from the reception desk, she thought.
He immediately introduced himself. “Hi, I’m Thomas O’Malley, or Tom for short,” he said, putting his hand out.
God, he was so cute and young. Just a kid. What was Jonathan thinking? She smirked. “I’m Kat.”
“Wait, I do know you, you’re the receptionist in this building!”
She laughed. “Yep.”
Jonathan explained their unique situation with the building, then began to explain about the special gifts each Immortal receives upon drinking Enchantment. She quickly realized Jonathan was trying to figure out Thomas’s but she already knew Thomas was feeling pressured and frustrated and said as much to Jonathan… who didn’t seem to care. She explained her own gift and then disappeared into the ladies locker room.
She quickly changed into comfortable cotton pants and one of Jonathan’s T-shirts, which she tied into a knot at the front since it practically came down to her thighs. As she entered the gym, and before even pushing the doors open, she heard shouts of rage, frustration, and fear. She walked in to see Thomas, his face in a grimace of pain as Jonathan was on top of him.
“Again, this time, faster!” Jonathan said.
Thomas was still screaming in frustration inside. This time she heard him think I’m gonna attack Kat this time.
Of course, Kat was ready for him, which frustrated Thomas all the more.
“How did you…?” Thomas said.
Kathryn tapped her temple. “I heard you think it.”
“Oh, I thought you said you never use that gift.”
She laughed. “Oh, I do in a fight, come now.”
Thomas stalked back over to where he had been standing before and she heard him think about how his life was crap. He missed his parents, his old girlfriend, his job, his comic books, even his bike messenger job. She watched as he sliced his hand open again with the switchblade with a scowl on his face. Then she gasped in shock as Thomas immediately landed on Jonathan, moving faster than she had seen anyone move. Well, except Will from Los Angeles.
He was flashing!
She squealed and clapped in excitement as Thomas jumped off of Jonathan confused. She was thrilled to have a flasher on her team. They are very valuable, as she had learned.
∞∞∞
Portland, Oregon – Present Day
Every vampire in the Portland clan was seated in the living room of the Mockingbird house. A few of the clan members lived on their own, along with about four very old vampires who lived in the area but usually laid low, only making an appearance when requested. They had nothing to do with the nightclub, Pascal (when he was alive), or any of the business. The only thing they had in common was they were all subject to punishment under the Treaty of the Council of the Zie, and therefore, would attend meetings when called.
About twenty vampires in all, including those who occupied the house, were sitting, waiting for the meeting to start. Brandon, Bryan, Eric, and Vania sat on the sofa together. Angel and Mike were standing in the kitchen which faced the living room, and the rest were standing or sitting around, chatting amongst themselves. They all turned to look as Darius came down t
he stairwell and entered the living room wearing a brown pinstriped suit and white tie, his sunglasses on. His shiny bald head gleamed under the lights.
He cleared his throat. “Thank you for coming. As you all know by now, Pascal is no longer with us. Due to some commotion in the house, he lost a battle with a few clan members, which left the house without a leader. Being that Mike, here, was the oldest at the time, he declined the job of clan leader, at which time Angel,” he turned to look at her and smiled, “came to my rescue. I was reborn two weeks ago and since I am seventy-five years old, I am the new leader of the Portland clan. Unless somebody older wishes to step up?” He looked to the back of the room where four unfamiliar vampires stood, two men and two women. He knew they were all well over a hundred years old, but they all shook their heads.
One vampire, who looked like he belonged in a motorcycle gang, spoke up. “Darius, we wish to fly under the radar, man. We don’t want any part of running a nightclub, or being a babysitter,” he shot a look at the newborns, “so you have our blessing to run this bitch.”
The room erupted in applause and laughter.
Darius pulled his hands out from behind his back and steepled his fingers, smiling. “Well, I guess that answers that.” He let out a big breath. “Now, just so we’re clear; myself, Angel, and Mike will continue to run the club, with the help of the newer members,” he looked at Brandon and crew, “and of course the staff, Jack, Ray, and Bill.” He looked at the two bartenders and the DJ. “We will continue to occupy this home, as it’s paid for and only requires utilities and taxes. I may be hiring a bookkeeper to help with the finances, as I’m not as savvy with that as Pascal was.
“I also need to say, that if anyone wishes to leave, they should do so now. I’m going to keep Bryan as my first lieutenant, to report directly to Mike, and the rest of you are foot-soldiers until you prove yourselves in other ways.”
Brandon stood up. “Are you freaking kidding me? I was practically running this house while you were over in the nursing home playing shuffleboard –”