VA 2 - Blood Jewel (23 page)

I fought against my better
judgement and asked, “Where is it?”

“I’m not sure. I was wearing it at
The Blood Jewel Ceremony and I didn’t take it off. It must have
fallen off when I was struggling with you on the bed.”

“You stay here and I’ll go back
for it.”

I wasn’t happy about it, but I
returned to the place of her captivity and began to look around for
the necklace left behind. I pulled the bedding back and looked
under the bed. Nothing. Not a sign. I hated it, because I knew it
meant a lot to her, but she would have to leave without
it.

I returned to where she waited and
saw her hope deflate before my eyes when I shook my head. “I’m
sorry. It’s wasn’t there.”

“It has to be. Maybe if I go back
I can find it.”

She began to charge deeper into the
enemy’s territory and I grabbed her arm and spun her around. “Look,
I have vision your simple mind cannot begin to comprehend. It
simply wasn’t there and we’ve wasted enough time. If you have a
death wish, then fine! Stay if you wish to die when these vampires
awaken, otherwise, we must go now.”

My words clicked in her mind and
she recognized the harsh reality of my words. “I know that you are
right.” Tears threatened to spill from her eyes and I opened the
door and ushered through before they could fall.

We stepped through the door into
the sunlight and I thought we were home free, until a trio of
vicious hell hounds waited for us on the front lawn. They were no
match for me, but Avery was a different story entirely.

“I need you to stay behind me,
Avery,” I directed.

“Don’t worry. You between me and
three vicious dogs? I don’t have a problem with that,” she
reassured.

The dogs were massive and bred for
killing. My suspicions told me they weren’t here to take down a
vampire; they were in place to deter Avery’s escape.

The first canine attacked and I
struck him across the top of his head, briefly dazing him. We stood
before the two remaining beasts and I said, “Listen to me, Avery.
There is a black Lincoln Towncar parked on the right side of the
drive. It is unlocked and I want you to run like hell and get in
that car. I’ll be right behind you after I take care of
them.”

I watched as Avery made a run for
the car and my suspicions were confirmed when the two canines
charged after her, because they were uninterested in me. I streaked
ahead of them, preventing them from attacking Avery, and they
jumped in unison before locking their massive jaws on my lower
arms.

Avery stopped; turning to witness
the attack of the duo, and let out a high pitch shrill that would
wake the dead. I easily slung the dogs across the lawn and ordered,
“Get in that car, now!”

I entered the car behind her and as
I started the engine, one of the canines jumped onto the hood of
the car and stared at us through the windshield before attempting
to bust through the glass. The ferocious black beast with a huge
squared face was joined by its identical partner and viciously
attempted to attack Avery through the passenger window.

“What the hell kind of dogs are
those?” she screamed.

“Trained killing machines more
than glad to take off your head. That’s what the hell kind of dogs
they are.”

I slammed the car into drive and
shoved the accelerator against the floorboard, slinging the dogs
from the car and I didn’t look back until the plantation was no
longer visible in my rear view mirror.

We rode in silence during the drive
to the location where we ditch the stolen getaway car and I was
uncertain if it was fear or fatigue that prevented her from
questioning me. She got out of the stolen Lincoln and into my truck
as I requested and then she watched from the window as I doused the
getaway car with gasoline and set fire to it, erasing any evidence
that could lead Vincent to us.

I got into the truck and we were
several miles down the road when I broke the silence saying, “Curry
Brennan.”

It was a peculiar scene, her
sitting in the passenger seat of my old pick up in her elegant ball
gown flowing all around her. She turned to me and said,
“What?”

“You asked my name earlier. I’m
Curry Brennan.”

“I thought you were a vampire.”
she said.

“I am a vampire and have been for
quite a few years now,” I laughed.

“But you’re in sunlight?” she
said, puzzled.

“There’s a reason for that and
I’ll explain it later, if you still wish to hear about
it.”

Her eyes trailed from me toward my
caved in dashboard and asked, “What happened there, Curry
Brennan?”

I laughed and said, “I hit it with
my fist.”

“Why?”

“I was angry.”

“Yeah, I kind of guessed that one.
What made you so mad?” When I didn’t answer immediately, she added,
“I probably should know these things so I don’t make you mad. I
don’t want to end up like your dashboard.”

I hesitated for a moment and then
answered, “Someone kidnapped my girlfriend. Well, technically she
wasn’t my girlfriend at the time.”

“You mean you’re companion?” she
corrected.

“No, I don’t mean girlfriend or
companion. She is my wife, now.”

The confusion was apparent in her
voice as she asked, “I didn’t know vampires did the marriage
thing.”

“We don’t, but I’m not married to
a vampire. My wife is a human.” Well, she was mostly human. But, I
wasn’t going there.

Astounded, she said, “Whoa, I
didn’t think your species did that kind of thing with
humans.”

Keeping my explanation brief, I
explained, “Well, vampires and humans don’t marry, but our
relationship is different. We’re different.”

She crunched her eyebrows and said,
“You have to know that this keeps getting weirder and weirder for
me.”

“I understand and everything will
be explained when we get to the compound.” She didn’t share her
thoughts about joining other vampires in another location and I
continued, “You don’t have to be afraid because we want to protect
you. It’s what we do.”

She turned her face toward the
window and watched the passing roadside and nonchalantly said,
“There’s very little that frightens me anymore after what I’ve been
through.”

I drove a small piece, but felt
like I should say something. “I’m sorry you have experienced such
terrible things in your short life, but vampires aren’t all bad,
including your sister. I know you don’t believe me right now, but
you’ll see my words are true.”

