Magic Resistant (21 page)

A hard expression crept in belying the sweet
naivety most people took at face value.

“Why didn’t you kill him? You were well
within your rights to do so. The Coterie wouldn’t have interfered.”
Julia had always wondered about that incident.

It seemed out of character as Dawn usually
showed no hesitation in eliminating enemies and threats. Treaties
between the different races stated any hostile or murderous intent
could be met with equal force. Numerous wars had occurred with the
sole purpose of genocide before the Treaties went into effect.
That’s not to say everything’s been smooth sailing since, but it
did allow proper protection if a vampire found him or herself
jumped by several humans wanting to cut off said vampire’s
head.

“It wasn’t his fault. He believed the lies
and propaganda spouted about us vampires. He actually had crosses
and holy water! Bram Stoker has a lot to answer for with his silly
book.” She shook her head at the gullibility of her would-be
assassin. A soft smile showed she remember him with great
fondness.

What Dawn didn’t realize, as well as the rest
of the general population, was the Coterie had fed Stoker the
misinformation. They didn’t want the hysterical masses with a
handbook on how to kill one of the races.

“I explained to him I didn’t hurt people.
Those who donate blood to me do it willingly. It’s not even
addictive although not according to the fanatical humans. Sure, it
feels good when it’s happening, but there’s no narcotic in our
saliva. The cult he’d fallen into brainwashed him, made him think
we were villainous monsters, out to destroy humanity. Which is
pretty stupid. Do humans destroy their entire food supply?”

Dawn paused, waved a hand to dismiss her
previous words. “Oh wait, that’s not a good analogy. Humans haven’t
been the most conscientious towards their food supply. However, we
vampires know it’d be hard to survive without humans and so we help
to protect them. Werewolf and mage blood just doesn’t taste good to
us.”

Grabbing Julia’s hand, she tugged her upwards
and continued, “Enough of this depressing topic. I want to dress
you up, make you smoking hot.”

She led them to her private quarters where
she allowed no one, not even a lover. Julia was the sole exception.
Why, she had no clue. This was Dawn’s inner sanctum and it
showed.

She loved stepping into this room. Massive
skylights covered almost the entire roof with steel shutters in
place. The view, when opened, was impressive. The majestic murals
covering them were all fantasy based. Unicorns cantered in a golden
meadow, a sphinx barely visible in the nearby forest, and a Pegasus
winged through the sky. Every time she contemplated the stunning
mural, she found something new. This time, it was a tiny phoenix
hidden in a forgotten campfire near the shimmering lake.

Dawn kept adding to the painting. Each time,
she swore nothing else could make it more breathtaking. She was
always wrong.

Forcing her gaze away from the ceiling, she
surveyed the room. It never failed to shock her as to how neat and
tidy this room was. Forbidding Sarah's access meant Dawn did all
the housekeeping herself.

She was not, in general, a tidy person.

The bookshelf to the left contained all of
her favourite books within easy reach, many of them duplicates from
the library downstairs. Several shelves lined the walls with
different keepsakes from her long life. Julia had heard the story
behind each one many times and never tired of listening. It
fascinated her that Dawn had such a high level of attachment to
certain periods when she seemed unwilling to form any deep bonds
with her “pets”.

In the center of the room, a huge sleigh bed
with deep purple Egyptian cotton sheets beckoned. A nightstand next
to it had an open book, waiting for Dawn’s attention again.
Following Dawn over to the bed, excitement bubbled in Julia.

The plain white box begged her to open it,
uncover the dress waiting for her. Reaching out to touch it, she
snatched her hand back, not wanting to ruin the moment. Her mind
painted an image of her sexy and desirable, proud and
confident.

“Are you sure you can make me sexy? You don’t
have much to work with.” Nerves knotted her stomach as she began to
doubt her ability to pull this off. Did she honestly think she
could do this? Was she being delusional?

Dawn gave an elegant snort and gracefully
tossed her thick black hair over her shoulder. “You have a
wonderful bone structure, a gorgeous body and beautiful hair. We
just need to entice that beauty out. If you didn’t try to hide it
under a boring hairstyle, lackluster clothes and no makeup, you'd
go from cute to sexy. Which I'll prove to you with my skills and
talent.”

