In Darkness We Must Abide: The Complete Second Season: Episodes 6-10 Page 10

  “Right.” Vanora could feel her heart speeding up. As she suspected, Dan was about to ask her to take the relationship to a deeper level.

  “I'm an old-fashioned guy,” he continued. His eyes stared into hers, imploring, a little frightened, and full of hope. “I had some wild days in the past and I got burned in a lot in relationships. That's why I wanted to handle things differently with you. Plus, you're so rare, Vanora.”

  Lifting her eyebrows, Vanora wasn't sure what he meant. Did he mean her albinism?

  “Most girls are like...well, Rhonda, nowadays. But you. You're sweet, smart, and so beautiful. That's why I love how you carry yourself. You have this quiet dignity that just steals my breath away.” Dan leaned forward, his hand resting over hers. “I also like that you're a church-goer like me. That we like all the same things. It feels really solid when I'm around you.”

  Vanora tried not to look at the pinky ring glittering beneath his tanned hand. A reminder of another time, another man.

  “I want to make this exclusive between us,” he said, his voice dropping. It was husky with emotion. Blue eyes staring into hers, he smiled shyly. “I'd like for us to declare ourselves a couple and work toward something more permanent in the future.”

  Tilting her head, Vanora tried to remember the words she had been practicing for this moment. The moment felt far more significant than she had thought it would. In her mind, dating exclusively was a huge commitment, but now she realized Dan was asking her to give serious consideration to a real future together.

  “You mean...” She hesitated and drank a bit of tea to clear her throat. “You mean, see if we should one day...marry?”

  The wide, exuberant grin on Dan's face said it all. “Yes, exactly.”

  The weight and intensity of the question was rather overwhelming. Vanora stared into his cornflower blue eyes, a smile on her lips, and terror in her heart. Dan was everything her family would want for her: kind, intelligent, educated, charming, funny, sweet, and handsome. Yet, gazing at him, she didn't actually see Dan, but another face.

  “Vanora?” Dan prompted, his smile starting to fade.

  “Yes. Yes. Of course!” Vanora latched onto the thought of his light filling her life. The usual darkness felt far away when he was near. Maybe they could build a life together far away from the monsters. Yet, her heart ached inside her chest.

  Dan's kiss was firm and sweet against her lips. “You're amazing.”

  Laughing, she pressed a hand to his cheek and smiled at him. “So are you. You're everything wonderful about the sun: golden, bright, and beautiful.”

  “And you're everything wonderful about the night: mysterious, pale as the moon, and shining bright in the darkness.” Dan winked at her. “How's that for poetic?”

  Trying to keep her smile from fading, Vanora said, “It was wonderful.”

  The drive back to her apartment was made in comfortable silence. Dan held her hand as he drove while Vanora admired the city of Austin under the low winter sky. The stars and moon were nowhere to be seen and the air was thick with the promise of rain. Staring through her reflection in the window, she felt adrift. The landscape outside the car felt far away and remote. Only Dan's warm hand holding hers made her feel attached to the world.

  She was trying very hard to make a life for herself beyond the darkness that consumed her brother and sister. For months, the vampires had been far from her and she'd had a taste of a normal human life. Even in the aftermath of her terrible nightmare, she wanted to cling to the life she had created. She didn't want to fear the night and the monsters it hid in its dark wings.

  “This was a very good night,” Dan said at last.

  “It was,” she answered with a bright smile.

  “The first of many.”

  “Without a doubt.”

  The car turned down the dimly-lit lane toward the apartment complex tucked among the thick copse of trees lining the road.

  “Now that we're an official thing, I would like you to meet my folks. Maybe we could drive up to Dallas and visit soon.”

  “That would be nice.” The words came easily, but felt as though they were lines in a script. They were playing out a scene and she knew her part. Yet, it didn't feel real. Within herself, she was bothered to realize she didn't believe she'd ever met Dan's family. She'd never see his family home. The thought elicited a shiver.

  “Cold?” Dan turned up the heat. “It's really freakin' cold this winter.”

