After Sundown: Illumination Page 7

  He was also scared as hell.

  “Are you still there, cowboy?” Maria asked, waving a hand in front of his face to get his attention.

  His attention snapped back to the here and now.

  “Uh, sorry. I was just thinking about something else.”

  “From the look on your face you weren’t thinking about something else. You were thinking about someone else, my gargoyle friend. Has a female finally gotten through that heart of stone, Jason?”

  “Not unless I don’t know about it, Maria. Besides, you should know me better than that. Females and I mesh in only one way. Only one. Other than that I have very little use or time for them.”

  “Pretty harsh words, even for you. I think thou protest too much.”

  “What do you mean?” Jason asked nonchalantly.

  “I mean I’m sensing that there’s a nice little lady out there who’s caught your interest. Am I right?”

  Jason needed to steer clear of this conversation, and fast.

  “The only lady that’s holding my interest at the moment is my mother. I need to find her. I need to know she’s okay.”

  Maria sobered immediately and nodded her head.

  “I heard about her disappearance. Are you sure she hasn’t just gone through the fairy veil to the Other Side? Members of her clan often make visits to the Fae. Do you know for sure that she’s not there?”

  “Not a hundred percent. That’s why I’m not panicking yet. But it isn’t like her to just go off by herself without letting her family know. Especially in light of the trouble brewing among the clans.”

  “Trouble?”

  “Yeah, it seems the Nimchava clan is getting a little pushy.”

  “How so?”

  “They’ve started aggressively pursuing members of our clan, to the point where a few of my clansmen and clanswomen aren’t saying or can’t say no. My mother was looking into this. That’s why I’m concerned. I think her interest in this sudden recruitment ruffled some feathers.”

  “I see,” Maria said with a nod. “How can I help?”

  “If you could ask around, see what’s what, I’d really appreciate it.”

  “No problem,” she said with a sassy smile. “That is, after all, what I do.”

  “And you do it very well, little one.”

  “Thank you, Jason. Coming from you, I really appreciate the compliment.”

  Jason wasn’t being polite when he said that. Maria was good at getting information out of people. Especially those of the male persuasion. When she set her mind to it she had very little trouble finding out what she needed from a guy. Vlad valued her contribution immensely and made sure all his employees respected Maria for that. With the alpha male egos running rampant at Sundown, it might have been easy for some of the guys to get a little out of control when it came to the siren. However Vlad’s constant insistence on high standards of conduct within the firm, as well as the fact that a siren’s power didn’t work as well on paranormals, kept everyone mostly in check. And when it didn’t, Vlad, being the ancient vamp that he was, knew just how to handle the situation to ensure it never happened again.

  “Oh, I almost forgot, Vlad was looking for you. He’s over there, by the blood bar,” Maria told him, pointing toward the back of the club.

  Chapter Five

  The blood bar was exactly what the name implied.

  Walking up to it, seeing the brass pipes with clear tubes running up and down along large holding tanks and the ornate dispensers located at the bottoms, reminded Jason of beer on tap, or one of those elaborate coffee-espresso-latte machines. It was neither of these. It was nothing more than a fancy blood dispenser. It kept blood chilled and on tap for those vamps who needed their fix. The machine also warmed the blood to the average human’s temperature, just the way the bloodsuckers liked it.

  Although new blood was delivered daily, most vampires Jason had talked to claimed the taste just wasn’t the same as the fresh-from-the-body type. He was told it satisfied a vamp’s bloodlust but not the primal urge to hunt. In fact, most vamps said hunting and catching their prey was just as important as the blood itself. It was the whole experience that satisfied their craving, not just the drink. Nevertheless, the club provided an easily accessible product as well as a gathering place for vamps to socialize with their kind without threat of discovery.

  And just as mortal humans had begun to expect convenience and instant gratification in their society, so too had immortals like vampires.

