Sekhmet's Curse (Pearl Vampire Chronicles) (33 page)

Matt looked completely embarrassed, but he nodded.  We walked in and turned around.  I waited, but he didn’t move.  “Matt.  You need to pull your pants down first.”

“I know,” he whispered, but he still didn’t move.

“Look.  My eyes are closed.  They’re squeezed shut and I won’t open them, I promise.”

“No, it’s not that,” he said.

“Then what is it?”

“You’ve seen me before, haven’t you?  I feel
comfortable with you.  In fact, I’m strongly fighting the urge to ask you to, ummm, hold it for me.”

Now it was my turn to blush.
I opened my mouth
to respond
, but he stopped me, “No, don’t.  I shouldn’t have said that.  Close your eyes, please,” he said as he pushed his pants down to his knees.  I helped him sit then turned to walk out but he grabbed my hand, “Stay please.  I’m feeling a little,
mmmm
, dizzy.”

“Okay,” I whispered.  He held my hand as he leaned forward and tried to concentrate on what he was doing.
  After about thirty seconds we both knew that there was still a problem, because nothing was happening.  “Is it because I’m in here, Matt?  I know guys sometimes have issues with that.”

“No that’s not it, damn it.  It’s because, it’s because, well it’s because I’m too aroused right now.  What the hell is it about you that
does
that to me?  I’ve never met anyone like you, Sarah.   God this is so embarrassing. 
I feel like a
frickin’
teenager right now.”

“Don’t be embarrassed Matt.  I’m not
,
” I whispered.

We looked at each other for a few seconds.  Suddenly he yanked my arm down, pulling me down
to him, as his other hand moved to my cheek.  His lips met mine and the passion sparked instantly.  “This is so wrong,” he whispered into my lips.

“No it’s not,” I groaned, disappointed as I realized that sex probably wouldn’t be able to happen right now because of my period, but I could help him in other ways
.
He seemed to sense this too as he guided one of my hands between his legs.
  He groaned as my hand wrapped tightly around him and began to slide up and down.  His hands squeezed on either side of my head as he pressed his lips harder to mine.
He growled in his chest and I felt his whole body grow tight.  He moaned into my mouth, “Dear God don’t stop,
please
don’t stop. Oh fuck yes, Sarah,
”
  His
body jerked a few times as he climaxed.  I tried to not act surprised, but my eyes popped open and glanced down as I felt wetness on my hand
and, out of the corner of my eye,
I saw white liquid shooting out of him onto the floor
, so in my mind I knew then that the Seraphim blood was changing him
in other ways
.  My hand slowed, but kept moving until his body finally stopped its spasms. 
He kept kissing me for a few seconds then he stopped and pressed his forehead
to mine as he tried to catch his breath, “Ummm,
shit,
what
is a guy supposed to say at a time like this?” he mumbled.

“Well, how about ‘I think I can pee now’,” I said.

He chuckled, nodded his head and finally began peeing in the toilet.  As he did, I pulled a few paper towels down and began cleaning up the mess from the floor.
  He watched me, but kept avoiding eye contact if I looked at him.   He finally finished peeing
and I
helped him stand.  I placed my hand on his cheek and forced him to look at me, “Matt, trust me when I
s
ay we didn’t do anything wrong and you have nothing to be embarrassed about. So, h
ow about that picnic now? 
Are y
ou hungry?”

“Starving,” he mumbled, smirking at me.  I smiled as I helped him up
out of the bathroom
. 
We found Carlos waiting for us by his bed, holding another tray full of food. “You guys ready?  I’m starving.”

Matt and I glanced at each other and smiled.  I brought him over to a wheelchair and helped him sit down.  I put Matt’s tray on his lap and the three of us headed outside.  The bright mid-day sun felt good on my face.  We wheeled around the corner and stopped
by the waterfall.  Carlos and I sat on the bench with the tray between us then all of us began digging into the food like starving animals.
  About ten minutes later, Carlos lay back on the bench, “I’m stuffed,” he said then he belched
loudly
.  “Sorry,” he mumbled then he propped himself up on his elbows and stared at me.  “What?” I said.

“I can’t
remember
when the last time was that I burped, Sarah.  Wait, what the hell?  Oh shit, I gotta pee,” he said as he jumped up and ran behind a bush.  “Sarah, I’m peeing!  Oh God that feels good,” he groaned. 

I
turned and
found Matt
look
ing
at
me
.  “Sarah.  Is he your
boyfriend
?”
he
whispered, clearly worried because of what we had done earlier in the bathroom.

“My boyfriend?
  No,” I said.

“But.
  Come on.  I hear a
‘
but
’
in there,” Matt said.  Suddenly he grabbed his head and fell o
ut of
his chair to the ground.  I ran over to him, “Matt!  What’s wrong?  Oh shit.  Carlos!  Get over here,” I shouted.  Carlos’ hand rested on my back as I brush
ed
Matt’s hair from his face.  “Matt?  Can you hear me?” I whispered.  Matt started mumbling, “I
got shot. I’m dying, but no, somebody is carrying me
.  They changed me somehow.  They made me a, they made me a, no way, a
vampire
?  That’s not possible. 
A fucking vampire?
  They’re not real, are they? 
And you.
  I saw you when you were a little girl. I saved you.  Then I watched over you for years.  Why did I do that?  I fell in love with you.  I waited for you. 
A pier.
  I watched you from a pier.  You fell in love with me then we went on a trip, a trip to find a way to make you a vampire too.  And Carlos helped us.  He helped me change you into a vampire.  Sarah?  Carlos?  We’re all vampires?  But how were we just able to eat food?  And why don’t I crave blood?  Wait!  Sarah! You’re my wife!  We got married right here!  And we all fought a big battle right here.  And you, Carlos, you fell in love with Sarah too.  Sarah?  Did you leave me?  No, wait.  Malina took me.  Then we fought her too.  Then the
Seraphim
’s came.  One of them took you.  A child!  You had a
baby
and you almost died.   But you came back to me.  And then you married Carlos too.  The three of us, we’re married?
Should I be angry? I’m not angry.  Why aren’t I angry about
that?  It’s you, Sarah.  Oh my God, it’s you.  I love you.  I love you so much,” he whispered then he started sobbing into the grass.  Carlos rubbed my back as I hugged Matt tightly.  “I remember,”
he
sobbed, “I remember everything.”

