Charleston Past Midnight (12 page)

Her striking eyes lock wide open in complete shock. “But, how …. You’re sitting here, talking to me. I still can’t wrap my head around it. I’ve heard your heartbeat. How can that be? It’s borderline unfathomable to me, Severin.”

“You are right. You and I share some similar physical attributes, such as the ability for my heart to beat. My body also becomes warm to the touch after I drink. But I am not as you are. I’m a completely different species—an immortal of sorts, one who is exponentially more powerful than the strongest human. You know the term well, Calla, I need not repeat it.”

She holds her head in her hands in roiling confusion as she stammers, “B-but why? Why did Katerina do it? Why did she turn you?”

Brushing her long hair back from her bare shoulders, I answer, “I asked her the same question, Calla.”

“And what was her answer?”

“She told me that she saw me once in a vision and just knew and that one day it would be clear to me.”

Her lips part, and she whispers the question, “A vision?”

“Yes, Calla. You heard me. You see, my maker was a seer like yourself. She had flashes of the future, though none she could harness or control. She was a seer nonetheless. This is the second reason Valdon chased her relentlessly for over three hundred years.”

“What was the main reason?”

“He was obsessed with her. He claims he loved her.”

“Loved? Where is she now?”

I clamp my teeth together in raw emotion as I grate, “She is gone. Annihilated. Dead.”

“But isn’t it difficult for vampires to die?”

“Yes, Calla. This is true, however … there are ways. Fire, prolonged exposure to sunlight and decapitation are just about the only means of destroying our kind. Anything else would be considered mere injuries, and we would recover swiftly. Our regeneration capabilities are over fifty times as swift as yours.”

Another question is on the tip of her tongue when female laughter comes floating down the hallway toward the kitchen.

“Time for you to meet the rest of my family, Calla.”

She turns her head in the direction of the cheerful banter that is closing on us.

“Oh hey, we heard you, but we’re surprised you have company tonight, Severin.”

Ambrose clasps her to him, his arms wrapped around her narrow waist. They both stop and stare curiously at Calla. The last time she saw Ambrose was on the front lawn, and look how that turned out.

“Hey there, Calla. You’re looking fit.”

Her wide-eyed expression seems to scream, ‘Oh shit, I’m in an underground kitchen with three vampires.’

She remains silent as Alina grins, tosses her hair back, and strides across the shiny floor with palm extended. “Hello Calla. I’m Alina. Welcome.”

Bravely Calla reaches out to accept Alina’s gesture.

“I’ve heard that you’ve already met my guy, Ambrose. Don’t mind him; he’s always teasing the ladies.” She glanced over her shoulder at him and with narrowed eyes she asks suspiciously, “You didn’t frighten her,
did
you, baby?”

His head jerks back and he fights a grin. “Me? Never.”

“Anyhow, Calla, welcome to our place. Severin told us that he’s keeping an eye on you until things calm down. If there’s anything you need, I’m your girl.”

Calla’s eyes drift over the leggy brunette who looks like she just trotted off a Parisian runway during spring fashion week. Cautiously she responds, “Thanks. I appreciate that, Alina.”

“No worries.” She crosses to the Summit double-door glass wine cooler, and as she crouches down to hunt for a particular label, she calls out to Ambrose, “Hey, babe, grab the kettle corn and the opener. Can’t wait to see what Daniel Craig will be sporting in his latest flick.”

Ambrose shakes his head in mock annoyance and grumbles, “Fucking Daniel Craig. That James Bond tosser always does my head in. The way she gushes over that twit ….”

“Oh, puhleeeze! You know that watching him always leads to prime action for you, big man. Actually, you should trace to England and thank him for his sexy on-screen skills, babe.”

“Woman, you’d best quit while you’re ahead. Later, Calla.” He nods to me, adding, “Severin.”

“Bye, Calla,” Alina chirps breezily as she disappears, carrying a bottle of Keller Estate in her hand.

I shake my head as Calla threads her fingers through mine. “Well, those two certainly are entertaining.”

“Oh, you have no idea. Sometimes I travel for long periods for a break from their constant
entertainment.
”

“How long have they been together?”

“Since 1990.”

“Did he … turn her?”

