“Do not forget what Nero has given you, honour his memory, cherish his lessons, but” - he kissed my forehead, my eyelids, each cheek - “do not let his death invade your soul. We each have our time on this earth and no one can alter that for us. Now, you must live yours, by honouring his memory, not his death.”
He continued to stare at me for a moment, then slowly brushed his lips against mine. So soft and warm and beautiful. I craved his kisses, I longed for them. Sometimes he would tease me. He knew how much I adored his touch. Sometimes he would hover over my mouth, wait for me to bridge the gap, deny me that final perfect touch of his warm, soft lips, only to make me beg. It was a game for him. A way of taking back some of the control he had lost to either me or the claiming that we were still battling. His vampire inside of him had decided it needed to stake a claim on me, to let everybody and their dog know I was his. Michel found the claiming a force he could not control. His body responded to situations without the cool, methodical and thoughtful approach he normally has. It was because of that loss of control that he teased.
But not now. No teasing. He simply pulled me close, brushed his lips one more time across my face, my neck and then repositioned me in the crook of his arm. Cradling me, like you would a baby. Lovingly, carefully, innocently. It never failed to surprise me how lucky I was to have found this man. Granted, he had found me, but I still thanked my lucky stars he had. Right now, so full of memories of Nero's death, so full of my disgust for blood, I would not welcome an intimate coupling. I loved him and part of me always wanted him, but what I needed now, more than sex, more than making love, was to be held. To be cherished and not to be pushed.
Despite the claiming, despite the fact that he had established morning routines that involved saying hello to his marks when we woke, which never led to more. He was able to restrain himself, for me. He gave me comfort and love with the thought of nothing in return. He defied the claiming and his natural vampire instincts and gave me what I needed.
I smiled to myself, an amazing feat in itself considering the nightmare that had just woken us. But I couldn't help it. I had been so numb lately and I knew I was nowhere near out of those woods yet, but I took what little joys I could find to help me through. Michel helped me through. I honestly didn't know how I could face the hurdle of accepting Nero's death without Michel.
Even the routines we had established, him waking me, talking to me, distracting me. Even the way he was drawn to my marks each morning. They all held me firmly to this Earth, prevented me from floating away. It dawned on me that we had quite a few routines now. That we knew each other so well, that we had spent so much time together, that we had formed regular patterns in our life. He could still surprise me, but that familiarity was a blessing. When so much of my world was out of control, was one unexpected shock and then another and then another, that sense of belonging I had with Michel was a god send.
My life had changed when I moved from my parents' sleepy farm to Auckland two years ago, but it wasn't until just before I turned 25, about three months ago that it really took on the bizarre. I found out I was descended from a race similar, if not originally the same, as the Nosferatu. That I was a born vampire hunter, a Nosferatin and that in order to live, I would have to tie myself to a vampire and entrench myself in their world. Now, not only is my life in peril daily, I kill, I have had friends killed and I am surrounded by blood. Sometimes, I live it, breathe it, am consumed by it.
Is it no wonder I dream of drowning in blood?
But, Michel has always been there. At first, he was just another vampire in a scary, but slowly revealing, night time world. The Master of Auckland City. He knew who I was, but he didn't tell me at the beginning. I can hardly blame him. I would have run a mile, but he did manage to draw me in, far enough, so that when I was faced with what I was, I didn't run, I listened and I chose. I chose life over death. I chose Light over Dark. I chose him.
Without doubt, the familiarity is a god send. I wouldn't want to wake up any other way.
He must have heard my thoughts, they are with him frequently nowadays, because he kissed my forehead softly and whispered against my ear. His arms, strong bands of warmth around me, his body blanketing me in his presence and unconditional love.
“Whatever you need, I will provide it. Whatever you want, it is yours. I am yours, ma douce. Forever”
Chapter 2
Pick-Up Lines
I tried not to compare the liquid that washed over me in the shower to that which had woken me earlier. For starters, it was clear, not red and also it was scalding hot. The temperature difference was important, but it also meant I could only tolerate it for about five minutes, before I turned beetroot red and a little light headed from the after effects.
