Crimson Midnight (A New Adult Dark Urban Fantasy Series) (The Crimson Series Book 1) (24 page)

30.

A LOVE LIKE THEIRS’ (PART TWO)

Drinking A-Positive blood was akin
to consuming the richest and naughtiest chocolate to vampires, and Thistle
indulged happily with her fellow vampires on the roof.  They were seated on foldaway
chairs wrapped in the cold, sharp air, surrounded by a spectacle of glorious
stars.  Together they bathed in the silver light of the Harvest Moon, allowing
the rays and the blood to rejuvenate them.

Thistle turned to Marissa, a petite
blonde with elfin features, who was seated opposite her in a wheelchair.  Her
gaze dropped to take in Marissa’s swollen abdomen, which she stroked almost
absentmindedly while she sipped from her glass. Marissa was pregnant.

Vampire pregnancies occurred once
every two years in any given colony and they were a matter of great delicacy.
In these modern times, a vampire wishing to sire a human would need to fill out
an abundance of forms and jump through several legal hoops before the deed
could be done, making the whole process a pain in the proverbial bottom. A
natural pregnancy, however, was considered sacred, a holy gift from Diana, one
which didn’t come along often.  Mortality rate was high for both mother and
child, so the mother had to be kept in bed and cared for every day to maintain
a healthy and successful pregnancy. Marissa was in her eighth month of the
eleven months a vampire is pregnant. She wanted to attend the wedding and after
thorough checks by the colony’s three doctors, she was granted leave from her
flat. Once the ceremony was over, she was to return. 

Gabriel was on the roof too but
Thistle, as of yet, had not spoken to him. The only vampire who would not be attending
was Vanessa Darling. She had not left her flat since the execution of her
lover.

The vampires talked about many
things, each vampire reminiscing about their favourite memories or telling
interesting little stories. When it came to Gabriel, he looked a little lost,
stumbling through an account and losing the thread of his thought several
times.  Although this was the perfect opportunity for Thistle to bring him down
a peg or two, she found herself biting back any derogatory comments about his
memory or story telling skills. Much of this was due to Jeremiah’s words
earlier. Although she hated to admit it, some of it was due to a small stab of
sympathy for the vampire. His memories had probably succumbed to time and its
ever cleansing hand, its ability to make some forget. Or maybe his memory was
just crap, some vampires had terrible memories. In fact, Louisa-Marie from flat
23 was only 65 years old and her memory was as good as an ice cube being used
to put out a fire. Louisa-Marie had to write everything down. And Gabriel was
188 years old – thirty years Thistle’s senior – so he had a little bit more of
an excuse. But not much, as Thistle’s memory was absolutely fabulous.

Soon the conversation, inevitably
due to the reason for their gathering, turned to love. Thistle sat back and
allowed the stories to wash over her, happy just to listen.  Soon the spotlight
turned to Gabriel and she saw a flash of something dark in his eyes.  But then
he put down his glass and regaled them with a story of his first and only love,
and although he spoke in an airy, almost flippant way, she couldn’t fail to
detect an underlying thread of melancholy.

It had been in New York that he
stumbled across love. She had been a vampire too, 200 years his senior. He had
been 152 years at the time of their brief romance, back in the 1970s.  Anna had
been her name, a beauty and a powerful social animal. He’d fallen in love
quickly and so deeply, drawn into her world of expensive living. She would
dress in the most stunning outfits, her blonde hair styled to enviable
perfection. She would attend Studio 54 almost every night, dancing amongst
people such as Andy Warhol and Liza Minnelli, taking in the glamour and fun of
it all. They’d met there and every night he would be there with her, in the
presence of legends. They’d dance and make love and sleep all day. Then they’d
do it all again when the night returned.  Everything had seemed so perfect, he
had never been happier.  Then one night he had awoken, ready for the excitement
of the new night. And Anna had gone. There was no note, no nothing. To this day
he had never learned what happened to her.

“But we must go on,” he finished,
smiling at his audience. “Love can be fickle– as I am sure many of us know.” He
looked suddenly uncomfortable with his disclosure.

Thistle felt her heart go out to
him.  Yes, he was a pompous prat, but he didn’t deserve what had happened.

“The moon tonight, though, brings
hope to all our hearts.” Thistle said. She tipped her head to the sky, inviting
others to do the same. The moon and the Goddess were two things vampires loved
to talk about, and just as she had anticipated, the group moved on to praise Diana,
then someone began to play a guitar, there was dancing and laughter, and blood
until Jeremiah joined them.

“We’re ready to go,” Jeremiah said.
“Kevin has the bus waiting. Come along.” He looked at the Harvest Moon and said
his praises too before he and the vampires left the roof and boarded the large
bus. They then set off for Richmond Park.

Anthony and Jared stood at the
shrine for the moon. They looked longingly into each other’s eyes, cocooned in
an aura of love.

The shrine for the moon was an
ornate collection of silver roses and statues of Diana, carved by Jeremiah, on
a large stone table, raised on a stone platform. The vampires were deep into Richmond Park, far away from the eyes of humans, and spied upon only by curious yet wary
deer. The leaves of the trees were a beautiful mix of gold, red and green,
kissed by autumn.

