Chapter 2

"I hate to say this Peter, but I think there could be more vampires out there than we ever imagined. Although on the positive side of it, I must say it sounds as if she was telling the truth – maybe half of them really don't harm human life."

Charley's words offered him little comfort as they sat together in his apartment as the sun shone high in a blue sky beyond the window, and that sunlight brought great reassurance to Peter, who was still feeling shaken up recalling the sight of Elissa and her child and their sudden transformation.

"She begged me not to kill her, or the child. She actually thought I was going to kill them both!"

"And you thought about it, right? I mean, they're vampires -"

"No, I just wanted to drive them out."

Then Peter fell silent for a moment as worry clouded his dark eyes.

"I understand now, she wanted me to become aware of these Banished because she is one of them, her child is also one of them! I couldn't have put a stake through the little girl's heart, I know I couldn't have done that. And the last thing Elissa said to me was that she was sorry! They didn't come here to harm me, she really wanted to make me aware of the peaceful ones who harm no one, she just wants to keep her people safe."

"But you did the right thing," Charley replied, "You had to get rid of them, and driving them out with a crucifix ought to send a loud and clear message not to return. I don't think she will come back, she's got a child to consider – she doesn't know if you might kill her if she returned. And as long as she stays away, I think we can assume that's the end of the matter."

And as Charley looked from the sofa to the arm chair where Peter sat deep in thought, he noticed he still looked troubled.

"What's wrong now? You sent them away, they're peaceful vampires who harm no one – or so she said – if that's true, you can forget about them both."

Peter met his gaze and slowly shook his head.

"No Charley, I can't forget," he replied, "Because she came to me, trusting me, to tell me that not all vampires were evil. And I reacted as if all vampire killers attack all breeds of vampire, regardless of their intention towards humanity. So perhaps I came off this far worse than she did – I gave out the message that all vampires, as far as us mortals are concerned, need to be hunted down. No wonder her kind hide in secrecy, of course they do – they fear our prejudiced mindset."

Charley stared at him in surprise.

"I can't believe you're talking like this, Peter! What ever happened to the great vampire killer?"

"He just realised not all vampire are a threat," Peter replied honestly, "That's what happened to him - last night opened my eyes to a possibility I had never thought existed until I met Elissa."

Charley was still feeling surprised that Peter could have changed his mind, when he had always felt the battle between vampires and mortals was as black and white as good versus evil...

"She must have made a big impression on you," he said.

"She did, and now she's gone," Peter replied, and as he turned his gaze to the open window where now he saw a sunlit sky but recalled a moonlit night, Charley heard sadness in his voice.

"She's gone," Peter said again.

"And you'd best forget about her."

Peter looked back at him.

"Of course," he replied, "I just have to hope that was my last ever dealing with a vampire. Although I won't have too much time to think about it soon, I'll be too busy looking for another job."

It had been over a week. Charley's black eye was gone and while he could only guess at the remainder of pain that lingered in his heart over Alex, Peter had decided now would be the best time to break the news.

"But you have a job – hosting Fright Night."

"Only until the end of the month. Then it's the end, Charley. So as I said, I'll be too busy looking for work to worry about vampires."

"I'm sorry," Charley said to him, "I know you loved hosting that show, and you've done it for so long -"

"It doesn't matter, everything comes to an end eventually." And then Peter smiled, and thanks to his acting skills, Charley did not see the sadness he was hiding behind a smile that suggested he really wasn't too bothered.

"You're right about the vampires," Charley said as he got up from the sofa, "You'll have too much on your mind to worry about them coming back – but if they do, call me, I don't want you to face a situation like that alone."

Peter got up too and they left the room together and walked down the hallway to the door of his apartment.

"You didn't have to worry about me," Peter promised him, "If anything else happens I'll be calling you right away."

And they exchanged a smile, both recalling the bond of friendship that had been forged out of their battles with vampires.

"I'll call you at the weekend," Charley told him, and then he said goodbye and walked over to the elevator and went inside and hit the button for the ground floor.

Peter went back into his apartment and closed the door, then he looked around at the silent home that felt so empty sometimes. His thoughts went back to Elissa and how she had made him feel when they had first met.

