The Way of Escape

by Kristen Reed

  “Being a member of The Vampire League is almost as dangerous as being a Roman gladiator. However, the pay and the perks are worth the trouble.”

  “Have you ever come close to losing a duel?”

  “Not since Cassandra’s maker nearly killed me. I’ve been very strategic in picking my battles since that loss.”

  “I bet. Have you been involved with anyone since things ended with her?”

  “I’ve kept most of my relationships purely physical since then. It’s easier to remain impartial in governing my area if I don’t have emotional connections to any covens.”

  “What about women who also work for The Vampire League?”

  Augustus chuckled.

  “The women in the league either want my position and therefore my life because they are beneath me or I want theirs because they are above me. I’m not going to get emotionally invested in someone who I will likely kill in a few decades.”

  A chill shot through my body at that sentiment, and I bit my tongue before I could voice my disapproval. While I didn’t condone hurting and killing other people to get ahead in the world, his industry of choice was cutthroat in ways that most humans couldn’t comprehend. After all, I didn’t need to kill my coworkers to keep my position or get a promotion. More importantly, I also had to remember that his moral standard was wildly different from mine. Questionable as they were, his decisions were a reflection of that standard. Since he didn’t have the same moral compass, he had no qualms about ending people’s lives.

  “What about you,” he asked. “I know that you’re abstinent, but is there anyone back home who has your heart?”

  “No, the last date I went on was months ago.”

  “Was that date with Connor?”

  “No, he and I are just friends. We’ve never gone out.”

  “But you have been interested in one another at some point, correct,” he asked.

  “Well, I was interested in him a while back, but I’m not anymore.”

  “Why did your feelings change?”

  “He never asked me out, and I realized that I wanted a man who liked me as much as I liked him. Since he didn’t feel the same way or pursue me, my feelings eventually faded,” I explained. “I still think he’s cute and a great guy, but that ship sailed a long time ago and it’s never coming back to port.”

  “Because you’re becoming a vampire?”

  “Yes.”

  “What do you envision for your future romantically speaking if you’re discounting yourself as a potential partner because you’ll no longer be human?”

  “Nothing, which is why I’m trying not to imagine anything right now. I have enough on my mind without thinking about how I’m probably giving up any chance I had at finding love.”

  “You once said that you objected to being more than friends and allies because I don’t share your beliefs,” Augustus recalled. “You’re rejecting the notion of being in a relationship with a human who does because you’re becoming a vampire, yet there are few if any vampires who have the same faith as you. If you truly believe that God will forgive your sins, why would you deny yourself the pleasure of another’s company for what could be an eternity?”

  “It would be really stupid and ungrateful for me to knowingly sin and abuse God’s grace knowing the price Christ paid so I could have it. Even before I was dropped into this strange world, I had to accept that I wasn’t owed or guaranteed a husband and trust that God would give me peace with whatever plan he has for me.”

  “That sounds like a very lonely plan.”

  “I’ll have to uproot myself, change identities, and make new friends every ten years. That’s not exactly a recipe for a long-term stability or commitment.”

  “You could always make the man you love into a vampire.”

  “I could never do that to someone I loved,” I said, shaking my head. “Why are you giving me a hard time for my decision when you’ve been flying solo for centuries?”

  “Because love is a luxury that I haven’t been able to afford in my position. You, on the other hand, clearly have a great capacity for love and value it deeply. You also don’t seem like the type to complicate your life by getting tangled up in vampire politics.”

  “Are you really staying away from relationships because you work for The Vampire League or because of how painful losing Cassandra was?”

  “Are you rejecting the notion of finding love because of your beliefs or because you’re too scared of being disappointed to hope for companionship?”

  I heaved a sigh as I gently swirled my water in its glass.

  “Touché.”

  “I think we should both be more open-minded,” he suggested. “After all, if you could have this evolved perspective about Christianity and vampirism, you may encounter someone else with the same outlook in the years ahead.”

  “Maybe.”

  Augustus and I spent the rest of our evening enjoying the fragrant breeze and admiring the nighttime landscape without diving into another deep conversation. When the barely detectable glow of dawn’s first light brightened the inky autumn sky, we returned to our rooms. The vampire and I took turns stepping into the bathroom to get ready for bed before settling in for another day of calculated cuddling.

  As I drifted off, I distracted myself from how comforting Augustus’ embrace was by turning my thoughts to Leah. With my last waking moments, I prayed that she would open her eyes the next day with a new, correct view of her true identity in Christ instead of the lies that she’d fallen prey to.

  ♦ ♦ ♦

  CHAPTER 4

  I didn’t linger between the sheets when I roused beside Augustus the next day. The vampire opened his eyes when I woke up and immediately left the bed, but the sight of a newspaper poking out from under the door captured my attention more than his awakening. The familiar American newspaper’s front-page featured a story detailing how three missing women, Leah, Blanca, and Rachel, had wandered into the U.S. Embassy in Port-Au-Prince with no recollection of where they had been since their respective disappearances. They couldn’t even remember how they’d arrived at the embassy.

