My Vampire and I Vol 3: Blood Resurrection (18 page)

 

“Gustav,” I whispered, so as not to startle him.

 

The shower door slid open, and his smiling face appeared. “There you are,” he exclaimed, shaking water from his hair. “Did you go get us some breakfast?”

 

“Not exactly… I have some things to tell you.”

 

“All right.” He grabbed a towel and stepped out of the shower. I felt my breath catch in my throat at the sight of his lithe, compact body, covered in a fine sheen of dampness.

 

He leaned into me and kissed my lips. “I missed you,” he murmured.

 

I pulled him into my arms and buried my face in the soft moistness of his neck. My hands caressed his back, stroked his buttocks then found the hot flesh of his burgeoning erection.

“Mmm…” His lips tickled my earlobe. I pulled back suddenly, remembering the reason I had returned.
“We have a problem,” I said, releasing him from my arms.
“What is it?” He began drying himself, his eyes locked to mine.

“My Father has Marcus and Joseph’s lovers in captivity. He threw me in with them, and they helped me escape. They could not leave with me because of the daylight.” Blood Resurrection

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He stared at me, his mouth slightly open. “All this happened while I slept?” he gasped.
“Oh, Constantine, why didn’t you tell me where you were going? Why leave me in the dark about this?”

“I couldn’t tell you,” I protested. “You would have wanted to come with me, and there was no way I could allow that. My Father has become a madman. He is going to slaughter the vampires and all who oppose him.”

“Then you must tell Marcus and Joseph—”
“What can they do? They’re powerless in the daytime. By nightfall, it will be too late—”
“Then, what can we do?”
“You said you had friends in Berlin.”
“You mean go there now? Well, yes, we can…but what about Bernard and Pietro? They have become friends to me.”
“They are vampires, Gustav.”
“And you are a demon.” He laughed suddenly, but his eyes held no mirth.
“I’m sorry, Gustav.” I touched his face with my fingertips. “If I could only change all of this, I would.”

He took my hand in his and kissed it. “I know,” he said, running his lips over my fingers. “But you can’t change it. It is what it is, and we can’t just turn our backs on the others. They helped you escape…twice!”

 

I nodded. “You’re right. Time and again, I have had to fight the untrustworthy demon inside me. But you have to understand. I can’t let you put yourself in danger. I will alert Marcus and Joseph to what has transpired, but whatever they plan to do, you cannot be a part of it.”

“Just go tell them.” He kissed my chin. “Besides, what good would I be, trying to help supernatural creatures?”
* * * *

Marcus and Joseph were sharing the master bedroom in the villa. I tapped on the door, even then half hoping they would not hear me, but immediately Marcus said, “Enter.” Blood Resurrection

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They were lying side by side on the big bed, on top of the comforter, and both sat up as I entered the darkened room. Marcus flicked on a bedside lamp as I approached them.

 

“What has happened, Constantine?”

 

For a moment, all I could do was stare at them. They were both such beautiful men, and the sight of them together was almost too much for my eyes to behold. Had they ever been lovers? I wondered. Such a union would have been astounding indeed…

 

“Constantine?”

 

They were both scrutinising me with wary eyes. I cleared my throat and sat, unbidden, on the edge of the bed. “Roger and Micah are well…” I began.

 

“But they are held hostage,” Joseph interrupted, anger in his voice.

 

“Yes, bound by silver chains…which I broke off,” I added hastily. “They opened the cell door allowing me to escape, but of course, they could not accompany me. They will wait for you until after sunset.”

 

“You can get us in there?”

 

“It will be difficult, but that is not the biggest problem. My Father has armed his guards with silver-tipped, barbed arrows. The barbs will make the arrows difficult for you to pull out quickly enough to stop the poison from spreading.”

“Clever of him,” Marcus muttered. “We must make sure none of the arrows strike home.”
“But how…?”

“Vampire speed and sleight of hand,” Joseph said with a grim smile. He glanced at his watch and groaned. “Four more hours until sunset…” Marcus sniffed the air. “Do I smell rain?”

I ran to the heavy drapes and peeked out. The sky above was filled with black clouds, and heavy rain fell in sheets against the window panes. “Yes,” I exclaimed. “And the sun is hidden behind thick clouds.”

