Текст книги "Legacy"

Автор книги: Jeanne Stein

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Текущая страница: 15 (всего у книги 18 страниц)

CHAPTER 53

THERE’S NO HEADING TO THE CHAPTER, NO HINT of what it contains. Once my brain has adjusted yet again to the difficulty that comes from deciphering calligraphy, I’m plunged into a history of demons in the world.

In the beginning (according to this text) was not the word. In the beginning were the demons, the first species in human form to populate the earth. They were the spawn of the fallen angels sent to a harsh and unforgiving new world to survive or perish on their own. Among the first demons were the vampires. They were the strongest and most vicious of the predators and soon held dominion over all the beasts. Their reign lasted for a thousand years.

Then the gods (and it’s plural) decided the now warm and abundant earth had become a paradise, too good for the demons. They sent man, possessed him of brain and brawn, allowed him to multiply. They set him against the demons. Man triumphed. The demons were banished underground, to the realm of darkness. Here the vampire stayed, coming forth only to hunt and feed, for a millennium.

The great flood came. Vampires survived in greater number than humans and once more, they walked in daylight. But humans were scarce, the vampire needed beasts to hunt. The werewolf was fashioned from man by the vampire with the help of powerful black magic. The half man, half beast was made to be the servant of the vampire. In human form, he could integrate into man’s society. In wolf form, he could hunt and capture prey for the vampire master.

The vampire’s curse is that he cannot propagate save through the transference of blood. The werewolf, created by a spell, could only exist at the will of the vampire.

Until the time of the change.

The gods were angry that the vampires once more held dominion over their earth. They saw the balance changing and knew the humans were soon to become fodder for a stronger demon race. They knew the balance could only be restored by introducing an enemy, one capable of defeating the vampire, one who did not live off the blood of their beloved humans.

They allowed the werewolf to evolve into a creature that could “reproduce” on its own, through its bite with the power of a talisman. Soon, the werewolf numbers increased until they were no longer a slave to the vampire but a formidable enemy. When the battle came, the werewolves proved too strong and their superior numbers drove the vampire underground once more.

A were’s strength is in his animal form. It is also his vulnerability. Man soon learned to hunt the beast and the weres numbers were decimated. Because the vampire exists in human form, he could walk among man unnoticed. If he was careful and cunning, his identity as a demon would not be revealed. The vampire flourished, learning to live among his human hosts, learning to assimilate into man’s culture, sacrificing the were to his adopted human family.

From that time forward, there existed a mutual enmity between vampire and werewolf. But there is also a psychic connection. A powerful vampire can control a were, take over its will. Make it do its bidding. It need only possess the were’s talisman. Without the talisman, the were cannot make the change, giving the vampire the absolute power of life and death over it. The power transcends time and space, it is all encompassing and cannot be broken until the vampire is killed or until the were regains possession of the talisman. In either case, once the werewolf regains control, it is the vampire that perishes.

The chapter ends there. I close the book and let it rest on my lap. Is it possible? Could Avery have somehow transported his spirit or soul at the moment of his second death to Sandra? Is that what Tamara meant when she said it was Avery, not Sandra, speaking to me last night?

Why be so damned cryptic? Why not come out and say it? If it’s true, when and how would Avery have taken possession of Sandra’s talisman? She wasn’t here when I was with him.

Was she? Was what I said to Tamara on the ride to David’s cabin true? Was Sandra watching us the whole time I was with Avery? It makes my affair with him even creepier.

I need to talk to Tamara.

David’s phone. I fling back the covers and run downstairs. I erased the message but he must have her number stored since he called her this evening. Sure enough, it’s there. I memorize it to punch into my own phone when I return upstairs.

The phone rings five times before voice messaging picks up.

“Hi there. You’ve reached Tamara. If I don’t answer, I may be out baying at the moon. Leave me a message after the beep and I’ll get back to you.”

“Baying at the moon? Cute, Tamara. It’s Anna. Call me.”

I ring off and try to settle down to sleep. My mind, however, refuses to settle down. The idea that Avery could be alive in Sandra, able to control my emotions and project such fear, leaves me sick with dread.

IT’S A LONG NIGHT. WHEN I FINALLY NOD OFF, I’M awakened with a start by a sound from downstairs. It takes me a minute to realize it’s not Avery come to get me, but the sound of running water. I glance at the clock. 7:00 a.m. David must have awakened, moved from the living room to the kitchen, and is making coffee.

Shit. I throw off the covers and jump out of bed. If he’s going through cupboards or the refrigerator, he’s going to notice I have no food. None. I know I should keep something around for this sort of human/vampire contact, but I never think of it. The only place I shop now is Starbucks.

When I appear beside him in the kitchen, the question is stamped all over his face.

