Authors: Nicole R. Taylor
The vampires piled out and Gabby pointed to the
block that housed Isobel's apartment. "This is the building. We want
number eight."
Looking up at the facade, Zac noticed a light
illuminating one of the top windows. Someone was at home and still
awake. As they walked across the street, Zac tugged Gabby back into his
side. "Are you sure you're okay?" he asked, glancing at the other
vampires who'd kept going.
"I can't stop, Zac," she whispered into
his ear. "I made a promise and I have to keep it."
"Not if it kills you. I don't think he would
want to see you die because of this."
"Someone's gonna die, but it's not me."
He gave her a small smile and pushed her gently
forward. "Go on then, Tabitha. I've got your back."
The entrance to the block of apartments was a tiny
door set into the stone facade, leading into a dark foyer with a rickety
looking staircase. There were two doors at the bottom, numbered one and two.
Zac supposed they had to go right to the top. Aya went first, followed by Gabby
and then the three male vampires. They moved as silently as they could, not
wanting to tip off anyone who might be inside that they were coming.
Gabby paused on the landing before the last flight
of stairs, her brow furrowed. "I can sense Isobel,
but…there's someone with her, but I can't sense them."
"There's a vampire in there," Aya
declared, her lip curling in a snarl.
"Aed?" Tristan asked, his jaw stiffening.
"No, it's not Aed," Gabby said.
"Then he's got a lackey,"
Nye declared. "Who else would want to suck a poor little University
student into their web?"
"We'll hang back," Zac said, gesturing to
Tristan and Nye. "We can't get in without an invite, but we'll be here if
they come out."
"I'll come with you," Aya said. "If
things get ugly, I'll end it."
They climbed the last flight of stairs and he hung back
with Tristan and Nye, waiting to see what would happen.
Gabby stood at the door at the end of the hall and
Aya stopped beside her, just out of direct view of whoever was inside. Raising
her fist, the witch knocked. A moment later the door opened and Zac caught a
whiff of someone very human.
"Gabby?"
Zac gathered this must be Isobel, even though he
couldn't see her. Her accent was very American, with a little twinge of British
which gave away that she'd lived here for a few years.
"Hey, Izzy," Gabby replied.
"Um, surprise?"
"What are you doing here? In Oxford, I
mean."
There was the sound of fast moving air and Isobel
let out a surprised scream. Gabby put out a hand to stop Aya from moving
forward, but the hybrid peered around the corner into the apartment.
"You know a fucking witch?" A male voice
said, low and angry. "He said nothing about a witch."
Gabby still motioned for them to stay back, but Zac
was having none of it. Stepping into the doorway, he saw what all the fuss
was about. A man had his arms wrapped around a woman with the reddest hair he'd
ever seen, a look of pure anger on his face. Anger at being
interrupted, apparently. One look at the guy's changing eyes confirmed
what he already knew. Vampire.
All Zac had to do was brush his finger
against Aya's and she knew exactly what he wanted. Before anyone could react,
she was inside, across the room, her hand on the vampire's head. She pushed him
away from Isobel and he let out an annoyed roar, but it was cut short as she
snapped his neck.
Isobel stared at Aya in shock before her eyes
flickered down to the vampire who was lying on the floor, his neck at an odd
angle.
Nye drew in a deep breath, spreading his arms out
wide. "That, my friends, is the scent of victory! I like this being good
thing. The good guys get to win more often. I like it."
Isobel stumbled backward and as her knees hit the
edge of the sofa, she fell backward into it. "You killed him," she
stammered.
"I didn't kill him," Aya said with a
sigh. "If he were dead, you'd need a bucket of bleach."
"Aya," Gabby hissed at the hybrid, who
just shrugged. She stepped inside and sat next to Isobel, who didn't quite
understand what was happening. "She's been compelled."
"Obviously," the hybrid said with a roll
of her eyes.
"What's going on?" Isobel asked, glancing
between the vampires. "Gabby, who are these people?"
"I'm sorry to show up like this, Izzy, but
it's important. This is Aya," she said, pointing to the hybrid.
"Those fools out there are Zac, Nye and Tristan."
"Why are they standing in the door like
that?"
