End of the Summer Bite

by Liadan Brodie

Chapter 1

The woods were silent.  Nothing stirred... no animals scurried in the underbrush, even the wind was silent tonight.  A mist had settled on the ground making the leaves she walked on damp.  But this was the time of night she loved the best... when the woods were silent.  Her parents had always told her  the woods could be a dangerous place if one didn't know where they were going, but she knew the path she walked.  She knew where the obstacles were and she avoided them.  She was always careful, always safe. 

Still, she couldn't shake the feeling she was being watched.  Could it be an animal?  Was it a person  who had dared to enter her woods, her one place of solitude?  She shook off the thought.  Everyone in the area knew she didn't like trespassers in her woods and stayed clear of the area unless they asked permission first. 

She stopped suddenly... listening.  Off to her right she'd heard a sound.  It had sounded like a footfall but she couldn't be certain.  She slowly moved her arm to her back and withdrew her pistol.  If someone were out here, she'd shoot first and ask questions later.  She turned and pointed the gun to the right and scanned the trees.  Nothing moved only silence greeted her.

“There is no need for a weapon, I won't hurt you.”  A male voice spoke from her left.

She spun quickly around, gun still up and ready to fire.  “Who are you and why are you in these woods?  I don't like people sneaking around my property, ever.”

He laughed and stepped closer to her.  “Forgive me.  I did not know these woods were private property.”  The man paused in his speech, staring at her with his pale blue eyes.  “Perhaps you could direct me to the owner and I will rectify the situation.”

She still hadn't lowered her gun and her arms were going to lock up soon.  “I'll ask you again, who are you?  I haven't seen you around here before so either you're new to the area or you're a tourist.  Which is it?”

He smiled at her and bowed slightly.  “I'm Lucien Fairmont.  I moved to this area about two weeks ago.”

She didn't lower her gun.  “I'll have to ask you to leave Mr. Fairmont.  You're trespassing in my woods.”

“I didn't see any signs.  I apologize Mrs...?”

“Sarah.  Ms. Sarah Radcliffe.  I own twenty acres of land and all of it is off limits.  Except to those I invite.  You weren't invited.”

Lucien nodded.  “My home is just on the other side of the woods.  I found a path one evening and decided to take a stroll.  I guess our properties border one another.”

Sarah lowered her gun.  “You bought McMillan's old place?  I wondered who finally got the old man to sell.”  She stepped closer and stuck out her hand.  “Forgive me for being jumpy.  I love the woods at night but never know what's around the next curve.  I've run into a couple of deer recently and a shot or two usually scares them off.”

“I'll say.  That's a .45 you're carrying right?”

Sarah couldn't help but be impressed.  The man knew his weapons.  But after everything that had happened to her, the reason she'd run to the only place she had left to go, her gut was telling her there was something more to this man.  “What made you decide to move to this part of Louisiana?”

This woman was intelligent.  “I'd wanted to buy a piece of land for ages but Montana is too cold for me.  I wanted somewhere with milder weather.  I was interested in the land on the other side of town at first, but drove past this place one evening and had a flat tire at the end of Mr. McMillan's driveway.  As luck would have it, he and I struck up a friendship of sorts.  He told me this property was vacant and the owners had passed away a few years ago but the daughter owned it.  I'm assuming you're the daughter?”

“I am.  My parents left this place to me.  I love it here and it's just what I needed right now.  Peace and relaxation.  But if you insist on walking the woods at night, please let me know first.  Accept an open invitation to wander the woods.  Think of it as a welcoming present.

“That's kind of you Ms. Radcliffe.”

She laughed.  “Sarah.  I'm really sorry I pulled a gun on you, but like I said, you never know what's around the next curve.”  Her curiosity had piqued when she'd shook his hand.  He had no calluses yet his grip was firm.  “What is it you do for a living Mr. Fairmont?”

He smiled.  “I prefer Lucien and I'm self – employed.  I am now anyway.  I taught at the University of Paris.  I'm afraid I'm quite boring.  I write and research historical texts.  I find obscure copies for private collectors and universities around the globe.  So you won't have to worry about loud parties.  As if you could hear them over the distance.”  He waved his hands around the woods.

“Actually that sounds interesting.  I love history.  I lived in Virginia for a while and visited the civil war battlefields every chance I got.  There's so much history there.”

Lucien needed her to trust him.  What better way to start than by inviting her over for tea and a discussion of history.  “It's a bit chilly out tonight, would you like to come over for a cup of tea?  We aren't far from the edge of the woods.”

“I don't know.  Maybe tomorrow?  I really should be heading back.”

“Of course.  Why not make it dinner?  Say seven – thirty?  I'll cook?  Afterward I can show you some of the more recent additions to my collection of history books.  I've just received one in the mail today which should interest you.  It's an account of the battle of Bull Run.  Completely transcribed from letters a Rebel soldier sent home to his wife.  I thank whatever gods are out there someone had the sense to put it in book form.”

“I'd like that.  It'd be nice to share an evening with someone who loves history as much as I do.”  She turned to walk home and stopped.  “How is it I haven't seen you in town during the day?”