Michel had already left for Sensations as soon as the shutters had come up. We'd cross paths later, but things were starting to get busy again. Surprise, surprise. Vampire politics this time, not vampire Prophesy. His business interests both here and overseas were monopolising his time. He didn't go into too much detail, he kind of liked to protect me from that side of things. As he said, I had enough to worry about with the Prophesy, but still, I would have liked to know what made him stare off into the distance sometimes. What made that little frown line appear in between his eyebrows, when he thought no one was watching.
Erika seemed preoccupied too and as she was technically meant to be my guard, I knew when things were really heating up when she started heading into Sensations at the same time as Michel and not waiting for me. I couldn't shake the feeling that, although we had been through Hell recently, with things that had absolutely nothing to do with the Prophesy, we weren't out the other side yet.
But, as Michel had made it clear, he didn't want me to worry over non-essential vampire crap, I had to trust him. Not asking too many questions was killing me though. I am not the stand-on-the-sidelines-and-wait-patiently kind of girl.
So, in order to direct my attention elsewhere I was throwing myself into interpreting the Prophesy with my other room mate, Amisi. Besides, Amisi needed me right now. Hell, we both needed each other. If I was having dreams of blood and Nero's death, then I dread to think what Amisi was dreaming about. She and Nero had been very close. He'd practically raised her. Certainly for the past couple of years he had trained her. I think she had seen more of Nero in that time than she had done her parents. So yeah, her loss was great and initially I had thought perhaps too much for her to bear.
She had closed in on herself, lost that shine that she always seemed to have and buried herself in the Prophesy. For at least two weeks she had done little else but pour over scrolls, translate texts and cross reference paragraphs. It had proved useful, she now knew the Prophesy and anything else written about it by heart. Other than Nero, who tragically isn't reachable for questions relating to anything, let alone the Prophesy, Amisi is now the knowledge on all things Nosferatin/Nosferatu foretold.
But, luckily, some of Amisi was coming back. Just as well, because she's having to pick up my slack now. I thought that I was coping, but over the last few days my emotions have started to get the better of me. I just was finding everything too damn hard. Amisi though, had even started baking again, something she used in the past as a type of therapy. So, it was to the beautiful smell of freshly baked cookies that I came down the stairs, pink as a new born baby and feeling as tired as one too.
“Bats? Really? That's your cookie cutter of choice?” I had made it as far as the coffee machine in the corner of our large and extremely well appointed kitchen. Amisi was transferring little bat-shaped cookies from a baking tray to a wire rack for cooling. Maybe her sense of humour was also returning. I could live in hope.
“I couldn't find fangs, so bats it is.” She was smiling, not something I had seen a lot of recently, but something I had sorely missed. Things were definitely looking up and I think I knew why.
“Don't let Erika see, she'll probably turn into one just to get back at you.” Of course, t
urning into a bat is a myth. There's so many of them, sometimes its hard to keep up, but the most important fact is vampires drink human blood to survive and are fatally challenged by both sunlight and silver stakes through the heart. Quite frankly, there's not much else to know.
“She didn't seem to like the mug I got her.” Amisi nodded in the direction of our kitsch corner. I've always had a penchant for novelty items. You know the sort, T-Shirts that read Make my day, Punk and the likes. Amisi has taken a shine to the mugs. A new addition to the collection I had started was sitting front and centre. Blood dripping red text on a solid black background saying Fang-tastic! The drink of life – coffee!
Of course it was right up my alley. Coffee was definitely the drink of life, to hell with blood. I nabbed the mug and got brewing my coffee. With cappuccino in a Fang-tastic mug in one hand and a bat cookie in the other I sat down at the bench and watched Amisi fuss in the kitchen. She was humming. I shook my head and smiled.
“So, had any phone calls lately? From, say... Wellington?”
She shot me a look that said don't ask and the smile faded. “He's still on my case to move down there. I'm not ready, Luce. Not until this Prophesy thing is over.”
