Darkness of day, p.9
Darkness of Day, page 9
“Which one do you plan on going after first?” Alisha asked.
Jelani frowned. He had been talking about Remy, not the Japanese Hunter. Being honest with himself, he wasn’t totally sure he wanted to have a go at that one again. Not for a while, at least.
“Remy,” he answered. Just thinking about the Hunter who had turned him into what he was caused the anger in him to simmer. He heard a gasp and Alisha recoiled and scooted away from him. He looked at her in puzzlement. “What? What did I do?”
“Your eyes,” she whispered. “They’re glowing in this … lavender color.”
Jelani closed his eyes, willing his temper under control. When he opened them again he was sure they had gone back to their usual brown, but the fear in Alisha’s face hadn’t diminished. A cold sinking feeling froze his stomach, and in that instant Jelani knew they would never be together. It was more than he could stand.
Just then, the elevator gave a soft ding and the doors opened to admit Daniel, holding Jelani’s big bag.
They both stood.
“Hey,” Daniel said, looking from Jelani to Alisha, his expression asking if the coast was clear.
“Hey, man,” Jelani said. “Good timing. I was just thinking I should probably go.”
Daniel crossed the lobby and the three of them stood in an uncomfortable silence. Finally, Jelani reached out and grabbed the bag from Daniel, who released it somewhat mechanically. It hurt. Though he knew that his best friend was making a valiant effort to appear at ease, Jelani could see and feel the fear in him. Him and Alisha. It hurt him more than he thought possible.
“When you coming back around?” Daniel asked.
Jelani shook his head. “I don’t know. I’ll email you my half of the rent as soon as I fire up my computer.”
Daniel snorted. “Don’t be stupid, dude. Your half of the rent is the last thing I’m thinking about right now.”
Despite his sinking heart, Jelani smiled. “Just thought I’d throw it out there. It’s only right.” He slung his backpack over his shoulders then draped the long strap of the duffle bag over his right shoulder.
“That’s not heavy?” Daniel said. You’ve probably got close to a hundred pounds there. I stuffed everything I could into it, and I know your backpack has your computer and books in it.”
It felt like nothing. “I’ll manage,” Jelani said. He waved. “Guess I better get going. I still got a lot of things to figure out.” The truth was that dawn wasn’t far off, but Jelani didn’t want to say anything to remind his already skittish friends of his new nature.
“Try to come by again soon,” Alisha said.
“Don’t know if I should.”
Her lips twitched into a smile. “I think you should.”
Jelani thought about it for a moment, then shrugged noncommittally. “Maybe I will.” He waved again, then turned toward the front door. Alisha came around in front of him. She wrapped her arms around him in another crushing hug that made his heart ache. Her blood was racing through her veins, rich with repressed passion and fear. He could practically hear it, smell it. He had to get out of there.
She released him and Daniel reached out his hand. Jelani took it and they pulled each other close in a half-hug.
“Take care of yourself,” Daniel said.
“You too,” Jelani replied. “Whether you see me or not, I’m watching out for you all.”
“I know,” Daniel said. “Oh, and Wen says hi. She wanted to come down, but she had just gotten out of the shower and—”
Jelani held up his hand. “Neither she, nor you owe me any explanation. Tell her I love her like the sister I never had, and I’ve always got your backs. Alright?”
Daniel shook his head. “This isn’t fair at all.”
“Neither is life.” Jelani started for the door. He was reaching for the bar when Alisha’s voice stopped him.
“I love you.”
Jelani clamped his eyes shut, clenching his teeth. After the agony passed, he looked over his shoulder. “Love you too.”
He opened the door and disappeared into the night.
14
Melinda slid the key in and turned it. The lock clicked open and she turned the knob and stepped into the darkened apartment; the apartment she hadn’t seen in over three weeks, but still paid rent for.
Remy had insisted that for now, she maintain a bit of her human life to avoid any complications. She was to continue on at her job and maintain the rent at her apartment.
