This is a bad idea. Rudy doesn’t get it. I’m putting everyone in danger by going with them. Rudy looks at me in the rear view. His eyes are wild, and he looks back to the road so quickly that I wonder if he was actually looking at me for a moment. Then his eyes are back.
“What do you think this is about?” he asks, his fingers undulating over the steering wheel. I meet his eyes for a split second in the mirror before he looks back to the road.
“The tithe,” I answer matter of factly. The very word makes everyone writhe uncomfortably. These sort of things are always about the tithe. Well, they always say it's about the tithe, but it's really about setting an example. Rudy and the coven don't need to know that. This is going to be difficult enough without knowing that not everyone is getting out alive. It's probably the hospital. The Council Chairs never like it when the peons work so close to the humans, but it's not like Rudy is some fledgling revenant, he's been a vampire for more than 600 years. Here's not a problem. Maybe they don't like that he works at the free clinic. He's a charitable soul, they know that, they've known that for 600 years. Maybe someone recognized me. Maybe it's all my fault.
"I shouldn't have come," I say looking out the window. If I’d known the council was in town I would have left, but they snuck up on everyone. You wouldn't think that vampires as old as those on the council could go anywhere in secret, but I guess they've had plenty of practice.
"You were seen with us," Rudy says his knuckles whitening as he squeezes the wheel. "The Chairs would ask questions if you aren't with us."
They're going to do a lot worse if any of them recognize me. I look at Carla and Steven sitting next to me. Their hands are woven together in a big knot. This will be their first time in front of the council. She hasn't even been a vampire a year yet. They'll probably kill her first. Maybe that will be enough to spare everyone else. Steven won't stand for it of course, but Rudy will hopefully be able to talk him down. Susan up in the passenger seat watches out the window as the hotel comes into view. It's the Holiday Inn. Cheap bastards are going to slaughter us in a budget hotel. Susan looks over her shoulder at me and I try a reassuring smile. Her expression stays blank. She knows it's bad. Can't kid a kidder. I look back at the hotel.
"Who owns this one?" I ask as we pull into the parking lot.
"Avery," Susan says. "Apparently he has a buffet set up for the Chairs."
I shudder, "Of course he does." Avery is a bit twisted. It's always kids. I try not to think too much about it. There's nothing we can do about it now. We all fall out of the car and make our way to the lobby. At the front desk Rudy gets our instructions. I keep my head down. There are eight vampires in the lobby. They're dressed like kids, if I didn't know better I'd think they were a baseball team traveling for a tournament, but they are watching us even as they toss a ball back and forth between them. They aren't local, which means they're council muscle. My coven stands apart from them as much as possible. I try to obscure myself in their midst. I don't recognize the baseball goons, but that doesn't mean they won't recognize me. Rudy shuffles us around the corner to one of the executive ballrooms. There's a vampire sitting at the door reading a newspaper, and he knocks as we approach. A vampire inside the room opens the door and ushers us in. I keep my head so low my chin is practically digging into my sternum. We're poised in the center of the dimly lit room. I can feel the tables around us, twelve of them. The Council Chairs sit in front of us, and if I can just keep my head down we all might make it out of here in one piece. Rudy is a good negotiator.
I wonder what Todd is doing right now. Probably just sitting down to watch the game, beer in hand. He's probably left a message on my phone by now asking if I'm busy. It's my week to get the pizza. He'll be worried that I didn't answer. He'll probably call again later. I might still be alive to answer. I hope so. I'd hate to let Todd down. After all this time, he’s the only person I care if I disappoint. If I can do one thing right tonight, it will be to make sure that none of this comes back to him.
“Look at this motley band,” the vampire directly in front of us laughs. Julian. Damn. I try to hide a little more, without making it obvious. I didn’t think he would bother coming out himself. The High Chairs so rarely travelled to this part of the world. A man grunts back at him and the hair on the back of my neck stands straight up. Darius. Double damn. I fight the urge to look. I have to keep my head down, he can’t see me, lives depend on him not seeing me. Julian continues, “I’m sure you’re wondering why you are here?”
Rudy steps forward, “Yes, Sirs.”
Maybe I can just peek up. When was the last time I saw Darius, Budapest maybe? That was barely a glimpse. He wouldn't have changed at all. He'll always be the same, that's what it means to be immortal. If I look up it will just endanger everyone. I have to fight the urge. Self control, that's what I've been doing all these years, I just need a few more minutes. I can do this.
"There have been a number of troubling charges brought against your coven," Julian says. "Fraternizing with humans."
