Brewing Storm, page 8
“Well? Any cramps?” Logan asked.
“Not yet. Food poisoning is the absolute worst. I wished I was dead.”
“Dude, you sort of are,” Logan teased.
“Hey! Be nice to my deaddie Freddie,” Cindy said, wiping a dribble of blood off his lip with her thumb.
An hour passed, then another, and by that night, we were confident that the monks had held up their end of the deal.
LATER, AFTER WE FINISHED celebrating that small victory, Fred pulled me aside. “You know, between me and you, Logan’s right about some vampires being pricks.”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“Vincent. Man, forcing Beth to remember was a dick move,” he said. “I might be able to compel her. I mean, Vincent’s powerful, but I’m strong too. I was bitten by one of Drake’s coven members, you know, down the lineage of Vlad the Impaler himself.”
“So the vampire who bit you was made by Drake?”
“Yes, turned just a few months prior. If I was attacked by an older vampire, I wouldn’t be here to tell the story, but the newbie was just learning the ropes. He thought he killed me. I was terrified at first, because Drake was considered powerful and dangerous, with lots of connections in the immortal world. He wanted me gone, because I took out his newest recruit, and he put a hit out on me like some immortal mob boss. Anyway, long story short, he gave up on that a while later, changed his tune and even tried to get me to join his coven. I wouldn’t do it, because they wanted me to leave Cindy behind. Tabby’s coven accepts her, loves her, just like I do, so I stayed with them.”
“Did you like living with Tabby?”
“Yes. She’s great.”
“I bet that personal connection in the Immortal Council comes in handy sometimes.”
“Once in a while,” he said with a smile.
“Wasn’t Vlad the Impaler royalty, some kind of prince?”
“Yep.”
“Hey! Do you know what that means, Fred?” I exclaimed as a thought dawned on me
“What?”
“You basically come from a royal bloodline. Maybe you can marry Cindy yourself.”
“Nope,” he said, with a tinge of sadness in his voice. “I asked about that, but I’m not pure, a descendant actually born from royalty. Logan is actually the last of his kind from a precious bloodline. If anyone ever dares to mate with him, that will put a rift in a pure bloodline that has been going on for thousands of years.”
“Hmm,” I said, taken aback for a moment by shameless thoughts of mating with the werewolf. “I guess it’s sort of the same for me, since I’m pure Ankh.”
“You two are the last ones standing,” Fred said. “Your heritage is very interesting.”
“So is yours.”
“Yeah, well, we’re the strongest vampires around, at least among the ones without magic. Falcar are stronger, though I hate to admit it.”
“Are you really telling me you can reverse what Vincent did to Beth?”
“I don’t think an average vampire could, but I’m confident that I can.”
I paused to think about that for a minute, to consider how much happier and safer my friend seemed, now that she really understood what she’d been through and what was really going on around her. “I don’t know. Beth seems to be handling it okay. Maybe we should just let her keep her memories.”
“It’s not good for a human to lurk around in our world. You know that as well as I do. You wouldn’t be here if you were just...a regular girl. She really shouldn’t be here either.”
“You want me to be happy, right?”
“Of course.”
“Well, to do that, I need a friend I can confide in.”
“You’ve got all of us.”
“I need a good girlfriend,” I said sternly.
“That’s hot,” he teased, then playfully punched my shoulder.
I sighed. “You know what I mean.”
“Well, you’ve got Cindy,” he argued.
“Yes, and I love her, but Beth is my best friend, someone who’s known me practically all my life.”
“She’s fragile.”
“She’s human.”
“Yes, and humans are fragile. One swipe from a werewolf will kill her. She doesn’t have immortal strength or magic, nothing to defend herself.”
“How about a gun and some of those supernatural bullets, the kind that took Logan down in the boat? Can’t we just arm her with some of those? I’m sure she’ll know how to shoot. She’s probably watched Rambo fifty times. She had a Stallone thing for a while.”
