The Vampire Keeper (26 page)

Larkin nodded in agreement even though he did not want to release her. Luther’s logic was too great for him to deny, so he toddled over to Luther and gently relinquished Jezalyn.

Jezalyn who slipped in and out of consciousness blurted out as she left Larkin’s arms, “Grandpa, help me! He’s a vampire!”

Everyone stared in disbelief as Luther responded, “Just hold on, Baby Girl; everything is alright.”

Luther produced a vial from his pocket and as he popped the top off, Jezalyn whispered, “I wanna go home.”

“We are going home, but first you need to take this medicine,” replied Luther.

He hoped she would not deny herself the one thing that could keep her alive, and he knew she had consented to take the potion when she opened her mouth like a baby bird for him to pour it in. Relief moved over everyone as she closed her mouth to swallow.

Upon swallowing it, she responded like a child, “All gone,” sticking out her tongue, “can we go home now?”

“Yes,” he said as he cradled her in his arms. Pointing at his bow, Luther ordered, “Falken, gather my things; it’s time to go.” Falken obeyed, picked up the bow, strolled over to them, and stood defensively.

Larkin stared at Jezalyn’s face and saw no resemblance, and even so he could not deny the regard in Luther’s eye or the feeling of safety that swept over Jezalyn when Luther held her close, so he stepped aside and let them pass.

Wyler was the first to break the silence as they watched the hunters climb the levy with Jezalyn’s body. “Julius, toss me the Wood Avens. I need to make a mixture for Larkin.”

He tossed the baggy across the ship, but Larkin caught it in his hand, tore open the bag, and emptied the contents in his mouth.

Julius watched him gag on the herb as he tried to command them on what to do next. “Take the bodies below.”

“And put them where?” asked Julius.

“If I know my brother, there are several crypts or cells below. We need to voyage this barge up river away from society until we decide what to do with them and him,” said Larkin pointing at Maurice.

Wyler’s gaze drifted toward Maurice as he cradled his dead wife as gently as possible. “Good idea! We can torture you over and over until you tell us how to find Isadora,” he said, before lightly kissing Ana’s head, like someone would a sleeping infant, not ready to acknowledge she was gone.

Julius was surprised to hear such spiteful words escape Wyler’s mouth, but then again he could understand the reasoning, so he nodded in agreement. Maurice tried to flee, but his attempted was unsuccessful. Julius had caught him by the neck and snapped it to incapacitate him for awhile so that he could move Theron’s corpse downstairs.

While they moved the bodies downstairs, Larkin closed his eyes and took a deep breath letting a smile slide across his face as he felt Jezalyn’s once faint heart beat increase to a steady pace.

Wyler’s voice broke Larkin’s meditation as he called out, “Julius, keep the heart. We may need him if Maurice doesn’t talk.”

Julius nodded and as he strutted over to the body and thought,
Someone must know the secret! What could connect Luther and Larkin? Why would they try to save each other; it’s not as if they are blood. I must know how they ended up bonded.
Julius plucked the heart out of Theron’s hand before mumbling, “You might come in handy after all” as he drug the heavy, limp body across the stained deck and into the corridor.

The announcement of Isadora’s death as a sham coupled with the possibly that she could save Ana was all the hope Wyler needed and he clung to it fervently.

“Let’s go,” said Larkin and as he walked to the helm to take the wheel, he knew that not only had Jezalyn survived his brother, but she had also survived him. He only prayed that her revelation of this cruel world would not alter her spirit. However, his thoughts did not linger on Jezalyn’s potentially shattered innocence for long, for he still sensed Wyler’s overwhelming sorrow, an agony that radiated intensely through every fiber of Larkin’s body. He could barely move and at that moment he acknowledged the internal strength of his faithful servant, for Larkin could hear Wyler’s determination to find Isadora and resurrect his sweet bunny. Larkin knew Wyler would not be quieted.

Thank you for reading the first instalment of Sabrina Street’s new series
The Vampire Keeper
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SABRINA STREET is a Secondary Teacher in Louisiana. Street earned a BLS in English at Louisiana State University at Alexandria before obtaining her Master of Arts in Teaching from Louisiana College. Street added author to her list of accomplishments with her debut novel,
The Vampire Keeper
. She continues to educate adolescents as she works on her next novel.