Authors: Heather Bserani
One was standing a pace in front of the other two, demonstrating who led this little branch of Percy’s coven. She watched as his hands twitched and balled into fists, noticing that hers were doing the same. It took a great effort on her part not to lunge at him. She couldn’t stand this silence any longer and wasn’t sure why they were standing there so quietly in the first place.
“What do you want?” she growled.
“I would like nothing more than to kill you slowly, just to watch you die. Fortunately for you, my master told us to bring you back alive.” Dori flinched from the malice in his words. “That however doesn’t prevent me from tasting your blood.” His laughter hissed through the night.
“You. Will. Never. Touch. Her.” Michael’s words came out separately, each its own statement forced through clenched teeth. He was the one trying to contain his anger now. The battle for restraint was evident in the way the tendons in his neck tensed as he spoke. She placed a hand on his lower back, trying to quell the storm brewing.
“Easy, Brother, we mean
you
no harm. Tonight we offer a message. There is a way to save her from her fate.”
“Michael, what are they talking about?” Dori turned her question to him now. He spoke as if she weren’t there.
“Tell your master that he will never lay another finger on her unless he wants to die.”
“Confidence has been the downfall of many. The debt must be paid, though there are many forms of remittance.”
“You can tell your master to go to Hell.”
The leader clicked his tongue while he shook his head.
“That is a fate to which we are all destined. Empty threats.” A low growl built in Michael’s chest. She could feel it through the hand that still pressed against his lower back.
“Trinian, my patience is short. You have delivered your message, why don’t you slither off like the reptile you are?”
“Our duty to Percival is fulfilled, but there is no reason not to stay and partake in the...scenery.” The leader, Trinian winked at Dori as he said the last word. “Don’t you agree Myles, Rowland?” He glanced over his shoulders as he conferred with his brethren.
“It is time for you to leave.” Dori had never before heard fury like this from Michael. The anger materializeer >
It only took a second for him to right himself and she let go immediately. He answered without looking at the caller ID. His voice was not friendly.
“Hello...I understand the terms...I concede to your stipulations...the debt has been paid. No! You and your disciples keep to your forest and leave Dori ALONE!” The word echoed through the black forest. No one dared breathe. Michael slowly pulled the phone away from his ear and crushed it in his hands. His face was so taut with fury that she had a hard time recognizing him. He let the broken pieces of plastic fall to the earth.
“You heard what I told your
master
. It would be best for you to leave now before I truly get mad.” Trinian nodded and all three backed slowly into the shadows. Their eyes faded and then disappeared. She heard the rustle of brush gradually getting more distant as they faded into the night.
She waited until she could no longer hear them before turning to Michael. She searched his face for answers. Was he just talking with Percy? How did Percy get Michael’s phone number? What were the stipulations he was talking about? She was certain he knew a lot more than he had been telling her. That was going to end right now.
“What just happened?” Her voice rang with authority. He was still staring off toward where Trinian had fled. She had never seen him so overcome with rage. He was nearly paralyzed by his wrath. Slowly, robot-like, he turned toward her and took her in from head to toe. She watched as his anger faded and anguish welled up in his expression. His hands were instantly on her, cradling her cheek, running through her hair.
“Oh, Dori!” It was almost a sob and he pulled her to his embrace. He mumbled in Italian as he held her close and rocked her back and forth. “
Preziosa, il mio amore.”
She tried to pull back enough to talk to him, wanting to search his eyes for the answers she was desperate for, but his grip tightened and escape was impossible.
Although she felt tortured not knowing the details of the deal he had just brokered, she couldn’t antagonize him more with that right now. She would get her answers, but it would have to wait for a more appropriate time. The man who, moments ago was hard, vicious, protective of her was now crumbling in her arms. She was happy to be his support, but she couldn’t begin to understand the compromise he had just made with their enemy.
“Michael?”
“Forgive me. I had to make you safe.”
She didn’t dare press for more information. She felt relieved to be safe from Percy’s threat. A nagging worry crept into the back of her mind and she brushed it aside for the moment. Although she didn’t fully understand the details of his deal with the devil, she would soon learn the totality of its far reaching consequences.
