Welcome to Wednesday Briefs! It's flash fiction, so this story will be presented in 1000(ish)-word chapters. I hope you enjoy it, and check out the many other flashers, whose links are below. You can also check out the Wednesday Briefs Blog for more info and to sign up for email notifications.
Thanks for reading!
Thanks for reading!
THE BOYS OF BELSMEADE
Chapter Twenty-Nine
I stumbled backward in horror, trying to escape this nightmare. Fumaro had turned him? My father was a vampire? My brain wasn't working fast enough to process it. The count growled to show his superiority to my father. Dad shrank back.
"Calm yourself," the count told him. "Now. Do you know who you are?"
"Yes," Dad answered.
"Do you know what you are?"
"Yes, but… There's a boy."
"There's a child in the house?" Aristes asked frantically.
"No. Not here. I don't know where he is. His name is Eliot."
Aramis clutched my hand and held me back. I heard his thoughts. "We don't know how unstable he is, El."
The count hesitated. "Why do you want to see him?"
Dad looked so confused, I wanted to cry. He said, "I think he's my son."
That did it. I broke free from Aramis and stepped into the room. "Dad," I said with a wary smile. His defensive position eased a little, so I took a step closer. I heard Aramis growling behind me, but I ignored him. "Dad, it's okay."
His feet crunched on broken glass as he crossed the room toward me. When he was within arm's length, he reached out and touched my face. His fingers were colder than usual and I had a hard time trying not to flinch.
"You look like your mother," he said simply.
It was an odd way to start a conversation, but I ran with it. "So I've been told. Do you remember her?"
His eyebrows drew together. "Are we still married?"
"No."
"Good."
It broke the ice, and everyone relaxed a little. I laughed and asked, "Why is that good?"
He looked sheepish. "Well, there's another woman, but not Lena."
"Who's Lena?" I asked.
The count said, "Fumaro's only child. I believe she has been handled. Am I correct, Benita?"
"Yes. She's finished."
Dad turned toward the sound of her voice and pointed. "It's you. I remember you."
She smiled brilliantly. "You do? I thought you would have forgotten me since you were mated with Lena."
He shook his head. " I didn't feel anything for her, not even during sex. I kept picturing you in my mind."
With a fiery determination, Benita crossed the room, grabbed Dad by the wrist and dragged him outside. They disappeared into the woods and I scowled. "Where the hell are they going?"
Marco laughed nervously. "Uh, trust me. You probably don't want to dwell on what they're about to do."
The thought of my father having sex made me feel slightly sick. But at least he was safe. I couldn't say the same yet for Blake's mom. He hadn't said a word yet. Epp held him tightly, waiting for any news of Lilianna.
"Check the outbuildings," the count ordered. "And bring Fumaro."
Four guards dragged a struggling Fumaro into the room. The count's fangs descended and his long claws grew. I knew enough by then to step back. He then took his brother by the hair and said, "It is finished, Fumaro. Your clan comes to an end tonight. Your daughter has been destroyed."
It was the first time I saw Fumaro's implacable mask of indifference crack. He looked so shocked that I nearly felt sorry for him. The count showed no compassion. Without another word—without offering forgiveness—he slashed his nails across Fumaro's neck. A quick twist separated the head from the body.
The count gave the head to one of the guards and told them, "Burn it. Bury the rest for now. We'll have someone come in to clean up. Any sign of Lilianna?"
"She's here, sir!" someone called across the lawn. "Becker was hiding with her in the guest house."
One vampire carried the weakened vampire into the room and laid her on a sofa. Blake knelt on the floor next to her. "Mom? I'm here. Are you okay?"
"Blake," she said. "Thank God you're all right."
He helped her to sit and handed her a bottle of synthetic blood. "You're weak, mom. You need to drink this."
"No, I can't stand that stuff."
Blake rolled his eyes. "Too bad. Drink it."
Lilianna didn't like it, but she did as she was told. After a moment, she asked, "Where's your father?"
Two other vampires dragged Lukas Becker in and threw him at the count's feet. He didn't beg or plead, but he did try to explain. "It was Fumaro who made me destroy Galen. He would have killed me if I didn't do it."
Blake turned to his father and howled in rage. "So you killed your son to save your own neck?"
Lukas tried to answer, but Blake tackled him and held him down on the floor. Over and over again, he punched his father. Bones crunched under the blows, and blood splattered Blake's face and hair. Epp and Marco finally pulled Blake off Lukas, but the elder vampire was too weakened to move far. He got to his knees and turned to his wife.
He could barely speak through the blood and broken jaw. "Lilianna, please forgive me. I've done unspeakable things, and I deserve to die, but I can't until you forgive me. I'm begging you."
Lilianna took a deep breath and said, "I forgive you, Lukas, but only because it is not my job to judge you. I will always love the man you used to be. The centuries have turned you into a monster, so filled with hatred that you don't have a shred of humanity left in you. I don't know if you'll go to hell or some other place, but I pity you. The only comfort I take is that you will not harm our boys again."