“Then we must go.” Both he and Joseph sprang from the bed. In a trice, they were ready and rushing from the room. “I will send word to Bernard to come here and guard the palazzo in case of trouble. Once he is aware of what we are doing—”

“Uh, and just what is it you’re doing?” Gustav, now dressed in his shirt and jeans, stood in the living room watching us.
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“You’re not coming,” I blurted, but Marcus took him by the arm and smiled into his eyes. He murmured something I couldn’t hear, then Gustav nodded and sat down on the chair Marcus led him to.

“He will wait for us to return,” Marcus told me. “Now, we must go.” I glanced anxiously at Gustav who smiled and gave me a little wave. I found myself wishing I had those same powers over him. How easy life would be with a companion so readily acquiesced. Then again, Gustav’s fire was one of his charms.

Marcus and Joseph grabbed me by the arms, and we soared into the deluge that poured unceasingly from the blackened skies. In no time I was drenched to the skin, but as I looked from one vampire to the other, the water seemed to skim off their bodies, leaving their hair and clothes with not even a drop upon them.

“Down there,” I yelled, indicating the side door that led to the library. We alighted outside the door then pushed our way in. Once again, to my relief, there was no one around to give the alarm, and I quickly led the vampires to the hidden panelled door, beyond which lay the steps to the dungeons.

We fairly flew down the steps, each vampire still holding my arms. Once in the long passage way lined with the cell doors, they released me. “Which one?” Marcus asked tersely. I could tell he was puzzled by the fact neither he nor Joseph could reach Roger or Micah with their minds now that we were inside the Vatican. Quickly, I ran to the cell where they had been held captive and pushed open the door. It was empty.
“Constantine.” Joseph’s voice held more than just a note of warning. “Are you sure this is where you left them?”
“Yes, absolutely sure. Could they too have realised they could venture outside because of the darkened sky?”
Marcus and Joseph exchanged glances. “Roger,” Marcus muttered. “He’d be headstrong enough to try it.”
“And Micah would not leave him,” Joseph added with a rueful shake of his head.
“Still, why cannot we reach them with our minds?” Marcus asked, clearly perplexed.
“The barrier might be in place, even outside the Vatican walls,” I suggested.
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“Possible…”
“Would they know the way to the Lady Andorra’s palazzo? I asked. “And if so, will Gustav be safe? They do not know him.” Marcus frowned. “They wouldn’t harm him. They are not ravenous animals, Constantine.”
“But they have not fed for some time.” I could feel a panic rise in my blood.

The two vampires stared at me for a moment, then Joseph said, “Bernard and Pietro are to meet us there. They will ensure Gustav is not harmed.” Gustav alone with four vampires. This was not the way to put mind at ease!

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As Pietro and I alighted on the balcony of the Lady Andorra’s palazzo, he glanced at me sharply. “Vampires,” he muttered. “Yes…but friendly ones.” We strode into the marbled hall, and I chuckled as I saw Roger, Micah and Gustav engaged in deep conversation. “Roger, Micah… Marcus told me you were prisoners,” I exclaimed. “They have gone to rescue you.”
Chapter Twelve
Bernard

 

“That’s what I’ve been trying to tell them,” Gustav complained. It amazed me that this young man seemed to be totally at home with the likes of us— even vampires he had not been introduced to. “I told them Constantine was taking Marcus and Joseph to where they were being held.” Roger looked at me with some alarm. “But we can’t communicate with them. We’ve been trying to let them know we’re here, and there’s nothing coming back.”

“I know,” I said. “I have tried also. Pius must have learned the Wizards’ magic and erected a barrier to confound us.”
Micah grabbed Roger’s arm. “So, we have to go back. They’ll need our help against those barbed arrows Pius has up his sleeve.” I held up my hand. “Wait, wait…we need a plan. We cannot go flying in there without some sort of—”

“Bernard’s right,” Roger interrupted, zealous as ever. “We know Marcus and Joseph can look after themselves, but just in case, we need to be their reserves—and we need to be sneaky. But first, man, we have got to feed!”

Gustav stepped back, a flicker of uncertainty on his face.
“Don’t worry,” I told him quickly. “They didn’t mean you, Gustav.”
“Unless you volunteer, of course,” Roger said then chuckled. “Just kidding…”

“No, wait.” Gustav looked a little nervous but continued gamely. “People donate blood regularly at the blood bank. How much do you need?” Blood Resurrection

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Micah and Roger exchanged glances. “Uh…well, at least a pint each,” Micah said. “And I seem to remember they only take a pint from you when you donate.”

