The room I remembered was Dom's was pitch black when I woke up. I was lying nude beside him under the covers. There was no way I could see what time it was, but seeing that he was sleeping, it was obvious it was daytime. Without bothering to wake him, I searched for the edge of the bed and recalled where I'd left my clothes. At the foot of the bed on the floor.
I slid off, furrowing my brow in confusion when something unusual caught my ear. I stood in the darkness for a moment, listening hard to depict any other sounds. When nothing came I fixed my clothing on as accurately as I could, and slid on my shoes, but there it was again, that sound... harsh low toned breathing.
Dom, breathing? The thought was abnormal, but when I listened closer to the bed, it was in fact him. It almost came off like he was panting from exhaustion. "Dom?" I said in the blackness of the room, not sure where anything was. I felt around for what I could use for light and came upon the lamp at his bedside. I flicked it on and cocked my head to look over at him.
Dom lay tangled in the covers, his lower body covered with the blanket, but from the bends of his legs, and the way he gripped the sheet... clenching his teeth in some sort of pain... it was easy to see that something was wrong. Was he dreaming, having a nightmare possibly?
I stood in wonder as to if it was a good idea to wake him up. Vampires needed sleep during the day, but still... he looked terrified. My Dom... terrified of something. Yet again, the thought was bizarre.
His mouth opened in a low wince, and his left shoulder lifted from the bed. With his eyes still closed he glanced over to his shoulder and let out an agonizing groan that made it seem like he was being burned in some way. I moved closer to the bedside and touched his face, turning him to me. "Dom...?" I said first, trying to soothe him with my touch. "Can you hear me?"
But he was resisting, not me, but something else. In a quick motion he gripped his shoulder, the one that came off as in pain. He tossed on the bed and began to shudder with mounds of fear enveloping his being. The harsh panting started up again, "Dom," I tried not to shout, "Dom, wake up."
He released his shoulder and took a long raw inhale, his chest filling with air I was almost sure he didn't need. The movement of his eyes beneath his lids was rapid. "Dom, wake up," I shook him, but he didn't respond, "Dom, it's me Raeden; what's wrong? Wake up, please."
Suddenly from where he was holding on to his shoulder I could see something forming... a burn, he was being burned... tortured. It was a dark quarter-sized circle with some sort of symbol on it. I couldn't really see what it was because he healed so fast, but I was sure I wasn't seeing things, Dom was burning... he'd been burned. But by what I didn't know.
"Demiesius..." Dom's voice sounded in weakness, "Help me."
I gasped, uncertain of what to do. "Dom, wake up," I shook him once more, slapping him softly every now-and-again to see if it'd do anything. Trying to think of anything that'd work on my behalf, I wondered to myself if vampires were anything like sharks, attracted to the scent of blood, even the smallest drop would do. But before I resorted to cutting myself, I tried one last strike, bringing my hand back and smacked him across the face.
His eyes shot open, blazing with hate but soon softened when meeting my gaze. He stared at me in a way that told me everything...like what I'd witnessed was something I wasn't supposed to see, his night terrors. Was he keeping something from me that I needed to know about? "I'm sorry," I pleaded first. "I had to unless you wouldn't have woken up."
Sighing, Dom paid little attention to my apology and sat up; the sheets draping around his waist, his knees up with elbows perched on them, his face in his hands... deep in thought. He was silent for a while, the only sounds coming in from the morning life passed the iron guards over the window; horns honking and everyday people yelling.
When I figured he'd keep his mouth shut for more time than I needed, he sat back, his hands behind his head, leaning back on the headboard, his hard abs gleaming in the lamp light. "This has been going on for a few nights," he said, "Vampires aren't even supposed to dream, but I have this bad feeling that what I see when I sleep... isn't a dream at all."
Confused, I picked my legs up off the floor, crossing them on the bed. "What do you mean? You think you're seeing something else?"
He shrugged, "I'm not all too sure at the moment. I haven't dreamed since Demiesius took my life and gave me this one. Darkness is all that we see when we close our eyes... I'm not dreaming."
"Are you worried about this?"
"Greatly, but I really have to keep it to myself. If I tell Demiesius—."
"You said his name."
"Whose name...?"
I wrinkled my brow. "Demiesius. You called for him. You were begging him to help you."
