Bogdan
Reggie kicks his muddied boots onto Maggie's coffee table. The movement snags the table runner, and one of her intricate, homemade baubles tumbles to the floor. I catch it just before it shatters, gently securing it against my palm. Maggie loosens a breath when I hand the ornament back to her.
"Thank you," she sighs softly. "This is a family heirloom, you know. Passed down generation after generation. It's one of the only things I packed for sentimental value when the vampires attacked our town."
She opens her palm to show me. It's a purple trinket, delicately painted with flecks of silver and gold. She tilts it from side to side, and the colors transform. Names shimmer beneath the surface of purple glass, only visible when the light hits it just right.
"My mom had it made for us," she explains. "It has the names of each member of my family. Me, my two brothers, my mom, and my dad. At the time we teased her for it. Why get such a thing made? We all knew our names."
Her shoulders sag as she stares at the small token from a world long forgotten.
"Now I wonder if, on some level, she knew how important it would be to us," she whispers. "Well, to me. It's the only thing I have to remind me it was real. That they were real."
Pain radiates from her. It's potent and deep-rooted. There aren't many humans I have come across who feel emotions this deeply. It reminds me of my human, and the similarity sits like lead in the pit of my stomach.
"Given our current company," I murmur, glancing back at the very human motorcyclist, "I recommend moving delicate items such as these out of reach. Humans can be quite clumsy."
Kelly moves beside her, unaware of the somber mood, and scowls. "Not all humans, Bog-man. This human has enough grace to put your immortal ass to shame."
He sticks his chest out in triumph, and gently bumps his shoulder against Maggie's to urge her support. She hastily wipes away the newly formed tears from her eyes and offers him a weak smile. Kelly frowns and glances between us. He eyes the purple token held in Maggie's palm, but there is no recognition.
"Pretty ornament," he notes.
And he says I am of the insensitive species.
Maggie winces but thanks him all the same. If not for my human, I would not understand that a moment such as this calls for intervention.
"Has there been any additional news?" I ask
It is enough to interrupt our conversation while simultaneously pulling Reggie's attention to us.
After informing us of the 'problem' The Force was experiencing in capturing Finn, we agreed to move the rendezvous location to Maggie's cabin. Admittedly, the idea of coming so close to saving Finn and possibly losing him did not settle well. However, there was something akin to pride listening to the details of how he singlehandedly brought down a pack of vampires.
I do not know Finn the vampire. Over the years I have wondered many times what he is like. How much humanity is left intact? Because of his Nirv blood as a human, I have also wondered how that might play a role in his powers as an immortal.
Reggie scratches at his uneven beard. "Haven't heard anything. Just that they had it under control and when they got him, they'd bring him here."
Kelly huffs beside me. "I still don't think it's a good idea adding The Force into the mix, regardless of what Teg - er, Lady Elain says. From what I hear, they hate Secondaries. Want to wipe 'em out and take back control. Sound familiar?"
He swivels his gaze to me. In this instance, I am inclined to agree. We are still recovering from the last war from mere years ago. Although The Force cannot be considerable in size, the bits of information Tegan has passed to us leads me to believe they are as destructive and as hateful as another group of vampires from centuries ago - Axel's group and his followers.
"She would not knowingly put Finn in danger," I respond assure him, thinking back to the vow she made just before Kelly and I escaped the Secondary fortress. "Of that I am sure."
"Yea, but what's convenient for us now might bite us in the ass later." Kelly glances at Reggie and lowers his voice. "I want the Secondaries out of power just as much as the next person, but The Force sounds like a group of extremists. And we don't have to look too far back in history to know how well that ends."
Beside him, Maggie shudders, tightening her hold on the purple ornament still in her grasp.
"Kelly has a point," she says, keeping her eyes downcast. "I don't mean to question her intentions, but when Lady Elain told us her plan to save Finn, she never mentioned how she contacted The Force. She never even told us how she knew about them in the first place."
"Exactly!" Kelly snaps his fingers. "There's something she's not telling us. It just doesn't add up."
"Looks like we got some company," Reggie announces, rising to his feet.
Clumps of mud fall from his boots, leaving a trail of dirt behind him. Graceful indeed. Our small huddle dissipates. Kelly and Maggie move to the windows, taking turns peering out the small panels of viewing space. The intensity of their excitement and trepidation is heady, so much so that it is almost as if I can experience the emotions through them.
"They got him. They got him!" Kelly squints. "But who the hell are all these people with him?"
Maggie shakes her head, unsure. I swiftly move behind them and follow their gaze, but the attempt is futile.
All I see is him. Vampires surround him, and a man is hanging to his back, but Finn holds his head high, as if he is the one leading the group. Every step is made with unequivocal certainty, and when he shifts his focus to the house, his eyes lock with mine.
The intensity of it devours the space between us. There is no recognition in his expression. No emotion. There is only an invisible tether between us, drawing him closer to me. Pulling me closer to him.
"My, my," Maggie whispers beside me. "He's quite handsome, even more so up close."
"Yes," I say softly. "He is."
"S'pose I'll go out there first," Reggie grumbles, forcing us out of our small huddle. "One of you want to come with me?"
"I shall go with you," I say, sticking to the original plan.