Part of me wondered if Amisi would ever be ready to take on the mantle of Gregor's Nosferatin. But, she had made a promise and in doing so released me from what could have been a lifelong battle of wills with the Master of Wellington City. Despite Gregor and I sharing Sigillum, we do not share a bed. Well, we did once and that was a huge mistake, which I will regret until the end of my days. Still, he was determined to repeat it and if it wasn't for Amisi agreeing to be Wellington's Nosferatin in due course, I would still be fighting off his advances.
As it was, he just flirted occasionally, but that was Gregor, he'd flirt with a tree branch if it got him out of the forest. Now, his sole bed-seeking attention was on Amisi. The problem was, she had a huge problem with his morals. But, that wasn't the crux of the issue. She was undeniably attracted to the guy. So, Amisi's current personal battle was ignoring the attraction and putting Gregor in his place. Gregor loved it. Challenges were always his big turn on and Amisi was proving a whopping great one at that.
She was old enough to hold her own with him though and as much as I would have liked to have protected her, Amisi did not need protection. She was nearly twenty years old, but had the experiences of someone twice her age. Amisi was an old soul in a young, beautiful, tall and athletic body. If I didn't know better, I'd say she had Gregor wrapped around her little finger. Shame she didn't plan on using that influence for romantic designs. Amisi was strictly business when it came to Gregor.
But the smile this evening said otherwise. Was our Amisi cracking?
“He knows that, Amisi, he's just pushing, you know what he's like.”
She humphed in reply and started wiping down the bench and stacking the dishwasher.
“Perhaps you should start, at least, coming with me when I head down there. It's getting harder to persuade him you are busy with the Prophesy when nothing has really happened with it for the past three weeks." - Plus, I really did not think I could face being on my own right now - "He knows as well as us when a vampire comes knocking on my door. That bloody connection we still seem to have, it's easy for him to see through my lies when I tell him you're needed back here.”
She stopped stacking the dishes and just stood there looking out the window over our back lawn.
“I have put you in a difficult position, haven't I?” She turned to me then, concern written all over her face.
I put my empty coffee mug down on the bench and held her gaze. “I'd do anything to make things easier on you, you know that.” My voice cracked slightly at the end there. Amisi knew I held myself accountable for Nero's death. He had died protecting me after all, how could I not? That thought consumed me right now.
“Oh, Luce, you know that is not necessary.” She looked infinitely sad then. “He would not want you to feel this way.”
Amisi never said Nero's name, it was always he. I hoped one day she could voice it again, but I wasn't going to push her. Grief was a personal road you travelled down, how far and fast you travelled was up to you and no one else.
“So, come with me tomorrow night, we'll paint Wellington red.” I cringed at my tactless terminology. Amisi just laughed. Black humour, go figure, Amisi likes it.
“OK.” She nodded, fortifying her resolve, I think. “OK. Tomorrow we'll go to Wellington together. Maybe an adventure into the lion's den is just what I need.”
“Amen sister. If there's another lion's den full of as much adventure as Gregor's I'll eat my stake.”
She really laughed at that one. No one could be as much of an adventure as Gregor and we both knew it.
We polished off a few more cookies, then tidied up and headed into town. Thankfully, Amisi grabbed the keys, assuming rightfully, that I wasn't quite up to controlling a car just now. As it was a Friday, town would be busy and I only hoped we'd actually get some hunting under our belts. The past three weeks of practically no evil-lurks-in-my-city pull or the Prophesy type pull either, was making me antsy. Surely tonight would be the night we could try out my new power and see if it did the deed. That is to say, see if it managed to turn a vampire towards the Light and not crispy critter it.
I knew this last power was the one we had all been waiting for. It was one big Energiser Bunny of a Light boost. Michel had been there when I received it, but since that wattage filled moment nothing miraculous had happened. I was already in possession of several Nosferatin powers as well as two other Prophesy related ones. I am the Sanguis Vitam Cupitor, or Blood Life Seeker, as well as the Prohibitum Bibere, or Forbidden Drink. Those make up two of the Prophesy components. The last, the Lux Lucis Tribuo, or Giver of Light, was all that was needed to seal the deal. It made sense that what I had received, when all the bright light engulfed me and half the universe, was indeed the final key to the Prophesy. But, what to do with it?
