Heart of the Dead: Vampire Superheroes (Perpetual Creatures Book 1) (17 page)

“Alicia,” Jerusa called. “Where are you? I need you.”

The group traded uncertain glances, but remained silent.

“Alicia, don’t hide. Not now. This is important.”

No ghosts appeared in the room.

“Alicia,” Jerusa shouted. “I know you’re still there. Stop messing around. This is serious.”

Alicia materialized in the center of the room. All was as it had been. The girl’s blue prom dress still shimmered in the light. Her hair was still pulled up tight, with loose curls drifting down around her long neck. She still wore no shoes. Still held that air of silent mystery in her big, round eyes. However, for all of that, Alicia was not the same. Jerusa didn’t know what it was, but she could feel that something had changed.

Jerusa sighed, feeling a level of relief she hadn’t thought possible. Until Alicia appeared, Jerusa hadn’t realized just how frightened she’d been that the ghost wouldn’t return. “She’s here,” Jerusa announced to the group.

Shufah tilted her head and made an impressed noise. “Interesting. I’ve never known this power to continue once the vampire spirit has taken hold. Can you see others or just Alicia?”

“There have always been others,” Jerusa answered. “But Alicia is the only one I see right now.” She was about to say more when she noticed what was different about the ghost.

Alicia’s skin was as pale and pristine as porcelain except for her lips, which were slightly red, as though she were wearing lipstick. Her eyes seemed to glow, though they produced no light, and seemed to catch and magnify every color reflected in them.

They all noticed Jerusa’s pause, but only Foster spoke up.

“What is it?”

“Alicia,” Jerusa said. “She’s changed. She looks like a vampire.”

“What is she talking about?” Taos asked, his wide eyes fixed on Jerusa as though she was something disgusting under his shoe.

“Jerusa is a medium,” Shufah said. She spoke with total conviction of her words, as though she could see Alicia herself. “She can see and communicate with spirits.”

“I can see her, but I can’t hear her,” Jerusa clarified. “We have our own system of signals, but sometimes it’s hard to understand what Alicia wants to say.”

“And Alicia is a ghost?” Taos asked.

Jerusa nodded yes.

“I don’t believe in ghosts,” Thad said from his corner. His voice was soft and distant, but his words felt like a slap to Jerusa nonetheless.

She turned toward him so fast that he flinched back in horror. “What about vampires and flesh-eating zombies, huh? Do you believe in them? Cause I sure don’t, but here we are.”

Thad’s face screwed into a contrite little pucker and he fumbled nervously with his hands. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean — ”

“Don’t worry about it,” Jerusa cut him off. She turned away as though she were still hurt, but the truth was, she couldn’t look at Thad this way, all cowered in the corner like an abused animal. It wasn’t that she pitied him for his fear or that she despised him for his weakness. Far from it. She actually thought him quite brave for coming back to the house knowing what was slumbering in the basement. It was his scent, the smell of human flesh and blood. It was the sound of his heart pumping beneath his breastplate. The sight of sweat beading on his brow. And yes, his fear. She didn’t pity him — no, not at all. She desired him, longed for him in a way she had never known, like the way a cat yearns to stalk the wounded bird. And it sickened her.

Jerusa closed her eyes, forcing those alien emotions down into the darkest prisons of her heart. When she opened her eyes, the other vampires watched her patiently — except for Taos — their eyes filled with understanding of what she was going through.

Shufah approached Jerusa and looked long into her eyes. She ran her thumb over Jerusa’s lips. Then she turned and did the same to Foster.

“It will pass,” Shufah said to Jerusa. “You do not need to feed. You’re just adjusting to your new heightened senses. Foster, however, will need to feed soon.”

Jerusa looked at Foster and for the first time, noticed the tiny ring of red surrounding the irises of his eyes. His lips, too, looked a shade redder than they had earlier. That is what Shufah had been checking her for. Jerusa suddenly wanted to rush into the bathroom and see if she, too, bore those marks. She knew she didn’t, though. They were signs that a vampire needed to feed and Jerusa didn’t feel the slightest thirst for blood or anything else. Something about that seemed to disturb the other vampires. Jerusa could read it in their eyes. She started to ask why, but decided against it. Much about her seemed to perplex the others. Once again, she was different than the rest of the group. Once again, she was the outcast.

