The Embrace (45 page)

A quick scan assured me that the world wasn’t ending. The paper was merely filled with the usual tales of human triumphs and suffering.  I read these bleak messages without emotion but as I reached the middle of the issue a headline caught my eye.

“FAMILY MASSACRED IN FORMER CRIME SCENE”

I don’t know why it caught my eye, or why I bothered to look at it more closely than I looked at the other articles. The story wasn’t any more unusual than any of the others, but something told me I needed to read it.

“Police have yet to solve the murder of  the Grove family, a crime which has rocked the small town of Edge Wood. Penelope Grove was found mutilated in her home 2 weeks ago, along with the bodies of her sons Freddy and Archie.”

Penelope Grove. This was my aunt, the woman who had helped to raise me after the death of my mother. I hadn’t seen her in years and I had grown to hate her after discovering that she had cut me out of her will; her death severed the last link I had to my forgotten humanity.

Freddy and Archie were my cousins, and I had grown up alongside them. I had left my childhood home to Penny and the boys without any joy, but I had never expected that they would be brutally murdered inside it.

The article didn’t end there and so I read on before I became too distracted.

“Mrs Grove inherited the home from her niece, Louisa Reed (now 21). The home has long been plagued by mysterious murders. 8 years ago the home was the site of the murder of Louisa’s father Bill, brother Michael (18) and sister Beth (16). Louisa, who was just 13 at the time, miraculously survived unscathed while her mother Catherine was hospitalised but later recovered.

At the time of the massacres, young Louisa came under media scrutiny and a number of conspiracy theories circulated. Louisa was released in to the custody of Mrs Grove while her mother was treated for depression. The young girl claimed that she didn’t see the face of her attacker. The investigation soon ran cold.

Last year Catherine Reed died after a long struggle with alcoholism. Her daughter Louisa disappeared several months ago and police have yet to locate her whereabouts. They believe that she ran away willingly as she transfered ownership of the home in to Penelope’s name shortly before her disappearance.

The home has now been thrown in to the media spotlight once again after the bodies of the three Grove family members were discovered. Each of the victims were beaten and stabbed, much like the victims of the massacre 8 years ago.”

I didn’t need to read anymore. I had never been one to keep my finger on the pulse of local news but I realised then why I had been drawn to this article. All of the pieces slid in to place and I couldn’t help but smile to myself.

It may seem strange to say I was smiling at the death of a family member, even if I had no mortal connection to her, but there was more to it than that. The only other vampires who knew about my childhood home were Gabriel, who had lived there with me, and Aiden who had visited the home once to kill my family on Gabriel’s orders.

Gabriel had fled quickly after murdering Robert, obviously aware of the fact that he could never return to the nest again in case I was waiting for him. I had frequently wondered where he could be, and if he would come looking for me, but now I knew he was hiding out in my childhood home.

It was far too much of a coincidence for another vampire to come across my family home and kill the residents. Gabriel already had access to my home as I had invited him in to end my life. He would have no qualms about murdering Penny and he knew that I didn’t want to return to my childhood home, as I had no interest in revisting my old life.

It all made sense now. I didn’t know if Gabriel was aware of the article but just in case, I knew I would have to act quickly. Gabriel would flee the country when he found out that his hide out had been compromised, so this was my last chance to strike.

I didn’t have a plan of attack, but I would have to get thinking. If Gabriel left the country I would forever be looking over my shoulder in fear. Now was the last chance I had to secure my safety and to avenge Robert’s death.

It barely took any time at all to work out what I would do. When I decided on my plan, a strange sense of peace seemed to fall over me. I knew that whatever happened I had done my part, and I would make Robert proud.

I had some things I had to do before I put my plan in to place. I had decided to leave this home after I had carried out my plan and start my life over again somewhere else. I was reluctant to leave as I had found so much comfort in Robert’s home, so I had decided to keep the house in my name in case I ever returned to London.

I couldn’t risk leaving all of these prized possessions in the home, just in case. I wanted them to be near me so that I could always feel close to Robert.

Vampires don’t tend to be tied down by possessions. That is one of the things we pride ourselves on, something which separates us from the humans who put so much meaning on material items. But Robert had been a vampire for nearly 1000 years and had accrued an enormous collection. These items represented his life and they deserved to be treated with respect.

His library contained momentos from throughout history, and would probably be worth a fortune. The bedroom upstairs contained dedications to each of his former mates, including myself. All of these items meant something to me, and had once meant something to Robert.

I found some boxes and packed up all of the old novels first. That night I found a storage firm and arranged for them to pick up the boxes the next day. When I performed my plan the house would seem abandoned, just in case an enemy stumbled upon it. Everything would be complete.

I got to work finishing the preparations. I had a long night ahead of me and I had to be ready. It felt strange packing up everything in the house, reducing Robert’s life to a bunch of boxes.

I would keep his belongings in a storage space in London which meant I could access them whenever I wanted, whenever I needed to be reminded of the impact Robert had made on me during our short time together.

That night I slept in Robert’s bedroom for what might be the last time. I left all of the boxes in the front hall to be collected the next day and then I went to bed. My whole body was tingling with anticipation. I had so much to do and I needed everything to go perfectly if I was to be free.

I woke up the next night and put on the white dress Robert had lent me during our first meeting. White is the colour of purity, the blank slate, and it made me feel like I was beginning my life over again. I was going to be free from everything I had been through, and I would finally be ready to start over again.

