My eyes slowly opened, and I found myself looking at the fabric of my canopy bed. I was still a bit delirious and my body was sore from those lovely little claw marks that Ana decided to so graciously bestow upon me. I let out a small, but annoyed growl at the thought of that whelp. Secretly, I was hoping and praying to whatever gods were listening that she would be stupid enough to return, so I could have a rematch. I wanted to make sure she stayed out of our city, and anyone else's, permanently.
"Hush those thoughts, darling." Sylvie's voice next to me gave me a bit of a shock. "I think she's smart enough to get the message. At least, for her sake, I hope she is."
Sylvie sat up on the bed next to me, her fingers gently combing through my hair. Slowly, I lifted a hand to stroke her cheek, donning a smartass grin. She leaned down and lightly kissed my forehead before running her fingertips over what I realized were bandages. She frowned slightly as she did, and I could feel the worry rolling off her in waves.
"I'm okay, my love." I reassured her, taking my time sitting up. "She got a couple good slashes on me, yeah, but I'm still here."
"Good slashes is right," She pouted slightly, her hand falling to the bandages on my stomach. "How was she able to wreak so much havoc on you?"
"She's a 'shadow dancer', as some call it." I rolled my eyes. "She's good at manipulating the shadows and being almost impossible to detect or sense. I think that's what made her so hard for any of us to track before."
"She got cocky, though," Sylvie added knowingly, "and it was her undoing."
"She'll definitely remember squaring up with the 'Boogie Man Who Can't Be Killed'." Off her confused look, I continued. "Apparently, news of the 'indestructible vampire' has traveled farther than I would have liked."
"I had no idea I was spending my eternity with a celebrity." Sylvie teased.
"Right, celebrity." I rolled my eyes again, leaning against the headboard. "Remind me to fire whoever is in charge of my PR, please."
"Duly noted, Mr. Baratz." Sylvie did her best New England secretary accent, which made me laugh. A small shot of pain made me wince. I saw Sylvie pout as she gave me another kiss on the cheek. "My poor baby."
I leaned over to give her a kiss when I heard a soft knock at our door. After a few seconds, my little sister peeked in. I smiled a tad, waving her in. She sheepishly entered, her eyes looking at her feet.
"How are you, Danny?" She asked quietly.
"I'm okay, Edie." I answered. "Recovering nicely."
Edie nodded, keeping her eyes to the floor for a few seconds. When she finally lifted them to us, I saw my baby sister, the one I recognized, for the first time in a while. I was looking into the face of the one I raised and protected, and it was like a breath of fresh air. Her big eyes fell on Edie and her lip trembled like she was almost afraid to speak.
"What it is, Edie?" Sylvie asked gently.
"I wanted to go hunting." She answered. "If that's okay, of course."
Sylvie looked at her, then to me and back again. "Well, you did a good job last time, so I guess I can trust you to go on your own, if you'd like."
Edie's eyes lit up. "Really? You mean it?" Off Sylvie's smile and nod, she clapped and squealed happily as she dashed over to us. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Edie hugged us both tightly and I tried to hide my wince of pain. "I'll make you proud, I promise!"
"Stay safe and stay alert." Sylvie reminded her.
"I will!" She promised. "I'll make sure to check in!"
With that, my little sister glided from the room. A tiny smile danced on my lips as I leaned my head back. In that moment, it felt like I finally had my family back again, the way it was before. Our little band of orphans didn't feel so broken anymore.
"I'm heading to the kitchen." Sylvie glided out, stretching like a content kitten. "You hungry?"
"Starving." I admitted.
With a wink, she disappeared from the room. My smile still hung on my lips as my eyes closed and I unknowingly slipped off into a peaceful slumber. The sound of breaking glass jolted me awake. I slid from under the covers and made my way to our bedroom door.
"Sylvie?" I called out. No response. "Sylvie!" I tried again, but the house was silent as the grave.
None of this was sitting right with me as I made my way down the steps as quickly as my feet would carry me. The smell of Sylvie's blood hit me like a freight train as I reached the bottom of the stairs. I ignored the dull aches of pain as I ran down the hall to the kitchen. The sight that awaited me made my heart drop to my feet.
