Kiss of the Vampire (The Vanderlind Realm Book 2)

by Gayla Twist

  “That’s right, sweetie,” she said, glancing up from her romance novel. “None of us do.”

  I wondered if that was true. Leonora had such a sarcastic way of speaking that I couldn’t tell when she was being serious. “You going to bed soon?” Leonora asked as she closed her book and fluffed her pillow.

  I took the hint. “Yeah.” I wandered back over to my bed. “I think I’ll just read for awhile first.”

  I made it halfway through Pride and Prejudice. One of the benefits of my vampire vision was I could see perfectly well in the dark and didn’t have to worry about how leaving a light on that might bother my cellmate. But I wasn’t really taking in the plot. I couldn’t get caught up in the book’s romance. I found myself reading the same paragraphs over and over again. With a sigh, I closed the book. I was doomed to spend the day staring at the ceiling, thinking about Dorian.

  “So how did you buy it?” I heard my roommate ask. I had thought she was resting, but apparently not.

  “Sorry?” I asked. I hadn’t been expecting her to speak.

  “How did you die?”

  “Oh.” It seemed like an oddly personal question, but I guess it didn’t hurt to talk about it. “Texting while driving.” And then I asked, rather hesitantly, “How did you die?”

  “Shitty boyfriend,” she told me.

  That caught my attention. “So you were dating a vampire and he killed you?”

  “No,” Leonora said. “I had this shitty boyfriend, Eddie, who I was crazy about. Everyone kept telling me I should stay away from him, but I was caught up with the romance of dating the bad boy.” She let out a short, bitter laugh. “I thought I was so cool because he was so bad. And then he beat me to death with a tire iron. My maker found my body by the side of the road and decided to give me the gift of eternal life.” She said the last bit with a goofy voice, like she was trying to do a cheesy Dracula imitation.

  “Are you close with your maker?” I asked. Leonora seemed like the kind of person who would tell me if I was stepping over the line with nosy questions.

  “Kind of,” was her reply. “We’ve got a whole mother-daughter thing going on, which is kind of nice in a way. Cause, you know, I never knew my real mom.”

  “Do you know why your maker turned you?”

  Leonora let out a sigh. “She told me it was because her husband beat her to death about a hundred and fifty years ago. But I also think it was because she was a little bored and kind of lonely.” After a moment she added, “Or just bored.” Rolling over and propping herself up on her elbows, she asked, “Why did your maker turn you?”

  I had to think about it for a moment. “On the surface I think he did it because he felt sorry for me. But underneath I think it was the whole bored-and-lonely thing, too. I’m guessing that might be pretty common with the undead.”

  “So why are you in here?” Leonora asked. “You don’t exactly seem like the kind of vamp who goes on a killing spree.”

  “I was telling you the truth before. I’m not really sure why I’m here,” I told her. “I snacked off of a few guys. Just scumbags that I found hanging around the bars. But I never killed any of them. And I always wiped their memories.”

  “That doesn’t sound like a jailing offense,” Leonora commented. “Are you sure that’s all you did?”

  “Well…” I wondered how much I should reveal to her. “I think it might also have something to do with this vampiress that’s kind of pissed at my maker for some reason.”

  “O-h.” Leonora broke the word into two syllables. “Did they used to date?” she asked, cocking an eyebrow at me.

  “Yeah, like a couple of decades ago. But now she’s been following us around and acting kind of nutty,” I said. “I think she might have set me up.”

  Leonora lay back down. “Maybe she’s still not over him.”

  “Maybe,” I muttered. She sure did hate him enough. “How about you?” I asked. “What’d you do?”

  “I killed my boyfriend,” Leonora said, her voice matter-of-fact. “Ripped him to pieces. That taught him a real good lesson. It was the bloodiest murder Canton, Ohio has seen in recorded history. Or at least that’s what all the papers said.”

  “And the Bishops didn’t like you doing that?”

  “I don't’ think they minded the killing so much. I mean, the guy did beat me to death.” Leonora’s voice took on an extra gravelly snarl. “But I made such a mess of it that it got a lot of attention in the news. And that they didn’t like at all.”

