Vampire - The Awakening Part 36

She ran and ran and ran, and came to a dead stop.

And there he was once again. The figure that had seemed to be behind her... but was not. It was the horned creature, who had been before her.

She screamed, seeing him stretch open the great wings of the cloak he wore, ready to entrap her within the folds.

Fingers, yes, touching her now, stroking over her face, her arms, her arms... the arms tightening around her.

She screamed, breaking free.

"No... I ran away, away. I ran away. To the other!" The creature began to laugh and laugh. And again the voice came, like an evil caress.

"Don't you see, we are one and the same."

She awoke with a violent start.

Daylight flooded the room. She could hear birds chirping.

She was drenched in sweat. She swung her legs off the bed, eager to reach the bathroom and douse her face in cold water. The room was chilly and she fumbled around with her toes to find her slippers.

She looked down.

Little pieces of dirt dusted the carpet. She frowned, then lifted her feet. The soles were encrusted with earth and bits of gra.s.s.

Impossible...

She pressed her face between her hands, swallowing back a scream. She leaped up and headed immediately into the shower, furiously scrubbing her feet, because, once the dirt was gone, the impossible image was gone as well. She swore, for the water, whirling into the drain, carried a touch of streaky red...

Blood.

She'd scratched the bottom of her foot. She couldn't recall the pain, or the blood on the sole when she had seen the dirt, but then...

her feet had been dirty. Now, they were bleeding as well, so it seemed.

Had she walked outside in her sleep? Lord, these nightmares were truly getting to be too much. So real...

She should have called Martha-told her about the dream, and her feet.

Martha! She wanted to see Martha right away, and feel her practical sense of sanity and reason!

Megan finished her shower, dressed quickly, and raced out of the room. "Aunt Martha!"

There was no answer, just a note on the kitchen counter. "Out shopping, dear-make yourself at home!"

So, she'd have to wait, but she would talk to Aunt Martha, and there would be sense made of it. Maybe she had taken a few steps out when Finn had left last night... maybe they had dragged the dirt when they had come in, and she had picked it up from the carpet onto her bare feet then. Certainly, that was the logical explanation.

Finn.

She wished he was with her. She should tell him...

Maybe not. He'd been insisting it was her, that she had dreamed things, that he had not. But that wasn't true. He was having dreams as well. Behaving far too strangely.

Better to talk to Martha. To someone with a little distance. She couldn't tell Finn about this, and she certainly couldn't tell Morwenna, who would read far too much into it.

She tried to tell herself again that they must have tracked dirt in onto the carpet.

Ridiculous, and she knew it.

There had been too much dirt for such a simple explanation! Whether she wanted to believe it or not, that was the truth!But then again-she hadn't been walking in the woods in the wee hours of the morning, that was for certain!

Maybe, she forced herself to admit, she had been sleepwalking, and actually had gone outside, and then walked back in and crawled into bed. She couldn't have wandered all around town, and made it out to the cemetery!

And yet...

The vivid memory of the dream was uncannily real.

Despite the late hour he went to sleep, Finn was up and in the dining room by ten. Susanna gave him something of an evil glare, since he had made it just in the nick of time for her to cook, according to the hours listed on the Huntington House brochure. He was pleased to see that though there were no adults remaining in the room, Joshua and Ellie were still at the table, apparently waiting for their parents to go back to their rooms for their coats.

When Susanna was out of the room, he leaned forward and whispered to the children. "Mr. Fallon is a Wiccan. He told me that he was preparing a protection potion for the house."

Ellie sat back in her chair, gaping.

Joshua shook his head doubtfully. "Do you think he was telling you the truth?"

"Well, I heard him chanting one of his spells, and it sounded like a good one to me."

"How come he looks so creepy, then?" Ellie asked.

"I don't know, I guess he's just a creepy-looking guy," Finn said.

"I still think we should keep an eye on him," Joshua said.

"Well, we can do that. And hey, you two, you stick with your folks around here, no matter what. People can be weird, you know.

Most people are great, but you know, there are those who would hurt others. And Halloween can be fun, or a little kooky, too, right?"

"Right," Joshua said gravely.

"Creepy-like Mr. Fallon," Ellie said.

He nodded with a half smile. Actually, after last night, his own opinion of Fallon had changed. He had looked like a truly pathetic Ichabod Crane then. Somehow, roles had changed, and Finn hadn't felt like a wayward, maybe dangerous, guest, but somewhat more mature than an old man chanting spells in a kitchen.

He smiled again at the kids. "We'd better hush for now-Susanna is bringing my eggs."

Susanna came back in, obviously huffing and sniffing at the rudeness of guests who came into breakfast at the last minute. Finn smiled at her as sweetly as he could manage.

"Thank you so very much; you're so kind."

When Susanna left again, Ellie burst into laughter. Both children were still laughing when their parents came for them. They looked at Finn, puzzled, but seemed pleased enough to see the kids happy. They all told him good-bye, and to have a nice day.

Finn ate quickly in the empty dining room, then left Huntington House. He walked down to the historic district, and wandered around for a while. When it reached eleven-thirty, he decided to head over to the historic hotel. As he walked, he wondered if he'd actually find Lucian and Jade DeVeau. He hadn't thought of it the night before, but people usually made reservations a year in advance to stay in such a place for Halloween. He doubted that the DeVeaus had actually managed to get in-they had probably been forced to find other accommodations, but they might still have gone there, just to see the place or have a meal.

Or wait for him.

