Twice as High, page 11
“It’s going to be all right, Leslie.” Killian’s voice broke through the haze right before I blacked out from the pain.
Yep, shit just got real.
Chapter 18
Leslie
I awoke from my nightmare back in my bedroom, with Gran at my side. I quickly touched my chest where the stake had been. The skin was smooth, practically perfect like nothing had ever happened.
“Where’s Killian?” I asked and rolled my shoulders as if to remove some imaginary stiffness. I was right as rain. To be honest, I felt like I was eighteen again with the way there was no snap, crackle, or pop of my joints. All of those symptoms started when I hit thirty. Now thirty was the new twenty, I guessed. I felt better than I had when I’d woken up with the mermaid in my bathtub. Uh-oh.
“Oh, the wolf left for a bit,” Gran said. “He said he had something to do and that you also needed to get some training. I take it that the trip to the pier didn’t get you what you wanted?”
The bloody sheets and rags on the floor told me I’d come home in a horrible state. How was I now feeling so well? And what happened to the man who attacked me?
There, cuddled up to my side was Saga, one leg stretched out, and her paw was touching my arm. Her warmth comforted.
“Oh.” Gran practiced her Charleston, causing her sequined fringed flapper tassels on the dress to swing up and down, left and right. Midstride, she suddenly stopped, and a visible shiver coursed through her. “Someone must be walking over my grave. I attempted to shoo your alley cat away, but she wasn’t having any of it.”
“And the fish woman?” I tried not to grimace.
“She was a little antisocial after saying her piece to you. She was too large to flush down the toilet to get back to the River, so Rose took care of her.”
Did I even want to know what that meant?
A loud knock on the front door interrupted us. I swung the door open to come face-to-face with the wicked witch, um, I meant Rose.
There was no love lost between her and me, and as she stood on the other side of the threshold, I had no desire to invite her in. Today, her brass-colored hair was pulled back, so taut that it created its own facelift. She could barely blink. Dressed in what appeared like a superhero jumpsuit—tight-fitting spandex, I waited for her to give me the superhero pose.
Seeing her made me remember the hell the Compound had been. I still believed she was responsible for it all, even if Killian was convinced she’d been innocent. Someone in the Order was behind those murders, and that someone was still on the loose.
Who’d want to get rid of the dragon’s fated mate besides his ex-girlfriend?
For a moment, the fleeting thought of visiting Sunflower crashed into me. A renewed pang hit me recalling the newspaper headline. Someone had to know what happened. My shoddy memory recalled bits and pieces of us being attacked at her apartment by rogue vampires. It felt like zero hour for all of this.
Maybe I could visit her shop and find a clue, but every time I considered it, a weird dark feeling of foreboding attacked me. Recently there were things I no longer desired that use to be my norm: Nigerian food, subway stations, and visiting Sunflower’s shop. Again, I paused, my heart aching. How could Sunflower be gone?
“Why are you here?” I looked up and down the hall to see if Rose had carried a broom. I didn’t know if she was a witch or something else. As far as I knew, Rose didn’t actually have any witchy powers, but she sure did smell like cotton candy, and that meant magic.
“You have a vampire problem in this city and was attacked.”
“Where’s Killian? Did he say anything to you?”
“Just that he and some fishmonger made mincemeat from the vampire who sought to kill you. He must have been one of Ásgeirr’s men.”
Ásgeirr? The name on the card, and the voice which had taunted me at the studio. It now all made sense. The rogue vampires were still after me.
Rose had never been uber-friendly to me. In all honesty, she was the opposite of friendly.
“Huh, what now?” I leaned forward, trying to catch what she thought I should know. The one thing about Rose that rubbed me the wrong way, besides that whole “Alistair is my ex” sort of thing, was her whole “my shit doesn’t stink” attitude.
“Be thankful that I arrived before any cavalry.”
“You’re going to tell me more than just name-drop, right?” I moved back from the door and waved her in. “Plus, you didn’t travel all of this way to berate me.”
“Alistair has taught you nothing of the ways of which you are now part of.” She sighed, shook her head to only frown. Then, as if something caught her attention, she turned, looking around the apartment. She moved in and swiped her index finger across the mahogany armoire, only to then rub her index finger and thumb together. “No, I could have done that over the phone. But, I’m not here to do such. What’s happening in Scotland isn’t something that you need to worry about, but you will need help, and I’m here to get it to you.”
“Uh, what?”
“Vampires are rare, and to survive, you will need to be ready for anything, as well as have the physical training to be able to take down an enemy.” Her gaze scraped me up and down, her disdain palpable.
“Yes, I’ve been training with Goose.” I crossed my arms. Sure, I was no further along in being self-defense proficient.
“Hasn’t today taught you anything? You are ill-prepared. Ásgeirr’s vampires have no love for those connected to the dragon queen.”
“Uh, again, clueless.”
“Then allow me to fill you in. I’ll even tell it in such a way that you might understand.”
Of course, Gran would appear and start sucking her teeth. A sure sign that things were about to start flying around the apartment. “Did she just come into my house to talk shit?” She buzzed around me. Her aura was a hot-red. “I don’t trust or like her.”