"They need to be invited in."
"What?" Isobel looked at her like she was
mad.
"You say, 'come in' and then we...come
in," Nye said. "Easy peasy."
"We're the good guys, Izzy," Gabby added.
"And who was he meant to be?" She pointed
to the dead vampire. "He did some freaky thing with his eyes and…I just
told him things. I couldn't stop it…Gabby, who is he? Who are
you
? He
looked at you and was
afraid
."
"She is rather bitchy at times," Zac said
from out in the hall, a little tired of being left out of the action.
"Ignore him," Gabby said. "That guy
on your floor is a vampire. He's not dead, not really. He'll wake up soon
enough."
Isobel looked at the vampire, then to Aya and back
to Gabby. "A fucking vampire? Are you on drugs?"
Aya let out a snort of laughter. "I wish I was
on drugs right now. That's how well this conversation is going."
"Shit, Aya," Gabby hissed at her again.
"I'm trying the gentle approach."
"Vampires?" Isobel asked again.
"They're vampires?" She was pointing at the vampires out in the hall
and Zac gave her a little wave.
"Nice ones," Nye said and Tristan kicked
him in the shin.
"Can we come in yet? We're not going to eat
her," Zac put in.
"I have to invite you in before you can come
inside a human's home," Isobel said like she was working out a puzzle.
After a minute, she looked up at Zac. "Show me."
"Show you what?" he asked, frowning at
Gabby, who nodded.
"Show me that you can't get in."
With an exasperated sigh, he kicked the fresh air
that was the opening to the apartment and his foot hit right at the threshold
as if there was a pane of glass where the entrance should've been.
"No way," Isobel said, her eyes wide.
This time it wasn't shock, but curious surprise. "Do it again."
"No," Zac said. "Just invite us in
so we can get this show on the road."
Isobel turned to Aya. "How did you get in? Did
you do that crazy ass eye thing, too? You snapped that fucker's neck like
butter."
Knowing the compulsion that had been put on her by
the guy on the floor had broken the moment she'd snapped his neck, Aya just
shrugged. "I thought this one was going to be annoying for a while
there," Aya said, grinning at Gabby. "I think I might like her."
"How'd you do it?" Isobel asked again.
"Are you the girl Alex has a crush on? You're THE Aya, right?"
Aya might like her, but Zac was starting to become
very annoyed. "Uh, she's mine," he called out.
"Oh, fucking come in already," Isobel
said with a laugh and the vampires came into the small apartment, Tristan
closing the door behind them.
"You're taking this very well, Izzy,"
Gabby said. "Most people freak out."
"Um," she began. "I have a little
confession."
Zac glanced at Gabby, starting to become a little
concerned.
"Alex sent me an email, months ago now, asking
about some crazy stuff regarding the vampire myth. There was one reference I
gave him that was so obscure, I didn't think much of it. Not until I dug a
little deeper."
Zac knew exactly what Isobel was talking about. He
remembered it like it was yesterday. When he thought Aya was dead and Arturius
came fishing around for Gabby, he'd called Aya by a strange name. Alex had
mentioned it to Isobel in hopes that they might find a clue about Aya's
heritage. Isobel had come back with an obscure reference, '
Aericura, the
raven-haired star, her purity taken by devils'
.
"I've been working on it for months,"
Isobel continued. "But I never thought any of it was real. I mean, this is
fucking crazy."
"She swears a lot more than Alex," Aya
said.
"Are you her?"
"Who's her?"
"Aericura."
Aya glanced at Zac.
"You are," Isobel said like it was the
greatest discovery of her career.
"Listen, Izzy," Gabby interrupted.
"We're not here for a research session. We came because we need your
help."
"My help? For what?"
"We're looking for a grimoire and we believe
it's in your University," Aya said.
"I know it's there," Gabby said.
"Without a doubt."
"A grimoire? You mean a witch's spell
book?" Isobel asked, looking at Gabby.
She held up her hand and shrugged.
"Witch."
"No fucking way," she exclaimed.
"What do you need it for? I'm guessing you're in some kind of supernatural
trouble or something. Wait, if you're in deep shit and this guy shows
up..." She pointed at the dead vampire. "Then someone else wants the
same thing."
