Authors: Berni Stevens
‘She’s born a grudge for two hundred years?’ I asked. ‘She must be a Scorpio.’
Will’s lips twitched. ‘I could not say,’ he said. ‘All I know is that my life has been uncomplicated in the extreme for very many years, but the moment I bring another woman to my house, someone begins to sully my territory. She is the only creature on this earth who is vindictive enough to instigate revenge two centuries on.’
‘She needs to get a life.’ I muttered. ‘Or another death.’
Luke laughed. ‘I like her.’
‘I knew you would,’ said Will.
‘So what do we do?’ I asked, as I sat back down.
‘
You
will do nothing,’ he said. ‘I, too, shall do nothing at this stage either.’
‘Oh, good plan,’ I said sarcastically. ‘So when the angry villagers torch your house, will you do something then?’
‘You have seen far too many cheap horror films,’ he replied.
‘Does this woman know where you live?’ I asked. ‘I mean if you can sense her, surely she would be able to sense you too, and find you here eventually?’
Will looked impressed. ‘Beauty
and
brains,’ he said.
‘Don’t patronise me,’ I said, annoyed.
‘It was a compliment.’
‘Trust me, it wasn’t.’
Will turned to Luke. ‘You are younger than I, do you understand her?’
Luke looked thoughtful. ‘I think she is inferring that you think it unusual for a woman to be beautiful, yet intelligent, and that generally it is not possible to be both.’
Will looked back at me and raised his eyebrows.
‘What he said,’ I agreed.
‘Elinor, I am well aware that you have considerable intelligence; as far as I am concerned that has never been in question. Plus your appearance speaks for itself.’
‘You definitely spent too long with Byron,’ I said.
At that moment the phone rang and Will rose to answer it.
‘Yes?’ Not one for bothering with a good telephone manner obviously. He listened for a while, and nodded his head every now and again. ‘I appreciate that Jake, thank you.’
He came back and sat down. ‘Jake has come across some unknown vampires in the Camden area. One very large male, who could be Grigori, plus a blonde woman who could very well be Josephine. When he challenged them, they got into a car and drove off. He says they went towards Chalk Farm.’
‘So if it is Grigori and Josephine, Khiara is almost certainly in London too,’ said Luke. ‘What would you like me to do?’
‘Contact all of our people and tell them everything, and also tell them about Elinor. You need to assure them the renegade is not ours. Everyone should be very alert and security conscious. Especially when going out to feed, I do not want to lose anyone.’
‘Consider it done.’
Luke stood up and Will stood too. They clasped hands like two ancient warriors, and Will gripped Luke’s shoulder. ‘Take care my friend.’
Luke nodded and turned to me. ‘It was good to meet you Elinor.’
‘You too.’ I said.
The door closed behind him, and after a few seconds I heard the front door close too. I stared into space thinking about this latest development. ‘Will your people think it was me anyway?’
‘Absolutely not,’ Will said firmly. ‘I trust Luke implicitly to say the right things where you are concerned.’
‘What can we do?’ I asked. ‘There must be something.’
‘We keep a very low profile and let Luke handle things for the moment.’
‘If my profile was any lower, I’d be back in the grave.’
‘Feeding could be a potential problem too …’ He was obviously thinking aloud. ‘I cannot risk bringing anyone here for a while.’
Great, just when I was getting accustomed to room service and drinking the revolting stuff from a mug, it all goes to pot again.
Will crossed back to the phone and, picking it up, keyed in a few numbers.
‘I need a favour,’ he said. ‘Yes. That would be plenty, many thanks. If you deliver to the usual place, I shall leave payment for you there.’
He replaced the phone.
I looked questioningly at him.
‘I have made arrangements for some blood to be delivered from the hospital.’
‘Someone could die if we take the hospital’s blood.’
Will shook his head. ‘I very much doubt that,’ he said. ‘We only take the more common blood groups. You would do well to worry more about your own well-being at this moment in time.’
That made me feel so much better. Not.
Will sat back down on the sofa and watched me for a while. I knew he was about to ask me something personal, so I mentally braced myself.
‘I would still like to know who destroyed your faith in men.’
I said nothing at first, just looked at him. Eventually I shook my head.
‘Tell me.’
