Returning her attention to her daughter, Elizabeth placed her cutlery across her empty plate. “Vee, I’d like you to take Gwyn with you.”
“What?” exclaimed Vee at the same time he turned to face his hostess. To chaperone Elizabeth’s daughter’s night out was the farthest from his imaginings.
“You know better than anyone why we can’t have guests in the house tonight,” expounded Elizabeth.
“Oh, Mom,” whined the girl. Slouching in defeat, she released a melodramatic sigh. “Fine. I’ll call Shell and let her know.” Rising from the table Vee grabbed the cordless phone from the counter’s end and went into the living room.
Confused at what just transpired, he pushed his half filled plate away, a sense of dread filling his belly.
“I’m sorry to do this to you,” apologized Elizabeth, her blue eyes seeking understanding. “It’s just for a few hours.”
Refusing to meet her eyes he stared at the partially eaten food and frowned. “Why?”
A hand alighted on his scarred forearm and he turned to face her. Indecision averted her eyes and she worried the inside of her cheek. He knew that whatever her reasons, they were important to her.
“It’s okay,” he said. “You don’t have to say. You’ve been more than generous to me and my silences.”
“Thank you,” she said, relieved, and gave his arm a gentle squeeze. “I appreciate it. I’m just worried about Vee. Ever since the incident at the ROM she’s been afraid to leave the house. Her friends convinced her to go out with them tonight but she’s trepidacious. Having you go with her will make her feel better, more confident.”
“She didn’t appear to be happy at your insistence.”
Elizabeth let out a chuckle. “I would have thought you would understand considering it hasn’t been that long since your teen years.”
Her observation surprised him. For all intents and purposes he was twenty-one. It was what seemed logical to place on his expertly forged passport, but in reality he had be eighteen or nineteen when being Chosen had halted his growth within the stasis of immortality. Even still, he was never a teenager as Vee experienced it.
“I guess you had a very different time being a teen,” observed Elizabeth, noting his frown.
“You could say that,” he remarked, wryly.
Elizabeth nodded. A flicker of a smile lifted a corner of her sensuous mouth while her sad eyes roamed down his scarred arm, landing to focus on the silver blossom that told the tale of the
spiked manacle that had been driven through him. Uncomfortable,
he pulled his arm away, hiding his hands under the table.
Her hand no longer resting on him, Elizabeth sat straight. “The fact that Vee didn’t fight me on this just shows that she’s happy to have you along. Just wait. You’ll see. After all, you are the one who saved her from the thieves.”
Memories of that transformative night filled him and he closed his eyes against the flood. He could see the Vampire’s lengthening teeth threaten Vee’s perfectly pale neck. The fear induced effervescence arising from her had almost released his carefully controlled hunger. If it had not been the other Vampire stealing his sword things might have gone differently.
Rising from the table he gazed down on his hostess. “I will go with Vee.” He did not need to add that he would try and keep Elizabeth’s daughter from harm. It was implicit in his tone, which was very much that of the Angel.
H
e hugged his motorcycle as he guided the machine along Queen Street. It was slow going at this time of night and it took all of his concentration to keep the Y2K from bucking its reigns. Unfortunately, Toronto
’
s active night life meant that if he did so he would end up in an accident. Mortal or no, he had promised Elizabeth the safe return of her daughter.
The car ahead of him hit their brakes as an elegantly dressed couple mindlessly jay walked towards one of the fancier restaurants
in the Beach. Slamming his breaks and releasing the accelerator the motorcycle came to a halt inches from the yellow Mustang
’
s bumper. Once the oblivious couple passed between two parked cars he put the bike into gear and the motorcycle jerked forward in an attempt to run free. Gritting his teeth he could not deny that the Y2K had been easier to control when he was Chosen.
He hated being mortal. The positive aspects were greatly diminished by the new physical experiences that were natural to everyone else. It was the return of mortal limitations that made it clearer than before his need to be Chosen again. Maybe, if he could find the right way, he could accidentally convince Notus, again.
Probably not
. He frowned as the dull pain of rejection flared back into life. Distracted he almost ran a red light, the Mustang having caught the tail end of the amber.
The tightness around his waist increased as he sat up.