"We're hunting a three thousand old member of
the Tuatha De Danann royal family, who was turned into a vampire."
"Basically he's a vampire fairy cross-breed
who's a few sandwiches short of a picnic," Nye said from his perch on the
kitchen table.
"He was made with the blood of my
people," Aya explained. "It should never of happened and it's too
much for any mind to withstand."
"Your people?" Isobel asked. "You're
not human?"
"Nope. Never was."
"Shit, we could be here all night," Zac
said. "What I want to know is where this guy came from." He pointed
to the comatose vampire.
"He probably knows that we're looking for
Katrin's grimoire and gleaned an association between us and Isobel," Aya
said.
"Well, if that isn't the reason, then fucked
if I know," Nye added.
"I'll take him away someplace and get it out
of him," Aya said. Before she scooped up the vampire she turned back to
Isobel. "I'm sorry we had to meet this way."
"Well, I guess it was memorable," she
offered.
Aya laughed. "I guess so. Let us deal with the
messy stuff, I'm sure Gabby will explain everything to you in due course."
Tristan moved to pick up the dead vampire's feet.
"Call us when you're ready to go for the grimoire."
Zac stood to go with them, but Gabby held out her
hand. "Zac, Nye, can you guys stay? If someone comes looking…"
"We'll be here," Nye finished with a
wink.
The spy sat down next to Isobel and she looked him
over before asking, "What happened to your face?"
"Have I got a story to tell you," he
declared.
Zac sat at the small table in Isobel's studio
apartment, watching her make a pot of coffee. She really did look a lot like
Alex, except her hair was flaming red, where as her brother's was more subdued.
It made his thoughts go back home and he wondered how they were doing. Gabby
had said Sam and Liz'd gone to LA for college. Once upon a time, his little
brother had been studying business so he could take over their families
plantation. He wondered if that's what he'd chosen to do, or maybe he was just
there because Liz was. Zac wanted to call and ask, but that wouldn't help
anyone.
Nye stood by the window, watching the street below
through the curtains as the dawn stretched it's lazy wintery fingers across
Oxford. It had been a long night of explanations, wild stories and
everyone was a little tired. Gabby had finally fallen asleep on Isobel's bed as
they waited to hear from Aya and Tristan. She, more than anyone, needed the
rest.
Isobel sat across from Zac and hesitantly held out
the coffee pot. "Do you drink coffee?"
"Not a fan," he said, his voice low.
"Can you drink it?" She cocked her head
to the side, genuinely interested in the inner workings of his gut.
"Yes. Technically I'm dead, but everything
still works you know."
"Got any booze?" Nye asked with a
chuckle.
"Uh, no?" she replied, her expression
betraying how out of her depth she was.
"What kind of student are you?"
"The responsible kind." She poured
herself a cup of coffee and set the pot on a coaster, before circling her hands
around the porcelain for warmth.
"Do you have any idea why they targeted
you?" Zac asked.
"Obviously because I can get this book that
you want so bad."
"But how did they know you could?" Zac
mused. "I mean, it's too much of a coincidence, what with the one degree
of separation between us."
"Aya will get it out of that guy," Nye
said. "She could torture your humanity back, I'm guessing she
could torture anything out of anyone if she set her mind to it."
The spy gave Isobel a wink when her eyes widened at the word torture.
"You guys are weird," she said, holding
her hands out.
"You haven't even scratched the surface,"
Zac said with a sigh.
Nye looked back out the window. "I'm going to
check the street."
Zac nodded as the spy left, the door closing
soundlessly behind him. He sat with Isobel in silence for a while, content to
just let the time pass until Tristan called, because Aya still didn't like
using a cell phone. Isobel was fidgeting across from him, sneaking glances at
him when she thought he wasn't looking.
"So," she said, grimacing.
"Vampires, hey?"
"Have you heard from Alex recently?" he
asked, putting her out of her misery.
Her shoulders sagged slightly. "No, not for a
while. You guys are friends?"
"I'm not his most favorite person in the
world."
"But you must care at least a little bit if
you're asking."
"A little bit."