‘Why does it matter to you? It all happened a long time ago, and you don’t have any right to ask me about it.’
‘You are quite correct of course, I do not have the right to ask you such a personal question,’ said Will. ‘But I think your past is still playing a part now. It stands between us like an ugly spectre and I would very much like to exorcise it.’
I thought about whether to trust Will with the information. I didn’t know him well enough to know how he would take the knowledge of my hideous abuse at the hands of the one person I should have been able to trust. Deciding there was nothing to lose, I closed my eyes against the painful memories.
‘Foster father.’ I whispered, reluctantly remembering events I’d buried deep in my memory for years – revolting things I had never wanted to surface again. I watched his face anxiously, expecting to see it show disgust with me, the dirty child, problem child, lying child. But his gaze was sympathetic, almost kind.
‘How old were you?’
‘Twelve,’ I replied. ‘My parents died in a car accident when I was eleven.’
Will stood up, cursing under his breath. He started to pace, and I felt anxious in case his temper erupted again. ‘How does a maggot like that ever become a foster father?’
‘No one believed me. He was plausible and very charming to the people who mattered. His wife didn’t believe me either, and I became branded a problem child. But he was always seen as the nice guy who had kindly taken in an orphan with problems, and given her a nice home.’
‘No wonder you “don’t do casual sex”, it makes perfect sense.’ He said. ‘How long did it go on?’
‘Until I was fifteen. Then they took in another, younger, girl. He transferred his attentions to her—I tried to help her—’ I broke off as more images flashed before my eyes. Scenes that had long been relegated to the dark recesses of my memory. Strange how they were all still there, and yet I still couldn’t recall the accident.
Will stood still and crouched down in front of me. ‘Once again I find myself wishing I could take the pain away from you,’ he rested his hands either side of me on the arms of the chair. Strangely, I didn’t feel penned in by him for once. The only emotion I could feel from him was concern. ‘I meant what I said before, Ellie, if I ever find him, he is a dead man.’ He stood slowly, and touched my hair briefly, before crossing back to the sofa and sitting down again.
‘You called me Ellie,’ was all I could find to say.
A slight smile touched his lips. ‘I believe I did. The night is yet young, would you care to take a walk?’
‘Is it safe to leave the house?’
‘We shall no doubt find out.’
I felt as though I needed some air after all the events of the night, so I stood up and nodded. ‘Let’s go then.’ I sounded braver than I felt.
Will stood too and, crossing to the door, opened it for me. He strode across the reception hall to a Victorian coat-stand, and took down my coat and his jacket, handing me mine. I slipped it on, hugging it around myself as he pulled on his jacket. His t-shirt strained across his chest as he did so, and I would have had to be made of stone not to enjoy the view. A fact that I am sure Will was well aware of. He opened the front door with a flourish, and I went out in front of him.
So this was the front of the house. The door itself was a typical Georgian door, painted in traditional black, with a glass fanlight at the top. Will flicked the hall light on as we left and locked the door behind us. Stairs led down from the door to the paved parking area in front of the house, which was surrounded by high brick walls in much the same way as the garden at the back of the house. Huge wrought iron double gates stood majestically in the centre of the walls and were firmly closed.
Will went to a key panel in the wall, and when he tapped in some numbers the gates swung quietly open. After we’d gone through, they swung closed again with a clang.
‘Not exactly a caller-friendly house is it?’ I said.
Will pointed to a mailbox set in the wall. ‘Post or deliveries go here. Luke and Stevie both know the combination for the gates at the front and back of the house but anyone else has to ring the entry phone.’
Well, he certainly took no chances with security, and at that moment in time I was pleased he didn’t. If there were unfriendly vampires in London trying to implicate me in murder for whatever reason, all precautions were good.
‘Who’s Stevie?’ I asked, suddenly realising he’d unwittingly given me another name.
‘He is the manager of my club and a good friend, you will meet him soon.’
‘You have a Georgian mansion in Highgate, a plane in Elstree and now I find you own a club.’ I was beginning to wonder how much money this man had.
‘When one has been around as long as I have, one accumulates,’ he said.
We walked to the end of the road where Will turned into Oakeshott Avenue, and from there he headed toward Swains Lane.
We were making for the cemetery.