  “It'll be spring soon.”

  “The Hill Country will be full of wild flowers. We should take a trip out there, too.”

  The joy flowing from Dan should have filled her hope, but instead, she felt as though she were slipping away from him, lost in a torrent of black waters.

  Darkened stores and homes slid past the car, one building blending into another in an endless collage. Tall streetlights stood guard over the road, illuminating their way. In the distance, she saw a man standing on the side of the road near the entrance to the apartment complex. It was a dark, solitary figure, clad in black. The stance seemed familiar and as the car approached, Vanora leaned toward the window. The beating of her heart accelerated.

  The car slowed, Dan flipping on the turn signal, and he started to turn into the apartment complex. The shadowy figure was illuminated by the headlights. Vanora found herself looking directly into those familiar intense amber eyes. The wind swept Armando’s curly black hair away from his fine aristocratic face and his lips spread into a smile.

  “Armando,” Vanora gasped under her breath.

  “What?” Dan asked.

  Vanora glanced over at Dan's boyish face illuminated by the lights of the car’s control panel. He looked so innocent, so vulnerable, and completely unaware of the evil that existed in the night.

  “Oh, nothing,” Vanora responded as the car left Armando in its wake.

  Why was Armando here? How did he know where she lived? She hadn’t even told Alisha. Her stomach was a coil of knots and her pulse beat harshly.

  Dan parked the car and turned it off. “I’ll walk you to the apartment.”

  “I’ll be fine,” Vanora said quickly.

  Dan caught her hand. “I’m not trying to invite myself in.” Kissing her hand, he smiled at her over her red nails. “I just want to make sure you’re safe.”

  “Oh!” Vanora hadn’t even considered that Dan might try to stay the night now that they were in a committed relationship. She just wanted to make sure he was safe from Armando.

  “And that's another reason why I am so glad I met you.” Dan slid out of the car and hurried to open her door.

  The crisp, damp air bit at Vanora’s cheeks as she let him pull her out of the car. “I’m not sure I understand.” She was distracted, her eyes scanning the dark trees and foliage tucked around the tall apartment buildings.

  “Well, call me old-fashioned, but I always liked the idea of my future bride being able to wear white.” Dan slipped his arm around her waist, the car beeping behind them as the alarm kicked on.

  The mist from her breath filled her vision. Vanora tried not to be obvious as she searched the night for the vampire. “Well, it is the standard wedding dress color.”

  “But a lot of women, like your roomie, really shouldn’t be wearing white on their wedding day, huh?” Dan winked at her, snuggling her into his side.

  “Oh.” Vanora was speechless for a second as she finally directed her full attention finally on the conversation at hand. “Because we haven’t had sex…you think...”

  Pressing a firm kiss to her forehead, Dan sighed contentedly. “I was really worried I’d never find a girl like you.”

  Vanora’s eyes slightly widened. Dan thought she was a virgin. While she had been trying very hard to heal a broken heart, he’d thought she was maintaining her so-called purity. Tilting her head to gaze into his handsome boyish face, she was speechless.

  “I will always treat you like the lady you are,” Dan said in a sweetly passionate voice
.

  The memory of Armando’s searing kisses, the heaviness of his body over hers, and how he had filled her with both pain and pleasure bloomed in her mind. Knowing the vampire was around, she blushed deeply.

  “You should be proud. It’s rough in this day and age,” Dan said in all seriousness. “I made some mistakes when I was younger, but I’ve been celibate for the last few years. Should things work out between us, it will be like the first time.”

  “First time?”

  Vanora stopped cold, Dan almost tripping over her. Spinning about on her heel, she gazed into Armando’s handsome face. He was just a few feet behind them. How much had he heard?

  “Armando,” she said, her voice abundant with so many emotions. The impulse to tuck up her hair and straighten her clothes made her angry with herself. She didn’t care what he thought of her appearance. Raising her chin, she said, “What are you doing here?”

  Returning to her side after his stumble, Dan smiled at Armando. “Hi!”

  “Hello,” Armando said simply, but without any mirth.

