Page 37 of Illuminated

I swallowed. I tingled all over, and my ears were ringing. “Oh.”

“You were expecting me to fall on them like I did the others at the church, I understand that. But I was extremely hungry then because I had been bled. I was also extremely angry. I don’t take blood like that if I can help it.”

Something fell into place, then, something I should have realized long ago. “I took you off that cross. You said you were weak. You had enough energy left to attack the priests when they got back, but I was closer. You didn’t bite and drain me.”

“Of course, I didn’t. I told you that I love you. Why would I drain you?”

“I was just some dude who undid your restraints at that point, though.”

“Ethan, I can’t explain this, but you weren’t just some dude. Not then, not now, not ever. I’ll say it’s a vampire thing, some instinct. I was hungry, yes, but it never once occurred to me that I should drink from you like a savage.”

“A vampire thing you don’t know about?”

He snorted. “There isn’t a manual, and there are few of us. Not everyone knows or has experienced everything, and abilities vary, just like they do with humans.” He pointed at the two priests. “For example, they did not think I could entrance them this quickly and this completely. Else, they wouldn’t have followed you.”

I nodded. It made sense. It also sounded like a terribly lonely existence. I looked at the two priests who were making their way back to the house.

“You have no part in this, not really, Ethan.”

“I volunteered. It’s okay.”

Auris put his arms around me, hugged me close. “My brave artist. Let’s get you in front of a warming fire.”

Hand in hand, we walked along the beach, following the priests who apparently were completely entranced.

When we got to the house, the two Fathers obediently sat down on chairs, their backs toward the ocean. Father Richards looked almost ecstatic. “What’s with him?” I said.

Auris shrugged. “He is someone who is very easy to entrance. Excuse me.” He went back inside the house.

I walked up to the two priests, waved my hand in front of Father Morgan’s face. “You’re out of it,” I said. He actually nodded.

“My sweet, could you not play with the priests?” Auris said and put his laptop on the table.

“Are you taking notes?”

“Yes. And recording this, too. Information is a valuable resource. I also stoked the fire for you.”

I pulled up a chair and sat. “I want to stay here and listen.”

Auris cocked his head and opened his laptop. “As you wish.”

* * *

I’m not sure whether what those two knew was useful or not. There were a lot of names and places and procedures that they spelled out. Some of it didn’t mean much to me, but other things were gruesome. They talked about enjoying what they did, “the work,” as they called it, and it made my skin crawl. They explained how they would extract information. Auris, mounted to that cross, hadn’t even received the worst of what these people had to offer, it turned out.

At some point Auris asked them about other demons, which seemed to be what they called him and people like him. They told him that one had been purified in a bone church near Prague seven years ago.

Eventually, listening just got to be too much, and I got up and headed inside, stood in front of the crackling fire, and hugged myself.

Auris came in after me. “It’s a lot, I know. Can I do anything?”

I shook my head. “Well, yeah. Finish whatever you need to do. They creep me out, and I want them gone.”

He nodded. “Not long. Maybe one more hour. Should I run you a bath before I go back outside?”

“No, but that actually sounds like a good idea. I’ll go soak in the tub.”

Auris walked over to me, hugged me close. “I’ll have them leave when you are done, promise.”

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