‘Are you deliberately trying to scare me?’ I asked him.
He turned his head to look down at me. ‘Perhaps. You may need to hang on to me if you become frightened.’
‘So that’s your evil plan,’ I said.
His soft laughter ran through me as though he’d touched me.
Oh, he had plans all right.
16 February
I curse my foul temper and I curse the fact that Elinor had to hear the full story of her tragic accident from my own lips. I wanted her to remember under her own volition. I do not know why I felt it would make a difference, but somehow I believed it would.
I know she believes that I sought out and killed the driver who caused her to almost die, and she is correct in her assumption. She knows me better than I thought she did. But I could not allow that creature to live.
How could anyone drive into another person and then not stop to give assistance? Why do the human courts not have fitting punishment for a crime such as this? I would not think twice about retribution for such an appalling act. In fact, I did not.
I feel our somewhat fragile relationship, if indeed it can be called such, is more fragile than ever at the moment. I have succeeded in scaring her twice in the bathroom, even instilling the belief I would rape her. Then I terrified her further with my revolting show of temper.
In a way I am relieved that Luke came when he did, as I think his presence calmed things down a little. Although his news was nothing I really wanted to hear. I am convinced Khiara is now in London, and it is the very last thing I need to contend with, at the moment. The woman is bad news, and her entourage the main source of intrinsic evil. They will only cause problems within the City.
Protocol among us decrees that a visiting ‘kiss of vampires’ should seek the permission of the city’s Elder before arriving. The fact Khiara did not is an arrogant declaration of animosity, and a direct insult to me. To allow one of her entourage to so blatantly drain a human, and then leave the body for all and sundry to see, is tantamount to throwing down the gauntlet. I am not sure how to play this just yet, but my main objective is to keep Elinor safe, and preferably far away from Khiara.
Changes
As we walked along Swain’s Lane towards the cemetery, I began to wonder about getting in.
‘It’ll be locked.’
Will gave me a wicked grin as he dangled a large key in front of my nose. ‘Courtesy of the Friends of Highgate Cemetery.’
‘So you joined a society of ageing middle-class snobs just to get a key?’
‘No, I merely relieved one of them of the key. I felt it was too much responsibility for her.’
Best not to delve any deeper into that little scenario, I decided. He really was a law unto himself.
When we reached the imposing gates, he did indeed unlock them and wave me through. I gave him a long-suffering look as I walked past him.
He locked the gates behind us, pocketing the key, and led the way into the depths of the cemetery. Good that I wasn’t at all scared then. I followed him down narrow, moss-covered paths that twisted and turned like a maze between huge Victorian tombs and their neighbouring ivy-clad gravestones.
We passed the tomb of Queen Victoria’s dog trainer and startled a badger foraging for food. It bared its ferocious yellow teeth at us, and Will bared his own white teeth back. The badger backed off.
I looked around at the tombstones jostling against each other, like so many uneven teeth, all vying for the best position. Masses of dark prolific ivy cloaked neighbouring headstones, shielding them from human eyes.
The atmosphere was brooding and intense, almost as though the cemetery itself was waiting for something – or someone. Somehow, I didn’t feel convinced we were the only supernatural visitors tonight.
Will stopped at a convenient tomb and lowered his lean frame to the ground. He leaned back against the tomb and stretched his long legs out in front of him. As usual, he looked comfortable and completely at ease. ‘Have a seat.’ He patted the grass beside him.
I reluctantly sat down, being careful not to get too close. I didn’t think I could trust him, especially after his earlier display of temper. I doubted whether there would ever come a time when I didn’t feel a bit afraid of him. He, perversely, still seemed to believe I’d hop into bed with him sometime soon, even after everything that had happened and everything that had been said. Incorrigible. Hundreds of years of never being turned down, I suspected. It would do him good to be rejected for a change.
I leaned back against the tomb, and listened to the mingled sounds of the night, the bark of a fox, the faint squeak of a bat, and the small nocturnal animals that scurried through the undergrowth to hide from the night’s predators. I could even hear the distant sound of traffic. Yet, strangely, I actually felt better than I had for a long time.
It was me who broke the silence. ‘Do you have any Irish blood in you?’
His short bark of laughter was spontaneous and, as usual, at my expense.
