by Raven Hart
Slowly she sank down until she was sitting on the floor. “You said there’s no cure. Now we’re all going to die.”
All except her lord, Hugo. I’d had enough of this intrigue: his time would come. “I won’t die,” I announced, and proceeded to call the mist of my fleeing anger back to me.
Diana had tears in her eyes now. “What do you mean?”
“Because there is a cure.”
She just stared at me.
“Pack up what you need. We’re moving Will into town.”
Jack
I’d managed to make all the arrangements—all I could think of, anyway—on the cell phone on the way to the mansion in town. Tarney was delivering a nice antique coffin from William’s collection in the warehouse. Rennie, after I’d managed to wake him up in the middle of the night, had promised to get the backhoe on the trailer and start to the plantation with it ASAP. Then I called Connie, Tilly, and Werm, and invited them to the service. They all said they would come.
I ticked off the funerary necessities in my mind. Coffin—check. Hole in the ground—check. Guests—check. Speakers—William and Iban could do the honors with the eulogy—check. What else did you absolutely, positively have to have for a funeral?
One stiff, coming up.
I just hoped he wasn’t too chatty. What is it with me and dead people? Other than the fact that I am one, I mean. I guess it’s just a gift, like William and Melaphia said. This is one gift I sometimes wish I hadn’t unwrapped. It can be just downright creepy.
Melaphia had, by accident, helped me out with the flowers. She’d left a plastic bag of herbs sitting beside Sullivan’s body and, after I lifted the blanket, I saw she’d sprinkled some directly on him as well, in his hair and over his eyes. In each hand he held a bundle of dried sweet shrub blooms. I hated to disturb the arrangement, but I had to get the funeral guest of honor on the road. I picked him up, took him out to the Corvette, and sat him in the passenger seat. Rigor mortis had come and gone, so he was fairly easy to manipulate.
I briefly considered putting him in the trunk, but I remembered that I like to have never got little Huey in there. The trunk of a Corvette is too small to hold a whole normal-size body, and I didn’t think Iban would appreciate me dismembering his buddy after I’d failed to protect him from getting murdered in the first place.
So I propped him up in the front seat and leaned his head against the headrest. If I got stopped by the cops I could always say I was driving my buddy home after he passed out from a night of hard drinking. That is, if they didn’t notice that gaping hole in his throat. I went back into the house and found a cashmere scarf somebody had left in the hall closet, then tied it carefully around his neck. Yeah, that was the ticket. Problem solved.
I returned to the driver’s side and hopped in.
“Aren’t you going to put the top up?”
Oh, crap. I looked all around me, searching in vain for a living, breathing being that voice could have come from. Finally I said, “Sullivan, is that you?”
“Do you see anybody else here Sherlock?”
“You don’t have to get snippy,” I said.
“Oh, yeah? Why don’t you try being dead?”
I looked at his corpse and smirked. “Yo. Vampire.”
“You know what I mean. At least you’re animated.”
“Look, dude, I’m really sorry. I had no idea Will would attack you. I flew right over there, but it was too late.”
“I know. Don’t sweat it. That’s what I get for hanging out with the evil dead. No offense.”
“None taken. But what do you mean?”
“What I mean is, I always knew there was a danger in living among vampires, even the more gentle ones. They attract their own kind, and not all the bloodsuckers they attract are going to be benign. I was probably living on borrowed time anyway.”
I’d never thought of it that way, but he was right. William and I had lived charmed lives for a long time before the evil ones—Reedrek, then Hugo, and who knew who was next—came for us. That didn’t bode well for the humans we loved—Mel, Renee, and Connie. It was a depressing thought.
“Live by the fang, die by the fang, that’s all I’m saying,” he said. “So, seriously, can I get you to put the top up?”
“Why?”
I heard him sigh. “Because this is a hundred-dollar hair-style and I don’t want to go to my maker with my hair standing out like I stuck my finger in a light socket.”
