"Trying to isolate Pete again Michael? Even from night walkers? Michael don't interfere. I let Pete go. You have to too. Pete needs this grand tour of the world with other vampires. It will toughen him up. It wouldn't hurt Josh to be toughened up too. Trust Pete to take care of himself. All right? I do," Christov said.
"I trust Pete," Michael said bleakly, not daring to tell Christov the truth about the scheme he put into motion. A scheme he was more and more starting to regret.
"Wait what's the problem here?" Christov said suspicious of the worry and sadness on Michael's face.
"Nothing. I hate to see Pete leave. That's all," Michael said, his face now a cold blank.
"Hold it. Children leave the nest and get hurt all the time. It's part of their emotional maturation process," Christov said, getting to his feet, "Why are you getting all weird, strike that, even weirder about Pete? I suspect this coven murders and tortures mortals. They'll grow out of it. I mean Pete can always leave if he can't stomach their killing habits. Is that what your worried about ? Pete's delicate sensibilities?"
"Yes," Michael lied.
Michael he has to face the fact it can be a cruel world out there. We all lived it. So he'll see some human bashing. He'll just have to digest it and deal with it. It's not like he's over his head joining this coven. Is he or is he not over his head? And tell me why, and how right now!"
"No, he isn't over his head," Michael said calmly, despairing inside "He'll have Josh with him won't he?"
"Michael, I know you don't mean to be malicious. This coven Pete's joining seems to be kosher to me. And Ovid seems to really care about Pete. Get over Pete will you?" Christov said smiling patiently, "And stop trying to hit all my panic buttons. I don't get you. Now, I bet your all jealous of Ovid. Or is the idea of Josh and Pete going to France have you all put out? Michael, Josh and Pete have been together for months. You should be used to is by now."
"You better find Henri and thank him," Michael said morosely, "He did you a huge service. Remember that kind of service is what the poets call not just love, but true love."
"Stop saying that," Christov cried, swallowing nervously, "Henri is just an amigo."
"That's what they all say, "Michael said with mirthless humor.
On the other part of town, slinking into an abandoned building, a pretty blond girl draped on his elegant arm, Henri smelled fresh living blood.
"Mademoiselle, I'm afraid I have to hurry our date along," Henri said calmly.
"Hurry what along?" the blond girl Henri picked up from a bar slurred, hanging on to him for dear life. Her balance was in a drunken whirl.
Henri's lips flew to her raised up throat. He hesitated. The scent of living blood already starting to decay polluting the air, making him push her away from his thirst.
"This evening has to end now between us," Henri said courteously, troubled by death being so fragrant in the air, deciding not to feed off of her, "Let me drive you home."
All her mortal senses could smell was the delectable scent of his after shave. Cooing sloppily, she cuddled against him, "I don't want this evening ever to end. I could stare into your sapphire eyes forever."
"Now if there ever was a line which opens a vault of all sorts of possibilities a never ending evening would be such a line. Non cheri, My stomach is off. I prefer to drive you home."
"What has your stomach have to do with all of this?" she purred, bringing her lips to his. She was so very blond with such feminine animal instincts to mate with something so yummy and male.
"Everything," Henri said calmly. Struggling with his concern over the faint, human mewing voice coming from the building,
Do this, he thought quickly to himself Lifting her practically off the ground. Her little feet dangling. He held her so high the tip of her toes barely touch the concrete. Henri bit into her throat, leaving enough blood in her to live and sleep the night away.
Taking her unconscious body to her car, he placed her arms and head over the steering wheel.
Entering the burned out building, he went inde a room with soot laden walls covered with blustered gray paint.
"Detective Mayers?" Henri gasped. Detective Mayers hung from a cross beam. His stomach had been carefully skinned. Blue muscles, garish graying intestines were hanging between his thighs.
Before Henri could leave, a hand clamped down on his mouth.
"Normally, I do not attack others of our kind," a courteous voice whispered in his ear, "I find myself forced in this case to make an exception. We've been spying on you and your coven. Why are you so intrigued with our kills?"
"Henri?" Christov whispered cautiously entering the room, "What the hell?"
A vampire dressed in mod gothic black with his back turned towards him was holding Henri captive. His knife pressing into Henri's throat.
"Stop!" Christov screamed, lunging at the vamprie.
Surprised, the vampire threw Henri into Christov.
Pulling out his sword from his walking stick, Henri slashed at the vampire's wrist.
Shit don't fail me now, Christov thought, throwing his gris gris full of white brick powder at the monster.
Cursing, the vampire flew through the ceiling, sending plaster drizzling upon Christov and Henri.
Laughing his head off, landing on his feet miles away, the vampire threw his arms around his waiting companion.
"I absolutely deplore the last kill we made," Trevor said crossly to Richard, wiggling out of his friend's embrace.
"Did you?" Richard said blandly, looking angelic, patting his black trench coat, creating a white plaster cloud around himself.
"It had nothing to do with our religious ceremonies. I mean for one the cop wasn't a May Queen."
"He was a queen of sorts," Richard said reasonably.
"And two we murdered our quota of young women to feed into the womb of the earth so vegetation would continue to grow to feed all of food kind" Trevor groused, walking along side Richard, "There was no justification for killing that snooty cop."
"I beg to differ," Richard said, "Trevor, he was shooting at one of us. A fellow vampire. Might I remind you of that small detail. Further more that whore he made me smile. Imagine tossing a gris-gris charm at me as if it would cause me to turn into a puddle of water. It was he you know who left an offering of coins at the victim he and I suppose his lover stole from us. I find him to be all together quaintly eccentric."