He wanted to feel that way again – but she was a vampire, and so he knew it could not happen. He walked back towards the front room feeling quite alone, and feeling as if hopes and dreams had just been snatched away, right at the moment Elissa became a vampire before his eyes.

He wondered if he would spend the rest of his life alone, then as he sank down on to the sofa he guessed that was a very likely conclusion, and he turned on the TV and a cable channel was showing a rerun of one of his old vampire movies. That picked up his mood, and he sat there and watched the movie, lost in thoughts of the past and nostalgia, where for now, thoughts of Elissa would not creep back to make him wonder why he ached in his heart when he thought about the vampire he had driven out the night before...

The night drew in quickly, too quickly for Peter, who had thought of nothing but Elissa all day long. He didn't want to think about her – simply because she was a vampire. She was a blood drinker who slept in coffin, she was undead, her thirst for blood was revolting and how the hell did she drink enough of it to stay alive, without harming a single mortal?

He wanted an answer to that question.

But he didn't want it so badly that he would seek her out...

And still that ache lingered in his heart as he recalled the look in her eyes and the warmth that had passed between them as they stood together in the kitchen. He had thought, for a brief moment, that perhaps there was a chance that there could have been something wonderful between them.

But that was in the moments before he had found out she was a vampire...

By now the sun was gone down and night had fallen dark, but Peter had no intention of going to sleep. His mind was too full of thoughts of the vampires that were still out there, and one vampire in particular, the one whose beauty he could not forget.

The night was warm and he left his apartment, deciding on a walk to try and clear his head. As he walked along a street lit by the glow of street lights, few cars passed by, and the whole area seemed deserted. But he didn't mind the peace, because he needed it to think some more.

And still he could not forget Elissa...

As he paused and looked around at the quiet road lined by trees and then up at a star pricked sky where the moon shone down silver, it occurred to him that it was certainly ironic that a vampire killer had been so affected by meeting a female vampire. He had never imagined he ever could have had feelings for one of those creatures, but...

But, what?

He couldn't understand why she lingered in his thoughts so deeply.

"I'm not in love with her!" he said quietly, and then he thought about what he had just said and wished he could be certain about that fact:

Yes, it certainly would be ironic if the vampire killer had fallen for a vampire...

A few streets away, in a large house half hidden by heavy trees, where the lace curtains at the windows hid the thick solid steel behind it that forever blocked out the rays of the sun, a dim porch light shone to welcome the coming of the night. In the front garden, hidden by a high wall, night flowering blooms made the air smell sweet as young Opal Lake sat beside a darkened pond and looked thoughtfully at the moon reflected in the water.

Then the sound of a car slowing to a halt outside drew her attention, and she got up and stepped on to the path and looked down to the high, barred gate. As she recognised the familiar black limousine that had had just pulled up, her face lit up with a smile as her eyes shone with joy, and then she ran into the house, where her mother and April were sitting together in the front room talking.

"Daddy's here!" she said excitedly.

And Elissa set down a crystal glass filled with chilled blood heavily on to the table as she stood up and looked at her in alarm.

"What?"

And April, who was tall and slender with long fair hair, set down her own glass, clumsily, blood spilled on to the glass table and she ran a fingertip over it and licked her finger quickly.

"His majesty is here?"

Elissa looked at her in panic.

"I explained to him on the phone, I told him why it went wrong -"

"Oh shit," April muttered as she heard the front door close heavily, "You're in trouble, girl!"

And then he walked into the room, a tall and powerfully built man in a velvet suit the shade of night with a gold embroidered waistcoat beneath it. He wore a silver ring that held a blood red ruby and his bright blue eyes settled coldly on Elissa as Opal ran to him and hugged him and then looked up at him.

"Welcome, Daddy!" she said as she looked to her father, "Will you stay for a while?"

He reached down and patted the child's head.

"I have some business to discuss with your mother," he told her, "Maybe next time, because I must fly before the sunrise and I have a long way to go back -"

Elissa looked at him in surprise.

"You flew here?"