If things were different, I would’ve been laughing my ass off right about now, but I wasn’t in the mood for much frivolity. “There’s no time.”
“Hey, buddy, I got nothing but time. Where are we going anyway?”
“Your funeral. You don’t want to be late for your own funeral, do you?”
“I guess not. But I don’t want to have bad hair either.”
I leaned over and redid the scarf so that it went over his head and tied under his chin. It still covered the gaping hole in his neck. “There,” I said. “All better.”
“I suppose that’ll have to do,” he said. “You have a way with accessories. Are you sure you’re straight?”
“Thanks, and yes, I’m sure.”
The herbs Melaphia had used on him were probably the same ones she’d used to spruce up Huey and Shari. He looked—and smelled—presentable enough for an open casket service if that’s what he wanted. I pulled out into the street and headed for the plantation.
“So, where’s my final resting place to be?”
“The plantation’s family burial ground. It’s right next to the woods. You’ll like it there.”
“It’s as good a place as any,” he said wistfully. “Iban is the closest I have to family, so I might as well be planted somewhere nice even if I don’t know anybody there. How is Iban anyway? Is he still…” His voice faltered.
“He’s all well again,” I said. “Melaphia let him feed on her, and her special blood cured him. It was Gerard’s idea.”
“Thank goodness,” Sullivan said.
“Listen, I’ve got to know something. Why did Will attack you that night? I saw you talking and then all of a sudden he went for your throat like a junkyard dog.” I stopped for a red light and he kept on going, bouncing his head off the dash. I propped him back up and straightened his jacket, which was still stained with blood. If only Chandler was back at the plantation we could get him to clean it. Chandler is a wiz with bloodstains.
“Thanks, man,” the spirit said. “Yeah, I nearly forgot about that. I’m glad you can hear me, ’cause this is important. It was Will who brought us the virus. I’ve spent the last few hours piecing it together in my mind and I’m pretty sure I’ve figured it out.”
“I was afraid of that. How did he get into your colony?”
“He sweet-talked the vampire who was on security one night. We built our own gated community, you know. It was supposed to protect us from curious humans…and predators.”
“I heard that,” I said. “William said you guys thought of everything.”
“Obviously not everything. Evidently, Will charmed his way into our midst without baring a fang. I only saw him once and had no reason to mistrust him. In fact, I’d forgotten about him until the night he ripped my throat out.”
The last time, I thought. “Why didn’t Iban recognize him?”
“As far as I know Iban never met him. As for me, I only saw him from across the room at a party at the colony. Someone pointed him out to me as the new vampire in town, but I never got the chance to introduce myself. We started on the road trip out here the next day and I promptly forgot about him.”
“So how did he spread the virus, and how did you get it?”
“I had it?” the ghost said, shocked. “How do you know?”
“Because Will got sick right after he bit you.”
“It couldn’t happen to a nicer vamp. I hope his balls rot off.” Sullivan thought a minute and then continued, “It must have been the swans.”
�
��Swans? So the vampires got sick feeding off the infected swans.”
“Do you remember the name Typhoid Mary?” Sullivan asked. “Biological warfare in its simplest form.”
“So how did you get infected?”
“What does it matter now?” Sullivan sighed. “I’m dead anyway. In fact it’s just as well we’re both dead the way you’re driving. Good grief, are you trying to set a new land speed record or what?”
I gritted my fangs. Have I mentioned how much I hate it when people complain about my driving? I was getting more and more agitated when I thought about the time Sullivan spent with Connie. I had to know if she was at risk.
“I’ll tell you why it matters,” I said. “I need to know if you’ve infected Connie. Now I’ll ask you again: How could you have contracted this plague?”
“You want to know if this can be spread by having sex,” Sullivan said. “I only have sex with human women, but I do—or I used to—let the vampires feed on me sometimes. What can I tell you? It’s a rush. I let one of the girl vamps suck my blood at the party the night I saw Will. So I must have gotten it that way. And as far as giving it to Connie goes, you can relax. We didn’t have sex. She wouldn’t even kiss me. She’s too hung up on you, man.”
