Revenge is Sweet

by Berni Stevens

  ‘Elles, don’t …’ Danny’s voice sounded strained. I knew instinctively he was fighting for survival. ‘He’ll do for me anyway – you know it.’

  ‘Silence boy,’ Thomas hissed.

  Will and the others came into the room.

  ‘Ah … I believe the Elder has joined you now. How long did you wait Milord?’ He gave a cold, mirthless, laugh.

  ‘What is it you want?’ Will went to join Luke by the door.

  ‘I want Sarah returned to me.’

  ‘That would be somewhat difficult, unless you have an urn handy.’

  An enraged snarl sounded and something crashed against the door making it shudder on its hinges, followed by Danny’s feral cry of pain.

  ‘Murdering scum!’

  ‘On the contrary, Sarah committed suicide rather than return to you.’

  ‘Liar!’

  ‘I believe you yourself supplied the wherewithal which dispatched her. I cannot believe you are surprised.’

  I heard Danny groan again and I shot a pleading look at Will.

  He turned to Stevie and muttered, ‘Where the hell is Jake?’

  Thomas’s voice snarled again, ‘Keep back or I will kill the boy.’

  Jake had clearly made his presence known.

  Luke immediately spun around and ran from the cellar so fast I could barely follow him. I found myself whispering, please be in time to save Danny, please be in time.

  ‘Are you listening to this Elder?’ Thomas voice sounded slightly manic now. ‘I am going to kill the boy, and then I am going to kill your pretty soldier here. Then I am coming for your little floozy!’

  Roxy gasped, her hand going to her mouth.

  There was a sound of something metallic hitting the door. ‘Hear that Milord? It’s the sound of your deaths – all of your deaths.’ He gave a shrill laugh, which tailed off abruptly. ‘Another soldier? Elder, are you afraid to come out yourself? Why am I not surprised?’

  Will gestured at Roxy and myself to get out of the way, as he and Stevie went to stand either side of the door. Will quietly keyed in the code to open the door, then said to me. ‘Go into the other cellar.’

  Roxy grabbed my arm and pulled me towards the other cellar door. I went to say something, but she shook her head. She shut the door behind us and still holding my arm spoke softly, ‘Thomas will have a weapon, and you’re his main target. Also, a vampire can enter another vampire’s home without invitation, so once the door is opened, he can just force his way in.’

  I’d never known that before. I’d always thought the invitation thing worked for everyone. No wonder Will had top security on all his doors. I knew he could handle himself in any situation, and Luke too, but I didn’t think Daniel would be anyone’s top priority. So I needed to be out there, no matter what the cost to myself.

  ‘Sorry Rox,’ I said, and knocked her to the floor. Wrenching the door open again I ran out and headed back to the other cellar, at the same moment Will yanked open the garden door. With a cry of triumph, Thomas threw a bruised and bloody Danny bodily at Will, causing him to stagger back, and rammed a fist into Stevie’s face. Jumping over the now prone, werewolf on the floor, he headed straight for me – a large wooden stake held out in front of him. Frozen to the spot, I couldn’t think what to do. A part of my shocked brain told me to move, to fight – something – anything. Yet I remained motionless.

  Danny suddenly shoved Will out of his way, and ran towards me with an incredible speed I didn’t know he possessed. He threw his body in front of mine just as Thomas rammed the wooden stake home. The deadly stake that had been meant for me. For a brief moment Danny’s face took on a surprised look, but then, horrifically, he disintegrated right in front of my eyes. Taken from our world forever, in just a few nightmarish seconds. Danny!

  Will grabbed Thomas by the back of his neck and threw him at the nearest wall. His head smashed into the bricks and he collapsed unconscious to the floor.

  ‘Chain the bastard up!’ Will snarled at Luke and Jake, and they ran to do his bidding.

  The room spun. Suddenly everyone looked out of focus and weird. I heard someone screaming over and over again, and then the dark swallowed me whole.

  Will’s Journal, 13th June

  We have him. At long last, we have him, chained and incarcerated, and this time there will be no mercy. He has to die for his heinous crimes and I feel nothing but a cold determination to see justice done. I find it difficult to even put my feelings into words at this moment, such is the depth of my horror and anger.

