AN: Guys this would be the last chapter from me for the whole week as I will be out of the country. Duty calls. I do have 6 more chapters in line and uploaded, but I will wait till I'm back by next Sunday to publish. Have a nice week. Please Review. I am heart-broken!
9. If Only - Chapter 8
Godric's POV
As I came back into the Hall, I noticed her standing in front of the Glass cabinet where some of the oldest relics I had collected over the centuries were displayed. I was fuming after my short talk with Eric during which he suggested again that I should let Anahita go. I don't know why the concept bothered me so much but it got to the point that I hung up in his face.
"I think we can leave now." I informed her.
"We?" she turned around and enquired.
"Yes, I will come with you… so you don't get lost." I smiled trying to uncoil myself.
She returned it with an accepting one "Very well."
1 hour later we were standing in the open air Parking lot of an Apartment buildings compound in Bossier city. I was thoroughly impressed with Anahita's flying skills and stealth. She was almost as fast as me with just the perfect amount of balance and flexibility. For a 700 year old vampire she was gifted indeed. She had instructed me very specifically where to land. As I found out later, the spot where we landed and the way she had pointed towards the Main entrance was blind-spot for most Surveillance cameras adjusted there. I had lent her a Midnight Blue leather jacket that Pam had had made for me last winter by some expensive designer but I had never worn it.
She swiftly moved towards the main entrance of one of the buildings on the left side. There was a Security guard sitting behind a large counter. The Man was a were-wolf in his early forties and was well built. I followed Anahita who was now walking swiftly through the large hall towards the counter. As she came to a stop the Guard passed her a most friendly Smile, like he knew her for quite some time.
"Miss Rose. How are you this evening? It's good to see you!" said the Guard extending his hand to shake hers which she took without hesitation returning the same kind of smile.
"I am doing very well Martin. This is a good friend of mine Caleb." The guard nodded at me before 'Miss Rose' addressed him again "How is your wife? I hope the surgery went well?" she inquired. The man's expression grew a bit somber.
"The surgery went fine, thank God, but she has infection in the wound, because of the Diabetes. The doctors are saying that it will get better, it's nothing to worry about. But Miranda is a bit worried. ya' know with the responsibilities of the kids and all." He smiled at her again weakly.
"Oh don't you worry Martin, she will get all better, she is a fighter. Please ask after her for me?" She squeezed his hand in reassurance which eased him some. When she let go, the guard gingerly turned around and opened a locked drawer on the other side of the counter from which he retrieved a set of keys.
" Here you go Miss Rose." He handed them to her and smiled again before turning around towards his control panel and turning off 3 buttons which immediately showed 4 screens on the CCTV camera monitor panels going blank.
She passed him a smile again and took off towards the elevators situated on the right side of the Hall.
Once in the elevator she looked at me and must've noticed my curious expression.
" Have you used hypno-projection on that were?" I asked in Helvetian in a voice so low that no one but a vampire could hear, raising an eyebrow at her. She chuckled in response. It sounded like pleasant wind chimes.
"I haven't done a good job if it's that obvious." She answered in the same language as well I smiled at her as she pressed for the 9th floor.
"No, it's just that Weres here in America are not that comfortable with Vampires. Not like in the old world where Were-packs and Vampire state Allegiance goes hand in hand like it's the most natural thing."
" Yes, it's understandable, new world might mean new territory to develop and a clean new slate, and new friends to make, but it also means new trusts to gain, new history to write and new allegiances to form, natural prejudices to overcome… trust takes time." She was sounding more and more like a 700 years old vampire that she was.
"That is true, so why did you not glamor him simply?" I said while she fiddled with the key to her apartment door. I noticed her beautiful soft hands again.
" I could've used glamor but It would've faded off and I can leave no ends lose. Due to hypno-projection, he actually believes that i have been living in the apartment for a week almost. He also believes that I and he are both on very good terms and that I have been a vampire for 36 years and my name is Rosetta Glade, it's one of my alternative identities. He is a good man though. He works here but belongs to a Pack in Shreveport… Long tooth I believe. The leader of the pack is a Colonel Flood."
I knew of the pack. It was one that Eric associated with on occasion. She was meticulous indeed with the dodging of Surveillance cameras and gathering of information. A careful vampire is an existing vampire I always believed.
