In Darkness We Must Abide: The Complete Second Season: Episodes 6-10 (5 page)

The sensation of menace clung to her as she hurried to the front of the store to pay for their groceries. Vanora kept glancing at the parking lot filled with the gloom of the impending night. Pale purples and pinks on the horizon were the last traces of the daylight.

The air itself seemed to be tingling with danger.

Something was happening again.

“'
Excuse me,' I said to him, 'but my eyes are located on my face, not my breasts. But if you really want to see my breasts, just let me know. They’re really fabulous.'” Rhonda ended the story with the flourish of a spoon covered in cake batter.

Vanora and Rhonda had eaten a simple dinner of chicken salad and were now waiting for the non-birthday chocolate cake to cool so they could indulge in its chocolaty goodness.

“I can’t believe you said that to your own boss,” Vanora remarked, rolling her eyes.

“
Oh, please. He’s so on notice. I will take him down if he keeps up the ogling. I’m so glad that this training period is only for three more months. I can’t wait to get my own store in South Austin.”

Vanora set the last of the dishes in the drainer to dry and wiped off her hands with a towel. “Store manager. That’s pretty damn cool.”

“Another rung on the ladder of my illustrious career.” Rhonda licked the last of the cake batter off the spoon and washed it in the sink.

“
And I have yet to start mine.”

“
Decided on anything yet?”

“
Still heading straight for art teacher.” Vanora shrugged. “I just…I feel adrift.”

“
I feel so guilty. I’m the one who talked you into going to UT, then I dropped out.”

“
I already told you not to worry about it. At least you got a decently paying job. I’m still a trust fund baby with no job and looking for a career I don’t know if I actually want.”

“
I’m just as screwed up. I can’t figure out what the hell I want. I’m doing this whole store manager gig because it’s what my folks managed to swindle for me. Plus, a nice little store discount doesn’t hurt.”

“
Are your parents still mad about you dropping out?” Vanora checked the cake by poking it with one finger. It was still warm. Despite her admonitions that she didn't want an actual birthday cake, she was looking forward to a nice big slice.

“
Dad’s mad at me for not finding a rich husband. Mom’s mad at me for not getting a degree and a hot career in high fashion. They don’t get that all I want to do is chill out here in Austin and get my head together for a few years before making the big life choice.”

Vanora retired to the living room sofa to wait on the cooling cake. “Sounds like parents being parents.”

Rhonda joined her, curling up on the opposite end. “At least your sister isn't being pushy.”

Vanora slightly shrugged. Alisha's text messages were almost too chirpy. Her sister was obviously trying very hard to be supportive while seeking forgiveness. “Yeah. I kinda think she's adrift, too. I think she's trying to figure her life out. Is it so wrong to have to take time to figure out what you really want? Is that really bad?”

“
According to my parents, yes, it is. I'm supposed to be on a schedule you know. College, career, marriage, babies.”

Vanora winced. “Yeah, me too.”

“Family expectations can be hell.”

“
Rhonda, you’re the best friend I’ve ever had. I'd much rather you figure out what you need to make yourself happy than do what everyone expects you to do.”

“
I want the same for you, but it's really not easy, is it?” Rhonda frowned while fussing with her hair, drawing it into a messy bun.

Ever since that horrible Halloween when her life had exploded into a million pieces, Vanora had struggled to create a life for herself. It wasn’t easy though. Therapy had helped extricate her from the deep depression she’d suffered while mourning the mortal deaths of her sister and brother and lamented their rebirth as vampires. What she had so easily reconciled in
, her childhood, seemed impossibly difficult to do in the aftermath of what she’d seen. Her love for her sister and brother still existed within her heart, but now it was tempered with the knowledge of what they were capable of. Rhonda was her lifeline to the world. Rhonda kept her grounded in reality. Rhonda made a real life seem possible, yet Vanora still had her doubts. Sometimes she felt like she was stuck in that moment when she saw her brother and sister murder the pedophiles and that she had never fully escaped.

“
You’re awfully quiet. Are we thinking about Dan?” Rhonda asked, poking her playfully.

Lying, Vanora said, “Actually, yes. He’s nice and sweet.”

“It’s sickening, but perfect for you.” Rhonda grinned. “Maybe you'll get laid.”

Hugging herself, Vanora shrugged. “I’m not thinking about that just yet.”

“Vanora, you have to let it go. The past is just going to hold you back.”

“
I loved someone, trusted them, and then found out they weren’t what I thought. It makes it hard to trust.”

“
So the hot Spaniard is why you’re like a fuckin’ nun now?” Rhonda scowled.

“
I’m not a nun!” Vanora rolled her eyes. “I’m just cautious.”

“
I wouldn’t call it that.”

“
Aren't you supposed to be frosting my un-birthday cake?”

“
Ugh! You're so annoying!” Rhonda grabbed Vanora's face and gave her a hard kiss on the forehead. “But I love you, bitch.” Rhonda hurried into their small kitchen.

Slouching, Vanora curled her legs and closed her eyes. Why couldn’t life be simple? Easy?

Vanora!

The voice was a mere whisper, neither male nor female.

Vanora sat up straight, her body tensed. It was if a murder of crows had taken flight inside her. The fluttery sensation in her belly was nearly painful. Sliding off the couch, she stood staring at the sliding doors that opened onto the balcony. The curtains were drawn, but the sensation of being observed by predator eyes washed over her in icy ripples.

Beware! Danger!

Vanora took a step toward the balcony, then reconsidered. Did she really want to put herself at peril by peering outside into the dark?

“
This frosting is amazing! Get in here! I'm going to eat this whole damn cake!”

