Chapter Seventeen
When the cab pulled up in front of the University, Meaghan checked her watch. It was already ten o’clock and the campus buzzed with students who were gathering in small groups to discuss the cancellation of night classes. She kept her head down as she hurried to the cafeteria, hoping to avoid the questions and fake condolences concerning the death of her mentor. As the sliding doors to the cafeteria opened, she instantly spotted Lilith sitting with a group of around six other Goths. Their dark clothing and heavy makeup made them stand out in the crowd, especially since the other students seem to have given them a wide berth. As Meaghan approached, she could smell the pungent aroma of pot on their clothes. Really? Right here under the noses of the security guards? Were they plain stupid or supremely confident?
Lilith whispered something to the others and they all turned to face Meaghan. She focused on the dark auras that hung from each and every one at Lilith’s table. Her instincts warned her to retreat but, as she had already been noticed, this would have caused more suspicion. She stopped directly in front of the table and was immediately berated by her Goth acquaintance.
“Where were you last night? You missed a great rave.”
“Something came up,” Meaghan explained “and besides, I couldn’t remember where you said to meet ”
“You really are a blonde.” Encouraged by the laughing from the rest of the group she continued, “I would have thought that even you could remember that I said the party was on the oval behind the campus.”
This information confirmed Meaghan’s suspicions but she needed to be sure. She risked further ridicule by repeating the question. “So the rave did go ahead behind the campus?”
Lilith raised her hands in the air and rolled her eyes as she joined her friends about laughing. “Okay, one more time for the dummy. Yes, the rave went ahead as planned on the oval behind the campus.”
Gotcha. “So you were there when the latest young woman was killed?”
Lilith visibly paled which was surprising considering the quantity of white concealer that she was wearing. She looked to the others for support. A young woman who Meaghan recognized as Lilith’s new classmate spoke up in their defense. “We don’t know what you’re talking about, you stupid bitch. Nobody said anything about another murder.”
Meaghan tried to keep her expression calm. How could you be so stupid? There was nothing in the news about another body. The body must have been disposed of, or, as yet undiscovered.
“I thought I heard someone mention another murder. It was probably just a rumor.”
Lilith’s friend pulled out a Swiss army knife, flicked open the blade and began carving symbols into the wooden table. She kept her chin down as she asked, “Who told you that someone got murdered last night?”
Meaghan watched as the woman’s carving took on the shape of a goat’s head. A horned goat. “I don’t remember who told me.”
“Don’t remember? Maybe you don’t remember coming to the rave.” She looked up. Her expression as cold as ice. “Maybe you were there, sticking your nose where it don’t belong.”
“Who gives a shit.” A skinny male with multiple facial piercings snorted. “I don’t even remember leaving the party.” His smile quickly disappeared when faced with the same icy stare.
Meaghan concentrated on each member of the group, studying the colors of their auras in an attempt to discover more about them. As she suspected, they all had tinges of black to their auras but the darkest aura surrounded Lilith’s new friend. Hers positively radiated malevolence and for some reason, her anger seemed to be focused on Meaghan.
“Was there something else?” the Goth woman asked, emphasizing the last two syllables in a snake-like hiss that sent shivers down Meaghan’s spine.
“No. I just wanted to apologize for missing the party, that’s all.”
“Well you’ve done that so bugger off!” Skinny pierced guy cursed as he leaned forward threateningly, slapping his hands down on the table, his mouth twisted into a snarl.
Meaghan turned and walked away. She’d heard enough to know that she was on the right track and the demeanor of the entire group was downright aggressive. They were self-absorbed, anti-establishment pot-heads demonstrating sociopathic behavior. The lead Meaghan had looked for. Her unsubs. Okay. Onto the next step. Find evidence to prove that this group are somehow involved in the murders or at the very least, had a motive for the crimes. What were they hoping to achieve? Did they commit these horrible acts simply for the excitement or had the demon offered them personal gain? Meaghan thought about the woman at the table and surmised that either scenario could apply to her. Her pale face and kohl blackened eyes may have been a false face that she sported to offend the public, but Meaghan suspected that her soul would prove to be more frightening than the mask. She shook her head. You may have blown your cover. The leader had noticed her faux pas and called her on it. How could you be so stupid as to mention the last murder?