  “This a friend of yours?” Dan asked Vanora. “Or a neighbor?”

  “Friend of the family,” Vanora answered, giving Armando a warning look.

  “Yes, a friend,” Armando said in such a way that he might as well said he had ravished her multiple times on the sofa in the library of her family home.

  Dan’s smile faltered just a tad.

  “An old friend of my sister’s.” Vanora tried to project with her eyes that Armando needed to keep his mouth shut.

  “Are you visiting?” Dan asked, his blue eyes sliding toward Vanora to regard her with fresh worry.

  “Yes,” Armando said vaguely, his accent rich and yet cold.

  Vanora felt like kicking him. “I didn’t know you were in town. No one told me.”

  Dan’s shoulders relaxed, a goofy smile forming. “Oh, you’re not staying with Vanora.”

  “No, I’m not,” Armando answered.

  How could he be so handsome with such a terrible scowl on his face? Hands plunged into the pockets of his wool jacket, the burgundy of his scarf draped around his neck and flung over one shoulder set off his gold eyes and dark hair perfectly.

  “Well, it was nice seeing you,” Vanora said, gripping Dan’s arm tightly and trying to push him onward.

  “Go home,” Armando said to Dan in a deep, commanding voice.

  “Okay,” Dan answered, his eyes growing unfocused.

  Vanora gasped as Dan disengaged from her grip. Without a kiss, hug or even a word goodbye, he strolled away. She watched him walk across the courtyard, her heart thundering in her ears. When he was safely inside his car, she turned her angry gaze to Armando.

  “Get the fuck out of my life.”

  Turning on her heel, she stalked toward the far side of the courtyard past the pool where her apartment building stood. When she didn’t hear Armando following, she looked over her shoulder. He was gone. Yet, her skin was tingling and instinctively she knew she was being watched. Her eyes anxiously swept over the complex, studying every shadow. She was strolling past the pool when a single red rose dropped at her feet. Vanora jerked her head upward and her eyes found Armando sitting casually on the railing of a second story apartment balcony. He was busy studying the hem of his long overcoat.

  “It’s time to come home, Vanora,” he said simply, his golden gaze flicking toward her.

  Vanora deliberately stepped on the delicate rose, crushing its soft petals into the pavement. “Stay away from me.”

  “Is this the way you greet all old friends?” Armando raised an eyebrow at her. “You didn’t even introduce me to your date.”

  “He’s none of your concern,” Vanora retorted.

  Armando showed her the tear in his coat’s lining. “I did this avoiding your gaze at the restaurant. It was a good coat, too.”

  “You were at the restaurant?” Vanora looked down at the rose. “You took that from the flowers he sent me. You’re following me? Spying on me? What the hell?”

  Armando merely shrugged.

  Vanora deliberately walked away from him. Armando dropped down beside her with casual agility. He matched her pace.

  “Go away, Armando.”

  “No more running, Vanora. It’s time to go home.”

  Vanora stopped walking and pivoted toward him, her eyes steely. “Armando, you shouldn’t have come here. I have a life!” She was trying to be calm but she nervously fingered the cross beneath her dress.

  Armando seemed more sinister tonight than she ever remembered him being in the past. He had not changed that much, other than his hair being longer, but there was an edge to his movements, a dark passion in his eyes.

  “So, who’s your boyfriend?” Armando asked, eyebrows drawn over his beautiful eyes.

  “No one you need to worry about.”

  “Ah, you’re lying to your old friend Armando. You’re planning to marry him, but you don’t love him.” His voice was rough, his amber eyes not looking directly at her, but angrily at some far off point.

  Vanora started to protest, but Armando cut her off.

  “You think you do, but it’s only infatuation. I have lived a very long time. I know the difference.”

  She absolutely hated it that he could read her so easily. “Get out of my life, Armando.”

  “Aren’t you curious to know why I am here?” Armando asked, drawing uncomfortably near.

  Vanora moved away from him. “You already said that you want me to go home.”

  “Something dire is going to happen if you don’t. You need to come home.”