Considering her new existence, the concept of keeping a mundane job was ludicrous but Melinda had little choice in what she did with her life these days. Every bit of free-will she was able to exercise was a small triumph.
She stepped in and closed the door, standing in utter darkness. It was the darkness of a human night; the darkness of a vampiric day. For a long time she stood there and let the irony of her situation settle over her shoulders. She had always loved living in Vancouver but oftentimes the dark and rainy days would drag her mood down. She’d spent many a gray wet day wishing the sun would come out, and wishing it didn’t rain all the damn time.
She clicked her tongue behind her teeth. Now the day was her darkness, the night, her day, and the very thing about this city that made her occasionally depressed now made it more livable.
Vampire.
That’s what she was now. A vampire. A couple months ago, if someone had told her vampires existed she would have laughed and rolled her eyes. Now those same eyes were seeing in the dark as easily as if she had the lights on. She walked through the darkness, taking in the last remnants of her human life. A tennis racket. A yoga mat, workout bands, a medicine ball, and clothes everywhere.
Her life hadn’t been the most exciting, but she enjoyed it. Her downtown apartment was only seven hundred thirty square feet, but it was all she needed. She’d worked five days a week and had weekends off, and could pretty much book time off whenever she liked as long as she gave notice in advance. She had plenty of money in the bank and lived well below her means, enabling her to take vacations and pamper herself occasionally.
Remy had taken all of that from her. That thought brought on a round of laughter that held no mirth. I guess if I don’t laugh, I’ll rip this place apart. She dropped onto the couch and let her head fall to the side. Well, he’d taken almost everything; her social life, her recreation, the sun. But in his generosity, Remy had allowed her to retain her job, her apartment, and bills. Just thinking about the bastard set her blood on fire. Oh, how she would love to jam her hand into his chest and crush his heart.
The vicious thought made Melinda weep. She thrust her elbow into a pillow beside her. Despair turned to anger; she couldn’t even cry properly in this new condition. She didn’t know if it was because vampirism permanently dried up the tear ducts or what, but her eyes were as dry as the Sahara.
“What did he make me into?” Melinda whispered into the darkness.
She had always thought that vampires were supposed to be these mythical creatures neither living nor dead, yet retaining all of their memories and mental functions. Not to mention the whole gaining ‘supernatural powers’ thing.
Well, some of it was true and some of it was not. She couldn’t deny that it was all very interesting. Her heart still beat, but at a much slower rate, so she could understand the whole undead thing if someone happened across a sleeping vampire that suddenly woke up.
And then there were the myths. She looked to her left at a painting on the wall with a glass covering. Her unhappy reflection stared back at her. “I wonder who thought that up,” she muttered, thinking about how vampires were not supposed to have reflections.
She went into the kitchen, grabbed a saucepan from the cabinet and set it on the stove. After turning the stove on, she opened the refrigerator and grabbed a plastic bag filled with a thick red liquid. Blood.
Refrigerating it preserved it for longer. She gave the bag a shake to re-liquify it. Melinda thought about how squeamish she used to be at the site of blood. Now she needed it to survive, and could barely control herself if she let the thirst become too strong. That lesson, she’d learned the hard way.
Remy had warned her about waiting too long, but she had thought it was just another of his endless games of tormenting her. Now that she thought about it, he probably knew she wouldn’t have believed him, so he’d told her the truth. He’d reveled in denial, and watching her take her first victim.
That thought nearly made her knees buckle. The man’s face remained burned into her memory, likely forever. He just left the gym, duffel bag slung over his shoulder. She remembered flirting with him, taking him just enough away from the doorway in the parkade and snatching him clean off his feat.