Jeremiah stood at the shrine with
Anthony and Jared. The vampires were all seated facing the shrine.  Phillip and
Cassandra joined the happy couple by the shrine.

Phillip addressed the gathering.
“We have been blessed all of these years. Love touched us so many years ago and
continued to do so for the years that followed.”

Cassandra spoke next. “To be
touched so deeply by love is the greatest blessing Diana can bestow upon us.
And we are forever grateful for what she has done for us. Praise the Goddess.”

“Praise her!” Phillip seconded.

“Praise Diana!” The vampires cried
in unison.

“And so,” Cassandra continued, “it
is an absolute pleasure to stand here today and witness this special union
between two vampires who I can see has been blessed with the same love for one
another as Phillip and I have been.” She kissed Anthony on the cheek and then
Jared. “Your love is a special bond. And under the Harvest Moon you will be
united forever.”

Phillip kissed Jared’s cheek and
then Anthony’s. “May Diana bless you and may the moon guide you through your
bonded lives.”

The vampires applauded and two
young male vampires came to escort the elderly Phillip and Cassandra from the
shrine and to their seats in the front row.

Thistle blinked back her tears.

“And so,” Jeremiah said, his voice
loud and clear, “we begin with a beautiful song to be sung by Sienna, a gift
for Anthony and Jared.”

Thistle had to admit that Sienna
performed the song beautifully. She had expected a lot of wailing and struggling
with the high notes, but there was none of that. Sienna had a lovely voice.

“This song was written by Thistle,”
Sienna said when she had finished and gave Thistle a nod and a tiny smile.

Thistle returned the gesture,
feeling suddenly guilty for thinking all of those horrible things about Sienna.

Anthony and Jared faced each other
once more after Sienna left the shrine and joined hands. Jeremiah took some
silver ribbon from the shrine and wrapped it around the arms of the couple in
slow, even spirals as he spoke. “With this you are bound. The silver ribbon of
Diana is your connection, your connection to one another.” Once he’d finished
with the ribbon, he retrieved two pendants from the shrine of the moon. A
beautifully designed pattern was carved onto the silver oval that hung from a
silver chain. Jeremiah attached one to Anthony and one to Jared as he spoke.
“These are the symbols of love. Wear these and feel the blessings of love and
the moon and the Goddess. Your love is strong and unfading, it shall endure
long after you both fade, like the silver I bestow upon you now.” He took
Anthony’s head in his hands and kissed him on one cheek. “Is Jared your love?
Is he the one who you choose to live and love and fade with in this life and in
many more?”

“Yes, I choose Jared.” Anthony
said.

Jeremiah kissed the other cheek. It
was Jared’s turn. Jeremiah followed the same procedure, kissing one cheek. “Is
Anthony your love? Is he the one who you choose to live and love and fade with
in this life and many more?”

“Yes, I choose Anthony.” Jared
said.

Jeremiah kissed his other cheek and
stood back, facing the crowd. “On this night, under the Harvest Moon and under
the ever loving eyes of Diana, I proclaim these two wed. You may now kiss and
forever be together.”

Anthony and Jared kissed and the
vampires gave them a standing ovation. Cheers and applause filled the night.

“THE MOON DANCE!” Someone cried and
the rest of the congregation picked up the chant.

And so the vampires celebrated the
wedding of Anthony and Jared and the Harvest Moon. The band played. They danced
with ribbons and silver sparklers. Tables were laid out with lavish silver
tablecloths and centre pieces– effigies of Diana surrounded by silver flowers. 
The vampires conversed excitedly. There was singing and games of Limbo and
Catch the Dancing Rays. There was A-Positive Punch and plenty of it. Everyone
was happy. A love was being celebrated. A stunning and full Harvest Moon was
being rejoiced. Diana was praised over and over.  For Anthony and Jared it was
a wedding to remember.

Thistle danced with a male vampire
called Pierre who was visiting from Paris.

Anthony and Jared were dancing
slowly nearby, holding each other in a loving embrace.

“They’re so lovely together,”
Thistle said, wistfully.

“Yes they are,” Pierre agreed, his
eyes resting intently on her face. “Happiness is lovely to see.” His eyes
travelled down to her cleavage and rested there a moment before coming up to
meet her eyes. 

Thistle noticed his gaze, the
obvious intent, and whispered, “Later,” before pulling him closer and leading
him further into the throng of bodies.

The celebrations wound down in the
early hours, the vampires going off to take their customary weeklong holiday
after a moon celebration to do whatever they so wished before returning to
their lives and jobs.

Thistle had decided to wander Richmond Park, take in the beauty, climb trees and be alone with nature before heading off
for her holiday. Pierre had joined her for a while and they had made love.
Thistle always enjoyed having sex with Pierre when he came to visit. He was the
most giving of all her lovers. He knew how to send her deep into the arms of
ecstasy.