And Jet Marlowe, known as the Vampire King, ran his hand through light brown hair streaked with grey and fixed her with an intense gaze.

"You think I'd make like a bat and flap my wings all the way from New Orleans just to tell you what a mess you made of last night? Of course not, I came by limo!"

And then he looked down at his daughter.

"Next time, I'll make more time for you, I swear," he promised her, "But tonight is about business." Then he looked to April, who took the child by the hand and led her from the room.

Now they were alone, Jet stood closer to Elissa, who was standing beside the fireplace as the coals glowed and added to the shadowy light that burned from the dim bulbs in the antique glass lamp shades.

"What exactly went wrong?" he asked, and as he placed his hand on her shoulder his gaze briefly flickered down her body, wrapped so well in a short, dark silken dress.

She watched the low flames glow in the fireplace and then she turned to face Jet. She saw no anger in his eyes, and that came as a relief, because Mr Marlowe was fair - but fierce - king...

"I delivered the message to Peter Vincent. I explained there are vampires in this world who do not harm the living and who do not cause trouble, and he listened - but then Opal ran into the front room and he had all these horrible weapons on his wall – crosses, stakes... she screamed and I ran in to see why and of course it affected us both. He was terrified. He used a crucifix to repel us. I apologised, but he made us leave. I didn't mean to frighten him, Jet. I wanted to deliver the message the way you asked me to, so that we could start to build bridges between them and us, like you said."

"Well maybe Mr Vincent will remember your message," he replied, "He knows you made no attempt to attack him, that alone should put the message across that The Banished harm no one. But do take care. He may be afraid of you. And next time I ask you to deliver a message, leave the child at home!"

She avoided his gaze for a moment, and then when she could bear the burn of his stare no longer she looked back at him, as he was silently commanding her to do.

"I am sorry it went wrong. I liked him and -"

"He's a mortal!" Jet warned her, "You don't want to be getting too close to a human. We both know that could prove dangerous on both sides."

She nodded.

"Of course," she agreed, "I understand."

"You'd better understand!" Jet said sharply, "Mortals and vampires do not mix romantically – I can see it in your eyes, you want that guy. You can't have him! We all know there's more than one way to kill a vampire, Elissa. There is a reason why so few hybrid offspring of mortal- vampiric connection survive. Don't risk it. I know you too well, you're passionate," And then he smiled and added, "Either you'll kill him, or you'll get pregnant and that human seed inside you will kill you and the baby too, poison the pair of you with mortal blood. Also he's got the blood of our people on his hands. It doesn't matter he killed a bad lot, its still the blood of our race, Elissa. Remember that."

She nodded again.

"And now I shall be on my way" he told her, "I'll be sure to stop by another time, when I can make some time to spend with young Opal. You're doing a good job with her, she's a great kid."

"Thank you."

He didn't acknowledge her reply as he walked away and left the room.

Elissa remained by the fireplace, listening as he walked down the hallway, and as the front door closed, she breathed a relieved sigh:

Jet had come a long way to tell her off for her mistake, but at least she was forgiven...

Up in her bedroom, where heavy drapes covered the steel that blacked out the windows, the light was on as Opal reached into her dolls house and drew out a folded piece of paper. She turned to April and then unfolded it.

"I found this in Mommie's room," she said, "She wrote a letter to Mr Vincent, but she hasn't given it to him."

"Show me."

April took the letter and began to read:

'Dear Peter, I am sorry. Perhaps I should have told you the truth before we went back to your apartment. But what then? Would you have driven out of the parking lot in fear of us? You may as well know all of the truth – my name is not really Lake. It is Dandrige. I am one of the many daughters of the hated Regine – but she disowned me five centuries ago when I joined with The Banished. I am thankful that you have taken her and my Uncle Jerry out of existence, as vampires like them could spell the end for us all, they were truly evil. But I am not, and also, while we are on the subject, my daughter is NOT 'a spawn of Satan' ! I found that remark very hurtful. Her father is a powerful and peaceful man and highly respected within our community. So please do not insult my sweet child again. And once more I am sorry for what happened. I never intended to scare you, only to extend the hand of friendship. Could we try to meet again, perhaps without the crosses on the wall, and the other weaponry? Could you lock it all away for one evening and let me prove my intentions are good? Sincerely, Elissa.'

