Her Vampyrrhic Heart (32 page)

June set the tray down on a table. ‘Here, take a cup of coffee everyone. Try to relax.'

‘Relax?' Eden looked as if she'd never be able to relax again.

‘My brother should be back soon,' Owen said. ‘Tom will know what to do.'

Kit picked up a slice of cake. ‘Did I ever tell you that Tom Westonby killed my uncle? Five years ago he threw him from the top of a church tower.'

‘That's a lie.' Owen bunched his fists. ‘Take it back.'

June made a soothing gesture. ‘Try and stay calm. You've been through hell tonight.'

Eden laughed but it sounded more like weeping. ‘You don't have to tell us. We've been to hell and back, and who knows? We might find ourselves back in hell again before long.'

Owen put his arm round Eden. She gripped him so fiercely that he almost lost his balance. Gently, he embraced her.

June tried to maintain a reassuring air of normality as she handed out coffee and cake. She made small-talk, asking if everyone was warm enough. Did they want milk in their coffee? And sugar? And be sure to drink it while it's hot.

Owen stood there as Eden clung to him. Even though he didn't hear her sob (she was too proud and too strong to let anyone see her cry), her tears soaked through his shirt; he felt them against his chest. He realized June had spoken the truth. His friends were in shock. Their eyes possessed an odd, staring quality. They weren't really seeing the furniture in the lounge, or the fire in the hearth grate, they were fixating on what happened to them tonight.

Owen's blood ran cold as he recalled firing the shotgun at the thing … the way the ammunition blasted skin and muscle from those naked human legs. The firepower of the gun had been awesome … horrific, too. Then Tom had saved him by drawing the monster away into the forest.
Was Tom alright? Had the creature caught him? What if …
His heart started to beat faster. Panic tore through him; he realized he was clenching his fists as he hugged Eden. And, as he pictured Tom being ripped apart, his gaze locked on the carving of Helsvir that was set in the living room wall. There it was – the teardrop shape, the legs bristling from the bottom, the line of heads. Right then, he wanted to scream.

What changed the atmosphere was the bizarre sight of a lady gliding through the doorway from the staircase into the room. For a moment, Owen thought that this was a phantom coming to claim their souls.

June explained. ‘This is my mother.' She quickly went to the woman and guided her to the sofa where she sat her down. ‘My mother's not well,' June added. ‘She doesn't speak, so she'll just sit here quietly.' June gave them a gentle smile. ‘Can I ask you all to speak in quiet voices, and not to do anything to upset her?'

That seemed to do the trick. Everyone nodded, and the tension appeared to ease: an automatic response to being in the presence of an ill person – to be calm and softly spoken for their sake.

For a while, nobody spoke. At last, however, Eden inhaled deeply as she took comfort in having Owen's arms around her. ‘That girl … the one who joined us as we walked to the cottage …'

Kit murmured, ‘That was Freya.'

‘Is she really a vampire?'

Kit sighed. ‘To be truthful, I guess she is.'

‘And is she still out there?'

Jez looked out of the window. ‘Yup. Standing right outside the front door.'

‘Then I'm not dreaming all this?' asked Eden, as if hoping she was.

‘No, you're not.'

This understated exchange hadn't disturbed the peace of the room. The fire crackled, its golden light glowing against the stone walls.

Eden nodded, digesting the information. ‘Then she won't come into the house?'

Owen gave her a reassuring hug. ‘No, the door's locked.'

Kit went to the window. ‘But she will stay out there to guard us.'

‘But who will guard us from her?' Eden gave a nervous laugh. ‘Sorry, it's just that … heck, I admit it: I'm scared.'

Kit's expression was serious. ‘Freya's scared as well. She's trying so hard to be human. The trouble is she has to fight her vampire instincts. Freya has this urge to attack us – in fact, she did warn me that she might bite me, but she's managed to stop herself.' He began to sound hopeful. ‘So there's a chance she might become human again, isn't there?'

June nodded. ‘I hope so, because my father's out there. He's one of those things.'