Chapter Twenty Four
June 23, 1598
I have founde it! I know how to end this war, and I shant waste another minute. I only write so as to tell the worlde how to defeate the evil that is called vampire. Beware for they are formidable foes, but they do have weaknesses. Capitalize on them and save yourselves. Tonighte shall be the demise of my enemie and myself. The time draws short and I hear him calling me
…
Chapter Twenty Five
At the house, Michael was frantically pacing while Dori stood watching. He was mumbling too quickly for her to make out exactly what he was saying, but she didn’t mind; she was going to have her answers. Every now and then he glanced furtively at her, studying her body language. She stood arms crossed, lips pursed, and eyebrows drawn into a scowl. She was prepared to stay that way until he gave her the information she was waiting for.
Michael stopped his pacing and met her eyes. He inhaled and her eyebrows lifted in anticipation, but he simply exhaled and went back to his pacing. Shifting her weight to the other foot, she decided to break the silence.
“Enough.” The harshness of her voice was startling and he drew close to her side, reaching through her folded arms to take her hand.
“Dori, I have to figure out the right way to tell you this. I need you to hear me.” His eyes pleaded for her understanding. Unfortunately, she wasn’t feeling very sympathetic; her gaze remained hard.
“What the hell is going on?”
“Okay, the most important thing to remember is that you are safe. Percy will never bother you again. I took care of that.”
Dori knew she should feel comforted, but instead the hairs on the back of her neck were standing up. She remained silent while she waited for Michael to continue. He took another sharp breath, realizing that she had no intention of making this any easier for him. “He was never going to leave you alone. He chose you to get back at me for something that happened lifetimes ago. He’s been toying with us, drawing it out. When he tired of the game, he intended on killing you and then me when I tried to stop him.” She was still waiting for what he was keeping from her.
“He sent Trinian to force my hand. I’m getting ahead of myself. He called me tonight and told me that he was the one who killed the director. He said he followed us here. He wouldn’t stop until you were dead and there was nothing I could do to stop him.”
Anger flared in her, like a fire freshly doused with gasoline. She gritted her teeth and set her jaw. “I hag to qv> te him.”
“
When Trinian and the others showed up in the forest, I knew what they had come for. I couldn’t let them have you, even if it meant that I had to fight to the death. I won’t let anything harm you. There’s nothing left for me if you’re gone.” He dropped his eyes and his voice softened as he finished the sentence. She was aching to comfort him, but she knew there was more to the story. She pulled her hand away and cleared her throat prompting him to continue.
“
Dori,” he retrieved her hand, “when he called in the forest, it was to offer an alternative, something that I hadn’t previously thought about. He presented a solution that would keep you safe. He conceded to spare your life, if a life was paid in its place. I didn’t have to think twice.”
“
Some unsuspecting person is going to die in my place? How does that make this better? Don’t I get a say in this? You got played, Michael. He is never going to stop tormenting us.”
Michael blanched. What he said next sounded as if it was forced around a lump in his throat and she had to strain to hear it. “Not some unsuspecting person. Percy named the replacement. He named the time and place. He left it up to me to agree. I had to make you safe. Forgive me.”
She was dizzy; the room was spinning, victim to her personal tornado. She felt bile rise in her throat and a knot in her stomach. Deep down, she knew the answer to her next question, but she asked anyway.
“
Who? Michael, who?” His hand released hers and fell toward the floor. He slumped to his knees, bent over as if a phantom fist had punched the air out of him. He spoke so quietly human ears would have missed his response, but he might as well have shouted it for the entire world to hear.
“
Addison.”
Her mind shut down. The room was shaking and a growl was building in her chest. Her muscles coiled. Rage tinted the world a macabre shade of crimson. The room, the house, the development disappeared as she fled. She didn’t think, merely obeyed her instincts. She didn’t care who saw her, or what lurked around her in the forest. The fury driving her would topple anything that attempted to stop her from getting to Addison.
She had had enough of being tossed around in the wind of terror; it was time to face the storm. Running in the dark, she turned toward Pocahontas State Park, driven with purpose. Anger fueled her speed and strength.
She ran and ran. Her feet moved too quickly to hear them pounding the pavement. The world around her was a blur and she didn’t care. One thought punctuated her mind, one goal:
save her!
