His species was christened the Evanescence thousands of years ago by the vampires. I called him Blackhole.
My gloved hand reached down to caress his head. He was about as large as a medium-sized dog, though the sounds he was currently making were more similar to that of a cat being stroked. A rare smile lifted the corners of my mouth.
“Would you care for your meal, now?”
He made an excited yip and circled around me. I got to my feet and went into the kitchen. I retrieved two slabs of frozen vampire flesh and tossed them on the ground.
Seeing Blackhole feed was deeply fascinating. His teeth were a blur. He devoured everything and I say that without the slightest hint of hyperbole. Nothing was left behind, not even a single molecule. It was the reason why my people named them the Evanescence. If one chose to feed on a life form, they erased them from existence. No part of them would ever be a part of anything else.
Blackhole grinned at me once he was finished with his meal. He jumped up on my lap and I began petting him.
“I can tell you are still angry with me,” I said.
He made a huffing sound, even as he shivered with pleasure at my touch.
“Forgive me,” I said with some sincerity. “Sometimes I prefer to hunt alone. You know that.”
Another huffing sound.
“I believe I have provoked Xavier fatally,” I murmured. “He will be after me without mercy and you as well due to your connection to me.” My hand ran down his tail, which was covered in peculiar scales; almost feather-like. “I want you to know that you are free to go whenever you wish.”
He lifted his body and bared his teeth, snarling furiously. I sighed.
“On your own head be it then.”
*******
Chapter 2
Gentle angel heed the call
Of one who needs you most of all
A tortured soul holds on for you
Reach out and share your golden hue
Mercedes
After learning what Lydia had tried to pull in computer class, Sam and Nadine insisted on serving as my escorts throughout the rest of the day. Naturally, I protested.
“You guys, you don’t have to do this,” I insisted as we walked to lunch. “Lydia’s hated me for years, but she’s never gotten physically violent with me.”
“We all know things have changed,” Nadine said sternly. Her posture was ramrod straight as if she were a soldier. “Lydia merely hated you before. Now she loathes you. She’s been after Taylor for who knows how long, and he asked you out without really knowing you that well.”
“I know why he would,” Sam said a bit dully. His sad eyes made me cringe inwardly with guilt. “It’s not about your money, Mercedes. Everyone in this school knows what a terrific person you are. Even Lydia knows it. It’s one of the reasons why she hates you so much.”
“Yeah,” Nadine agreed. “She only wishes Taylor would like her for who she is, but since she’s a bitch, that’s never gonna happen.”
“Guys stop,” I mumbled, looking around to see if anyone was overhearing us.
“Did you really mouth off to Price again?” Nadine asked.
Grateful for the change in subject, I answered immediately. “I didn’t mouth off to him. I never mouth off to him. He just likes asking me questions he thinks I can’t answer. I can’t help it if he gets all pissed off when I answer correctly.”
“Is it true that Taylor asked you out because he was impressed with your answer?” Nadine pressed.
“I don’t know,” I said, refusing to look at Sam.
Before Nadine could make the situation worse, I spotted a familiar figure up ahead.
“I’ll meet you guys in the cafeteria,” I said.
“No way,” Sam said seriously. “We’re not leaving you alone after what happened with Lydia today. Until she cools down, you’re just going to have to deal with us being your shadows.”
I rolled my eyes, exasperated. But at the same time, I was touched. It was great having such loyal friends who would do anything for you, even if they were paranoid about your safety at times. So I decided to humor them.
“All right, but just hang back. This conversation is a private one.”
“No problem,” Nadine said.
She and Sam hung back while I approached a slim Asian girl of fourteen dressed in worn clothes attending to her locker.
“Catherine,” I said softly.
She turned around. I smiled at her. “How are you doing?”
Catherine’s pale face flushed pink, even as she smiled very shyly back. But the smile faded when she looked over my shoulder. I sighed inwardly and signaled to my overprotective friends to give us some more space.
“Sorry,” I said. “Lydia’s mad at me again, and Sam and Nadine think I’m in mortal peril.”
“It’s okay,” Catherine mumbled, head bowed. She pushed a strand of hair away from her ear. It was a common habit of hers when she was nervous.
“I talked to Lindsey,” I said. “I put in a good word for you for the cheerleading squad. She’ll be talking with you soon, so I wanted to give you a heads up.”
Dark brown eyes widened with terror and hope.
“But…but…Mercedes, I can’t—!”
“Yes you can.” I put my hands on her arms. “You’ve been doing such a great job. You’ve been working so hard at your gymnastics. You have the confidence, Catherine.” I let my gaze bore into hers so she could see my sincerity, my belief in her. “I know you do.”
Her face flushed even further, but I could see my words were having the desired effect. Catherine was trying so hard to get on with her life, to move on. Even if her grades weren’t so good at the moment, the fact that she was practicing so hard at gymnastics was proof enough that she wanted to make something of herself. She met my eyes somewhat, and I saw a vestige of strength in her expression.
“Okay,” she whispered. “Okay. I’ll talk to Lindsey. I’ll try.”