"Sir, I'm a doctor," Rudy says, "My patients are human. I have to interact with them to treat them."
"We understand that a great deal of time was taken turning your newest member." Darius says, and I have to clench my chin to my chest to fight the urge to peer up at him. The sound of his voice is like a siren's song. "Lengthy courtships are dangerous in this day and age. Information gets away from us too quickly."
That hardly seems fair, especially coming from him. He used to say that courtship was a dance. And oh my, did he ever dance well. If I could just look up at his face, I would know what he really thinks. No, look down, just like Le Miserable. I can do this.
"And it seems that you've failed to increase you tithe to match the size of your new congregation," Julian continued. It always comes back around to the tithe. The only inevitable thing in the world when you're immortal, taxes.
"Lord Julian," Rudy begins, "we're not a coven in the traditional sense. We do not produce in the same way that other houses do. We're not a business, we're a family. This is my wife, my son, my daughter-in-law, my sister." Don't draw attention to me Rudy. I try to make myself smaller. It's sweet that he calls me his sister, but it might be better to call me out of sight, out of mind.
"While that is a sweet sentiment, it is not an opinion shared by this council," Julian responds. I flick my eyes ever so careful up to try and glimpse the High Chair, but he's just above my brow line. Damn. "Your tithe must be paid based on the current size of your house, or your house must shrink."
Susan takes Rudy's hand, as Carla clings tighter to Steven, which leaves me unpaired, and exposed. I can't help letting my face peek up trying to see the scene. I only look up long enough to make sure no one is looking at me. They aren't. I sigh inwardly with relief.
"Sirs," Rudy says, "We can't pay anymore. We are already stretched to pay as it is."
I sense more than see the movement around us. They're going to execute us. They're not going to wait for judgement. Reflexively I reach over and wrap my arms around Carla, trying feebly to protect her. She doesn't deserve this. She hasn't been a vampire long enough to deserve this yet.
"I see there is a far greater infraction we need to deal with," Darius says. I press my face into Carla's hair trying to pull her into me as much as I can. She looks terrified sandwiched between me and Steven. "I know that creature there to be a werewolf."
I look up and Darius is looking straight at me. All movement in the room has ceased. He looks the same. Not a day has gone by for him in almost 3000 years. I don't know why that continues to shock me. I haven't changed either, not physically at least.
"Hello husband," I say pushing the young shivering vampire behind me. Rudy turns wild eyes to me. I told him this was a bad idea, so I shrug at him. He should have listened.
"Ahh, Zephyra, what a pleasant surprise!" Julian says clapping his hands together.
I scowl at him, "Actually, it's Becky now." Only vampires cling doggedly to their human names. Personally, I change mine every 10 years out of force of habit whether I need to or not. Becky won't last me much longer, assuming I live passed today. Darius smiles and my eyes flick back to him, riveted by every move he makes. He's still beautiful.
"This is what you've been doing all this time, taking in strays?" he says. I'm watching his lips so intently that I barely hear the words he's saying. I look at Rudy and Susan who are watching me fearfully.
"Sort of stumbled into it, really." I can feel the cool spot where Carla is pressed between my shoulders. She's still shaking. Please, Darius, don't ask the question. Please, forgive me.
"It is against our laws to let werewolves live," Julian says. I don't look at him. I'm still holding my breath, waiting for Darius. His is the only opinion that matters. I am his. "This means that all of your lives are now forfeit."
"I submit myself to my husband's judgement," I say before vampires can react to the edict. "That is my right by the old laws."
Julian scowls at me, but then turns to Darius. We watch each other. His eyes rake over me as if trying to remember every inch that he once knew so well. I left, but it was for a good reason, and he knows it, he has to know it. Darius, please forgive me.
"Wife," he says and I step towards him.
"Husband," I say gripping the edge of the table he sits behind. "I'm sorry."
"For what?" He asks his eyes cool, "leaving me, or killing our children."
My breath catches in my throat. Is that what he's thought all this time? No wonder he's hated me.
"That's not fair!" I cry, "What I did, I did so they would live. And Darius they lived. They grew into such strong, good men. They're lives had meaning. Then those lives ended as all mortal lives must end."
Our sons were great men. Founders of Nations. Leaders of men. How dare he suggest that such lives had no meaning just because they were mortal lives.
"They could still be here," he says looking through me.