  At last he looked fully into her eyes. The magnetism within them held her transfixed for a moment, then she pushed back against it. “You can’t do that to me like you did Dan.”

  Armando smirked. “I should have known.”

  The nightmare about her brother’s death haunted her every waking moment since she’d had it. In the dream, Armando had told her to go home to Houston. This was no mere coincidence. “Armando, who is trying to kill Roman?”

  Armando stepped back in absolute shock. “What?”

  “Don’t play games with me, Armando!” Vanora said fiercely. “You don’t do anything without a reason. You play so many damn games. You hide so much. Don’t hide this from me.”

  To her fury, Armando became utterly still and silent.

  Vanora could feel hot tears welling in her eyes. “Who is planning to murder Roman? Answer me!”

  Armando peered into the darkness, then said finally, “You have to come back because Roman needs you. The other vampires are declaring him a king, and the ranks have swelled to nearly two hundred vampires across the country. They see the house as a Mecca and seek him out for guidance. Roman is overwhelmed and losing himself. He needs to feel the mortal world again. You are his only connection to that world. His ideas have spread too far and have changed too much not to have attracted enemies. I fear that if he continues to teach his Roman Law, he will be killed.”

  “By a vampire who believes in the old ways. Like killing humans for blood,” Vanora said. “So you don’t know who’s trying to kill him?”

  Stepping closer to Vanora, Armando inclined his head so he could gaze directly into her eyes. “You need to go back and convince him to move on. He has to get away from the house and out of Texas. He needs to hide for a while. Alisha should go also.”

  “Haven’t you warned him?”

  “I tried!” Armando snapped, surprising her with his vehemence. “He feels safe in that damned house. He's foolish enough to believe most of the vampires have switched over to his ways. He has grown too confident in his own power! He’s in danger and he can’t even accept that! You can help him, Vanora. You can make him see the truth.”

  Vanora felt an emptiness growing inside her. The dream lingered ominously her thoughts. “He may not listen to me, Armando.”

  “You can try,” Armando insisted. “You have to.” He had dropped his previously menacing demeanor.
Now he looked tired and worried. Sitting down on the diving board, he clutched his hands together. “I have tried to warn him and I failed.”

  The impulse to reach out and comfort him was overwhelming, but she somehow refrained. “Armando, do you know who’s trying to kill him?”

  Armando averted his gaze. “Just come home.”

  “This is my home.”

  It startled her to see the hurt that sprung into his eyes.

  “You told me the night I left to never go back,” Vanora reminded him.

  “I know. I thought you would be safe here.”

  “Aren’t I?”

  Armando gestured distractedly. “Roman needs you.”

  Vanora considered of mentioning the white-haired vampire in her dream, but that thought froze her inside. It felt wrong to speak of him somehow. “I’ll call my brother.”

  “You need to go home!”

  “I’m afraid to! What if that’s what kills him? Me going home?” Raw, burning fear encompassed her. What if she went home and that would be the portent of Roman’s death? What if the albino vampire followed her? All at once, every decision she’d made for the last few years of her life felt wrong. What if she was just doomed? What if her presence was death to all she loved?

  “Vanora,” Armando said. “You must go home and make him see reason. You can’t hide from this.”

  Shaking her head, Vanora fought back the tears filling her eyes. “I’ll call Alisha. I’ll call Roman. But I can’t go back.” The image of her dead brother clasped in her arms was too strong in her mind. “Go home, Armando.”

  Walking briskly away, she hoped he wouldn’t follow.

  Of course, Armando caught up with her, matching her stride.

  Before he could say anything, she said, “Just shut up, Armando.”

  He ignored her. “I’ve missed you.” His tone was softer now, the earlier testiness gone.

  “What we had is over. I’m seeing someone.” The words hurt to even say them, and she didn’t dare look at the vampire walking beside her.

  “He’s so normal,” Armando said with distaste, as if this was the ultimate insult. “But then, maybe that’s good. Maybe you should marry him, have lots of kids, grow old, die.” Jealousy filled his voice and manner. The anger had returned and he was mocking her.