“But I thought you gave me this so that I could be alone with him,” he said, gently touching the beads. They felt cool and soft beneath his fingers, and they seemed to vibrate slightly with every beat of his heart.
“This someone is special. She’s waiting outside your door. You’ll find a little something for her under the thermos and the wine glasses.” Grandma waved her hand dismissively at him. “Go, now. I will tidy this and show myself out. You don’t have long until sunrise.”
Damien smoothed his shirt, glancing around for a mirror.
“You look perfect. Just go. He is alone down there. He is frightened. And he is struggling against Darkness that has a deep, firm hold on his soul. Go to him. He needs you as much as you need him.”
“I will. Right now. Thank you, again.” Damien bent and kissed her gently on her soft cheek, and whispered, “I love you, Grandma.”
“I love you, too. Never forget how very much you are loved in this lifetime. Wahuhi, a family isn’t made from blood. It is made from spirit. The spirit of your House of Night family is very strong.”
Damien went to the door, but before he opened it he looked back at Grandma. “What does ‘wahuhi’ mean?”
“Owl. I decided if Stark is a rooster, then you must be an owl.”
“I like it,” Damien said. Then he opened the door slowly and peered out. “Hello?” he said to the empty hall.
Woof!
He looked down to see the blond lab sitting prettily, tail wagging as if she’d just been given her heart’s dream. “Duchess! OMG, it’s fabulous to see you! I’ve missed you so much!” Damien went on his knees and she practically crawled into his lap as he laughed and rained kisses on her sweet, familiar face. “Hey, want to go see Jack?”
Woof! Woof! The tail wagging increased to an almost maniacal level.
“Okay, let’s go then!” Damien had to force himself not to jog. Duchess stayed at his side, wagging happily and doggie-smiling up at him. He rested his hand near her head so that he could touch her reassuring warmth. “Jack’s going to be different,” he told her earnestly, and the lab fixed her intelligent gaze on him, listening carefully. “He’s going to smell different. A lot different. And he might not know you. But, please don’t let that scare you. Be nice to him. Please. For me.”
Woof! Woof! Woof!
Damien hoped three barks meant yes.
18
Damien
Damien paused outside the door to Jack’s room, nodding to the Son of Erebus Warrior who had been stationed there as a guard. Thankfully, the Warrior was there to keep Jack in—not to keep people out.
Damien was nervous. Very nervous. Duchess sat beside him, tongue lolling and tail wagging happily.
Perhaps I should be a dog, he thought. They seem to find happiness easily.
He raised his hand to knock, and then couldn’t do it.
Duchess looked up at him and whined.
“Okay. I know. Okay.” He drew a deep breath and knocked.
“Come on in,” Jack said.
Duchess’ ears pricked instantly at the sound of his voice.
“That’s right. It’s Jack,” Damien whispered to her as he keyed the numbers into the deadbolt lock on the door. “Ready?” When she wagged and danced around enthusiastically, Damien decided a little decorum might help. “Sit, Duchess,” he told her. “And wait.”
He opened the door.
Jack was sitting on the bed, watching TV. He had a half-finished liter of blood in his hand. He’d taken his shoes off and had his feet tucked cross-legged under him. His eyes went to Damien first. He opened his mouth, and then Duchess whined and his gaze snapped down to the big, blond lab sitting beside Damien.
“A dog? Really?” Jack’s voice broke adorably, reminding Damien so much of his true love that he wanted to weep.
Instead he forced himself to smile. “Yes, indeed. A dog. Really.”
“I used to love dogs. I mean, I know we’re supposed to all be cat people, but I can’t help it. Plus, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with loving dogs.”
“Right? That’s something we’ve always agreed on. Do you recognize her?”
“Her?”
Damien nodded and patted Duchess on the head. “The dog’s a her. And her name is Duchess.”
“She’s beautiful.”
“She certainly is. So, you don’t recognize her?”
Jack tore his gaze from Duchess to meet Damien’s eyes. “No. There aren’t any dogs at the House of Night.”
“She’s not with Stark?”
“General Stark? No. Or if she is, I’ve never seen or heard about her,” Jack said. “Wait, she’s Stark’s dog?”
“Yes, but he shares her. With us.”
Jack’s eyes got huge. “Are you being serious?”
“Ask her.”
Jack swallowed visibly and shifted until his legs dangled over the side of the bed and he faced the two of them. He put the liter jug on his bedside table and then rubbed his hands nervously together. “But cats hate us. All of us. Don’t dogs, too?”
“Us?”
“All red fledglings and vampyres,” Jack explained.
Damien thought quickly. He remembered that Stark hadn’t wanted Duchess to be around him when he was struggling with his own humanity as a young red fledgling. He looked down at Duchess and the lab gazed back at him with eyes filled with unconditional love and acceptance. And he knew Duchess wouldn’t reject Other Jack. Like Grandma Redbird, Duchess would see within him to the Jack they loved.
Then he looked at Jack, who was staring with longing at Duchess.
“Ask Duchess. She knows you. She’ll accept you,” Damien said, and registered the flush of surprise and brief expression of raw happiness that passed over Jack’s face.
“Duchess? Would you come here, pretty girl?”
Duchess glanced quickly up at Damien. “Go on,” he told her with a grin.
She bounded to Other Jack, wiggling joyously as he petted her and told her how soft and special and beautiful she was.
So like his Jack. So very much like his sweet, lost Jack.
“Hey, are you okay?”
Damien hadn’t realized he’d been standing there with tears flowing down his face until Jack spoke.
“Oh, yes.” He swiped at his cheeks. “Sorry. It’s just …” And his words trailed away because the truth was that it was just too painful to put to words.
“I know,” Other Jack spoke softly. “Would you like to come in and sit down?” He motioned to the chair beside the little desk under which the TV was mounted. “Or maybe that’s not such a good idea.”
“I would like to come in. But how do you feel? Do you think you can control yourself?”
Jack kept petting Duchess with one hand while he reached for the jug of blood with the other and took a long gulp before answering. “Yes. I’ve had a lot to drink, and sunrise is close enough that I’m feeling sleepy already.”
“Well, then, I’ll come in for a little while.” Damien took the chair from the desk and moved it beside the bed. Not too close, but not as far away as it had been, either. He set the picnic basket beside him, wondering when would be the right time to share what was inside with Jack.
They sat there in silence while Jack drank from his blood jug and petted Duchess. Finally, Damien said, “You have Netflix down here, you know.” He jerked his chin at the television.