by SL Perrine
Crossing the threshold into the sanctuary triggered Giana’s third protection. The head and right arm of the barathrum dropped from the rest of the body as if lopped from the torso by an invisible ax. It didn’t give the creature pause. The headless construct casually crushes Nico to the ground when he attacks. Thrown against the wall, Gianna sinks to the floor unconscious.
Rounding on Mila’s horror-stricken form, the construct stops in front of her as the head of Matteo addresses her from the other side of the room.
“Mila Moretti your father requests your presence. Well, actually he doesn’t request so much as demand.”
Mila’s eyes narrow and her body goes rigid but, before she unleashes her anger, the barathrum slaps her unconscious. The barathrum’s body stomps down the steps and returns a moment later with the blanket from Gianna’s bed. Casting the cloth on the floor, it tosses its head and arm into the center. Mila follows. Retrieving the book from the floor where Gianna dropped it when struck, the barathrum deposits it onto the blanket as well.
Almost as an after-thought, the creature stomps down the stairs again. Grabbing Anthony by the hair, it drags him up the steps into the sanctuary and drops him on the small pile. It struggles for a moment to get all four corners of the blanket in one hand but accomplishes the task and slings the makeshift pack over its shoulder. Descending the stairwell once again, the barathrum makes its way through the Manor and exits into the continued bloody downpour. As it continues forward, the barathrum slowly disappears in the rain to reappear in Giovanni’s stronghold.
Crossing the chamber to where Giovanni stands impatiently waiting, the barathrum releases a couple corners of the blanket to spill the contents across the floor. The head of Matteo rolls across the floor to stop at Giovanni’s feet. Giovanni frowns as he bends down and retrieves the head. He juggles it in his hand until the face is looking up at him.
“I see there was some trouble,” Giovanni said.
“Yes, I was having so much fun I seem to have lost my head.” The barathrum replied with a grim smile.
Chapter 23
Gianna handed Nico, an ice pack for his head. Ravana and Massimo waking up scared the shit out of her. She thought for sure that the two were dead, though she didn’t know the rules when it came to the vampires. They didn’t seem like the ones she’d heard about in books and on television, but she kept seeing the wood protruding Massimo’s chest. She’d witnessed the twist of Ravana’s neck. If that didn’t kill these two, she wondered what would.
“Can I get you two anything?” she asks as Massimo let his head rest on his hands.
The dining room was in shambles, so they retreated to Anthony’s apartment. With him missing, Gianna needed to be where she felt close to him. Surrounding herself with his meager belongings was the best she had.
“I’d assume they need to regain their strength. You need blood, don’t you?” Nico stared down at the two vampires.
“Yes, we do. Though you don’t need to worry. We won’t be attacking anyone. Though I might murder for a cup of coffee.” Ravana looks around the kitchen for the coffee pot.
“Red, you know we need to feed. I mean, I know there is something different about us, but we still need it if we’re going to get our energy back. Or if we’re going to get your friend back.”
“Of course, we’re going to get Anthony back… and Mila. I can do that without feeding.” Gianna listened intently to the conversation. Then watched Ravana move her fingers exceptionally quick to type a message on her phone. “Then, we’re going back to Seattle and taking him with us.”
“Red, be reasonable.”
“I am. I never should have lost that fight. Even going up against unknowns in the past, I’ve never lost the advantage.” She slams her fist against the marble countertop, and it cracks under the force.
“We will get them both back, but Anthony won’t be leaving with you,” Gianna states and walks somberly to the bedroom.
The room seems incredible empty without Anthony inside. Gianna thinks back to the last time he took her in his bed. She felt content and at peace in his arms. The warmth of his body pressed against hers made her feel whole. He was her other half in every way. She had to believe they would both return to her. They are her family, her life. Without them, she knew she wouldn’t have the strength to go on.