Suddenly his head shot up, “Save you.  We’ve got to save you Sarah!” he cried.

“What?  Matt.  I’m fine.  I don’t have this thing,” I said.

He scrambled upright.  “No.  You don’t understand.  This thing isn’t a disease.  This thing is an evil curse conjured up by a very powerful sorceress
– I think her name
was
Amelie
– and she despise
d
vampires
.  And you don’t have it yet because it hasn’t reached its full power.  The more vampires it infects, the stronger it
becomes
.  It has to be its most powerful before it attacks you.  Carlos, we have to protect her.  She’s the only one who can kill this thing, but it can also kill her.”
He gasped.

“Matt.  How do you know this?”

“Because it speaks to you when you’re infected with it.”

I sat back on the grass.  “This has happened before,
hasn’t it?”

Matt nodded, “Yes, several times over the centuries.”

“But the one that this evil thing searches for is called the ‘creator’.  I’m not the creator.  I haven’t created anything.  Why would it be after me?”

“It’s trying to stop you from becoming the creator, Sarah.  You may not be the creator yet, but you will be.”

“Creator of what?”

“I don’t know.  The creator of the thing that can kill the evil
, that can destroy the curse
, I think.”

“How am I supposed to create something that kills an evil
curse
that can’t be seen?”

“I’m not sure.  All I know is that we have to protect you.  Carlos, what are you doing to protect her?” Matt said.

“Mona, Marie, Musetta and Sissy are here casting protection spells over her.” Carlos said.

“That’s all? We need more, Carlos.  Ask them to call for more.  This thing is so strong.
It’s stronger than all of us,
” Matt said.

Carlos turned to me, “Sarah?  What happened when it came before?  That’s in your head, right?  What
happened?”

“It won,” I whispered.

“It won?  What do you mean it won?  Won what?”

“It killed the creator.”

“But why?
  What is this creator supposed to create?”

“The purpose of the
curse
is to set the vampire species back almost to extinction
, s
o that we have to spend the next few hundred centuries rebuilding our race.  It prevents us from having to
o
many ancient, strong vampires.  The creator, if successful, creates something that destroys this
curse
for good
,
so that the curse
can never be conjured up again.”

“But what are you supposed to create?”

“I’m not sure.  No one knows because it’s never been created.”
I said.

“Oh.  Wait.  How the hell are we able to eat food?  And pee! And, and,
how could I, you know,
what happened in the bathroom, Sarah
, how did that happen
?
” Matt said.

“Why? What happened in the bathroom?” Carlos said.

I leaned over and whispered the answer in his ear.  “No shit? 
Really?
 
All over the floor?
  That’s
crazy.  What the hell is happening to us?”

“I’m not sure,” I said, “But I do know that it’s time to get Matt back inside.”

I helped get Matt back into the chair and we all walked inside.
   Cameron was waiting for us in the clinic.  He opened his mouth to say something but Matt stopped him, “Cameron, I’m fine.  I got my memory back.  Yes, I’m a little weak, but I’d really like to go home with my wife tonight. Can you make that happen?  I promise I’ll be back first thing in the morning for a checkup.” Matt said.

Cameron stared for a moment.  He looked at me, “All of his memory came back, just like that?” he said.

I nodded.

“Okay.  But I want you all to feed before you leave here.  I know you’re not craving blood, but you still need to feed on it.  And, Sarah, Aquila is waiting for you inside.  And Matt, you’re in my office by eight tomorrow morning,” Cameron said.

We all groaned about the blood.

“Look.  It’ll help you get stronger,” Cameron said, “You can go eat a big dinner of real food after you’re
done.”

The three of us looked at each other and grinned, “I want a big steak dinner,” Carlos said.

“Oooh yeah, with baked potato,” I said.

“Do we even have that here?” Matt said.

Carlos nodded, “We have a lot more humans living here than usual, so the kitchen is well stocked these days.  Plus, the three of us aren’t the only ones exhibiting these human symptoms.  Ours are definitely more pronounced than others, but there are some who are eating human food right now.”

“Wow. 
Um,
Sarah?
  What do you need to see Aquila about?” Matt said.

“I have to feed on him,” I said.

“You what?
  What the hell for?  That’s insane.”

Cameron stepped in, “It saved your life, Matt.  Her blood mixed with Aquila’s is what reversed your symptoms.”

Matt stared at him, “So, draw blood from the two of them and mix it.  Why does she have to feed on him?”

Cameron shook his head, “We tried that.  It’s not as effective.  There’s something inside of her that
makes the blood stronger.  It has to go directly from him and through her first.  You should see it under a microscope, Matt.  I’ve never seen anything like it
.
”
Cameron said.