The lobby that afternoon was filled with women and a few men in fancy black dress and cloaks-a Wiccans luncheon was obviously taking place. There were other tourists as well, some gaping at the Wiccans, some trying to pretend that the sight of so many people in cloaks like these was nothing out of the ordinary.

He walked up to the desk and inquired if a Mr. and Mrs. DeVeau had checked in, and he was surprised to hear the clerk reply that yes, certainly, they had checked in late the night before. The clerk would be happy to ring them for Finn. He didn't need to. As he stood there, he heard himself called.

"Finn!"

He turned around.

For a moment, the sight of Lucian DeVeau standing in the lobby was as unnerving as any other event that had taken place since he had come. The man was about his own height. He wasn't dressed in a Wiccan cape, but rather something of a long black railroad duster, increasing his appearance of height, enhancing the darkness of his hair and eyes. Jade walked up behind her husband; she was wearing a long, light wool tailored coat, in black as well, and it created the opposite effect. Her eyes and hair were light, giving her an aura of something almost angelic. Beauty and the Beast, he thought wryly. Except that Lucian had the kind of looks that were cla.s.sic and compelling, hardly the image of a beast.

"Hi," he said simply, staring at the two. Then he walked forward, shaking Lucian's hand, accepting a kiss on the cheek from Jade.

"You made it. No problems getting into the hotel? I was thinking about it after we talked. They're booked so far ahead here for the Halloween events. I was afraid you might have difficulty."

"Oh, they were booked, "Jade said lightly, glancing at her husband. "Lucian talked with the manager. They were able to find a little room that hadn't been rented because of a few problems. We just a.s.sured them we didn't mind. So... it's good to see you, Finn."

"Thanks." He hesitated. They had said that they were coming anyway. He didn't know whether to believe that or not And now...

he wasn't sure if he was going to be able to talk to them, tell them about the insanity going on that might all be in his head. "Um, thanks for coming," he said.

"We're pleased to be here," Lucian said. He sounded very serious. Not like a man about to enjoy a brief vacation.

Still, Finn found himself answering lightly. "It's an incredible place, of course. They've done a great job with their various events.

There are all kinds of stands for children, where they can create jack-o'-lanterns, make Halloween cutouts, and all kinds of other little artistic creations. There are street entertainers, wonderful stores-and great museums here. Geared toward the witchcraft period, and others as well. There are wonderful places that teach about colonial America, and seafaring-the great whaling days, and all. It's truly wonderful."

"Yes, it's a wonderful place," Lucian agreed. "Have you had lunch yet?"

Finn decided not to say that he'd just had breakfast. "No. There are dozens of places to go, of course. And if you're seafood lovers, you've got to try the scrod."

"I've an idea. Let's just start walking and see what we find," Jade said.

"Great."

They left the hotel lobby and headed for the street. The day before Halloween had come, and the place seemed busier than ever.

The day was cool and crisp with a slight breeze, stirring up the autumn leaves that lay on the ground. As they walked, Finn pointed out a number of places of interest, then paused. "Sorry. Maybe you've been here before.""Strangely enough, I haven't," Lucian said.

Finn looked at him. "Not so strange. I'd never been here before. I'm sure a lot of Americans have never seen lots of places in the country. Sorry-are you American?"

"Yes, it's home now," Lucian said.

Before he could say more, Jade broke in. "Someone is waving to you, Finn, from across the street."

Finn looked. Darren Menteith was on the corner opposite them, with Lizzie on her leash.

"A friend?" Lucian asked.

"Well, an acquaintance," Finn said. "A good acquaintance," he said, and explained ruefully, "A fan. Come over, I'll introduce you."

They pa.s.sed by a group of schoolchildren in costumes and their harried teachers who were trying to keep them all together. As they neared Darren, Lizzie began to growl.

"How strange, she's the sweetest Dane," Finn said.

"Lizzie!" Darren said, distressed as they approached, and getting a better grip on his dog's leash.

She started to bark, her attention all on Lucian. Lucian, however, didn't seem dismayed. He approached the dog, his eyes on hers, his hand extended, and lowered himself to a hunkered down position, touching her head. Lizzie immediately sat, and started licking his hand.

"Wow. Are you a dog trainer?" Darren said.

"No, I just have a way with animals," Lucian told him. "I seem to scare them at first, then get on fairly well."

"Darren," Finn said, hesitating just slightly, "these are friends of mine from home. Lucian and Jade DeVeau. Jade, Lucian, Darren Menteith."

Darren extended a hand, still staring at Lucian. "Pleased to meet you."

"A pleasure," Jade said, and Lucian nodded.

"Beautiful dog," he commented.

"Yeah, thanks," Darren said, still staring.

"Are you from the area?" Jade asked politely.

It seemed as if Darren had to pull his eyes from Lucian's to respond to his wife. "Ah, yes. I am. Is it your first visit?"

"Yes, and Finn is going to show us around some, later, "Jade said. "If you've any suggestions, of course, as a native, we'd love to hear them."

"Peabody Ess.e.x Museum," Darren said. "Don't miss it."

"Thanks."

"Well, we're heading out for some lunch," Finn said. "Are you coming to the hotel this evening?""Wouldn't miss it," Darren told him, but he was staring at Lucian again.

"Good. We'll see you there."

"Yeah, of course," Darren said. "Well, later, then. Come on Lizzie."

Darren started to move on. Finn, Jade, and Lucian did the same. But halfway down the block, Finn paused and looked back.

Darren hadn't gone anywhere. He remained at the corner, Lizzie sitting at his feet. He was staring at them.

Finn raised a hand and waved. Darren didn't seem to notice. He was staring at Lucian once again.