CHAPTER Eight
I stared at him, shock and disbelief mingling in my veins. “Your eyes. They’re not red. And your skin, it looks…” my voice trailed off. It looked f*cking healthy. Like a human’s.
I reached out and gently prodded his cheek, then drew it back quickly. “It’s warm.”
“It’s daylight. I walked here in the f*cking sun. I’ve not done that since 1851.” Aubrey let go of my t-shirt and sank backwards, virtually tripping clumsily over his own feet. “You did this,” he howled. “You tricked me. As soon as I’d finished drinking, the cramps started. And now,” he gestured hopelessly down at himself, “now I’m human.”
I began to laugh. I couldn’t help myself. It started off as a sort of muffled wheeze, then built up until I was gasping for breath and tears were starting to run down my cheeks. “Oh my God. You thought that you were going to kill me and instead I’ve ended up killing you.”
His dark brown eyes narrowed at me in pure malevolence, which just made me laugh all the harder.
“Do you have any idea how much f*cking pain I’m in? It hurts everywhere. I’m one hundred and eighty three years old and I have never felt pain like this before. And I’m so weak. It’s like the strength has been completely sapped from me. What did you do?”
“Hey,” I said, still full of mirth, “you brought this on yourself. I did nothing. I’m purely an innocent bystander.”
“I tasted your blood before. Nothing happened. What did you do?” he repeated with an agonised shout.
“Well, I guess you just didn’t drink enough last time. Let’s be fair, it was barely a lick. How much did you take last night? How much does it take to kill someone?” I congratulated myself on staying calm and not taking this opportunity to beat the shit out of him.
“I wasn’t trying to kill you. I just wanted some blood. You’re still alive aren’t you?”
“And now so are you. Welcome to the land of the living, Aubrey.” I picked up my bag and made to move round him. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a prior appointment to keep.”
He straightened up, although I could tell it was an effort for him to do so. “Oh no, you can’t go anywhere. You are going to undo whatever is it that you’ve done and change me back.” Inexplicably, a tear rolled down his cheek.
I looked at him implacably. “I can’t do that. I don’t have the power to turn people into vampires, Aubrey. You’ll just need to deal with this on your own.”
He stretched to grab onto my t-shirt again, but I easily moved out of his reach. “Not so big and strong now, are you? This f*cking serves you right,” I hissed. ” If it was for you and your antics with the Palladium then my friends would still be alive. I’m not about to forget what you did, you wanker.”
“All I did was give it back! I didn’t f*cking kill anyone.” A second tear joined the first. He made no move to wipe either one away. It appeared that human Aubrey was struggling to keep hold of his emotions. It made a change from the cold-hearted bastard who I’d previously met. Whatever. His sudden transformation into human form negated the need for me to search him out to get my revenge for what he’d done both at the academy and at Hampstead Heath. I was done.
I turned round and shut my door, making sure it was properly locked. My key was still in my backpack so I’d have no way of getting back inside again without first retrieving it from the keep. I figured that I’d worry about that when I returned to London. Sending a beaming smile towards the now former master of the undead, I side-stepped past him and walked out
“You’re not going anywhere without me,” he screeched from behind me.
“Try and stop me then,” I shot over my shoulder, casually.
He lunged towards me and, yet again, I easily dodged his grasp. Sinking down onto his knees, he covered his face with his hands and began to sob. I felt the faintest twinge of sympathy inside me, just a tiny flicker, and crouched down next to him.
“Aubrey, you need to get over this. You will get over this. You were dead, and now you’re not. You get the chance to start again and hardly anyone ever gets that. Embrace it.”
He pulled his hands away from his face and stared at me. “You’re a f*cking idiot. Do you have any idea how much power I have as a vampire? How much influence? I don’t want to be a human, they’re just pathetic. Those petty emotions and small-minded ideas. They’re just animals.” His tears were running unhampered now.
The flicker of sympathy I had inside me died an explosive death, and I stood back up. “And now that’s you. Enjoy,” I said coldly.
I turned on my heel and walked out. Clearly he was as much of an unpleasant human as he was vampire. I guessed it was mildly interesting to note that being a prick didn’t necessarily come with being a bloodsucker, that it was much more innate than that. I shrugged. At least it meant he was no longer my problem.