“Good,” I said.
“Are you coming to the center tonight?”
“Yeah,” I said. My voice dropped lower. “Don’t tell anyone, but I’m dropping off a gift. And I’ll make sure Dad drops off another gift for the school board so you’ll all have brand new equipment and uniforms for the game in three months.”
I patted her arm and walked back to Nadine and Sam. Lunch passed without trouble. Lydia was nowhere in sight, which was a very good thing. I was still fighting tiredness, and I didn’t have the energy to try for a diplomatic solution. Hopefully, when she confronted me, she would at least try to listen to reason.
That’s too much to hope, my ever-so-helpful inner voice supplied. She hates you. She’ll get you for trying to steal her precious Taylor away from her.
I never stole him from her.
But that’s her logic, Countess.
I sighed heavily before getting off the bus. Daniel was waiting for me in the limousine around the block.
“You know, it would be a lot easier if you would just let me drop you off and pick you up at the exact location you want to go,” he said as I got in.
“I have my reasons,” I replied shortly. He smiled knowingly, which irritated me a bit.
“Take me to Women’s Aid, please.” I leaned back and stretched my muscles. “You can go home afterwards.”
“Are you sure?”
“You don’t want a break?”
“I love breaks as much as the next sane person, but I also love to earn my pay.”
“You earn it a thousand times over, Daniel,” I stated. “Don’t worry, I’ll be fine. I’ll make sure not to leave too late. It’ll still be light by the time I get home for dinner.”
“If you insist.”
Women’s Aid was not an impressive building from the outside. Quite the contrary, it looked rather worn and run-down. The inside on the other hand was an entirely different matter. Five years ago, I went with Dad on a business trip to Harvard (I spent an hour sifting through their databases to make sure
Mr. Petrie kept his word not to let slip that I planned lessons for the Operating Systems class). As the daughter of a famous and incredibly wealthy businessman, I was treated like royalty by the faculty. I made sure to be very polite so I wouldn’t embarrass my father, but one of the things apart from the history that really caught my interest was the way the final clubs were designed. The rich carpeting, furniture, and artwork captivated me, and I knew then and there how I wanted to remodel Women’s Aid. Before the renovations, the inside of the building matched its outside; old, worn, and rundown. A starving charity drive for women oppressed by the system, their husbands, their boyfriends, or by society in general. Thanks to the money my father added on a monthly basis, I now considered Women’s Aid to be a thriving haven.
And many women and young girls would agree with me.
I walked up to the receptionist. He was busy typing at the computer.
Yes, ‘he’. Early on, I thought it would be a bad idea to limit the employees here to just women. It would have only encouraged rape and violence victims to see all men as monsters that needed to be shunned and hated.
“Can I help—” He stopped when he looked at me, eyes widening in recognition. “Oh, Mercedes! I didn’t expect to see you here today.”
“I didn’t expect to come here today, either, Paul, but here I am.” I grinned. “I just needed to drop this off.” I handed him the envelope that contained the check Dad had given me earlier. “This month’s donation.”
Paul took the envelope from my hand. “Thank you so much, Mercedes. Will you stay for a little while? The girls have missed you.”
“I’ve only been away for a week,” I pointed out.
“That’s one week too long for them,” he said with a smile. “Come on, Mercedes, you’re fighting a losing battle. You know you never come here just to drop off checks.”
My tiredness was really catching up to me, and I still wanted to finish that new identity card I was crafting for Janelle. But like Paul said, I was fighting a losing battle.
“You’re right,” I sighed.
***
Xavier
“Lord Xavier.”
I turned toward my servant.
“You have something to report?”
“Yes, my lord. Your experiment decided to visit her female haven today. If you desire her to come into contact with the Harijan tonight, I can make it so.”
I laughed before dismissing my servant and examining the picture of the human girl displayed on the screen of a datapad.
Such a lovely little bloodbag, I thought. Will you enjoy her, Harijan? No. Of course not. I know about your code of honor. She will torment you beyond your wildest imagination. And no matter what spell you fall under, it will make you beg for death before the end.
***
Shadow
It was depressing to find out that there were no bounties available.
Perhaps I should correct myself: there were no suitable bounties. Mere thugs who would never give me the chases and the satisfaction I wanted. If my death was to come soon, I would never waste my last days on vermin that any vampire with half a brain could defeat. I would rather rot in a cell filled with garlic gas.
My fangs emerged as I remembered the horrible burning of the liquid garlic Xavier splashed on my face mere hours ago. Hunger raged through my system as I imagined my hands ripping his head from his body. Blood. I wanted blood. I was starving. I needed to feed.
I left my apartment, ignoring Blackhole’s whines behind me. I withdrew the Chaos wand to create a portal to the mortal world. When I stepped out of it, several scents caught my attention. Sex, blood, excitement, anger, rage, terror, fear.
My prey was close.
I leaped across several buildings, avoiding human eyes as I did so. My prey was getting closer. The scents were getting so strong, so sweet. But there was foulness as well. Human drugs. I grimaced in disgust. I hated it when humans poisoned their blood with drugs. I would never feed from something so low. But not all humans did drugs. I changed direction, and caught another scent. This one was heavy with exhilaration. I rounded around the side of a building and saw my prey.