  “Did the police find out it was you or something?”

  “No, thank God, or I’d be nailed shut in a coffin right now.” Her laugh was as dry as a piece of husk stuck in your throat.

  I thought about how initially I’d wanted to kill Tommy and Sheila and the rest of them. I wanted to make them wish they’d never been born. But revenge was a tricky business. “Are you glad you did it?” I asked. “I mean, did killing your ex make you feel any better?”

  “Hmm.” She was silent for a few moments. Eventually she said, “You know, I don’t think it did. I mean, the son-of-a-bitch deserved to die, but I don’t feel that good about it. Not really. What I really wish is that I had never dated him in the first place.”

  Chapter 24

  Dorian

  “Hugo, I don’t have time for your nonsense,” I raged.

  “Tell me vhat is wrong, Mr. Wanderlind.” The giant’s demeanor was very controlled, even though he had a vampire yelling in his face. “Maybe I can help.”

  I had flown back to the castle and barged into the servants’ quarters, demanding to speak to the over-sized manservant. I’d found him with the lovely, diminutive Gloria, cuddled up in an enormous bed.

  “The Bishops sent some goons to grab my progeny,” I told him. “They think she had something to do with the teenagers who were disappearing around here. But that’s impossible,” I thundered, pounding my fist on the doorframe. “She wasn’t even a vampire when that whole thing started.”

  “If that’s your only problem, then I have a solution for you,” Gloria said. She was still in bed, clutching the sheets to her bosom.

  I had stormed in there wanting answers for what had happened to my family so that they could help me. I wasn’t expecting a solution to my troubles. “What is it?” I asked in a low voice, the fury being temporarily sucked out of me.

  “The local newspaper is available online,” she told me. “All you would have to do is show the Bishops when the teenagers started disappearing and then tell them your progeny's maker’s day. That should clear her of any wrongdoing.”

  The answer was so obvious that I felt like a fool for not thinking of it myself. But then again, I rarely thought about the internet. I really only bought my laptops because it felt like a modern thing to do and I didn't want to become one of those vampires who was frozen in time. “Thank you,” I told Gloria as I immediately started backing out of the door to their quarters. “That is exactly what I will do.” I grabbed the doorknob and began pulling it shut. “My apologies for barging in on you. I know I’ve been horribly rude, but I was distraught and not thinking clearly.”

  “That is not a problem, Mr. Wanderlind,” Hugo said as I drew shut the door.

  Running to my room, I flipped open my rarely used laptop and glared at the screen, willing it warm up quickly. Finally it was ready and I was able to do a search. I typed in “Missing girl, Tiburon, Ohio” and like magic dozens of stories appeared. And there were articles not just about the first missing girl, but about all of the teens who had disappeared. Noting that all of the disappearances happened on or before Christmas Eve, I slammed the laptop shut and jammed it in a leather satchel. Two minutes later and I was plunging through the night like a guided missile, heading for Columbus and Haley.

  My fury gave me extra speed, which was good because I was running out of night. I couldn’t believe that the Bishops had sent someone to apprehend Haley so hastily. I wasn’t used to thinking of their authority as overreaching, alth
ough I’d heard some vampires complain about it from time to time. I was convinced Ilona had something to do with the Bishops’ sloppy research before ordering the arrest. I knew she had a powerful maker, but there seemed to be a lot more vampires who were willing to turn a blind-eye to her bad behavior. I didn’t know if they were just fooled by her two-faced personality or if she had some type of leverage over them. Ilona knew very well that sometimes the best currency was secrets.

  Any way you sliced it, Ilona was out of her mind. But she was also crafty and very controlling. It had taken a lot of finesse to get her to break up with me thirty years ago. I couldn’t imagine how she would have behaved if I had flat-out broken up with her. But what was motivating her now? Why come after me? Was it because I’d spoiled one of her evenings by droning on about Haley? That didn’t seem to warrant a vendetta of this magnitude.

