Magdalin [6166 words] (FF, caution)

The bridge crossing the Spokane River was nearly empty at this hour. I pulled my scarf tighter around my neck and scanned the sidewalk in the park, before returning my attention to the rapids below. The cool spray was jarring. This frigid wetness was reality, not the dream that had brought me here.

I know who killed your sister.

A dream of Magdalin; a figment of my pre-pubescent imagination. The imaginary friend and lover of a teenage girl. I thought my psych classes were taking me past this.

I shivered, checking the face of my watch. Apparently, not. My dream was late.

“Just on time, by my calculations,” chuckled a familiar voice in the dark.

Startled, I cried out, my hand flying to my chest. I didn’t dare turn around. The voice was the same. French accent carried deep in her chest, as if she had smoked two packs a day for three hundred years.

She laughed again. “Very nearly, ma cherie.”

My heart was racing and my legs weakened. I placed a hand on the iron railing for support and turned to face the voice.

“I apologize.” She was tall and slim, pale as milk under the soft moonlight. Her black hair was parted in the center and fell to her shoulders. “I didn’t mean to startle you.”

Magdalin.

“You know of my sister’s murder?” She was no more that twenty-five, only a child at the time of my sister’s death. She was also a living dream. I laughed. Those psych classes I’m taking hadn’t taught me shit.

Magdalin took hold of my arm and I tried to shake her hand loose. Her grip was firm.

“I know of many things, sweet Jody.” I paled at the use of the endearment. Only my Magdalin called me sweet.

She stepped closer, nearly flush to my body. “You are in danger, ma cherie.”

She pulled me against her, squeezing me hard.

“Do you recall, Waldorf?” She breathed into my hair.

Waldorf; tall, fair and angelic. He had been Carmen’s boyfriend.

“He died the same night as Carmen.” Magdalin nodded, releasing me. I pulled my jacket closely around my shoulders as she placed her white hands on the wrought iron railing. She was clothed in black; certainly not dressed for an early Spring in Washington. I stood beside her, set my gloved hands next to hers and watched the swiftly moving water beneath the bridge.

“Please, you are cold.” She said gesturing towards a twenty-four hour coffee house on the corner. “We will take coffee as we talk?”

Without waiting for my response, she lead me down the block, her hand on my elbow. The doors of the Rocket Bakery were soon in front of us. We found seats at a table in the corner and she ordered coffee for the two of us.

“I knew your sister and Waldorf well.”

“How could…” Her fingers were upon my lips before I could blink, silencing me.

“Please listen.”

The waitress brought our coffee and I held my tongue. I wanted answers. I’ve wanted them for so long.

“I understand your frustration. Twelve years have passed.” I had been eleven when my sister had been murdered. Decapitated. They’d never found her head. Or Waldorf’s.

“No, Waldorf lives.” I shook my head. That was the second time she seemed to respond to an unspoken thought. I wasn’t sure what to make of any of this. Her moss green eyes were sincere.

“I share with you, secrets that no mortal knows.”

Mortal?

“You will find them difficult to believe.” She took my hand in hers, pressing it between her own.

I will tell you what happened.

Magdalin’s eyes wouldn’t let mine go. Her lips weren’t moving, but I could hear her voice clearly in my mind.

Jody, your sister...Her voice stilled and her eyes darted away as if trying to look behind her.

The air in the coffee shop grew cold and I looked around nervously, the hairs rising on the back of my neck.

A man sat at the table behind Magdalin. He was slight of build, dressed all in black. Sunglasses perched upon a long nose and his hair buzzed to a shadow along his scalp. The shop had been empty when we entered, and I hadn’t seen anyone pass threw the door since we’d been here.

Our eyes met over his dark frames. He pursed his lips in a mockery of a kiss and waggled his fingers at me, then smiled, showing a flash of fang.

I shook my head. I was losing it.

“Is there a man with a buzz cut and sickening smile behind me?” I nodded. “I want you to get up from the table and walk to your car.”

“What’s happening?” My heart began to race.

“Listen!” She leaned over our table and put her hand behind my neck, bringing my face close to hers. “Get to your house and lock all the doors and windows.”

I shivered. The temperature had dropped to the point that I could see our breath mingling.

A vampire cannot enter your home unless you invite them in.