‘Well let me see, Irish, Asian, Caucasian, whoever happens to be around really … would you like a list?’ He gave me an amused look.
‘Funny man,’ I said, exasperated, as I realised too late the absurdity of what I’d just said. I took a sneaky peek at his perfect profile, admiring the way the moonlight picked out the lines of his face, and made his amazing eyes into something otherworldly. He twisted around to look at me, as if on cue.
‘We could start our affair here.’ He sounded deceptively innocent. ‘Are you up for that?’
‘No—and you stay exactly where you are,’ I said. ‘Any more pouncing of any kind and you’ll see how good I can be at self-defence.’
He grinned and put his hands up in mock surrender. ‘As you wish. But you look so delectable sitting there, I am finding it extremely difficult to keep my distance.’
‘Try bloody harder.’
‘Surely I can just kiss you?’
He had moved suddenly closer with the graceful quiet stealth of a predator, and my eyes widened in shock.
I moved away at once – I suddenly realised I didn’t exactly trust myself either when he was so near.
‘Where is the harm in one simple kiss?’ His breath whispered a sudden chill across my cheek. He’d moved in close to me again, and I hadn’t even noticed. Could this be the acclaimed ‘vampire magnetism’ I’d seen TV vampires use on humans in
True Blood
? I really did watch far too many DVDs.
‘Am I so repulsive that you would deny me something so innocent?’ He put his fingertips gently to my jaw, and made me face him.
He was really, disturbingly close.
His eyes reflected the moonlight, yet glowed with intelligence and humour.
‘You are so very beautiful.’ He murmured almost to himself, his hand now cradling my face.
I felt as if I could drown in his eyes, and involuntarily tensed in anticipation of his kiss. He kept his hand on my face, and leaned in closer, until his lips found mine in a gentle, almost chaste kiss. His lips were like velvet, yet I felt the burn of his touch run through my whole body like an electric shock. Disturbingly, his kiss felt really familiar, almost as though we had been together for years. Fear of the unknown flooded me, and when he drew back to look at me I scooted away from him at once.
‘Was that so bad?’ he asked dryly.
I looked at him without speaking, and he laughed aloud as he settled back against the tomb again. He lit a cigarette and blew smoke upwards, still smiling to himself. ‘What
am
I going to do with you?’
‘Is that a rhetorical question?’
‘Perhaps.’
We sat in silence for a while. Will looked completely relaxed as he happily smoked his cigarette, while I sat nervously at his side, not knowing what to say or do. I felt like a virgin on her first grown-up date. I didn’t trust him. I wasn’t even sure I liked him. But he certainly possessed a magnetism that drew me to him like the proverbial moth to a flame. How very aggravating.
He finished his cigarette, stood up abruptly, and looked down at me with an unfathomable expression.
‘Shall we go?’ He offered me a hand.
After a moment’s hesitation, I took it, and he pulled me to my feet.
‘As you are clearly not going succumb to my advances, we may as well go home.’ He raised his eyebrows hopefully. ‘Unless you
are
going to succumb?’
‘Home.’ I said firmly.
‘So heartless, Elinor. Cruel and utterly heartless.’
After leaving the cemetery safely locked behind us, we walked in silence towards Will’s road. Several times during the walk the burning sensation in my stomach made itself known and I rubbed it surreptitiously, or so I thought. Will put his hand on my arm. ‘Are you in pain?’
‘A little.’ I always put all pain down to the Thirst, and so I hadn’t mentioned anything to Will.
When we reached the front gates, Will swiftly keyed in the combination and they swung open. Once they were secure behind us, he gripped my arms and turned me to face him.
‘Describe the pain.’
‘Burning. Sharp, it’s only the Thirst again.’
‘No. It is not.’
Without another word, he lifted me in his arms, and somehow managed to unlock the front door whilst carrying me. He strode across the hall, down the stairs to his bedroom, and dumped me on his bed.
‘Point to where the pain is,’ he said tersely.
Obediently I pointed in the general direction of my belly button and he frowned.
Without any further conversation, he took my coat off and threw it to the floor, then went to remove my skirt.
‘Hey,’ I said. ‘What the hell are you doing?’
‘Elinor, just this once, please be quiet.’
