Bryn Morrow (4 page)

“Well, it’s about Tommy and Jason.”

“They do something again? Get arrested? Public indecency?”

“Nothing like that. They were out drinking in Tommy’s truck last night, and they followed him.” Debra poured cream in her coffee, then stirred it with a metal spoon.
 

“Followed who?”

“Bryn.”

Celeste clutched Debra’s hand. “Oh, no. Did he hurt them?”

“No. They kept their distance. They don’t think he saw them.”

“Then what happened?”

“Tommy said he walked into the lake.”

“Into the lake?”

“Jason and Tommy hid behind a tree and saw him. They were drinking, but Tommy swears they didn’t imagine it.” Debra sipped coffee and leaned back in her chair. She was dressed in a red blouse and black skirt. Celeste called it her ‘hot librarian look’ since Debra worked in Corwin four days a week at the library.

“What, exactly, did he say happened?” Celeste’s eyes were wide as she leaned forward.

“He said Bryn walked straight into the lake and just kept going until the water closed over his head. They stood at the edge for twenty minutes, waiting. He never came up.”
 

“Wow.” Celeste leaned back and exhaled slowly. “Bryn is undead—or something. I don’t think he has to breathe. And he has no pulse. But he’s warm. And he’s gentle.”

“Don’t you think it’s strange?” Debra asked.

“Everything about him is strange,” said Celeste. “Thanks for telling me.”

“Anytime, Celeste. I worry about you. It was bad enough when you were dating Jason, with his racist relatives and all. But now, I don’t even understand what your boyfriend is.”

“He’s just a man who got hit by a meteor in 1813… and survived.”

“Are you listening to yourself?” Debra laughed. “How is that even possible?”

“He cares for me, Debra. I can tell. And, well, he has no relatives.” Celeste smiled.

“That’s a plus.” Debra pushed her chair back and stood up. “Damn relatives are a major pain in the buttocks.”

“See you at Perky’s later?” Celeste asked.

“Maybe. I have to work this afternoon, and Tommy has one hell of a hangover, so he needs a little TLC.” Debra blushed.
 

“Sex and Tylenol?”

“What better cure is there?”

Chapter 14

Bryn emerged from the lake dripping wet. The sun had set twenty minutes earlier, and Celeste was standing at the edge, waiting. He was wearing a blue, button-down shirt and black jeans. His clothes dried in moments as his skin drank in the water. His eyes scanned from left to right and stopped on Celeste. She was wearing a white chiffon dress and black pumps. Around her neck was a jade necklace that matched her eyes. It had been her mother’s.
 

“I have something important to tell you.” Celeste took Bryn’s hands in hers and pressed against him.
 

“What is it, my love?” Bryn slid his hands down to her waist and held her. He looked into her eyes like he had known her forever.
 

“You know how you said you were the only one? The only latent?”

“Yes. I’ve never met another. And the odds are against it. You must have the gene, and then you must die horribly. I haven’t managed to make a test for the gene yet. I’ve studied genetics but I can’t fit a genetic lab into my van. I’m certain the gene is rare.”

“There is another. I’ve seen him in my dreams. His name is Simon, and he walked out of the Chernobyl disaster in ’86 without a scratch.”

“Simon? What are the dreams telling you?” Concern replaced the calm on Bryn’s face.
 

“He saw me, Bryn. And he’s coming.” Celeste’s eyes showed fear.
 

Bryn wrapped his arms around her and held her tight. “Don’t worry. Everything is going to be all right.”

“I hardly think so,” said Jason. He was standing a few feet away, his hands loose at his sides. His tank top was greasy and his expression was defiant.

“What are you doing here?” Celeste turned.
 

“I came to see what kind of man—if he is a man—took my girl away from me.” Jason’s words were slurred, and he stumbled as he approached. Celeste could smell whiskey on his breath.
 

“My name is Bryn. And I didn’t take her away.”

“That’s right, Jason. You know we weren’t right for each other.” She stepped in front of Bryn and stretched her arms out to keep him back.
 

“I’ll fight you for her,” said Jason, ignoring her words.
 

Bryn took a step to the left and then one toward Jason. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“That settles it, then!” Jason lunged at Bryn with a wild, right-handed swing, missing by a mile. Bryn stood his ground. Jason swung with his left and connected with Bryn’s ribs, which was like punching a brick wall. He yelped in pain and looked at his hand suspiciously.

