The Vampire’s Redemption

Chapter 7

More than one month had passed (five weeks and two days, to be exact, but who was counting?) and things had gone more or less back to normal. Jack was as good as new—physically speaking. Emotionally, he was still shaken up. He and Danielle had spent days after he had been released from hospital going over what had happened, and the appalling fact that vampires existed and had entered their lives.

Thankfully, they also seemed to have walked out of their lives. Danielle knew they were still staying at the cottage in the hills, but to their credit neither Stephen nor Michael had shown up again after that one horrible, fateful night. But was it really something to be thankful for? Try as she might, Danielle couldn’t bring herself to be grateful for Michael’s absence. She tried not to, but she missed him. She missed him terribly, in the same way that lungs miss air.

Presently, she tried to throw herself into her work and not think about anything at all, but as always whenever she tried to run away from her thoughts, fate intervened and dealt her an extremely quiet night at the Wooden Horse.

“Too few patrons tonight,” Jack grumbled from beside her. “Too much time to think.”

Danielle flashed him a smile. “You’ve read my mind.”

Jack cocked his head to one side and watched her carefully. “You miss him, don’t you?”

Danielle cringed inwardly. They never touched the subject of Michael, but it seemed like Jack was intent on breaking the silence tonight. “I wish I could say I don’t.”

Jack nodded. “I get it. You loved him.”

Danielle snorted. “The crazy part is that I still do.”

“Honey, the crazy part is that he’s a vampire. “

Danielle had to laugh despite everything. “Yeah,” she said quietly. “I guess that’s the crazy part.”

“Mark my words, from now on, I am going to thoroughly scan every handsome stranger who asks me out,” Jack said. He unconsciously lifted one hand to bush his fingers over the scars on his neck. They were barely visible, but they were also undeniably there.

“I’m sorry,” Danielle said. “If only I had listened to you when you said something was off with Michael, none of this would’ve happened.”

She had apologize more times than she could count, and more times than Jack himself seemed to deem necessary, but she couldn’t stop. The guilt was too strong.

As he always did whenever Danielle said the “s” words, Jack shook his head. “You have nothing to apologize for. How could you have known?”

Danielle shrugged. She couldn’t, of course, but that did nothing to diminish her guilt. She was now obsessed with making sure nothing like that would ever happen again. She had spent the past five weeks gathering information on vampires, just in case, and eventually she had stumbled upon knowledge that was right under her nose, in her own family. She hesitated now, wondering if she should share that information with her friend, and finally she decided that she didn’t want to bear the burden by herself.

“I need to tell you something,” she said quietly, eyes darting around to make sure no one was eavesdropping.

Jack frowned and leaned closer to her behind the counter. “I’m intrigued.”

Danielle swallowed hard. “Remember how Michael told me I apparently turn off their hunger?”

“Yes. Lucky you,” Jack said with a small grin.

Danielle ignored the comment. “You know how my grandma is obsessed with myths and legends?”

“Yeah…” Jack groaned. “Oh God, what’s the connection here?”

Danielle cringed. “I went to her place yesterday and asked her about vampires. She blanched. Before I knew it, I was telling her what happened.”

Jack’s hazel eyes widened. “Dany!” he hissed, horrified. “Are you insane? If they find out—”

“They won’t find out,” Danielle said quickly. “Now listen. As it turns out, the women in the Japanese part of my family have known about vampires all along. At least, up until my grandmother. Apparently, my mother was too little when they came to the States to be informed.”

Jack frowned worriedly. “Informed of what?”

Danielle took a deep breath. “It seems their village back in Japan was plagued by a few vampires who lived in the area. My great-grandmother cast a spell that would repel them from the female members of our family.”

“What about the males?”

Danielle shrugged. “Apparently blood spells only work on the female members of the family when the witch casting the spell is a woman.”

“Wait, wait…your great-grandmother was a witch? Are you joking?”

“I wish I were,” Danielle admitted. “I didn’t want to believe it at first, but you’ve got to admit, we don’t have any other explanation as to why my blood is not appealing to them.”

Jack stared at her. Eventually, he sighed. “I guess not,” he conceded. “Is your grandmother a witch, too?” He hesitated. “Are you?”

Danielle arched an eyebrow. “Yeah, I’m a witch,” she said sarcastically. “I’m not. And neither is my grandmother. She didn’t want to learn the craft, she says.”

“What will she do about our vampires?”

“Nothing,” Danielle said. “She’ll stay away from them just like we’re doing.”

Jack nodded. “Good.”

Danielle was about to change the subject to a lighter topic when the doors of the pub opened and Eli Johnson walked in. She cursed under her breath.

“What?” Jack asked, following her gaze. “Who’s that?”

“A friend of Michael’s.”

Jack grimaced. “What’s he doing here?”

“Beats me.”

Eli walked up to the counter and settled on one of the stools. He cleared his throat in embarrassment. “Uh…hi,” he said.

Danielle stared coldly at him. “Hi. What are you drinking?”

“Nothing. I came to talk to you.”

“I’ve got nothing to say.

“But I do.” Eli looked over at Jack. “Are you Jack?”

Jack hesitated. “I’ve got the feeling I’m about to wish I wasn’t.”

Eli gave him a small smile. “Nah. I just…I wanted to say I’m glad you’re okay.”

Jack nodded curtly. “Thanks.”

“I don’t want to listen to you,” Danielle said. “If you’re not here to drink or eat, I would appreciate it if you left.”

“I can’t,” Eli said.

“Did Michael send you?”

“No, he didn’t. I’m here on my own accord. I’m not a servant, you know,” Eli said, his voice hardening. “I’m his friend.”

Danielle shrugged. “Whatever. I don’t want to talk to you.”

“Please, Danielle. It’s important.”

Danielle hesitated. She knew she would probably regret it, but eventually she gave in with a sigh.