“I usually have my head buried in books all day and remember things I need after the sun has gone down.  I've started using the delivery service the grocery store offers.  It's easier than running out of milk and realizing the store is closed.”  He bowed to her again.  “Good evening Sarah and I look forward to seeing you tomorrow evening.”

Chapter 2

The day dawned bright and clear.  Sarah stretched and sat up.  This was the first morning since leaving New Orleans she felt like her old self, almost. 

She leaned against the wrought iron headboard and pushed a tendril of auburn hair behind her ear.  Thinking of New Orleans, the place which was now officially her home and where she worked sent a chill through her.  There were things there she'd wished she'd never seen.  Strange things that had taken Nathan from her. 

Reaching over to her nightstand, she picked up Nathan's picture.  He was smiling and happy.  They'd been to a crawfish boil that day.  She remembered it so clearly.  His parents had finally extended an invitation to her for the annual boil at their home on the outskirts of the city.  She'd been happy that day as well. 

As the day had lengthened and night began to fall, she and Nate had gotten the call they were needed.  Being the good police officers they were, they'd never given a thought to saying no.  They'd left with the promise they'd call and let everyone know they were fine.

It was that night she'd lost him.  Lost him to the forces of the night.  The call had been for gang trouble in Jackson Square.  Nothing new there.  It was their regular beat and that's why they'd been called to lend a hand. 

When they arrived at the scene, a sight they'd never wanted see greeted them.  Three of their buddies were down and all were dead.  Or so they thought.  Nate called in for more backup and told her to stay put.  But she wouldn't hear of it.  She refused to let him search the area with no cover.  With Mardi Gras looming just around the corner, there was no telling what kind of crazies were out and about.  She followed behind him.  As they searched the blocks surrounding the square, they saw tracks leading north.  Running back to their cruiser, they headed north on Constance Street.  They both knew where they'd end up.  Lafayette Cemetery One.  That's where all the hoodlums ran when the cops were after them. 

Parking just outside the gates, they drew their weapons and approached slowly.  The gate was still locked so the people they were after must have gone over the fence.  Sarah holstered her weapon and grabbed the the spikes of the fence.

“What the hell are you doing?  You can't go after them.  Not without backup.”  Nathan whispered.

“You're my backup.  Aren't you?”

He sighed.  “Sarah, honey, please let's just wait.  I have a bad feeling about this.  We really need more people with us.  These bastards have already taken out three of our friends.  I don't want you hurt.”

She smiled.  “Nate, nothings going to happen.  We've taken down worse criminals than these little punks.  Let's go.”

Always the fearless one, she'd climbed over and dropped softly to the ground.  She looked over her shoulder and saw Nate drop down behind her.  “No lights.  Turn your walkie down too.  We don't want to alert them.”

They moved deeper into the cemetery, the mausoleums casting shadows all around them.  The further they went, the more she started feeling Nate was right.  There was something off about this whole thing.  She stopped and peered around one of the many resting places of the cities former inhabitants.  “Go back.  I don't see anything and I don't like that we can't hear them even shuffling their feet.  It's all wrong.”

“I told you that to begin with and you should have listened to me then.”

They turned to go.  A shadow stepped from behind one of the buildings six feet from them.  The guy hadn't made a sound. 

In a flash he was on them.  Taking Nate to the ground while one of his buddies grabbed her from behind.  She may have fooled people with her slender frame, but she could take down a 250-pound man strung out on PCP with just her hands and her feet.  But this guy was something else. 

She managed to get one hand free and reached for her walkie.  Depressing the button she yelled their location and that they needed help immediately.  She didn't know their backup wouldn't be there until it was too late.

 

The guy holding her laughed.  “We'll have both of you before you even have a chance to scream.” 

She felt his mouth against her neck and on reflex, kicked backwards with her heel and caught him in the family jewels.  “Yeah, well I'll hear you scream before I do.”

The guy went down to his knees and Sarah never looked back.  The one holding Nathan down was sucking on his neck.  “Get the hell off him you monster.”

When the man looked up at her she took a step back.  He had blood dripping from his chin.  Nathan's blood.  His canines were elongated and he had a serious Bella Lugosi vibe rolling off him.  She looked at Nate and was happy to see he was breathing, though it was shallow.  “Nate?  Honey?  Can you hear me?”  Nate rolled his head and looked at her.  “Good.  Help is coming.”  She launched herself at the man and they both tumbled head over heels.  She punched, clawed and kicked him.  Still nothing seemed to phase him.  She fought him with all her strength and was beginning to tire when a shot rang out and the beast on top of her fell backwards.

“They've got silver.  Back out now.”  He called out to his friends.  He winked at her then.  “Silver doesn't kill us but it sure is a pain in the butt.”

She lay on the ground trying to catch her breath.  She rolled to her side and looked at the sergeant who'd fired the bullet.  “Thanks Hank.  Appreciate the ass saving.  Now get an ambulance down here and quick.  Nate's hurt.”

She saw Hank look behind her at Nathan and then he shook his head.  She turned and crawled over to him.  He was losing blood fast.  She applied pressure to his neck, but the flow didn't stop.