Although this turn of events has slightly altered our course, we are back on track. Tegan anticipated Finn might resist and assigned me to be the one to assist in the drop off. What she had not accounted for was Finn fighting back so soon.
"Lady Elain should be with you," Kelly spats in frustration. "She's the one who made a deal with that band of extremists. She should be the one to finish the transaction with them. Not you."
"She didn't want Finn to know she was a part of his capture," Maggie reminds him. "In case he escaped, she didn't want Finn to turn her in to Mr. Primary. She's the only one on the inside of that Fortress who's on our side."
Kelly rolls his eyes and grumbles. "Yea. Or so she says."
I sweep past them and follow Reggie, leaving them to their useless bickering. I do not blame Kelly for being so distrustful. He suffered greatly after the last war. I would wager a great deal of that pain still festers inside him, a demon of darkness always on the prowl for escape.
Reggie and I exit the quaint cabin. I cannot imagine what Finn is thinking. He does not recognize me, save for the moment at the public outing earlier. At least I was able to use my powers of telepathic persuasion then. Now that his guard is up, it will likely not be so easy. Although his expression suggests an eerie calm, I know it belies the indestructible immortal within.
"Reggie."
A familiar voice addresses the human motorcyclist, so familiar it breaks my focus from Finn. My footsteps come to a screeching halt. My jaw slackens.
"No," I hear myself whispering. "I killed you."
The vampire's head snaps in my direction. His red eyes flare in warning, and his eyebrows arch in surprise.
"I beg your pardon," he says, cocking his head to the side. "Have I had your acquaintance before?"
It is not possible. He does not appear to know me, but his feigned indifference may be a ruse. My immortal senses sizzle beneath my skin. The need to protect Finn and get him away from this band of vampires courses through me like a river.
"You have not. I am Kaleb," I say, smoothly using my code name. "And you must be Gabriel, head of The Force."
He hesitates at this, just briefly, before nodding in acknowledgement. "I didn't realize Lady Elain shared my identity with your party."
She did not. She let this be a surprise.
"Just to me," I lie. "I trust you have what you need to set Mr. Primary's eyes on you and away from us."
Gabriel gives me a wary nod and waves at his crew of vampires forward. They urge Finn to do the same, and when he does, the man pinned to his back gives me a sidelong look.
"And who might this be?" I ask before thinking better of it.
One of Gabriel's guards snorts out a laugh.
"Consider it collateral damage," he says. "The prodigy wouldn't come here without him."
"Douglas," Finn snarls, his lips curling in anger, "is my guard."
The cold confidence in his voice unnerves me. It is the piece of him that is a deadly vampire. Underneath the power of immortality, however, there are flashes of the man who loved me so deeply. I hear a glimmer of it in his voice, traces of my human. It is this flicker of humanity in his voice that is my undoing, making me respond in a way that does not align to my being.
"Then he is welcome, too," I say calmly. "Of course."
Finn shifts his blazing eyes back to me. He releases the man from his back and readjusts his tattered clothing. He stares at me unabashedly as he does so, raking his eyes down my face, down my torso, and back up again.
"Erm, we best be getting out of here," Reggie mutters from behind me. "Dusk is closing in on us, and I sure as shit don't want to be out here when the Secondary Guard starts making their rounds."
Gabriel clears his throat. "Quite right. Keep him safe, Kaleb. And Finn - I will be seeing you again."
I suppress a growl. Gabriel gives us a parting nod before waving for his group to follow, and they silently disappear into the woods. Reggie does much the same, hoisting himself onto the motorcycle and revving up for his departure. It is only when they are out of view that I gesture Finn and Douglas towards Maggie's cottage.
"Please," I say with as much kindness as I can muster. "Follow me. We have much to discuss."
Douglas and Finn exchange a look. It is the type of look shared between friends and trusted confidants. It is the type of look Finn used to share with me. My fists curl at my sides as a silent agreement passes between them and they walk shoulder to shoulder into the cottage.
I quickly survey the area surrounding the cottage, ensuring there are no prying eyes or ears to witness what has transpired. Only when I feel it is safe do I hasten my step and lock the cottage door behind us. Maggie is already making her introductions to Finn and Douglas, and I take the opportunity to nudge Kelly in the opposite direction.
When we're out of earshot, his eyebrows arch in confusion. "What the hell is going on, Bog-man? I want to see Finn!"
"I need you to reach out Tegan. Now," I hiss in a whisper.
Kelly tenses. "Why? What's going on?"
I search my brain for answers, for something - anything to explain who I saw outside. Nothing makes sense.
"When I was in the Secondary Fortress trying to save Finn all those years ago," I explain, "there were a number of Secondaries I had to...dispose of along the way."
"Alright..." Kelly crosses his arms over his chest.
"One of them being Gabriel, my ex-fiance."
Kelly pales. "Bogdan, shit. Why didn't you tell - "
I hold up a hand. "That is not the issue. I watched him die beneath me. He was dead."
"Ok, so what's the problem?"
I purse my lips and press my lips to his ear. "The man that was just outside - that was Gabriel. My ex-fiancé."
Kelly's pulse thunders against his veins, and I taste the fear and confusion as it emits from his pores.
"He is alive," I whisper. "Somehow he was saved and turned. And now he is the deadly leader of The Force."