Anita
I was leaning against the side of plain, fighting to stay awake, fighting to not throw up or pass out. Jason had run off into the back so that Jean-Claude could feed, and then he could come out hear and be with me.
We’d had to pull down all of the shutters over the windows on the plain so that he, and the rest of the vampires, could come out until the sun set.
I wasn’t an expert on sun set’s, but I knew when it was rising and setting. I wouldn’t be long, now. There was only a little bit of sun left in the sky. After that, there would be some light, but they were OK in that apparently
I’d searched for Mia to see if she was all right, at the same time she‘d searched to tall me wasn’t. She had started to have a fit and with our connection being open, she had accidentally leaked her pain to me.
I’d felt everything she’d felt and started to have a fit, too. Everyone was running around, trying to help me, trying to hold me still and trying to help me ride the pain, the way Mia could not.
It didn’t help that I was in mid flight when I’d had the fit. I hated to fly at the best of times. Having a fit in mid flight did not help my phobia.
I’d felt Jean-Claude raise and told Jason. Him and a few others had run off out back to feed the vampires. I was left in a chair, not next to a window, with a blanket over me. I’d started to shake and couldn’t stop. I had goose pimples all over me.
Dolf and crew hadn’t come along yet. He had the authorization to do anything and everything to get Mia back and kill the vampires involved. Dolf, Zerbrowski and some others were flying out in the morning.
Apparently, who ever had given Dolf permission to come along, his son was a friend of Mia’s. They were in the same year. I hadn’t met all of her friends, she had that many. She had a very tight circle of friends.
Thinking about her made me want to cry. She was in so much pain and I could nothing to help her. I felt awful
We’d phoned the St. Louis airport to tell them to get Jean-Claude’s plain ready about 3 hours ago. They’d phoned us back 10 minutes later and told us we could come now as it was ready.
We’d been sitting on the plain for 2 hours or so. Not long to go now, thats what I kept on telling myself. Being on my own didn’t help pass the time.
The door at the back of the plain opened and Jean-Claude, Asher, Damian, and Frost came strolling out, all looking fully fed. Jean-Claude, Asher and Damien came straight to where I was sitting huddled against the side of the plain.
“How are you feeling now, Ma petite?” Jean-Claude asked me. He knelt in front of me, with his hand on my arm
“The pain is dying off a bit now“ I told him. His hand tightened.
I had been thinking about asking this question since I found out we were going to Mexico. Oh, fuck it
“Do you think we should call Edward? He lives in New Mexico. He could be a big help” I asked.
Asher and Jean-Claude looked at each other. Jean-Claude had to crane his neck up to look at Asher.
It used to really piss me off when they did that, but it didn’t that much any more. I was learning to keep my mouth shut more and more lately.
“He may have already been called in” Asher said thoughtfully. I looked between the two of them. Asher did not like Edward. The feeling was mutual on Edward’s part.
Jean-Claude respected Edward, and to a certain degree, Edward respected Jean-Claude. They weren’t friends, though. I was the only friend Edward had.
Damien and I stayed silent and let Jean-Claude and Asher work it out. Damien walked between them, lifted me out of my chair and sat down, putting me in his lap. Damien was my vampire servant, so closeness for us was necessary. Don’t ask how I had a vampire servant. I had a head ach already.
Suddenly, I felt two things at once. One was that all of the pain go away. It was like having someone lying on body for an hour then disappearing completely. The second was that the sun had set.
I didn’t understand it. I looked at Jean-Claude. He must have felt it too. He always felt what I felt.
“Not a bad analogy, Ma petite. I felt it suddenly disappear, too” He said, looking suspicious. he’d been in my mind. I hardly noticed any more.
Just then, the speaker above me came to life and the pilots voice floated into the air. I looked up, though I didn’t know why. It’s not like his face was going to suddenly appear there
“Jean-Claude, the suns set” He said and then the speaker clicked off.
It hit me then. The reason the pain went was because it was sun set. She was turning. I was right. He had bitten her. Jean-Claude and Asher looked at me then at each other.
