Bride of Blood:: First Kiss (12 page)

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
“My destiny is to bring misery and sadness to everyone around me,” said Johnny-boy.
 
“And it made them feel better about who they were.”

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
“Yes,” said the young man raising his glass, “And you were damn good at it, too.”

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
“You seem to take great pride in the things you did with your life, old man,” said Anton.
 
He’d loved the old man while he was alive.
 
A lot of people did, and probably always would.
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
“Anyways,” said Scotty pulling out his pocket watch and glancing at it, “I have to get going myself because I have to head back to Earth and check on my wife.”
 
He took a hard drink and slammed the empty shot glass on the table.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
J.R. looked at him sternly, “I really wish you wouldn’t do that.”

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The young man got up, too and walked over to Scotty.
 
He put an arm around him and said, “It won’t be too much longer.
 
Then you both can watch over your family.”

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
“Would you believe that she gets every message that I send to her?” Scotty said as they walked out the door together. “Every single one.
 
No one else in the family does.
 
Those grand kids and great-grand kids never did listen…”

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The bar was quiet for a several moments.
 
Vercie brushed the hair from Anton’s face.
 
She smiled at him.
 
“You know, sugar,” she said to him, “Velara does love you.
 
And I have to say that I see why she does.”

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
“It amazes me how much you and her have in common,” he said, letting Vercie’s natural perfume tickle his nose.
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
She nodded.
 
“Scotty isn’t the only one that comes through here that checks on his family, you know, sugar? I have the same responsibility.”

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
“Same responsibility?”

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
She nodded and took a drink from her glass.
 
She winked at J.R. who quickly refilled her glass.
 
“When some of us die, we are given the task of watching over our descendants.
 
Scotty has lots of grandchildren and great-grandchildren to watch over.
 
After they have all crossed over, he and his wife will probably be with them.
 
That will be it.
 
My assignment is different, however, I chose to watch over my family for many generations.
 
Believe me, Velara loves you just as much as you love her.
 
I think she always has and always will.
 
I don’t know too much about that past-life stuff she was always going on about, but I know her heart.
 
And I know mine.”
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
It had all been wishful thinking, but it still was a special bond that he and Velara had shared.
 
He knew that Vercie and Velara kept in touch, somehow he knew it.
 
Asking Vercie any more questions about her would be pointless, as he knew she wouldn’t tell him anything about where to find her.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
She touched his hand and they were silent then for several moments.
 
J.R. broke the silence as he yelled, “Last call!”

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Vercie kissed Anton on the lips and said, “I’ll see you again soon, sugar.
 
It’s time for you to wake up.
 
Find her, Anton.
 
Love her.
 
And don’t forget to visit me sometime.”
 
She laughed.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Anton’s eyes flew open and he was staring at the inside lid of his coffin.
 
He shook his head and touched the lid.
 
It was cold.
 
Night time.
 
Sitting up, he opened the lid and stared out into the dark basement.
 
He looked over at Alexander’s coffin and could hear his friend beginning to stir.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
He knew at that moment what he had to do.
 
He would start by waking Alexander and then call Rick.
 
It was time to find Velara.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Rick, his wife Marcy, and their daughter Chelsea stood in the basement of Anton and Alexander’s home.
 
The room was filled with candles for the Coming of Age Ceremony for Chelsea.
 
Each of them were dressed in white robes with the symbol of Nephthys on them.
 
Chelsea was about to take over the role as Anton and Alexander’s familiar.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Anton, Alexander, and Rachael entered into the light of the candles.
 
They also wore similar robes, but Anton’s had a sash that designated his rank of Master Vampire.
 
Alexander and Rachael each wore golden cords around their waists which showed their rank of Acolyte.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Anton handed Rachael a large gold-embossed book because she was the Mistress of Ceremony.
 
Alexander looked at her, and he was taken aback by how beautiful she was in the candlelight.
 
Anton’s mind was not on the ceremony as his thoughts kept returning to Velara.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Why had she suddenly returned to his thoughts?
 
Was she trying to get in touch with him?
 
Was she going to come back to him?
 
More questions than answers dominated his mind.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
“…and this is not a task to be taken lightly,” continued Rachael as Anton attention suddenly returned to the ceremony.
 
“It is a life-long commitment that could very well result in your death and the death of those you hold so dear…”

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Anton began to think back to the night he discovered that she had left him.
 
He woke to find that she was not lying next to him.
 