“The ammo laced with guardian poison?”
“Yeah.”
“There are many different kinds of poisons. Some render the victims unconscious, like Cindy the other night. Some cause euphoria and delirium, even hallucinations. Then there are some that are actually lethal.”
“Beheading, stake through the heart, and even poison... Isn’t it a bit of an oxymoron to call you immortals if you can be killed?”
Fred laughed. “Lots of things about the immortal world are moronic,” he said. “I mean, the love of my life sprouts wings every night. Some moron came up with that!”
“Anyway, what do we do about Beth? If we’re going to let her stick around, I want her to have a fighting chance.”
“We can train her, teach her what to do if she’s attacked by a vampire or wolf. Like you said, if we arm her with poison-laced ammo, she could be something of a force to be reckoned with.”
“This is where that connection of yours comes in,” I said.
“And there it is,” he said, shaking his head at me.
“Surely you can get Tabby’s permission for Beth to be trained.”
“Sure, I guess. All she can say is no, right?”
“But she won’t. You’re much too cute, Fred. Who could possibly resist you?”
“Don’t let Cindy hear you say that, or you might need some poison bullets yourself!”
I had to laugh at that, though we all knew Cindy’s jealousy over her highly attractive vampire lover was legendary.
“In this supernatural world,” Fred said, “we don’t get to invite many friends into our circle. I’m glad we let you in.”
“Thanks, Fred.”
“We’re gonna kick a lot more ass and make this world a better place, one way or another.”
“I’m counting on it!”
“I know you were just thrown into all this without any notice, but you’ve done so well. We’re all proud of you.”
“That means a lot, coming from you.”
“If Logan and Cindy do end up having to get married, we’ll both have to keep them in line.”
“About that... You’re taking it all so well.”
“I didn’t at first,” he admitted, “but once the initial shock wore off, I knew I couldn’t let all those innocent people die. I went to the mall one day, and I saw this family of wolves. The father helped his son onto one of those little merry-go-rounds, and the boy laughed and laughed, waving his arms around. He was adorable, with curly brown hair and big blue eyes. I just couldn’t let families like that die, vampire or werewolf, so I finally accepted what had to be done and came back to your castle.”
“You were gone for days. We were all freaking out with worry, especially Cindy.”
“You didn’t think I’d come back?”
“I wasn’t sure what to expect. I thought you might come get Cindy and whisk her to someplace far, far away.”
“Running from problems isn’t my style, friend. You should know that by now. I’m a fighter, face the shitstorms head on. I’m a survivor, and I won’t ever leave any member of my team behind.”
“That’s good to know,” I said.
“Well, you’re an important part of the team...and a hell of a roommate too!”
“You’re just saying that because I’ve been doing all the cleaning lately.”
He laughed. “Heh. Sorry I haven’t been paying much attention to the chore chart. I guess you’ll have to dock my allowance or put me in the time-out chair.”
“It’s okay,” I said. “You’ve been through a lot, and it really wasn’t a big deal for me to take over for you for a while.”
“Thanks for covering for me.”
“Hey, we’re a team, like you said,” I remarked and gave him a high-five that he happily returned. “It’s good you can feed normally again, like you used to.”
“I hate that I have to drink blood, but my body craves it. I’d much rather devour a pizza.”
“Well, at least you won’t go hungry.”
“Yeah.” He stopped for a moment and stared at the floor, as if his mind had wandered off somewhere.
“Fred, what is it?” I said softly.
“It’s just... There might be a chance for me to be different, but I don’t want to get my hopes up.”
“Really? How?”
“It could just be a rumor, but I heard about this mythical water in an ancient cave. It’s supposed to make humans immortal and even quench the bloodthirst of vampires. If it’s true and I can find it, I’d never have to drink blood or wear my daylight ring again. Essentially, I’d be like Jesse. I know he’s Lenya, born that way, but it would be nice to live like he does.”
