Demon Vampire (The Redgold Series) (56 page)

“Excuse me, you never asked me for my drink order.” Zack asked the waitress, thinking he'd been left out.

The waitress hid a small grin. “No Mr. Giver, I haven't forgotten about you.”

Five other waiters made their way over towards the table. Two of them were carrying a large white pitcher with a single tall glass beside it.

“What's that?” Zack dared to ask.

“It's your drink order.” The waitress explained kindly. “Ms. Waterfield ordered ahead for you. It's a gallon of chilled whole milk.”

Everyone including the waiters clapped in celebration.

Kyli put her hand on Zack's left knee. “It's to honor your turning day. I never really told you my congratulations, so here it is. Plus some comfort food.”

“Swallow the blood like milk eh?” Zack's comment was meant in good fun.

Marin froze as Zack's words entered the air. Everyone saw it as a lively inside joke between Zack and Kyli, with no further meaning, except for Cherry and Marin. Cherry stopped smiling altogether. Marin knew to read into it farther and remember to tell Yugo of its significance later. Yugo had told Marin to keep an ear out for that exact phrase. It meant the demon had presented Zack with a true temptation. Something the demon might be able to force on him if Zack were to get into a pinch.

Zack noticed Marin's blank face. “What's the matter?” He was oblivious to Cherry.

“I forgot to ask you something, that's all. Don't worry about it for now, enjoy tonight. We'll talk later.” Marin was being very personable to Zack. It was strange.

David stood up and raised his Champaign glass high. “Here's to the day some say changed our lives.”

Everyone cheered with their glasses high as they drank to the toast.

Cherry stood up. “And the damn bastard that crammed it down our throats!”

Grey clapped, appreciatively. Ellen coughed, rolling his eyes. Crystal followed the applauses. Marin put his hands together twice, yet made no sound. David sighed and finally Kyli stood up.

“I second that!” Kyli announced.

Everyone drank again and David sat back down. Kyli and Cherry followed suit and quickly settled down. The waiters brought out everyone's main course. Once again, Zack was never asked for his order. David was served first, a large steak dinner with onions and mushrooms. Kyli had two small rib eye steaks, very rare. Cherry had a very well done half rack of ribs. Crystal had a medium porterhouse steak that he shared with Ellen. Grey had a club sandwich with extra sliced pickles on the side. Marin was given a plate of raw liver and onions. Once again, Zack was given nothing.

Zack put his hand on Kyli's leg to get her attention. Not realizing how high he was aiming, it landed on her right inner thigh. This definitely got her attention.

“Zack, when did you grow guts?” Kyli remarked.

Zack thought Kyli's response was odd, until he figured out where he had placed his hand. A chill ran down his back and caused his arm to subtly shake for a second. “That's not what I meant.”

“Then keep not meaning it, that felt good.” Kyli said with a pleased expression on her face. “Where'd you learn that? Too many video games? That vibration hit everything right.”

Kyli's leg was smooth and warm. The black silk stockings added to Kyli's already lustful physical presence before Zack. He forgot why he had wanted to talk to her. Suddenly all that remained was the feeling to keep stroking Kyli's thigh.

“And what did you want again?” Kyli asked.

Zack didn't say anything.

“Are you going to take this any further?” Kyli inquired to Zack. Hoping he'd say yes.

A part of Zack knew what he was doing was brazen and risky. He wanted to continue. “And what if I said, yes?”

Kyli placed her hand over Zack's and stopped him. “Let's not do this here.” Kyli slid Zack's hand out of her lap and off her leg.

Zack's attention returned back to the table. David was stressing over the calamity of people fussing around him. Grey was telling dark jokes again and Cherry was laughing her ass off out loud. Ellen appeared to be turning a bright shade of red. Crystal was cracking up as well, right along with Grey. Marin was leisurely eating his dinner and calmly paying attention to Grey's sick stories. No one took notice of Zack's misplaced attempt of talking to Kyli.

