In Darkness We Must Abide: The Complete Second Season: Episodes 6-10 (7 page)

Aeron shook his head, his white hair trembling around his face. “No. No. We continue on as we have been. I will find Parthenia and crush her, bringing her era to an end. I will not be denied my destiny.”

“
She'll move now.” Armando drew back the curtain over the window that faced Vanora's apartment. Her bedroom light was still on. “She won't stay here.”

“
Then follow her.” Aeron's irritation was a dangerous. “Make sure she remains safe.”

“
You really should drink human blood,” Lorelei said, smiling with false sweetness.

“
If I am to continue my facade with Roman and his vampires, I can't,” Armando reminded her.

“
Oh, them.” Lorelei made a face. “
Why
are they still alive?”

Aeron continued to lightly stroke her hair. The gesture did seem to be calming him gradually. “Because I will need him later.”

“More plans?” Armando asked, though he didn't expect an answer. Aeron tended to only give Armando little glimpses of his more elaborate schemes. It was Aeron's nature to be secretive.

“
Always.” Aeron shrugged. “I'm tired of this place.”

Lorelei hopped out of the chair. “Good! It's horrible.”

Aeron rested his hand on Armando's shoulder. “Keep an eye on her and her wayward siblings. I trust you.”

“
What if your visit brings down Parthenia?” It was a genuine concern.

“
Then I will finally know where she is and kill her. You will keep Vanora safe against all danger.”

Aeron's words were an edict. The bond between him and his Master flared to life, burning the words into Armando’s very being.

Armando bowed his head. “I will.”

The vampires vanished from the room in the blink of an eye.

A smile slowly spread on Armando's lips. The words that were meant to bind him to Aeron's will had actually loosened his Master's grip. Now when the time was right, he would be able to protect Vanora against Aeron.

April 2009

Rhonda's tawny curls were golden fire in the sunlight. Tucked into a metal chair on the patio of the Spiderhouse Cafe, she was deeply engrossed in her book. Vanora sat across from her roommate, shielded from the sun by a large hat, sunglasses, and a gauzy white wrap covered in pink skulls. The air was cool and fresh after an earlier rain. Drops of water adorned the broken statues and plants that decorated the patio filled with old metal chairs, picnic tables, and benches. The atmosphere was serene, but Vanora struggled to relax. After several attempts to distract her anxious mind with several books she had downloaded onto her laptop, Vanora finally resorted to playing games instead.

It was moving day, but Vanora had insisted on hiring people to pack and transport their possessions to their new home, a luxury loft complex. She'd even pocketed the expenses from her latest trust fund check. The old apartment now felt tainted after the invasion of the vampire and no longer felt like home. Rhonda had been muddled after the mysterious vampire's intrusion, but believed Vanora when she said someone had broken into their place. Whatever the vampire had done to Rhonda’s mind to compel her to open the door and allow him inside had left her roommate unsettled.

Vanora sipped her chai tea while frowning at the stupid little cartoon on the screen of her laptop that refused to do her bidding. As her fingers slid over the touchpad, the diamonds in her pinky ring caught the sunlight, making her wince. Bright flashes of light hurt her sensitive eyes. The ring had been delivered the day after her birthday. When she'd opened the FedEx package and found the small blue box inside, her heart had beat ever faster. Tucked within the familiar jewelry case had been a sweet little platinum ring decorated with a half-moon and two tiny stars. There was no card, of course, but she knew who it was from. Again, she had been torn about whether or not she should wear a gift from Armando, but when the ring fit perfectly on her finger she'd relented. He'd been her first love and she couldn't deny that.

“
Oh, my God, the guy in this book is so hot!” Rhonda waved her hands at her face, pretending to cool herself off. “I need me one of these!”

“
A fifteen-year-old hot guy? Eww!”

“
He's fifteen?” Rhonda flipped the book over to read the summary again. “Oh. Well, he's not described like a fifteen year old.”

Vanora peered at the image on the front of the book. “Doesn't look it on the cover either. But then again, the girl looks like she's in her twenties.”

“Well, it's superhot anyway. They're reincarnations of these two tragic lovers and destined to be together, but the bad guy is totally gunning for the chick.”

With a shudder, Vanora said, “Yuck.”

“Yuck? No, no. Totally awesome. Can you imagine? You're fated to be with some hot guy who loves you more than life itself. So romantic.”