“Oh, that’s great! We have to find it.”
“We can try, once we save the world again and things calm down a little. It’s my dream, and I know Cindy wants that for me too.”
“Does anyone else know?”
“Logan does, and he’s all for it.”
“Well, if...no, when it happens, I’ll be the first to order you a deep dish!”
He smiled. “Stuffed crust?”
“Anything you want, buddy,” I said, patting him on the arm.
“Be careful telling me that!” he said with a laugh, hope dancing in his eyes.
Chapter 11
The next day, we received word that Beth would be trained if she decided to stay with us. I knew it was Fred’s influence that allowed Beth to get a foot in the door. With much enthusiasm, she readily agreed to go to the secret training place, a wildlife preserve hidden away in the Louisiana swamplands.
Before she left, Beth went with me to visit my adoptive parents. They were ecstatic to see us, and Mom treated us to chicken sandwiches and homemade French fries, a specialty of hers. If only for a few minutes, it was nice to feel normal.
“What have you been up to?” my mom asked.
Oh, nothing much. Just resurrecting little girls, crushing on a werewolf, hanging around creepy old crypts, fighting Falcar, hanging upside down in an abandoned barn... You know, just the norm, Mom, I thought but wisely refused to say.
“Answer your mom, Soph,” Beth coaxed, smirking as she shoved a fry in her mouth.
“Uh, lots of stuff,” I said. “My life has taken a few odd turns.”
“Good ones, I hope.”
“Sure, Mom.”
“Oh, honey, that’s great. You know I worry.”
“Yeah, me too,” Beth said. “I didn’t see Sophie for a long time, and when I finally found her, it was like I met an entirely new person.”
“I’m glad the new job’s working out,” my dad said. “Who’da thunk our little girl would turn out to be a P.I.?”
“I’m just an assistant, Dad,” I said, feigning humility, “but I do hope to get my license soon.”
“You could pursue a degree in criminal justice.”
“It would take too long, Daddy. I can hand out criminal justice a lot sooner doing with what I’m doing,” I retorted, like the murdering bastards who killed my sister.
In spite of all the dark secrets I had to keep, we enjoyed a great lunch and some catching up. My parents always made me happy, and I couldn’t stop laughing as we reminisced. It was a bit bittersweet, as it made me miss my old life, and it reminded me that none of my former friends had to deal with anything I was facing, but I had to leave that part of my past behind and move forward in a world that none of them knew about and wouldn’t understand.
After lunch, I took Beth up to my old bedroom. “That bulb started flickering on the morning of my eighteenth birthday,” I said, pointing at it. “That was the first sign of who I was and what was yet to come.”
“Did you feel any different? I couldn’t believe that crazy haircut.”
“My nightmare about Eve being sacrificed freaked me out. That was why I was such a hot mess that morning.”
“Who can blame you, especially since it wasn’t really just a dream?”
I clutched my chest. “Watching her die... Gosh, that was the worst thing ever, and I didn’t even realize she was my twin sister.”
“I’m so sorry.”
“I wish we could have grown up together. I can’t believe they separated us.”
“They did their best to keep you safe,” Beth said.
“I know, but I still don’t like it,” I said, reflecting back on all the strange events in my life. “I remember that morning so clearly. Mom told Dad to call an electrician, because the lights had been flickering all night. I guess my powers went into effect right at midnight. That morning, when my glass of orange juice exploded, I felt this weird sense of impending danger.”
“It was the Falcar getting closer.”
“Yeah. Then those balloons you bought for me popped.”
“I remember that. Then you bumped into Logan, right? He must have been there to check out the merchandise.”
I laughed and blushed. “He said he was there to protect me, but personally, I think you’re right. Knowing him as I do now, I think he wanted to see what all the fuss was about, to meet the girl everyone wanted dead.”
“I’ll never forget the way your face lit up when you told me you bumped into a hot guy.”