She turned in my direction and
said, “You’re right. I don’t believe you.”

A moment of silence passed and she
asked, “Why aren’t you high from drinking my blood? It makes
vampires go crazy.”

“We pretended to drink from the
vials,” I explained and then added, “But, then Vincent forced
Solomon to bite you. That was not part of our plan.”

“The vampire that bit me, I
thought his name was Phillip.”

“No, that was just his cover.”
Speaking of Sol rekindled my worry about him and I added, “Sol was
unaffected by your blood when he left, but I fear we will find him
in a different condition when we arrive at the compound. What’s
going to happen to him?”

“He will be in withdrawals when he
rises tonight,” she warned.

She confirmed my suspicions and I
asked, “Will it be bad for him?”

“Yes, it will be terrible and he
will do anything to have my blood.” She turned in my direction
again and said, “Even kill you to get to me.”

I couldn’t imagine a blood so
addicting that my best friend would be willing to kill me in order
to have it. “You don’t know Solomon. He is incredibly strong and
his will is like iron. There is no doubt in my mind that he will be
fine.”

She cocked her head to the side and
said, “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

“Duly noted,” I said as I drove
through the gates of the compound and I couldn't remember a time
when I was more grateful to be home. I didn’t come to a complete
stop before Chansey was through the double front doors and opening
my driver side door to throw her arms around me.

“Curry Brennan, I have been sick
with worry. Sol and Gia returned hours ago. Could you not call me
to let me know you were alright?”

“I didn’t want to leave evidence
that could be traced. It was too dangerous to call and I’m sorry
you were worried, but all is well and Avery is safe.”

Chansey turned to the stranger in
my truck and said, “Oh, I am so sorry, Avery. You must think I am
so rude.” She walked from my side of the truck and went around to
the passenger door. She opened it and when Avery stepped out, she
hugged her and said, “I’m so sorry for what you have been through,
but you will be safe here. Jenn will be so excited to know that you
made it here safely. She is down for the day and you’ll see her
tonight.”

Avery cautiously watched Chansey, a
stranger and potential threat in her eyes. “This is my wife,
Chansey.”

“Your wife, the human?” she
questioned.

Chansey smiled and said, “I see she
isn’t in the complete dark. That’s good, but I know you have a lot
of questions and I promise they will all be answered.
Unfortunately, we have a situation that needs to be
handled.”

“What’s wrong?”

Chansey turned to me and said,
“Curry, it’s Solomon. He isn’t doing well.”

19 A Different Kind Of Craving

I raced through the front door and
called out for my best friend without a response. Chansey and Avery
entered the door behind me and Chansey said, “He’s in the basement.
He screamed at Gia and Lairah to go away and leave him alone. They
said that they had never seen him like this before.” I looked at
her dire expression and knew his retreat to the basement wasn’t a
good sign because it meant he thought he was no better than the
delinquents we reformed.

I followed the stairs leading to
the basement we built for the disorderly and prepared myself for
the worst as I recalled Avery’s warning. He would be prepared to
kill me to get to her blood.

I found my best friend sitting in a
chair facing a blank wall with his back turned to me. “Sol?” He
didn’t answer so I just began talking. “I don’t want you to worry
about this. You’ve been through much worse than this and I’ll help
you through whatever happens.”

I waited in vain for a response.
“Sol, I need you to tell me what’s happening so I can help
you.”

He remained unmoved as he stared at
the blank wall, clenching something tightly in his fist and then he
asked, “She’s unharmed?”

“Yes, she is safe. I left her with
Chansey because I thought she might feel safer and more comfortable
with another human.”

From behind, I saw him slowly nod
his head as he said, “You did a great job, Curry. I’m very proud of
you.” He turned to peer back at me over this shoulder. “I think
it’s wise for me to stay down here until we see what the effects
are going to be. Especially since she is in the house.”

That didn’t fly well with me. “This
is your home and you’re our leader. You don’t deserve to be locked
up in your own home. What happened wasn’t your fault and she can go
somewhere else. I’ll take her now, right this minute.”

“No, I don’t want you to take her
away,” he said. “It’s too dangerous to move her right now and she
deserves protection. She has had so much tragedy and terror in her
short life. I felt it when I drank from her.”

My heart went out to my best friend
as I asked, “Are you in a lot of pain?”

“No, I don’t feel physical pain,
but her blood is doing wicked things to me. It’s messing with my
mind. I think I can feel the onset of the craving coming because I
want her. Just knowing she is in the same house has my heart
beating out of my skin. I felt the precise moment you returned with
her because I can sense her now. I feel her inside of
me.”

“I am so sorry this has happened
to you,” I apologized.

Solomon stared off and said, “I was
initially sickened by Vincent when he told me to bite her. When I
pushed her hair away from her neck, I fooled myself into thinking
it wasn’t fear I saw in her eyes. I thought she wanted me to do it.
Maybe it was her blood calling to me or maybe I imagined it, but
regardless I wanted to do it and I can’t blame Vincent.”

“So, you’ll start over with your
sobriety. Tomorrow will be day one without drinking from a human” I
encouraged.

His eyes told me the depth of his
shame as he pleaded, “Please, don’t tell Chansey. I know she will
find out I drank from her, but she doesn’t have to know the
details. She wouldn’t understand and I don’t want her to be
frightened of me.”

I wanted to cross the room and give
him a hug or pat on the back or something, but I knew he wouldn’t
want that. “Come on, Chansey deserves more credit than that. She
could never be frightened of you, Sol. She loves you and knows how
honorable you are.”