The Way of Escape (15 page)

“Penelope and Jules are on their way,” a voice crackled in response.

Once that exchange ended, Amy returned to the prep table and I let out a sigh of relief as she set the ramekins on a serving tray.

“I hope this plan of yours works.”

“It will.”

The kitchen doors opened and the two slaves who would be serving the remainder of the vampires’ meal came in. When Augustus returned to my side with our dinner, and I took that as our cue to exit. Aside from saying goodbye to Amy, neither of us said a word as we left the kitchen and the house soon thereafter. Augustus broke the silence between us when the trees surrounding us obscured the last remnants of light spilling from the vampire’s expansive home and we had only the moon and stars to light our path.

“That went well,” he said. “Amy is likely the slave who has lived under Emmanuel’s thumb the longest and she can use her influence to help us gain the others’ cooperation. With the little notice we are giving them, her support will be extremely helpful.”

“I didn’t know what to expect when we walked in. I was kind of scared that she was going to kick me out again.”

“I could tell that her heart had softened the moment we walked in,” Augustus divulged. “Asking Emmanuel to set those slaves free was an excellent idea, Clara.”

I smiled.

“Well, I wanted to earn their trust instead of forcing it, and that was the only thing I could think of to win them over.”

“Their loyalty and cooperation will increase their chances of survival. People tend to fight harder for a cause when they are fighting of their own free will. A vampire’s suggestion can leave a lingering taste of bitterness in someone’s mind that keeps him from waging war with all that he has. That’s why it’s vital for a maker to cultivate a relationship with the vampires he sires. The magical bond between a maker and the vampire he’s sired is only so strong. The same applies for humans.”

Just as Augustus finished speaking, we reached the beach. The dark, salty sea stretched into the horizon as the moon illuminated every crest and trough in view and made the white sand sparkle like the stars above. The sight was such a welcome departure from the stuffy opulence of Emmanuel’s house, and I experienced true relaxation for the first time since I awakened in the vampire’s home.

Augustus gracefully shrugged off his blazer, laid it on the sand, and sat down on the left half. I lowered myself onto the right half and removed my shoes, pushing aside my fear of ruining the expensive garment. Considering how callously the vampire had placed the jacket on the ground, he either didn’t care about messing it up or knew that he could have whatever damage our picnic caused repaired.

By the time the thought cleared my mind, my unexpected friend had placed a fork and knife in my plastic bowl and handed me the fragrant pasta dish. I bowed my head and quickly, silently blessed the food before digging in. Amy had baked the ziti with Italian sausage and a tomato sauce that tasted of garlic and fresh herbs. The parmesan cheese and chiffonade of basil on top added a nutty, earthy note to the dish, which reminded me of my favorite Italian restaurant back in Dallas. It tasted like home. As much as I’d enjoyed the flavorful chicken, rice, and bean dishes that the talented Haitian women at Gospel Gateway had lovingly prepared every evening, there was something so comforting about Amy’s Italian American meal.

“This is the most at ease I’ve seen you,” Augustus observed.

“Fresh air and comfort food work miracles.”

“Well, you’ll have unlimited access to both soon enough.”

“Yeah … I guess I will.”

We savored our meals in silence for a few minutes, watching the waves gently crash on the shore and enjoying the sand between my toes until I interrupted our peaceful moment.

“Will everything go back to normal for you after this?”

“Yes, I’ll resume my normal duties for The Vampire League and continue managing my own personal businesses as I did before my visit,” he answered. “As unconventional as my methods may be, everything I accomplish here is in service of the league.”

“That makes sense,” I said carefully.

“You don’t approve?”

“Your lifestyle is still very foreign to me and we don’t share the same moral standards, so I’m having a hard time putting myself in your shoes and understanding your choices.”

“It won’t be foreign for long,” he pointed out with a smile. “While I’ll return to my old life after this, there will be an important new addition to it.”

“Are you getting a dog,” I joked.

Augustus laughed and shook his head.

“I take being a maker very seriously, which means that I will be very involved in your life for a while,” he reminded me. “I also plan to continue cultivating our friendship even after you’re on your feet.”

“That’s fine with me as long as you’re okay with keeping our friendship PG-rated platonic.”

“PG-rated platonic it is,” he smirked in agreement. “Having you as a friend will definitely be an exercise in self-control.”

“I thought you were already a master of self-control.”

“Yes, but now I’ll actually have to practice it since most women don’t require me to.”

“What are your other friends like,” I deflected. “Are all of your friends vampires or are there a few humans in the mix?”

“The majority of my associates are vampires and the ones who aren’t desperately want to be,” he answered. “My closest friend, Liam, used to work for The Vampire League. He’s one of the few vampires who voluntarily resigned from his position.”

“Why did he leave?”

“He grew tired of the inherent danger that came with being a lord. As I mentioned before, vampires frequently challenge one another to duels to climb the ladder of success in the league. As the lord of a highly coveted area, he was constantly fighting and preparing for duels,” Augustus explained. “After an opponent nearly killed him in one particularly vicious match, he decided to step down so he could actually enjoy his immortality.”

“I’d probably do the same thing. I couldn’t imagine having to fight for my life all the time. It sounds exhausting.”

“Since Liam was bit of a romantic, he wasn’t fond of living a life steeped in death and having to harden his heart when he could have been enjoying the world’s beauty,” he continued. “He’s been away from the league for fifty years now and he’s almost back to his old self.”

“How has working for the league changed you?”