“No wonder you’re so skinny,” he says, standing before the open refrigerator with the bag of coffee in his hand. “You have no food. Jesus, Anna, how can anyone have no food?”

I snatch the bag from his hand and take it over to the coffeemaker. “I’ve never liked to cook, you know that. I eat out. So what? I didn’t expect to have a houseguest this morning. You should be thanking me for taking care of your drunken ass last night instead of criticizing me.”

A flush like a shadow creeps over his cheeks. “I don’t know what happened. I couldn’t have had that much to drink.”

“Try three bottles of Chianti. Ted’s treat.”

“Three? Bottles? By myself? Weren’t you drinking?”

Should I tell him the truth? That I only had one glass from each bottle? Make me look like a wuss? Nah. “I had my share.”

He rubs a hand over his forehead. “We split three bottles? How come my head feels like this and yours doesn’t?”

“Isn’t it obvious? I hold my liquor better than you.”

He grunts and takes a seat at the table. While the coffee perks, I get two mugs down from a nearly empty cupboard. It’s a good thing I caught him before he started going through the cupboards. Otherwise, he’d be making some comment about the lack of dishes right along with the lack of food. Everything I’d had was destroyed in the fire. I never got around to replacing them. I will now. I’ll buy some dishes and a few canned goods.

Soon.

Today I have to track down Tamara. Kick her ass for what was done to my car. I should see Jason again, too, and call my dad about O’Sullivan and the “stolen” formula.

It’s going to be a long day.

CHAPTER 54

DAVID LEAVES AT EIGHT, AFTER COFFEE, TO GO home and change. The body shop opens at nine, which gives him enough time to take me to Charmer’s for the loaner and be at the hospital to speak to Gloria’s doctors at ten.

His day will be far less complicated than mine, though I see how uneasy he is with the prospect of being alone again with Gloria. Magnanimously, I offer to stay with her tonight when he’s on his date with Tamara. He immediately thanks me for the offer and accepts. Considering I don’t intend to let that date happen, I should feel guilty about the deception.

I should feel guilty.

I don’t.

When he’s gone, I debate trying to reach Tamara again, but decide instead to call Frey. He gave me the book. Maybe there’s more he can tell me about devamping a werewolf. I go upstairs to make the call.

Layla, his girlfriend, picks up. “Hello, Anna,” she says with a decided lack of enthusiasm.

“Has Frey left for school yet? I need to speak with him.”

She sighs into the phone. “Today is a teacher workday. He doesn’t have to be on campus until ten.”

“May I speak to him please?”

She slams the phone down on some hard surface with enough force to make me wince. Nice talking to you, too, Layla.

In a moment, Frey is on the line. “Anna?” He sounds relieved. “Are you all right?”

“Why wouldn’t I be?”

“Why? You were meeting a werewolf. Did you read the book?”

“That’s why I’m calling. I need more information about vampires and werewolves. The book says a powerful vampire can psychically control a were. What about physically?”

“Physically?”

“Is it possible for a vampire to—I don’t know how to put this– teleporthis spirit or soul to a were? So that the vampire is actually in control of the werewolf both mentally and physically?”

There’s a long minute of silence. “What vampire? What werewolf?”

“Can you answer the damned question? Is such a thing possible?”

“Are you speaking of Avery?”

Frey is a member of the Watchers, a group of supernatural beings whose purpose is to protect mortals against creatures who would prey on them. I used to be a member, too. He knows my history. What I didn’t tell him myself, Williams did, so it doesn’t surprise me that he’d assume I might be talking about Avery. Because of that, I answer simply, “Yes.”

I fidget impatiently through another protracted silence, finally breaking it myself to say, “I don’t know why you’re taking so long to answer the question. Either it’s possible or it’s not.”

“Anna, you were the instrument of Avery’s second death,” Frey replies. “Why would you ask such a question?”

Another evasion. I swallow my impatience and tell him. All of it. Who Sandra is. How her eyes and voice became different when she repeated words Avery had spoken to me that last evening. How she was wearing the same dress I had on that night, a dress Avery had given me. How my body’s sexual response to her is the same as it was with Avery. How the fear I felt before I ran away was exactly the mind-numbing fear I felt when fighting him for my life.

All of it.

When I’m finished, Frey’s hushed tone frightens me as much as his words when he says, “You must be careful, Anna. If Avery is powerful enough to do as you suggest, you are in grave danger.”

“If? You don’t know if it’s possible?”

“It’s never been recorded. There have been rumors. I know of two that speak of vampires inhabiting a werewolf’s body at the moment of second death. Neither ended well. If Avery accomplished such a thing, he could live on in Sandra’s body indefinitely as long as he allows her to make the change. If he does not, she will die and he may jump to another host.”

