The Vampire's Touch: A midlife paranormal mystery thriller (Memory Guild Book 9) by Ward Parker

Author:Ward Parker [Parker, Ward]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Mad Mangrove Media
Published: 2023-04-29T16:00:00+00:00

Most people would have rushed from the bathroom to tell their loved ones about the vampire who had appeared in there. Not me. You know me well enough not to be surprised. Nope, I remained in the bathroom and snatched the two pieces of the towel rod.

I’m a psychometrist, and I had a job to do.

Fortunately, there were not a bunch of unrelated memories cluttering up the wooden rod. No one handles towel rods, only the towels that hang on them. The only memories I detected were Lethia’s.

The wood practically burned with her frustration as I grasped both pieces. She was angry at the probability that I would not cooperate. When she first handled the rod, I was asking about—

—my followers. Yes, there were thousands of them by now. Once, they practically worshipped me. Now, they despise me. All because of the paranoia caused by Aastacki whispering in my ear that they do not love me and are plotting against me. When I can no longer trust them, I lash out, punishing them for minor offenses. Which makes them resent me. And the resentment creates more paranoia in me, and I crack down even harder.

Until I can no longer be their Nest Mother and must move on to another town or village and start anew.

The mother instinct in me—the instinct cut off at its strongest point—drives me to create more vampire children. As if they could substitute for my loss. Of course, they don’t.

And time and again, I let Aastacki’s lies poison my mind and alienate my followers. Why can’t I resist him? What is so intoxicating about the fear and paranoia and hatred he stirs in my heart?

It condemns me to be being alone forever!

SNAP—

—went the towel rod, and the pieces clattered to the tile floor.

But I had learned quite a bit more than I had expected.

Now, I concentrated on the piece with the sharp, splintered end. The memory of her fondling it, holding it to her heart, as if she were thinking—

—If only I could push it through my skin and end this all without having to beg this stupid half-human, half-goddess to help me.

But I can’t.

Because of the hope—that my existence will be happier, and I will be less lonely.

And, most of all, that I will find her. Hope that Aastacki lied when he said he couldn’t bring her back after the fever took us both—that she is out there somewhere waiting for me.

But every day, I suspect that this hope is as false as Aastacki’s lies. It’s like a potion that clouds my judgement and makes me believe ridiculous things, stringing me along like a fool.

If the hope is false, once it is gone, I will see the truth. Then, I’ll know what to do. Continue searching or take my own life.

I suspect it will be the latter.

Oh, I will be so enraged if Danu does not grant me my wish. I will—

—drop the wood onto the floor.

She never completed her thought. But I had a feeling about how powerful her rage would be.

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