Blood Wyne (6 page)
Camille flashed us a warm smile. “Erin, it’s so good to see you again.”
Erin stared at her, wistful. “I know. I just wish . . .” Her voice trailed off as I pulled out a bottle of strawberry shake-flavored blood and led her behind the bookcase, into the secret staircase leading to my lair. I settled her in with the television and the blood, then returned upstairs.
Delilah and Camille were waiting. “Trouble. I have big trouble.” I told them what Erin had told me.
“Not Sassy!” Delilah’s jaw dropped. “What the hell are we going to do? How can we stop her?”
“Sassy told me some months back she felt her predator rising and was having trouble controlling it. Looks like she wasn’t lying.” I stared at my hands. “In one sense, it’s none of my business. Vampires take out people every day and I don’t do anything. But six months ago she made me promise that when she lost sight of herself, I’d put an end to it. She didn’t want to become like this.”
“Does that mean you’re planning to kill her?” Camille bit her lip, tears streaking down her cheeks. “Sassy’s our friend. Is there anything we can do to help her?”
“I am so torn.” I looked up as Iris entered the kitchen, Maggie on her hip. “Hey, Iris—we have company. Don’t go into my lair alone, okay? Erin’s staying with us for a little while and I think she’s safe, but she’s so young I don’t dare trust her alone around you guys.”
Iris blinked, blurry eyed, and nodded. “Sure thing. Care to tell me why we have another vampire staying here?”
“Because Sassy’s crossed the line into her predator.” I held out my arms for our calico girl, and Iris handed her to me. “Maggie, baby, how are you tonight? Did you wake up?”
“Melly . . . Melly . . . Maggie threw her fuzzy arms around my neck and buried her head against my chest, promptly falling into a light snooze. I cuddled her, burying my face in her soft downy fur, clinging to the innocence in my embrace, holding her tight.
Maggie was the only one in our lives untouched by the demons—though even she had started out her life in a demon’s lunch bag. Luckily, Camille managed to rescue her. But she was our touchstone to hope, our hearthstone to unconditional love. The baby gargoyle would take a long, long time to grow up—hundreds of years—and we’d be here for her.
Iris started the tea. “I take it we’re up for an all-nighter? Tea and cinnamon toast?”
Camille moved to the fridge and pulled out the bread. “Sounds good to me. So you haven’t answered yet.” She glanced at me. “Do you have to kill Sassy?”
Iris set the kettle down. Hard. “Sassy Branson? You’re seriously talking about staking her?”
“I told you, she’s crossed into her predator self. There’s no coming back once that happens. When the bloodlust takes hold to that degree, it’s easier and easier to slip until there is only the hunt and the chase and the frenzy.” I pressed my lips together as Maggie began to play with my nose, then tugged on my hair. She was the one creature I’d never felt anger at. Somehow, the baby gargoyle effected a soothing balm on my soul and temper.
As Iris made tea, and Camille and Delilah fixed their toast, I carried Maggie over to the window and peeked out into the winter night. A few snowflakes were falling—the first of the season—and I felt a chill inside so deep it shook my core. Sassy had always been a champion of mine. She’d taken my side when Wade dumped me out of Vampires Anonymous, and now . . . now would I stand at her door, stake in hand? Would I take her down in a bloody battle and dust her? Would she curse me or thank me?
Either way, I knew the time was coming when I’d have to deal with her. And meanwhile, what about Erin? She couldn’t stay here. And then there was the vampire serial killer who was prowling the night.
Feeling bathed in blood, I turned back to my sisters and Iris. “It’s snowing,” was all I said.
CHAPTER 3
That night was the first night anybody had ever stayed in my lair with me, that I knew of. Sometimes my sisters stashed Maggie down there, or Iris hid there when necessary, but I’d never intentionally invited anybody in for a slumber party.
When I joined Erin, after Camille and Delilah went to bed, she was sitting in the armchair, watching a late-night monster movie—
The Return of Dracula
. She startled as I came in, scrambling to kneel. I let her, then gently laughed and sat on the arm of her chair.