Halfway back to the taxi rank, she became aware of hurried footsteps behind her and she glanced sideways at a class window so as not to alert her stalkers that she was mindful of their presence. To her horror, she recognized Lilith’s whole group rushing to close the distance between them. They were on to her. Even with her police training she couldn’t take on a group of seven people, especially with a broken wrist. Her heart beat frantically as she tried to formulate a plan while quickening her pace. The cab rank seemed miles away. Could she make it in time? Think! Think quickly!
“Meaghan!”
She spun around and recognized her art teacher who stood in the doorway of his class.
“Oh, Hi there, Mr. Nagle.”
“I have been meaning to call you and talk to you about David’s untimely death. Such a loss, such a loss.” He shook his head in dismay. “Do you have time to talk about your mentor program?”
Meaghan noted that the Goth group had stopped walking and were hovering around in the alcove near the art department, obviously waiting for the teacher to leave. She had to think quickly. “I’m on my way to the cab rank. Perhaps you could walk me there and we could discuss things as we walk.”
“Of course, my dear.” He hooked his arm in hers and as they headed towards the front of the University, Meaghan noted with relief that the others remained behind looking rather annoyed and very animated. By the time the cab arrived they’d left.
****
When Meaghan walked into the main house she was surprised to see David waiting in the lounge room with Derrick and Anna, despite the sun being high in the sky. All three jumped to their feet when she entered the room but David was the first to speak. “How could you be so stupid?”
“David! I think you’re being a bit harsh with Meaghan, I—”
“Stay out of this, Anna. It doesn’t concern you.”
Meaghan noticed that Anna took a step back, away from David. Derrick, on the other hand, closed the distance between himself and his brother.
“The way that you speak to my wife concerns me.”
Meaghan wedged herself between the posturing brothers. “I don’t understand why you’re all getting yourselves so worked up. I just went to the campus to check out a lead. I thought you were all asleep.”
“Anna had a premonition in her dream and woke up the whole house,” Derrick told her without taking his eyes off his brother.
“We sent Evan to check up on you and discovered that you hadn’t been to bed. I don’t understand why you seem determined to get yourself killed. I thought we’d decided to work together on this? Why couldn’t you have waited until evening? Do you even realize how worried we were?” David reached for her but she pulled away.
“I really don’t see the reason for your concern. As you can seem I’m fine.”
“No. You’re just lucky.” David’s voice lowered in tone and Meaghan couldn’t help but be aroused by the tenor of his speech despite feeling as angry with him as he seemed to be with her. What he said next came as a shock. “I dread to think what would have happened to you if we hadn’t sent Pierre to intervene.”
“You sent Mr. Nagle? I don’t understand. How did you know?”
“In my dream, I saw the group of Goths following you and David used his psychological connection with Pierre to send him a message. He compelled Pierre to speak with you and made sure he didn’t leave your side until you were safely on your way home,” Anna explained.
Meaghan flopped onto the couch and David sat beside her. “I guess I should thank you all,” she mumbled in gratitude. She hated needing help but was smart enough to realize that their interference had probably saved her life. “Did your vision happen to tell you what they wanted with me?”
Anna shook her head. “Only that they meant you harm. One of the women positively despises you.”
Meaghan nodded. “I think I know the girl you’re talking about.”
“Is she a friend of yours?”
“Today was the first time I’ve spoken with her but I got the vibe that there’s something about me that riles her. Maybe she wanted the mentorship? Was she the front runner?”
David took her hand. “The mentorship program was designed for you and you alone. There was never a question of anyone else being offered the position.”
“This is all very confusing, David. Why did you do this for me? Did you suspect that I was on the case and wanted to keep an eye on me?”
“David,” Derrick interrupted. “I think it’s time you showed her.”
