Darlings of Darkness: A Vampire Anthology Part 174

The plan in my head was clear. Do it all myself and stop the others from being hurt. I couldn't forget the horror in Peter's eyes when he saw Becca and me drinking blood. He had done enough. Carl didn't even know what he was getting into. It wasn't fair to include him, but I had no choice. It was the only way I could break the bond.

I figured it was time to see Eddie. As soon as I walked into his bookshop, he knew. He could tell exactly what I'd done. And it made him very happy. The cold presence blew urgently against the back of my neck, but I already knew I was signing a deal with the devil.

"You're back," he said, not bothering to cover up his smugness. "And feeling better than ever?"

"Not exactly."

"You did feed?"

"I had no choice. I didn't do it because I'm bloodthirsty, okay?"

His eyes softened. "It was the right thing to do. How can you help anyone if you aren't strong? There's no shame in what you are, Ava. You aren't evil. You have gifts, and if you let yourself, you might do some good in the world."

"Good for the world? Or good for you?" I wasn't afraid of him anymore. My time was running out, and I hadn't much to lose by p.i.s.sing him off.

"Maybe they're not mutually exclusive."

"Yeah, right. Look. You pretend you're going to give me to Daimhin tonight. Becca told us Maximus himself is coming for me too. Let them duke it out while I get Arthur alone, so Carl can go home unharmed."

"And then?"

I sighed, more weary than I ever thought possible. "Then someone has to win. I can't hide forever."

"You can't let them take you, Ava. I won't let you. I've waited too long for this."

"If you could take them on, you wouldn't need me, would you?"

He stared at me. My head become light as his eyes darkened. It would have been so easy to fall into the emptiness. I struggled against it, smiling in triumph as his forehead creased in confusion. I shrugged off his power with ease in the end.

He moved in closer. "See what you can do when you let yourself be who you really are?"

"It's not who I am," I said, fierce in my belief. "I'm Ava, not vampire. Remember that one, Eddie b.l.o.o.d.y Brogan."

"You don't have to fight everything," Eddie said.

"Feels like I can't stop fighting. It's okay, Carl," I added hurriedly, seeing Carl preparing to strike out at Eddie. He knew I was upset, and that reminded me of something.

"Eddie, Carl seemed to know I was in trouble earlier."

"That can happen, yes."

"But it wears off, right? After the whole bond business is done?"

"Probably." He raised his hands to quieten me. "That's not important right now, Ava. Let's talk about tonight. I can't help you much. I can't directly harm the vampires, but I can try to keep Carl safe. For a while at least."

"A while?"

"Power isn't unlimited. I'll do what I can for as long as I can." His expression darkened, and some of the books fell off the shelves.

"Sorry. How can I hurt Arthur? Without killing him I mean? I need to get him away from the others so he can help us. I don't want to go too far by accident."

"Silver will contain him. But if it penetrates his heart, he'll die almost instantly. Holy water will hurt but never do enough damage to kill. Fire is lethal, but you need a lot of it. Breaking bones, even the neck, will hurt and take a long time to heal, but completely removing the head from the body will kill them," he told me, no emotion in his voice.

"Fine. That's fine," I said. "I have what I need. I can do this, right?"

"Of course you can. But you might need this." He rummaged under the counter and took out a heavy wooden box. It was covered in engravings. He put on a pair of gloves and opened the box, retrieving a small silver dagger. He handed it to me gingerly, handle first.

It was heavy in my hand and felt surprisingly warm. Vibrating with power, it gleamed sapphire blue when it touched my skin. The very tip of the blade was curved. I touched it lightly with my finger and jumped with alarm as even the briefest of touches resulted in a few drops of blood falling from my finger. What had really startled me was the heat that came from the blade.

"It's ancient," Eddie said, looking at it longingly. "It's made of fire and light, metal and magic. It works perfectly against vampires. It's powerful, so don't lose it."

I put it into my bag, ignoring Eddie's exasperated sigh. I sucked on my finger to stem the flow of blood. As soon as it left my lips, Eddie grabbed my hand and peered at my fingertip. I pulled my hand away and took a step backward. Carl tried to move forward, but I got in his way. He actually had something to lose.

"It's true," Eddie said, his mouth widening into a rapturous smile. "You healed yourself, didn't you?"

"Not really." The cold presence was frantically sweeping across the back of my neck.

He gripped my shoulders tight. "Ava, don't let anyone know about it. You don't want to make yourself more attractive to Maximus, trust me."

I rubbed my face, suddenly feeling self-conscious. "It's never happened before today, why now?"