It’s clear that she’s hesitant but quite curious. I know Ambrose like I know myself and he wouldn’t mind me sharing, “He did. But only because he had no choice, Calla. You see, Ambrose had drunk from her once and was intrigued by her. At times he kept an eye on her human life. Not a year after that she became involved with a notorious drug dealer who liked nothing better than to shoot her up and have degrading sex with her. If that wasn’t bad enough, he often had a few friends in the apartment to film it, switch up who was holding the camera as they took turns with her. She was too far gone to understand what was really going on. Afterward, without her knowing what had happened, they would sell the videos for profit.”

Her hands fly to cover her mouth. “Oh, dear God. That asshole! W-what happened to her? After that I mean.”

“One night he shot her up with too much heroine. Her system couldn’t handle it and she started to OD on him. Being the considerate boyfriend he was, he and a couple of his thugs tossed her in the trunk of his Audi, drove her out to Isle of Palms and dumped her between some sand dunes. He thought she was dead, and from what Ambrose told me, had he been five minutes later to save her, she would have been.”

“That is beyond warped. What is wrong with people to be that inhumane?”

“Good question.”

“How did he find her?”

He was in the city and passed by to check in on her. He knew that it was only a matter of time before something terrible happened. Anyhow, because her blood was in his system he could locate her and when he did he chose to turn her to save her life. It wasn’t easy for her at first—she had so much to learn—but he was a patient instructor. He adores her and as you can see, the feeling is mutual. No one is spared when those two have sex. I’m surprised the house doesn’t cave in from their banging sessions.”

“You have a very exciting lifestyle, that’s for sure. Tell me more about tracing. How does it work?”

“It’s basically a form of teleportation but it can only be done to a place that we have been before, that we’re familiar with. Also, it takes practice in the beginning. It becomes second nature after you’ve done it a few times. Essentially, you have to one hundred percent envision yourself in the target location for it to work. This can be extremely difficult because often when we need to trace, the circumstances surrounding us are so extreme that calming your thoughts sufficiently can be quite challenging.”

“And what about your enemy … Valdon is his name, right?”

“Yes, what about him?”

She hesitates and finally asks in a fear-laced voice, “What’s the worst-case scenario? I gotta know what I’m facing, Severin.”

The thought of her in his clutches sends my mind into a tailspin. “I’ll never let him get to you, Calla. I’d do anything to keep you safe.”

“But why … why would you do that for me?”

“Because you’re
mine.
And I protect what belongs to me.”

A sexy blush sweeps across her cheeks and before she can protest I drop my head down to cover her sweet lips in a long, slow kiss. She doesn’t get it now, but she will soon enough.

Chapter Thirteen

Seven Years Earlier

Cary’s Diner; Westin, West Virginia

“C
alla! Burgers up for table three!”

“On it!” I hurry through the Friday evening crowd to grab the plates from beneath the heaters in the kitchen window.

We’re always slammed after the home football games and I’m happy to work. It means at least double the usual tips for me, which helps Brant pay our rent.

“When you drop those, c’mon back here, and I’ll have those two steak and gravy plates for ya.”

“Thanks, Mac, sure thing.”

I carefully maneuver around the line of people at the front door who are waiting eagerly for a booth or stool to open up and set the loaded plates down in front of the two hungry football players.

“Here you are. Need additional drinks or napkins?”

“Na, we’re good, baby. What time do ya get off tonight?”

“I’m flattered, but no thanks.”

I watch his brawny buddy nudge him in the ribs with his elbow and say under his breath, “You know Brant would skin your ass alive, boy, if he thought you was sniffin’ around his baby sister.”

In an instant, things go from awkward to just weird. The two huge seniors are never at a loss for female attention, and I’m caught off guard by their interest. I glance down at the table and mutter, “Ah, enjoy your burgers then.”

I’m hurrying back through the crowd to get the next order when an older man wearing a worn Stetson touches my forearm gently. “Refill darlin’?” he asks kindly.

“Oh, sure.” I smile and turn to cross to the coffee pots when I hear Marlene call out loud enough for me to hear, “Well, she’s sane enough to hold down a waitress job. Only a matter of time before she goes crazy, just like her trailer trash momma did.”