"Quaintly eccentric," Trevor growled, "The gris gris worked didn't it?"
"I suppose you can look at it that way," Richard said laughing, "I could not resist my little joke. The look on the whore's face when I cursed and flew through the ceiling was priceless."
"So you like this guy?" Trevor asked.
"Like him?" Richard said puzzled. He regarded his boyhood friend joined eternally to him by death and resurrection. Their friendship started the day they were apprenticed as mortal boys to Mael and endured after Mael set them on the Devil's Road.
"Do you like him?" Trevor asked raking his hand throughout his thick dyed, hanging freely blonde hair. Trevor's green eyes taunted Richard who was only confused by the nature of the question.
"You must have liked him to kill a victim as risky as a cop!" Trevor yelled exasperated.
"He's a whore, " Richard said, playing with his dyed black red hair.
"Why did you take his victim's body from the alley!"
"Impulse," Richard said, not liking what Trevor was implying. "I was simply helping a fellow vampire." His handsome face as cold as granite on a winter's night, "If I see him again I will treat him like a whore. I had my fun with them now enough of them. Let's go to Bosnaia Next month is the month for making May Kings. Giving men the honor of having their organs and fluids fed to the mother earth who thanks to us is without end."
"Bosnai it is then," Trevor said, letting Richard scoop him up into his arms. The two flew for eastern stars.
Back in the warehouse, Henri asked "Are you all right Christov?"
"I can't believe Meryes is dead," Christov said a grim smile on his face, "Crazy old coot."
"Crazy or not we have to leave. That ancient may come back. It all happened so fast I didn't even get a glimpse of his face."
"Me neither, " Christov said, "So, you didn't kill Mayers?"
"No. What a messy kill this is," Henri sighed, shaking his head," And of one of Chicago's finest."
"New York's finest," Christov corrected hum, prying the nails from the dead man's hands.
"What are you doing?" Henri said, following him out.
"This," Christov said, putting the body in front of the car where the unconscious blonde girl lay.
Getting into her car, shoving the girl into the passenger's side, Christov backed the car up, then he floored it, running over Mayer's body.
Christov heard a satisfying crunch of bones, he backed up over the body again, and again.
Getting out of the car, Mayer's body a pulpy mess under the wheels of the blonde's car, Christov replaced the blonde at the wheel, saying, "She's going to have some hangover tomorrow."
"Let's clean up," Henri said. Heading for the abandoned building Henri spread newspapers where the filthy floor was soaked with blood. Setting the newspapers on fire, he then destroyed the cross into kindling. He and Christov sat next to the flames.
"This concludes a tie to your mortal past, "Henri said, smiling a small smile.
"Yes, it does," Christov said, putting his hands to the fire to warm them.
"We can't stay in here long mon ami," Henri said taking Christov's wrist.
My kill, I wonder what happened to it," Christov said, nervously
"What do you mean?" Henri questioned.
"My kill, the ancient he took it when he took Mayers," Christov said.
"Why in the world would he do that?" Henri said.
"I don't know. I," Christov said, embarrassed, fearing if he told Henri about Meyers shooting at him, he'd end up telling Henri everything about his past with Meyers. "Meyers caught the vampire stalking a young girl. Mayer's also came across the body I left in the alley. I have no idea why the vampire took my victim's body. Maybe he thought he better move it. Could you look for it? See what ancient did with it? I may have forgotten to heal the puncture wounds on it."
Going into the back rooms, returning to the fire, Henri said, "I found him. The puncture wounds have been healed. For all practical purposes it looks like he died of cardiac arrest. Well prop him up by the fire. That way it will look like he's been living here, or at least came in here for shelter for the night. Human corpses have such sad stories to tell."
Sitting back at the fire, Henri studied his partner. Christov's long richly brown hair framed a face which was tender, and tired. His lips drawn out in a thoughtful frown. He looked so seductively needy. Drawing Christov closer to him, Henri's lips parted, he bared his fangs, "Christov, you very well may have saved my life tonight," he whispered.
"Change! Got any spare change?" Christov said miserably.
"Non," Henri said, pulling himself backwards, saturated with disappointed
Christov looked away from his friend's beautiful, flamed tinted face. Hugging himself protectively.
Mayers' screams seemed to have absorbed into the decaying walls. Christov swore he could hear the echo of Mayers' screams in the room
In his mind laughter like a creeping spider slithered underneath the dying man's last gasps
"You know what to do don't you boy?" Marie Glapion appeared inside his head, "How does it feel to be a little less connected to your human past, and a lot more dead?" she laughed.
Going over to is fallen gris gris bag, Christov emptied the white brick dust out of it. He started to fill it with the ashes of the bloody newspaper and the cross.
"Christov let the past burn to ashes and leave the ashes behind you," Henri said.
Got a good taste of Mayers' power over you now don't you?' Marie Glapion cracked, Can't hurt you any more can he?
Shivering Christov poured the ashes back, "Keeping Mayers around is not the kind of magic I want. You're right Henri I don't need this link to my past."
Christov reconsidered his words, scooping up the ashes, "He was just man. Dead by unusual means. Mayers probably would be useful in a charm," Christov said. "I should remember the past. It protects me from, from, it protects me to remember." It protects me from you, Christov thought.
I highly doubt if if will protect you, " Henri said sadly, taking Christov's hand pulling him out of the room of morbid thoughts into the raven winged soft twilight.