The Power (12 page)

“
It was to this picture that the vampire Gina found me. She swept into the room so quietly that I did not hear her upon my wakening. Thoughts of the night before instantly haunted me, and I was filled with regret. One second I was alone and miserable, and the next, I look up at the tall, beautiful vampire standing there staring at me with her very blue eyes.

“
“You’re covered in blood.” she mentioned, and I looked down at myself. My pale dress was splattered with the deep red liquid as were my arms, hands, and probably even my face. Yes. I had killed someone, I thought miserably. I had taken the life of my aunt in the most animalistic way I could think of. I could still taste her blood on my lips. I could still feel the warm liquid heating my insides. “Did anyone see you make the kill?” Gina asked, stepping into the room further. I thought of Lady Willis, who had come into the dinning room after I had done away with her mother, and then the servants and guards who had followed. They had not seen me commit the crime, but they had seen my eyes afterward. They had seen me make that impossible jump through the third story window, and magically land like a cat on my feet below. Oh God! What had I done? What had I done!

“
“They think you are a demon.” Gina acknowledged. “It will not be safe for you now here in London.” There was anger tainting the edges of her cold voice. She paced the floor before me in long, silent strides, and I looked up, watching her move so gracefully that it moved me. She was like a walking piece of art, I thought in awe, and she turned fully to face me. “You’re fanciful thoughts are silly and childish.” she hissed coldly, and I sat up straighter as if I had just been reprimanded by my mother. I was scared, so afraid that she would turn me away now, that I would perish when the sun rose. “You very well could have exposed us all! It is forbidden to show yourself to the mortals unless you take those mortals out of the equation!” She began to pace again.

““I…
I did not mean to show myself.” I stumbled badly. “She…she…her words came to me suddenly in my head, and then I could hear everything…everything she had done to my family. She…she killed them.” I whimpered emotionally.

“
“You’re family? You’re parents, and your brother.” Gina turned, looking at me as she ripped the thoughts from my panicked brain.

““I..
I couldn’t stop it. It just happened. I wanted her to die! I wanted her to die for everything she had done to my family, to me!” I growled out in hatred even as tears spilled from my eyes.

“
“You heard her thoughts in your head? Truly?” Gina came closer, and she crouched down before me. Her blue eyes implored me, and then she smiled. “I was not able to read the thoughts of the mortals for many months after I was turned and then not so clearly. It took years of practice” she said as if she were suddenly very proud of me. “And you threw your thoughts into the widow’s head as well! How impressive you are, young Lillian, how promising! Of course, hearing those wicked thoughts of how your aunt, whom you had not even been aware of was, in fact, your aunt, had plotted and had killed your family.” she paused when I looked up, and tears slipped wetly down my cheeks as the pain filled my chest to capacity. “It must have shocked you into action.” she said at last, and then she smiled, and she stood to her tall height. “I am most eager to watch how you develop, Lillian.” she said with a twinkle in her eye as she turned her back on me.

“
“We must leave this place. A shame, as I have not been back in London but for a few months. But we can not stay now, not after what happened at your aunt’s home. Now, can we?” she turned back to me, and she clasped her hands together, and smiled. “We will book passage on a ship bound for America. You will hide here, within doors until that time. Perhaps, while we wait, the mortals’ bloodlust will die down considerably.” she said thoughtfully, and then she called for her man, Jeffery, and instructed him to book two passages to America as soon as possible.”

Nicole leaned back against the lumpy back of her sofa. Quietly, she closed the journal, and lovingly ran her fingers over the smooth, leather cover. Lillian Saint Rose, if the journal was true and correct, had murdered her aunt. But Nicole could almost sympathize with the poor creature. What it must be like to be human one moment, to think that you were about to die, only to be reborn to darkness with new skills that you did not know properly how to use, with the lust for blood clawing away at the inside of your body!

Lillian had been human once, Nicole thought as she stared down at the closed journal. Reading he
r journal, Nicole couldn’t help but to still think of the vampire as such. For as the months passed Lillian still spoke, still wrote with the emotions of someone very much human.

Chapter eight

The call came in at a little before dark. Some kid found the bodies in an alley behind Lani’s
Garden Center over on Fourth and Cantrell. Dr. Harold was on her way to the scene. Jack put in a call to his partner - as much as it agitated him to do so. Tony was on his way as well.

The scene was taped off with bright yellow tape when Jack got there. Officers and curious civilians stood around as close as possible to the taped off areas. Jack was just walking onto the scene when he noticed
Dr. Harold pull up to the curb and quickly jump out of her car. Her eyes were wide on her face as if she was chomping at the bit to get in there. Jack shook his head. He snapped on a pair of a latex gloves, nodding to the uniformed officer in charge as Jack flashed his badge and ducked beneath the tape.

There were two bodies this time, spaced about thirty feet apart. One a Hispanic kid in gang
colors was lying face down in a puddle of his own blood. The kid’s head was swollen, and bloody lumps appeared here and there along the scalp area. The murder weapon, a long, rusty pipe covered in dried blood lay ten feet away from the body. Jack could see the other body from where he stood. A tall, African American kid, skinny and pale from the loss of blood was lying in an awkward position some thirty feet away.

Jack walked toward the body. At first glance, Jack could see the blood on the boy’s hands. It was also splattered all over his clothes. But who did the blood belong to, to this boy? Or to the first? A bloody boot print marked the pavement two or so feet from the second body, followed by another and then a partial print as well. Whoever had done this had gotten out of there in an awful hurry, Jack thought.

“What do we got here?” Tony Bordello called loudly as he made his way onto the scene.

“I don’t know.” Jack shrugged. “But it doesn’t look like our guy’s work.”