Jez suddenly leaned closer to the glass as he stared out. ‘Is that your father?'

June rushed to the window. Owen joined her.

Outside the front door stood Freya; the blond Rapunzel plait hung down her back. She remained completely immobile – a statue formed from uncannily white flesh. The moonlight revealed bushes, trees and the old stone arch that marked the boundary between garden and forest. The figure of a man stood beneath the archway.

‘Is that your father?' Owen asked.

‘No.'

Kit pointed at another figure. ‘What about him?'

‘No; besides, he seems to be wearing a suit of armour.'

Jez pointed at a man emerging from the shadows. ‘Is that him?'

‘No … none of them are.'

‘
None of them are?
' Owen's heart gave a lurch. ‘Just how many of those things are out there?'

Kit said, ‘I've counted six.'

‘I make it seven.' Eden moved closer to the window. ‘No, make that eight.'

That sense of panic returned. Owen's heart pounded. ‘I'll be right back.'

Quickly, he made his way upstairs where he looked out of every window. Moments later he was back.

‘I've got some bad news,' he said. ‘Those things have surrounded the house.'

Eden's eyes widened. ‘Will they attack us?'

Kit spoke with plenty of force. ‘You can bet every penny of your life savings they will.'

Owen agreed. ‘Tom said that they plan on turning us into creatures like them. Vampires.' He gazed out of the window at the pale figures. ‘We're under siege. Whatever happens, we can't let them get into the house. If we do, we'd be better off dead.'

T
RAPPED. That simple word radiated a formidable power. Tom Westonby shone the light on to the boulders which blocked one end of the cave. This was the area where the shaft entered through the roof. The opening was gone. No doubt the vertical shaft itself had been filled with debris during the rock fall. Helsvir hadn't succeeded in digging Tom and Nicola out of the cave – what the creature had done instead was seal them into their tomb.

Up there on the surface was the forest. The vampires would probably still be surrounding the entrance of the shaft, although they were now denied the opportunity of feasting on Tom's lifeblood. No doubt Helsvir still circled the opening, roaring with frustration. Both Nicola and Tom were beyond its reach.

Nicola stood there beside Tom. She didn't move; those strange eyes remained fixed on his face.

‘We're definitely trapped,' he told her. ‘There's no way out that I can see.'

Even so, he continued to examine the cave. The torch revealed that they were in a space no larger than the average domestic garage. Brown rock formed the walls and ceiling. Littering the floor were leaves, twigs and the white bones of animals. He realized that most people finding themselves trapped underground would start screaming in panic. Yet complete calm filled him. In fact, he'd have described his state of mind as serene.
Because I've dreamt of this moment, haven't I?
He chuckled.
No, not falling down a hole into a cave. I've dreamt of being reunited with Nicola Bekk. And here she is. We're together again. Yes, we're trapped. We can't escape. The air will soon start to run out and I won't be able to breathe, but, get this, I'm not scared. I'm not one little bit frightened.
He chuckled again.

‘What's so funny?' she asked.

‘For the last five years, ever since you went away, I've imagined what it would be like when we found each other again. I never imagined it would be in a place like this.' He slapped his hand against the brown rock. ‘But I don't care. We're together again – that's all that matters.'

She stared at him in surprise. ‘Tom, you do understand what I've become? I'm a vampire. I might attack you … bite you.'

‘You won't.'

‘Oh, Tom, this isn't easy for me. Don't you understand? I do want to taste your blood. I want your blood in my mouth and running down my throat. I'm hurting inside, I want that so much.'

‘But you're resisting the urge, aren't you?'

‘Only just, Tom, only just.' She gave a shake of her blond head. ‘Being here with you reminds me what it's like to be human … you must understand, though, I'm hanging on to that tiny scrap of humanity by my fingernails.'

‘What if we sit here side-by-side and keep talking? If I remind you about the time we met, and how much we liked one another?'

‘Tom, you are in danger from me. I might not be able to stop myself hurting you.'

Sitting down on a boulder, he patted the space beside him. ‘Sit down. We'll talk about when we met.'