"Maybe you never licked an open wound before. Or perhaps you did and didn't stick around long enough to see what happened next." He smiled slyly. "Perhaps it's linked to the blood you've drank. It's not really healing, rather accelerating the normal cell re-growth."

He moved away, taking his time and picking up the books that had fallen when he got angry. "Or perhaps you're just special."

I exchanged a look with Carl. Something about Eddie set him off on alert every single time. It was like he was hearing something I didn't.

"Yeah, sure, special," I said, forcing a laugh. "Anyway, back to tonight. Should we find somewhere to hide?"

Eddie faced me, his eyes stern and cold. "I made a promise, Ava. I'll be handing you over tonight."

"Don't you think-"

"No. I don't. No discussions. I'll cloak Carl, but you need to be seen. Prepare yourself. Perhaps you'd like to have a nibble on Carl while you're waiting."

He left the room with a smile on his face.

"Don't even think about it," I snapped at Carl.

Rancid fear had been simmering inside me all day. Now it was boiling over. If we could surprise Arthur by getting to him from behind then we had a chance. Being handed to vampires didn't seem to leave us with any hope. I wasn't sure what would happen to Carl if I died, but I couldn't trust Eddie to keep him safe. I wanted Peter's advice, but it was better for both of us if I kept my distance.

Carl and I sat in the shop's back room together, mostly in silence. I had an awful sensation that I was waiting for my doom.

"Carl, I might die tonight. If I do, can you do me some favours?" I said, hoping he could take in what I was saying.

"You won't die. I'll do anything for you," he replied. I didn't doubt his belief, but I knew our chances weren't great.

"I don't know if our bond will break," I said. "If it doesn't, and I die, I want you to run. As fast as you can to someplace safe. Either this place, or mine. Or even to Peter for the night. Don't let them catch you."

"I won't," he said.

"And. If you could. Tell my grandmother? About all of this, except maybe leave out the bit when I drank Becca's blood."

Carl smiled and nodded, but I had no way of knowing if he really understood me. Just in case, I lowered my voice and leaned closer to him. "If things go right, and the bond breaks? Get out of there. Don't stick around. Just leave, and forget me. Never look back at any of this. And no matter what happens, don't trust Eddie. Not ever."

He shook my hand solemnly. I hoped he would remember my words when it mattered.

Chapter Eleven.

Night came too quickly. The moon cried out to me, the blood in my veins answered her call. I didn't know how to prepare for death. Eddie joined us, keeping our silent vigil until it was time.

"I'd like to say a prayer," he told us not long before it was time for vampires to wake. He lit some candles and placed a cracked black bowl on the table.

"Blood. Love. Sacrifice. Accept our offerings, and protect our souls. Connected and ready to serve. Fill us with power, and watch over us." He cut his hand, letting the blood drip into the bowl. I touched the cross, but it wasn't necessary. Eddie's blood was wrong. The colour, texture, and smell repulsed me. Once again, I was filled with curiosity about who he was-and exactly who, or what, he was praying to.

"Do you offer?" he asked Carl who nodded, strangely interested in the proceedings. Before I could stop him, he sliced Carl's palm and squeezed his hand until his blood fell into the bowl. Eddie held his hand out to me. Hesitant, I placed mine in his cool palm. He swiftly cut me and drained some of my blood into the bowl.

"Give me the dagger," he said. I glanced at him as I handed it over. His jaws were slack. He reminded me of a puppet on a string as his arms moved jerkily around. He spoke in a language I wasn't familiar with. Guttural sounds that stirred something within me. Fear slowly dissipated, only to be replaced with something else. Courage, perhaps? Or merely foolhardiness.

Eddie kissed the knife, his lips blistering at once. He stirred the blood in the bowl with the dagger. A blue light flared up from the liquid, making me jump backward in fright. Eddie spoke one more word, and the light vanished. He lifted the knife, shook it once, and then offered the bowl to me.

"Drink," he urged.

I hesitated. Freaky hoodoo stuff wasn't my thing. Neither was drinking my own blood. Eddie's hadn't looked too delicious, and I didn't need to know what Carl's tasted like.

"Just drink it," he said, pushing the bowl into my hands.

I shook my head, but his eyes darkened, and the room vibrated. The cold presence brushed against my hands, so I raised the bowl to my lips and slowly took a sip. I had to close my eyes to stop my head from spinning. It didn't taste like blood. It tasted like... sunlight. Warmth. And power. Most of all, power. I tipped the bowl to drain the lot. Pure heat rolled down my throat, completely destroying the panic inside me.

Eddie placed his palm against my forehead and pushed until I resisted.