I was halfway down the street on my way to the Tube when the inevitable happened.
Where the f*ck are you? Corrigan enunciated every word, reverberating them around my skull.
Hi honey.
Mack, I swear to God, if you don’t tell me where you are so I can come and get you, then I will hunt you down and kill you myself.
Ooooh, he was calling me Mack. For once he was being serious. I calmed myself down and tried to put myself in his shoes. Corrigan, I am eternally grateful that you came and helped me out. I really am. But I’ve got things to do – I couldn’t just hang around the keep.
He snarled. And what if the vampires try and attack you again?
They won’t.
How do you know that, Mack?
I just do.
No, you don’t. I’m sending two shifters round to you now. They will be with you round the clock to ensure that nothing like this happens again. What the hell were you doing in Hampstead Heath in the middle of the night anyway?
Something inside me snapped. It’s none of your f*cking business what I was doing. And you can send round the whole of the sodding Brethren if you want. I’m not there. I told you, I’ve got things to do. Now stop treating me like a child and piss off back to your little shifter girlfriend so I can get some peace.
Silence rebounded back at me. For a moment I thought he’d taken the hint and broken the connection, but then he spoke again, with an underlying purr apparent in his Voice. You’re jealous.
No, I’m not. The lie was so obvious it made me cringe.
I don’t have any shifter girlfriends, kitten. I don’t have any girlfriends. The reason being that I’m waiting around for you to come to your senses.
Come to my senses? Because the only sensible thing to do is to date you? I cannot believe your arrogance. Leave me the f*ck alone.
You really do have the most atrocious language. I wonder what it would take to get you stop swearing so much. His Voice was calmer now, but somehow that made him sound all the more dangerous.
Corrigan, I began.
He interrupted. If I pushed you up against the wall, let’s say the wall of my bedroom that you’re now becoming intimately familiar with, and then started at your neck, kissing that smooth skin from the edge of your collarbone then up, all the way up to your lips, and had one hand in your hair while the other unbuttoned your shirt, would you stay quiet then?
My mouth went completely dry. A booty call was absolutely the last thing I’d expected.
What? Corrigan continued, taunting me softly. Cat got your tongue?
I tried to gather my wits. I don’t have any shirts, I only wear t-shirts.
The words were out before I managed to think twice about them. I groaned inwardly. That was it? Really? The wittiest reply I could come up was that I didn’t having f*cking buttons? I tried to dissemble further. This is a completely inappropriate conversation, my Lord.
I’ve told you not to call me that. But I tell you what, act as if I really am your Lord and do what I say. Go back home so I can make sure that you are properly protected.
Oh, sneaky. Well, it wasn’t going to work even if all my thoughts and emotions were all in a sudden muddle. I drew myself up and slammed my hand against a nearby lamppost, gaining a shocked look from a nervous passerby. I have told you, I don’t need your protection.
I heard him sigh in my head. You have got a posse of vampires after your blood, Mack. You need to put your ego aside and stop acting like a suicidal maniac.
I gave up. It’s not a posse, Corrigan, it’s just one, okay? One f*cking vampire.
You let one vampire get the better of you? His Voice dripped with disbelief.
The shame. Let’s just say that I wasn’t feeling very well, alright? And he won’t be a problem any more.
Is he dead?
Not exactly.
He roared in my head, a sudden psychotic shifter turnabout. Then for f*ck’s sake stop thinking that you’re invincible.
I winced at the explosion. I don’t think that. He really is not going to bother me again.
I felt a tap on my shoulder and turned round. Human Aubrey was standing there with a weak grin on his face. Bloody hell. I have to go now, Corrigan.
Mackenzie…
You should get someone to check out the exterior of the keep. If I can climb down the outside, someone else can sure as hell climb up. It’s a weak point in your defences.
He snarled in my head. You f*cking climbed down the keep? From the fifteenth floor?
Bye Corrigan. I broke off the connection then fixed my attention on Aubrey.
“What do you want?”
“I don’t have anywhere else to go,” he whined.
“And that’s my problem how?” I twisted away from him and walked down the steps to the train station.