The Return of Dracula
. She startled as I came in, scrambling to kneel. I let her, then gently laughed and sat on the arm of her chair.
“At ease, Erin. Sit down and watch the movie.” I motioned to the screen. “Thank heavens we don’t dress the old-school way anymore, huh?”
She blinked, cautiously taking her seat. “I’d look pretty bad in a cape and low-cut dress. Did you call Sassy, Mistress?”
“Not yet. And you can call me Menolly in private.” I
really
wanted to pay a visit to Sassy, but first I had to think over what I was going to say. But I knew I’d have to talk to her eventually. As Erin and I settled in to watch the movie, around four thirty the phone rang.
really
wanted to pay a visit to Sassy, but first I had to think over what I was going to say. But I knew I’d have to talk to her eventually. As Erin and I settled in to watch the movie, around four thirty the phone rang.
“Menolly! Thank God, you’re there. Is Erin with you?” Sassy sounded flustered. “I just checked on her and she’s not in her room. I’m so sorry—but I thought you might know where she is. I pray she’s not lost.”
Either Sassy was fishing to find out what I knew, or she really did believe Erin had taken off somewhere and gotten herself lost. Either way, the longer I kept Sassy in the dark about Erin spilling the beans on her nocturnal blood sports, the better. At least until I decided what to do about the problem.
“Yes, she is. Erin called me from the park. She just went out for a walk and got a little confused. I decided to bring her home with me so we could spend some time together. She’s fine. I’ll drop by tomorrow night.”
Sassy paused. Then, hesitantly, “Are you sure? I can come get her.”
“No—don’t worry. Erin’s going to play slumber party here. I’ll call you tomorrow night.” Another lie. I was planning on showing up unannounced, without Erin. That ship had sailed and gone. Erin would never spend another night at Sassy’s.
“If you’re sure . . . A strain in Sassy’s voice caught my attention. A tension that hadn’t been there before. I listened to the nuance below it.
She was hungry.
Sassy was hungry and longing to hunt. I knew the feeling all too well, but I kept my hunting within strict perimeters. Sassy had crossed the line.
She was hungry.
Sassy was hungry and longing to hunt. I knew the feeling all too well, but I kept my hunting within strict perimeters. Sassy had crossed the line.
As I murmured good-bye, I wondered again: Did I have the right to put an end to Sassy’s hunting? She was becoming the predator, but did that mean it was my place to play judge, jury, and executioner?
True, she had asked me to end her life if I noticed her slip over the edge. But would she want that now? Would she still be willing to stand there, waiting for the stake? Would she walk into the sun if she realized just how far she’d crossed the line? But the fact remained, from what Erin said, that Sassy was now kidnapping and torturing the innocent. And
that
was unacceptable.
that
was unacceptable.
“Menolly?”
I turned back to find Erin staring at me. “Yes?”
“Sassy and I’ve talked many times about right and wrong . . . good and evil. She didn’t want to be a vampire in the first place. She wasn’t given a choice. She told me more than once that she doesn’t want to wear a black hat, as she put it. She said that as much as she loved me . . .
Here, Erin hung her head and a bloody tear streaked down her face. I reached out and lifted her chin, nodding for her to go on. “She told me that she doesn’t think she has much of a future left. That it’s too hard for her to control the desire to hunt.”
“I’m sorry, Erin. I’m so sorry.” I knew that my daughter and Sassy had formed a romantic bond, even though I’d encouraged them to wait before sealing their relationship—at least until Erin had spent long enough in the
life
to know what she wanted.
life
to know what she wanted.
Erin shrugged. “I am, too. I came out of the closet to my family about being gay and a vampire and they drove me out of their lives a few months ago. I’m alone in this world and still unsure about myself. Sassy’s all I’ve got.”
“No, no she isn’t.” I put my hands on her shoulders. She was a little taller than I, but looked so unsure and hesitant. “You have me—I’m your Blood-Mother. You have Tim and Camille and Delilah. They all care about you, and Tim’s your best friend. We are family. Don’t ever forget it.”