“So, it has begun” Jean-Claude said quietly, more to him self than us.
“This is not a good sign” Asher said.
No. No, it wasn’t.
Chapter 15
Anita
We arrived in New Mexico’s airport. I had phoned ahead and asked Edward if he could meet us there. He hadn’t asked what was wrong, he just agreed. Smart man.
It was pitch black by the time we had landed. Jean-Claude liked to look out of the window as we flied.
I’d looked away and sort of melded into the crook of his arm as he did. Normally he would have laughed, or made a comment. Tonight, however, he just smiled and held me close. As though, he needed to touch me, just to know I was real and there with him.
It took some of the heart out of me to see Jean-Claude be like that around me. Ever since Mia was born, things changed between us. We had become almost inseparable. I hated to admit it, but it was true.
Jean-Claude stood up and brought me with him. I was still huddled under his arm. He kissed the top of my head reassuringly.
“Your thoughts betray you, Ma petite. I like it that you think of us like that” He said.
I looked up at him and smiled. He smiled back. I wanted this over and done with. I wanted my family back.
We landed. That was the part I always hated. Why did your ears have to pop as you landed? I watched as the big white steps were brought closer and closer to the plain. Jason got up and went to open the plain door.
We were met off the plain by a man, or rather vampire, and his entourage. I had a strong feeling that this was Tristean. He had gold coloured hair, though not the colour of Asher’s. He was quite tall and quite tanned. He had very strong facial features (think Brad Pitt, Interview With The Vampire) He was very handsome.
He was wearing black dress pants, a white tank top and a white shirt over it. The white made his skin look darker than it actually was.
The woman standing next to him was very beautiful. One of the most stunning woman I’d ever seen. She had long, wavy hair a shade darker then Tristean’s. She was just a little bit smaller then him, though not by much. She was perfectly proportioned.
She was wearing Jeans, fashionable jeans with a pattern on them, and a black, off-the-shoulder top. She had one of those neck and shoulder lines that showed and made it possible for her to wear that style top. I could wear it, but I would find it uncomfortable. I wouldn’t be able to stand it constantly sliding down my arms. Give me a normal top any day.
Her natural make-up was to perfection and she had a welcoming smile on her face. I’d decided to give her a chance. What harm could it do? Better not to ask.
They
started to walk over to us as we stepped off the steps. Jean-Claude’s face
split into a grin. They shook hands and then embraced like brothers, reunited
at last. They both put their mouths to the crook of the others neck. This
was customary. If you didn’t, It showed that you distrusted that person.
I felt quite left out, but I knew that all of this was necessary.
They pulled back from one another and Jean-Claude backed up until he was standing next to me. I saw Tristean (could it have been anyone else?) do the same. Jean-Claude looked at me and smiled. I gave him a small smile and let him lead me forward.
“This is my human servant, Anita Blake” Jean-Claude told Tristean. I wasn’t sure what to do at this point. Tristean put his hand out and I accepted straight away. He pulled me into an hug. He put his mouth next to my neck and I did the same to him. He pushed back first.
He had a smile on that handsome face, but it wasn’t like he was trying to hide something, or even charm me. It seemed like he was generally glad to finally meet me. He walked back and pulled the woman up.
“Jean-Claude, you remember Alegrá?” He said. Jean-Claude pulled Alegrá into a hug and then took her hand and kissed it. If he didn’t do that to all the girls, it might have bothered me that he did it to her. Tristean looked passed me and I felt Asher approaching.
“Asher, I never though I would see you in Jean-Claude’s company again. What has happened?” He said, not in a very happy tone.
“I met someone I could not give up. I finally listened to reason and decided to start and heal my self instead of moping around and living in my past” Asher said.
I turned round and looked at him. We smiled and I wavered on my feet a little. He came up and hugged me from behind, helping me keep my balance.
I still felt quite ill. I was very achy and tired. Jean-Claude motioned for Asher to help me over. I walked over and Tristean started to speak again.
“I know it is customary for Anita and Alegrá to great, but I dont think you servant looks up to it. How about we do it a little informally?” He asked.
