Crimson: An Ultimate Power Series Novella (The Ultimate Power Series #1.5) (5 page)

 I sit and allow my thoughts to linger on her, and about a half an hour passes before I hear somebody shuffling around in my shed. It's only Lucas, removing the bodies. He has various methods of disposing of them. Sometimes he digs a hole and fills it up, other times he sinks them to the bottom of the ocean with the help of several bricks. I ponder which option he will go for on this occasion.

 After Lucas has left I spend my time simply enjoying the silence. I try my best to be meditative, but I am too filled up with nervous, excited energy. I find my fingers twitching as I think about seeing Tegan again tomorrow. I will be the perfect gentleman and ask her out to dinner, over which I will quiz her about her life and see if I can piece together some clues as to why she smells like the sun.

 For humans, the sun does not have a scent, but we vampires can smell it, taste it,
feel
it. Perhaps it is a survival mechanism, for we must sense its approach in order to avoid it. I know instinctively when sunrise is on its way. There are no earthly scents to assist me in describing it, all I can say is that it smells exactly like Tegan, if you were to take away her basic human scent underneath.

 I hear somebody's approach moments before Delilah's red hair pops up over the edge of the roof. She climbs up gracefully and settles herself down beside me.

 She is silent for a full minute before she says, “There is a good deal of human blood staining the driveway, brother.”

 I turn my head to her only slightly. “Three slayers were lying in wait for me when I arrived home. Two I killed, the other one ran away.”

 Delilah sucks in a breath. “They are getting more and more brave by the week. I wouldn't have thought they would come to your house like this.”

 “I intend to remedy their bravery the next time they attack. Pamphrock needs to get the message that I am not to be trifled with.” Delilah nods her head, but doesn't say a word.

Siegfried Pamphrock is the three hundred and fifty year old dhamphir who created the DOH. It is now a worldwide organisation, but its headquarters remain here in Tribane. This is why the animosity between the two sides of the city is so intense. There are too many vampires and too many slayers all in one place. Neither side is willing to give up and surrender their territory to the other.

 “I would like to talk to you about the woman at the club tonight,” says Delilah, breaking the period of quiet.

 “What about her? I have secured her phone number and I now know where she lives. I will call on her tomorrow.”

 “And what are your intentions with her?” Delilah asks, raising an eyebrow in my direction.

 “To discover what she is, of course.”

 “That is all, is it? Do not try to fool me Ethan. I have seen the look on your face when you gaze at her. Feeding on humans is all fair and well, but developing feelings for them is another matter. It will end in disaster, you mark my words.”

 “Do you speak from experience, dear sister?” I question her.

 Delilah goes still as a stone, then shakes her head, perhaps to sort through her own memories. “When I was a young girl, no more than sixteen years of age, I fell in love with a human. His name was Cyryl and he was a soldier. I had been living with our father in Poland when we first met. We had been staying in a large country home and Cyryl lived in a nearby village. It was the year 1939. We spent one wonderful summer together, but then when September came and the Germans invaded, Cyryl had to go to war. Needless to say, he never returned.”

 “I am sorry, Delilah. You never told me this story before.”

 “It was so long ago, what would be the point in reliving the pain I felt back then? I am only telling you now because I think you need to keep your head on your shoulders when it comes to this girl. She could do untold damage to you. I was young when I felt my first heartbreak, so it was not so difficult to heal. But you are older, and you have never really loved a human before. Who knows how it might change you.” She goes silent for a moment, contemplative. “Still, perhaps it was for the best that Cyryl died in battle. For what would have happened if he had returned to me? He would have died an old man and I would still be young and pretty and have to live on without him. This is why it is a bad decision to love a human.”

 I shake my head in exasperation. “Who said anything about love? You of all people should know that it is not something I aspire to. There is no need to worry. As you said, I am far older than you had been when you met this Cyryl. I will not fall so easily.”

 As I say this, a heavy raindrop splats onto my palm. Several more splash onto the top of my head. I smile and look up at the dull, brightening sky. Day break is coming swiftly upon us, but the rain is a blessing, considering my driveway needs a wash. I decide to take it as a good omen. My sister will not deter me from venturing to uncover the mystery of the woman who smells of the sun.

 “Come on, it's almost day time,” says Delilah, ushering me down from the rooftop and into my house. My blackout blinds have already been rolled down, so as to keep out the daylight. As a dhamphir, Delilah does not hold an aversion to the sun, yet she abides by the darkness inside of my house all the same. She retreats to her room and I go to take a long shower.

 Once out, I lay down on my bed in the dark and shut my eyes. Normally day sleep comes upon me quite quickly, but not today. My head is filled with visions of pale skin and bright blue eyes.

Hours pass, within which I have tossed and turned and paced the expanse of my bedroom many times over. I pick up the jeans I had been wearing last night and retrieve Tegan's phone number. It must be at least the middle of the day by now. Perhaps it would be a good idea to call her.

 Before I pick up my phone though, I feel the sudden urge to glance out beyond my blinds at the sun. I step up close to the window and grip the edge of the material with my fingers. Rapidly, I pull it back and a blinding ray of light shoots into my room, causing my vision to momentarily blur. I push the blind back into place and sit down on the edge of my bed, my phone now in my hand.

The sun is symbolic for me on a number of levels. It is something I can never have, it is the unknown, it is blinding, debilitating, damaging, mysterious, beautifully bright, wonderful...Is this what Tegan might be too? All of these things, but much more easily within my reach?

 I pick up the crumpled piece of paper and dial in the numbers. The phone rings out a moment before her voice fills my ears.

Read the full story in

Tegan's Blood: Book One in the Ultimate Power Series

About the Author

L.H Cosway is a self-employed writer, editor and proofreader. She has a BA in English Literature and Greek and Roman Civilisation and an MA in Postcolonial Literature. She lives in Dublin city. Her inspiration to write comes from music. Her favourite things in life include writing stories, vintage clothing, dark cabaret music, food, musical comedy, and of course, books.