“Tim’s married now. He . . . he belongs in the world of the living, not in our world.” She bit her lip, and I realized just how disconnected she was feeling from everything that had ever meant anything to her.
“Tim and you were best friends,” I said slowly. “Unfortunately, things
do
change once you cross over the veil and become a vampire, but that doesn’t mean that every relationship you had has to vanish or die with your old life. Tim may have married Jason, but he still cares about you. He misses you. In fact, he’s waiting for you to adapt enough so that you
can
be friends again, no matter how the friendship has to evolve.”
do
change once you cross over the veil and become a vampire, but that doesn’t mean that every relationship you had has to vanish or die with your old life. Tim may have married Jason, but he still cares about you. He misses you. In fact, he’s waiting for you to adapt enough so that you
can
be friends again, no matter how the friendship has to evolve.”
She considered my words. “I suppose you’re right. I guess I expected everything to go on the same, just with me being a vampire. I didn’t have time to think it through.”
“Are you sorry you asked me to turn you?” I touched her arm, lightly, praying she wouldn’t say yes. I’d sworn I’d never sire another vampire and had broken my rule only because Grandmother Coyote had warned me that I needed to break through my own fears for the sake of destiny. Whatever the future held for Erin, I had a feeling it was far more than she dreamed of.
Erin mulled over my words. I liked that she was no longer so eager to please that she’d blurt out anything she thought might make me happy. She was growing into her fangs.
“No, I’m not sorry. I wasn’t ready to die, and this was the only choice. I think, to be honest, that living with Sassy has been good for me, but I’m ready to move on. She’s making me nervous and I can’t do anything without her approval or she throws a fit.”
It was my turn to bite my lip. Sassy had lost a daughter, many years ago. Had she pinned all her love—both maternal and romantic—onto Erin’s shoulders? She was still protecting Erin from the monster she was becoming, or she wouldn’t have sent her out of the room before attacking her victim. But had she also kept her from growing independent?
I decided to lighten the mood and held up a deck of cards. “Want to play a game of gin rummy?” I knew that Sassy and Erin played like fiends, and though the game bored me stiff, I wanted Erin to feel comfortable.
She shook her head. “If you don’t mind, I hate that game. I play because Sassy loves it.”
Laughing, I pitched the cards into the corner. “Fair enough. It’s not one of my favorites, either. What do you want to do? We have a couple hours till sunrise.”
Erin let out a long sigh. “I’d like to go for a walk with you. Get outside, walk through the woods. Sassy doesn’t take me out very often, and I miss the sound of the wind in the trees.”
I hunted through my closet and pulled on a pair of Doc Martens. “Sounds good to me. Come on, let’s go.” And leading her up the stairs, I decided right there and then that I’d keep a tight watch over the next home I found for my daughter.
We returned to the house a half hour before sunrise to find my phone ringing. I snatched it up, afraid it might be Sassy again, as Erin contentedly sprawled in the armchair. We’d walked for about a half hour, then did a mad-dash all-out sprint through the woods, skimming the trunks and undergrowth through the freshly fallen snow. I taught Erin how to scale a tree—Sassy had ignored a good share of Erin’s physical training, much to my dismay—and by the time we got back, she was looking forward to sunrise and sleep. I never liked the drowsy pull, but for Erin, it seemed to hold no dread.
I picked up the receiver to hear a low voice, almost a growl, on the other end. “Please summon Menolly to the phone.”
The accent gave him away. As did the power behind the accent. It didn’t matter whether my Caller ID was blocked. I knew who was on the other end.
“Hello, Roman. This is Menolly.”
“Ah, the girl remembers my voice. That delights me.” He let out a short laugh, and my stomach tied itself in knots. His voice was so rich, so strong, and even through the phone line he beckoned to me, reeling me in. “My maid relayed your message.”
Shivering, I forced myself to sit on the bed. Roman scared the hell out of me. He was an ancient vampire whom I’d met once, thanks to Sassy. He could have taken on Dredge and slapped him down with one hand. Calculating he was, and cool, and perfectly at home in his skin. And he wanted me to attend the midwinter Vampire’s Ball as his escort.
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