My Vampire and I (18 page)

Outside, Tony lowered his violin and smiled at his audience of one—Andorra. As I watched, she moved into his arms and held him, kissing his lips with a tender passion.

"Tony has an amazing talent."
Marcus's voice behind me made me jump a little. I leaned back into his embrace as his arms encircled me.
"I didn't recognise the melody."
"It is one of his own compositions."
"It's so sad that he can't pursue a career," I said, watching as Tony and Andorra walked away hand in hand. "All that talent wasted, really." "Not wasted. It is appreciated by all who hear him." He hugged me to him, and kissed the nape of my neck. "I must get ready to leave." My body tensed at those words. So, the time had come.
"I'll be right back," he said, disappearing into his dressing room.

I sat on the edge of the bed, pulling on my pants, my mood rapidly changing to one of dejection. God, just what would happen if all this went wrong? If by some horrendous stroke of misfortune, Andorra was killed—or Marcus—or both of them. Jeez, it just didn't bear thinking of. I had convinced myself over and over, that they'd both be fine. Fate couldn't be so damned cruel as to take them from Tony and me.

When Marcus returned, he wore a black silk pullover shirt, black jeans and boots. A knock at the door, then Andorra 172 My Vampire and I
by J. P. Bowie

entered, wearing an almost identical outfit. Her hair was tied back from her face, highlighting the delicate bone structure and the near translucent paleness of her skin.

Tony followed her into the bedroom, looking decidedly depressed. Whatever words Andorra had tried to soothe him with had not helped. The poor man looked as though he was close to tears, and I couldn't blame him. The wonder of it was that he was not regarding Marcus and me with a great deal of hostility. Let's face it, we were the ones responsible for this situation. I saw Marcus flick a hard look at me as that thought went through my mind.

"Time to go," Andorra said, matter-of-factly and put her arms around Tony, holding him close. He bowed his head to her shoulder, and I saw a tear run down his cheek.
Oh Jeez,
I thought,
this is terrible.

 

"Roger." Marcus opened his arms, and I almost fell over my own feet, running into his embrace. I pressed my face to his neck and whispered. "I love you. Please come back to me."

His arms tightened about me, and his lips found mine, crushing them so hard, I tasted blood. "My beloved, Roger,"
he murmured.

Gallons of tears formed behind my eyes. Damn, I didn't want him to see me blubbering like a two-year old, but that's what was going to happen, if they didn't get out of here—

right this minute!
Andorra smiled at me.
Okay, here they come,
I thought.
Yep, hot scalding tears streaming down my face. Her face was all blurry, as she stepped forward and kissed my wet cheeks. 173
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"Look after Tony for me," she whispered. Okay, but who was going to look after me?
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174
My Vampire and I
by J. P. Bowie

Chapter Fifteen

Tony and I stood on the balcony, watching as they launched themselves into the air. It was the first time I had seen Marcus fly. What am I saying? It was the first time I'd seen anyone fly without some kind of 'chute or balloon or something to hold them up. But there he was, soaring high above the city with Andorra at his side, their arms outspread, gliding together, like two graceful birds of prey in the moonlight.

I jumped, startled as Tony put his arm around my shoulders, but he didn't seem to notice, he was too intent on watching them, just as I was, until they dropped out of sight into the darkness below. Now, the long wait would begin.

His arm still around me, we walked back into the living room. "Like a drink?" he asked.
I nodded.
"Martini?"
I nodded again. "Tony?"
"Yes?"

I jumped up on a barstool and watched for a moment in silence as he prepared my martini. "Would you play your violin for me? I heard you earlier this evening. It was the most beautiful thing I think I have ever heard."

"Thank you, but I only play when Andorra can hear."
Surprised, I blurted, "But why?"
"Because, without her, I would never have been able to play again. While she nursed my injuries, we discovered that 175 My Vampire and I
by J. P. Bowie

the nerves in my left hand were dead. I wouldn't have been able to hold the violin, never mind play it. She took me to a famous surgeon in Vienna who was able to correct the damage, but I believe it was her blood alone that facilitated the healing. So, Roger, the gift she returned to me I share only when she can enjoy it too."

