Vampz Macabre

by N. R. Larry

  I considered her words as I leaned forward. “Actually, kid. That’s not true.” Slowly, she lifted her head and I smiled. “That’s why I hid all of this from you. Because it’s my job to make sure you have choices.”

  Her face blanked, then her expression softened. My heart pounded. I had her. She was listening to me. From my wrist holster, my blade began to glow and Mom’s voice echoed inside my head. I narrowed my eyes, trying to focus on what she was saying.

  Bao shivered, and then something crawled just under the surface of her skin. My eyes widened, it was like I could see the blood pumping through her veins. She closed her eyes and gasped. My blade buzzed again. My mother’s voice was screaming now. Screaming about her blood.

  I got out of my chair and kneeled in front of her. “It’s going to be okay, Bao,” I whispered, trying to make her stay with me.

  Her body writhed. Her eyes snapped open, flashing red, then black, and red again. I placed my hands on her knees and shook her. “It’s the blood,” I hissed. “That’s why Mo wanted you to drink from her.” My blade vibrated as if to say yes, I’d hit the nail on the head. “As soon as it clears, you’ll remember you have a—”

  She growled, and her facial features broadened, and then went back to normal. I paused, and at that moment, the jiangshi mother came back. She leered down at me, jerking her foot out so quickly I didn’t have time to pull back.

  The blow landed in my gut. Pain exploded out toward my arms and legs as I went flying across the room. I went through the wall, rolled over onto my side and grunted. Before I could catch my breath, Bao was in front of me, her red gaze focused, a cruel smile on her lips. I grabbed my midsection and started to sit up when she swept her leg toward me again.

  I clenched my jaw, caught her leg, and pulled her down on top of me. “You know,” I hissed in her ear as she writhed like a rabies infected animal. “I was going to let you stay on the cheerleading squad, but now, I’m not so sure.”

  She hissed. “I’m stronger than you.” She ripped her way out of my arms, flipped in the air, and landed with her feet planted on either side of me. “The thing about being a Mom is, you have to know when to let your babies leave the nest.”

  I narrowed my eyes. “If you think you can take me, you just aren’t ready. And the way I grew up, kids don’t put their hands on their parents.”

  Bao shrugged and leaned over me. “Good thing I’m not a kid, then, isn’t it?”

  I snorted and shoved every feeling I had for this little girl to the bottom of myself. “We’ll see about that.” I grabbed her around the waist and shot into the air. She snarled and clawed at my skin, trying to get loose.

  “Let go,” she hissed, sinking her teeth into my forearm.

  I screamed at the pain and lost my grip. Bao started to fall.

  Angling myself toward the ground, I dove and grabbed her by one ankle. She growled and tried to twist out of my grip. I held onto her with a crushing grip. Her bone started to crack, but I gritted my teeth and told myself this wasn’t my Bao.

  I righted myself and flew upward again, then came to a halt in the light of the full moon. I threw her up, grabbed her by the neck and held her out away from me. She grabbed my hands and laughed. “What are you going to do, Mom?” She snorted. “You can’t stop me.”

  I grinned and pulled her closer to my face. “We’ll just have to see about that.” With that, I jerked my arm back and smashed it into the side of her face with everything I had.

  She sailed through the night like a rocket. I squinted after her, trying to make out where she would land, but I couldn’t see that far out. I rubbed my hands together and nodded.

  Wherever she landed, hopefully, the little brat would be out of my way for long enough for me to end this. I ripped Mom out of my holster, then zipped through the night and back to the cabin.

  Chapter Twenty

  I landed at the side of the cabin, wanting to kick the door in, but there was already a hole in the wall, so I just walked through. Mo was in the middle of the room with her back to me. Her skeletal shoulders rose and fell rapidly like she was out of breath. Narrowing my eyes, I took my knife back out of its holster and let the warm vibration soothe me.

  I smiled even though Mo couldn’t see me. “Well, looks like this is the last time we’ll be meeting like this.” I tossed my knife from my left hand and into my right.

  She chuckled, and then slowly turned around. “What did you with to her?”