Vanora glanced over her shoulder to where Rhonda was licking the knife she had used to frost the cake. “Give me a sec.”

Someone was outside. Vanora knew it to the core of her being. If it was a vampire, it couldn't enter without an invitation. That meant she needed to stay put inside the apartment and not do anything foolish like step outside.

Backing toward the kitchen, she clenched the silver chain about her neck.

“Seriously, Betty Crocker is a goddess,” Rhonda continued.

Though her stomach was in knots and her fingers were quivering, Vanora rotated about and walked into the kitchen. Pressing a fake smile onto her face, she accepted a plate of the dark, moist cake.

“We should totally start a religion worshipping her,” Rhonda decided.

“
My unbirthday cake has a candle in it,” Vanora observed.

Rhonda grinned. “Blow it out, bitch, and make a wish.”

“I don’t believe in wishes.”

“
Just blow it out.”

Vanora rolled her eyes and obeyed.

As the flame disappeared, it bothered her that her thoughts were on a certain golden-eyed vampire.

The dream started with Vanora standing on the bridge watching her parents’ car burn on the bank of the river. Immediately, Vanora twisted about, searching for the albino vampire, sensing his menacing presence.

The vampire stood in the center of the bridge gazing at her. The whiteness of his body stood out starkly against the black backdrop of the night. Clad in white leather trousers and a white shirt, it was
as if he was carved from the very essence of the glowing moon. Unlike her previous vision of him, his hair was clipped short, with longer bangs falling over his brow.

“
Why are you here?” she dared to ask.

The sensuous, strikingly sculpted lips smirked. “My little white witch, you drew me to you.”

Shaking her head, she pressed her back against the rail. If she had to, she’d fling herself into the water below to escape him.

“
Yes, you did.” He clicked his tongue at her. It was very red against the pearly sheen of his sharp teeth. “I hear your voice when I sleep. So many questions, begging for answers.”

Vanora flinched. Was he truly hearing her when she cried out to the universe for answers? “Then answer this question: who are you?”

The vampire folded his muscled arms over his chest and tilted his head, regarding her with a thoughtful look. “Your mother was clever, you know. I was planning to keep myself hidden until the time was right, but she was very tricky. That night on the bridge, I felt her presence after she was dead. I felt
you
. The essence of your power. I knew you were here. Somehow. In a dream, a vision...She tried to warn you about me, but it doesn’t really matter in the end. My name is not on your lips. Your tendrils of power can search the world over and no one will answer you.”

Steadying herself against the rail, Vanora straightened her spine, lifted her chin, and stared at him defiantly. “You can’t hurt me.”

“I don’t want to hurt you,” the vampire said, appearing repulsed by the idea. “I’m protecting you. Keeping you safe and in the dark. If you were to know who I am, who you truly are, then we’d be in very serious trouble indeed.”

Vanora couldn’t help but be fascinated by the man before her. The sheer whiteness of his skin, hair, brows and eyelashes only added to the flawless splendor of his face and body. Was this how she appeared to the world? Like an ivory statue? Did she glow like the moon in the night?

“So, my lovely little witch, your mother unveiled me on your previous birthday, but I’m not about to let her interfere again tonight. I may be a warrior, but I know enough about magic to recognize that on the night of your birth, the bond between a child and its mother is the strongest. She’ll try to slip through again.”

“
You murdered her.”

“
She would have tried to stop me. Maybe hidden you away. She married a man with the coffers to do exactly that if she had been clever enough to secret you away before I killed her.”

Vanora felt tears in her eyes. How casually he spoke of robbing her of her beloved parents. “Why am I so important to you?”

In an instant he was standing before her. He was so tall she had to crane her head to peer into his eyes. They glittered like amethyst. “Because you’re mine. I have waited for you for over a millennium.”

The vampire’s presence was intoxicating. His aura brushed against her skin, eliciting tremors of desire within her. Vanora was both enticed and repulsed by his magnetism. Clutching her cross, she fought not to falter in her determination to defy him. This was a dream. She would not be afraid.

“My sweet little Vanora.” His hand was elegant, pale, and long-fingered. With a feather soft touch, he swept her hair from her face. Her breath caught in her throat. The darkness within her unfurled like great wings, spreading out into the night around her. She could feel her power pulsing in the air, welcoming him.

“
So beautiful. My lovely little queen. So powerful.”

It was hard to breathe, hard to think.

“I want to wake up,” she whispered.

His fingertips traced over her lips, cold and sensuous. “You feel it, don’t you?”

“I want to wake up,” she repeated.

“
It’s really quite undeniable. We’re destined, you and I.”

The vampire lowered his head to press his lips to hers.

With one swift motion, Vanora propelled her body over the rail, then fell toward the rushing waters below.

Vanora forced her eyes to open, abandoning the nightmare for the real world. The dream still clung to her mind and body. Attempting to sit up, she found herself paralyzed. It felt as if the bands of the nightmare world were keeping her strapped to the mattress, reluctant to release her. It struck her that she could still sense the power of the vampire. Fearfully, her gaze searched the gloom filling the room as she became horrifically aware that the vampire was near.

The door to the bedroom stood ajar. She knew for certain she had closed it when she had gone to bed. Now the darkness beyond the cracked door held the promise of growing danger. When he surreptitiously entered her room, Vanora shuddered at the sight of the pale vampire. His tall, pale
, masculine form hesitated as he perhaps realized she was awake. Vanora strove to force her limbs into action, but her body refused to obey. The vampire slunk further into her bedroom, his movements quick and sure, like any predator.

“
Rhonda invited me in,” the increasingly familiar deep voice murmured. He glided through the shadows of her bedroom, the moonlight straining through her gauzy curtains illuminating his pale skin.