6/20/2022 0 Comments Chapter TwelveWednesday June 28, 2017 For what felt like the fifteenth time that morning, Jemima held her phone to her ear and listened to the dull, tedious ringing play from the earpiece as she tried once more to get ahold of Ryo Amano. Her plan with the Countess was in motion and she needed his assistance more than ever, yet he was entirely MIA. This was unacceptable.
When she heard his voice announcing she had reached his voicemail yet again, Jemima sighed and ended the call. She dropped her phone into her lap and turned her attention to Macavity, who was driving her across the city to Ryo’s residence. “How much longer until we arrive?” she asked as calmly as she could despite the uncertainty swirling in her abdomen. She knew who was likely behind his untimely disappearance, but that didn’t make her any less nervous. “Not much farther now,” he replied, his voice disquietingly even. She’d always known her bodyguard to be rather stoic, but today he had displayed a level of calmness that was rather unnerving as they’d hurried out. Did he know something she didn’t? No, he would tell me, she reassured herself. Macavity never kept secrets from her. But why then was he acting so unusually patient and quiet? Could he sense her anxiety? Was he intent on being the calm during the storm? As he pulled up to a stop sign, he gave her an aside glance through the rearview mirror. “Never did elaborate on why I hated working for Mr. Amano, did I?” “I don’t believe so,” she answered gently, grateful for any distraction at the moment. “Part of it’s his temperament, but I’ve made no secret of that,” Macavity chuckled before going quiet for a moment. He continued driving once more, speaking again after they’d passed through the intersection. “Other part is the company his mum kept. Miss Dawn and Mr. Cold would pop in sometimes, check up on him. He’d always be more vicious for a time after. Kenzo always told me he’d hear frightened sobbing from Ryo’s room long after they left.” This raised more questions than it answered. “Why precisely does he continue entertaining his mother’s acquaintances in his home if he doesn’t care for them?” “Miss Dawn has this air to her like she always gets what she wants, whatever it may be. Plus being a family friend must mean something,” he sighed. “And Cold… I didn’t know any better, I’d say he wasn’t human. Man’s unsettling. No idea what he’d do if he was told to leave.” “Then I suppose we’re going to find out,” she declared before glancing out the window again. The elaborate iron gate to Ryo’s family home, a familiar sight as she’d visited his property many times before, soon came into view. What struck her as odd was the fact that it was already open and standing on either side of the entrance were two men in black suits and sunglasses. They appeared rigid and motionless. Had Ryo hired new bodyguards? “Oh, lovely. Brought the whole crew with him. Bloody wonderful,” Macavity huffed, answering her question. Jemima frowned as she stared at the men. “Is this normal when this ‘Cold’ visits?” “Only when Miss Dawn is with him,” Macavity replied. “I was hoping she’d have left by now. No such luck, it seems.” Jemima settled back into her seat while Macavity proceeded his way up the driveway, pulling to a stop next to one of the black cars with tinted windows presumably belonging to the mysterious employer. A few more men and women in suits and sunglasses were wandering around outside while another was standing next to a very nervous-looking Kenzo at the front door. For reasons she couldn’t quite comprehend, a mysterious feeling of dread covered Jemima from head to toe like a warm fleece blanket. She pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose and as calmly as she could, she asked , “How do you suggest we proceed?” “Stay by my side, no matter what,” he instructed. “I’m not sure how they’re going to react, but I’m not letting any harm come to you. But you knew that already.” She didn’t expect anything less from her bodyguard, but it was reassuring to hear him say it regardless. “Just refrain from doing anything rash,” she simply replied before taking off her seat belt and exiting the car. Almost as soon as she stepped out, Kenzo’s head snapped in her direction, his eyes shifting nervously towards the man next to him. As they approached, he called out, “Miss Mathers? Macavity? What are you doing here?” She decided to play it casual to eliminate any need for suspicion. With a friendly smile and the muffled sound of her black leather flats click-clacking against the pavement as she approached the two men standing near the front door, she answered, “I’m simply here to visit a friend.” Kenzo’s eyes once more darted nervously to the man beside him. “I don’t think you c—“ “Hold on,” the man beside him interjected in a flat, even tone. He reached his hand up to his ear and spoke monotonously, “Sir. It seems there are visitors. Two adult humans. One male, one female. I believe one is Jemima Mathers. Orders?” Jemima’s smile faded, and she narrowed her eyes at the man. Whoever he was talking to, she could tell it wasn’t Ryo. The man was silent and unmoving for a moment before lowering his hand. “You may enter.” “Thank you,” Jemima sarcastically remarked. With Macavity right behind her, she proceeded to Ryo’s front door. Pushing it open, she entered the Amano home. She was accustomed to visiting Ryo’s house when it was alive with excitement and full of people, like the New Year’s Eve party he had hosted the previous holiday season. Now, however, it was dull and quiet with an uncomfortable sense of foreboding lingering in the air. Somehow, despite it being mid-morning with the sun shining brightly outside, it was rather dark and dreary inside the house. How very odd… “Well as I live and breathe,” came a thick, Southern drawl, “Jemima Mathers, the hero of Rhine City!” An older gentleman dressed in a pitch-black suit approached her in the foyer, flanked by a pair of men dressed similar to the others she’d seen in the yard. He was rather pale with platinum blonde hair and looked to be about Jemima’s age. As ominous as the house had felt before, it became even more so when the man entered the room. He slowly smiled at her, revealing his perfectly straight, white teeth. “Indrid Cold, I presume,” she remarked coolly. “You presume correctly,” Cold replied with a wink. “Now, what brings you down to this neck of the woods, Miss Mathers?” “I’m simply visiting a friend,” she answered, repeating what she’d said to Kenzo a moment earlier. She tried to ignore how much the man’s presence made her skin prickle. “Good ol’ Ryo, huh? Sad to say he’s in a meeting right about now.” She sincerely doubted the legitimacy of his claim, but she wasn’t about to argue and cause a scene. “Then I’ll wait for his business to conclude.” Cold sighed dramatically and pressed the back of his hand against his forehead. “Who knows how long Goldie is gonna be grilling that boy? I’m honestly rather bored with waiting and all; wish she asked one of her siblings to come with her when we left New Innsmouth. Not too keen on being in this city—no offense, of course.” “If you don’t mind my asking, what business exactly do you have with Mr. Amano?” she asked, raising an eyebrow. “We just had to drop on in and do a little check up is all, make sure he understands that since his mother, Atsuko Amano, left this mortal coil, he needs to finish what she started. Nothing too serious. We’ll be out of your hair and off to London in no time at all, Miss Mathers.” And what exactly is it he is finishing? she wondered. As much as she wanted to press Mr. Cold for more information, she determined it would be best to ask Ryo directly. “Very well.” If it were at all possible, Cold’s smile seemed to grow wider. “You know, I do hate that we’re intruding in your territory… How about I let you in on a little something that ought to help you out?” Jemima couldn’t pretend she wasn’t intrigued in the slightest. “And what might that be?” “I overheard Ryo mention you’re on the lookout for someone… What was their name? Sounded like some sort of Roman god…” He snapped his fingers. “Minerva, that’s it! Well, I’d recommend talking to that good old boy down at the docks, Mr. Wake. He might know a thing or two.” As much as Jemima wanted to locate her former employee, she was skeptical of this tip considering its source. “Why exactly would a dockworker know anything?” The sound of a door opening upstairs caused Cold to dart his eyes towards the staircase. “Well, seems like you’ll need to be finding that out for yourself. Sounds like Goldie finished up.” Finally, she thought with relief. Jemima’s attention shifted to the red oak stairs in time to see a young woman standing at the top staring her down with narrowed eyes. Her curly golden blonde hair was separated into two voluminous pigtails, each of which rested on her chest. She wore a hideously bright yellow oversized t-shirt dress that was far too short and white wedge sandals that looked impossible to walk in. Her most noticeable feature was a deep scar that trailed down the right side of her face from her cheek to the corner of her lips. This, presumably, was “Goldie”. “Who the fuck’s this?” the woman sneered, placing her left hand on her hip. “Miss Jemima Mathers, savior of the city and our boy Ryo’s friend,” Cold explained with a wave of his hand. Her eyes narrowed further into tiny slits. “What the fuck is she doing here?” “Visiting my dear friend,” Jemima answered, incredibly annoyed by the woman’s crass attitude. “I’ve got a better idea.” Goldie’s eyes returned to normal and a smile crept across her face as she tilted her head to the side. “How about you fuck off?” With a scoff, she retorted, “I will do no such thing.” A shrill laugh bounced off of the walls as Goldie righted herself. “Oh, I like her!” “Bet your daddy would too,” Cold winked. “But there’s only one woman in Rhine he’s interested in right now.” “There better be!” Goldie skipped down the stairs before landing with a thud at the bottom. She twirled her right pigtail around her finger and declared, “Your little friend is a fucking pissbaby, so have fun with that!” This infuriated Jemima for reasons she cared not to explore. Stiffly, she replied, “Very well.” “Now, now, no need to be so disrespectful!” Cold grinned, his voice sounding like he was trying very hard not to laugh. “Miss Mathers is the most respected person in Rhine City! What would your daddy say if he saw you mouthing off like this?” With an eye roll, Goldie sighed. “Daddy would probably encourage me.” The lips of her mouth curved upwards, and she added, “He likes it when I swear.” The two men beside Cold started snickering uncontrollably, their bodies jerking and twitching in a rather disconcerting way as they laughed. Jemima noticed Macavity tense up beside her, his hand moving towards his waist where he kept his gun. Cold gave a small nod in Macavity’s direction, which caused her bodyguard to freeze. “Well Goldie, if you’re all done, perhaps we should be off. Looks like we’re overstaying our welcome if Mr. Burton’s trigger finger itching for his holster is any indication. Time for you to meet up with your siblings and catch your flight. London awaits!” “Yeah, yeah.” Goldie dropped her hair, her curls bouncing back into place on her bosom. “Bye, bitches.” With a quick wave of her hand, the young woman skipped past Jemima and out the front door, whistling a merry, careless tune as she went. “Be seeing you,” Cold said with a salute. “Come on, boys.” Without another word, the men in suits followed the man as they exited the house. “Jesus wept,” Macavity muttered as the sound of cars leaving the driveway could faintly be heard. “Miss Dawn was really in a mood today.” Jemima’s voice was deadpan as she replied, “I hadn’t noticed.” Then, without another word, she began her ascent up the stairs. She wouldn’t wait a second longer to check on Ryo. “Are you both alright?” came Kenzo’s voice from the front door. “Miss Dawn, she—” “Yeah, yeah, we got the brunt of it,” she heard Macavity reply. “You know where Ryo would be?” “Probably up in his room!” Kenzo called out. “We’ll… We’ll wait here, I suppose. It may be best if you speak to him alone.” As she reached the second floor, Jemima realized she didn’t know which room was Ryo’s. Thankfully, his house was far smaller than hers. While her mansion had two lengthy hallways on either side of her centered staircase, his had one room to the right and a smaller hallway with four or five visible doors to the left of the stairs. “Mr. Amano? It’s Jemima. Is everything alright?” “No,” came a quiet, shaky reply from a room down the hallway. It didn’t quite answer her question, but at least he was conscious and able to reply. She walked in that direction, but wasn’t sure which room he was in. “Where are you?” she asked, feeling completely clueless. “Second door to your right.” Following his instructions, she spotted what she presumed was his bedroom. The door wasn’t completely closed over, allowing her to peek through a small crack. Ryo was sitting on the edge of his bed. His shoulders were slumped, and his head was bowed. Whatever had happened with Goldie had clearly affected him. Gently, Jemima knocked on the door before requesting, “May I enter?” “Yeah,” was the despondent reply from Ryo. Jemima pushed open the door and slowly walked into the bedroom. She was surprised by how simple it was considering how lavishly Ryo decorated his restaurant. A few pieces of Japanese art had been hung on the white walls, and there was a rather nice black lacquer oriental dresser with a small bamboo plant and a number of trophies from what appeared to be dancing competitions atop it. As she’d seen a moment ago, Ryo was sitting on wrinkled, unmade crimson red sheets. Despite his messy bed, he looked as put-together as usual in a pair of black dress pants, a white Oxford button-down shirt, and a black suit jacket. Ryo didn’t look her way as she entered. Rather, he was staring at his pocket watch, which he was repeatedly opening and closing in his hand. “Are you alright, Mr. Amano?” she inquired. It almost frightened her to see him so lethargic and dejected. “You only had to deal with Goldie for a couple of minutes,” he said quietly. “Imagine that for hours.” “What precisely did she want?” “She wants me to finish what my mother started,” he spat bitterly as he continued flipping his watch open and closed. “As if I fucking could. As if I want to. I’m a dead man if I don’t, though.” “Then let me help you,” she insisted. “You can’t. You can’t, Jemima. I can’t ask you to do this.” Throwing her hands into the air in frustration, she exclaimed, “I don’t even know what ‘this’ is. Neither you nor your mother’s friends are giving me any information.” “I need Rika dead,” Ryo stated bluntly, his voice flat and emotionless. “Not exiled. Dead. She needs to die. I need my sister to die.” This knocked Jemima down a peg. “I see,” she murmured. She’d happily helped him once before, but that had simply been chasing his sister out of the city. Murder was something entirely different. And it goes against my rule. “I know you see. The problem, that is.” He let out a bitter laugh as he once more flicked his watch open, pausing to carefully examine it. “The damn ticking… It's like my father is trying to tell me something. This has to be it… It’s the only way…” Jemima sat down on the bed next to Ryo. His state of mind was clearly unstable, worrying her even more than just a moment ago. “I’m afraid I don’t understand, Mr. Amano. Why did your mother want to kill your sister?” Ryo let out a harsh, barking laugh. “Oh, you’d never believe it! I can hardly fucking believe it! My mom, Rika’s high school boyfriend, god knows who fucking else… My dad? Did he know?” He gripped the watch tightly in his trembling hand. “Is that what he’s telling me?” he muttered frantically. “Is that what the picture means? Is it all connected?” Her brow furrowed with concern. “Perhaps it would be best if you got some fresh air, Mr. Amano. I believe you have been trapped in your home for far too long.” “Maybe. Maybe, yeah, you’re right,” he rambled, his entire body trembling. “B-But first… First! Do you want to see something interesting? It’s in my father’s study.” “I suppose,” she answered, not entirely sure if she did want to see whatever it was. “Follow me,” he exclaimed as he leapt off his bed and stumbled to the door. Jemima let him take the lead, following him to the lone room by the staircase. Ryo stopped outside of the closed door and fumbled with a set of keys. “I try not to go in here usually,” he explained as he finally managed to unlock it, “but I think my father wanted me too. He wanted me to find this… this half-remembered… thing. From when I was a child.” Burning with curiosity, Jemima glanced inside the study. It looked fairly untouched, as though it had been left the same way for years. Naturally, she had never met Ryo’s father as he had passed before she was introduced to Ryo, so this short glimpse at the man was rather interesting. It was a simple room albeit a cozy one. There were a few bookshelves filled with various reading materials creating a personal library. A few decorative art pieces depicting snails were placed on the walls. In the middle of the room, seated on top of a tan and blue decorative rug, were two matching brown leather armchairs facing the door with a small dark oak side table beside them. A tall, dark, wooden ornate grandfather clock sat in a far corner. It didn’t appear to be working if the time it displayed—approximately 8:27—was any indication as it was late morning and well past the 8:00 hour. What struck Jemima as particularly odd was the placement of what she guessed was the late Mr. Amano’s desk. It was tucked into the back right corner against the wall by an abstract painting of a snail. There were various piles of papers on the top as well as a few faded postcards. Why he would choose to put his desk in such a dreary part of the room, she had no idea. Why not in the middle, in place of the chairs, to face anyone who entered? Did he use the desk, or was it merely a surface on which to place things with no home? “When I was eight years old,” Ryo explained as he moved towards the desk, “I snuck in here and accidentally knocked over a huge pile of books. With them came fluttering down a photograph. My father caught me almost immediately. He wasn’t mad—he never really got mad at all—but he locked this room up right after that and I forgot all about it… until the other night.” He snatched something off the desk and held it up for Jemima to see. “Take a look!” With an inward sigh, she walked further into the room, approaching the desk and leaning in towards a black and white photograph Ryo held in his hand. She saw several people in it but couldn’t quite make out any of them. If she had any doubt she was getting older, her vision was surely keen to remind her. Pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose with one finger, she took the photo from Ryo and held it closer to her face. Jemima took in the picture’s contents slowly. There was a tall man with dark hair that rested just past his shoulders. Beside him, with her arm wrapped in his, was a woman much shorter than him with skin that appeared to be darker. She had a polite, professional smile on her face similar to one Jemima herself would display, but she could see a twinkle in the woman’s eyes, as though her true smile was hidden there. Beside her was a slightly taller woman with much lighter skin and long hair. She had freckles and a dazzling smile on her face. Behind her, his head appearing over her shoulder, was an Asian man with glasses and a grin that nearly matched that of the woman whose waist his arms were wrapped around. Two women were placed beside the couple. One had light, short hair that Jemima found odd considering how old the photo appeared to be and was sitting in a chair with one ankle tucked neatly behind the other. The second woman, who stood beside her, had hair nearly as short and almost as light and looked a tad shy. While interesting considering the history no doubt contained within the picture, Jemima wasn’t entirely sure what was significant about the photo. She lifted her gaze, raising an eyebrow in Ryo’s direction. “Why is this a concern, precisely?” “Don’t you recognize the Countess?” Ryo asked, waving the picture about. “That’s her in that picture. And my father’s there too. If you need more proof, my dad scribbled names on the back. ‘A. Zephyr,’ that was his name… and ‘N. Shibani’ is on there too.” Jemima’s eyes snapped back to the picture and started scanning its subjects once more. “That’s impossi—” She let out a gasp involuntarily as she realized the woman sitting in the chair was, in fact, the Countess Nadia Shibani. How did I not notice this before? But how was it possible? The photo was quite old, if the slight fading and the attire worn by the subjects were any indication. Was it a period piece? If so, the photographer went to great lengths to make it look genuine. “I’m… I’m afraid I don’t understand…” “You think I do?” Ryo cackled. “How do you think I feel? I see my father sitting in this ancient photograph, his arms around some woman I’ve never seen, and your Countess off in the corner with, who? Her ex? It must be, it must be her!” “Mr. Amano,” she began as calmly as she could. “This photograph is decades old. It is impossible.” “Exactly!” Ryo exclaimed. “It makes no sense at all! But it’s bothering me so much now! My dad, he looks exactly as he did my whole life, and I saw this when I was a kid. You telling me he never aged a day? And there’s no way he wouldn’t have taken the opportunity to introduce us to someone like Nadia…” Surely there was a simple explanation, one they were overlooking. It was impossible that the Countess and Ryo’s father were in the picture. It was absurd to even consider! “Perhaps it is an ancestor. Your great-grandfather? Her great-grandmother?” “Oh I wish I could believe that, but you know what? There’s another name written on the back of this photo, one that’s really making me think…” He roughly tapped the tall, dark haired man. “It must be this guy’s name.” Jemima sighed. Goldie had really shaken him up if he was this paranoid. “What is it?” “A. Dracula. His name is A. Dracula. There’s only one person I’ve ever heard of with that name, and he doesn’t fucking exist.” “Then what is there to fret over, Mr. Amano? It is simply an outdated photo of a time long gone with relatives that look uncannily like their descendants.” “Ohoho, you don’t see it! You don’t see all the pieces!” Ryo laughed frantically. “All those postcards Aunt Camilla would send with that vampire dolphin, this photo right here, all those mercenaries who turn up dead in the harbor, June 30th, Indrid Cold and his fucking Men In Black, there’s something seriously fucking weird going on!” She had never seen Ryo like this before. Had Goldie drugged him? Had she rattled his brain so hard in his skull that he was suffering permanent brain damage? “Mr. Amano, I believe the best thing for you at the moment is to treat yourself to a vacation, so to speak.” She folded her hands before her. “I will have a room prepared for you at the mansion. You may stay there as long as you like. I need you at your best, and so does your restaurant, so take time for yourself to recover from whatever you experienced the past few days.” “Yes, yes. Good!” he muttered. “Good idea, good idea… I’ll be safer there. Can’t stay here. ‘Dark comes before Dawn,’ she said. I don’t know what she means, and I don’t want to know…” “Come,” she declared, turning on her heel to begin her retreat from the room. “I will ensure lunch is prepared upon our arrival.” “Jemima, you need to promise me something,” Ryo said from right behind her. “You need to promise me that you’ll bring this photo up to the Countess. I need… I need to know! If she can help me, or if I’m fucked.” He wanted answers, which was something she could personally relate to (although it usually pertained to various crimes occurring around the city). She wasn’t sure presenting the photograph to the Countess would result in an answer that would satisfy him, but if it would keep him calm for the time being, it was the least she could do. “Very well,” she sighed as they entered the hallway once more. Before descending down the stairs, she held her hand out. “I am to see the Countess this afternoon; I will bring it with me.” “Thank you,” Ryo breathed before falling completely silent. Kenzo and Macavity were waiting by the front door. Both looked apprehensive as Jemima and Ryo approached them. With a professional demeanor, Jemima announced, “Mr. Amano will be staying at the mansion until further notice. Kenzo, please pack a bag of his necessities as well as your own and meet us there when you are finished.” Kenzo gave a slight nod. “Absolutely. I will not keep you waiting long.” With that said, she and Ryo left the house with Macavity silently following behind them. The atmosphere had changed again, though she couldn’t quite pinpoint what it was. Perhaps it was as uncertain as she was about Ryo’s mental state despite how bright and sunny it was outside. The front lawn was now empty and void of any of the strange persons Mr. Cold employed, leaving Jemima feeling relieved. However, just because he had left did not mean that was the last she would hear his name. Whoever he was, Jemima was certain he was not an ally. She was intent on ridding him from Ryo’s life completely so he would no longer be a threat. When the trio had reached the car, Jemima patiently waited for Ryo to slip into the backseat and close the door before she turned to Macavity. In a hushed voice, she began giving directions. “I want as much information on Indrid Cold and Goldie Dawn as you can dig up. I also need men on sight at the docks looking for the harbormaster. He needs to be questioned about Minerva’s whereabouts.” Even if Mr. Cold was a foe, she was going to follow up on his tip just in case it turned out to be legitimate. “And we still need to find Mr. Amano’s sister, this time for her safety. The sooner the better.” “It’ll be done, boss.” With a sidelong glance at the car, he added, “I know I’ve been not too kind in my opinions of Mr. Amano in the past, but I’m not heartless. He’s in a bad way. I think helping him might be the first genuinely good thing we’ve done in a while.” “He’s done much for me,” she agreed. “This is the least I can do for him.” With that, she entered the car, which was quite warm on the inside thanks to the June heat, and sat next to Ryo. He still looked as shaken up as he had inside the house. He will be fine, she reassured herself. He just needs rest and safety. She had no doubt he’d be back to his chipper self in a few days time. And I will be damned if I let anyone threaten him like that again. ****** It was rare that Gabby got to talk to people her own age since most of her Grandma’s coven was made up of members older than her. Every so often, the stars aligned and she, Gemini Cullen, Mabel Durand, and Juno Nero were able to join a call together to catch up and gossip. Talking to her friends made her feel like a normal young adult, and she thrived during these moments. She was trying her best to stay focused during their first video chat together since the previous Christmas Eve, but her mind repetitively wandered to Flynn’s whereabouts. Since they’d met, her “bodyguard” always made a point to wish her good morning, but it was almost eleven and she hadn’t seen him yet. Is he with Rex? she thought bitterly. Or maybe he was downstairs watching tv with Jojo. But if that was the case, wouldn’t he have said hello to her first? “Hey! Hey! Earth to Gabby! Were you even listening?!” Gemini’s irritated voice brought Gabby’s attention back to their video chat. Her cheeks started burning with embarrassment as she realized she had completely spaced out for the second time in ten minutes. “Um, y-yes,” she stammered, not wanting to admit that she had indeed gotten distracted. Gemini looked annoyed (and rightfully so), though Gabby wondered if both sisters felt the same or if it was just Dawn, the one currently speaking. The sisters were the most unique pair of twins Gabby had ever met. They’d once been two separate women–Dawn and Stella Cullen–but an unfortunate accident (one that had never been disclosed in detail to her by neither the sisters nor anyone else in the coven) had left them nearly dead. Their mother, Beatrix Cullen, was a talented seamstress and had managed to save them both with Amon’s help. However, in doing so, it resulted in the sisters being sewn together into one body. Despite their circumstance, however, Dawn and Stella made it work quite well. Each was responsible for one half of the body. Separating each half was a scar that ran directly down the middle of their entire body. It had shocked Gabby when she’d first met them as it was extremely hard to miss but as she got to know the sisters, the scar became as much a part of them as their unique personalities. Dawn, the sister on the left, had a brilliant electric blue eye, black hair that was cut just past her shoulder, and a high-pitched voice that was significantly louder than her sister’s. She wasn’t afraid to say what was on her mind and often talked about boys. Stella, on the other hand, was soft-spoken with a slightly deeper voice. She had a dark green eye that contrasted her sister’s as well as blonde hair that was cut the same as Dawn’s. She was much quieter than her sister and was much more sensitive. Interestingly enough, the voice of whichever sister was “in control” was audible. Gabby had never quite understood how that was possible, but vampire magic was difficult to comprehend. “Look Goob, we get it,” Dawn sighed. “You managed to score the cute German boy. But some of us are still single, you know! The least you could do is listen to me thirst over Asterion!” Gemini tilted their head to the side before Stella’s voice spoke, adding, “You’re really lucky. Johan is super cute.” “Jojo,” she corrected before a giggly smile erupted onto her face. “And yeah, he is really cute.” Especially when he smiled or wrapped his arms around her in a tight hug or brushed her hair out of her face just before they fell asleep or-- Focus, Gabby! she scolded herself. “You really are lucky,” Mabel quietly spoke. The pale young girl sighed sadly. Though it was impossible for her to be physically ill, Mabel forever looked sickly due to the fact she was turned while suffering from a deadly disease (though what it was Gabby wasn’t entirely sure). Mabel’s father had sacrificed himself in order to save her life as she would have likely died if she hadn’t been turned. Mabel appeared unhealthily thin, had dark circles beneath her eyes, and had skin that unfortunately made her look like a classic vampire with how pallid she appeared. Thankfully, her wavy brunette hair gave her a small splash of color with how delicately it draped over her shoulders and down her back. Gemini’s head snapped back up. “Mabel!” Dawn exclaimed, “I should have tried to set you up with Aterion! You’re the only person on Earth who deserves a boyfriend more than me, so you should score with that Greek hunk!” Mabel nervously tucked her hair behind her left ear. “I appreciate it, but I don’t think it is a good idea to date anyone right now.” Gabby felt for Mabel, who was usually private about her personal life. The girl appeared lonely and sad despite showing interest in the lives of the others in the group. The only time she really appeared happy was when she was with Wayne, another coven member who Gabby’s mom described as a foster father for Mabel. “Aw, come on, Mabel!” Dawn teased. “How could you want to miss out on a guy like him! He’s buff, he has chest hair, he can turn into a huge bull, and he’s super mysterious since he’s in Dr. Syn’s group! Wait, shit, now I’m thirsting for him again…” She dramatically flopped backwards out of view of the camera and mumbled, “I’m going to be a virgin forever.” The group chat was immediately flooded with a torrent of laughing emojis courtesy of Juno. Gabby glanced at them and couldn’t help but snicker herself when she saw an amused twinkle in Juno’s brown eyes. It was almost hard to see since most of their face was covered, partly by their messy shoulder-length coffee brown hair and partly by the white face mask they wore over their nose and mouth—it reminded Gabby of a surgical mask that a doctor might wear. “You’ll find someone,” Mabel politely reassured her, any trace of a previous somber mood gone. Though they hadn’t talked about it openly with her, Gabby briefly wondered if that was what Stella wanted, too. She’d never dare to ask, but she was curious about how it would work with the sisters. Would they have to agree to date someone? Would just one of them be in the relationship? Would they tell whoever they were seeing about their situation? Sitting back up, Stella replied, “I’m less worried about us and more worried about mom.” “Yeah,” Dawn chimed in. “She’s still got it bad for Juno’s dad.” Juno nodded solemnly in agreement. “I know how you feel,” Gabby echoed with a sigh. Juno waved their hands about for a moment, and Stella replied, “I know, I know... Mom’s just so shy. And Dee scares her.” With a giggle, Gabby pointed out, “Dee scares everyone.” Juno doubled over as if laughing, then said something to which Dawn replied, “Well she should go back to that, then! Mom spent all her time talking to Mr. J cuz she was afraid to go over and make a move!” As she hadn’t learned sign language yet, Gabby asked in confusion, “Go back to what?” “Not being a bitch,” Dawn explained. Mabel’s soft voice spoke up and chastised the group. “That’s not very nice, you know.” Dawn huffed, “Yeah well neither is—“ “Hush, Dawn, Mabel is right,” Stella interrupted. “Dee probably has something hurting her, just like everyone else.” Juno nodded slowly in agreement, a guilty look in their eyes. “But she doesn’t have to be so mean to everyone,” Gabby mumbled. Her mom and her grandma were both hurting, but they didn’t treat everyone else around them poorly. So why did Dee? Didn’t she realize how it made people dislike her? “Well I agree,” Stella nodded. “Maybe she’ll find someone who can get through to her and help her. No offense but it can’t be Giorgio. He’s, um… pretty oblivious.” Juno nodded enthusiastically at this. “There’s someone for everyone,” Mabel mysteriously commented as she played with a thick strand of her hair. “Yeah, except for me!” Dawn whined. “No one wants to fuck a Frankenstein! Mortals would be weirded out, and the coven is a no go… Wait!” She leaned in close to the camera. “Gabby, you’re his pal, is Nestor hot under the space helmet?” Before Gabby could even begin to try to process her question, there was a loud knock on her door. “Gabby?” came Hannah’s voice, sounding a bit frantic, “Are you in there?” Thankful for the interruption, she smiled apologetically at her friends’ images on her phone’s screen. “Sorry, I have to go. I’ll talk to you guys later!” Before anyone could protest, she left the call. Gabby turned her attention to her bedroom door and called out, “Come in!” Hannah cautiously opened the door a crack before slipping inside and quickly shutting it behind her. She was wearing little else but a blue and black bathrobe that seemed a bit big for her. She was visibly distraught, though the reason why was anybody’s guess. “Are… Are you okay?” she hesitantly asked. Was she supposed to ask? Hannah didn’t seem like her biggest fan, which made her all the more curious why the vampire killer was in her room in the first place. “Yes… No? I don’t know!” She slid down the door and came to rest on the floor. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have bothered you. I just… I have no one to talk to.” Gabby tossed her phone onto her bed and slowly approached Hannah. She sat down on the floor across from her. “But… What about Vincent or Randall? You’re friends with them, right?” Hannah let out a groan. “This is about them.” Her eyes widened in surprise. “What do you mean? What happened?” “God… Alright, so, I wanted this to be a surprise but… I remembered a powerful spell my parents had that can unbind and unlock anything, and I brought it to your mom and Rhiannon to help Jojo.” If it were at all possible, Gabby’s eyes widened even more. “To get his collar off?” “Yes!” Hannah exclaimed. “Exactly! And it will work because the spell negates magic! But… I didn’t know how strong it was and so it negated every bit of magic and unlocked everything in the room, and then… I remembered why I’m not at the college anymore. It’s not just because my parents were mad that they are sellouts.” She frowned, feeling a bit lost. “Wait, what does the spell have to do with that?” “My memory was tampered with magically,” she said quietly. “I’d forgotten so much. I’d forgotten what happened at school, and… how close I’d become with Randall and Vincent.” “What did happen? Why did someone make you forget?” “We were teenagers, we got caught up in a dark wizard conspiracy, and my parents thought what we saw would be too traumatic… Look at the Quinceys. Randall didn’t always stutter, and Vincent wasn’t always so tired. They probably were trying to spare me…” “So your parents made you forget, but the boys remembered?” That didn’t seem particularly fair to her, especially if the brothers were suffering as a result. “I guess so!” she sighed. “And when I remembered, I went to Vincent to talk to him about it, and I just… broke down. It was a lot to process. And he was so sweet and patient. And it all came back to me how I felt about him, and then… um… well…” Her face turned bright red as she gestured awkwardly at her robe. “This is, um, his robe. If you get me.” That explained the odd wardrobe choice, though she was confused about why exactly she was wearing Vincent’s clothes. She simply shook her head in reply, too shy to admit she was completely clueless. Hannah buried her face in her hands. “We… had sex.” Now it was Gabby’s turn to blush. “Oh.” “And it was good! He was… It’s not that. That’s not why I’m here, I’m just… I’m so overwhelmed. This is all so much! And when I was lying in bed I realized I just don’t have any female friends, so… um, that’s why I’m here.” She nervously stroked her hair. “I mean, I guess we aren’t friends…. You probably don’t like me much… but I didn’t know what else to do.” Gabby felt a pang and asked in a small, wounded voice, “Why would you think I don’t like you?” Did she do something to offend Hannah? “Because I’ve been kind of snooty and full of myself,” Hannah sniffled. “But I don’t not like you…” She awkwardly shrugged and mumbled, “I thought you didn’t really like me.” “Well… I was a little jealous that Flynn was paying so much attention to you… My parents wanted me to marry him.” Once more, Gabby’s eyes widened. “Wait, what?” Hannah was supposed to marry Flynn? Did Flynn know about that? “I don’t know why they wanted that. I guess because the Dangerfields are somewhat respected and… Oh, does it even matter? I don’t want to get married. I don’t even really know who I am right now…” Gabby wasn’t sure what she was supposed to say. She didn’t know Hannah that well. She could tell the girl was quite upset and needed some kind of reassurance, however. Gabby put on a friendly smile and said, “Sure you do. You’re Hannah, a strong and independent woman who is really good at magic. You’re brave and hardworking, and you want to make your parents proud of you.” Despite not knowing her very well, Gabby meant every word. These were all things she could tell were true about Hannah, even from their limited interactions. A part of her envied how independent and confident she was. Gabby didn’t know if she could leave her family behind to go on an important mission like Hannah had. “Y-Yeah, I guess that’s true…” she sniffled. “I… I’m sorry, Gabby. I shouldn’t be dumping all this on you. We barely know each other.” “It’s okay,” she shrugged. “It’s better to be with someone right now than to be alone, isn’t it?” If the roles were reversed, she’d rather be consoled by someone she didn’t know than no one at all. “Well… yes. But maybe… maybe we should actually get to know each other.” Hesitantly, she asked, “Do you want to?” Hannah hesitated herself before slowly nodding. “I probably should have at least one girlfriend.” Gabby was, admittedly, surprised since she didn’t think Hannah wanted anything to do with her. “I think I’d like that. To be friends with you, I mean.” Hannah gave her a small smile. “I would too. Like that, I mean.” An idea popped into Gabby’s mind, and she grinned excitedly. “Do you want to watch a movie with me?” “Oh! Um, sure! That sounds fun, actually.” Hannah began nervously stroking her hair again. “Truth be told I haven’t really… watched any movies in a long while…” “Well, um… Most of what I have is older stuff, but you can pick what we watch!” Gabby leapt to her feet and hurriedly fetched her box of movies, setting it on top of her bed. Hannah stood up and joined Gabby, peering into the box with widened eyes. “Oh, wow… You have a lot of options. I don’t think I’ve actually seen any of these. Er, I may need a minute.” “It’s okay. I don’t mind!” Gabby politely folded her hands in front of her. “I can go get us something to eat while you pick. Do you want pizza or popcorn or anything?” “Popcorn would be nice,” Hannah smiled. “I’m actually kind of sick of pizza. I know vampires don’t need to worry about weight or heart disease or anything, but would it have been so hard for Rex to get some fruit with his beer and pizzas?” With a giggle, Gabby admitted, “I can’t picture Rex eating fruits and vegetables.” “It’s amazing he has the body he does when he eats like that,” Hannah replied with an eyeroll. “Though he was born before frozen pizzas were invented…” “Maybe that’s why he eats them so much. But don’t worry, I’ll make us some popcorn with lots of butter.” “Alright! I’ll try and pick something to watch.” “Be back soon!” She skipped out of her bedroom, making the journey through the big house to the kitchen. As she descended the stairs, she could hear the television in the living room and wondered if Flynn and Rex were watching something with Jojo. She was tempted to peek into the room, but decided she needed to stay focused. I’ll see them later. She walked into the kitchen and was surprised to see her mom, Rhiannon, and her grandmother inside. Her mom was standing at the oven with a tray of what appeared to be freshly-made muffins (if the smell of something warm and sweet wafting in the air was any indication), and her grandmother was sitting at the small kitchen table wistfully smiling. What was perhaps most shocking to see was Rhiannon standing behind Gabby’s mother with her arms wrapped around her mom’s waist. “I forgot how much I enjoyed baking,” her mother sighed happily. “I ought to do it more often. I think Gabby would appreciate it.” “I have a few recipes I wouldn’t mind sharing with you,” Rhiannon purred. “Perhaps I can come along when you leave? I think I’ve been alone long enough, and your coven seems like a cozy little group to join up with…” “I think I’d like that very much,” her mother whispered in reply. She set the muffins down and turned around, her eyes widening in surprise as she saw Gabby. “Oh! Hello, Gabby! I was about to fetch you and Jojo!” Bewildered by the sudden closeness between her mom and Rhiannon, she stammered, “I’m not… not with, um, Jojo right now, actually…” She’d gotten the sense that the mage had feelings for her mom, but she’d thought it would take time for her mother’s feelings for Nadia to fade. How had this happened so quickly? “Well, we have good news!” Rhiannon chirped. “His collar is coming off today! Miss Starr provided a rather exceptional spell, one I admit I misjudged the intensity of… I should have known better than to underestimate the whispers of the Great God Pan.” “I can’t say I’m too upset with the results,” her mother smiled. It had been a long time since Gabby had seen her mother radiate joy to this degree, but it certainly wasn’t unwelcome. “Are you sure it will work?” Gabby asked Rhiannon nervously. “Yes, I think so,” Rhiannon nodded. “I’ve been practicing it all morning, and I must say it has a myriad of uses! Broke down quite a few junk pieces I’ve wanted to destroy for a hundred years with it and cleared my mind and recalled events both pleasant and otherwise with incredible clarity!” Gabby sighed with relief, then asked, “When are you going to take it off?” “Wait until this afternoon, please,” her grandmother said as she suddenly stood up. “There’s something I must do first. But I want to be here for this.” “You do?” Gabby exclaimed, feeling pleasantly surprised. “Yes.” Her grandmother glanced at her mother and Rhiannon. “This… is important to you. And it’s just so nice seeing you all happy again.” She moved forward and pulled Gabby into a gentle hug. “My sweet Marianna… My precious Gabriella… I’m going to try to end this all peacefully so we can go and be a real family.” “What?” her mother gasped. “Truly, Mother?” “End all of what?” Gabby felt quite confused as she hugged her grandmother back. Weren’t they a real family already? “This… business. With Dracula’s coven.” “Really?” Gabby, along with her mother, stared at her grandma in shock. After so many years of moving from place-to-place, would they finally pick one place to be home? Who would be with them? Amon? Jojo? Flynn? “Yes. I don’t know how this will go but perhaps I can come to an agreement with Victoria…” Her grandmother sighed happily. “I feel… so clear for the first time in so long. I need to keep those smiles on your faces, and I can’t do that in a war zone.” Excitement tingling through her, Gabby hugged her grandma tighter. “I can’t wait!” The past few days had been some of her happiest, what with feeling closer to her family and having friends (and a boyfriend) to spend time with. Knowing that this didn’t have to change anytime soon was the best news she could have been given (save for being told Jojo’s collar would be removed later that day). “I’ll be back in a few hours… And then we can sort out this collar business. After that, I suppose it will be a matter of gathering up my new Order and hoping Victoria can see reason…” With a deep breath, her grandmother turned and headed out of the kitchen. “I… I can hardly believe this,” her mother gasped, tears of joy in her eyes. “Mother…” “Now let us hope this is the first of many good things to come,” Rhiannon grinned as she pulled Gabby’s mother closer. “Do you think we’ll move or stay here?” Gabby asked hesitantly, shifting her weight from one foot to another. “Probably move,” her mother sighed. “Maybe we can move somewhere closer to one of your friends. Maybe to Italy so you can spend more time with Juno, or to New York so we can see the Cullens more often…” “Do you think Grandma would let Flynn come too? If he wants to?” What if he wanted to go with Rex instead? The mere thought of it made her heart ache. “I think Mother will do whatever it takes to make sure you’re happy,” her mother replied. “I’m certainly not opposed to Flynn coming along with us. You’ve taken quite a shine to him, after all. I’d hate to separate you.” She snapped her fingers. “Aha! Maybe I can convince Mother to move us to that nice college town near here that we visited in the 70’s. I have a house there I bought to help Jojo out with something.” Gabby wrinkled her forehead in confusion. Her mom had found and adopted her in the 70’s, but she didn’t recall Jojo being around during her first few years in the coven. “I don’t remember that.” “It was when we were taking care of the Cullen girls while they were recovering from… from…” Her mother clenched her fists incredibly tightly, and a look of anger so vicious crossed her face that even Rhiannon seemed a bit taken aback. She took a deep breath before adding, “You at least must remember that. Jojo was there briefly, but Rex took him away.” “He was there, and I didn’t even know it?” she whispered, her mouth twisting downward. “He was trying not to come around you and I. Jack was there.” “Oh.” She remembered that much. Her mom had forbidden her from leaving her room for several days, promising it was for her protection. “Not everyone in this coven is a good person,” she had explained. “Perhaps I should call in my father to deal with Jack,” Rhiannon muttered. “He seems to be the root of most of the problems around here, as far as I’ve been filled in. The collar issue, that Moore character, what happened to this whole coven… It all circles back to him, every time.” “You know what? Why don’t we call your father. I’ll help,” her mother replied. “Once this nonsense is done, we can summon him up and have him take care of Jack.” “I was hardly serious! But now that you say it, maybe–” “Oh!” her mother exclaimed, interrupting Rhiannon. “I’m so sorry, Gabby. Did you come down to use the stove? Rhiannon and I have been blocking it this whole time…” Gabby shook her head. “No, I came down here to…” She frowned as she trailed off. What had she come into the kitchen for? Almost immediately after the question crossed her mind, she gasped with horror. “Oh no, Hannah! I totally forgot! I was going to make popcorn so we could watch a movie!” Ignoring the way her face burned with embarrassment, Gabby rushed for the pantry and searched the shelves, finding a big box of microwave popcorn that had a few uneaten bags left inside. “If you need those popped quickly, I’m more than happy to oblige!” Rhiannon offered. “You know a spell for that?” “Dear, I know a spell for just about everything,” Rhiannon winked. Gabby giggled before admitting, “It would save time…” She freed three bags of popcorn from their plastic wrapping and set them on one of the kitchen counters. She watched in amazement as Rhiannon cast a spell that almost immediately popped each one, filling the bags with hot, buttery popcorn. Then, with her help, Gabby emptied the contents into a large clear plastic bowl and topped it with a sprinkle of salt. After grabbing two cans of pop, which she carefully balanced in her hands along with the bowl of popcorn, Gabby bid her mom and Rhiannon farewell and headed out of the kitchen. She was excited to return to her bedroom to watch a movie with Hannah. I wonder which one she picked out to watch, she thought to herself as she climbed the staircase. She was walking briskly down the long hallway when she heard an unfortunately familiar voice loudly raging from inside the bathroom. There was no doubt in her mind that the man swearing up a storm just behind the door was Mr. Moore. Her skin prickled, and her eyes narrowed. Did he forget he was in a house full of vampires? Even without their improved hearing, he was fairly loud. Hannah could probably hear him down the hall from her room without even trying. I wonder what he’s complaining about… Gabby’s curiosity spiked. She quickly peeked around and was relieved to find no one nearby. Very quietly, she shifted as close to the bathroom door as she could in order to eavesdrop on the man inside. “—and now I’m the blood bag for some mute freak!” the man snarled. “I thought your mother was going to convince him to bring you along. What the hell happened?” Moore’s voice then went uncomfortably soft. “I… was hoping I’d be able to spend more time with you.” Ew, she gagged. It sounded like he was talking on the phone with someone special, but she couldn’t imagine who would actually have feelings for someone so despicable. “Look, I just—I don’t mean to be sentimental. I’ve just never met anyone as intense as—right, right… Yes, I know. But can you blame me? I get one good night with that German whore before the cripple bitch pulls a fast one, and your mom starts going all soft and sentimental… Yeah, I know, but they’re trying to get it off I think.” Gabby’s eyes narrowed. The way he talked about Jojo made her blood boil. But who was he talking to? A moment later, she had her answer. “I’ll keep you updated. Talk to you soon, Jack.” A gasp involuntarily left her mouth. Jack? He’d called Jack? Before she could even process this information, she heard footsteps approaching the door. Realizing Moore was on his way out, Gabby ran down the hallway to her bedroom. Hannah turned and looked at her with concern as she burst into the room and slammed the door behind her. “Are you okay, Gabby? You were gone a while, and you look really pale.” She slowly shook her head. In a loud whisper, she hissed, “Mr. Moore called Jack and told him we’re taking Jojo’s collar off.” Hannah straightened up. “Jack? As in Jack Fairchild?” “Yeah.” She knew her grandmother wouldn’t let Jack do anything to Jojo, but she was still scared for him. Hannah took a deep breath. “Gabby,” she started after breathing out, “I know this seems scary, but there’s no way he’d come here. He is the second most wanted supernatural criminal on Earth. If he showed up here, he’d at minimum get the Sons of Salem and probably the Silverwings back in Germany involved. This whole operation would fall apart, and he has to know it, insane as he is.” “But what about when we leave and go somewhere else? What if he comes after Jojo and tries to hurt him?” Hannah paused before giving Gabby the friendliest smile she’d yet seen from the woman. “Maybe… I can come with you. And if he tries anything, I’ll melt his face off.” Completely shocked by her offer, she asked, “You’d come with us? But what about Vincent?” “Would you be opposed to him coming?” she said shyly, her cheeks turning pink. “I have a lot of catching up to do with him, I think.” “Grandma’s gonna need to get a big house,” she giggled before approaching Hannah and handing her the bowl of popcorn. “A mansion, just like this one,” Hannah noted with amusement before holding up The Breakfast Club. “I think we should watch this one.” “I like that movie,” she said, taking it from the wizard. She quickly popped the VHS tape in, then moved her box of films to the floor and sat down next to Hannah on her bed. The girls got comfortable as the previews started. Gabby wanted so badly to enjoy herself, but her mind kept drifting to the conversation she’d overheard. She was extremely worried about Jojo. What if his power wasn’t strong enough to fight back if Jack tried to hurt him? She didn’t know what the man was capable of, but considering his past and how her mom had done everything she could to keep him away from her, she didn’t want to know. There was only one thing she could do in order to keep her boyfriend safe. I have to tell Mom and Grandma tonight what I heard Mr. Moore say. If they were plotting something, she couldn’t ignore it like she had in the Black Forest. Jojo won’t suffer anymore. Not if I can do anything about it. ****** 1991 Loomer Street. A residence from Sierra’s past that she’d been sure just a few days ago she’d never see again. Yet here she was walking up the driveway to the front door for the second day in a row as though this was an entirely normal routine for her. She felt almost as anxious as she had the day before, although this time it was because she was unsure how her brother would treat her after the previous day’s events. Sitting on the top porch step looking like he’d been waiting for her to arrive was David. His outfit was suspiciously identical to the one the day before. Did he even change, or is his wardrobe that boring? Sierra briefly wondered before deciding she couldn’t care less. Stopping a foot away from him, she crossed her arms over her plain stormcloud grey racerback tank and grumbled, “Hey.” “Hey,” he replied simply. “Fucking awful out, isn’t it?” She scoffed and retorted, “Take off your sweatshirt, damn.” “Geez, you could at least take me out to dinner before asking me to strip,” he retorted with a smirk. Sierra rolled her eyes. “Yeah, you wish that’s what I wanted.” She unfolded her arms and shifted her weight from her right foot to her left. “Is he inside?” David gave a slight nod. “Mhmm. Rika’s helping him paint his nails because he’s too lazy to do it himself. His words, not mine.” If there was any doubt he’s my brother… She sighed. “Guess I’m going in.” “I’d say good luck, but I don’t think you need it,” David nodded again. “You got this.” “Yeah, we’ll see about that,” she muttered as she walked past him up the porch stairs. When she reached the door, however, she paused. Staring at it in confusion, she wondered aloud, “Do I knock? Or just go in?” “Are you asking because of the… uh… you know. The thing? The V-word thing?” She turned around to face David, even more perplexed than before. “The fuck does that mean?” “You know. Getting invited in and all.” Realization struck her and under her breath, she swore, “Shit.” Since she never visited anyone, she’d completely forgotten about needing to be invited in before she could enter a home. Turning back towards the front door, she grumbled, “Knocking it is.” She lifted her hand and rapped her knuckles against the door several times. Just as before, Jason opened the door. “Hey. You know you don’t gotta knock, right? This place is for you as much as Val and I.” “It hasn’t been a place for me since Nne Nne and Nna Nna died,” she muttered, feeling a bit lame for needing an excuse for knocking at all. “Well, it can be again. You can come and go as you please. You’re family after all.” Unsure exactly how to respond, she abruptly changed the subject. “Where’s Val?” “Living room,” her brother replied, jerking his thumb over his shoulder. “He might still be getting his nails done. Rika’s not the best at it.” Sierra stepped inside and shoved past him, heading towards the living room. The pungent stench of nail polish was strong even from the doorway, where she’d decided to stand for the time being. A dangerous storm was churning in her stomach as she watched her baby brother sitting on the carpeted floor with his friend, a pile of nail polish bottles sitting beside them. She didn’t know what to say. Had she made a mistake in coming back? What if he was still mad and didn’t want her there? At least some of her worries melted away as Val glanced up at her and grinned. “Well, look who decided to come back!” “Hey,” she said cooly, crossing her arms over her chest once more. Internally, she was relieved he didn’t immediately want her gone. “So, uh,” Rika muttered nervously, “are you any good at painting nails?” “Rika kinda sucks,” Val whispered loudly. “I’m sorry! I never really liked painting my nails…” “It’s fine, girl!” Val laughed. “You’re good at dying hair! That’s gonna help come Halloween! Or during Pride. Or whenever I feel like stealing Sierra’s style and becoming a blonde!” “As if you could pull it off,” she scoffed before holding up her left hand to display her fingernails. “Does this answer your question?” “Ugh, why does Anna have to work during the day!” he groaned. “I knew I should’ve asked her last night!” Sierra sighed. “Just go get them done, then.” “Absolutely not! I’m not paying people when I can get my friends to do it for free!” She glanced at Rika. “You’re really gonna help him out with this kinda attitude?” Rika gave a satisfied smirk. “He’s getting what he pays for, isn’t he?” Val whipped his head to stare at her. “Hey, wait a minute!” She’s not so bad, I guess, Sierra thought with amusement. Aside from the whole gang thing. Immediately, her good mood soured. She was still pissed that Jason had let Val get involved with something like that. How could he be so irresponsible? Her brother snapped his fingers in irritation. “Hey! Hey! You wipe that sour look off your face, sis! There’s gonna be no bad moods today, alright?” He breathed in deeply. “I promised I wouldn’t be grouchy. So you gotta step up and at least try. We’re gonna have fun today.” “Are we?” she asked in disbelief. “What exactly are we doing?” She assumed Jason had told Val the night before she’d agreed to come back again. At least he was capable of doing something right. “We are, cuz we’re going to the park!” Sierra wrinkled her nose. “Why?” “Because it’s a beautiful day, the sun is shining, and there’s probably gonna be cute boys jogging!” She sighed again. It was nearly impossible to say no to Val when he was giving her his trademark innocent smile. Reluctantly, she agreed. “Fine. Let’s go, then.” He leapt up off the floor and grabbed her hand, dragging her off towards the door. “See ya, Rika! Make Jason clean the mess up!” Barely keeping up with his pace, she stuttered, “Wh- Hold on, not so fast!” She narrowly avoided colliding with Jason as they burst through the front door and nearly tripped when they stepped onto the front porch. Val finally stopped at the top of the stairs where David was still sitting. “Now that’s what I like to see,” David mused wistfully, “good old-fashioned sibling bonding.” “Shut up,” she muttered, making a show of rolling her eyes. Truthfully, she was glad to be spending time with Val, but she wasn’t about to make that known to anyone. He gave them a wave, yawning, “Have fun. I’ll make sure no one here does anything stupid.” “Make sure not to take your eyes off Jason, then,” Sierra grumbled as she and Val descended the porch stairs. “Oh come on, Jay’s not that bad!” Val laughed as he skipped over to the sidewalk. “Hey, wanna see me cartwheel all the way to the park? I’ve been practicing, you know!” “There’s no way you can keep that up for several blocks.” “Wanna bet?” She stared at him skeptically. “You’re gonna lose, you know.” “I never lose,” he proclaimed with an overabundance of confidence that, for just a moment, almost made her believe him. Would it really be so bad if I lost? She considered this for a moment before sighing yet again. “Fine. Twenty bucks you can’t do it.” “You’re on!” To his credit, he managed to last a few blocks cartwheeling down the sidewalks, attracting both impressed and confused stares from passersby. It was amazing how much energy her brother had, though it was finite and eventually, he stopped, stood up, and brushed off his hands. “Okay, fine, I lost. But it’s only because I got distracted by that hunk who jogged past us a block ago, he made me lose focus.” “Sure,” she snickered, holding her hand out. “Pay up, kid.” “Fine,” he grumbled. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet, producing two twenty dollar bills. “Since I know you’re going to a bar tonight, you can use this to get David something.” He gave her a smirk and wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. “I heard all about your night out with him! And by that I mean I asked him where he was last night, and he said, ‘Oh I went to the bar with your sister. It was fun.’ I had to read between the lines, but I can see what’s going on here!” She forcibly gave back one of the twenties and shoved the other into her pocket. Cocking an eyebrow suspiciously, she asked, “What exactly do you think is going on?” “Come on, sis! Two brooding loners with a tragic past and a love of alcohol who both happen to know the most charming man in Rhine City?” He gestured to himself. “It’s like something out of one of the trashy novels I keep stashed under my bed!” Sierra stopped dead in her tracks and stared at her brother in disgusted disbelief. “You’ve got to be kidding me.” He stared at her back for a moment before bursting out laughing. “You should see the look on your face right now! God, it’s priceless!” he cackled. She crossed her arms over her chest. “I can still go home, you know.” “Oh come on, don’t be like that!” he laughed. “I’m just teasing you!” She stared him down with a glare. “Does it look like I’m laughing?” Her brother flinched, his laughter abruptly stopping. “I-I guess not… I’m sorry. Guess I was going overboard there…” His reaction sent heavy guilt her way, so she made a show of sighing heavily and rolling her eyes. “Look, I can barely stand the guy. If you’re going to joke about my love life, at least make it realistic.” “Realism is overrated,” he scoffed. “I much prefer wild and crazy fantasy stuff. It’s so much more engaging!” “That much is obvious,” she grumbled, her mood plummeting almost instantly. “Life ain’t a damn movie or comic book story, Val. There are real consequences for the shit you do.” Val went completely quiet for a moment, his smile vanishing completely. “Don’t I know it,” he finally muttered. “Then why are you getting involved with this shit Jason does?” she blurted out, feeling frustrated. “Just because he wants to ruin his damn life doesn’t mean you have to.” “Because this was my idea,” he replied indignantly. “I’m the one who wanted to do this!” Her anger was bubbling over, and she couldn’t stop herself. She knew she needed to before she messed things up yet again, but it wasn’t easy to slow a speeding car with no brakes. “Why in the hell do you wanna follow in his footsteps? You wanna mess up your whole damn life like he did? Because that’s what’s gonna happen if you keep doing this shit.” “You just don’t get it,” her brother huffed. “Probably cuz you remember when things were better. All I remember is screaming, hiding, and taking solace in whatever books or comics I could find about people making a difference. So you know what? I want to make a difference! Is that really so bad to want a city where there’s no one like dad ever again?” “Yes!” she answered, her voice audibly raising. “It is when you’re doing shit like this! You wanna do charity work? Then do it somewhere safer.” Her brother folded his arms across his chest and narrowed his eyes at her. “You don’t get shit done by being safe. You do it by taking to the streets. History was my worst subject in school and even I know that.” She crossed her arms as well, exchanging a glare with her brother. “You ready to pay the price when things go to hell?” He glared back for a moment before throwing his arms up and sighing. “What are we doing? We weren’t supposed to have a stupid fight today, we’re supposed to be having fun.” “I might have more fun if I knew you weren’t putting yourself in danger. And if I felt like I could trust Jason.” Truthfully, she wasn’t mad at Val. How could she be? She couldn’t exactly blame him. By the time he was three, things were really bad at home. There were few happy memories; their father had ruined any chance of Val having a normal childhood. “Living in this city is danger!” Val said. “There’s gangs all over, there’s some serial killer on the loose, there are vampires, there’s a police department full of the most useless pigs around… I’m not safe no matter what!” ‘You’re even less safe doing shit like—” She stopped short as something Val rattled off clicked. Cocking an eyebrow, she asked, “Hold on, what did you say?” “The city is dangerous?” Val repeated, his righteous indignation replaced with confusion. “No, not that,” she snapped impatiently. “Repeat everything you just said.” “Let’s see… gangs, serial killers, pigs—“ He stopped short, and his eyes widened as his lips curved into a nervous, evasive smile. “That’s it! Yep!” She narrowed her eyes suspiciously. “You and I both know that ain’t it.” “Maybe,” he shrugged, “but you’d probably send me to the loony bin if I repeated myself.” She rolled her eyes and relaxed. There was nothing to worry about. He was just being Val, that’s all. He didn’t really think vampires existed. “Nah, but one of those people we passed while you were cartwheeling down the street might.” “Maybe,” he snorted. “But who cares? Come on, let’s keep going to the park! I need to unwind after all that, and what better way to do that than by grabbing a hot dog and eating it seductively while making eye contact with cute joggers?” She wrinkled her nose in disgust. “Is that really how you think you’re gonna get a guy?” “It’s how I got my third boyfriend!” “Great,” she grumbled. It wasn’t her idea of a good time in the slightest, but if that’s what Val wanted to do, how could she refuse? She’d definitely need a few strong drinks later at the bar, however. Especially if she had to watch her brother make passes at a bunch of shirtless men. “Ok, ok, I won’t do the sexy eating thing. I’ll spare you that, but only cuz I love you!” With a wink, her brother turned on his heel and skipped towards the park. Sierra sighed and followed him, increasing her pace so she didn’t completely lose him. As much as she put on a show of irritation, she was enjoying herself. Val had always been a ball of rambunctious energy, living his life in a spontaneous way. She was grateful that their dad hadn’t killed this part of him the way he’d destroyed her own personality. Did I use to be like that? she wondered. Had Jason? She couldn’t remember. While she did have happy memories of her childhood, she had no idea what she’d been like as a kid. I must have been normal once, right? Had she been energetic and full of smiles? Did she used to find joy in the simple things in life? Surely she hadn’t always been miserable and plagued by night terrors. She was so lost in trying to access old memories that she hadn’t realized Val had led her to a hot dog cart. The smell of the salty meat hit her nose and drew her attention back to the present. A jolly older gentleman was behind the cart with a smile that rivaled that of Santa’s. He was carefully topping a fresh hot dog with various condiments and talking to a woman with snow white skin and long black hair. That is the whitest person I have ever seen, she mentally laughed. They seemed to have arrived just in time to hear the tail end of whatever conversation they were having. “I would almost find that story unbelievable if I hadn’t seen so many unbelievable things already in my life!” the woman laughed. “Hey, I bet you have a few good stories to tell yourself!” the man chuckled in a thick New England accent as he handed her the meaty masterpiece. “Here ya go, one dog with the works!” “Thank you, thank you. I’m uncertain if she’ll like this, but if not, one more hot dog couldn’t hurt me, right? Not as if I can get heartburn, after all.” The woman laughed, then turned her head towards the two of them. “Why, hello there. I hope I’m not holding you two up.” Having absolutely no interest in making small talk with a complete stranger, Sierra simply shrugged. Val, of course, gave her a big smile and said, “Nope, not at all, Miss! You’re good!” The woman smiled back before turning to the hot dog vendor and handing him an apple that she produced seemingly out of thin air. “You can think it over as long as you need to. Just make sure you’re safe and secure before you eat it, alright?” “Hey, that sounds pretty good,” he heartily nodded as he took the apple. “Don’t you worry, I’ll keep this safe.” Sierra curiously watched the man bend down and reappear just a second later without the apple. Does that thing have secret compartments? she wondered in amazement. She was quickly distracted when the vendor smiled at them. “What can I get’cha folks?” “Can I get a chili cheese dog?” Val asked. “You sure can!” The man turned to Sierra. “Can I get’cha anything?” “No, thanks,” she declined. “Hey, no problem! Hot dogs aren’t for everyone!” She was amazed by how upbeat and happy this man seemed, especially in a crappy city like Rhine. She was even more shocked by how he didn’t seem to be bothered whatsoever by the crime. Sure, the park was a pretty safe place during the day, but his cart didn’t seem to have any of the usual precautions other businesses took, like security cameras or having some sort of bulletproof shield around where the money was kept. In fact, if someone really wanted, they could simply stroll up and shove the poor man to the ground before robbing him blind. He was either extremely naive or he could secretly kick serious ass. Sierra and Val watched as the man topped the fresh link of meat with hot gooey cheese sauce and warm chili meat. How he managed to make something as simple as a hot dog seem nearly gourmet, she had no idea. When the vendor was done, he handed it to Val in a white and red checkered cardboard boat. “Your total today comes to five dollars even.” “Are you sure you don’t want anything?” Val asked as he dug out his wallet. “I’m fine,” she insisted. She’d been so nervous about seeing her brother again that morning that she’d completely lost her appetite, and it hadn’t quite returned yet. “Suit yourself!” He pulled out a crisp twenty dollar bill and handed it to the vendor. “Here you go, Hot Dog Man. You go ahead and keep all that.” “Well, thanks, kiddo!” the man replied with a grin. “You enjoy that dog, and you two have a good day now!” Sierra and Val both waved goodbye to the man and started along the park’s walking path. Considering how humid it was, she was surprised to see so many people jogging. If it were up to her, she’d be sitting in Armstrong’s bar in the air conditioning with a nice cold beer. Val whistled as a group of men passed by. “It’s a good day for me, that’s for sure!” Sierra shook her head, completely embarrassed as the men glanced in their direction. She didn’t understand what the big deal about watching a man exercise was. At least he’s having fun. That’s what is important here. “If only I wasn’t off the market right now,” Val sighed. “That one guy, he was dreamy as hell. Probably straight anyway.” He shrugged. “Hold on, you’re dating someone?” she asked in utter confusion. He shook his head. “No. After how my last relationship ended, Jay said I should probably, y’know, cool it for a while.” “Why? The fuck happened?” “I, uh… I’d rather not talk about it,” he muttered evasively. “I screwed up. That’s all I’m saying.” This did nothing but increase her curiosity. The last thing she wanted to do was make her brother feel pressured or uncomfortable however, so she shrugged and said, “You’ll find someone when you’re ready.” Armstrong would probably choke on his own spit if he heard her say that, but regardless of her own feelings about relationships, she wasn’t about to deter Val. If dating made him happy, then she’d support him. “Yeah, yeah,” he sighed. “If I can just fix things, maybe I’ll be ready. And by things, I mean our family.” “What’s that gotta do with you dating someone?” “It’s not right that I stayed away for so long and that I kept you and Jay apart too. We’re all we’ve got, and… I should’ve kept it that way. But I was a scared, stupid kid. Now I’m a not scared, genius adult, so it’s time to get working on rebuilding those bridges!” Sierra sighed. “Don’t hold your breath, kid.” Her brother pouted angrily. “One, I’m not a kid. I’m a man, and a pretty one at that. Two, I’ve been told I’m very good at holding my breath.” He paused for a moment before adding, “Because I was on the swim team Junior year. I promise that’s why.” She stared at him suspiciously, doubting very much that was the only situation in which he’d been told that. “Uh-huh.” “Believe what you want!” he huffed, angrily biting into his chili dog and sending sauce flying everywhere except his own shirt. “But I promise, I’m gonna make things work or my name isn’t Valentine Mpho Leeds!” “Then I guess that ain’t your name. I’m sorry, but things aren’t going to be the same.” How could they be when she couldn’t trust Jason anymore? “Who said they’d be the same?” he retorted as he took a seat on a nearby bench. “If it were the same, you’d be out of the house all the time, I’d be in the closet, and Jay…” His smile wavered for a moment, and something like guilt flashed through his eyes. “…he’d be off to college or on Broadway or something. But just because things are different doesn’t mean we can’t be a team again!” She sighed and sat down on the bench next to him. “I know that’s what you want, but it ain’t gonna happen. I’ll be around to spend time with you, but I ain’t wasting time on Jason.” Val went quiet for a moment. “He gave up a lot for us,” he finally said. “You’ve got no idea, sis. But you will, I promise.” He took another big bite out of his chili dog. “You know what we gotta do, though?” he continued with his mouth full yet again. “We gotta go to Fordlandia for the big July 4th celebration like we did when we were kids.” “And how are we gonna get there?” she asked, lifting her eyebrow. “I don't drive, and neither do you.” “Ever heard of this thing called a bus?” Val replied, rolling his eyes. Sierra let out a lengthy sigh even though she wasn’t completely opposed to the idea. “Fine. You make the plans, and I’ll go with you.” With a wink, her brother replied, “Don’t you worry about that! I’ve already got it halfway planned in my head! I just gotta put on the finishing touches… Maybe write it down, or make Jay do it so I can lie on the couch.” Anger seared through her, and she asked as patiently as she could, “He’s not coming, is he?” “No,” Val said quietly, his smile disappearing yet again. “It’s just gonna be the two of us.” She silently sighed with relief. “Good.” She glanced at her brother warily. It was obvious he wanted all three of them there, but considering how she’d barely been able to tolerate Jason’s presence, it was better he didn’t go. Still, she felt a tiny ounce of guilt for being the reason why Val wasn’t smiling at that moment, so she wrapped an arm around his shoulder. “Come on, don’t you have some eye candy to ogle?” Val glanced across the park, his smile returning as he saw a bunch of men come jogging their way. “I do now!” She shook her head, her hair feeling heavier than usual because of the humidity. She still didn’t understand what was so appealing about sweaty, half-naked people, but if it made Val happy to watch them, then she was happy. Whatever makes him smile. ****** Victoria paced anxiously along the floor of her