  I reached the address on the card the soldier had given me just before dawn. It looked to be only an old warehouse, but looks could be deceiving, especially in the vampire world. The Bishops had an immense amount of power and riches, but they frequently found it more prudent to keep a low profile. Especially when displays of wealth could so easily draw the attention of mortal eyes.

  I landed on the roof and knocked on the door, fully expecting to be admitted, even at that late hour. I waited at least a full minute and no one answered. Feeling anger rising in my belly, I raised my fist and hammered on the door. It was already pretty battered and my blows shed some more of its paint, but I did not make a dent. At least I knew that I was at the right place. It took vampires to make something so innocuous looking to actually be constructed out of impenetrable steel.

  The sun was about to rise and I knew if I stood there any longer, railing at the door, that I would shrivel with its first light. I was in dire need of a place to conceal myself for the day and I had to think quickly. I knew of no safe house in Columbus, Ohio. I’d had no time to plan my stay in the city before taking wing. But I did remember seeing a graveyard as I made my way over the streets. It wasn’t ideal, but it would have to shelter me for the daylight hours. I headed there as fast as I could fly.

  I hadn’t really been paying attention to the cemetery as I flew in, just noted the gate with graves laid out in neat rows beyond. But it turned out to be a very modern graveyard. There were no mausoleums, no aging marble structures in which I could conceal myself from the sun. Most of the headstones were just those engraved little pillows of marble that made it so much easier for the groundskeepers to mow the lawn. I cursed the day that sepulchers went out of fashion.

  The sun was starting to rise. I turned my back to the golden rays, but I could feel my skin starting to smoke. I had been so hell bent to save Haley that I had completely forgotten about my own safety. There wasn’t time for me to fly to a safe house, even if I knew of a location. Pulling my jacket up over my head to protect my skin for a few moments longer, I started to run. There had to be somewhere I could conceal myself — a hearse in the parking lot, a groundskeeper’s closet, I would have even settled for a port-o-potty.

  The sun was continuing its inevitable ascent, getting brighter every second. It began searing my flesh. The pain was unbearable. I knew it would be just a few more minutes before I was nothing but a pile of smoldering ash and rags. I had to stay calm and stay focused even through the blazing pain.

  Something snagged my foot and I crash to the ground, getting a face full of fresh sod. There was a lightning bolt of pain through my leg. I twisted around to see that I had been tripped by a shovel that someone had carelessly left out overnight. The wooden handle had grated against my exposed leg where the pants had ridden up. I reached down to free myself and I could see my flesh bubbling and blistering on my hand.

  I had been so foolish. I had been so stupid about everything. I’d let me pride get in the way of being with Haley. Instead of dying on a lawn, I could have been with her north of the Arctic Circle, floating on an iceberg and enjoying the long hours of night. But I had been stupid and prideful. And now I was going to meet the sun. Haley would never know what had happened to me. She might even think that I had abandoned her, instead of stupidly dying in my rush to save her.

  “I’m sorry, Haley,” I said, hoping the wind would carry my last words to her. “Goodbye, my love.”

  Chapter 25

  Haley

  There was a brief period where I lost myself to oblivion. I was able to stop thinking about Dorian and Ilona. I was able to close my eyes and not have thousands of ugly thoughts rushing through my brain. It was almost like sleep. Of all the things I missed about the mortal world, sleep topped the list. That and popcorn. And cheese and ice cream. I tried to stop myself from thinking about mortal food, but it was too late. I spent a good ten minutes fantasizing about a grilled cheese sandwich.

  “What are you thinking about?” Leonora asked from her bed. I must have done something to have signaled her that I was conscious.

  “Food,” I said with a sigh. “Mortal food.”

  “Don’t even get me started,” was her reply as she rolled onto her side.

  “What were you thinking about?” I asked, just to be polite. I really hadn’t been focused on Leonora at all.

  “I was thinking about the vampire underworld,” she told me.

  Her words caught my attention. “You mean the undead have an underworld? Or do we just call our world the underworld?” I really needed to learn more about being a vampire.

  “I mean the place where wicked vampires go to live,” Leonora said. “Every culture has an underbelly, even vampires.”