I nodded my understanding. "Well, when she returns," I said, smiling, "we can celebrate by listening to you play." I had hoped to cheer him up, but he gave me a morose look then took a long pull on his beer. "Cheer up, Tony. They
will
come back. I'm sure of it."

"How can you be sure?" he asked, his voice edgy with bitterness. "You've never been through anything like this before, have you?" "Well no, but—"
"Well, I have and believe me we were lucky,
really
lucky to get out the last time. This time, I don't know if her luck will hold." "But she has Marcus with her," I said. "He told me he's more powerful than d'Arcy."

"But not as devious. Marcus is a wonderful guy—for a vampire, but he's not cunning like d'Arcy nor as monstrously strong as Gregory." He shuddered for a moment, remembering something. "I tell you, I just don't like the odds.

That d'Arcy must have something up his sleeve, before he agreed to a confrontation with Marcus and Andy."
"What d'you mean?"
"He never plays straight. There's always something devious in everything he does. Years ago, not long after I met 176
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Andy, he tried to kill me. You see, he just can't bear to think of her having some happiness in her life—same as Marcus. D'Arcy hates them both and will do anything to destroy them."
"So what happened?" I urged him.

"He heard through the vampire grapevine that Andy had a new lover—me, in other words. Mostly through my own stupidity—and I won't go into that if you don't mind—he got a hold of me and held me hostage, telling Andy he'd kill me if she didn't come live with him. You see, he'd harboured illusions for years about having Andy and her kid brother as his ... love slaves for want of a better expression."

"Was this before or after Thomas?" I asked, showing my confusion.

 

"After," he replied.

 

Really? That made me wonder what kind of guy Thomas had been, living with a monster like d'Arcy. Or maybe, he didn't know.
Give him the benefit of the doubt,
I told myself.

 

"Anyway," Tony was saying. "Andy's brother committed suicide rather than be d'Arcy's anything, but d'Arcy never gave up on the idea that one day he might just snag Andy.

So, there I was, being watched by Gregory, this monster. I can't tell you, Roger, what that guy looks like. He is the ugliest, most revolting thing I have ever seen. How the hell d'Arcy can bear to be around it, I don't understand. But it was the gorgon's presence that saved our skin. He is just too stupid to live.

"While d'Arcy was waiting for Andy to arrive, Greg the Smeg got it into his retarded mind to have some fun with me.
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He put one paw on me, and I started kicking and screaming like a demented banshee. I managed to get a few good kicks in, too. D'Arcy came running in to find out what the ruckus was all about and started yelling at Gregory to leave me alone or he was going to ruin everything. Andy showed up just at that moment. She used all the confusion to her advantage, grabbing a lantern and smashing it over d'Arcy's head. Of course, he burst into flames."

He paused for a moment. "You do know that flames can kill a vampire, don't you?" he asked me.
"Yes, but I thought it was from the sun."

"No, any kind of flame, if they can't put it out. Anyway, d'Arcy went screaming off somewhere into the house, Gregory running after him, grunting that he was sorry—what an asshole. Andy grabbed me, and we flew outta there—

literally."
"Wow." I looked at him, impressed. "So, there you go.
With Marcus at her side, Andorra is bound to beat d'Arcy again."

"Yeah, but this time, d'Arcy's going to be a lot more prepared and a lot madder. Word is, it took him a long time to recover from the humiliation of being beaten by Andorra. I tell you, I don't like it."

 

I stared at him for a long moment, then I threw back the last of my martini and said, "How do we get to the catacombs?" He grinned at me. "That's what I've been hoping you'd ask. Let's go!"

* * * *
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The catacombs of St. Sebastian on the Via Appia Antica are a popular tourist attraction, but at that time of night, of course, there was no one around. The cab driver gave us a quizzical look as he drove away, probably thinking we were a couple of loco American tourists who thought we could get in anywhere at any time. I followed Tony as he went straight up to a small door almost hidden in the thick stone walls. With a tug, then a push, the door creaked open.

"How'd you do that?" I whispered.
"You learn this stuff after a while," he replied. "Come on."