I eased back in the seat, feeling like a ten-ton weight just fell off my shoulders. Thank God. “So…Connie’s hung up on me, huh?”
Sullivan chuckled. “Yeah. What is it with you two anyway?”
“It’s a long story.”
“Like I said, dude, I got nothing but time.”
William
As Diana, Will—somewhat stronger but still supported by Diana—and I left what used to be my stately residence, I stopped to survey the damage. My home…the furniture, glassware, curtains, and even the walls and ceiling were in a shambles. It looked as if a small tornado had spun through the house much like the undead storm named Diana had torn through my life.
Chandler would be furious at the wreckage. I remained furious at some parts of my personal damage and fascinated by others. Ah, the folly of love and expectations. My portrait still hung over the fireplace, the symbol of another time, another life. Nothing would be the same from now on.
Halfway to the Houghton mansion with Will and Diana in the Lincoln Town Car that Chandler usually drove, I remembered Eleanor. I used the phone in the car to call Deylaud, but was pleased when Melaphia answered.
“What are you doing awake?”
“I’ve slept round the clock since yesterday. It’s almost time to get Renee up for school.”
She sounded stronger, certainly stronger than when I’d brought her home. My conscience still squirmed. “How are you?”
“Better, Captain.”
I wanted to say, Better, that’s it? But what could I expect? She’d been ravaged by a monster at my request. “Good. I’m relieved to hear it.”
Diana, sitting in the passenger seat, turned to look at me, probably because of the concern in my voice.
“Where are you?” Melaphia asked. “You need to come home. We have to talk.”
“I’m on my way there…with visitors. We’ll have to talk later. Best for you to clear out. Go back to your house, both of you.” I’d made the decision not to mention Renee’s name in front of Diana.
“Your friend Gerard took blood samples from Renee.”
“Yes.” For the vaccine. “I thank you for—”
“Don’t thank me yet. You have to know I’ll never let anyone touch Renee—not like what happened to me.”
“Neither would I. On my life. Never.”
Her voice was calmer when she spoke again. “All right, we’re going home. Come to see me when you can.”
“I will, I promise. Now I need to speak to Eleanor.”
“You can’t; she’s not here. That’s the other thing we have to talk about.”
“What do you mean? Where is she?”
“I don’t know. She packed her things and left you a note. And…she took Deylaud with her.”
A chill of unpleasant surprise ran through me. Deylaud knew that if he left my home without permission he could be banned from ever returning. For a creature such as he, not serving his master would be torture, and in breaking his trust he would shorten his very life. No honor, no immortality. I found it hard to be angry with him, however; I knew he loved Eleanor. Perhaps he thought she needed him more than I did.
“I understand. Thank you for letting me know. I’ll speak with you soon.” I hung up the phone and gripped the wheel.
“Has your new little love slave run away, then?”
I didn’t bother to answer.
Diana leaned her head back and sighed. “Ah, what a pair you and I are. Willing to give up any others to cling to our despair.”
I didn’t bring up the fact that she hadn’t given up Hugo when she’d had the opportunity. Instead I concentrated on Eleanor.
Where are you?
Her answer was slow in coming.
What do you care?
You know I care. The sun will rise soon. You must come home.
Will you be there?
Now here was the tricky part. Yes, I answered. But not alone.
I felt her gasp of pain. You’re bringing her?
Yes, and another. Where are you?
You can’t tell where I am? You used to know exactly.
You used to stay put.
No more.
What does that mean?
It means I have other friends besides you.
I let her taste my displeasure for challenging me. What other friends?
Distress radiated in return. I’m with Tami—one of my girls. They’ve been staying at the Courtland Bed and Breakfast since the house burned. You should remember that since you’ve been paying the bill.
Ah, my Eleanor. Even when in a corner she was not easily cowed. After her disastrous meeting with Diana, and given the virus running through Will’s body and my own, it would be best for her to stay away, but I didn’t like the idea of not being consulted. You must be hidden when the sun rises, left alone to sleep.