“Now Zack, what exactly do you plan on doing for the next three days?” Grey asked.

David raised his head.

“You're saying I only have three days? To live?” Zack's throat dropped.

Grey smiled. “If it were me, I would want to do anything and everything with everyone I wanted to.” Grey tipped his hat up a little with his right index finger. “And yes, kid. You're gonna die in three days.”

“You had to say something, didn't you Grey? You can never keep your damn mouth shut, can you?” David snapped at Grey.

“Three days, seriously? That's all I've got?” Zack turned to Marin.

“He can't tell you kid, that's why I did.” Grey spoke up.

“Grey, you're an ass.” Kyli said.

“Yeah, doll, I know.” Grey replied.

“You'll have to excuse our wry friend, Zack. He usually doesn't converse with normal people.” Cherry defended Grey.

Zack became flushed. Feeling his mortality inch closer to him was one thing, this was another. In a couple of words, Grey had shortened his remaining lifespan.

“I think that ends the night.” David announced. “Everyone, let's go home. I'm sure Zack needs all the time available to him now.”

Zack wavered, leaning side to side.

“Are you okay?” Kyli asked.

Zack didn't answer, a pale color flooded his face. And like a light, he went out. Zack fell off his chair and onto the ground, unconscious.

* * * *

“Don't fear the vampeal. He is only a twisted attempt to hold shut the gates of hell I will unleash upon this world.” The demon spoke to Zack.

Collapsed, on the ground in his own dream world, Zack could feel the demon's breath. It knelt before Zack's ear. Even in his dream, Zack felt the impact of the floor on his body as he passed out at the dinner table. Zack opened his eyes to see the demon next to him. He displayed the same splendor he did when Zack had first met him.

“Just what the hell am I supposed to do? It's not Malio that's going to kill me, it's Marin. He's a full blooded vampire!” Zack said apathetic to his own situation.

“But he likes you, doesn't he?” The demon argued.

“Yeah, but he's already said he's going to kill me anyway. It doesn't matter what I do against him.” Zack held his head and sighed.

“He won't kill you.” The demon smiled and helped Zack up to his feet.

“He told me so. And he doesn't look like the type to lie over this.” Zack dusted himself off, as the sand fell off his pressed slacks.

“He won't kill you. He's found a friend in you, Zack. You're as precious to him potentially as Ellen is. He'll never kill you, it's not in him.” The demon professed.

“How do you know? Did you read his mind?” Zack asked.

“Oh yes, that's exactly what I did. I read it at the same time you did. The night Marin killed the psychic Bethany.” The demon said.

“How? Even the psychic couldn't read him. He's a focus vampire, his gift makes him immune to all that.” Zack wanted an explanation.

“He's going to take you there, and let you go free into Malio's estate. He won't actually kill you. He's going to talk Malio into killing you himself. Allowing you a fair chance at life and letting him get out of a contract he would have never taken if he knew what you were.” Zack slowly absorbed what the demon was saying. “Do you remember how Marin reacted when you told Kyli what I said to you?”

“No.” Zack replied. “When?”

“At the table. 'Swallow the blood like milk.' Didn't you see his face as you said it?” The demon reminded Zack.

“He seemed a little shaken by that.” Zack recalled.

“Oh yes he was. Yugo had told him to listen for that sentence.” The demon confessed. “Moira must have told him about it.”

“Who's Moira?” Zack thought the number of bad guys was increasing too quickly as is.

“Someone that died a long time ago. You don't need to know, you need to live. I need to live. It is for that purpose that you will walk away from Malio's estate unharmed. I will ensure it.” The demon smiled fiendishly, as his dark brown hair seemed to rise with his delight.

“Who are you? Are you really a demon? Some devil from hell that just happened to possess me? How do you know all this?” Zack dared to asked the question. He wanted to know what to call him.

