Chapter 19: Chapter 19

PAST

December 1833

Almost a month had passed since Iosif Michea had last spoken to Parris Hall. He wanted to ask for Parris’ advice regarding the unusual message he had received from someone claiming to be Gualtiero. Logic told him it was a trap, but he also couldn’t help thinking about how the sender managed to mimic his dead friend’s handwriting.

Maybe he was indeed going insane, he thought, but there was a messenger who delivered the missive. It was the eleven-year-old Tomislav who informed him of the messenger’s arrival. Surely Tomislav couldn’t possibly be a lunatic, could he?

Iosif expected his friend Parris to have easily disposed of the Nosferatu vampires, but alarmingly, he hadn’t heard anything from Parris since they parted ways.

Iosif debated whether to go to the opera mentioned in the note to chance upon possibly seeing his good friend, Gualtiero. He remembered seeing what he believed was Gualtiero’s ghost a few years ago. What if he was indeed miraculously alive? Except that would be impossible, because the ghost that he had seen never aged. If Gualtiero survived the gruesome vampire attack, he would have been thirty by now, just like Iosif. The ghost that Iosif had caught sight of resembled Gualtiero that had not aged for twelve, long years!

He suddenly felt a longing in his heart, for everyone he lost. His thoughts lingered on Gualtiero, how he looked so weak and miserable on that fateful night. He could almost hear Gualtiero’s voice saying bitterly: “Love is just not in the cards for me.”

Since he became a vampire hunter, Iosif chose to live separately from his family, to protect them. Someday, his children will all be vampire hunters like himself, but for now, they needed to be safe. He married a local teacher named Alina, and their three children, Marius, Florin, and the youngest child Theodosia, who was named after his old lover, lived with her. He had been living in isolation at Sef Andrei’s old house ever since the chief died.

He finally decided to go and see the opera. He had no idea it was the first and last opera he would ever watch in his doomed life.

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“What do you want me to do upon meeting this Iosif Michea?” Gualtiero asked, lost in thought. “Why did you make me write ‘your friend forever’? Did I know him from my time as human?”

Lilith who was feeding on a naked, compelled young woman the Malkavians had brought back from a brothel, seemed bored with the question. Kali and Fino were feeding on each other while Kieran was occasionally sharing with Lilith, feeding on the young woman’s wrist. Gualtiero was seated on the edge of the bed, listening to Lilith give him instruction on how to deceive the renowned vampire hunter and eventually end his life.

“You’re a Malkavian,” Kieran reminded Gualtiero. “Why are you fixated on being human?”

“I have no desire being human,” Gualtiero argued.

“Darling, you have no desire is more appropriate,” Lilith said, amused. “But I want you to remember this warning: Iosif Michea is not your friend. He is our enemy. All the hunters are our enemies.”

“I have an idea how we could help Gualtiero experience sexual desire,” Fino offered his suggestion with a smirk. “We need a witch to help him see his own reflection.”

“Ah, that is clever, Fino,” Lilith approved. “I am certain you would like what you see, Gualtiero darling.”

I have a desire, Gualtiero thought to himself. I have a desire to destroy you.

“And since it seems to me as if you do not have much enthusiasm feeding on these beautiful ladies, I want you to feed on Iosif Michea instead,” Lilith suggested.

“Impossible. He would lace his blood with vervain before coming at the opera house,” Gualtiero said.

“Not if he does not know what lies ahead,” Lilith stated.

“I believe you misjudge humans,” Gualtiero observed. “They are clever even with their physical limitations.”

“Which side are you on, Gualtiero?” mocked Kieran.

“Go easy on him, Kieran,” Lilith suggested. “He’s different, but he’s learning. Don’t you remember how cunning he was destroying your Melaina? That was some stroke of genius,” Lilith continued.

Kieran didn’t agree with the thought. Destroying your own kind was anything but stroke of genius. But he knew better not to say anything more around Lilith.

“Maybe he isn’t different nor learning, Lilith,” Kali said, involving herself in the conversation. “Maybe he simply just does not really fancy you. Maybe he fancies humans instead.”

It was clearly the wrong thing to say for Kali, for even Fino went paler than he already was, upon hearing the remark. Gualtiero did not know how to react to the statement, while Kieran could tell at that moment that those were going to be the last words Kali would ever spoke. Poor Kali.

Kieran was right, as he mostly was. He sometimes felt Lilith had given him the gift of insight, for most of the time, the events would unfold just how exactly he predicted them to.

Lilith, in wrath, staked Kali straight to her heart using the stake the foolish vampire hunter Parris Hall once owned.

Gualtiero, Kieran, and Fino remained tight-lipped as Kali’s corpse fell to the ground and turned to dust.

“Now, who is next?” Lilith queried, laughing at the shocked faces of the remaining Malkavians. “Fino, darling, come and hand me the stake.”

“I have it,” Gualtiero interrupted, before Fino could take a step forward to follow Lilith’s order. Everyone eyed him with curiosity. “I have… desire. I feel lust… for you, Lilith. I have desire. There is no need to destroy anyone else.”

Fino breathed a sigh of relief. There was a time when he loathed Gualtiero but now he couldn’t help but feel gratitude for him.

“Interesting proclamation,” Lilith said incredulously. It was not lost on her that it was the first time Gualtiero addressed her by her name. She was not as foolish as Gualtiero was probably thinking but she had a weakness for him. Her perfect creation. Maybe he was not lying. It was up to her to see what he was up to.