Sylvie was laying on the floor, her blood pooling around her. There was a crevice in her chest where her heart should have been, and her eyes were ghost white and glazed over. Her skin was ashen and was slowly peeling away. I scrambled on my knees to her, cradling her body close to mine.
"Sylvie, no!" I cried, red tears cascading from my eyes and down my face. "What happened? Who did this to you?"
Sylvie's mouth opened, and her blood came bubbling out as she gasped and sputtered. Her skin wrinkled and aged right before my eyes and there was nothing that I could do to stop it. A low, wicked laugh from across the room caught my attention. I looked up into the wicked face of my little sister. She held Sylvie's still beating heart in her hand and watched as it too began to rapidly age and disintegrate before our eyes.
"Just like Mommy and Daddy taught us, Danny." Her singsong voice was like nails on a chalkboard to my ears.
I looked back down at Sylvie, but there was nothing left of her, save a skeleton that was turning to ash in my arms.
"Daniel?" My head whipped around at the sound of the soft, but familiar voice.
"Where-?" I tried to venture a question, but my brain wouldn't let me. I stood to my feet, my vision spinning.
"Daniel!" The voice called, louder this time.
I knew it was her, but it couldn't be. She was dead. She died in my arms. How could she be calling to me?
"Daniel!" I felt a hand clamp on to my shoulder and I jerked so hard, my body screamed at me.
My vision was finally starting to clear, and I found myself back in bed. I looked up into the face of my darling Sylvie, who was holding a wine glass of blood for me in her hand. I quickly took the glass and set it on my bedside table before pulling her into a tight hug, completely ignoring the aches in my body.
"Daniel," Sylvie rubbed my back gently, "you were having a nightmare, my baby. What happened?"
"I thought I lost you." I said, barely able to bring my voice above a pained whisper. "I went to the kitchen because I heard a noise and there you were on the floor, laying in a pool of your own blood. Edie was there, too. She-" I shuddered in her arms at the memory. "She ripped your heart out. She laughed and said, 'Just like Mommy and Daddy taught us'." I shut my eyes tightly, resting my forehead on her shoulder. "It all felt so real."
"Everything will be just fine, baby." She cooed gently, her fingers stroking my hair. "Nothing is going to happen to me. We've finally gotten through to Edie. She'll be okay."
"I hope so." I whispered.
We both lay back in bed, my head resting on her chest as I listened to the comforting sound of her heartbeat. I looked out of the French doors at the wisps of clouds passing in front of the crescent moon. My mind was finally calming, and I could feel my exhaustion hitting me again. I was still slightly nervous about the whole falling back asleep thing.
"It's okay, baby." Sylvie's voice was full of love and reassurance as her hand stroked and massaged my back. "I'm here and I'm not going anywhere. Rest now."
I closed my eyes, taking a few calming breaths as I listened to the beautiful sound of her softly crooning me to sleep. Before I realized it, I was out like a light again.
I woke slowly, my eyes still a tad blurry. I noticed the room was completely dark, so I gathered Sylvie closed the curtains while I slept. I rolled over to see my darling love sleeping peacefully next to me, a smile dancing on her beautiful lips. My hands gently caressed her cheek and she mumbled an "I love you" as she adjusted her sleeping position ever so slightly. I watched her sleep for a few moments, finding myself falling deeper and deeper in love with this woman by the moment. I placed a kiss on her forehead before pulling her back into my arms and returning to my slumber, though it was short lived. A few moments later, my eyes shot awake as I realized something was missing. Edie.
I took care not to wake Sylvie as I quickly slipped from bed and made my way out of the room and down the hall. I listened all around me as I traveled along my way, but I didn't feel or hear any other presence in the house. I knocked on her room door, but there was only silence coming from the other side. I opened the door and it was just as I had feared. Edie was nowhere to be found. I ran down the steps and to the living room. No sign of her anywhere. I bolted to the kitchen and, unfortunately, it was the same. I let out a heavy groan, putting my head in my hands. Why? Why did she have to abuse our trust yet again?
I scrambled for a glass from the cabinet and grabbed a small blood bag from one of the drawers in the fridge. I emptied the contents into the glass and took a large gulp. This was going to be a very long day.
