Always the Vampire

“Keeps the insurance company happy.” He stuck his hand in the second fern, again to accompanying sparks. “Heads up.”


He underhanded another disk, but I snagged it easily.

“What’s this? A fake?”

“Nope, they work together. They’re mates. Let’s ride.”

I was tempted to brain him with both amulets as he trotted past me, but refrained. Good thing because he opened the garage door I hadn’t noticed to reveal a honking-huge silver F-250 truck that made my darling SSR look like a Tonka toy. It was also, I saw, a stick shift, which I couldn’t drive.

I buckled up, opened the glove box, and stashed the amulets under the owner’s manual.

“You don’t want to hold those?”

I crossed my eyes at him. “Which way to Cosmil’s place?”

“South down A1A to the 206 bridge, then west toward Hastings.”

I chewed my lip as Triton steered out of the neighborhood and took a screeching left onto Anastasia Boulevard. Yes, I was nervous, but not because of his driving. Because we were alone for the first time in centuries, and I didn’t know what to say.

We’d snuck out of our homes as children and teens, always to have adventures. Most often we’d borrow a rowboat, take it to the island, and end up swimming and racing on the beach. Unless it was the dark of the moon when Triton shifted. In that case, I’d stand watch until he was fully a dolphin and in deep enough water to swim away. Guess we were too predictable, though. That’s how one particular vampire and his henchmen knew where to capture me.

I met Triton alone only a few more times after that. Once to beg him to get my family out of town, another time to beg him to leave, too. Without the leverage of loved ones who could be tortured, even Turned, King Normand had less power over me.

I knew when Triton had left St. Augustine. He told me telepathically, and we’d stayed in touch on and off for fifty years. Not that I could tell time once Normand had punished me by sealing me in his own coffin. Triton kept me apprised of the passing years and of his travels through our mind connection. And then, suddenly, he was silent.

“I like your hair.” His mellow voice seemed to boom in the truck cab “The blouse, too. You look good in red.”

I touched the cap sleeve of my blouse then the clip holding my partial updo. “Thanks.”

Had he been reading my memories and thoughts a moment ago? If so, he wasn’t taunting me. Yet.

“Am I getting the silent treatment?”

“Uh, no. After all this time, I don’t know what to say.”

“You? You always have something to say.”

I punched him in the arm, but his teasing unwound another twist of tension in my chest. “Do you think Cosmil will be okay? I mean, should we have taken him to the hospital or at least to a doctor?”

“Hell, no. Doctors ask questions. We just have to hope Cos isn’t too badly hurt, or we’re all screwed.”

“All?”

“I’m in the early stages of infection, too, Cesca.”

“Oh, Triton, I’m sorry.” My pulse faltered, and I touched his shoulder in sympathy. “Did the Void get to you before you went into hiding?”

“I don’t know when it got to me. Remember a few weeks back when I told you telepathically that the Void was affecting all magicals?”

“Yes, but you didn’t say you were ill.”

“I didn’t know I was then, and I sure as hell don’t know how I got infected. Not even Cosmil knows if the disease is passed by direct contact, is airborne, or is magically delivered in some combination.”

Was he thinner than he’d been five weeks ago? Were his cheekbones more prominent? What did I know? I’d seen him for maybe ten whole minutes at the comedy club, and I’m not all that observant when I’m busy banishing crazed vampires.

“What are your symptoms?” I asked as we flew past the island branch of the library and Ace Hardware.

“Itchiness under my skin, restlessness. I’m not sleeping well.”

“You used to feel the same way near the new moon. That’s in six days.”

“This is different. More severe.” He paused. “You aren’t sick at all?”

“Not a bit, and I’m not looking that gift mule in the mouth.”

“But you inhaled enough black energy from those vampires at the comedy club to choke a whale. That alone should have infected you.”

“I learned to ground it out and rebalance.”

Triton shot me a surprised glance. “From Cos?”

“From Saber.”

Triton’s hands tightened on the gearshift, but we sailed through the light where A1A intersects with Beach A1A.

“You love Saber.”

Triton spoke softly, a statement, not a question.

“I do.”

“Guess I blew my chance, huh?”

I snorted. “Your ‘just friends’ speech was loud and clear, Triton.”

“I meant my second chance. I moved back here for several reasons, one of them being you.”

My heart stuttered to a dead stop then pounded one painful beat. Was I hearing right? Triton had wanted a second chance with me?