An argument begins in the other room between the vampires, but Gianna just stands there in the middle of Anthony’s bedroom. She moves to the dresser, noting he hadn’t put his watch on that morning. Then she tries to remember if he wore it every day. There was still so much she had to learn about him. That they needed to learn about each other. If that monster was able to defeat Ravana then how would Anthony ever be able to beat him?
“Magic is always changing. I’m no witch, but these two have enough juice to keep that thing out. There is no way he should have been able to get through that bond.” Gianna heard Ravana exclaim from the other room. She grabs Anthony’s shirt from the bed then returns to the kitchen.
“What do you mean? What bond?”
“The wards on that door were bonded by two magics. Yours and Anthony’s.”
“How is that possible? I’ve been warding my sanctuary against my husband since we moved in. He’s never been able to get close enough to the stairwell to do anything to my wards.”
“Obviously, the feelings you and Anthony share are strong enough to bond your powers together. Nothing from this world could have gotten through those wards.”
“I understand, the thing that used to be my husband’s lover is something not of this world. I still don’t understand what you mean about the magic. I doubt Anthony’s love for me is so developed that it could merge with my own.”
“Why not? I’ve seen you two together. It’s definitely possible.” Nico added.
“Listen to your butler.”
“Nico.”
“Sorry, listen to Nico. Only a love so deep that one would give up their own life for the other can create what you two created to ward that door. I don’t know how it's accomplished, as I said I’m not a witch, but I’ve seen it before. When this is over, you’re more than welcome to come with me. I have a battalion of information I can share with you. Witches, books, and the best dam Keeper Seattle can offer. Just don’t tell her I said that.”
Ravana tossed her hair over her shoulder, and Gianna saw the faint bruise still etched on her skin in the shape of a hand.
“Don’t you usually heal quickly?” Gianna asked.
“Yes. When we have blood. Red, you must feed. If you don’t…”
“If I don’t, nothing. I’ve been here before, Massimo. You haven’t been around for a hundred years. I’ve figured out how to do this on my terms. Understand?”
“Yes, luv. It’s just we’re kind of in a rush.”
“Please, Ravana. Whatever you need. I’m sure we can accommodate you.” Gianna stood, realizing she hadn’t yet drawn in energy to replenish herself either.
“A nice A positive would be wondrous.” Massimo looked like he was going to pass out.
“You’re going to sit here and refuse blood? You’re a vampire. You should be aware of the fact you need blood. I don’t have time for your conscience. I need to get my family back!” Gianna slammed a hand, open palm, down on the counter. Then with a twist of her body, she moved to the door.
Once she was upstairs, she had to maneuver through the debris and think of who was in the house. She found Sarah sitting on the bottom step of the central staircase. The front door still wide open in front of her. Tears fell from the sides of her face, some had dried on her cheeks. The coward of a girl hid underneath the table in the sanctuary; allowing Mila to be taken from the room without so much as a fight.
“Are you ok?”
“Miss,” she looked up and stood quickly wiping her face. “I’m so sorry. I don’t know what to say, it’s just…”
“You’re not in a position to fight something like that. I know.”
“If t
here is anything I can do, please don’t hesitate to ask. Aside from going with you, I just…” she wrung her hands together.
“Actually, there is something. Our guests need to regain their energy. They need to feed.”
“I think Cook left yesterday, but I could try to find something.”
“No, dear. What they need is blood. They are vampires.”
“Vampires don’t exist.”
“Neither do witches,” Gianna remembers Anthony saying that exact thing to her. She looks at the maid and waits for her to connect the dots. When realization sets in, Sarah looks mortified. “Would you like to help, Sarah?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Then go down to Anthony’s apartment. Nico is there. He won’t let anything bad happen to you.”
Gianna moved past the maid and made her way up the stairs to her room; stepping over broken furniture, clothes, and her personal items. She reaches into the closet and grabs the clothes in the back laying them on her bed. A picture on the floor catches her eye. A happy, healthy Mila stares back at her with Gianna behind her. They are embracing in a hug and smiling for whoever was taking the picture. Gianna reaches down and picks it up; skimming the picture with her fingers.