“I am the pariah of my kind. I am known as the black rose that shadows the night in a shower of opaque pedals. My skin pricks, my limbs lash, and my teeth rend. I am the one that other monsters fear. An abomination among the demons, I am the eternal terror they harbor within themselves every time they tell my tales. I am horror incarnate.” The demon lowered his head slightly and cleared his throat. He covered his mouth with one hand, concealing his lips. “My name is Three.”

“Three? You have a number for a name? Were you part of a line up or something?” Zack joked.

“No.” The demon said with a slight flare, insulted by Zack's assumption. “If you want an actual name, I can't give you one, they stole it from my memory during the ritual. In the Sumerian language, they called me Salas.”

“A ritual? You wanted to become a demon?” Zack asked.

“No. I did not want this. I wished for another life. As for what I was doing there, I was an initiate, an apprentice. Hoping to join them in their conquests. To become one of the elders.” Salas confessed to Zack.

“Elders? How long ago was this?” Zack was asking too many questions.

“It doesn't matter now, forget it.” Salas ended the subject.

“Salas, that's not bad.” Zack commented, changing the tune of the conversation. “It suits you.”

“It means three in Cuneiform.” Salas informed Zack.

“What's Cuneiform?” Zack asked the obvious.

“I'm sorry, for a moment I dismissed the fact you are still young and don't really know anything.” Salas sighed in disappointment.

“Oh, so you're still just a number.” Zack said with a flat tone.

“Yep.” Salas replied with the same abruptness.

Zack laughed. “So if
you're
an intern, what else is out there?”

Salas resisted the compulsion to murder Zack. “Nothing. I was used in a ceremony as a sacrifice to gain immortality.”

“But aren't you already immortal? You are a vampire aren't you?” Zack asked.

“I wasn't, and I was, but I'm not anymore.” Salas answered cryptically. “I used to be a vampire.”

Zack sat down, crossing his legs to get more comfortable. “Explain, I've got all the time in the world here.”

Salas sat down next to him and created a small bonfire with a flash of his hand. They relaxed, basking in the heat. “It began with blood. The need and the realization that given enough time, all of us would bleed the world dry, eventually killing ourselves.”

“Who? Other vampires? Other demons?” Zack asked.

“The original elders. I wanted to be one of them, and this initiation was to solidify my position in their alliance. Now I execrate them.” Salas told Zack.

“Then how did you get the name Salas exactly?” Zack inquired.

“There were two others that wanted to join at the same time I did. Each of them, old and censured vampires, powerful psychics as I was.” Salas lowered his eyes to the fire.

Zack pressed on. “So there are two other demon gifts like you? I mean I know Yugo has one, so that makes just one more out there we don't know about.”

“So, Yugo does have one of us? That's good to hear.” Salas seemed brighter when he found out. This was welcome news to him.

“You didn't know? But he brought me into his world, you were there weren't you? I mean you always seem to tag along and butt in, why not then?” Zack blurted out before he had a chance to control his tongue.

The flames roared up and caught Zack's right shoe on fire.

Salas grinned as Zack dashed to put out the flame. “Don't talk about me as if I haunt you, I am not dead. I inhabit you.” Salas paused, then turned to Zack again. “And there are seven of us in total, not three.”

“Seven? You said there were only two other psychics with you, that makes only three. If you were the third to get there, where did the others come from.” Zack asked with more tact this time around.

“You're misunderstanding, Zack. I was named Salas not because I was the third to arrive, but because I was the third to die. You have to know they wanted only strong applicants. Their way of proving this was to tear the hearts from our chests at the same time and see which one of us died last. I was number three, hence my given name.”

Zack said nothing, having a new respect for the demon before him.

“After they resurrected me with their gifts, I was chosen to be a part of their ceremony to gain true immortality.” Salas stopped.

“Why are you telling me all this? Don't you want to take me over and litter the world with corpses?” Zack asked Salas bluntly.