“Unlike Liam, I don’t hate the lifestyle I’ve earned. I’ve become smarter and craftier since I won my first duel, and I’ve also been able to enjoy the fruits of my labor.”

“Have you become more cold-hearted like he did?”

“My heart was barely tepid to begin with thanks to what happened with Cassandra,” he reminded me. “Spending time with someone tender-hearted like you has definitely helped thaw it a little.”

“If you think I’m tender-hearted, you should meet my friend Grace. She cries every time she sees a commercial about abused animals or engagement rings.”

Augustus laughed as he leaned back on his elbows.

“You are incapable of taking a compliment.”

“No, I’m not. I just know my strengths and weaknesses, so when someone says something I don’t necessarily think is true, I won’t agree with them.”

“Would you agree if I said that you were courageous?”

“I don’t know.”

“What about if I said that you were beautiful?”

I rolled my eyes.

“No, and it’s not because of false modesty or insecurity. I think I look nice enough if I’m wearing makeup, but guys tend to overlook me without it. How I look isn’t terribly important in the grand scheme of things, so it doesn’t really matter anyway.”

“I’ve never seen you with a stitch of makeup on and I think you’re gorgeous,” he countered. “Though beauty is more than the sum of your physical assets and whatever you paint on top of them, you’re fortunate enough to have both inner and outer beauty.”

I narrowed my eyes and tilted my head slightly.

“I can’t tell … Are you lecturing me or trying to seduce me with flattery?”

“Seduction wouldn’t work on you. You’re too strong-willed,” Augustus said. “Most women in your shoes would have compromised their morals by now.”

“Even under these circumstances?”

“Especially
under these circumstances. Women have disrobed during less harrowing situations with much less effort on my part. When faced with stress and life-threatening danger, people either rise to the occasion and reveal hidden strengths or try to distract themselves from their dire circumstances with varying forms of pleasure.”

My thoughts immediately turned to Connor and Leah and my mood deflated as I glanced down at the last few bites of my dinner. The vampires had placed them in the same situation and they’d both responded very differently. I didn’t want to think of Leah as weak, but her struggles had been closer to the surface than Connor’s were and more easily aroused by the vampires’ manipulation. That turmoil didn’t spontaneously develop when Emmanuel’s men kidnapped her, and his supernatural suggestion wouldn’t magically heal her now that she was home. She had deep wounds that only Christ could heal, and I hoped that she would find the healing she needed before they caused her more harm than they already had.

“You’re thinking of your friends,” Augustus observed.

“I just wish things had turned out differently for Leah. I know Connor is suffering too, but he’ll forget about the physical abuse. Leah will still be stuck with her doubts.”

“Maybe you can help her with that when you return.”

“Getting closer to me is probably not the best thing for her. She may figure out that I’m holding something back, and that will make it harder for her to trust me.”

“If she’s perceptive enough to tell that you’re holding back, she’ll also sense that your guidance is coming from a place of love,” he pointed out. “You could tell her enough of the truth to appease her curiosity without revealing everything.”

“Maybe … We’ll see. I really need to pray about it because I don’t want to hurt Leah. She’s already been through so much.”

“What other concerns do you have?”

“One thing I’ve been avoiding thinking about is the fact that I don’t know who my biological father is. I know that my mom is my real mother because I look just like her, but the man who raised me was definitely a human because I’ve seen him outside in the sun more times than I can count. Is there any way I can find out who my real father is?”

“The birth of known dhampirs is documented by The Vampire League, and your name is nowhere to be found in our records. I called the headquarters shortly after Emmanuel’s men brought you in. Either your mother didn’t know what you and your biological father were or she decided to keep your unusual nature a secret.”

“Is there a record of vampires who were in Dallas that year?”

“Yes, but not all vampires register their locations … especially if they’re just passing through,” he explained. “Even if you reached out to the men listed in the registry, they might find your line of questioning impertinent. Your investigation would be more fruitful if I was the one conducting it, and I’d be happy to do so once this is over.”

“Thanks. I’ll think about it.”

“Do you think the man who raised you might know anything about your true father?”

I pulled my knees to my chest and wrapped my arms around them as I chewed on his question.

“I don’t know … probably not. Since I’m a dhampir, my mother probably had an affair. Considering how nasty my dad’s temper was, I don’t think he would have stayed married to her as long as he did if he knew that she cheated on him.”

“How long were they married before you were born?”

“About five years.”

“He could have been more forgiving in those few years.”

“I doubt it. I’ve never seen an ounce of mercy or compassion from him.”

“Maybe his resentment toward you is a result of your mother’s indiscretion.”

“That makes sense, but I’m not sure if I want to open that can of worms just yet. He probably doesn’t know anything anyway.”

“Are you reluctant to approach him because you think he will be a dead end or because you’re still afraid of him?”

“Both. I know he won’t be able to hurt me
physically.
I’m more scared of the hurtful things he may say. I’ve never left a conversation with him feeling anything but defeated and broken.”

“There is a way around that. I could use my influence to temper his tongue during our little interrogation and make him forget that you ever saw one another.”

“I can’t let you manipulate him because I’m a coward. Either I’ll see him without any vampire tricks involved or I won’t see him at all.”

“If you insist.”

“Did you ever see your parents after you became a vampire?”

Augustus’ lips curved into a half-smile.

“Yes. Unluckily for them, I didn’t quite have the same sense of honor that you possess.”

“What did you do?”

“Have you ever seen a grown man crawling on his hands and knees and barking like a small dog in public wearing nothing but his underwear?”