Prophecy of the Undead (13 page)

She looked up and smiled at him.

“I’ve got some stuff in the centrifuge but I can’t do anything else until that stops. What’s up?”

Yuri sighed with impatient frustration.

“I must travel tomorrow night...to Paris. I’m on a board of directors there which doesn’t allow us to vote by proxy or on-line. I have to be there in person. Do you want to come to Paris with me?”

Keisha frowned and shook her head.

“I don’t think so...not this time. I’m working really hard at the whole synthetic blood idea and I don’t want to lose any time on that. Also, I’m still doing research about the whole idea of alien vampires. I’m pretty sure that’s how this whole thing got started. You go ahead and go.”

“I’ll miss you, you know. Holding you in my arms as I sleep all day is rapidly becoming an addiction I don’t want to break.”

She nodded. “I like it too. How long will you be gone?”

He shrugged. “I’ve stayed longer just for fun before. If I leave tomorrow night, catch the red-eye, then vote the next night at the meeting, I should be able to be back by early morning the next day. I’ll really only be gone for two nights.”

“I should be able to take care of myself for a couple of nights. I’m a big girl.”

“I’ll let the servants know you will be the only one feeding. Just please remember to do so when you wake up. We don’t want you getting faint again when I’m not here to catch you.”

“I know. I know. Thanks...Dad.”

Yuri got up from the couch and advanced toward her. He didn’t stop until he was right in front of her, and one hand caressed her shoulder. He placed one finger from his other hand under her chin and forced her head up, to look into his eyes.

“The relationship between a maker and a fledgling is kind of similar to a parent and child. Only so far as I need to give you the benefit of my years of learning how to exist as you are now so that things are easier for you. Many unfortunates are turned and then deserted. They either carelessly burn up in the sun or they go insane from realizing what they have become and find some way to kill themselves. Or some fool with religious psycho-babble in his heads stabs them through the heart with a pointy stick.”

“You said that won’t kill you.”

“Not me, no. Not anymore. Not since I survived the last time, and that was over sixty years ago. I had grown strong enough by then for the blood to heal me. After I dispatched my attackers, of course. As a newbie like yourself—even with my blood, along with that of the two Ancient Ones—you are still new to this condition. You don’t really know how to hunt yet since you haven’t had to. There’s so much I still need to teach you. I wonder if I should even leave you. Maybe I’ll tell them I can’t make it this year.”

“Is it important that you be there?”

He shrugged. “Yes, but nothing is more important than you.”

“I told you I’ll be fine for a couple of nights. Just don’t be gone longer than that or I might have to go find me some gorgeous man to have sex with, since you haven’t taught me yet how to fuck with his mind while I feed. Instead, I’d have to fuck his body, and then put the bite on him while he’s in orgasm. Hmm...that does sound like fun.”

Yuri pulled her closer to crush her lips with his. He ground his hips against her while his hands traveled down to her lower curves. He cupped her butt in both hands and lifted her a few inches off of the floor. He growled.

“No other man touches you. You are mine.”

Keisha’s eyes were unfocused as she responded to his touch.

“Yes, I am. If you are going to be gone the next couple of nights then we had better have some world-class orgasms before you go so I won’t miss you so much.”

“Aren’t you in the middle of something?”

“Yes, but you have flight plans to make, right?”

“Yes.”

“Then I’ll finish what I’m doing and you make those plans. Then I’ll race you to the bedroom.”

A slow leer crawled across his face. “Deal.”

* * * *

After his arrival in Paris the next night, Yuri called home.

“Hello, Yuri?”

“Yes. I had to hear your voice.”

“How was the flight?”

“Uneventful and boring. How is your research going?”

She sounded excited. “I think I’ve found something. I’m doing some research while I wait for the centrifuge again. This stuff is fascinating.”

“Do you want to tell me about it?”

“No, let me do some more reading first. Then if what I suspect is right, I’ll be so excited I won’t be able to stop myself from telling you tomorrow night. What time do you think you’ll be done?”

“The voting should be finished by about ten. I made my flight reservations for midnight. Whether or not we are done, I’ll leave after that to catch my plane.”

“What time will that get you home?”

“I’ll get into Chicago about two in the morning your time. I might rent a car or I might be so impatient to see you that I just fly home.”
Keisha giggled.

“Well, I’d pick the flying, if I were you. I still want to learn how to do that...it’s so cool. Besides, I miss you already. I’m sure I’ll miss you more tomorrow night since I’ll have to wait for so many hours to even hear your voice again.”

“Being here again reminded me why Paris is called the city of love. I will have to bring you here someday—to share it with you.”

“I’ve been to Paris before but only for conferences. I’d barely have time to take a peek at the Eiffel Tower, or the Arc du Triomphe, and then I’d rush back to a plane to fly home again. It would be nice to be able to enjoy it, especially with you.”

“Then we will make plans soon. Now I will bid you
adieu
. Don’t lose track of the time or you might pass out in the lab. That would make for a very uncomfortable day’s sleep for you. I will see you tomorrow night, my love.”

“Okay. Good night and hurry back to me.”

Keisha hung up the phone and hurried over to the timer and shut it off. She soon was deeply engrossed in her research.

Yuri pulled the covers over his head and was dead to the world.

* * * *

A few hours into his flight back, Yuri got a sudden flash of terror. His head pounded and bright lights flickered in his mind. He staggered to the tiny bathroom and sat on the toilet seat to breathe deeply and then he dialed home. It seemed to take forever before the phone was answered.

“Hello?” The voice sounded drugged and unsteady.

“Keisha. Are you alright?”