I shook my head, clutching my purse to my stomach.

There was a shifting of chairs as I stood. My eyes darted around nervously. A couple sat kitty corner to us, all in black, shades on. The man stood, resting his palms on his table, his eyes on me.

I took my keys from my purse and turned toward the entrance. There was another man dressed in black near the door. He was large, muscles flexing beneath his black t-shirt. Pale, his lips red, sunglasses hiding his eyes.

“Magdalin,” I whispered, my hand coming to rest on her shoulder for support.

Run! I will protect you!

I walked as calmly as I could toward the door. None of the patrons seemed to be aware of what was happening, and neither did I. What I did know was that it wasn’t right. What if more of these people in black were outside?

I stepped out into the night air, the glass door swinging shut behind me. The tinkle of bells on the handle followed me out.

My car was parked two blocks from the coffee shop. After scanning the street for anyone suspicious I ran as fast as I could. With my arm extended, I pressed the unlock button on my keychain over and over. I felt sure that at any moment I would feel the weight of the muscled man in black falling upon my back. I cried out in triumph, and not a little relief, as the familiar tones of my vehicle unlocking beeped ahead of me, headlights flashing.

I yanked open the door, locking it as soon as I was inside. I was safe. I leaned back against the leather seat, closing my eyes, slowly regaining my composure, as I caught my breath. This was crazy! I laughed. I let that woman get to me. There are no such things as vampires. I stuck my key in the ignition and turned the steering wheel.

The heat was sucked from the air.

Filled with panic, I hit the gas. Something heavy fell on the roof. I cried out, looking up at the ceiling and back at the road. The metal buckled under the weight of whatever was up there.

I put the pedal to the floor, swerving on the road. A driver in oncoming traffic honked his horn. Whatever hit my roof was still there, and it was moving, denting sounds echoing in the car’s interior. I picked up speed as I rounded the corner onto my street, going sixty on the quiet streets of the residential neighborhood.

I slammed on the brakes in front of my home. The tires squealed and seatbelt cut into my shoulder. Something flew from the roof, landing in the street half a block away. A large black shape lay in the road, unmoving.

I unbuckled my belt and left the car cautiously, keys at the ready.

I couldn’t take my eyes off the form in the road. It looked like the man from the coffee shop. What if I had killed him? I hurried up the sidewalk and backed up the stairs onto my porch not blinking.

He moved.

I started and fell against the screen door.

He got to his knees, shaking his head, long dark hair brushing the street.

Oh shit! I opened the screen door and jabbed my key at the lock, my hands trembling.

I looked over my shoulder as the key slipped home.

He was at the foot of the stairs! Blood was oozing from his temple. T-shirt torn.

A flash of black flew into his chest.

I turned the key and stepped into the house, locking the door behind me.

I ran to the picture window. It was Magdalin and she was not nearly as big as my attacker. Somehow she had managed to throw him onto the street. I had never seen anyone move so quickly. Her feet never seemed to touch the ground as she leaped and flew around the man. She had moves like Jackie Chan, running up and down his chest, throwing trash cans. She swung the neighbor’s “House for Sale” sign like a bat, hitting the man in the head. He flew through the air, landing across the street in the neighbor’s rhododendrons.

What should I do? Call the police? Or maybe a priest?

Keep calm. I ran to the back of the house, locking the backdoor and then made my way through the kitchen and dining room, securing windows. I took the stairs two at a time and hit the second floor, checking windows and making sure the latch on the attic was good and tight.

I backed against the wall in the hall and stared down the stairs at the front door. The door was shaking on its hinges.

I wasn’t going down there. Not for anyone.

Jody!

Magdalin’s voice was squeezing my brain. I closed my eyes tight, and brought my hands to my head.

Open the door!

Her voice was a whisper, but it echoed in my skull. I could feel it under my skin.

Don’t be afraid!

I crawled down the stairs to the rattling door, unable to stand and look through the peep hole. My head beat like a drum..

Turn the knob!

I turned the knob.

“Invite me in!” Magadalin hissed. Her back was too the door, dark hair hung down her back in a sheet. Not a hair out of place. I shivered. Her shirt had been torn and I could see her bra and muscled stomach, red blood flashing in the moonlight. “Now!” My head was ringing with her voice and I found myself unable to say no.

“Please come in.”