It took her less than 15 minutes to gather the things she needed and wipe out any evidence of ever being in the apartment. It was a generic 3 bedroom apartment. With master bedroom acting as the day space complete with finger print recognition and pass code. I sat outside in the lounge which was decorated sparsely and impersonally whilst Anahita gathered her things which seemingly were all in her day Space cum master bedroom. She told me that she was going to hold on to the apartment for a while before she cancelled the lease. I thought it best not to question her about it. Finally we made our way back towards the elevator with a medium sized suitcase, a dark burgundy duffel bag and a large tan leather Hand bag. Once in the compound parking lot for which we took the fire escape route (it seemed she had the super's key which she told me she glamored him to lose) we took flight again.
I thought about all the information I was gathering on my own about Anahita. I started to arrange it in my head like I always did when trying to solve a great puzzle and what was Anahita if not a puzzle.
Anahita had been sent for me, not for her maker Eric which was hard to comprehend and we did not know who had that information. If anyone even knew that Anahita was Eric's child and if Anahita being Eric's child was delicate information this side of the world. Especially with the kind of powers Anahita yielded.
I also knew now that giving Anahita to Eric would complicate things too much since Eric was volatile regarding the whole situation. Very unstable. If not tread carefully it would be harmful for everyone, there was no other option than to keep Anahita close to me and if I was honest, even if I did have another option I would still keep her close.
Anahita was being protected at least through day time. I knew this due to my own awareness and experience with numerous kinds of ancient magic and I had felt the Mage warping itself around my own house at dawn just when she died for the day and I had felt it lifting immediately as she rose for the evening. I did not know if it was the reason for Anahita's bloody tears during the day death. I had never felt a powerful magic of that sort before, which seemed to be connected to Anahita's psyche. I could sense the connection but not what it actually was.
Anahita had been trained meticulously, and yielded with accuracy the highest degree of Blood Magic, that previously have known to be only yielded by Theo. From what she had explained to me she had first tied her own blood bond with Eric and now released it. Eric though has been able to control the bond like maker and child and Anahita had not manipulated it since it had been opened. I had a hunch she could do it with extreme ease. I needed to be ready to use my own Maker/child bond with Eric at any time in the case things get out of control. My earlier chat with Eric on the phone was not a good sign.
Anahita had a specific set of orders which she was following, but I knew that I would be privy to them if I just asked. I myself was not sure if I wanted to ask or if I would be able to walk away once I knew the whole game. I knew this for sure that something big was about to happen but was not sure, that I wanted to get involved or even if I could avoid getting involved.
As I sat down next to her on the couch a few hours later, I had made my decision. If I were the same vampire that I had been for the past 2 centuries up until a year ago I would have politely let her stay for a few days and then let her go without ever getting involved into whatever (In Eric's Cautious words) her person ensued. But I was not the same vampire anymore. I had had a year of freedom, and in that year I had realized that though my distaste for normal vampire behavior remained intact, I no longer wanted to stay on the outskirts of adventure just to avoid distaste. I no longer wanted to have a peaceful existence. I wanted to do something meaning full with my life. I had never had much firm believe in the Gods I had seen being worshipped for past 2000 years, but I had still found myself praying silently to some Higher power to give me some sign. Was this the sign? Only one way to find out. With that decision made I had made my way to the Main hall again. Knowing she would be there. I had given her an hour to set up her things in the extra bedroom in my own private chambers. I saw her sitting on one of the couches facing the fire place eyes glazed over in down time.
"Anahita, I think it's time you tell me why you are here." I said slowly but firmly. I wanted her to place her confidence in me. Only she knew what she hid, but her beautiful eyes had shown me quite a few times since last night that what she hid and held was something extremely painful. And I knew a lot about pain.
She nodded, but still sat staring at the fire. Her hair still tied in the tight bun she had sported for the flight between Bossier and Dallas. She was still wearing the same Black silk button down shirt and wash blue jeans skinny jeans. My jacket was carefully placed on back of an Arm chair near the fire place.
"Why are you here now Anahita? Did Theo release you? Are you here doing his work? Are you running away from him? After 7 centuries by his side how and why did you all of a sudden come to us like this?" I was now turned towards her. She slowly gathered herself up and turned a little to face me back. There was a haunted expression in her eyes that clenched at something inside me. She looked weak and vulnerable as if made out of Ash, as if a soft breath of air would make her disintegrate. What weight did this child carry? I wondered and regretted my onslaught of questions.
"Do you know how long I have been on the run Godric?" her demeanour was ash but her voice was Iron.
"No, I do not Anahita." She was still not focused on me.
"How would you? I never told you." She smiled absent-mindedly.
