by Gayla Twist
“Really?” I exclaimed. “How was that?” I was hoping to get her talking.
“A bit bitter, if I’m being honest,” the vampiress confided.
I clapped my hands in delight. “Ooh, do tell,” I said, finishing my goblet and then snagging another one from a passing waiter. “Don’t leave anything out; I want every detail.”
More members of the undead came over to join our conversation and Alice slipped away to do her reconnaissance. The plan was working.
You can’t have one vampire bragging about sinking her fangs into a celebrity without others wanting to outdo her. Apparently, there was a certain status achieved by drinking from somebody famous. It was a hazard I’d never considered that a celebrity might face. One man even claimed to have tasted the blood of Bela Lugosi. Drinking the blood of the actor most famous for playing Count Dracula brought exclamation of admiration from many in the crowd.
“It’s a good story,” a vampire whispered confidentially in my ear. “But I know for a fact that Simon wasn’t turned until 1961, and Lugosi died in 1956. You do the math.”
I suppressed a laugh. The undead lied about the most bizarre things. The music started up, again. A lively waltz. My new friend held out his hand to me. “Would you care to accompany me for a spin around the dance floor?”
If I was being honest, I did not. I wasn’t a great dancer and the only arms I wanted to be in were Jessie’s. But I caught a glimpse of Alice as she slid up to eavesdrop on a group of women, and I knew I had to do whatever was necessary to keep people distracted. So, I flashed my new companion a daring smile and said, “Only if you asked the orchestra to play Dancing Queen.”
The man was lavishly dressed, like a court member from Louis the Fourteenth. The only thing about him that wasn’t as colorful as a toucan’s beak was the white porcelain mask that covered his entire face, slightly muffling his words. My suggestion must have amused him because he released a warm chuckle. “That’s a marvelous idea. Stay here. I’ll be right back.”
ZsaZsa grabbed onto my arm in a friendly way. “Aren’t you the little minks? You come in here wearing your fabulous emerald monstrosity and snag the most eligible vampire in the room.” She gave me a closer look. “Where are you from, dahling? I’ve never seen you before and yet you’re so delightful.”
I sure as hell wasn’t going to tell her that I was from a tiny town in the middle of Ohio. She obviously wanted more of a story. “You haven’ seen me because I’ve just spent the last twenty years on an island wearing nothing but coconut shells and a grass skirt.”
“Really?” she gasped, completely intrigued.
“Of course,” I told her. “I needed some ‘me’ time.”
“Good Lord,” the vampiress exclaimed, her hand flying to her throat. “What did you eat while you were on this island?”
“The native cuisine.” I flashed her a devilish smile.
ZsaZsa released a brilliant laugh. “Oh, dahling, you’re too much.”
The man in the white mask returned just as the orchestra ended the waltz. “Your wish is my command,” he said as they quickly turned the mood on the dance floor with the opening bars of the ABBA classic. When he saw the smile melt from my face, he shook his head and said, “There’s not getting out of it now.” I accepted his outstretched hand and he led me onto the dance floor.
I took note of Alice moving through the crowd. She nodded at me and I could tell that she had the information that we’d come for; she knew where Jessie was imprisoned. We needed to leave, just as soon as I made an excuse to my new friend.
“I’m sorry to put you through so much trouble and then pull a Cinderella,” I told him, “but I’m afraid I have to go.”
“I’m sure you can spare one dance,” he said, placing a hand firmly in the small of my back.
“I really can’t,” I insisted. But he refused to let go, so I didn’t see what choice I had. I was meant to draw attention, but I didn’t want to make a scene.
“I’m so glad to find you looking so well,” he said, guiding me across the floor. “I have to admit I was worried; I didn’t want you facing the sun on my front lawn. It does make a bit of a mess, you know. Not to mention, my reputation as a host would be drawn into question.”
I froze, my feet turning to lead. It couldn’t be.
My partner stopped as well. “Imagine my surprise and delight when I saw you make such a daring entrance into the ball.”
