Blood Talisman (4 page)
Andrew felt the warm rush of Tommy’s cum over his fingers and against his chest even
as his own climax overwhelmed him. They shuddered in each other’s arms then collapsed
back on the bed in a sated tangle of limbs—Tommy’s heaving breath filling Andrew’s mouth as their kiss went on and on.
They lay silently in the afterglow of their mating until Tommy asked, “Was that a
record?”
“Not quite,” Andrew replied, chuckling. “We’d have to do it again.”
“Oh God, I have to work tomorrow,” Tommy whined. “So, no.”
Andrew sighed deeply. “Tired of me already.”
Tommy curled tight against him and fell asleep.
BLOOD TALISMAN J.P. Bowie 21
The atmosphere at the home of Marcus Verano and his forever companion Roger
Folsom was strangely sombre when Andrew and Tommy were ushered inside by Roger.
After welcoming hugs were exchanged, Roger whispered the reason, the smile on his pale
face more than a little strained. “Marcus has received news that his friend the Lady Andorra and her mortal lover, Tony, are missing.”
Andrew had heard of Andorra and Tony, but had not as yet, met them. He had also
heard that Andorra was a woman of considerable beauty and that Marcus and she had been
one-time lovers, then friends for centuries. They had helped each other out of some very dangerous situations over time, and Andrew was certain that Marcus would now be planning some way of helping her. He was quick to express his concern for their safety to Marcus when the Master Vampire greeted them a few moments later.
“Thank you, Andrew.” Marcus embraced him and Tommy, then led them through to
the spacious living room where he entertained his friends. Roger slipped behind the long mahogany bar and began pouring red wine into crystal glasses.
“Beer for you, Tommy?” he asked.
“Thanks,” Tommy said, taking the cold bottle Roger handed him.
“What worries me most about Andorra’s disappearance,” Marcus told them, “is the fact
I cannot sense her presence anywhere. She and I have always had a close mental bond, but now it’s as though she does not exist. I have contacted every vampire who knows Andorra and Tony, and they all tell me the exact same thing.”
Marcus fell silent, his expressive, intelligent face serene, even though the others could tell he was deeply troubled.
“Do you think that they may…might have been, uh…you know, killed?” Tommy asked
breaking the silence with some hesitation. “Maybe…maybe an accident or something?”
Marcus nodded gravely. “That has crossed my mind, Tommy, but if Andorra had
suffered the final death I know I would sense that. When a vampire dies, those close to him or her feel the loss almost immediately, no matter the distance between them. No, I don’t
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BLOOD TALISMAN J.P. Bowie 22
believe Andorra and Tony are dead. If anything, I think they might have been imprisoned
somehow—locked away from all possible contact, physical or mental.”
“But who would do such a thing?” Andrew asked. “Does the lady have many
enemies?”
Marcus’ smile was grim. “Together over the years, we have had many. I thought,
however, that we had put those to rest, or at least in a position where they could no longer threaten us. My old foes, the Comte d’Arcy and the Dark Forces have been silent for a long time—but as you know, it seems there is always someone, either mortal or immortal, who wishes to do us harm.”
“The last time Marcus heard from Andorra, she was doing some undercover work for
the government,” Roger said.
“Really?” Tommy couldn’t keep the surprise out of his voice.
“Yes, really.” Marcus chuckled before explaining. “We have a rather tenuous
relationship with a few of those in power. Our ability to access places humans cannot so readily enter, and quickly ascertain who might be disloyal or an imminent danger to those present has proven beneficial to the more secretive departments of the government. Of course, our involvement along with our very existence would be officially denied, but we have proven ourselves to be very useful from time to time.”
“Wow…” Tommy looked impressed. “Have you done any undercover work?” he asked
Andrew.
“No, assignments like these are passed down from the Vampire Council,” Andrew told
him. He sipped his wine then turned to look at Marcus. “What, if anything, have you decided to do about your missing friends?”