He nodded as if remembering now. "It's strange though. I've had what seems to be the same dream for a few nights, but I can't think of anything that would trigger it. I'm always locked in this room, brick walls surrounding me, chains burning through my skin. The first time I was seeing through someone else's eyes. I stood above a puddle of water and could distinguish a face... but it wasn't mine. Now whenever I dream, someone comes in that large cell, they're insisting they'll kill me... or whoever I'm seeing through. Tonight... they staked me through my hands, burned me with silver dollars, and said something. I couldn't hear them though. Their voice was too muffled with echoes." Dom sighed again, "I don't know what's going on but I want it to stop."
Looking at Dom's face, when he finished speaking, I noticed something odd from his nose. He'd started... bleeding. "Dom?" I said, gestured for him to wipe his nose.
From the bed, he rose with speed and hurried to the bathroom. He flipped on the light and cursed. "You have to leave," he said, grabbing a towel that hung over the shower's glass door. "I'll see you again, but you have to go now."
Not wanting to start an argument, I brought myself up from the bed and kissed Dom as he continued to shield his nose, but if he were trying to hide it, it wasn't working, because another line of crimson blood drained down from his left ear. "I'll try to call you sometime tonight to tell you all about my punishment," I said. "Bye, Dom. Get some sleep."
By the time I made it home it was striking eight in the morning.
The streets were alive with people jogging, driving to work, returning home from dropping kids off at school, and people just enjoying the morning air.
My house was in sight only a few yards off when the front door opened and a face I hadn't seen in almost three years stepped out with a brilliant beam from seeing me.
"Dad?" I nearly lost it, breaking for him in a run across the neighbor's yard.
He was just as tall and brawny as he was when I was fourteen, his black hair shining with the gleam of the sun, gray eyes meeting mine, and his tone arms opened up to cling to me. "Hello, son," he said, squeezing me so hard I thought I'd burst, but I held just as fast. "Been alright lately?"
Not really. "Yeah; I've been great! When did you get back?" I asked, releasing him and I took a step back.
"Last night at around three in the morning. I was going to disturb your sleep, but when I found out you'd gone I just decided to wait."
Wait? "Wait for what?"
"I've come back to ask you something very important." He waved me inside, looking over his shoulder as if someone were trying to listen in. He ushered me to the empty living room, and I took a seat on the armrest of the sofa.
"Where's Jackson?" I asked.
My father's face changed, darkening at the question. "I asked him to step out to grab something from the store; shouldn't be back for at least an hour."
"And Julius?"
"Doesn't know I'm here."
I was beginning to get the feeling something wasn't right, and by the way he let out a long sigh, it was clear he was bothered by something. "What's wrong, dad?"
He seemed to brace himself. "I never thought the day would come where I asked you this, but I feel we live in desperate times, and right about now... we're a little desperate." He met my eyes, troubled with anxiousness. "You've become a remarkable slayer over the years. I know this from the files Julius keeps on you. And given the circumstances, I feel it is my duty to ask if you would join alliances with the top ranking Public; it's your choice, and I will respect it if you don't want to. The lower levels of the Public is already a hard enough occupation to keep up with. The upper ranks would only be slightly tougher."
My heart pumped; he was asking for my help? I knew I was a good slayer, but... this news was extraordinary. "What do you need me for?"
"Slayers are going rouge."
Rogue.
"You mean they're going against... other slayers?"
"Precisely. In the event that a slayer takes the life of another slayer... the Public brings it upon themselves to set rules back into place. Just last week, there was a murder hidden from the human community because a slayer that had gone on duty had become the target of a friendly. They were found just on the edge of this city with a stake driven into their chest. We believe the perpetrator may still be at large and we need the skills of our best fighters to stay on guard. It seems these murders are at random, so if and when another slaying comes forth and tries to take your life... we are confident you... or whatever undercover slayer, will be competent in restraining this fiend and bringing them to justice. We're desperate to the point of even asking an unlikely ally to assist."
My Dad crossed the living room to a large bag on the recliner next to the television. He unzipped the largest pocket and drew out a folder. He held it out to me and I couldn't help but recognize the folder as being a lot like the one Julius had handed me when he wanted me to track down Dom and put an end to him.
I looked up for a moment before opening it, and when I did my heart skipped a beat. The same photograph Julius had given me of Dom was inside the folder along with the same bunch of information about him, but more, and with it there was information about Demiesius.