Deylaud has already set us up in the basement of the Courtland…until my house is finished.
Not exactly alone. At least she would be protected, but I had no intention of allowing her—angry or not—to sleep in a dusty basement across town for the next several months. Do you understand the cost to Deylaud?
She took a moment to think about it. It’s not his fault I—Promise you won’t hurt him because of me.
I don’t have to hurt him…or you. Anything you do unsupported by my will can hurt in some way or another. The two of you belong to me.
I used to think so.
If you believe nothing else, believe that. Sleep well.
Diana may have wondered at my silence but she seemed lost in her own thoughts. Strands of emotions and expectations held me in a web woven by my own heart. Each time I freed myself from one, another fluttered forth and took its place.
Reyha met me at the door, crying. “My brother is gone,” she wailed, inconsolable. “He left us—me.” That was probably a first for this tender creature who’d lived more than two thousand years.
I hugged her to my chest and stroked her hair. One more broken heart to mend. “Yes, I know, sweet.”
“We have to get him. Bring him back—” She noticed Diana standing behind me supporting Will. She blinked back the tears but clutched me more tightly. “Who are you?”
I turned, bringing Reyha and Diana face to face. “This is—” I almost said my wife. “This is Diana and Will.”
Reyha sniffed and nodded, then turned to me again. “Shall we go? Do you know where he is?”
Offering a sweet to make my answer more palatable, I kissed her on the top of her head. “I know where. But we won’t be going just yet.”
“But—”
“I have other things to do right now.” I removed myself from her clutching fingers and helped Diana move Will downstairs.
Gerard looked up as w
e entered the vault. “Melaphia said you were on your way.” He moved toward Will as we settled him into one of the extra coffins brought in for the meeting. “He seems better.”
“Yes, I think my blood helped—”
Gerard stopped and looked at me with a critical eye. “How are you?”
I decided the truth would be the best course. “I feel…different, I suppose. That’s all I can say.”
Gerard grasped my arm and pushed up the shirtsleeve to examine the angry bite marks in my wrist. They should’ve been nearly healed by now, yet they remained red and swollen. My wrist felt warm.
“I’ll need blood samples from you both.”
“Cuy says you have a cure,” Diana said.
Busy with his medical kit, Gerard finally looked up—not at Diana, but to me. “The results look very good. We should know soon,” he answered.
Diana moved to stand next to me. “Please cure my son.”
Gerard looked at her then. “Madam, I intend to cure us all.”
Gerard took the blood samples and injected Will with a large syringe of blood directly into the carotid artery in his neck. Then he suggested we all get some rest. “Jack called. We have a funeral to attend tomorrow night.”
It took the remaining minutes of darkness to get Diana settled into Eleanor’s coffin and to relax into my own. The significance of Diana’s presence—claiming one of my gifts to Eleanor—wasn’t lost on me. I told myself it didn’t matter since Eleanor had never slept in her own coffin but had stayed with me in mine. Then the idea of Diana sleeping in my arms nearly gutted me. Even after being around her these few days I had no real sense of what might happen in the future. This formidable incarnation of my wife was a stranger to me in so many ways. I suppose she might say the same about me. It was hard to know what to hope for—whose heart might be stronger, whose trust would be shattered.
The mess was more than I could predict and, with that thought, I drifted to sleep sooner than I expected.
The sound of a giggle awakened me. Not a usual occurrence in a vampire’s dark world. I could feel the sun setting outside. I tested my awakening arms and legs; my body seemed normal, with no sign of the odd way I’d felt the evening before. As I swung the lid of my coffin open, another giggle reached me. I sat up and scanned the room. Eleanor/Diana’s coffin remained shut. Gerard had fallen asleep on a cot in the corner. There was nothing to alarm me until I saw Renee and Reyha crouched on the floor near the fireplace—next to a reclining Will.