Blood Therapy (Kismet Knight, Ph.D., Vampire Psychologist) (30 page)

“You mean—”

“Yes, you look quite like her. So when Lucifer saw you, it was undead déjà vu. He does not know
why
he wants you, since he is unaware of his other personalities. He only knows he does. Long ago, Brother Luther convinced himself that his wife and child had been taken by God for some infraction on her part; consequently Lucifer is not only attracted to you, he also needs to punish you. He has no idea why.”

“So,” I said, mostly to myself, “he’s just reacting to a memory.”

“Yes. Unfortunately for you.”

“You’re just going to let him continue murdering people? You don’t care about that?”

Zephyr answered. “As a rule, we never involve ourselves in the affairs of humans. Vampires have always preyed upon mortals—it is simply the way of nature. But we do try to control situations that might bring unwanted attention to us.”

“Although some of us long for the olden days when vampires ruled the food chain,” Dracul said. “As so often happens, visions of many possible futures were explored, and it is just as likely as not that vampires will triumph.”

“This is not the appropriate time or place for such a discussion, Dragon,” Zephyr said, his tone hostile.

“Ah, yes—we should not discuss vampire politics in front of Devereux’s human toy, but I doubt very much if she is aware of his work to keep the undead cowering in the dark, pretending to be humans with fangs.”

“Enough, Dracul!” He turned to me. “Come. We must conclude our business.” He clutched my shoulders again.

“One more thing,” Dracul said. “Most people believe I am the oldest vampire on Earth because I am the most well known, but that is not the case. There is one who is much older. He is my maker. You would do well to ensure you do not come to his attention in the future.”

He bowed, then vanished.

“What does that mean?” I said just as Zephyr tightened his grip and we moved through time and space. Had Dracul said that last thing about his maker to scare me? I didn’t see how I could be any more frightened than I already was. After meeting him, I definitely preferred the movie versions to the real thing.

This time we landed in a vast area that actually looked like a library, a closed-up, musty smell thick in the air. Thousands—millions?—of bookshelves filled with all manner of books, scrolls, papyri, and loose pages, each tome or collection enclosed in a glass box, filled the area as far as the eye could see.

After my head cleared from the trip, and I was confident I could remain upright, I walked to the closest shelf and peered into one of the clear containers. I stared at the non-English text. “Is this where the special ancient vampire knowledge is kept?”

“Yes. This is the small library.”

I looked at him to see if he was joking. If there was a larger room than this, I couldn’t imagine it. “Really? This is
small
?”

He laughed. “Comparatively speaking.” He pointed to a nearby round wooden table and two chairs. A jumbo book with an ornate jewel-and-silver-encrusted cover filled the center of the table. “Please sit. Be comfortable.”

I did as he asked, pulling my coat more tightly around me. We must have been farther underground because it was colder than at the previous locations. I could actually see my breath, like being in a meat locker.

Meat locker. Am I the meat?
That thought sent a shiver of fear through me that had nothing to do with the cold.

Zephyr claimed the other chair and waved his hands over me. I immediately felt warmer.

“No, Doctor Knight, you are not the
meat
. Not that meat plays any role in a vampire’s diet.” He smiled at my frown. “But you were thinking metaphorically, of course. You might as well relax.” He pointed to the edge of the seat where I was perched. “We are going to be here for a little while.”

I scooted back in the chair, suddenly nervous about the magic spell I’d apparently signed myself up for.

“We will not be performing a magic spell today.”

I tensed. “I don’t understand. I thought you’d decided to help me so I could benefit the vampire community. Has something changed?” Knowing I was broadcasting my thoughts to him as clearly as if I was speaking them aloud, I tried not to give vent to all the worst-case scenarios crowding my consciousness.

“I should have said, we will not be using
only
a spell. I will help you, but first I must explain why your situation is complicated. Please continue to breathe—I would hate to have to give you mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.”

He was right. I had stopped breathing, so I shuddered out a burst of air, feeling dizzy. “Complicated?”