  I pointed at her with my blade. “That would be none of your business.”

  With a hiss, she bared her teeth at me. I shook my head and waved her forward. “Let’s just get this over with. Bao has school in the morning.”

  She snorted and reared her head back. “School?” She darted to the left, and I shifted with her. Slowly, we started circling each other. “You’re delusional. She is the jiangshi mother. She has a destiny.”

  I snorted. “This isn’t some Harry Potter bullshit,” I told her, changing my direction to stay in front of her. “The only destiny she has is AP Chemistry.”

  Mo jerked toward me, and I shuffled backwards. “You can’t stop this.”

  I stared at her and smiled. “Well, you’re not very encouraging.”

  “You think because you killed one nest it’ll stop? As long as I am here to teach her what she truly is, it will never stop. She has a duty to her kind.” She stepped closer in my direction. “And you can’t change that.”

  My smile widened. I tilted my head and lowered my arm. “Because of the blood memory?” I asked. “As long as you’re here, your kind will come for her?”

  “She doesn’t need your protection. She will be a great leader.”

  I stopped smiling and raised my arm. “I’m sure she will be.” Holding my knife out in front of me, I smirked and added, “If that’s what she wants. For now, things seem simple. I kill you, I give her a choice.” I winked. “That’s pretty much what you’re telling me right?”

  With a hiss, she launched herself in the air. I stepped back and landed a punch in her gut. She went soaring through the only remaining wall. I flew after her and landed on my knees on top of her chest. She stared up at me and bared her black teeth.

  “What are you?” she hissed.

  I narrowed my eyes and raised my arms above my head. “Not sure, but once I send a thousand souls to my mother, I’ll find out.” Then, I stabbed my knife down into her throat. Thick, black blood bubbled out of the wound. I ripped the blade out of her and then sliced into her left eye and plucked it out. She screamed and started tossing and turning. I pressed down against her with all my weight. The earth began to form a dent around us.

  There was a shrill scream behind me. Without turning around, I knew it was Bao. I retrieved my blade, picked Mo up by the hair, and sliced her head off in one smooth movement.

  “No!” Bao rushed forward as I dropped the body. “What did you do?”

  Breathing hard, I stood up. “It’s time to go home, Bao.”

  She picked up the headless vampire corpse, then turned to glare up at me. “You killed her!” Her body rocked with grief.

  I nodded, out of breath. “Yes.”

  She dropped Mo, and then stood up, shaking so hard her facial features distorted. “How could you do that?” She zipped toward me. “You just killed my history.” She shook her head. “You just killed who I am.”

  Still panting, I shook my head. “That’s not who you are, Bao.”

  With a snarl, she shifted and snatched the knife out of my hands. It shook in her grasp, trying to find its way back to me. I glanced from it, and then into Bao’s eyes. I didn’t see a monster. Far from it. I saw a scared little girl. My scared little girl.

  Emotion rocked through me and I let out a sob. “I’m tired, sweetheart.” I dropped to my knees and she stomped over, and then held my own blade to my throat. I peered at her and shook my head. “It isn’t easy,” I whispered.

  She squared her shoulders and pressed the blade harder against
my skin. It might as well have been a butter knife. There was nothing in the world my blade couldn’t get through, except for me.

  “Killing, even when its monsters—even if you’re doing it to protect people that can’t protect themselves...” I shook my head. “It isn’t easy. It changes you.”

  Her hand shook harder.

  “And if it is easy for you to sink that knife into my flesh, then maybe I failed.” I sniffed. Tears slid down my cheeks and kissed the golden metal of my knife. “Because the kid I raised couldn’t do this to an enemy, let alone family. I didn’t kill your history, Bao...”

  Her lip quivered.

  “I was just fighting for a future that you could define yourself.” I narrowed my eyes and glanced at my knife. “And you know what else carries memory?”

  She looked at the knife and I nodded.

  “Yeah, I’m not sure how to get those stories out yet, but they’re in there.” I sighed and lowered my shoulders, spent. “And they’ll be waiting for you... when, and if you decide that you’re ready.”

