“I do believe you are a mind reader, and a beautiful one, if I may say so?”
“I believe you did just say so.” She looped her arm through mine and began to lean heavily onto me as she led me toward her bedroom.
“What’s behind these mysterious doors?” I asked, hoping she would foolishly identify Avery’s location.
She pointed to the six closed doors to each side of us and said, “These are guest rooms, all occupied from the sounds of it so I guess it’s good for you that I’m willing to share my room with you.”
I heard sounds best left unidentified coming from behind the closed doors and said, “It is almost dawn, so maybe the time to find a resting place has come,” implying that sleep was on my mind.
“Yes, it certainly has sneaked up on me this night,” she slurred.
We continued walking the corridor and came upon a room with guards outside the door and I knew I had hit the jackpot. “What’s behind that door?” I asked with an innocent quality to my voice.
She pointed her finger, shaking it at me as she said, “You are a terribly naughty boy and you’re going to get me into a lot trouble with my brother, but I’m rather pissed at him right now, so I’m feeling a little defiant at the moment.”
The luck of the gods were with me and I encouraged her as I said, “You should show a little defiance more often because you wear it well, Beautiful.”
With heavy lids like an drugged-out human, she shook her head as she said, “You are quite the charmer, aren’t you?”
I could see she was winding down and I was glad. “Now you’re beginning to hurt my feelings.”
We stopped at the door next to the guarded room. She hesitated, contemplating if she should confirm my suspicion, then grinned and whispered, “That’s where my brother keeps his Blood Jewel, the only thing he cares about.”
Bingo.
“This is my room.” She opened the door, entered and waited for me to follow. I looked at the doorway, thinking how it resembled a gate to Hell, but pushed the thought aside as I told myself this was all about saving Avery and I would be out of here within the hour if things went well.
“Would you care for a drink?” she offered as she walked to a small bar within her room.
“Yes, I definitely need a drink,” I gladly accepted.
She lifted a decanter filled with dark liquid and poured a drink for each of us. “Bourbon, straight up,” she said as she passed it to me. I took the glass from her and drank it in one gulp.
“Thirsty much?”
Her observation surprised me because she didn’t appear capable of anything involving a thought process at the moment. “I’m still high from that blood you gave me,” I lied.
Her face was dazed and she whispered, “I know. Isn’t it wonderful?”
“It is a sensation like I’ve never known and I don’t want it to end,” I replied, remaining vague with my description of how I felt and I wondered if the high she was currently experiencing was similar to intoxication by drugs or alcohol on humans. “I don’t want to miss a moment of this feeling.” I fell across her red satin bed and said, “You have access to this sensation at all times. I do not and I want to just lay here and enjoy it before it’s gone. Don’t you remember how it felt your first time?”
“I absolutely do. It was the most magnificent feeling I have ever experienced and I try and try to find that feeling again, but I can’t find it. I take in more and more of Avery’s blood, but it’s never enough. Sometimes, I think I could drink her dry and never achieve that first splendid high again.”
I definitely had to get Avery out of here. She wouldn’t survive a house full of vampires tomorrow evening. What was Vincent thinking?
Gloriana fell back next to me on the bed, causing me to jump when her arm brushed mine, but she was too impaired to notice and then I asked, “Why did Vincent have Phillip to bite The Blood Jewel?”
She turned to face me as she answered, “Because she reacted to him. He caused an adrenalin surge in her and now Vincent means to use them both to control each other. He means to control all of you and he’ll succeed because every vampire in this house is now hooked on her blood. You’re all addicted, just like us. It only takes one time to be addicted to her.”
She lay still and quiet on the bed and I knew she was near sleep. “Why are you telling me this?”
Her voice was slow, indicating she was about to drop off into oblivion. “Why not tell you? You’ll know soon enough, come dusk tomorrow. I’m doing you a kindness by telling you now.”
She was close to passing out and I needed information about what made Avery and possibly Chansey a Blood Jewel. “What makes her blood addicting?”
“I don’t know,” she slurred as her eyes were closed. I couldn’t let her go to sleep without answering my questions. “Why do you call her Blood Jewel?”
“You’d have to ask Vin...” she said before she fell asleep. When I was certain she was in a deep vampire sleep, I rose from the bed and peeked through her covered window to see that dawn had finally arrived.
I slowly opened her bedroom door and saw that the vampiric guards were no longer outside Avery’s door, so I walked the short distance to the room where she was being held captive. I silently opened the door and found her in the center of a large bed, still wearing her red ball gown with her wrists and ankles bound and anchored to the bed with long strips of fabric.
I streaked to her and laid my hand over her mouth before I evoked a scream from her. Her eyes popped wide with terror and her heart accelerated. I placed my finger over my lips to instruct her to remain quiet. I leaned closely to her and she began to squirm and fight for her life, forcing me to speak to her. “Stop fighting me, I will not harm you. I’ve come to take you away from this place.”
She stopped struggling and I removed my hand from her mouth, only to hear her say, “You lie vampire. You aren’t here to rescue me; you’re here to steal me. You and your coven want me for yourselves.”