I take a moment to process what he’s telling me. “The book says the vampire can be exorcised. How?”

“That magic has been lost. Probably just as well. It would be powerful and black and not easily invoked. There would be violent repercussions to the one casting the spell, perhaps lethal repercussions. Exorcism is not an option.”

Which leaves only one. Find the talisman. Free Sandra. “Finding the talisman is the only way to stop him.”

Frey’s silence confirms it.

“Then I know what I have to do, don’t I?”

Frey lets a heartbeat go by before he says, “There is something else you should know. Something not in the book.”

“I don’t like the way you say that. What is it?”

“Through the centuries, vampire physiology hasn’t changed. Adaptation allows you to walk in daylight, but most things are the same as they were in the beginning. Your system absorbs nutrients from ingested blood without benefit of a digestive tract, you have superhuman strength and agility and heightened senses, and you are invulnerable to mortaldisease. But there is one thing, a toxin, that the vampire is vulnerable to and once infected, there is no cure.”

“Why are you telling me this now?”

“Because it’s something you need to know before you face the were again. There is one way the toxin is introduced and one way only. Through the bite of a werewolf.”

I’d moved to the deck outside my bedroom, watching a cold December morning break over the water. Frey’s words echo in my head, triggering two different emotions as the implication of what he’s telling me becomes clear. The first is anger. Much of my adjustment to life as a vampire has been forged on the anvil of anger. Its burn is familiar, almost reassuring. I’ve grown used to it.

But the second emotion, disappointment, is far more devastating. That Frey would withhold something this important is incomprehensible. When I try to speak, the sense of betrayal rises in my throat and words won’t come.

“Anna?” Frey’s voice is gentle, prodding.

My impulse is to hang up. Instead, I swallow hard and manage to say, “Why didn’t you tell me this before? When you gave me the book, for instance?”

A pause. “You told me you had businesswith a were. I thought if you read the book, you’d rethink doing any kind of business with a were. You didn’t say it was personal. You didn’t say it was a were with a vendetta. I should have told you. I’m sorry.”

A comforting tide of rising anger swamps betrayal. “You should have told me? A werewolf bite is deadly to a vampire. Why the fuck isn’t that in your books?”

“It’s a rather new development,” he says, retreating into a professorial tone from the guilt laden. “The pathology only showed up in the last hundred years or so. The book was written in the fifteen hundreds.”

“Does Williams know about this toxin?”

A hesitation. “I don’t know.”

The hesitation gives it away. “A vampire as old as Williams? What are the odds he doesn’t know?”

Frey doesn’t let himself get drawn in. He must sense where I’m going with this because he adds, “I can’t believe Williams would ever deliberately put you in danger. Anything he’s done, he’s done with your best interest at heart.”

Best interest? As a human or a vampire? I can think of several things he’s done that were definitely not in the human Anna’s best interest. Because of it, and because of his arrogance, I’m not convinced Williams has a heart.

I’m not convinced Frey is telling the truth, either.

I hear Frye’s quiet breathing on the other end of the line. I’ve made him uncomfortable, questioning Williams’ motives in keeping me in the dark. Not that it matters. My path is clear.

“Are all weres infected?”

“I don’t know for sure,” Frey answers. He sounds relieved that I’ve changed the subject. “It’s best to assume they are. The only accounts we have are of deaths that have occurred. There are none of vampires surviving a bite.”

Great. “Is there anything else you’ve neglected to tell me?”

“Just be careful, Anna. I wish you could walk away from the were but if what you suspect is true, if Avery has taken over Sandra’s body and mind, I know that’s not possible. He would have killed David to sever the bond between you. He is as powerful and vengeful now as he was then. Who knows who he will target this time to get back at you.”

CHAPTER 55

AFTER I HANG UP, IT TAKES A MINUTE TO GALVA-NIZE myself into action. The resentment I feel, toward Frey for not simply telling me everything when I was at his house instead of giving me that damned book and toward Williams for letting me blunder off to meet Sandra without a warning, takes some swallowing. I want to call Williams, confront him because I will never believe he didn’t know about the toxin. The question is why he wouldn’t tell me about it. He’s always looking for ways to draw me into the fold. Or to scare me.

I trudge upstairs and into the shower, head still spinning with possibilities.

There could be other reasons he might not tell me.

One terrible reason. Frey asked a very important question: if it is Avery, who else might he target to get back at me? He already went after David. Would my family be next? Might Williams let that happen? Might he see that as a way to sever the last links I have with humanity? Or might it be that Williams is sick of our sparring and wants to be rid of meonce and for all? Let me tangle with the were, get bitten, and watch me die. Either way, his problem is solved. We began as enemies; maybe we’ve come full circle.

