God Touched - 01 (19 page)

The circling stopped and the eyes moved up to about seven feet off the ground.  If I put my hands out with my thumbs pointed at each other and touching, then my little fingers would represent the distance between this thing’s eyes.  It was huge.  The growling stopped and a moment later the red eyes disappeared.  Papers and debris on the street, where the beast had been standing, swirled up into the air like they were caught in a mini-van sized dust devil, and then it was gone.

“Okay Northern, what the hell just happened?”

So I had to tell her the story of the Hellbourne and the pit as I walked her to her car.

“So you released this thing and now it’s following you around?” she asked.

“Yeah, I guess.  Hey, if he follows me home can I keep him?”

“Asshole,” she said without any trace of anger.

“Pretty much,” I agreed. “I, um, well, I think when I attacked it with my super purple power, well, I think I healed it.  And it was rubbing its neck on the shield, ‘cause that’s where its collar had been.”

She looked at me with wide eyes.  “So how do you stop it?”

I shrugged.  “I’m pretty sure that
I
can’t.  That’s why the demon brought it here.  But it was a slave and now it’s free.  I think it will just leave on its own.”

She shook her head, green eyes glinting in the streetlights. “I think it will be like every other monster in this city and follow you around like a pet.”

“Hmm, I’ll need a really big litter box.”

“Isn’t that what your apartment is?”

“Bitch,” I replied.

“Pretty much,” she agreed, getting into her car.  She rolled down her window and grabbed my hand with hers. “Christian Gordon, you
do
have friends.  I’m one and you know, deep down that Tatiana is as well.”

Then she let go with one of her freaky fast moves and drove off before I could respond.

I drove home, thinking about what she had said, ate four massive turkey and ham sandwiches, undressed and collapsed into bed.

 
My appointment with Roma was set for one, so that left my morning to myself.  While I ate my dozen eggs and sausage (the good news was, the scales reported that my weight was stabilizing), I caught up on my backlog of emails.  Peter had sent me an apologetic one, but I wasn’t ready to forgive him yet.  There were three from Gramps, each slightly more alarmed than the previous, so I composed a response.

Gramps,

Sorry I haven’t responded.  Busy doesn’t cover it.  I’ve been recruited to a unit of the NYPD that I didn’t know existed.  Kind of like the FBI unit in your favorite movie about the red guy (
gramps loved the movie
Hellboy
and would totally get my clue
).  My special skills have been noted so I guess it’s for the best.  The girl that the Hlbrn are after is much like Beckinsale in my favorite movie(
Okay, so I am a fan of
Underworld)
.  But don’t worry.  I’ll bring you up to speed at turkey time.

Love, Chris

Somehow, I knew that wouldn’t satisfy him fully, but it would have to do for now.  I dressed in khakis and a polo shirt, as Roma had indicated that I would dress plainclothes from now on.  My holstered Glock, handcuff case and badge all went on my belt and I pulled a leather bomber from the closet to cover everything up, then headed out.  My goals for the day were simple:  1) go to one of the local parks and veg out, 2) avoid any vampires, and 3) avoid having my chest and ribs smashed again.  I felt pretty good, the knot on my head was gone, my ribs just slightly sore and my right knee almost better after its painful run-in with the concrete floor in the pit.

I drove to the park, found an open spot curbside and locked up the Xterra.  There was a small bakery near the entrance to the park and the warm odor of baked goods and hot coffee pulled me in.  The girl at the counter gave me a big smile and took my order for a large coffee (black) and a bear claw (seemed appropriate) with unusual enthusiasm.  I don’t usually get that.  The whole violet eye thing makes people uneasy.  I stepped out of the bakery still puzzled, but my attention was immediately drawn to a woman sitting at one of the outdoor tables.  She was blonde, beautiful, dressed in a cream colored suit with matching hat, gloves, red purse and red open toe shoes that cost more than my sidearm.  She was staring straight at me with interest and she was a vampire. I stopped dead in my tracks, looked at my watch (9:27AM) and looked up at the sun.  A couple of things clicked in my brain (one of which was that goal number two was already shot) and I walked over and sat down at her table.  Her eyebrows raised in amusement till I spoke.  “Elder Senka.” I greeted her.  Her eyes widened ever so slightly. Tatiana and Lydia had briefed me on the Elders back when it had been assumed that I would be attending the vampire party.