“Showed me what?”
David rose from the couch and offered Meaghan his hand. “Perhaps my brother is right. It’s time you knew the truth.”
Meaghan took his hand and stood up. Anna smiled and nodded, giving her the impression that she should go with David who appeared to be leading her towards the downstairs studio. As she descended the stairs, her heart raced and she prepared her mind for any scenario. Will David’s revelation give me cause to regret sleeping with him? Could he be the killer after all and have more bodies stashed away in a cellar? By the time she reached the last step, she felt compelled to run back up the staircase and keep running until she reached the road, but David held fast to her hand dashing her ideas of fleeing. She knew he could crush it with minimal effort.
He escorted her to a group of framed paintings that leaned against the back wall, covered with a sheet. The ones he had forbidden her to see. He reached for the smallest, turning it around and Meaghan gasped when she recognized the small child in the portrait.
“I don’t believe it,” she exclaimed, raising her hand to her mouth. “When did you paint this? Why did you paint this?”
David reached for another frame. “Around twenty years ago I suddenly became inspired to paint a cute little girl with blonde braids. Every year I felt compelled to do another painting as the child grew and last year, the urge grew to a point where I could think of nothing else but the woman she’d become. The woman that you had become.” He turned each canvas over to reveal the child growing to womanhood.
“You were stalking me?”
“No. I’d never seen you. I thought you were a figment of my imagination until you appeared at the campus the day that I was posing as a favor for Pierre.”
Meaghan studied the paintings. Growing up without parents meant that she had no-one interested in taking photos of her. There was no record of her childhood. It was slightly overwhelming seeing her life laid out before her. Worse still, in each and every portrait, the child’s expression was melancholic, reminding her of how unhappy her childhood had been. It was as though David had seen into her soul and captured her desperate longing to be loved on his canvas. Tears rimmed her eyes as she moved from one painting to another, searching for just one smile, one happy moment but even the more recent paintings depicted a pensive, despondent woman void of hopes and dreams.
“You felt sorry for me?” She turned to David with tears in her eyes. “
“No! It wasn’t like that at all,” David argued.
“You forget that I’m a cop, David. The evidence here is quite clear. You saw a sad sack little girl who developed into a miserable lonely woman and, although I concede that your intentions were well meaning, you confused pity with attraction.”
“Of course I felt your pain and your loneliness,” David told her. “At first I did feel sympathy for the small child and her longing for a family, however, as you grew, I fell in love with you. Your pain became my pain.”
“Love? You didn’t even know me. How could you claim to love me?”
David shrugged. “The heart wants what the heart wants. I only had to look into your eyes to know the type of person you are and your capacity for love. You’re beautiful, Meaghan. Inside and out.”
Meaghan shook her head. “I don’t believe in love at first sight. It isn’t logical.”
“But you do believe in lust at first sight?”
Meaghan’s mouth dropped open and she gasped when she remembered their first meeting. She had been instantly attracted to David. For the first time in her memory, she had pictured herself naked with a man. No, not any man. David. She had barely been able look at him for fear that he could see the lust in her eyes.
“Do you really think that it was only lust, kitten?” David edged closer. “Of course I wanted to take you to my bed the moment I recognized you but it was more than that. I physically hurt when you ran from the class. It was as though you took a piece of my soul with you. I’m only complete when we are together.” He reached down and pinched her chin between his thumb and forefinger, raising her face to look her squarely in the eye. “You were not the only lonely person in this scenario kitten. I’ve spent over one hundred years grieving for a love that didn’t exist until the day I met you. You can’t tell me that you don’t feel the same. I hear your heart beating a mile a minute and I can see the flush of your cheeks. This is real, Meaghan. Our love is real.”