“Until I can detect some sense as to where she is, there is little I can do,” Marcus
replied. “However, only tonight, I found out who it was that assigned her this covert
operation. Of course, the man will not want to give me any answers, but—”
“That’s not going to stop you,” Tommy blurted. The others laughed while Tommy’s
face turned red. “Sorry, I just know that you, of all vampires, can get anything out of
anybody. I’ve seen you in action before.”
“You got that right.” Roger grinned at Tommy. “Remind me to tell you sometime about
our first night together.”
“
Roger
.”
BLOOD TALISMAN J.P. Bowie 23
“Just thought we could use a little levity.” Roger leaned across the bar to kiss Marcus’
cheek. “Okay, ill-timed. I’ll shut up for the time being.”
Marcus sighed. “If only that were possible. Anyway, once I find out where it is she and
Tony were assigned, I can begin my search from there.”
“Marcus, if there’s anything I can do to help…” Andrew gripped the Master Vampire’s
arm. “I would be only too willing to accompany you on your search.”
“I may just take you up on that offer, Andrew. We’ll see what Andorra’s ‘contact’ has to say. Now…” He tapped the package Andrew had brought with him. “I believe you have something you wish me to see.”
“Yes, although I hate bothering you with it when you are concerned for your friends’
welfare.”
“That’s quite all right. Let me see what you have there.”
Andrew withdrew the writings of Arnold Metcalfe he had ‘borrowed’ from the library
and handed them over.
“Ah yes, the Scroll of Ashelak,” Marcus murmured, after scanning the pages for a few
seconds.
“You’ve heard of it then?”
“Indeed, yes. It’s from the scroll that the myth of Ardocan first arose. First, a city lost in the sands of time, then the Talisman that Dakar told you about.”
“You still maintain it’s only a myth?” Andrew paused then said, “I had a strange visitor last night.”
Marcus stared at him for a moment. “Dakar.”
“Yes.”
“What?” Roger yelped. “You mean that son of a bitch demon didn’t die after you stuck
him with that poisoned dagger?”
“He died,” Andrew replied, “but he very smugly informed me that he exists on another
plane. An alternate world if you will.”
“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” Roger muttered. “Does that mean all those demons we killed off
are still rolling around out there somewhere, ready to try and fuck things up again?”
“Dakar didn’t mention any other demons,” Andrew told him, “but that’s hardly
surprising as he cared for no one other than himself.”
BLOOD TALISMAN J.P. Bowie 24
“And you,” Tommy said abruptly. “Let’s not forget that everything Dakar did when we
went up against him had a lot to do with him wanting to get you in the sack, Andrew. And to me that means he’d tell you anything to get near you again. I bet even on this alternate plane he’s fantasising about you and him doin’ it—dirty-ass demon!”
“But fulfilling that particular fantasy would be difficult.” Marcus chuckled and slid
gracefully off his barstool. “Let me show you something that might help explain what is
going on with Dakar and his ilk.”
“There isn’t a book anywhere he doesn’t have a copy of,” Roger said watching Marcus
leave the room.
Andrew laughed ruefully. “I might have been better off searching Marcus’ library
instead of the world-famous ones.”
“Getting back to what Tommy was saying about Dakar wanting to do it with you…”
Roger had that wicked gleam in his eye they were so used to seeing when he had imbibed
two or three glasses of wine. “What d’you think it would be like to have sex with a demon?”
Tommy screwed up his face. “Gross.”
“I don’t know. Constantine’s pretty cute. Not my type of course,” Roger added hastily,
“but Gustav and he seem to be really into one another.”
Tommy snorted. “In more ways than one apparently.”
“Did I ever tell you about the time Joseph was stalked through time by a demon named
Angelo?” Roger asked.
Tommy was now wide-eyed. “No! What happened?”
“Angelo—and no one deserved that name less than him—tried to take Joseph away
from Micah—transported him through time, the son of a bitch. Anyway, he got Joseph in
bed, and—here’s the good part—” Roger allowed himself a chortle before continuing,
“Joseph almost bit Angelo’s dick off. That kind of slowed him down a bit.”
