The Last Keeper (36 page)

It was a moment more before I realised they weren’t in my head.
 

It was Lizzy.

I was at Lizzy’s door in seconds, clad only in my bathrobe. She was sitting up in her bed, tears streaming down her face, clutching her neck.
 

   
The catacombs were a far cry from Lizzy’s teenage bedroom. It didn’t stop my heart from lurching into my throat at the sight of her.
 

Without a second thought, I climbed onto her bed and took her into my arms.
 

“Lizzy, it’s me. You’re okay.” My words were meant to comfort her . . . as well as myself.
 

It was a long few minutes before her sobs subsided to quiet whimpers, and she was able to speak. I was aware of Ray talking quietly with Jayne. None of it mattered, only Lizzy.
 

“It was a dream?” Her voice was so small as she looked up with wide, reddened eyes.
 

“It was just a dream, sweetie. Do you want to tell me about it?” She shook a little with fear as she nodded. “Are you sure?”
 

She nodded again, still rubbing her neck. “It felt so real,” she whispered, curling onto her side.

I’d never seen her so distraught.
 

“Serenity? I’m going to check around the house, just in case,” Ray offered.

I was surprised when Lizzy flinched at the sound of his voice.
 

“Thank you,” I told him.
 

Lizzy didn’t relax again until Jayne climbed onto the bed with us after Ray had left. Helen joined us a few moments later, sitting gingerly on the edge of the mattress, her hand resting on Lizzy’s leg.

“Lizzy?”

“It never felt so real before,” she whimpered. “The floor, the chains, the teeth, all of it.”

“Lizzy, sweetie, I need you to tell me everything you can. From the start.”
 

“I don’t know how I got there, but I know it was one of the catacombs. I didn’t recognise any of the faces, but I knew what they were. I was
so
scared. They kept taunting me, telling me they were going to kill me.” She paused for a moment to take a breath, shuddering as she did. “Then Issac came in with Poppy. I think you were standing with Ray, and Al and Leola were next to you. I couldn’t see you, but when the arguing started, you came forward. One of them was called Elena, and she was going to kill you, but you stopped her.”
 

“Lizzy, it’s all right,” I told her. “Go on.”

“You told her if she wanted you dead, then you wanted Ray to do it.” That explained hear reaction to Ray’s voice. “When he bit you, I felt it. I screamed for him to stop, but he wouldn’t. He kept drinking until you collapsed. That’s when I woke up.”

“I had the same dream.”

I didn’t know what it meant, but I’d do anything to stop it from happening.
 

No human had ever seen the inside of the catacombs and lived. Lizzy was calmer when Ray returned, nodding once to indicate everything was clear. For that I was grateful. Too many of Lizzy’s dreams had come true to disregard it. Too many of mine, as well, for that matter.
 

But if The Seats wanted Lizzy . . . there was
nothing
I could do to stop them. They had the power to do anything.
 

I needed more of us, more of my race. I couldn’t do this on my own.
 

“You’re more worried than you let on,” Ray stated once we’d left Lizzy, Jayne, and Helen to get some more sleep, what little they’d be able to manage.
 

“You can’t read my mind, Ray, you don’t know that I’m worried,” I said, trying to lighten the mood.

“I can’t read anyone’s mind, but that is hardly the point,” he answered, stopping me in my tracks.

“You can’t read
anyone’s
mind?”
 

“No, but don’t change the subject.”

I sighed. I’d question him on his powers later.

“Yes, I am worried. We could watch her for every second of every day, and all it would take is one mistake.”
 

“We can help.”
 

“No. The more people I have looking after her, the more mistakes are going to be made. I think between Martin, you, and me we’re covered.” I ran through possibilities of how to best protect her. “Martin will want to help, anyway. I doubt I could stop him. You, I trust implicitly.”

“But not the others?”
 

“It’s not that I don’t trust them . . .”

“You just don’t trust them.”
 

“I’m sorry. I really think having more vampires around at the moment would be counterproductive.”
 

“In what way?”

“Have you noticed how The Seats have been more strict of late?” The more I visited, the stricter they became. “All it would take is for someone to see one of you with Lizzy and get the wrong idea. One word and they’d come for her. Not even I can stop them.”

“Poppy could help.”
 

“Just because she has kept her mouth shut for the better part of half a century, doesn’t mean she’ll continue to do so,” I said without thinking.

“True.”

“Can we talk about something else?”
 

“Anything you like.”

It was the perfect opportunity to bring up his lack of mind reading skills. As young as he was, he should’ve mastered that skill decades ago. Apparently he never had, and neither had Issac. Poppy had given him a theory on why that was. As with all vampires, the more lives they took, the more powerful they were. It must affect their basic skill set, too.
 

“You’re pretty
tame
as far as vampires go,” I teased.

“Tame? I’ll show you tame.” I was flat on my back, Ray pinning me to the bed, fangs bared, by the time he finished the sentence. He knew I was stronger than him and could easily have stopped him, but I didn’t.
 

“So all you do is drink blood?” I tilted my head back, exposing my neck. “So unbelievably tame.”

