Chapter 47: Painting the Town Red

April 1999

Our night of anticipation and high expectations had arrived. Rachel and I had slept well together for the first time in what seemed like an eternity. I was able to forget for a moment of my interaction with creatures that were not supposed to exist. We had more than just a tender moment. Rachel is by far the most tender woman I know. That is my business, not yours.

Rachel and I slept until about five in the afternoon, awakened by the twins coming into the room, laughing and carrying on as if they had not seen us in a week. Rachel and I got up and dressed and went down the hall to play. The youngsters had much to tell us about how Shade had been watching over them, as well as Talon. Talon never struck me as the babysitter type, but she seemed to take a great interest in the kids, which also seemed to be good for her. Shade on the other hand, seemed to be naturally maternal. She was kind, personal, and warm-hearted. She seemed to be a good nanny as well as a good cook.

We played for a while, talked with them, and enjoyed quality time. It was so good to be a family again. It then struck me what Tayla’s pain must be like. I could not bear the awful pain to be without my family though I had already endured it for several months prior to our reuniting. The inescapable act she must do was killing her from within. The virtues Tayla had come to value the most were love, family, trust, devotion, loyalty, and hope. To deny those things to her would surely be a curse. To live an eternity without them would be a living Hell. I could not really think about that now, as time was growing short. Tayla had delayed this inevitable confrontation for as long as she could, but neither of us could escape it.

Time came to tuck them into bed. Shade slept in the same room with them, while a security detail was not far from them. The Queen commanded familiar and vampire alike to protect them at all costs. I know this sounds so odd, that a vampire would be standing guard outside my children’s windows, but Tayla did not want anybody getting possession of my children to use as a hostage against us.

Rachel and I dressed for the occasion. Rachel asked if we should carry any weapons. “After all,” she said, “This is war, isn’t it?”

I could not argue with that. After all, the Jackals attempted assassinations on all our lives. “What kind of weapons would we use against them? You know the angels will be with us, watching over us.”

“Yes, I guess you’re right. I forgot about them. I suppose that would be easy to do, since I haven’t seen them yet, “ she emphasized. “You have. It is easy for you to believe because you have seen everything up close. All of this has happened before your eyes!”

I cautioned her to slow down and relax. “Enough has happened here that I will never cease being able to tell you stories about what goes on around here. Yes, I have seen with my own eyes, and lived to talk about it. Trust me; you really don’t want to see any more demonstrations of supernatural things. If you want to see something, ask to see the angels. They even have names. There is Quintas, Erlandis, Ariel, and Milo. You know what? I wouldn’t hesitate to think the Lord has provided four angels just for you and the kids too. I had thought Tayla’s protection kept the others at bay, but it really is those four angels. Nevertheless, the Queen’s protection is still valuable. Remind me to tell you sometime about how they saved me down below in the dark when Tayla left me alone.”

“What are you talking about?” she asked.

“Not right now, Honey. We need to hurry and get ready.”

At that moment, there was a knock on the door. It was Talon. “Hi Malcolm. Hi Rachel. You folks going to be ready soon? It is a bit of a drive to the club, about an hour and a half, to be exact.” Rachel asked, “Is twenty minutes alright?”

“That would be fine, Ma’am. I will be downstairs at the front door. By the way, there is a chill in the air tonight. You might want to dress warm.”

Those twenty minutes flew by at the speed of light, because we were dressed accordingly in no time at all. For a couple going out on the town, we looked rather smashing. I looked as if I were going to a board meeting or church. Rachel looked ever radiant, as she had decided to wear an evening gown that Tayla had sent up. This was so Rachel would not look out of place. Apparently, there was a dress code at this kind of club. Tayla had intuitively known that Rachel had not been to a club for quite some time and wanted her to look and feel comfortable with what she was wearing.

We met Talon in the living room downstairs. She went out first, to opened doors of the limousine, and Rachel and I went outside the mansion for the first time since I had been there. It felt good to breathe in the night air. It was cool, crisp and smelled fresh. I had breathed the same air for several months.

Necro and Anubis were also there. Dread was going to stay behind, to maintain security over the estate. I was embarrassed that I might have kept her waiting. As usual, she was dressed spectacularly.

“It is alright Malcolm, no need to feel guilty. I never told you if I was going to accompany you to the club. In the interest of safety, and security, I thought it best. Make yourselves comfortable. It will be a long ride.”

The ride to the club was relaxing, yet the anticipation of going somewhere exciting was growing. I had heard the club mentioned many times by Tayla, when she talked about her performances.

She played instruments, sang and danced.

Explaining her personalities was difficult, particularly if she was talking about the Tayla that she was not portraying at that time. Tonight, she was the blond, buxom beauty, with the soft, blue eyes. Her full, red lips wore that affectionate smile I had come to know. It made me uncomfortable, as I knew I was attracted to this version of the vampire queen than any of the others. Moreover, to know this while I sat next to my wife made me feel strangely guilty, and Tayla knew it. The relationship between Tayla and me would just have to remain understood.

Tayla, Necro, and Anubis conversed quietly amongst themselves, speaking mainly about the club’s business. I tried to listen, but it seemed boring to me. I watched them but tried to keep my focus on Rachel. She should have had no part of this, and it was my fault. Why could I not just have been an ordinary reporter, just stating the news about traffic, sports and weather, with a few special interest stories thrown in? Why did I pick this specialty to carve my niche in the world of journalism? Could I have picked anything more dangerous? Knowing Rachel, she would have wanted to be there too, right by my side. With that knowledge in my mind, it made me feel fortunate that a woman like Rachel loved me. All men should want to be this fortunate.