Dance Until Dawn (15 page)

He merely offered his arm again with his old-fashioned courtly gesture. I took it and he did indeed escort me downstairs. Being contrary, I wasn’t sure whether to be sorry or relieved when he left me to get ready for bed, promising to come back and sit with me as the dawn permeated my body.

7 March

This evening was wonderful. I love to be in Elinor’s company. She has begun to relax at last, and the sound of her laughter is music to my ears. Some things have not changed over the centuries, and the act of a man doing ridiculous things to make his woman laugh has remained with us. If I have to swing from trees to bring the light back into Elinor’s eyes, then I shall do so. To kiss her once again after what feels an eternity felt sublime, and I think we are indeed forging our bond as it should be, at last.

I found myself thinking back to last summer when I had gone to the Glastonbury Festival with Stevie and the others. Initially the plan had been to find new bands to play at the club, but I had discovered Elinor would be there too, and the festival suddenly became even more interesting.

June, the previous year

Jake and Roxanne were more than happy to drive me on the Thursday afternoon. They usually went anyway. Unfortunately, Luke had to remain behind in London. It is never a good idea to leave one’s territory undefended, and as Luke is my second, he has to be there whenever I am not.

A three-day music festival is not exactly my idea of fun, but Jake and Roxy were regular attendees of concerts and festivals and I had to be there because I knew Elinor would be there.

Jake drove a camper van with blacked out windows. He assured me the sun’s rays would never be able to infiltrate the cabin beyond. He had also fitted heavy wooden shutters, and they would be closed and locked from the inside during the day, for added security. I admired his ingenuity.

I remembered the necessity of being able to mingle unnoticed among the crowds, so I had dressed in old Doc Marten boots, faded and torn denim jeans, secured by an old black leather belt with a heavy brass buckle and a black vest t-shirt. I added an ancient gold Celtic symbol on a leather thong around my neck, and took my oldest black leather jacket, in case the English summer decided to erupt with thunderstorms and torrential rain, as is its wont. Not that adverse weather affects me particularly, but I needed somewhere to keep my cigarettes dry. I also took a pair of dark glasses to protect my over-sensitive eyes from the stage lighting rigs, which I knew would be a major part of the various shows.

Stevie decided to come with us at the last minute, leaving Errol to manage the club. I was relieved in many ways to have his company. As a werewolf the sun holds no problems for him, and having a day-walker with us would certainly alleviate my feelings of insecurity. Stevie and I also wanted to check out some of the lesser known bands, with a view to booking them for the club.

Of course the main reason I wanted to be present was Elinor. I was, and am, drawn to be near her whenever it is possible. Strange for me – since my rebirth as a vampire I have had no allegiances with any one woman. Plenty of dalliances of course, for being a vampire does not change one’s urges, and I like women – rather too much sometimes. But the moment I laid eyes on Elinor, some six months before then, I knew nothing would ever be the same. I wanted a partner for eternity, and that, as they say, is a whole different ball game. I want her, but I refuse to turn her against her will, she must have the choice. I do not know as yet how this will play out, but I am convinced she is the one. It is something I feel deep within me. The Prophecy of Porphyry foretells what is meant to be, and I am sure I am right. Only Stevie and Luke know of the Prophecy. I have kept the details from the others for the moment, and it has to be this way.

Once we had parked the van Jake and Roxy went off for a look around, and I wandered toward the nearest stage with Stevie. Massive trucks and generators were scattered everywhere, the huge stages were already assembled, and hoards of large sweating men were setting up various PA systems and complicated lighting rigs. To a seventeenth-century man it looked like witchcraft, although I actually consider myself more of a twenty-first-century man now, in many ways. I’ve been to so many bloody rock concerts in the past year – mainly to catch sight of Elinor – that I have become an expert on a lot of current music. It is helpful for the club at least.

Stevie and I stood together, and watched the activity for a while. He knew I would disappear to feed quite soon, just as I knew he would go somewhere quiet to ‘change’ and hunt. We had agreed to meet at the top of the Tor later, leaving the two young vampires to do their own thing, whatever that might be.

I wandered over the fields, watching crowds of people converging from all sides – it is always interesting, being among so many people with pulses. I needed to feed and feed soon, so I watched for an opportunity to arise, whilst keeping my eyes hidden behind my dark glasses.

