B004SOYUR8 EBOK Page 6

  Picking up the lantern, Nicole took it to the small bedroom. Though the room was cramped, it appeared as if the old lady that had lived there kept it neat and clean. Everything had its place. The whole room was covered with a blanket of dust, but it was obvious that the previous occupant had taken pride in her home.

  Just as Alec had said, stacked neatly in a corner were a few bottles of water. The water was kept in gallon jugs. Nicole hoped that whoever stuck the bottles of water in the bedroom had remembered to add purifier so that it would not go stale.

  Nicole picked up one of the jugs and unscrewed the cap. It appeared to be clean. Closing it back up, she took it with her into the kitchen. In one of the cupboards she found a glass and held it over the little sink so that she could clean it. Pouring water into the glass, she started swishing it around.

  From behind her she heard a slow creaking noise. Nicole froze.

  Holding her breath, she turned slowly to see what was making the noise. Near the small - worn couch was an old wooden rocker. It moved back and forth, and as it moved, the floor beneath it creaked.

  The chair was empty!

  The door was still closed so it was unlikely that someone had started the rocker moving while her back was turned. She would have heard them come in and leave.

  Setting down the jug of water, Nicole walked to the rocker. She held up her hand to see if she could feel a draft to account for the movement, but there was none.

  Creak - creak. The rocker still moved back and forth.

  Nicole reached out to place her hand on the back of the rocker to stop the movement. It became still.

  With a sigh of relief, she turned back toward the sink.

  Creak - creak. There it was again.

  Nicole swung around to see that the chair was again moving by itself. A shiver went up her spine and goose bumps covered her arms.

  She didn’t believe in ghosts.

  But then again, she didn’t believe in vampires either.

  Clearing her throat, she called out, “Who is it?”

  There was only silence, apart from the continuous creaking noise from the chair’s movement.

  Nicole shrugged. There was nothing to do about it but share the place with its ghostly resident for a few hours.

  “Well whoever you are … I will only be here for awhile. I hope you don’t mind,” she said out loud, feeling a little foolish.

  Turning away from the rocker, Nicole tried to ignore the sound as she went about cleaning the glass so that she could get a drink of water.

  Cackling laughter filled the room.

  Nicole started to shake. A chair that rocked by itself was one thing, but this was something else altogether.

  Suddenly the laughter was gone and the chair stopped moving.

  Nicole held her breath, waiting for something else to happen, but all was still. Finally she was able to start breathing again, and she forced herself to go back to what she’d been doing. Now she was not so sure if she should thank Alec or not. She didn’t mind going into hiding, but she wasn’t so sure she liked being haunted.

  * * * *

  When Alec stepped through the door to the Cell, he was not too surprised to see the carnage that greeted him. The vampires that had stayed behind were now feeding on the unfortunate souls that had made the ill-fated decision to remain at the Cell and party. Near the bar, a woman lay sprawled on the floor, her eyes open and terrified. Her death had been a surprise, a horror that she had not expected to find when she’d come out to party with her friends at the Cell.

  A young vampire lifted his head from where he’d been feeding at the throat of another victim, his eyes still glowing with immortal light and his lust for blood. The scent of blood was intoxicating. Alec fought to keep his hunger at bay. He would feed, but after he’d faced Omar.

  Stepping over a corpse, Alec made his way to the back room where he knew he would find Omar. He knocked twice and then waited for permission to enter.

  “Come in.” Alec heard the deep - raspy voice call from behind the door.

  Alec turned the knob on the door and pushed it open. At the back of the dimly lit room, Omar sat in a large chair that resembled a throne. It had been awhile since he’d seen the other vampire. Alec tended to avoid Omar and his vamps. The ancient vampire hadn’t changed. He was still the same as he had always been.