“I wish it was real, David. I truly do, but I’m a realist and I gave up on dreams back in the orphanage.” It pained her to lie to him. She had many dreams. Dreams of promotion in the force, dreams of finding her real family, and more recently and frequently, dreams of spending the rest of her life with David. However, the cab drive home had given her time to process all the information that David and his family had given her. She had time to take stock of all that had transpired the previous night and the reality was … he would never grow old with her. She would be forced to watch herself age while he remained young and beautiful. Watch while he fed on … blood. Even the word made her sick to her stomach. How on earth could she spend her life with a man who needed blood to survive? How would he react once he discovered her phobia? How long would it be before he left her?
“Give me a chance to prove my love.” David implored, snapping her out of her thoughts. “I don’t expect you to love me yet. I’ve had twenty years to fall in love with you, while this is all new to you. We can take things slowly while we work this case together. My first priority is your safety. I’ve waited this long to have you in my life, I can wait forever for you to fall in love with me.”
Meaghan reached up and touched his cheek. She longed to tell him how much she already loved him but it wouldn’t be fair to give him false hope. When the case was closed, she would apply for a transfer and move as far away as she could, even though it would mean leaving her only chance for real happiness. She loved him too much to saddle him with a woman who couldn’t tolerate his lifestyle. A woman who would grow old and die. She smiled and nodded, hoping he couldn’t see the lie in her eyes. “We’ll take things slowly.”
****
“Good. That’s all I ask, kitten.” He kissed her gently on her forehead and rested his chin on the top of her head as he held her, but his heart sank. Her words promised patience but her eyes told him that emotionally, she was already pulling away.
“Come on,” he urged as he led her to his bed, “you need to rest for a while before you tell us what you learned from your Goth friends.”
She hesitated, and he forced a chuckle. “I promise to keep my hands to myself while you sleep. I could use a few more hours myself.”
He lay on the bed and motioned for her to join him. As she crawled across the bed and into his arms, tucking her head under his arm in an attempt to hide her tears, he felt as though his heart would break. She’d let her mental guard down and, for the first time since they had met, he was privy to her thoughts. Oh, my god. He’s warm. He must have recently fed. She shuddered in his arms. He hugged her tighter in response which made her feel even more claustrophobic. I feel so powerless in his arms. He could easily crush me. What if he drinks my blood? I don’t think I could stand it. What if we had children? Would he be tempted to eat them? Don’t be stupid. A vampire can’t reproduce. Oh god. That means I will never have a real family. She shuddered again in his arms and, this time, her gasp was audible.
The painful reality hit him like a ton of bricks. He’d painted her forlorn face for years. He felt her pain and should have realized that she longed for a family of her own. A child’s love was unconditional. How could he deny her the love that she’d craved all her life. He hugged her closer and steeled himself to the reality of their situation. There would come a time when she would leave his arms forever but not now. Not tonight while he held her tightly to him, her soft breath on his chest, his lips pressed to her forehead. No. Not tonight.
****
The ship had been anchored for hours before David had been able to leave the bilge and make his way onto the deck. Most of the crew had left for shore and the nearby tavern, so his departure went unnoticed. As previously arranged with one of his servants, his horse was saddled and waiting for him, although it was not pleased when he attempted to mount it. At first it recoiled, rearing up on its hind legs and whinnying it disapproval until he was able to use the power of suggestion that his sire had shown him. Unfortunately, that was all she had taught him. He’d barely been a vampire for forty-eight hours before she left the ship when it anchored at its first destination. But he couldn’t waste time worrying about his ineptitude, his family needed him.
Once enthralled, Midnight took off for home needing little encouragement and David rarely needed to urge him with a kick to his flanks. He was grateful for his horse’s enthusiasm and love for speed. Time was of the essence. He’d already wasted precious hours waiting for the sun to disappear beyond the horizon and he had no idea how bad things were at home. The letter from his sister informed him that she could no longer bear the brutal beatings at the hand of her husband and anxiously awaited David’s return so she could present him with divorce papers. As the eldest member of the family—since the death of their parents—she had felt it necessary to ask for his help rather than burden Derrick who she feared was not strong enough to stand up to Nigel and the thugs he called friends.