  Vlad was seated at the end of the bar, hunkered over a drink, looking like he didn’t want to be bothered. And considering the way the patrons in his vicinity were giving him a wide berth, Jason suspected this to be true.

  So why had Maria told him Vlad wanted to talk to him?

  This couldn’t be good.

  He knew he was going to regret talking to the vamp but he didn’t have much of a choice. When it came to business Vlad was the boss. He was fair but he was also strict. And from past experience Jason knew he was a stickler for the rules.

  “You wanted to talk to me, boss?” Jason asked, seating himself next to Vlad.

  The vamp whipped his head to the side and snarled. His eyes glowed red for a minute before fading back to their normal color. Jason stiffened, his guard coming up, but he maintained his composure. When Vlad realized it was Jason he shook his head and groaned.

  This amazed Jason. He had never seen the vampire look anything but cool as a cucumber. Seeing his disheveled state and unfocused eyes, Jason knew something was up.

  He didn’t have to wait long to find out what it was.

  And just as Jason thought, it wasn’t good.

  “What do you know about femalesss, Jassson?” Vlad asked in a slurred voice.

  His boss didn’t sound like himself. In fact, he sounded drunk. But that wasn’t possible, vamps only drank blood. They couldn’t get drunk. Could they?

  Jason cleared his throat.

  “Uh, well, Vlad. I don’t know if I’m the one to ask. I usually don—”

  “No, thassh where you’re wrong. You’re jussh the person to ask. I’ve seen you get involved with many females and you always seem to come out of the situation relatively unscathed.”

  “Well, I wouldn’t say tha—”

  “You don’t sssheem to have any problem with attashmentsssh,” Vlad interrupted. “You manage to navigate femalesss eassshily, without getting ssshtuck in the emotional trap so many malesss do. What’s your ssshecret?”

  Vlad turned and looked Jason right in the eyes. The vamp’s eyes actually looked bleary, and his face totally slack. He was drunk.

  “Listen, Vlad. There’s no secret. In fact, I wouldn’t recommend my technique to anyone. My philosophy is more of a love ‘em and leave ‘em one. I always leave them very satisfied but I also always leave them. I have a feeling that wouldn’t work for you. You seem like a more ‘stick around’ kind of guy. And I think that has and will work best for you. Stick with what works, Vlad,” explained Jason. “Now, how about if we call it a night? It’s almost sunrise, and you know the sun doesn’t do much for our mobility.”

  Vlad chuckled. The guy actually let out a little laugh. Jason was shocked by it, even though it was heavily tinged with bitterness.

  “Sleep? That isssh something I haven’t been able to do for quite some time. The girl, she’s on my mind all the time, like a ghost haunting my dreams. I just can’t get her out of my head. Daddy’s little princesssh hasssh gotten a hold of me, Jason, and I haven’t found a way to shake her. But I need to get her out of my ssshystem and quickly. I don’t know how much longer I can resist. That’s why I thought you might be able to help. You’re a party guy—the one who always hasss fun then moves along.”

  “I’m not the party g—”

  “Ready for me to take you home Vlad? I’ve been looking for you.”

  Jason stiffened and turned toward the guy who’d just interrupted him.

  Christian Galiano. For some reason Jason felt un
comfortable around him. It wasn’t because he was a bad guy, in fact they worked well together at Sundown and never had any issues. It was just the fact that his colleague was an ex-vamp. You just didn’t meet many ex-vampires in life. If any. And when Jason had found out what had happened to Christian, the way he met his wife and how she had saved him from an eternity as the undead, it left Jason a little uneasy.

  “How’s it going, Jason?” Christian asked, giving him a nod. “Have you and Vlad been talking for a while?”

  “Hey, Christian. What’s up?” Jason responded with a smile. Despite their differences, Jason knew Christian always had his back when it came down to it. And in their line of work that was all that mattered. “Vlad and I have been talking long enough.”