“It is not a lie. We came to rescue you from this place,” I informed her.
“Would the other part of the “we” be the leech that bit me?” she questioned with acid in her tone.
I was shocked by her memory of the bite because I heard Sol compel her myself. “You are not supposed to remember that.”
“Yeah, well he told me I would wake up with no memory of what happened, but surprise. I remember it all, so why should I believe you are here to take me away?”
“Your sister, Jenn, sent us for you.”
“You lie,” she accused. ”My sister is dead.”
“What if I am lying to you? Would you be any worse off? All of those sleeping vampires are going to wake up tonight with an unquenchable thirst that only your blood will quench. What do you think is going to happen?” She appeared thoughtful, but didn’t reply and I continued, “I’m sorry. I wish we had time to discuss this, but we do not have the courtesy of ample time. I will tell you all you need to know once we are safely out of here.”
She turned to look at the curtains and saw the tiny beam of light shining in through the crack in the curtains. “It’s light outside. How do you plan on taking me anywhere when you are a creature of the night?”
I reached for her bonds and said, “That’s not for you to worry about, let’s just get out of here.”
As I began to untie her wrists, she looked at me and said, “Who are you?”
“I cannot say my name in this house, even if these fools are high,” I explained.
“I’m Avery Ferrand.”
“Yes, I know who you are.”
“How do you know?” she questioned.
Her interrogation was annoying me, but I tried to understand her position. “I told you that your sister sent me. It’s a long story. Do you want to stay here discussing it until your captors wake up or do you want to get the hell out of here?”
“The second option you said.”
“Alright, no more talking. I’m well beyond ready to be
out of this place.”
We crept quietly through the mansion, and although every vampire in the house was soundly asleep, I opened the covered windows in the rooms as we entered to prevent any potential attacks. Her expression betrayed her thoughts and she was so frightened her heart was close to exploding out of her chest. I worried its rapidness might possibly stir the addicted from their sleep because I had no idea what her blood might have done to those that consumed it.
We were almost home free when she said, “We have to go back. I forgot something.”
“No damn way! Are you out of your mind or just suicidal?” I whispered.
She stroked the hollow part of her neck. “I refuse to leave without my pendant. It was a gift from my mother.” Her face flooded with emotion and I could see the seriousness of her declaration as her eyes pleaded with me. “It’s the only thing I have left from her since Vincent killed her.”
I fought against my better judgement and asked, “Where is it?”
“I’m not sure. I was wearing it at The Blood Jewel Ceremony and I didn’t take it off. It must have fallen off when I was struggling with you on the bed.”
“You stay here and I’ll go back for it.”
I wasn’t happy about it, but I returned to the place of her captivity and began to look around for the necklace left behind. I pulled the bedding back and looked under the bed. Nothing. Not a sign. I hated it, because I knew it meant a lot to her, but she would have to leave without it.
I returned to where she waited and saw her hope deflate before my eyes when I shook my head. “I’m sorry. It’s wasn’t there.”
“It has to be. Maybe if I go back I can find it.”
She began to charge deeper into the enemy’s territory and I grabbed her arm and spun her around. “Look, I have vision your simple mind cannot begin to comprehend. It simply wasn’t there and we’ve wasted enough time. If you have a death wish, then fine! Stay if you wish to die when these vampires awaken, otherwise, we must go now.”
My words clicked in her mind and she recognized the harsh reality of my words. “I know that you are right.” Tears threatened to spill from her eyes and I opened the door and ushered through before they could fall.
We stepped through the door into the sunlight and I thought we were home free, until a trio of vicious hell hounds waited for us on the front lawn. They were no match for me, but Avery was a different story entirely.
“I need you to stay behind me, Avery,” I directed.
“Don’t worry. You between me and three vicious dogs? I don’t have a problem with that,” she reassured.
The dogs were massive and bred for killing. My suspicions told me they weren’t here to take down a vampire; they were in place to deter Avery’s escape.
The first canine attacked and I struck him across the top of his head, briefly dazing him. We stood before the two remaining beasts and I said, “Listen to me, Avery. There is a black Lincoln Towncar parked on the right side of the drive. It is unlocked and I want you to run like hell and get in that car. I’ll be right behind you after I take care of them.”
I watched as Avery made a run for the car and my suspicions were confirmed when the two canines charged after her, because they were uninterested in me. I streaked ahead of them, preventing them from attacking Avery, and they jumped in unison before locking their massive jaws on my lower arms.
Avery stopped; turning to witness the attack of the duo, and let out a high pitch shrill that would wake the dead. I easily slung the dogs across the lawn and ordered, “Get in that car, now!”
I entered the car behind her and as I started the engine, one of the canines jumped onto the hood of the car and stared at us through the windshield before attempting to bust through the glass. The ferocious black beast with a huge squared face was joined by its identical partner and viciously attempted to attack Avery through the passenger window.
“What the hell kind of dogs are those?” she screamed.
