The Vampire (THE VAMPIRE Book 1) (65 page)

At a few minutes to eleven, Jason started walking across the large foyer toward the library. He was halfway there when he was startled by the sound of Augere’s door opening and the sight of Augere emerging and walking toward him.

His expression was inscrutable as he gazed steadily upon Jason’s face for several moments.

In spite of all of Jason’s efforts to ready himself, he found he still had not been able to prepare for the sudden sight of Augere again. No amount of imagining had been able to capture the actual presence of him, that presence which now claimed Jason’s breath and held it. For a moment, Augere was the world entire, as well as the embodiment of everything Jason could ever want from it. The feeling caused Jason embarrassment as well as exhilaration.

The pale skin was fairly luminous. He was even more lithe and graceful than Jason could picture him. Casually dressed in black which made him look taller than his six feet and even more slim. His face was suggestive of youthful innocence. Locks of his dark hair were nearly falling into his eyes, eyes which were steely grey now

Jason took in all these details as Augere got ever closer. He seemed achingly beautiful in that moment, as stunning as an exquisite work of art suddenly come to life before his eyes. It was not as one might appraise another, with thoughts of love or lust; this was more profound and intangible; at the very least it was an acknowledgement of a beauty and a perfection one knows one might experience only once in a lifetime if ever. Jason was, momentarily, and to his chagrin, gaping, enraptured by the intensity of the experience. It was vaguely annoying he had so little control over his emotions and his reactions that Augere’s mere presence could cause him to become so enthralled. He suddenly felt like a stranger to himself.

Augere paused a few feet from Jason and gestured toward the library without a word.

Jason forced his unsteady legs to obey and walked toward the library with Augere now walking beside him on his right. A step later, Augere was suddenly on Jason’s left. It startled Jason for a moment into thinking there were two of him.
Okay,
he thought.
Something else to get used to
.

Jason managed to reach the library first. He felt uncomfortable having Augere a few steps behind him. He entered and then stood before his usual chair while Augere walked around the desk to get to his own chair. Before Augere could get halfway around the desk Jason blurted out, “Mr. Augere, I am really sorry for all of the trouble and all of the extra expense I have caused you, as well as nearly ruining your trip to Europe and having you—”

“STOP!” Augere came to a sudden halt and extended his hand palm up in Jason’s direction. His voice was louder and sharper than Jason remembered him to be capable of, at least as far as being directed at himself. It was more frightening than any way he had ever been spoken to before. The highly irritated tone and the stern expression made Jason shut up immediately. Actually he momentarily considered bolting for the door.

“Stop.” Augere said again, much softer and more gently, as he sank wearily into his chair. He did not look at Jason, who remained standing, frozen in place.

It was a few moments before Augere spoke again and still he made no eye contact.

“I manipulated you away from your safe life. You now behave in ways that contradict your nature. There is fear and distress where you had none before. It is not necessary to apologize.”

Jason finally exhaled. “May I sit down?”

Augere did not look at him, but made a gesture Jason took to mean yes.

“I don’t feel as if I have been manipulated. I made choices. I feel I came here, twice, freely and of my own will. My fear is—my problem to deal with.” Jason was surprised at how steady his voice sounded. “If you are looking to take blame, I mean.”

Augere sighed heavily and sank further back into his chair. After several moments he spoke again, very softly, still without making eye contact.

“I cannot guarantee your safety. Not completely. You need to be aware of that.”

“What? From those portal things? I feel like I would be pretty safe if you were between me and one of them.”

Augere looked up at him then and frowned. “From me. I cannot protect you from myself.”

“Oh. I see.” Jason swallowed hard. “How much…risk is there? How likely is it that…?” Jason could not complete the sentence. Or the thought. He involuntarily leaned back a little more from the desk, and from Augere.

“Unlikely. But it could happen.” The gaze was steady upon him now.

“Would you be able…would there be any warning?”

“I could tell you to run.”

“Would I have a chance?” Jason asked hopefully.

“No.”