He rubbed his eyes, feeling a great hunger.
 
Perhaps she had simply awakened early and slipped out as to not wake him.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
After he emerged from the coffin, they shared he noticed that the house was dark.
 
He could not feel her presence or her scent.
 
He rushed to the kitchen table and found a note next to a half-finished candle.
 
He picked up the note and read it with trembling hands:

Dear Anton,

Though I love you and always will, I feel that I have to leave you.
 
There are things that I want to do that I cannot do with you.
 
Please try to understand.
 
For what it’s worth, I love you very much and I hope that our paths cross again, someday.

Always Yours,

Velara

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Anton collapsed to the floor and buried his face in his hands.
 
He wept.
 
For the first time in a very long time, he wept… tears of blood.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
“Anton, are you alright?” Rachael asked.
 
He was standing next to her with big red tears running down his face.

 
He quickly wiped them away and said, “Yes, I’m fine.
 
Where were we?”

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
“It’s time for the Chalice of Truth,” she explained.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Anton nodded as Alexander approached them with a large crystal chalice in one hand and a dagger in the other.
 
Chelsea looked at them nervously while her parents on either side of her gently squeezed her shoulders.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Anton took the chalice from Alexander and said, “Now, Chelsea, drink from this chalice and let your blood be sealed with ours.
 
This symbolizes your devotion and loyalty to us and ours to you.
 
May no secrets or lies come between us.”

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
After Chelsea drank, she would be bound to them for the remainder of her life, or until she chose to retire as her parents did.
 
She would have a supernatural connection to them and would be incapable of lying to or deceiving them.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Anton slit his wrist and allowed his blood to trickle into the chalice.
 
Alexander did the same.
 
Rachael raised the chalice high and then presented it to Chelsea.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
She gulped, closed her eyes and drank.
 
She felt a rush overcome her entire body and then a strange tingling sensation.
 
Then she felt like herself again, yet somehow different.
 
She smiled brightly and returned the chalice to Rachael.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Anton and Alexander smiled at Chelsea as Rachael proclaimed, “So let it be done!”
 
All three of them came forward and hugged her.
 
Then they each kissed her.
 
She only blushed when Alexander did it, though.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Rachael did notice and she felt slightly miffed.
 
Actually, if Chelsea had not just been made a familiar, she would have gladly killed her and drained her dry.
 
But she smiled and shook her head, as if trying to shake out her jealousy.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Later, they were all talking about what Rick and Marcy were going to do with the more than generous retirement money that Anton had given them.
 
The night was nearly at its end when Anton slipped away from his guests and went to his favorite spot on the roof.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
He gazed up into the night sky and thought about Velara.
 
It had been so long ago that she’d left.
 
He had believed that he was long over her.
 
Any thoughts or memories of her were buried deep inside and locked away.
 
But a few nights ago when the flood gates had been opened, all the hurt, sorrow and loneliness he’d felt were back.
 
Why had he suddenly remembered it all?

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
“There you are!” said Chelsea suddenly.
 
Her head had just popped up from the edge of the roof.
 
“We were going to get ready to leave and I…” She stopped when she saw Anton’s face.
 
She climbed onto the roof and hugged him.
 
“What can I do?” she asked him.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
“Nothing,” he said, “please, just stay with me for a little while longer.”

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
She nodded and held Anton more tightly as he rested his head against hers.
 
She felt his sadness run throughout his body and then seep into hers.
 
She herself had not had experienced romantic love yet.
 
Sure, there was this one guy in high school, but that wasn’t really love.
 
Even after training with her parents, she truly had no desire to get married, much less date.
 
Taking care of Anton would be a full-time job, and she didn’t need any distractions. However, she knew that someday she would have to get married because she would have to continue the family tradition.
 
But it would be quite a while before she would have to think about finding someone.
 
If only Alexander were mortal…she pushed the thought out of her head.
 
Of course she noticed the way that Rachael looked at Alexander and the way he looked at her.
 
It was obvious that Rachael loved him and that Chelsea could never have him.
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
She shifted her position and held Anton’s hands.
 
It broke her heart to see Anton sad.
 
She was totally devoted to him long before the ceremony and had always loved him like a second father.
 
The connection that the ceremony established allowed them to communicate on a mental level that was impossible with any other mortal.
 
She touched the side of his face and felt a hot tear drop on her hand. The tear was blood.
 
Blood was everything to them.
 
It was their life and it would also be her life from now on.