“You should leave now, Jason. Bryn is immortal. What damage can you possibly do?” Celeste pointed toward town.
 

Jason pulled a knife from his black leather boot and shoved it at Bryn’s chest. Celeste gasped. The blade ripped a hole in Bryn’s shirt and broke off on his skin, leaving Jason holding the handle.
 

Bryn grabbed Jason by the arm and tossed him toward the lake. Jason yelled obscenities as he arced through the night sky and landed with a huge splash forty feet from shore.
 

“He can swim, can’t he?” Bryn asked. A smile played across his lips.
 

“Yes,” said Celeste. “Let’s go.”

“Tell me more about Simon,” said Bryn. He took Celeste’s hand in his and led her north.
 

Behind them, Jason thrashed and screamed, working his way to shore. His fingers were bruised from punching Bryn, and he was angry. He dropped the handle of the broken hunting knife and kicked with his legs, trying to calm down. The water was warm, but his clothes were soaked and heavy. He turned over onto his back and floated, gasping for air. “Undead motherfucker!”

Chapter 15

“So you’re officially dating a dead guy from 1813?” Debra asked.

“That depends on your definition of dead,” said Celeste.

“Not breathing?”
 

“Check.”

“No pulse?” Debra opened her bottle of milk.

“Check.” Celeste smiled.

“Can’t do it?”

“Negatory.”

“Wait a minute. You’re ‘doing it’ with a dead guy?”

“Can we stop with the ‘dead guy’ talk? He’s a latent. I would explain, but that would take too long, so just think of him as a vampire that doesn’t need blood.”

“What kind of vampire doesn’t like blood?” asked Debra.

“Oh, he likes it. He just doesn’t need it to survive. He absorbs water… or something. He’s pretty secretive, but I think he has powers.”

“Mmm, powers. I like the sound of that,” Debra took a sip of milk.
 

“Here’s a pic I took of him by the lake.” Celeste handed her phone to Debra.

“He sure is buff for a dead guy.” Debra whistled. “Is his cock as hard as his abs?”

“Bad girl!” Celeste grabbed her phone back and jammed it in the pocket of her jeans.

Debra laughed and took a bite of her chicken salad. They were sitting in the park across from the library in Corwin, eating lunch together while Debra was on break. Celeste was sipping lemonade and eating yogurt. The park had a small fountain that attracted birds and wooden tables to sit at.
 

“What time do you have to be back?” Celeste asked.

“I’m supposed to be back by one, but a few minutes here or there won’t get me fired. They need a redhead if they want any guys to come in ‘looking for books.’”
 

“You’re supposed to be offended when they leer at you.” Celeste finished her yogurt and looked at her watch.
 

“Every girl needs a little leer now and then,” said Debra. “I’ll just dick punch them if they get fresh.” She finished her salad, closed the plastic lid, and then packed it back into her lunch cooler. “How is Jason handling all this?”
 

“Bad. He tried to stab Bryn last night.”

“Fuck! What happened?”

“The blade broke off on Bryn’s skin, then he threw Jason in the lake.”

“Damn.”

“Seriously.”

“Well, I better get back in there and try to educate the unwashed masses.” Debra stood up and brushed the crumbs off her skirt.
 

“You should really wear glasses,” said Celeste. “Hot librarians wear glasses.”

“Off with you,” Debra said, making shooing motions with her hands. “I don’t take advice from girls without the common sense to date the living.”

Celeste laughed and embraced Debra. “Don’t work too hard, hon. See you soon.”

Chapter 16

Bryn pulled Celeste’s chair out from the dining room table and gestured for her to sit. “Please.”
 

The table was made of walnut and had six chairs around it. It was rare that more than two or three people came over for dinner anymore, but Celeste didn’t have the heart to put any of the chairs away. They reminded her of the good times, before her mom had died. Above the table was a brass chandelier with crystals hanging from it on silver chains. It was an antique, like many of the furnishings in her mom’s house. The kitchen was behind Celeste through an archway, and the living room was behind Bryn. The walls of the dining room were adorned with family pictures.
   

