Shadows Summer Nightmares

by Jo A Curl

(3) Barnabas/Vicki are reunited only to be ripped apart, as the forces draw together to march an assault on humanity. Vicki finds herself trapped in hell. Facing a darkness that far outreaches anything she has known before now, she struggles to return to her love and family. Barnabas finds he has his own struggle as his curse is returned sending him into a blood lust.

4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

She could hear the voices in the night. They were surrounding her and she turned to try and distinguished from where they were emanating. The hiss of the voice made the sound more inhuman and distorted. Amid this echoing hissing was a soft voice that called to her. "Viiiiccccctoooria! Viiicccccctooooiria! Come to me my dear. Join me on widows hill. Come to me."

Unable to ignore the voice she sat up and looked around the room. She was alone in her room; she wanted her husband at her side. She needed his comforting arms and the security of knowing he was there. Something was trying to draw her out into the night.

Sliding from her bed, she padded on bare feet to look out the window. The shadows co-mingled with the night to give a deceptive appeal to the snow covered ground. She was feeling unsettled she moved back to her bed; pulling her comforter up to her chin.

She was cold but not from the drop in temperature, she was cold from what she had felt earlier. It was that element of the unknown hinging on the edge of the known that had unsettled her. Since her return to the old house she had a feeling she was being watched and it unnerved her.

A light knock at the door startled her from her reverie and she called, "Yes?"

The door cracked open slightly and a familiar voice asked, "Vicki? Are you ok?" She relaxed the voice was Adam.

Rising she slipped on her house shoes and her robe, and then moved to open the door. "Can't sleep, I see you can't either."

She opened the door wider giving him free access to her room. Adam entered peering around he noticed the room smelled like her and it suited her to be in this room. She moved to sit in the chair by the fireplace and entreated him sit with her. "Come and sit Adam, tell me what is bothering you? Is your room ok?"

Adam moved to sit in the other chair in the room then looked up at the portrait that hung over the fireplace. The portrait was of Vicki in Josette's dress posed in front of the window with the sea in the background. "Nice portrait."

Vicki glanced at it then back to Adam. "Adam? What is the problem?"

He chewed his thumbnail then stood up and paced the room. "I feel odd. I woke up from a dream and the dream frightened me."

Vicki set forward and extended her hand to him. "Adam, give me your hand." His hand swallowed hers. "Tell me about the dream."

Adam looked down and considered his words. "I heard someone calling you and I thought they were going to hurt you."

Vicki squeezed his hand. "Adam, you had my dream. It was just that a dream. We need to get you some books so you can have your own dreams and they will be sweet ones not scary ones like I had."

Adams eyes were filled with concern and fear for her. "Vicki, do you think I will always have your dreams?"

Vicki released his hand and thought about his question. "Adam, your mind is so bright and ready to be filled with so much that right now I think because we are tied as we are, that you are more susceptible to my dreams. So, no I don't think you will always have my dreams. Now, unless we get you back to bed, you won't have a chance to have any dreams."

Standing she waited for him to join her. "Vicki would you come with me?" He did not want to say he was scared but she could sense his hesitancy to leave. With tender care Vicki took his hand and led him down the hallway to his room.

Opening the door to his room, she looked around and frowned, "I think we need to make this room more personal to you Adam. I think I know exactly how to do it, come on." She turned moving down the hallway to the stairs, leading him to her sitting room; she opened the door and walked to a bookshelf.

"Adam, we are going to move this bookshelf to your room. Then we are going to fill it with the books you like to read. I also think we need to find a desk for your room so you can sit at it and study."

Adam helped her unload the shelf, and then he lifted the shelf and carried it to his room while Vicki went in search of some books to put on his shelf.

Willie hearing the noise walked down the stairs and looked at Vicki trying to tug a small desk to the door. "Vicki?"

She stopped turned and smiled, "Willie, what are you doing up?"

He yawned, scratched his head and looked around. "What are you doing?" She tugged on the desk and he frowned, "You should let me doing that." He moved to gently push her aside. "Where you going to put this?"

Vicki stepped back glad he was moving the desk. "In Adams room. He will need a desk to use."

Willie paused looking at Vicki, "What for?" Vicki stepped aside as Willie pulled the desk into the hallway.

Vicki watched Willie struggle with the heavy piece of furniture; "He is studying and will be taking lessons with David. So, he needs a desk in his room."