  “What’s it like?” I asked, taken a bit by surprise. It seemed like being a vampire gave me enough opportunities to be wicked as it was.

  “No rules,” Leonora said, a hint of glee in her voice. “No Bishops standing over you, ready to slap your hand if you do the least little thing wrong.”

  Leonora had ripped her ex-boyfriend to pieces. That didn’t exactly sound like a little thing, even if the guy deserved it. “Sounds scary,” I told her.

  This made Leonora laugh. “Not if you’re one of the vampires.”

  She had a point. I still didn’t like the sound of it, but there was probably nothing there for someone like me to fear.

  “So, do you want to go there?” Leonora asked.

  Um… I’m kind of busy at the moment,” I explained. “You know, with being arrested.”

  “Yeah, but what if we weren’t in here?” she continued. “What if there was a way for us to escape? Then would you want to go?”

  “Sure,” I shrugged. I’d agree to do just about anything if we were only speaking hypothetically.

  “You’re in?” Leonora asked, half sitting up in her bed.

  “Yeah,” I told her. “Sure.” Maybe some tales of the undead underworld would be a good distraction from thinking about Dorian.

  “Great,” Leonora said. “I’ve already got a plan.”

  An internal alarm bell began ringing in my head. I thought we were just goofing around, talking about things in a make-believe sort of way. It sounded like my cellmate was actually planning a jailbreak.

  “Uh, Leonora?” I said, propping myself up on my forearms to look at her. “Are you being serious?”

  “Of course I’m being serious,” she hissed. “And you’re not pussying out on me.”

  “I’m sorry,” I told her. “I thought we were speaking hypothetically.”

  “No.” She sounded pissed. “We’re speaking hypodermically.”

  “Pardon?” I really had no idea what she meant.

  “Either you do what I tell you or I’m going to stab you in the neck.”

  I began to question more of Leonora’s life choices. Anyone can get sucked into having a bad boyfriend and a couple of poorly thought out tattoos, but she seemed to be a little more over the line than your average female.

  “Leonora,” I began, “I’m sorry if you thought I was being serious, but I really don’t want to try to escape.”

&
nbsp; “Why not?” she demanded. “Because you think you’re going to get a fair trial? You think the Bishops are just going to give you a slap on the wrist and let you out of here?”

  “Yes, I do. Because I didn’t do anything wrong,” I insisted. “They’ll see that. And if I can’t convince them then my maker will.”

  “Your maker?” Leonora said with a laugh that sounded like an explosion of gravel flying from her throat. “The one who is such a jerk to women that he has some vampiress terrorizing you just to get back at him?”

  “He’s not like that,” I said in a tight voice.

  Leonora laughed some more. “Oh, has he changed? Has he had some magical metamorphosis because of you and now he wants to be a better man? Is that what you’re telling yourself?”

  “He has,” I insisted, but even I could hear how stupid I sounded. After all my reading about bad boys, I’d still been suckered in.

  Leonora got to her feet and peered between the bars of our cell to look down the hall. “You’re not stupid enough to seriously believe that. Are you?”

  I didn’t know what I believed. All of my self-help book education crumbled when I thought about my maker. I knew the chances of Dorian actually changing were slim to none. He hadn’t come to see me last night. He probably wasn’t even going to try to save me. There was a strong chance he’d pull “a guy” and just disappear. I would never see him again.

  I felt sick to my stomach. All I wanted to do was curl up on my bunk and die. How could I have been so stupid?

  “So you’re with me?” Leonora asked.

  I felt a sudden wave of anger toward my cellmate. I wanted to scream at her and call her a bunch of nasty names. But I quickly realized I was just suffering from a case of kill-the-messenger. Leonora hadn’t really done anything wrong. She’d just pointed out the obvious.

  “No,” I said with a melancholy sigh. “I’m not with you.” Fleeing to underworld did not sound like that much fun to me. It was better to face whatever these Bishop people thought was fair punishment. I couldn’t have been the first vampiress to snack a little on an old boyfriend.