Magdalin backed into the foyer, slamming the door shut behind her and turning the deadbolt. I collapsed on the bench in front of the upright piano, my breathing scattered, but my head blessedly silent.

“Are you okay?”

I nodded, still catching my breath. I stumbled along the hall towards the bathroom wondering if I was going to throw up. I dropped to the floor in front of the toilet and wrapped my arms around the porcelain. The smooth surface was cool relief against my aching head. Who were these people in black and why did they want to hurt me?

“You secured the windows?” Magdalin stood in the doorway, arms on the jams bringing the gash on her side into view. I nodded and pulled upon the cupboard door under the sink, looking for bandages and first aid cream.

“The nausea will pass in a moment, ma cherie. Sorry, I was so insistent.”

“Sit,” I gestured to the toilet, and she maneuvered around me in the small space, and sat on the seat.

“Will they be back?” I whispered, on my knees in front of her.

“I’m afraid so,” she leaned forward and kissed me on the forehead.

I sighed and reached for the first aid cream.

“I told you I was fine.”

“You’re bleeding,” I corrected. She laughed.

“Sweet, Jody,” Magdalin’s hand went to my hair, pushing a soft blonde wisp behind my ear. “You are too.” She brought a finger to my lips, pulling it away with droplets of blood on its tip. Her eyes met mine.

Magdalin sucked her finger into her mouth, swallowing its entire length. I watched, transfixed as her tongue and lips caressed the red liquid from her finger. I had this absurd urge to join her tongue with my own.

I leaned forward between her legs, my hands undoing the top button of her shirt, then the next. She was real and sitting in my bathroom. My heart was racing. I undid another, then the next, my fingers shaking by the time I reached the last button. I slid it from her shoulders, my pulse racing, my blood moving swifter through my veins.

I looked down at the wound, a gash from below her armpit to her waist. It didn’t look deep. In fact, the blood I had noticed earlier had all but vanished.

“You should remove my bra, Jody.”

I brought my arms around her torso, my hands taking hold of the elastic behind her. The hooks wouldn’t come free and I struggled. I laughed under my breath as they came loose. She really didn’t need a bra. Her breasts were small, her nipples nearly black in contrast with her milky skin. The nubbins were tight and puckered.

I coughed nervously and reached for a wash cloth. “Who did this?” I said dabbing against the wound. The blood had stopped and there was little to clean.

“Our friend at the coffee shop,” she replied, moving against my hand as if she liked the sting.

“He’s not my friend!” My voice caught, and I began to shake. This was all too much. My childhood dream friend was in my living room. No one had ever wanted to harm me in my life. And now a gang of Goth obsessed punks had taken a dislike to me? It was absurd! I wiped my tears away impatiently.

“Ma cherie,” she pulled me against her, my face in her breasts. She made soothing noises into my hair and I found myself rubbing my wet cheeks on her creamy smooth skin, nuzzling her. She smelt of something familiar. Earth?

“You are tired, Jody,” she stood, pulling me to my feet beside her. “Come, I will put you to bed.”

Magdalin leaned over me, tucking the sheets around my waist before lying down next to me. She settled me into the crook of her arm.

“We will sleep, yes?” I nodded, tired beyond sleep, staring up at the ceiling. “Not talk of any of this until tomorrow?”

She was real. Her arm was under my neck and her long pale fingers on my breast. They played with my nipple. The skin was becoming flushed as all of the blood in my body seemed to rush to that point. I didn’t move. Fear turned to desire in my veins. My hand covered hers and she looked down at me.

“Are you not tired, sweet Jody?” I nodded. Her lips neared mine, soft as butterfly wings they skimmed. Tasting slowly, nipping gently, before seeking entrance into my mouth. We explored, tongues tracing, teeth clashing. The coppery flavor of blood mingled with our saliva.

Magdalin moaned low in her throat.

Her hand skimmed beneath the sheet. Her fingers slid over my stomach and easily through my clean shaven pussy.

“So wet, for me sweet Jody?” She rubbed my mound. One finger slipped into me, then the next. I had never felt so hot.

Everywhere she touched the blood seemed to follow, as if she were a magnet and I were made of metal beads, following her hand’s movements.

Magdalin began a steady rhythm, her mouth latching onto my breast like a suckling child. I was begging her, my hands tangled in her thick dark hair as she fucked me, her fingers a blur, her thumb circling and circling.