"As what?" I ask, "As a vampire? As a werewolf? Would you really have wanted such a thing for someone you loved?" I certainly didn't. That's why I took them away. I took them where they would be safe from Julian's poison. Darius would never have chosen this life for our sons, but Julian would not have given him a choice. He would have found a way to manufacture the necessity to change them just like he did for Darius. Just like he did for me. I had to keep them safe. I can see in Darius eyes that he knows it to be true. Something has happened in our years apart that has helped him to see the monster the way I have. I kneel before him.
"But they're gone now," he says finally meeting my eyes.
"No," I tell him, smiling. "They live even now. They live there," I say pointing to Rudy, "and there." Pointing to Carla.
He looks at the vampires before him in a new light. They look back at me and I smile. Maybe I didn't quite stumble into these particular vampires. I didn't just pluck them up for no reason. They're my blood, I have to protect them. It's what I do best. It's all I've done for nearly 3000 years.
"You can verify this I suppose?" Julian sneers.
I look him right in the eye and bark, "Yes."
"Our blood seems destined for immortality," Darius says distractedly. "How many are of your ilk I wonder?"
Looking back at him I watch as his eyes grow cold. He thinks so poorly of me? "There have been four."
"But no longer?" He asks.
I stare through him. They hadn’t been my fault. But a werewolf’s life is often violent and short. The loss of control accompanied by unfathomable strength and hunger often makes them too dangerous to leave alive. I had no choice. That’s the reason this council has put a bounty on all of my kind’s heads. Other than the personal reasons, of course.
“I’ve done a great number of terrible things in my long life," So many terrible things. Things that I still see in my nightmares, "but failing to steal our sons' mortality is perhaps the one thing that I've done right.” I look into my husband's eyes. I've hurt him. That may have been the worst thing I've done. It was cruel to steal his sons, to take his legacy out of his hands, but they were my legacy too. They were my blood, too.
I slide my hand across the table intending to take his hand and see a flicker of movement out of the corner of my eye. Turning toward the twitch I see her. Her long red hair bundled artfully on top of her head. She stares daggers at me. My fingers curl into a fist on the table. His new wife. I’ve spent my life living like a nun and he took a new wife in less than a century of our separation. Seeing her by his side in Verona had nearly killed me. Granted that was no reason to burn the Vampire Council House, but that was not exclusively my fault. It was more a matter of failing to stop the humans from doing so, but that's beside the point. I've spent the last 3000 years being faithful, and he chose not to do the same.
“I’ve been a faithful wife,” I say not breaking eye contact with the vile woman, “My vows bind me to you.” I look back into his steel grey eyes. If we’re going to finish this, it should be as we started it, together. Standing, I step back towards my coven. “But please don’t let your displeasure with me reflect on my family. They aren’t involved in this.”
Rudy puts his hand on my shoulder. I look at the floor and clasp my hands in front of me. There were so many times I could have put my happiness before my vows, but I didn’t. I was good. I watched our family. I respected my commitment. I didn’t let the animal win. I didn’t go mad. I didn’t sleep with Todd. Gods, I miss Todd. I wonder if he’s called yet? We were going to watch the game together. I don’t really care for football, but the bright colors and fast motion seem to be entertaining for Todd, so I endure it to spend time with him. When I need a ride, he’s always there to get me, usually in his cop car, but still a ride’s a ride. Because he invites me over I don’t have to eat alone or with a bunch of vampires awkwardly watching me. For the few hours a week that I get to see him, I get to be human. And all this time I’ve been living by these ancient vows, that my fucking husband hasn’t even been following. I’m not sure what makes me angrier, that I’ve wasted so much time being good, or that he has spent so much time not. But what did I expect? He’s a vampire. Their very nature is cruel and amoral. I feel so foolish.
“I’ve decided,” he says. I raise my eyes to watch him. There’s a smile in the corners of his eyes that doesn’t meet his lips. “You no longer deserve to be my wife.”
His words hit me like a physical slap and I stagger back against Rudy’s hand. If he wasn’t there I think I might go all the way down. My heart is pulsing through my ears and I can’t hear. I have to clamp my hand over my mouth to hold in a cry. I thought he might feel this way, but to hear him say it hurts me. Everything he has done for the last three millennia has hurt me; becoming a vampire, putting a bounty on my head, marrying the vile woman, choosing the council over me, all of it. Yet, there’s always one more cut that can be made isn’t there? There’s always one more drop to be wrung. I didn’t realize how viceral my need for his approval was until I didn’t receive it. The wolf in me cries to the crescent moon and longs to break free. It would tear it’s way to the surface and then tear through this entire council chamber. The wolf doesn’t feel slighted, it just wants to feed its hunger. It hungers for vengeance, for freedom, for oblivion. I can feel the wolf’s eyes looking out. Feel how it hungers, and I struggle to hold it back. I am in control, not the animal. I have a mind for reasoning. I can wait until they start trying to kill us. Then I will let the beast run, and I will watch the world burn.
