Vampire's Key
Chapter Five
Compared to Captain Carl Smith, Adrian had a vastly different memory of the events of the previous night. According to Smith’s report, he’d single-handedly fought and killed a number of vampires while defending his girlfriend Lilly Armitage. Then, coming to the aid of Adrian before they’d been surrounded, he had been overpowered and bitten by the Matriarch.
“Is this as you remember it, Lieutenant Frazer?” Lady Mortimer asked. There was an innate self-assurance to her softly spoken words, a confidence that came from an upper-class English background. It was the first time Adrian had met an aristocratic English lady. Dressed in a tweed suit, with her auburn hair bound tightly in a bun, she seemed more appropriately dressed for a goose hunt than a Lazarean debrief, but she was certainly attractive. “Well?” she asked.
Adrian looked at her across the table. Sunlight intruded through the leaded window behind her, framing her with a subtle warmth that enhanced her natural beauty. “Well?” she repeated.
“More or less,” he replied, adjusting his dressing gown. Despite his injuries, he’d been ordered to attend the debrief.
“Is it more or is it less, Lieutenant Frazer?” Lady Mortimer repeated.
Adrian shrugged.
“Tell me, Lieutenant Frazer,” she said, scanning the notes in front of her. “How is it that Captain Smith was doing so well, and seemed to single-handedly wipe out so many vampires, that it was not until he fought alongside you that he was finally overwhelmed? Surely two highly-trained Stakes, men with such positive track records — until recently, in your case, Lieutenant Frazer — could wipe out a few vampires, couldn’t they?”
Adrian’s neck throbbed and he brushed his fingers over the thick bandage in an effort to subdue the echo of the vampire’s power. “I can’t rightly say, ma’am.”
“You can’t rightly say? Would you, perhaps, say that Captain Smith is in fact exaggerating?”
Carl coughed and sat upright. “If you hadn’t noticed, Lady Mortimer, we were nearly killed. There were god knows how many vampires in that car park and I had to protect my girlfriend. *And,*they had a Matriarch.”
“Yes, surprising that you survived at all. As for your girlfriend—” Lady Mortimer leafed through her papers to find her name, “Lilly Armitage — where exactly was she during all of this?”
“I was too busy fighting vampires to pay attention,” Carl said evenly.
Lady Mortimer thumbed her bottom lip. “Too busy to pay attention to your girlfriend when you were being attacked? Was she bitten?”
“No.”
“Are you sure?”
“She’d be here if she had,” Carl replied.
“And yet she’s not.”
“That’s because she wasn’t bitten. I know that for a fact.”
“For a fact?”
Carl nodded and scratched at the intravenous drip that was stuck in his left arm.
“You’ve seen the CCTV,” Carl retorted. “You tell me. You should know.”
“The CCTV revealed nothing,” Lady Mortimer replied.
“I thought as much,” Adrian said, sipping some water.
“Meaning?” Lady Mortimer asked.
“Dark clouds, Ma’am,” Adrian replied. “They had the dark cloud.”
“Yes, the dark cloud,” Lady Mortimer repeated. “The CCTV images were black throughout.”
“Which proves they had a Matriarch,” Carl added.
“Some Clan Mothers also possess that power,” Lady Mortimer replied. “What concerns me is the fact that your girlfriend may have been bitten and yet she isn’t here.”
“That’s nothing to do with me,” Carl retorted. “I wasn’t in the team that brought us back.”
Lady Mortimer returned to her papers, flicking through the pages until she located the extraction document. She scanned the text, slowing when she read the note concerning Lilly Armitage:
*Subject in shock, but no evidence of a bite. Suggest brought in for tests.*
The last sentence had been struck through in pen. The same colour pen Lord Alexander had used to sign the bottom of the page. “You—”
Lady Mortimer’s words were lost as the door burst open and the giant figure of Lord Alexander strolled in. His booming voice accompanied his usual explosive entrance. “So, Nell is back,” he said. “Nell is back and she fed on both of you.” The large man came to a halt behind Lady Mortimer, his hands resting on the back of her chair. He peered over her shoulder, casting his eyes over the open folder before her.
Lady Mortimer leaned to the side. “We were just discussing why Lilly Armitage hadn’t been brought with Smith and Frazer.”
“Yes, that was my decision,” Lord Alexander replied in his bellowing voice.
“I see,” Lady Mortimer muttered.
“She wasn’t bitten and it’s better that she knows as little as possible about our operations. That makes it easier for our whizz-kids to do their job properly. Isn’t that right Smithy?”
“Certainly is, sir.” Carl grinned and shot Lady Mortimer a conceited look. She raised her eyes, ignoring the arrogant Stake.
“Well,” Lord Alexander continued, “we now know for certain that a Matriarch has returned. And if one has reappeared after all these years, we can be certain that there will be others. Tell me Frazer, have you seen Sunita?”