He trotted beside me. “Please. Let me come with you. I won’t be any bother. But I can’t stay in London in case the others find out that I’m not a vampire anymore.” He clutched at my arm. “They’ll rip me apart and feast on my innards if they find out I’m suddenly a human. And I mean that literally. I know what I said before about humans was stupid. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. Maybe you can teach me how to be a better person. Now that I’m human I need someone’s help. I don’t know how to act or what to do. I might do something stupid and someone innocent will end up getting hurt.” There was a puppy dog note of hope in his voice. What a crock of shit.
“God, you’re pathetic,” I muttered.
“So can I come?”
“Of course, “ I said sarcastically, “stay by my side and never leave it again. I’m not sure I could cope with the desperate knowledge that you are suffering.”
I wrenched my arm away and began to walk the last few steps to the station. He ran after me. Ignoring the few people around me, I took a swing at him, connecting with the side of his head. He fell down, grabbing my ankle as he landed heavily onto the pavement.
“Let go,” I hissed in anger.
His hand released me. I half-turned to leave him behind and he got up onto his knees and clasped his hands together.
“No,” he bawled loudly, “you have to let me come with you.” He started crying again.
I felt eyes on me from across the street and glanced over to see a uniformed policeman watching us closely. Great. He probably thought I was abusing the idiot. The last thing I needed right now would be for him to get involved.
I turned my head to Aubrey and gave him my death stare. “It’s a free country - do whatever you want. Just don’t get in my f*cking way.”
A tiny smile crept across his face. “Really? I can’t believe it. You’re amazing, just amazing.” He leaned forward, still on his knees and hugged my legs.
I bent down. “Get the f*ck up. Stop crying. If you’re going to come then you need to stop drawing attention to yourself.”
“Yes, yes,” he nodded vigorously. “Whatever you say. Are we catching a train? Can we stop at the kiosk first? I need to get some aspirin, I really am in a lot of pain here.”
“Don’t push your luck.”
“Okay, okay.” He nodded again as I rolled my eyes. I was definitely going to regret this.
I completely ignored Aubrey, going so far as to buy myself just one return ticket to Shrewsbury when we arrived at the main terminal at Piccadilly, and leaving him to sort one out for himself on his own. I’d spent so much time dealing first with getting out of the keep, then with Aubrey and Corrigan, that there was only one more train left to catch that day if I wanted to get there before the next morning. Even that still meant having to change at Birmingham. There was barely enough time to grab my change from the ticket machine and run to the platform before the train pulled away. Somehow or other though, Aubrey managed to keep up because when I sank down into the seat on the half empty carriage, he was still right beside me. I wasn’t completely sure why I was bothering to let him continue to hang around, but at least he gave me something else to mull over other than Corrigan’s very disturbing words. I decided firmly that I had too much to do to spend time thinking about what he’d said. That’s why it was so annoying that it kept popping back into my head. Especially with the images along to match.
Eventually, I couldn’t stand the clamour of my own thoughts any longer and I glanced over at the ex-vampire. He was staring down at his fingernails in fascination. Weirdo.
“Do you have a phone?”
“Huh?” he looked up stupidly, still half lost in reverie.
“I said, do you have a phone?”
He looked momentarily taken aback, and then bobbed his head and dug into his coat pocket, handing over a sleek black mobile.
“Thanks,” I muttered, and began to jab at the keys. “Aubrey, you do realise that you have fourteen missed calls?”
He grunted. “It’s the others. I was supposed to be at a meeting this morning to see what we could do to further undermine the Ministry.”
I looked up and stared at him. “You do know that I’m friends with the mages, right?”
He grunted again and went back to examining his fingernails. “They used to be blood red.”
I was confused. “The mages?”
“My nails. Not surface blood red, but the shade of deep arterial gorgeousness.” There was a wistful edge to his voice that made my stomach turn.
Disgusted, I turned back to the phone and punched in Alex’s number. We’d been in touch off and on since the terrible events at the academy back in February, but our chats had retained an awkward quality to them. Nonetheless, I felt that he owed me and could help with my Balud situation. Unsurprisingly, his ringtone was the Beach Boys, although he picked before they were barely into the chorus.
“Hey,” he answered lazily. “I don’t know who you are, dude. How’d you get this number?”
“It’s me, Alex, I’m using someone else’s phone.”
“Mack Attack! How’s it hanging?”