Jason swallowed hard again.

“It would be very quick.”

Jason sat quietly, looking down at his hands. Images from the dream last night crowded his mind.

“Do you still wish to stay?” Augere’s question was a softly delivered monotone.

“I’m not going anywhere.” Jason’s reply came immediately after Augere had said the last word.

They sat in silence for a few more moments, Jason once again staring down at his hands, folded in his lap.

“Jason.” Augere said quietly.

Jason became very still. He was absolutely certain, beyond any doubt, this was the very first time Augere had ever said his first name. Never, not once before had he done so, not from their first meeting through all that had occurred since. It caused Jason to feel strangely elated. Admittedly an unusual response, considering Augere had just told him he might have difficulty not killing him suddenly someday under as yet unknown circumstances. He had Jason’s full attention now, even more than usual. He was focused intently on Augere’s face.

“Several months ago, you brought a female companion to the house.”

Jason quickly dropped his gaze.
Uh oh. Was that a big NO? Forbidden? Why bring it up now though? Oh, Okay. Maybe to re-establish and reinforce the rules
. He nodded at Augere.

“I had to intervene.”

Jason began to recall that evening now. He had wondered if maybe Augere had heard or even seen him enter the house with the blonde he had picked up at a bar. She had been somewhat loud. Augere must have waited a short interval because he then called Jason just as he and the girl had begun making out. He had called on the cell phone requesting Jason’s assistance that minute. At the time, Jason remembered thinking: okay, he is just jerking my leash to see if I will respond to him quickly and under any circumstances. Well, he had gotten her out the door and had promptly assisted Augere. He had passed the test, hadn’t he? Why bring it up now?

“I am not—so knowledgeable about the A-I-D-S—” Augere spelled the letters, frowning. “The HIV.” He pronounced this awkwardly, as a word. “I know only how it is transmitted and that usually it is likely to be fatal.”

Jason could only stare at him with a stunned expression.

“You meant nothing to her. She was not going to tell you.” Augere’s gaze dropped.

A cold chill started at the top of Jason’s head and traveled the length of his body. He recalled now how she had laughed when he had mentioned stopping to get some protection; how casual she had been about it.

“I cannot watch you all the time. I should think you would not want that. Privacy is important. Be responsible.”

It’s only 11:10 in the morning. In the space of ten minutes he has already flattened my profuse apology. Confirmed there is a risk he might just kill me under certain circumstances. And now he tells me he pretty much saved me from a deadly fate. That is a just about a full day for me already
.

He suddenly thought of Zavi. How he might have unknowingly put her at risk also, and he felt sick at the thought of it. He shuddered now, thinking of his close call.

“Is…is there anything…anyone…else you need to warn me about?” Jason asked numbly.

“Creatures of the night…?” Augere asked with a deadpan expression.

“Well—I mean, I meant, I guess…are there any of those portals in Boston?”

“Just that one in Kenmore Square.” The words and tone of voice matched his serious expression but his eyes held a hint of amusement.

“Hmmm.” Jason was looking steadily at Augere now, hearing him, but not really taking in the information for several moments. “Well, that would explain a few things.” Jason nodded, vaguely wondering if maybe Augere could just be messing with his mind now. Then his thoughts angrily turned to his near deadly encounter with the female stranger.

“I can’t believe she’s still out there! Probably infecting people every day.” The horror of it began to sink in. “All the unsuspecting people; the lives ruined! That attitude is unconscionable—she ought to be—”

“Do not concern yourself further—are you planning to take courses at university again?”

“What?…yeah, I might… That girl needs to be found immediately and turned in to the CDC—”

“Do not worry yourself—what do you think you might study?”

“Uh…I don’t know…I haven’t really thought… She actually laughed! Like it was all a joke to her! Now I know why she was being so evasive—”

“You must always be responsible—perhaps, the cinema studies again—”

“I am going to go out and find her! Today! It makes me furious just thinking about how—”

“Enough! Let it drop now!” Augere’s sharp words were spoken with such authority that whatever Jason’s next words might have been they scurried away to become permanently silenced.