  But he will die.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  After sunset. Blessed darkness. My limbs responded when I stretched, and it took me a few seconds to remember the previous night’s events. Then I did remember, and sat up with an anguished cry.

  ‘Danny!’

  Will sat on the bed close to me, and his arms came around me instantly. ‘I am sorry I could not save him for you.’

  ‘Is he really gone?’ Tears fell unheeded down my cheeks.

  ‘I am afraid so.’

  ‘He saved my life.’

  ‘He did.’

  ‘If I’d stayed in the other cellar …’

  Will interrupted me. ‘Elinor, Thomas would have destroyed him anyway. You cannot blame yourself.’

  ‘He might have got away …’ my voice ended on a sob.

  Will held me close, stroking my hair, murmuring soft words of condolence. Danny’s death had been my fault, and nothing Will could ever say would make me think any different.

  I continued to cry hopelessly as if my heart would break. My non-beating vampire heart. Will kept his arms wrapped tightly around me, gently rocking me like a baby. He carried on talking quietly, but I couldn’t focus on any of the words. He could have been speaking in Swahili for all the sense it made to me. Gradually the odd word began to make sense and I found myself listening.

  ‘Thomas is chained in silver downstairs.’

  ‘Not in Danny’s room.’ I couldn’t bear that.

  ‘Of course not.’ He hesitated for a moment and then continued, ‘Elinor, there will be a trial, and I am afraid you will have to testify.’

  I looked up then. Will’s face looked sombre – his eyes full of concern. Very gently he pushed damp tendrils of my hair back from my face. ‘Unfortunately you are the main witness. The boy died saving you. He will be remembered as a hero.’

  Tears fell again.

  ‘Tesoro, sweetheart, the trial has to be very soon. I am sorry I cannot give you more time to grieve, but it is our law. The trial has to be tomorrow night.’

  I didn’t want to look into the despicable face of Danny’s murderer and my torturer so soon, I really didn’t.

  ‘I had Holy Water with me.’ I stumbled over the words.

  ‘You would have hit the boy.’ Will applied logic to his words of comfort now.

  ‘It wouldn’t have made any difference would it?’ I whispered.

  Will shook his head. ‘Please do not continue to blame yourself over things we cannot change.’

  ‘But he died saving me!’

  Will pulled me close again. ‘Do not think I will ever forget that. To lose you would destroy me too.’

  I closed my eyes and leaned in closer to Will’s chest. He continued to talk to me, all the time rubbing my back gently.

  ‘I know you loved the boy …’

  Immediately I stiffened in his arms, worried he was about to say something we’d both regret.

  ‘I know you loved him like a brother, or perhaps even a son. I also know my own ridiculous jealousy caused you pain, and for that I am truly sorry.’

  I looked up at him. ‘I could never love anyone the way I love you.’

  He gave me a rueful smile. ‘I know that.’

  ‘What I felt for … for Danny was different.’

  ‘Sssh … Elinor, you do not have to justify what I already know.’

  ‘What will happen to him?’ An unfamiliar rage filled me at the thought of the bast
ard downstairs, still alive, whilst Danny … Will’s next words brought my attention back to him.

  ‘That is up to our court to decide. A fitting punishment for his crimes will be determined tomorrow night.’

  ‘He should be tortured first.’ I spat the words out much to Will’s surprise and my own.

  When I looked at him, he merely raised a dark brow. ‘How unlike you.’

  ‘He murdered little children, and adult humans, killed two of our own people, tortured me and then … he … killed Danny. And possibly caused Sarah to commit suicide.’

  ‘You will hear no argument from me.’

  ‘Good …’ I rested my head back on his chest. I didn’t feel like talking any more and Will seemed to understand. He stroked my hair when the tears began again and held me close. ‘Ti amo, bella, ti amo.’ I clung to him as if I would never let him go again. Perhaps I wouldn’t.