"Oh dear," April said, "It sounds like your mother was very upset over scaring Mr Vincent. She liked him very much?"

Opal nodded.

"She was crying when she wrote the letter. I heard her. Then she hid it under her pillow and left it there. I want to give the letter to Mr Vincent, because I think he should have it."

April smiled fondly at Opal.

"I think he should have it too," she told her, "We shall both go over to the apartment tonight, and you can leave him the note. Don't worry, I'll come with you."

And Opal smiled as April took her hand.

April led her down the stairs, then called out to Elissa to say she was taking Opal out for a while.

Then they went outside into the darkened garden, and moments later two bats flew off into the night sky, and the smaller one carried a folded note in its mouth.

Peter Vincent had enjoyed his evening walk. The night was still quiet and the streets deserted but thankfully, it had been reassuring to catch no sight or hint of a vampire lurking anywhere.

And then as he reached his apartment block he heard a flap of wings, and stared at the sight of two bats flying away from a small open window, the window he had left open to let in some night air.

He hurried inside, took the elevator back to his floor and hurried into his apartment, wondering if he had just seen ordinary bats flying in the night or if they had been vampires returning...

He found the note on the floor, folded on the carpet and he picked it up and started to read, and as he read her words, his heart ached once more. He no longer felt fear, even when he read that she was the daughter of Regine, he understood, because she had joined The Banished long ago – of course she did not want the family name of Dandrige, she was ashamed of it...

"Oh Elissa," he said, "What am I to do?"

And he looked out of the window, but the bats were long gone now, not even showing up as flickering, tiny specks passing by the moon...

When they reached home, the two bats shifted form into April and Opal once more, and as they approached the house, Elissa came out to the porch.

"Where did you go?" she asked, and her daughter and her close friend exchanged a glance.

"I didn't want you to cry any more," Opal said honestly, "So I took the note to Mr Vincent's apartment."

"I went with her," April added.

They walked past her and went back into the house, then Elissa closed the door behind them.

"What did you do that for?" she demanded.

"I want you to be happy," Opal said, "So I put the note through the window."

And she looked into her daughter's eyes and could not be angry when she saw nothing but love there.

"That was very kind of you," she promised her, "Thank you, Opal. But don't do anything like that ever again without asking me first, okay?"

"Okay!" she said brightly, and then she went upstairs to play in her room.

Now they were alone together in the hallway, as Elissa turned to April she glared at her angrily.

"You should have stopped her!" she sharply, making an effort to keep her voice down, "He drove us out with a crucifix, I only wrote that letter because -"

"Because you wanted to tell him how you feel but you were too scared to give it to him."

That was true, but she still felt angry.

"April, he won't want to see me again."

"You don't know that. Go over there tomorrow night, go alone. Just knock on his door and if he opens it and he wants to talk you, then you know you can mend the bridge. If he comes at you with garlic or a stake, fly the hell away and never go back again. It's up to you now."

The anger was fading from her eyes as she looked to her close friend.

"Why are you trying to set me up with him?"

"Because Opal said you cried over him, " April replied, "And I know you like him – and I also know you need a real relationship, not a loose connection to a guy who fathered your child at an orgy at his mansion almost nine years ago! I know Jet Marlowe is the vampire king, but he's got lots of kids out there – it's what he does, he sleeps with guys for fun and the women to breed. I'm not disrespecting him, but he's a player, and you need more than that. You need someone who will love you."

"Peter is a mortal."

"So what? You like each other, it doesn't have to spell disaster if you were both careful."

Now Elissa was smiling.

"You really think we could work out?"

"I think you should see where it goes."

Suddenly she felt more confident.

"Okay," she said to April, "I'll do that. I'll stop by his apartment tomorrow night, at least then I'll know for sure how he feels about me."

"And you won't change your mind?"

Elissa laughed softly, her face flushing as she thought of Peter Vincent.

"I won't change my mind," she promised her, "I really want to do this."