Protector (18 page)

Of all the beautiful foliage of different shades of blue, green, white, pink and many more, oddly enough her favorite is the
live oak trees.  They are such beautiful and majestic wonders in this part of the state.

They come to a stop just beyond the small family chapel at the ancient cemetery.  The enormous
live oak trees that enclose this small cemetery make it appear eerie, as if from a movie, with sage colored moss hanging down from the limbs and covering most of the ground. 

Anna
-Marie always thought it was so sad to see the whole family buried here, but also happy that they were all together, even in death.  The markings on the graves have been long gone, even before Anna-Marie’s time, but according to history the family of a king lays at peace here. 

Alessandro walks up to the largest of the seven kingly graves and kneels down on one knee in front of it.  He wipes away moss from the marker that had fallen from the monstrous green trees that shelter the whole area and tries to decipher the barely visible writing.

“’By the sin fell the angels,’ William Shakespeare.  I used to be able to read the writing on the headstone.  They are so weathered now, it’s almost impossible to read now, but I will never forget that verse.”

“Wow, is that really what it used to say?” 
Anna-Marie stares at him with wide eyes, shocked by this beautiful revelation.

Alessandro
nods his bent head.

Alessandro seems very emotional so
Anna-Marie stays silent, letting him know he can speak.

When he turns to her, his face is full of emotion.

“This was the first Brotherhood headquarters.”

Anna
-Marie continues to stare at him, utterly stunned.  She had never heard this before, but really why would she?  She never knew there were real live vampires in the world before last night either.

He turns back to face the tomb
.  “A very long time ago, over three hundred years to be more precise, the plantation housed the very first order of Brotherhood.  There were seven of them in total.  They were the first civilized group and they created the laws for our people here in this very spot.  We still follow most of those same laws today. 

“
They were tired of all of the cruelty and bloodshed they had witnessed in their long lives.  They thought humans were being killed senselessly and knew there had to be a better way.

“Of course, change is never taken easily.”  He turns to stare at her again, knowing all these changes in her life weren’t easy either.

“There were no such things as Rogue and Brotherhood up until that point.  They were all the same, beautiful, cruel and majestic creatures.”

“If they were all the same, then how were they anything but cruel?”
Anna-Marie asks.

Alessandro looks away from her and back toward the tombs.

“Vampire is just a name that was created many, many years ago.  Their origins aren’t completely known because the first generation was eliminated a very long time ago.  However, there is ancient script saying they were once angels of God himself.”

“Seriously?  Angels?
You’re kidding!  There are really angels, too?  I have always thought of angels as being kind and beautiful beings.”

“
For whatever reason, they chose a different path than where God was leading.  A group of them got together and fought against the righteous path, and in return God punished them.  He banished fourteen of his beautiful creations to earth.  He cursed them to live as blood thirsty animals.  They became monstrous creatures, never being able to return to heaven again, or partake in the pleasure of the glorious light of day and all the gifts that life has to offer.

“I don’t think God foresaw the effect his actions would have on the world as a whole.  I would like to think, had He known how these creatures would turn out, He would have thought of a better punishment.”

Anna-Marie stares at him, shocked.  Her heart is threatening to pound straight out of her chest.  She is having a hard time wrapping her mind around this new development.

“The seven graves you see here are only half of that group, the good half.”

“But, how is that possible?  What happened to the other seven?”

“Well, the bad half caused so much c
haos and let themselves be known to humans.  The humans were deathly afraid of them and for good reason.  They wanted the abominations gone.  The locals rallied together one night with flaming torches and burned the manor down with six of the Brotherhood inside, killing them all.  No one knows what happened to the others.  They seemed to have completely disappeared.”

Anna
-Marie looks around feeling a little confused. “But, there are seven graves.”

“Ahh
. . . yes, there are.  The seventh belongs to a human woman that had the misfortune to fall in love with one of them.”

Anna
-Marie turns back to the moss covered graves seeing them with a new light and begins to cry.  “That is the saddest thing I’ve ever heard.”

“Yes, it is a sad story, but good came from it as well.  There was a seventh Brotherhood, remember.”

Anna-Marie looks from the graves back to him.

“One of them got away?”

“Yep, along with the baby that had become the very first Protector.”

“Wow, this is so unbelievable.”

“Believe it, Anna-Marie, it’s the story of my history.”

“If the locals burn
ed down the plantation with them inside, who buried them here?”

“The church did.  Religion was strict back in those days.  They believed that if you bury the dead on holy ground, their soul will be at peace.”

“But the tombs are so kingly, it makes them look like they were important people.”

“The only thing anyone can determine is the remaining Brotherhood that got away eventually came back and replaced the shabby stones with more appropriate ones.”

They start walking again and like the start of their visit, they do it in silence.

“Alessandro, where is your mom?”

The question slices through him like a knife.

“She died many years ago.”

“Oh, Alessandro, I’m so sorry.  Was she sick?”

“No, she was killed.”  He chokes back every emotion he’s felt for the past thirty years since her death.

“Oh no, that’s horrible.”

“Yeah, it was.  It was taken very hard by everyone who had known her.  She was an amazing person.  She did not deserve to die as she did.”

“What happened?’

“Rogue.”

She stops and looks at him.  He looks so pained.  “Oh, Alessandro, I’m so sorry.”