Taos pushed away from the wall, kicking at more debris. “Will someone please explain to me how this fledgling and her little ghost friend are going to get us out of this situation?”

Shufah indicated to Jerusa that she should explain.

“Alicia is very good at finding things,” she said. Her voice felt wispy and unsure in her own ears. “She seems to see things the living cannot. I think she can lead us to Kole.”

Alicia’s mouth tightened in disapproval and she folded her arms across her chest. That wasn’t a good sign.

Taos rolled his eyes. “Great. And what do we do with him once we find him?”

“We kill him,” Shufah said in a matter-of-fact tone.

Suhail shuffled forward. “Don’t be mad. We are not Hunters. Even if this girl can lead us to Kole, we lack the skills to destroy him.”

“We are not as defenseless as you imagine, brother.” Shufah looked about. “There are five of us, each strong and fast. But Taos here possess the touch of fire.”

For once, Taos seemed uncomfortable to be the center of attention.

“You’re a pyro-kinetic?” Jerusa asked.

“I can conjure fire,” Taos admitted, “but no more than a flicker. I am not a Hunter.”

Shufah ignored Taos’s self-pity. “With the right conditions, a tiny spark may be all the fire we need.”

Suhail was pacing again. “But Kole isn’t your average savage, one rising from the death of a fledgling. Kole is centuries old and blood-hardened. Even the Hunters would have trouble with a savage of that power. At best, he will kill us all. At worst, we will escape with a bite and become savages ourselves.”

“And if we don’t try,” Shufah said, embracing her brother, “then the Stewards will kill us anyway. And I, for one, would rather perish at the hands of Kole in battle than allow those tyrannical cowards to exterminate us like vermin.”

Shufah’s words hung in the air like the distant rumble of thunder. Jerusa could see why Foster loved her. Never before had she met such a powerful woman. Her character and courage brought goose bumps to Jerusa’s skin. The nobility of her spirit was like a call to arms, a battle cry trumpeting in a dark and terrifying world. Jerusa knew that she would follow Shufah, not just into battle with Kole, but, if she survived, to the end of time.

Taos ran his fingers through his long blond hair, fixing the ponytail that had come loose in the scuffle with Jerusa. “All right then,” he said, his words pouring out like the snort of a bull. “If this is the road we must travel, then let’s get on with it. This talking makes me sick. You, fledgling, if your ghost sister can lead us to Kole, then have at it. I’d rather go savage than rot away in this house any longer.”

Jerusa couldn’t help but smile at Taos. For all of his harsh words and misplaced aggression, there was a certain aura about him that she could respect. His fiery spirit and bravado seasoned him with an attractiveness she couldn’t quite explain. He was a man of action and courage. Jerusa had to remind herself that he was also a ruthless killer, and given the chance, he’d probably slaughter her without even a tickle of remorse.

Jerusa turned toward Alicia who still stood with her arms crossed. “We need your help.”

Alicia shook her head no. The others all leaned in, concentrating on the spot where Alicia stood, though it was clear that Jerusa was the only one that could see her.

“I know you’re mad at me because I didn’t listen to you.”

Alicia glanced at Jerusa from the side of her eye.

“If I had, then none of us would be in this mess. You were right and I was wrong. I’m sorry I didn’t trust you.”

Jerusa had Alicia’s attention now.

“But if you don’t help us now, we’re all going to die. And not just me. And not just them.” She pointed to the others in the room. “If you don’t help me, then Kole is going to kill others. Innocent people. I know you don’t want that to happen. I know you’re better than that.”

Alicia shook her head, indicating that she did not want anyone else to die.

“Will you help us?”

Alicia chewed on her bottom lip, her brow furrowed tight, but she nodded. Jerusa smiled and let her shoulders slump a bit. She wanted to grab Alicia around the neck and hug her until her arms went to sleep, but since she would only pass through Alicia and most likely topple onto the floor, she instead blew the girl a kiss.

Jerusa looked to Shufah. “Alicia says she will help us.”

A fascinated look broke on Shufah’s eternally young face and she nodded. “Excellent. If we succeed, she will have my everlasting thanks. But first, we should hunt. We will all need as much strength as we can muster.”