Lilith pointed to the compelled woman Fino and Kali were drinking blood from just a few moments ago. “Do you desire for her blood, my love?” she teased.

“I do,” Gualtiero lied, hoping Lilith couldn’t tell he was fibbing.

For her own amusement, Lilith set the woman free from compulsion. The young woman immediately shrieked in fear upon realizing what was happening. She asked for help from God above, chanting all the prayers she has learned by heart to deliver her from evil. But no God answered her prayers.

A man she has never met before, a fine-looking man, perhaps about her age, was ready to attack her, to sink his teeth into her neck. She was going to die. Despite his good looks, the young lad had fangs that made him look as hideous as a beast, which she thought was a mythical creature up until that moment.

Gualtiero did not hesitate at the task he had to complete. The woman was going to die whether he attacked her or not anyway. Her life was ill-fated because powerful and evil Lilith decreed so. More than ever, he needed Lilith to believe his little deception, if he wanted to have any chance at overpowering her. It was a quick and painless death for the woman. But Gualtiero was aware it would have been worse if any of the others got to her instead.

He still had blood all over him when Lilith kissed him full on the mouth.

“Do you like this?” Lilith asked, stopping for a few seconds just to ask him the question.

“I do,” Gualtiero responded. Lilith wasted no time upon hearing the answer she had been longing to hear. She pushed Gualtiero onto the bed and kissed him even more passionately. She went on top of him as they intimately shared the blood of the woman he had just fed on and killed. The white sheet became heavily stained with blood.

Kieran was watching this unfold with pure jealousy. Gualtiero, as weak as he was, was clearly who Lilith fancied the most. Kieran had served Lilith best especially after Melaina was reduced to dust at the hands of Gualtiero, but Lilith still loved Gualtiero best.

Kieran had an insight recently that the Blood of Malkav will be destroyed that day, so he sought help from a witch who assured him could fake his death. It was not difficult to charm the witch to cooperate. She fancied him at first sight.

“Kieran, Fino, come here and join us. It’s been a while since we all fed on one another,” Lilith called, suddenly interrupting his musings. Fino reluctantly joined, perhaps still mourning the death of his lover, Kali. Kieran followed him shortly. He liked feeding on Lilith but he hated that he had to share her. Especially with Gualtiero. It was tempting to stake him through the heart right then and there.

When Althaia walked in, she saw three naked vampires in bed with Lilith. One of them was Gualtiero. She was horrified upon seeing him there. What have Lilith done to make him a willing participant? She tried to meet Gualtiero’s eyes to seek for answers. Maybe he needed her aid badly. Perhaps she arrived just in time. Her eyes abruptly searched for the stake while the vampires were feeding on each other. Lilith liked to imitate how humans fornicate. She liked feeding blood from a man’s chest, abdomen, and, as abhorrent as the thought was, his genitals. It was only a matter of time before she got there, as she was already drinking blood from Gualtiero’s chest while Fino and Kieran were feeding on both her wrists.

She fought the urge to vomit but knew she had to be strong. Gualtiero needed her.

“What is it you want, Althaia?” Lilith asked calmly, giggling. Althaia froze. It was too late to leave now. Lilith had noticed her presence after all. “I think we need more human blood here. You came at the right time.”

“No,” she heard Gualtiero refuse. “I will be needing Althaia with me if you want me to deceive the hunter. I need her presence.”

Althaia met his eyes and hoped that he understood her silent way of thanking him. He might have just saved her from being the vicious vampires’ next meal.

“I… came here to tell Kieran that there is an attractive lady looking for him and she is right outside,” Althaia explained. She had almost forgotten her real purpose for barging in.

“That is great news, Kieran, darling,” Lilith said beaming, giving Kieran a torrid kiss. “I gather you have found yourself a new companion?”

“Quite possibly,” Kieran responded cryptically, when the kiss broke.

“I think we should do this another time, then,” Lilith decided. “Fino still seems a little forlorn over losing Kali and you have an important business to attend to.” She winked at Kieran. “Is she a lovely human, my dear?”

“Yes,” Kieran lied. He got dressed abruptly and waited for Althaia, whom he noticed was staring intently at Gualtiero’s naked frame. Ah, humans, he smirked to himself. Disgustingly lustful to no end.

“Do you need help dressing, Gualtiero?” Althaia finally opened her mouth to speak, but without waiting for an answer, assisted Gualtiero put back his clothes on. She held his hand firmly secretly handing him a paper. Gualtiero was surprised but tried his best to hide it.

“Human, are you accompanying me to my visitor or would you stand there all evening marveling at how perfect your vampire’s bare physique is?” Kieran asked.

“She is not just a human. She is my familiar,” Gualtiero snapped upon hearing his mocking tone. “She has no duty to speak directly at you if she did not want to.”

Feeling triumphant for getting him to react, Kieran grinned, then finally took Althaia’s hand by force to meet the witch with him. It won’t be long now before he didn’t have to worry about Gualtiero anymore. Everyone would perish by midnight. Everyone except him if his plan succeeded.

When Kieran and Althaia exited the room, Gualtiero glanced quickly at Lilith’s direction and observed she was momentarily distracted with Fino. It was the perfect time to read what Althaia had given him and took so much effort to conceal. The writings on the paper frightened him.

I need to speak with you about your human memories. Find me soon after you read this. Do not forget to destroy this.