Bryn sat down in the chair opposite Celeste. “What is this?” He gestured toward a half-full, fluted glass near his plate.

Celeste smiled. “It’s my blood. You said you found human blood… intoxicating.”

“Well, I didn’t mean you should cut yourself.” Bryn frowned and looked at her for signs of injury.
 

“It’s a gift. Try it.” Celeste rubbed the Band-Aid on her left arm. “And I made lasagna. A very small portion for you, so you can get the flavor. And a larger portion for me. Because I’m not dead.”

“That’s very thoughtful of you, Celeste.” Bryn met her green eyes and lifted the glass to his lips, taking a sip. He savored it while keeping his eyes on hers.

 
“What do you think?” Celeste blushed. She hadn’t thought the sight of Bryn drinking her blood would have such an effect on her. Her temperature was rising. His eyes were deep like pools of dark water. She felt drawn to him. She imagined his lips on her body.

Bryn’s face lit up. “You are the most exquisite thing I have ever tasted, Celeste. Complex. Beautiful. Nirvana.” He took another sip, then set the glass down and sampled a small bite of lasagna. He wiped his lips with a napkin and smiled.
 

“I’ve grown fond of you over the years, Bryn. Seeing you in my dreams. Wondering if you were real or just my imagination. You’ve been with me for so long.” Celeste looked down, blushed, and then looked back at him.
 

“And I you. You are the angel that appears before me when I’m in trouble. The first angel I ever saw. A vision coming to me out of nowhere.” Bryn reached out a hand, and the glass of blood slid across the table into it. He raised it in a toast, and then bowed his head in respect.
 

“Out of the future,” corrected Celeste. “But then you had no way of knowing that.”

“Yes.”
 

Celeste ate lasagna and drank Pinot Noir. One of the many things her mom had left her was a full wine cellar, and she was still working her way through it, saving the bottles for special occasions.

“Do you still drink wine?”
 

“Sometimes,” said Bryn. “It doesn’t have the same effect on me that it does on humans.”

“So you can’t get drunk?”

“I’m getting drunk right now.” Bryn’s lips parted. “On you.”

“I find you very interesting,” Celeste’s eyes twinkled.

“And I find you very desirable.”
 

Celeste blushed. “Is my blood having an effect on you?”

“Your blood, your body, your eyes, your lips. Come sit on my lap, kiss me, and find out.” He laughed, set down the glass, and slid back in his chair.
 

“You’re bad.” Celeste licked her lips. Desire raced up and down her body. She pushed her chair back, stood, and headed toward him.

Chapter 17

Jason sat next to Suze in a booth against the back wall in Brinkman’s. Tommy was sitting across from them. They had glasses of beer, and a pitcher of Miller Genuine Draft sat in the middle of the table. Unlike their usual haunt—Rock and Bowl in Lanston—Brinkman’s wasn’t a bowling alley and pretended to have a little class. But the class was about as thick as the dust on the windows.
 

Corwin was bigger than Lanston, but not by much. It was large enough to have a police station, a library, two churches, and four bars. Unlike Lanston, Corwin had no lake, but the Willow River ran along the western edge of town. It was logging and mining country, although the mines had been abandoned years ago. The town relied on tourism to survive. Every gas station sold bait, and there were antique shops that sold everything from decorative wagon wheels to ceramic mugs. The restaurants had fish fries on Friday nights, and the bars had pull tabs and meat raffles.
 

“Dig that guy over there,” Tommy said, keeping his voice down. “KGB?”

Jason turned around and scanned the bar casually. “He does look like an enforcer of some type. I’ve never seen him before.”
 

The stranger was solidly built, with sandy brown hair and brown eyes. His gaze was piercing, and he looked at people as if he were analyzing their ability to run. He caught Jason looking at him and stood up. He grabbed his beer and walked across the room towards them.

“Uh oh,” said Suze. She turned around and grabbed her glass with both hands, then slid closer to Jason on the padded bench of the booth.

“Hello, I’m Simon,” said the stranger. He was dressed in boots, blue jeans, and a black leather jacket heavy with studs. His belt had a python buckle. He sat down next to Tommy, who slid toward the window, giving Simon room.

“Hey, Simon,” said Tommy, trying to keep the panic off his face. “You must be new around here.”