“Yes.” He pulled the book across the tabletop and patted the cover. “There is a spell in here, one I created myself, that works perfectly for
ordinary
humans.”

“Ordinary humans? Are you saying I’m not one of those? I keep hearing that, and I wish someone would explain—”

“Yes, yes. I know. You are unique, but that is not what I am referring to in this instance. For us, your non-ordinariness comes from the fact that you’ve already drunk the blood of several very powerful vampires, including Devereux. That changes everything. And it constitutes a major part of your difficulty.”

“My brain is being destroyed because I drank blood at the ritual? I thought it was because all vampires give off a vibration that’s damaging to humans. I’m so confused.”

“Merlin’s Fangs!” Annoyed, he slapped the table. “I am not accustomed to speaking with humans. You all ask so many questions! Let me begin again. Perhaps I can be more succinct. It is true that all vampires negatively affect human brain physiology over time. The stronger the vampire, the more profound the effect. Not to be indelicate, but this has not been a big problem in the past since most vampires did not keep their humans alive long enough for the damage to become apparent. And in the rare cases where the mortals were exposed longer—as Dracul mentioned—they all lost their rational minds. Do you follow?”

My stomach tightened at his blunt reminder. Whatever I decided about my future work, I couldn’t let myself forget who—or what—I was dealing with. If there was no way to keep my brain safe, I would be out of the vampire counseling business. “Yes. I understand. Go on.”

He nodded, no doubt having heard my inner debate. “Let us use the example of Renfield. Had Dracul come to me and asked that I use the spell on his … associate … he would have been able to retain his faculties. He could have served his Master for as long as Dracul wished, since the human was controlled by him mentally and not through blood sharing. Of course the Dragon would do no such thing, since he enjoys being sadistic and liked watching Renfield go mad. But since you have shared blood with vampires, and your energy field already had unique qualities that enhance you—making you sort of a
human-plus
—you are in a different category.”

Yes! Finally, someone who knows.

“Human-plus?” I leaned forward. “I really want to hear more about that. What—?”

Zephyr shook his head. “I will consider your request for additional information at another time. Right now we have enough to deal with.”

Pouting, I sat back in the seat. I knew I was acting like a child, but I was so tired I didn’t care.

“Okay. So is there anything I can do to protect my brain? Anything in addition to the technique a friend taught me?”

“Ah, yes.” He stroked the long ends of his moustache and looked at me. “Cerridwyn: she is a personal favorite. Very talented. I am glad you followed through on the suggestion I planted in Agent Stevens’ mind and called her. I made sure the sound magic she taught you was potent. It makes things much easier for me.”

“You know Cerridwyn?”
Am I caught up in some vampire conspiracy?

“No conspiracy, and no, I have not had the pleasure of meeting her in person, but I intend to. Anyway, back to your dilemma. The elders spent quite a lot of time discussing the best way to keep your gray matter healthy despite all the challenges you present. It finally came down to a single solution: you must drink the blood of the elders yearly.”

“What? Oh my God!” My heart tripped. I leaped out of the chair and backed away, bumping into the nearest bookshelf. “That’s ridiculous. Why would I do that? Wouldn’t that change me into a vampire?” Instead of helping, this meeting with Zephyr was pushing me over the edge. All the fear he had diminished earlier now came rushing back.

He sat silently for a while, watching me. “Please.” He pointed to the empty chair. “Come back and sit. I probably should not have said that quite so directly. I do understand that humans have many misunderstandings about the transformation process.”

When I didn’t move, he smiled gently. “Sincerely, you will feel better after you learn the facts. I know that is how your mind works. Let me remove your fear again.”

Trembling, I inched over to the chair and sat. What else could I do? There was no way for me to get out of the underground cavern without vampire aid. Where the hell was Devereux when I needed him?

Zephyr traced his finger across my forehead, then touched it to the center of my chest. The relief was so powerful and immediate, it made my eyes water. I sat just breathing for several seconds, feeling perspiration gathering under my arms.

“There. That is better. Your heart is slowing. Now let me explain.”

