The Dark Proposal (The Claire McCormick Trilogy) (16 page)

Then he looked at her. “One of the reasons why I believe you’re fit for this existence is because of your skepticism.” She frowned. “You are not afraid, no heaven or hell to answer to. And yet, you love life. You try to live in the moment. Most humans do not. So why not give you eternity where you can love life for as long as…whoever knows?”

Claire tried to smile, but she could not. He saw that and simply added, “When you are made like us, you’ll see the power we have and how we will always reign over humanity. Striking fear into mortals, exercising a power and strength they can only wish to have. Basically,” he leaned forward. “We are the Gods, and its a thrilling feeling.”

Claire wasn’t satisfied with that answer. It sounded pompous, narcissistic and frightening. A thought crept into her subconscious, telling her she should have kept her lack-of-religious beliefs to herself during that first meeting in late August in TriBeCa. Maybe if she did, Daniel wouldn’t have been attracted to her.

She traced a scratch on the table, before saying, “And you think of me as worthy for this life as she did of you?”

“Yes, Claire. I do,” he said, drawing out each word carefully.

She was silent, staring at the top of the table. He was watching her.

Then something else crept into her mind and she lifted her head. “Who was Henry?”

At first, Daniel looked confused. Then his eyes lit up slightly with stun. He must have been amazed she remembered that name from when Hilde would take him aside to argue with him, back when she was known as Sarah.

“He used to be one of us. But he died.”

“How was that possible?”

Daniel circled the brim of his empty cup, trying to figure out the correct words to speak.

“He didn’t obey the rules laid down by the Brothers. He was a young vampire who was set free from his maker too soon. I don’t know who transformed him, but that one was definitely punished for not being strict enough with Henry.

“Anyway,” he went on. “One of the rules is to not be so open about who you are. In Henry’s case, he would feed and sometimes kill people that he was not supposed to. Because of the increased security around the world, it is best that we vampires feed off of mortals who are not in everyday situations. Meaning, don’t go to bars, find someone to invite back to your place and then drink from them. What do you do with the body? We have to cover our tracks better, so we don’t hunt mortals like we used to; we have to be extra careful. I miss those days when we could have whomever we wanted.”

“So Henry would take people back to his place and feed off of them?” Claire’s eyes were widening. “You said Colin Willis’ was killed by a vampire. Henry was the one?”

Daniel nodded with a hint of empathy and he went on. “The police easily figured it out that it was him and they were preparing to arrest him. At the same time, the Brothers were going to arrest him for breaking their rules and give him harsh punishment. Facing arrest on both sides, he chose to end his life for good. On a summer day, he went to the rooftop of his apartment and exposed himself to the sun. He was only a 130 year old vampire, so he did not last long in the light. He turned to ash, and that was the end of him.”

He cleared his throat and went on. “He haunts us all, because he could have had us arrested. And I mean every vampire. One connection could have led to another, and we all would have been doomed. Hilde knew him since she was living in New York during that time. She remembers how reckless he was, and that makes her nervous about any newcomer.”

He then leaned over and wrapped his hand around Claire’s. “But I have faith in you and in myself to not let what happened with Henry to happen again.”

He was confident in his beliefs, but Claire could not adapt to it. She could feel the shivers going through her as she reflected on Daniel mentioning how fun it was for him to hunt whomever he wanted and do whatever he wanted to those people. He clearly seemed to miss those days, and was frustrated with living even more underground thanks to technology. Was this what he wanted from her? How could she enjoy an existence of limitations when he said there were none not too long ago?

Wait, what was she thinking? She could never enjoy being a vampire! Killing people, even while being careful - whatever that meant - would not bring joy to her. Where was the pleasure in killing someone in her?

She glanced up and saw him watching her. Definitely reading her mind as well.

“Claire,” he said sternly. “The laws don’t allow humans to know about us. What usually happens is that when a human rejects becoming a vampire, or knows too much, they become prisoners of the Brothers until the day they die - and the Brothers are very good at hiding their prisoners.”