Dawn dragged her over to the ensuite bigger
than most living rooms. All her hair styling tools laid in neat
rows on the counter along with more makeup than Julia had seen in
her entire life. She gave a low whistle of appreciation.

“Wow, you’re taking this seriously, aren’t
you? Okay, so what are we starting on first?”

The next several hours flew by while Dawn
dyed and curled hair, plucked and shaped eyebrows, applied makeup,
and gave Julia a manicure and pedicure. She had never felt so
pampered. One thing marred the experience, total and utter lockdown
of the mirror. Dawn refused any peeking and had all the mirrors
covered. Dying to sneak a quick look, she refrained from spoiling
the surprise and kept her impatient sighing to a minimum.

Finally, it was time to try on the dress.
Quite giddy at this point, she hoped she wouldn’t trip or otherwise
embarrass herself while putting on the dress. Clad in a strapless
black bra with matching panties, thigh high silk stockings and
garter belt, she waited while Dawn removed the dress from the box.
They both ooh’ed and ahh’ed over it.

Julia slipped into the dress and waited as
Dawn zipped it up. It fit beautifully, molding to her upper body.
It stopped above her knees in the front then cascaded down to her
ankles in the back. Layer upon layer of gauzy material formed the
skirt, seductive and sexy.

She caught the open-mouthed shock on Dawn’s
face and laughed. “Am I really that different? Wait, that isn’t a
‘holy shit, what I have I done, you look terrible’ look, is
it?”

Her immortal friend at a loss for words was
rare and her own confidence slowly eroded the longer she stayed
silent.

Still without saying anything, Dawn walked
over to a covered mirror and removed the sheet. Julia stared. No
way in hell was that pretty woman her. Subtle makeup made her eyes
appear larger and brought out the gold flecks within the brown of
her irises. Full, pouty red lips curved into a smile as she brought
a hand up to touch her wavy, sun-kissed brown hair. Dawn had added
red and gold highlights which shone in the light. Even though she
had been able to see her fingernails, the dark, almost black,
purple nail polish appeared different to her eyes now that she saw
the entire finished product. Throw in the stunning black dress and
Julia was unrecognizable.

“Oh my goodness, Dawn. You’re a miracle
worker. I didn’t believe this was possible. Okay, you need to take
a picture of me because I’ll never look this good again.” She gave
her friend an overjoyed grin and waited while Dawn grabbed her
camera. After a few poses, which got sillier after the first few,
they noticed the time.

“You better get ready. We have to leave in
less than an hour. I’m going to sit here and admire myself in the
mirror.” Julia spoke the truth as she twirled in front of the
mirror to watch the skirt flare out.

“Did you want to talk about why I’m here?”
She asked Dawn. They had spent the time catching up and bypassed
the reason why she’d disappeared.

A slight shake of her head as Dawn replied “I
already know why you’re here. You wanted to give me the full dish
on that sexy new boyfriend of yours. What a hottie. Blake’s his
name, right?”

A raised eyebrow from her had Julia agreeing.
Interesting. Dawn thought it wasn’t safe to discuss this and didn’t
want to mention Jackson by name. As she thought over their
conversation since she had shown up, she realized not once did
either of them say his name. Was Dawn’s bedroom bugged? It made no
sense. She seemed sweet and nice, but underneath that veneer was a
frightening vampire, one who wouldn’t stand for a violation of her
home. What in the nine hells was going on?

Making sure to show lovesick happiness, she
rambled on about Jackson while referring to him as Blake. Some of
it was pure nonsense. As she suspected, Dawn hardly paid attention
while she got ready. Dawn finished in depressingly less time than
it took to make Julia presentable. She was even more stunning than
usual in a strapless red dress. The colour highlighted her rich
brown skin and her thick black hair pinned up with several tendrils
framing her face. Thankfully, the euphoria of feeling gorgeous
herself hadn’t worn off. There wasn’t a hint of envy in sight, not
even the ones she ignored as petty and useless.

“Well, shall we?” Dawn asked as she offered
her arm to Julia. Smiling, she took it and started towards the
door. Instead Dawn lead her into the bathroom. Eyes narrowed in
confusion. Then again, several things about this night hadn’t added
up, so what was one more? Holding her tongue, she followed.

