Indulgence (229 page)

“Enjoying yourself?” Vincent whispered.

“Yes,” I breathlessly whispered back.

“We could do this for all eternity, you know.” Vincent moved
his face forward, resting his forehead on mine.

“I know.” I couldn’t help the way I felt right now. I was so
enthralled with this moment and this man that eternity sounded like the perfect
plan.

“Then you know what you have to tell me, right?”

I stared into the blue eyes staring back at me. Vincent
picked his head up and moved his lips closer to mine. A rush of desire flowed over
me which I quickly suppressed. Seconds before he had asked the question, I
would have voluntarily consented to transformation. But the weight of his
question snapped me back to reality and kept me from acting on my impulses.

“Not now.” I forced myself to say the words.

“But Allison,” Vincent stated before I cut him off.

“No. Not now,” I sternly replied.

The song ended and not a moment too soon. I pulled myself
away from Vincent’s body. “I’m thirsty,” I said, wanting to change the subject.

“Then let’s get you something to drink.” Vincent’s mouth
broke into a crooked, almost devious smile.

“Thank you,” I responded, not believing he was giving up
this conversation so easily.

Vincent took my arm again, and walked with perfect posture
as we glided through the crowd. He held his head high, almost appearing proud
to be walking with me. I looked at each partygoer as they moved out of the way
of my mammoth skirt. Some had average looking eyes while others had eyes with
the now familiar yellow flecks. Vincent had told me the party would have both
humans and vampires, but I hadn’t believed him until this moment, when I was
seeing it for myself. Here I was, in the middle of a dance floor full of
vampires and mortals intermingling. I wondered if the humans knew who, or what,
company they kept this evening.

“Vincent,” I called as we made our way through the crowd.
“So the humans really can’t tell who is a vampire?”

“What do you mean?”

“The eyes are a dead giveaway, pun intended. The thirteen
gold flecks that sometimes revolve around the pupils.”

“You can see that?”

“Well yeah. I can tell who in here is mortal or immortal by
looking at their eyes.”

“Interesting.”

“Why is that so interesting?”

“Mortals do not see what we see, what you are seeing. They
do not see the tiny specks that swirl around the eyes and increase in intensity
when we are hungry. But our eyes are part of our aura, and they’re hypnotic to
humans. The eyes help draw them in, make us irresistible.”

“And since I’m part…”

“Yes,” Vincent cut me off. “Watch what you say in public
though. Because of what you are, you can see the difference.”

Any doubt remaining in my mind about my being part vampire
was erased with that statement. My vision was something other than that of a
mortal.

We made our way to the glass topped bar. My body was
starting to overheat, but I wasn’t sure if it was the dress and all the fabric
I was lugging around or just my body’s vampirey new habit.

“You are feverish,” Vincent stated. He stared into my eyes
as if he was looking for something.

The bartender approached. “Mr. Vincent, what can I get you
and the…” he stuck his nose in the air, as if trying to sniff for something,
“…the lady?”

“Isaac, don’t be rude. This is Allison Carmichael.”

I grabbed Isaac’s extended hand, and he, too, kissed my hand.
One look into Isaac’s eyes was all I needed to tell what he was. A vampire
would be serving our drinks.

“Pleasure to meet you, madam,” Isaac said.

I nodded my head.

“I’ll have the house drink and the lady will have…” Vincent
said to Isaac but the music was too loud for me to hear the rest. Isaac dashed
around behind the bar grabbing bottles and pouring the liquids into shakers. I
saw him grab a familiar bottle – a green one with a black label and crimson
colored diamond crest. Upon closer inspection, it appeared the shape that was
indiscernible to me at the cottage was that of the dragon that was etched in my
ring. Isaac poured the red liquid into both shakers, shook the drinks and
dispensed them into glasses. Vincent handed me a wine goblet. I swirled the red
liquid and inhaled its scent. It smelled sweet like flowers.

“What is this?” I shouted over the music.

“It’s a special drink, just for you,” Vincent responded.
“Try it.”

