Vampire Manifesto (22 page)

“
You don’t need to know anything.” He replied.

“
Connor...”

He just snorted loudly.

“
What?” I asked.

“
Connor.” He repeated slowly. “That’s not even my real name.”

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I know.” I could tell he was hurting. “I’m sorry.”

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Sorry for what?”

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You didn’t ask to become a…” I trailed off.

“
Just say it.” He actually came off somewhat concerned. “It becomes easier the more you say it out loud. It’s easier for the brain to process it as fact.”

“
You didn’t ask to become a Vampire.” I managed.

“
Don’t feel sorry for me.” He said. “I get to live forever.”

“
You make it sound like that’s a good thing.”

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And you think it isn’t?”

I glanced out one of the windows, looking at the clouds underneath us as we soared towards our destination. “I find it quite sad actually.”

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How so?”

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Because you’ll outlive all of your friends, your family. You’ll watch each one of them die eventually, over and over and over again, repeatedly throughout the centuries. I couldn’t live like that. Anyone you ever get close to in your life, in the end, you’ll just watch then die out.”

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I don’t have to worry about that.” He admitted.

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And why is that?”

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Because all my family and friends are already dead.” He stated with finality.

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You’re wrong about that last part Connor.” I corrected. “You have me.” That almost seemed to make him sad.

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What’s wrong?”

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Nothing.”

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No, tell me.” I pressed.

“
I think I might have over did it a little bit.”

I was confused. “Over did what?”

“
Nothing. I’ll fix it later.”

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O-kay.” I didn’t ask him to elaborate, because I knew that he wouldn’t. “So what’s in California?”

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I’m not sure yet.” He stated. “The man, who tried to kidnap you…”

“
The Man in Black, you mean?”

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The one and only. His name is Terrence Goodwin.”

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Did you kill him?” I asked suddenly, even though I already knew the answer to my question before I asked it.

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Of course I did.” Connor admitted freely. “He had to die. There was no other way around it.”

“
Nobody has to die Connor.”

“
You don’t have the luxury of living in that world anymore, Madison. That life is over for you now. You’ve been swept up in something bigger then yourself, broader in scope and infinitely more dangerous. You don’t know the players, you don’t know the rules and ignorance in not bliss, it will only get you killed.” Connor pulled out his phone, pressing the touchscreen a couple of times with his finger, searching for something.

“
My world isn’t going to be filled in a never ending cycle of blood and death.”

Connor shook his head. “We operate above human laws, not because we can, but because we have to.”

“
I refuse to believe that.” That was not the modus operandi I planned on living my life by.

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Take the high ground all you like, I’ll visit your grave soon enough because of it.” He said simply. “Goodwin had to die, otherwise, he would have tried it again, tried to kidnap you, murder you or whatever nefarious plot he had in mind. Someone hired him Madison, hired him to come after you. Once a contract is accepted, it’s a done deal. He wouldn’t have stopped until he either completed his mission or he was dead.”

“
Someone hired him?” The puzzle pieces were starting to link together in my mind. “So there’s like, a contract out on me or something?

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Oh mos def.” Connor slid his phone across the table towards me. “Three point five million.”

“
What?” I was in a state of shock.

“
And that’s in Euros, not American dollars. Congratulations, you’re in the major leagues now. Have you ever seen that tattoo before?”

I picked up the phone, looking at the pic on the screen. It was a picture of the back of a man’s neck. Located directly in the center was a tattoo of a dragon, mouth wide. The dragons neck snaked down his spine, ending in a large circle in the center of his back, the dragons belly, containing a flaming sun, a half crescent moon, with stars dotted around it. The dragon’s tail ended in a writhing snake, poised to strike, fangs dripping venom.

The artwork was beautiful and the amount of detail, astounding. “No, I’ve never seen anything like it.” I slid the phone back to him. “It’s beautiful though.”

“
It is isn’t it?” He agreed. He rolled the sleeve of his shirt up his elbow, revealing the same tattoo inked across his forearm. Although there were some slight deviations, it was in essence the same. “This was on the back of your would be kidnapper. It’s not just a tattoo. It represents membership into The Brotherhood of the Snake and Dragon.”

There were more tattoos covering his arm, but he pushed his sleeve down before I could make them out. “Snake and Dragon? What is that, some type of college frat house thing?”

“
The Brotherhood of the Snake and Dragon is an ultra-exclusive, ultra elite, secret society, dating back three thousand years before Christ.” He explained.

“
Oh.”

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Membership is a rarity.” He continued. “And by invitation only. Exclusivity is paramount. Humans are not allowed.”

“
What do you mean, not allowed?” I asked.

“
It’s for Immortals only. Originally it was two separate institutions. The Brotherhood of the Snake, which only accepted the undying into its ranks, things and people who by birth or by chance of fate were rendered Immortal or something so close to it the difference was inconsequential.”

