Philodox Page 5

  The dust had finally settled from all the departing vehicles, and the noise of their engines were fading in the distance. Still, Damon and I hadn't moved from the front door, and Andre still stood with his hands clasped behind his back, the very picture of patience. I was perfectly content to continue our staring contest, because I figured that any amount of time we can stall would give Jeanette a chance to arrive and save us. Andre, apparently, did not have that kind of time.

  “Would you please join us?” He gestured toward the car, where the Prince and the enforcer were waiting.

  “In your car? Why can't we just talk right here?” I turned to Damon. “There's no way I'm getting in that car with them.”

  Then Andre said the magic words. “I'll tell you everything you need to know.” That was all Damon needed to hear.

  Before I knew quite what was happening, Damon and I were sitting in the back of that vehicle, in plush luxurious seats. It was what I would imagine riding in a regular limo would feel like, complete with tinted windows and seats facing each other. It wasn't nearly as nice or as large as Jeanette's limo, though, and there wasn't a window blocking the front seat from the back. We were close enough to each other that I could reach up and touch the back of the enforcer's head - if I wanted to reach between Andre and the Prince, which I did not have any desire to do. The driver was an unknown man. I assumed he was also a vampire, but it was hard to tell. Everyone was starting to smell like what I had come to learn was the scent of a vampire.

  The car was moving, which I found more than a little disconcerting. However, when I asked where we were headed, Andre assured us that he was taking us someplace “safe.” I made a comment about how we were already pretty safe in that other house, but he deflected that comment in typical frustrating vampire way, and then Damon started asking questions, so I dropped it. But I paid attention to where the car was taking us, just in case.

  It was kind of awkward, sitting across from the Andre and the Prince. I felt like I was in trouble, and I was sitting on the bench outside the principal's office, waiting for him to scold me. The Prince just stared at us, her face frozen, and if I hadn't already come to the conclusion that she was incapable of feelings, I would have thought she was feeling mildly interested and perhaps a little confused. Next to her, Mr. tall, dark and handsome was downright chatty.

  “I'm the Sheriff in this city,” Andre started. “I make sure that everyone follows the law. I enforce the rules, and punish those that think the rules don't apply to them.”

  “Wait, I thought that was the big guy's job?” I interrupted.

  “What do you mean?”

  “You know, the big guy? Jeanette said he was 'The Enforcer' which would indicate to me that he 'enforces.' So why don't they call you both The Enforcer? Is there some rule that only one person can have the title at a time?”

  Andre frowned. “What are you talking about?”

  “Well, you said that you're the Sheriff, right?”

  He nodded.

  “And you enforce the rules, right?”

  He nodded again, starting to look a little impatient.

  “So what does the Enforcer do?” I asked, pointing to him, sitting silently in the front seat. The Prince blinked at me, and Andre was staring at me like I had grown another head. “If you enforce the rules, and he enforces the rules, then why can't he be the Sheriff? I mean, I'm assuming that the Sheriff gets paid a little better, right? Better benefits? More prestige? A nice, shiny badge?” I started to trail off as I realized that pissing off a bunch of vampires in such a small space might not be the brightest idea I have ever had.

  There was a long, uncomfortable silence, and I was just about to mention something about the smooth ride just to break it, when Andre beat me to it. “It was given to me by default,” Andre mused. “I guess you could say I inherited the job.” When I just looked at him, still clearly not understanding, he jerked his head at the Prince. “I'm sure you noticed the familial resemblance?”

  I let out a quick, “HA!” that was louder than I meant it to be. I'm fairly certain that nobody in the car will ever admit it, but I am positive they all jumped. It's so hard to tell with vampires and their ridiculous vampy speed, but I would bet my life that I saw Andre twitch, and I know the car swerved. They were all looking at me now – even the big guy had turned around to stare at me, his beady little eyes open wide. “Uh, sorry, it's just that I totally called it. Right, Damon?” I nudged him with my elbow. “I totally said that you guys looked like you were related.”

  There was more uncomfortable silence while everyone in the car looked at me like I was crazy again, then Andre continued. “Anyway, as I was saying, there are rules that you have to follow, as a vampire. It's my job to make sure you follow those rules, and when you don't, you cause problems for me, which is annoying at best, and forces me to do something about it. That's why we have been trying to talk to you.”

  Damon pointed at himself. “Me? What did I do?”

  Andre sighed. “Well, that's the problem. It isn't necessarily something you did, so much as it's something that was done to you.” He used his fingers to pinch the bridge of his nose, and I noticed he was wearing a large gold ring set with some sort of black jewel. I glanced at her hands and noticed that the Prince wore one that was identical. That's when I noticed the Prince was staring right at me. She had dropped her sunglasses down on her nose and stared at me with the greenest eyes I have ever seen. She gazed at me with such intensity, and I definitely felt like I was being judged. I have no idea what she was judging me on, or whether or not I passed the test, because after a few seconds of the staring contest, she slid her sunglasses back up and stared at Damon, instead. It wasn't until I exhaled that I realized I'd been holding my breath. Clearly, the Prince had been taking lessons from Jeanette on how to be scary, but skipping out on all the classes detailing how to also be polite and friendly. Jeanette was still scarier by far, but if I had to choose which of the two I wanted to be spending time with, I would pick Jeanette every time.