“I release you from your vows,” Darius says. “But I retain the right to your life.”
I look up at my husband. He’s watching me, his eyes narrowing at the sight of my own. The wolf sees him as a weaker animal, and he can see that. Julian is scowling at his co-chair as if he is mad. “What?”
“No one will touch you except me,” Darius says, “I will decide when you die, dear wife, and I decide that is not today.”
Julian stands and slams his fist against the table. “No! This is madness. She is a werewolf, our enemy. She deserves to die.”
Darius cocks his head at me, “I think the crueler fate is to let her live. I find the thought of her living an unending life most satisfying. If I should have to then so should she.”
Julian’s fists are so tightly clenched that his knuckles go white. “Their coven is still too large.”
Darius turns his cool steel eyes to his sire. They stare at each other for a long time. Then, looking back at me Darius says, “She is not a vampire and thus is not subject to tithing, and if I am to believe my wife then those two are in fact my blood, and so their tithe is my responsibility. That leave two. So, In fact, they are overpaying currently.”
Julian looks ready to leap upon my steel eyed savior. The council room has become very loud suddenly. All the vampires in the room are shouting to be heard. My coven has closed in around me and we stand locked together as the room spins into chaos. Darius smirks at me and I bow my head to him. He returns the gesture and I pull my small family from the council chamber. No one stops us. The confusion is too great. There is no agreement as to whether we are still being punished and rather then wrongly act against us all the vampires have decided to take a stance of deliberate neglect. When we make it out of the room we run. We don’t even stop as the vampiric youths in the lobby jump up and call to us. We make it to the car and Rudy guns the engine spinning us out of the parking lot. After running three stop lights at about 40 over the speed limit Rudy determines that we might be safe. Carla and Steven are laughing and Susan has sunk so low in the front seat that I can only see her hair sticking up. I look at Rudy’s wild eyes in the mirror. He can’t believe we made it out. I can’t believe it either. I silently thank every God I can think of as we drive back home. Rudy takes Susan’s hand as we merge onto the highway and finally seems to settle a bit.
“Am I really related to you?” he asks flicking his eyes to me in the mirror. I look at his reflection and smile.
“Yes,” I tell him and lift up my extended fingers to count, “You are my youngest son’s great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great grandson.”
“And me?” Carla says. Steven has her wrapped up in his arms and perched on his lap. She’s smiling. She smiles like her father.
“You’re that plus a bucketful more greats, on your mother’s side.” She puts her hand over her mouth as she giggles. I pat her knee. “If you would like to see the paperwork I can get it for you. My records are thorough.”
“I believe you,” Rudy says laughing. “Why didn’t you tell me that one of the High Chairs was your ex?”
“He wasn’t my ex,” I say matter of factly. “And really back when we were married I was really more his property then his wife. It’s complicated.”
Rudy shakes his head as we exit the highway and weave through the neighborhood to our suburban ranch. As Rudy puts the car into park we all just sit trying not to think about how close to death we just came. Slowly Steven opens his door and lifts his wife from the car. She wraps her arms around his neck as he carries her into the house. I sigh as I watch them disappear into the dark. Susan squeezes her husband’s hand before slipping out of the car and slowly making her way to the door.
Looking at me leaning back in my seat Rudy says, “I guess your divorce is final now, then?”
I meet his eyes in the mirror, “What?”
“Darius released you from your vows,” he says, “Doesn’t that mean your a free woman?”
That’s right. He broke with me. I’m not married anymore. I slide forward in the seat. After all these years I’m free to do whatever, or whoever I want. I let that sink in. I throw myself out of the car. Running down the street I can’t hear what Rudy calls after me. Practically flying through the dark neighborhood I nearly run into three cars, jump eight fences, trip on a sprinkler hose, and scare a couple of fighting cats into a panic before I make it to the door I’m looking for. I throw myself into knocking. Todd opens his front door with the look of someone expecting the Spanish Inquisition. I don’t say anything, I don’t hesitate, I throw my arms around his neck and kiss him. He’s the first man I’ve kissed in three thousand years. His arms wrap around me as he pulls me into his chest and I push my fingers through his hair. When he comes up for air, before he can ask any questions I tell him, “My divorce is finalized.” His eyes get very wide for a moment. Then like a switch has gone on in his brain he pulls me through the door and slams it closed behind me.
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