A Vampire's Desire

Chapter Twelve

Gabriel

Rose's rapid ascendance was an honor to behold. She picked up all the vampiric skills quicker than any other I'd seen before. And I'd overseen quite a few conversions in my hundred twenty years as a vampire. At night, we became shadows and chased one another around the forest, leaping between the trees, a pair of silhouettes dancing in the dark.

Theresa was surprisingly encouraging. She enjoyed watching her daughter soar, literally and figuratively. She would stand on the balcony and watch as we vanished into shadow before returning inside to go to bed.

I worried about Rose asking to have her mother converted, but she never broached the subject. Turning anyone past their prime is cruel. It locks them forever in a state of decline. Theresa seemed to understand this intuitively, as well. In a sense, I gathered that she saw herself living on through her daughter. The both of them were remarkably wise women and I treasured Theresa Beaumont's presence in my mansion. Though she would remain mortal, I would see to it that she lived on for a good long while yet.

Once Rose felt ready, it was time to finish the last bit of outstanding business. Marcell needed to be put down. Since the battle at his abandoned amusement park hideout, he'd gone underground once again. I started sending out patrols of New Orleans everytime the sun went down, but he remained out of reach. He knew we were hunting him, and that his coven was diminished. Our next visit would be his end, and he wanted to delay that as long as possible.

Yet he was a prideful man, I knew this from his time under my leadership. After his resounding defeat, he would plot his revenge, refusing to leave New Orleans until he recovered a force strong enough to storm my house again.

I wasn't going to let that happen.

The night Rose bid farewell to her past life, I held a meeting. In attendance were Monique, Fabien, Rose, and myself. A chair was left empty out of respect for Jean. I opened the meeting with a toast. "To Jean," I said, raising my glass, "a valiant fighter in all arenas, passionate, fierce, powerful, and above all, loyal."

"To Jean," they repeated before swigging from their glasses.

I turned to face Rose, then laid my hand over hers on the table. There were no protests anymore, her induction into our coven was complete. Furthermore, Rose had fostered close-knit bonds with the other members. Even her mother came to be well-loved among the tenants of my house. They had proven themselves and I learned not to force it. "Rose has shown herself to be a vampire of unique powers," I said. "I believe she will lead us to Marcel."

"What, like a compass?" asked Monique. "How does that work?"

Rose hung her head diffidently as she explained, "Well, it's hard to describe, but essentially, I can read the remnants of memories left behind."

Fabien leaned forward. "Not from minds but from...places?"

Rose nodded, looking to me for reassurance. I nodded. "Yeah," she replied. "They get left behind like dust collected on the floor. I don't really even have to look for them anymore, they just sort of come to me. Even as I sit here, I can feel Jean's memory, his frustrations that he voiced in this room. There are traces, too, of his thoughts." She looked to me. "Everything he ever said was for the safety of the coven."

I felt a touch of shame, joined with mourning. "He was a good man."

"Well, with Rose's special powers," said Monique, "we'll be able to avenge him."

"How do we use her?" asked Fabien, before adding, "Pardon my wording, Rose."

"No offense taken," she replied. "I guess we'll use me like a sort of bloodhound."