Club Vampyr
Chapter 20
They entered the mall, Christmas decorations already hanging from the ceiling. They were nondenominational, but she enjoyed the glitter of silvers and reds more than she did nativity scenes. It felt like magic, like she'd been transported to another world – one where she didn't have to worry about death, if only for a moment. Red ribbons were bright contrasts against the faux evergreen boughs, and silver tinsel and lights sparkled overhead, recreating and embellishing the shine of fresh snow on a clear night. Kerry inhaled deeply, and for a moment the tense set of her shoulders relaxed.
Kerry smiled, staring at the ceiling as they walked and slightly swinging her arm. Michel's fingers tightened around hers as he drew her to a halt.
"Skating?" Kerry asked in surprise, finally noticing they were standing in front of the indoor rink. Her eyes narrowed suspiciously, even as they twinkled with pleasure. "Have you been talking to Nelle?"
"Nelle doesn't know about," Michel hesitated for a fraction of a second, "us."
"Then who told you?" Kerry asked, half teasing and half serious.
"Told me what?" he asked innocently, guiding her towards the skate rental booth.
"Are you telling me you didn't know? You've read my diary, haven't you?"
"No. Not yet, anyway. I guess I've either done something right, or something incredibly wrong, haven't I?"
Kerry remained silent, though the grin still curled the edge of her lips. He ordered the correct skate size for her, reinforcing her sense that he had researched this idea. If not, it made her wonder why he knew her skate size, which was half a size larger than her shoe size.
"Do I need to buy you socks?" he asked, paying as she immediately sat down at the nearest bench to pull the skates on. Her excitement buzzed through the air, a palpable emotion that gave her the appearance of someone half her age. Feeling it, she slipped off her shoe and wriggled her toes at him, displaying the socks on her feet. "Is that a no?"
"Yep. I like warm feet," she said, lacing up the first skate. Kerry's fingers eased over the laces, remembering the trick to tightening the skates automatically. "It's been a while since I've done this."
"Is this your way of preparing my catching reflexes?" He sat beside her, paying more attention to her than he was lacing his own skates.
"Of course not," Kerry laughed, finishing her second foot and standing. She managed to gain her balance on the thin ridge of the blades. "It was to try to trick you into admitting the last time you've gone skating. I say 'it's been a while' and you say 'probably longer for me' or 'at least you've been skating this decade'."
"It probably hasn't been as long as you think." He stood, taking her hand again. "Are you ready to fall?"
"Who says I'll be the one falling?" she asked, stepping towards the rink. "I took a few years of figure skating when I was a kid. I wasn't that great, but I always figured that someday I'd step on the ice and have absorbed the skill through osmosis. Maybe today's my lucky day."
"Or maybe I'll get to be the hero and catch you before you lose a few teeth."
Kerry paused, one foot hovering over the ice. Both her hands were braced on the side of the rink, but if she had one free she'd cover her mouth and all those straight teeth she went through years of torture and orthodontist bills to obtain. Now it was clear why she didn't skate anymore.
"I didn't mean to strike a nerve on that one," Michel said from behind her, waiting for her to move so he could get on the ice behind her.
"I probably would have thought of it at some point," Kerry said truthfully, though three years had given her more to worry about besides keeping her teeth flawless. She took that final step, skate touching down on the slippery ice and sliding quickly towards the center of the rink. Kerry grabbed hold of the edge of the boards, trying to keep her balance. Somehow she had forgotten that the first step was a doozy. She finally regained her footing, both skates less-than-solidly balanced on the ice, and knuckles turning white from her grip on the side; she loathed to look at Michel, knowing that he'd have that smug, superior smirk on his face, and it would be justified this time.
"I'll show you how it's done." Michel finally stepped on the ice, his entrance less than perfect as his skate reacted much like hers had and he had to wave his arms to regain balance. Kerry began giggling at him until he shot a perplexed look at the ice like it had betrayed him, and then she started full-out laughing. Michel glared at her, his beautiful blue eyes narrowed in warning. Kerry doubled over, guffawing.