  “Long enough for what?” Christian asked, his eyes narrowing dangerously. Despite being married, and no longer a true paranormal, Christian still had an edge to him that most picked up on right away. That combined with the fact that he still held some of his vamp powers and retained a self-control that was known to only be exceeded by Vlad’s, and guys steered clear of the ex-vamp.

  “Long enough for me to wonder two things. If it’s possible for a vampire to get drunk, and how this ‘little princess’ Vlad keeps talking about has bitten him so bad—no pun intended.”

  “Those are two pretty good questions, my friend. I’ll have to answer them for you some time,” Christian answered with wry grin. “But not now. I need to get Vlad home before sunrise and I know you have to be somewhere too. Let’s save this discussion for another time, okay?”

  Jason shrugged his shoulders. “Works for me.”

  Ignoring the longing glances he received from some of the females on his way out, Jason left Twice Charmed and headed home. His thoughts returned to his mother. What had happened to her? Was she just off on a jaunt with the Fae as Maria suggested?

  He didn’t think so. Something instinctual, deep down, told him it was more than that, and he had a feeling if he figured out what was happening with the Nimchava clan he would find out about his mother. He had reported her disappearance to her clan and they were doing all they could to find her as well. In the interim, he at least had the comfort of knowing how strong his mother was. Of all her clan she was probably the strongest. Her spirituality ran deep and abiding and had, from everyone he spoke to, since she was a young girl. She was a leader in her clan, and as such her disappearance would not be taken lightly.

  And she was a survivor.

  As was he.

  Entering his house, he took all the precautions needed to ensure he would remain undisturbed for the day. Everything was locked tight, alarms were set and the electric window coverings completely rolled down and locked to keep the sunlight out. No one and nothing could bother him. The addition of protective spells placed by wizards around his home further ensured this. None but he could enter his home without his express verbal permission.

  As Jason paced the room, waiting for the sun to rise, his thoughts returned to Rebecca. He imagined her face, so animated, so fresh, so full of life. And her smile. It was beautiful.

  She was light and laughter.

  Two elements in his life sorely lacking.

  Jason felt his body begin to tingle. He didn’t have to be outside to know what was happening. His body, like all gargoyles’, was in tune with the cycles of each day and night.

  The sun was rising.

  Frustration and restlessness filled him. He stopped pacing, closed his eyes and took several slow, deep breaths in an effort to calm down. His mother had shown him how to use breathing and meditation to find a restful state. Most times it worked well for him. But not this time. After a few minutes Jason gave up. Growling low in his throat, he opened his eyes and began pacing again.

  As much as he didn’t like it, he knew he had no choice in the matter.

  He would have to wait until day turned to night before he could see Rebecca again.

  Rebecca knew it was to time to sleep

  And not just because the sun had gone down.

  She was exhausted.

  The day had not gone as she’d expected.

  But for some reason she couldn’t sleep.

  She’d fallen asleep fairly quickly after Jason left her the night before but it hadn’t been a sound sleep. She’d had dreams. Dreams that she didn’t quite understand. And oher than the violence and fear that each contained she wasn’t sure what they meant.

  It was always the same.

  A face loomed over her in each dream sequence, leering down at her evilly. She was horrified and frightened but couldn’t make herself move or run away. Something held her back. Something she didn’t want to think about. And the face moved closer, slowly taking up all her vision until the only thing she could see were his eyes. Eyes that glowed red with hatred and evil.

  Eyes that told her how much she would be hurt.

  Hard hands grasped her shoulders and shook her. She wanted to pull away but was immobilized, bound not only by fear but also by something else she didn’t want to acknowledge. Nails dug into her skin and her neck snapped back painfully.

  The torture had begun.

  Again.

  Rebecca woke several times during the night, relieved that she had only been having a nightmare, but each time she fell asleep the dream resumed as if it had never ended. This continued until a little after sunrise, when she woke up one more time, breathless from crying, tears running down her cheeks. She didn’t fall asleep again. She couldn’t take it.

