Realms of Spells and Vampires by J. S. Malcom

Author:J. S. Malcom [Malcom, J. S.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2018-06-30T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 18

It’s a little after ten when we arrive at the house where Nora used to live, four of us riding in Beatrice’s car. Well, at least a car she chose to use tonight. For all I know, the car might belong to the Shadow Order. Or, Beatrice has expensive taste, given that it’s a brand new Lexus. But I see now why she suggested we take it, since my car would have stood out like a sore thumb in a neighborhood like this. It never occurred to me that Nora might have lived in a house like the one we’re about to enter. I got the impression she’d been comfortable, but not this comfortable.

As if reading my thoughts, Nora turns to me from where she sits beside Beatrice up front. “It’s not really as big as it looks.”

Yeah, right. The house may not exactly qualify as a mansion, but it’s pretty damned big. It looks to be old too, but old in the sense that it was constructed long ago by someone with exquisite taste and plenty of money. In other words, it’s a historic home sitting on a large lot that, even at night, I can tell has been kept meticulously groomed.

Julia gazes out from where she sits beside me. “Who owns it? And why are the lights on? I thought…” She doesn’t finish her sentence, since obviously she was about to remark on everyone else who lived there being dead. After a moment, she says, “I’m sorry. I’m just curious.”

“It’s okay,” Nora says. “It was owned by Thomas, one of my friends. For the last ten years or so, but we weren’t going to be able to stay much longer. ”

By which she means that vampires can’t stay in the same place for very long. Even if they only come and go at night, someone is bound to notice that they don’t age. Clearly, Thomas had money, but that’s often the case for beings who are essentially immortal. Even a reasonably substantial inheritance can be turned into a fortune, given enough time and wise investing.

Beatrice kills the engine. “After the arch vampire sent a team to investigate, one of our Shadow Order members agreed to keep up appearances. He’s made sure to leave some lights on. He also arranged for cars to come and go at night, since that’s usually the case.”

It surprises me that she’s this open with Julia, but I guess she figures if Julia is willing to take the risk, then she deserves honest answers. Julia’s my friend, after all, and embarking on this experiment required that I tell Beatrice about who Julia is to me.

Julia speaks softly, her voice distant. “Is his name Ellis?”

Beatrice tilts her head; she seems surprised at the question. “Yes, Ellis.”

“He’s one of the Vamanec P’yrin, isn’t he?”

Beatrice glances at me. I shake my head to indicate that I didn’t tell Julia about him.

“Yes, he is,” Beatrice says.

“It bothers him, what happened here,” Julia says. “He feels both sad and concerned.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.