“Yuri? Where are you? I was reading, then suddenly I thought I was going blind. There was a red cloud over my eyes and I couldn’t see the screen anymore. I moved back to try to focus but it’s still hard to see. That headache came back with a vengeance. It’s pounding between my ears now and behind my eyes. I feel like someone is in here with a mallet, beating my brains into mush.”

Yuri tried to calm himself enough to calm her down.

“I’ll be there as soon as I can. What time is it there?”

“I don’t know. It was about eight when the pain started, I think. I don’t know what I’m going to do if it gets worse.”

“Hold on, love. I’ll be in Chicago by two. I’ll fly as quickly as I can back to you. Can you hold on just a few more hours?”

“I’ll...I’ll try. Just hurry.”

“I will,” he replied but the phone disconnected.

Yuri gnashed his teeth in frustration. He needed to feed sometime before the plane landed so he would have the strength to fly at top speed back home.

What could do this to her? The change was progressing normally. Everything changed in her like it was supposed to. Why now? Why the pain? It was like someone is in her brain with her? What? Could it be? No...it can’t be...but it might be them...or him. But why? Why attack her? What reason could they have to want to cause her pain?
I swear, if it is them, I’ll kill them myself, or die trying.

* * * *

A few minutes after three, Yuri tore off his coat as he ran up to his front door and threw it open. The silence from inside was ominous.

“Keisha? Keisha, where are you?”

He raced through the house and down the stairs to the lab. What he saw stopped him in his tracks when he reached the bottom of the stairs.

His servant was at the bottom of the stairs, glassy eyes staring accusatorily up at him, as if blaming him for his death. There was a huge gash on his neck and another on his arm, but not much blood.

He gingerly stepped over the body and called out softly, “Keisha? Where are you?”

There was no answer. Then he heard a muffled moan from the supply room. He ran to the door and threw it open.

Keisha knelt on the floor, rocking and mumbling. She had a knife in one hand and used it to poke holes in herself. There were gashes all over her body. Blood covered the floor around her, soaking her clothing and sitting in pools. Judging by the splattered droplets on the walls, she had been slapping at the blood for quite a while.

Yuri swallowed hard. He moved slowly over to her, speaking gently, “Keisha, my love. You are not well. Please give me the knife.” He reached out his hand.

She turned her head up to look at him. He was shocked by the blood red color of her eyes. Even the whites of her eyes were red. Her mumbling grew louder, and he realized it was a language he didn’t know...one he had never heard before.

He grasped the knife by the blade but didn’t expect the downward thrust that sliced his hand open. The blood ran down his arm.

Keisha moved forward and tilted her head so the blood ran into her mouth.

At least she’s stopped mumblin
g
. What the fuck is going on?

While drinking, Keisha closed her eyes and relaxed her grip on the knife. Yuri eased it out of her hand and threw it under a nearby shelf.

Keisha started when it thumped against the wall. She pulled her head back and sat up straighter to stare at Yuri with blood-red eyes.

“Keisha. Can you hear me? Can you answer me?”

She moaned.

“I’m going to have a little taste of you—to try to reach your mind. Is that okay with you?”

She stared at him uncomprehendingly. He leaned forward, pulled her arm up to his face, and licked at a dripping wound.

Instantly his head exploded with pain. Blood pounded, colors flashed across his eyes, noises shrieked, and a low man’s voice mumbled in the same indecipherable language she used. Yuri drew back in shock to stare at her. Shaking his head, he tried to clear out the images of death and destruction.

“Keisha, honey, I’m going to try again. I know you’re still in there...but you aren’t alone. I’m going to find you and bring you back to me. Listen for me, and follow the sound of my voice.”

He lifted the arm again and his tongue delicately poked at the open wound. This time he ignored all of the pain, the lights, the noise, and he searched for the woman he loved. He found her huddled in a dark corner, curled into a fetal ball. He picked her up and carried her in his arms, whispering words of love and comfort.

“Just keep listening to the sound of my voice, I love you. Please come back with me. I need you to come back to me.”

When he severed the blood connection by pulling his tongue back, he studied her face.

She shook her head and groaned.

“Can you open your eyes and look at me, my love?”

She lifted her head and her eyelids trembled while they fought to open. When they did, he was relieved to see the hazel and gold of her irises had reasserted itself. She stared into his face and then she threw herself into his arms. Blood-red tears flowed down her face as she sobbed, clutching at him.

“I was so lost. I didn’t know where I was. Everything hurt. He hurt me.”

Yuri pulled her onto his lap and held her while she broke apart. He murmured words of comfort to her in every language he knew. Still she sobbed so loudly that he was afraid for her. Her limbs trembled as she shook on his lap. He held her tightly and rocked her, raining kisses on her head and rubbing her arms and shoulders to remind her that she had a body and could still feel it.

He had no idea how much time passed but it seemed like forever before Keisha’s sobbing grew quieter. Gradually the trembling ceased and she was quiet on his lap. Still afraid for her, he tilted her head up to gently kiss both of her eyelids before he licked her luscious full lips, and then kissed them.

“Can you open your eyes again for me? Can you look at me?”

She nodded and then looked up at him with the terror of a small child.

“What happened?” she whispered. “How could I lose myself like that?”

Yuri held her tightly, trying to contain his growing rage.

“I’ve never seen anything like that before, but I’ve heard stories.”

He gently smoothed her hair back to cup her face in that hand, caressing her high cheekbones.

“I’ve heard that only the very Old Ones are able to, in essence, break into your mind and make you a prisoner in your own head. I don’t think I could do it but I’ve never wanted to find out. I would never violate another person like that. It’s rape of the worst kind. You said
he
. There needs to be a blood connection. I have an idea who might have done it.”