bedroom rubbing the ring in which her husband’s soul resided. “It has been three full days, my love,” she murmured, heavily frowning with worry. “I have given her space enough, but I must speak with her. I am her mother; she needs me.” Dahlia had been acting peculiarly ever since Chastity and Rika had joined the coven; she’d had an air of misery about her that Victoria hadn’t seen in a very long time. It was so unlike her that it was rather unsettling. “I agree, of course,” Dracula replied. “I am not certain what is bothering her from what you described to me. I think you must speak with her.” “What shall I say? She is quite private about her… personal life. There’s much she’s kept from me since you’ve left us.” It wasn’t a difficult task considering how absent Victoria had been from her daughter’s life. Dahlia had spent so much of her time trying to cheer up her mother that she had put her own needs aside. “You must be available, and receptive,” he sighed. “It pains me to say you know her better than I now. I did not get near as much time with her as I would have liked. I can do little but offer you my love and support from within the ring.” “Knowing you are with me is support enough,” she smiled gently. It disappeared quickly, replaced by her frown. “I suppose now is as good a time as any, then.” With that decision made, she strolled out of her bedroom with her beloved on her finger. The hallway was lightly busy with just a few of the coven members lingering within it, saying hello or chatting casually to each other. Victoria nodded her own greetings as she passed them, aware of their surprise she was present as they were still quite used to her remaining within her bedroom each day. When she reached Dahlia’s door, she knocked gently. “Dahlia, dear? Do you still sleep?” There was a pause before her daughter sullenly replied from within, “No, mama.” The sorrow evident in her voice made Victoria’s heart ache. She knew that sadness all too well. “May I enter, dear?” There was another pause, a longer one. “Yeah. Think Nil wants to see ya anyway.” She gently pushed open the door with a smile, one that grew bigger when she saw the carnation pink snail sitting in Dahlia’s hand. Nil was the size of a pug puppy (a dog breed she was all too familiar with as the family she’d once served as a mortal bred and raised them as hunting companions). “Good morning,” she nodded at the snail, who seemed rather pleased to see her if the way he wiggled in response was any indication. Dahlia, who sat on the edge of her bed, gently stroked him with her free hand. “He’s been so active lately. Been trying his best to keep me happy, just like Amadeus would’ve wanted him to.” Victoria’s heart nearly broke when she heard this. Nil was the former familiar of Amadeus Zephyr, Dahlia’s boyfriend. He had been absent nearly as long as her own beloved had been for reasons unknown. The two had been inseparable but one day, shortly after Dracula had been slain, he disappeared. Dahlia had been melancholy then, much like she was now, but she had never opened up about it to either Victoria or Nadia. Joining her empathy for her daughter’s pain was guilt. How had she been so selfish as to not offer her love and support to both of her daughters? They had each lost a loved one as well, yet she’d turned her back on them. Regardless of her absence and neglect, Dahlia had still done everything she could to care for her mother. And I did not do the same for you. Still, she was here now, and she was intent on rectifying her horrible mistake. Sitting beside her daughter, she gently asked, “What troubles you, dear?” Dahlia let out a sigh. “I don’t… I can’t handle that new girl, Mama. I gotta be blunt. Seeing her hurts.” This did little to clear Victoria’s confusion. “Who, dear? Miss Collins or Miss Amano?” “Amano,” Dahlia replied quickly. “It hurts, looking at her.” “Pray tell, what seems to be the problem?” Had she made a mistake in opening her arms to new members? Dahlia turned away from her, though Nil crawled up her arm and perched on her shoulder to continue waving his eyestalks at Victoria. “You don’t recognize it, huh? Not even with her hair the way it is, or that look in her eyes, or the way she tilts her head…” Victoria absentmindedly lifted a hand to gently stroke Nil’s slimy head as she tried to picture all of this. Rika Amano had long red hair pulled back into a loose ponytail. She had a thoughtful look in her eyes, particularly during her first day at the manor, and she had a habit of tilting her head to one side when considering a piece of information, just like… “Oh, heavens,” Victoria gasped as it hit her. Rika looked much like Amadeus did. No wonder Dahlia was struggling so much. No doubt she missed Amadeus, and having someone around that reminded her of him would only make things more difficult. “Yeah,” Dahlia said softly. “Seeing her here, like that… Lord help me, it’s eating me up inside.” The last thing Victoria wanted was for her daughter to suffer any further, but forcing such a bright young woman out of the coven seemed just as cruel. Still, her daughter’s well-being came first. “What would you have me do, my dear?” “You can’t just ask me that, you know,” Dahlia sighed as she turned towards Victoria once more. “You can’t just put it on me. I can’t ask you to kick her out. Lord no, that’s too cruel…” “I believe there are things unsaid here,” Dracula interjected gently. Victoria jumped despite herself, forgetting completely that her beloved was with them. “Y-Yes, I do believe that may be the case.” “Nothing gets by you, Daddy,” Dahlia laughed sadly. “But I can’t say it. I can’t. If you and Mama knew, you’d hate me.” “Never,” she insisted, setting her hand in her lap. “I could never hate you, my dear,” Dracula agreed. “You don’t know what I did to her family.” Victoria gently asked, “What did you do, dear?” Dahlia moved over to her window and leaned against the windowsill. “I… Amadeus is her father, Mama.” Her eyes widened as she processed this. But how? “Are you certain?” “I am. I saw her at his house before.” Victoria felt utterly confused. “Pardon? You’ve… been to his house?” How was that possible? Had she been seeing him all this time? “Used to, when he was still here. He… up and vanished thirteen years ago. But he was here in Rhine for years and years without me knowing until he popped into the flower shop to pick up flowers for his wife’s birthday.” She balked at this. “I beg your pardon?” He’d married someone else? Was that the true reason he’d vanished from Dahlia’s life? “Dahlia…” Dracula spoke, his even tone betrayed by a hint of worry Victoria was easily able to pick up on. “Pray tell, what exactly happened between you two…?” Dahlia didn’t respond. Instead, she turned back towards her window in silence. “Dahlia, please,” Victoria whispered. “We just want to understand so we can best support you.” “Mama… I—“ Her daughter stiffened as she gazed out the window, and Nil swayed nervously on her shoulder. Victoria glanced at the window, though she couldn’t see out of it from where she still sat on Dahlia’s bed. “Are you alright?“ she gently asked. “She’s here,” Dahlia uttered quietly. Furrowing her brow, Victoria asked, “Who, dear?” “Eve.” Her blood ran cold at the name. “How did she find us?” she hissed in a whisper. Before Dahlia could answer, the angel’s voice echoed from outside. “Victoria,” she called, “I know you’re in there. I come in peace; I merely wish to speak with you.” Enraged, she stood and joined her daughter’s side at the window. She glared at the woman who stood in their backyard, staring at the house as though unsure which window to look into. Knowing Eve did not know which room Victoria occupied did little to soothe her fury. “How dare she come here and speak of peace! After everything she’s done to us? I want her gone instantly.” “I feel that is easier said than done,” Dracula sighed. “There is no reason to believe her and yet, I do not sense she is dishonest. If she were here for violence, would she not simply attack the manor? She has more than enough strength for such a thing.” Victoria knew he spoke the truth, but the burning rage she felt from within spoke louder. “You can’t possibly expect me to engage in peace talks with her?” “You would rather stay at war and risk the lives of the coven as they are caught in the crossfire of this feud?” Dracula reasoned. “I know how this seems like,” Eve’s voice called out, “but I have tea and a hot dog, if you want it!” Another glance out the window revealed that Eve was now sitting at a small table, her hands folded neatly next to a steaming teapot. Victoria was fairly certain neither existed in the backyard before. She dare show up and insult me with her cursed magic? she mentally spat. “She’s not about tricks and traps, Mama,” Dahlia said. “She’s not Jack.” Victoria swallowed hard. It was taking great control to steady her hands as they threatened to quiver with anger. “She killed your father. How can you truly expect me to simply disregard such an event and grant her passage into our home?” Dahlia shook her head. “I’m not, Mama. I’m saying you should go out to her. Keep her busy, and I’ll call up the Silverwings.” “Not a terrible plan when the alternative is likely her destroying your home,” Dracula agreed. With a heavy sigh, she bitterly admitted, “I suppose I shall make an appearance if only to quiet her. The mortals are sure to hear her yelling at an abandoned house.” She turned to glance at her daughter beside her. “Call upon them with haste, dear. I wish not to be in her presence longer than necessary.” “Do you wish me to stay by your side, my love?” Dracula asked. “I do not believe she knows that I yet live. But if you find it unsafe to bring me near her…” Victoria lifted a hand, summoning her swarm of bees forth. “I shall fight before I allow her to pry you from my finger. She holds no power over either of us any longer.” “Very well. Dahlia, go and alert the Silverwings.” With a nod, Dahlia quickly exited the room, Nil still attached to her shoulder. With a small sigh, Victoria followed her daughter’s path out of the room, gliding down the hallway and the stairs to the first floor. Once at the back door, she inhaled slowly to calm herself as she had no intention of letting the wicked woman see how much made Victoria’s skin crawl. Certain she had mustered a strict yet polite facade, she stepped outside and stood precariously on the porch. Eve was still at her table staring at the back of the house until she spotted Victoria, at which point she offered a slow wave. “Why, hello there,” she greeted as if she were an old friend. “It has been so long since last we saw each other, Victoria.” She gestured to the teapot. “Jasmine tea. Your favorite. I remembered.” This only angered her further, and she glared at the woman. “What purpose do you have for appearing at my home? Have you come to finish what you began?” The angel shook her head. “In a way, but not quite the way you may think.” She held out her hand, a hot dog dressed in ketchup, mustard, and relish appearing in it. “Would you care for a hot dog? A man in the park sells them, and they are incredible!” She stared at Eve in disbelief. “And how am I to know it isn’t tainted?” “What, pray tell, could I put on a hot dog that would harm you? And what would I gain? I do not wish to hurt you, Victoria, hard as that will be to believe. In fact, that is why I am here.” She wanted quite badly to rub the ring containing her husband for reassurance, but she didn’t dare raise suspicions. The Silverwings would soon arrive. All she needed to do was keep Eve entertained long enough. “You are correct. It is difficult to believe considering what you did to my family.” She swallowed hard. “But very well. I shall listen briefly.” The cautious glare never left her face as she descended the porch stairs and reluctantly neared Eve’s table. Eve gently set the hot dog down as she approached and poured a cup of tea. “I want you to know, Victoria, that I understand and respect your hesitancy. What I have done to you and your family… It is exceptionally cruel. Evil, even.” “Your awareness of such actions will not bring him back,” she bitterly spat. She still didn’t trust the woman and refused to sit. Rather, she stood by the chair, folding her hands neatly before her. She could hear her bees hovered in a cluster by the back door as she had telepathically instructed, ready to attack and protect her on her command. A bee’s sting would do little to harm the angel, but it would be a welcome distraction to allow Victoria to escape if needed. “No,” Eve agreed. She held out her left hand, which was closed around something. “But I believe this will help?” She opened her hand, presenting a small vial of red liquid in the palm of her pale white hand. Victoria stiffened. She dared not hope the vial contained what she believed it might. “And what, pray tell, is that?” “This is the blood of Anthony Moore, descended from the very same Abraham Moore who assisted in the death of your husband. I hear tell you are in need of this blood to bring him back, so I offer this to you as an olive branch of sorts.” She flinched as she realized with a sense of panic that Eve knew about the ring and the plan to bring back her betrothed. How did she find out? Was there a mole in the coven? But who? Few knew of Dracula’s current existence. Perhaps one of the Silverwings? It was a matter she would deal with once Harlan arrived. For now, she needed to stay focused as not to let Eve believe she had the upper hand for even a second. Lifting her chin with a sneer, she demanded, “Such a thing does not come without a price. What do you wish in exchange?” “I wish for you to listen to what I have to say. That’s all.” Victoria crossed her arms over her chest. “Very well.” She’d listen, but that was all she’d do. Eve gestured to the chair across from her. “Sit, please. And help yourself to the hot dog and the tea.” Despising every moment of their interaction, she finally pulled out the empty chair and perched on it, her eyes never leaving Eve’s. She steeled herself for an unreasonable request in exchange for the blood of the Moores. To her surprise, Eve simply placed the vial right in front of Victoria before sitting back in her seat. “Do you remember the tale of how I lost my heart, Victoria? What I went through thousands of years ago in the gardens of Atlantis?” “Yes,” she shortly answered. “My darling Eve, stripped from me by Chaos…” A tear slid down Eve’s cheek. “An act of cruelty, and one that I inflicted unto you. I can’t understand what led me to such hypocrisy… I can only say that there are moments that I do not feel myself, where I am consumed by rage that is not my own, and it terrifies me. And what I did to you, to Dracula, to my own daughter… it is abhorrent, Victoria.” Were her words supposed to soothe all the pain she experienced? Were they supposed to make Victoria more sympathetic? Was she to forgive Eve for what she’d done? She said nothing, though continued to stare at her with narrowed eyes. “I have spent the past century stewing in my bitter paranoia, plotting revenge, but now that I’m finally here… I find my anger fading. And I think I have my granddaughter to thank for it.” Eve gave a warm, genuine smile. “For the first time since I’ve met her, I feel her love. And it has pained me that I robbed you of that, being her grandmother as well…” She stiffened, confusion hitting her full-force. “I beg your pardon?” How was she in any way related to whomever this granddaughter was? Eve sighed. “If it were not for my rage and paranoia, my sweet daughter and your Nadia would never have been separated, and you would know Gabby as I have come to. It is thanks to her and the joy she has brought me that I have come here.” Victoria scoffed. “You? Experience joy? Foolishness.” Eve reached up and tugged on the neck of her dress, revealing the silver scar on her chest that Victoria had seen once, long ago. “I always said,” Eve began as she traced across the scar with her free hand, “that losing my heart made me lose my ability to love. Which is not the entire truth. I still feel a distant, numb ache for those I care about, and I desperately want it back… And there is a way. If you are willing to help me, I am willing to give you all the blood you need for Dracula’s return, and I promise you that I will not plague you ever again.” “And why should I believe you?” she asked coldly, her eyes narrowing again. “What, pray tell, do I gain from dishonesty? You—rightfully—despise and distrust me. Lying is not beneficial.” “You killed my beloved,” she hissed. “Forgive me for being reluctant to believe a single word you speak.” “I completely understand, as I’ve said. But I want to make this right. May I explain what I need?” Victoria didn’t care in the slightest, but the Silverwings had yet to arrive. She needed to continue to distract the woman, so she answered, “Very well.” “Tell me, do you know what a syzygy is?” She blinked once as she rapidly searched her mind. The term did not strike familiarity with her, but perhaps she had just forgotten. She decided to reply with a simple but stern, “Please refresh my memory.” “In astrology, a syzygy refers to the alignment of planets,” Eve explained, “but what I am referring to is one of a planar nature. Enoch, Earth, Elfame, and Hell… On rare occasions throughout history they have aligned, and the powerful magical energy channeling through has allowed for feats beyond what is normally possible with any sort of magic. The birth of the demon Baphomet, the resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth, the spell Loki used to end the Midsummer War… These things were only capable with magic beyond what can be accomplished by even the strongest of angels. They are feats only the Old Gods could accomplish.” An interesting bit of information that she was now certain she didn’t know of prior to this conversation. “And how is this relevant to whatever it is you’re requesting?” “I am getting to that! You see, I was given a spell, a spell of the Old Gods that could harness the energy to accomplish what I longed for most: My heart returned to me. Nothing else I have tried in my long life has worked, so perhaps channeling the power of the planes aligned could! And yet…” She turned her head away. “When I saw the cost, I was unwilling to pay it at the time. A hundred years of bitterness and anger clouded my judgment and I wished to inflict the payment on you for a perceived transgression… but my head is clear, now. Perhaps we can work things out that none of us need suffer and all of us benefit.” “Pray tell, what is this cost?” she hissed. “I cannot foresee it being comparable or worse than killing my betrothed. To think he held such respect for you, and you saw to his demise.” She stood from her chair, unable to control the rage that swarmed through her. It was anger that had planted itself long ago that was now finally blooming. This was the first time in nearly one hundred years that she had come face-to-face with the very being who killed her beloved, and every bit of emotion she’d felt for that period of time was now making itself known. “Was it not bad enough to betray his trust? Nay, you did so to him and to his daughter. Using the love of her life to take mine away. How dare you come asking for peace when you’d plagued us with such misery!” “The misery is why I wish to bring peace, Victoria,” Eve replied. “I must atone for my egregious wrongs as best I can. The world would certainly be better with dear Amalric still about… To think I turned on him…” The angel slumped forward onto the table, gripping the sides of her head. “I just don’t understand myself, and it is terrifying. Can you not set aside your animosity so I might correct this, Victoria?” “Forgive me for being reluctant to assist you given what you’ve put my daughters and I through.” “I understand. I understand, but as I promised, I wish no more harm upon your family,” Eve said sadly. “All I ask is for a small sacrifice, and you shall have the blood you need to return Amalric to life. Moore’s blood is my gift to you to show you I am not trying to trick you.” She glanced at the vial sitting alone on the table. How tempting it was to command her bees to fetch it and take it inside where it would be safe lest Eve decided to withdraw her peace token. Her eyes flitted back to the angel’s as she demanded, “What more do you expect me to give to you?” “If you are familiar with alchemy or blood magic, you will know that seemingly impossible magical feats require a certain… tribute.” Eve looked at Victoria. “I need to offer a sacrifice at the high point of the syzygy for my wish to be granted. And it must be balanced between those I’d consider enemy and those loyal to me. I, of course, know who I will give up. There are those in my coven who refuse to change or mature… I believe there is one who springs to your mind. And I am more than willing to sacrifice Jack.” Victoria’s eyebrows shot upwards in surprise. Eve willing to kill Jack, the wretched man she (for reasons unknown) held dear, was quite the announcement. But to hand over one of my own? It was an outrageous request. Did she really believe Victoria would stoop so low? “It must be shocking to hear, after his continued existence tore us apart. But you do not know the disgust and fear my sweet granddaughter feels knowing what he did to her beloved. How I could have ever protected such a monster… it… it eludes me.” Eve let out a frustrated sigh. “But that will be resolved soon enough… Surely you must have some under your watch you wish to be rid of? You did always seem to take after me, believing you could help any who came to you. I do not expect as bad as Jack, but there must be some bad apples.” “Absolutely not, and it is an insult to assume so,” she immediately snapped. “Perhaps, then, some Silverwings you wish to be rid of? I know this is quite an ask, but powerful magic requires powerful tribute. The Old Gods took so that they might give, and you cannot get something for nothing.” “Do not lecture me about sacrifice,” Victoria hissed. “This coven has given up enough for and because of you and has suffered greatly for it. There is not a soul I shall pass over to you for your monstrous experiment.” “Victoria,” Eve sighed, “please, I need this. And you do as well.” She turned her eyes down, glancing at the ring on Victoria’s hand. “Amalric, can you hear me? I beg you, make her see the reason in this. Truly I wish there were a better option…” Anger rose again, clouding her vision. “You dare speak to him of reason?” She inhaled sharply before coldly demanding, “I believe it is best you leave.” The angel stood and turned her attention across the lawn, towards the old fence surrounding the property. “I believe so as well… It seems you have other guests to entertain.” She glanced back to Victoria sadly. “I beg you to consider this, Victoria. You know how to get in touch if you do.” The angel stepped back from the table and spread her wings wide. With a few mighty beats of her wings, she shot up into the sky and disappeared from sight. Victoria felt relief flood her and audibly sighed. Not wanting to risk losing the vial of blood, which Eve had left for her, she grabbed it and rushed inside, only feeling safe once the back door was locked behind her. “The nerve,” she muttered in irritation. “I… I am stunned,” Dracula spoke. “Such a plan… It is madness. She, of all people, should know the dangers of trifling with the power of those she waged war against.” She leaned against the closed door and shut her eyes. “Tell me… Have I made the right decision?” The war between the two covens could have simply ended there, but now they would continue to fight until one fell. “I have never believed that innocents should pay the price for the guilty. The world deserves to be rid of Jack, but why should more blameless blood be spilled for his demise? You have made the decision I would have. Although… I cannot help but feel for my sire. You knew her not as long as I; there is a discord in her speaking that belies a fear I knew not she was capable of.” “You understand I find this hard to believe.” Eve feel fear? It seemed a ridiculous thought. “Is it truly more unbelievable than some other things we have encountered?” “Yes,” she snapped, immediately wincing at how harsh her voice sounded. She and her beloved had almost always been in-sync before he was taken from her. But now, it seemed the years they’d lost had affected them more than she’d realized. Could Eve truly have driven such a wedge between them? “My love,” Dracula spoke gently, “you are under a lot of stress. But we have never let the seeming impossibility of what we must do hold us back. We are strong. You are strong.” She swallowed back a lump in her throat. She’d said nothing, but he still nearly read her like a book. “You say that yet I still do not believe it.” “I believe it, and you believe in me, yes?” “Of course I do.” “There you have it, then!” A knock sounded from the door behind her, startling her. She jumped in surprise. “Victoria?” came Harlan’s voice from the other side. “You in there safe and sound?” She felt relieved all over again. “Yes, thank you,” she answered as she turned around and opened the door. “She has already exited the premises.” “Hard to miss that!” he laughed. “Never seen so many of my crew jump like that before! When she took off, Mickey just about leaped out of his skin!” “Yes, I suppose she could have opted for a far more subtle leave,” she sighed. “We came running soon as Dahlia called, but seems you sorted things out yourself,” Harlan grinned. “What in the Hell did she want with you, anyway? More importantly, how did she know about this place?” Victoria sighed again and recounted the details of Eve’s visit, hardly believing the words herself even as she uttered them. To think she truly believed Victoria would hand over her own to be slaughtered… The mere thought disgusted her. “I am uncertain how she knows this is our home, however,” she said once the tale was finished. “Or of the ring’s existence. We cannot feel safe if she holds knowledge of our location and plans to bring him back.” Harlan stroked his beard. “This… is a bloody mess. This tells me that somewhere there’s a mole, though whether it’s someone in Rhine or someone in Germany, I can’t say. Until I can figure things out, I’m going to have Amber and Enrico take some of our best and stay on the property, if you’re alright with that.” “Of course,” she nodded. “It is much appreciated, Harlan.” She gave him a sincere, relieved smile. No matter what they faced, he had always been there to protect the coven, doing absolutely everything to keep them safe. “I’m gonna have Norman and his wife investigate, see if they can sniff out any leads. Gonna see if Armstrong’ll be willing to do a few interrogations. Gonna have to withdraw the bodyguards of your students for a few days while we look into this…” He sighed heavily. “I only have a handful of people I’ve worked with long enough to really trust, but I promise you, I’m getting to the bottom of this if it kills me.” “I know you will,” she reassured him, lightly touching his arm in unspoken support. “We will simply stay inside to stay safe until answers are found.” “Do what you gotta do, Victoria,” Harlan nodded. “I’ll keep on ensuring your daughter is safe with that Mathers woman… She’s into some shady shit, that one. Nothing to concern yourself with—she’s clueless about the supernatural—but I’d hate to see Miss Shibani embroiled in crime.” “As would I,” she frowned. Her stomach rolled with concern. She was already hesitant about Nadia’s facade with the woman, but knowing she could get involved with the same crime that plagued the city made her worry. The job of a mother never ends. “We appreciate all you do, Mr. Silver,” Dracula spoke. “Good! Glad someone does!” he laughed. “Now I’ve gotta get to work. My crew’s gonna set themselves up! Don’t hesitate to call me, Vicky. You need me, I’ll come running… Well—“ He tapped his leg brace with an amused smirk “—limping more like it, but it’ll be the fastest limp in the world.” “Thank you,” she said, her smile returning once more. They parted ways, with Harlan leaving out the back door and Victoria gliding into the living room. There was much to do on both ends, and hers would no doubt be unpleasant. Before she gathered the coven to announce their temporary quarantine, she wanted to feed the ring the blood of the Moores. She carefully pulled the cork out of the small vial and tipped it towards the ruby. She watched with gleeful anticipation as the darkened blood quickly slid down the vial and dripped onto the stone below. The ruby hungrily absorbed the blood. It seemed to shimmer with life for a moment before dulling once more as though nothing had happened. “Two done,” she whispered. “Just five more to acquire.” “Ah, my power waxes with each new drop of blood,” her beloved replied with a newfound vigor in his voice. “Thank you, my love.” She sighed with relief. With that finished, it was time to face the coven. Victoria held out her hand, palm upward, and called again forth her bees. They materialized in a swarm, hovering in one place, all small, beady black eyes focused on her. She said nothing. She didn’t have to; they knew. Without a word uttered, they flew as one to the doorway of the living room and disappeared from sight. Their job was to gather the members of her beloved’s coven before her so she could give them an unpleasant and unwanted temporary rule. They wouldn’t be happy about being confined to the house for an unspecified amount of time, but it was for their protection. Surely, they’d understand, wouldn’t they? Feeling overwhelmed, Victoria sank into her favorite chair, the material beneath her cushioning both her body and her mind. “Will we ever be free of this?” she whispered to no one in particular. “We will,” her love replied from the confines of the ring, “you must have faith, my beloved.” “It is difficult, but easier now with you by my side.” And soon, he would be again. The mere thought was enough to bring hope to her life again. Once he was fully returned in both body and spirit, they would truly find their freedom and be able to flourish once more. ****** “Come on, it’s right down here!” Antoinette chirped as she led Roarke down to the library basement. This wasn’t exactly her most exciting idea for a date, but she had wanted to show Roarke the Silverwing base and personally introduce him to some of the coworkers she’d become close to. Of course, there was always the chance she’d bump into Levi, but she’d cross that bridge when they came to it. She was still rather cross with him and his lack of faith in Roarke, but she knew they’d move past this eventually. Morag had been kind enough to drive them to the library and had taken to chatting with Norman at the desk while Antoinette and Roarke had headed to the back. Norman had been absolutely flabbergasted; she’d never seen him look so surprised before. Did he know Morag from somewhere? She made a mental note to ask him later. “You sure it’s okay I’m here?” Roarke nervously asked as he followed her into the heart of the Silverwing base. “Course it is!” she chirped as she pulled him over to the shelf in the back of the basement. “In fact, from what I heard, you ain’t the only members of your coven here today!” She looked over the shelf, taking note of the few books lying there before opening the secret entrance. “Wait, what? Who else is going to be here?” “To be honest, I’m not sure who else is visitin.’ I just heard that members of the coven had dropped by.” They arrived at the big silver door and after knocking three times, she said, “Atlas Shrugged, The Turner Diaries, The Unfunnies.” The door swung open to reveal Gideon. “Howdy, Antoinette! Finally bringing your boyfriend in, huh?” Roarke awkwardly waved. “Uh, hi.” “Yep! Roarke, this is Gideon Golightly, one of the boys who was in my class when I was recruited! He watches the door and picks the worst books he can find for our passwords!” “You should be impressed, I managed to get The Turner Diaries without getting put on a government watchlist. I’m gonna see if we can burn it later, though. I feel gross just looking at it. Anyway!” He did a sweeping bow. “Welcome to the Rhine City Dracula Guard base! Enjoy your stay! Also, Susan made some of her chili. It’s in the break room; get it while you can!” “Oh dang, we can’t miss out on this!” Grabbing Roarke by the hand, she started pulling him down the hall. “Thank you, Gideon!” she called out as she made a dash for the break room. Susan was retired from field work and spent most of her time cooking for the other Silverwings. Just about everything she made was incredible. Her chili, though, was in a league of its own. Thankfully, it seemed like not many people had gotten at the chili quite yet. Talia was in the break room, as were (much to Antoinette’s surprise) Carlos and Sakura. All three of them were chatting and eating bowls of chili on the couch, with Carlos stopping to wave as they entered. “Hola, Roarke and Antoinette!” he exclaimed. “What a pleasant surprise!” “This is awkward,” Roarke muttered as he put on a smile and waved. “Oh hush,” Antoinette whispered, “it ain’t so bad!” Talia smiled and shook her head. “I gotta hand it to you, Roarke. I’m impressed.” With confusion evident in his voice, he asked, “Impressed by what?” “Let me say it,” Carlos said, standing up from the couch with chili in hand. “Roarke, I—” “He’s glad you got him to get the fuck over himself and realize I’m the best woman in Rhine,” Sakura interrupted. “Sorry, sweetheart. You need to sit down and eat chili with me, not give some dramatic speech.” She smiled warmly. “Seriously. Thanks Roarke.” “You’ve been a real good influence on the coven, hun,” Antoinette grinned. Roarke looked even more confused. “Me? A good influence? Are you sure you’ve got the right guy?” “Yes, I certainly think we do,” Carlos winked. “Now, come on. Have some of this chili, it’s wonderful!” “Susan’s so damn good at cooking,” Talia agreed. Antoinette wasted no time scooping a bowl of chili for herself and Roarke before sitting down next to him on the couch opposite the other three. Roarke took one bite, then whistled. “Damn, this is good.” “Susan is to cookin’ what I am to bakin’,” Antoinette laughed. “I suppose you could say that,” Talia snorted. “So, why are you two here of all places? Shouldn’t you be at a fancy restaurant or something?” “Antoinette wanted to show me where she works,” Roarke simply stated, slipping another spoonful into his mouth. “Well, the other place I work. He’s seen Whipped Dream plenty,” Antoinette added. “Not much to see here, honestly,” Talia shrugged. “Lot of underground halls, lots of rooms like this… There’s a library, a training room, bunks, artifact storage, a prison, and a few other things… Honestly, it’s kind of lame compared to the base in Germany or the mansion in Cairo I saw when I was a kid.” “Can’t be any lamer than my room,” he joked. “You’re room ain’t that bad, hun,” Antoinette smirked. In fact, she quite liked it. She had to, considering how much time they’d spent there lately. With a laugh, he replied, “You only like it because I’m there.” “That is the point, isn’t it?” Carlos chuckled. For a while the five of them sat, eating and talking about the current mission as well as some of the things they’d done in the past. It was honestly nice finally getting to know Talia a bit. She’d seemed pretty stuck up and hostile when she first arrived in Rhine, but she was really just proud of herself. And there ain’t anythin’ wrong with bein’ proud of your skills, Antoinette thought. “Well, as nice as it would be to stay here with you two, I think I’m going to drag Carlos to the gym with me,” Talia said, standing up while Carlos helped Sakura off the couch. “See you two lovebirds later. And if you see Marina, tell her to hurry to the gym or she’s gonna miss the show.” With a laugh, she headed out the door, Carlos going slowly behind her as he helped guide Sakura safely. Once they were gone, Roarke sighed. “I hope I’m not messing everything up. It’s just… weird, I guess. I know the people here don’t really like me.” She leaned against his shoulder and sighed happily. “This is new and strange to you, I get it. But that’s part of why I wanted to do this, to show everyone you ain’t as bad as they think.” She felt warmth as he wrapped his arm around her. “What happens if it doesn’t work?” “Don’t you underestimate me, Mr. Roarke!” she giggled. “I don’t back down in the face of adversity! It’s what got me into the know about the supernatural after all!” He kissed the top of her head. “You’re amazing, you know that? Way braver than I am, that’s for sure.” “You’re mighty brave yourself, Roarke. You just don’t know it yet, but you’re gettin’ there slowly and surely. I think you just needed a few people to give you a kick in the rear and shove you in the right direction.” “You’re right about many things, sweet thing, but I don’t think you’re right about that. I mean, look at my power. It isn’t very useful in combat situations. And you and I both know a vampire’s power is a reflection of who they are.” “Maybe…” she muttered. He wasn’t wrong, but his duplication power didn’t really seem to tell her much about him. “But maybe you just ain’t realized your full potential yet.” “I’m never going to be someone great, and that’s okay.” He swallowed hard. “Maybe once I could have, but not anymore.” With a huff, Antoinette stood up and positioned herself so she was seated on Roarke’s lap and gripped his shoulders. Staring him straight in the eyes, she said, “Now you listen here. You are great, and I swear I’m gonna stand by your side ‘til you see it! And then I’ll keep standin’ by your side forever after that!” Finally, the smallest of smiles broke on his face, and he murmured before kissing her, “Please do.” She could taste the chili on his lips, the sweet spices tickling her taste buds. “Your cousin has the right idea, babe!” came a familiar voice from behind. Antoinette pulled away and looked over her shoulder to see none other than Mara and Levi. A short awkward silence passed between the two couples. Levi was very obviously trying to avoid eye contact. Roarke was just as uncomfortable, shifting beneath her. He was well aware Levi did not approve of the two of them being together (which Antoinette had vented about to him on at least one occasion). “Levi Wyatt Travis,” Antoinette huffed, using his full name like she’d done so many times growing up when he’d ticked her off, “you took down the damn Chupacabra with me, and yet here you are actin’ like lookin’ me in the eye is scarier than all that!” “‘Cause you brought him here!” he exclaimed roughly, gesturing to Roarke. “Last