The Tome of Bill (Book 6): Half A Prayer (2 page)

Thankfully, my roommate was a lazy fuck at heart. All of his call logs were still on his cell phone. The concept of cleaning them out had seemingly never crossed his mind. A little online snooping confirmed that her calls had all come from payphones - jeez, I didn’t even realize those still existed - from the area in and around Rochester.

That made sense. Sheila’s family was originally from upstate New York. It wouldn’t be too much of a stretch that she’d want to be close enough to them in case anything happened.

Sally had taken care of the rest, calling in a few favors with a coven up that way. She told them to keep an eye out for an escaped thrall that
coincidentally
happened to match Sheila’s description.

I wasn’t too happy with getting other vampires involved, but her logic was hard to argue with. They knew the place and had the numbers to canvas a wide area.

“What if they find her and get too close?” I asked.

“She’s the Icon.” Quite frankly, that was really all the answer I needed.

Suffice it to say, it was only a couple more days before we had an address.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to come?”

I raised an eyebrow at the question, a smirk forming on my lips.

Sally gritted her teeth. “Before you continue along whatever sick train of thought you’re following, let me make it very clear that the only one who would be screaming is you...and not in a good way.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” I lied, feigning innocence. “But to answer your question, I probably need to do this on my own.”

“I’m not disagreeing. I just think it’s stupid. You can barely say your own name around this girl, and yet, somehow, you think you’re gonna convince her to not only trust you again, but to join us on a suicide mission to kill this Vehron fucker?”

I winced at the thought of the other Freewill, the one I’d accidentally set free, the one who was infinitely more badass than me, the one who’d killed a good friend of ours and badly beaten another.

Pouring salt in that otherwise unpleasant wound, Sally had continued. “Keep in mind it’s also getting dicey heading north. Covens are dropping off the grid left and right. I have a feeling our friend has been recruiting.”

“What about this Brighton Coven?” I asked, referring to the vamps who’d sniffed Sheila out. “Think they’re still trustworthy?”

“Of course not. They’re vampires.”

“I mean, do you think he’s gotten to them yet?”

“No.”

“How can you be sure?”

“They answered my call.”

She had a point there.

“Be careful, Bill,” she said at last, her tone serious. “You just got back a few days ago after missing for months and...”

“And...?” I asked, unable to help the grin on my face.

“
And
I just offered you a job in Pandora Coven. Pissing off your new master isn’t a good way to start a working relationship.”

“I’ll be careful. I’ve got a plan.”

“You? A plan?”

“Yes, it
is
possible.”

“Fine, but just in case...”

It was then that she reached into her purse and handed the vial to me. It was sealed so there was no scent, but the sight of the red liquid inside immediately registered with my brain.

“Is that...?”

“My blood. It’s not much, but it might be enough of a boost in case of emergency.”

I hesitated for a moment before accepting it, a lump forming in my throat. For all of her queen bitch attitude, I sometimes forgot what a good friend Sally could be. “Thank y...”

Of course, then she had to go and ruin it. “And if you ever tell anyone what I just did, I will smash that thing and shove the broken glass so far up your ass that you’ll be shitting sand for a month.”

Ah yes, I was truly feeling the love.

“That’s it. I’m calling the cops...”

I concentrated my will toward Horn-rims and let loose with everything I had. “
SHUT THE FUCK UP AND INVITE ME IN!!”
As the compulsion left my mouth, it was like an invisible sledgehammer kicked me right in the frontal lobe.

Fuck! I’d known that compelling a human was much more demanding than controlling another vamp. I’d seen Sally do it a few times, only to get knocked on her ass from the effort. I just hadn’t appreciated how difficult it really was.

My vision doubled and the next thing I knew, I was down on one knee, gripping the doorframe to keep from keeling over, and hoping that the owner...

Sheila’s boyfriend.

...the owner didn’t pick that moment to slam the door on my fingers.

I risked a look up to find glazed eyes staring back. He was holding the door open expectantly.

Holy shit, it had worked. Sure, this wasn’t exactly what Sally had in mind when she handed her blood to me, but the definition of emergency really was a subjective thing.