Nathan grabbed her hand.  “You were doing your job.  Don't let this stop you from fulfilling your dream of being on SWAT.  Promise me something will you?”

“You're going to be fine honey.  Just fine.”  She turned and looked at the men and women gathered around them.  “Where the hell's the ambulance?”

Nate tugged her hand.  “I'm not going to make it.  I know this.  Remember when I told you there were some strange things here in NOLA?  I'll be one of them.  His friend slit his wrist and forced me to drink his blood.  If you see me again after this, kill me.  Don't hesitate to do it because I will kill you first.  Remember that I love you and I always will.  Tell mom and dad I died fighting and get them the hell out of Louisiana.  I'll go to them after I find you.  I don't want to hurt them.”

“Nathan?  What are you talking about?  That animal was drinking your blood.  You're delirious.”

“No I'm not.  Talk to Hank, he'll fill you in.  I tried to protect you from this.  Always tried to protect you from finding out the truth.  Be careful Sarah, they'll be after you now.  I love you baby.”  He grabbed her hand.  “You'll always have my love.”  His eyes closed and he breathed his last breath.

Her head fell back and she let out a cry of pure anguish.  The man she'd loved, the only one she'd wanted to spend her life with was gone.  Had died in front of her because she refused to wait for backup.  This was all her fault.  She'd live with the guilt for the rest of her life.  She'd killed Nathan.

Chapter 3

Shaking her head, she wiped the tears from her eyes.  Everything after that night had been a blur.  She'd been put on leave with pay the same night.  A few hours after the incident, Nathan's parents had come to their apartment.  They didn't blame her.  They told her they understood she was doing her job and so had Nathan, but she wouldn't hear it.  She kept telling them she'd killed him by making him follow her into the cemetery.  It was her fault he was dead, she may as well have put a gun to his head and pulled the trigger.  Again, they were understanding.  Nathan had been just like his parents that was certain.  Even at the end, he'd known what was going to happen and hadn't blamed her.

She'd gotten his parents out of Louisiana right after the funeral.  They hadn't wanted to leave but she'd made them.  She'd paid for a three month tour of Europe for them.  It was what she and Nathan had planned to do for their 30th anniversary.  She just gave them their gift early.

Now she was here in Covington, twiddling her thumbs, unable to find the vampire who'd taken Nathan's life.  But then, maybe she wasn't meant to find his killer.  Maybe he was supposed to find her.    Sarah would be ready and waiting for him when and if he did appear.  She figured being here, on her own property would give her a better chance of an encounter.  Not only that but if she was able to shoot the bastard and kill him, well, she could claim he was a trespasser and he'd attacked her.  There wouldn't be many questions if that happened.  The small police force they had here knew her and knew she wouldn't shoot unless she felt threatened. 

Sarah sighed and stood up.  Well, there were things to be done around the house and she wanted to work on the flower garden this morning.  The roses were looking a bit shabby.  Her mother would have strangled her had she seen their state. 

Sarah showered, dressed and went to the kitchen and poured a cup of coffee.  Thank God she'd remembered to set it the night before.  Moving to the kitchen table she sorted through the mail she'd placed there the day before.  Junk mail mostly but there was one envelope that made her pause.  It was addressed to her from an address she didn't recognize from New Orleans. 

Sitting down in a chair, she put down her cup and lifted the envelope.  It wasn't anything special, just a plain white envelope, yet it scared her more than she could imagine.  Turning it over in her hands, she slowly opened it and pulled out the single sheet of paper inside.  The words written on the paper made her heart beat double time.  One simple statement had her looking around her home, 'We found you'.

Sarah spent the rest of the day installing the window and door alarms she'd ordered instead of taking care of the roses as she'd wanted.  The slightest movement and the alarms would sound and give her enough time hopefully to grab her gun and be waiting for whoever had entered her home.  Though knowing they were vampires, she doubted she'd have the time for anything other than fighting with fists and whatever she could grab that was nearby. 

Why had she never believed the stories?  Oh yeah, because she was an intelligent, sensible woman who didn't believe in those things.  Well, she'd had to change her way of thinking.  They were real and now they were after her.  Then the thought occurred to her, how had they found her?  She closed her eyes as she felt all the blood rush from her face.  Nathan.  It had to be him.  He was one of them now.  He had to have been the one to find her.  Only he would know where she would run to in times of trouble.  The thought of having to kill him, a second time, made her shake. 

She looked at the clock, it was nearly seven.  She remembered her plans with Lucien for a dinner and history date.  No, that wasn't right.  Not a date, just a dinner and history meeting.  She debated if she should go or not.  What if they showed up tonight and she brought her troubles to Lucien's house?  That wouldn't go over well, what a way to really make the new neighbor feel right at home. 

She had promised him though and that meant she would go, but heavily armed as she walked through the woods, just in case trouble was right around the corner.