We walked into an enormous cavern, lined with pillars, arches and marble plaques set into the walls and carved with myriad names. A faint light coming from one or two fluorescent lamps high in the ceiling above us illuminated the interior. An unpleasant mustiness pervaded the atmosphere, and I shivered as I thought of all the dead bodies this place housed.

Tony beckoned me forward, and I followed close behind as he set off down one of the long corridors. When we reached the end and stood facing an ochre coloured wall, he felt about at the base for a moment or two then grunted with satisfaction. He pressed down on something I couldn't see, and to my amazement, one of the stone panels slid back, revealing a dark space behind.

Pulling his flashlight from his pocket, Tony bent down and crawled into the opening. By the light of the flashlight's beam, I saw we were in a sort of tunnel. As we started to crawl forward, I heard the panel slide back into place with a 179

 

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disconcerting thud. I thought it best to remain silent as we made our way along the tunnel, even though I had an almost overpowering desire to scream like a frightened girl and get the hell out of there.

 

At the end of the tunnel, an iron grating barred our way.

 

Now what? I thought, but undeterred, Tony pushed it to one side and slid through the opening. Following, my heart in my mouth, I looked about at the tall dark walls that surrounded us.

I gripped Tony's arm. "Where are we?" I whispered.
"Almost there," he whispered back. "Keep close to me and be very quiet."
No problem there. Ahead of us, a flight of stone steps descended into what looked to me like the entrance to hell.

"We're going down there?" I gulped Tony nodded, his finger to his lips, then started down the steps. Oh, Jesus. I grabbed his shoulder to steady myself on the well-worn stones. How many countless feet had trod here over the centuries, I wondered—and for what? I shuddered to think what we were going to find at the bottom. There went my overactive imagination again.

But at the bottom of the steps was another long corridor, dark as a witch's you-know-what. Thank God Tony had thought of bringing the flashlight. Cautiously, me still clinging to his shoulder, we inched our way along the corridor, listening for any sounds ahead of us. And then, I heard them.

Voices coming from somewhere not too far off. Tony and I exchanged glances, then he nodded, setting off again, 180
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keeping us both close to the wall. Now we heard one of the voices more distinctly. A voice I did not recognise.
"The Comte d'Arcy," Tony murmured.
Involuntarily, I shivered at the sound of his voice, cold, venomous, and threatening. Some words reached my ears.
"You were fools to come here ... summoned the Dark Forces..."
What Dark Forces?
"What Dark Forces?" I whispered in Tony's ear, but he shook his head, telling me he didn't know. I didn't like this.
Then, Marcus's voice, clear and untroubled, answered.

"The Dark Forces are beyond even your reach, d'Arcy," he said. "Only the most evil pact ever imagined could bring them here. They are not interested in our petty differences."

God, but he was the master of understatement.
"You underestimate me, Marcus, and yourself," d'Arcy's sinister voice cut him off. "I have struck a bargain with them.
Your and Andorra's lives for the return of the man I lost to you all those years ago."
Marcus's sharp intake of breath echoed around the chamber in which they stood. "What are you saying, d'Arcy?
Not even you would dare." He stopped and suddenly looked towards where Tony and I were hidden.
Roger
...
Get out of here, now
!
Oh, Jeez, he'd sensed us nearby. Frantically, I nudged Tony. "What do we do?"
Get out
!
Suddenly, a vile smell assailed my senses.
"Look out," Tony yelled, diving to the floor.
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A greasy hand wrapped around my face and I was yanked off my feet by something—it couldn't be a some
one
—then carried bodily into the chamber. Gagging, I struggled with all my might, before I was flung to the floor, all the breath knocked out of me. A second later, Tony landed beside me, his long limbs spread-eagled across the floor.

"Well, well, well ... what have we here? Reinforcements?"
D'Arcy's laughter was filled with derision. "Gregory, bring Marcus's plaything to me."
This
thing
, this monstrosity of what might have once been a man, loomed over me, grabbing at my hair.
"Fuck off," I yelled, backing up out of the way and aiming a kick at the monster's shins.

There was a flurry of movement behind me, then Gregory was sent tumbling backwards, smashing into the wall behind him. A strong hand grabbed me and hauled me to my feet.