A pretty little blonde emerged from one of the toilets, and began to pick her way over the hard, sun-baked grass. I swiftly moved in front of her to grasp her arm. Thinking she had in fact stumbled, she looked up at me with a smile on her lush lips.

‘Thanks,’ she said.

I pushed the sunglasses on top of my head, giving her the full effect of my vampiric gaze. She stared back at me with her lips parted and I knew her mind was already mine. She was ready to be taken. I smiled at her with closed lips, there seemed no sense in scaring her. Without speaking a word, I drew her arm through mine, and began to walk away from the main crowds. She just stared at me the whole time with instant infatuation, which is one of the many useful attributes of a master vampire. I led her to an oak tree at the edge of the first field, and pulled her behind it. Pushing her gently against the bark of the tree, I kissed her on the lips, gradually moving my own lips across her cheek and down her soft, white throat. She smelt of sunshine and fragrant freesias, but underneath I could smell her warm blood. The pulse beating in her neck tempted me to run my tongue over it. She moaned softly and I ran my hands up her back, pulling her in closer to my body. I kissed and nuzzled her soft neck, then swiftly sank my fangs into the vein. Sweet, warm blood filled my mouth. She was young, and the blood was like an aphrodisiac. I drank from her, as she moaned in ecstasy beneath me.

Most humans experience orgasm at the moment of feeding, and luckily for us, that’s usually all they remember afterwards. I took enough to sustain me, but not enough to either render her unconscious or harm her. The saliva of a vampire makes blood coagulate, and I made sure that she no longer bled from the jugular vein. Her eyes were still closed in utter bliss, and she trembled a little as I propped her limp body against the tree. She would rest awhile now and never remember what had actually happened.

‘Thank you,’ I whispered.

I made my way swiftly towards the Tor and spotted Stevie near the top of the grassy hill, leaning back on his elbows, and watching a group of musicians playing tribal drum music. There was always some kind of weird shit going on at Glastonbury Tor.

The Holy Grail is reputed to be buried beneath Chalice Spring on this steep hill – buried supposedly by Joseph of Arimathea. I could almost believe it, the land itself seemed to pulsate with ancient life, and I do not just mean myself and Stevie. I dropped down to sit next to him, and he nodded towards the drummers. ‘They’re not bad.’

I nodded in agreement, and we sat for a while, smoking and watching the crowd.

‘Is she here?’ asked Stevie and I shook my head.

‘Not yet.’

I would know when she arrived. I would sense her – feel her presence. Already I am connected to her, and we haven’t spoken a word to each other yet. Strange things, prophecies.

On Friday afternoon I opened my eyes and wondered where I was for a moment. Then I looked around the dark interior and spotted Jake and Roxy entwined in each other’s arms on a narrow bed. In the distance I could hear conflicting music from several directions and the noise of the crowds in various different audiences. There was a soft knock at the door. I rose and crossed the floor to the door to unlock it.

‘Come in Stevie,’ I said, stepping back from the daylight I knew would pervade the van. Stevie came in, and hurriedly closed the door behind him.

‘I’ve booked a couple of new bands for the club,’ he said, ‘I think they’ll be big.’

I nodded my approval. I trusted Stevie’s opinion in all things to do with modern music, he’d never been wrong yet.

‘What’s the time?’

‘Half an hour to sunset,’ he replied, ‘and hotter than hell out there.’

We sat and chatted until the sun set. I knew she was here now, I could feel her presence and I felt anxious to see her.

Jake suddenly sat up as if an alarm had gone off, and Roxy followed suit a few minutes later. Stevie started to tell us about a man who had ridden to the festival on a Sinclair C5 from the other side of Oxford, which is more than a hundred miles away when travelling the back roads. It was the fourth year running he had travelled to Glastonbury in that way, in spite of getting heatstroke one year and a flat battery another year, resulting in the necessity to sleep in a supermarket car park. He was now clearly one of the festival’s ‘celebrities’. Mortals were getting madder with every decade and, thankfully, a lot more interesting too.