"Then you must know Liz, too. I wonder if she
decided to go to college."
"She's at UCLA," he said.
"Oh, really? That's great. Do you know what
she's studying?"
"No."
"Liz is the sweetest thing. Last I heard, she
was dating this guy named Sam. Alex worked with him at the Botanical Gardens.
Do you know him?"
Did Zac know him? Sam was his little brother after
all, but it was probably safe not to mention it. Shit, he hadn't even told
Nye. "Yes, I know him." It came out a little too nonchalant.
Isobel eyed him suspiciously and took a sip of her
coffee. "You lived in Ashburton? Why?"
"Long story."
"Give me the short version. Bullet points if you
have to. Sitting here in silence is awkward as hell, especially since
you're…you know."
He had to give it to Isobel. Her mind was wide open
to their seedy underworld, but he guessed that had something to do with her
field of study. It was in her nature to ask questions and what was even more
surprising was despite that, she wanted to understand.
"I was born there," he replied.
"When you get to be as old as I am, reconnecting with your old life is a
good thing. Supposedly."
"When did you…" She waved at him and he
got that she wanted to know when he was turned.
"Eighteen sixty-five."
"Wow," she breathed. "You're like a
walking talking history book."
Zac grimaced. "Depends on what history you
want."
"The Civil War?"
He nodded.
"Really?"
"Yes, really."
"Confederate, right? If you're from
Louisiana."
"If I had of understood a little better, I
might've been Union."
She leaned back in her chair and shook her head.
"If you want to know about Medieval history,
you should ask Nye. That's what you study, right?"
"Further back than that, but sometimes."
"Then I'd have a sit down with Tristan."
"When was he born?" she asked with a hard
swallow.
"Crusades, I think."
"Eleven hundreds?" Isobel squeaked, but
was interrupted as footsteps approached out in the hall.
They looked up as the door opened and Nye walked
in. "All clear for now."
"When was he born?" Isobel asked,
pointing at the vampire.
"Fifteen sixty one," the spy said with a
wink. "Want help with your history paper?"
"You guys really know how to keep things to a
dull roar," Gabby exclaimed. She shuffled to the table and took a cup from
the bench, pouring herself a cup of coffee.
"Feel a little better?" Zac asked as she
took sip.
"Much. I didn't realize how tired I was until
I crashed. Have you heard anything yet?"
"Not yet."
Gabby turned to Isobel and smiled. "I hope
these boys have been behaving themselves."
"Mostly," she replied.
Downing the rest of her coffee, Gabby took out her
cell and looked at the screen. "I'm going to meet Aya and Tristan and
find out if they've learnt anything."
"And I suppose we get to stay here and
wait?" Nye asked.
"If you don't mind," Isobel chimed in.
"I don't want to be alone if another bad guy shows up looking for
me."
Zac's eye narrowed as he thought about another vampire
hanging around. There'd be a second waiting in the wings and after they'd
appeared… He glanced at Nye who nodded. He knew exactly what he was thinking.
"Eyes open, Gabby," Zac said and the
witch smiled.
"Got it."
Gabby picked up her bag that was heavy with her
grimoire and went for the door. Standing, Zac caught her arm and whispered.
"Where there's one, there's another."
The witch regarded him for a moment and nodded her
understanding. "I'll let you know what's happening as soon as I can."
And then she was gone.
Zac sat back down with a sigh and noticed Isobel
was staring at him again. He shouldn't have been so nice. Now he'd have to
endure her barrage of questions.
"How do you become…you know." She seemed
to have trouble saying the word vampire.
"That's not for you to know."
"Do you know what it's like?"
He narrowed his eyes. "How would I know?"
"Have you ever turned anyone?"
He glared at her, offended. "No."
"What about the vampire who turned you?"
"Never ask a vampire how they were
turned," he snapped. "Not unless you're a vampire yourself."
"I see Gabby was right about you."
Zac cocked his head and waited for the next stupid
thing that was about to come out of her mouth.
"That right there," Isobel laughed.
"You don't scare me, Zac."
"I haven't even begun trying to scare
you," he spat, leaning closer to her, letting his eyes begin to change.
