HORROR THRILLERS-A Box Set of Horror Novels (69 page)

This time, knowing
it was time to go, Dell began to transform before Mentor had to bring
her along. Soon they were but heavier clouds of darkness near the
rafters and then they were beyond the red-tiled roof and the green
treetops, rising rapidly through clouds into cold dark space.

~*~

"Where are
we?"

Mentor had set them
down on the sidewalk in front of Bette Kinyo's house. He turned to
Dell, who was just finishing returning to her body. She was yet a bit
transparent, but even as he watched, her body filled in and was whole
again. She had already learned enough to transform and reappear on
her own at will.

Mentor glanced
around to be sure there was no one nearby who might have seen them.
He had checked before appearing, but he always had to make sure.
Seeing the sidewalks empty, the curtains in the houses closed, he was
sure they had gone undetected. He answered Dell's query. "We're
in Dallas again, in front of a house owned by a woman named Bette.
She's a . . . a beautiful Japanese-American female."

"Why are we
here?"

"I wanted you
to know something."

"Yes?"

"This woman
has stumbled onto us. She's psychic and possesses powers of a true
wizard, or medium, if you like. If Ross had had his way, she'd be
dispatched by now. For she's a scientist, you see. And she knows
enough to expose us."

Dell looked at the
front of the silent dark house, perplexed. "So why are we here?
Are you going to take her to the monastery?"

"Oh, no.
That's only for our kind. No, I'm not going to hurt Bette. And I
won't let Ross hurt her. Can you figure out why I'd do that? Risk our
safety for this mortal?"

Dell stared at him
and he opened his mind to her, his heart. She reached out to touch
his consciousness, and knowledge dawned in her eyes. "You love
her," she whispered. "Oh, Mentor."

Mentor reached up
to rub his forehead as if he could make his mind obey his command to
release him from this insanity. "Yes," he said, "yes,
I've fallen in love with a mortal again. After being so long alone.
After suffering the loneliness of a century. After knowing what I
know. After visiting Madeline and those like her held prisoner so
they won't do harm to all the rest of us.'

"And after
warning me so many times," Dell added.

"Do you see
all the dangers, Dell? Don't you understand the agony of it? This
woman does not love me. She has a lover and will likely marry him.
They will have children and grow old together and die. That is as it
should be. I'll attend this woman's funeral in the future and I'll
grieve. I'll love her from a distance, stay separate from her, never
be a part of her life, never feel her hand stroke my face or feel her
gaze of love grace me. But I will do that because . . . why? Why
would I not try to make her love me back, Dell? I probably could if I
tried, you know. But why wouldn't I?"

Dell didn't answer
though he was certain she knew the answer. She simply hung her head
in sadness. Mentor put his arm around her shoulder. "Let's go
home," he said. "You must think this all over. You're not a
child anymore. You understand the complexity of who and what you are
and the consequences of whatever decision you make in this matter."
And I have done all I can do, Mentor thought.

He glanced back at
the house as they walked away. He wished he'd never gone there, never
seen Bette Kinyo. It was a tragedy in the making, the woman in that
house. He might have to protect her from Ross or other Predators who
found out about her. She might even cause a war among the ranks of
vampires in this city. All because he had foolishly let his heart
feel something again.

"I'm so sorry,
Mentor," Dell said.

"I know,"
he said. "So am I."

~*~

"Did you see
that?"

Charles Upton had
his face pressed against the dark glass of the limo window, hands on
each side of his face.

"George, did
you see that?"

"No, sir, see
what?"

"That man and
the girl. They weren't there a minute ago. They just . . . they just
appeared!"

Upton felt
excitement rush through him like bared strands of electricity
touching and sparking. "Start the car, George. Follow them."

By the time George
had the car turned around at the next intersection, the old man and
girl were several blocks away. "No, wait," Upton commanded.
"Stop the car, pull over there, to the curb."

George did as
instructed.

"I've got to
go on foot. They're going to see this damn big boat following them.
Come on and help me, George. Help me!"

George got him onto
the sidewalk and gave him his cane. He walked beside him, ready to
catch him if he stumbled or fell on the cracked and heaving chunks of
concrete sidewalk. It was difficult for Upton to get around on his
own. It was painful. But he was onto something, and he would not let
it get out of his sight even if he had to crawl or have George carry
him. At least the couple wasn't moving fast. He'd never be able to
keep up if they upped their pace.

"I'm all
right," he said to George. He had his balance now and was
careful where he stepped. "Go back and get the car. Stay way
behind me, do you hear? Don't get close enough for them to see you.
Just keep me in view in case I need you." In case I break my
damn neck, he thought ruefully.

George turned and
hurried back down the sidewalk to the car.

"I've got you
now," Upton whispered to himself. One of you will do as I want,
he thought. One or the other of you will give me eternal life. I'll
make you, by God. I will.

23

When morning
dawned, Dell groaned and rolled from bed feeling as if she were hung
over. She dressed slowly and dispiritedly. She thought she'd ask to
drive the car today. She couldn't face riding the bus.

In the other rooms
she heard her parents rushing to ready themselves for work. It was
all they did. They rested, they slept, they paid Ross' lackeys for
blood, they went to work. It was the same routine every single day.
It was not so different a life than humans lived, but shouldn't it be
more, she wondered? Shouldn't such powerful creatures as they were
live more comfortable and less stressful lives? If only they could .
. . could kill. But then they wouldn't be Naturals, the closest any
of them ever got to being human again.