“Mr. Gordon,” she greeted me, her accent English.

“I thought my capacity for surprise had been beaten out of me this past week, but you’ve managed it none the less,” I said.

“In that case, I will endeavor not to strain your over wrought sense of wonder.”  Her accent was the heavily educated Oxford kind, rather than the rougher Cockney type.

Perfect for delivering biting sarcasm.

I sipped my coffee and waited, watching her over the rim of my cup.  Oddly, no one else seemed to notice us.  She watched me with dark chocolate eyes and finally spoke after a few seconds pause.  “I was going to offer you some tea, but I see you have sufficient libation for the moment.”

Suddenly, a rather dazed young waiter was at her side with a cup, saucer, hot water carafe and an assortment of teas.  He set them down without comment and left.  I took a moment to watch the people around us while she selected a packet of Earl Grey.  There seemed to be a bubble of
avoidance
around us, and people came and went without looking at us directly. 

Meanwhile, I was hurriedly trying to remember everything that the girls had told me about the Elders.  Lydia had stressed that they were very old, extremely powerful and not as easygoing as the younger vampires.  Since I couldn’t recall any easygoing vampires other than the girls, I was trying very hard to control my natural wiseassitude. 

The ladies had never mentioned that the Elders went about in daylight.  Senka was Galina’s “mother”, making her a grandmother of sorts to both Tatiana and Lydia.  Elder Fedor was the sire of Anton, Tatiana’s father.  He generally hung out in Europe. The third was Tzao, an ancient female who mostly stayed in Asia.

“Six nights ago, I get a telephone call from my daughter,” she said.  “It seems my Tatiana has awoken from her walking coma.  A rather dramatic tale followed about demons, silver bolts and a fascinating young police officer with a penchant for demon slaying,”

I fought my urge to correct her use of the word slaying.  Banish would be better, but she didn’t seem the sort to appreciate a lot of correction or interruption.

“Then, wonder of wonders, Tatiana herself is speaking to me on the phone, as she has every day since. And do you know what her favorite topic is?” Her eyebrows raised in question.

I shook my head.

“Really?  No guesses?”

I shrugged.

“Why it is the very same police officer that saved her. I’m fairly certain that you could not have imagined the joy that her awakening has brought me. And, of course, fate would have it that I was delayed in arriving, being the last, rather than the first.” She paused to sip her tea.  I decided to remain silent, trying to keep up the illusion of intelligence.

“It never ceases to amaze me, no matter how many centuries I have seen, that timing continues to be everything, as they say.”  She had locked my gaze and I realized that I couldn’t look away if I wanted to. “So here I arrive last night, only to find my beloved Tatiana, essentially insane with worry and anguish, wreaking destruction on her mother’s home and flinging all manner of older vampires in every direction.  Do you know that the first thing I had to do on my arrival was to help my fellow Elders restrain my granddaughter?  And I’ll even tell you that the only real reason that we, the three oldest and most powerful vampires on the planet, could do it at all, was because you finally finished your fight in that pit. Lydia then got her settled by handing her, of all things, a certain gray pullover. What a bloody mess.” 

She took another sip, while I processed that bit of information.