“Lord Vagnar?” I gasped, nearly choking on his name.
The vampire pulled off his mask, revealing his dashing-movie-pirate face. His eyes sparkled. “Aurora, how wonderful to see you again. By the way, would you mind telling me what happened to my Porsche?”
Chapter 7
I was tripping over my dress, trying to run. I forgot that I was a member of the undead and that I knew how to fly. I had to warn Alice; we had to get out. “I’m sorry if I upset you,” Lord Vagnar called after me in an amused tone as I hurried for the door. Scanning the crowd, I couldn’t see my maker anywhere. She’d been near the orchestra just moments earlier, but now she was gone. We hadn’t discussed what we’d do if our plan went south.
I decided to flee. Alice had probably gone to ground in the capital building and assumed that I would meet her back there. That seemed logical. I just had to make sure nobody was following me and then make a break for it.
Bursting through the doors and onto the street, I leaped into the air, giving myself the head start I needed to start flying. And it worked! I didn’t immediately fall back to the ground. I was floating. Focusing my energies, I began to rise into the air. My plan was to fly to the top of one of the neighboring buildings and then hide behind a gargoyle while I assessed if Lord Vagnar had sent up an alarm.
But then something grabbed me by ankle. Before I could kick free, I was slammed to the pavement. Looking up, I saw a mortal commando towering over me. He was dressed all in black with a black protective mask covering his face. “Stay down!” he commanded, his voice slightly distorted by his gear.
Cocking my leg back, I drove it as hard as I could up and into his crotch. The man was propelled backward, slamming into a granite staircase.
Leaping to my feet, I began to run. I didn’t have the ability to simply fly off into the air, but I sure could make a break for it on two legs.
The man on the ground began blowing a whistle to signal his buddies. The sound of pounding feet echoed off the pavement. Troops were coming, and they were looking for me. I had to get as far away from the party as possible. I rounded a corner and then was hit in the face with something that knocked me to the ground. My skin immediately started to burn. I began shrieking and clawing at whatever was covering me.
“Oh, for pity sake; get that thing off of her,” a voice said.
A moment later and there was sweet relief as someone pulled the silver net away. I looked up to see Lord Vagnar. “I’m sorry, my dear,” he said, dropping the net to the ground, his hand sizzling. “I was really hoping that you’d get away.”
I tried to leap to my feet to attack him, but I was slammed down by one of the guards. He must have been in charge because he turned to three more men in black uniforms and said, “Load her in the back of the truck.”
Two of them grabbed me and the third unlocked the back of an armored vehicle. A crowd had gathered outside the party to watch me being hauled away. Lord Vagnar gave me a little wave as they slung me in. “It was charming to see you again,” he called. “I’m only sorry it was so brief.”
The doors and walls of the truck were coated with silver. There wasn’t even a bench for me to sit; after the guards locked me in, I had to simply try to keep my balance as we jounced along. My feet began to steadily feel increasingly warmer, so I got the feeling the floor had been coated in silver as well. I tried to levitate, but it was a challenge. If I floated too high, or the truck went over the smallest bump, I struck the ceiling and got singed; it was silver, too. And the road we were traveling down wasn’t exactly smoot
h pavement. It was a singular kind of torture.
I tried to think of a plan to escape but came up with nothing. I was the only thing in the truck. There were no tools, or windows, or anything.
I finally remembered that I was wearing a wig. Whipping it off my head, I threw it on the ground and balanced on it. This provided me with an added layer of protection from the burning floor, but it wasn’t great. Tearing off my dress, I added it to the pile. True, I was in the back of an armored car in my underwear, but at least my feet weren’t on fire.
The truck rolled to a stop and I could hear the guards get out. Quickly, I slithered back into my gown. I was going to have to fight the guards, and I didn’t want to do that half naked.
The three of them were doing something behind the truck. I could hear them talking. One said something like, “Lower it.” And then I heard one of the guards unlocking the door.