I staggered back to my feet, feeling like my head was gonna explode. “
AND GET ME SOME ASPIRIN WHILE YOU’RE AT IT!!
”

Motherfucker!

Okay, that second one definitely didn’t help. Thankfully, I pitched forward onto a carpeted floor instead of back down the stairs.

As I inched my way in - dragging a concealed sword that suddenly seemed to weigh half a ton, the front door closed behind me.

“Thank you, Jeeves,” I muttered into the carpet. “There’ll be a generous tip for you come Christmas.”

I heard my host’s footsteps walking away. Realizing that I was being a poor guest, lying there and drooling on the floor, I crawled over to the couch and pulled myself up onto it.

Thankfully, absorbing Sally’s strength also meant adding her healing ability to my own. By the time my bland-looking friend returned, holding a glass of water and a full bottle of Bufferin, the echoing in my head had died down to a dull roar.

After I’d chugged about a dozen of the pills - it’s not like they could kill me - my senses finally calmed down and my thoughts became coherent.

Why the fuck was I here again?

Oh yeah, Sheila. Now where was...

“What are you doing here?”

Apparently, she was closer than I thought.

* * *

I should have replied with
something
, but my brain seemed to have shut itself completely down.

Sheila stood about fifteen feet away in a hallway leading from the living room. She was aglow with the flames of faith, blazing almost painfully bright - her eyes resembling miniature stars.

She was obviously a little bit annoyed.

She was also a
lot
undressed. Her damp hair hinted at the shower she’d just stepped out of...that, and the towel wrapped around her.

I was never much of a praying man, but in that moment, I sure as fuck believed in a god. And he was a good god to allow me such a sight. If I had died right then, it would have been a happy death.

She remained in a battle stance for a moment longer as my eyes continued to bug from my head - my brain in overdrive, attempting to etch this memory into my subconscious for all of eternity, if need be.

Apparently sensing that no battle was about to ensue, and no doubt noticing where my eyes were roaming, Sheila glanced down at her state of undress and immediately blushed - the little bit of color in her cheeks a beautiful contrast to the white fire that otherwise surrounded her.

A small part of me was tempted to flash my fangs and attack, if only because I had a feeling my life wasn’t going to be getting better anytime soon. There’s something to be said about going out on a high note.

Instead, she was the one to break the standoff, pointing a finger at me. “Don’t move.” She ducked inside a door, adding just before she slammed it shut, “And don’t you dare hurt Robert.”

“Who’s Robert?” I muttered right before remembering the other person in the room. I glanced toward him. He stood there, eyes glazed and unmoving. Compelling a human had been a shitload more painful than I’d have guessed, but I could see how handy it was in certain situations.

It was tempting to compel him to go play in traffic or maybe find a nice friendly police officer to kick in the balls, but I stopped myself short. I didn’t know this guy for shit. For all I knew, he was just a neighbor who had popped by to borrow some milk...and just so happened to hang around while she took a shower.

Grrr.

A darkness stirred deep inside of me and demanded I take some action - preferably the brutal kind.

No! That was a slippery slope. Plus, what had this poor schmuck done to deserve any of that? Nothing...except bone the one girl I had designs on.

Oh, fuck it.

I shook the rest of the pills from the aspirin bottle into my hand as I whisper-compelled, “
YOU HAVE ERECTILE DYSFUNCTION!!
” The resulting kick to my head from the effort was well worth it.

“What was that?” Sheila stepped back out into the hall. She’d slipped on a t-shirt and pair of shorts. Not quite as nice as the towel, but pretty tasty nevertheless.

“Nothing. I was just remarking on how...functional the décor was.”

She still looked somewhat wary, but the aura of faith around her had died down to a barely visible glow. It flared up again momentarily when she glanced in the direction of the guy I assumed to be Robert. He continued to stand there like some android awaiting instructions.

“What did you do to him?”

There was no point in lying to her. Hell, I wasn’t even sure I’d allow myself to. “I compelled him to let me in. That’s it.” Well, okay; maybe I could lie a little bit.

“You can do that?”

“Not really. I had a bit of a boost...it’s hard to explain.”