Adam moved down the stairs watching Vicki trying to help Willie with the desk. "You should not do that Vicki. Let me get it." With ease Adam lifted the desk and started to move it to the stairs.

"Wow, did you see that, he sure is strong!"

Vicki watched Adam move up the stairs carrying the desk. "Yes he is very strong." She patted Willie's shoulder, "Why don't you go on to bed, we are going to have a busy day tomorrow with Barnabas and Quentin coming home. My mother and father will be in late tomorrow."

Willie nodded, "Ok Vicki, well good night."

Vicki followed Willie up the stairs instead of going to her room; she went down to Adam's room. Knocking lightly she called, "Adam?"

He opened the door, "Come in Vicki." She moved into the room and looked around. She noted he had put the bookshelf by his bed and the desk in front of the fireplace.

"Adam, let's agree on the right place to put your two new pieces of furniture." He looked confused, "I like having the books close to me."

Vicki laughed, "I am sure you do, but you don't need them sleeping with you. Let's put the bookshelf over there by your bureau. The desk would benefit more with light to help you read so lets put it in front of the window. "

They rearranged his room so he could easily reach his books and use his desk and still have heat for his room. "Now, lets find you some books you can put on your shelf." She led him down the hallway to a storeroom where she had stored some of her favorite books after she had moved into the old house.

"You can pick anything you want from these five boxes. You will find some of David's history books and English books in this box. They will help you tremendously."

Adam smiled picking up the boxes. "Thank you Vicki, maybe you should go lay down, you look tired." She had not thought about it but she was tired and she did need to lie down.

"Goodnight Adam." He smiled like a child at Christmas with his boxes of books.

Radu padded over to the sofa in Josette's apartment. He considered whether he should shift back to his human form. Hearing the door to her apartment open, he lifted his nose and sniffed, it was a different scent. "Jo, you here?"

Radu lay on the sofa resting his head between his paws he waited wondering who had a key to Josette's apartment. He thought he might growl to warn them if they were there to cause harm. His expression had he been in human form would have been shock.

Jeanette entered the living room of her sister and paused looking at the lovely white wolf on the sofa. "You really need to get off of the sofa, she hates animal hair on her stuff."

Radu was looking at the image of the one woman he would never be able to have. It was Vicki. He lifted his head and cocked it watching her. But she was not Vicki, she did not have the same smell, though she looked like her she was not Vicki. "So, I see she gets a pet and does not bother to tell me. I think I had a right to know."

Radu jumped off the sofa and moved to her and sniffed her hand. "Well hello boy, what is your name?"

She squatted down to peer at the extraordinarily beautiful blue eyes of the wolf. "So, what is your name?" She looked for a collar and not seeing one, she stood up. "Well where is she?"

Radu cocked his head watching this extraordinary female. Hearing a beep, she frowned and moved to pick up a flat rectangular device that had buttons on it. Turning to the fireplace she pressed one of the buttons and a flat screen came to life over the mantle. Pressing another button she waited as an image appeared.

"Jeanette?"

It was Vicki she was older but still looked beautiful. "Hello mother."

Radu watched the one called Jeanette flopped on the sofa and smiled watching her mother's image on the screen. "Where is Josette?"

Vicki's image shifted and the picture of her cleared and she was easily visible. "Don't know mom, she wanted me to meet her here tonight. I got here and the only one here to greet me was her mutt."

He whined hearing her call him a mutt. Moving over to the sofa he jumped up and looked at her then over to the image of Vicki, stretching out he laid his head in Jeanette's lap. "When you see her tonight, will you remind her she needs to call me? We need to get the details for the Collins family Liberty Ball worked out and I need to know if she is going to portray Josette this year."

Jeanette hated the family balls as much as she did the dark powers that were always trying to destroy her family no matter what century. "Sure mom. So, if Josette plays her name sake, who are you playing?"

Vicki smiled, "Haven't decided, Grandma said she wanted me to be Naomi this year. Oh, I was wondering if you would play Natalie?"

Jeanette rolled her eyes. "Mother you know Julia plays Natalie."

Vicki frowned, "That's right well then maybe you can play Josephine?"

Jeanette nodded, "Sure, how is Dad?" Vicki looked over her shoulder and laughed, "Asleep in front of the fire."

Jeanette laughed, "Don't wake him, just when he does wake up give him a kiss from me."

Vicki shifted as another image poked their face in front of the camera. "Hey sis! How's it going?"