I stood up, anxious to seek out my quarry and the others stood too. Jake and Roxy were hoping to catch Primal Scream on the ‘Other Stage’, assuming a well-known band with a name like that would not have played earlier in scorching sunlight. We left the van and Jake secured it behind us. I made my way to the Pyramid stage. I knew instinctively that Elinor would be there. Stevie followed me, whilst Roxy and Jake went off on their own. The air was thick with the smell of hamburgers, hot dogs, onions and beer. I had no doubt the smells would be of vomit and worse things later, but tried not to think of it.

I spotted her immediately, even though she was tiny – almost bird-like. Her lithe body was dressed in a black halter neck top, and tiny denim shorts, which showed her dancer’s legs to full advantage. Her glorious titian hair hung almost to her tiny waist, and I do not think I have ever seen anything more beautiful. Stevie followed my gaze and growled his approval. I raised an eyebrow in his direction and he smiled with a flash of incredibly white teeth.

Stevie is nearly as tall as me, and with his shoulder length dark hair and piercing blue eyes, he looks the epitome of an ancient Celtic warrior – apart from his pierced eyebrow and modern tattoos, which place him securely in the present day. He always gets more than his fair share of women, and, being a werewolf, he ages considerably slower than normal humans, although he is not immortal.

I felt more than happy to stay and watch Elinor, so Stevie took himself off to find something to eat. I wasn’t sure whether he would hunt rabbits and deer, or whether he would simply eat several hamburgers – the choice was his to make. Elinor stayed near the front of the Pyramid stage, and as time went by, I realised she had been making sure of a good spot to see U2. I watched her supple body sway to the music of Biffy Clyro and Morrissey, I could not take my eyes off her, she was completely mesmerising. I have yet to ever see another human or vampire who could entrance me even half as much.

In the early hours of the morning, when the music had all but finished for the night, I followed Elinor back to the tent that she shared with two other girls. I wanted to ensure her safety, and the last thing I wanted was another man anywhere near her. I stayed outside listening to their laughter for a while and then went in search of a snack.

The next night, Stevie and I had seen the Chemical Brothers and Alice Gold before we made our way to the Pyramid Stage again to see Elbow and Coldplay. The atmosphere was electric, the crowd deafening in their approval. Stevie and I managed to keep the immediate area around us completely clear of people. Even though no one would realise there was a werewolf and a vampire in their midst, we gave off enough of a dangerous aura to keep people from getting too up close and personal.

Elinor was in the crowd just as I knew she would be, and I watched her covertly from behind my dark glasses. Stevie was surprised I had not yet invited her out, but I want to watch her for a few months longer. I had to be sure.

By Sunday I was beginning to tire of the smells of Glastonbury: fried food, sweaty bodies, the stench of overflowing toilets and the underlying cloying, sweet smell of marijuana. Sometimes the enhanced senses of a vampire are more of a hindrance than a help. The music had been good, however. Stevie and I spent some time watching acts on the BBC Introducing Stage. He assured me he would be able to sign some of the newer acts for the club. The names of bands become stranger every year; Crow Black Chicken, for example, make names like U2 and the Rolling Stones sound almost boring. However, I found myself admiring the energy of Jake Bugg’s performance. Stevie was convinced he would be the ‘next big thing’. I watched the Vaccines and actually quite enjoyed the Kaiser Chiefs, although Elinor wasn’t visible in the crowd, and I needed to be wherever she was. So Stevie and I returned to the Pyramid Stage, where I could once again see my lovely quarry, and keep her in my sights at all times. The more I saw of her, the more I wanted her. I had become obsessed with her, and I knew I had to have her.

The Festival ended, unusually, with a performance from Beyoncé, hardly an expected finale for the Festival – although no doubt Elinor was interested in the dancing. There was, however, ecstatic approval from the sweating crowds, especially when hundreds of cascading fireworks filled the summer night’s sky.

After the last notes of music had died away, some of the festival fans bedded down for their last night, although many had already left, and the fields looked decidedly emptier than on previous nights. The different noises gradually lessened, and I walked amongst the debris of empty beer cans and bottles, greasy hot dog and hamburger trays, even a certain amount of used condoms. Some people had been sensible at least. I found myself walking towards Elinor’s tent and, to my surprise, I saw her sitting outside, drinking from a bottle of beer. She looked up at my approach and smiled. I felt a thrill of recognition run through my body as I smiled back.