It echoed like a heartbeat, giving her anger a life of its own. That anger rose in her like a beast, an angry beast with a penchant to kill.
She was in the forest, darting toward the escarpment where Percy attacked her. Thorns snagged her clothes and raked her skin. Hanging moss slapped her face and clung to her hair. The growl building in her chest erupted and filled the darkness. Several birds shrieked their response and flapped away on fearful wings. A thin cry pierced the night, a shriek as frail as humanity itself. Dori felt her inner beast rear its head and she flew toward Addison.
The trees ended abruptly and she stopped a few feet into the clearing. Percy stood waiting for her, his bloody mouth twisted into a sinister sneer. Addison was limp in his arms, throat torn, but Dori could hear her faint heartbeat. Percy tossed the ragdoll body to the ground and started toward her, his pace deliberate.
“
I’ll kill you!” she shrieked. With her windblown hair and frantic eyes, she resembled a banshee sent straight from Hell.
He stopped a few feet away. “Shut up! This isn’t about you; it never was. I got what I wanted, and I got to have a little fun too.” The frenzied chortling of his minions echoed in her ears as they flocked to the battle that was about to erupt.
Dori’s breath was ragged, not from physical exertion, because the hatred welling up in her chest was making breathing difficult. She stood her ground, preparing to orchestrate her wrath on anything and anyone who stood between her and Addison’s rescue. The coven of vampires who had surrounded her in this forest all those weeks ago had taken their places once again. She banished the feeling of déjà vu before it had truly registered. This was not the same at all. This time, Grandma didn’t offer any words of advice. This time, she wasn’t Percy’s victim. This time, she wasn’t afraid.
“
How fitting for your final performance, Mrs. Sahfi!” Percy clasped his hands together in a mocking gesture of delight. “Oh! How silly of me, I mean Mrs. Corso. What will you be performing tonight? How about a touching rendition of the Dying Swan?” The hissing laughter that burned in her memory once again cut through the night air and her heart. “She’s all yours, boys!”
Cries of battle filled the air, but she was ready. Before the others entered the clearing, debris was hurtling toward them. The trees were snapping and popping, some pulled up by the roots, and were thudding to the ground with great tremors. She crushed as many as she could, using nothing more than her mind as a weapon. A good number of them were subdued in this initial attack. It wasn’t enough to kill them, but they would be down for quite some time while their bodies healed.
There were still about fifteen that were running toward her, their faces registering surprise at their fallen comrades. She took to rolling the trees toward them, herding them toward her like giant steamrollers, crushing everything in their paths. She snarled and focused on her next weapon.
The stones that lay at the base of the cliff behind her, fallen from the precipice far above during more peaceful times, made wonderful projectiles. She hefted them and launched them at the vampires who were attacking her. It was effortless to crush the first group of attackers with a boulder the size of a Buick. The snapping of bone was drowned out by the thud of the rock hitting the earth. A second wave of vampires darted around their fallen coven-mates, only to be steamrolled by an ancient Black Oak. They were being pulverized between the stones and the pursuing trees. Howls of pain rang out, but she just kept hurling boulders. She was giving into the frenzy that was roiling in her; but instead of burning away her anger, she grew more incensed, hate breeding hate.
A lone vampire escaped and ran toward her at full speed. She stood proud and stared into Trinian’s eyes as he closed the short gap between them. She crouched to attack and he gritted his teeth and grunted as he spratedtoong at her coiled body. What he didn’t expect was for her to dodge his efforts by rolling to the ground. He overshot and before he realized it, she was on top of him with her hand crushing his throat.
“
Sorry you can’t stick around for the second act.” With one quick movement and a shower of blood, Trinian’s body took leave of its head. She stood and watched as his remains flailed about trying to seam itself back together. She hurled another crop of rocks and pinned down the pieces in such a way as to keep them separate until she could finish him off. She returned her attention to Percy, who was slowly clapping his approval.