Jeanette smiled looking at her younger sister, "I am fine Sarah, where is Jeremiah?" As if in response to her question a boy about the same age as the girl poked his head in front of his sister's image. "Move out of the way booger face."

Radu listened to Vicki chastised her kids. "Jer, don't treat your sister like that and be careful you almost knocked me over." Jeanette laughed watching them vie for attention in front of the camera.

"Hey you two quit it. If you knock mother over she might cast a wart or worse a pimple spell on you."

Vicki pushed her kids back "I will be glad when next year gets here and they will be in college."

Jeremiah laughed, "You would miss us."

Vicki looked at him sternly, "Not if you keep acting like this. Now move before I make you two demonstrate the minuet at the family ball."

Those were the magic words as she watched her siblings run from the room. "That would do it, I know it did it for me."

Vicki looked back at her daughter. "You won't forget to tell your sister to call me?"

Jeanette looked down at the remote she held and pressed two more buttons. "Its done your message will be on the screen when she turns it on." Vicki blew her daughter a kiss and signed off.

Jeanette stood and froze. There had been a change in the room and she with Radu had felt it. Jeanette stood perfectly still and looked at the dog. "Don't move."

Radu lowered himself back down on the sofa putting his head on his paws and waited. The room had grown cold and the lights had dimmed then it struck, something dark and appearing to have all teeth and claws.

Jeanette feinted to the left and the rolled to the right spun around did a highflying kick to the figure. It caved for only a moment to spin around and swipe at her with its claws. "You son of a . . ."

Jeanette was getting mad. Tumbling to the right she spun back and kicked the thing in the head. It clocked it and it fell with a thump to the floor. Radu jumped and tore at its throat drinking in its blood spewing from its throat.

Jeanette frowned, "You are in big trouble now, Josette is gonna be pissed you got blood in her living room."

The wolf looked up with blood all over his face and body. The beautiful white fur now mingled with the blood of the demon. Looking at Jeanette he lowered his head and began to whine. "Don't worry about it, not the first time won't be the last. Now what to do with this closet demon."

She sighed feeling at a loss as to what to do with the body. Moving to the phone, she pressed a couple of buttons and waited, "Clean up Josette's house. We need to bag it and burn it."

She hung up and moved around the demon, "Don't eat it, its nasty. Come on we need to clean you up." She snapped her fingers and the wolf fell into place next to her trotting at her side moving with her into the bathroom. "Tub." He started to back away. "Oh no you don't little mister, I can't let Jo see you covered in blood, it will freak her out." Radu watched her unzipped her black jacket and lay it on the sink counter top.

She wore a tank top in black and it outlined her shape very attractively. "Come on, you are far too handsome to be drenched in blood. Now, tub." Radu moved to the tub, leaped in, and sat looking at Jeanette. "Ok, lets get that blood out of your coat or you will not for sure be able to lay on her sofa."

Radu watched her run the water through his white coat and then added shampoo and lathered it up. Her nails dug deep to scratch him where it itched, and then she rinsed him. He wanted to rest his nose between her breasts but knew that it might get him slapped.

So, he patiently waited for her to finish her task. As she bathed him, he listened to her hum softly. He liked the sound of her voice. Finishing up, Jeanette found some old towels to dry him.

Finishing his bath she pulled out a blow dryer and dried him. He really liked this because it felt warm and dried his fur faster. "Now go on to the living room, I gotta clean up our mess. Oh and there will be three men coming by to clean up that mess, so don't bite them."

Radu padded to the door and watched her clean the tub. He really liked the view bent over the tub, rising she turned and looked at him. "What are you looking at?"

He turned and padded off to the living room where he sat waiting for Jeanette to finish. He watched the door to Jo's apartment opened and three men in white biohazard suits moved into the room carrying a body bag and cleaning equipment. "Clean up!"

One man shouted while his partners moved to put the demon in a body bag. Jeanette blowing hair from her face stepped out into the living room. "Oh, good. I don't want her coming home to this mess. How long will it take?"

The man that had shouted "Clean up." Stood and looked around. "It would have taken less time had the dog not tore its throat out."

Jeanette crossed her arms over her chest. "Hey he just wanted to help don't be so bitchy. Just do your job."

The three men worked diligently to clean up the place and were soon out of the apartment with the dead demon in the bag. Jeanette frowned, "They can be jerks sometime. Well where is she?"

Radu yipped and then lowered himself down on his paws. "Big help you are, well guess we can watch some TV while we wait for her."