  Her expression crumpled, and then she let out a wail before falling over into my arms. Her body quaked with sobs. I held her as tightly as I could without hurting her.

  “I was so scared!” she sobbed.

  I rubbed her back and nodded. “I know you were baby. But it’s over now. I got you.” I reached around, took my knife from her hand, and picked her up. “Now, I promised some people that I’d bring you home.”

  She nodded and wiped her eyes before curling up against me like an infant. “Let’s go.”

  I FLEW HOME AT A SNAIL’S pace, landed on the front yard, and trudged to the house, dead on my feet. Before I could open it, the door flew open.

  “Bao!” Fiona rushed out and threw her arms around us.

  Bao giggled and the two of them rushed inside. I dragged my feet after them. As tired as I was, I was glad to see that all the kids were up. Darnell hopped up from where he was sitting on the back of the couch and marched up to Bao.

  She covered her mouth. “D! I am so sorry.” She placed her delicate hands over her heart. “I don’t know what got into me.”

  He scowled and then broke out into a huge, cheesy grin. “I’m gonna get you back for that shit, fam.”

  I sighed. “Lan—” With a sigh, I waved them off. “Screw it. All of you, in bed.”

  Amir crossed the room and pulled me into his embrace. I high-fived Sergio and then they all rushed up the stairs, buzzing with excited speech about how Sergio took out a gang of vampires. Seconds later, several doors slammed. I frowned and plopped down on the couch and closed my eyes.

  “I’m happy to see you returned and well,” a low voice said above me.

  I screamed and clamped my hand over my chest. Opening my eyes, I took in Ryland, dressed, as he often was, in a three-piece suit. “You scared the shit out of me.”

  He sniffed, as if bored, and sat next to me. “I should have trusted you,” he said over the sound of stomping and laughing that was coming from upstairs.

  I stifled a yawn and eased in closer to him. The night was the kind of hot that strangled you, and Ryland always ran cold. “What do you mean?”

  “To handle the jiangshi.” He turned slightly toward me. “I—shouldn’t have removed Bao from your household without your permission.”

  I stared at the side of his face. “Wait.” Slowly straightening, I said, “Are you apologizing to me?”

  He looked at me with such a serious expression on his face, that, coupled with the extreme fatigue and relief I felt, made me laugh harder than I’d laughed in a while. As I got myself under control, he blinked a few times.

  “Are you quite finished?” he asked with a sigh.

  I covered my mouth and leaned even closer to him. Just as I was about to answer, a hiccup popped out of my throat. His lips twitched into the faintest hint of a grin.

  “If you are,” he went on, leaning back and smoothing down the fine silk of his shirt. “I can tell you that I’ve never been so glad to see someone come back alive in my life.” A nearly undetectable shrug of his shoulders. “So, there’s that.”

  I grinned, feeling almost high from the win. Pointing at him, I said, “You like me,” in a teasing voice.

  He scoffed.

  “Well, you do.” With that, I leaned my head on his shoulder. “Is that why you came over? Because you couldn’t sleep until you knew if I was okay or not?”

  “Hm.” His arm flashed out, then he lowered a single finger and let it hover over my arm. “Actually—” And his voice was so soft it unraveled everything inside me with one word. The pause tease, and seconds later, he traced a line down my arm. “I came here to thank you.”

  I tried to focus on breathing, but my thoughts tunneled around his touch, so I found it hard to find my next breath, let alone take it. With great effort, I at least stumbled into my next words. “Th-thank me for what?”

  He froze, and I, with him. “For clearing the path.” Another sniffle. “To Dario and the rest of those gutter rats in The Narrows.” The fact that he said it in such an even voice, as if he were reading movie times out loud, put an extra chill on the cold that snaked through me.

  I swallowed, sifting through my words, know that the ones I picked next were vital. “You don’t have to, you know?”

  He went back to tracing the line up and down my arm.

  I held back a shiver and said, “You don’t have to go to war.”

  He chuckled, and I wanted to crawl on top of him and kiss the throat responsible for such a sultry noise. “Of course I do, Malcolm.” He laughed again, and it was still dark, but something else was laced through it, something that was somehow soothing. “Hm, it’s been so long since I’ve had quiet.”