“
Bravo! That was the performance of your life, young one, but I’m afraid it isn’t time for intermission yet. Act one, scene two is about to begin.” Addison whimpered but didn’t regain consciousness. Percy kicked her in the gut and raised his arms like a mad conductor. He swung them through the air marking a four-beat tempo and then acted as though he was signaling the instruments in the back of the imaginary orchestra.
Perfectly timed calls echoed faintly through the night. Percy held an extended finger to his pursed lips, as if he was shushing the instruments. Her heightened sense detected the smell of burning incense. The distant voices bore thick foreign accents. They were all calling for Addison.
“
What wonderful news, the clergy is coming to save the day! Too bad they split up...don’t they know there is power in numbers?” Percy’s commentary was beyond annoying. She glared at him, fury in her eyes.
“
Don’t be so upset, Dori. I have a gift for you, a piece of your past! Be patient, he will be here any moment!”
Percy’s hands were once again directing his unseen orchestra. He stretched out and pointed toward the left side of the clearing, signaling an entrance.
On cue, an older gentleman stepped out of the trees, preceded by the cone-shaped beam of his flashlight. He was looking around at the ground as he stepped over fallen debris, pausing at the sight of the crushed bodies and tree trunks strewn like confetti. He made the sign of the cross, but lifted his gaze as Addison whimpered. In the pale light, Percy stood bastion over Addison’s withered body, but his eyes were riveted to Dori.
“
Amir! How nice of you to join us!” Percy sounded distant; the man staring at her captivated Dori’s attention. Despite the flashlight in her face, she could see his features perfectly. His eyes held hers like a drowning man clutching a lifesaver. She stumbled backward as if slapped by an invisible hand. It was the impact of a life forgotten, stolen rather, disappeared into a green abyss. She closed her eyes as memories crashed into her, filling holes in her that she didn’t even know existed.
A simple wedding, gentle eyes, a small, hectic house, a swollen belly, a glowing pink room, a tiny, blonde-haired child, a delivery room, the cry of a tiny soul with pudgy cheeks, a wooden box filled with priceless mementos, “Amir?” she yelped.
“
Al Hamdullay La!
Dorianna?” It was the voice from her dream. A voice she had known all along. A voice that was taken away by someone else who swore his love to her. Amir took a tentative step toward her, and then he began to run. She was still, paralyzed by the reality which her bra whn clutcin was trying to reconcile. The memories each slipped into place, organized neatly where they belonged. The final image was of this man sobbing himself to sleep after consoling her older daughter. Dori could still hear his cries like a wounded animal. She remembered how her love for him swelled in that moment. She took a step toward Amir, her arms reaching out toward him.
“
Oh, but there is a sad twist to this reunion,” Percy’s voice halted them both. “You guys play for opposite teams now.” Percy turned to her. “Amir abandoned your children to stay at the monastery to mourn your death, Dori. Tonight, he fights with them to rid the scourge in this forest.” He turned back to a teary-eyed Amir. “Alas, she was seduced into a new life by a hypnotizing vampire named Michael. So you see
she
is the very same evil you are here to do away with. What a conundrum!” Percy was high on the events of the evening. His hysterical laughter made her stomach roll and she choked on her own nausea.
“
Where are my girls?” she whispered with pleading eyes.
“
They are with your mother. I was so distraught, I just couldn’t...I didn’t know how...”
“
NO!!! She isn’t yours anymore!” Like a bullet, Michael shot through the clearing taking down Amir as easily as Dori had taken down the trees. She was close to being overwhelmed by everything going on around her. Separating one emotion from another was impossible. She was trembling, gasping for air and control.
“
I just love it when a plan comes together!”
“
Shut up! No one cares about your fucking commentary!”
“
Dori, is that any way for a lady to talk?” His tone was reproachful, but she wasn’t paying attention to him anymore. She was focused on the way that Michael was curling his iron fingers around Amir’s throat. Amir’s body was writhing and his face, discolored from lack of oxygen, was visible in the beam of his fallen flashlight. She was distracted by Addison’s low groan and she glanced over to see her friend stirring on the forest floor. The first signs of life were audible from the dozens of vampires crushed in the initial onslaught. Time was of the essence and the beast within was clawing at her chest, clamoring to get out.