My heart roared in my ears and there was a sudden sharp pain in my chest. I looked down, blood was streaming in rivulets from around her lips were she sucked, black against my skin.

My blood was pumping into her!

I began to struggle. Her eyes caught mine.

Shhhhhhh.

She continued to work her hand in my hungry cunt, sucking and pushing until my body convulsed around her fingers and my cries echoed off the ceiling.

I woke suddenly and sat up in bed. I was alone. My heart faltered as I took in the bloody mess that was my sheets.

Oh Christ! I would never get the stains out.

The sheets were caked with dark brown stains. It looked like someone had been murdered. Blood was dried on my breasts and down my stomach, caught in my belly button. I brought my hands up to my left aureole and examined the holes there. There were two deep puncture marks.

I laughed. This could not be happening! I looked around the room and aside from the bloody puddle I was sleeping in; there was no sign of Magdalin.

She was here to help me! I ripped the sheets from the bed and threw them in the laundry basket. I was pissed. I wasn’t a fucking buffet!

I stepped into the shower and turned on the spray. The water ran down the drain, pink with my blood.

After the blood was washed off I could see the bruising surrounding the holes. I stepped from the shower frowning. My breast was killing me. What did one do when bit by a vampire? I took the antiseptic cream and rubbed the cool ointment on the angry red holes. Maybe garlic would work better?

I thought you turned into a vampire if you were bitten? But I had woken in sunlight and I was still here, not a pile of ashes. Maybe they had to bite your neck and not your breast for that to happen?

Was Magdalin lying in a coffin somewhere? The thought gave me the chills. I pulled on my robe and took the sheets with me downstairs. I stopped in the kitchen and put on a pot of coffee. Maybe that would give me the ability to think. A little caffeine in the system would feed the brain.

I pulled open the basement door and took careful steps down the old wooden stairs. I flipped the switch that lit up the corner by the washer and dryer.

I had too many questions. I set the basket on the dryer and turned on the knob for the washer. Added detergent and shoved the sheets in the well.

What kind of mess was I in? All I had wanted was answers and what did I get? Attacked and molested!

“Molested, sweet Jody?”

“SHIT!” My heart nearly flew from my chest. I turned to face Magdalin. She was lying on the old ratty sofa, which had been a part of my college furniture before I had inherited this house from my grandmother two years ago.

Magdalin’s hands were behind her head, a smile on her lips. I was relieved to see there were no coffins about. It was then that I realized there were no windows in the basement.

“I thought you had gone,” I said, crossing my arms over my chest.

“And leave you with so many unanswered questions?” She sat up, her hand rubbing the back of her neck. She looked tired.

“Of mind, Jodi, of mind.” She patted the sofa next to her and I hesitated.

I had watched that movie. What was it? I couldn’t remember, but I did remember that the guy had to be bitten three times before he became a vampire. Maybe that was how it worked. But then again, in the Brad Pitt movie it didn’t work that way. Fuck!

“Why don’t you ask?” she said raising a brow and I laughed to myself. I forgot! How silly! She can read my mind.

“Am I a vampire?”

“Are you hungry, Jodi?” I shook my head. “Not for food, ma cherie, but for blood?” Her eyes darkened. “You would know if you were a vampire. You would ache with a thousand hungers, your brain expanding in your head, pressing against your skull, urging you to feed.” Her tongue licked her lips.

“If you were a vampire you would still be asleep, hibernating until it was dark. You would wake with only one thought on your mind. Feeding.” She patted the sofa again and I reluctantly went over. I saw what she had done to that guy last night. Why did I think I had a chance to do anything other than what she said?

We faced each other on the couch and she took my fingers in hers, her eyes searching.

“With me, there is always choice, ma cherie.” Her voice was soft, seductive. “I will never touch you against your will.” I found myself hypnotized by her gentle timbre. I was leaning toward her, breathing in earth and trees. I shook my head desperately and let go of her hands.

The string snapped. Yeah right, I thought, cursing. A choice.

She chuckled, leaning back against the arm of the sofa.

“I’m getting my coffee, and then we’ll discuss this!”

“As you wish.”

I stomped up the stairs, squinted as I went into the bright sunlight of the kitchen.