Shifting in her chair, uncomfortable with the topic, Vanora said, “Sounds horrible to me.”

Rhonda lifted her eyebrows, the slim arches appearing over her sunglasses. “Really? Seriously?”

“
Well, yeah! You're having your free will stolen from you! You're destined to be with some guy and have no choice. What if he's a jerk? What if he's evil? How is that fair?”

“
Well, the guy tends to be kinda on the stalker side and has a temper, but it's totally because he knows he's supposed to be with the girl. Plus, he's trying to save her from the bad guy.”

The memory of the vampire in her room made Vanora shiver. “Does the girl know what's up?”

“Not yet. She's still in the dark, so she's fighting her fate.”

“
That's my point. She's fighting it because it's not fair to her. What if some guy showed up and was all, 'Hey, Rhonda, the Fates say we're soul mates. Let's do this!' How would you feel?”

“
No fuss, no muss. Done! The guy will love you forever because he's supposed to. No worries about impressing him because you're his auto-hottie.” Rhonda tapped her finger on the book. “It's perfect. You just have to sit back and let him worship you.”

“
It's slavery. A curse.” Vanora remembered all too vividly how the darkness within her had craved the vampire. It had felt unnatural, powerful, and suffocating. The truth was that she knew instinctively that she belonged to the vampire, but that didn't mean she would give into a fate that was foisted upon her.

“
It's fiction. Not real.” Rhonda shrugged.

“
But if it was real, would you really want it?”

Rhonda considered the question, then nodded. “Sure. Who doesn't want to be adored?”

“But he'd adore you because he's supposed to! It's not about who you are! It's about what some magical voodoo decided for you.”

“
Wow, this really gets to you, huh?” Rhonda took off her sunglasses and studied Vanora's expression. “Is this about Dan? I can't believe you rescheduled your date.”

“
We're moving today.”

“
Yeah, by sitting at a coffee shop. You could totally make that date tonight.”

Fingers stroking her bracelet, Vanora shrugged. “I'm not ready.”

“God, Vanora! It's been almost two years. You've gone on what? Maybe four dates in that time? You really need to get over Armando.”

“
But I
am
over him!” Vanora protested.

Rhonda rolled her eyes. “Then why are you putting off Dan?”

Adjusting the brim of her hat, Vanora fidgeted, unable to give a truthful answer to Rhonda and maybe even herself. The reality of the situation was that Vanora didn't know if anything she was doing in her life was the right thing anymore. No matter how normal her life with Rhonda seemed from the outside looking in, Vanora felt as though she were playing a part. She was going through the motions of the life expected of her. Secrets enshrouded her entire existence, keeping her on edge, afraid, and uncertain. Was it even right to move into another apartment with Rhonda? What if the vampire found her again? He said their time had not yet come, but what about when it did? She'd even considered running back to her brother and sister in Houston, but the thought terrified her. It was as if she were giving into the darkness, giving up any hope of a normal mortal life, if she were to return. To make matters worse, she wasn't really over Armando. She dreamed of him often and missed him every day. The world she now lived in felt false, empty, and oftentimes more frightening than the life she had lived in the mansion in Houston surrounded by vampires. Yet she'd seen the bloody, violent reality of that world and knew she could never return to the naive mindset that had made it possible to live among the vampires.

“
Vanora?”

With a sigh, Vanora met Rhonda's concerned gaze. “I'm putting Dan off because I'm afraid.”

“Of what?”

“
Living, I guess.” Vanora lifted a shoulder. “What if I build a new life and it all falls apart?”

“
You've already built a new life, Vanora, you just need to enjoy it.”

Lightly chewing on her bottom lip, Vanora gave Rhonda a slight nod. Her roommate had a point. It wasn't as if she couldn't defend herself. She’d stood up to the vampire who had killed Roman and Alisha. She had repelled the albino vampire. Already, she had bought quite a few decorative crosses to hang by the windows and doors in the new place. She'd even bought a book on vampires and how to ward against them. She wasn't weak. Even in her vision, she had managed to deflect the vampire. Carys said she was powerful, so maybe she had to start trusting herself. Was she really just going to wait for something terrible to happen, or fight for a life worth living?

“You're so right.” Vanora extricated her iPhone from her purse. “Totally right.”

“
So, what’re you going to do?” Rhonda wore a smirky look that said she already had a good idea who Vanora was about to call.