“Given that my anatomy doesn’t work that way, I guess not great. Are you free to talk right now?”
“Sure, yeah. What’s the problem?” The muffled background noise faded as he clearly moved away to somewhere more private.
“I need you to do me a favour. It’s nothing dangerous,” I said, hastily, before he could begin his usual feeble protestations, “I just need you to keep an eye out on a shop for me.”
I filled him in on the info that Balud had provided about his competitor.
“Sheesh, dude. I dunno. What if the Batibat thing sees me?”
“Then act like you’re nervous about going into her shop and buying something. All you need to do is to keep track of who goes in and out of the shop so I can work out who is really behind the whole operation. It’ll be boring, but not hard, or dangerous.”
“So that you can pay him for the weapons that you’ve already managed to lose?”
“I’ve only lost one. I know perfectly well where the other one is.”
“And how is Lord Shifty keeping these days?”
I squirmed and prevaricated. “He’s fine. Can you do it, Alex?”
“’Course, Mack Attack. Shall I call you on this number?”
“Nah, that might not work. The phone’s owner may not be with me for long.” Aubrey shot me a baleful look as I said that. I scowled at him, and stood up, squeezing past his knees to get away from him and move into the next carriage. “Listen, Alex, there’s something else too. Apparently the vamps were meeting this morning to see what they could do to weaken the mages. I don’t know what they were planning or why, although I can try to find out. I thought maybe you should know though. So you can tell the Arch-Mage.”
“Yeah, except he’s kind of been ignoring me lately. I don’t think he’s happy about the way things turned out, you know, before. I did hear that you were attacked by a group of vampires though. Is that what this is about?”
“Uh, not really. Do you think you can get in touch with him anyway?”
“I’ll try. It’s not much to go on though.”
“I know. I will see what else I can wheedle out.”
“Are you okay? I didn’t ask before because I figured that you’re the Mack Attack, you know, that you’re good no matter what a bunch of bloodsuckers do to you. But you’re not under any compulsion or anything now are you?”
“That stuff doesn’t work on me.”
His answering question was filled with doubt. “So how did you let the vampires beat you then? Why didn’t you just shift?”
“First of all, there was only one, and he didn’t beat me because I’m still here and I’m still standing. Believe me, I think he’s come out worse off. Or at least he thinks he has.” I knew I was being cryptic but I was getting irritated at having to continually point out that I’d been bested by one measly vamp. “Second of all, I don’t want to shift. I don’t know what will happen if I do. I think it’s safer if I just stay me.”
“And get your blood drained in the process?” Alex sounded about the same as Corrigan had, an angry protective edge to his voice. Prickly heat tingled at my toes.
“I’m fine.”
“Yeah, but…”
“I said I’m fine.”
“Okay, dude, chillax. Look, I’ll head over to the shop now and find somewhere nearby to hunker down and watch it. I can email you with the details of who I see going in.”
“That would be perfect Alex, thank you.”
“Any time, Mack Attack.”
“It’s Mack,” I responded automatically.
“Sure thing,” he chuckled, then hung up.
I turned off the phone and stood there for a moment staring at it. It was getting really annoying that everyone was being so prissy with my safety. I knew that they all meant well and I guessed that it was nice that they cared. It was better than those dark days right after I’d left the keep and I’d been so completely alone. But, for goodness’ sake, I was capable of making my own decisions and looking after myself. I’d managed this sodding far without having half the Otherworld standing over me as if I was some kind of fragile flower. The worst of it was that I knew the mages would cast a Divination spell and find me in Shrewsbury virtually the second I arrived. Then I’d have them all hovering around there too.
I cursed under my breath, then stomped back to where Aubrey was sitting, and tossed his phone back into his lap.
“Problems?” he asked, looking up at me with a sudden malicious gleam in his eye that reminded of me of the predatory vampire he used to be, instead of the whiny human he’d become.
“No,” I snapped. Fortunately I was saved from having to respond further as a trolley came trundling past, offering brightly wrapped biscuits, limp looking sandwiches and coffee. I ordered myself a cup, Aubrey following my lead and doing the same. After the girl had taken her change and pushed further on, I took a small sip and winced. It was bloody awful coffee.
“Oh my God,” breathed Aubrey.