Then my skirt, boots and tights were off too, leaving me in my jumper and underwear and lying flat on my back on Will’s bed.
Marvellous
. I went to sit up but he prodded me in the chest and forced me back down.
‘Keep still.’ His gaze travelled up my legs to my belly. ‘Oh
merda
!’ He spat out the words.
‘What?’
‘Your belly has been pierced with silver.’
‘I know that. I was there.’
‘We cannot wear silver,’ he said. ‘This thing will have to come out. Have you been suffering like this all the time? Why the hell have you not told me before?’
‘Well we weren’t exactly having friendly conversations before, and I’ve had a couple of other things on my mind since.’ I ground out through gritted teeth. ‘It’s
burning
.’
Will looked grim. ‘Yes, it would. Stay still.’
He went into the bathroom, returning with a dry face flannel.
‘This is going to hurt. Do you want me to knock you out?’
‘Don’t you bloody dare,’ I said, still through clenched teeth.
He peered down at me and smiled briefly. ‘Then at the risk of sounding like an old Hammer horror film, look into my eyes.’
I gave a rather hysterical snort in spite of the pain, and he put the flannel in my mouth.
‘Bite that,’ he said. ‘It will be preferable to your tongue.’
I wondered whether it was just his way of keeping me quiet, but obediently bit into it anyway, and then stared into his eyes. I watched the different shades of green glint and sparkle, like deep pools of emerald fire, so perfect to submerge in. He was fiddling with the clasp to the bolt, and the pain seared through my stomach again. My teeth sank further into the flannel, and I felt relieved it wasn’t my tongue. I clenched my fists and tried to just concentrate on his eyes. His handsome face looked stern as he freed the bolt part of the rod.
The burning sensation grew stronger, making me arch my back.
‘I am going to pull it out now.’
As he pulled, the pain caused me to scream in agony, but luckily my screams were muffled by the flannel. Then, at last it was over, and Will removed the flannel from my mouth. My hair stuck to my head in damp tendrils, and he moved it out of my eyes with gentle fingers – fingers that were burnt from gripping silver. Tears streaked down my face and he brushed them away.
He sat on the edge of the bed. ‘It is gone Elinor. Everything is all right now.’
Everything was so bloody far from being all right, I couldn’t think of a suitable comment other than: ‘Thanks.’
‘Pleasure.’ The word was said with some irony. ‘So, who the hell got you ready for burial?’
‘How should I know? I was dead.’
I hugged my arms around my semi-naked lower body, feeling suddenly vulnerable. Strangely, Will didn’t press his advantage, he merely pulled the duvet up to cover me. ‘Dawn is close, you had better rest here.’
‘I don’t think so,’ I struggled to sit up.
He stood up, putting his hands on his hips. ‘Relax, Elinor, please. Your honour will remain intact,’ he flashed me a wicked grin. ‘Until you no longer wish it to remain intact, that is. I shall be resting in the dressing room should you need me.’
I could feel the dawn pressing inside my head. My body was already feeling so leaden and heavy, and I knew I should protest more … I did try to protest more … but I felt too strange and tired. That bed felt like sheer luxury after the narrow bed in the damp cellar.
I closed my eyes, trying to relax as Will had taught me, and tried not to fight the oncoming dawn.
I think I felt his lips brush my forehead gently, and then my body became useless as the sleeping death took me again for the daylight hours.
17 February
I enjoyed our walk together as we took in the solitude of the cemetery. I have taken many walks there, but always alone. What a difference a companion makes. I wanted to hold her, and kiss her until she begged for mercy, but I have frightened Elinor enough tonight to last a decade.
How I love to watch the moon’s silver rays touch her delicate features, seeing how they play in her wonderful hair and light up her beautiful eyes. I could watch her forever. No doubt she would think me truly insane if I said as much to her.
I think the romance is sorely missing in this century, people are cynical, marriages do not last, and monogamy seems a thing of the past. What chance will there be for a relationship that I want to last for eternity?
Although I felt sympathy for her pain with the strange silver decoration in her stomach, I cannot help but be joyful that she is now asleep in my bed.
At last.
I have no doubt she will be angry when she wakes at sunset. I wonder whether she will even believe that I slept in the dressing room.
Still, I always knew she would be a challenge, and I am man enough to look forward to that.