Simon carried me up to the house. The party inside the mansion stepped out onto the portico. Our father-daughter hosts were in the lead, and Mr. Eres stepped down onto the walk.
"What's wrong? Does your friend need a doctor?" he asked us.
Simon stopped in front of him and shook his head. "No. It's merely a slight attack of anemia of which she suffers from every so often. A short rest and she'll be well."
I tried to speak, to tell them the truth, but the words wouldn't come. My body was still weak from the loss of blood.
Eres stepped aside and swept his arm towards the open door. "Please feel free to make use of any of our bedrooms."
Simon smiled, but shook his head. "There's no need. I've called my driver and-" At that moment the jet-black limo came from the darkness at the left of the house. "And he's as punctual as always."
Simon turned to leave, but Eileen swept down the stairs and grasped his upper arm. She looked into his face and her lower lip quivered. "Won;t you stay for a while longer? As you said, your friend will be fine, and we haven't even dined."
Simon gently pulled himself from her weak grasp. "I'm sorry, but as she is my companion for the evening I must attend to her."
Eileen's eyebrows crashed down. She crossed her arms over her chest and turned her face away. "Very well, but this is all very vexing."
The car pulled up to us and forced our hosts to back up. Simon looked to the other guests over the top of the car and bowed his head. "If you will excuse me."
Certus stepped out and opened the right-side rear door. Simon stooped and stepped inside with me still in his arms. He settled in his usual spot and the door shut behind us. This time there wasn't an overhead light to illuminate the interior. Only the tinted windows provided visibility.
In the dim light a little of my strength returned. I shifted in his hold.
Simon clasped me harder to his chest without looking at me. "Don't try to move. You've lost a great deal more blood than I intended."
My voice was hoarse and my lips dry, but I managed a few stuttering words. "Where. . .are you taking me?"
The window that divided the rear from the front lowered. I glimpsed the back of Certus's head.
Simon looked up at his driver and pursed his lips. "Where are the Fledglings?"
"Downtown, sir, and close to Mr. Gemmarius's shop," Certus told him. "The police tried to intervene, but they escaped into the alleys."
A sly, crooked grin slipped onto Simon's lips. "I see. Then we may well take care of two birds with one stone."
I wanted no part in whatever black-hearted plan this monster concocted. I pressed my palms against his chest and tried to push myself away. My efforts were futile, but I did catch his attention.
He glanced down at me. His eyes softened. "You think you'll be safer farther away from me, but the truth is quite the opposite."
I stopped my feeble attempt at escape and glared at him. "I will. . .risk it," I gasped.
Simon sighed. "You are very stubborn, but I suppose that is no more than I deserve." The sly grin returned to his lips. "Perhaps a weak woman would not have been to my liking, anyway."
"I am not your woman," I growled.
The demon chuckled, but I was glad when he half-turned in the seat and set me down beside him. "No, but you are mine. This-" he brushed his hand against the right side of my neck, "-proves as much."
His fingers slipped over the two tiny holes I knew were there. Still, I reached up and touched them with my quivering fingers. There was a slight twinge of pain over the skin, but the hollows themselves were numb and sealed. There wasn't even a drop of fresh blood.
I shuddered and dropped my hand. A whirlwind of thoughts flew through my mind. All the old horror movies and books I'd read rose to the surface, and with them came the thought that my action, my choice to go with this monster, had doomed me for eternity.
Simon studied my face. His expression softened. He cupped my left cheek in his hand and smiled at me. "Your thoughts are confused, but there's no need to worry. Modern culture has proven to be an unreliable storyteller of vampire fact."
I swallowed the rising fear inside me. "Then. . .then I won't turn into a vampire?"
His face fell, but his eyes met mine. "That is one of the kernels of truth in the lore. My biting you will change you into a vampire."
His proclamation hit me like a punch to the stomach. I dropped my head into my hands and burst into sobs. My sorrow wracked my body. Tears streamed down my cheeks and into my hands.
Simon pressed me closer against his cool chest. His voice was low and gentle, and one hand petted my hair as he spoke to me. "The tales are not entirely accurate. There is some time left to you in your human form. A great many months, if we decide it."
I pulled my face away from his shirt and glared up at him. "You mean if you decide it."