And almost wrecked her mini-vow of silence
when Dawn swung open the full length mirror hanging on the wall.
How did she not know about this? A secret passage? How cool! She
always wanted to explore a secret passage. When she tried to close
the “door” herself, she realized why it stayed a secret.

Only a vampire could move it, or a mage with
a powerful strength spell. The back of the mirror was slate and sat
on industrial hinges, both to keep the hinges from snapping and to
cut down on any possible noise.

They walked down the hidden staircase free of
dust and cobweb. For a brief, insane moment she wondered if Sarah
cleaned back here. Nearly laughing at that image, she held on to
her amusement, ignoring the urge to freak out. Her guide to this
crazy night maintained her silent, so she took it as a sign to do
the same.

The stairs ended at the entrance of a tunnel
with a dirt floor. The tunnel itself appeared sturdy with concrete
supports. She looked over to Dawn and raised a questioning
eyebrow.

Dawn took the hint and replied “Yes, we can
speak now. No one, except you now, knows about this. I had it made
when I first bought the house. All the workers had their memories
wiped once they completed this. No sense in killing such skilled
men.”

“What in the nine hells is going on? Why do
you think your place is bugged?”

“I can’t tell you. I don’t want you involved
in this at all. This is my battle and I will be the victor.” A
snarl transformed Dawn’s sweet face, showing her vampire side. Her
canines had elongated and for a second, fear skittered along
Julia's spine. The watchful, instinctual part of her brain demanded
she stay still. Don't give the predator an excuse to chase.

Dawn outlived many of her compatriots for a
reason.

“Oh pet, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to scare
you.” And just like that, her sweet Dawn was back. “But I meant
what I said. This has nothing to do with you and you will not
involve yourself in this. I’m not sure what’s going on yet, just
that I’m a target. This time, I’m not running. They will soon learn
I’m a better hunter than prey.

“What I want to speak to you about is why you
disappeared. What’s going on with you? How can I help?”

They stayed at the entrance to the tunnel as
Julia filled her in, explaining how Jackson saved her life by
pulling her into Fay and someone framed him for the demon
summoning, but they lacked concrete proof. By the time she poured
out the story, mental exhaustion nagged at her. So much to deal
with.

Dawn kept quiet until the end. “Involve the
Coterie, or at least someone you trust. Both of you can’t do this
alone. You need help. I’ll do what I can, see what information I
can gather for you. Just remember, you’re not allowed getting hurt.
I wasn’t kidding when I said you’re my favourite pet. I
will
destroy any who hurt you.”

Her words carried the weight of Dawn’s
considerable years and her lack of human conscience.

“I’m getting Markus involved. I trust him and
he’ll help once I tell him everything thing. At least I think he’ll
help.” She honestly wasn’t too sure if he would assist them.
Perhaps their years together would sway him.

She sighed and pushed the self-defeating
thoughts from her mind. No sense in worry about possibilities.

A glance at her watch confirmed her
suspicions. Time for them to catch their taxi. In silence, she
followed Dawn through the tunnel, their heels clicking on the
cement floor, echoing in the dimness. Bare bulbs hung from the
ceiling, swaying from the air they stirred. Shadows grew and shrank
around them, lending a creepy vibe to the exposed dirt.

A relieved exhale escaped Julia as they
reached the end. Stairs led them upwards, the light stationary.
Dawn pushed against the ceiling, revealing the way out. Once they
both stood next to the gaping hole, Dawn lowered the huge slab of
slate into place.

Hidden within the garden shed floor, the
trapdoor lay flush with the fake wooden floorboards. Finding this
again would be almost impossible. No handholds or rings betrayed
its existence.

Dawn gave her a dazzling smile, looped their
arms together and said “Let’s go take the art world by storm. Or,
you know, look sexy and mysterious for a few hours.”

Chapter
Eighteen

THE ART GALLERY of
Ontario was lit up, the glass walls giving a sneak peek to some of
the art on display. As one of the most prestigious galleries in
Canada, being featured here was a huge feather in Dawn’s cap. A few
other artists were also on display for this large opening, however,
Dawn was the main event.