  I started paying attention to Andre again, just in time to hear him start listing off the rules. “The first rule, and probably the most important, is that you can't reveal to anyone that you are a vampire.” There was an awkward moment where Damon and I obviously avoided looking at each other, eyes wide and guilt written clearly all over our faces. “She doesn't count,” Andre waved a hand at me. “She's a part of the supernatural community. I'm talking about normal humans.”

  “Hey!” I gave him an offended look. “I'm totally a normal human, thank you very much!”

  The big guy in the front seat snorted, but before I could give him a piece of my mind, Andre started talking again. “The second, but still equally important rule, is that it is absolutely expressly forbidden to create a vampire without the permission of the Prince.” He gave Damon a pointed look.

  “I'm guessing Jeanette didn't ask for permission,” Damon said, voice flat.

  “Well, hey, in her defense, she didn't exactly have the time to find a phone and give you a call,” I muttered. “What was she supposed to do, just let Damon die?”

  “Yes,” The Prince said. It was the first time I had ever heard her speak, and I bit back my angry retort and modified my tone of voice just slightly.

  “That's the stupidest thing I've heard all night.” I ignored the glare from the enforcer. “She had a chance to save him, and she took it. What's the problem?”

  “She didn't ask permission, first.” Andre's tone of voice implied that maybe he thought there should be a little room for interpretation with that rule, as well, but he didn't speak against it out loud. “We have to make these kinds of rules to prevent chaos. If every vampire made a new vampire whenever they wanted, it wouldn't be long before there were no humans left. It would create more problems, and it's not something any of us want to deal with, so we make rules. And we expect everyone to follow those rules.”

  “So, Jeanette is in trouble for making me, right?” Damon asked.

  Andre nodded. “Yes, she is in a lot of trouble, actually.”

  “So, why aren't you hunting her down and making her go with you? Why are you so interested in me?”

  “Well, you are in trouble, too, technically.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Well, you...can't...exist.” Damon and I just stared at him, and he sighed. “The punishment for breaking the rules is death. You will be given a trial, and if found guilty, sentenced to immediate death.”

  “Okay, I was wrong. That is the stupidest thing I've heard tonight. Damon didn't ask to be turned into a vampire. It's not like he woke up and decided he was going to find the nearest vampire, get caught in an explosion and DIE just so he could be turned into a stupid corpse.”

  Damon made an attempt at an outraged, “Hey!”

  I offered a quick “No offense,” then continued. “Now you're going to sit there and tell me that you plan to put him on trial and sentence him to death, just because he was in the wrong place at the wrong time? What kind of ridiculous racket are you running here? I mean, who gets to decide whether or not he's guilty? Who's going to kill him if he is? You?” I couldn't seem to stop my tone of voice from rising higher as I spoke. By the time I was finished, I was yelling, and the Prince's cold, flat voice was nearly a whisper in comparison.

  “Yes.”

  I was beginning to question the extent of her vocabulary. Maybe she didn't speak English? “This is bullshit!” I was about to go on another rant when Damon put a hand on my arm to stop me. He was surprisingly calm about the whole situation.

  “What about Jeanette? Are you planning to kill her, too?”

  Andre looked uncomfortable. “She will also be given a trial, and, if convicted, will suffer the same fate.”
br />   “When is the trial?”

  Horrified, I stared at Damon. “You're not seriously considering going through with this thing, are you?”

  “Like he has a choice,” the enforcer muttered from the front seat.

  I turned my rage on him. “Nobody's talking to you, baldy, so you can just keep your damn mouth shut up there.”

  He started to whirl, but Andre lifted his hand and he froze. He glared at me, and I stared back defiantly, just begging him to say something. Unfortunately, he remained silent, and eventually turned back around. Andre continued as if neither of us had said anything. “Your trial will be scheduled in the next few days. We need time to prepare everything. In the meantime, you'll have to stay with us so we can keep an eye on you.”

  That's when I smelled it. It was just a whiff, like when you catch the scent of a perfume floating on a light breeze, but it was enough. Somehow, impossibly, the beast had escaped from Jeanette and found us again. I gave an over exaggerated sigh and slumped back in my seat. “Well, your stupid little trial is going to have to wait, now.”

  Andre looked at me, confused. “I just said that it won't be for another few days.”

  I rolled my eyes at him. “I heard you. I'm not the one you have to convince, though. You and the monster are going to have to duke it out and see which one of you gets to kill us.”

  “Monster?”

  “Yeah, the big ugly thing that's been trying to kill Damon and me all night. It's behind us now, but it won't be long until it catches up.”

  Everyone except the driver and I looked out the back window, even Damon. “There ain't nothing back there,” the enforcer glared at me. “This is just some excuse you're using so you can get out of coming with us. I can't see shit back there, so I know you can't see anything, either. You think we're going to believe you?”