Alicia shot Jerusa a stern look, wagging her finger as she shook her head. She didn’t approve of Jerusa killing and drinking blood. Alicia tapped her ear then pointed a thumb at her chest.
Listen to me
, the ghost was saying.

Jerusa didn’t want to drink blood, let alone kill anyone. She didn’t have even the slightest hint of blood-thirst, which she could see working on Foster, not just in his eyes and lips, but in the way he had begun to look at Thad. But she had to face a reality: she was a vampire now. Eventually, she would have to drink blood.

“We should split up,” Shufah said to her brother. “There are too many of us to hunt together. You go with Taos and I’ll take the fledglings.”

“What about me?” Thad asked.

Shufah paused for a moment, thinking. “Perhaps it’s best for you to return home.”

“What?” Thad said. “Why? My life is on the line here, too. I can help.”

Shufah regarded Thad with tender eyes. “I understand why you want to come, but we can move much faster without you. Besides, you’ll be defenseless against Kole.”

Thad stepped closer to Shufah before realizing this put him within her arm’s reach. Though he looked uncomfortable this near to her, he did not retreat. “I know all of that, but I can’t just stay behind. What if something happens to you?” His eyes flickered in Jerusa’s direction. “Am I just supposed to sit around waiting for these Hunters to show up and kill me? I can’t do that.”

“I doubt very much that the Hunters would kill you,” Shufah said with a smile. She was obviously just as taken with Thad as any mortal woman. Foster seemed to notice this too, for he moved to her side and wrapped his arm around her waist. Shufah leaned in and kissed Foster on the cheek.

Thad squinted his eyes in suspicion. “Why wouldn’t they kill me?”

“Because,” Foster spoke up, “there are two things the Stewards love: beauty and power. And you’re just their type.”

Jerusa laughed. “That’s why you’ve been going through your ‘journey to perfection’? You’ve been altering yourself to meet the Stewards’ standards?”

“In their opinion, age had taken away too much of my beauty. They refused to allow me to be changed. My only option was to live out my days in one of the quarantine communities for the infected.”

“What changed their mind?” Thad asked.

“Shufah did.” He smiled at Shufah, staring longingly into her eyes for a moment. “She convinced the Stewards that I could achieve their standards before being turned. I’m the first to try.” He looked again to Thad. “But you have youth and beauty on your side. You will have more options than I had.”

“What a wonderful story of love and triumph,” Taos said, tenting his fingers above his brow. “Are we finished? If not, I may tear out my own heart and give you all another savage to contend with.”

Shufah waved him away. “Go, but not far. I will call you when we have finished.”

“Here, take my car.” Foster tossed a set of keys and Suhail caught them as he was turning for the door. “It’s parked in the garage.”

Taos followed Suhail out the door. Inside, the four remaining stood silent, listening as the car rolled down the driveway and out into the street. When all that remained was the sound of the night, Shufah turned to Thad.

“This is more dangerous than you know.”

“I understand that,” Thad said.

“You are infected,” she said, somehow making it sound like a prestigious honor. “Though it has only been one day, the vampire spirit is already branching out, nesting within your cells. If you should be wounded and die, you will reanimate and arise a vampire.”

Thad stood up straight and nodded, though this thought clearly disturbed him.

“Know this,” Shufah said, lowering her voice in warning. “There is a great difference in being born of bite and being born of blood. Those born of blood arise imbued with the power of their maker’s blood. They arise instantly and the blood-thirst is staved off for a day, maybe two. But those born of the bite arise with a great ravening thirst. Driven mad with bloodlust, they will feed upon whoever chances across their path.”

The blood drained from Thad’s face.

“Also, one born of the bite does not rise right away. It depends on how long the vampire spirit has had to take hold. For you, Thad, if you were to die right now, you might not reanimate for three or four days. In times past, when superstition ruled and science was thought to be witchcraft, this was not such a problem. But today, with autopsies and blood tests … let’s just say the Stewards would just as soon those things not happen.”

Thad’s eyes were wide and distant. He unconsciously wiped his hands on his jeans. He blinked away his daydream and looked at Shufah.

“Could you change me?” He seemed suddenly embarrassed by this, as though he had asked her something intimate. Perhaps he had. It had felt pretty intimate to Jerusa when Silvanus had changed her.