  My hands shook and I fought back tears, unable to speak as relief overwhelmed me. I didn’t know if Leah would find out that she’d fallen off the wagon during her time away or how that knowledge would affect her, but she was going to be in good hands. Despite how Leah felt about some of our friends back home, I knew that tons of people in Dallas loved her. They would do everything in their power to help her deal with her pain and that was exactly what she needed.

  God, thank you for getting her away from this horrible place.

  “That happened quickly,” Augustus commented as he read the story over my shoulder.

  “Yeah, it did,” I said with a smile. “I’m going to get dressed. I’ll see you in a little bit.”

  “Alright. I’ll get something for you to eat when you’re done.”

  “Thanks.”

  Augustus smiled and left the room, giving me the privacy I needed to get physically and emotionally ready for the day and night ahead.

  ♦ ♦ ♦

  When the vampire returned, I was surprised to see that he hadn’t just brought food with him … He’d also pilfered a bottle of champagne from Emmanuel’s collection.

  “I thought we should have a little celebration before the others awaken,” he explained with a grin.

  “Champagne doesn’t really go with oatmeal and apples, but a little bubbly never hurt anyone.”

  Augustus popped the cork and poured the effervescent liquid into each flute. Before I could taste my celebratory drink, Augustus lifted his glass in a toast.

  “To freedom.”

  “To freedom,” I echoed as we touched our glasses with a bright ring and I enjoyed a sip of the sparkling beverage.

  “Have you given any thought to your life after this is all over,” he asked. “Will you return home or would you prefer to ease into a new life elsewhere?”

  “I want to
at least try going home. If I don’t and everyone thinks I’m dead or missing, my friends and family will be devastated,” I answered. “Whenever it’s time for me to move on, I’ll just make up a believable excuse to leave Dallas and avoid coming back.”

  “That sounds like a good plan.”

  “You’ll just go back to your old life after this, right?”

  “More or less,” the vampire answered. “Since you will be a new vampire, I’ll have to stay nearby and ensure that you settle into your new way of life.”

  “How long do you think that will take?”

  “A few weeks. After that, I’ll check in at least once a month. That seemed to work with my last offspring.”

  “Who was the last person you turned?”

  “His name is Kieran Johnson, and he is still a loyal ally to this day.”

  “Why did you change him?”

  “Shortly after the stock market crashed in October of 1929, The Vampire League commanded the current lords to change people whose positions in society or wealth could be beneficial to the league or our race as a whole. Kieran wasn’t a man of influence, but he was the heir to an obscenely large fortune that was still intact after Black Tuesday. As my progeny, he owed the league and me a portion of his inheritance. He also had access to other powerful men and women because of the social circles he ran in, so he was able to draw information out of them and implant ideas into their minds once I changed him.”

  “Did he want you to make him a vampire?”

  “Yes, he practically begged me. After his father lost his battle with cancer, he feared falling prey to the same disease. Between that and our friendship, he was more than willing to cross over when I revealed my true nature to him.”

  “I bet.”

  “Do you have any of those fears because of your mother’s passing?”

  “Yes, but I’ve just tried to be diligent about doing self-exams and getting screened regularly. I guess I don’t have to worry about that anymore since I’m becoming a vampire.”

  “But you’re still worried about something,” he said. “What fears do you have about your new life?”

  “I’m not too crazy about starting my life over. Finding a new job and even moving isn’t that scary, but my friends not knowing me completely or being able to give me good counsel is going to make things difficult. I won’t be able to tell anyone what I am, so I’ll never be able to be transparent about what I’m going through,” I explained. “I’ve worked really hard to come out of my shell and open up to my friends about all of my struggles and my past. Thanks to this, I’ll never be able to have that kind of support and closeness with them again.”

  “You’re forgetting that there are other vampires in the world you can engage with,” Augustus reminded me. “While I can’t speak for the relationships that you may have with anyone else, I can say with complete sincerity that you can confide in me. I might not live up to your standard of virtue or share your faith like your human friends do, but you will be a member of my bloodline. I will not forsake you or leave you to fend for yourself in a world that would surely hate and hunt you if you revealed your new nature.”

  As nice as that sentiment was, I knew that I couldn’t turn to Augustus the same way I could lean on my friends. He was a nonbeliever, so that kind of emotional intimacy wouldn’t be good for me long term. That being said, it still meant a lot to know that at least one person knew the full story and wouldn’t run away screaming because my appetite had taken a bloody turn.

  “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome,” he replied with a smile.

  “Speaking of vampires, I should get in some more reading before I have to see the ones here,” I said. “I’ll see you in a little bit.”

  Then, I set down my nearly full flute and left the room with more pep in my step than I’d had since my introduction to the strange, dark world I had unknowingly been born into.

  ♦ ♦ ♦

  After eating my low-maintenance breakfast, we returned to the basement-turned-dungeon where Connor was spending his days with a tray of food prepared by Amy, a feeding kit, and some first aid supplies. Augustus stood watch as he had the previous day while I sat with my friend, whose bruises had multiplied since my last visit. Once I finished cleaning the cuts and scrapes that covered Connor’s battered body, he took two aspirin tablets for his pain and tore into the leftover pasta.