"Are you trying now?" She was trying to
keep a straight face, but wasn't succeeding. It irritated the hell out of him.
"I like this one," Nye said, winking at
her.
"Screw this, I'm going to check out the
street." Zac stood abruptly, raising an eyebrow at the spy.
"What?" he asked, with a wicked grin.
"Alex wouldn't appreciate it."
"Who's Alex again?"
"My very human brother," Isobel chimed
in.
"Well, can't screw with the brother." Nye
shrugged his shoulders and stood to follow Zac. When Isobel didn't move, he
said, "Are you coming?"
"I thought a vampire was after me? Isn't the
safest place here?"
"Doors'll keep us out, but not the
hybrid," Zac said from down the hall. "The safest place you can be is
in between us. At least until we know exactly what he wants with you."
What he didn't say was that if anyone was hanging around, they'd only show
themselves if they laid eyes on Isobel. She was bait, but he wasn't about to
tell her that.
Outside, the day was well underway and the odd
person walked by them on the street. Zac couldn't sense anything untoward, but
that didn't mean they weren't being watched.
"How he was turned is a soft spot. Extra
squishy," he heard Nye whisper to Isobel. "I suggest you don't ask
again because he won't ever tell you. He's got a reputation, you know."
"Reputation?" Isobel squeaked, sinking
into the bright green coat she'd pulled on before coming out.
Zac turned at glared at them. "I can hear you,
you know. And I wouldn't believe everything you hear." Isobel just stared
at him and he sighed. "Which way to the pub? I'm dying here."
She pointed the direction they'd been walking.
"I don't think this is a good idea."
"C'mon, Isobel," he said. "I don't
mean to scare you. I'm paying, after all."
"Well, there's a consolation prize," she
retorted, her spunk coming back again.
Nye took her arm with a flourish and they continued
walking down the empty street, Zac out in front. They hadn't gone very far at
all, when he sensed eyes on them. If he stopped to listen, then
whoever it was would know they'd been made. No, they had to flush them out
before they could report back to Lord Nutcase himself.
He caught sight of a shadow out the corner of his
eye on top of a building across the street. One moment it was there, the next
it was gone. Then the same sensation of being watched
from further ahead. They were definitely being followed.
Glancing down a deserted lane that looked like it joined onto a main street, he
glanced at Nye who nodded. Time to flush their shadow out of hiding. Sooner
rather than later and all of that.
"Where are you going?" Isobel asked.
"Shortcut," Zac muttered, one ear on her,
the other listening for their friend.
Nye kept close to Isobel as they walked, the sound
of their footsteps bouncing off the brickwork of the buildings on
either side. Either the vampire was going to slip up or make a play for Isobel
and when they did, Zac would be there to put an end to it.
They'd gotten about half way down the lane when the
sound of rushing air and boots on cobblestones behind them made them all turn
sharply. A male vampire rose slowly to his feet, eyes black and fangs bared.
So, he wanted a fight? He'd get one.
The vampire dashed forward, pushing Nye out of the
way, but before he could grab hold of Isobel, Zac had him around the scruff of
the neck, hurling him against the wall. He collided with the brickwork with
a loud bang and the masonry shuddered.
Isobel stumbled back with a scream, but
Nye pulled her back into his chest, clamping a hand over her mouth. "Zac's
got this," he said. "I've got you."
The vampire scrambled to his feet with a cry of
rage, but Zac was already over him, eyes dark with the promise of blood.
Grabbing the guy's head, he slammed it into the brickwork with all of his
strength. The sound of shattering bone was oddly satisfying. He paused a
second, his hand still holding the vampire's head in place against the wall and
he shrugged. Dead.
Letting the body go, he turned back towards Isobel
as the dead vampire slumped to the ground, blood trailing down the
brickwork.
"Scared, now?" he asked as his eyes faded
back to normal.
Isobel cowered against the opposite wall, heart
racing and eyes plastered on the dead vampire. He took that as a
yes. Stalking over to her, he grasped her face, making her
look him in the eye. "I am not your friend. I am not
your project. The next time you make a smart ass comment, remember what I just
did. I am not human anymore, no matter how much you want me to be."