“Don’t forget, Serenity, it is my choice not to kill,” he whispered, the tips of his fangs brushing against my throat. “I could, if I wanted to.”

“No, you couldn’t,” I said, smiling. “You wouldn’t be who you are if you were capable of the kinds of monstrosities the rest of your race is.”

“Do you always have to be right?”

“Perks of living for three thousand years.”

I surprised him with a kiss, pressing my lips against his, exploring his elongated fangs with the tip of my tongue. It startled him, causing him to pull away.
 

“They don’t bother you?” he asked, confused.

“Why would they?”

“I thought they would.”
 

“Ray, if I let you bite me with them, why would they bother me when I’m kissing you?” I pressed another kiss to his lips.

“Have I told you that I love you today?”
 

“I thought you loved me every day.” I was in a teasing mood.
 

“I love you, Serenity Cardea, so very much.”

“As you breathe, so will I,” I whispered. It was an amended version of the words I’d used when I first met him. “I’m working on the rest. So for now, I shall tell you I love you, too.”

We were standing in the back garden, scanning the trees, when dawn arrived. Both of us were wary, and though we pretended we were admiring the nonexistent sunrise, we were watching for anything unusual.
 

“How do you feel about helping me cook breakfast?” I asked, hearing the first movements in the house.

He raised an eyebrow at my request. “You do remember my last attempt at cooking, don’t you?”
 

“Hmm, that would be the exceptionally poor job you did with the mashed vegetables.”
 

“Would you like me to poison everyone?”
 

“All you have to do is keep me company.”

“I may be able to manage that, though it’s technically not helping.”

We were in the kitchen before anyone else. I began pulling the things I needed out of the cupboards. Cooking was something I hadn’t done a lot of in recent years. Ray perched on one of the chairs as I began making pancakes. The days when I made a full buffet breakfast were long gone. It wasn’t long before the smell was wafting through the house and two high-pitched, excited squeals came from upstairs as both the girls realised what was happening.
 

There was a look of confusion on Ray’s face as Jayne and Lizzy came racing in, only to stop dead in their tracks when they saw me. They were checking that I was indeed cooking. When they were satisfied, they flung their arms around me, each smiling. I could swear they were the same age, and not mother and daughter.
 

For once it was clear I planned on joining them.

It was a shame Helen was feeling tired and had opted to stay in bed. She would’ve loved to see me cooking again.
 

During those unmentionable years without Ray, food hadn’t held the same appeal. It was fantastic to have that feeling of happiness again. The taste of fresh pancakes was something to be savoured.

“This is a nice change,” Jayne commented.
 

The way she shovelled in mouthful after mouthful made me think she hadn’t eaten in weeks.

“It is, but in the future can we have some warning? Martin would love this,” Lizzy said.

“So long as it’s only him I’m cooking for. I don’t wish to know how much the Cats eat.” With the amount of running they did, it was unlikely they’d have light diets.
 

“Well, for them to enjoy breakfast, they would have to stay overnight, and only Martin will be doing that.”
 

Both Jayne and I cried out at the same time, “Oh no! Not in my house!”
 

“Not for that reason!” Lizzy defended herself as Jayne and I descended into fits of laughter at our matching comments.
 

“I should hope not. Besides, Ray and I would be staying up all night if you have him over.” I looked to Ray for confirmation.
 

“I could read his mind . . . stop him from doing anything inappropriate,” he bluffed.

“Can we
please
not discuss this?” She sat in her chair, arms crossed, pouting.
 

It was too good of an opportunity to pass up. “We have had the
Birds and the Bees
talk with her already, haven’t we?”
 

“We did. She’s never had a boyfriend before, though. Maybe it needs reiterating. Do you think Martin has had the talk yet?” Jayne was intent on being as serious as possible, but there was humour in her eyes.

“Mum! Aunt Sere! Please!”
 

“Perhaps we should take it up with his parents,” I said. “I have met his father.”

“Ray, please make them stop!”
 

“No can do, kid, you’re on your own with this one,” he said, enjoying the banter.

“All right, all right. You can have him stay over.
If
your mother agrees.” Considering the look she gave Lizzy and me, it was a big if. “But he’s staying in the spare room next to your mother’s. If I find him in yours, or you in his, then I’ll have the talk with both of you.”

“Isn’t that a little hypocritical of you?” Ray whispered.

“Different circumstances.”
 

“I have a compromise,” Jayne said. “He can stay, in the room next to mine, but instead of you giving them the talk . . . Ray has to.”

I almost spat my mouthful of pancakes across the table. Jayne had a cruel streak. It was bad enough to force a teenager’s boyfriend to endure a sex talk. It was even worse to subject them to it together, and by their aunt who appeared no older than them. But Ray was a vampire whose sexual experience was limited. Martin was a Were, and I didn’t want to know how experienced he was, or wasn’t. Forcing him to endure a sex talk from a vampire would be hilarious.
 

“Deal,” Ray agreed.

“I am so dead,” Lizzy mumbled.
 

Three days later, Helen was admitted to the hospital. I’d gone in to wake her, only to find that I was unable. She’d been growing tired since the move, and at first we thought it was the daytrips and her evenings out that were the cause.