“And what will they do to me?”

“First they will do what I am already doing: kill those around you to make you realize you could’ve saved them had you said yes. We don’t respect human blood ties because we have our own. Second, you will become nourishment for the Brothers. Meaning, they will feed off of you until you somehow die. It’s easier to do that than hunt every night. They’ll also have you as a slave in every sense of the term, and I will not be able to stop that. Basically, Claire, only you could save yourself and your loved ones, if you agree to join me.”

She was feeling numb in all aspects of her being. He had told her so much about himself, the vampire world, and his insistence that she be like him. He also had warned her that she would face torture and suffering by a group of vampires she only learned about that moment.

After a few minutes, one of the coffee shop employees walked by and told them the place was closing in a half hour. That made the two of them get up and leave. They walked down to the corner and waited, waited for the other person to make the next move.

Finally, Claire dared herself to speak, though she kept her head down. “You said you love me.”

Daniel put his fingers under her chin and lifted her head. “You know I do, or else I wouldn’t have told you all this. Or proposed that you join me for all eternity rather than suffer for years to come.”

She let out a shaky sigh. “There is still a lot to think about. A lot to go over.”

“Understandable. You aren’t as desperate as I was.”

“Let me go home to figure all this out. Please give me time.”

He paused before saying, “Okay. But let’s meet Saturday night. I know a place we can go to, so you can…absorb everything.”

“All right, let’s do that,” she said, too quickly. They looked at each other for a minute. Daniel reached out and ran a single finger through her hair, before leaning down to give her a short, gentle kiss. He then squeezed her shoulder and turned to head for the bus that took him to the city.

Claire watched him go until he disappeared in the horizon. She then relaxed and let the tears well up in her eyes before closing them so they could flow.

CHAPTER EIGHT

“You can’t do that!” Samantha cried. “Are you crazy?”

It was the next evening, and the three girls were preparing dinner after a long day. Claire had just come home from the college while Monica had another day substituting. Samantha spent the afternoon at a job interview that didn’t go very well. Added to Claire’s announcement that she was going to give Daniel another chance, she was not in the best mood.

Claire stirred the macaroni and cheese in the pot, not looking at either of her roommates. “We met last night and talked things over. He admitted to being a jerk and said he was sorry.”

“Sorry my ass!” Samantha slammed the forks she had in her hands on the table. “He hurt you, both physically and mentally! What are you thinking?”

“He hurt her?” Monica looked confused as she poured the soda. “Since when?”

The two other girls stared at her, remembering how she suddenly forgot everything Claire told her about Daniel. Claire wondered if it was best Monica didn’t remember what she had told her.

“I exaggerated,” she began. “The truth is, he did grab me but didn’t beat me up or anything like that.”

“Whoa, wait. You made up that he hurt you?” Samantha narrowed her eyes.

“Yeah, I did. I just was angry at him.” She turned around and went back stirring the pot.

Samantha went over to her and put her hands on her hips. “First you say he hurt you, then you say you made it up. That’s not the Claire I know. So, tell me, and refresh Monica’s poor memory. What is going on?”

“I just told you,” Claire felt her aggravation rise. “We had a fight, things got nasty. But he contacted me the other day and we met last night to talk things over. He apologized. I’m willing to give him another chance.”

“But what about your arm? You told us he nearly tore it off.”

“I made it up!” Claire snapped. “Now, if you don’t mind, I’d like to have dinner.”

In a huff, Samantha went back setting the table. Monica looked unsure of what to do or say next. Claire just kept stirring, an angry look on her face.

Dinner was tense, with Monica talking the most about substituting for a kindergarten class. The other two showed interest, but avoided directly talking to each other. Cleaning up was done in silence.

While Monica took a shower and Samantha watched TV, Claire went into her bedroom to complete one of her assignments. She didn’t come out until the next morning.

For the next two days, she worked at the school and on her freelancing. She went to the coffee shop to do the latter in order to avoid Samantha’s glares mixed with disgust and concern.