Midnight had barely come to a halt when David vaulted off and followed the sound of the commotion. He recognized the scream—his sister Isabelle—and Nigel instructed someone to “finish the job” moments before he burst into the room to find his sister dead and Derrick fighting for his life. Four men stood over him. Weapons in hand. Derrick’s blood on their clothes. Bruises on their faces. Derrick must have fought them off as best he could before they overpowered him.
“Hold on,” David ordered his brother as he literally took Nigel and his crew apart. They barely knew what hit them. He tore the screams from their throats in a fit of rage, saving Nigel for last. The coward begged for mercy. Mercy? Isabelle’s body lay feet away, her dress torn and hitched up to her waist. Thighs marbled with purple marks from where they held her down with calloused, rough hands. Her beautiful face hardly recognizable. Mercy? He grabbed Nigel’s hair, forcing his head to one side as he sunk his fangs into the bastard’s throat, draining him of blood, feeling the life slip away. Deeper, until he felt sinew and tendons snap, the carotid artery tear. He bit harder, feeling the crunch of bone as the skull detached from the spine. Another clench of his jaws severed the head from the body altogether. Holding the head by its hair, he stared into the dead eyes of his sister’s killer.
“How’s that for mercy?”
With a flick of his wrist, he tossed the head away and turned to his brother who lay gasping for breath, his eyes swollen shut, his face ashen.
“I can save you. Derrick. But your life will never be the same.”
“No. Let me die,” Derrick whispered as his life faded away. “I couldn’t save her David. I don’t deserve to live.”
“Don’t be an idiot, Derrick.” David tore at his own wrist with his teeth and held it to his brother’s mouth. “Take my blood. Isabelle wouldn’t want you to die too.”
Derrick shook his head and tried to push David away but there was no strength left in his body. He was helpless to resist as the blood trickled into his mouth and was absorbed by his cells but his eyes warned David that there would be consequences.
“I’m sorry.” David murmured as he held his brother through the change. “Forgive me … forgive me.”
****
“David! Wake up!”
David’s eyes flew open and it took a few seconds to appreciate that he was in his own bed. Meaghan was leaning over him, her long hair falling softly on his face.
She stroked his cheek. “You were having a nightmare.”
“I guess I was.” He wiped the sweat from his brow with the back of his hand.
“It must have been pretty bad. You look shaken up.” Her pensive expression gave him hope. She looked truly concerned for his well-fare.
He eased himself up to a sitting position and kissed her lightly on the forehead. “Memories of time long ago, kitten, that’s all.” He shook his head. “I haven’t had that particular dream for a long, long time. I used to dread falling asleep for fear of remembering that part of my past but it has been years since I dreamt it. I really thought I was over it.”
“It must have been something really awful. You kept repeating, ‘forgive me.’ What was that about?”
He faked a smile and hugged her close to his body as he considered the ramifications of his actions in the dream. It had taken Derrick years to get over being turned against his will. Hell, he could understand Derrick’s attitude. He hadn’t really forgiven Josephine for turning him. Big breasts and a bottle of absinthe had been his downfall. A mistake that not only cost him his life but also that of his brother. After Derrick, he had vowed that he would never again make another vampire and he had kept that promise.
He stroked Meaghan’s hair, envying her humanity and realizing that she had every right to pull away from him emotionally. Besides his love, he had nothing to offer her accept pain and danger. His life was a nightmare, even compared to that of a homicide cop. He faced evils that she could never understand. His ability to read minds allowed him to see into the darkest minds and glimpse the horrors that they wished to inflict on their victims. Meaghan could only see the tip of the iceberg while he knew the depth to which these monsters would go. No. He could not drag her into this life, no matter what it cost him.
“Earth to David.” Meaghan maneuvered herself into a position where she could see his face. “If you don’t answer my question, I may be forced to tickle the answer from you.” She dug her fingers into the flesh below his armpits searching for a sensitive area until the ring tone on her phone drew her attention to the bedside table. She checked the caller ID and grimaced.
“It’s Terry,” she informed him. “I have to take this.”