Gran was old school and didn’t pull any punches. Back in the day, she was feisty enough to throw butcher knives, according to what I’d heard from the family lore.
“Just calm it down and try not to insult me in my own home.”
Rose nodded. “Once upon a time, there was a god who fell in love with a woman of Earth. With the threat of death on the horizon, he went forth to save the woman, and love came to exist between them.”
“This doesn’t sound like a fairytale,” Gran snarked.
“And the woman was summoned by a great being, primordial. He gave her the power to turn into a fiery dragon.”
“And that’s where the dragon came from?” I said. “I get it.”
“No. If only it were that simple. She was the first dragon queen. Then, the dragons rebelled against the gods, and all of them were to be locked away. But the goddess Freyja took six eggs that were in the direct line from the first dragon queen, as the other dragons were not created through her bloodline, but through a different type of magic. These six eggs are known as Freyja’s dragons and responsible for the Order.”
“And the queen?”
“She remains hidden to us, as we only have contact with her brothers, the princes. The queen is unable to leave where she is harbored without the wolf’s permission.”
“And that’s why the Order has wolves?”
“Yes, the alliance is between the dragons and the wolves, as they are both birthed from the same line, the same queen.”
“And this Ásgeirr woman?”
“No woman, but a dragon. She was unable to shift. Magic allowed her to cast that image of shifting, however. Only Freyja’s dragons can truly change their forms from human to dragon and back. Anyway, she was the queen before being toppled by the rightful heir. Yet, when she died, her essence went forth in search of a host. This essence is what created the vampires we all know, those creatures of the night. But what she created was not of the same stuff as what the rightful queen, and heir, could do.”
“Ha! The next thing you’re going to tell me is that Vlad the Impaler was possessed by her.”
“At one time, he was the most powerful of this kind, possessed by her until the Order found a way to exorcise her from him. The vampirism remained, though. The essence went on to seek out a new host or hosts when the body was no longer vital or able.”
“So, she’s a parasite.”
“Maybe, but one that travels and creates others, which the Order has always combatted. And what you must also confront.”
According to that tidbit, that meant no garlic, no reflection in mirrors, and no daylight. But did that also mean they fed on human blood and required a stake through the heart or decapitation to be rid of? Would they explode if staked, or would they turn into ash? Could their bite also create new vampires?
“Whoa, this is information overload.” I raised my hands. “Why should I even trust you?”
“Because I am loyal to the Order. According to the old texts, one like your kind will come. My people have always been there to help you. You have abilities you know nothing of, and Alistair refuses to take your hand to show you your path. Now, these abilities are due to your new nature.”
I understood her words, but her being in my apartment made my stomach sink. I didn’t trust her.
I crossed my arms. “I can still be burned by the sun.”
“A sunburn is not the same as being incinerated. Even more, you don’t have the weaknesses of the lesser of your line, such as silver.”
“Garlic, too, right?”
“Garlic will only make you stink and have fewer friends.”
“I can’t do anything with that, anyway. Fish blood only, remember?”
She nodded as if hearing this information for the first time. “And that is where things get strange for you. See, you’ve gained the skills of land, air, and sea, like no other vampire before you. It will only take some training to bring it all out. I can do that as a part of my sacred oath.” Then she kneeled.
Did that mean if she reneged on it, that a god or someone would come down and drag her to hell? Maybe I was confusing my mythologies.
“Let me guess, I’m supposed to face these deadly obstacles to prove myself worthy of this vampiric honor, and what doesn’t kill me will—”
“Prove your worthiness to the Order? Yes. You see, no one is just given a position, but it has to be earned.”
“Who said I wanted to be in the Order?”
“Your blood, your powers. You are a seer and of utmost importance to us in keeping things balanced. Some would prey on humanity. You have the talent to help us. You are an author, that means you have an inquisitive nature. Maybe you’ve even had some hands-on training?”
Of reading comic books? Yes. Hand-to-hand combat or melee weapons? Not so much. My fights required petroleum jelly and taking off my earrings. I’d grown up with brothers, so I knew how to throw a punch, but I hadn’t had to do that since I’d been jumped in middle school. Thank the gods for my eclectic high school, where the only bully was the fear of failure.
Rose emerged from her knees. “Grab your coat. It’s time you got to know your city.” She turned and strutted back through the open door, acting like she expected me to follow. “And tonight, you head to the museum.”
“Are we going to case someplace?” I asked. I’d heard that during my mafia dark romance phase.
“You are not leaving me here, Leslie. I don’t trust her.” Gran pouted. She’d uttered exactly how I felt.
“You’re to stay hidden,” I mouthed. “Don’t come out until I say so.”
Gran frowned but agreed.
I headed over to where my keys were, picked up the great ring that allowed Gran to travel with me and slid it on. I never knew when Gran’s help might just save my life, and tonight I didn’t want to risk it.
Which I did.
Chapter 19
Leslie
I still didn’t have a good plan.
I refused to hail a cab with Rose, and the subway was not my desired mode of transportation.