"Flood our sister with spirit. Let the Keeper of Light stay safe to lead us on through the storms ahead. Make the Warrior of Flame return."

My eyes shot open. Eddie's were black, but flickering flames reflected in his eyes. I glanced at Carl who was staring at me like I had turned into a shooting star or something. Then it was over. Eddie broke away, and the tension snapped. The room lit up, and my skin tingled.

"It's time," he said, handing Carl a small pouch. "Keep that in your pocket. You won't be seen until the power runs out."

"What about this?" I gestured to the chain around my neck. "When will this run out?"

Eddie patted my shoulder and gave me the dagger, still dripping with our blood. "It already ran out. I can't sense any of the magic anymore."

I hadn't felt a real longing from the thirst since Eddie had given me the cross. It couldn't have run out already. He smiled rea.s.suringly and gave a little nod, as if he knew exactly what record my mind was playing.

"Come." He bade us to follow him.

This time I stuck the dagger in my belt and promised myself I was getting a kick a.s.s sheath for next time-if there was a next time.

I took a deep breath as I stood next to Eddie at the front door of his bookshop. Every cell in my body hummed in antic.i.p.ation as darkness fell.

"They're here," Eddie said at last. I already knew. I swallowed my fear and held my head high as a group approached the bookshop.

"No further," Eddie shouted.

The vampire in the very centre of the group held up her hand. Those around her halted. One made me catch my breath. No more than thirteen, she was different to the others. Vampire, but not. Her sad gaze penetrated mine until hers flickered back to the central vampire who stepped forward into the glow of a streetlight, allowing me to take a good look at her. She had short grey hair cut tight against her head. A tiny woman, she looked no more formidable than me. Her wrinkled skin gave her a harmless look, but her eyes were fierce.

"Is this she?" Her voice was quiet enough, but it carried over my skin until it felt like I was shrivelling up.

"Yes," replied Eddie. For an instant, I imagined I saw a wisp of something ahead of me, but it disappeared almost immediately. I felt two forces in the air, Daimhin's and Eddie's. Both having a silent battle unbeknownst to everyone else. "Is my debt paid in full?"

My head jerked toward Eddie in surprise. He ignored me. I bit my lip as a lump formed in my throat. I had been used. I turned back to the vampire, unable to look at Eddie for a second longer. I desperately tried to figure out how this affected our plans, but I couldn't concentrate-I was too scared.

Daimhin inclined her head. "As soon as you hand her over for execution."

Eddie pushed me forward. I was completely alone until I felt Carl's presence behind me along with someone or something who gently left a cool kiss on my cheek. I found it comforting. Carl squeezed my hand, and my heart slowed a little. Daimhin's face was expressionless. She stared at me until another voice spoke from a roof behind her.

"I think an execution might be a tad over the top."

Daimhin's face creased in disgust as a figure jumped down, followed by a number of others, one of whom I recognised as Arthur.

"Here I am, hunting her down, and this disgraced oddity hands her over to you. I. Saw. Her. First."

I guessed he was Maximus, not that it mattered. His hair was long, and his clothes flamboyant. He obviously wanted to be noticed. He probably knew Daimhin was there and went out of his way to make a cool entrance. I wasn't impressed. Neither was Daimhin, judging by the fire in her eyes. She kept her voice steady.

"I claim her. Leave. You have no business here tonight."

"Oh, but I do," he said, sneering as he sauntered closer to her. I could almost see her hackles rise.

"I won't repeat myself again, Maximus. Go."

His eyes glinted as he entered the light of the street lamp. He licked his protruding fangs as he looked me over.

"Don't even think about it," Daimhin said, sounding like a mother talking to a bold toddler.

I gripped Carl's hand behind my back, unsure of what to do next. Arthur approached but was still some distance behind Maximus.

Maximus ignored Daimhin and headed straight for me. Closer now, I could tell he had once been handsome. A strong jaw line was now covered in mottled skin, and the long hair was a distraction from the many blemishes on his face and neck. Yet he moved as though he were G.o.d's gift to women.

Quick as a flash, Daimhin was in front of him, blocking his way. Carl pushed me slightly, getting me out of their path.

Both vampires squared up to each other. It was almost comical-one very tall, flamboyant old man against a tiny, shrivelled looking old woman. But then she sliced him across the face with her fingernails, and it wasn't close to funny anymore. He howled with pain as she tore strips of skin away then responded by punching her so hard, she flew backward straight through where I had been standing. Eddie managed to dodge out of the way in time. He ran inside and locked the door, abandoning Carl and I to our fate.