Posted by The Black Knight on August 04, 2000 at 04:00:20:
Chapter 12
Early the next morning Luke Drake stood in his living room. He smiled as Angie Sexton walked down the stairs.
"Madeline is fine. Once she finishes with the transfusions and infusions she should be able to return to work tonight." Angie said.
"I'm sure she's real disappointed about that."
"After Rhonda's death she has to cook." Angie said.
"Mental note: pack a lunch for tonight." Luke said smiling.
Angie laughed as she walked toward the door.
"Where are you going?" Luke asked.
"I have a job. I'm the new secretary of the local branch of the Drake Foundation. I don't suppose you had anything to do with that?" Angie said.
"I may have dropped a hint or two, but the Count is the real head of the Drake Foundation."
Angie smiled as she walked out the door. Luke walked up the stairs to a closed room and knocked on the door.
"Come in." Madeline's voice said from inside.
Luke opened the door and walked in. Madeline stood looking out the window.
"Aren't you supposed to be in bed?" Luke asked.
"I'm strong enough to stand on my own two legs thank you."
"Do I detect a bit of sarcasm in your voice, little sister?" Luke asked.
"Yes you do. I've been around all this time and I still have to rely on my big brother to bail me out."
"You could have handled it yourself, if you just use this," he tapped his finger on her head, "instead of brute force. A werewolf can match a vampire's strength and they heal just as fast." Luke said.
"In other words you're telling me I'm stupid."
"No. You're really smart, you just have a habit of not thinking. Just because your last name is Dracula, don't expect everything to be handed to you on a silver platter. We do have some very serious
enemies who can do much more to us than mortals." Luke said.
"Like werewolves for instance."
"There are other immortals, but you'll meet them eventually." Luke said.
"That sounds encouraging. Oh and by the way, I heard your little crack about my cooking. I'll have you know that I was trained by the finest chefs in Paris."
"Not to mention the best swordsmen." Luke commented.
"What does that mean?" Madeline asked as she turned to face him.
"I believe the inference was that you could butcher any good meal."
There was a knock on the door and Madeline smiled.
"Leon!" Luke said as he turned.
"Yes sir." Leon said curtly.
"Why are you here?" Madeline asked.
"I heard that you were ill ma'am."
"Don't call me ma'am. I'm not ill. I was attacked by a rabid wolf." Madeline said.
"Yes ma'am." Leon said.
Luke smiled as he sat down in a chair beside the window.
"I told you not to call me ma'am." Madeline said angrily.
"Yes ma'am. I brought you some chicken soup from the cafeteria. Personally I don't see what good it would do, but Dean Raymond said it would help you feel better. I told him that I would fill in until
they hire someone to replace Miss Helton." Leon said.
"Where did you put the soup?" Luke asked.
"The kitchen is usually where you serve your meals, although I still don't understand that quaint colonial custom." Leon said.
Luke got up and walked over to Leon as Madeline started toward him.
"Convenience Leon, now you just run along back to the University and I'll try to explain your efforts to my sister so she doesn't rip your heart out the next time she sees you." Luke said.
Leon nodded and backed out the door. Luke shut the door after him and turned around smiling.
"There are times that I think he hasn't quite caught on to the concept of being a vampire." Luke said.
"I'm beginning to agree with you."
"Too long a servant and not enough time being the master." Luke commented.
"I don't want to know what that meant, but what did you mean by explain his efforts?"
"He was trying to make you feel better. Even in spite of yourself Matty, you still have friends." Luke said.
"I'm a nice person really. A little too dramatic at times, but basically a nice person."
The door opened and the vampire known as Lorna came in.
"I assume that you have a good reason for this intrusion." Madeline said with a hint of arrogance in her voice.
"Don't take that tone with me girl." Lorna said.
"What do you want Lorna?" Luke asked.
"It seems that your old friend Heather Taylor found out about Angela's incident, Jack, and about your little fight last night. She has been snooping around the University and she even questioned me."
Lorna said.
"Did you turn her off the right track?" Luke asked.
"I tried, but Candice Dalton was there and I couldn't get through to the two of them together." Lorna said.
"Where is Miss Taylor now?" Luke asked.
"I do not know, but that girl is really beginning to irritate me." Lorna said.
"Now I know why Shannon Peterson died." Heather Taylor said from the doorway.
"Really would you care to enlighten us Miss Taylor?" Luke said as he stepped toward the door.
"I know what you are. No one could survive loosing that much blood. It only took me a few minutes to put together the wounds on Shannon Peterson's throat and that fight last night. Only one thing in even legend could survive that and leaves those wounds on the neck." Heather said.
"And that would be?" Luke asked as he stepped out of the room.