Chapter 4

As soon as the sun had gone down, Lucien was up and roaming through the house, impatient for Sarah to arrive.  He could feel them.  They were swarming nearby and he knew he'd have to call in friends to help him with this group.  He knew Sarah was in danger.  If it hadn't been for Hank, his friend in New Orleans, he never would have known what was happening.  Sarah and her fiance had been in the wrong place at the wrong time.  He laughed, that was so cliche.  But it was also true for the situation they had been placed in.

If only Sarah had been told before hand.  If Hank and Nathan had informed her vampires were real and other things that go bump in the night weren't in her imagination, then maybe she would have thought twice about going into the cemetery that night.  Yes, he had met Nathan and no matter how much he argued with him, Lucien hadn't won the argument that his girlfriend should be informed of the situation.  That was two years before Nathan had been murdered.

Lucien had been hunting the group Sarah had fought with for three years.  Every time he got close to them, they would disappear.  This was the closest he'd been in that time.  But Sarah didn't know how to fight them.  He was certain the only way she knew was the way she'd seen in movies.  But that wouldn't work.  The only true way to kill a vampire was to cut off their heads or put them in the sunlight  A stake through the heart only pissed them off.  Okay, so two things you could see in the movies worked for killing them.  He couldn't have her doing something stupid like that and dying because she didn't know any better. 

He needed to think of a way to bring up the subject of vampires in their conversation of history tonight.   He walked to his bookshelf and ran his fingers across the spines of the books on the shelf.  He was certain he had a book about the civil war where vampires were mentioned.  After all, hadn't he been there?  Though he'd been born in Paris in 1768, he'd come to America during the Revolution and decided to make it his home.  He of course had refrained from fighting on the battlefields, but had been a reporter instead.  It had been tough, but he'd managed to have people work for him who were at the battles.  They would report to him each night and he'd write the articles for the paper.

His finger stopped on one book.  The leather was cracking and the spine showed signs of being opened many times.  He smiled, yes, this was the book.  He pulled it from the shelf and opened it.  The book fell open to the fifth chapter, Vampires in the War of States.  How many times had he read this chapter for pure enjoyment?  They had it all wrong of course, but he knew the truth.  He'd keep this out for their history discussion this evening. 

Lucien walked to the kitchen and began preparing a dish he had loved for centuries.  Now it was simply called Duck a l'Orange.  He just hoped she would like it.  Though he could eat food, it had to be in small amounts.  Thankfully the store had a supply of small ducklings come in the day before and he knew they would be perfect for the two of them.

As he prepared the meal he smiled.  It had been some time since he'd had the pleasure of doing this for someone else.  Being who he was, dating wasn't much of an option.  The last time he could even remember cooking a meal for a woman had to be in 1965.  Tammy had been one of a kind, sweet and innocent.  At that time he'd only wanted to get close to her for her blood.  During that time she was a rare woman to come by as she was a virgin and not into the whole movement.  Lucien had wined and dined her until she completely trusted him.  But in the end, he hadn't been able to drink from her.  She was too pure and too trusting.  He'd released her from his spell and moved to another state.

He often wondered what it would be like to have a companion as some of the older vampires did.  Although he wasn't sure he was cut out to have one, he'd love to at least have one for a few years.  Perhaps Sarah would consent, eventually.  He shook his head, no that wouldn't happen.  A vamp had taken her man, how could she ever agree to being a companion?

Just as he put the duck in the oven, the doorbell rang.  He looked at the clock, seven twenty-eight, right on time.  He should have known she'd be punctual.  He wiped his hands on a towel and went to answer the door.  Opening the door, he put a smile on his face.  "Good evening Sarah.  I trust you had an excellent day?"

She shook her head, "Not really.  I mean, it started off just fine but I received a letter today that has me nervous."

He frowned, "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"I'm afraid there isn't.  Unless you know anything about vampires."  She quickly closed her mouth.  "I'm sorry Lucien, I'm afraid I won't be the best company tonight.  Perhaps we should put this off until another time?"

He took her hand and pulled her inside.  "I will not hear of it.  If you are frightened, you need to be with someone, if only to calm your fears."

As he led her to the living room, Sarah looked around the house.  He'd been busy, that's for sure.  The hardwood flooring was new and so were the furnishings.  Either he had a flair for decorating or he'd hired someone to do it for him.  Whoever had done it, loved antiques.  Everything was beautiful.  "I love your home.  Everything is amazing."

"Thank you.  Most of these pieces were handed down through generations of my family.  But even so, they are quite functional I promise you."  He motioned for her to sit on a loveseat.  "Please sit, I'll bring you a glass of sherry perhaps?"

"Actually, do you have something a bit stronger?  It's been a really rough day."

Lucien thought about it, "How about a glass of twenty-five year old scotch.  I save it for times such as this." He gently pulled the chain of his pocket watch and checked the time.  "Dinner should be ready in about forty minutes.  In the meantime, would you like to tell me what you meant by vampires?"

She hadn't realized he'd understood what she said earlier.  Great, now he probably thought she was crazy.  How she wished she was, but after what she had seen that night, there was no way she was crazy.  She smiled, "It was just me letting my mouth run away from me."