“
You mean people like you?” I connected the dots. “Vampires?”

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Among other things.” He stated. “Vampires aren’t the only Immortals walking the Earth.”

“
What did you mean by something so close to it?”

“
Minimal potential lifespan had to exceed two hundred years.” He said. “If you were able to live for two centuries, either through natural, technological or temporal means, then you fit the basic qualifications for membership.”

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Temporal? Sounds just like some technobabble Rogers would say.”

Connor placed his phone back in his pocket. “John Rogers is an active member in The Brotherhood.”

“
You're kidding me?” I couldn’t believe it.

“
John is in possession of a Chaos Equation and is not limited by linear progression. He has born witness to the Forgotten Future and is now premeditated paradox. You would do well to heed his words.”

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You said there used to be two? Two separate brotherhoods?” I didn’t want to get caught up in the world of John Rogers at the moment, even though I was slowly coming to the conclusion that it was my world now as well.

“
The other is called The Brotherhood of the Dragon. Some of their members date back to when time was a liquid. Membership is reserved for True Immortals only.”

What he was saying wasn’t making any sense.
When time was a liquid?
What does that even mean? “Wait, Immortals, True Immortals, what’s the difference if you live forever?”

He seemed to have anticipated the question. “In theory, I am Immortal. I cannot die. I will be here until the day the Earth corrodes upon itself or the Sun gives us a supernova kiss and wipes out this entire galaxy. Twelve thousands years from now, I still shall be. I might not look the same; Vampires tend to lose that which makes us human over the centuries. There will come a point in time that I will no longer be able to blend with humanity, visually I’ll be…something else. Something other than human, to the point that it will be noticeable, but I will still be me…somewhat. I think therefor I am.”

Connor appeared next to me, moving in that why the he does, just appearing at my side. He ran his fingers across my forehead softly, sensual, the way a lover would touch his mate, yet when he drew back, those very same fingers were soaked in blood.

He licked his index and middle fingers clean. “Missed a spot.” He was at the bar now, at the other end of plane, pouring a glass full of red wine.

“
Yet, like I said, that is in theory only.” He was at his chair now, glass already drained empty, resting on the table that separated us. “I could have a bad day you see, a very bad day and just like that, I’m dead. Fineto. But a True Immortal, ah, a True Immortal, well, they can’t die. Ever. They can’t be killed. They just persist. They keep on with the keeping on. And that is what separates them from me.”

“
And now The Snake and The Dragon are one? One Brotherhood?” I didn’t like where this was going. Not one bit.

“
Well yeah, happened not that long ago. I’m kinda new to the scene, so I don’t have all the details. But yes, one Brotherhood. One ring to rule them all so to speak. They were powerful separate, but together, well…”

“
And that tattoo, the one in the picture, that was all tatted up on the Man in Blacks back?” I asked. “That signifies that he was a part of The Brotherhood? The Brotherhood of the Snake and Dragon?”

“
You’ve got the ball, now run with it.” He said.

“
Which means, he was…some type of Immortal, either regular Immortal or True Immortal?”

“
Well, not True Immortal, because he died easily enough.” Connor added.

“
You mean you killed him easily enough.” I corrected.

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He had to die.” He repeated.

I found myself saying: “I kinda agree with you.”

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Oh do you now?” My response caught him by surprise.

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I honestly don’t think I want to be on their radar.”

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Too late.” Connor admitted. “But at least now, you’re in stealth mood.”

“
But, what I don’t understand is why someone is so interested in me? I’m just some random chick from Palm Coast, Florida.”

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Well that’s why we’re going to San Francisco, baby. Last current address for our dead little Immortal, Terrence Goodwin.”

“
No, that’s why I’m going to Frisco.” I interjected. “Why are you going? What’s your part in all this?”

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I told you, Amber Rose, I may be the new kid on the block, but Palm Coast is my city. And I’ll be damned if any Immortal, True or otherwise, rolls up in my city and starts making power moves.”

That was just the company line. “Come on, there has to be more to it than that.”

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I also think you’re kinda cute.”

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Focus Connor.” Gotta keep him on topic. “It’s the Mark of Pandora.”

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What about the Mark?”

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I have the Mark. John said you have the Mark.” I was starting to see the dots again. All I needed to do was connect them. “Ethan has the Mark.”

“
John says a lot of things, honey.”

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Don’t call me honey.” The fact that I said this to a Vampire who just licked blood off my head, blood from the woman he killed in front of me on top of that…

“
And now it’s John says a lot of things?” I wasn’t buying it. “At first it’s all, John has born witness to the Forgotten Future, whatever the hell that means and now it’s, John says a lot of things?”