  He had no hair and his scalp was as bare as if he’d shaved with a razor. Like usual, he wore a long red robe. From his neck, dangled a single medallion. It was disk-shaped and embellished with strange symbols. Alec had never seen the symbols anywhere else, except for on Omar’s medallion. In the middle of the disk was a small crystal that created prisms of bright color whenever the light hit it just right.

  Alec scanned the room looking for Ethan, but he wasn’t there.

  Omar stared at him with cold gray eyes. “I see that you have failed to bring the girl.”

  “Where is Ethan?”

  Omar clucked his tongue. “Alec … you fail miserably as an immortal. Such concern for your creation will be your undoing.”

  “I have not come to converse with you Omar. Where is Ethan?” Alec asked again, his stare as hard and impassive as Omar’s.

  “How dare you speak to me in such a way!” Omar bellowed.

  Alec stepped forward, not in the least intimidated by Omar’s anger. “Why do you want the girl?” he asked.

  “She knows too much.” Omar glared at him.

  “Who is she going to tell? Who will believe her … even if she tells what she knows?”

  Omar did not respond.

  “I do not believe that this is the reason why you want the girl.” Alec knew that his statement would be considered a direct challenge to Omar.

  Instead of erupting in a fit of fury as Alec expected, Omar continued to watch him, his eyes as cold as the arctic night.

  “Tell me Alec … what is your interest in the girl. She is not one of your creations … why should her fate concern you?”

  “She is my feeder,” Alec lied, hoping that Omar would not detect his deceit.

  Omar laughed out loud. “You do not expect me to believe such nonsense do you? If that were her purpose, you would have no qualms about giving her to me.”

  “What is your interest in her? Why is it that you cannot just go get her if you want her?” Alec answered Omar with his own questions. This was something that had puzzled him. He had hid Nicole as a precaution, but Alec was no fool. He knew that if Omar had wanted to, he could have taken the girl instead of Ethan. Why hadn’t he?

  “My interest in her does not concern you Alec. I am your elder and you are to do as you are commanded.” Omar stood up, obviously agitated by Alec’s defiance.

  Alec smiled, determined not to succumb to Omar’s wrath. “Tell me about the Place of Light, Omar. I have heard that this place does exist, but that the immortals are banished. You have the secret to the Place of Light, and to what we are.”

  For a fraction of a second, Omar seemed stunned. “This place is a myth … made up by the Light Seekers. You should be aware of that by now.”

  Again Alec smiled. “I don’t believe you.”

  Omar turned away from him and stared at the throne he had been sitting on.

  “I will make you a deal Alec. If you bring me the girl, I will tell you what I know.”

  Now Alec was shocked. Was it a trick?

  * * * *

  Nicole saw herself through a thick haze of mist. She was a child again, only five years old. She was at the park. Her mom sat on a bench watching her. Nicole was trying to swing from the rope that was attached to the playground toy, but the blisters on her hands made it too painful and she kept falling. The bars always gave her blisters.

  It was dark. Why were they in the playground at night?

  Once again the pain in her hands caused her to slip and she fell into the sand below. Her scraped knees began to sting.

  Then a man was kneeling beside her - a strange man that she’d never seen be
fore. He wore a long black coat. His dark hair hung to his shoulders, and his eyes were almost black. His skin was so pale that Nicole wondered if he were a ghost.

  “Hello Nicole.”

  “Hi,” she answered. She stole a quick glance at her mom. Vicky was watching her daughter closely. Nicole knew she wasn’t allowed to talk to strangers, but since her mom could see her, it must be okay.

  “Are you hurt?” he asked.

  “Just a little,” she told him, getting to her feet.

  The stranger’s eyes were drawn to the small amount of blood on her knees.

  “You’re a very pretty little girl,” he told her, a smile touching his lips.

  “Thank you,” she said, her words sounding strange because she was missing a front tooth.

  The man took her small hand into his. Nicole was repelled by the coolness of the man’s skin, but she didn’t pull away. That would be rude, and mom told her that she shouldn’t be rude.

  “I will come back and see you another time,” he promised.