“I was definitely mesmerized.”
“Such a weird day for you, even weirder than when Sam mixed those two beakers in chemistry class and that pink mushroom cloud nearly knocked Mr. Stewart’s bifocals off!”
“Ha! I forgot about that,” I said, fondly recalling that day. “At least that had a scientific explanation though.”
“Yeah, one that stupid Steward put on the pop quiz the next day. That blew my GPA!”
“Well, I had no clue what was going on in my personal life. I couldn’t explain the weird things, and I didn’t know anything about my heritage yet. That left me vulnerable, especially when that old hag attacked me.”
“It was fate. If that never happened, Logan, the hot and sexy werewolf, wouldn’t have swept in to save the day.”
I smiled. “Oh my gosh. I accused him of being a drug dealer when he pulled a bag of powder out of his jacket. I thought I was tripping.”
“Hmm. Sounds familiar,” Beth said.
“Yeah, well, you did accuse me of the same not so long ago,” I said. “I can’t blame you though. Human minds aren’t equipped to process all this supernatural stuff. None of it makes any logical sense. It goes against everything we’re taught about reality.”
“Exactly. We’re told, at some point, that Easter Bunnies and Santa are just bullshit, so then, when we have to face otherworldly things up close and personal, we tend to freak out.”
“I also just found out I was adopted and that I would inherit the castle. Not only did I have to deal with surging powers and a creepy old lady, but I had that on my plate too. Can you believe Cindy and Fred waltzed right into my Halloween store?”
“I know, as if Freddie needed fake fangs,” Beth said with a chuckle.
“It’s funny now, because I know them so well, but they really were there to check me out. They wanted to meet the last Ankh witch who is destined to save the world. I bet they got the biggest laugh ever.”
“Honey!” my mom called. “I made an apple pie. I know it’s your favorite.”
“Coming, Mom!” I said, sniffing the air to catch a whiff of cinnamon and sugar, thankful that I was not like Fred and that I could still enjoy my mother’s culinary delights.
After far too much pie à la mode, more laughs, and our goodbyes, I headed back to the castle.
“I’m all packed already,” she said on the way back.
“Seriously?” I asked in awe, looking over at her.
“Yeah, well, I only have that one suitcase, so it only took ten minutes.”
I gripped the steering wheel. “I’m glad they’re training you, but I’m really going to miss my BFF,” I said.
“I hope I do all right. You know I wasn’t exactly a gym class hero.”
“You, darling, will be fabulous. When you get back, you’ll be a crime fighter! We might have to get you one of those sexy, skintight jumpsuits and a cape after all.”
She laughed, but there was nervousness in it. “Gosh, I’ll miss you like crazy,” she confessed.
“Just remember, we’re only a Skype or Facetime away,” I reassured her. “Beth, I couldn’t ask for a better best friend. Not only do you accept all my quirks and all the craziness in my life, but you embrace each and every single one of them. Thanks for sticking with me, even when I tried to push you away for your own good.”
She smiled. “The second I met you, I knew you were meant for something special, something great.”
“Aw. You’re so sweet you’re giving me a toothache.”
“Nice,” she said, looking over at me.
“Seriously, I appreciate you. You make me feel like it’s okay to be who I am. I guess the people who really love me won’t think any less of me for it.”
“You know I love you girl, but—” She stopped suddenly and reached over to pull the parking brake up, forcing the car to come to an abrupt halt, screeching on the pavement.
“Beth, what the—”
“Look!” she said. “Is that a live line?”
A teenage girl was lying on the asphalt in front of us, thrown from her car. Near her, an electrical wire was flailing about, shooting blue sparks just inches from her head.
Without hesitation, I jumped out and ran over to the gathering crowd.
“Stop!” a woman cried. “We’ve already called for help. Don’t go near that thing.”
Ignoring her warning, I picked up the sparking wire and carried it as far away from the girl as I could.