“That would be best I think” Jean-Claude said, nodding his head slightly.
Alegrá started to walk towards me, I stopped leaning on Asher so much. She extended her hand and smiled. I wanted to dislike her, but couldn’t seem to. I didn’t even know why I wanted to dislike her. I gave her my hand and we sort of hugged, awkwardly.
“I’ll tell you what. I have a sleeping potion at the house, which also doubles as a remedy for calming. I think you should take some, and get some sleep” She said. I think I did like her.
Out of the corner of my eye, I seen a car pull onto the run way. I’d seen the car before. It was a hummer. The only person I knew who owned a hummer was Edward. Jean-Claude noticed me looking.
“Edward?” He asked, cocking his head to one side slightly.
“I think so, yes” I said.
Asher was still supporting me. The car pulled to a stop about 20 ft from us, and a very angry looking Edward got out.
He
strolled over, wearing black jeans, a white shirt and a black cow boy hat.
Jean-Claude stifled a laugh. I don’t he’d ever seen Edward like this. He’d
always seen him when he was wearing city cloths. At the moment, he looked
like an extra from “Little house on the prairie”
Tristean looked at us as Edward walked round them, and came straight to stand in front of me. He looked like someone had killed his puppy. I knew that look. Before I found out that he was engaged to a woman with two children, I would have said the only person in the world Edward cared about was Mia. He’d know her all her life.
He was her God father.
“What the fuck happened?” How very eloquent.
“The vampire who rapped me, the one who we thought could have been Mia’s father, he’s taken her and is trying to turn her into a vampire” I told him. Edward wasn’t a man of many words and he liked to hear the very short version first. I liked it.
He sighed and stamped his foot. He took off his hat and rubbed his head, scratching his bland hair that had grown since the last time I’d seen him. I rubbed his arm once and then stopped.
I looked at Tristean and Alegrá. They looked sort of dumfounded that we knew anyone hear. Jean-Claude decided to explain.
“Edward hear, is a bounty hunter, and Mia’s Godfather. He is a very close.... friend, of the family”
Tristean nodded. He seemed to accept that that was all we would say on the matter. I liked him. I didn’t usually like many people straight away.
“I am sorry we had to meet again on such horrible circumstances, Jean-Claude, Anita, I truly am” He said. He sighed and shook his head.
“When the council told me they had not executed him, I couldn’t believe it. They just told me to keep an eye on him. I hadn’t noticed anything unusual for years. I must have become lax. I am truly sorry” He said. Alegrá rubbed his arm comfortingly.
“Its not your fault” I offered. I think every one was surprised at that. I didn’t normally comfort people I didn’t know. “The council should have executed him when they had the chance”
He smiled and looked at me. He pulled away form Alegrá and walked over to me. He put his hands on my arms.
“There is something about you, Anita. We have all heard the stories and some of my vampires are quite frightened to have you in our territory. That business with Izpapalotl. You are very new and unique” He looked at Asher.
“She is one of the reasons you stayed with Jean-Claude. The daughter is the other”
Asher nodded.
“If you, Asher, and Jean-Claude have truly over come your pasts, then you are all welcome in my lands” He said. I breathed easier.
Jean-Claude walked back over.
“I hope I can return the favour under better circumstances, Tristean, I really do”
They embraced again and Jean-Claude and Asher helped me walk. Edward just trailed behind. I looked back to see or lot unpacking the plain. Tristean's group were all laughing and walking together. It seems to me that we weren’t that different after all.
Chapter 16
Mia
When sunset had come, all of the pain I had been feeling had gone, just disappeared. It was almost like it had never been there in the first place. They’d finally taken that God damned choker off my neck.
It had been put back on after Alejandro had bitten me, even though the wound was pouring with blood. It was like they didn’t care. I was attached to the wall behind the bed.
When I’d felt my neck, it had been swollen and very sore. One of the wolves had put some ointment on it and the soreness had stopped. The swelling had gone down quite a bit now. It was just a little achy.
They’d let me have a shower and given me some new cloths to wear, seen as how my strap top and jeans were covered in blood. I was now wearing a long, flowing, white skirt and a black boob tube.