"Oh yeah, you showed me," she managed to gasp, wiping tears out of her eyes. "That was priceless. You should have seen your face. You were like—" she meant to mimic him, but instead her eyes got wide in horror as she lost her equilibrium, skates completely flying out from under her. Kerry was silent for a second as she landed on her back, and then cracked up again. As she snickered, Michel skated over to her and glanced down.
"I think someone poured saline on the ice." He offered her a hand, maneuvering her feet off the wet patch as he helped her up.
"I think we're both just hopeless skaters." Kerry wiped her bottom off, glad she was wearing jeans. With other materials, the snow would have already settled into the cloth, but on jeans she was able to brush it off without even a wet spot. She had learned that trick years ago, but Michel hadn't exactly given her a chance to prepare a suitable wardrobe.
"I happen to know that isn't true," Michel told her, adjusting his grip on her wrist so that they were back to holding hands. "I have excellent balance. Normally."
"Of course you do," Kerry agreed, pushing off with one foot so that she was finally gliding along the ice like she was used to. He let her set the pace and she decided on one which was tentative at first, but grew faster until they were passing some of the other couples on the ice. "I should probably warn you, despite your 'superior' balance, that I was pretty good at some of the figure skating tricks, but my instructor finally had to ask mom to stop bringing me because I tripped up my fellow skaters."
"Tripped them up?" he questioned with a half-smile.
"Yeah. My foot would get inside their rhythm and they'd either falter not to hit me, or we'd get tangled and both go down. The instructor said I was probably better suited to hockey." Kerry paused for effect. "In Canada."
Michel snorted. "I'd take that as a compliment rather than an insult. The Canadian Women Hockey team practically dominates the ice."
"I wouldn't have minded hockey," Kerry said reflectively. "But mom said no. She thought it was too dangerous."
"You might not have all your teeth right now."
"There is that," Kerry agreed, spinning around mid-stride so that she was able to face him instead of catching glimpses out of the corner of her eye. She didn't notice that she had used one of his favourite catchphrases. Their fingers were still wound together. He smiled at her, his eyes flicking to an object behind her right shoulder. Kerry automatically moved left, looking behind her to make sure she had cleared the couple coming up beside her.
"Not bad," Michel complimented, tugging her hand gently towards him. Kerry turned back around, meaning to only change directions so she was skating beside him again, but her foot disrupted his rhythm as she had predicted would happen. Michel stopped dead, yanking her forward so she continued the circle rapidly, faltering against his body as she came up against him. Their fingers were still entwined, his arm around her back and hers trapped between their chests.
Kerry laughed breezily, adrenaline running high as she came out of the unexpected spin. Michel stared at her for a moment, causing her to inhale sharply right before he kissed her softly, unlike any of the other times. This kiss was thoughtless, as though he didn't really mean to do it, and it meant much more to her than his deliberate attempts at seduction or charade. It was over almost before it began, and as his mouth hovered over her jaw, she stared beyond his shoulder with unseeing eyes, wondering how her heart would be able to deal with him this time.
"The young girls over there think we're sickeningly cute," Michel said in her ear.
"That's because we are," Kerry proclaimed, leaning against him as she balanced on the picks of her blades. She boldly kissed him on the mouth, and then leaned back. "I bet they just giggled."
"They did." Michel smiled, and this time Kerry wasn't sure if it was for effect or not. "They're complaining about how jealous they are. The one in the pink hat is wishing for a boyfriend like me when she grows up."
"If she plays her cards right," Kerry pointed out, "maybe she'll get you for a night."
Michel scowled at her, yanking their twined hands and pulling her back into a half spin in the opposite direction so she was no longer entangled in his arms.
Kerry squealed, and then laughed again. "In the future!" she exclaimed. As they continued to skate, she snuck a peek at the girls, slightly surprised to find them all the way on the other side of the rink. She knew that Michel usually didn't let on about his superhumanness in front of her, but when he did there was usually a reason behind it. What she couldn't see yet was why. "If you think about it, I was her age less than a decade ago."
