own blood, our own life force, so we must borrow blood from your kind to live. That’s all. It doesn’t require much, you know—and we don’t have to kill to get it.” He shrugged. “It only takes a moment, and those we take it from don’t even remember giving it. I could take some from you right now—although I don’t need any at the moment—and all you would remember is having this conversation, uninterrupted by anything so crass as a giving.”
“Giving?”
“That’s our term for it. Come, my dear, relax. I can assure you, had I wanted to kill you, I would have done so already.” He smiled at her.
“Comforting to know.” She hugged herself, and the shaking stopped; she felt somehow calm.
“I wouldn’t have revealed myself to you if I didn’t need your help.”
Rachel stared at him. “If you’re so powerful, why do you need my help?”
“Alas, there is no such thing as ‘all-powerful.’ That is reserved merely for God, and God is very jealous of his privileges.” He reached over and took her hand. His hand was cold as ice, yet she allowed him to keep hold of hers.
“So, there is a God?”
“Of course, my dear.” He smiled at her again. “And there is a Satan—everything is in balance, remember? Lucifer Morningstar, the most beautiful of all the angels before the fall, God’s favorite. His beauty surpassed all others—still does, I am sure.”
“Uh-huh.” She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “And you need my help? Right. Like, what could I do to stop a—” She couldn’t bring herself to say the word; it was all too nuts, crazy; there was no such thing.
“Gunther is powerful, Rachel, strong in his evil.” Nigel stroked his chin. “I can sense him, but I cannot find him. He can block my mind from seeing him, from finding where he is. I know he is here, in New Orleans…but I cannot see where he actually is.” Nigel sighed.
“So, why come to me?” Rachel shook her head. “I mean, none of this fucking makes sense, Nigel, but why me?”
“The other day, when I arrived, I saw you in the coffee shop, talking to a young man.” He closed his eyes. “And I knew. I knew it was your friend he was coming for. I sensed the danger he was in—and then he turned and I saw his face, so like Maxi’s, and I looked into his eyes…and saw into his soul.”
“His—soul.” She began twisting a lock of her hair in her hand, tugging it to make sure she was awake and not in a dream state.
“Yes, Rachel, his soul. The soul never dies; it moves from body to body, from life to life.” He looked into her face. “You do not follow.” He sighed.
“Reincarnation?”
“Yes.” He smiled at her, and she avoided his eyes. “Yes, that’s exactly it. Everything in balance, remember? There must be balance. God gave humans free will. Are you familiar with the concept?”
“Free will to choose between good and evil, yes.” Sister Mary Angelique’s voice came to her unbidden, from across the years, from Sunday school catechism classes: “And God gave us free will, to choose to either serve God or serve Satan. We always have a choice, to sin or to be true to God’s will. To pursue earthly treasures, the pleasures of the flesh, or bow to a higher power and wait for the reward that comes when we go to heaven.”
“You are Catholic, then? Good.”
“I haven’t been to mass in years.” She shrugged. “The priests don’t exactly approve of my lifestyle.”
“Because you love other women.” Nigel laughed softly. “Yes, the followers of God have never truly understood that all God cares about is the ability to love, rather than who you love. Perhaps someday—but the human race is still in its infancy. So you are familiar with the concept of Purgatory?”
“Yes.”
“Another one of the errors of the church.” Nigel swept with his hand, encompassing the street. “Earth is Purgatory, Rachel. The soul comes back, over and over again, trying to achieve a state of grace in order to be admitted into Heaven.”
“So there’s no Hell?”
“Other souls, Rachel, return and retain their evil; unrepentant—until anything that is pure and good is destroyed and they can be admitted to the gates of Hell.” He shrugged. “Everything in balance, my dear girl. Just as a soul with the stain of sin on it cannot be admitted to Heaven, an evil soul with some purity, the ability to love, cannot be admitted to Hell.”
“And you’re saying that Philip is Maxi?” She stared at her hands. “Which is why this Gunther has come after him.”
“Their souls are linked.” Nigel folded his arms. “Only Gunther is a vampire who chose to serve evil.”
“Linked?”
“Just as yours is linked to Philip’s.” Nigel sighed. “All souls are linked to other souls. Have you ever met someone you immediately were drawn to? That you felt you’ve always known, even though you just met?”
“Well, yes.”
“Linkage.”
“But if Gunther is a vampire, I don’t see how—”
“Gunther was human once.” Nigel sighed. “He was human, and he loved Maxi before he became a vampire.” He rubbed his eyes. “It was one of my biggest mistakes, Rachel. I thought I had made Gunther understand that when he accepted the gift, by becoming a nightwatcher, he would have to let Maxi go. How was I to know? How was I to know that the only reason he wanted to become a nightwatcher was so that he and Maxi would be together for all eternity?”
“How did he become a vampire?” She knew the answer.
Nigel looked at her. “I created him. One of my greatest mistakes. Which is why it is my responsibility to destroy him.”
Chapter Four
Gunther unlocked a door and pulled Philip inside. A massive chandelier hung over a staircase. Gunther kicked the door shut and pushed Philip up against the wall, their lips coming together again. Gunther lifted Philip up, and Philip wrapped his legs around Gunther’s waist. Oh, yes, fuck me; fuck me right here and now; fuck me on the floor; fuck me on the stairs; just fuck me…
Gunther pulled back and smiled at him. “Not yet, mein Liebe.” He set Philip down, then pulled him up the staircase. There was another door at the top, and Gunther unlocked it and held it open for Philip.
Philip gasped.
The hallway beyond the door was lit only by candles, flickering and glowing through the darkness.
His mind swam.
He closed his eyes.
He remembered…
A room lit by candles; velvet draperies hanging over the windows, the sun shining, the scent of roses drifting through the windows, the sounds of people working in the garden, and—
It was gone.
He shook his head and opened his eyes.
“You still don’t remember?” Gunther smiled at him, pulling Philip to him and pressing his mouth on Philip’s.
Philip’s head swam, his heart thumping in his chest, his stomach lurching. He tried to gather his thoughts, to get his head together. Something didn’t seem right; something was wrong…. He felt Gunther tearing at his button fly, his jeans being pulled down, sliding down his legs. Gunther kissed each of his inner thighs softly, tracing a finger along the back of his legs. He shivered. Gently, Gunther lifted each of his feet and removed the pants. Then his mouth was on Philip’s abdomen, licking and kissing, the tongue darting out and making circles on his skin, sliding into his navel, one hand grasping Philip’s balls and squeezing lightly, and Philip’s entire body