Lucien nodded and headed to the liquor cabinet.  Well, this could be easier than he thought.  All he needed to do was get her to tell him what had happened.  He intentionally filled her glass more than he would have normally.  He felt just a bit guilty, but this could get her to open up about what was bothering her. 

Returning to the sofa across from where she sat, Lucien handed her the glass.  "It will have a slight burn going down but it should relax you just a bit."  He took a sip of his own drink and waited for her to do the same and start the conversation.  He didn't want to rush her but was anxious about what she had to say.

Sarah took a sip and placed the glass on the table in front of her.  "I don't know what made me say that Lucien.  Maybe I'm just feeling antsy about the time of year or maybe I've been alone in these woods for too long by myself.  Perhaps human company might be what's needed instead of plants, flowers and animals to talk to everyday."  She took a deep breath, now that he'd brought it up, perhaps she should tell him why she'd mentioned vampires when she'd arrived.  "Lucien, it's okay if you think I'm crazy after I tell you this, but please, hear me out before you kick me out of your house."

He smiled, "I doubt whatever you say will have me scared of you, please continue.  I'm interested in what you have to say."  He'd learned over the years one way to make a person feel comfortable, was to make them believe you were listening to every little detail.  Which in this case was certainly true.  He needed to know what she knew.  Had she felt them in the woods?  Could she even tell?

"It happened in New Orleans and it's the reason I came home.  I was engaged to a wonderful man and I loved him very much.  There was nothing more I could have asked for when I found him.  We were both on the N.O.P.D, I still am, though I'm on leave at the moment.  I didn't do anything wrong, it's just I was with Nate the night he was murdered.  Something so traumatic automatically gets you put on leave." 

She waved her hand in the air, "Sorry, going a little off topic I guess.  Anyway, I'll make this a short and straight to the point story.  We had chased what we thought were thugs into the cemetery.  We knew they had to be really bad to take down several other officers, but I was adamant Nate and I could take them on our own.  I had no clue what would happen once we entered that place." 

She paused to take a sip of scotch.  "I know you've heard stories of there being vampires and werewolves all around New Orleans, I mean who hasn't right?  Well, you can call me crazy if you like, but I've seen them, I know they're real, vampires at least."  She stopped and looked him in the eyes, waiting for him to laugh and tell her to leave his home.  When that didn't happen she tilted her head to the side.  "Lucien, did you hear what I said?  Doesn't that scare you that I believe that?"

How to go about telling her he truly believed her?  After all, he was a vampire himself, so why wouldn't he believe her?  Only he couldn't tell her right now about his 'condition', it would only frighten her.  He shook his head, "No that does not scare me in the least.  As a matter of fact, that is one of my favorite subjects to study, the history of vampires and other mythological creatures through the ages.  It's really an interesting subject believe it or not.  But back to your predicament.  I believe you Sarah, as strange as that may seem to you, I do.  I believe there are too many mentions of those creatures throughout history for there not to be some truth behind it."

He stood and walked over to the window, peering past the sheer curtains.  "I often wonder why Henry the Eighth would have claimed he knew a vampire, not that he'd been bitten by one or that he'd seen one in action, but that he literally knew a vampire.  Of course that could encompass the area of political vampire as well as blood sucker.  But we'll never know." 

He walked to his desk and picked up the book he'd chosen from his collection earlier.  "This book is one I find of great interest.  I remembered you'd told me about visiting the Civil War battlefields in Virginia and thought you'd like to have a look at it.  But what is more interesting is the fact that it mentions vampires in the Civil War.  The writer means the Transylvania type of vampire.  It isn't known where he got his information, but there are those in the realm of the history world who believe he was turned."  He chuckled, "Of course there is no proof of that and if it is true, would he reveal himself?  I doubt it.  On the other hand, he could be an acclaimed professor at a university somewhere in the world and an author of well received papers on historical subjects.  We'll never know for sure though.  Not until that one person, whomever they may be, steps forward to prove to us they are real."

He took his seat across from her, "But tell me Sarah, what exactly did you see that night in the graveyard?"

Sarah lifted her glass and drained the contents before handing it back to Lucien.  "I'd like a refill please.  I'll wait for that before I tell you everything I saw that night."  When he returned a full glass to her, she took a sip.  "We followed them into St. Paul's cemetery one, thinking we'd be able to get them before they could harm anyone else.  Well, it was my stupid mistake for not waiting for backup.  I thought we could handle it ourselves, but I was wrong.  The one who attacked Nathan seemed to be the leader.  While I was fighting with him, one of his crew slit his wrist and forced Nathan to drink it.  All I know is what Nate told me that night.  He wanted one of our fellow officers to tell me the whole truth but I wouldn't listen to Hank, I didn't want to believe.  I'm regretting my decision now.  The man who was drinking Nate's blood, his skin was pale, his eyes were almost amber and his canines were longer and sharper than any I've seen on a human before.  They reminded me of snarling wolf to be honest.  I have nightmares about that and wake up in a sweat."