"And I bet your parents wouldn't have allowed you out this late on a school night."
"How can you tell?" Kerry asked, flicking a glance at his face.
"Because the night I met you, you were worried about being out that late. Oh, watch out," he warned, tightly taking the corner and pulling her around rapidly.
"Actually," Kerry told him, "my mom used to bring Nelle and I out on school nights, drop us off, and then go for a coffee somewhere. It wasn't an everyday thing, but it happened."
"Oh? What makes you unhappy about that memory? Don't look at me like that. It doesn't take a mind reader to see how your lips turned down while talking about it."
"It used to make Nelle and I feel like adults and we loved it, but she was probably using us as an alibi while she went to meet with her boyfriend."
"The one she ran away with?" he asked perceptively.
"I hope so," Kerry muttered. "Because what she did was unforgiveable, but if I think she might have been unhappy with dad or in love with this other guy, it makes it a little better." She smiled at Michel, but it wasn't as friendly and carefree as her other ones. "You taught me to think like that, though I know you didn't mean to. So I need to hold on to the idea instead of thinking my mom had multiple men she was cheating with." Kerry's fingers tightened around his hand.
"What else?" He asked.
"That was around the time she got pregnant with Ian." Kerry's voice was steady, though tears welled up in her eyes. It wasn't the first time she had thought about it, but it was the first time she had worded her suspicions out loud.
"He'd still be your brother," Michel said gently. "That doesn't change."
"But he wouldn't be dad's." The tip of Kerry's skate got caught in the ice and she stumbled. Michel caught her even before she went down, his reflexes ready.
"Okay," Michel said, "I think it's time we went in."
"I'm sorry," Kerry said, wiping her cheeks. "I didn't mean to unload on you like that. Mom just isn't a safe topic of conversation for me."
"It's my fault. I was curious."
Kerry looked at him with clear eyes, realizing that she had never told him any details about her mother running away with another man. She had never really told him anything. Kerry grinned and shook her head. "You got me on that one."
"You're not always as guarded as you want people to believe. Watch out for the tricky patch," Michel warned, nodding to the section of ice they had both slipped on earlier. Kerry's head was buzzing as she carefully moved onto the rubber padding of the floor surrounding the rink.
She had cursed him for years for being so closed about himself, but hadn't she done the same to him? Every time he had asked her a question, she had deflected it. It was a strange realization to suddenly see herself so clearly. He was supposed to be the secretive one, but – had she ever told him anything about herself? "We're alike, aren't we?"
Michel's expression closed. "No. We aren't," he told her.
She watched him for a second as she took off her skates. His reaction gave her all the answers she needed, even if the words themselves denied it. "You're probably right," she told him. "We're nothing alike." She finished changing back into her shoes, handing the rental skates to the attendant. "Thank you for bringing me here," she said, slipping her arms into her jacket. "It's on my top five list of best date ideas."
"Oh?" He asked, back to being curious. "That's why you asked about the diary?"
"Yeah," she told him as they walked by the teenage girls on their way out. Kerry noticed that he didn't attempt to take her hand again. The magicalness of the fantasy had been broken by reality. The girls still watched them leave, curiosity covering their youthful expressions as one whispered to the other. Kerry hunched her shoulder and vowed she would ask Michel what was said, even though he barely controlled an amused grin. As they walked, her eyes were blind to the decorations.
"Skating is number---?" he trailed off, waiting for her to answer.
"Not one," she told him, pushing open the glass door to the mall on her way out into the cool autumn night.
"What is?"
Kerry turned, walking backwards through the parking lot. She didn't worry about icy patches on the ground as her shoes crunched through the salt covering the dry asphalt. Her footing felt secure and stable for the first time in hours. Slight anger swirled through her veins like a narcotic, making her believe that what she perceived now was the truth. "You'll have to do more digging for that."
"What makes you think I did any digging for this one?" He asked, beeping the car doors open.
"You asked Nathaniel, didn't you?"