When I reached the hallway I was pleased to see that all of the boxes had been removed. There was a small receipt on the coffee table but I didn’t bother looking at it. I had paid in cash as vampires rarely leave a paper trail. I was struck by the poignancy of Robert’s home now that all of his personal items had been removed. There was nothing there to remind me of him anymore. Every memory I held was now internal, something I had to carry through life on my own.

I left the home reluctantly and went to start my plan. I was reluctant to leave the place behind. I hoped that one day I would be able to return to London and visit the areas which had shaped my life.  This house was a symbol of everything Robert and I had shared, so leaving it behind was just another sign that I was starting a new life, and that my old dreams had disappeared.

I didn’t really know where I was supposed to be going. That part of my plan was foggy. Luckily the place didn’t matter.
Although a blood tie is incredibly strong, all
vampires are linked with one another purely because of our nature. We have build in detectors, and the trace of a vampire is easy to locate if you know how. Summoning another creature is simple, as long as they are willing to be summoned.

I found an abandoned park bench and stood before it. I closed my eyes tight and imagined my goal in my head. I didn’t have a clue how the summoning ability worked, but I once again trusted my instincts and prayed that it would work.

I pictured the vampire in my head, trying to conjure up as much detail as I could manage. I tried to match all of the features to my memory as I mentally called the name out. I tried to transfer the message, making it clear how desperate I was. I tried to convey how urgent it was, probably even life changing.

I opened my eyes and looked around. I couldn’t see anyone but vampires are designed to be able to blend in and so I knew that I wouldn’t be able to see him until he wanted to be seen.

“It’s safe. I’m not going to hurt you. I just want to talk to you.” I said, hoping that he heard me, wherever he was hiding.

There was no reply, and then out of the darkness came a voice. “What would you like to talk about?”

I turned around to face the direction of the voice. He stepped out from the shadows and came towards me. I was proud of myself for managing to summon him so easily. The plan was beginning to take shape, and his arrival meant that I was one step closer to achieving my goal.

I smiled brightly at him, truly happy to see him. “It’s lovely to see you again, Aiden.”

As soon as I had started to consider my options for dealing with Gabriel, Aiden had returned to my mind. He had so much history with Gabriel that it would be wrong for me to exclude him from the plan. It was the only real way of finishing this all off, the only fair way to handle everything. If I hadn’t called on Aiden then I would never have felt true peace. After hearing his story, I knew that he had more right than anyone to be involved in bringing Gabriel down.

I had only met him once but I felt bonded to him through our mutual hatred of Gabriel. I walked over and wrapped him up in a warm hug. He seemed taken aback by this. Our first meeting had started with me pinning him against the wall, so this was quite a drastic change.

“It’s nice to see you too but I assume you didn’t call me over for a friendly chat.” He said, gently pushing me away.

I think my unexpected intimacy had made him uncomfortable. It was clear that he felt out of his element when he was around female vampires, probably due to the centuries he spent with males in the Order. His love for Emma must have been difficult for him to admit, which made Gabriel’s betrayal even more unforgivable.

“I have something you’ll be very interested to hear. I can’t tell you how I found out, but I know where Gabriel is.” I said, a satisfied smirk never leaving my face.

Aiden perked up, clearly interested in what I had to tell him. He hadn’t known about Gabriel’s whereabouts, but I could guarantee that he hadn’t stopped looking.

“What do you plan on doing? I wouldn’t have expected you to sell him out after everything you went through together.” He replied.

A few of my memories with Gabriel flashed through my head. We had spent some wonderful months together, but everything has to come to an end and my happiness with him was no different. Every moment of joy we shared had been built on a lie, and then I had found something far sweeter with Robert. I would never forget that part of my life, the time when I was truly happy. Remembering that Gabriel had taken all of that away from me made it easier to let Aiden in on my plan.

“Gabriel killed the vampire I loved. He also killed the vampire you loved. He manipulated you and made you do things for him. He manipulate me too, and he wanted to destroy me and kill me. I owe him nothing.” I was telling Aiden this, but I was also partly convincing myself. I needed to be sure of what I was about to do.

“You’re right. Just so you know, I’m sorry for my part in everything Gabriel did. I’m sorry for everything you have lost.” Aiden whispered. He clearly felt uncomfortable sharing his feelings and so I simply smiled in return. “You still haven’t told me what you plan to do with this information?”

This was the trickiest part. I had no doubt in my mind that Aiden would agree with my plan in theory, but whether or not he would go along with it in reality was a different matter.

“Gabriel doesn’t deserve to be a vampire. He deserves to die.” Saying it out loud soothed me. I finally felt as if everything was coming together, as if I was doing the right thing after so many months of confusion and backstabbing. The path was finally clear.

I could see Aiden nodding. I was certainly right about him agreeing with the principal of my plan. I was sure that Gabriel deserved to die for all the suffering he had inflicted on the two of us, and Aiden firmly agreed with me.

“I could probably kill Gabriel. It would be difficult because he is older than me but I’m running on grief right now. I’m pretty sure I could do it and I would be willing to risk my life for the chance to take his. I know it would be worth it.” I thought of Robert for a moment, but then I pushed him away so that I could focus on that task at hand. “But you have waited a lot longer to get revenge. The way he treated you was far worse than the way he treated me. You are older than him, and stronger than him. For you to get the peace you deserve, you should be the one to kill him.”

Aiden seemed shocked. I think he had expected me to tear Gabriel apart with my bare hands. He definitely hadn’t expected me to hand over the opportunity to kill our mutual enemy, without any interference on my part.

“Are you sure about this? Obviously I would love the opportunity to kill Gabriel. I have thought about it for years, but I want to make sure you’ve really thought this through. Are you sure you don’t want to be there?” He asked me.