She ran a hand through her hair, drawing a deep breath.  "I know that sounds crazy but then I received the letter and now I'm just a bundle of nerves.  I don't know what to do or what to expect.  I can tell you that I've had the most awful thought and that's Nathan is the only one who would know that I'd come home to Covington.  He's the only one who knew about this place besides the people here in town.  He told me that night that he would come for me and if I saw him I should kill him first or he'd kill me."

"What did the letter say Sarah?"

"It wasn't really a letter, just three words.  'We found you.'  Like I said, the first person I thought of was the Nathan.  The only person in New Orleans who knows where I am is Hank and I don't think he'd send me something like that."

Lucien stood, he could feel them across the woods, they'd reached her home.  "You're right, Hank wouldn't do that, he'd call you if anything."  He walked to one of the windows and pulled the blinds, it was time to call in reinforcements.  "Sarah, would you be a dear and pull the blinds on all the windows downstairs.  I'm suddenly not too fond of seeing outside."

"Have I worried you Lucien?"

He turned with a smile already on his face.  "Not at all, it's just I seem to be in the mood for a cozy evening.  Having the blinds up gives it a feel of open space.  Allow me to check on dinner and I'll be right back."

Once he was out of the room, he ran to the kitchen and turned the oven temperature down lower.  He needed time and he did truly wish to feed Sarah dinner.  She looked as though she hadn't really eaten a good meal in weeks, which was quite possible. 

Now, he needed to call his help, he knew they weren't far away and would be here in a matter of minutes.  Perhaps this time they would put an end to this group.  Stepping on the back porch, he knew the moment the others felt him.  It wouldn't take them long to realize exactly where Sarah was.  He sent his message telepathically, within seconds he had his response that help was on the way and would arrive within the hour.  Lucien suddenly hoped that he wasn't too late in calling them.  Surely the ones who wanted Sarah wouldn't brazenly approach the property of a master vampire?  Then again, he could be sadly mistaken.

Chapter 5

When Lucien returned to the living room, he saw she had done as he asked and closed the blinds.  Even though it wouldn't keep them from approaching the house, he knew it would be better if they didn't see Sarah right away.  Her scent would be strong and they would follow it to his house, but hopefully they would be cautious.

Lucien had been a master since 1892 when he'd carried out five assassinations on vampires who had gone crazy, for lack of a better term.  Any vampire in their right mind wouldn't approach the property of a master without prior approval.  He could only hope that the leader of this group was a smart man and would ask for a negotiation first.  But it was also quite possible that Nathan might be hard to control.  It was a well known fact that someone in Nathan's position as a human, when turned, usually went bad very quickly.  Basically that meant that he'd kill or turn anyone and feed on anything in his path.  Lucien was prepared for that eventuality, but hopefully it wasn't like that for Sarah's sake.

"Sarah dear, what do you think of looking over the historical documents on vampires instead of the Civil War tonight?  Perhaps we could find something interesting in the way of, oh say, how to kill them?  Or maybe we should could compare the different texts on how to kill them?  What do you think?"

Amazingly she felt herself smile at him.  "I think that would be wonderful.  I installed alarms on the doors and windows today, but I doubt that will do much good except to alert me to their presence."

"Actually, it might slow them down a bit."  He stood and went to one of the many bookshelves he'd added, pulling books out one after another.  "I believe these books should keep us busy until dinner is ready."  He turned to her, smiling, "I'm afraid I was nervous about you coming over tonight and forgot to turn the oven on.  I haven't cooked for someone besides myself in ages.  Please accept my apologies."

Sarah laughed, "It's fine.  I didn't mean to make you nervous or cause you any stress."  She stood and walked to him, taking some of the books from his arms, "Let's go do some research and comparison.  It should keep us from being too worried about dinner for the time being."

He followed her to the loveseat and sat beside her.  At least he could make her smile tonight.  "Okay, so which book would you like to begin with, the one from 1659 or one from the 1700's?"

Sarah tapped her finger on the coffee table.  "How about the earliest you have?  If that's the 1659 one, then let's start with that.  Do you have a notepad handy so we can write down what we find out?"

He went to his desk and returned with a legal pad and pen.  "Okay, let's get started shall we."  He opened the book and placed it so one side was on her right leg and the other on his left.  They both began scanning the pages.  After about thirty minutes they had found seven references to vampires and three on how to kill them.

The last one had Sarah laughing.  "Really? Did they really think throwing garlic at them would kill them?  Oh my God, they really had no clue."

"Do you Sarah?  What would you do to kill one?"

She thought about her answer for a moment.  "Well, first thought that comes to mind is to shove them in the sunlight."  She scratched her forehead, "I wonder?  Would putting a bulb like the ones in tanning beds work the same as the sun?"

Unfortunately for Lucien, he knew first hand what that would do.  He still had the scar on his arm from the one time someone had done that to him.  "I do believe it just might.  They are the same as the sun basically.  The ultraviolet from the bulbs can cause sunburns so why wouldn't it burn a vampire?"

"True."  She paused and looked towards the window.  "Did you hear that?  It sounded like someone walking on the porch."

Lucien stood just as the doorbell rang.  He'd known his friends had arrived several minutes earlier.  He hoped they didn't frighten Sarah.  "I'll just go see who that is.  I wasn't expecting company tonight.  Please continue to look through the book and write down anything you find."