Jeanette hit the remote and turned on the television, flipping through the channels she grew bored and so found her eyelids growing heavy with sleep, before too long she was sound asleep on the sofa. Radu jumped up on the sofa and lowered himself next to her. Laying his head on her hip he fell asleep with her.

Josette was exhausted as she slid her key into the lock and opened her door. "Crap." She could smell the antiseptic cleaner and knew the mop up crew had been in her place. Moving into the living room, she stopped and looked at Radu lying with his head on her sister's hip.

He opened his eyes and glanced at her, "Kind of obvious aren't you?" He jumped off the sofa and shifted into human form. "You did not tell me she looked like your mother."

They both looked at her sister sleeping soundly on the sofa. Her long dark hair draped down her back and over her shoulders exposing her face for them to study her. "I always thought she looked like her. My mother looks like my mother."

Radu guided Jo out of the room and to the office he had been allowed to use since his arrival in this time. Closing the door, he leaned with his back against the door.

"You know full well I am in love with your mother. I would never try to come between her and your father."

Josette crossed to her desk and sat on its edge. "What is there about my mother that attracted you to her?"

It was a moment of truth for him. "I don't know. I was attracted to her when I was watching her for my Prince. It was during that time I saw how kind she was and how innocent to her own qualities. She really is an amazing woman. I truly feel she would lay down her life if it meant she could save one of her friends or family members."

Josette folded her hands in front of her; she still wore her SHADOWS ops uniform of black spandex body suit laced with monitoring sensors that gave it a speckled affect with a spider web network. Shifting she leaned back and sighed. "She got herself into a lot of her own problems by being inattentive to the dangers around her. She almost courted danger by being so naïve."

Radu found he was growing angry at her insensitivity to her mother's natural instincts. "Are you not being a little harsh in your observations of your mothers talents?"

Josette smiled, and he saw a cunningness in that smile, "Are you not looking at her through rose colored glasses? You are after all still in love with her and I am being actually factual in how much at fault my mother was in courting the dangers she faced on a nearly daily basis. Even you have to admit she should have been suspicious of Eric Lang and his intentions towards her and when she was pregnant with me. You had enough time to observe her while they were on the island."

Radu frowned and moved into the room then sat in the chair opposite of her." I think with what she had to base her opinions she did what I would have expected."

Josette stood and moved to her chair behind the desk and leaned back then slumped down. "Come on Radu, she was totally the poor simpering female requiring a man to rescue her from her situation. She took no actions on her own to secure her own safety; the same applied towards you and Tepes."

Radu curbed his natural instinct to respond to such a harsh observation. "Your mother was born in a different time where a woman's virtue was her dependence on a man to help her."

Josette chuckled, "I hear a but, in there, go on and finish it. You won't hurt my feelings."

Radu smiled, he liked her directness unless it was to denigrate her mother's image to him. "I think you were born for a purpose so that harden you somewhat, where your mother was born to an age and time where it was perfectly acceptable to be the damsel in distress. I admire your talents guardian, I just don't subscribe to your manner as an attractive alternative to what my own appetites require."

Josette laughed outright. "That is so funny coming from a man that was considered as bloodthirsty as your own prince was at one time. Oh speaking of appetites, have you had your blood for the night?"

He nodded, "Actually it upset my stomach somewhat, the demon that attacked tonight, I drank from it as it died."

Josette sighed and stood up. "What was it?" Radu watched her pace to the interior wall and opened the panel exposing several weapons. She then unholstered her Taser and secured in in her weapons locker.

Moving to a hidden small refrigerator she withdrew a soda. "She called it a closet demon, which to me meant a nightmare demon."

Josette nodded. "Been expecting the activity to pick up, that means they know I know they are fixing to make a move on my mother."

"You know Radu, you would have been perfect for my mother, she was the antithesis to you, where you were a bloodthirsty henchman she was Polly pure heart. I guess she helped you in some respects, by forcing you to remember you were human at one time and capable of loving."

Radu studied her and it finally dawned on him what she was doing, she was baiting him, trying to make him defend her mother. "You know Josette if I did not know any better, I would say you never liked your mother."

Josette furrowed her brow and thought about it. "Sounds like you are trying to psycho analyze me. Well my dear friend won't work. I love my mother. I just don't like some of the things she did. I know this is how it was suppose to go down, and I would not change her, but she annoys me with her 'I don't understand or what do you mean attitude. For a teacher she sure was stupid."