I felt like a Barbie. I wasn’t one for wearing long skirts. I preferred them to be shorter, really. But the heat. The heat was so overwhelming, that having a thinner, longer skirt, made me cooler.
Even now the breeze that was reaching me was warm. It was the sickening warmth, that clung to you. They’d left the glass door open, so I could get some fresh air.
They’d left me alone for a while. I started to think about what would happen if Alejandro did turn me. He wasn’t my father. I knew that. I would say that I looked nothing like him, but since my father and he had some of the same facial characteristics, I would be lying. And just plain fooling myself.
I just wanted to go home. I would give anything to be helping Miss Sanders and Mr Scholy set up to musical equipment.
I would give every thing I owned to be meeting my dad at one of his clubs or restaurants, helping him with things, and then going out afterwards. I wanted back what was mine. I wanted my life back.
I was standing on the balcony of the fourth floor from what I could make of the house. It was a very nice house. I could only see the back of it, though. God what did I sound like?
I was so bored and so frightened, I was doing anything and everything to take my mind away from what was happening. It was working. But then it would suddenly hit me and I just wanted to cry.
“Its a beautiful night, isn’t it?” Alejandro’s voice came from behind me. I didn’t know he was there. I hadn’t heard him. I jumped and he laughed. I turned round to look at him, then turned back round.
“Yes, It is” I said. My voice came out very quietly and breathy.
“I’m surprised you haven't tried to throw yourself off the edge”. He said. It was meant to be a funny comment, but, by the sound of it, he didn’t find it remotely funny.
“I’m
not the suicidal type” I answered.
I could feel him coming closer and closer, even though I couldn‘t hear him. I breathed deeply, in and out.
I didn’t want him anywhere near me, though there wasn‘t much I could do about it. I knew what he was going to do and this time I wasn’t helpless and tied up. Well, I wasn’t tied up.
“Why can’t you accept what has to be done?” He asked. He was right behind me. I felt a hand on my shoulder a second later. I looked at his olive hand, then turned back again.
I had been thinking all day about making a bargain with him. My dad had always told me `I’d rather you be alive and not with me, than you being dead’ or something along those lines, anyway.
My guess is Alejandro knew that this could happen. I think he knew that I could react badly. I’d though about what I could do.
If I was alive, I could, be rescued. If I was dead, you get the picture and I don’t want to talk about dying any more. I’d been about as negative as I could for one day.
“I've been thinking. Why don’t you just mark me?” There I’d said it. I turned to look at him, but he was already shaking his head.
“No, if you are a vampire, you will be able to take care of your self better. I have a human servant and there are no more masters in my clan”
Oh God, he was going to bite me again.
“Please, don’t bite me”
Both of his hands were on my shoulders now, he was drawing me against his back. I could feel his breath on my skin. I tensed. I tried to pull away, but his grip got tighter. He could have popped my collar bone if he applied any more pressure.
“I have to” he whispered in to my ear and he went into the strike.
It hurt worse than the first time. I could feel every bit of it. Why didn’t he even try to put me under?. He was holding on to me, supporting me, because I'd lost what little energy I had left. I had a feeling that this was going to be it.
I just let it go, rather than fight. I abandoned every plan I’d made. It was easier. Who said I’m just as stubborn as my mum. I knew when to give up, give in. She didn’t. Spots were back and I realised he was taking too much blood. I tried to tell him this, but I couldn’t get the words out. My last thought, as I passed out was, was I ever going to see my mum or dad again?
Chapter 17
Anita
Jean-Claude was holding my head up as I coughed up blood into a bath. I had been asleep about 10 minutes, when Edward noticed blood coming from my eyes, ears and nose. He’d woken me up and ran me into the bathroom
Alejandro had bitten Mia again. That was the only thing I could think of that would cause this. Jean-Claude had been talking to Tristean and Alegrá, filling them in. Alegrá was a very good and highly rated witch.
Alegrá knew of a potion that could reverse and clean the bites Alejandro gave Mia, enough for another master to mark her. All we had to do was persuade that master. Not an easy task.