Lucien opened the door and nodded.  There was no need to issue an invitation to the five people who stood there.  He stood to the side as he let them enter.  "She is in the living room.  We are researching ways to kill vampires."  When they looked at him with horror he laughed.  "Don't get worried, she doesn't know what I am, nor will I tell her at the present time."

Gareth nodded, he trusted his master completely.  If it hadn't been for Lucien, he would have died during the Revolution.  "As you wish, we won't tell her either.  However, if there is a fight this night, she may find out sooner than you have planned.  What are your preparations concerning situation?"

"When the time is right Gareth, she'll know the truth.  I pray she will trust me before then.  If not, I'm prepared to do whatever it takes to make her believe we will not harm her."

"Then I hope you can gain her trust before then.  The group is almost here.  They are currently in the woods, not moving."

Lucien nodded, "I'm aware of their movements.  They've sent two scouts ahead to the very edge of my property which means they aren't as crazy as we thought.  They know the mark of a master when they scent one.  That is good for us at the moment." He turned towards the living room, "Would you all like to meet her?"

Sarah looked up as Lucien returned.  She wasn't expecting to see others joining them.  Three men and two women stood behind him.  She put the book down next to her and stood.  "Lucien?  I thought you said you weren't expecting any other company?"

"I wasn't.  This is a surprise.  I extended an invitation to my friends when I purchased the property.  They were on their way to Texas and decided to stop here for the evening.  But please, allow me to introduce you."  He introduced each of his team and they all bowed to Sarah as one.  "They've eaten already so there's no need to worry about dinner.  But would you mind if they kept us company this evening?  They could be a lot of help to our research as they are part of the historical society I belong to and sometimes run in place of the director."

Sarah had felt uneasy at first.  The five newcomers looked as though they could take down a grizzly bear single-handed.  She almost laughed at the thought, but was afraid to.  Instead she shook her head, "No, I don't mind at all.  The more the merrier right?  Perhaps we can all come up with a new combination to fight vampires."

Lucien could feel the tension leave the group.  They liked her, which was what he'd hoped for all along.  They needed to like her if they were to help protect her from the ones in the woods.  "Excellent, then if you'll excuse me, I'll just go check on our dinner."

Gareth followed him to the kitchen.  "You cooked for her?  Damn Luc, what's gotten into you?  You haven't cooked for a human in years."

Lucien shot him a look that told him to back off.  "Was I expected to invite her over and not feed her?  She looks like she needs a good meal and I shall provide one for her.  Not only that, but there is the whole trust issue.  Currently though, we have movement in the woods, they are getting closer.  They know you've arrived."

Gareth went to the kitchen window and looked towards the woods.  "Have you scouted to see if they have a human with them?  If they do, then that person or persons could take Sarah while we're sleeping."

Lucien almost dropped the dish he was pulling from the oven.  He hadn't thought about that.  Why hadn't he considered it?  Because this group had never used humans like that before.  If they'd changed the way they were doing things, that could mean big trouble for him.  How could he protect her during the day?  He could drug her and have her sleep beside him, but that offered a whole new set of problems.  He set the dish down and turned to Gareth.  "Have you felt any such humans with them?"

Gareth shook his head.  "I haven't but that's not to say they are blocking so we don't feel them.  If they do, they could have also left them in town so we wouldn't be alerted to their presence.  Whatever the case may be, you need to think of a way to keep her safe during your rest period.  I can only be thankful the days are getting shorter now.  Do you have a place for her to stay here in your home?  If she's close to you, not even human slaves can get near her."

"I do, but we'll need to keep her up as long as possible and give her enough alcohol that she'll agree to not walk home tonight.  However, I don't think I can keep her away from her home tomorrow while we sleep.  I'll have to think of a way to handle that before the night is through."

Chapter 6

Lucien carried one tray while Gareth carried a second tray.  "I hope dinner is acceptable Sarah.  I promise it is thoroughly cooked and wasn't ruined by my earlier mistake."  He cleared room on the table and placed one in front of her.  "It's duck, I haven't made it in quite some time but I wanted to serve you a nice dinner."

Sarah smiled at him, "Lucien, it looks delicious and smells wonderful.  I'm sure I'll love it."  Sarah set the book she was holding to the side and picked up her fork and knife.  As she was about to cut into her meal, she paused and looked at Lucien's friends.  "I would be happy to share with you if any of you are hungry."

Lucien was impressed with her manners.  "Yes, we'll gladly share.  There's enough to go around between the two birds."

Gareth smiled, "Thank you both, but we had plenty to eat

before we came.  Please excuse us, we'll go outside and wait until you've finished."  He bowed, "Enjoy your meal."

When they were gone Lucien looked at Sarah.  "I hope you don't mind they are here.  After dinner, we'll all have a drink or two and continue going through the books.  Does that sound good to you?"

"It sounds like fun.  I can't thank you enough Lucien.  You've really taken my mind off everything that happened today.  I don't know what I would have done had I not come over tonight."