“Let me guess, you’ve never tasted British Rail’s finest before?”
He cradled the small plastic cup lovingly in his hands. “This is delicious. It’s so deep and rich and earthy. Is this what coffee tastes like?”
I peered at him. He didn’t seem to be being sarcastic. “You’ve never had coffee before?”
“Of course, I’ve had coffee before, but it never tasted like this before.”
“You mean like it’s made of dishwater?”
He looked at me as if I was crazy. “It’s amazing.” The expression on his face was one of stunned wonder.
“You, Aubrey, have never lived.” Then I realised that wasn’t far off from the truth. “Maybe that’s at least one thing you can take from now being a human. You have new improved tastebuds.”
He took another sip of the coffee, his eyes wide with child-like wonder. “Miss Smith, you may be right.”
Miss Smith? Seriously? “Call me Mack.”
“Okay. Whatever you say, Mack.” He took another drink, savouring it slowly in his mouth before swallowing, and turned to me. “So come on, then. Tell me what you did that made me human.”
As if. He might not technically be a vampire anymore but you didn’t undo almost two centuries of being part of one of the most untrustworthy groups of the Otherworld in less than a day. The last thing I was going to do was to tell him that I was a Draco Wyr who possessed blood that not only lit up my insides as if they were on fire and enabled me to shift, but also apparently had healing qualities that extended so far as to cure vampirism. Not a single theory in any of the vamp lore books that I’d read back at the academy had whispered the vaguest hint that such blood existed, even if they’d propagated all sorts of other rumours as to how a cure might be achieved. That thought, however, provided me with an easy escape route.
I shrugged. “Well, I took this herbal remedy a few hours before I was at the Heath. I think you’re only supposed to take a small sip but I guess I kind of overdosed. I was feeling really woozy before you showed up and I’m sure it was down to that.”
Aubrey’s eyes widened fractionally. “What was it?”
“It’s called TemperSoothe.”
He snorted.
“Hey,” I said, protesting, “I have some anger issues, okay? I’ve been going to anger management counselling. It’s just difficult to keep up with the sessions sometimes. I thought it might help. Anyway, it’s got skullcap and Passiflora Incarnata in it.”
He nodded slowly. “So you think that this Temper stuff is what turned me.”
No. My weird blood did. “Who knows?”
His jaw tightened and I could see him thinking. “So if you’ve got anger issues, then you’ve drunk it before, right? That’s why your blood tasted strange the first time around.”
“Mmm,” I murmured non-committedly.
“Where did you get it from?”
I told him the name of the shop. “I don’t think drinking more of it is going to turn you back, Aubrey.”
“No, but I could use it against my enemies. I could make them be human too.” His hand curled into a fist and he thumped it against his knee. “It’ll be fantastic. I can pulverize them into dust. I can make them feel the agonising pain that I now feel.”
“Is it really so bad? You’ve already discovered that you have the power to appreciate the taste of something other than blood. Now you can do more. Meet a girl, a real girl. Have normal sex. Have children. Grow old.” I ticked off the list on my fingers.
He spluttered. “We’re not living in a teen vampire romance! I’m one hundred and eighty three years old. That means that every single living person seems like a child to me. You all possess the maturity of toddlers as far as I’m concerned. I’ve seen two world wars, the industrial revolution, and the death of the slave trade. I used to drink with the f*cking Bloomsbury group! What kind of possible relationship could I have with a human whose most important life experience has been the launch of Facebook?” His voice was rising, and a few of the other passengers were starting to look round.
“Okay, okay, I’m sorry I brought it up,” I said soothingly. “Why don’t you get some rest and see if you can have a little nap. It’ll relax you.”
Aubrey’s eyes narrowed suspiciously. “Then you’ll just get off at the next station so you don’t have to be with me anymore.”
“I can’t,” I said patiently, “this is the last train and I have to get to Shrewsbury.” I reached down into the plastic bag at my feet and pulled out my laptop, tapping it. “Besides, I’ve got work I need to do.”
He watched me for a moment, as if I was suddenly about to push past him and leap off the train just to get away from him, then finally relaxed. “Okay. Is that what humans do?”
I nodded.
“Okay.” He leaned his head back and closed his eyes.
Thank f*ck.