For a moment, she stared at him – the fierce black pupils were intense points of darkness. At last she nodded before sitting beside him on the boulder.

He rested his hand on her hand. ‘Do you remember when we first met?'

‘Ah …' A sigh fell from her lips, as if there was pain in remembering, yet happiness, too. ‘The freshwater pool in your parents' garden.'

‘You were doing such a crazy thing.' He smiled. ‘Imagine – standing in a pond at midnight?'

‘I remember how the water felt … cool, silky, sensuous … after a hot summer's day that pool was so refreshing.'

‘When you were a little girl you used to walk all the way from your cottage in the woods to paddle in the water.'

‘Did I?'

‘That's what you told me.'

‘
Ah …
' That sigh again. Happiness and sorrow. ‘I remember now … the lady who owned the house before your parents invited my mother and me there.'

‘That was my aunt. She died, and our family moved into the house until her son was old enough to inherit it.'

‘Her son? Yes …' Nicola's voice rose. ‘I remember him, a little boy with blond hair.'

‘He's sixteen now.'

‘Is he?'

‘He says that he'd like to be a professional diver like me.'

‘I'm sure I'll remember his name …' She rested her fingertips against her smooth forehead. ‘I should be able to remember … I must.'

‘My parents adopted him. I think of him as my brother now.'

She closed her eyes. ‘Please let me remember his name.'

Something cold squirmed inside Tom's stomach. He realized that Nicola had lost more than her humanity when she became a vampire. The curse had erased many of her memories, too – all part of the dehumanizing transformation.

‘I want to remember his name,' she murmured as she sat there with her eyes closed. ‘Please let me remember.'

Tom didn't reveal the name of his brother. He realized that this was a vital part of the battle Nicola was fighting to regain her humanity. What if she remembered more? Was there a chance it might break the curse? If she could remember her past life in greater detail, would that be enough to resurrect the beautiful, mortal woman that he'd fallen in love with?

Her hand suddenly tightened around his with awesome strength. ‘Owen. Yes, I remember. That's the boy's name:
Owen
.' Nicola opened her eyes again.

Her eyes were blue. That beautiful, clear blue that he remembered so well. Blue as the sky. Yet they were blue for only a moment. Quickly, the colour bleached out of them. Once more, they possessed the glistening whiteness of boiled eggs. The pupils resumed their intense blackness.
But for an instant those eyes had been mortal again.
They were just as he remembered them when he'd seen Nicola for the first time: when she had dipped her bare feet in the freshwater pond. After that had come a turbulent, sometimes violent time. They fell in love, and he discovered the existence of Helsvir. The monster acted as protector of the girl and her family. The downside was that Helsvir saw Tom Westonby as a threat. The monster had tried to destroy him. Then came the night of the flood, which engulfed the village. What followed led to the horrific moment when he'd triggered an ancient Viking curse. This resulted in Nicola transforming into the creature that she was now. For the want of a more accurate description she was a vampire. A blood-eater. A thing of the night. More than anything in the world, he longed with all his heart to reverse the process. Once again, he wondered if the cure would be to encourage Nicola to relive her past. The more she remembered of her upbringing as a human, the more the vampire elements of her nature might fade away.

For a while, they reminisced about happy times together. Those precious summer days half a decade ago were magical. Sometimes they found themselves laughing over a funny incident from the past. At that moment, it didn't even seem they were trapped in a cave. The place didn't smell bad, it felt warm, there was no noise from outside. Helsvir and the vampires were safely on the other side of tons of rock.

Nicola laughed pleasantly. ‘Do you remember when you set out all those chairs in the garden?'

She is remembering
, he thought.
The past is coming back to her.
Once again, flashes of blue returned to her eyes. What was more, the black veins in her throat had faded.
It's working. She's becoming human.
Even though his heart surged, and he wanted to jump up and shout and dance happily around the cave, he remained calm.
Don't rush this. Nice and easy does it. Keep encouraging her to remember. Memory is the magic spell. It's turning her from a vampire into a human being. Whatever you do, don't blow this chance.