Michel laughed softly. "You caught me."
Kerry went to the passenger side, not missing the fact that Michel didn't even attempt to open her door for her. It wasn't surprising, but it also made her miss the 'boyfriend' persona he had adopted. She buckled up, a chill quaking up her spine from the temperature and the unnamed disappointment.
"I'll put the heat on," he offered, though it was obvious he wasn't affected by the cold. The heaters blared to life, but he didn't attempt to drive the car. After a cursory check of the glove compartment and the space beneath the dash, he looked towards her intently, elbows braced on the steering wheel and fingers steepled in an old pose he never seemed to keep for long. "I have a favour to ask of you, and I know you won't like it."
Kerry sighed, resting her head on the leather headrest behind her as heat poured through the vents in front of her. She turned to look at him, her eyes suddenly tired. "What is it?"
"The boss thinks I'm going too easy on you. He thinks at this rate, I'll get the information we need by Christmas, and that isn't soon enough. We need to present a more unified picture, so I can tell him that you'll probably tell me anything in a matter of days."
"I see," Kerry said slowly. "I don't think I can do what you want."
"I haven't even asked yet."
"You don't need to. You're asking me to have sex with you because that's what you do, and it seems strange that you haven't yet."
"No!" he exclaimed, jerking his elbow in surprise and beeping the horn. "God, Kerry, what do you take me for?" He turned to look at her, his wide and sincere.
"Don't give me that innocent look," she said with narrowed eyes. "And don't tell me you didn't consider it. Creating a bond like that would solve all your problems for the next few days."
"It would," he affirmed with a hint of a smile, "but there's a way it can be done that will take a little more effort, but less emotional attachment."
"You don't need emotional attachment," she reminded him.
"On your part."
"Ok," she said with a sigh, sitting straight in the seat so her head was facing the windshield. She didn't really want to see him at the moment. "What is it?"
"You have to publically announce you love me."
Kerry started chuckling, shaking her head as most the laughter snorted derisively through her nose. "I wish you were joking, or that I could at least think you were joking for a minute."
"I'm not."
"I know. It makes sense. By publically do you mean inside Club Vampyr?"
"In front of my boss," he affirmed. "Tonight."
"I'll have to change into something more suitable," she said with a sigh as he started the car engine. "I hate that place."
"I know. I wanted you to do something you actually wanted to before I dragged you back there."
It almost surprised her that skating was a considerate gesture after all. "Thank you. That was thoughtful of you. Of course, if something bad happens again tonight, I'll always associate it with skating."
"Nothing good ever happens with me," he reminded her, "but I don't think you look at me and remember bad things."
She didn't tell him that when she looked at him, she was happy, especially since he was right and she should be seeing kidnappings and death. Just like she didn't mention that skating would now forever be linked with one of the only times they ever had fun together. Instead, she teased him. "You're too good looking. It's difficult to get past that."
"It's my curse."
"So what is it that you want me to do?"
Michel shifted into seriousness. "We'll be dancing. He'll be paying attention to us because that's what he does. I can almost guarantee we'll be the most interesting thing in the room."
"How will I know him?"
"Good question," he nodded. "I'll give you a signal. You have to pretend you don't notice him, or at least don't care that he's there. When you tell me you – what you have to say – you'll have to yell it in my ear like a human would to another human."
"That's why you told me what the girls were saying," Kerry clued in. "You wanted me to see for myself how far the distance can be between a vampire and the sound. I knew there had to be a reason."
"In the club the distance will be a lot closer than those girls were to us since there is so much other noise, but that was a good indication of how far we can be away from him, yes."
Kerry yawned, smothering it with her hand. "Ok. So what about my heart rate when I lie about loving you? Won't he be able to tell?"
"That," Michel said succinctly, "is why we're going dancing. I'm hoping that your elevated heart rate will combat any obvious discrepancies, and even if there are signs that he'll just take them as the nerves of a young girl."
Kerry yawned again, this time not bothering to politely hide it.
"Have you been sleeping?"