He was a man getting up there in years. Thick around the middle. He wore a long coat. As I got closer, I noticed a very distinct scent was attached to him. A scent that made my fangs dig into my gums.
This one was a victimizer of females. Judging by how strong the smell was, at least two had fallen prey to him tonight. The faceless female victims by themselves were nothing to me, but I lived by a code of honor. I would never take an unwilling female.
And no one else would as well.
I grabbed the mortal around the middle and pulled him into the alley when I was certain no one was looking. Naturally, he screamed. A very satisfying sound. I considered it to be quite ironic that I took more satisfaction in taking the life of a mortal rapist rather than the scum the elites posted bounties on. Perhaps because the instinct to kill and cause pain was not nearly as strong in mortals as it was in vampires. When you found a human who took great pleasure in torturing and killing innocents, you knew you were in the presence of a true monster.
I fed slowly, wanting to prolong his pain. I groaned when his adrenaline soaked blood entered my system, strengthening me.
But as much as I was savoring my meal, I was still on red alert. The movement behind me, however slight, did not go undetected.
I hurled the dying body behind me. It struck one of my assailants, knocking him back several feet. I leaped backward, extending my claws, roaring a challenge. No one was visible, but I sensed there were at least five of them. And they were watching me.
“You want me?” I hissed. “Come and get me.”
They emerged from the darkness. Five of them, all dressed in long black cloaks. Their faces were concealed in masks. I snarled in disgust. Xavier was beyond arrogant and pathetic. Not only were his assassins stupid enough to challenge me head on, they thought they could intimidate me by hiding their faces. No matter. I would kill them…wait…
Their masks. There was a ventilator on the mouth…
Gas masks.
I did not have time to jump. The ground around me exploded into a cloud of silver and yellow. Before I could scream, they were all on me. Stabbing, beating, cutting, laughing. I could not fight them. Not even the rage pumping through my system could give me the strength to stand, let alone fight.
I was not enraged at Xavier. At least not as I was enraged as I was at myself. I was a fool not to know that Xavier would do anything in his power to ensure I did not die an honorable death. He knew honor was one of the very few things I valued. He would rob me of it in my last moments. His assassins would make me feel it until I knew no more.
The torture continued. I do not know how much time truly passed. When it was over, agony was all I knew. My eyes had melted from the molten silver one had poured on my face, but the sheer amount of pain I felt on every inch of my skin told me they had all but stripped me naked during their assault. I could not move or speak and even if I could, I knew Xavier’s assassins would ensure no one came to my aid, mortal or vampire alike. They were probably watching and laughing. Their protective armor would ensure their safety once the sun rose.
Once the sun rose…
The pain would be over soon. My only regret was that I did not attempt to kill Xavier when I had the chance.
***
Mercedes
“Mercedes. I’m so glad you came today. I wasn’t expecting you.”
I embraced Caroline back. “I wasn’t expecting to come either. But here I am.”
Caroline smiled at me. Though her black hair was going gray, her vibrant optimism and compassion would keep her young forever. When she first came to Women’s Aid, she had been a fifteen-year-old gang rape victim who had been desperately searching for peace. Even before Women’s Aid was transformed by my father’s donations, she still stayed, doing her best to improve her life and the lives of her fellow victims. Now at forty-f
ive, she was the head counselor of the center. In my opinion, there was no one better for the job. Caroline’s presence alone exuded an aura of peace and understanding that affected everyone around her. If you wanted to talk to her or if you just wanted silent company, she would be there for you no matter what.
“I gave Paul this month’s donation,” I continued. I told her the figure before asking, “Will that be enough to hire more teachers for the sign language course?”
“Mmm.” Caroline tapped her chin. “I think it will be enough to hire more teachers for the sign language course. Oh! And it should be enough to add fifty more computers to the lab!” She grinned and shook her head. “Mercedes you and your father give us more than we need, and you know it. If you keep this up, our safe will be bursting within the next year or so.”
“Then maybe we should consider expanding,” I said. “I mean, Women’s Aid is a haven, but it’s just one haven. Granted, women across the country come here and there’s always room for more, but not everyone who needs to be here can come here.”
“I couldn’t have put it better myself,” Caroline said as we started walking. “I spoke with the managers a few days ago, and they all agreed that we could build another facility, or maybe even two within a year’s time.” When I didn’t reply, she looked at me. “Are you all right?”
I wasn’t. I was cursing myself with all my might.
“Why didn’t I think of this sooner? I should have—”
“Hey, don’t you dare,” Caroline said with deep warning in her tone. “If you say that, then you imply that what you are doing right now is small and insignificant. I will smack you upside your head if you ever utter such blasphemy again.”
I sighed, but smiled. “Duly noted.”
I spent the next few hours greeting and chatting with several members, many of whom were my friends of several years. No matter how tired I was, their smiles never ceased to fill me with positive energy. These women were brave beyond comprehension.