He shut the door behind him and Heather backed toward the stairway.
"The un-dead. Vampires." Heather said as she stepped down onto the top step.
"And who have you told this theory of yours?"
"Candice Dalton, but she only laughed at me." Heather said.
Luke stepped down onto the top step with Heather and she stepped away from him. Karen Alexander came to the bottom of the stairs and Heather let out a sigh of relief.
"Lieutenant Alexander am I ever glad to see you. I believe I've solved the Peterson case for you, if you'll hear me out." Heather said.
"This I would like to hear." Karen said.
Heather walked down to the bottom of the stairs and behind Karen. Luke joined them and Heather backed away from him.
"I've seen the crime scene photos. There is only one thing that leaves two puncture marks like that." Heather said.
"And that one thing would be?" Luke asked.
"Vampires." Heather answered.
Luke looked into Heather's big deep brown eyes.
"You don't really believe that do you?" Luke asked.
Heather shook her head as if trying to clear her mind.
"Yes, I do believe that. I've done the research and I have enough proof." Heather said.
"You are a strong-willed young woman." he commented.
"Is that bad?" Heather asked.
"For you." Karen said.
"What?!?" Heather gasped as she backed away from Karen as well.
Karen lowered her head and looked back up at Heather with her eyes glowing bright red.
"Oh no!" Heather screamed as she backed away.
She darted toward the door, but Luke stepped in front of her before she could reach it.
"By now Heather, you must realize how foolish this was." Luke said.
"Pretty dumb, but I had to try." Heather said.
"Now you can do this the easy way or the hard way, it's up to you. One way you will spend the rest of eternity with us, the other you will die before the sun sets." Luke said.
"My choice is clear." Heather said as she put her hands in her pocket.
Heather pulled her hands out of her pockets, pulling a crucifix out as well. Luke smiled as she held it toward him.
"You've been reading too much Miss Taylor." Luke said as he took the cross from her grasp.
"Well you can't blame me for trying."
"I could." Karen said.
"Are you still here?" Luke asked.
"Yes."
"Why?" Luke asked.
Karen looked hurt as she walked up the stairs. Heather backed away toward the kitchen.
"Please don't hurt me." Heather pleaded.
"It will only hurt for a moment."
"Even a moment is too long for me. I have a very low threshold of pain." Heather said trying to be funny.
"Amusing, but pointless." Luke said as he stepped close to her.
She gasped as he opened the collar of her blouse.
"You really don't want to do this. I have friends." Heather said as his mouth moved toward her throat.
She closed her eyes tightly as his fangs dug into her jugular vein. She passed out as her blood was drained from her body. Just before the blood loss would have killed her Luke pulled back from her. She fell limply into his arms and he lay her on the sofa. He unbuttoned the right sleeve of his shirt and rolled it up to the elbow. He knelt beside the sofa and lay his left hand on Heather's forehead.
"There is still some life left in you Miss Taylor, now the only question is are you willing to fight for it." Luke said.
He held his right wrist up to his mouth and used his fangs to open the vein in his wrist. He tilted Heather's head back to open her mouth and lay his wrist over her lips. He looked nervously down at Heather for a few moments then her lips closed over the open wound in his wrist.
"So you do want to live." Luke commented as he closed his eyes.
Heather slowly began to breathe regularly then she opened her eyes. Instead of their pretty deep brown color they were bright red. Luke pulled his arm back and the wound quickly healed. Heather lay her
hand on her throat but her wound had already healed itself as well. She smiled as she looked up at him and fangs showed clearly in her mouth.
"I never knew that life could so..." Heather began but trailed of as if looking for the word.
"The sensation defies mortal speech, but I do understand it." Luke said as he helped Heather to stand on her feet.
Karen walked back down the stairs and smiled as she saw Heather.
"Now Miss Taylor, do you still wish to turn us over to the authorities?" Karen asked.
"But you are the authorities Lieutenant." Heather said.
"I'm glad that you see things our way Heather." Karen said.
"Now it would be better if you return to your television station and tell your producer that the Peterson case is officially unsolved and has been transferred to the archives." Luke said.
"Someone else would just dig into it if I didn't. Perhaps if I had your friend from last night in the vicinity of Shannon Peterson when she met her unfortunate demise. That should cover the both of us
satisfactorily. As it is the police are calling your friend Loumis a lunatic who believed that he was a wild animal." Heather said.
"Animal, but not a wild one." Luke said.
"He wasn't one of you was he?"
"Now you are one of us as well. Loumis was not one of us. He is what is commonly called a werewolf." Luke answered.
"I thought that was just a myth."
"Isn't that what you thought of vampires?" Luke asked.
"I see your point."