“Sunita? No, sir,” Adrian replied.
“Hmm,” the lord shook his head and stood upright. His full height towered over Lady Mortimer, making her appear far smaller than she actually was. “If Nell is around then Sunita will make an appearance, I’m certain she will,” Lord Alexander stated as he walked around the square of tables, stopping between the two Stakes.
“What are they up to, sir?” Adrian asked.
“That, we have to find out,” he vowed. “Don’t we, Izzy?”
Lady Mortimer cleared her throat, took a deep breath and said, “One of our undercover agents is due to make contact again soon.”
“If this is what I think it is,” Lord Alexander continued, “and our agents can shed more light on what Nell is up to, then we are in for a very sticky situation, gentlemen. We cannot afford for them to open the gate.”
“The Stakes need to rest and recuperate. The doctor recommended at least a month,” Lady Mortimer reported.
“Well I’m sorry, gents, but as things stand we may not have a month,” Lord Alexander advised, wandering over to a side window and peering out. Far below, on the shores of the Cornish island, a large wave beached itself against the thick sea wall. “Our teams aren’t due back from Scotland for at least another week.”
“Sir,” Lady Mortimer added. “There is also the issue of America.”
“Oh, yes,” Lord Alexander looked over at Adrian and shook his head. “Well, Frazer, I’m afraid that is another matter altogether.”
Adrian nodded and was about to speak when Lady Mortimer said, “As mentioned earlier, we also believe that Captain Smith’s partner was exposed at length.”
“What? That’s bullshit!” Carl snarled. “You said you couldn’t see anything.”
“You were fighting vampires,” Lady Mortimer countered, “and she was alone. Despite the medics checking on site, I believe she should be brought in, just to be on the safe side.”
“She was checked!” Carl protested. “She was fine. I saw her. She wasn’t bitten or attacked. She was fine.”
“We should have brought her in,” Lady Mortimer asserted, glancing at Lord Alexander. His round, chubby face remained blank. His eyes were vacant as though he had disengaged from the conversation.
“I just told you,” Carl leered, half-standing. “She was fine.”
“You don’t know that,” Lady Mortimer protested. “You don’t—”
“Well, perhaps we can double check,” Lord Alexander suggested and smiled. “Just to be sure. We’ll send a team to pick her up. Have her checked at the medical unit. If all is well, she can be taken back immediately.”
“Sir,” Carl said. “If we have to, I request permission to go. I’m well enough, sir. And she may be frightened.” His voice softened. “I haven’t had a chance to talk to her yet. Please, so I know she’ll be alright.”
“You need to rest,” Lady Mortimer advised.
“I’m fine. If my girlfriend is brought in, I would like to volunteer to get her, sir,” Carl said, choosing his words carefully. “Armed men turning up will terrify her. I told her to stay at home. Sir, she is waiting to hear from me. Please, let me go. I can rest on the way.”
“Well, considering all things,” Lord Alexander said, aware that Lady Mortimer was expecting him to come down on her side. “I think perhaps Smith should go—”
“But—” Lady Mortimer began.
“Just to ensure things go smoothly,” Lord Alexander asserted. “Just make sure you *do*rest on the way, Smithy. We’ll organise a helicopter to take you there as soon as we can.”
“Thank you, sir,” Carl beamed. He glanced triumphantly at Lady Mortimer who took a deep breath and clasped her hands together.
“As for you, Lieutenant Frazer,” Lord Alexander said. “Rest up. You still have to explain exactly what happened in America.”
Adrian’s heart felt like it skipped a beat. The image of Gabriela popped into his head. He pushed the Latina beauty back down into his unconscious. “Yes sir,” he replied.
-
Lilly awoke the next day to a text from Carl.
*‘Sweetheart,’ it began. ‘You were very brave last night. I’m so proud of you. I’m sorry I’m not there. I’m okay. I got taken to a special hospital. The police say there’s a new drug on the street. It’s like PCP, but worse. It turns normal druggies insane. People that have taken it emit a chemical through their sweat. Apparently, that’s what we were exposed to. It affects your mind. It’s like touching napalm. No wonder we all saw and said some crazy things! The effects leave quite quickly though you may feel sick. I asked if they needed to check you, but they said they’d already tested you at the car park and you were clear.*
*I’m gonna do all I can to help the police get these bitches. Don’t go out. If you see any of them, message me straight away.*
*I’ll be back as soon as I can. Remember France? Let’s have a weekend like that one again! Love you and your cute ass! :D*
*Carl*
*Xxx’*
Lilly smiled. *France,* she thought. *What a holiday that had been!*Her smile quickly evaporated as she remembered the preceding events that had led to Carl’s impromptu long-weekend away.
He’d returned home one night so scared that she thought he must have gone mad. She’d never seen him so terrified. The words of the dark-haired woman popped into her mind, “...we’ve been hunting your partner.”
