Thirty-Two…

Thirty-Two: Cold War

There will be two or three quick POV switches in this.

Contains very strong language.

The other vampire later in this chapter is Roy Dracon, by friendlieLlama  http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?2t99fv1fpr95vyb  Thanks Angie! 🙂

The huge sword in this chapter was found at Pandorasims.

Vaclav awakened from his slumber as the sky darkened. Upon that awakening, Aubrey knew he’d travel to the city and feed.

She couldn’t wait to see him later that night.

Once he returned home, she followed him into the office.

Her excitement caused a fluttering in her heart and stomach.

She clutched the talisman. “Look what I found!”

She revealed the object, its reddish stones shimmering.

He stared at the amulet.

Then he rose from the chair.

He was so quiet. Anticipation set her heart into a frenzy.

Why is he being so quiet? Say something!

“Shawn gave it back?”  He leaned closer to inspect it.

“No. Shawn’s girlfriend gave it to me. She stopped by earlier today.”

“Is that so?”

She nodded.

Vaclav held the talisman, rubbing his thumb over its surface.

He asked her to remove the necklace and she did.

Vaclav took it over to the desk and scrutinized it in the light.

What’s he doing? Aubrey wondered.

He glared down at it.

“There’s something wrong with it,” he muttered.

“Huh? What could be wrong with it? I don’t understand.”

“Shawn must’ve done something to it. The stone is lifeless in my hand. It’s just a shell.”

Lifeless? A shell? Did Madison know about this when she returned it?

He stood quietly for another minute just staring at it. His jaw flexed, and Aubrey knew he was stifling his anger.

He didn’t stifle it for long.

“He fucking destroyed it!”

Aubrey gasped.

Vaclav hurled the chain toward the window. The amulet shot through the glass like a bullet.

Glass shattered, startling Aubrey.                                         

“What’s… wrong with you?” she asked.

“That talisman cannot be replaced! I should’ve killed Shawn when I had the fucking chance!”

“I’m sorry about the talisman, but you need to stop acting like a lunatic. You’re scaring the shit out of me.”

Vaclav didn’t answer. He stormed around the room like a mad man. Kat crawled into the room crying.

She tugged on Aubrey’s tights trying to get her attention.

Finally, Vaclav left the room.

Don’t cry. That prick isn’t worth it.

A tear fell. She wanted to slap it away. Actually, she just wanted to slap Vaclav.

Katerina’s screams penetrated Vaclav’s ears. He stood at the opposite end of the house, but her cries cut him like razors.

Between that and his anger over the amulet, it felt like an implosion in his head.

He growled like an animal.

Aubrey tried to comfort Kat, but her cries continued.

Vaclav’s primitive rumble grew to an explosive roar.

After leaving the children with the butler, Aubrey ran out of the house and into the cemetery.

She sobbed over her father’s grave.

“I don’t know him, Daddy! I don’t know him!” 

And in fact, she didn’t truly know Vaclav. She knew nothing of his history, except he was from Czechoslovakia. She virtually knew nothing about him. She certainly didn’t know the monster that emerged a few minutes ago.

Who was Vaclav Haas? Really?

“He’s never told me anything about his past! I only know I’ve married a friggin’ monster,” she cried. 

“I want to take it back. All of it. I wish I’d never met him! I didn’t know him then, and I don’t know him now! Except that he’s a heartless prick!”

“Daddy! Why did you kill yourself?! I need you…”

Suddenly Vaclav’s cold arms enclosed her. She jumped.

Just for a second, she thought it was her father. She wished it were her father and not Vaclav.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered.

Her body stiffened.

Why should I forgive you? I’m always forgiving you! I’m sick of it!

“I never told you about my past because I didn’t want you to think of me as monstrous,” he said.

Too late!  

“Come back into the house and I’ll tell you some things,” he said.

Aubrey sniffed. “I—can’t go in there yet. I wish my dad were here. I–I miss him.” Her tears flowed once more.

Vaclav eased her around to face him, embracing her.

She allowed her tears to fall. Moisture flooded her eyes, blinding her. It was as though she’d never grieved over her father at all, and his death occurred months ago.

Why was her pain coming out now?

Her memory lit up with his image.

“Daddy!” she cried.

“Daddy… daddy… daddy…”

God, the pain inside my heart hurts so bad. I wish you were here… I wish you were…

…here.

She became silent. Vaclav asked her if she was okay.

“Yeah.” Her eyes burned from the tears. She squeezed them shut. Then she opened them and looked up.

The moon, like a gigantic glowing disk, shone overhead. Maybe her father was up there somewhere. Maybe he would never really leave her.

Various shades of magenta streaked the eastern sky. It would soon be dawn.

Aubrey followed Vaclav into the house.

His arm slipped around her and held her close.

“I apologize for throwing the talisman, and I’m sorry for scaring you,” he softly began.

“What were you going to tell me about your past?”

“Did you hear what I said? I apologized. Do you accept?” he asked.

“Not until you tell me all about yourself, and not until you can swear to me you’ll never scare me like that again. Then I might think about accepting your apology.”

“Okay.”

Firstly, Vaclav started his story.

On May 21, 1678, my wife was giving birth to Jakub. I didn’t know it yet. For some reason, I decided to take a short-cut home from work.