I knew I was almost pacing a hole through the kitchen, my shaking hand holding on to my glass as much as I could muster it to do so. It was almost morning and my little sister was nowhere in sight. I did my best to try to connect with her, but I kept feeling like I was hitting a brick wall. No feelings of reassurance, no checking in, nothing. She had disappeared off the face of the earth. It felt like the bookstore incident all over again. I chuckled slightly, unable to be angry at her for that one. If it wasn't for her love of all those "pretty books", Sylvie would have never come into our lives.
"I'll forgive that one, I suppose." I mused happily to myself.
My attention turned to the window above the kitchen sink. The blackout curtains kept the sun out quite well, save the tiny shaft of light that peeked out from under them. I found myself staring at the light, almost entranced by it. It had been so long since I was able to see the sun, I mean really see it. To feel the warm glow wash over me as I sat by the water or sitting on the roof of my apartment building watching it rise over the city's horizon. I felt a bit of an ache stab me in my heart at the memories.
I couldn't tell if it was the overwhelming sense of nostalgia taking over my better judgment or something else entirely, but I slowly stepped closer to the window, feeling almost entranced by that small bit of light that seemed to call to me. My hand trembled as I reached for the curtain. I pushed it aside ever so slightly and the sliver of bright sunlight fell on my body. It seared my skin, blackening every inch it touched. I held my ground as long as I could stand, but that didn't last too long.
I scrambled to close the curtain back, the smell of my burning flesh attacking my nose. I quickly grabbed my glass and drank the blood like I was starving to death. I could feel my body already patching itself up as I leaned against the counter, steadying my breathing. There was no way I could brave the daylight to hunt for Edie and I felt my heart sink all over again. I didn't want to believe that she was gone. She couldn't be. I knew I taught her well. I thought she paid attention to me. I thought Sylvie and I had finally gotten through to her. I shuffled from the kitchen to the living room and flopped into one of the chairs, feeling completely defeated. I put my head in my hands, as wave after wave of sadness and agitation washed over me.
"Not working out as well as you had planned, huh?" A familiar voice taunted.
I vaulted from my seat, looking around me. Was that who I thought it was? There was no way, absolutely no way it could have been him. I watched him die. I ripped that bastard's heart out myself.
"What's the matter, Danny?" The taunting voice hissed again. "Your little family is finally falling apart?"
I felt a haunting presence that made my blood run like ice in my veins. I turned slowly toward the living room entrance and that was when I saw him. Damien was standing in my home again, looking like 31 flavors of Hell. His ashen gray skin was escaping his body in small flakes. There was still that telltale crevice in his chest where his heart should have been. He leaned against the room's opening, that wicked smile that I grew to hate dancing on his face.
"I'm dreaming." I breathed, shaking my head. "This has to be a nightmare. We killed you!"
"Oh, you most certainly did, Danny. Made a complete mess of me and Nadine." Damien agreed with me as he came strolling into the room, leisurely touching the books on the various shelves. "Might have been something that I failed to mention about our kind." He kept his pace slow as he talked, not even bothering to look my way. "You see, Danny, when one of our kind kills someone close to them, that person continues to bless us with their company, if you will. Especially, if the killer has some guilt floating around in that little heart of theirs."
"Guilt?" I echoed, barely noticing how my voice shook.
Damien finally turned to face me. I could almost easily make out the bone in his right cheek, which made his smile all the more sinister. "That's right, Danny boy. Guilt." He had a copy of some classic in his hand as he made himself comfortable on the couch. "So, tell me. Are you feeling a little guilty?"
"I... I didn't want to kill you, no." I admitted quietly. "I just wanted to live a better life and to give Edie something better as well." Slowly, I felt my resolve and fury returning. "You wouldn't let us, though. All we wanted was to live quietly, no hurting anyone, no killing."
"Says the one who used to be a killer." Damien rolled his eyes. "And one who kind of enjoyed it, if I remember correctly."
"I was wrong!" I countered, clenching my fists. "So were you and Nadine. I didn't want to be a cold-blooded murderer anymore. I was allowed to choose and so was Edie, but you just couldn't allow that, could you?"
"What can I say?" Damien simply shrugged, flipping through the book in his hands. "I'm a sore loser."
"The absolute worst." I agreed, disgusted at his chuckling.