We made our way toward Central Park, and of course, had to walk past the famous Ghostbusters movie building. There were so many places in this city that reminded me of different films. During my month of doing NYC tours, I learned a lot about my city, even the fact that before there was Central Park, it had been Seneca Village until the state of New York used eminent domain to evict everyone off of the land.
The park sort of lost its beauty for me after that knowledge. The American Dream was, of course, to own your acre or two, with a white fence if it matched your aesthetic. But, that didn’t matter when Uncle Sam or his cousin, the state, determined that your land was better suited under their care.
No matter how many musicals, romantic movies were set there, I gave it a wide berth.
Knowledge was power. Before, I’d spend tons of time strolling around the lake, maybe take a spin on the carousel. But it was the food that transported me to the love that the park had.
Recalling the great food made my mouth water. Heck, I even missed the burn of a good Tennessee Whiskey. What wouldn’t I give for a good curry or tacos? Yum. I used to be such a foodie, and now I couldn’t enjoy that anymore.
But there would be new ways to make memories. Maybe I could one day find a way to enjoy pecan pie again?
Oh, well.
We made it to the museum before closing. As luck would have it, the museum was hosting a Kombucha-sponsored soiree. I guessed they didn't have a thing against a woman decked out in black leather who looked every bit like a vampire hunter, and a frumpy auntie with bloodshot eyes.
My style hadn’t improved that much since I’d been changed. Vampirism didn’t mean that you suddenly received tickets to Fashion Week, and Claudine wasn’t there to pick something out to make my appearance more acceptable.
I pushed that to the back of my mind. I had to find a way to save her.
We didn’t fit the look of the museum’s usual backers. When we arrived, the guard named Carl, from his shiny name tag, eyed us up and down. “Name, please,” he unflinchingly declared. He could have worked for TSA. He held a clipboard and waited.
“Uh.” I tried to find a good lie, a believable reason that would allow us to enter the place where authentic furs, sparkly diamonds, and rubies were on display, and people had numbers and family crests behind their names.
Rose moved closer to him and flashed him a smile. “My dearest Carl, our names are on the list.” She waved her hand before his face. If I hadn’t been paying attention, I might have missed the zinger, the spark that left her fingers and landed right in his dilated eyes.
He nodded. “Mistress.”
“You’re to let us in and ensure that we’re on the list.”
“Yes, Mistress.”
“And you are to keep watch to safeguard Leslie’s access to wherever she needs.”
Again, Carl nodded and waved us through.
I’d always heard that some supernatural creatures had powers. What was Rose? She did an eye trick, and the guard let us in without a problem.
“Is that something you’re going to teach me, too?”
Rose cut me off. “Stay focused. You can ask all of the questions once you find and retrieve the relic. You can trust me. Now, take a crack at this. Work the room, feel the energy and follow the deafening silence as it speaks to you.”
I stayed mum. I’d never stolen anything unless you counted a box of erasers in preschool that I then saved up to pay restitution. Even then, I had a sense of right and wrong.
A live band played classical music.
We entered the crowd together and separated. I snaked through the throng of people chatting, grabbing flutes of champagne and tapas with caviar. This was a true shindig.
But, I needed to break away from the people and search, finding peace in a room of discord.
Finding a cap, I cut down the corridor into the dinosaur exhibit, which depicted the age of the dinosaur from the Mesozoic Era—The Jurassic, Triassic, and Cretaceous time periods, all neatly presented with placards providing dinosaur facts, while lifelike exhibits rested under dimmed lighting. The displays varied. While some included the fossils dug up by archeologists, others had animatronics and holograms active. Finally, I came to stand at the base of the T-Rex exhibit.
Unlike the others, he was a life-size replica with what was supposed to be an accurate depiction of the theropod, but instead of scales, he had plumage.
The science was always changing.
The large lizard made me think of my sire, and I smiled. This was not the place for that, however. After that with the vision of the witches, he’d once again disappeared behind an invisible psychic barricade I couldn’t cross. Maybe with Rose’s help, I could get Alistair and Claudine back. You never realized how important the people in your life were until they were no longer there, and my list of missing people grew ever longer.
“You know the T-Rex was a formidable enemy.” A gentleman in coat and tails moved to my side. His black hair was swept back, and his smile was disarming. I recognized him right away as he pointed at the large fossil.
Sam Dolomite! I tried to remain cool. I’d spent hours listening to his Londonesque lilt. Heck, I’d prayed for a chance to lick his face, maybe one too many times.
“He might have had the name of the King of the Tyrant Lizards, but most forget the dinosaur that could have ruled them all: Spinosaurus.”
“Ah, a woman who knows her beast.” The way he said “beast” was filled with unspoken promises. I stared unabashedly at him. We’d only have fifteen minutes in whatever might be heaven. He snapped his fingers, and I licked my lips, then wrinkled my nose.
“Would you just prefer my room key?” he whispered seductively.
“That’s a nice once-in-a-lifetime chance, but I’m missing someone.”
“Relationship status is complicated, huh?”
“Overwhelmingly so.”