  Will’s Journal, 14th June

  My heart breaks to see Elinor so traumatised. Unfortunately until Thomas has been tried and convicted, her healing process cannot begin. All the time that bastard is still in this world, she punishes herself with the thought she could have saved the boy. I know differently of course. If she had tried to save him, Thomas would have killed her and then killed the boy anyway, of that I have no doubt. Elinor has definitely been his main target all along, his raison d’etre. It is obvious to me now that Thomas always wanted to kill Elinor, with myself as witness. Her kidnap and incarceration were to lure me, but things did not go as planned for him. Events tonight were almost his last attempt. I believe Elinor’s existence, as well as myself, are the reasons he came to London. Khiara most definitely played a part in the whole thing – he must have obtained all of his relevant information from somewhere after all. I have no idea why I could not see it before, nor why I did not realise from which part of my past he hailed.

  Last year, I thought at the time, that Khiara behaved more graciously in defeat than is her wont. Losing does not come easily to her or, indeed very often, and with hindsight, I can recognise her hand in several of the terrible events of the summer. Hindsight is a wonderful thing. The very fact she is both mine, and Thomas’s maker, would give her more than a passing interest in events here in London. Perhaps she even instigated the whole affair. In fact, I feel sure of it. But there is no point in wreaking any kind of revenge on her, I fear things would merely escalate into another turf war.

  My people need to see justice served, and Thomas destroyed. For now, that will have to be enough for me too. Fortunately, I have always been excellent at biding my time. “Revenge is a dish best served cold.” Khiara’s time will come.

  Chapter Thirty

  My demand for torture weighed heavily on my conscience. I almost wished I could take it back. Almost, but not quite. In my grief over Danny’s loss, I wanted to see Thomas suffer before he was convicted for the last time. Part of me hoped he would beg for forgiveness, but I knew better.

  When I woke the following night, Will was already dressed and sitting in the chair by my bedside. His casual attire of scruffy old jeans and T-shirt gave me a sense of foreboding.

  ‘Is the trial tonight?’ I asked him.

  He nodded. ‘Yes.’

  ‘Where?’ Although I knew where it would have to be.

  ‘At the club.’

  ‘What time?’

  He ignored my question and leaned forward to take hold of one of my hands in both of his. ‘Elinor do you still wish Thomas to be tortured before the trial?’

  I looked down in order to avoid his eyes. ‘I… can’t … think…’

  ‘No-one will think any the worse of you either way. It is your choice.’

  ‘Choice?’ I gave a hollow laugh. ‘What kind of choice is it? What to do to him? How to make us all no better than he is?’

  ‘You do not have to do anything at all. You are torturing yourself here. Needlessly.’

  ‘Will, I want him to suffer and I want him dead, as dead as Danny …’ my voice broke, and Will came to sit on the bed so he could put his arms around me.

  ‘We all want him gone from this world, il mio amore, trust me on this, it does not make you a monster, just because you wish it so much.’

  I searched his vivid eyes for any kind of recrimination but saw none. Just concern and love.

  ‘I don’t know what I want.’

  ‘Tesoro … sweetheart … I intend to make him suffer myself before he is taken to the trial, it is expected of me, but you do not have to be involved.’

  ‘Can you just go ahead without me?’

  ‘Of course.’ He stood up and touched my hair briefly. ‘Take a bath or shower, whatever you need, you know where to find me should you need to.’

  I nodded and he left the room, leaving me alone with my thoughts.

  Will’s Journal, 15th June

  For me to watch Elinor breaking her heart over the boy, yet still not able to think about torture for Thomas, only makes me more determined to cause the wretch incomparable pain before he comes to trial. That he will be found guilty as charged and sentenced to death is not in any doubt. The form his destruction will take, however, has to be decided by trial. Democracy amongst vampires. Nevertheless I have my own ideas as to the method of his execution, and feel sure I can persuade everyone else to agree.

  Luke and Jake went out at early sunset and by process of elimination, found the bastard’s latest lair at last. Jake and some of the others have been searching for several days and had narrowed it down to just two houses. Both in Highgate. They either destroyed or removed anything in the house that might look – for want of a better word – paranormal, including the Scold’s Bridle he forced my beloved Elinor to wear. I have no idea whether it will fit a man, but I have every intention of finding out.