  I rolled my eyes. “I don't care if you believe me or not. I do want you to either tell the driver to go a whole lot faster, or pull over and let us get out, though. The last thing I want is to be stuck in this tin can when that thing catches up to us, which shouldn't be long, now.” The smell was definitely getting stronger. I leaned forward in my seat to glare at the enforcer. “I kind of hope it eats you first.”

  “How do you know?” Andre asked. “How do you know it's back there?”

  “I can smell it.”

  “You can...smell it?” I was not pleased at the way Andre was speaking, as if he was not only doubting my words but also amused by what I was saying. My sense of smell is no joke.

  “Yeah, I can smell it. Just like I can tell you what the human who was in here a few days ago ate before he got in here. I can tell you what brand of deodorant he wears, because it's the same one as my father. I can also tell you, judging from the scent of baby formula and dirty diapers, that he probably has at least one child under the age of two, so I really hope you didn't pull him into this car to kill him.”

  Andre opened his mouth to say something, but before he could, there was a loud crash coming from the front of the vehicle. The driver cursed and the car swerved sharply, causing me to slam into Damon, pressing him into the side of the vehicle. Andre and the Prince didn't move.

  “Report!” Andre's voice was sharp with command.

  “I believe that was car number two, sir.” The enforcer cleared his throat as the car straightened again. “It appears to have somehow fallen from the sky in front of us. We have not been hit, but you may want to look out the back window.”

  This time we all looked, and, for me at least, it was unsurprising to see the beast lumbering down the road after us. There were three of the Prince's cars behind us. As we watched, one car pulled over to the side of the road, vampires piling out with guns. Their shots seemed to do very little to the monster, who completely ignored them as it chased after its target. When he was within range of one of the other cars still driving behind us, he picked it up as if it were a matchbox toy. Andre barked a quick warning, and the driver punched the gas as the beast threw the car directly at us. It barely missed the vehicle we were in, landing on its side and sliding for a few feet before slamming into a parked car and finally coming to a stop. I could see its occupants scrambling to get out of the vehicle as we tore around a corner.

  Into the silence that now enveloped our car, I said, “It was lasagna, by the way. Heavy on the ricotta.”

  We continued to drive, the car moving so quickly that the scenery outside was an actual blur. Andre and the Prince held a silent conference, which was freaky. They didn't speak out loud. Instead, they stared at each other, occasionally nodding or shaking their heads until they apparently came to some sort of agreement, and Andre gave the order to pull the car over. We had barely come to a complete stop before I had the door open. I hopped out and adjusted my bag more comfortably on my hip, waiting for Damon to join me. Andre stepped out behind me, as the Prince and Damon exited on the other side of the vehicle. I was looking around, trying to determine where we were, and what the best escape route would be, when the trunk popped.

  Andre gestured at the trunk. “Pick your poison.”

  Curious, I took a look. Much like Jeanette's garage, the trunk was filled with weapons and ammunition. There were your standard pistols and rifles, as well as a handful of grenades and even a rocket launcher. In the center of the trunk, a space was reserved for two black katana blades, an elaborate circular design etched deeply into each of the hilts.

  I immediately went for the rocket launcher, because, I mean, when was I ever going to get another chance to use a freaking rocket launcher, right? Damon though, he couldn't stop staring at the blades. The Prince reached into the trunk and pulled out a strange looking harness from underneath the blades and handed it to Damon. After he just stood there holding it for a second, she showed him how to put it on, helping him slip his arms into each loophole, then adjusting the straps to fit snugly. Then she gestured at the blades. Damon picked them up like he was lifting the holy grail, weighing each of them in his hands and taking a couple practice swings, before sheathing them both in his new scabbard. Once they were put away, they formed an X on his back, and even I had to admit they made him look even more badass than usual.

  Meanwhile, Andre saw me reaching for the rocket launcher, and moved to help me. When I lifted it up with ease and set it on my shoulder, he shook his head and chuckled to himself. “Right,” he said. “Sorry, sometimes I forget.”

  “Forget what?” I shot him a confused glance, which is how I was able to spot the car hurling out of the darkness, straight for us. “Shit! Get down!” I dropped the rocket launcher and hurled myself at Damon, slamming into him with a grunt and pushing him directly out of the path of the flying car. I felt a momentary pang of regret that I couldn't also save the Prince, but Damon was my priority, and I wasn't going to stand around and fret about it with all those grenades in the trunk that had just been obliterated. I grabbed Damon's arm and we started running away from the flaming crater that only a moment ago had been the car we were all sitting in. Although I secretly hoped that the Enforcer lost a limb or something, I knew they were all vampires and could take care of themselves. Damon and I, however, needed to get away from the monster that was chasing us.

  We were just outside the city, but I wasn't familiar with the area. There were trees everywhere, of course, and there was heavy cloud cover. I asked Damon if he knew where we were, and when he shook his head in a negative, I decided to make an executive decision. “Okay, the beast is that way...” I pointed to a spot behind and a little to the left of us. “...so let's go that way,” I said, now pointing in the exact opposite direction.

  “Sounds like a plan to me,” Damon agreed, unceremoniously picking me up and throwing me over his shoulder, before tearing off at top speed.