  So she got out of bed, determined to start her day better than her night. After sitting in the atrium, looking out to the garden and sketching out some ideas, she walked to the dining room and sat with the other patients having breakfast. Other than a few sidelong glances no one said anything to her. She noted there were eight patients altogether, including her. Three women and five men.

  Cheesy scrambled eggs, bacon, hash browns, toast and fresh fruit were on the menu. It was delicious. Add a steaming hot cup of coffee with real cream and Rebecca was a happy camper. She savored the meal silently while gazing around the room. The colors in the unit were all soft and muted and the dining room was no different. The pastel blues, pinks and lavenders gave her a peaceful feeling she was sure was the intention of the designer.

  The room was surprisingly quiet as everyone ate. So much so that when Dr. Everett entered and said good morning it was as if he had yelled the words, not just spoken them aloud. Rebecca jumped slightly at the sound, already on edge from her dreams the night before.

  He must have noticed her reaction because he immediately walked her way.

  “How are you this morning, Rebecca?” he asked, sitting down beside her and speaking quietly.

  “A little shaky, Doc. I had some nasty nightmares last night that kept waking me up. And every time I went back to sleep they would start up again. By the time I woke for the fifth or sixth time, at sunrise, I just couldn’t go back to sleep.”

  “Hmmm. I see,” Dr. Everett said with a thoughtful look on his face. “I wouldn’t mind talking more about this with you later today. If you’re comfortable with that, how about if we talk about it during this afternoon’s one-on-one session?”

  “One-on-one session?”

  The doctor nodded.

  “Yes. During the day most patients are scheduled to meet as groups for therapy and activities. However once a day I also schedule a time to meet one-on-one with my patients, just the two of us, to talk about how they’re feeling and why,” he explained. “Your case and your activities are a little different, less structured due to the circumstances, but I still would like to meet with you on a daily basis to see how you’re doing. Does that work for you?”

  If it helped Rebecca remember what she needed to, sleep better at night and get her out of the hospital sooner, she was all for it.

  “That works fine, Dr. Everett. I’ll just plan on talking with you more later today.”

  “Good. Then I’ll see you at around four p.m.” he
said, rising from the table.

  “Sounds good. See you then.”

  Rebecca watched Dr. Everett talk with several patients before leaving the room. He was a nice man. A man who genuinely seemed to care about people. She noticed he had a smile for everyone and wasn’t afraid to share it. And his patients responded well to that. As had she.

  After breakfast Rebecca went back to her room then showered and dressed for the day. She walked back to the atrium, studied the garden and took a few more notes. She would go outside and walk the grounds later but for the moment she wanted to concentrate on this view. What would patients see when they sat by this window and looked outside? That was her main priority. She knew how much it meant to her, how inspiring it was for her to have a beautiful, peaceful view, and she wanted to provide the same or better for someone else.

  Arizona was limited in terms of what could grow and couldn’t grow. It was the desert after all, but it still was possible to have a lush green garden filled with color all year long. One just had to work a little harder at it, and be a little creative. She loved to create, she always had. And she loved to share that with others.

  She had?

  Yes, she felt it deep inside. The love of creating. The love of creating beauty. And the love of helping others see beauty in the world in both tangible and intangible ways. It was a passion of hers. She knew it with an instinct that couldn’t be denied. And she knew with certainty that it was something she practiced during her life.

  One more memory.

  Rebecca smiled.

  Slowly, slowly she was finding her way back.

  She would ask Dr. Everett for some gardening books. She specifically wanted to look over the drought-tolerant blooming plants of the desert. Those would be a must for this garden so that even in the midst of a hot summer day there would be some color to see.

  After sketching out a few more designs she decided to make her foray outside. She found the day attendant and asked about going out to the garden. His reaction was immediate.

  “No. That’s not allowed. You’re new to the unit. Your access is limited for the first week.”