I dug through the folder hastily in bewilderment. Dominick Von Kraige and Demiesius Titus were acquainted with the Public!?
My Dad was confused by my reaction to the folder. "Is something wrong with you?" he asked me.
Staring hard at the photograph of Demiesius, I lifted my gaze from it. "No, it's just... it's just... Julius said the Public wanted me to kill this Dominick one while someone else was going after Demiesius. He pretty much wanted me to clear the path for them by taking out Dominick first."
The look on my father's face changed, now showing confusion and mistrust. "What did he tell you?"
I cleared my head. "He gave me a note sent by the Public." I ran upstairs for a second, rummaging through my drawers for the letter I'd received from Julius and hurried back down the stairs, but placed the file he'd given me about Demiesius and Dom under everything. "Here it is," I said, handing it over.
My Dad took it from me and read it over several times, rage shifting his features from understanding to troubled and betrayal after stuffing the letter in his back pocket. His voice raised to a degree in fury, when he yelled, "The Public knows nothing of Demiesius! The Public restricts the information about Elders from everyone else in the world." He growled, "How did my father get this information?"
"I don't know; he just showed up with it one day... He said I should be honored. He said you'd be proud of me."
"No!" he shouted, his voice rumbling through the house. "You will be killed if you go through with this. Whether you try to lay a hand on Dominick and succeed, the Public will lose the trust of Demiesius, and he will come after you until every ounce of your blood is drained. I would never put you in that situation...especially against a vampire like Demiesius."
"So you're saying he's our friend?"
"An ally—yes."
"Then why would Julius want him dead if he knows that?"
"Your grandfather shouldn't even know of Demiesius' existence let alone that we have contact with a powerful vampire. The Public keeps all files of friendly vampires under the radar. When did he tell you about this?"
I mulled this over, "I can't remember exactly, but it was just a few nights ago. Not too long."
"Has he been acting odd lately?"
I shrugged. "Not really. He's still as strict and annoying, but nothing's really changed. Well—."
"Well, what?"
"He has only recently been going out past midnight. I'm surprised he's not back now."
"Do you know where he runs off to?"
"No."
I chewed my lip thoughtfully for a moment, thinking something through. I had a feeling if I told my father, he wouldn't be upset since he seems to be known well by the Immortals, but then again, I didn't want to risk him lashing out at me. What if he could be just as cruel as Julius, after all he was his son? However, he was raised by my grandmother who had a heart filled with unfathomable love for everyone, and his wife was once my gentle hearted mother who didn't know the definition of hate.
Taking a second to calm myself on the inside, I twirled my fingers together in deliberation. Finally I stabled my anxiety and began. "Dad, if I told you I personally know Demiesius Titus and his progeny Dominick Von Kraige, would you wonder greatly about why?"
He looked up at me, studying my features. I wondered what he was thinking, and almost wanted to kill myself for letting the words slip. What if he knew right away that I was involved with one of them on an intimate level?
Oh, God. What have I done?
"Son," he said softer than imagined, "my curiosity is certainly there, but I will not question you at the moment. Seeing that you would confess something like that to me, I feel I shouldn't worry. Plus, I think I have more things to worry about when it comes to Julius. My father, your grandfather, is a very... insensitive man. Given that he has knowledge of these Immortals, it is safe to say he's up to something, and I want to know what it is before things get out of hand. Now, I can't stay long because—."
The front door began to jiggle and unlock, opening to Julius himself. He came off as tired, and when he locked eyes with my father, his demeanor changed. Suspicious.
Moving further inside, he closed the front door behind him. "Fredwolf," he at last said, "Son, what are you doing here?" He eyed me next, but still aimed his words toward my dad. "When did you get back from duty?"
"The Public," my dad said, "has me stationed in this city for a while. I thought I'd stop by and say hello to my kids." He gestured towards me. "My Raeden was just telling me how the Public chose him to become something of the next Hamilton. I'm so proud of him; you've trained him well."
That was a great cover.
Julius nodded, "Yes, he is an outstanding slayer, isn't he?" He glanced up at the stairs. "Well, I'm going to go shower down. Don't leave too soon now, son. I believe we have a lot to catch up on."
My Dad smiled, "Yes...yes, we do."