I freeze as my hand reaches out for the full coffee pot. The table full of girls snicker behind me and I want nothing more than to dump the hundred and twenty degree pot over the head of my lifelong tormenter. Instead I take a deep breath, wrap my hand around the orange plastic handle, and turn back to my table, hopefully not giving her satisfaction over the numerous stab wounds she and her sister have inflicted on me since I was seven years old. Even if I could, what revenge could I seek? Her parents own half the damn town, and the last thing Brant and I need is trouble. We are already flying under the radar living together in our tiny apartment. I’m just sixteen and he’s acting as my guardian. I worry about him. He’s only eighteen and when he finished up high school last year he went straight for the highest paying job around here, also the most deadly: working in the mines. Every time he’s on one of his long shifts I’m a nervous wreck. Last year there was a deadly cave-in only one county over from ours and they pulled only one of the fourteen out alive. I’ve got to help him find something better, but he’s determined to get us out of here, to find us a better life.
And one thing I know about my brother, he’d kill himself to do it.

* * *

I’m wiping down my last table while scanning to check that the caddy is refilled when the bell over the steel and glass door chimes.

“Sorry, but—”

“Just me, Calla.”

I smile at my blond haired brother. “Oh hey, you normally wait in the car for me. I’m just finishing up. You want a coke or something?”

“Yeah, make it a sprite. Why don’t you come sit at the counter with me for a second? I got something important to share.”

I clutch the floppy wet rag and cross over to him. “Oh yeah? What’s that?”

“Sit on down and I’ll tell ya.”

“Let me get your drink first.”

“Na, I’m too worked up to wait. Here, have a seat.”

Slowly, I sit on the red pleather swivel stool and turn to him. With our knees nearly touching, he leans in to say quietly, “Think I finally found the way to get us outta here, Calla.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. I know you hate me working in the mines and all and I don’t wanna end up like Uncle Wally with black lung, so I drove to Parkersburg after my shift today and enlisted in the United States Marine Corps. Ain’t that exciting?”

I can only stare at him, my mouth hanging open.

“Calla, hello? Anyone home?”

“Brant, but there’s a war going on.”

“Shit yeah, there is. And the Marines are bad-ass, Calla. I’m gonna go through basic, save up, and by the time you graduate high school next year I’ll have a little place for us. What do you think of that?”

“Brant, you … you’re going to leave me?” I can’t stop the tears that trickle down my cheeks. I don’t want to be selfish, but the thought of being alone, without the one person on the planet I deeply love tears at my heart.

“Ah, damn, Calla. C’mere.”

He hugs me tightly and whispers, “You finish your last year of school and then we’ll have a place, all right? The time’ll fly by. I’ve already cleared it with Aunt Iris. She’s happy for you to move back in with her until you graduate. And also, look at me, Calla ….”

I swipe the tears away and look into his green eyes.

“I’ll be stationed less than two hours south of Charleston, where I hear there are a couple of really nice colleges. Your job is to keep those grades of yours way up and to start applying to the colleges you like down there. There are lots of financial aid options. What do you think? Are you on board with me?”

I’m scared of the unknown, especially of losing him. I stare across at him in silence.

“What? Aw, come on, Calla. I know that look and I’m not gonna end up on the receiving end of one of your visions any time soon. I’m too mean a damn bastard to let some fuckin’ terrorist take me out. You know that, right?”

It’s a tremendous amount of information to digest in one sitting, but deep down I know that he’s right. This is our best path toward the future we’ve dreamed of—our fresh start.

I lean in and hug him tightly, “I do, and I’m on board. You’re right. But I’m really gonna miss you, Brant.”

“I know, Calla. Me too, little sis, me too.”

Chapter Fourteen

Present Day

Moonlit Revelations

I
glance around the sweeping lawn, which appears to be nearly blue-black in the expansive shadows of night. The long, tendril-like branches of several massive live oak trees add an eerie feeling to our surroundings. If I was alone out here, I’d definitely have goose bumps going up my neck, because this place looks untouched by time, as if I’d just stepped into a portal to the days of the Civil War. I look up into his alluring eyes, knowing that he’d never let harm come to me.