thing I wanna see is my cousin kissin’ him of all people.” “Oh, you hush up! You don’t know a dang thing about him!” she snapped. “You’re basin’ everythin’ off a report from an emotionally distant teacher who never took the time to listen!” “And seein’ him hit on my girl!” he snapped back. “Look, I’m sorry,” Roarke spoke up finally, causing Levi to recoil in surprise. “I didn’t know you two were together when I flirted with her, okay? I wouldn’t have done it if I knew. Single women only, that was my rule.” Levi bitterly looked away again. After a beat, he silently marched across the room to where the crock pot full of chili was sitting on a white card table. “Jesus wept, Levi,” Mara finally chimed in, “you’re still on about that? As if he actually had a chance with me?” She pulled her glasses down and shot Roarke an apologetic look. “No offense, mate.” Roarke shrugged as Levi spun around with an empty styrofoam bowl in his hand. “That ain’t the point!” he growled. “Then what is the point?!” Antoinette snapped. “I mean, besides the fact you clearly don’t trust me!” “No, I ain’t trust him.” He glared at Roarke. “Maybe I should just go,” her boyfriend mumbled. “Honestly babe,” Mara sighed, “how is it Roarke’s too much, but you’re willing to be best buds with Jerrod?” Antoinette’s eyes widened. “What?” “That’s different,” her cousin sighed. “He ain’t usin’ women.” “No, he’s just gettin’ paid to murder people is all,” Antoinette retorted. Levi opened his mouth to argue, but Roarke interrupted. “Hold on, is that the guy that tried to kidnap me?” “Yes, but he has a tragic life story Levi listened to while punching him in the face,” Mara said before a huge grin spread across her face. “Got it! You two need to punch each other!” In a panicked whisper, Roarke admitted, “I don’t know how to throw a punch!” At the same time, Levi started approaching them with a hardened glare. “Ain’t gotta tell me twice.” This ain’t happenin’, Antoinette thought as she tried to move forward to stop Levi. She couldn’t believe how absolutely ridiculous, hypocritical, and just plain stubborn her cousin was being. They’d grown up together, been the best of friends all through their childhood, and at times she honestly felt like they were siblings more than anything. But ever since Roarke had come into her life, he’d become so intensely unpleasant. She’d never known him to be so brutally unforgiving. Even with Johnny, he’d at least tried to rationalize things for a moment before going after him to kick his ass. But with Roarke, he seemed to just be throwing out every bit of smarts he had just for his macho posturing. This wasn’t the Levi she knew and loved; the man she knew wasn’t so keen to treat her like she was a stupid child who didn’t know what she was doing. But none of that changed the course of events that played out before her. Levi stood in front of her, his eyes locked on Roarke. “Ya gonna keep hidin’ behind my cousin or fight like a man?” “I am not going to fight you,” Roarke determinedly answered from behind Antoinette. “How the hell is that supposed to solve anything anyway?” “Babe, this isn’t what I fucking meant,” Mara whined. “I was kidding!” “Not every man needs to fight! And I like that ‘bout Roarke! I don’t need some macho man who thinks he’s hot as granny’s apple pie!” Antoinette snapped, holding her arms out protectively. “So if you wanna fight, you can fight me. I can throw a punch well as you, and I’ve kicked your cowboy ass more times in my twenty-eight years than you’d like to admit!” Her boyfriend sighed from behind her. “Look, this has gone way too far,” he said as he moved to stand beside her. “If throwing a punch is really going to make you feel better, then fine. You want me to hit you?” With a laugh, Levi replied, “I want ya to try.” With another sigh, Roarke pulled his right hand back. His fingers were balled into a tight fist, which he pummeled forward in Levi’s direction. Unfortunately, it never made contact as Levi’s hand gripped Roarke’s wrist. “Too slow.” “You let him go right now, Levi,” Antoinette snarled. He did so, but then immediately, quick as lightning, socked him straight in the nose. Roarke stumbled backwards, immediately clutching his face as blood seeped beneath his fingers. “What the hell, man?” “Levi, fuck’s sake!” Mara yelped, grabbing on to his arm. Without even thinking, Antoinette swung her hand and slapped Levi straight across the face. To her disappointment, he grinned. “Worth it. That felt good.” Antoinette was about to slap him again, but the door to the breakroom swung open and there, standing tall in the doorway, was Harlan Silver. The anger on his face was far removed from the typical jovial grin she’d come to know working in the Silverwings. “So, seems I can’t step out to help Victoria without things going to shit around here, can I? Walk in the door and first thing I hear is there’s a fight in the breakroom, and then of all the people to be having a fight…” he said, his voice cold and brimming with irritation. It was dead silent in the room. Levi stared at the floor, his ears burning red with a guilty frown on his face. Roarke was rubbing his nose, groaning in pain. Mara was standing stiff as a board, completely quiet and unmoving. Antoinette said nothing as well. There was honestly nothing she could say even if she wanted to. "Well? I want someone to explain to me, right now, what happened here,” Harlan demanded. Levi cleared his throat. “Sorry, Sir. I’ll take responsibility, even if I ain’t regrettin’ what I did.” “What a martyr,” Roarke muttered under his breath. “Well what’re you taking responsibility for, boy?” the Silverwing leader asked as he crossed his arms. Before anyone else could speak, Antoinette blurted out, “Levi decided it was a good idea to get into a fight with Roarke cuz he refuses to believe he ain’t all bad. Guess he ain’t some sad-sack mercenary. Those are the only people who deserve the gift of his pity, I guess.” She shot him a venomous glare before wrapping her arms protectively around Roarke. “I told ya, that’s different!” Levi shouted back. “How?” Roarke calmly spoke up. “The guy was going to hand me over to the enemy. I’d probably be dead by now. So how exactly is that different?” Levi hesitated before slowly admitting, “He ain’t got much goin’ for him. He ain’t a bad guy, just makin’ bad choices.” “And so Roarke’s just some evil womanizer with nothin’ else to him? You didn’t consider maybe he was just makin’ bad choices?” she retorted. “You oughta know better, Levi! I knew when I first saw him and decided to be his guard there was more to him, and you didn’t clean the dirt out your ears and listen to me!” “Ya always so damn willin’ to see a good side of people, but sometimes there ain’t a good side. And when he hurts ya, don’t come cryin’ to me. I tried protecting ya, but ya too damn stubborn.” “Enough!” Harlan shouted, causing everyone to jump. “You mean to tell me this whole ruckus is because you, Levi, don’t personally approve of this relationship? This is worth getting into a shouting match over and scaring everyone away from Susan’s chili?” Antoinette glanced towards the doorway and saw a small crowd of people that had likely come for the chili watching them warily. Among them was Susan herself, who looked rather concerned. “Yeah, I am,” Levi quietly commented. “I’m right sorry I been scarin’ everyone away, but I ain’t gonna stand by and watch her get hurt again.” “I knew I shouldn’t have come,” Roarke mumbled before hurrying out of the room, shoving past the group in the doorway. Antoinette shot an apologetic glance at Harlan. “I’m sorry, I—“ Harlan pointed to the door. “Go. I’ll deal with things here.” With a thankful nod, Antoinette politely moved through the crowd to run after Roarke. It wasn’t long before she caught sight of him. “Hun! Wait up” He stopped and paused a second before turning around. “I think it’s best if I just go.” “Well then, don’t just leave without me!” she huffed. “I ain’t okay with him treatin’ you like that, I hope you know.” “I know.” He smiled at her, walking closer until he was able to wrap her into a close, warm hug. “And that’s one of the things I love about you.” She sank into the hug, enjoying it for a moment before the full enormity of what had just happened came crashing down on her like a wave. She’d just had a bitter fight in front of her boss and as if that wasn’t bad enough, it had been with her cousin. They’d had their fair share of spats over the years—it was inevitable when you grew up together on farmland—but this had been so harsh, so personal. She thought Levi trusted her, she thought he understood how she worked. She’d been wrong about someone once, and she’d written that off because she’d been so flustered by the prospect of marriage. Why couldn’t he see that this wasn’t like that? Roarke was no worse than Jerrod was, but he had to be an ass about it. She could feel hot, bitter tears sting her eyes. “Hun,” she managed to choke out, “let’s find Morag and go home, alright?” “Of course, sweet thing.” He kissed her forehead, then took her hand as they walked through the base and back into the library. To her surprise, Norman was still chatting up Morag with an unprecedented level of excitement. As they approached, she caught the tail end of whatever conversation he was having with Morag. “—really such an honor, I’m a big fan!” “Oh, you flatter me, dearie,” Morag replied as she glanced over to see them approaching. “Ah, but it seems the lovebirds are back. Are you both well? You seem a bit frazzled.” “It didn’t go well,” Roarke sighed. “Her friends at the library didn’t like you?” Morag asked incredulously. “I cannot believe it. You’re a lovely man Mr. Higgens.” “I know he is,” Antoinette sighed. “It’s my cousin who don’t.” “If I didn’t have a history of… you know, maybe he would’ve liked me. Or anyone else there, for that matter.” Roarke sighed and glanced at her. “I wanted this to work out, but face it, you would have been better off coming alone.” “That would have defeated the whole point, hun,” she replied. “At least Talia liked you, right? She’s a hard one to win over.” Morag glanced over to Norman. “I’m going to go get the car ready for these two. It was lovely to meet you, dearie. Just remember what I asked, hm?” “O-Of course Miss Macduff!” Norman exclaimed as the woman smiled and walked off. Antoinette was burning with curiosity. By “big fan,” was he referring to her time working at the Den? She could not imagine Norman having an affair, he loved Behiti too much, but what else could he possibly be talking about? Before she could think to ask, Norman said, “So, I have some news. Not sure if you saw Harlan down there, but… Due to recent developments, he and Victoria both are going to be withdrawing the bodyguards and coven members and holing up in our respective bases until further notice.” Roarke visibly stiffened. “What? Why?” Norman shook his head. “Apparently the enemy is up to some seriously powerful rituals. She came to the manor and explained things to Victoria, so we’ve got our best patrolling the manor grounds. Harlan’s convinced there’s a mole, too…” Antoinette’s head was spinning. She could hardly handle her fight with Levi, but now this? It was almost too much. She actually felt as if she might faint for the first time in years. “So… What does that mean for Antoinette? Is she going to have to stay here?” “Well… No, actually! Harlan met your friend Morag and after a brief discussion, we decided as long as you stay with her, you’re free to be out of the base!” Relief washed over her only to be replaced by complete and utter dumbfoundedness. “Huh? Morag? Why her?” Norman coughed nervously. “I promised I would not divulge any of her personal details. Just trust me here, you are more than safe with her.” Roarke grinned and hugged her. “I’m not going to look a gift horse in the mouth. I don’t think I can last a day without seeing you.” “Well then I’m glad I get to keep you from wastin’ away,” she laughed. She had no idea what was going on here, but Roarke was right. Why question this silver lining in an otherwise disastrous day? ****** Jemima slid her prescription sunglasses into place on her face as she stood beside Macavity’s car at Rhine City Park’s East side parking lot. Her second date with the Countess was due to begin in five minutes at precisely 1:45 P.M. Their plans entailed a lovely walk around the park’s interior in the public eye. The park was a popular place for exercise and fresh air during the day, so they were sure to be seen. Naturally, this meant they had to turn things up a notch. Hand-holding was an absolute must (at the very least) if word was going to spread. “I presume the Countess will be arriving shortly,” she said as she stretched her arms into the air. She’d donned black athletic pants, a mint green tank top, and comfortable gym shoes, but she wasn’t a fan of the attire in the slightest. She much preferred her usual wardrobe, but walking around in heels and a business suit would quickly become uncomfortable. “She’s a punctual one,” Macavity nodded. “I guarantee she’ll be along. While you have your date, I’m gonna start searching the net, see if I can’t find anything about Goldie and Cold.” “Excellent.” And she, on the other hand, was going to attempt to gently inquire about the photograph Ryo had showed her. While she simply tried to put it out of her mind, something had bothered her about it. How could it be that someone who looked exactly like the Countess was in such an old photograph? It was very unlikely it was an ancestor; what were the chances of that? But what other answer could it be? I am certain it is a simple explanation. She was overthinking it, and the Countess would solve the unlikely mystery. Macavity whistled. “Boss, there’s your date.” And there she was indeed, dressed in a red crop top that bared her midriff and a pair of dark shorts. Two of her bodyguards that Jemima had seen at Ryo’s restaurant—Yang and Luna, she believed were their names—followed behind her at a respectable distance. “Behave yourself,” she lightly hissed before donning a smile as the woman got closer. “Lovely to see you as always, Countess.” The Countess gave a small bow. “And likewise, Miss Mathers. I must say, your radiance is undiminished even in casual clothing… It is difficult to achieve such a thing.” “Thank you, kindly,” she replied politely, feeling a little more comfortable in her workout attire. She shifted immediately to business mode. “According to our schedule, we are to gain attention from the public eye. I believe such simple sentiments as holding hands or a gentle touch are needed to separate you from otherwise normal business.” “A simple gesture, yes? But effective.” The Countess glanced towards her bodyguards. “Keep an eye from a distance. We must make this seem casual and newsworthy.” “Of course,” Luna nodded. “I’ll be keeping an eye out myself, but I, ah, have some important work to get done for Miss Mathers,” Macavity added. “Worry not,” Jemima reassured him. “I trust we shall be fine.” After all, the work he was tasked with was far too important. Turning back to the Countess, she asked, “Shall we begin?” “Yes, let’s,” she smiled. “It is such a beautiful day, let us use it to our advantage.” Bidding a quick farewell to Macavity, Jemima and Nadia started for the walking trail that circled the park’s interior. There were other people doing the same, some causally and some more seriously, though the summer heat likely deterred many. Luna and Yang trailed behind them, allowing several feet of distance so as to not appear suspicious. “So then,” Jemima began, “what shall we talk about?” Though the photograph was a bullet point in today’s discussion, it was best not to lead with it as not to test the Countess’s trust. “Perhaps you could tell me a bit more about your city?” the Countess suggested. “I know so little of New England beyond superstitions and legends. And of Rhine, I know in particular very little. Mother, in her grief, did not tell me much of the city as she herself has not experienced it.” “Very well,” she agreed, quickly searching her memory for old facts. “Rhine City was created by Rupert Rhine in the mid 1700’s. The city was but a fraction of the marvel it is now, as I’m sure you can imagine.” “Hm, I can imagine quite vividly… It is amazing how the world has changed since the eighteenth century, is it not?” she said with a mysterious smile. “Quite so,” she agreed. “Our museum has a wonderful exhibit displaying photos and artifacts from the past.” She paused before a thought occurred to her and she added, “Perhaps I could organize an outing to visit if you find yourself interested.” “I would most definitely enjoy such a thing… I have not been to a museum in quite some time, though I am told my dear friend, Winston, has helped curate one in Silberstadt’s castle… I have regretfully not visited him as much as I would like in my mourning.” “Which is quite understandable,” she replied sympathetically. “I shall arrange our schedule then for a lovely lunch date followed by a trip to the museum. They also have a lovely exhibit featuring ancient Egyptian culture, which I find quite enjoyable.” Something about the unique power the Egyptians held in their time had always appealed to Jemima. “I have heard tell of such an exhibit… You have a mummy on loan, yes? A princess who claimed in life to be the avatar of Set… Such things intrigue me, endlessly…” The Countess gave a grateful smile. “I so appreciate such an offer… You are going above and beyond for me, and I can only pray I can do such good for you.” “I have no doubt of it,” Jemima assured her, strictly ignoring how little she cared of her payout at the end of their deal. “I have, ah, considerable power at my disposal… If there are any problems you might have, I am almost certain I can fix them. Little is outside my grasp, you see.” Now this was interesting. “I believe I may have to consider this.” She glanced at a couple passing them by and internally smiled at how they unsubtly glanced at Jemima and the Countess. It is time to proceed with the plan, she thought. Gently, she brushed her hand against that of her “date,” hoping she would understand the intention. Thankfully, the Countess was no fool. She took hold of her hand as they walked, one of her fingers gently dragging across Jemima’s wrist, causing her skin to tingle in response. Clearing her throat before commenting, Jemima said, “It’s rather pleasant out today despite the summer heat.” “Indeed. Although, I enjoy heat more than most. Enduring many lonely German winters makes you long for warmth.” “I would imagine so,” she quietly agreed. It was hard to focus when the smoothness of the Countess’s skin was causing a pleasant spark to radiate up her arm. You’re a fool, Jemima, she chastised herself. Far too easy. Do not forget your rules; they are in place for a reason. “Perhaps… you might someday find time to come visit for Christmas, yes? The villagers get so festive. The local tavern, Gerlinde’s, gets quite wild… Much like its eponymous owner.” “That would be beautiful… But, alas, it is difficult to find time to leave the city.” She frowned as the unfortunate realization that she hadn’t taken a proper vacation since she was a young adult hit her. How could she abandon the very city she swore to protect? The Countess frowned in turn. “Surely you must have one you trust to tend to your affairs while you are away? No one should make their entire lives one thing.” Slowly, she answered, “I trust Macavity but naturally, he would travel with me.” “I see… I suppose that means I need to ensure your city’s safety, to give you some well-deserved rest. My father would only be too happy to assist you.” A tremor of panic rumbled through her stomach. “It is quite a tasking job,” she stammered. “I wouldn’t wish to put him through such stress.” “Please, he will likely insist to do it for you. My father always enjoys helping others, and those who do him such great kindnesses as you he will certainly wish to reward handsomely.” The thought of leaving the city in the hands of someone she didn’t know made her squirm all the more internally but outwardly, she smiled. The last thing she wished to do was to insult the Countess or her family by appearing to distrust them. “Well, perhaps it can be arranged, then.” The Countess gave her hand a gentle squeeze. “Oh, let us not discuss business matters… We are to be convincing, yes? Perhaps there is something else we could discuss?” Jemima knew the woman was right. If someone was to overhear their conversation at that moment, they would surely not believe the two were romantically involved in the slightest. “Of course,” she readily agreed. Then, more timidly, she admitted, “It has been some time since I have found myself on a date. A true one, that is. I am uncertain what one would discuss in such a situation.” “We are in the same boat, then,” the Countess laughed softly. “It has been… ages since Marianna.” Jemima was uncertain when it was socially appropriate to begin conversing about former lovers, but curiosity got the better of her. “You have not dated since then?” The Countess shook her head. “I have not deemed myself worthy for the company of any since my failure… Though it has not stopped some from trying to woo me: My school friend, Mr. Varney; the tavern owner, Miss Armstrong; my associate, Miss Karnstein… Even Mr. McAllister, one of the heads of the Silver Foundation, has tried.” Considering how beautiful the Countess was, Jemima couldn’t blame them. “I suppose this shall be practice for us both should we ever find ourselves pursuing a relationship again.” Though, in her case, it was completely out of the question. She was quite content being single and had no wishes to find a partner if only to protect herself from being vulnerable again. “Perhaps…” the Countess sighed. “Perhaps, when all is said and done, I can go out with my sister to find someone… Sadly, she is as unlucky as I am with love.” Before she could think to reply, her phone vibrated in her pocket. Naturally, she understood the technology etiquette one must have on a date, so she ignored it. Whatever it was could wait. “That is unfortunate,” she said, continuing the conversation. She was immediately distracted by another vibration from her phone. Two text messages sent so quickly together? With a sigh, she quickly apologized. “I’m very sorry, Countess, someone is trying to get in contact with me. Give me just one moment, please.” She released her hand from her companion’s—she missed the warmth almost immediately—and pulled her phone from her pocket. Both texts were from Macavity. The first read, Update… Tried looking up Goldie first. Think I may need to wait until off my phone for her cuz there’s not much. The second text was far more peculiar. Looked up Cold next. Found results immediately… They’re concerning. “I do hope whatever this is, it is not too serious as to interrupt our date,” the Countess purred as she gently placed her hands on Jemima’s shoulders and leaned in close. “Forgive me,” she whispered, “but there are people watching. I am trying to stay convincing.” The text message worried her, but she found it very difficult to focus on its contents when the Countess was mere inches away. She cleared her throat and tucked her phone away. “It is nothing that cannot be dealt with later,” she said, trying to sound much more sure of herself than she felt. “This is a relief. I wish you not to worry… Is it anything I might help with?” Jemima felt an unseeable force pulling her towards the Countess. She realized they were so close that if one wished to kiss the other, it would take little effort to do so. What was the Countess’s question? Something about help? “N-No, I don’t believe so,” she stuttered, surely making a fool of herself. How could she have lost her cool so quickly? Was she truly so weak that it merely took being very close to another woman to obliterate her defenses? She needed something to talk about before she embarrassed herself further. What had Macavity texted her about? Research… Yes, that was it. He had found information on Indrid Cold, but that was nothing she could discuss with the Countess. Neither was her visit to Ryo’s home. And that’s when she remembered it: The photograph. She had promised Ryo to ask the Countess about it. Though she was sure it was nothing special, it was a topic of conversation. Clearing her throat again, she stated, “Actually, there is a small mystery that I believe you may be able to explain.” “Oh? I do like a good mystery… What might it be?” “Well,” she began, letting her arms wrap around the Countess's hips to match her faux affection, “I stopped by Mr. Amano’s this morning to pay him a visit. While I was there, he showed me a photograph that had him quite shaken.” The Countess had a smile that appeared both amused and interested, so Jemima continued. “There were several people in it that neither of us recognized, but he was certain both his father and you were among them. I suppose the oddest thing is the period it appears to be from, so it is impossible it can be either of you. I suggested to him perhaps a relative that bears a resemblance though he seemed unconvinced of this.” “His father? In a picture with me?” the Countess asked. “I do not recall ever meeting Mr. Amano… Do you, by chance, have the picture with you? Perhaps on your phone?” “I’m afraid not,” she answered, silently cursing herself for not thinking to obtain the photograph for this very purpose. “Ah,but there were names written on the back. A. Zephyr, N. Shibani, and I believe an A. Dracula were a few of them.” She couldn’t help but laugh and shake her head at the absurdity of it all. The Countess’s eyes soon widened in shock. “A. Zephyr? You are to tell me that is your friend’s father?” “So he says.” “Tell me… is this A. Zephyr bespectacled with a long ponytail…?” Jemima paused for a moment to conjure up the photograph in her mind. “Yes, I believe so,” she confirmed. “Is the N. Shibani in the picture with a radiant, short-haired young woman? Is the A. Dracula standing tall over a smaller, happier woman?” She must have seen it before, Jemima wondered, impressed by how the Countess could recount details of the photograph without it being present. “If I am recalling it correctly, yes.” The Countess went completely silent for a moment before inhaling deeply. “I refuse to be dishonest. I will explain this picture, but I cannot do it here where others might hear us.” Jemima was both worried and horribly curious. Surely it couldn’t be the Countess in the picture. The mere thought was absurd, so what explanation could there be? “Shall I instruct Macavity to prepare the car?” “Yes… I believe that to be a good idea.” Jemima quickly sent her bodyguard a text to make him aware they were heading his way. “Where shall we have this conversation?” “If there is a place where we might have privacy, that would work best.” With a nod, she determined, “My place, then.” “That would be perfect,” the Countess sighed. The remainder of their walk was awkward as a silence settled between them. They resumed their hand-holding, which thankfully seemed to continue drawing attention as they finished their route through the park. However, Jemima noticed the Countess was rather quiet and pensive. Whatever the truth behind the photograph was, it seemed to be rather serious. When they returned to her car, Jemima slipped inside the backseat. She noticed the Countess briefly speaking to her bodyguards before entering the car as well. “Are they to be following behind?” she inquired. “They will, but they need not come in. They are merely there to bring me home when this is concluded.” With a nod, Jemima turned her attention towards the driver’s seat. “Home, Macavity,” she ordered before buckling her seatbelt. Her bodyguard glanced at the two in the rear view mirror. “Alright. Suppose you want to wait on my news, then?” “Yes,” she quickly answered. The car fell silent as Macavity pulled out of the parking lot and onto the street. Jemima neatly folded her hands in her lap. She snuck a curious glance at the Countess, who appeared as thoughtful and serious as she had in the park just moments ago. Eventually, Macavity pulled into the long driveway to her villa, and the two women exited the vehicle. A lawn mower was roaring a few feet away as one of her servants pushed it across the long front yard. The noise was loud enough to cover any conversation, so she waited until they were inside where the walls blocked the sound. Jemima gestured to her living room just to the left of the front door. “Shall we?” “Indeed,” the Countess nodded. She glanced over to Macavity. “Shall Mr. Macavity be party to these revelations, Miss Mathers? I am curious if you wish him involved.” “Certainly if you are not bothered by such.” The Countess shook her head. “I… am not. But before I say anything else, I want to make something entirely clear to the both of you.” Lifting an eyebrow in suspicious curiosity, she inquired, “And that is…?” “I shall not lie to either of you,” the Countess began as she walked into the living room with Jemima following behind. She slowly sat down on the couch. “But you must understand, if you wish to know the truth, there will be no going back for either of you. You will both see the world in a new way, and can no longer live in blissful ignorance as most do…” Jemima exchanged confused expressions with Macavity before reassuring the Countess, “I believe we can both handle whatever it is.” “They always say that,” the Countess chuckled softly. “Very well… Do you wish me to rip the bandage off or ease you into the truth?” With a wave of her hand, Jemima said, “I prefer to hear it as it is.” She crossed the white, pristine room to sit gently on the couch next to the Countess. Macavity followed after her and sat in an adjacent matching white armchair. “Very well,” the Countess nodded. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath and said, “The picture is authentic and was taken in the late 19th century… I am indeed in it, as is Marianna, my sister, my mother and my father… and Amadeus Zephyr, my sister’s lover.” Confusion clouded Jemima’s head as she tried to mentally calculate the years between then and now. “That’s… not possible,” she frowned. Even if by some scientific miracle the Countess had lived that long, she certainly would not look as youthful as she did now. There was no makeup in the world that could pull that off. “It is possible, if one is immortal. And I am.” Her eyes narrowed at the Countess. “I do not find this nonsense amusing in the slightest.” “It is not meant to be amusing, Miss Mathers. Though I suppose one such as you would not so easily accept such truths… A woman of your stature must have a skeptical mind, yes?” “Science may have never been my strongest subject, Countess, but even I know it is impossible for one to achieve immortality.” With a snort, she added, “After all, if the Fountain of Youth existed, I would be the first to be in line for its magic.” “It is only impossible because you are not meant to remember it is possible…” the Countess nodded as she stood up and walked towards the middle of the room. “Ah, but science… It is a subject I am intimately familiar with. I have written many, many papers in my life… Especially in regards to gravity. My love of it as a force and as a concept runs deep in my soul…” She turned and looked at Jemima and for a moment, she thought she saw a blue spark of light flicker in her eyes. “Let me show you how deep.” Whatever the light was soon became as far from her thoughts as possible as a feeling of weightlessness overcame her. She and the Countess began floating upwards, along with the couch, the cushions, and (judging by his startled, profane exclamation) Macavity as well. Jemima reached for the Countess’s arms in fright and gripped tightly, pulling herself off of the couch in the process. “Wh-What is going on? How is this possible?” “I have command over gravity, a power gained when my father turned me…” The Countess put her hands gently against Jemima’s own. Absolutely nothing made sense. Jemima was so used to having the upper hand in all situations, but she had quickly lost control. She felt like she was flailing to comprehend the situation. “Turned you to what? Witchcraft?” The Countess said nothing, simply smiling mysteriously as she often had since they’d first met. This time, however, she smiled a bit wider, showing off a pair of fangs. Fangs? But that would mean… Jemima gasped in horror and removed her hands from the Countess, pushing her away in the process (although the woman simply slowly floated in the opposite direction). Miraculously, she found she was still hovering in mid-air though she was unsure if it was better than falling to the floor below or not. Turmoil and fear rumbled within her. She was afraid, but she’d rather die before she ever admitted it to anyone. “You’re a monster,” she hissed with disgust. All at once, the Countess’s smile disappeared and she flinched. “I… I did not expect to hear such a thing from you…” “You think it’s a bloody good idea to be insulting someone who has us in the air?” Macavity yelped from across the room. “Set us down immediately,” she demanded coldly. With a slight nod from the Countess, everything slowly settled back into place on the floor. As soon as they were all safely back on the ground, Macavity leapt from his seat and drew his gun. In all her time knowing him, she had never seen him so completely rattled. “I don’t give a damn whether you’re a witch, a vampire, a monster, or whatever,” he snapped. “You try anything like that again to Miss Mathers, and I promise you I will not hesitate to do my job.” As calmly as she could, Jemima rose to her feet off of the couch, which she had settled into upon landing. She needed to get the upper hand again; it was the only way to gain some sense of power once more. “You will leave my home immediately and never return. Do not contact me. Our deal is off. Do you understand?” The Countess’s eyes widened in horror, and her body seemed to tense up as if she were straining against an invisible force. “N-No, please, Miss Mathers, surely this… This is not…” She put her hand up to her mouth and let out a violent cough. Speaking louder as to hide her growing internal fear, she repeated, “I said get out of my home, and I meant it.” She would not feel an ounce of safety until the monstrosity was far from her. The Countess coughed again. This time, Jemima could see blood seeping out from beneath the woman’s hand. “Please…” she muttered miserably. Jemima wrinkled her nose. “Get out before you soil my white carpet.” She had taken great care to ensure her living room was immaculately clean. It was incredibly difficult to get any sort of stain out of something so white. The Countess closed her eyes, then simply vanished. One moment she was there, and the next she was not as if she’d never been in the room at all. Jemima whirled around, her eyes wide as she frantically searched for the woman. “Where did she go?” Was this part of her fiendish powers? Did she have superspeed? “Fuck me,” Macavity hissed, dropping his gun to the floor and throwing his hands in the air. “She just bloody vanished into thin air! Jesus wept, what in the—“ Macavity paused, the sound of his ringtone echoing through the room as he pulled out his phone. “Mate, I’m not in the mood for bullshit, so this better be—” He paused and looked puzzled. “She… She just… She what? Well… Well, send someone to clean it up! Fuck’s sake!” He turned off his phone and took a deep breath. Warily, she snapped, “What now?” How could things get any worse than the uncomfortable, tense situation she found herself in? Exhaling, Macavity said, “Just got word one of the guards saw the Countess leave. Apparently she doubled over and spit up in the driveway before hurrying off. It was, ah, blood. A lot of it, apparently.” “At least it wasn’t in my living room,” she sighed with mild relief. “She’s gone, then?” “Yeah,” Macavity muttered. “Seems like it…” “Good. Now the real work begins.” She took a short moment to take a few deep breaths and collect herself. “We need silver, holy water, garlic, and crucifixes. We must fortify every door and window.” She was not about to trust that a vampire would listen to her demands and stay away. Her skin prickled just thinking about how close she’d allowed the Countess to get. Surely a method of hunting, she bitterly grumbled. No doubt I was to become her next meal. With a nod, Macavity pulled his phone out and began making the necessary calls. After a few minutes of this, he once more put his phone away and let out an exasperated sigh. “Jesus,” Macavity said, shaking his head, “what are we gonna tell Ryo? Was his dad… I mean, he was in that picture with the Countess.” With a sigh, she admitted, “I haven’t the faintest idea. Just… fortify the house for now.” She waved her hand dismissively. “Right, right… Unbelievable. Bloody unbelievable. First the Cold business, now this…” Macavity fell silent yet again, then quietly muttered, “Oh, shit.” She stared at him warily. “Dare I ask what?” “In the thick of all this, I forgot to tell you what I found about Cold. Thought it was just some mistake before, but now…” “Spit it out,” she instructed, having little patience after the events of the day thus far. “Well, Dawn I couldn’t dig up anything on from my phone like I said, but Cold? Easily found with a quick internet search. The problem’s that what I found was on JJ’s UFO Page.” “How is that a problem?” “Do you want to hear the interview Detective Jones did with a witness?” Did she? No, not at all. But considering how Macavity believed this to be important, she merely sighed and nodded. After a few minutes of fiddling with his phone, he held it out, and a man’s voice came out of the speaker. “August 12, 2014. Again, I can’t thank you enough for these interviews, Miss Rhydderch. I, ah, know you value your privacy.” “Oh, it’s my pleasure, Detective,” came a pleasant female voice with a distinctive Welsh accent. “So, what left do we have to discuss? I’ve already told you all about what I know of the Mothman.” “Well, actually, I’d like to know if you know anything about a man named Indrid Cold. Quite a few reports tell of a baffling man sighted around the area at the time. Big, creepy grin, dark suit…” “Ah. Him,” the woman, Miss Rhydderch, replied, an edge of coldness in her voice. “I can’t say much. I saw him only briefly a few times, but I can tell you this: I am certain he was responsible somehow. I do not think I have ever met a man that exuded such wickedness as him. Well, perhaps I’ve met one, but that’s neither here nor there.” “Well, I figured I’d ask before we wrap things up, you know? Be a bad detective if I didn’t look at things from every