  I listened, and he was right. There was no noise coming from upstairs. Automatically suspicious, I lifted slightly, but then he tucked in closer to me. “It’s been even longer since I’ve touched you.”

  Shivers rocked my body, and I couldn’t stop them. My thoughts edged toward rational, and I started to pull away, but my body edged toward what it wanted, toward him.

  “I wonder if I used to use your real name,” he asked me, his icy lips at my ear. “Back in the day, when I had you.”

  My teeth practically rattled as I turned to him. His face was only inches from mine, and the way he breathed me in, like I was something he had a mad craving for, pinned me to the couch.

  It was unnerving, how easy it was for him to affect me in this way. It scared me, that he could whip out his power any time he felt like it.

  He tilted his head, studying me under that dark gaze. The space between my legs tightened with need. A whimper echoed in the air between us.

  “I miss knowing it,” he growled.

  For several agonizing seconds, he didn’t say anything else. Finally, I bit my bottom lip. “You miss knowing what?”

  He half smiled. Then slowly, tying the beating of my heart to the slight movements of his body, he brushed his mouth against mine, then pulled back and crossed his legs, as if nothing happened.

  “Knowing your real name.” His voice was rough with desire, but his expression was still again. Straightening his tie, he turned and lifted a brow. “Aren’t you tired of going by the nickname your foster mother gave you?”

  With a scoff, I looked down at myself. My legs gaped, and my shirt had slipped off my right shoulder, exposing dried blood and my bra strap. I straightened myself up, clapped a hand against the back of the couch, and said, “Really?”

  He sort of smiled.

  “Wow.” I pulled myself up and rolled my eyes. “Actually, the nickname has grown on me. It’s the name people know.”

  “Yes, but it isn’t your own.”

  A yawn caught me off guard as I shrugged. Covering my mouth, I turned my head and said, “Well, there’s only one way I’m going to learn my real name.”

  His gaze snapped to my knife. I took it out of its holster and stared at it hard, and tried not to think about
Ryland slamming against a wall and giving me everything he had. My mouth watered at the thought.

  “Maybe.” He sniffed. “Or maybe, there’s another way.”

  I glanced sidelong at him before placing my knife on the coffee table. As I sat back, I said, “What do you mean?”

  “I mean, Malcolm Hex, I know you. I’ve known you for centuries, correct?”

  “Yes, but every time you try to tell me, you forget more of my past.” I crossed my arms over my chest, slightly annoyed that he had picked right then to beat our old, dead horse to death all over again.

  “There might be a way to combat that part of the curse,” he said, his voice rich and reflective. “When I feed on you, we see into each other’s history. Only, because you are cursed, when I try to speak of it, to you or anyone else, a part of ‘Who Malcolm Hex is,’ is taken from me.”

  I yawned again. “Yeah, so?”

  “So.” He chuckled. “What if someone else were there when I fed on you? Someone that could tell you? Wouldn’t that, bypass the curse?”

  I blinked. Then, snorted and dismissed the idea without much thought. “If it were that easy—”

  He flashed to his feet and peered down at me. “I’m suggesting planting someone with magic into our heads at one of the must vulnerable times for both of us.” He gave a slight tilt of the head. “Nothing easy about it. But, it kills to birds, as they say.”

  I furrowed my brows.

  He sighed. “Feeding on you makes me stronger. I need to be at my best for... Some future plans I have. Obviously, I’d offer something to you with such an arrangement, and because I, alone, can’t give it to you—” He shrugged. “I suggest we invite another woman into the dining room, as it were.”

  I glanced at my knife, then back up. “I’m not going to be your blood bag again, not when I can just wait to learn my history from my mother.”

  He shrugged as if the conversation was starting to bore him—as if I was the one that brought it up.

  I snorted again, beyond irritated with him. “No, thanks.” I pushed myself back against the couch and ran the pad of my thumb against my bottom lip. “Besides, doing something like that... It isn’t even possible.”