"Not really," she said. "Not since that night you saved me."
"I'll try to have you home early," he promised.
Kerry looked at the time on the dashboard, noticing that it was almost ten. "I think we have different definitions of the word."
"Come on," he teased, "you're a college student. You're supposed to have late nights and later mornings."
"Not if you have early morning classes."
Michel smiled, pulling the car into the garage beneath her building. "You're a bore."
"I'm glad you think so," Kerry retorted, somewhat coldly. "I'd hate to be exciting to a vampire."
"Maybe the vampires enjoy the boring type, since they so rarely come out at night."
"There are predators out at night," Kerry pointed out, slipping out the front door of the SUV.
"There are predators during the day too," he responded affably. "You just don't notice them because humans have adapted to feel safe when the sun's out."
"That's because the things that go bump in the night actually are bumping in the night. In your case figuratively as well as literally."
"Ha ha." He allowed her to enter the elevator before him. Kerry wondered at his selective chivalry. On the ground floor, two girls stumbled into the elevator reeking of alcohol. At a little after ten on a Tuesday, Kerry was less than impressed. They, however, seemed to be thinking the opposite about Michel and smiled at him. He raised one of his pronounced dark eyebrows and smirked back. They were tittering as Kerry squeezed around them to exit the elevator on her floor.
"A curse," he reminded her with a widening smile as she turned away from him and headed down the hall.
"A curse to some is considered a blessing to others," she reminded him, slipping her key into the lock.
"Profound." He stopped cold, grabbing her arm sharply and yanking her away from the door, bodily inserting himself between her and the doorway. He turned his head to the side, listening for a moment. "It's Tim and his spawn," Michel explained, opening the door and stepping in first. Kerry was still reeling from his quick reaction. If it had been anyone else in her apartment, he might have just saved her life at the possible risk of his own. Of course, her cynical side wondered if he had known who was in her apartment the entire time, and was playing another game.
"Michael," Tim exclaimed with audible relief. "We were hoping you'd be back sooner rather than later."
Nathaniel glowered.
"I tried reaching you on your cell."
"It's off," Michel explained tersely. "I told you I wasn't to be disturbed."
"We had to move Nelle out for her own safety."
Michel's face went blank, dropping his emotional masks for a moment. "To where?"
"Only Amelia knows."
Michel nodded. "Good. Leave it like that. She's probably the only one who can keep it a secret." Michel moved into the living room, sitting in the middle of her couch. Kerry hesitated for a moment, feeling like a foreigner in her own home, only moving towards him when Michel held his hand out, palm up, for her to take. She sat beside him, surprised at the unified front they seemed to present. "Tell me what happened," Michel demanded as Tim turned one of the wooden dining room chairs around to face the couch. It reminded Kerry of Michel's office set up, where he was in the comfortable seat reigning over those less comfortable.
Tim gave a meaningful look at the two humans in the room, not speaking.
"I don't know what information you want your son to know," Michel responded, "but in this matter there are no secrets between Kerry and I."
Kerry's eyebrows flew up, and she almost started to laugh at what was surely a joke, except Michel gave her hand a warning squeeze. She swallowed the laugh, but couldn't get rid of the notion that he had to be joking.
"I'd rather the kids didn't hear it."
"Then send Nathan out of the room, but Kerry stays."
The two vampires had a clash of wills which was very shortly won by Michel. Once again, Kerry wondered exactly how old Michel was.
"Fine. When Nelle woke up a few hours ago, she wasn't alone in her room. He was in there for fifteen minutes with her before Amelia noticed something was wrong and went to check. By the time they found Nelle, she was alone and sobbing incoherently."
Kerry exchanged a horrified look with Nathaniel.
Michel's jaw tensed. "Did she say anything?"
"She said that he was always watching, always there."
"And?"
"And he promised the game would end soon. He had already selected his prize and that's what I think upset her most."
Michel's fingers dug into the back of her hand with foreknowledge. "Who?"
"Kerry."
©RelenaFanel.Jan11.2008