I raised the glass to my lips and took a sip. The drink was
heavenly. It tasted just like it smelled, like a sweet garden filled with
flowers and fruit. I nodded my head in approval of the delightful concoction.
Vincent grabbed my hand and led me back to the dance floor. Along the way,
Vincent introduced me to people, but I could barely hear their names or make
conversation because of the loud music. We made our way back to the entrance
where it was less chaotic.

“What do you think?” Vincent asked as he waved his hand at
the party.

“A bit cliché, don’t
you
think?”

Vincent looked puzzled with my response. “What do you mean?”

“Really Vincent? Castle…vampires…Halloween party?” I burst
out in laughter and he did too.

A stranger approached Vincent and asked if I would mind if
he stole Vincent for a few minutes. Vincent’s eyes scanned me and my beverage,
as if concerned.

“It’s fine,” I reassured him. “I need to sit down anyway.
This dress is really weighing on me.”

Vincent threw his hand up in the air, flagging someone I
couldn’t see. In a flash, a beautiful angel was at my side, seemingly materializing
out of nowhere. She wore a long white Grecian gown, pulled tightly around her
tiny waist. Sheer wings sprung from somewhere on her back, and I couldn’t tell
how they were attached to the costume. A silver halo floated above her long
flowing red locks.

I looked at the angel and studied her face for a few
seconds.

“Nurse Marlo?” I asked in shock. There was no mistaking the
long red cascade of curls and the lavender hued eyes.

“Allison, this is my sister Marlo,” Vincent introduced us.

“But how …” I started.

“I’ll tell you later.” She wrapped an arm around my waist.
“Let’s get you somewhere you can sit down.”

Vincent grabbed my goblet as Marlo led me to the closed off
door I had noticed earlier. I instantly felt at ease with Marlo though we had
only spoken a few words. Her face was soothing to look at, almost as if she
really were an angel. Marlo tapped something on the wall and a door slid open.

“Can you make it up the stairs?” Marlo asked as she surveyed
my bulky costume.

“I think so,” I replied. I hiked up my skirt so as not to
trip on it and started to ascend the steep, spiral stone staircase. I paused at
the top, realizing the stone wall was cool and pressed my body into it for some
relief.

Marlo touched my face, “You’re boiling hot.” She grabbed my
arm, her hand a few degrees cooler than my hot flesh. I was starting to feel
light headed and my feet were starting to tingle. I should have known I
couldn’t wear such an elaborate outfit all night.

“Can you walk a bit further down the hall?” Marlo asked,
pointing to our destination down the long hallway.

I shook my head. Marlo led me to a chaise in some sort of
sitting area off of the hallway.

“Here, have a seat.” Marlo touched my head with the back of
her hand. “You’re really burning up. Do you want something to drink?”

“Please, my stomach and throat are killing me.”

Concern washed over Marlo’s face. “What does your throat
feel like?” The tone in her voice suddenly changed. It wasn’t as velvety as
before but full of concern.

Realizing where her concern was leading her mind, I lied
“It’s just a little scratchy. Probably just a sore throat.”

She eyed me up and down and appeared to believe my lie. She
was gone and back in a second with a tall glass of water.

“Here, drink,” Marlo instructed in her smooth voice.

I took a sip of the water and it provided momentary relief
to my aching throat. Marlo was watching every move I made.

“Better?” she asked.

“Yes,” I lied again. The back of my throat felt like an
inferno as did my stomach. The heat had returned and was churning away.

Wanting to get her attention off of me, I changed the
subject. “So, um, are you going to tell me why you were at the hospital?”

Marlo stood frozen like a statue, still observing me. I took
another sip of water, to prove to her I was okay, though I really wanted to
chug the whole glass.

“Thanks for the water,” I said, trying to act normally. I
didn’t want to tip Marlo off that anything was wrong.

Marlo relaxed and sat in a chair across from me. Her eyes
never left my face and her stare was most uncomfortable at the moment. She was
studying me like a book.

“Vincent called that night. He was on duty watching you. He
told you about the Secret Coven, right?” Her demeanor had changed again. She
sat there like she was gossiping with an old friend, and truth be told, it felt
like I’d known her my whole life.

