Page 56 of A Heart Of Bitter Poison
With a quick nod, she backs away. I watch as she disappears around the corner, heading down the hall toward her room. Eryx enthusiastically takes up her offer and finishes the drink as he pulls an assortment of cheese and fruit from the fridge. I don’t really think I can manage much small talk given how stellar this conversation with Davina has been, so I retreat to my room and then slip away into town unseen.
I try to leave my thoughts of Davina and Ashen and all the others behind me with every step I take toward the lights of Ravello. I even try to shed every way I’ve changed. I just want to be the one thing I know that I still am. The one thing I’m best at being.
A solitary vampire, hunting in the night.
CHAPTER22
I’m actually pretty excited to be on the hunt for a douchebag to eat. It’s been a while since I stalked some prey. Even Jessie Fucking Bates didn’t really count, seeing as how he was already subdued when I finally got to kill him. And handless. I haven’t used my song to snare my prey since that Civic driver with the stupid muffler that I found that first night at the Reaper’s estate. My throat burns with the thought, and it’s more sore than usual with the hunger creeping around in my gut.
I sit for a while at a cafe and watch the people of Ravello until I find a worthy candidate. Truthfully, it doesn’t usually take long to find a douchebag. They abound on this earth like a fucking plague. Tonight is no exception. This one is apparently named Alberto, as his friends chime when he regales them with some bullshit story about a girl that sucked him off before he ghosted her. He goes on and on about women that were ‘too fat,’ ‘too loud,’ ‘too crazy,’ or ‘too shit in bed’. In other words, all lies and he probably has a tiny, smelly, crooked dick. Maybe I’ll check once I’ve torn his throat out. Fucking wanker.
Eventually, he separates off from his friends to head home, and I follow in the shadows. We pass through the Piazza Duomo, heading east on the stone square. There aren’t many people out tonight, and by the time we reach Via Giovanni Boccaccio, the street is empty and dark.
I’m feeling a bit dramatic, a bit excited. Even a little afraid, to be honest. I haven’t sung at all since before Semyon. So, I think it’s fitting to pick something bold. We need to bring out the big guns for such a momentous occasion. And there’s no singer with bigger guns than Céline Dion.
I start humming the melody for Ashes. A few soft notes. C minor. The lower tones in the song before the crescendo. The sound of my humming startles Alberto and he glances back at me as he walks, giving a flash of a smile when he seems to find me unthreatening. He turns to the road ahead and starts into the tunnel.
That… that’s not right… he should already be falling under my spell. Even a little hum should ignite the magic that will pull him into my grasp.
I try to shake it off as I enter the tunnel after him. I clear my throat. I swallow the uneasy feeling that’s stirring the bile in my stomach. I let him get a few steps ahead and start again. The tunnel will make my voice sound that much richer and more beautiful. After all, everyone loves a bit of cathedral-like reverb.
I start again, quietly, from the beginning, singing the lyrics this time.
What's left to say?
These prayers ain't working anymore
Every word shot down in flames
Alberto’s steps slow a little.Yes.
What's left to do with these broken pieces on the floor?
I'm losing my voice calling on you
A little bit slower...
'Cause I've been shaking
I've been bending backwards ‘till I'm broke
Watching all these dreams go up in smoke
Alberto’s steps hitch and his head tilts...
I take a deep breath. I put everything into my voice. It’s clear and warm and haunting. All that emotion pours into the darkness around us.
Let beauty come out of ashes
Let beauty come out of ashes
And when I pray to God all I ask is
Can beauty come out of ashes?
Alberto stops and slowly turns in my direction. I feel a sudden swell of relief. My voice might not be the same as it once was, but the magic is still there. Thank the gods, wherever they are. It’s still there.
“Questo è il primo…”he says, a smile pulling at the corners of his lips.