I licked my dry lips and nodded.

“Even with your unique energy frequency pattern, had you not taken any vampire blood the spell alone would protect your brain from physiological damage for the rest of your mortal life. But because you drank from Devereux and others, and you intend to spend a lot of your time in close proximity to such a powerful Master, that
normal
solution will not work. We all agree that the only way to safeguard your mind is to make you a little less human, by casting the spell on our blood and having you drink small amounts of it regularly.”

Will this nightmare never end?

A jaw-cracking yawn reminded me how utterly exhausted I was. Struggling to focus, I said, “But why do I need to drink blood? Why will that make a difference? Isn’t there some other magical remedy?”

“That
is
the magical remedy. Blood is the most powerful magic of all.”

Shit! This is lose-lose-lose. If I do nothing and keep working with vampires, my brain will disintegrate. If I do nothing and walk away, Lucifer will get me. If I take the remedy, who knows what I’ll turn into?

“That’s really the only way? What will it do to me, exactly?”

“The main purpose of the blood is to allow the spell to be effective. The combined strength of four elders will override the control Devereux has exerted, in addition to adding protection, which will include not being overwhelmed by fear in the presence of vampires. You will probably be a little stronger, your intellect a little keener, and your inherent abilities more substantial.”

“That doesn’t sound so bad. What’s the downside?”

He stroked his moustache again. “Since this particular situation has not arisen previously, we are not sure what the side effects might be. Although according to our visions, there is no obvious change in you or your life if you take our offer.”

I gulped. “No
obvious
change? I guess that means I don’t grow fangs or sprout bat wings. What are some not-so-obvious possibilities?”

He raised a shoulder. “It is likely you will continue to attract the supernatural, perhaps to an increased degree. Whatever it is about you that appeals to the otherworldly might continue to grow, which could mean you will find yourself in more non-ordinary situations.

“Another benefit might be that your tendency to psychically know things will extend to vampires. Thus far, you have been limited to sensing humans. You might view such an ability as a professional asset.”

“What about strong vampires being able to read my mind? Especially Devereux. Would that ability be blocked?”

“It would be … mediated. As you learn to perfect the technique Cerridwyn taught you, and create healthy boundaries for your thoughts, most vampires will be unable to read you. Young ones cannot, anyway. Dominant vampires like Devereux will still be able to plunder your safeguards if they choose to, but even Devereux will not be able to pick up your thoughts if you remain unemotional and practice the sound trance. It is emotion that unlocks the gates to your interior world. With our spelled blood, all your barriers will be reinforced.”

I sat quietly, trying to sort out all the conflicting thoughts and emotions. Assuming my brain would be healthy, the decision finally came down to whether or not I wanted to continue working with vampires. And whether I wanted to try to sort out things with Devereux. If so, I had little choice but to accept Zephyr’s bizarre offer.

“You said you’ve looked at my future.”

“Yes. The most likely future if you drink our blood.”

“Can you tell me if I’m still with Devereux then? If—”

He shook his head and held up a hand. “No. That is not something we can discuss, only whether you wish to accept our solution.”

“Can I sleep on it?”

“You must decide now. The elders applied the spell to the blood we collected a short while ago. It is best to drink it while it is fresh and the spell is potent.”

Yuck. Drink. Fresh blood. I never thought I’d think those words together.

“But wait—can’t you give me some time to mull over the options then bring me back to this moment again afterward? The spelled blood would still be fresh.”

He gave a quick grin. “Very good, Doctor Knight. That is absolutely true. But”—he leaned in and frowned—“how do you know we did not do that already and this is your agreed-upon decision point?” He chuckled. “Besides, as important as your brain’s health is to you, I do not share your feelings in the matter. I have given as much time to this situation as I care to.” He sat back in his chair, touched the table with his thumb, and a beautifully crafted silver cup appeared, about the size of a small to-go coffee. He lifted it, turned the handle toward me, and offered it. “Drink and save your brain, or walk away and take your chances with Dracul’s servant Lucifer.”