Radu frowned, "Now that was unkind. What do you think your children will say about you some day?"

Josette thought a moment, "That mother did the best she could to keep us safe. That is if I live long enough to have children."

And there it was Josette was angry because she had been chosen to guard the very world her mother had been born into and she had not been given a choice. So, Radu decided it was time to change the subject. "Did you know your sister gave me a shower tonight?"

Josette had taken a drink and was just swallowing when she heard this bit of information that made her snort the drink up her nose and spew it out of her nose and across the room. "She did what?"

Radu laughed reached for some tissues and handed them over to her. "Don't be so upset, I was in wolf form, she had no idea it was me, she thinks you have a new pet."

Josette wiped the soda from her nose and face, and then mopped up the rest from her desk. "Well it's a good thing or she would have kicked your ass."

Radu rather liked her discomfiture. "You did not do anything to her did you?" Josette glared waiting for the right response.

"No, I did not bite, hump or crotch your sister. I found her rather enchanting."

Josette chuckled, "You would not have found her foot up your ass if you had tried anything. When it comes to combat she really is superior to me. She graduated the top of her class. You know she is an empathic intuitive. Where mother time folded, like I can, Jeanette really is good at cognitive intuitiveness. She feels the environment and then can pick out events that have happened from the past. She is not as adept at time folding but she has that ability. J.B. my brother whom you have yet to meet is very good at the white powers, one of the reasons he was drafted into the SHADOWS group. "

Radu nodded thinking about how the Collins children had all found a supernatural talent. "What about your brother and sister, Jeremiah and Sarah?"

Josette moved to sit tiredly at her desk. "No powers or supernatural talents, so they were born normal. They do have a talent to be a royal pain in the ass when they want to, but for the most part they are normal."

Radu thought a moment then remembered, "Your mother called tonight, Jeanette left a message for you on the computer."

Josette showed a mild interest, "Oh? Do you know what she wanted?"

Radu studied her, she was complex with her emotions, and she ran hot the cold when the subject was her mother. "She needed to know if you were going to play the part of Josette at the family ball."

Josette slumped down in her chair and rolled her eyes to the ceiling. "Oh crap, I forgot about the Liberty Ball. Of course she is going to make me play the part of Josette and I guess my dorky brother is going to play Dad."

She let out a long protracted sigh as she thought about what was expected of her and now of all times to distract her with family crap. "I guess I will call her back tomorrow. I bet you got all hot and bothered when Jeanette put her on the monitor. Has she changed since you saw her last?'

Radu thought a moment, "She looked a little older not as aged as I thought she would be."

Josette nodded, "That is because you gave her your blood, it's affected her aging process. You do know that Lang succeeded in reverting her and that affected her emotionally."

Radu frowned, "That man needed to die." Josette cocked an interested brow and looked down at her soda.

"You know my father said the same thing, and I think he succeeded in killing him. No great loss but because of him, we got Adam in our operations unit and he had been an immeasurable help. You and Adam have something in common."

Radu watched her tip her soda can up and drain the last of its contents. "Oh what would that be?"

Josette crushed the can and toss it into the trash basket, "You both love Collins women. You my mother and Adam fell in love with my Aunt Carolyn."

Radu found this a bit of interesting information. "Then perhaps we should get together and compare notes, because I found your Aunt tedious."

Josette laughed, "So did Petru that is why he started putting unwanted attention on my Aunt Maggie."

This information did bother Radu, "Petru was a snobbish boar. I am not sorry he perished in the fire at Castle Dracul; he was beginning to wear on my last nerve at the last. All he wanted was to take with no thought about what he was taking or who he was hurting. I was sorry to see Rudolph perish, he was redeemable."

Josette pushed up from the desk. "That remained to be seen, I could run a computer scenario to see what outcomes would have occurred had Rudolph and Petru survived the fire, then you might be forced to change your opinion."

Radu glanced to the silver faced clock on the wall. "Well it is time for me to prepare for the approach of dawn, and your sister is sleeping soundly on your sofa."

Josette stood up. "Radu, Jeanette is more like my mother than she thinks or admits. Don't hurt her or I will come after you and make your life a living hell all nine of them." She moved over planted a kiss on his cheek and whispered, "No more baths, when she finds out she will be so embarrassed."

He watched her leave the room and had to admit, even with her acerbic attitude he liked her.