“I bet,” Tommy said, laughing.
”Then of course, we all came galloping to the rescue.” Roger smiled, reminiscing.
“Great days… Of course it made us really hate demons, until Micah and me met Constantine in Rome—but that’s another story.”
“Constantine has an advantage over other demons,” Andrew said. “He has Marcus’
blood in him.”
“Yeah, we all do, even you, Tommy, indirectly.” Roger waggled his eyebrows at him.
BLOOD TALISMAN J.P. Bowie 25
Anything Tommy was going to say to that remark was stalled when Marcus came back
carrying a very large book. “Demonology,” he announced, placing the book on the bar top.
“There are several editions of this, but I’m fortunate enough to have one of the originals. I scanned one of the sections that deal with a demon’s death, and you will find this interesting, Andrew. Look at this drawing.”
He swung the book round so that Andrew could see, while Tommy peered over his
shoulder.
“Looks like that creep, Dakar,” Tommy muttered.
Roger snickered. “You mean Dick-ar, don’t you?”
“But in fact, it is Azazel, one of the fallen angels,” Andrew said, reading the caption
under the illustration.
“Exactly.” Marcus then pointed to the top of the page. “Azazel was punished for
mating with human women and fathering many offspring. Some of his children were
relegated to the Underworld and condemned to live as demons. Would the striking
resemblance between Azazel and Dakar suggest to you that they were kin, perhaps through
generations? And if that is so, it would explain why Dakar continues to exist.”
Tommy shrugged his wide shoulders. “I don’t get it.”
“The legend says the fallen angels, known as the ‘Fallen Ones’, were rebels cast out of
Heaven,” Andrew said.
Marcus nodded. “That is correct. It is believed that their offspring gained a kind of
immortality. If by some chance their existence on Earth is compromised, for instance Dakar’s death at Andrew’s hand, the part of them that is immortal cannot remain on Earth—that would account for Dakar telling Andrew he lives in an alternate dimension.”
“How much trouble can he cause,” Roger asked, “if he’s stuck in another dimension?”
“Not very much—but what he wants is for me to find the Talisman and let him share in
its power,” Andrew said. “I already told him that’s not likely to happen. Can you imagine it?
Dakar allowed to wreak havoc again?”
“What do you mean by share?”
“The Talisman can be used to alter time. He wants to turn back the clock to before his
death—”
“No way!” Roger slammed his hand down on the top of the bar. “No fucking way. We
had enough of him last time.”
BLOOD TALISMAN J.P. Bowie 26
“Calm yourself Roger,” Marcus murmured, moving Roger’s wineglass out of reach.
“The existence of Talisman is still in doubt, and without it Dakar cannot be given back his life on this earth.”
“Yet he was so certain of its existence, Marcus,” Andrew said quietly. “And the mention
of the Scrolls makes me wonder…”
Marcus sighed. “The Scrolls of Ashelak, yes, that is a different matter—and a very
dangerous one. Many have died searching for the Scrolls, and to my knowledge they have
never been discovered.”
“The author of the manuscript I found in the library says a lot of the research has been destroyed.” Andrew scanned the page quickly. “Arnold Metcalfe—do you think he meant deliberately destroyed or just gone with the passage of time?”
Marcus was about to reply when he suddenly narrowed his dark green eyes. He
jumped to his feet, his body poised for action, his expression grim. “I have been given the whereabouts of Andorra and Tony.”
“Where are they?” Roger demanded.
“In Iraq. Baghdad to be precise.”
Tommy looked around the locker area of the firehouse for his friend Alex. He needed a
favour and needed it fast.
“Hey, Tommy.” Alex was just coming out of the men’s room, drying his hands. “You
look worried.”
“I have to ask the chief if I can take a few days off, starting now. Before I go in to see him, I wondered if you could cover for me on your days off.”