“He mentioned that you, your brothers, and he together were
the Secret Coven that watched over Cain’s half mortal, half vampire
descendants.”

“Yes, well, we took shifts watching you over the past
several months. Sometimes one of us would watch you for a week, other times one
of us would watch you for several weeks. Vincent looked after you mostly. He is
quite protective of you.

“That night, Vincent called and said you were in a very bad
car accident and that he wasn’t able to remove you from the scene himself. A
passing car saw yours on the side of the road and dialed for help. Vincent
called to tell me they were taking you to the hospital because you were
unconscious. I had to be there to ensure the mortal doctors didn’t suspect
anything or try to treat you in some way that would harm you.”

“Oh,” I said. “Well I suppose that makes sense.” We sat
there in silence for a moment as I sipped my water. Marlo continued studying
me.

“So tell me Allison, what has my brother told you about your
options?”

“Options? I really don’t think I have any options, do I?”

Marlo smiled and glanced at the floor. “Of course you have
options.” Her eyes returned to mine. “You can’t be transformed without giving
your consent.” She said it as if it were that simple.

“Oh yes, that’s right, the vampire rule,” I scoffed.

“We have other rules too,” Marlo said as she continued
staring at me.

“That doesn’t surprise me.”

“Vincent hasn’t told you?”

“No, he hasn’t mentioned anything other than my permission
is needed to transform me.”

“Hmm. Well Allison, like every society, we too have certain
rules to live by, punishments in place if the rules are not followed, and a
governing body to judge and punish the rule breakers. Our life isn’t as
glamorous as Vincent might have made it appear to you. We can’t just do what we
want, when we want to whomever we want or whenever we want just because we’re
immortal.”

Now we’re getting somewhere
, I thought. Maybe I’ll
get some answers to the questions I had wanted to ask Vincent.

“You should know these rules, to be fully informed, before
you make your choice,” Marlo stated smoothly. She stood up as she continued her
lesson. She spoke like a professor teaching class.

“We have three simple rules, really. You already know the
one.”

“Right, you must have permission before transforming anyone;
kind of like carrying on Cain’s tradition.”

Marlo whirled around and studied me as she absorbed my
response.

“Well yes, carrying on the tradition, if you want to call it
that. But do you know why Cain asked Ina for permission and why she asked all
of us?”

I didn’t know what to say so I said nothing.

“It avoids the situation of having a disgruntled vampire.
You have to know what you are getting into and you have to choose this life. We
cannot force anyone into it for fear of not knowing how they will react and the
danger they may present to our existence.”

I sat there still not knowing what to say. Her words made
sense; you cannot damn someone and expect them to act a certain way. They have
to want this life.

Marlo looked back at me as she paced the small hallway.
“Here’s another rule – you can never reveal your true self to
any
mortal.”

“That makes sense,” I said and shrugged my shoulders.

“It does, but it isn’t as easy as you think. There are
people in your life, like Jenna, whose life will continue on after your
transformation, not aware of the changes in you. She will still want to hang
out and be friends, like things never changed. But
you
will have
changed. You may not be able to control yourself around her. You may not be
able to see her alone, or at all. She will wonder what has happened and will
question you. You will not be able to tell her what truly has changed and it
will be difficult. She may eventually become despondent with your lack of
answers and one day stop calling all together. Do you think you can you handle
that?”

I sat there, somewhat stunned at what I just heard. I hadn’t
thought about how my transformation would affect those around me. I would have
to keep my secret and hurt my dearest friend since I couldn’t be truthful with
her. I didn’t answer Marlo’s question.

“It’s not without basis that we have this rule. Imagine the
fear that this truth would impose upon mankind once they realized it was a
truth. Think about it; bloodsuckers living among man. Hunter and prey living
alongside each other. The two cannot coexist when each have the knowledge of
the other’s existence. Therefore, for our own self preservation, mortals cannot
know we exist. Our kind can only live on in their myths, legends and movies.”
Marlo paused, allowing me to absorb the rule she just explained.