When Pierre left, Thistle continued
to wander Richmond Park. She pushed away all other thoughts, all negative
feeling. She enjoyed the moon’s reflection on the calm surface of the lake, the
trees, the breeze and the open stretches. She twirled and sang to Diana and the
Harvest Moon, rejoiced and celebrated her happiness. She sang for Anthony and
Jared who would now be heading out on their honeymoon, danced for their love.
There was rustling in the bushes nearby and she sang about the deer that would
be hiding in there.

“Come out, little deer,” she sang.
“Come out and see the moon with me.” She skipped closer to the bushes.

A figure stepped out. It wasn’t a
deer but a person.

“Oh. Hello.” Thistle looked
bemused, her euphoria dimming slightly “What are you doing out here? I didn’t
expect to see you here.” All euphoria died at the look on the figure’s face.
Something wasn’t right, she took a step back. The figure moved toward her
quickly, an arm raised high. Pain burst through Thistle’s head as something
hard struck her. She felt the hot trickle of blood down the side of her face. A
foul stench on the air and a horrible growl were the last things she sensed
before the moon died and darkness claimed her.

31.

 FRIDAY NIGHT BLUES

As Tina walked home from the bad
date Friday night, her new top covered in curry, she decided there and then
that she would not be dating anyone again for a while. The dating world was a
dangerous world, a sea with way too many fish in it.

Her name, the date that is, was
Juliet and she was so lovely. Everything about her had seemed perfect– the
lustrous red hair, the sparkling blue eyes, the warm personality, the
intelligence. Tina really thought she’d struck gold. And she was doing great
herself, being charming and all the good stuff that her best friend Amanda had
told her to do.

“Listen,” Amanda had said.
“Everyone loves a listener. But don’t be too quiet and let her do all the
talking. Be warm and have a sense of humour – you’ve got a great sense of
humour. Oh, and absolutely no talking about rats.”

“What’s wrong with rats?” Tina had
protested.

“Nothing, but some people have
issues with them.”

“If they can’t love rats then I
can’t love them,” Tina said with an air of disdain for all rat haters.

“That’s exactly why you’re single.”

Mrs Uppity and her wife,
Tina
said to herself. Amanda could be a little snobby towards the world of singles
and dating just because she had found the love of her life, Tracy, and they had
married. What was wrong with wanting to find someone who loved rats too?

Amanda had insisted on taking her
shopping for a new outfit and now that outfit - new top and jeans - was covered
in curry. Chicken Korma stains down the blue fabric of the top and some specks
on the dark blue jeans. Her feet hurt in the too-high heels she had worn and so
did her head. Juliet had been horrified at Tina’s shocking inability to connect
the food to her mouth without it going anywhere else. Not only that, but Tina
had indeed started talking about rats and how great it would be if one ran up
her leg right now. Well, Juliet had brought up the subject of pets – her choice
being the vermin that are cats – and Tina, unable to help herself, had openly
declared her love for the pear-shaped bundles of joy with substantial tails.

The date had ended earlier than
planned. So Tina walked home under the big bright moon, taking a shortcut through
an empty park, and contemplated being a nun or taking a vow of celibacy or
something. Her rats didn’t make her feel like this! She should have seen it
coming. What good was being a clairvoyant if you couldn’t see such things? Not
that she understood her gift. Lately she’d kept having visions of a strange
place, a cold and dark place that scared the crap out of her.

Her phone vibrated in her pocket. 

Something wrapped itself around her
legs and pulled her to the ground, the grass cold on her face. Before she could
cry out for help or just scream in general, something slithered into her mouth
to muffle any sound she could make. The cold, slimy and scaly thing was
secreting thick ooze that forced its way down her throat. She was on the brink
of vomiting but held back. There was nowhere for it to go. The smell of rotting
fish overwhelmed her, only increased the turning of her stomach and the desire
to spew up. And then she was carried away into the night, slowly drifting into
unconsciousness as the ooze continued to fill her stomach.

Tina hadn’t noticed that her phone
had fallen out of her pocket. It was the least of her concerns. This was a
great shame. For there was a new text message on it that would have made her
happy when she’d read it.

HI TINA. SORRY I ACTED THE WAY I
DID. IT’S JUST THAT I’VE NEVER MET ANYONE LIKE YOU. OKAY, SO THE MESSY EATING
THING WAS A LITTLE SHOCKING. BUT WHO CARES? AND RATS…OKAY, MAYBE I COULD LEARN
TO LOVE THEM. LOL. I’M SORRY I ENDED IT EARLY AND ACTED LIKE A SNOB. I’M NOT
EVEN HOME YET BECAUSE I WANT TO CARRY ON. I CANT GET YOU OUT OF MY HEAD! I’M
ACTUALLY HANGING AROUND AT A BUS STOP BECAUSE I DON’T WANT TO GO HOME! SORRY
FOR THE LONG TEXT. I’M TOO NERVOUS TO CALL. LOL! WHAT ARE YOU DOING NOW? DO YOU
WANT TO MEET UP AND START AGAIN? XXX JULIET XXX