*No,* she thought, *Carl had said they were delusional.*
His image returned. He’d looked awful. He’d been badly beaten. The skin of both cheeks had been grazed, exposing the fresh red of flesh beneath. His bloody suit was torn, revealing a red stained shirt. Lilly was so scared he’d been stabbed that she’d practically ripped his jacket from him. When he cried out in pain, she apologised, slowed down and helped him out of his ruined clothes.
“I was mugged,” he’d said. “A gang of youths jumped me. They took my wallet.”
“Oh my god!” She gasped, tears forming. “Are you hurt?”
Carl shook his head in disbelief. “Of course I’m fucking hurt!”
“Let’s get you an ambulance.”
“No!"
“Carl! Look at you!" Lilly exclaimed, wiping the tears from her eyes.
“I said no!”
Lilly unbuttoned his shirt in silence, helping ease his arms out of the sleeves. He grunted, grimacing with each movement.
“You don’t look cut,” she said as she wiped the blood away with a towel. “Let’s get you into the bath.”
Like a tired old man, Carl hobbled up the stairs to the bathroom where Lilly rinsed him clean, gradually exposing the severity of his injuries. His back was badly bruised with large patches of pink and red across his rib cage. Tiny cuts criss-crossed his hands and fingers as though someone had scribbled over them with a knife. The sight of his injuries had made her cry again. And that had made him cry and Carl never cried. Never! He’d sat there, head in hands, knees pulled up beneath him, his body trembling as Lilly delicately washed him. She’d dried him as gently as possible, wanting to hug him but scared of hurting him some more. Instead, she treated his injuries, pleased to have finally put the first year of her unfinished nursing degree to good use, then helped him to bed. He’d slept for 12 hours straight after that. When he awoke, he apologised, saying how bad he’d felt that she’d had to deal with him like that.
“You have to call the police,” she replied.
“No. Don’t talk about it again,” he admonished. “Please. It’s embarrassing. And don’t ask me about it.”
“I just want to help.”
“Let’s just forget it.”
And so she hadn’t mentioned it again. A week later, when he was back at work, she received the largest bouquet of flowers she’d ever seen. The tightly layered blooms of pink and red-petalled roses were interspersed with the closed heads of beautiful white tulips that popped up above their flowery counterparts like swans amidst the reeds. They had lasted a long time too, their sweet scents perfuming the house with an infusion of loving devotion that left her with a spring in her step and a warmth to her heart.
A week later, he surprised her with the most romantic weekend away she’d ever had. He’d sent her a message on Thursday morning, telling her to pack a bag with warm clothing. Despite her excitement, he’d refused to tell her where they were going until they booked in for the flight to Nice.
Their final destination was an idyllic cottage in the French Alps amidst the snow capped peaks of the Chamonix mountain range.
Set away from the main resort, the cabin was a perfect romantic getaway.
They’d made love so many times that she’d lost count. He had taken her to such ecstatic heights amidst those windswept crests where clouds paused like birds resting on their nests. And while the setting sun caressed the frozen ground in orange and pink light as it faded from the world, they had made love with slow, tender passion as though only their union would guarantee its return. He had turned her into a sky goddess, a queen of sex, an initiate of tantra.
Even when they returned home their delicious intimacy continued with prolonged love-making sessions on sleepy Sunday afternoons and wild passionate quickies before and after work. Interspersed with trips to buy her new outfits, jewellery and shoes, Lilly had found a world of bliss where she was cared for and loved by the most thoughtful, selfless man she could have hoped to meet.
The comfort of Summer slipped into the coolness of Autumn. Trees shed their leaves, coating the ground in orange and yellow that gradually paled to brown. As the weather drew colder, so did Carl. Lilly hadn’t noticed at first, or she hadn’t wanted to. Denial, disbelief, deception became protective companions for her. She would argue his position, supporting his reasons for being angry at her, or making her feel bad about herself. At first she thought he was joking, then self-doubt set in. *Am I really fat,* she wondered? A*m I really getting old? Do I look ugly in my favourite dress? Do I really look slutty? Should I cover up more when we go out?*
It had only taken a look from a stranger to unravel the romance and unleash the monster that Lilly had yet to meet.
Lilly had been flattered, but she wasn’t interested in the stranger. She was Carl’s and he was hers.
Carl hadn’t reacted immediately. He’d waited until they were home before he charged her with accusations of betrayal and adultery. Lust and infatuation were the watch words of the second round of insinuation as Carl turned from a jovial and caring boyfriend to judge, jury and executioner. He didn’t hear her answers. Nor listen to her rational explanations.
“You’re being silly,” she said. “I love you. Why are you doing this?” Her innocent question ignited his anger. His temper flared and he exploded.
Vampire’s Key
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