“I will get you back, piccolo. Anthony too.” She sets the broken frame on her bed and heads to the bathroom.
The hot spray drums against her skin. Her hands skim along her arms, wiping away the signs of the battle. Blood fills the bottom of the shower staining the tiles in crimson. Gianna feels the tears begging to break through, but she wills them back; afraid to let the dam break for fear she won’t be able to stop it.
She dresses in a pair of black leggings, a black camisole top, and the button up shirt she’d taken from Anthony’s room. She buttons it in the middle and ties the bottom of it tight around her waist.
“Well, I was saving these for a rainy day. Didn’t think I’d need them to rescue my lover from my husband.” She picked a box up from the floor of her closet and withdrew a pair of iron manacles.
“Kinky.” Gianna turned her head to see the tall vampire in her doorway. “Mind if I come in?”
“I was just finishing up. Feel free to use the shower.” She tucks the irons in a black bag and rummages through the bottom of her closet some more. “Did you feed?”
“Yes, thank you. Though I do detest feeding directly from humans.” Ravana slumped down on the floor next to Gianna. “But you were right. We need our strength.”
“How do you…?” She looked up for a moment, curiosity taking over her senses.
“I give myself blood like you would if you needed it. A transfusion; straight into the vein.”
“I think I need to stop watching movies. That’s a new one and makes your kind seem more human than monster. No offense,” she said going back to her task. Once she realized she wasn’t finding what she was looking for she stood and left the room. Ravana blurred to meet her on the third floor, though she became stuck in the stairwell. “You can come in. It’s hardly a sanctuary anymore.”
“I can’t.” Ravana moved her hand over the place where Gianna’s wards should have been. “Some things about vampires is true. We can’t pass through magic. This is…incredible.”
Gianna moved back to the doorway. She hadn’t noticed Anthony’s spectral signature before. Now, she could feel the faint residue left behind. He’d left her a message, but somehow it became more.
“What is it?”
“Love. As far as I know, and that’s a lot, there is no greater magic. I’ve befriended… well maybe that’s not the word for it, but I know a few witches. They’ve all said the same thing.” Gianna watched Ravana wave a hand in the stairwell as if a thin sheet of glass stood between them. “The magic you had here, and Anthony’s, must be potent, which means the depths of his love…and yours is very powerful.”
“I don’t know how powerful it could be. He hasn’t shown it.”
“Yet.” She put her hand down and looked at Gianna with such fierceness, Gianna shivered. “Do you know why we called him Yeti?”
“No. He hasn’t told me that either. I have a feeling it’s not something he’s ready for me to know.”
“Of course not. Not many can go through what he did, do what he did, and walk away with even an ounce of who they once were. Somehow Anthony managed it. When I first met him, he was so green. Wet behind the ears didn’t even cover it.”
Ravana relaxed against the wall. It was the first moment Gianna realized the woman wasn’t wearing her heels but was walking around barefoot. Her feet moved in agitation and Gianna remained silent, waiting.
“I had no hand in making him what he was. He discovered the monster in himself that even I didn’t know existed. Oh, but when it came out, even I couldn’t best him. A vampire and a witch evenly matched was not something anyone has ever heard of. I don’t know if he’s told you much about me. Let’s just say evenly matched with me is an entirely different level, and that’s where the Yeti was. That’s why this creature, Matteo, thing…is bothering me. I’m an anomaly that can’t be beaten. Yet, that thing did.”
“Well, maybe it was a fluke. There is clearly something about that thing that we don’t know.”
Ravana jumped to her feet. “Yes, that’s why I came to see you in the first place. I’ve got my Keeper on research mode. We’ll need information before we can go up against it again.”
“Right, and I need to get what I came in here for.”