Edward and Jean-Claude had been spending most of the last 20 minutes trying to persuade Asher to mark her when we found her. Tristean had a pretty good idea where Alejandro was and was going to take us there tomorrow evening. Alejandro couldn’t bite Mia again until then. Our plan was to get there before he bit her and reverse it. Now all we needed was Asher
My head was resting against the bath tub and Jean-Claude was rubbing my back. I hadn’t thrown up in the last couple of minutes and Tristean had joined in the argument, oh sorry, conversation.
“Asher, you must do it. I have very good reason to believe that she wants to be a human servant. There are no other masters in my flock. Who else could do it?” This was the second time Jean-Claude had said that.
“And what if your wrong? I could not stand it for her to hate me!” that was the third time Asher had said that.
I wanted my two cents worth putting in, too
“Asher, if you dont mark her there may not be a Mia to hate you” Well, it was the truth and an angle that no one had tried yet.
That
had shut him up.
“Asher, all you have to do is lay the first two marks to save her. I’m sure that If she does want to be a vampire, then the marks can be wiped out” Tristean said.
Asher still stayed silent. So did we all, even Edward. That was a first. Jean-Claude was the first to break the silence.
“There is no one on this earth who I would trust more with my daughter than you” and for once in my life, I couldn’t have agreed more.
“Nor
I Asher” I said, looking into his eyes.
Asher sighed very deeply.
“I will do it, then” He didn’t sound happy about it.
“Asher what happened to Julianna wont happen to Mia. You don’t have to worry about that” I told him.
Jean-Claude was still rubbing circles round on my back. Asher smiled.
“Its
not that I’m worried about” and he would say no more on the matter. He,
Tristean and Edward walked off. I turned round to hug Jean-Claude and started
to cry. It had just hit me that I could loose my daughter. I wouldn't.
Over my dead body.
Chapter 18
Anita
I was sitting with Alegrá while she was looking through her books, trying to find the spell that would reverse whatever Alejandro was doing to stop Mia contacting us. She said that after she gave Mia the potion, she had to lay in Jean-Claude’s arms and mine, and our love and warmth would help her.
But, if Asher marked her before Alejandro bit her a third time, it would cancel out the bites. God, I hoped she was right.
Alegrá said she had wanted to talk to me as well. She hadn’t said a word yet. She was sitting behind the desk. I was sitting in the chair across from her. Personally, I think Jean-Claude asked her to keep an eye on me. He was worried that something might happen and I would block him form feeling it again. Oh well.
I didn’t like thinking he had done that, but I didn’t mind. I was listening to The Planet’s ’ Classical Graffiti’ album. It was a good album if you liked that sort of stuff. It was a good job I did because it would have been off by now.
I felt peaceful and lethargic. That was a first for me. I couldn’t be bothered to move I was beginning to think that someone had put something in my coke, which was sitting half drunk in front of me. I picked it up.
I felt someone call to me. It wasn’t anyone familiar, either. It was like they were tugging on the marks, wondering what they were or who I was linked to.
“Anita, you all right?” Alegrá asked. She would have been able to tell if anyone was trying anything, as she was a witch.
I couldn’t answer her, because I had a sudden thought. I’d had this person in my mind before. I knew who it was. Alejandro was calling to me.
“Are you alone?” His heavily accented voice went through my head. Alegrá had come to stand in front of me. She had her hands on my bear arms.
“Anita, what's wrong?” She said, shaking me lightly. I looked at her. I knew my mouth was open. I couldn't lie to a human servant, especially as one as old as her. What could I say?
“I don’t know. My stomach’s hurting” I lied “I’m gonna go to the bathroom” I told her. It was partly true; I was going to walk past it.
I walked out of the office and down the corridor. I walked past the customer bathroom and out into the main restaurant. It was a lovely little restaurant. Tristean owned five apparently. I got out side, to find that there were hordes of people, walking down the street. A light wind blew my hair across my face and the sarong skirt I was wearing, blew around me. It was a warm comforting wind.
