Dracula: Hearts of Fire (Dracula Heart's) (54 page)

    The sky was filled with big puffy white clouds and she could see a bald eagle circling up there.
There was also a streak of white from a high flying jet.
It reminded her how she hadn’t yet figured out how to transform into a bat, a
nd apparently with every other vampire
it was second nature.
Most sites on the Internet didn’t even mention the possibility
that some vampires couldn’t be bats.
She continued to be enamoured by the garden’s scent
as she remembered swimming
with her husband
at the beach and how they had had so much fun all those years ago
.
Annie would
n’t
trade those memories for a fortune.

    Alistair entered the garden where Annie was sitting. It made him sad to see her just staring off like that.
He wasn’t sure if she was a trouble
d
soul or just a confused one.
Her moods were up and down, and he hoped that it wasn’t an adverse effect of having been turned into a vampire. Being a vampire was an extremely complicated
chemical soup combination stirred by a supernatural spoon.
“What do you want to do today Annie?”

    “If you ask me that on
e more time I’m going to … oh forgive my moods Alastair. It’s going to take me awhile to get used to being like this.
”

    He
sat down beside her on the ornate
iron bench. “You’ll get used to it Annie, you’ll see
. But unfortunately it does take
time
.”

    “Alistair, how old are you?”

    “
So many years have gone by that I don’t actually remember.
Let me put
it this way. I met Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci in 1485. I believe he was in his thirties.
You know, Dracula is looking for more red sheriffs, perhaps you should apply.
”

    Annie turned and stared at Alistair for a long time, and that worried him. It had only been said in jest but he didn’t like the look on that beautiful face. He was sorry that he had said it but he couldn’t take it back.
The job of a red sheriff was fraught with danger. He desperately hoped that she wasn’t going to say what he thought
she might. The conversation
turned to the beauty of his garden, how the small path led
from one group of spectacular flowers to
another.
They got up and walked around.
Annie
stopped and stared at the yellow spotted Canna flowers
so delicate and full of life
.
Then t
here were thousands of Black Eyed Susan’s in the shape of a bat, and she imagined that it hadn’t been easy to accomplish t
hat. Around the next corner was
a beautifully carved wooden bench that was surrounded by pretty
Begonia’s, with their yellow’s, red’s an
d pinks. A small path led to another
bench
and they sat there for a time
.

    “Do you suppose that flowers have different personalities? I mean two daffodils in a garden, do you suppose that one is different than the other.”

   “
That’s something that I’ve never considered but I suppose so.
Here, I have a gift for you.” Alistair reached into his right shirt pocket and took out two inch high brown pouches. He emptied the contents of both into his right hand. In one pouch there had been black crystals sprinkled with red, and in the other bright yellow crystals. He rubbed his hands together so that the contents would mesh
in a magical fusion
, and then sparkles of red light turned into a beautiful red rose.

    Annie took the rose and smelled it. “How on earth did you do that?”

    “
Ah, the complexities of magic; I do not pretend to understand any of it.”
He watched as she stared admiringly at the rose. “That’s no ordinary rose Annie. You don’t ever need to put it in
water AND it will endure for exactly seven hundred years, then it will simply vanish with sparkles of red light
, or so I’ve been told
.
”

    She gazed at the flower and loved it. “Alistair, I have no idea how long were going to be together here but I can tell you one thing, you’re never getting this back.”

    “I can assure you I shall never take it from you. It’s a gift.”

    Annie turned his face with
her hand and gave him a
tender kiss. “There, that’s payment for the flower.”

    “Oh, I think not. Such a special flower must certa
inly cost at least two of those, maybe even a dozen or more. It was an expensive spell I kid you not.
” They kissed again, this time even longer than the first
. “I think that’s a bit too much, here I’ll give you your change.” And this time he initiated the kiss.

    “What you said about me being a red sheriff. I know that you were only joki
ng Alistair but it does have some appeal
. Dracula probably wouldn’t consider me but he might. Believe it or not he
really
was the one that turned me.”

    “That’s very dangerous business Annie. You might not live much longer should you actually go that route.
You lack the experience of a battle tested fighter. That’s all a red sheriff does is fight and fight and fight.
”

    “I’ve already lived a long life.”

    “Not
thinking about me. I don’t want to have to mourn your passing.”

    Annie smiled at him and of course she knew what he was doing. “I can’t live for you Alistair; I have to live for myself. Anyway, it’s just a thought.” A White Admiral butterfly touched down on the rose briefly and then flew off.

   “Oh yes, that’s another thing about that rose Annie.
What makes it most special is that a
butterfly will touch down on it every single day, winter or summer, part of its magic you see. Even if
it’s
indoors
the butterfly will appear and seek it out
.
You could lock it in a safe and the enchanted butterfly will find it.
”

CHAPTER SIXTY

   
MICHAEL AND LAUREN
WERE IN HER NEW YORK CITY LOFT
enjoying Lauren’s time off.
She had the occasional nightmare from being trapped in the coffin but was recovering nicely.
Michael was
beside her on the sofa
flicking channels but they were smooching more than anything.
They weren’t yet used to living together but they fit together better than most. The vampires already had traits
of an old married couple.
They had been talking about Michael becoming a red sheri
ff and he was quite excited
.
He was definitely looking forward to meeting the Master, although he was nervous about it. Michael was having dreams about the encounter and not always pleasant. In one dream Dracula bit him on the forehead and he remembered the blood running down his face
, fortunately it had only been a dream
.

   
A crack of thunder and a splash of lightening lit up the living room and the heavy rain commenced to attack the windows.
Lauren snuggled in closer
and he smelled the side of her face. She shook her head at his channel flicking as he couldn’t decide on anything; just as she got in
terested in something he
would
change the channel, but she was so happy to be back with him she didn’t care.

    “Lauren, come on, tell me what the ceremony
is
going to be like so I know what to expect.
I want every detail painted, every shadow defined.
”

   “Nope. All I’m going to say is that it’s quite amazing. Lots of ancient vampires will be there to watch. And the atmosphere is grand. I’ve said too much.”

    “You haven’t said anything
. Come on!
Details make life infinitely better.
”

    “I’ve said just the right amount.” Lauren batted her eyes
at him and then they kissed.

    “You, my fair lady. Ah?” Michael reached over and took the calculator off the coffee table from under Lauren’s swords; he pressed the buttons rapidly as he was pretending to calculate. “
You have said 90%
too les
s. Wait does that make sense?
You’
ve said 90%
less than you should have. Yes that’s it.
Come on, don’t be mean. I’m a little nervous about it.
I’ll feel better if I know what to expect.
”

    Lauren took the calculator and did her own tabulating. “No, see here 27.7 % too much.
Just be prepared to be attacked by dozens of vampires all at once.
”
She giggled.

    Michael thought it might be factual, like some sort of gang initiation
. “What! That’s not true is it?”

    “I’m just teasing Michael. Relax. What are you an old woman?”

    “I’d be lucky to have the nerve of an old woman. Nothing scares those creatures, except maybe an old man.”