  Then he was gone. Where the man had been, was now an old African American woman. She was sitting in a rocker, moving it back and forth. She was a tiny woman - so old and frail that a gust of wind might knock her over. From her wrinkled and worn face, she stared at Nicole with eyes that were clear and alert.

  “Now ya listen to ole Bellea, girl.” The woman’s voice was course, but clear. “Ya need ta find dat man.”

  A strong wind hit them and the woman dissolved and scattered like the sand around her.

  Nicole jumped up from the sofa. Gasping for air, she fought to breathe. It was as if she had died for a moment and then came back from the dead. It was a struggle to get enough air into her lungs. When her breathing returned to normal, she realized that it was morning. She’d been so exhausted and had decided to rest her eyes for a few minutes. She must have fallen asleep.

  Why hadn’t Alec come back for her?

  Nicole stepped out onto the rickety porch, and shielding her eyes from the sun with her hand, she scanned the swamp around her. It was beautiful, in an eerie sort of way. In the distance, a gator bathed on the bank. Not far from the shack, she saw the head of one of the reptiles sink below the waterline.

  She sure didn’t want to try and get out of here on her own, even if she had a boat. Reptiles made her cringe, especially the extra large ones. She’d rather take on an entire coven of the undead than one alligator.

  What a strange place for someone to want to live out their life.

  She had dreamed of something she hadn’t even thought of in years. She’d dreamed about the man in the park.

  Nicole had been confused as a child, but she’d eventually forgotten about the man. He never did return as he had promised.

  Why had she dreamt of Bellea, the old lady that had lived in this shack? Was it the woman’s ghost trying to tell her something about the man? Maybe it was time that she asked her mom who the man in the park had been?

  With a deep sigh, Nicole went back inside. No matter how she tried to relax, she found that she was filled with anxiety and fear. She could not help but worry that something had happened to Alec and Ethan.

  Chapter Seven

  Twilight comes on rapidly in the swamps. Nicole sat on the porch, waiting and frantic with worry. As the light faded and darkness gathered around the little shack, she had just started to think that she would be spending another night when she heard the low hum of an engine.

  Her anxiety faded as she saw Alec maneuvering a boat around some trees that protruded out over the water. A moment later, he was at the dock and the boat’s engine went silent. Nicole flew down the stairs to greet him. When he stepped onto the dock, she threw her arms around his neck and kissed his lips lightly.

  She was surprised by her actions. The moment she’d seen him, it was like a heavy weight had been lifted from her heart.

  He was safe!

  “I thought something had happened to you,” she said.

  He wrapped his arms around her and held her close. “Why do you do this to me Nicole?” he whispered in her ear.

  “What?” She stepped back and smiled at him innocently.

  He stared at her with those eyes - those stunning eyes that sent heat coursing through her body whenever she looked at them.

  Alec reached out to softly caress her face. “You are as beautiful as you are innocent.”

  Nicole blushed. She was unaccustomed to being showered with compliments. “What about Ethan?” she asked, changing the subject. “Did you get him away from Omar?”

  Alec shook his head. “They are not keeping him at the Cell like I thought they were.”

  “So now what? Do you think they’ve done something to him?”

  “Will you take me to your vampire friend?” he asked.

  * * * *

  Nicole opened the door and stepped into the tattoo parlor. At first the room appeared to be empty, but then she saw Dash lying on one of the chairs with his eyes closed.

  “Dash.” Nicole spoke his name loudly, thinking he might be sleeping.

  Do vampires sleep?

  This was just one of the many questions that she wanted to ask Alec. She added it to her mental checklist of things she wanted to know about vampires.

  One eye opened and peered at her. “Oh bloody hell … not you again! What is this … tempt a vampire week?”

  It was then that Dash noticed Alec standing behind her.

  Dash stood up and backed away - ready to flee at the first sign of movement from Alec. “Hey … I didn’t touch her … I swear!”