“Once Lydia had calmed her down and promised to check on the cause of her worry, I was able to learn the whole rath
er sad tale.’ She continued.  “
Fairly tragic some might call it.  Personally, I find it to be idiocy of a monumental level.  It seems that some persons of influence prevailed upon Tatiana that the best method of protecting her beloved police officer, would be to drive him away.  Make him believe she had fallen out of love with him.  Preposterous, really.  Only someone completely ignorant of vampire psychology would fall for that.  I have since expressed my displeasure, rather forcibly with both Galina and Anton at this extremely inopportune action on their parts.  But then Lydia comes home, reassures Tatiana and tells us of an encounter with something unheard of.  Perhaps you could tell me its name, just in case I heard it wrong from Lydia?” she asked.

I cleared my throat and said,
“The Hellbourne called it a Damnedthing.”

“And Hellbourne is your rather quaint term for one of the walking demons?” she asked.

I frowned at her sardonic attitude, ready to speak
,
  possibly my last words, but she waved her hand languidly and laughed.

“Oh please do not think I am amusing myself at your expense, Mr. Gordon.  I have nothing but admiration for you.  I would have found you admirable for nothing other than your actions in Plasma last Friday. But you continue again and again to put yourself in harm’s way for Tatiana and Lydia.  And then there are all the other fascinating details, like your improbable time and date of birth.  And even the way the tragic death of your family corresponds to Tatiana’s own pivotal past.  One might almost think you two were linked by fate.  Your physiological response to vampire blood, at least Tatiana’s, is almost without precedent.” 

She looked down at her tea, releasing me from her gaze and I glanced around us to see if we were still going unnoticed.  I almost missed it, but a short, rather rotund fellow who was walking by, turned slightly toward the street and I spotted a wyrm riding his shoulders.

Glancing back at Senka showed me that she had still not looked up, so I took a quick chance and flicked my right hand in the wyrms direction.  I have developed a technique I think of as the Aura whip.  Imagining my aura to be tapered and coiled like a bull whip, I snap it at a demon or in this case a wyrm.  It worked perfectly, neatly snapping the foul thing in half and instantly freeing the round guy from its grip. He began to straighten up from his hunched posture almost immediately.

I turned back to Senka, only to find myself busted.  Her eyes were bright with amazement and I had the uncomfortable feeling that she had seen everything. 

“Wonderful, exactly the kind of thing the girls have been going on and on about.  To see your very special abilities in action, extraordinary,” She said.

“Er, I have a sort of personal vow not to let any of them get away.  Did you…were you able to actually see that?” I asked.

“Oh yes, Christian.  Do you mind if I call you Christian.  I feel as if I know you already.  The girls have done a remarkable job of describing you.  But anyway, the answer is yes. I can see your aura and I could see the thing on the man’s shoulder.  What do you call that one?” she asked.

“Ah..I call those things wyrms…with a ‘Y’,” I answered.

She nodded then continued. 

“You know I was so excited when Tatiana woke up, as you see, one of my abilities is to foresee people’s potential. And I’ve always known that Tatiana would achieve great things.  But then Lydia told me that you were Tatiana’s match in potential.  I could scarcely believe such a thing despite the enormous value I place on Lydia’s opinion.  But that girl was right again.  Ah Lydia.  I consider her one of the best I’ve ever created.  If I could clone that girl, I would make one of her for every day of the week!”

I shuddered as I thought of dealing with seven more Lydias.  She laughed at my response.

“That is a rather intimidating thought, is it not?”

“Well, Ma’am, it’s been all I could do to handle just the one.”

“Oh yes, and you have been very put out with Lydia, have you not?” she asked.

I frowned as I thought of how far I had gone in believing in Tatiana’s interest in me.

“But wait, I thought Galina
Turned
Lydia?” I asked as my brain caught up with part of her comments.

“Oh, she did….at my insistence, and I gave Lydia a little dose of my blood at the end of the process, as a boost. Galina doesn’t know that detail though.

“So, you sa
w potential in Lydia and assured
it came to fruition?” I asked.

“Something like that.  And now I have to agree with Lydia.  You and Tatiana are a matched set.  Complementary,
but
not identical.  You balance each other; bring out the best traits in each other.  This changes the dynamic completely.”