“Is he going to be all right?” She walked up to him and waved her hands in front of his unblinking face.

“Yeah, he’ll be fine. It’ll wear off soon.” I’d seen enough human compulsions to be pretty certain he’d snap out of it, but having never actually done it myself, I had no idea how long that might be.

A look of panic crossed her face and she closed her eyes. After a moment, even the soft glow around her faded to nothing. She turned toward me, a look of worry upon her face. “Is he aware? Will he remember this, seeing me like...that?”

That surprised me. “I’m not sure. I don’t think so. He seems pretty far under to me. Wait; you mean he doesn’t know?”

“No. I’ve been keeping it under control around him, at least until you showed up.” That last part had a bit of an edge to it, enough so that I was surprised I didn’t immediately start bleeding.

I probably deserved it anyway. After all, I’d originally dragged her into this mess, even if inadvertently. How was I supposed to know that a few compliments on my part would set in motion the chain of events that would turn her into the Icon, the legendary foe of vampire-kind? Shit like that didn’t happen to most people.

Of course, I’m not most people. I had the
luck
of being the Freewill, equally legendary warrior of the undead. Or at least I used to be before accidentally setting that muscle-headed dick up in Boston loose upon the world. Now? Well, I had no idea what I was now and it probably wasn’t the right time to wonder. “So...this is Robert?”

“Yes,” she replied, looking somewhat uncomfortable. I could understand the sentiment. Fighting monsters of the night was easy as pie compared to some things.

“And he’s...” I trailed off, hoping to hear cousin, friend, acquaintance, anything but...

“My boyfriend.”

Fuck! “And you both live here?”

“Yes.”

“Together?”

“Yes, together.”

Double fuck!

I sat down and took a deep breath, resolving myself to get to the point of my visit. None of this was any of my business, after all. She was free to date who she wanted. It’s not like we’d ever even kissed...minus one close call that ended with me on fire. Besides, we had bigger fish to fry. The end of the world was looming and we both needed to get our heads in the game.

“So isn’t this a little sudden?” I asked, ignoring all of that shit.

“Sudden?”

“Yeah. I mean, it’s only been a little over three months since...”

“Since I was hunted by a pack of murderous vampires?”

“Well...”

“Who killed all those Templar who’d taken me in?”

“I guess...”

“Including my friend Ben?”

“Yeah, I suppose that was...”

She raised a hand and pointed to her forehead. “And then ended things by trying to put a fifty-caliber bullet through my skull?”

“I can sorta understand your point.”

“Then you can see why I needed a little bit of normalcy. I was alone, on the run, looking over my shoulder every five minutes...”

“And...”

“And Robert is a nice guy. He treats me well.”

I couldn’t argue there. At the end of the day, didn’t she deserve at least that much?

“He’s a good accountant too.” She let out a laugh. “If things ever get back to normal, I might have to let him manage the books at Iconic Efficiencies.”

“An accountant, eh?” I quipped, unable to help myself. “Must be a real wild man on Friday nights.”

“That’s kind of the point. Like I said, I needed a little normal.”

Oh, fuck it, I needed to know. “So...do you...” I might have mumbled the rest.

“What?”

Gah! “Do you...love him?”

“He’s a good man.”

“That’s not an answer.”

“I didn’t realize I answered to you. Are you going to try compelling me too?”

“No!” I cried defensively. “I couldn’t even if I wanted to, and I don’t. I would never...” I stopped as the smile crept onto her face.

“So why are you here, Bill?” She took a seat on the couch, opposite of where I still sat, and stared me in the eye. Needless to say, I looked away first. God, I’m such a fucking weenie.

“Don’t you want to know how I found you?”

“Ed.”

“That obvious, eh? Don’t be mad at him.”

“I’m not. It was only a matter of time before he spilled his guts...figuratively, I hope.”

“He’s fine. Well, not fine...”

“Wait? Is he okay? He seemed good the last time I spoke to him.”

“You don’t know?”

“Know what?” Concern filled her features. I wanted to reach out and comfort her, but I hesitated. We probably weren’t quite there yet.