  “Is that so?” Alec glared at him with eyes as cold and hard as any predator.

  “Well okay,” Dash shrugged his shoulders. “I may have asked for a bit of a taste … but she said no.”

  “Relax, we are not here because of that,” Nicole told him. When she glanced back at Alec, she was surprised at the dark look he was giving Dash.

  At least she hoped that wasn’t the reason they were there.

  “Oh.” Dash gave them a sheepish grin. “Well in that case … how can I help you?”

  “I want you to tell me what you know about the Place of Light?” Alec stepped closer and Dash backed away.

  “I told the girl what I know.”

  “Well tell me. And where were you when you saw this place?” Alec pushed. “I want more detail.”

  “Like I told her,” Dash nodded toward Nicole. “I was riding a motorbike and saw this little guy walking on the side of the road.”

  “Where at?”

  “It was Wyoming. Before I came out here to New Orleans,” Dash told him. “We were riding from California.”

  “And how is it that you did that without becoming sick from the sun?”

  “I would think that we had to ride at night,” Dash told him, rolling his eyes.

  “Can you take us to this place?” Alec asked.

  “What for? That little guy disappeared on me. I can’t see you finding him years later.”

  “Can you or not?”

  “Well yeah … I guess.”

  Alec’s eyes strayed to the image on Dash’s shoulder. “Why do you have that tattoo?” he asked.

  Dash looked down at his shoulder. “It is one of the things I saw when I was in the place of light.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “There were wolf people there?” Dash told him. “Now I admit … it was more of a vision than actually being there.”

  “Now we have another one babbling about the wolves.” Alec said.

  “Hey wait! You know someone else that has seen them?” Dash asked.

  Alec just smiled.

  “I want to know more,” Dash pushed for more information.

  “Be ready to leave when we return,” Alec told him.

  Dash cocked his head to one side. “I do need some notice. I have a business to run you know.”

  Alec looked around at the empty tattoo parlor and smiled. “I can give you no notice. This could be dangerous, as you s
hould well know,” he told Dash.

  Dash nodded.

  “Do not say a word to anyone,” Alec warned.

  Dash brought his fingers up and made a zipping motion over his lips. “As silent as the grave … you know what I mean? We are … in a way … dead aren’t we?”

  “Yeah,” Alec smiled darkly.

  Dash walked to his refrigerator and pulled out another one of his bags of red fluid. “Care to try some of my recipe?” he asked, holding up the bag so that Alec could see it.

  “What it that stuff?” Alec asked.

  Nicole stood back and smiled. She couldn’t wait to hear Dash’s sales spill.

  “Well this stuff is made from animal blood and other proteins. It tastes great cold, and will keep for days. This here recipe could really improve the reputation of the vampire.”

  Alec’s face twisted and he shook his head. “I think I’ll pass, but good luck with that.”

  “Hey … don’t knock it till you’ve tried it.” Dash was offended.

  “Be ready,” Alec told him before turning to leave.

  “Bye,” Nicole called to Dash over her shoulder.

  “You know girl … it really is bad practice to chill with vampires,” Dash called out to her. “It’s hard to tell when one will turn on you. Ask me … I know. That’s what happened to me.”

  Nicole waved. “Thanks for the advice Dash.”

  Outside, Alec looked over at her. “He’s right. It’s not a good idea.”

  Nicole threaded her fingers through his. “I think I’ll take my chances.”

  * * * *

  Alec pulled up to the curb in front of Nicole’s apartment. “I’ll walk you in,” he told her.

  “Will they come after me here … if I’m alone?” she asked, not quite ready to say goodbye yet.

  Alec smiled. “You will be okay for right now. For some reason I don’t think Omar wants to come after you himself.”

  Nicole drew her brows together in a look of confusion. “That doesn’t make any sense. Isn’t he an old and powerful vampire?”

  Alec nodded. “I don’t know. I don’t have the ability to read Omar, but I believe that it has something to do with this Place of Light.”