I was a glass maker living near Cesky Krumlov, Czechoslovakia.

I heard whispers all around me.

I stopped and saw a man in the distance, dressed mostly in black. I swore that his eyes glowed.

Then he was standing next to me, like he’d somehow teleported from the other side.

“Do you want to live forever?” he growled at me. I thought he was insane.

“I can make you an immortal such as I,” he told me. “But the sun will no longer guide you. You will live in darkness, with only the light of the moon to illuminate your path.”

Then I thought, could it be true? Maybe he wasn’t insane. I’d heard of witches in America who could cast spells. Spells that could either kill you, or give you immortality. Maybe the guy was a warlock. I had to find out. I had to see what he was talking about.

Who wouldn’t want to be 25-years-old forever?

“Don’t forget who sired you,” the man said grabbing me. He spun me toward him and bit my neck.

The pain was… horrible. I could feel the blood running down my neck.

Then he forced me to drink some of his blood, which tasted especially bitter.

The man vanished, and I transformed into the creature that I am today; the creature I’ve been for the last 332 years.

That morning I left home as a human. When I returned, I was a vampire. My son never saw me as anything different.

I held Jakub as a newborn… and I had a crushing desire to harm him. My thirst for blood was indescribable, almost painful. So I left him and his mother.

I returned a few years later. Jakub hated me. Hated me for leaving him, never understanding my reasons for doing so. And I hated the vampire for transforming me into a monster.

When Jakub turned 20, I turned him into a vampire as well. It was a misguided attempt at making amends, because Jakub asked me for the gift of immortality.

I did as he asked and I thought he’d finally forgiven me.

153 years later, Jakub and I moved to America. One year later, we found Shadowvale. It was the land of the immortals… immortals with dark hair and crimson eyes. 

Growing tired of the Shadows, Jakub and I decided to start our own clan, to rule over the colony. We embraced our inner monsters, becoming power-hungry and immoral. We turned everyone we could into vampires. With time, those vampires began exhibiting Haas characteristics, like an evolution; like they were our children. 

Jakub and I began recruiting rogues to fight against the Shadows. In actuality, we forced them to fight, beating them if they refused or behaved stupidly. The ones who never cooperated were killed.

I had sex with every beautiful woman I saw. But my reign as an egocentric womanizer was coming to an end. I fell in love with Catherine, a mortal. Together we had a child.

Her name was Abigale.

She slept at Death’s threshold since having contracted tuberculosis.

She was dying.

Jakub begged me to save her.

“It’s not that simple,” I tried to explain. “I’ve never known a vampire who’s tried to transition a dhampir. What if it kills her faster?”

“Fucking try it!” he yelled.

I took off my hat and walked over to the mirror, debating on what to do.

I wanted it to work. I wanted Abigale to live, but I was terrified to try. What if the precious time I had left would be cut short once she ingested my blood?

I knelt down next to her. I lowered my fangs to her neck.

Then I couldn’t do it. It was wrong for so many different reasons.

Drain most of the child’s blood? And then use yours to take its place? It was akin to administering poison.

“She’s just a child. I’m afraid I’ll kill her.”

“She’s going to die anyway. If she dies now, she’ll be free from misery,” Jakub said. “So do it.”

“No.”

“Then I’ll do it!” Jakub said dropping to the floor.

I shoved him away. Then I stood and dragged him away from her.

“Let me go! Let me save her, you son-of-a-bitch!”

“Stop! Both of you!” Catherine shouted at us.

“Let me save her…” Jakub growled. He stopped struggling.

“No one can save her,” I said. “She’s already gone.”

And I was right. She died right there on the floor, just as we argued.

I buried her a few hours later. I heard Jakub ranting in the house.

“It’s your fault! You could’ve saved her!” I heard him say.

Is it my fault? I wondered staring down at her grave.

Could I have saved her? Should I have tried?

Days afterward, Catherine could no longer endure the heartache and misery, and she left. Our home had been turned upside down.

I never blamed her for leaving.

Jakub and I continued fighting.

“How could you let her die like that?” he’d scream.

Finally, he left as well.

I was left alone to pick up the pieces of my eternal life.

I took all of Abigale’s toys and clothing and stuffed them into her room, locking the door. I never entered her room again. Even when the house was refurbished years later, I left her room alone.

Throughout the next hundred or so years, I saw Jakub at times. He was cold, as usual. I know he blamed me for Abigale’s death, for leaving him as a child, for everything.

“Years later, your grandfather became leader of the Shadows. I killed him during the last war.”

Shockwaves ricocheted through Aubrey’s body.

“Then I was sent to the valley to kill his son, your father.”

“But I saw you, and I couldn’t do it.” A tear cascaded down his face. “I love you Aubrey. I know I’m not perfect. I know I can be monstrous… but I have always loved you. I’m terrified of losing you again.”

“It’s—it’s okay. I forgive you,” she said. 

Yes. Now I know you. I know the human behind the monster.

And I forgive you.

                                                           ****

Thanks for reading. ♥ Wow, this was a long chapter, with a complicated storyline (Vaclav’s past) so if I’ve messed anything up, please tell me so I can correct it. LOL.