Melinda took a deep, shuddering breath. She’d grabbed him by his blond, spiky hair and forced his head back. She remembered feeling him squirm in her unbreakable grasp, hearing his deep voice as all he could do was gurgle in response. She’d tried to stop, hated herself even as she basked in the revitalization his lifeblood gave her. A primal urge had taken over, and all she could do was continue to drain him. It was like she had traveled across a desert where the sun burned her on the inside. That man’s blood had been the water that rehydrated her body, her cells and organs. Where a desert traveler sought water, she had needed blood.
She sighed and opened the packet, emptying the contents into the saucepan. She’d watched the life fade in that man’s eyes. The first person she had ever killed. She didn’t think she would ever forgive herself for that, no matter the circumstances. Through the memories in the cells in his blood, memories she had gained for a time, she knew that he had a family; a wife and two daughters who would never see him alive again.
She clamped her eyes shut, willing herself to calm down. She was shaking with sadness and rage. After bringing herself back under control, Melinda stirred the blood until it was warm, then poured some into a coffee mug. It could be drunk cold but blood was best warm, like in the body in which it flowed. It was never the same as when it came fresh from an exposed neck, but Melinda would do everything in her power to avoid attacking anyone else.
She took a sip from the mug, then drained it. “I’m going to kill you, Remy.” She grabbed the saucepan and poured the rest of the contents into her mug and drained that as well, then washed the dishes and put them away. “I’m going to kill you for what you’ve done to me.”
She wondered if it was true what he said about Jelani. Remy had told her that he’d turned Jelani as well, and that the three of them would be one happy family. Of course he was being sarcastic. Melinda didn’t need Remy to tell her that he intended to torture her by keeping the two of them close but never allowing them to be together.
Not that Jelani wanted her anyway. He’d chosen that other girl. Deep down Melinda couldn’t begrudge Jelani his decision. He’d been straightforward with her from the start, but that didn’t make it any easier to deal with. The thought of having to look at him every day and not be able to touch him, or worse, to have to make love to him in the shallowest experience possible while Remy watched them. That was more than she could bear.
She’d caught the images in his mind. She’d felt the intentions he had toward them both. Remy had a sadistic sense of entertainment and he was planning to enjoy centuries of tormenting her and Jelani.
She smirked. “You just keep thinking that, you son of a bitch.” The sound of her own icy tone surprised her, but the strength made Melinda feel confident. Remy may be good at evasion and deviousness but she had inherited some of those qualities in being turned by him. That, in addition to her natural ability to play mind games, and it would be interesting to see how much fun Remy would really have with her. As a human she’d been good, which was what earned her the nickname, Melinda ‘the-tease’ Reese.
Tonight, she was thankful for that title. It saved her from being raped. Remy had intended to force himself on her. She’d seen it in his eyes every night for weeks, but he had been so preoccupied with that Eldest Hunter Yako, and those siblings, that he hadn’t given her much thought. That was changing. She wouldn’t be able to escape his lust indefinitely.
The thought made her shiver, and she wished Jelani would show up. Maybe together they could find a way to overpower Remy and be done with him.
Melinda ran her thin fingers through her long, sandy brown hair. Jelani had run his fingers through her hair every time after they had been intimate. He had such gentle and caring hands, attentive to every curve and detail. A tiny voice in her mind hinted at the possibility that they might be together. Surely, he couldn’t expect to try to live a normal life with a human woman. That seemed impossible.
She snorted. Knowing Jelani, he would give it his best effort. A heavy, drowsy feeling settled into her body, telling her that dawn was near. Strange, the things that were inherent in this new existence. She would never be caught off guard when dawn approached because her body would tell her in time for her to find sanctuary.
Melinda went into her bedroom and checked the curtains. Shortly after being turned, she’d gone to buy the thickest black curtains she could find. They were a bit on the ugly side, but they blocked out all sunlight. She’d bought three sets, and nailed them to the wall, covering the window. Not even a sliver of sunlight came into the room.