“You understand, right? What I was saying about Anthony. I know him better than he knows himself. He may not think so, but I do. He loves you more than I’ve ever seen him love another. We will get him back. Your daughter too because, to him, you two are his family.”
The vampire didn’t say another word. Before Gianna could turn to respond, she was gone, as silently as she had shown up. Gianna rummaged through the contents of her sanctuary. She had a purpose when she stepped in there, but now that Ravana was gone, and after giving her more to think about, the damn broke. Gianna fell to her knees, fists banging the floor beneath her. Her tears, hot and heavy, blurred her vision. Her sobs caught in her chest and she felt as if she couldn’t breathe.
Warm, strong hands wrapped around her. She felt the pressure of his arms and smelled him on the shirt she wore. Somehow, he’d reached out to her. She kept her eyes closed. Willing him to hear her.
“We are coming for you. Keep Mila safe. We are coming.” One last sob caught in her throat and she swallowed, forcing it down. Wiping her eyes, she found the object she was looking for laying on the table in front of her. The ruby shown bright in the dark room, nestled in the hilt of an athame as if it wanted someone to find it. Then, something Anthony had said to her a few days ago, pushed into the front of her memory.
“What would your simpler life consist of, if you could speak it into existence?”
“The unabashed, enduring love of the woman I adore, more children, and the happily ever after.”
“More children. I’d like that too.”
Ravana took Gianna up on the offer of a shower. She tossed her dirty clothes into the waste bin in Anthony’s bathroom. She didn’t need a reminder of the day’s events. She was buttoning her white blouse when Massimo entered the room.
“All good, luv?”
“Yes, for now. If Delia doesn’t call me back soon though, I might run back to Seattle to…”
“Now, now. She’s not the enemy. Let’s calm down and give her time. We need to regain our strength some more as well.”
“Don’t you dare suggest I snack on anyone else in this house, Massimo.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it.” Ravana’s shoulders slumped just a little then. “What I would do is run to town and glamour the local blood bank operator into giving me three dozen of the bags they had on hand. I didn’t realize the demand in Jersey was so vast.”
Ravana playfully swats him. “You never cease to amaze.”
“It’s all part of my charm. You’d get bored with me if that
weren’t the case. Anyway, luv, I just wanted to know if you’ve any idea how we’re going to broach this?”
She looked at him for a moment, then realized she didn’t want to accept defeat, and what she was about to say was equal to that. “Head on. With everything we have.”
“You are not bringing him here.”
“No, my love. We need far more than our Sire. I’m calling an audible.”
“Every single one?”
“Yup. It’s the least I can do, and nothing short of what he would do for me. He’s family.”
“All right. Let’s call the troops.”
Ravana leads Massimo to the kitchen and pulls out her phone. “Amanda? Moon, here. I’m texting you an address. I need all hands.” She waited for the yelling on the other end of the phone to stop before she continued. “I don’t give a rats-ass about protocol. I disappeared for a reason, and now I’m calling it.”
Massimo glared at her as she tapped her foot against the floor. Her bare foot didn’t give off the same amount of tenor as her heels, but he could tell Amanda’s tone was aggravating her.
“Amanda. I’m staking my claim. All hands, eight am tomorrow morning. Or I’ll withdraw funding,” she hit the button to end the call before waiting for a response. When the thing started to ring, she thought it was Amanda calling back, but quickly hit accept when she saw Delia’s name.
“What did you find?”
“You’re not going to like this.”
“Delia, I already don’t like any of this. That fucking thing abducted one of my best friends. I want to know what it is, and how to kill it.”
“You can’t.” Gianna chose then to walk into the room. She slung her black bag over her shoulder and placed it on the counter.
“Hold on Delia,” Ravana says to the phone then looks at Gianna. “What do you know about that thing?”
“You’ve heard of a black hole, before? Well, that’s basically what that thing is.” She starts digging in the bag, searching as frantically as she had in her closet.