He closed his eyes and shook his head. "The choice is both of ours to make. I will not force you into this arrangement until you are better prepared."
I balled my hands into fists and my voice grew louder. "You've already forced me-" Something slammed onto the hood of the car.
Certus spun the wheel. The rear portion of the long car swung to the left and slid until it was nearly perpendicular to the front. Simon threw his body over mine and pinned me between him and the cushioned seat. Outside horns blared and tires screeched. The vehicle came to a jerky stop a dozen yards down the road. The motor idled and outside all was quiet.
Certus's voice broke the silence. "Sir."
Simon lifted his head and looked to the front. I followed his gaze and my eyes widened. A dark form was hunched on the hood of the car. Their feet stood in the indents made by their landing. They faced us, and their red eyes peered into our vehicle. A pair of gleaming fangs poked out from beneath their upper lips.
A pair of headlights from opposing traffic shone on the figure. It was revealed to be a young man of twenty with a smirk on his lips and short brown hair on his head. He wore a dark t-shirt and black jeans. The young man laughed and leapt straight up. He disappeared out of sight, and didn't reappear.
Simon leaned towards Certus. "Remain with her. I'll take care of the Fledgling."
Certus turned in his seat and frowned. "But sir, there may be more."
"We'll have to take that chance," Simon replied. He turned to me and smiled. "It seems Fate is insistent on ruining what remains of our evening together. Remain here. Certus will protect you."
I glared at him and turned my face away. The next I heard was the door opening and he slipped out. I looked back in time to see the door shut.
Certus moved the car forward until we came to a wide alley. He pulled into the block-long alley and shut off the vehicle. The world descended into silence. There was only my breathing. Certus didn't make a noise.
Everything was quiet, but too quiet. This was a city full of people, and yet I heard and saw no cars pass behind or in front of us.
The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. Trouble was coming. My eyes flickered to the door on my left. I glanced at the driver. He stared straight ahead. I reached for the door handle.
"I wouldn't attempt to remove myself from the car," Certus warned me.
I glared at him. "Try and stop me."
I lunged for the door. The locks initiated. I tugged, but the door wouldn't budge. I whipped my head to Certus.
"Unlock the door!" I demanded.
He looked at me through the rear view mirror. "I was given the job to protect you, and I will not fail."
His employment started when something slammed onto the trunk of the car. It was another black-clothed twenty-something, though this time it was a girl. Two more creatures dropped onto the car, one on the hood and the other on the top.
The girl behind me leaned forward and pressed her pale hands against the rear window. Her eyes fell on me. A sly smile slipped onto her mouth and her tongue flick
ed out to wet her parted lips. "What do we have here? A bit of dinner before we have more fun?" Her companions laughed.
I heard a door unlock, and Certus stepped out. He shut the door behind him. Two of our uninvited company hopped off the car and surrounded him. The one on top climbed to the edge of the car and looked down at him.
The girl stopped beside my door and folded her arms across her chest. "That was real stupid, old man."
The guy in front laughed. "Yeah. Now we don't even have to drag you out of there."
Certus stood among them as stiff as a statue. He stared straight ahead and his arms hung limp by his side.
The guy atop the roof leaned over and stretched out his hand towards Certus. "Let's get this over with. I'm starving."
Certus spun around and grabbed the creature's arm. He swung the young man over his shoulder and into the brick wall in front of him. The young man slammed face-first into the bricks and dropped to the ground. His face left an indent and blood in the hard material. He didn't get up.
The woman and other man hunched down and extended their hands. I had a clear view as their fingernails extended into long, sharp claws.
The woman growled at Certus. "So you're a vampire like us, huh?"
Certus turned his head to her and frowned. "I am nothing like you."
She tensed and snarled at him. "Yeah. You're gonna be permanently dead soon."
Both she and the guy in front lunged at Certus. Now was my chance. I dove over the divider between the front and back. There was a long, wide pad on the right side of the driver's seat that controlled everything in the car. I slammed my hand against all the buttons. My door unlocked. I opened it and scooted out. The battle in front of the car was just about finished.
Certus noticed my escape. "Wait!" he called. He tried to move towards me, but another of the monsters jumped onto his back and grabbed his neck.