angle.” “You know, at the very least, I could draw you a picture, hm? For your little website? I know that it has been near on fifty years now, but I remember his face as if it were just yesterday…” Macavity tapped his phone and held it out to Jemima. On the screen was a beautifully drawn portrait of a man with a dark suit, slicked-back hair, and an unnervingly wide smile. In other words, it was a dead ringer for the man they’d encountered just that morning. “Before all this, I had to wonder how a man could look the same after fifty years… But what if he’s something like the Countess, only worse? She was at least friendly and polite. Cold… Well, you met him. To say nothing about what Goldie might be.” Jemima felt an unpleasant chill soar down her spine. “You believe he could be a…?” She couldn’t will herself to say the word out loud. “No, I don’t think so,” Macavity scoffed. “We’d have seen fangs the way he was smiling. He’s something else, whatever he is.” He went quiet, an intense look on his face as if he was deep in thought. Jemima felt as though she couldn’t breathe as she struggled to grasp this new reality. There could be more monstrosities existing in their world? How had she never known about them before? Did others know? No, of course not, she told herself, feeling her tensed muscles relax. The news would be all over the city if others knew supernatural beings walked among them. “Boss,” Macavity finally said, breaking the silence, “may I speak openly for a moment?” She let out a sigh of annoyance if only to keep up her stoic appearance. She had no intention of letting even Macavity, who knew her like a friend would, see her weak and afraid. “Very well.” “All things considered… I think kicking out the Countess was a mistake.” Her eyes narrowed. “And why is that?” “Well, we just found out bloody vampires exist. That’s quite a big thing. Her ex, that Marianna from the picture, I’d wager is a vampire as well, and that evil mum of hers must be too. And then there’s whatever the hell Cold and Goldie are, and what danger Ryo could be in from his mom associating with people like them. With all that in mind, we just turned away someone who, no matter what they were, openly offered to do anything to help you if you helped her. You’ve got to realize how useful an ally like that could be, boss. And if Ryo’s dad was one of them as well, and she knew him enough to have him in her family photo… I dunno. It’s a lot to take in, but I just can’t shake the feeling we could’ve handled this revelation better. She did warn us, after all.” Jemima took in a slow, deep breath before replying. “Macavity, the Countess is not an ally. I will not allow such fiends into my life, and you will do well to do the same while you are my employee.” Macavity gave a small nod. “Right.” She gave him a dismissive wave and waited until he left the room. Once he was gone, she let out a long sigh. Much had been thrown at her at once, and she needed time to process it all. She quietly rushed out of the living room, walking through her large home and not stopping until she had reached her bedroom. She closed the door behind her and sank onto the edge of her bed. You’re nothing but a fool, Jemima Mathers, she scolded herself. How idiotic she had been to allow her defenses to be lowered for a woman she barely knew. A woman who, as it turned out, was a monster. It was a lesson learned. From now on, she would insist on background checks on any potential allies. Surely if I had commanded Macavity to, he would have found something on the Countess. All these years of working to protect the city, yet she was still making mistakes. I must be diligent from here on. I cannot afford to make another error such as this. Not with the supernatural existing in her very home. ****** The image in the bathroom mirror that stared back at Aiden looked like him, but seemed so foreign at the same time. I guess it’s one of those days, he sighed, realizing gender dysphoria was rearing its ugly head to make him feel even worse than he already did. It was disorienting to look at his reflection and see his black hair, his dark eyes, his sharp nose, his soft lips… He knew each of these features were his, but they didn’t look like him. If he didn’t know better, he’d think he was looking at a complete stranger. The longer he observed himself, the more confused he felt. Thankfully, a honk from outside grabbed his attention and pulled him away from the mirror. He didn’t have to look out a window to know Lilith had arrived. Going to work was the last thing Aiden wanted to do considering how he’d rather lay in bed all day and make a failed attempt to sort out his life (and the confusing mess with Eric). However, he and his mom needed the money, so it was difficult to say no. Not wanting to make his friend wait, Aiden shoved his thoughts to the back of his mind and left the bathroom, trudging down the stairs to the first floor. He glanced towards the television and recognized a courtroom drama his mom liked to watch on occasion. How she could watch that crap, he had no idea. What was so entertaining about watching other people complain about their problems? With a shake of his head, he said goodbye to his mom and left the house. After making sure to lock the door, he walked down the driveway to Lilith’s car, which was sitting patiently on the side of the street. As he approached, the passenger side window rolled down. “Hey,” Lilith called out, “I almost didn’t expect you to answer me.” Confused, he peered inside. “Why?” “Oh. Uh. No reason, I guess….” She paused. “I actually already got the info for our next job from Vinny, so we’re gonna do something that’s not work. You’re still getting paid, don’t worry.” “Oh.” This bit of news was unexpected. “What, uh, are we doing?” “We’re going someplace fun. I promise.” He was skeptical, but climbed into the car anyway. Lilith glanced at him before staring straight ahead. “You know why I drive like I do, Aiden?” “Not really,” he admitted, buckling his seat belt. “I think a lot of people assume I have a death wish. I think Jason was worried at first. I mean, he knows what happened after all…” She traced her finger down her scar before revving the engine. “But here’s the thing: When I drive, when I go fast, everything else seems to slow down. All the other cars are like snails, and I see the best and safest past before me.” She turned and gave him a big grin, one that seemed a little overconfident. “You get it?” He quietly replied, “Not really. But I trust you.” “Good,” she whispered, “I’m glad.” Not even a moment later, she shifted gears and shot off across the city like a bullet. As usual, Aiden gripped the edge of his seat. Even with being used to the high speeds she drove at, it was still slightly frightening to go so fast. The city blew past them in a blur, barely giving him time to register where they were heading. Eventually, she slowed down the car and gaudy, colorful lights and statues of dinosaurs dressed up in pirate garb came into view. “Welcome to Salty Steve’s Pirate Pizza Palace!” Lilith exclaimed as she pulled into the parking lot. Aiden turned his head towards her, staring in disbelief. He hadn’t been here since he was a kid. Or, rather, he’d only been here once as a kid when his mom had treated both him and his sister for their seventh birthday. “This is where you wanted to take me?” “Hell yeah, dude. The skee-ball here is better than therapy!” “Maybe,” he replied quietly. “You ever been here before?” Lilith asked. “Yeah, once.” “God, can you imagine what the pitch for this place must have been like? ‘Ok Jim, here we go: Kids love dinosaurs, and they love pirates. Combining the two must be profitable. There is no way that could fail!’” She deepened her voice and donned a terrible British accent. “‘Absolutely brilliant idea, the odds of this being a thematically clashing nightmare are below 15%. I say we go ahead with it.’” She shook her head, and her voice returned to normal. “Oh to be a fly on the wall back in ‘87…” “It worked, though,” he noted, slowly unbuckling his seatbelt. “Yeah,” Lilith replied as she flung her car door open. “Well, come on! Those tickets aren’t gonna win themselves!” Aiden followed her lead and exited the car, the sun beaming uncomfortably in his eyes. The two walked at a brisk pace across the parking lot towards the front doors. Almost as soon as they’d entered, he felt disoriented and confused. The place looked almost exactly the same as it had when he’d last been there. Some of the arcade games were newer (and flashier), but the layout and the greasy stench of pizza was the same. An overly cheerful man dressed up in pirate attire (complete with a stuffed parrot on his shoulder) strolled up to greet them, speaking like a stereotypical pirate as they entered. “Ahoy there, what be—“ His smile faltered slightly, and he dropped his accent. “Oh, Lilith. Hi. Is this another—“ “No, Pete, he’s just a friend,” Lilith interrupted. “Well, try and have fun, okay? Just… not too much. And please don’t drain all the tickets out of the skee-ball machines!” “I can make no promises there,” she called out as the man, Pete, sulked back to the counter. Aiden glanced at his friend in bewilderment. “Do you come here often?” Though that wouldn’t quite explain what Pete said and why his face fell when he’d realized who she was. Maybe she annoyed the employees with her skee-ball skills? She shrugged. “Yeah, all the time. I usually bring my dates. He probably thought you were my latest significant other. No offense but I’m, like, one hundred percent sure I’m not your type seeing as I’m a woman and all.” “It’s okay,” he mumbled with a shrug, his mind wandering to Eric. He missed him terribly, but he was still upset about what happened and had no answers as to why. Something about it bothered him, and it wasn’t the fact that he’d slept with someone else. No matter how much time Aiden spent thinking about it, he couldn’t figure it out. “So, you ready to hit up the arcade? It’s a little while before the concert starts. I fucking love Salty Steve and his silly pirate songs.” “Yeah, sure,” he agreed. They made their way inside, stopping briefly so Lilith could get tokens. He didn’t see the bill she slipped into the token exchange machine, but considering the ridiculous amount of coins that came out it pouring into a complementary plastic cup, it had to at least have been a twenty. She led him onwards, past dozens of dinosaur and pirate themed games and excited, screaming children towards the skee-ball machines in the back. Aiden tried to stay focused on the path they were taking, but he couldn’t help but wonder if Eric would enjoy the arcade as much as Lilith did. Was he a secret whiz at skee-ball, or did he excel at another game? Maybe he always hit the jackpot on coin pushers. The row of three plain, simple skee-ball games drew his attention back to the moment, perhaps because they seemed to be the only ones that didn’t have some sort of dinosaur or pirate theme. On the contrary, they were pretty basic, with purple lanes and gold rings. Lilith sauntered up to the lane on the right—which sat next to a basketball game that had somehow managed to incorporate velociraptors—and stuck a token in. She stood back as the balls rolled down. “You want to go first?” “No, that’s okay. You can go.” With a shrug, she turned to the game and rolled a ball. It hit the little ramp and swerved right into the highest point amount. “Did I ever tell you about my family, Aiden?” “Um, I know you have a sister.” “Yeah, Venus Crowley. Or Scarlet Love. You might know her by that name. Moderately famous actress and stuntwoman, she’s spent the past few years starring in the Mercenaries films. I think she said she was in talks with James Gunn for something next.” “Wow…” He glanced at her and asked, “Do you ever get mistaken for her?” “Ha!” she laughed as she rolled another ball up the ramp and into the highest point hole, “I wish. I think the hair and the scar and the lack of a motorcycle throw people off.” “Yeah, I guess that makes sense.” He stared at the hole where the ball had disappeared into. “And then there’s my parents, Chris and Caitlyn Crowley!” She rolled yet another ball and once more, it hit the highest score. “They’re both archaeologists, going around and helping dig shit up… They’re down in Mexico now. They just unearthed some Aztec guardian deity statues and are working with a local group to have them preserved instead of being shipped off to a museum.” “That’s actually really cool.” He dragged his eyes away from the hole to look at her again. “You must be really proud of them.” Lilith gave him a small smile. “I am. I’m glad they help preserve artifacts like that instead of, y’know, robbing graves and shit.” She turned back to the game and rolled another ball. “Then there’s my grandpa. He lives on a farm in Dunwich. A lot of people there swear up and down he helped turn that village around. It had been falling apart since the 20’s, and he just reinvigorated the place, I guess.” “Your family is really cool,” he commented with sincerity. “The fucking coolest,” Lilith agreed. “And then—“ Another roll, another perfect shot. “—there’s me. I’m kind of famous, too. Did you go to Rhine City High School? You know, the one uptown a bit?” “Yeah.” For a city so big, it was rather lacking in choices for education. There was one public school for each level (elementary, middle, and secondary) and a small number of private schools for those wealthy enough to afford it. Aiden, naturally, had attended all of the overpopulated public schools. “Well, I had fifteen minutes of infamy back in the day. I was ‘The Girl Who Was Trying to Ruin the Drama Club,’ among many other names I probably shouldn’t speak aloud since there are children present.” He stared at her in confusion. “I, um, don’t think I ever heard anything like that when I was there.” “Well, good.” She tossed another ball; she was running out of them. “But that’s all I have going for me. The rest of my family is cool and successful while all I have is the story of the time I almost became an entry on some shitty true crime podcast.” This was the first time she’d really opened up to him, and he wasn’t sure what to think. She always seemed so cheery and carefree that he’d never even considered she might feel inferior to anyone. “You’re really cool, too,” he quietly assured her. “I mean, you’re the fastest driver I’ve ever known, and you don’t even have a single ticket.” “Am I?” she muttered. “How come no one wants to be around me, then?” This surprised him even more. Where was this coming from? “I want to be around you. And so does everyone in the group.” “Aiden, the only person in the gang I’m really friends with is Jason. The others are like… casual acquaintances. And you, you’re just saying that because I pay you. I know I fucked up whatever friendship we could have had.” She rolled one ball. “Of all the—“ She rolled another. “—fucking vampires in the city—“ She rolled her final ball, all three landing in the highest-point holes. “—I had to fuck yours. And no matter how great my date with Ryker was, how long before I fuck that up too?” She turned to him, looking more miserable than he’d ever seen her before as tickets came pouring out of the machine behind her. “You know why Pete knew me? I’ve brought a lot of dates here. They almost always dump me. I just… Fuck, dude. I don’t know what I’m doing.” How long had she been holding this in? “You didn’t mess up our friendship. I don’t blame you for what happened. That was before he knew me, okay?” He managed a small smile and hoped it was reassuring to some degree. “And I don’t hangout with you just because you pay me. I mean, that’s really nice, but I like spending time with you.” “I just find it hard to believe. You’d be better off if I hadn’t come into your life. I wouldn’t have gotten you into a fight with the guy you started dating… Like, how is it not awkward now? I fucking hate myself, man, I can’t ignore it.” “Well, I’m glad you’re a part of my life. I didn’t really have any friends before.” She stared at him. “You’re fucking joking, right?” “Well, no.” She stared at him for a moment before gathering up the mountain of tickets on the floor. “You want to play now?” The abrupt change puzzled him immensely, and he wasn’t sure how to feel. Lilith had just opened up to him, but she slammed the door shut so fast that he didn’t even have time to process the conversation. “Um, yeah, I guess so.” She handed him a token. “Here,” she said quietly, “go ahead.” He took the token and slipped it into the machine. The loud roar of the heavy brown balls falling into place sounded, and the game chirped to indicate he could begin. He bent down to pick up a ball. It was smooth and warm in his hand. When he tossed the ball onto the lane, he could practically hear Eric cheering him on. Even if he sucked, he knew the man would tell him he did great and not to give up after one bad game. Unfortunately, Eric wasn’t there, which probably was for the best considering the ball pathetically thunked right into the ten point hole. Aiden groaned inwardly and reached down to grasp the second ball. “Hey,” Lilith said softly. He glanced to the right to see her leaning against the basketball machine, her arms wrapped tightly across her chest and her eyes closed. “Do you… Do you want to hear how I got my scar?” “Yeah, sure,” he answered. “If you want to tell me.” She took a deep breath. “So, when I was in high school, I was really quiet. Which is shocking, I know. But I just wasn’t really outgoing like my sister is, and that sucked cuz I had a crush on Ryker, who was even quieter… Anyway, I got asked out by some guy from the drama club, Bruce Butcher. He was hot, he was rich, girls were tripping over themselves to be with him… But, nope! He asked me to prom!” Aiden nodded to demonstrate he was listening as he threw the ball. He braced himself mentally for the turning point in her story. He could tell it wasn’t a happy one; the subtle sorrowful expression on her face and the way she was holding herself spoke volumes. “I should have known better. Why else would a handsome, popular guy ask out the weird, quiet girl? It’s because he thought I’d be an easy lay. Well, I said no, and he didn’t like that.” He could feel his face fall at the same time his stomach did. “I’m so sorry…” “I mean, I didn’t let him… you know. I fought him off. Gave him the hardest knee to the nuts anyone’s ever had! But then he pulled out the knife, and, well… That’s how I got the scar.” Truthfully, he’d been curious about it since he’d met her, but knowing the origin behind it made him wish he’d never heard it. He couldn’t even imagine the terror she went though. He didn’t know what to say, so he repeated in a whisper, “I’m so sorry, Lilith.” “Jason and my sister were the only ones who stood up for me. Almost everyone else thought I was some evil slut trying to ruin Bruce’s reputation because it’s so normal to scar yourself, spend a week out of school because you were tossed down a hill and almost died, and then say the guy you went to prom with assaulted you. Totally in character for the shy, quiet girl to want the spotlight like that.” She pointed to her hair. “People insisted this was proof. I was just dyeing my hair. I used to be a redhead like my sister. But no, the trauma did this. Almost dying fucks you up.” Aiden’s eyes widened as he took in her hair color with this new knowledge. He’d always assumed it was dyed. “I… I had no idea…” “Well… I haven’t talked about it since it happened, really,” she muttered. “I kinda just… keep it in. No one wants to hear this, and I don’t want to be treated like I’m some weak, fragile thing. If anyone is weak, it’s Bruce. He couldn’t control that tiny fucking dick of his.” “You’re right. You’re not weak. You’re actually really tough. You went through all of that, and you’re still standing here. I don’t think everyone could have gone through something like that and ended up stronger in the end.” His mom immediately came to mind. She’d never really recovered from losing her child, and Aiden wasn’t sure if she ever would. “Thanks,” Lilith said with a small smile. “I appreciate that, really.” She uncrossed her arms and pushed off the side of the game. “You know, the night I met you? I knew I was supposed to go that way, but I didn’t know why. Like I said, when I drive, I always know my path… and that night it led me to help you.” “To me? But why?” “Obviously so you could come here to eat greasy pizza, play skee-ball, and listen to me cry about my shitty life,” she snorted. “At least, I hope it’s that and not costing you your vampire boyfriend.” Mumbling so quietly that he could barely hear his own voice over the electronic sound effects from the arcade games and the happy squealing of children, he said, “You didn’t.” Trying to avoid the conversation he knew was coming, he turned back to the skee-ball machine and grabbed the next ball. It rolled and bounced at the end, miraculously ending up in the twenty point ring. “That’s not reassuring,” she replied, gesturing at the game. “I don’t think I’m as good at this as you are.” “Which part? The skee-ball or the bottling up your feelings?” “Skee-ball,” he assured her as he made his next shot. Another ten. Damn. “You’re not so hot at the other thing either, dude,” she sighed. “I just want you to know that since you listened to me bitch, I’ll always listen to you bitch. I’m here for you, alright? I owe you that much for not just walking out on me.” He stared at the remaining balls waiting patiently for their turn to roll up the ramp. “I’m not sure what I’m supposed to say.” “Sorry,” she laughed nervously, running a hand through her hair, “I’m getting a bit heavy at this children’s pizza place slash arcade, huh?” “It’s okay,” he reassured her as a girl with a long brown braid ran up to the machine to his right and jammed her token into the slot. He turned back to his own game and threw the ball once more. Another ten points. “You want some advice?” Lilith asked. “Um, yeah. Sure.” “Don’t overthink it. Just visualize in your mind where you want it to go and then, boom! Also, you hold on to the ball a bit too long. Let it fly, my guy!” “Oh…” He grabbed the next ball and locked his eyes on the fifty point hole. You can do this. Taking a deep breath, he pulled back his arm and threw the ball, letting go much sooner. He watched as it zoomed down the lane, bounced up towards the top, and landed in the forty point hole. It was an improvement, at least. “Nice!” Lilith cheered. “See, you can do it! You just gotta not overthink it! It’s all about knowing when to hold on and knowing when to let go!” Her words struck a chord within him and without thinking about anything except the current situation with Eric, he blurted out, “I can’t let go, and I think I’ve ruined everything.” And then, just like that with it out in the open, he started crying. Feeling completely embarrassed considering the setting they were in, he dropped his head to avoid attention. Lilith’s arms were around him in a moment, pulling him close. “Hey, hey, it’s okay. I don’t think you have, alright?” “We’re on a break,” he told her. “Dude, what? This soon in the relationship? You started dating a week ago!” Even though he knew she wasn’t trying to make him feel worse, that was precisely what she did. Aiden pulled back from her and swallowed hard, staring at the floor. “I messed everything up.” “No, no, no, you stop that!” Lilith huffed. “You are not going to do this. This right here? This is your skee-ball, Aiden. I know you don’t want to let him go, so you’ve gotta hold on tight, you hear me?” He shook his head. “Things are… weird. I think he was mad at me. And there’s something about it that’s bothering me, but I don’t know what.” Eric had given Aiden his space, but all he wanted was to rewind time and do it over again. Surely, knowing what he knew now, he’d be able to handle it much better. “Well, think about it. What is it that’s eating at you?” “I don’t know.” It was the same question that had been frustrating him the last 24 hours. Why was he bothered so much about the whole thing? He grabbed the next ball, the last two rolling down as a result, and threw it. As he was unfocused, it lamely landed in the ten point ring. “You know what?” Lilith nodded, “I think we need to go see the stage show. It’ll help.” “How is that going to help?” he growled with minor frustration. “Because if you’re sitting down in front of something so unbelievably stupid, you’re going to have no choice but to really think and confront your problems. Also, we need to get pizza.” With a sigh, he reached forward and grabbed the last two balls. He threw one after the other, both lamely landing in the ten point ring. Whatever. Lilith snatched the meager amount of tickets that came out, adding them to her massive pile. “Don’t worry, we’re not leaving here until I win you something cool. Or until Pete throws me out. Whichever comes first.” He swallowed back a fresh wave of pain. If things were better, I’d try to win something for Eric. He didn’t share this thought with Lilith. Instead, he simply said, “Okay.” Lilith led him through the arcade and towards the archway leading to the stage area. He hardly registered anything until they were seated. He was too overwhelmed and preoccupied with his thoughts. How could he not be? He wanted Eric to be with them but instead, there was an empty space where his boyfriend should be. “Alright,” Lilith exclaimed as she slapped her hands against the table, “we’re getting to the bottom of this, and hopefully before Salty Steve starts singing.” “How are we going to do that when I don’t even understand why I got so upset in the first place?” he muttered. Then, with a sigh, he leaned forward. “I’m not mad it happened. You should know that. I wasn’t in the picture, so it’s not right of me to be mad about it. But I’m upset he didn’t just tell me the truth. You shouldn’t have had to be the one to tell me. And…” He shrugged, feeling hopeless. “I don’t know. There’s just something else that’s bothering me, but I can’t figure out what it is.” Lilith tapped her chin thoughtfully. “If you don’t even know why you’re upset, is it worth being mad over? I’m not trying to, like, invalidate your feelings or anything, but if it’s eating at you this bad, why not just talk things over with him? Fuck, text him right now!” He slowly pulled out his phone and tapped on the text message thread with Eric. The last ones exchanged between the two was their unceremonious (and hopefully temporary) goodbye. He reread the words, and his vision blurred. Something deep down was still eating at him. “I can’t.” “Dude. I hung out with you both once, and the way you looked at each other, it was like something out of a romance novel. What’s holding you back?” “I don’t know. Just…” He sighed and hesitantly lifted his eyes from his screen. “I don’t know.” It was important, he could tell that much. But it felt like it was locked in a deeply buried treasure chest, and Aiden didn’t have the map to lead the way there. Lilith glanced at the stage, which was starting to light up. “Shit, we’re running out of time… Wait! Wait, he’s your first boyfriend, right?” “Yeah.” “Alright, I think that’s the key here. I think you’ve got some kind of anxiety over it, which is normal! Hmm… Do you think you’re not good-looking enough? Cuz you’re pretty hot dude, seriously. You’re a catch!” Heat crawled up his neck. “No, I’m not.” “I’m no liar, at least not usually! But maybe that’s not it…” She paused as Pete came over with a pepperoni pizza and a pitcher of root beer. “The usual,” he nodded. “I mean… Ahoy! Here be your pizza, scalawag!” “Thanks, Pete,” Lilith snickered. “Don’t worry, I’ll leave you a big tip.” After Pete left, Lilith grabbed a slice of pizza and turned back to Aiden. “Okay, well… Are you intimidated cuz he’s older than you and has seen a lot more? Cuz I think that just comes with dating a vampire, y’know?” He eyed the pizza. “No, that doesn’t bother me. I mean, I know he’s older than me technically, but I guess I just see him as being twenty-five.” “Dammit!” She angrily bit into her pizza and through a mouthful of food grumbled, “What could it be then? I can’t think of anything else except—“ Her eyes widened, and she swallowed hard. “Does it have to do with him having, uh… lots of experience? I mean, I dunno if you’ve ever, you know, but he obviously has.” “I know,” he mumbled, taking a piece of pizza finally if only to have something else to focus on. She coughed. “I’m not… I’m just trying to figure out, does that intimidate you? Cuz he doesn’t seem the type to be bothered by inexperience or anything.” “No.” He chomped down on his slice and chewed it, his taste buds singing praises from the delicious mixture of oil, sauce, meat, and cheese. When he swallowed, he sheepishly admitted, “Maybe a little. But I don’t think that’s really it.” “So it’s not sex at all, huh?” He glanced at the stage. The animatronic dinosaurs were starting to move, catching the attention of many children populating the restaurant who began to excitedly rush towards the characters. It was going to get very loud very soon. Was it about sex? Eric had been quite active once whereas Aiden couldn’t even imagine partaking in something like that yet. Considering how disoriented he’d felt looking in the mirror earlier that day, sex seemed very much out of the question. Aiden suddenly felt a switch flip in his mind, and he stopped chewing, his eyes locking with Lilith’s. Suddenly, it made sense why he’d been so upset. It went far beyond something as simple as not having experience. His throat tightened uncomfortably as he swallowed the greasy food in his mouth. Lilith reached her hand out across the table and placed it over his own. Her eyes were full of understanding, and a small, gentle smile came across her face. And maybe it was her patience and silent kindness that finally broke the dam for good. “I’m not good enough,” he whispered. “I can’t… I can’t give him what he wants.” “Yes, you can. Because he wants you, dude.” “But I can’t… I don’t know if I’ll ever be ready for that.” And being faced with the reality that Eric liked sex was difficult to process. I wish I could… I want to eventually, but what if I never feel comfortable enough? He couldn’t ask the man to stay in a relationship that didn’t give him what he needed. No matter how much he loved Eric, he couldn’t ask that of him. “Well, that’s something you have to talk about with him, I think. And no matter what happens, I’m here for you, okay?” “I know.” And he appreciated it. Feeling miserable, he turned his attention to the stage and watched the pirate dinosaurs perform a song from the 90’s while he ate the rest of his pizza. The thought of even trying to have this gut-wrenching conversation with Eric made his heart ache. He could only see it ending in one way: A break-up. How could it not? Eric needed something Aiden wasn’t sure he could provide. “Here he comes!” Lilith pointed to the stage with excitement. A trapdoor had opened up and rising out of it accompanied by massive amounts of fog was the very long neck of a dinosaur with a pirate hat and beard. As he rose up, he arched his head back and let out a mighty “YAR!” before waving about the stage singing the praises of piracy. Aiden wasn’t entirely sure the people who made this place actually knew what pirates did. He was fairly certain they didn’t eat pizza, at least. “Salty Steve fucking rules,” Lilith snorted. “I love seeing him come out, it’s ridiculous.” “Yeah,” he laughed, a smile appearing on his face despite how upset he was. Admittedly, it was amusing and ridiculous in a perfect way. “You ready to blow through twenty bucks worth of tokens, dude?” He nodded. He was absolutely ready. He knew he’d have to have a serious conversation with Eric at some point but for now, he wanted to enjoy the day with Lilith. There was pizza to eat, games to play, and prizes to win. Everything else could wait. ****** Venus had been so excited to show Chastity the first movie in the Mercenaries series, but focusing on anything but the insanity that had become her life was difficult. Laying on the couch in her girlfriend’s arms made her feel warm and safe, but she couldn’t ignore the tumultuous tsunami in her stomach. All she wanted to do was be happy and exist, but in the blink of an eye, everything had changed. She had a new job that she wasn’t entirely happy at (thanks to one particular drunk who she felt like she was constantly walking on eggshells around), she felt like she was stuck in the middle of a century-long war she wanted no part of, and she was stuck being infertile for eternity. How could she not be miserable? In fact, if it wasn’t for Venus standing by her side and tirelessly trying to keep a smile on her face, she wasn’t sure she would be able to handle everything. The redhead was very much her security blanket during a frightening storm, one that seemed like it would never end. “Look, look, look!” Venus exclaimed excitedly, pointing at the screen. “This was probably my favorite part to film!” Venus’s character in the movie crashed through a window on a motorcycle, rolled off of it effortlessly, and began taking out a room full of armed guards. This was at least the third insane thing she’d seen her girlfriend do in the film so far. It was pretty impressive since she hadn’t used a stunt double. “That’s awesome,” she told her, trying very hard to drag her mind out of her funk and fully focus. But even she had to admit she sounded less-than-enthused. Some girlfriend I am. Venus went out of her way every single day to help her, and what did Chastity do in return? Nothing. Venus, seemingly detecting her anxiety, leaned down and kissed her head. “Hey, I know you’ve got a lot of crap on your plate, but it’s going to be alright! You’re Chastity Collins, the baddest bitch in Rhine City!” “No, I’m not,” she sighed. “That would be you.” Venus was fearless and brave, two things Chastity was not. “Pfft, come on, I’m not,” Venus snorted. “I’m just good at acting like I am. I’ve never gone through anything as hard as you, or Lily, or anyone really.” She sighed. “I always seem to have everything just come to me. That’s not bad bitch behavior.” “Babe, have you seen the way you drive? I think that’s enough to qualify.” “That? I use my special twin power to cheat, so I don’t count that,” she said with a shrug, as if this were the most normal thing in the world to say. But this, to Chastity, was not normal at all. “Special… twin… power?” “Yeah! I get these weird feelings sometimes, like I know what’s going to be dangerous and what isn’t. When I’m riding Lady, I always know what I’m doing. I’m never in any danger! Lily says she has something similar, so it’s probably psychic twin powers like you see on TV.” “Oh.” A small part of her felt jealous. She and her sister had never had a connection to each other like that. At most, they knew how the other was feeling, but it wasn’t any kind of psychic link. They had been best friends once, and they could read each other like a book. “I used to think it was just, like, intuition or whatever,” Venus continued, “but then after finding out about vampires and magic and stuff, maybe we really are psychic! I wonder if that’ll help me get the part of Jean Grey when they finally reboot X-Men…” “Maybe…” It was probably better that she and her sister didn’t have a psychic link. The last thing she wanted was her sister finding out what a failure she was. “I don’t need to be psychic to know something’s bugging you, girl,” Venus said gently. “What’s going on in that pretty head of yours?” “The same shit as usual,” she sighed. “I’m sorry, I know I’m not being very supportive right now.” “Supportive?” Venus laughed. “Girl, I just wanted to show you this because you’ve never seen it! I already played my role and got paid. You don’t have anything to support! You, on the other hand, need lots of support right now.” She glanced at the screen again, though she wasn’t focused whatsoever on what was happening in the movie. “How can you keep being so amazing when all I’ve done since we got together is complain and mope around? Why would you want to be with someone so miserable?” Even as she said the words out loud, she knew she sounded ridiculous. “Do you remember the day we first met?” Venus said gently. With a sarcastic snort, she answered, “Was I dancing?” “Don’t tell me you forgot!” she whined. “I mean, yeah, you were, and you were, like, unbelievably hot. I went over to you when you were on your break, and I said hi, and I asked if you knew who I was. And you just stared at me and said, ‘What? Should I know who you are?’” She tilted her head back to glance up at her girlfriend. “I did not… Did I?” “You totally did!” she laughed. “I was so thrown off cuz I totally thought I could pick you up like that, by being famous… But I think even then I realized you were better than that. You didn’t care about me being famous; you didn’t know who I was. But I wanted you to. And that’s what mattered. Sorry if that’s, like, super corny.” “No,” she reassured her gently. “That’s… really sweet, actually.” “Well, good! But, you get it, right? That’s why I want to be with you. Because you know me. You didn’t know I was famous, you never heard of me, and you liked me for who I am in real life and not who I am on the screen. That means so much to me, and there’s no way I’d ever just… leave you behind.” Chastity sat up and shifted on the couch so she was facing Venus. “You really mean it?” Venus grinned at her. “Yeah, I do.” She felt her face glowing. Not that she wanted to compare Venus to such a douchebag, but Leonard had never said anything like this to her in the time she’d been with him. “I don’t think I could ever imagine my life without you,” she whispered. Her eyes immediately widened as she realized how crazy that must sound considering they’d only been together a few days. “That’s too soon, isn’t it?” “God, you’ve been gay for a few days, and you’re already becoming a stereotype,” Venus snorted, rolling her eyes playfully. “Gonna ask to move in next?” “No, I like my apartment.” She paused a beat before squeaking, “Unless you want me to?” “I wouldn’t mind that at all,” Venus purred as she leaned in close, her face inches from Chastity’s own. “Also, like, it’s really not that weird. We’ve known each other a few years so there was already a foundation. We’re just building on it.” “Yeah, I guess that’s true…” Her body was tingling with anticipation. There was one thing that was bound to happen with the redhead so close to her, and she was ready for it. “I have a question,” her girlfriend whispered, her breath hot against her face. She felt her own breath catch in her throat. Why, again, had it taken this long to notice her? “Yeah?” Venus