I had tried practising using my Light. I could already shape it, mould it and fire it any which way as a weapon. I could also flood vampires with it, usually leaving them in a state of post coital bliss, but also capable of rendering them excruciating pain. Aaaand, it had a habit, every now and then, of taking over completely and simply frying a vampire to dust. That one was a bit scary, to say the least. I had worked very hard to be able to control my Light and not let that ever happen again, but still, I had no idea what this new power could actually do. No bloody vampire had appeared who would call forth the magic.
There had been the odd evil-lurks-in-my-city one, but no truly Dark vampire and I couldn't help feeling that the Prophesy was only concerned with the dregs of vampire society, those vampires truly lost to the Dark. The Prophesy was all about good versus evil, after all. I mean, the Light will capture the Dark and will hold it dear screams Good banishing Evil, doesn't it?
So, after three weeks I was still no closer to solving the mystery of my latest power boost. Tonight, though, might just be the night. Let's just hope I am up to it.
Summer had come early, thankfully, so we had the top down on my BMW Series 1 convertible as we cruised along Tamaki Drive towards the city. Lights on the water sparkled and danced, sending their orangey glow in reflections back towards us. Auckland at night was stunning. I was seeing more and more of night time Auckland, although officially, still employed by the BNZ Bank in Queen Street, I hadn't spent too many hours there recently. Life, my nocturnal one, had taken up a tad too much time and as much as it crushed me, I'd had to take extended leave. I just didn't feel right about all the glazing Michel's vamps were having to do on my work colleagues. Covering my ever more frequent absences, wiping their memories of crazed supernatural hostage situations and making them think I had been there, when in fact I had been out cold due to some injury or another. I hated glazing, even though I was quite capable of glazing vampires when needed, I tried not to. It just wasn't right having that sort of influence over so
meone else.
So, no work right now, which also meant no income. I did have a little saved and my insurance had come through for my trashed possessions, courtesy of the Taniwhas and my former best friend, but money was tight. Michel however had insisted I live rent free in his house and I'd had to cave on that one. I mean, truthfully, it was the lesser of two evils. Either take free board or take money from Michel. Free board won.
He of course was cock-a-hoop. Plus, no matter what I did, the pantry and fridge were always stocked to the brim. I hadn't had to spend a cent on groceries or household necessities since I moved in permanently. I blamed Michel, but he steadfastly refused to discuss it. Amisi just shrugged it off as par for the course and Erika just laughed at me.
Was I ever going to feel independent again?
I chose to roll with it for now. There was just too much on my plate and I wasn't in the right headspace to be able to combat a smothering boyfriend. Plus, I was trying to let my loved ones help me when needed. Not bottling so much up inside, admitting when I needed a shoulder to cry on. The new me. It was taking some getting used to. The new me was a mess.
Amisi parked at Sensations in the underground car park, in my usual spot over by the door. It wasn't that we particularly wanted to start out at the club, but the parking was safe and free, so that's where we always headed. And besides, as far as bars go, Sensations is one cool club. OK, it was filled to the brim with vampires, but even the Norms, who know absolutely nothing about our world, congregate here. The club just has that right mix of exotic, extravagant and elite. It's dark and inviting and altogether a little sinful. Plus, vampires are gorgeous and if you're heading out on the town, then no doubt about it, you want to look at gorgeous.
At least, that's what I tell myself when I look at the poor innocent humans that flock to Michel's club every night of the week. I know Michel's vampires are just as capable as the next to influence humans, but they are more on the side of good than evil, so I just have to hope that nothing untoward goes on in the shadows I can't quite see into. It goes against the vampire hunter in me, but I am also very much part of this world now and as such, I have to trust that they aren't all bad. If I didn't, I'd definitely be drowning in those dreams filled with blood each night. I just know it.
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