Summoning all my fear, and love, and strength, I focused on flight. As soon as the door truck’s cracked open, I went barreling toward it, determined to burst through their defenses and disappear into the night.
I was instantly caught in another net and flung back into the truck. The guards had anticipated my escape attempt and had set up a silver net to prevent it from happening.
“Cut that shit out, unless you want a taste of the juice!” one of the guards bellowed at me. It surprised me that he was using English. I wasn’t sure what the juice was, but I was willing to bet it was painful.
One of the guards had a long pole with a loop on the end, like they use to get control of vicious dogs. He stuck it in the back of the truck and looped it over my head. It was humiliating. “Come on out here and don’t give us anymore trouble. You’re not the first bloodsucker we’ve transported.”
At first I’d assumed that they were part of the Bishop’s police force, but I really didn’t know for sure. The guards were obviously mortals, so I knew I was stronger. But they were also heavily armed with vampire defense weapons and they were obviously well trained. I decided to try another tact.
“You don’t have to do this,” I said, looking from mask to mask. I did my best to exude my power. “You need to let me go.”
It was impossible to see their eyes, so I had no idea if I was making eye contact with any of them. Unfortunately, eye contact was key for me to gain influence over anyone. The guards all chuckled; I had apparently amused them. “Just get out of the truck,” their leader said, displaying a weapon that looked like a taser. He gave it a squeeze and a bolt of electricity shot out of the end. That was probably the juice. I decided it was better to pretend to be subdued while waiting for my opportunity to escape.
After I climbed down from the truck, they marched me into a large building that was gray, boxy, and non-descript. It looked soviet-era, with small windows and none of the architectural details that made Budapest such a beautiful city.
A group of six vampires were standing in the entrance hall. They were wearing dark, hooded cloaks with their hoods up so that I couldn’t see their faces.
“Give her here,” a man in a dark plum cloak said.
“Money first,” the leader of the mortal guards replied.
The man in the plum cloak lifted his hood back from his face a little so that he could stare at the guard. I glimpsed steel gray hair and intensely blue eyes. “You’ve already been paid.”
The guard shook his head. “Not going to work, although I don’t blame you for trying.”
The vampire sighed. “Very well.” He snapped his fingers at a vampire cloaked in dark green. “Pay the man.”
The second vampire stepped forward and extended a black suitcase. The guard accepted the suitcase, popped the lock, examined the contents, and then closed it again. “We’re all good,” he told his coworkers.
Another guard stepped forward and loosened the noose from my neck. “She’s all yours. Enjoy.”
As soon as I was free from the noose, I snatched the guard’s taser from his belt. Pointing it at the man in plum, I pressed the button and sent a jolt of lightning in his direction. He was too fast for me, dodging out of the way of the electricity and falling back to a safer distance.
I didn’t exactly sense that someone was coming up behind me, but I assumed there was, so I sent the lightning shooting over my shoulder. A shriek close to my ear let me know that I had guessed correctly; a woman in a sienna cloak collapsed to the ground.
“Get her!” the steel-haired vampire shouted at the mortal guards.
“Sorry,” the man in charge said with a shrug. “Our transaction has ended. Would you like to negotiate new terms?”
“Do as I tell you or I’ll rip your head off!” the man in plum hissed.
The leader of the guards fired up his taser. “Go ahead and try.”
Pushing the taser’s juice button for all I was worth, I spun in a circle, the lighting arcing with me. The vampires fell back to avoid being sizzled. Seizing the opportunity, I blasted off from the ground, ricocheted off the ceiling and propelled myself toward the still open door.
One of the mortal guards kicked the door shut at the last second. I was unable to stop in time. Slamming into the wood caused my body to shriek with pain. I knew I had to get up, but I was unable to move. Hitting a large piece of wood so hard seemed to have temporarily paralyzed me.