  “Did Marie come back last night or did someone else hurt you,” I asked after he finally came up for air.

  “It was her. Marie had Lisette bring me back up to her room and offered me all kinds of drugs, but I turned her down. I guess she thought I’d be easier to control if I was too trashed to know what was going on. When I wouldn’t take anything, she just knocked me around and bit me again. Then she had Lisette throw me back in here.”

  Instead of saying I was sorry or trying to immediately the silence with meaningless platitudes, I simply watched my friend eat as I silently prayed that God would pour his strength into Connor and keep him alive long enough to escape his abusive captors.

  “Are you still going along with that vampire’s plan?”

  “Yeah, I am, but I have good news,” I announced. “Leah is back home along with two of the other slaves.”

  “How did you manage that?”

  “I asked Emmanuel to set them free.”

  “Well, I bet she was relieved.”

  “Not really.”

  “Why not? I’d be doing backflips if I could go home.”

  “Leah’s owner offered her drugs like Marie did, but she gave in and took them,” I answered. “I saw her at dinner last night and she wasn’t herself. Grayson erased years of progress in only a couple days. She was actually angry with me for asking for her freedom.”

  “She told me about her past a while back, so I’m glad you convinced them to let her go,” he said carefully. “Are you going to ask them to send me home too?”

  “Emmanuel said he would only free one of you. I know you’re suffering too, but she’s not as strong as you are. Staying here would have destroyed her.”

  Connor nodded.

  “Will you forgive me?”

  “Yeah. I get it.”

  I knew that Connor understood my decision, but the sour expression that he quickly wiped from his face told me that he wished things had gone down differently. Heck … so did I. If Emmanuel had agreed to my original request, both of them would be on the way home to be with their families. However, I was grateful that Connor chose not to take his disappointment out on me. I also admired his restraint because I probably wouldn’t have been as cool-headed if I were in his shoes.

  “We’ll all be back in Dallas soon,” I reminded him softly. “You just have to hold on for a few more days.”

  “If your plan works.”

  “It will.”

  “Can I ask you a favor?”

  “Of course.”

  “If this prophecy thing winds up being total bull, can you buy me from Marie,” he asked. “If someone is going to be biting my neck every day, I’d rather it be you than her.”

  I gaped at Connor for a moment while I processed his question. While I knew I would have to drink blood eventually, I found the idea of drinking from someone I knew incredibly unappealing … and awkward. It seemed like the vampire equivalent of eating a beloved pet, but infinitely more unnerving. On the other hand, if pushing past that discomfort would keep him somewhat safe, I’d do it in a heartbeat. It was the least I could do.

  “I’ll do it, but I hope it doesn’t come to that.”

  “Same here. We would definitely be stepping out of Christian side hug territory,” he joked.

  I chuckled as I remembered the many times I’d joked with my girl friends about the forced one-armed hugs some of our male friends sometimes gave us. It was as if they thought we’d drag them to the pre-marriage ministry if they hugged us with both arms.

  “Yeah, we would be leaping across that line.”

  “Speak
ing of crossing lines, what’s up with you and the vampire?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “You just seem unusually comfortable around him.”

  “We’re putting on an act for the other vampires,” I explained. “If they believe that something is going on between us, they’ll be more likely to let him change me instead of Emmanuel or one of the other coven members.”

  “It didn’t seem like and act to me when y’all came in.”

  “Why do you say that?”

  “I saw how he touched your back and leaned in when he said he would be keeping watch,” Connor said. “Plus, the way he looks at you is definitely more than friendly.”

  My attraction to Augustus was none of Connor’s business, so I silently resolved to keep quiet about it. Besides, he was reading way too much into the few moments Augustus had been standing with us. It wasn’t like he’d seen our kiss, heard our conversations, or seen us interacting in front of the vampires. Connor was jumping to conclusions based on the most brief, harmless interaction Augustus and I had shared all day.

  “You do that to me all the time,” I defended.

  “Exactly.”

  I furrowed my brow, causing Connor to laugh and shake his head.

  “Come on, Clara. You really didn’t know that I’ve been into you for the past year?”

  “I had no idea. I just thought that you were a touchy feely guy.”

  “So you didn’t notice that I don’t do that to other girls?”

  “No,” I answered after a moment of reflection.

  “I guess that should make me feel a little better. I thought you just friend zoned me.”

  Instead of telling Connor he’d been wrong, I kept quiet and suppressed the hope that burgeoned in my heart. My feelings for him had lessened over the past several months because I’d assumed that he wasn’t interested in ‘me. Unfortunately, that fondness was suddenly threatening to come roaring back. I couldn’t afford to daydream and wonder what could have happened between us because nothing ever would. If everything went as planned, he would be back in Dallas without a single memory of his time on Emmanuel’s island and I would be a vampire. Vampire women — even if they were Christians — weren’t exactly wife and mother material.