“It’s the price we pay sometimes.  Once your enemy finds your weakness, they will use it against you.  That’s why most of us have the good sense not to give those bastards any leverage.”

“Can you tell me about her?”

“We all knew the day would come that she would no longer be with us.  She refused to turn
into a vampire because of me.  She wanted to give me as much of a normal life as she could and she felt staying human was the only way to ensure that.”

“That was very honorable of her.”

“Yeah, I guess.  I think I would have preferred her to be a vampire, rather than not be here at all.  It seems like it was all for nothing.  I would have become a Protector no matter what she did.  My life would have been the same as it is now, only happier.”

“What was she like?”

“Oh, she was very beautiful and so full of life.”

“How did your parents meet?”

“In Italy, actually, after the end of the Second World War.  The Brotherhood was in Europe fighting the largest group of Rogue and Mixed Breed there has ever been, and when they were done, they went back to Italy.  Believe it or not he met her on the street.  She was a street vender.”

“And it was love at first sight?”

“Actually yes, as cheesy as that sounds.  He said she looked at him and had him hooked with one bat of her long dark eye lashes.  The rest is history.”

“That is so romantic.”

“Yeah, I guess it is.”

Anna
-Marie walks silently, pondering that tragic love story.  It seems so unthinkably sweet to love someone so much that you would sacrifice your whole life to be with him, and then give it all up for the sake of your child. 

“Alessandro, how old are you?”

He looks at her, confused.

Noticing his confusion she elaborates,
“Well, you said you live longer than a normal person, so I was just wondering how old you are.”

“I was born
on December 11, 1962, so I’m forty nine.”

She looks at him stunned,
“Wow, but you look so much younger.  How long will you live?”

“Typically, if we die from natural causes, we live to be about one hundred and fifty.”

Anna-Marie stops walking and looks at him.  Mortified, she asks, “So you’re going to live for another one hundred years?”

“Typically yes, but most Protectors don’t live that long.”

That answer mortifies her even more than the prospect of living so much longer than she will.

They begin walking
in silence before she speaks again.  “And the Brotherhood lives forever?”

“Yep, unless
, of course, if they are killed.  It’s been known to happen.”

“How are they made?”

“Vampires?” he asked confused.

She nods her head “yes.”

Alessandro is hesitant to answer, but decides to despite himself, “They are made from other vampires.  The originals wrecked havoc.  They didn’t know what would happen at the time, but when they figured it out, it was too late.”

“Oh, and do they always turn out bad like the Rogue?”

He shakes his head, No, not always.  It’s a choice.  Becoming a Rogue is easier for them because they don’t have to limit themselves and their blood lust.  They are like drug addicts, always needing more.”

“So what happens when a Protector gets married?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, if Protectors aren’t vampires, then they can’t change their wives in order for them to live longer with them, right?”

“No, they can’t, and being as we live double the life of a human, we are bound to watch our wives and sometimes even children die before we do.  It is not an easy thing to have to go through. It is the sole reason why I have always refused to find a partner.  I have seen it many times with my family and I think it is pointless.”

“Alessandro, you can’t choose who you love.”

“I know, but I have always lived my life in a way that never left room for that kind of thing.”

She looks at him and lifts her brows.

He laughs. “Seriously, I don’t associate with very many humans.  I do my job and watch over them, but I keep my contact with them as little as possible.”  He pauses. “Until now that is,” he says and bumps her shoulder with his.

“Well, you can feel comfortable with me.  I was adopted as an infant and even before I found out, I have always felt different from everyone else.  We are a fitting pair.”

She smiles and looks away to stare at the calm river, with its expanse of rice fields engorged by the river banks.  Every now and then she sees an alligator pop up its head in curiosity.  She closes her eyes, letting him guide her along the path.  The rhythmic songs of the river slapping against the bank and the hungry calls of the loons lull her into relaxation. 

Alessandro thinks about what she said.  He has lived his life on his terms for the past forty-nine years.  He has been completely content with the idea of never marrying or having children.  They are too much of a liability and a weakness.  However, something has change
d in his world lately, something greater than himself.  His world has tilted on its axis, causing everything he once thought he has ever known to change.  He has lost all control and he is well aware of it.

He stops walking again and turns her body to face him and studies her eyes.  The eyes are supposed to be the gate to your soul and all he wants to do right now is see into her soul.  He’s willing to bet it is as beautiful as it seems.

“What is it, Alessandro?” she asks, feeling concerned.

“
Anna-Marie, I . . . I think I love you.”

Stunned, she catches her breath. 

“You think?”

“I know I do.  I have fought against these sorts of feelings my whole life.  I never wanted this and as much as I have tried, I haven’t been able to make it stop.  I didn’t know what it was at first, but when we were apart, I knew.”

He loves me?  But how can that be?  He can’t be in love with me.  What about Dylan?  I could never love him back the way he needs to be,
Anna-Marie thinks to herself.

“Alessandro
-”

He takes her by surprise and kisses her before she can finish her sentence.  His kiss is slow and tender at first, not knowing what boundaries he is crossing at this very moment, but he doesn’t care.  He has imagined this moment for weeks now.  The kiss in the club was sloppy and unexpected
, the side effects of too much alcohol.  It only fueled the fire and made his hunger for her even stronger.