The mortal guards were on me in an instant, kicking and beating me. They locked me in a pair of fur lined silver handcuffs. The metal didn’t touch my skin, but if I tried to pick the lock, my fingers would burn. “She’s a feisty one,” the lead guard said, hauling me to my feet and thrusting me at the vampire in plum. “You can add ten thousand onto our bill.”
The vampire slid a ring off his finger; it contained an enormous diamond. He tossed it to the guard. “This will more than cover your services.” Then he pulled a black silk bag out from his cloak and shoved it over my head.
My captors dragged me through room after room. We went down several flights of stairs, my flailing legs banging on every step. They hauled me for so long that it seemed impossible we were in the same building. The vampires were laughing and making small talk, as if dragging some young woman to her doom was the most natural thing in the world. I knew that pleading for my life wouldn’t touch their hearts; they were beyond human emotions.
“Why does he hate this one so much?” a voice said.
“He doesn’t,” was the response. “She’s just part of the game.”
“Doesn’t he have enough money by now?” Someone asked.
“Define enough.”
They all chuckled. I had to wonder if they were speaking about Lord Vagnar.
“Yeah, but I feel kind of bad,” someone said. That surprised me. “She’s just some idiot fledgling who thinks she’s in love.”
“Stop being such a mortal. The Vanderlinds never knew how to spend their money. Think of this as the redistribution of wealth.”
“Stealing from the rich to give to the rich; like a modern-day Robin Hood.” They all laughed again.
We paused for a moment and there was the sound of a rusty lock being opened. One of the undead leaned forward and whispered in my ear, “We’ve got a little surprise for you. You’re going to love it.”
I tried not to whimper as they dragged me into a room. The next thing I knew, I was yanked off my feet and slung through the air. My hood fell off and I just managed to glimpse a storeroom before I bounced off the edge of a coffin. They were imprisoning me that easily. I began lashing out with my arms and legs. It took all of the blood suckers to stuff me inside the box and then slammed down the lid.
Chapter 8
“Are you in handcuff?” Jessie asked, shifting beneath me. “There’s something burning me.”
“Yes.” I felt ashamed for not thinking of it earlier. I was so terrified from being thrown in a coffin and so thrilled to see Jessie again that I’d forgotten. “Sorry.” I wrenched my body to the side to keep the silver away from him.
“Here,” he said, reaching around
me to access the cuffs. “Let me see what I can do.”
“Don’t,” I insisted, jerking my hands away. “You will burn your fingers off.
“But we can’t spend a hundred years like this,” he said. “Besides, there was about a decade when I spent some time studying the art of Houdini. I’ve found it comes in handy from time to time. You just need to hold still.” Jessie took a couple of deep breaths to steel himself and then he grabbed the cuffs. After orienting them so the hinges faced away from me, he grunted between clenched teeth. “Okay, I need you to move with me now.” He jerked forward, slamming the hinges against the wood of the coffin.
I felt the cuffs part under my wrists. “It worked!”
“Good,” he grunted, quickly pulling his hands away. “I think we would have to wait a decade before I could try that again.”
I shed the cuffs and then flung them to the foot of the coffin, where I was able to kick them away from touching us. “Okay, that’s done. Now what?”
“I just need a moment to heal,” Jessie said. I could see his face was pinched with pain.
“I’m so sorry,” I said, grabbing his hands and kissing them. “This is my fault. This is all my fault.”
“How can you say that?” Jessie asked, capturing my hands in his own and returning a few tender kisses. Even with the hell we were currently trapped in, I still felt a thrill run through me like a lightning bolt when his lips touched my flesh. “You’ve done nothing wrong.” And then he added, more quietly, “Except for falling in love with me.” He turned his face away. “Aurora, I should have been brave enough to live my life without you. I should have been strong enough to keep you away.”
“Jessie,” I said, placing my hand against his cheek and gently turning his head back to look at me. “I think we both know that there is nothing on this earth that could have kept us apart. Colette died, and we still ended up together. I’m not sure that I ever believed in soulmates before you, but given everything that’s happened, I think the universe is trying to tell us that we’re meant to be together.”