“Carmen had met Waldorf at a bar downtown called The Crypt.”

I snorted into my coffee.

“Amusing, yes? Well, it is known for its darker pleasures. There are many who frequent this establishment who play at being blood suckers.” I leaned back against the opposite arm of the sofa and she pulled my feet into her lap.

“This century it has become a fad to be one of the undead,” she confided.

“My sister wouldn’t…”

“You are such a child, Jody!”

Child! I tried to pull my feet from her lap.

“Listen! You were no more than eight when Carmen met Waldorf. What does an eight your old girl know of such things? You think your sister would share her love of blood with her little sister!”

I felt tears welling, but I willed them back, trying to calm myself. Her hands were soothing. She rubbed my feet in slow circles, pressing her thumbs into my arches

“She met Waldorf and it was love at first sight,” Magdalin smiled, her eyes turning up at the corners. “There is such a thing, yes?” Her fingers circled my ankles as she spoke, massaging their way up my calves. “He admitted he was a real creature of the night. That he needed blood to live and she volunteered to be a donor.”

“Donor?”

“One that allows themselves to produce blood for their Chosen, rather than become a vampire themselves,” she whispered. She was facing me now, my robe had fallen upon, exposing my thighs, and her hands slid over the muscles. Heat climbed higher, my thighs spreading.

“Why would Carmen do that?” I mumbled. My thighs were hot, my blood coursing beneath Magdalin’s fingers.

“For love, Ma cherie,” she assured. Her lips followed were her hands had been. I couldn’t focus on the questions swimming in my head. It was all about the blood in my veins.

She nipped her way inside my thighs, tiny love bites leaving a trail of blood for her tongue to lap up. I moaned beneath her, loving the hot heat of her over me. She kissed and soothed her way to my sex. It was wet and swollen, my clit throbbing with the weight of my blood.

My clit rose toward Magdalin like an erect little cock, heavy with need.

She blew against me and I cried out, begging her to touch me.

“Are you sure, sweet Jodi?”

Magdalin blew again and my hands took hold of her hair, pressing her towards my pussy.

“As you wish.”

Her tongue licked up my wet heat, lapping at my slit like she was starved for me.

I’ve waited twelve years.

I moaned, and she wrapped her lips around my clit, her tongue circling the excited bit of flesh.

So rich. So delicious.

A cold finger climbed into my hole, then another; pumping in time with her sucking.

Come, Ma cherie! Come!

I grabbed my breasts. Gasping at the pain, legs tensing as my body lengthened.

I screamed as her teeth sunk into the skin around my clit, my blood rushing from my body and into her mouth. I could feel the heavy wetness flowing from me, my entire being emptying down her throat. Her eyes were wild, like an animal, gorging herself on my fast pumping life force. I arched against her and pushed her face into my pussy, unable to stop the need.

The blood was seeping past her lips and down my thighs. The hot liquid squirted onto my belly and breasts as it rushed from me.

Magdalin’s face and hands were painted red. Her green eyes glowing.

My limbs felt heavy. I was dying. This was the end. I wanted to tell her to stop, but I couldn’t summon the strength.

“As I was saying,” I blinked, the bright light of the upstairs bathroom.

“What?”

“Your sister and Waldorf were madly in love and Craven Beauchamp was jealous.”

“Craven?”

“Beauchamp. Not just of their relationship, but of Waldorf’s power. As leader of our coven he had great strength.”

I couldn’t focus, my limbs were weighted and I watched them float on the water, seeming separate from my body. I was in my claw foot tub.

“What happened?”

“Well, Craven decided to have your sister for his own.”

“Downstairs.”

“She nearly died.”

“Magdalin!”

“You nearly died, Jody.” She knelt next to the claw foot tub and pulled my wet body against hers, her lips against my forehead. “I am so sorry. I did not mean to lose control like that.”

I looked down my body, and saw the ragged puncture marks above my sex. I swallowed hard.

“You make me feel like a fledgling vampire,” Magdalin sighed. She dropped down onto the bathmat and rested her chin on the lip of the tub. “So hungry and alive.” Her hand lifted towards my face and I flinched. I couldn’t help it.

“We must learn of each other so this does not happen.” She met my eyes. “You overwhelm me…your beauty, your spirit, your taste…it will not happen again.”