grinned playfully. “Think we can pause the movie for a bit and make out?” With a soft laugh, she answered, “Do you really think I’m going to say no?” “No,” Venus said, “but it’s polite to ask.” Without a second more of hesitation, her girlfriend leaned in and pressed her lips against her own. The sound of explosions blared from the television, but neither one of them paid it any mind as things quickly heated up. Before she knew it, she was laying on top of Venus, whose arms were wrapped around her. Her sock-covered feet rubbed against her girlfriend’s as they kissed hungrily. “Mmm,” Venus moaned as their kisses grew more and more intense. “Maybe… we should… go to my room?” This snapped Chastity out of her euphoric haze, and she very reluctantly pulled herself away from Venus, lifting her head so she could fully see her face. Typically, this wouldn’t frighten her, but considering how Venus was the first female she’d ever been with, she felt a bit anxious. “How, um, far are we…?” She let the question hang in the air, but it was blatantly obvious what she was asking. Venus blinked in confusion before putting her hand over her mouth, her face turning redder than her hair. “Oh my god, I said that out loud!” Now it was Chastity’s turn to be confused. “Wait, so you didn’t mean to?” “No, I was just thinking it!” Venus whined. “Ugh, I’m sorry. I’m not trying to pressure you, I swear!” “You’re not,” she reassured her. “But… I mean… Is that what you want?” “Um, yeah? I’ve been dreaming about it for, like, ever.” Chastity nodded slowly before sighing. “Okay.” So this was a thing that was probably going to happen. She was going to have sex with another woman for the first time. It’s probably so stupid to be worried about. But she had no idea what it actually entailed. When it came to sex with men, she was practically a professional, but sex with a woman was a whole new level. “Look, you’re new to being with girls, I understand. I’m not going to push you until you’re ready.” Venus gave her a sly smile. “I mean, we have plenty of time, right? You’re immortal.” “You’re definitely not pushing me,” she reassured her girlfriend before grinning deviously. “I want it, too.” And how could she not? Venus already seemed to know how to turn her on and leave her burning for more. “Well, uh… Want it now, then?” She chewed her bottom lip for a second before answering, “Let’s take it slow.” “Fine by me,” her girlfriend snorted. “I go fast enough everywhere else.” She leaned back in and resumed where they’d left off. As if they’d never been interrupted, the two were all over each other. Venus’s tongue darted into her mouth, and Chastity’s fingers ran through the redhead’s soft, short hair. But after a moment, a burning question singed Chastity’s mind and she pulled away again to ask, “Wait, are we going to do this on your couch?” Venus reeled back and smacked her forehead. “Oh! You meant take that slow, not… I’m stupid. Guess we should go to my room. I really don’t want Lily walking in on me again.” She laughed. “That’s the last thing my nerves need right now.” “Want me to carry you up?” Her jaw dropped. “You’re joking, right?” She shook her head. “I’m an actress, I’m a stuntwoman, but I’m not a comedian.” “Are you even strong enough?” Not that she thought Venus was weak exactly, but Chastity was 120 pounds. Carrying that much weight up the stairs could be problematic. “Hmm, I’m not sure…” Venus’s face lit up. “What if you carried me? You’ve got vampire strength after all!” She burst out laughing before she could even control herself. “Okay, now I know you’re joking. Me? Carry you?” “Did you miss the part where you are literally a vampire?” “But that doesn’t mean…” Or did it? She hadn’t exactly tested her strength, but considering she could smell and hear better than before she’d been turned, then maybe she was able to lift more weight. “I mean… I guess I can try? But if I drop you, remember I warned you!” “I trust you completely, girl,” Venus beamed. “You got this!” Chastity stood up and shut off the tv before standing in front of Venus. Her girlfriend stared at her expectantly with an encouraging smile. Taking a deep breath, Chastity learned over, carefully wrapped one arm beneath Venus’s legs and another around her upper back and picked her up. Venus wasn’t exactly light, but she wasn’t uncomfortably heavy either. Chastity could feel her muscles straining, especially as she started walking up the stairs. Maybe I am stronger after all. “This is seriously a dream come true,” Venus sighed happily. “I’ve always wanted to be carried to my room.” “You’re welcome,” she laughed as she reached the top step. “Which one is your room?” “The one with the big heart on the door!” It was impossible to miss. The red heart was nearly one-third the size of the door. Chastity carefully set Venus down on her feet just outside of her room. “Sorry, babe,” she apologized. “I don’t think I can carry you and open the door at the same time.” “It’s fine,” Venus laughed as she pushed open the door to her room, “that was romantic enough for me.” Chastity had never actually been in Venus’ room before, so she was instantly struck by how girly it was. The walls were pink and decorated with small red painted hearts, and Venus’s bed was dressed with bright pink sheets. It almost looked like someone else’s room entirely, but there were little things—the Mercenaries movie posters on the walls and the white shelf above the bed that held several trophies—that indicated the room indeed belonged to Venus. “This is cute,” she complimented. “It’s probably a bit weird considering I’m… me,” Venus snorted. “A little bit, but I promise I like it.” Her girlfriend sat down on the edge of her bed and grinned. “I’m glad.” She flung herself back onto her pillows. “Well, come on in! These sheets are cozy as hell!” Chastity quietly walked further into the room and sat down on the bed next to Venus. She pulled her feet up onto the fleecy pink blanket and wrapped her arms around her knees, holding them close to her body. She was nervous, there was no denying that. The reality of what was about to happen was looming over her. What if she sucked so badly that Venus broke up with her? She soon felt her girlfriend’s reassuring hands on her shoulders. “You sure you wanna do this, babe? I can wait. You’re worth waiting for, you know.” Turning her gaze towards the redhead and giving her a small smile, she said, “You waited long enough. Besides, in all seriousness, I am ready. I’m just… really nervous.” “It’s okay, I was nervous my first time too,” Venus nodded. Internally, Chastity sighed with relief. Of course Venus understood. She had always been so patient and supportive. “Take it slow,” she whispered before leaning closer to the redhead and kissing her gently. Venus kissed her back, but this time it felt different. When they were making out on the couch, it was hungry and full of passionate adrenaline. This time, it was tender and slow. Venus gently pulled her down onto the bed beside her, lying her against a pillow as she kissed her. Her hands caressed Chastity’s face before making their way down her body, lingering for a moment on her breasts before continuing down. Chastity’s body tingled in response to Venus’s touch, invigorating her with energy she didn’t know she needed. “Don’t… stop…” Chastity moaned in-between kisses. This seemed to be all the encouragement her girlfriend needed. Carefully, she slipped her hands up under Chastity’s shirt. Chastity’s skin burned with desire. Venus’s hands soon found their mark as they slid under her bra and gently squeezed her breasts. “Jesus,” Venus gasped in between a round of kisses, “they’re so soft…” Chastity managed to get out a laugh. How was it that Venus’s touch was ten times better than that of any man she’d ever slept with? “Good, you’re laughing!” Venus grinned. “This isn’t worth it if you don’t have fun. Now…” She gave her a sly smile. “You ready to feel really good, girl?” “Yes,” she breathed. She had no idea what was about to happen, but she was excited. “First things first!” Venus sat up and, in one fluid motion, peeled her shirt off. Almost as quickly, she unhooked her bra, tossing it aside. They were bigger than Chastity’s own, not that she minded. She felt a bit mystified. She’d seen a few of her coworkers half or fully nude in the locker room before, but seeing Venus topless was completely different. Fuck, she’s sexy, she thought before Venus took her hands and guided them to her bare breasts. She gently squeezed them, and a soft gasp escaped from Venus’s lips. “How are your hands so soft?” the redhead moaned. “You’ve gotta tell me what moisturizer you use, girl.” “Maybe if you’re lucky,” she teased. She continued massaging Venus’s breasts, her thumbs occasionally venturing to her nipples to rub them. A part of her reveled in her girlfriend’s reactions—the noises and the satisfied expressions she made. Oh yeah… I could get used to this. That was one thing she’d always enjoyed: Her partners reacting to what she did to them. Knowing she could make them feel that way made her wet faster than anything they could do to her. It was an erotic power trip. “Alright,” Venus breathed, “enough of my boobs for now. You--“ She reached down and helped pull Chastity’s shirt and bra off. “—have a lot to learn.” She shivered, though whether that was from Venus’s air conditioner or from sexy anticipation, she wasn’t entirely sure. “So should I call you Miss Crowley?” “You can call me whatever you want,” Venus purred as she leaned down and pressed her lips to Chastity’s before kissing her neck, her chest, and her stomach. She made her way down her body, each kiss shooting sensual lighting through Chastity’s body. Venus paused at Chastity’s waist to pull her shorts off, followed immediately by her underwear. Chastity felt a little shy being completely exposed to Venus for the first time, which she realized was ridiculous considering how much skin she had exposed to her when working at the Den. “You ready for this, girl?” the redhead breathed. Her pulse quickened. “Yes,” she whispered back. From there, things quickly intensified. Venus did things that drove Chastity wild. Every new experience was thrilling. Venus seemed to know exactly where and how to touch her to elicit loud moans, and Chastity was practically living for it. Their lovemaking went on and on for what felt like an eternity as Venus showed her everything she’d been missing until they finally both collapsed, panting and sweating, onto the bed. “Girl…” Venus sighed, “I don’t think I’ve ever had sex that good in my whole life. Holy shit.” “Yeah,” she agreed. “That… That was amazing.” “Better than a man?” Venus teased. Chastity turned her head to look at the redhead lying to her right and laughed. “God, yes. I mean, I like dick, but the men I’ve been with didn’t spend nearly as much time on me as you did.” She leaned towards her partner and gave her a quick peck. “Thank you. Maybe this being with a girl thing won’t be so bad.” A dismal reminder popped into her head, and she added with a depressed sigh, “Except for the whole ‘I’m not going to be able to have kids again’ thing.” It wasn’t Venus’s fault exactly, especially because she wouldn’t be able to now regardless of the sex of her partner thanks to vampirism, but it still was a tough reality to swallow. “Hey, hey, there’s ways to work around that! You could adopt, we could find a donor and I could get pregnant… You can still be a mom!” “Is it selfish to want to be the one to do it?” she asked meekly, knowing very well it was, in fact, a bit selfish. Venus sighed. “I don’t think it is. But you remember what Victoria said… Hmm. What if there’s some magic out there that could allow you to get pregnant?” Did she dare to hope? It sounded crazy, but… “Do you think there could be?” “Look, vampires and angels are real, so there’s probably even more crazy stuff out there. Werewolves, fairies, demons, freaky fish men, Cthulhu? Whatever else pops up, I’ll try everything to find you some crazy pregnancy spell! Chances are someone will know!” She snapped her fingers. “Maybe the Loch Ness Monster knows! You think Morag would be able to give us a tour of her hometown, help us hunt the beastie down?” Chastity couldn’t stop herself from laughing out loud. “You sound insane, but I totally love you for it.” “Well as long as you love me,” her girlfriend winked. As if agreeing subconsciously, the two snuggled into each other and pulled the covers over themselves. The air conditioning was giving Chastity’s arms and legs goosebumps, but Venus’s body was warm. This is exactly where I want to be, she thought to herself, feeling happier than she had in days. No matter how much her life had turned upside down, being beside Venus made everything okay. As the two women drifted off to sleep, Chastity knew she’d be able to adjust to her new life as long as her girlfriend was a part of it. ****** Despite how close his freedom was, Jojo could scarcely believe it. The damned collar that Jack had clamped on him so long ago would finally be off, and he would be free. He’d no longer have to cling to Rex for protection as he had for decades, and he would no longer have to cower in fear at the sight of Moore. He would be able to fight back and fight he would. He’d already resolved to make beating up Moore one of his first orders of business. Standing up to Jack would be another thing entirely—even thinking of him made Jojo’s whole body shudder and filled him with dread—but he’d cross that bridge eventually. Waiting was the hard part. He wanted so badly to rush down to Rhiannon and have her use the spell, but Gabby had asked him very nicely to wait for her grandmother to return from her errands as Eve apparently wanted to witness this for herself. There wasn’t a chance he could deny her such a request so he sat patiently on her bed while she braided Hannah’s hair. He had been surprised to see the young witch in his girlfriend’s room at first but if anyone could befriend her with ease, it was most certainly Gabby. Glancing down at his phone, he stared at his text conversation with Flynn. He’d asked the man to come to the room about twenty minutes earlier, and he’d gotten a reply saying, “I’ll be along shortly, promise.” Though he was sure the man was showering and getting dressed for the day, he kept imagining Flynn and Rex getting rather intimate together. More than once, he had to force the thoughts from his mind and remind himself he had no reason and no right to be irritated by that. Without even thinking, he let out a frustrated sigh. Without a second of delay, Gabby asked, “What’s wrong?” Jojo blushed. “S-Sorry. I just have a lot on my mind, you know?” “I’ll bet,” Hannah chimed in. “Today’s the day you’re free from that collar!” “Finally,” Gabby murmured, smiling to herself as she finished braiding Hannah’s hair. She wrapped a hair tie around the end. “Tada! All done!” Hannah snapped her fingers and conjured a small mirror in front of her. With a satisfied smile, she said, “Perfect. Thank you, Gabby.” “You know there is a mirror right there, ja?” Jojo said, gesturing to the mirror on Gabby’s dresser. With a giggle, Gabby stood up off of her bed and stretched. “How much longer do you think Grandma will be?” “Hopefully not much longer. I think this collar is finally starting to chafe,” Jojo joked. It was strange he could laugh about it after it had been such a source of anxiety for so long, but it was going to be nothing but a bad memory soon. A whole lot of bad memories, he added bitterly. “I’d take it off for you if I could, but I think Gabby might hate me if I blew your head up by accident,” Hannah joked in turn, or at least he thought it was a joke. Her delivery was a bit awkward and unsure as if she didn’t actually joke around often. With wide, frightful eyes, Gabby squeaked, “Would that really happen?” Hannah nervously tugged at her newly braided hair. “Er, well—“ “She’s just joking, liebling. Don’t worry.” Hannah shot him a grateful look before continuing to stroke her braid. Looking much more relieved, Gabby next asked the question Jojo had been thinking. “Do you think Flynn will come in time to join us?” “I hope so…” Jojo muttered. He didn’t want to doubt his friend, but it was hard not to worry. She frowned, similar concern written on her face. “He wouldn’t miss this, would he?” Before Jojo could reply, a knock sounded on Gabby’s door. “Hello,” came the familiar Scottish lilt of the man they’d just mentioned, “I’m sorry I’m late. Can I come in?” Ecstatic, Gabby rushed to her door and threw it open. “You’re here!” she exclaimed before enveloping him in a hug. Flynn happily returned the hug, giving Jojo a chance to check out his outfit. He was dressed in a very nice black and green checkered shirt, and Jojo could smell tropical fruit on him. His hair was glistening slightly as if it was still wet. “Sorry it took me so long,” Flynn said, “Some guy, Ruthven I think, was taking forever in the shower.” “Huh, so he finally got his body back…” Hannah muttered. “Someone else for me to avoid,” Gabby sighed as she released Flynn from her tight hug. “We’re just glad you made it before Gabby’s grandmother got here,” Jojo smiled. The frustrations and anxieties of earlier melted away. Flynn was here now. Gabby grabbed Flynn’s hand and pulled him inside. “I braided Hannah’s hair. Can I braid yours?” She paused and examined it with a small frown. “I guess I can’t do it the same way, but maybe I could do a small one on the side?” “I think I’d like that,” Flynn smiled. “Just do whatever you’d think looks best on me. And, uh, sorry for the wet hair… I tried to rush down here since Jojo texted me a while ago.” Gabby sat on the edge of the bed, patting a spot next to her. Once Flynn sat down, she gently grabbed a section of his hair near his face and carefully started braiding it. Jojo watched happily as his girlfriend worked on Flynn’s hair, but his joy slowly faded and was replaced by a sting of frustration. He didn’t even know what he was frustrated about; this was the same feeling he’d had the day before but that was in regards to Rex. Why was he feeling that same frustration now as he watched Gabby weave her fingers through Flynn’s luscious hair? “I hope your grandma sends Ruthven off soon,” Hannah said, cutting through his thoughts. “It’s bad enough Moore is here even if he’s basically just a blood bag for you guys at this point. I really don’t want to share the house with that guy, too.” “Why is he bad?” Gabby asked curiously. “Mom told me to stay away from him, but she didn’t say why.” “He was a serial killer who married women to murder them,” Hannah explained with all the grace and subtlety of an atom bomb. “His last wife chopped his head off when he tried to kill her, which is why he’s been a head since we got here. Guess he finally got enough food to regrow his body.” Wrinkling her nose in disgust, Gabby replied, “Ew.” At the same time, she immediately switched topics as she tied a small thin white hairband around the end of Flynn’s mini braid. “All done!” Flynn glanced over towards the mirror and smiled softly. “You know, I think I like the look of this. Kinda reminds me of my mom…” “I can do it for you more often if you’d like,” Gabby hurriedly offered. “I would like that,” Flynn murmured. Jojo examined Flynn’s expression curiously in the mirror. His friend had the same sort of bittersweet longing on his face that Jojo did when his thoughts drifted to his sister. His heart ached for Flynn; no one deserved to feel that crushing longing for a loved one who disappeared. “Marilyn McLain…” Hannah muttered softly. “I’ve heard of your mom, Flynn. She was--is a respectable witch, even though she did work for the college.” “Lyn,” Flynn said softly. “She would want to be called Lyn. When we were together, we were ‘Lyn & Flynn.’ She was such a dork…” “I wish I could have met her,” Gabby commented, her voice gentle. “I wish I knew what happened to her… I came home one day, and she had just vanished. Next thing I know, my dad comes, and I have the most awkward trip of my life as he takes me back to his place in dead silence.” All at once, a brilliant idea came over Jojo. “That’s it!” he exclaimed. “Once I’m free, we are going to look for my sister, ja, liebling? Why not look for Flynn’s mother as well?” He glanced at Flynn’s surprised face and then added, “Perhaps we can invite Rex along?” That way we can look for his daughter. And the vampire I sired. “Oh, um, yeah,” Gabby replied, looking unsure of her own answer. A quick peek at Flynn immediately changed her frown to a smile. “Of course we can.” “Shouldn’t take long to get all that sorted out with me along,” Hannah said with a great deal of pride, though the way she posed herself made Jojo almost certain she was trying to make another joke. The chatter of the group faded into background noise as Jojo watched them from where he sat cross-legged on the floor. He was practically brimming with joy. Soon, he would be able to live his life again, and now he had a girlfriend and friends willing to journey with him. And what’s more, he finally felt like he’d be able to pursue his dreams. Perhaps, without this collar and its power constantly hanging over me, I can finally start writing my life story down… His attention snapped back when he heard his name. He saw his girlfriend looking at him with her bright golden eyes twinkling and a grin on her face. As was often the case, his heart fluttered as he returned her gaze, and he could feel a smile spreading across his face. “Ja, liebling? Sorry, I was lost in thought.” As patient as always, she replied, “It’s okay. I just wanted to know if maybe you wanted to go out for pizza and celebrate after you’re free?” Jojo couldn’t help but laugh at this. “You know, after all the frozen pizza we’ve had here, I think that would be wonderful!” Her grin grew even bigger, and she declared, “It’ll be my treat!” I wish you were here to see this, Sera, Jojo thought as he beamed at Gabby. A knock came on the door of her room, cutting through his thoughts once again. “Hey, girls and boys,” came Rhapsody’s voice from the other side, “Eve’s back. Time for the big event!” “Finally!” Gabby leapt off of her bed and excitedly grabbed Jojo’s hand. The two nearly tripped over themselves rushing into the hallway. Rhapsody was there in the arms of an unfamiliar man with a neatly trimmed beard and who (despite looking rather regal) had a terrified glint in his eyes. “Like my new chariot?” Rhapsody asked, reaching up to pat the man on the cheek, causing him to flinch. “This is Gordon Ruthven, I guess. Your grandma said he needs to be more respectful to women, so she told him to do everything I say. Isn’t that right, Bluebeard?” “Y-Yes, Miss von Braun,” Ruthven said, his rich, deep voice quivering with anxiety. Jojo almost burst out laughing; the unbelievably smug look on Rhapsody’s face combined with the unbelievable fear that was all over the face of the serial killer Ruthven was almost too much for him to handle. Perhaps Eve can strike such fear into Jack and Moore when all is said and done. “I think we should go find my mom and Grandma now,” Gabby said in a timid voice, her hand tightly squeezing his. “Well lucky you, your mom is the one who asked me to come get you,” Rhapsody yawned. “So you four follow me. Everyone else is hanging out downstairs.” They all followed behind Rhapsody as Ruthven shakily carried her onwards. He noted Gabby was clinging tightly to him and keeping her distance from Ruthven, something he could hardly blame her for. Even if the man looked like a sad, wet dog now, he was still a murderous misogynist. I won’t let him touch you, he thought as he instinctively pulled her close. Flynn had apparently picked up on Gabby’s discomfort as well because he moved closer to her and materialized his sword in his hand. Jojo glanced towards Hannah to gauge her reaction. If looks could kill, the glare she was giving Ruthven would have made the man drop dead on the spot. Rhapsody guided them all the way down to the foyer. It seemed as though everyone was gathered there. Rex and Mina both waved enthusiastically at them. Piper gave him a friendly grin while Toby squeaked loudly from atop his head. The Quincey brothers nodded politely in his direction, though Vincent’s eyes quickly moved over to Hannah. Marianna and Amon both gave him a smile, Marianna’s more warm and motherly and Amon’s more unfathomable and mysterious. Eve, who was looking very tired as she sipped coffee from the mug Gabby had bought her, gave him the most gentle and compassionate look he had ever seen from the woman. “Everyone’s here,” Jojo muttered in astonishment. Not that he thought they didn’t care, but this was quite a turnout. “We’re all really, really excited for you,” Gabby explained. As they approached Gabby’s family, Eve gave an apologetic smile. “I’m so sorry I kept you waiting so long… I had quite a bit I had to do before this.” She gave a rather stern glance to Ruthven. “I trust you’re behaving yourself, Gordon?” “Y-Yes, m’am,” the man muttered. “Rhiannon will be down in just a minute,” Marianna explained. “She was just preparing herself. She’s trying to prevent an incident like what happened during the first casting.” “G-Good idea!” Hannah said a bit too loudly. “Oh, uh, yeah,” Gabby quietly mumbled beside him. Jojo glanced at the two women curiously, then looked at Flynn, who merely shrugged. Whatever had happened, there was no way that Gabby would keep it from him if it was important. “I’m going to have to ask you to stand back with us, dear,” Eve said to Gabby. “I’ve been told the source of this spell and while I trust Rhiannon and her expertise, the strength of the Old Gods is not something I particularly trust humans with, vampire or no.” With a simple nod, Gabby rushed to her grandmother’s side, her encouraging smile never leaving her face. “I’d better go stand with her. That’s my job, after all,” Flynn said. He paused a second, and his sword disappeared from his hand. He pulled Jojo into a tight hug. “You’ve got this, man.” Jojo’s face burned as the man held him. He gives good hugs, he thought as Flynn released him and headed to stand by Gabby’s side. “I see we’re all here!” Rhiannon exclaimed as she strolled down the stairs, staff in hand and moth familiar perched on her head. Rhiannon walked up to Jojo and grinned confidently. “I’m sure I don’t need to ask you if you’re ready, do I?” He shook his head, excitement welling up inside him. “Not at all.” “Good! Ah, I will warn you, when the spell hits you are likely going to have a rush of memories come over you… This is a cleansing spell from the Old Gods meant to purge magic and uncloud the mind. It’s safe, just be aware that you may have to relieve a lot of memories, pleasant or otherwise.” He nodded in response, and Rhiannon gestured towards the front door. Not wanting to wait a moment longer, he rushed over and stood before it, waiting for his freedom to begin. As Rhiannon stepped forward and held her staff in his direction, Jojo’s eyes found Gabby and Flynn. He smiled at the two, who were excitedly watching him. His smile faded rather quickly as he saw Moore lurking about at the top of the stairs, an unnervingly smug look on his face. Then, without warning, everyone before him disappeared. He didn’t even have time to wonder what happened as he was thrust into memories from his life. He watched in a first-person view as they replayed like a movie in crystal clear clarity. He remembered how at age 16, he and Heinrich had stolen away to the latter’s bedroom one rainy day when his parents were out. He relished the moment he lost his virginity to his first love. He recalled how a few days later, he cried in his sister’s arms, afraid she would hate him for his love for another boy. He was overcome by the joy he’d felt when Sera gently consoled him and promised she would accept him no matter what. He recalled the day Heinrich visited Jojo to tell him he was heading off to war, vowing he would return victorious so they could live the life of their dreams. His heart broke all over again when he recalled the day he was told Heinrich would never come back. Jojo recalled the miserable nights where he’d drowned his sorrows with his father’s liquor, and the fateful night Sera returned home from her journeys and helped pull him out of his anguish. He remembered his turning, feeling the hot, bitter taste of his sister’s blood on his tongue as she fed him during his fever. He revisited the night she brought him over to meet a man who had been watching him from across the bar. Only now, knowing what he didn’t know then, he could see what horrors awaited him in the sickeningly charming smile Jack Fairchild had given him. The memories suddenly increased in speed as though someone was fast-forwarding through his life. He rejoined the coven, he was trapped in the cursed collar once more, and he suffered through months of abuse in only a few seconds. He helped storm the Enigma base in 1945, he was asked to be the best man at Rex’s wedding, and he consoled his friend after Mina’s horrific mistake. Despite reliving everything in what was likely just a few minutes, he remembered even the tiniest details and felt what he’d felt at the time full force. All at once, his mind seemed to stop, and everything played out at a normal speed again. He looked around his surroundings and realized he was walking into a frat house. Inside, a party was raging. He was confused as he realized this was the party he’d attended one night shortly after Dawn and Stella Cullen had an unfortunate encounter with Jack. Jojo had vowed to reassure their friends that they were okay but instead, he’d taken advantage of his moment of freedom and had decided to live it up for one night before returning to the coven. He wondered why the magic of the spell had chosen this memory while his past self walked around and consumed several cans of beer. At one point, he had focused on a rather handsome man. It must have been the alcohol in his system that night, but he’d felt bold and daring and had approached the man to chat him up. Eventually, the two left the party and returned to the man’s dorm room. Jojo realized now how he had mistaken what was simply a young man being extremely intoxicated as signs of interest. When they were in his room and Jojo had made a move to kiss him, the man had somewhat understandably reacted poorly. Jojo felt a burning pain in his ribs when the man had punched him, then heard the bedroom door slam shut. Quite embarrassed, past Jojo chased after the man, trying to explain himself or at least get the man to calm down. The man, not wanting to listen to reason, spat out a homophobic slur before turning to descend the staircase. With horror, Jojo watched as the man missed the step and tumbled down the stairs. He landed with a thud and a sickening crack at the bottom. Past Jojo hurried after him. The way the man’s neck was twisted had told him he had precious little time to save his life, and even in his drunken state Jojo had known there was only one option. Without hesitation, he had bit into the man to begin turning him. “Please, Roarke Higgens, do not die on me…” Roarke, he thought with clarity. I remember his name now… Finding the man he’d turned would perhaps be easier now even if he wasn’t in the safe house he’d left him in. As though the magic was satisfied with giving him this bit of information, his life continued to zoom by. He very briefly relieved recent moments with Gabby and Flynn, meeting them once more and building relationships with them. Watching himself interact with Flynn, he began to feel an odd realization dawning over him. His mind lingered on the hug Flynn had given him right before all of this happened, and he felt the beginning of understanding wash over him. Oh Gabby. Liebling, we both… Flynn, he’s-- The thought was snuffed out as he felt a sort of relief wash over his neck, and he felt as though he had just been freed from being strangled. All at once, he returned to the present. Looking around him, he realized he’d fallen on the floor. Everyone was staring at him, waiting for a reaction, though none looked quite as doe-eyed as Gabby. Even from where he was, he could see how white her knuckles were as she grasped tightly to Eve’s arm. He could only imagine the kind of pain her grandmother was in, but it didn’t seem to bother her judging by the patient smile on her face. He quickly leapt to his feet, his hands going to his neck. For the first time in over a hundred years, he felt his soft, smooth skin. “It… It worked. It worked!” “Thousands of years later and even his whispers prove stronger than any spell a human could craft,” Eve smiled. “I am happy for you, Jojo. Now come, my granddaughter is in quite a state.” He didn’t need to be told twice. He practically sprinted to Gabby, prying her free from Eve’s arm as gently as possible and spun her around. He was free of the looming specter of Jack; the man held no sway over him anymore. Gabby squealed, evidently just as happy as he was. “We did it!” “We certainly did!” Rhiannon exclaimed cheerfully. “Now, it seems my work here is done…” She glanced over to Marianna. “But I think I might stay regardless. Perhaps my time here will be better than my last trip to America.” Marianna smiled brighter than ever. “Perhaps we can do dinner tonight, then?” As plans were being made to celebrate, Jojo got a full range of congratulations. Rex picked him up and squeezed him tight; Rhapsody very quickly drew a picture of him and his friends, handing it over while sneaking a small bag of weed into his pocket; While his sign language was rusty, he believed Piper said, “Congratulations, Jojo! I’m happy for you!” Soon enough, everyone went their separate ways, and Jojo was once more alone with Flynn and Gabby in the foyer. In that moment, everything truly felt right. This was the way it was meant to be. “Gabby, Flynn,” he began, unsure where to start. “I… Thank you both so much. I couldn’t have done this without either of you.” “You don’t have to thank us,” Gabby said quietly, her smile having never left her lips. “This was the right thing to do.” “No kidding. No one should ever be in your situation,” Flynn added. “I…” His eyes welled up with tears. “I want you both to know that I love you. I’ll never be able to thank you both enough.” “You don’t have to thank us, Jojo,” Flynn grinned. “Seriously. Just knowing you’re free from that fucked up blood magic collar is good enough.” Gabby nodded in agreement beside him. “For over a hundred years, I’ve had to live in constant fear of Jack’s abuse… It’s just so… wonderful. Finally, I can live the way I want to, and both of you will be there with me now!” “Aww, how sweet.” Moore had finally crawled out of the shadows he was hiding in, an unpleasant smirk still on his stupid, bearded face. Flynn wasted no time in calling his sword to his hand and moving ahead to block him off. “Sorry Baldy, but you’re not ever touching him again. And if you try, I’ll cut that ugly head of yours off. So why don’t you just fuck right off if you value your life?” “I’ve fucked guys like you in prison, boy,” Moore sneered. “I’m not even a little afraid of you.” “Leave him alone!” Gabby loudly declared. She stepped in front of Flynn protectively. “Keep your mouth shut, orphan. The men are talking here.” If Jojo’s blood had been boiling before, it was on fire now. He pushed in front of Flynn and Gabby and delivered a swift kick with all the force he could muster straight into Moore’s crotch. The man let out a sharp yell as he went flying through the air and crashed to the floor. “Do not ever speak to them like that! Do you understand me, schweinehund?! You have no power over me anymore, and I will fight you with every ounce of my power, so kindly fuck off, Anthony!” To his surprise, Moore started laughing. But as he slowly picked himself up off the floor, Jojo noticed someone else was laughing as well. Even though the laugh sounded like it was coming through a speaker, he’d heard it enough times that he recognized its owner immediately. Whatever just anger he’d felt immediately dissipated as his blood ran cold. “No,” he whispered fearfully. Moore held his phone up. “You were right. He went straight for it. Glad I brought the codpiece.” “I told you he loves diving straight for the cock,” cackled the cruel voice on the other end. “Who is that?” Gabby whispered, her voice squeaking in fright. “Marianna’s brat wants to know who’s speaking,” Moore said. “Right, I’m on speaker. Hello there, Gabby! This is the one and only Jack Fairchild speaking! Sorry I couldn’t make it to your little boyfriend’s big day… But don’t worry, I’ve decided I’m going to stop by so we can all celebrate!” Jack paused to laugh before adding, “It’s about time we met, don’t you think? Especially since you’re playing with my favorite toy now.” “Jojo’s not a toy!” Flynn snapped, stepping forward towards Moore. “And I don’t care who you are, if you come near either of them I’ll cut you in half!” “Oooh, quite a mouth on this one! Wish Amon hadn’t stuck his nose in and convinced mum to go along with that bloody ‘pick who you want to come’ nonsense so we could have had some fun sooner, but we’ll be making up for lost time soon enough!” “Grandma won’t let you,” Gabby whispered. Jojo glanced at her and saw she was visibly trembling and looked absolutely terrified. “She promised. You’re not allowed to come anywhere near him.” Jack went silent for a moment, before finally hissing, “We’ll see about that. Be there by the 30th!” The line went quiet, and Moore put his phone away before turning around. “My work here is done,” Moore called back, “so you can tell your cunt of a grandmother to find a new bloodbag. I’m leaving.” It was deathly silent for a few long seconds before Gabby took a step forward. Jojo heard her take a deep breath and watched as her hands became fists. “You’re an awful human being,” she growled. Jojo watched as slowly, Moore’s hand lifted. Then, to his surprise, the man pulled his hand back down. Gabby huffed with annoyance. Once more, Moore’s hand lifted shakily towards his face. This time, it made its mark, and his fingers dug into the skin around his eye. Before any damage was done, he pulled his arm back to his side. Gabby grunted and stomped her foot, which Moore did as well. “I don’t… What is going on?” “Liebling?” Jojo asked, whirling towards her. “Are you alright?” “Pathetic,” Moore snorted. “But what else can you expect from someone whose parents didn’t even want them?” The man stormed off before any of them had a chance to react, the slamming of a door far in the distance echoing through the house. “I don’t understand…” Gabby mumbled. “Why wouldn’t it work?” “Your power? Perhaps you are hungry?” He hadn’t seen Gabby drink any blood recently, so