During this, Claire felt like she was living an out of body experience. Her meals tasted different, her hearing was off, she saw things in different colors, but she refused to admit all of this. She believed things would work out for the best, somehow.

Even at the college, Nancy noticed something was wrong. The secretary took her aside once, pointing out that Claire was acting like a space cadet.

“You just bumped into your desk twice in one hour,” she said. “Is everything okay?”

“Yes,” Claire got defensive. “I’m fine.”

Nancy could only shrug. Ever since Claire pointed out how unfriendly she was to Daniel whenever he came into the office, Nancy had been keeping her distance. Claire knew she was missing those times when she would chat with the older woman, but she didn’t know how to admit to her that she was right about Daniel.

She continued to exchange texts and phone calls with Daniel. They mostly chatted about their work. Again, she was a rock for him as he voiced his annoyance over his students slacking off before finals. These students had come far, he said, and they should have the strength and will to put up with the last two weeks of classes. As for next semester, he will again have two introductory English classes, but it was looking as if he would get the Intro to Playwriting course. When she suggested they celebrate this chance, Daniel turned it down as it was not yet official. However, he did have a place they could go to Saturday night. His friends, Hilde, Michel and the Brooklyn trio, would be there. All she had to do was wear dark clothes to fit the scene.

“Is this one of the Black Roses’ goth hangouts?” she asked over the phone.

“Something like that,” he said.

On Saturday, Claire was doing one of the weekly chores by cleaning the bathroom. Monica was vacuuming, while Samantha dusted the furniture. Both Samantha and Claire kept things polite but distant. Whenever she looked as if she wanted to confront her, Claire would turn away. She knew it was immature, but she didn’t want to hear what Samantha had to say.

Finally, while Monica went out to get the mail, and Claire was making tuna fish sandwiches, Samantha took her chance. “Look, you can’t go on avoiding me like this. How more childish can you get?”

“I’m not being childish; you’re irritating me.” Claire refused to face her.

“Well, you’re irritating me by your childishness. I’m only doing and saying what is best for you, Claire.”

“Since when did you become my mother?” she growled.

“Oh God!” Samantha rolled her eyes. “Don’t do this, please! We’ve been good friends for four years, and now you’re going to throw it all away because I am worried about you?”

“There’s nothing to worry about.” Claire sighed and looked at her. “Like I said, Dan and I are working things out. We’re going to spend time together tonight, and it may make or break us. Anything is possible. Now, please let us be!”

“Okay,” Samantha hesitated. “Okay, fine. If that is how it’s going to be. I just hope you know what you’re doing after all that’s happened.”

Claire was about to retort when Monica came back in, her hand filled with envelopes. She darted her dark eyes back and forth between the two before sticking her hand out. “The bills are in. Who wants to take a chance?”

For the rest of the day, the three roommates kept their relations civil. The only time they seriously spoke to each other was when one of the daughters of their landlords stopped by to tell them about her mother’s funeral next week. The three then gathered at the kitchen table to wonder about their future. Samantha wanted to move, and so did Monica. But they were concerned over who would take three underemployed tenants.

“I’ll see what happens between me and Daniel. If it works out, I’ll move in with him,” Claire told them.

Again, Samantha narrowed her eyes. “Wait a minute. Didn’t you say that he somehow was involved in Theresa’s murder?”

Monica jolted forward in shock and that made the other two gasp. “Whoa, was I not here when this all happened?” she said. “I mean, was I on another planet when Theresa was killed?”

Claire patted her arm. “No, I said that because I was angry at him. I do strange things when I’m pissed at someone.”

“Really?” Samantha snorted. “That’s news to me.”

“This is all news to me,” Monica looked pale. “I feel like I’m going nuts. I don’t remember you saying anything bad about Daniel. It’s like you and Samantha know something I don’t!”

The other two got quiet and decided to focus on calming her down. Monica wasn’t losing her mind, they told her. The shock over Theresa’s death made her forget several things. The murder was making them do strange things too, and she was not alone.