“Well, that won’t work.” Roger grabbed Micah by his arm. “Come on, it’ll only take us a few minutes. We’ll be right back.” “Wait,” Pietro, ever generous, held out his arm. “Bernard and I have fed. You can drink from us.”
“Okay, thanks Pietro.” Roger looked over at Gustav. “Hey guy, turn around. You don’t need to see this.”

Gustav did as he was bid, walking to a far corner of the room while Pietro and I fed our fellow vampires. As Micah bent over my wrist and delicately pierced my vein with his fangs, I could not help but smile as I thought just how different these modern vampires were from the likes of myself. Their speech patterns and their way of thinking sometimes made me feel very old indeed. I stroked Micah’s hair as he sucked from me. There is nothing quite like the sharing of blood to make those involved feel bonded to one another. Perhaps we should have let Gustav experience this. When I looked up, I saw him staring at us from across the room, his eyes wide with wonder at this strange and, to him, unnatural exchange.

At that moment, Micah released my arm, and with a murmured word of thanks, kissed me gently on the lips. From the moment I’d first met Micah, I had felt an almost familial bond with him—a brotherly love if you will. Perhaps it was because both of us had shared Joseph’s blood, or perhaps it was because when I looked at him, I could see myself as a young vampire—a shade uncertain and still a little in awe of what I had become. I could tell he felt this same bond with me, our minds often meeting with warm affection.

“Well, that’s better!” Roger grinned over at us, his arm about Pietro’s shoulders.

 

“Thanks guys. I feel like a new man—or should I say vampire?” Micah looked at Gustav and beckoned him over. “All done,” he said. “Hope that didn’t freak you out too much.”

 

“No, it was quite fascinating, actually,” the young German said, nevertheless keeping a small distance between us and him. “I didn’t know vampires could drink from one another.”

“Oh, yeah,” Roger said airily. “You can’t get a better brew anywhere else!”
* * * *
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We sat together around the vast table in the dining room, trying to formulate a plan to help Marcus and Joseph, who still remained with Constantine in the Vatican. The clouds had cleared, and a watery sunshine now flooded the city. We had, of course, closed all of the palazzo’s shutters and drapes, but we knew that until sunset, our friends were trapped within the Vatican walls. We could only hope they had managed to elude Pius’ demon guards and were not themselves now prisoners bound in silver chains.

But, knowing Marcus and Joseph as well as I did, I truly doubted that was their fate.

That opinion, although shared by both Micah and Roger, did not help to appease their minds. Sheer weight of numbers might eventually defeat them, and though I did not want to voice my fear, the fact that they were in the company of a demon, made me nervous. Gustav may have taken exception to my doubt of his lover’s trustworthiness, so I remained silent and kept those thoughts out of reach of my vampire brothers.

* * * *
Constantine

I had to admit to myself that I was not at all happy with the situation. Outside, when I checked, the rain had ceased, the sky was mostly clear, and the sun made it impossible for Marcus and Joseph to leave which meant, of course, that unless I deserted them, I could not leave either. I cannot deny that a great part of me wanted nothing more than to get the hell out of there, find Gustav and run from Rome as fast as we could. But I knew Gustav would never agree to leaving his newfound friends in danger—vampires or not—and I had to admit that doing so would leave me with feelings of guilt, probably for the rest of my life.

When had I become a demon with a conscience?

 

Marcus nudged my arm, bringing me back from my gloomy thoughts. He pointed down the long dark passageway. I could see nothing, but it was obvious his preternatural hearing had alerted him to some form of danger.

“What?” I whispered.
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“Your father’s guards are headed this way—his demon guards.” He looked over his shoulder at Joseph. “We better prepare ourselves for some silver-tipped, barbed arrows.”

“Surprise is always our best defence,” Joseph said.
“Right… Constantine, you stand here in full sight. They will not shoot you. We will take them from above.”

Without waiting for me to argue the point, he and Joseph floated up into the darker recesses of the vaulted ceilings that towered over us, hovering over my head, unseen by anyone else beneath them. I wished I had their confidence that the guards would not shoot me. My father had no love for me. My death wouldn’t give him a moment of sorrow. Still the guards might hesitate before actually shooting the Pope’s son and a fellow demon, especially as there was no sign of the vampires near me. I crossed my fingers just in case.