"It would seem that you had the last laugh, Danny Boy. I suppose I must concede my defeat." Damien bowed his head slightly. "You were a better influence on that kid than Nadine and I ever could be."
Hearing him mentioning Edie hurt me. I looked toward the front door, hoping to see her come running through it, but sadly, I wasn't blessed with such a sight.
"She's still alive."
I turned back to Damien in shock. "What? How do you know that?"
"You're not the only one who can see me, Danny." Damien chuckled. As he gave me a wink, a bit of his skin rolled down his cheek and onto the floor. "She's hiding."
"You've been talking to her?" I asked in disgust.
"What kind of father would I be if I didn't keep in contact with my little girl?" Damien feigned insult.
"Oh, come off it!" I fumed. "Leave her alone, Damien. You've done enough to her, both of you have!"
"Simmer down, Danny boy!" Damien put a finger to his decaying lips. "You don't want to wake up the queen of the manor, do you?"
I felt like my blood was boiling at this condescending bane of my existence. I opened my mouth, ready to roar my head off, but the thought of Sylvie being disturbed stopped me in my tracks. I took a few steadying breaths before I actually spoke. "Don't lie to me, Damien. Don't you dare lie to me about Edie."
"Daniel," he began, the sound of my full name catching me off guard, "I may have been a lot of things and done even worse during my little slice of eternity. One thing I never did to you was lie and you and I both know that."
This change in his demeanor hit me like a ton of bricks. I stared blankly at Damien for a few moments, trying to gather whether he was being sincere. Even though his eyes were dull and dead, I could see the truth in them. I thought back on all the centuries I spent with him and his darling wife and I realized that he was telling the truth. For all his faults, Damien at least was honest with me.
"She's okay, then?" I asked.
"She's okay." Damien nodded. "I gave her a place to hide till the sun goes down." He let out a wheezing chuckle. "Tell you what, this little adventure of hers sure did scare the hell outta her, though! She might be a little smarter next time."
A sudden wave of relief washed over me. The very thought of losing my little sister, after all these years of trying so hard to protect her, sent me into a bit of a tailspin. Next to Sylvie, Edie was my universe and my life was hers.
"That's what was so different about you and I, Danny boy." Damien sighed as he closed the book and set it beside him. "Centuries younger than me and you know more about being a good parent than I ever could."
"Where was this Damien when you were alive?" I crossed my arms over my chest, leaning against the chair.
"Hindsight is 20/20, as they say." Damien shrugged.
I simply nodded, hearing movement coming from upstairs. I lifted my nose to the air slightly. Amber and cocoa butter.
"It would seem her highness has stirred from her slumber." Damien stood to his feet as his body began to dissipate into dust and whirl away. "Time for me to make myself scarce."
I turned back to him, but he had already vanished into thin air. Even though she traipsed softly down the steps, I could easily hear Sylvie making her way to me. As she entered the room, a feeling overcame me, and I pulled her into my arms, kissing her passionately.
"Is everything okay, my baby?" Sylvie let out a small giggle through a yawn. I saw her eyes flutter shut as her head lay on my chest.
"Nothing, sweet darling." I managed a smile as I stroked her mane of braids. "Just lost in my thoughts after a... very vivid dream."
I glanced over at the couch. The book was still sitting there. I let out a heavy sigh, trying to shake the day's activities from my thoughts, but I already knew that was never going to happen for as long as I lived. It took me back to those days when I used to be like Damien and Nadine. The days when I didn't even think twice about killing humans and to the times when I enjoyed it. A lot could change in the span of a couple decades, which I was boundlessly happy about.
"As am I, my love." Sylvie answered my thoughts. "I don't think I would've particularly cared for you if you were the way you used to be."
We both shared a sleepy chuckle and made our way from the living room and up the stairs. Sylvie went on into our room ahead of me, but I stopped short of the entrance. My eyes fell on my sister's room door, and a tiny piece of me hoped that she would come bounding through it, all smiles and hair hanging around her face wildly like she used to. My heart broke a tad because the reality of it was, that Edie was gone, and she was replaced with this new version that I had to get used to. I still had no idea how to shake the feeling of it not being right or not being her.
"Daniel?" Sylvie called softly to me.
"I'm coming, sweet darling." I answered.
I slowly turned from the hall and closed the door behind me.