“Damn straight!” I tried to stand, but I was still weak. The hot water sloshed around me, wetting the floor.

“Jodi, please!” she stilled my movements. “We have no time for this! Beauchamp and his coven will return this night!”

“So! I am not going to invite them in…what do I have to fear?”

“You will stay in your house always? Afraid to enter the night? I am only one woman. I may be strong, but they are many.” Please listen, ma cherie!

“The man at the coffee shop was Craven Beauchamp and he wants you dead.”

“Why?”

“Because you are Carmen’s sister and as such Waldorf cares for you.”

“I haven’t seen Waldorf in twelve years!”

“But he’s seen you, Ma cherie. He’s had someone…me, watching over you all this time.” It was true.

“But, why….”

“Warldorf was hoping you would grow to be much like your sister.”

“That’s sick!”

“Yes, it is, but his obsession is as great as Craven’s.” She stood and offered me her hand. “You may have the look of Carmen…the hair, the figure, the smile…but you are not like her. You could not hear Waldorf’s call.” I stepped from the tub, and Magdalin wrapped a towel around me.

“What do you mean?”

“There is no connection with him. He would enter your mind and speak with you but you could not hear it.” She led me into the bedroom. The bed was made with fresh linens.

“Please sleep, we have a few hours and I will prepare.”

I lay down between the cool sheets, trying to absorb the situation. This was all too much. Feuding vampires fighting over me like I was property.

“Magdalin!” She turned from the doorway, hand on the knob. “I can hear you!”

I know. You always have.

I found Magdalin at the dining table. There were a dozen guns laid out on the wooden surface. I picked one up. It was cold and heavier than I would have thought. “I didn’t think you could kill a vampire with bullets?”

She opened the gun and spun the barrel, and took hold of my hand, before emptying the bullets into my palm. They were golden in color and light.

“Oak,” she said. “If you hit the heart, you’ll kill the vampire instantly.”

“I doubt I could hit a wall directly in front of me!”

“You hit a vampire anywhere and it will be like hitting a mortal with a normal bullet.” I tucked a gun into the waistband of my jeans.

I picked up a bottle, filled with clear liquid and raised a brow.

“Holy water.”

“But how can you….”

“Touch this? You have seen ‘CSI’? Yes?” It was then that I noticed the latex gloves on her hands. I laughed. “As long as it does not get on my skin I am fine.” There were a good four dozen of the bottles on the table. “Holy Bombs. You must throw them hard to break the bottle.”

I picked up a large pendant in the shape of a cross. I traced the gold design, heavy with stones.

“Put it on,” I slipped the pendant over my head. The weight was heavy and foreign between my breasts. Turn it over.

‘Mon Amour, Ma Coeur.’ My love, my strength.

Our eyes met and my heart fluttered.

The doorbell sounded.

The man I thought was dead was standing on my doorstep, not looking a second older than the last time I had seen him. Waldorf was a tall man, his hair as mine; a white blonde that many thought came from a bottle. I didn’t know about him, but mine was actually a product of my mother’s genes. He was slender and willowy and could easily have been mistaken for my brother.

“Jody, may we come in?” There were a dozen others with him looking like they had just left a ‘Matrix’ convention. All of this leather and vinyl was a bit much. Couldn’t they dress like normal people? Wouldn’t that make them less conspicuous?

“Of course,” Magdalin said pushing the screen door open. Waldorf stood still, waiting for the invite. If I allowed him in my home I was agreeing to have this war with the man who killed Carmen. I was agreeing that I would put these vampires, Magdalin and myself in danger. I didn’t want this.

It’s the only way, ma cherie.

I met Magdalin’s eyes and she took my hand in hers. I squeezed her fingers tightly.

“Come in, Waldorf.” I said and he crossed the doorway, immediately pulling me into his arms. He embrace was bruising and I pulled away nervously, stepping closer to Magdalin.

“You look so like your sister.” There was wonder in his voice. “Does she not Magdalin?” There eyes met and she nodded.

He gestured for a couple of the others to join them.

“This is Larz and Josephine. They will help from the inside. They are my most skilled warriors. Present company excluded, of course,” he gave Magdalin a bow. “The others will set up a perimeter around your house.”