“Appears to be gang related.” Tony gave his two cents, and he crouched to examine the first body, being careful not to touch anything with his bare hands.

“Exactly.” Jack glanced around him once more, taking in the scene to be sure that he hadn’t missed anything. He pointed out the bloody boot prints to Tony.

“Our guy isn’t this careless.” Tony said thoughtfully.

“No.” Jack agreed. “Our guy isn’t.”

“So what? Do we hand this one off?” Tony stood, looking to Jack for answers.

“I think we have our hands full as it is, don‘t you?” Jack said, but the detective in him couldn’t help but to look around the scene in search of clues.

“What did this one die from?” Tony was suddenly at Jack’s side, staring curiously down at the black male.

“That’s what I’d like to know.” Jack said, and on instinct, he crouched down next to the body. Using a pe
n, he tipped the boy’s head to the side. He wasn’t prepared to see the marks there in the boy’s neck, but there they were, staring up at him like a beacon!

Damn it! The scene wasn’t right! There wa
s blood everywhere! Boot prints for Christ’s sake! Copycat, Jack thought. It had to be a copycat killer. Their guy had been on the news, or rather the statistics of the case had been leaked, and every fool in the city was crying out vampire!

“Maybe it’s our guy after all.” Tony was staring at the two puncture wounds in the boy’s bloodless neck.

“Or a copycat.” Jack put his thoughts out there again. “Let’s get to work. Bag everything and when we’re done get the photographer in here. I don’t want to lose a thing.” Jack ordered sharply, and with that he got to work himself.

“This isn’t my first rodeo.” Tony grinned, and he snapped on a pair of latex gloves. Quietly, the men began to work side by side.

It was difficult for Lillian to stay away from Jack Stone when the man lingered in her mind like a cherished memory. She knew that no good could become of it, but she longed to s
ee his face, to hear his voice so much so that she found herself dreaming of Jack Stone while she slept. She very rarely dreamed, and had not dreamt in years so the dreams of Jack Stone were a surprise and somewhat of a shock to her system. She couldn’t help but to ask herself what it meant.

She knew that Jack was busy with his work. He hadn’t tried to contact her since his last call four days ago. But she also knew that it was probably more than Jack Stone’s busy schedule that was keeping him at bay.

What did she want with him anyway? He was a mortal. He should be of no interest to her. The stakes were becoming too high here in New York City, she thought. She should have left for England over a week ago. But what if Jack met with this other vampire on the loose?

The thought didn’t sit well with Lillian. She stood tall and regal, three stories up on the roof of the building across the street from the shop she and Jack had met at before. The wind swept through her hair and caused her cape to billow out behind her. Jack Stone had just walked inside the shop. Lillian watched him as he paid for his coffee and took a seat at the booth by the window. He appeared to be deep in thought as he poured over some papers in a dark folder. Lillian was content to just watch him for some time. What did the mortals call
this these days, she wondered? Stalking? She knew that she was keeping Jack safe by staying away from him, but really, what harm could there be in conversation? That decided, she dropped to the alley floor and made her way around to the sidewalk. Jack’s amber gaze lifted in surprise when she walked into the coffee shop.

“Lilly.” He stood to greet her.

“Hello, Jack Stone.” Lillian returned, and he smiled, finding her amusing for reasons she could not phantom.

“Just Jack will do nicely.” Jack caught her hand in his. Lillian heard his heart pick up pace. “What are you doing up so late?” he asked as he led her back to their booth.

“Call me an insomniac.” Lillian shrugged. “I do better at night, Jack.” It was the truth. She did better at night due to the fact that she would not survive in the day.

“So I’ve noticed.” Jack motioned for her to take a seat.  He waited for her to be seated before he retook his
own seat. “I took the liberty of glancing at your artwork online. Very talented.” Jack complimented after a moment of silence. “But I couldn’t help but to notice most of your pieces had night skies in the backgrounds.” he explained.

“Then you’ve been thinking of me?” Lillian met Jack’s heated amber gaze.

“More than I would like.” she read of his mind.

Ah, the feeling is mutual, Jack, Lillian thought, and she smiled.

“What is it?” Jack asked after her smile.

“I get the feeling that you don’t want to think of me. Am I a thorn in your side, Jack Stone?” she asked with a smile.

“In my side. In my mind. I can’t stop thinking of you. You’ve bewitched me!” Lillian read of Jack’s thoughts. She could not help feeling pleased.

“I…”
Jack stumbled over his words, and Lillian rose to her tall height, peering down at his handsome face.

“May I show you something?” she held her hand out for Jack to take. Jack hesitated, but he gathered his papers and took her outstretched hand. 

Barker, the custodian, met Lillian at the museum entrance. “This is a first. You’ve brought a guest.” Barker smiled in a friendly manner. Lillian introduced the pair, and then Barker told her to stay as long as she liked.

“You must come here often?” Jack commented as they walked the darkened halls. Lillian knew exactly where she was going. She led Jack into a Victorian style room. She had to remember to turn the lights on for Jack, as she never had to do so before for herself. She sometimes forgot that others could not see as well at night as she could. When the room illuminated, Lillian turned to Jack.

“My great, great, great grandmother donated a few of her pieces to this museum,
and I, a few in her name.” Lillian said as she pulled Jack along with her, toward a wall adorned with three framed portraits.

“You brought me here to show me your grand
mother’s paintings?” Jack asked a bit confused. Lillian could feel that he was unsure, uncomfortable even.

“One in particular.” Lillian said lowly. “When I first met you, Jack, I thought that I recognized you.” She reminded as she pulled him closer by his warm hands.