“Trained killing machines more than glad to take off your head. That’s what the hell kind of dogs they are.”
I slammed the car into drive and shoved the accelerator against the floorboard, slinging the dogs from the car and I didn’t look back until the plantation was no longer visible in my rear view mirror.
We rode in silence during the drive to the location where we ditch the stolen getaway car and I was uncertain if it was fear or fatigue that prevented her from questioning me. She got out of the stolen Lincoln and into my truck as I requested and then she watched from the window as I doused the getaway car with gasoline and set fire to it, erasing any evidence that could lead Vincent to us.
I got into the truck and we were several miles down the road when I broke the silence saying, “Curry Brennan.”
It was a peculiar scene, her sitting in the passenger seat of my old pick up in her elegant ball gown flowing all around her. She turned to me and said, “What?”
“You asked my name earlier. I’m Curry Brennan.”
“I thought you were a vampire.” she said.
“I am a vampire and have been for quite a few years now,” I laughed.
“But you’re in sunlight?” she said, puzzled.
“There’s a reason for that and I’ll explain it later, if you still wish to hear about it.”
Her eyes trailed from me toward my caved in dashboard and asked, “What happened there, Curry Brennan?”
I laughed and said, “I hit it with my fist.”
“Why?”
“I was angry.”
“Yeah, I kind of guessed that one. What made you so mad?” When I didn’t answer immediately, she added, “I probably should know these things so I don’t make you mad. I don’t want to end up like your dashboard.”
I hesitated for a moment and then answered, “Someone kidnapped my girlfriend. Well, technically she wasn’t my girlfriend at the time.”
“You mean you’re companion?” she corrected.
“No, I don’t mean girlfriend or companion. She is my wife, now.”
The confusion was apparent in her voice as she asked, “I didn’t know vampires did the marriage thing.”
“We don’t, but I’m not married to a vampire. My wife is a human.” Well, she was mostly human. But, I wasn’t going there.
Astounded, she said, “Whoa, I didn’t think your species did that kind of thing with humans.”
Keeping my explanation brief, I explained, “Well, vampires and humans don’t marry, but our relationship is different. We’re different.”
She crunched her eyebrows and said, “You have to know that this keeps getting weirder and weirder for me.”
“I understand and everything will be explained when we get to the compound.” She didn’t share her thoughts about joining other vampires in another location and I continued, “You don’t have to be afraid because we want to protect you. It’s what we do.”
She turned her face toward the window and watched the passing roadside and nonchalantly said, “There’s very little that frightens me anymore after what I’ve been through.”
I drove a small piece, but felt like I should say something. “I’m sorry you have experienced such terrible things in your short life, but vampires aren’t all bad, including your sister. I know you don’t believe me right now, but you’ll see my words are true.”
She turned in my direction and said, “You’re right. I don’t believe you.”
A moment of silence passed and she asked, “Why aren’t you high from drinking my blood? It makes vampires go crazy.”
“We pretended to drink from the vials,” I explained and then added, “But, then Vincent forced Solomon to bite you. That was not part of our plan.”
“The vampire that bit me, I thought his name was Phillip.”
“No, that was just his cover.” Speaking of Sol rekindled my worry about him and I added, “Sol was unaffected by your blood when he left, but I fear we will find him in a different condition when we arrive at the compound. Wha
t’s going to happen to him?”
“He will be in withdrawals when he rises tonight,” she warned.
She confirmed my suspicions and I asked, “Will it be bad for him?”
“Yes, it will be terrible and he will do anything to have my blood.” She turned in my direction again and said, “Even kill you to get to me.”
I couldn’t imagine a blood so addicting that my best friend would be willing to kill me in order to have it. “You don’t know Solomon. He is incredibly strong and his will is like iron. There is no doubt in my mind that he will be fine.”
She cocked her head to the side and said, “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
“Duly noted,” I said as I drove through the gates of the compound and I couldn't remember a time when I was more grateful to be home. I didn’t come to a complete stop before Chansey was through the double front doors and opening my driver side door to throw her arms around me.
“Curry Brennan, I have been sick with worry. Sol and Gia returned hours ago. Could you not call me to let me know you were alright?”
“I didn’t want to leave evidence that could be traced. It was too dangerous to call and I’m sorry you were worried, but all is well and Avery is safe.”
Chansey turned to the stranger in my truck and said, “Oh, I am so sorry, Avery. You must think I am so rude.” She walked from my side of the truck and went around to the passenger door. She opened it and when Avery stepped out, she hugged her and said, “I’m so sorry for what you have been through, but you will be safe here. Jenn will be so excited to know that you made it here safely. She is down for the day and you’ll see her tonight.”
Avery cautiously watched Chansey, a stranger and potential threat in her eyes. “This is my wife, Chansey.”
“Your wife, the human?” she questioned.
Chansey smiled and said, “I see she isn’t in the complete dark. That’s good, but I know you have a lot of questions and I promise they will all be answered. Unfortunately, we have a situation that needs to be handled.”