perhaps that had hindered her effectiveness. “I would have given you a drink if you needed it,” Flynn huffed. “I would have done anything to keep that bastard still so you could have a few cracks at him.” She shook her head. “It’s not that. I still had a connection, but… I don’t know. He just wasn’t doing what I was trying to make him do.” “Ugh,” Jojo groaned as he dropped to his knees and cradled his head in his hands. This was supposed to be one of the most triumphant days of his life yet Jack had found a way to rob him of his happiness, strip away even this small victory and make him feel small. He couldn’t face Jack yet. It was too much, too soon. A warmth rubbed his back. “Grandma won’t let him hurt you. She promised,” Gabby reassured him (or tried to, anyway). “She did,” Jojo muttered, not entirely convinced. Eve seemed far more kind and motherly than she ever had before but when Jack was near, she seemed to always cut him far too much slack. Even after what he did to the Cullen twins—even after their mother and Amon had to stitch them back together while Beatrix shook and sobbed—Eve hadn’t rid the world of Jack. Could this possibly be any different? Flynn knelt down next to him and put a hand on his shoulder. “I promise, I won’t let anything happen to you. I swear on my life.” Gabby nodded. “We’ll stay by you the whole time he’s here.” A small smile cracked on her face. “We’ll be your bodyguards!” And despite the horror that was slowly creeping through him, Jojo dared to hope that things would somehow turn out alright. Even if Jack were to come, he believed it would all work out so long as they were with him. Wordlessly, he pulled the both of them into a hug on the floor, taking solace in their embrace. It would be okay. It had to. ****** Having an excuse to spend all day with Antoinette felt like a dream. Roarke never imagined he’d actually be grateful to Victoria for something, but here he was mentally thanking her continuously. Had she not been confronted by Eve, they wouldn’t be locked in the house together. “I can’t get enough of you,” he murmured into Antoinette’s soft neck before giving her probably the thousandth kiss that afternoon. “And I think you know I feel the same, hun,” she panted. There wasn’t any doubt in his mind this was the case; almost as soon as Morag had dropped them off, Antoinette had pulled him up to his room and completely taken charge. She’d been more intense than he’d seen her before, clearly still frustrated from her argument with Levi, but that had slowly melted away as they’d made love for hours on end. How she had so much stamina while only being mortal boggled his mind, but he could tell she was finally getting exhausted. “You doing ok?” he asked before kissing her once more. She smelled good, especially after several rounds of sex. “Need something to eat?” “Now that you mention it…” she laughed. “Think some fruit might be refreshin’. Does Victoria have enough around you could make me a fruit salad?” She batted her eyelashes at him. “Pretty please?” His stomach flip-flopped. “Can’t say no to that,” he chuckled, giving her another kiss before crawling out of bed. He threw on a shirt and shorts before slipping out of the room and heading down to the kitchen. The house was noisier than usual with chatter, though it was to be expected since everyone was on lockdown now and couldn’t leave the house without permission. This meant, naturally, that there were more people lingering in the kitchen. Matt and Charlene were hanging out by the sink, enthusiastically talking about bands as they often did; Dahlia was cooking a soup of some kind, her peculiar pet snail swiveling its head around from its perch on her shoulder to stare at him; Farrah was rummaging through the fridge; Rose was slumped on the table next to a tub of frozen yogurt mumbling to herself. Since he’d have to wait for Farrah to finish doing whatever she was doing in the fridge so he could grab a variety of fruit, Roarke wandered to the kitchen table, sitting down in a seat adjacent to Rose. “Hey,” he nodded. “‘Ello, puppy,” she mumbled. “Come to make fruit salad, yeh?” “How’d y— Oh, right.” He laughed nervously. “Yeah. Sorry if that was, uh, too loud.” She shook her head. “No, no, no one’s bothering me much, they aren’t.” She sighed before sitting up and using the spoon stuck in the frozen yogurt to scoop out a big chunk. “I’m very s-t-r-e-s-s-e-d, is all.” He quickly turned around and glanced back at the fridge. At this point, Farrah had practically shoved herself halfway inside. If it weren’t for Antoinette, he’d be tempted to check out her butt. Instead, he shifted in his seat to return his attention to Rose. It would probably be several minutes before he could start making food anyway. “What’s got you so stressed?” Rose’s eyes darted nervously back and forth around the kitchen. “I can’t say, I can’t. Too many people. But if you really want to know, I can tell you after we get Antoinette her fruit.” “Is it really that bad?” he asked, cocking an eyebrow. Maybe it was something about Victoria. Now that was gossip he wanted to hear. She rolled her eyes. “It’s not about her, it’s about my power,” she whispered. He felt even more confused. “What about it? Is it bothering you?” A thought struck him and, wincing, he sheepishly inquired, “Are we too loud?” “No, no…” She winced. “Well, yes. Between you and Carlos, it’s a bit hard to handle. It’s why I’m here in the kitchen, eating yogurt out of the tub.” She gestured at the frozen yogurt. “But I mean my vampire power.” He felt completely lost at this point (as well as mildly irritated he was lumped into the same category as Carlos). “Isn’t that what we’re talking about?” “Silly puppy! I was born with psychic powers!” She patted him on the head gently with a look as if this were the most obvious fact in the world. Dahlia set a bowl of soup down on the table in front of Rose. “Rose’s power is real special, isn’t that right?” She glanced over at Roarke, her pet snail waving its eyestalks at him from her shoulder. “Would you like some, Mr. Higgens? It’s a vegetable soup I learned growing up.” Though it smelled appetizing, he wasn’t particularly hungry despite all the energy he had burned just moments ago. “Oh, uh, no thanks.” If reading minds wasn’t Rose’s power, then what was? “I’ll tell you in the privacy of my room, I will,” Rose whispered as Dahlia nodded politely and went back to stirring her soup. He opened his mouth to protest, his reasons being that a very sexy woman was waiting undressed for him in his bed, but maybe it was better to give Antoinette a short break. I guess I could make her fruit salad and deliver it first. I don’t think she’d mind if I left to talk to Rose for a few minutes. With a sigh, he agreed, “Okay, fine.” Rose perked up a bit. “What sorts of fruits does she like?” Roarke paused before admitting in embarrassment, “I don’t actually know.” Rose shook her head. “Tsk, tsk, making me do all the w-o-r-k…” Rose took her hat off and set it down on the table, pressing her index and middle fingers against her temple. She closed her eyes tight, a look of intense concentration on her face. Roarke wanted to ask what she was doing, but he didn’t want to interrupt her. Ignoring his burning curiosity, he sat patiently and waited for her to finish her strange task. A few seconds later, she winced in pain, and a trickle of blood came out her nose. Before Roarke could react, she opened her eyes. “Apples, peaches, kiwis, strawberries, and b-a-n-a-n-a-s.” She gave him a knowing look. “And you need some pineapple, you do.” “But I’m not hungry,” he protested. Rose quickly snatched a nearby napkin and dabbed at her bloody nose. “You heard me, you did! Now get going on that fruit salad!” A moment later, Farrah leaned onto the table next to them. “Making a fruit salad? Need some help?” Roarke blinked, the offer of help completely foreign to him. “Uh… Yeah, sure, I guess.” Farrah whirled back towards the fridge. “Rose, catch the fruit I toss you, right?” Rose nodded excitedly and with a wink, Farrah dove back into the fridge. She began rummaging about, occasionally tossing a fruit over her shoulder which would begin to float through the air and land gently on the table in front of Rose. It would then begin to seemingly peel and cut itself. Baffled, Roarke whispered, “How…?” “Telekinesis, puppy,” Rose giggled as she flipped her hat onto her head. “I’m doing it all with my mind!” “Isn’t that going to make your nose bleed?” “Only if I push myself outside my range, like I did to reach a certain woman in your bedroom,” she teased. “Oh,” he winced sheepishly. So that’s how she knew what fruit to pick. But why would Antoinette want him to eat a pineapple? Leaning in towards Rose, he whispered, “Is there a reason why I’d specifically need a pineapple?” “It makes you taste better,” she whispered back with a snicker. He felt himself blush with embarrassment. Did Antoinette not like how he tasted? Clearing his throat, he called out, “Hey, uh, Farrah? Could you toss us a pineapple, too?” She turned and gave him a knowing smirk. “I’m guessing that one’s not going in the salad, is it?” Dahlia reached between them and placed a pineapple on the table, which was almost immediately skinned and separated into cubes. “Make sure you thank Eric,” Dahlia smiled as a bowl floated past her head, the chunks of pineapple flying into it. “He always insists we keep a few pineapples around.” Roarke snorted. “Bet someone else is glad about that.” “Boy’s been getting those for as long as he’s been here, and I’ve yet to hear about a disappointed lover from him, ” Farrah nodded with a sly smile. “So you can bet your ass a lot of someones are.” “Guess I should take a note from his book, then.” If it worked for Eric, then Roarke would eat all the pineapple he could stomach. He’d welcome anything to make his sex life with Antoinette even better. Rose grabbed the bowl of pineapple off the table and nodded at him. “Let’s head on up to your lady!” Grabbing the fruit salad, Roarke stood up. With Rose right behind him, he made his way back to the second floor. As expected, Antoinette was waiting for him (thankfully snuggled under the covers since he was pretty sure she was still naked). “Hey,” he grinned at her. “I’ve got your fruit thanks to Rose’s help. And Farrah’s.” “I appreciate it,” Antoinette sighed gratefully. “That hungry, huh?” He set the bowl on the covers in front of her. “I’ll be back in a minute, okay? Rose wants to talk to me.” “Fine by me,” she said as she reached out and plucked a chunk of banana from the bowl. “I need to rest a bit anyhow.” He leaned down and gently kissed her on the forehead before leaving the room with Rose. Following her through the second floor hallway and walking away from Antoinette was more difficult than he had thought it would be. Wow, I really am addicted to her. It was almost strange how quickly she’d become an important person in his life—the most important, really. As Roarke had never been to Rose’s room before, he didn’t quite know how far the walk was. When they passed by the staircase, he commented, “I didn’t realize you were on the other end of the hall.” “I wanted a room far, far, far from everyone else, so I could sleep easier,” Rose explained. “Hard to get to sleep if I keep picking up on people’s thoughts, yeh?” Roarke lifted an eyebrow in curiosity. “Yeah, I guess, but why did you pick one so close to Victoria’s room?” The coven’s leader was at the end of this side of the long hallway. Rose paused as they came to a stop in front of what he presumed was the door to her room, her hand lingering on the doorknob. “Back in school, I had a room near her and Teach’s room. He told her to think nice things to help me get to sleep, and so she did it. She’s really not so bad as you think, puppy. She reminds me of my mum, she does. Just a bit shorter.” “Hard to believe that,” he grumbled bitterly. “You’ll see once Teach comes back, you will!” she exclaimed, flinging open her door and revealing her room. It was about as chaotic as he could have expected; clothes were strewn about across the floor and furniture, posters of various stage performers were plastered across the wall (several of which were signed with very affectionate messages), and several mannequin heads adorned with different top hats sat on a dresser in the corner. “I know it’s a bit messy, I know,” she huffed, gesturing to the bed. “Sit, sit, sit! I’ll explain myself while I clean up, I will!” Popping another chunky piece of juicy pineapple into his mouth, Roarke plopped down on Rose’s bed. It was messy, but so was his room. Who was he to judge? Rose’s clothes began flying through the air and folding themselves. “So,” Rose began as she focused on a skirt that was folding over and over, “I got contacted by Mr. Silver this morning, and he had a request. He wants me to use my power on the weirdo you caught.” Roarke blinked. “Why?” “Well…” Rose sighed. “He apparently has a weird gap in his memory, and my power can help fix that.” “What exactly is your power?” he asked, feeling the same confusion from earlier returning. “Hmmm,” she mumbled as she stared intently at her Maddox Hinton T-shirt as it folded, “how to explain… Maybe I could show you?” He shrugged. “Uh, yeah, sure.” All the clothes fell to the floor as Rose darted over and gently put her hands against the side of her head. Pressing her forehead against his, she asked, “You ready, puppy?” Startled by the sudden close contact, Roarke leaned backwards and placed his free hand on Rose’s shoulder, ready to push her away if needed. Was she trying to make a move on him? Feeling mildly panicked, he asked, “Wait, what are we doing?” “We’re going into your head!” she chirped. He stared at her, completely baffled. “Into my head?” “Into your head,” she repeated. “So, are you r-e-a-d-y?” He didn’t particularly feel ready (mainly because he had no idea what was about to happen), but he nodded regardless. “Okay, sure.” “Good!” Rose’s eyes flashed blue—typical of any vampire power—but rather than the flash fading away, the blue light soon grew until it completely obscured his vision. Roarke blinked rapidly, trying to regain his normal vision. “What’s going on?” he shouted out. As though to answer his question, the blinding light faded, showing him a familiar sight he didn’t think he’d ever see again. With a heavy lump in his throat, he looked around the room. It was horribly outdated with its daffodil yellow walls and walnut brown carpeting, both worn by years of use. The walls were decorated with wrinkled and sun-faded pop culture posters: Enter the Dragon, Simon & Garfunkel, American Graffiti, Eagles, The Six Million Dollar Man, and The Doobie Brothers. A photo of a young beautiful Audrey Hepburn, his teenage crush, was taped next to the wooden bed covered in white, navy blue, and forest green striped sheets. Swallowing hard, Roarke’s eyes finally landed on Rose, who silently stood behind him. Somehow finding the strength to speak, he managed to croak out, “How? How is this possible?” “Everyone has a little mental place they retreat to for comfort,” Rose explained, a dreamy smile spreading across her face, “and my power lets me go on in and see what that is by pulling from your thoughts to construct a little world. To keep it simple, simple, simple: Our minds are working together to make this real.” She took a deep breath. “I missed this. The quiet. No voices, no errant thoughts…” I missed it too, he thought, looking around his childhood bedroom again. The last time he’d seen it was before he’d left for college in 1976. “I like it,” Rose said gently, “but it seems so… different. Like a different you.” “I wasn’t the same person I am now,” he agreed. A dark cloud hung over his head as he grumbled, “I wasn’t a vampire.” “Oh, so your happy place is your childhood home, yeh?” Rose chirped. “Sorry, I don’t know, know, know anything. I can’t hear thoughts when I’m in your head!” “Oh.” His feet wandered across the room with a mind of their own, stopping only when he was standing in front of his bed. “Yeah, this is where I grew up.” “N-i-c-e!” she clapped. “I wonder who else is here! Everyone has people real important to them in their happy place! Want to go see?” He slowly turned around to face his friend. He felt like he was swimming through a pond of molasses trying to process the setting he was in. “People?” Rose nodded excitedly. “Anyone who brings you comfort and is important to you hangs out here, they do!” “But… how?” “Your mind doesn’t want your happy place to be barren and lonely, puppy! So the people close to your heart pop in!” “The only one close to me like that is Antoinette,” he pointed out. “Well then why don’t we go see her!” Rose chirped. With a frown, he asked, “How?” Rose smacked her forehead. “Oi, more show, less tell. Come, come, come!” Excitedly, she pulled him towards his bedroom door. They rushed into the hallway and were hit by the smell of oily bacon and sweet, fluffy pancakes. Roarke’s stomach growled with excitement, and he began leading Rose down the stretch of carrot-colored carpet. They passed by a collection of framed photographs on the walls featuring his growth into adulthood and the many vacations he and his family had. Lead by muscle memory, Roarke found his way to the kitchen to see his mom standing over the hot stove cooking bacon in a metal pan and Antoinette cutting up fresh strawberries. “Mom?” he whispered, tears quickly blurring his vision. “Hey, hun!” Antoinette beamed at him. “Hope you’re hungry! Me and your mom were cookin’ up somethin’ nice for you!” “She’s a real nice girl,” his mom chimed in, turning around to smile at him. Raising her eyebrows, she mouthed, “You better not mess this up!” “Your mom seems nice,” Rose leaned in and whispered. “You have her eyes, you do.” “Yeah,” he quietly agreed. “She, um…” He swallowed hard. “She always said I was her twin.” “Your dad should be back any minute! Think he just went on down to the basement real quick,” Antoinette nodded. “I’m real glad to meet your family, hun. I see where you get all your charm from now.” He managed to choke out a laugh, but his throat was so tight, he couldn’t get out a word. Why couldn’t this be reality? He almost regretted letting Rose use her power on him. It hurts too much… “Puppy?” Rose asked, concern creeping into her voice. “Are you a-l-r-i-g-h-t?” He shook his head. How could he be alright when his heart’s desire was playing out right in front of him? When after decades, he was finally seeing his mom again? “Do you want to go? We can go to my head instead.” “Okay,” he whispered, his eyes locked on his mom’s. The warm, loving smile he knew so well never once left her face. His heart ached. I miss her so much… With a slight nod, Rose pulled him into a hug and once more, there was a blinding flash of blue light. When he could see again, his house, his mother, and Antoinette were replaced by what appeared to be the lobby of a theater. “I’m so sorry, puppy. I was so caught up… I wasn’t paying attention,” Rose sniffled. “It’s not your fault,” he mumbled, finally finding his voice. How could it be? She had no idea what his past was like. He looked at the new setting they were in, trying to distract himself. “So, um… Where are we?” “We’re in my head now, we are,” Rose said, gesturing around. “This is a big theater my brother took me to, he did! It was a fun night, lots of great performers, and Rex got me in backstage so I could have some fun with a couple of cute magicians.” She arched her eyebrows suggestively and smirked. Finally, Roarke managed a small smile, shaking his head in amusement. “Damn. You really dig magicians, huh?” “I do, I do, I do,” she nodded enthusiastically. She gestured towards a nearby bench against the wall. “You want to sit for a bit? Maybe talk?” With a small frown, he asked, “Can you handle using your power for that long?” He’d heard others in the coven talk about how weak they’d feel after using their powers for a long period of time and didn’t want Rose to get drained on his account. She nodded. “I’ve had over two hundred years of practice in my own head. This doesn’t take near as much energy as you think, and there’s a whole town outside the theater door with all my favorite places.” She gestured towards the tall front doors as a few people Roarke didn’t recognize began to walk in. “It’s other people’s heads that get me hungry. Lots of energy to stay safe and not hurt them, but the quiet makes up for it, it does!” “If you’re really okay, then yeah, sure.” It would be nice to talk to Rose in a place where no one could eavesdrop, anyway. She cheerfully pulled him over to the mahogany bench and flopped down onto it. “Are you alright? I’m sorry I didn’t… I wasn’t paying close attention, that was my fault.” She took off her hat and stared down at it forlornly. “You miss your parents, yeh?” He shifted his eyes away from Rose, choosing instead to stare at the dark exterior of her hat as he stood awkwardly in front of her. “Yeah,” he answered quietly. “There’s a lot of people I miss. I get it, I do. It hurts seeing them the first time in your memories like that.” “Yeah,” he repeated, nodding slowly in agreement. Rose didn’t know about his past, but it was comforting that she still understood to some degree. “I… I never got to say goodbye to my mum. She vanished one night. So when I first figured out I could do this, it was hard for me to handle since I’d see her lots. But, eventually, I realized it’s comforting that she’ll never truly be gone, because she’ll always live on in here.” He lifted his gaze to look at Rose in surprise. “I hadn’t thought of it that way,” he admitted. “But… I can’t ask you to do this all the time.” Even if it was tempting, it would be unfair of him to. She reached out and took hold of his hand. “You’re my friend, puppy. Helping friends is never, ever a bother, promise. We can do it every day. Give me some practice since Rex isn’t here to do it with me, and I need to stay in top mental shape!” Though he squeezed her hand, he still hesitantly asked, “Are you sure?” She nodded. “Positive. But…” She paused for a second. “Would you… maybe… come with me when I go into Jerrod’s head tomorrow? I know, I know, it’s a big ask, it is…” Roarke sighed heavily and released Rose’s hand, finally sitting down on the bench next to her. He had no desire to be a part of this, but he wanted to be a good friend. And a good friend would go with her. With a resigned sigh, he answered, “Yeah, I’ll go.” Rose definitely seemed to brighten up at this. “Thank you, Roarke. It means a lot, it does.” “I’m going to need a drink after that, though,” he teased with a snort. “Might need a whole round, judging by what I’ve heard about him!” Rose giggled. “Jerrod is a p-e-r-v-e-r-t.” “Oh, great, so it’ll be like going into my own mind,” he snickered, grateful their conversation had turned lighthearted again. “Oooh, now I’m glad I didn’t ask to walk through your memories! Not sure I want to see you going at Antoinette for hours on end!” With heat creeping up the back of his neck, he said, “I don’t think I’d want you to see that either, honestly.” “Good, good, good. I feel like seeing you naked would be like seeing my brother naked. I’m not into the thought at all; I’m not some weirdo.” Rose sighed as she turned and stared off towards the door. “I hope you can meet him someday. My brother, I mean. I think you’d get on well, I do. You both have lots in common! Mostly that you like sex. Oh, he might hit on you, too.” Irritation flared within him, but for Rose’s sake, he fought it back. It wouldn’t be her fault if it happened, so taking his anger out on her wouldn’t be fair. “Great,” he grumbled, clenching his fists. “Can’t wait.” “You know, you might be too blonde for him,” she said, closing her eye with the undilated pupil. “He always did prefer his men with red hair, he did.” He gave her a deadpan stare before sighing. “Okay, so when’s this thing we’re doing tomorrow?” “Think it’s about 11:00 they wanted me in. They’ll come and pick me up, they will. And I know they’ll be okay with you tagging along when I explain myself!” “I guess I can be ready by then.” It gave him enough time to enjoy the morning with Antoinette. Maybe I can make her breakfast. I hope she’s okay with scrambled eggs and toast. His culinary skills weren’t particularly great. “And Miss Macduff will have to give us a ride! Wish I could go in her head, never been in the mind of a lady like her!” “What, an older Scottish woman?” Rose giggled. “Oh, puppy. If only you knew!” He blinked in confusion. “Knew what?” “Oh, I’m not going to tell you! I know by accident, a woman’s allowed to have her s-e-c-r-e-t-s!” Realizing she had a point, he conceded, “Alright, fair enough.” Rose nodded enthusiastically and then flipped her hat back onto her head. “So, since we’re here anyway, want to go see the magic show?” As much as he wanted to get back to Antoinette, he figured it might do her some good to rest a little longer. I really did wear her out. I’ve got to remember she doesn’t have stamina like I do. He stood up and stretched his arms above his head. “Yeah, sure. Why not?” “Well, come on then!” Rose exclaimed, jumping out of her seat, “It’s about to start, it is!” Roarke let Rose grab his hand and enthusiastically drag him through the theater lobby. More people were starting to enter, presumably all to see the show. Normally, something like this wouldn’t interest Roarke much, but a small part of him felt touched that Rose wanted to share a deep, personal interest like this with him. They found seats in the front row and sat down as the theater began to quickly fill up. Rose was nearly bouncing in her seat with excitement, causing Roarke to chuckle with amusement. He wished Antoinette could be with them, but something told him this was a friend moment, something private for the two of them to share. I think Antoinette would be proud of me anyway, he thought to himself. She wanted him to have people he cared about in his life and would no doubt encourage him to spend time with Rose. And he did care about her. In only a few days, they’d become rather close, mostly thanks to Rose’s efforts. Just like with Antoinette, Roarke couldn’t imagine his life without his friend. “I’m glad I’m here with you,” he told her with a smile. Rose grinned back. “I’m glad you’re here too, Roarke.” ****** Survival. That had been Victoria’s goal for the coven when Dracula had been tragically taken from her. It was the one thing that had kept her distracted from her grief as she had ensured the miniscule remains of the coven was safe Rhine City provided the kind of safety she’d sought for years. The coven had been on the run, never staying in one place for too long out of fear that they would be discovered. But, alas, in a city full of crime, they had found a home. It wasn’t the glamorous life she’d grown accustomed to in Europe, but it was safe. Hawthorne Manor, a shell of a gorgeous house, had been abandoned long ago. The city’s citizens barely dared to glance at it as they passed by. It was perfect. And for a time, they were safe. Victoria no longer feared danger. Perhaps it was that sense of safety that resulted in her being neglectful of the coven’s needs, sinking into her grief day after day. But now, once more, their safety was in jeopardy. After Eve’s untimely visit, the coven was confined to the manor for their protection. I will never sacrifice my own, she thought bitterly as she absentmindedly stroked Dracula’s ring, which rested comfortably on her finger. For Eve to ask such a thing of her was outrageous. Hadn’t she taken enough from Victoria already? “My dear,” Dracula said gently, “do you not think it wise to spend time with your coven? We have been up here since the unwelcome visit earlier this day.” “I would prefer to spend my day with you,” she admitted, knowing full well how foolish it sounded. “Victoria,” Dracula replied sternly, “Will there not be time enough for us to be alone together when I am truly returned? Does not the needs of those under your watch take priority in these troubled times?” Quietly, and feeling a tad guilty, she murmured, “They are accustomed to caring for themselves.” There was a long silence before her beloved finally spoke again. “I dared to hope my fears were unfounded, but here they have been confirmed. This is not acceptable.” Victoria tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and whispered, “Did I not warn you that I have not been the leader they deserve?” “My heart could not believe such a thing; you were always far too modest of your capabilities as is.” He paused, before adding with an amused tone, “And there is also that, as of now, I have no heart at all.” She could barely fight back the tiniest of smiles from her face. “Not for long if I have any control over the matter. I am closer than I have ever been before to ensuring your return.” “I do not doubt you in this. Still… I wish for you to use this time prior to my return to become the leader I know you are. We are a team, you and I, and I cannot navigate the strange new world of the 21st century alone. I need you and your coven to be strong that you might teach me once more.” “How are we to be strong when we are held captive in our own home?” She sighed, shifting on her bed so she was instead laying on her back, staring up at the cracked off-white ceiling. “Are we doomed forever to be hiding if only to stay safe from the very woman who wishes your demise once more?” “Does standing strong truly matter if it is only done when it is safe and easy? Is there worth in steeling your resolve against only the safest of foes? My sire is not the most wicked or dangerous foe we have encountered, you know. Think of the Victoria of old, the one who ventured with me for many years and saw astounding events that would frighten a lesser being. What would that Victoria say to you now?” Victoria closed her eyes and imagined the woman she once was stood before her. She could feel the disgust and shame from her former self. “She would be disappointed in what she has become.” “But she would also know that that woman is still inside you. You must simply free her, that you might be as you once were.” “I will once you are by my side again.” She opened her eyes once more and sighed softly. “I am strong with you. It has always been that way, ever since we met.” After all, it was meeting Dracula that gave her the courage and strength to leave everything behind and start anew. “Ah, you overestimate me as always. You were always far stronger than you ever believed.” A gentle knock came upon her door, and Dracula let out a yawn. “My energy wanes, my love. I must rest. I trust that whoever is knocking, you can aid them.” “Of course. Sleep well, my love.” She waited a few seconds to allow him to drift into whatever dreams the ring would allow him to before clearing her throat and standing from her bed, her bare feet placed firmly on the floor as her flowy dark green cotton sundress settled around her legs. “You may enter,” she announced loudly. Slowly, her door creaked open. Standing in the doorway was Nadia, though fear filled Victoria as she saw the front of her clothing drenched in blood and her eye makeup running down her cheeks. “Mother…” she managed to choke out. Victoria immediately rushed to embrace her daughter, worried not about the state of her own clothing. “Nadia, whatever happened?” “I was… ejected,” she coughed. “I, ah… fought it… You know such things… do not agree with us.” “Come inside,” she insisted, pulling her daughter in with her arms still tightly wrapped around her. Her bedroom door was still open, but at the moment, her sole concern was Nadia. “Explain, dear.” “Miss Mathers… She has acquired our family photograph from over a century prior…” Stunned, Victoria released her daughter and stepped back. “I beg your pardon? How, precisely, did she obtain such an artifact?” Nadia shook her head. “She claims that her friend is Amadeus’s son… But such a thing cannot be possible. The gravity between him and my sister was inescapable… He would not willingly betray her, yes?” There was a terrified desperation seeping into her voice; she clearly did not want to believe such a thing could befall Dahlia. Victoria frowned sadly. “It seems we did not understand him as well as we believed.” “No,” came Nadia’s small reply as she stepped back. “No! I cannot believe such a thing! I am not incorrect in such matters, Mother! He would not break Dahlia’s heart!” “Nadia,” she began gently, “We cannot begin to understand the reasoning behind his actions.” She glanced towards her open door and, in hushed tones, warned, “Perhaps it would be wise to lower your voice so as not to upset your sister further, yes?” Quietly, Nadia turned and slowly shut the door. When she whirled back around, fresh tears were in her eyes. “It cannot be so,” she cried. “It simply cannot! He looked at her the way father looked at you, the way Rex, Roland, and Marishka gazed at each other, the way I…” Nadia paused, her lip trembling as she closed her eyes, “The way I once saw Marianna, in better days.” Folding her hands before her, Victoria calmly stated, “People change, my dear.” “We do not!” she shouted. “We are not meant to! We are meant, for eternity, to stand in time!” She reached up and gripped her head in her hands. “If I was mistaken about Amadeus, what else was I wrong about? Did I truly misjudge Miss Mathers as well…?” Seeing her daughter so erratic and unsure of herself worried Victoria greatly. Not wanting another one of her children to suffer emotionally as she had, she rushed towards Nadia once more and gripped her arms. “Breathe, Nadia. Be calm.” “How! How can I be calm, Mother! I was told my coming here would mend things, not worsen them! And yet now the woman I thought would be our ally has rejected me because of what I am!” Victoria frowned as a chill ran through her blood. For what she was? Certainly Nadia couldn’t be foolish enough to put herself in danger. “Forgive me, dear, but I don’t understand.” Nadia shifted her eyes to look away at a mysterious dark stain on the floor—one whose origins had baffled Victoria since she first spotted it. “I could not lie, Mother. I could not try and build an alliance on falsehoods.” Victoria released her daughter’s arms and stepped back feeling aghast at this confession. “Surely you jest?” “I have always been rather poor when it comes to comedy,” Nadia noted miserably. “I did not expect one of her stature to react as she did. Especially as I… I was certain I felt gravity between us. I thought this alliance was meant to be…” A restless ball of panic nestled painfully in her chest. “Nadia,” she began, “you are truly telling me the most powerful woman in the city in which this coven resides is aware of our existence?” “I merely opened her eyes to the truth of the supernatural… I did not mention the coven…” Victoria fought to keep her voice even despite how much she was trembling on the inside. “You do not understand what you have done. Jemima Mathers knows of our existence.” The anxiety within her grew larger, and she began to feel her self-control slipping. “Is it not enough that wicked woman wishes to sacrifice our own to sate her? Must you plummet us further into danger?” She could hear the fear disguised as anger in her voice. “She does not know we are here, she only—“ Nadia froze. Victoria could see the gears turning in her head for a brief moment before she spoke again. “Sacrifice? What? Is that what Marianna’s mother wishes to do?” “Yes,” Victoria sighed, lifting a head to rub her forehead. “We are no longer safe so long as she runs free in the city. And now you have ensured we are in peril!” “No, no, I have not!” Nadia yelped. “We are in danger regardless of what I have done! This dilapidated, ramshackle abode… You think this keeps you safe? The angel could tear this building down with a flick of her wrist, and yet you think Jemima Mathers is a threat?” “The Silverwings can handle her,” she hissed, crossing her arms over her chest. “We know nothing of this Jemima Mathers. She has powerful allies, Nadia. She could expose and ruin us. Do you truly believe she will let this truth go?” “You truly fear this mortal?” Nadia scoffed, her attitude beginning to shift from panic to indignation. “Mother, please do not jest. Since when have you had reason to tremble before one such as her?” Victoria had never fought with either of her daughters before; deep inside, beneath all of the fear and the anger, she felt hurt and confused. Why couldn’t Nadia understand? She knew arguing was pointless and wouldn’t solve anything, yet she continued to lash out, an action she knew deep down she would regret. “How foolish I am to possibly expect you to comprehend what this coven has been through while you were hiding away. You did not witness countless towns and cities drive us away out of fear of what we are.” She waved her hand before her. “Because of you, we may have to leave again should we find the whole of Rhine City on our very doorstep.” Her daughter gave her a look of complete and utter disdain. “You helped scour the Confederacy and wipe out the Klan while hunting Lovelace! You outwitted Koschei the Deathless and lured him into imprisonment! You outraced Davy Jones on a ship with a broken mast for the sake of the sailors! And above all, you faced down the worshippers of Darke, all to protect me as an infant. And yet, you tremble at the thought of mortal mobs? This is what brings you fear?” Nadia shook her head in disgust. “What has become of you, mother? This is not who you are. You are not one to hide from danger. You are one to confront the danger and throttle it!” “Do you not think I am aware of such?” Victoria shouted, blinking back tears of frustration. The ball of stress from earlier had mutated and now presented itself as a raging storm of unbridled emotion. “I am alone in leading a coven that is a mere fraction of what we once were. Alone!” She spun on the balls of her feet, forcing her daughter to view her back while she rapidly blinked back tears. “I am without your father, without those who stood by my side and fought with me, and without my former power. So pardon me if I am afraid of several thousand mortals and the threat they possess over our safety.” Nadia’s voice softened, if only slightly. “You are… You are so much, even without Father. Do you not know this? And do you not know there are many who would fight with you gladly?” Victoria took a breath, willing her voice to be steady when she spoke next. “I am aware. The Silverwings have vowed to protect us, yet their limited resources are strained in keeping us safe from that wretched woman. We, perhaps, could have survived despite her schemes had you not exposed us to the most powerful woman in the city.” “I trusted her! I was certain… I