It was to hot for jeans. I’d only packed one pair. I was currently wearing a lilac sarong see-through skirt, with purple hot pants underneath and a white top with off the shoulder frilly arms. God, help me. Jean-Claude loved the look. Actually, it suited me. Gag me with a spoon.
The restaurant was located on one of the back roads. People only came to this street that lived on it, or if the customers were regulars. Apparently, they had alot of regulars I couldn’t believe how busy it was.
I looked out over the crowed that walked by me. What was going on? Then I noticed that there was a burning cross and I remembered. It was a Spanish and Mexican festival. They would burn a crucifix and go to visits their loved ones in the cemetery. They did this once a year. It was a time for remembrance and being together.
I’d only been to one and that was when my, grandpa, my mums dad died. It was a beautiful thing to participate in. I was only 5 when I last was in one. I called out to Alejandro and he asked me again if I was alone.
“I am now” I said.
“Get out side of the restaurant and follow the crowd. I will find you”
“I’m outside the restaurant and looking at the crowd. You’re taking the piss”. I said.
“I’m about to help you, Anita, in finding your daughter. Do you want that help?” He asked, although he knew the answer.
“I will walk by the crowd” I told him. I started to walk in flow with the crowd. They were singing a song. No, it wasn’t signing; they were humming a song. I knew what it was instantly. My grandma used to hum it while she cooked. Pavan pour un enfant defant. How fitting. In English it meant ‘pavan for a dead child’.
A hand on my arm pulled me back to myself. I turned around.
It was Alejandro.
“Hello, Anita. It has been a long time”. He said, with a small smile. His accent was thickly lined with Spanish.
To me, Alejandro looked like Jean-Claude a bit. He was the same build, he had black, normally curly but at the moment straight, hair. His eyes were blue, but not the blue of Jean-Claude’s; they were colder, harder.
He was wearing black dress trousers and a black shirt; it was tucked-in and done up to mid chest, showing off his toned, olive coloured chest.
“Not long enough” I said. His smile got wider.
“You really don’t know when to keep that lovely mouth of yours shut, do you?” He asked me.
I knew it was a hypothetical question, but I answered anyway.
“No, I don’t. Now what did you want to tell me?”
“It think we should talk somewhere else”
“I’m not going anywhere with you!” I told him. He still had his hand on my arm, solid, but not hurting.
“I think you will if you would if you would like to know where your daughter is”. I hated him. He knew I wouldn’t say ’No’ now.
I looked down and he knew he’d won because started to pull me away from the crowed. I went with him, a stupid idea, I know, but I wanted Mia back at home, with me. I’d have done anything he’d asked. He knew that.
We walked with crowd, but we weren’t part of it. He moved his hand down my arm, to hold my hand. His hand was soft. He was circling his thumb over and over again on the top of my hand.
Jean-Claude did that too. What the fuck was he playing at?
I could see the cemetery now. He couldn’t go inside. He moved away from the crowd and pulled me with him. I’d been thinking so hard I hadn’t seen what route we had taken. I didn't know where the fuck I was. Great, just great.
We were going down a side street. It was very dark down hear. I think that I was beginning to regret coming with him. He pulled me round to face him and pushed me gently, so my back was against the side of a building. I looked into his eyes, without fear.
The marks that Jean-Claude had put on my body meant I could look into a vampire's eyes without being worried they would capture me.
“Anita, I have bitten Mia twice. You know as well as I do that she is my daughter. Why is she reacting like this?” He asked me. So I was right. He had bitten her again.
“She isn’t your daughter. She is Jean-Claude’s. If you bite her again, she will die” I said. My voice was small. I was fighting not to cry. I couldn’t bear to loose her. It would damn near kill me.
I felt my shields begin to fall down. I was still looking into Alejandro’s eyes. I tried to drop my eyes but I couldn't, he wouldn’t let me. I felt my self-falling, falling into his eyes, into his arms. I could hear Mia screaming.
I could feel arms on her, trying to keep her still. She was in so much pain. She felt so alone, and there was nothing I could do for her. That thought gave me the strength to pull back from his gaze.