By the time the front doorbell rings, promptly at nine, I’ve showered, changed, but am far from ready. I’m sick with the implications of Williams’ treachery and know I have to confront him. But right now, I open the door to find David talking on his cell, a stupid grin on his face. He rings off and slips the phone into his jacket.

“Tamara,” he says, though I didn’t ask. “We’ve moved our date up to four. Going back to the cabin. I’m going to cook her dinner.”

“Four? That’s pretty early. I do have things to do today, you know.”

He looks down at me. “You said you’d stay with Gloria. You owe me this, remember?”

Shit. I grab my jacket and purse from the back of the couch. I do owe him. My timetable got moved up: Call Jason, see my dad, find that damned talisman without being attacked and bitten by a werewolf. Go after Williams. All in time to make sure Sandra and her crew are out of town before 4:00 p.m.

Bloody piece of cake.

CHAPTER 56

CHARMER’S BODY SHOP IS IN A STRIP MALL RIGHT off the South Bay Freeway in Chula Vista. At first, the inconspicuous location and modest look of the place makes me wonder if I was wise in trusting my car to a local instead of taking it to the dealership. Once inside the big prefab building, however, my misgivings are put to rest. Workers in spotless white jumpsuits swarm over a Ferrari, a Mercedes, a vintage Corvette and my Jag. It’s already up on risers, the prep work for the new paint job under way.

Charmer smiles a greeting and jabs a thumb toward the car. “Forgot to ask you last night. Same color? We can change it if you’d like.”

I shake my head, unable to drag my eyes off the damage that was done to my car. It looks even worse under the harsh glare of overhead lights. “No. The original British Racing Green.”

He nods his approval and leads us out of the building to the back. He hands me the keys to the loaner. The candy-apple red Mustang sparkles under the overcast sky like a jewel. Seeing it lifts my spirits.

“Sure you don’t want to take the Hummer?” David asks in a wistful voice.

I snatch the keys from Charmer before David can. “No. Thanks.” I look up at Charmer. “You sure it’s all right for me to take this? It’s such a beautiful car.”

“You’re not going to let it get trashed, too, are you?” His face is serious, but his tone is not. He grins. “Of course. Have fun with it.”

The Mustang engine growls to life when I turn the ignition. David still has that little-boy look of yearning on his face when I pull out. I wave to them both, then double-clutch it when I hit the road. The Mustang responds like a race car. I feel like Steve McQueen.

At least one thing will be fun today.

I head back downtown to the office to call Jason.

When I pull into my office parking space, I notice a car parked in David’s. It’s one of those hybrid models, painted a dull pastel green. Looks anemic beside the Mustang. I don’t recognize it. David won’t be happy, especially since both our spaces are clearly marked “reserved.” He can take care of it. I need to get in and out.

The keys are in my hand and I’m right at the door when someone steps out from the bay side of the building.

“Jason?”

He looks tired and scared, and I open the door and motion him inside.

“What’s the matter?”

The kid stares down at his shoes and I realize he’s wearing the same clothes he had on when I saw him at his house yesterday. I point to a chair. “Sit. I’ll make coffee.” I get it going and check out the small, under-the-counter refrigerator we keep in the office. “There’s not much here, but there are some day-old bagels. Are you hungry?”

He still hasn’t said a word. I go ahead and pull out the bag and a carton of cream cheese. Having a human partner who eats real food has come in handy twice now in the last twenty-four hours. Thank you, David.

I don’t press Jason until he’s eaten half a bagel and had a few swallows of coffee. Then I sit down opposite him. “What happened to you?”

Jason finally meets my eyes. “I didn’t tell you everything,” he says.

“About?”

“My stepmother. Gloria. What I overheard the day my dad was killed.”

“Want to tell me the truth now?”

He nods, starts fiddling with the coffee cup.

“Tell me.”

“I did overhear my dad and Laura the morning he was killed,” he says. “It wasn’t about any kind of criminal investigation. He was arguing with her about something he’d done to a colleague. I don’t know the details. It didn’t make sense then. Whatever he did cost somebody a lot of money, and Dad thought the guy was coming after him. He sounded scared. He wanted us to leave. Laura said she wouldn’t go. She ran out, and Dad ran after her.”

“What happened then?”

“I went into his study. I found something.”

He dips a hand into his pocket and pulls out an envelope. I recognize it as the one I found in his room. He offers it to me, and I take it.

While I open it, he says, “I didn’t know what it meant until I saw the newspaper yesterday.”

My own paper is open on the desk where I left it after getting Dad’s call. He taps the article about his father. “I think they were right. I think Dad took the formula and sold it. I think somebody at that Benton company killed him.”