He knew what would have happened, she'd be dead now.  He just needed to keep her alive for the rest of the evening.  He could only hope there wouldn't be a confrontation this evening.  Although he was prepared for any possibility, he wasn't sure Sarah would be able to handle it.  He smiled, "I'm glad I could help.  My friends weren't rude to you while I was getting dinner were they?"

"Oh no, if anything we shared a few laughs about the way the people in the 1600's tried to kill vampires.  They actually shared several tales of their own research on the many ways people would try to kill suspected vampires."  She picked up the notepad and handed it to him.

Unknown to Sarah for the time being, the stories that had been shared with her had actually happened to the people sharing them.  He'd heard them all and still was amazed at what they had gone through.  But then again, at the time the things had happened to them, the people for the most part had been ignorant.  Somehow in between then and now, little bits and pieces of the truth had come out and no one knew how.  But at least the majority of the world didn't believe in vampires anymore.  They had been regulated to the same group as unicorns, believable only in dreams and fantasy.

"These are amusing."  He pointed to one in particular, "Really?  Shoving potatoes in their mouths and making them hop on one foot?  That was supposed to kill a vampire?"

"Actually, I think that was supposed to determine if they were vampire or not."  Sarah said laughing around a  bite of food.  "Do you have a potato?  I'll put it in my mouth and hop around for you.  If I can't, then I guess I'm a vamp."

Lucien laughed, "I think if anyone could pass that test, which is over half the population of the world when they aren't drunk, you would be the one to do it perfectly and it would probably turn into entertainment at parties across the world."

"Hey, I could start a new fad."  She laughed again.  "I'm sorry, I know we are supposed to be serious about this but some of these things are just too much." She pointed to another one, "Look at this one.  Hitting them in the head three times with a chicken foot was supposed to 'cure' them.  I find that one a bit gross."

"You'd be surprised at the things they could come up with.  There's one instance where people in the late 1700's thought if you saw pigs mating and you were with child, you would have a piglet instead of a baby.  Many women back then were actually stoned to death if they were caught looking at mating pigs."

"Are you serious?  How awful.  I'm so glad I was born in this century.  I think I'd be the same way I am now and I'd definitely kick the shit out of anyone who tried to harm me if I were pregnant.  I mean really?  Pigs mating would change a baby to a pig?  What the women in that time period went through.  In all honesty, I'd probably have been the first lesbian in the colonies just so I wouldn't have to deal with that kind of trouble.  Then again, that would raise a whole new set of issues."

Lucien almost choked on the food he had in his mouth.  She was such a carefree person, but then again, maybe it was the alcohol.  No, it couldn't be.  He didn't want to do it but he had to know.  He gently probed her mind and immediately met a brick wall.  What the hell was going on?  There's no way she should be able to block him, he was a master.  "You're correct, they would have killed you for loving another woman, but you might have been a man during that time period.  They had their own set of problems.  Where women were often thought to be witches, men were seldom accused of witchcraft.  More often than not, they were accused of being demons and even Satan himself.  Many men died during the Salem witch trials, more than anyone knows I'm sure."

Her head was itching.  What the heck was going on?  There was a pressure unlike she'd ever felt before.  She rubbed her neck, "I guess I should lay off the scotch for a bit.  My head feels like a ton of bricks is right on top of it suddenly."

He pointed to her plate, "Eat, it will make the pressure go away.  I promise."

The rest of the dinner conversation revolved around Sarah and her job on the police force.  At first she hadn't wanted to talk about herself but had slowly opened up to Lucien's questions.  He answered several of her questions about himself as well.  They were comfortable talking to each other and by the end of the meal, Sarah was beginning to trust this man she'd just met in the woods the previous night.  He was nice, polite to a fault, handsome as well and had excellent taste in both decor and dinner.  If it weren't for all the recent events in her life, she'd have hoped he was interested in her.  But at the moment, she was still in mourning for Nathan. 

Lucien stood and put the dishes on one tray and smiled at her, "Would you mind bringing the other tray along to the kitchen?"

"Of course not, matter of fact, please let me help you clean the kitchen.  After such a wonderful meal it's the least I can do and I'd be slacking in my duties as a good southern woman if I didn't help."

Lucien smiled, "If only French women were the same way then my life would have been so much easier.  Instead all they are interested in is how many servants you can get for them so they don't break a nail lifting the paper."

"Well the only thing I'm worried about breaking is probably your dishes."  She held up her left hand and showed him her fingernails.  "Because of my job I don't have nails.  Even before the force I didn't have long nails.  It's just a hassle in my opinion."

"All the better to help with the dishes.  I think I'll forgo the drinks and serve coffee instead."

Sarah shook her head, "No, offer both.  That's the southern way to do things anyway."

Lucien laughed and led the way from the room, "Then by all means, I should most certainly do things the southern way.  How else will I ever fit in if I don't?"

"I think you'll fit in just fine here.  You only need to work on your accent a little more."  Sarah said with a laugh, never knowing that outside, across the yard, Nathan was listening to her laugh with a master who would pay for trying to protect her from him.

Liadan Brodie

  Author of paranormal and romance