“What did you and Genier discuss over dinner? You were there a long time…” The question took Jason by surprise and the other topic was left behind. It seemed he was going to have to get used to Augere knowing details he shouldn’t be able to know.

Jason looked up toward the ceiling a moment: “Uh…let’s see—what did we talk about? Oh, yes. I asked him some questions he thought I should ask you instead.”

“Did he.”

Jason nodded.

Augere avoided eye contact. “And have you questions now?”

Is he kidding?
Jason was bursting with questions. He hardly knew where to start. Everything! He wanted to know everything. How and when and where did this change happen to him? What about other vampires? No, maybe he didn’t want to know that just yet. It was enough just dealing with one. What about his previous life? And how and when did he meet the Geniers—it seemed they were connected for generations. What abilities did he have? What was it like to be him? What kinds of things had he seen and done and—yes, and just how old was he—?

“Mr. Genier said I shouldn’t ask you your age. He said I should ask you when you were born.” This was a good place to start, Jason thought. And then, he would hear all the rest. Everything would be out in the open now, finally.

There was a brief pause. Augere still avoided eye contact and when he did speak his voice was even more soft than usual with a barely perceptible halt in his normally smooth speech.

“I was born on the 3
^rd
of October, 1777.” His voice was barely audible.

“I am 23 as of the 23
^rd
May, 1800. “ He paused then.

Jason just sat and stared at him. He’d heard. But he could not grasp it. He sat waiting as if for further explanation. There was silence. Jason blinked several times. He could not make a reply. Words refused to come together to make a sentence.

He stared at the youthful face, the smooth features, the lithe body—one that seemed barely twenty. It didn’t seem possible.

When he was finally able to speak, he didn’t recognize his own voice. “It’s…hard to accept,” he managed.

“Yes. It is.”

“I don’t think I have any more questions just now,” Jason said quietly.

Augere nodded once, without looking at him. “Go,” he said quietly. It was a few moments before Jason could collect himself and get up to leave.

He returned to his quarters. He sat in the small rounded alcove, the bay window area that was actually a small semi-circular room. His cozy reading nook looked out onto Beacon Street. He sat in one of the softly comfortable armchairs and gazed out that window now. Scattered snow flurries blew about. People passed by along the sidewalk. It was not yet winter enough for warmer attire, and people passed leisurely, laughing and talking together and moving forward to the next moment in their lives. Jason thought: no matter how sad or pleasant or interesting or dull that next moment would be for them, it could never be the measure of this. No matter what awaited them in any time of the rest of their lives—it would never be this. And he could not share any of it with anyone else ever. The window glass that separated him from them might as well have been a bell jar he would never escape. It had settled permanently over him. All of it was now his incredible secret too, forever.

He suddenly felt isolated and completely alone. Even for one accustomed to being at ease alone, the reality of the fact of his situation was overwhelming. In the space of just a half hour or so he had acquired a full weight of knowledge he was finding a little hard to bear.
What have I really gotten myself into?

He had been almost willing to concede that Augere was possibly much older than he looked. In his seventies, maybe, but even that would have been a laughable stretch.
Well, of course—vampires are supposed to be quite old,
he thought.
No—they aren’t even supposed to exist,
he had to remind himself.

1800. 1777.

He got his laptop and accessed the information he had saved about his research into the Geniers. Some of the early records were sporadic and vague. Transactions made mention of many Geniers; the first names: Gerard, Francois, Etienne, Jean Luc, Ricard—becoming more anglicized: David, Andrew, Alexander, Adam, Charles—as the records began to reflect more modern times. The single name, Augere, was sometimes found interspersed among them. No first name given, ever.

“No member of my family has ever met any of his family,” Allen had said to him. “He has no family,” James had told him. They had been saying it all along, but he just had not been able to grasp it somehow. The Genier’s involvement with Augere had spanned, had lasted, at least 170 years. A great many Geniers. One and only one Augere.