“
Let go,
”
he said into the headset built into the helmet.
“
You don
’
t have to hold on so tight.
”
The arms relaxed but did not release.
“
Sorry,
”
replied Vee, her quavering voice blossoming in his helmet.
The light changed and he leaned forward, taking the motorcycle
in hand. The tension around his midsection increased and he could hear her panicked breathing in the headset.
“
Try and take slow even breaths,
”
he said, concerned that she would hyperventilate and pass out.
“Okay,” she mumbled.
He could hear the elongations of her breathing as he drove. After a few minutes she relaxed her hold.
“This isn’
t so bad,
”
said Vee.
“
As long as you don
’
t go too fast.
”
A small smile lifted the corners of his mouth and he slowed the bike down.
“Thanks for coming with me,” murmured the girl. “I really didn’
t feel like going out, even though
…”
She let the thought trail off with a sigh.
He did not respond. He figured silence was the best approach and he focused his attention on the packed road ahead of him.
“I want to thank you for saving me from that crazy thief,” said Vee. “I’
m also sorry that they took your sword and you got hurt.
”
Frowning at the reminder she presented he wanted to press the motorcycle faster but could not in the congested traffic. Stuck once again he sat up. The bike hummed beneath him as he planted his feet on the tarmac. He knew Vee was expecting a reply but there was none he could give. Hands free from the handlebars he squeezed his hands into fists as far as the braces would allow, and released the threatening spasm. This was yet another thing since becoming mortal he had difficulties contending with. The injuries of his body seemed to constantly ache.
“Are you angry at me?” queried Vee, her voice wary over the speaker.
Releasing his grip he stared at all the cars lined up with their left signal lights on. With the parked cars taking up the right lane there was nothing to do but wait.
“
No, I
’
m not angry at you,
”
he replied. He wished the girl would settle into quietness, but that afternoon, hearing her monopolize the telephone, he knew that was beyond her ken.
“Are you angry at
Mom?
”
The question surprised him and he shook his head. It was not Elizabeth
’
s fault that his sword was in the hands of Vampires and he was now mortal. That was all his doing.
“Then why won’
t you talk to me?
”
Hurt filled her tones.
The traffic moved ahead a few car lengths and he gentled the beast to glide into its next waiting position.
“It’
s because of how I stared at you at breakfast? Isn
’
t it?
”
reasoned Vee.
“
I didn
’
t mean to. It
’
s just that I never saw anyone with so many–”
“Stop,” he ordered, gritting his teeth.
“That’
s it, isn
’
t it?
”
babbled the girl as if she had not heard him.
“
It
’
s just that you
’
re so different than anyone I
’
ve seen before and–”
“Vee, just stop.” He relaxed his jaw and opened his eyes. He had not realized he had closed them. The girl was too accurate in her observations and he did not need to be reminded of things that had attracted too much attention to him, good and ill.
“Sorry.” Her voice
was small in the headset.
“
You probably don
’
t want be with me and are upset that mom made you come with me.
”
The traffic inched ahead and he followed, wishing that the road would open up and he could put some speed on. It was better when she was afraid. She was quiet.
“If I tell you why you couldn’
t stay at the house, will you stop being angry at me?
”
“I’
m not angry at you,
”
he stated unable to keep the coldness from his voice.
“Mom’
s a witch,
”
bluntly stated Vee.
The declaration stunned him.
“
What?
”
Witches were both medieval women and men who were killed because they were singled out as scapegoats or for land grabs during a time of superstitiousness and idiocy, or they were Hollywood inventions to amuse the masses. To hear Vee talk about her mother that way was shocking.
“Actually, she’
s a Wiccan High Priestess and her coven is coming over tonight for one of their Circles,
”
expounded Vee.
“
That
’
s why we couldn
’
t be there. I used to go to my father
’
s before he got sick, but now I usually go over to a friend
’
s or go out.
”
The revelation surprised him and it took the car behind him honking before he popped the motorcycle in gear and finally cut through the intersection. He had heard of this new religion when he returned back to London. It was all over the press with photos of naked women and ominous looking men. Notus just shook his head, ignoring it, but many of the principles of belief that he read about in the interviews were very similar to the ones taught to him as a child.