School, too, was
the same routine. Every single day. School was a drag. Each day was
harder to get through. Dell felt sullen and out of sorts. Once at
school, she steered clear of her friends and attended her earlier
classes with only half her mind paying attention. She went off by
herself at lunchtime, walking out to the front of the school to sit
on the steps alone. No one came here at lunch. They grouped together
in little cliques, believing they really were Somebodies.

Mentor's little
supernatural-assisted trips had sobered her. She'd seen the pain
written on his face, felt his loneliness and helplessness. She'd felt
the depth of Madeline's unwavering rage and her helplessness, too.

Mentor surely was
right. It was not worth it to get involved with humans. Eventually
she'd be out of school, go on to college, begin to see the world from
the vantage point of a vampire. One day, maybe, she'd meet another of
her kind and form a union so she that wouldn't be alone like Mentor.
She'd be like her parents.

Oh, God! More
routine and discouragement. Nothing new, nothing bright and exciting.
It just didn't seem worthwhile.

Nevertheless she
really had to stay away from Ryan Major. It was unfair to him. It was
a form of death to her to think she'd love him so much one day that
she'd be locked in the monastery after his loss.

"Hi, they said
I'd find you here. Are you all right?"

Dell pushed her
sunglasses tighter against the bridge of her nose. It was Ryan. He
was sitting beside her now on the steps, folding his long legs before
him. She could smell him. He had a very masculine scent, sort of
lemony and sunny. She turned her head away from him and picked at the
seam of her jeans.

"Dell? What's
wrong?"

"Nothing."
If she were rude and ugly and mean to him, he'd go away.

"Nothing? You
look like you lost your best friend.”

“
Would you
mind leaving me alone?" There. That should do it.

"I don't want
to leave you alone. Something's wrong. Did I say something, do
something? Can't you talk to me?"

He had his hand on
her hand and she jerked it away. She was cold. Dead. He would know
that one day and he'd despise her. He's be horror-stricken. She
couldn't take that. She never wanted to see his face change with
understanding and horror filling his eyes.

"Go away,"
she said.

He didn't. He sat
quietly, not trying to touch her again. Finally, when she saw he was
not going to leave, she turned to him. She felt anger rising. Why
wouldn't he let her be? She was trying to save both of them so much
trouble.

Spiraling anger
caused her to lash out. Words tumbled before she could catch them,
before she could monitor herself. "So you like vampires, huh?
You like Lori and her little pretend bloodsuckers? You don't even
know what a vampire is. You probably think they're like your little
friends. They want to be alone and pretend they're different,
special. They want to drink one another's blood, they want to try out
kinky sex. They're the ones you ought to hang out with. Go find them,
Ryan, and leave me alone!"

"I don't
understand . . ."

"No, you
don't. People die, don't they? They live a little while and then they
die and turn to dust. Well, what if some of them didn't exactly die?
What if when they did die, they became something else, they changed,
they had a special disease that made them live on? What if they
turned into something . . . weird? Something no one under heaven
could accept? A monstrosity, a freak of nature? What if I told you
that's what I am? You wouldn't like me so much then, would you? If I
told you I can't eat food or drink anything anymore, what would you
say? What if I said I have to drink blood from a vampire blood bank?
That it comes in bags and we drink them? And what would you say if I
told you I can't die except under very special circumstances? And
that I'm cold, Ryan, COLD! My heart doesn't beat. My blood only sits
there, renewed by the blood I have to have, but my heart never moves
it. And if I wanted to, I could disappear. Right now. In front of
you."

She saw the look on
his face, the amazement, and she wanted to scare him, scare him so
badly he'd never want to come near her again. She began to
concentrate and her molecules slowly began to dance, bumping and
moving apart, until when she looked down at her hands she saw them
shimmering, light flowing right through them, making them
transparent.

You see? She sent
the thought to his mind. Watch closely and see a miracle. I am
vampire, Ryan. I am a true monster.

She completely
disappeared, except for a darkness in the air that hovered just above
the steps she'd been sitting upon. She moved higher and watched
Ryan's shocked face as his gaze followed her. She lowered again to
the steps, came back to herself, transforming into her corporeal
body. She looked fully into his eyes and said, "Get away from
me. Get away from me now before I do something you won't like."

Ryan stumbled back
up the steps on his hands, pushing with his feet to get away, and
finally he leaped to his feet and hurried into the school building.
Dell turned back and looked out into the empty yard. A wind blew past
ruffling her hair. It smelled of magnolia flowers blooming on a
nearby tree. She closed her eyes and felt the tears come, filling her
eyes.

"Are you
happy, Mentor?" she whispered into the wind. "Are you all
happy now?"

~*~

Dell lay on her
bed, one arm thrown over her eyes. It was after eight p.m. and she'd
sent Eddie away when he'd come to see about her. When her parents
came to her door to inquire after her, she sent them away, too. "I
just need to be alone," she said. "Please."

She knew they were
discussing her in the living room, thinking of calling for Mentor,
but she didn't really care what they said or what they did. She only
wanted to be still. And to think. She wasn't sure she could even go
back to school again. She wasn't afraid that Ryan would say anything
to anyone. Who would believe him, after all? But she did not think
she could stand the rigorous standards that humans demanded in an
institution like high school. She didn't want her friends anymore.
They cared about clothes and cars and boys. She had nothing in common
with any of them. Her problems were much deeper and more personal.