The count nodded to two of his guards. They took Lukas outside, and a few moments later, I heard the now-familiar sound of a vampire dying. Blake went to the sofa and held his mother while she sobbed in grief.
"Calm yourself," the count told him. "Now. Do you know who you are?"
"Yes," Dad answered.
"Do you know what you are?"
"Yes, but… There's a boy."
"There's a child in the house?" Aristes asked frantically.
"No. Not here. I don't know where he is. His name is Eliot."
Aramis clutched my hand and held me back. I heard his thoughts. "We don't know how unstable he is, El."
The count hesitated. "Why do you want to see him?"
Dad looked so confused, I wanted to cry. He said, "I think he's my son."
That did it. I broke free from Aramis and stepped into the room. "Dad," I said with a wary smile. His defensive position eased a little, so I took a step closer. I heard Aramis growling behind me, but I ignored him. "Dad, it's okay."
His feet crunched on broken glass as he crossed the room toward me. When he was within arm's length, he reached out and touched my face. His fingers were colder than usual and I had a hard time trying not to flinch.
"You look like your mother," he said simply.
It was an odd way to start a conversation, but I ran with it. "So I've been told. Do you remember her?"
His eyebrows drew together. "Are we still married?"
"No."
"Good."
It broke the ice, and everyone relaxed a little. I laughed and asked, "Why is that good?"
He looked sheepish. "Well, there's another woman, but not Lena."
"Who's Lena?" I asked.
The count said, "Fumaro's only child. I believe she has been handled. Am I correct, Benita?"
"Yes. She's finished."
Dad turned toward the sound of her voice and pointed. "It's you. I remember you."
She smiled brilliantly. "You do? I thought you would have forgotten me since you were mated with Lena."
He shook his head. " I didn't feel anything for her, not even during sex. I kept picturing you in my mind."
With a fiery determination, Benita crossed the room, grabbed Dad by the wrist and dragged him outside. They disappeared into the woods and I scowled. "Where the hell are they going?"
Marco laughed nervously. "Uh, trust me. You probably don't want to dwell on what they're about to do."
The thought of my father having sex made me feel slightly sick. But at least he was safe. I couldn't say the same yet for Blake's mom. He hadn't said a word yet. Epp held him tightly, waiting for any news of Lilianna.
"Check the outbuildings," the count ordered. "And bring Fumaro."
Four guards dragged a struggling Fumaro into the room. The count's fangs descended and his long claws grew. I knew enough by then to step back. He then took his brother by the hair and said, "It is finished, Fumaro. Your clan comes to an end tonight. Your daughter has been destroyed."
It was the first time I saw Fumaro's implacable mask of indifference crack. He looked so shocked that I nearly felt sorry for him. The count showed no compassion. Without another word—without offering forgiveness—he slashed his nails across Fumaro's neck. A quick twist separated the head from the body.
The count gave the head to one of the guards and told them, "Burn it. Bury the rest for now. We'll have someone come in to clean up. Any sign of Lilianna?"
"She's here, sir!" someone called across the lawn. "Becker was hiding with her in the guest house."
One vampire carried the weakened vampire into the room and laid her on a sofa. Blake knelt on the floor next to her. "Mom? I'm here. Are you okay?"
"Blake," she said. "Thank God you're all right."
He helped her to sit and handed her a bottle of synthetic blood. "You're weak, mom. You need to drink this."
"No, I can't stand that stuff."
Blake rolled his eyes. "Too bad. Drink it."
Lilianna didn't like it, but she did as she was told. After a moment, she asked, "Where's your father?"
Two other vampires dragged Lukas Becker in and threw him at the count's feet. He didn't beg or plead, but he did try to explain. "It was Fumaro who made me destroy Galen. He would have killed me if I didn't do it."
Blake turned to his father and howled in rage. "So you killed your son to save your own neck?"
Lukas tried to answer, but Blake tackled him and held him down on the floor. Over and over again, he punched his father. Bones crunched under the blows, and blood splattered Blake's face and hair. Epp and Marco finally pulled Blake off Lukas, but the elder vampire was too weakened to move far. He got to his knees and turned to his wife.
He could barely speak through the blood and broken jaw. "Lilianna, please forgive me. I've done unspeakable things, and I deserve to die, but I can't until you forgive me. I'm begging you."
Lilianna took a deep breath and said, "I forgive you, Lukas, but only because it is not my job to judge you. I will always love the man you used to be. The centuries have turned you into a monster, so filled with hatred that you don't have a shred of humanity left in you. I don't know if you'll go to hell or some other place, but I pity you. The only comfort I take is that you will not harm our boys again."
The count nodded to two of his guards. They took Lukas outside, and a few moments later, I heard the now-familiar sound of a vampire dying. Blake went to the sofa and held his mother while she sobbed in grief.
To be continued...
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