“I almost wish a seagull would crash in and put me out of my misery,” she said dryly
She lay down on the bed, staring at the ceiling. Jelani was out there somewhere, settling down to sleep through the day as well. She needed to find him, and then find a way to kill Remy. Or, she needed to find a way to get that Eldest Hunter to do it for her. She had to be careful with that one, though. Shaquora such as herself ranked at the bottom of the vampire hierarchy, standing only above skiek; half-breeds. And since half-breeds were somewhat rare, that placed her virtually at the bottom of the food chain. That Eldest Hunter might sooner dispatch her than think twice about it.
Melinda thought about the Indian vampire that had saved Jelani from her a month ago and felt a pang of regret. Too bad things had gotten off on the wrong foot. She would have been a good ally against Remy. Maybe Jelani could convince the woman to bury the hatchet anywhere but in Melinda’s head.
She laughed at the macabre humor and pushed all of these thoughts into a part of her mind that held little of importance. If she could focus long enough before falling into sleep, she could convince herself that Jelani, his friends, and the Eldest Hunter were all unimportant to her. Remy had no interest in anything that seemed trivial to her ‘small’ shaquora mind.
15
As if to punctuate Jelani’s mood, the rain intensified as he navigated the streets of downtown Vancouver. Saaya must have sensed his feelings, for she did not appear once he’d left his former home. Now he walked the wet streets in silence, melancholy his sole companion. He turned a corner, making his way toward Stanley Park; the place where all of this began.
He huffed and a puff of air clouded in front of his face. Who could have thought that a simple nighttime jog could so alter his life? One minute he was enjoying a brisk run around the seawall, the next he was running from the night itself. Jelani puffed another cloud. His friends dragged into his mess, one of Daniel’s friends killed, and Melinda turned. Now Jelani shared her fate.
He came to the seawall and made his way through the darkened woods of what he had often referred to as the micro-rainforest that was the interior of Stanley Park. Normally the woods at night would be frightening, but he was a creature of the night now. There were few things that could threaten his life and werewolves didn’t hunt here.
He increased his pace, passing through the trees in a blur. His sadness burned away in the fire of his anger, and he wished another vampire would appear. Saaya had told him that turned vampires were the second lowest class in the hierarchy, and that older or purebloods would often attack and kill them.
“Uh huh,” he muttered under his breath. After spending months running and cowering, fearing for himself and his friends and flinching at shadows, he’d had enough.
If not for the circumstances, he would have found it humorous that Remy had given him the ability to defend himself and his friends. Thinking about that, and the fact that he could feel this weird little tingle in the back of his mind that was Remy attempting to connect with him, Jelani almost laughed. The idiot had no idea that Saaya had intervened and spared Jelani the fate of living under the Hunter’s control.
He came out of the woods in a dead run, crossed the street, then leaped off the cliff. He glided over the fifty-foot drop to the paved paths below, and landed in a crouch on a boulder two dozen feet out into the water. He closed his eyes and felt the splash of the waves as they collided with the rock. The cold air, pouring rain, and crashing waves all washed over him but he felt only the wetness. If he had been susceptible to the cold, the heat from his rage would have kept him warm.
That first vampire who had been after him was dead. What was his name? Jake? Jack? Jelani couldn’t remember. It seemed years ago. He couldn’t kill who was already dead, but Yako and Remy still lived. Oddly though, when he thought of Yako, there were no distinct feelings there. He didn’t like the vampire, certainly, but he didn’t necessarily hate him, either. Yako had hunted Jelani and his friends because that was his job. Jelani didn’t feel the need to be friends with the Hunter, but now he understood the situation for what it was.
When he thought of Remy there was no confusion. A white-hot anger seared his insides when he thought of the arrogant vampire that had taken everything from him. To Remy this was simply a game. He sacrificed other lives for his own amusement and thought nothing of needlessly involving others if it suited his ends.
Jelani longed for the moment when he slid one of his silver knives into Remy’s heart and let him die slowly. The cold thought was unnerving. Jelani had never been a person given to violence. Well, he had thought about punching out a person or two, but not doing mortal harm. Now, he could think of little more than killing Remy.