could not have predicted this…” She spun around once more, the edges of her eyes wet, and faced her daughter. “Nadia, she is not Marianna.” Her daughter’s entire body stiffened as if she’d just been slapped. “You… think I do not know this? That I am unaware? I have spent over a century making peace with the fact that I will never have what I had with her ever again.” She slammed her fist angrily against her chest. “There is a void in my heart where she once was, but if I must use what I did to win her hand to gain an advantage, I will! I will do whatever it takes to save Father, because… because someone has to!” With a scoff, Victoria coldly replied, “So then you’ll put the coven’s safety at risk once more while you pursue a woman.” As soon as the words left her mouth, she regretted it. What kind of a mother would say such a thing to their own child? Tears welled up in her daughter’s eyes as they burned with anger. “This coven’s safety was at risk long before I arrived. In my grief, I isolated myself as I knew I would help no one, but in your grief you have taken these vampires in and given them nothing! Do not lecture me about safety, for you know not the first thing about it!” Perhaps much of her anger came from the guilt deep down, the same guilt that burrowed its way out of the prison she’d locked it in when her beloved had pointed out the very same things (albeit in a much kinder way). “I know enough to know that we may no longer be safe to stay here,” she shot back. “Finally, we find a home, a place to safely exist, and we may have to leave it.” “If this is what amounts to safety in your eyes, you were doomed from the start. You exist, yes, that is true... But you are not living. If truly you were the woman who raised me, you would be rallying those around you to strike back while you still have a chance. But it is far easier to curl up in your room and tell Father it will somehow work itself out, yes?” She knew beneath the rage emanating from her that Nadia was correct, but she was not in the correct headspace to acknowledge that and de-escalate their fighting. Instead, gesturing wildly at the door, she growled, “Get out.” “Oh, you do not need to tell me twice,” Nadia snapped as she whirled around and flung the door open. “I have long enough suffered from my own sadness; I will not wallow in your fucking misery as well!” As she stormed out, she slammed the door with great force behind her, causing the walls to shake and the windows to rattle. Alone in her room, Victoria stood silently with her fists clenched tightly at her side. She took a few moments to process what precisely occurred, starting from the second Nadia entered her room to the very end when Victoria had snapped. The anger was gone, and now she understood she was very much in the wrong regardless of the mistake her daughter had made. The full weight of their argument and the reality that she had, in fact, failed not only her coven but her own family hit her full force. She stepped backwards until she felt the edge of her bed bump against the back of her legs. “What have I done?” she whispered before sitting down and letting loose a terrified sob. ****** Thunk. Thunk. Thunk. Usually, the sound of darts piercing the wretched visage of former President and all-around evil human being Ronald Reagan was enough to fill Eric with at least a little bit of joy, but not today. The tattered picture fluttered off of his dartboard as the last dart hit, coming to rest on the floor next to a trash can brimming with similarly tattered pictures. He threw himself back on his bed and stared up at the cracked white ceiling. He missed Aiden terribly; even thinking about him was making his heart ache. But he was scared, even if he knew he shouldn’t be. Aiden was not happy about the fact that he’d slept with his friend a few years back, which was understandable. But why did it have to matter? Am I going to have to tell him every time we meet someone I’ve slept with? he thought, his anxiety rising again. Still, his stubborn resolve was waning due to the agonizing ache within. How long would he have to go without looking at the man, without holding him in his arms, and without kissing him? The yearning was absolutely excruciating. But was the agony really enough to trump decades of fear? What would my friends say… he thought. If Astarte would say to grow up and go fuck him, which was definitely not the right approach. Mimi would be far more gentle and try to ameliorate his fears like she always did. Sakura would tell him to drink his problems away, and Yuriko would chastise her and offer to bring him to church (which was not high on the list of places he’d like to go right now). Prim had already given him a talk after she hung out with Aiden, letting Eric know he needed to open up and let him in if this was going to work. I wish I had some close male friends to get advice from, he sighed as he twisted his head to stare up at the framed poster for Purple Rain that hung above his bed. “Well, Prince?” he asked. “What would you do?” As expected, Prince was silent. With an exasperated sigh, he turned towards his desk, his eyes fixating on a photo taken long ago on a boardwalk as he celebrated three years together with a man he had loved. “Henry…” Eric muttered sadly. He’d have to tell Aiden about Henry—his first serious relationship with another man—if he really wanted to salvage their relationship, and he wasn’t particularly keen on revisiting that period of his life. There were some things that hurt too much even for him to say, some wounds that ached no matter how much time passed. Then again, if he didn’t open up, he would lose Aiden, and that thought was so intensely horrifying he involuntarily found himself pulling his knees up to his chest in fear. What the fuck do I do? he panicked. He didn’t get much of a chance to dwell on that thought as there was a knock on the door. “Who is it?” he called out sadly. A voice from the other side answered, “Uh, hey, it’s Roarke.” “Uh, hey.” He was the last person Eric had expected to be knocking on his door. “What’s… going on?” “Uh, well… Rose mentioned you seem like something’s bothering you, so I wanted to check and see if you’re doing okay, I guess.” “Uh…” He paused and considered asking Roarke for advice. He’d only just started talking to Roarke after about eighteen years of polite waves here and there, but on the other hand Roarke had just gotten into a stable and healthy relationship despite his womanizing past. Maybe he’s the male perspective I need? Eric pondered uncertainly before sighing and replying, “I’m honestly not okay at all.” “Oh.” There was a few seconds of silence before Roarke asked, “Do you, uh, want to talk about it?” “I think so, yeah. Uh, you can come in.” The door slowly opened, and Roarke walked in looking rather sheepish. This was probably out of his comfort zone considering his lone wolf habits for the past two decades. He gently closed the door behind him and rubbed the back of his head. “So, uh, what’s going on?” Eric took a deep breath. “Aiden and I are having a fight. It turns out I slept with a friend of his a few years ago, and I didn’t tell him even though I recognized her.” Roarke’s eyebrows lifted. “Oh.” “And… maybe I should have told him. But why make our nice night together awkward? And why does he need to know, anyway?” He could feel the frustration rising up again. “I don’t… I honestly don’t know. It’s so stupid, but I’m just… reminded of painful things from when I was a mortal.” Eric turned his gaze back towards the picture of Henry. “I'm letting the memory of someone long gone hold me back from being happy. Maybe I feel like I don’t deserve to be happy. It’s just so hard to talk about it. It’s so hard to just open up when I’ve spent thirty years burying these feelings in meaningless sex.” He shook his head and sighed. “I'm sorry, Roarke. I'm sure nothing I said makes any sense to you.” With a nervous chuckle, Roarke admitted, “No, that makes perfect sense actually.” Eric shot him an incredulous look. “Really?” “Yeah, uh…” He rubbed the back of his head again which Eric had gathered was a tell when the man was nervous. “I mean, I kinda just went through the same thing with Antoinette. Well, I mean, not exactly, but similar. You know, painful past and all that.” With a sigh, Eric asked, “I guess… Do you have any advice?” “I don’t know if I’m the right person to ask for advice, honestly.” Roarke moved further into Eric’s room, grabbing the wooden chair by his desk and sitting down in it. “I don’t think I would’ve told Antoinette anything if she hadn’t been so insistent and patient with me. But, I don’t know, maybe that’s what you have to do. As much as it sucks, if Aiden’s who you want to be with, you’re going to have to tell him.” It was pretty obvious advice, truth be told, but he’d been ignoring the obvious for a long time. “You’re right,” Eric admitted, “and I think you’re the right person to ask. I guess I needed to hear this from someone who really knows what I’m feeling.” Roarke shifted in his seat, and Eric knew he was going to rub his head again before he even lifted his arm. “It’s kind of nice to not be completely alone in this. I didn’t know there was anyone who I could relate to here.” “I know, right?” Eric laughed. “We were all wrong about you, Roarke. You’re a good guy.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone, staring down at his last text to Aiden. “You know, I have a succubus friend who’s going to kill me now for not introducing you to her.” Roarke’s mouth dropped as he exclaimed, “You know a real life succubus?” “I do,” Eric said as he once more took a deep breath. “I should probably see how she’s doing… but first things first…” He quickly typed out, “Sweetie, are you busy? I want to come apologize in person. And to tell you the truth.” He stared at it on his screen for a moment, hands trembling, before he finally hit send. He held his breath while he waited. A full minute ticked by before Aiden read the message. When his response came through a minute later, Eric’s heart sank. “I don’t know if that’s a good idea.” “Why?” he frantically replied. Waiting for an answer was increasingly difficult. Why wasn’t this a good idea? Did he not want an apology? Did he want to break up already? I deserve it. I brought this on myself. “I’m not ready for that,” finally popped up. This answered nothing and only caused more confusion. Eric was shaking pretty badly as he typed out his next message. “I’m not ready either. I’m never going to be ready to talk about this. But you deserve to know why I snapped at you.” He’d almost forgotten Roarke was still in his room until the man spoke up. “Is it going okay?” “Not… Not really,” he choked out. “S-Sorry, I’m not trying to ignore you. I’m texting Aiden, and I don’t know if he’ll see me.” He could feel the tears welling up in his eyes. “I fucked up. I really fucked up here.” “Oh. Shit, I’m sorry, man. Is he, uh, mad at you?” “I wish. I wish he was. I’d rather him be mad than upset like this. He’s not even ready to see me,” Eric stammered. A beat of silence passed before Roarke said, “I’m not really the kind of guy to pry, but I think this might help figure out what to do here. The last time you two talked, what did you say?” “I… Well… I told him it wasn’t his business who I slept with, and that I understood if he needed space… But it was over text, and I know I sounded pissier than I meant to…” Roarke shifted in his seat once more. “Okay, so, I guess… I don’t know, maybe put yourself in his shoes? If he said that stuff to you, how would you feel?” “Like shit. And I probably wouldn’t want to see me either.” It was finally hitting him how much of an asshole he’d been when he really could have tried to communicate rather than get defensive. That’s when he heard his phone ding. Surprised, he looked down at the screen and saw Aiden had finally responded. “OK.” “He said ok!” Eric yelped, startling Roarke by nearly flinging his phone as he leapt off his bed. “I can go see him!” Then he remembered Victoria’s decree from earlier in the day. “Shit. We’re under house arrest.” “What if he came here?” “I’m not sure the Silverwings would let him pass. Plus, I can’t make him put in all that legwork for my fuckup.” He paused. “Hold on. Do you mind if I get changed real quick? I have a plan.” “Uh, yeah, sure. I’ll just wait outside.” Roarke stood up and left the room, closing the door behind him. Eric quickly undressed and dove into his closet, pulling out his Purple Rain T-shirt and a pair of purple gym shorts. “The perfect outfit for a mad dash through the Rhine City suburbs,” he muttered as he quickly redressed. He grabbed a small backpack as well, tossing in his photo album, his MP3 player, and a thermos of blood Prim had brought him earlier. He took a long, hard look at the photo of him and Henry before letting out a sigh and tossing it in the bag too. He peeked his head out the door when his bag was packed and he was decent again. “Roarke, I’m done,” he whispered conspiratorially. “Okay,” Roarke whispered back. Then, with a puzzled expression, he asked, “Are we supposed to be whispering?” “Yes,” Eric whispered. “I don’t want anyone hearing.” “Oh, okay. So, wait, am I coming back in?” “Yes, come on!” Eric waved Roarke hurriedly into the room, shutting the door behind him. “Okay. Okay! I have a plan to get out of here, but I might need some help. Are you in?” “Uh…” Roarke hesitated for a moment, but Eric saw that he had mentally agreed seconds before he shrugged. “Yeah, alright. What do you need me to do?” Eric held out his hands excitedly. “Alright, so here’s my idea. Get Antoinette since she’s a Silverwing and have her strike up conversation with a couple of the Dracula Guard outside. Then get Rose so you two can distract the others with one of her magic tricks. While all of their attention is occupied, I can have Prim use an illusion to render me invisible so that I can sneak past everyone! It’s absolutely foolpr—” The sound of shouting and a door slamming from down the hall cut off his train of thought. “What was that?” “Sounds like someone’s mad.” Eric listened carefully as someone stormed down the hall, down the stairs, and out of the house. This was soon followed by shouting and yelling from outside. Dashing over to his window and throwing the curtains open, he saw several Silverwings running across the yard. “Ok, scratch all that. I think the Silverwings are busy with whatever that commotion was.” He turned to Roarke and gave him a grateful smile. “Thank you for listening to me whine, Roarke. You’re… You’re a real friend. If I can fix things, I’m finding some way for us to go on a double date with our partners. I owe you that much at least.” “Hey, I would be down for that.” Finally cracking a grin, he added, “Go get your guy. You’ve got this.” With a thumbs up, Eric quickly slid open his window and dove out, gracefully rolling onto the ground below despite jumping from the second story. This was not the first time he’d snuck out a window like this, but it was definitely the first time he was doing it for something so important. He darted across the lawn, casting a sidelong glance towards where the Silverwings had run off to. It looked like several of them were chasing after Nadia, who was either ignoring them or pinning them in place with her gravity magic. Jesus, who was stupid enough to piss her off? he pondered as he made it to the chain link fence surrounding the property. He easily scaled the fence and leapt down the other side, then he was off like a rocket sprinting away towards Aiden’s house. He figured he could make it in about nine or ten minutes at the speed he was going. Though he was blessed with vampiric strength and stamina, moping around the house like he had been the past few days wouldn’t do him any favors when it came to running through the city. It also didn’t help he hadn’t actually drank blood in a few hours and was almost running on fumes at this point. Thank God I remembered that thermos, he thought as he sprinted as fast as his body would allow him. As he neared Aiden’s home he could definitely feel the burn. He didn’t care, though; Aiden was worth it. He shakily made his way up to the front door, panting and sweating. After a moment’s hesitation, he knocked. Inside, he could hear what sounded like a television. There was a soft murmur of someone speaking, but he couldn’t quite make out what was being said. About ten seconds later, the front door swung open, and Aiden stood in the doorway. The man was dressed in a faded navy blue t-shirt and a pair of worn black jeans that fit his usual style to a T. There was a flash of pain on Aiden’s face before he settled into a blank stare. “Hi,” he said flatly. “H-Hi, sweetie,” Eric gasped, trying to catch his breath. He wanted so badly to take Aiden into his arms and kiss him, but he had to work things out first. “S-Sorry. I ran. We’re kind of… banned from leaving the house right now. And, uh, I… forgot to… eat. So I’m… exhausted.” Aiden’s eyebrows shot upwards in surprise. “You’re… banned from leaving?” “Yes… The whole c-coven is…” Eric paused and took a deep breath, focusing whatever was left of his energy to clear away the fatigue from running. It took a moment but the last of his healing kicked in, and a wave of relief washed over him. With a satisfied sigh, he continued, “Victoria says it has something to do with the angel who’s after us. But I had to come see you.” “You shouldn’t have left,” Aiden mumbled. “You’re going to get in trouble.” “I’d rather Victoria be mad at me than you be mad at me.” Aiden looked surprised. “I’m not mad at you.” “W-Well,” he stammered, this turn of events completely throwing him for a loop, “why not?” Aiden’s surprise turned into confusion. “Do you want me to be mad at you?” “Yes!” Eric exclaimed. “You should be! I’m a fucking idiot, and I’m sabotaging my own happiness again because I can’t move on after thirty years. You should want to smack me!” The poor man looked even more confused. The way he stared at Eric, he seemed to be at a loss for words. “Aiden?” called out a voice from inside. “Who’s at the door?” Eric watched as his boyfriend’s face turned pale. He looked both stressed and panicked at the same time. “Uh… M-My…” “His boyfriend?” Eric nervously shouted back, cursing himself internally for phrasing it like a question. I’m not making a good first impression here. The unknown voice exclaimed, “What?” Aiden looked petrified as an older woman appeared behind him seconds later looking very curious. “You didn’t tell me you had a boyfriend,” she whispered. Immediately, he could tell the woman was Aiden’s mom. Her brown eyes were nearly identical to the man’s. Despite seeming to be sweet and harmless, Eric felt almost as anxious as Aiden likely was. He hadn’t actually introduced himself to anyone’s parents in decades, but now it seemed he had no choice. “Hello,” Eric waved nervously. “We’ve only really been together for a little while, so that might be why.” Aiden’s mother gave him a once-over before giving him a small shy smile that looked exactly like Aiden’s. “Well, it’s very nice to meet you.” Aiden blinked in surprise and turned around to face his mom. “It is?” Eric felt at least a little relieved. “It’s nice to meet you, too. I’m sorry I didn’t dress a little nicer,” he said, gesturing down at himself. “I didn’t know I’d be meeting you today.” With a raspy laugh, Aiden’s mother joked, “Have you looked at me?” Laughing in spite of himself, Eric said, “My name’s Eric, by the way. Sorry, probably should have introduced myself first. I haven’t dated anyone in a long while, and I’m trying to relearn how to go about things.” “It’s very nice to meet you, Eric.” Her eyes shifted to Aiden, who was still staring at her in bewilderment. “Why didn’t you tell me sooner you were dating? You don’t have to hide that from me, you know.” “I… I don’t?” Aiden stammered. “Of course not. As long as you’re happy, I’m happy.” She placed a thin, bony hand on his shoulder and squeezed it. “Do you two have a date planned?” Aiden turned his head to glance at Eric sheepishly. “Um, well, not exactly.” “I, er, actually came over to… explain something,” Eric admitted. “And apologize. I was a jerk the last time we spent time together.” While Aiden stared at the ground with uncertainty, his mom looked surprised. “Oh, I see. I’m sorry I interrupted.” She squeezed her son’s shoulder one more time and glanced at Eric, mouthing, “Good luck!” She gave him a quick smile before making her way back inside. An awkward silence passed between the two as they were alone once more standing at the doorway. Eric decided to break it. Shifting from one foot to the next, he quietly said, “Your mom is nice.” “Yeah,” Aiden repeated with a whisper. “But I’m not here to compliment your mom,” Eric sighed. “I’m here because I want—I need—to be honest with you. And as hard as it was to come clean to you about how when I was mortal, I was dying of AIDS… This is harder. I haven’t talked about this in thirty years. Not with my friends, not with my parents, not even with Prim.” Aiden hesitantly glanced back inside before mumbling, “I don’t think you should do this here.” “Is there a place we can talk?” He visibly hesitated, his eyes still focused on what Eric guessed was his mom. Eventually, he called out, “Hey, Mom? We’re going to be right outside. Call me if you need me, okay? Eric could hear Aiden’s mom reply, “Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine as long as you don’t go too far.” “I promise, Mom. Love you.” He turned back to Eric with a small sigh. “Is the front lawn okay?” “That’s perfectly fine,” Eric replied, glancing up at the sky. He could feel the kind of moisture in the air that usually meant a storm was on the way, but there was barely a cloud to be seen. If rain was coming, it wouldn’t be for awhile. “Okay.” Aiden crossed the threshold between inside and outside and closed the front door behind him. Eric followed Aiden’s lead to the grass, which was just a foot away from the door, and sat down in the middle of the lawn with him. It was soft despite the summer heat and looked like it had been recently mowed judging by how small the blades of grass were. Aiden sat cross-legged with his arms resting on his legs. “I didn’t think she’d react like that,” he noted quietly. “How come?” Eric asked. “She’s always afraid she’s going to lose me. I guess… I don’t know. I thought finding out I have a boyfriend would make her worried it was going to happen.” He nodded. “Well… I’m glad she’s okay with it. And I’m glad you’re still calling me your boyfriend.” He stared down at the grass. “I don’t even know how to begin here.” “I don’t know. Start from the beginning?” Aiden offered. “God, if only it were that easy,” Eric groaned. He wanted to get this out, get it off his chest, but it was agonizing. Frustrated, he reached into his backpack and pulled out the picture of him and Henry and tossed it on the ground between them. Aiden slowly picked up the photograph, examining the two of them. Even now, Eric thought Henry looked fine in a tank top, with his neatly trimmed mustache and feathery blonde haircut that would be considered outdated in the current year. He, on the other hand, looked like an absolute fool with his thick, dark sunglasses and a shaggy mullet. Glancing at Eric, Aiden asked, “Is he an ex-boyfriend?” “He’s the ex-boyfriend,” Eric explained. “He was the first man I ever had a serious, long-term relationship with. He was also the last one.” “Oh.” “Henry Duke was his name. I met him at a party when I was twenty. This was a little while after I’d come out to my family and all, and Prim brought me to this get together for queer people and, well… we hit it off. He was this handsome, brooding guy with this intense energy, and I liked that a lot. I liked how he just took charge, took control… It felt freeing. For a while, anyway. “Henry had a lot of baggage. He had a rough childhood. His father was abusive and homophobic, his mother took him and left… That sort of thing. He had a history of getting into trouble, and… he did drugs. Lots of them. I tried to ignore it for a long while, but finding needles lying around his room when I woke up with him was… it wasn’t fun.” He was really surprised how easy this was all coming out now, just pouring out of him. Aiden was quiet while he listened, the photograph still in his hand, but he nodded along politely. For the first time ever, it was difficult to read his blank expression. “That picture there, that was from our three year anniversary.” He glanced at the picture again and let out a small laugh. “God, I look so stupid. I don’t know why I ever thought a mullet looked good on me. When I finally got rid of it, I told Prim to bash me upside the head with a shovel if I ever thought of growing my hair out like that again.” “I don’t think you look that bad.” Eric blushed in spite of himself. “Well… Thank you.” Finally, Aiden gave him a glimpse of a smile. “I think I like you better without a mullet, though.” “Well, if that’s the case, I’m very glad I cut my hair before being stuck like this.” The pain of recounting his life was dulled a bit from seeing Aiden’s smile, but he knew the worst part of the story was still yet to come. “Anyway… The reason I keep that picture, despite my stupid haircut, is because that day was the last time we were genuinely, truly happy together. “He was spiraling hard with the drug abuse, and he was starting to get more violent and paranoid with me. He’d demand to know where I was going, he’d pin me to walls, he’d throw things at me, and then he’d collapse to the floor sobbing and begging me to forgive him. I didn’t… I was too afraid to leave him. I was clinging to all those happy memories I had with him because I’d never loved anyone like him before, and I didn’t think I’d be able to ever again. “But when he broke that news to me, about… about how he was HIV positive, whatever happy memories I was clinging to were gone. He cried and he begged, but I left that same day. Grabbed all my stuff, went home, and cried in the car in my parent’s driveway for an hour before breaking the news. I thought for sure my life was going to end soon. “But then I met Mimi, and, well…” He gestured towards himself. “I became what I am today. But that’s not the end, because if it was, this wouldn’t be so hard. Henry’s mom called me, asked me to come see him in the hospital. He was at death’s door; apparently he’d gone off the deep end after I left. I went in, fully expecting to rub it in his face how I was better now that I wasn’t dealing with his abuse and his problems. “But when I went in, he was nothing but happy to see me. I told him about the vampirism and he said he was glad of the two of us, it was me who was living forever. He hoped I’d be able to be happy. “I was so angry. I wanted so badly to hate him for everything, but I just couldn’t! And then, he asked me to sing to him one last time. He always said I had the voice of an angel, and I used to sing to him while we were in bed together to help him sleep… So he asked me to sing him this new song he’d heard on the radio, ‘Sweet Child O’ Mine.’ And so I sang it to him, and he smiled gently and closed his eyes. He never opened them again.” He could feel the tears burning his eyes, and he could see his glasses fogging up. “That stupid bastard just had to break my heart one more time, didn’t he? Well, I never wanted that to happen again. So for the thirty years after that, I just closed myself off. I just fooled around and tried to forget about even imagining I could ever be happy again. Because despite everything that happened, I don’t think he was right. I didn’t deserve to be alive over him, and I didn’t deserve to be happy. I was just lucky.” Aiden was completely silent. Eric’s vision was too blurred to be able to see him, so he had no inkling as to what he was thinking or how he felt. The quiet soon became too much, and he broke down completely. “I’m sorry, Aiden,” he sobbed, “I just—I’m—I can’t—“ He felt a warmth on his hand as his boyfriend wrapped his fingers around it. “I’m sorry you had to go through that,” Aiden finally said. “I’m sorry too,” he sniffled. There was so much he wanted to say, but he was too emotional to put the words together. The fact he was able to even tell Aiden about Henry was astounding. A peaceful, comfortable silence fell between them as they sat together with Aiden’s hand holding his. His boyfriend’s simple, gentle touch was exactly what he needed. It wasn’t long until the tears stopped, and he could feel that ray of hope breaking through his insecurities. “I haven’t wanted to make something work like this in so long,” Eric said quietly, “and I genuinely have never felt like this before. I’m so sorry I had a… knee-jerk reaction. I promise, I’ll be more honest about… you know, if you meet someone I’ve hooked up with.” He expected a small smile or Aiden’s signature “okay," but instead, the man withdrew his hand and lowered his head. Even without his power, he would have picked up that something was wrong. He leaned in close. “Talk to me, sweetie. What’s wrong?” “It’s not going to work,” he mumbled miserably. “What? Us? Why wouldn’t it?” Aiden picked at the grass, pulling the blades out and tossing them aside. “Because I can’t… I’m not good enough.” “I risked getting tackled by Silverwings, kidnapped by vampire killers and, worst of all, pissing off Victoria. I wouldn’t do that for someone who’s not good enough.” “But what happens when… I can’t…” He pulled out another stalk of grass and twirled it between his thumb and his forefinger. “I’m not ready for… you know…” “Sweetie. I’m 55 years old. And trust me when I say I’ve done that enough to last me another 55.” He reached out, gently put a hand on Aiden’s cheek, and turned his face so the man was looking him in the eyes. “I’m fine with a more chaste romance, I promise. Being with you means more to me than any amount of sex in the world.” “But what if I’m never ready?” he asked, sounding choked up. He gave him a gentle smile. “Then that’s the way it is. I won’t love you any less.” “Are you sure?” “More sure than I’ve been about anything in a long time.” “I just… I don’t want you to… settle, I guess. I know you are used to… being more active. And I don’t know if or when I’ll ever be ready.” Eric shook his head. “The way I feel about you… It’s not settling. I can tell you are everything I want.” Aiden looked surprised and stopped playing with the blade of grass. “But what if you’re wrong?” “I don’t think I am. But,” he smirked, “I know a way to be sure, right now.” Looking apprehensive, he asked, “How?” Eric leaned in close, his confidence starting to return to him in full force as he stopped inches from Aiden’s face. “Kiss me.” Aiden closed the very short distance between them and pressed his lips to Eric’s. Just like that, everything was right between them again. Eric ran his hands through Aiden’s soft dark hair, his skin tingling by the agonizingly wonderful electricity he always experienced whenever the two touched. The softest of satisfied moans escaped from Aiden’s lips as they continued to kiss, igniting Eric with an intense passion he hadn’t felt in a long time. It’s too soon to say I love you, isn’t it? he thought as he finally pulled away and looked Aiden in the eyes. You know what? Fuck it. “Aiden, I—“ He was cut off by a loud crack of thunder in the distance. Shit, the storm’s here already? “Oh, I guess it’s going to rain,” Aiden said, looking disappointed (and startled) by the approaching storm. “Yeah…” Eric glanced towards Aiden’s house, yet another brilliant idea forming in his head. “Do you think your mom would want me walking home in this? It’s supposed to rain all night, you know.” Aiden seemed to catch on, the shy smile Eric knew and loved so much creeping across the man’s face. “I don’t think she’d mind.” “I’ll sleep on the couch if I have to. I’ll even make you two breakfast.” “She’d probably appreciate that. She really seems to like you.” “Seems like today was a day for overcoming all sorts of hurdles in this relationship,” Eric laughed. “Maybe you can return the favor tomorrow. I have an old friend I want to call, someone really important.” Nervously, Aiden’s mouth opened, and Eric knew he wanted to ask if it was a “friend”. His boyfriend must have thought better of it as he instead simply nodded. Smiling with understanding, Eric stood up and held out his hand. “We can worry about that later, though. Let’s get inside before we get all wet… It would give me an excuse to let you take my shirt off, though.” The poor man’s face turned as red as ripe strawberry and nodded his head once more. “Y-Yeah, okay.” The two stood up, stretched their legs, and made the short journey to the front door. “Oh, um, you can come inside,” Aiden said, thankfully remembering the rule about invitations. Another crack of thunder rattled the house as they walked in. Aiden’s mom was sitting on a worn, old beige couch watching television. She turned around and smiled when she saw them enter. “Did everything go okay?” “I sure think so,” Eric replied. “Um, Mom?” Aiden interrupted. ”Eric walked here and, um, a storm is coming really fast. Would it be okay if he waited here until it stops raining?” “Of course. Stay as long as you’d like.” His mom gave another dazzling smile. “You’re really too kind,” Eric said, gently taking hold of Aiden’s hand again. “I hate to impose, I just don’t want Aiden to worry about me getting sick right after we patched things up.” Shifting nervously beside him, Aiden asked, “Would it be okay if he stayed in my room?” With a small, tired laugh, his mom answered, “Sweetheart, you’re an adult. You don’t need to ask for my permission.” Then, with a sigh, she added, “You’re growing up so fast…” Eric smiled. Aiden’s mom reminded him a lot of his own, just a bit more… frazzled? Tired? He was having a hard time getting a good read. Guess I’m running out of juice, he thought, shifting his backpack slightly so he could hear the enticing slosh of his blood-filled thermos. “I’ll be back down to make dinner and help you get ready for bed,” Aiden promised. His mom shook her head. “Don’t worry about me. I’ll manage.” With wide, surprised eyes, he stammered, “Are… Are you sure, Mom?” “Yes, I’ll be fine. Don’t let me ruin your night.” “Okay… Um, thanks, Mom.” Aiden gave her a small wave before locking the front door. He led Eric up a small set of carpet-covered stairs that looked about as old as the couch. The second floor was modestly small with four rooms, two on either side of the hallway. Aiden’s, Eric quickly discovered, was the last door on the left. When they walked in, he was mildly surprised to find it was quite simple with bare white walls, a messy bed with dark blue sheets atop it, a stained wooden dresser, a closet, and a gray wicker hamper. “She really doesn’t want my help?” Aiden murmured quietly as he gently closed the door behind them. “I think it’s more that she wants you to be happy without having to fret over her.” “Yeah, but…” Aiden still looked perplexed, but shrugged. “Never mind.” “Oh no, I’m going to mind. I’m all yours for the foreseeable future, after all.” He looked hesitant. “It’s… going to take some time to explain.” “I can take a seat.” Though he still didn’t look completely certain, Aiden nodded and wandered to his bed. He moved the mess of sheets to the foot and sat down on the edge, patting the space next to him. Eric wasted no time sitting next to his boyfriend. “Alright, what’s on your mind?” With a weighted sigh, he started. “I… used to have a sister.” “Used to?” Eric repeated sadly. “Yeah.” Aiden launched into the sad tale, explaining that his mom got pregnant when she was young and in college and was left to raise the two of them alone as their father had completely ditched her. He told Eric about his sister, Andrea, and how she was the extrovert and the daredevil of the two. He told him about the day that changed his family forever. He shared how his mom fell into a deep depression and developed agoraphobia, eventually never leaving the house again. He talked about how he served as his mom’s advocate for disability benefits and food stamps after she stopped working and became her caretaker. He explained about how the mom he knew as a kid slipped away and became a sad, grief-stricken shell of the person she’d once been, spending most of her days on the couch watching television. Through it all, Eric listened patiently. He’d heard so many tales similar to this during his years in Rhine, and yet it still pained him to hear how Aiden and his mother had suffered so much loss and hardship. At the same time, he was amazed and proud of how strong the both of them were, especially Aiden, for continuing on in spite of everything. “And that’s why it shocked me so much to see her smile at you,” Aiden said once the story had finished. “I can’t remember… I don’t think she’s really smiled since Andi died.” “That’s… wow.” Eric was at a loss for words himself. “I didn’t think she’d want me to date. I thought… I don’t know, that she’d be afraid to lose me if I got a boyfriend because, well, I’d probably eventually move out.” Once more, Aiden looked bewildered. “But she was happy for me.” “Look, I’m exhausted right now so my power isn’t working at one hundred percent,” Eric began, “but I don’t think it takes someone with my skill set to tell that your mom loves you and after everything, she wants you to be happy more than anything.” “Do you really think so?” Aiden’s small smile started to appear before his eyes widened in slight horror. “You need to eat.” “I do,” Eric laughed as he grabbed his backpack and pulled out the thermos he’d brought with him. “I brought this, it’ll at least get me through the night. Hopefully it’ll still taste okay.” He nodded. “Do you, um, need real food too?” Eric opened his mouth to reply, but was cut off by the growling of his own stomach. “I think that answers that.” “I can go make you something while you…” He glanced at the thermos. “Good idea. It’ll spare you the sight. And don’t worry, I’ll eat a few mints before I kiss you again.” “Take your time. I’ll be back soon,” he promised before standing up and leaving his bedroom. As Eric quickly downed the contents of his thermos before Aiden returned, he marveled at how well this had all gone and how, for the first time in ages, he genuinely, truly felt like he was in love. All I need to do now is tell him, he thought. But that can wait. There was no need to rush, after all. Eric wasn’t going to go anywhere, and he would do anything to make sure he was worthy of staying in Aiden’s life. The time would be right soon enough.
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AuthorsMichael & Tierney Ford Archives
July 2023
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