Vicious (10 page)

The thought of being with her longer made me feel safer, and the fact she cared enough made me flush red through my face. But what was next? While I didn’t mind Anna’s interest in me, I could do without Lea’s.

“Where are we going?”

“We’re going to see Brother Sinister.”

Chapter Eleven

Grant

“What are we waiting for?”

Anna and I were back in the hotel room. She had hurried me back to that strange hotel as quickly as she could, maneuvering through as many crowded streets as possible to get there. More people around meant Lea would be less likely to try anything. Even though I was paranoid and nervous, I couldn’t help but watch Anna as she pulled me helplessly down the streets. With those dark sunglasses, she looked like anyone else might, just a pretty young girl with blond hair and tall boots. No one but me knew what she really was.

Her mere presence at the hotel caused the staff to suddenly be alert, and she had a room key in her hand with only a quick nod to the red head with the fangs behind the desk. It was impressive, like watching a mob film.

We were in the room now, and it just so happened to be the same room as before. Housekeeping hadn’t even come up to clean yet. As soon as she removed the sunglasses, I saw the Anna I knew again. She paced around the bed and avoided my perplexed stare, which was not helping my impatience.

“What are we waiting for?”

She stopped and looked at me.

“We can’t go now,” she said as though she were speaking to a five-year-old.

“Why not?”

“It’s daytime. I can barely see with these things on, and I can’t protect you very well if I can’t see.”

“Oh,” I replied simply while feeling very stupid.

She began to pace again, so I decided to switch the subject.

“Why do these hotel people know you? Do they know what you really are?”

She stopped again and sighed heavily. Then she plopped down on the bed and stared at the floor as though it might suddenly start speaking for her. Apparently, I was frustrating her with my questions.

“They think they know what I am, but they don’t.”

“What do they think you are?”

“A vampire,” she said sarcastically as she shrugged. “But one of those folklore ones, like Count Dracula and the ones from the Anne Rice novels. You saw the girl downstairs?”

“Yes, but is she a vampire?”

“What do you think?”

“No. I think she’s one of those vampire wannabes that you see on TV.”

“She is, but they are nice people. I saved the owner of this place from one of Lea’s crew about fifteen years ago. All of us vampires are supposed to abide by the rules and only hunt criminals, but sometimes, as you know, they slip. The owner is a nice man who happened to be very interested in vampire lore. One night, he spotted Lea’s group and followed one of them into a dark alley. I was barely able to get there in time, but I got him out before he was actually bitten. Ever since then, he has dedicated this room to my needs.”

“Wait a second. Fifteen years ago? How old are you? I thought the eternal-life thing wasn’t true.”

“It’s not. We do age, but very, very slowly.”

“And Lea has a crew? How many?”

“Three including herself.”

“What about you? Do you have a crew?”

“Sort of.”

“How many?”

“More than that.”

“How many is that?”

“That’s enough questions, I think,” she said with a sudden stern voice.

She glared at me, and I knew I had overstepped a boundary. After a very pregnant pause, I changed the subject yet again.

“So how did you know the owner was going to get into trouble?”

“I had been researching his group. Vampire admirers intrigue me. Some just watch us, some wear black and make dentists alter their teeth to look like us, and some believe they are one of us. They drink blood or feed off of each other’s energy. It’s all harmless and everyone is willing for the most part, so I leave them alone to have their fun.”

“And what type was the owner?”

“He was just a watcher, very much like you. He collected experiences and knew he had found something when he saw Lea’s vampires. He didn’t even ask any questions of me, just accepted it all. He offered to be my ally and friend. Now most of them know me and think whatever they want about me as long as they tell no one else. The arrangement is fine with me.”

“Wait, what do you mean
much like you
? Why do you think I am one of these people?”

“Because, Grant, only those types of people are brave enough to acknowledge me in a bar or public place. Look at my eyes. What do you see?”

I looked into those eyes of hers and got lost immediately. They were so mesmerizing, like a hypnotist dangling a lovely watch in front of my face and insisting I do his bidding. I didn’t know how to respond to her, so I was just honest.

“They’re beautiful.”

“That’s exactly it, Grant. Most humans are scared or nervous when they look into our eyes. You were drawn to them. Even your headstrong friend wouldn’t come over. You are very much like these watcher people.”

“Wait, how did you know that about Eric? The fact he was too afraid to come over to you, I mean. Can you read minds or something?”

She laughed a little at my apparent foolishness and smiled at me. I didn’t mind. Her laugh was like a bell.

“No. I am just observant. Very observant. We are built that way, and I can hear at great distances.”

“Oh,” I squeaked, feeling very foolish again.

I suddenly became nervous and tried to remember if I might have said anything inappropriate that night before I came over to talk to her. I couldn’t remember very well. It seemed like every memory leading up to the incident in the alley was muffled and dulled compared to everything that happened afterward.

Without warning, she stood up from the bed and began unzipping her boots and pulling off her socks. Butterflies began swarming in my stomach. The little creatures flapped their wings hard inside my organs as she lay down on the bed on top of the covers next to where I was sitting. She rolled over to face me with that angelic face of hers. An angel’s face with a devil’s eyes.

“W-what are you doing?”

“Don’t worry, Grant, I just need to sleep. I’ve got to be rested for tonight.”

“What about food?”

“You can order whatever you want from room service.”

“No, I meant for you,” I said awkwardly.

She opened her eyes and looked at me a little shocked. A long moment of silence riddled with anxiety passed through the room as the gravity of my statement was weighed and inspected for meaning.