She returned her gaze to Michael and began running simultaneously. “Stop! You can’t -”
“
I can’t lose you!” His voice, full of emotion, broke as he yelled to her. Without looking away, he closed his grip on Amir’s throat. His fingers sunk into flesh and Amir gurgled as blood spurted from gaping holes. His body went slack and the blood slowed from a river to a trickle. As if Amir was an insignificant fly, Michael crushed the life from the enigmatic man lying on the ground beneath him.
“
NO!” Dori’s voice shrieked into the night, alerting man and animal alike to the ongoing slaughter. Without pausing to contemplate her action, she launched herself at Michael and slammed into him at top speed. They tumbled over each other in a ball of fists and teeth. Her fight was led by her rage. She wanted to hurt him, to punish him for making her feel this way. She tore at his skin, bit into his flesh, not to feed, just to injure. He didn’t return the onslaught; he was merely trying to subdue her.
“
Dori, let me explain. OW! Easy,
Preziosa
!” Hearing the nickname he used with her fueled her anger, and she doubled her efforts. She pinned him down and threw back her head in a wild cry of fury. The beast inside her was all consuming, driven by the man who doomed her to this existence.
“
You were unhappy with him! I wanted so much to show you the love that you deserved.”
“
That doesn’t mean it was okay to take away my memory of him! Think about how he suffered. Think about my children!” The weight of that thought crushed her chest.
“
It was the only way,
Preziosa
. You weren’t going to let them go. I knew I could make you happy. I wanted to be happy with you, together we could have it all. That’s why I took you, I didn’t expect the accident to be so bad, but it all worked out. I have to say -” He was babbling, trying to talk reason to a woman pushed to madness.
“
What do you mean you didn’t expect the accident to be so bad?” She growled ominously.
Michael, realizing he’d said too much, backpedaled furiously. “What I mean is that I never wanted you to be hurt, I didn’t push that hard, but the road was so bad and you hit that tree so hard -”
Dori cut him off again. “You pushed my car? You caused the accident?” The crimson that had previously tainted her vision darkened. She was being pushed into a black insanity where everything she held dear was sucked away. The obscure nothingness overwhelmed her and she snapped. As abruptly as Michael had ended Amir’s life, so too would his end. She sank her teeth into the meaty part of his neck, drawing his life into her. She drank deeply, taking in not only his blood, but all of his essence. In that moment they were one entity. Her feelings and memories were his and his were hers. She saw Abraham’s journal. She saw the final entry. She knew how to end Percival Barwicke for good. Then she saw herself through his eyes. She felt his unconditional love for her. She saw his regret as he pushed her car in the storm. She saw his torment over hypnotizing her. She saw his anguish as he used her grandmother’s voice in her mind to direct her actions.
The last realization was too much for her. Not only did he take away her husband and children, he took her beloved grandmother from her posthumously. He used the memory of her to manipulate Dori in the deepest way. Percy chortled as he watched Dori piece together the story of her life. She snapped and tore at Michael’s flesh until what was left was unrecognizable and scattered across the clearing in bloody clumps. Hitching laughter rang out, echoing through the forest. It bounced off boulders and ricocheted off tree trunks, enveloping Dori.
She sat, stunned and frozen by what had transpired. She ached for what had become of her life. She mourned for Amir’s loss. She was angry and saddened by Michael. Her anger at his actions was nowhere near abating, but she longed for his embrace. She yearned for the arms that had once so gently comforted her. It was all gone, lying dead in this horrible place.
The minutes passed and night crept closer to day. The sky began to lighten. The crushed vampires that made up Percy’s coven were twitching back to life, weakened by the healing process. Fighting fatigue, she moved toward Addison.owaThe She had to finish this and save her friend. She could hear men calling out deep in the forest, still searching for Addison and drawn by the sounds of the fighting. Her approach was interrupted by Percy’s gloating.
“
Well, I will have to admit that this performance tops the one at the ballet. I knew I could direct a better show than that idiot Robert Haines. It’s really all about the timing. Bad timing can trip you up, right? I think you can agree that tonight was perfect! There is just enough time left for the final act.” He turned toward Addison, whose eyes were open and staring at a blood-covered Dori. “I’m afraid that all of this bloodshed has made me hungry for a snack.”