Perimeter? I felt completely out of my element. I excused myself and went upstairs. I needed a few minutes away from the chaos my life had become. In the bathroom I leaned against the kitchen sink. Look at me? My skin was translucent and the bags under my eyes could hold my entire wardrobe.

I reached into a drawer, took out an elastic band, and pulled my hair into a ponytail on the back of my head. If things got crazy, then it would be better if I could see my attackers. Sneakers, and I would be ready to kick some vampire ass. I turned from my reflection and gasped.

Josephine was standing in the doorway, arms crossed over her breasts. Vampires didn’t have reflections. That was creepy.

“Did I startle you?”

“Yes,” I brushed past her and went into the bedroom. I dug in the closet for my sneakers. Finding them, I sat on the bed. “Can I help you with something?” She was taller than I, a sword hanging from a black leather belt around her waist. She looked a bit like a pirate.

“Can you tell me why they are obsessed with you?”

“Craven? Haven’t the foggiest.”

“No.”

“Waldorf?” I tied a lace. “Probably has to do with my sister. Some weird Freudian thing.”

“I am speaking of Magdalin.” She said, walking into the room. The air grew cold and my eyes shot to the window.

“Do you feel that?” I ran to the window, peering out in the darkness. Josephine came up behind me. The glass began to crystallize in front of us, working from the frame and spreading over the pane until we could see nothing.

“Feel what?” She breathed against my neck and I turned. Her fangs had grown becoming visible and my heart began to race nervously.

“The air is so cold.” I said, trying to push past her. But she wouldn’t move and I knew I was in trouble. I took hold of the cross around my neck and pressed it against her chest. Nothing happened. Fuck!

Josephine laughed, her chuckles crawling over my skin.

I began to chant Magdalin’s name in my mind, willing her to hear me…willing her to be here. The bedroom door flew shut with a loud crash.

Josephine picked up the cross in her gloved hand and pressed against the tip against her cheek for a moment. The stench of sizzling flesh filled the room, raising bile in my throat.

“You must touch my skin dear girl.” She ripped the chain from my neck and threw it against the wall.

What was the fucking point of giving me the damn thing and not telling me how to use it?

Something flew against the door, causing it to shake on its hinges.

“Jody!” It was Waldorf.

I’m coming, ma cherie! And Magdalin.

Waldorf hit the wood again and I was impressed with the old house’s tenacity. I rammed my shoulder into Josephine’s chest, but she didn’t budge.

Her arm whipped around my chest and pulled me back against her body, the other went around my waist, lifting me from the floor. I couldn’t move my arms from my sides. I kicked my feet, trying to knock her off balance, but her boots were planted in the hardwood.

The door flew open, smashing against the wall, and hanging from the bottom hinge. Madgalin, Waldorf and Larz, were framed in the doorway, the light in the hallway behind them.

“Let her go at once!” Waldorf commanded, but Josephine’s hold tightened, making breathing difficult.

Stay calm. I was trying, but this situation didn’t lend for a calm state of mind. They inched into the room. I was trying to watch Josephine, my eyes trying to see behind me.

I felt her pull the gun from my jeans. She swung her arm in front of me and fired. Larz fell to the floor. She was going to kill all of us.

It’s okay, Ma cherie. I will save you.

“Her blood smells sweet, Magdalin,” Josephine sniffed my neck.

“Let her go, Jo.”

“I gave you ninety years!”

“Let us talk. Please!”

Josephine’s mouth latched onto my neck, and the air was sucked from my body.

NO!!

This was no gentle nip, no delicate puncture, and certainly no seductive kiss.

It felt like a rabid dog had attached itself to my throat and was ripping my head from my body. Pain replaced the blood in my veins as my life force sprayed the walls.

Jody, hold on!

I fell to the floor, unable to move. Blood continued to pump out of me, discoloring the wooden floorboards and the carpet my grandmother had given me.

Josephine was thrown into the wall above the bed. The plaster crumbled around her like a scene in a comic strip and fell onto the mattress.

Gentle hands held me, pulled me into their embrace. Ma cherie! I tried to focus on Magdalin’s face, the green of her eyes, but she was a blurry shadow.

Forgive me, ma cherie.

And then there was her kiss, as soft as moonlight on my neck. Her teeth slid into my skin like butter, my blood rushing from my body and into her heart.

I will take care of you, sweet Jody.