“I can go days without, but thanks for thinking of me.”

She shut her eyes again and nestled her head on the pillow with an admirable amount of nonchalance. I decided if she could be this comfortable with me, I could do the same with her. I kicked my shoes off and lay down next to her, and despite my inner desires, I was very careful not to touch her.

“Do you need covers,” I asked quietly. “I can stay above the sheet.”

“That’s nice, but no thanks. I don’t really get cold.”

So that’s how we slept. I was under the covers and she was on top of them. I spent most of the day sleeping peacefully next to a gorgeous vampire.

Night fell, and Anna awoke just before the last rays of pink and purple vanished beyond the horizon. Per her request, I texted Eric and the guys with some ridiculous story that I was having the time of my life and that the blond wouldn’t let me out of bed. I told them I might meet up with them at the bars tonight and to look for me, but I knew full well I wouldn’t be there.

We headed out into the night, and even though Anna had reassured me this was a safer route than to go during the day, my human instincts kept telling me that nighttime and vampires equaled trouble. She led me through the old New Orleans streets, and I kept looking on every rooftop for some sign that Lea was following us. I nearly jumped out of my skin over a shadow that ended up being a few pigeons taking flight after hearing a car alarm. My pulse kept racing, so I decided to make conversation as we walked to distract my overactive imagination.

“So who is this Brother Sinister?”

“He’s a voodoo man that Lea knows. She goes to him for advice. If anyone would know why she’s after you, it would be him.”

“She’s friends with a human?”

“Only this one.”

“So why would he help us? If he’s friendly with her, he probably doesn’t want to piss her off.”

“No, he probably won’t be eager to help us.”

“How do we get him to help then?”

We stopped suddenly in front of a very old building that had chicken feet and painted gourds hanging from every open ceiling space in sight. My gaze travelled over all of the voodoo items for sale and saw alligator heads, stone eggs, wooden masks and other strange objects I couldn’t identify. Everything looked African or maybe slightly Catholic from some Caribbean island like Haiti.

Anna looked at me and replied very plainly, “We will be very persuasive.”

This made me nervous. I didn’t want to see how persuasive Anna could be.

As we walked up the few stone steps, I noticed the door was ajar slightly with an open sign swaying in the breeze. Anna stopped me before I could enter and looked into my eyes very seriously.

“Don’t utter a word in here, Grant. Please do exactly as I say. Just trust me.”

I nodded, and we walked inside. Instantly, I witnessed what Anna had said earlier about normal humans being afraid of her. The few customers that were milling about the store quickly made a beeline for the exit as soon as they set eyes on her. This was fine with her, because it left us alone with the store keeper who stood nervously behind a nearby counter.

He was a black man with dark eyes and his face was speckled lightly with salt-and-pepper facial stubble. He was of a considerable height, which gave him the appearance of being very thin, and the lines around his eyes revealed his advancing age. He tensed at our arrival, and it looked like he was reaching for something underneath his counter. I was afraid he was pushing a silent-alarm button or reaching for a gun. I became just as nervous and agitated as he.

“Relax,” started Anna in a calming voice, “we just want to ask you a few questions.”

He quickly produced what he was searching for under the counter. He had not been going for an alarm or a weapon of any kind. In his right hand, he held out an ornate silver crucifix and pointed it in the direction of Anna. She walked toward him all the same without breaking stride.

“You know that doesn’t work, conjure man.”

She continued walking over to him, and I saw pure fear in the man’s eyes as his hands began to shake. He reached under the counter with the other hand. I wanted to move or intervene in some way, but Anna put her hand up to signal for me to be still, so I obeyed. She continued to move towards the shaking man. He pulled out a shiny silver rosary and wound it around the crucifix and let the remainder drape down his hand. She had stopped right in front of him now. Anna was so close that she could reach out and touch him if she wanted.

“No but this does, vampire.”

She looked at the rosary thoughtfully for a moment, and with a movement that couldn’t be seen with a naked eye, she clasped her hand over his and the rosary. The man was shocked and quivered more while he looked frightened at his hand underneath her delicate white one. Suddenly, a faint hissing sound filled the silence and tiny streams of smoke filled the air. Whatever was on that rosary was burning her skin.

“Now listen here, conjure man. I need to ask you some questions. Will you answer them or not.”

She spoke so calmly even though her hand was smoking, and the effect caused no end of terror in the poor man’s face. Brother Sinister shook and frantically nodded yes to her. In one fatal motion, Anna pulled the rosary and the crucifix from his hand and threw them to the floor. Her hand looked red and blistered as though someone had held a flame to it for a long time, but she paid it no mind.

“Okay. Now Lea came to you yesterday, didn’t she?”

“Y-yes,” he stammered.

“And what did she need?”

“To tell her future. She needed to follow a path.”

“What path?”

“She needed to know what your intentions really were and how to find out.”

“So what did you tell her?”

“I read her fortune, and told her to follow the boy.”

“Which boy?” She sounded impatient.

He pointed a shaky finger in my direction. “That boy.”

“Why him?”

“That’s just what the leaves said. They said if she wanted to know the truth, follow the boy, and he would lead her to Anna and the truth.”

“That’s everything?”

“Everything, I swear it!”

He was shaking uncontrollably, and Anna mercifully backed away from him.

She walked back over to me before she turned to him and spoke again. “Tell Lea when you see her, and I’m sure that will be tonight, if she wants the truth to meet me at my home. The boy and I will be there.”