“
Start living,” Vanora answered, and pressed Dan's name on the screen.

2009 October

It was Halloween again.

Armando had come to despise the holiday. It had never been a particular favorite, but since the night he had lost Vanora, it held no allure. Though he passed out candy to any of the children knocking on his apartment door, the fanciful costumes failed to lift his spirits.

Shifting his cellphone to his other shoulder, Armando leaned against the window of his loft apartment as he listened to Roman discussing his plans for the evening. The lights were off, making him a mere shadow to the outside world if anyone were to look upward.

“
Alisha is insisting on going to a horror movie,” Roman said, sounding bewildered by the whole prospect. “Carlotta wants to go, too. It's some ghost movie. She says it will be amusing.”

“
It'll be a good distraction,” Armando answered.

“
I suppose.” Roman sounded maudlin. The holiday was difficult for him as well. Though Vanora now spoke to Alisha on the phone, she had barely started to answer Roman's emails. “I just miss Vanora. I wish I could find a way to fix all that went wrong that night.”

“
The past is done. You can only move forward. It's a good sign that she's at least communicating with you.”

“
Does she...uh…” Roman faltered. Vanora's older brother was not pleased about his suspicion that something romantic had occurred between his best friend and youngest sister. He had never actually asked Armando in a forthright manner, but often hinted at the topic.

“
No. She doesn't speak with me.”

“
Have you tried recently?”

“
No. I haven't.” Armando had considered approaching Vanora, but decided it was best to let her be in case any of Aeron's enemies were snooping about. There was nothing to really connect Armando to Vanora other than his friendship with her brother. A few vampires retained human family, so it wasn't that unusual. His friendship with Roman wouldn't draw attention to Vanora, but if it appeared he was guarding her, it could become dangerous.

Arguing female voices in the background brought a small smile to Armando's lips. Carlotta sounded aggravated, but Alisha wasn't giving in to her tantrum. Roman was constantly caught between his warring girlfriend and sister. It amused Armando.

“Alisha says that Vanora is still seeing that one guy. Dan? Though I'm not certain it’s serious. Which it shouldn't be. She's too young.”

“
You sound like an overly protective father.”

“
Well, she's the closest I'll ever come to fatherhood. And I let her down.” Roman sounded dour. He was a serious man by nature, but he had changed since the night he'd given into his bloodlust.

From his apartment, Armando watched Vanora, Rhonda, and their dates across the courtyard, laughing as they ventured out to celebrate Halloween. Vanora was dressed as the Black Cat in a slinky body suit, while Dan was dressed as Spider-Man. Rhonda was Wonder Woman and her date Superman.

“It is better for her to live as a mortal than to suffer our darkness.” It wounded Armando to know that Vanora would not be allowed to live a normal life. He spent an inordinate amount of time trying to find a way to defy his Master's edict. Being bound by the power of his Master's blood made it very difficult for him, yet he had hoped that he could at some point save her. The problem was he would have to wait for the right opportunity.

At a discreet distance, Lorelei followed Vanora and her friends. The tiny vampire slid through the darkness like a wraith. For once, an actual writing deadline had saved Armando from another night of watching Vanora enjoying herself with her boyfriend.

“You're right, of course.” Roman sighed, the voices on his end growing louder. “I better go. I hope the book is coming along well.”

“
It is. I'll see you next week.” Armando ended the call.

Vanora and her friends vanished from view as the
y rounded a corner. It was Halloween and a Saturday night. Sixth Street would be packed with costumed revelers. Armando flirted with the idea of venturing out, but it would only be a form of self-torture. He would end up watching Vanora from afar and be scrutinized by Lorelei. He was fairly certain she was already suspicious of his feelings toward Vanora.

The little vampire glanced toward his window, flashed a wide, wicked smile, and followed Vanora around the corner.

He sighed and rubbed his eyes.

Aeron was convinced he was close to discovering Parthenia's whereabouts. Armando hoped his Master was wrong. If only Aeron wouldn’t find Parthenia for many more years. Armando would have to suffer living in the shadows of Vanora's world, but at least she would have a few more precious years of freedom.

Armando knew he’d sacrifice himself to keep Vanora safe and happy, but the chains of his Master's power were deeply imbedded in his very being. Yet, he had to hold onto the hope that there was a way to rip her away from the destiny the Fates had laid out for her.

In the loneliness of his dark existence, that hope was all he had left.