  I went down to the far cellar, where Luke and Jake waited for me. I noticed with sorrow and more than a little relief, that someone had been considerate enough to pack away the boy’s belongings out of sight in the first cellar. Elinor may well wish to keep something of his, but it is her choice alone, and the things will keep well enough until she feels stronger.

  Will

  Luke and Jake stood on either side of the bastard in chains, their arms folded looking, for all the world, like sentries of old. The moment Thomas saw me he started to rant and swear.

  The silver chains had eaten into his flesh and the wounds on his limbs and neck were raw and bloody. Without a word, Luke handed me the Scold’s Bridle and I studied it with feigned interest. I knew all too well how the thing worked, Khiara had always been extremely fond of any instrument of torture. I hope to describe this night to her in person some time – preferably when I force her to wear the infernal thing.

  Thomas spat out ridiculous words of how I would never dare to put the bridle on him. The man surely does not know me at all.

  I merely turned the bridle over in my hands and gave him a cold look. I told him he had no idea what I dared. I then called him an assassinando bastardo, which translates much the same in any language.

  The Italian came out as a matter of course, perhaps because we had both been sired by a cold-hearted Italian bitch. I believe I then called him Feccia. Dregs and scum of humanity, roughly translated.

  I saw Jake and Luke exchange glances, which made me smile. I informed them I had called him a murdering bastard and scum. Jake remarked it sounded far too polite for him.

  When I walked over to the revolting creature who caused so much pain and suffering to so many, I can honestly say I felt nothing at all when I stared into his, now wary, eyes. The bridle appeared small when I held it up by his head, but as far as I was concerned, that could only be a bonus.

  At a sign from me, Luke forced Thomas’s mouth open and I rammed the spiked part of the bridle in. Luke buckled it in place on his head.

  Thomas made the mistake of attempting to speak, only to howl in pain as the spikes lacerated his tongue. The thought that he’d dared to inflict the same pain on Elinor merely hardened my h
eart all the more.

  Luke appeared ready to inflict more pain on our guest, but I saw his gaze flick over my shoulder, and knew Elinor had entered the cellar. I had no wish for her to witness anything here; my instincts told me she would find that more difficult to recover from than even the death of the boy.

  Chapter Thirty-One

  The scene before me looked like a tableau made by Madame Tussaud herself for the Chamber of Horrors. Thomas had been stripped down to underwear and bound with silver chains, which were eating into his flesh. He wore the Scold’s Bridle and blood trickled steadily from his mouth. I really wished I could feel something other than loathing and utter contempt for him, but I am ashamed to say I couldn’t.

  ‘Are you sure you want to be here Elinor?’ Will crossed the cellar to meet me in the middle of the room. He gripped my arms to prevent me going into the room any further.

  ‘It’s something I need to do.’

  Will reluctantly dropped his hands, and stepped back to allow me to walk past.

  I stopped in front of Thomas and put my hand in my jeans pocket to pull out the bottle of Holy Water. I held it up in front of his eyes.

  ‘I really wanted to use this on Khiara or Katarina last year,’ I said, turning the little bottle over with finger and thumb. ‘But Khiara somehow managed to keep out of the way and I staked Katarina.’

  His eyes widened at my words. I knew very well what Holy Water would do to his flesh, I’d seen Will use it on Katarina. I knew his flesh would bubble and scar. The effect of Holy Water on undead flesh is the same as acid on human flesh and every bit as painful.

  ‘Elinor?’

  I turned my head to look at Will.

  ‘Please allow me to do that for you.’

  ‘It has to be me. For Danny.’ My hand shook uncontrollably. Uncorking the bottle carefully, I moved closer to Thomas.

  ‘You didn’t just kill Danny once, you killed him twice,’ my voice, although quiet, was filled with the heartache I felt at Danny’s loss. ‘You turned him, and just as he became used to being a vampire, you destroyed him. I don’t think I will ever hate anyone or anything as much as I despise you.’