The Vampire Read online

  THE VAMPIRE

  BOOK THREE

  © 2020 by Sandrine Genier

  All rights reserved. No part of this book

  may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic

  or mechanical means including information storage,

  nor used in any manner whatsoever without the

  permission of the author, except for the use of

  brief quotations or short excerpts in a book review.

  This book is intended as a work of fiction.

  Printed in the United States of America

  First Printing: 2020

  ISBN: 978-1-7337231-2-1

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  THE VAMPIRE | BOOK THREE | SANDRINE GENIER

  EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED | Chapter 1 | PARANORMACON

  Chapter 2 | THE BOSTON VISIT

  Chapter 3 | FUNERAL IN LONDON

  Chapter 4 | CAUCHEMAR

  Chapter 5 | RESPITE

  Chapter 6 | HOME

  SAVANNAH | Chapter 7 | PRELUDE

  Chapter 8 | NOON IN THE GARDEN OF EVIL

  Chapter 9 | SKULL & BONES

  Chapter 10 | THE OTHER

  Chapter 11 | ENCHANTMENT

  Chapter 12 | DISILLUSION

  DARK MYSTERIES, DARK REVELATIONS | Chapter 13 | SPECULATIONS

  Chapter 14 | THE GHOST IN THE DETAILS

  Chapter 15 | HALLOWEEN

  Chapter 16 | TRESPASS

  Chapter 17 | CONSEQUENCES

  CHAPTER 18 | THE INVITATION

  Sign up for SANDRINE GENIER's Mailing List

  THE VAMPIRE

  BOOK THREE

  SANDRINE GENIER

  Dedications:

  To The Resistance Against Tyranny, Anywhere it Exists

  In Memory of Patty Gee

  For Charles Rudick

  CONTENTS

  ~EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED~

  PARANORMACON

  THE BOSTON VISIT

  FUNERAL IN LONDON

  CAUCHEMAR

  RESPITE

  HOME

  ~SAVANNAH~

  PRELUDE

  NOON IN THE GARDEN OF EVIL

  SKULL & BONES

  THE OTHER

  ENCHANTMENT

  DISILLUSION

  ~DARK MYSTERIES, DARK REVELATIONS~

  SPECULATIONS

  THE GHOST IN THE DETAILS

  HALLOWEEN

  TRESPASS

  CONSEQUENCE

  THE INVITATION

  QUOTE PAGE

  Nowhere is it written

  that each of us, that every creature,

  is fated to be loved.

  Unknown source

  “The only romances that ultimately remain interesting are those that are doomed.

  Would Romeo and Juliet have remained as popular many centuries later

  if they had lived happily ever after? I think not.”

  “You cannot hate someone

  Because they are incapable of being who you need them to be.”

  “They are never gone

  Who live in our hearts and minds.”

  “I may gaze in consideration of every direction

  But I go my own way, always.”

  Laurent Augere

  “Find the thing you love

  And let it kill you.”

  Charles Bukowski

  EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED

  Chapter 1

  PARANORMACON

  It was the biggest event of its kind in Massachusetts and possibly the entire East Coast, with more than two hundred fifty vendors, numerous panels and presentations on paranormal and occult topics, celebrity guests, and premieres of horror-related films. There would be items related to gothic aesthetics, and to sci-fi and horror, including movie memorabilia, toys, books, and art work, and new-age-related and paranormal collectibles of all kinds for sale. Almost all the activities were included in one reasonable price, especially if purchased in advance. There was even going to be a Victorian Zombie Tea Party.

  Yep, Jason thought, there is no way I’m missing this.

  When he asked his employer for permission to take off for a four-day weekend, Augere was uncharacteristically curious about the reason. When Jason told the Vampire, in only the vaguest terms, what the event was about, Augere showed more interest than Jason would have expected.

  “And what will you do there, exactly?”

  “Shop for collectibles I’ll want but don’t need,” Jason laughed, “especially with all the Gothic stuff I expect to find there. Many of the paranormal panel topics are of interest to me, and I want to see the premiere of the movie What’s in the Box?

  He caught himself before he could blurt out that TV celebrities from the Supernatural series, a program he knew to be a favorite of the Vampire, would be there. His own enthusiasm had him warming to the spontaneous idea of inviting Augere to come along.

  Augere regarded him with a thoughtful expression but said nothing.

  Then, following that impulse, Jason asked Augere if he might be interested in going, instantly regretting the invitation.

  Normally, he welcomed Augere’s elusive company. Except lately.

  He’d had to keep recent distress and sadness to himself; Augere’s lifestyle presented challenges he was expected to accept and to go on as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened. Well, that wasn’t quite true. He was being tacitly asked to accept a new definition of ordinary. Most of the current tension between them at present was on Jason’s part. He struggled with recent stressors as best he could.

  He strongly suspected that Augere had killed Redlyn, the psychic occult shop owner he had met in Salem, a woman who, even on short acquaintance, he had begun to think of as a friend. Soft-spoken, articulate, and reserved, with a kind laugh, she had engaged so genuinely with him and had shown concern for his well-being beyond what a stranger would that he felt an instant rapport with her. And she’d been quite helpful with her insights, some of which had only become apparent to him later.

  He was distraught just thinking of her, as he felt responsible for inadvertently bringing her to the Vampire’s attention, though at the time he was unaware of Augere’s true nature and the danger he posed. Although he had no proof of the Vampire’s involvement in her death, circumstances suggested he was responsible.

  Now Jason had rashly blurted out an invitation to the Vampire to join him, to a place where there would be psychics and mediums and tarot card readers—and poor Redlyn had most likely been killed because she was one of them.

  Augere responded negatively to such people. It wasn’t that he disapproved of them, but some were the real thing and could discern what he was, a talent that posed a threat to him. And so, to them as well.

  Jason had been in public with Augere many times of course. The casual observer couldn’t tell just at a glance that Augere was Vampire. If they watched and studied him over a length of time, they knew there was something really off about him. His unnatural stillness could dissolve in a move so sudden and fluid that he could startle you in ways your mind couldn’t process; he possessed a detachment that could make you believe he was no longer present unless your eyes were upon him; his too-smooth skin and unnatural pallor made the intensity of his violet-hued eyes all the more prominent, and these would hold your focus, earning a gaze from him that could chill you to the bone. There were other subtle clues about him that your mind subconsciously collected but could make no sense of.

  Because even if one were to add it all up, it wouldn’t necessarily lead to the conclusion that he was a supernatural being. Not right away.

  In general, people didn’t believe in vampires. Most people wouldn’t even entertain the idea they could exist.

  The Devil’s greatest trick, it was said, was convincing the world he didn’t exist. The same could be said for Augere. No matter what people saw or what they thought he was—they had to be wrong because vampires were not real. So, he had that going for him.

  And those who got too close, who took too much interest, who stared too long and drew the correct conclusions, who came to possess knowledge of the truth of his existence, thereby posing a potential threat to him, did so at their peril. Those, he made disappear.

  I’m worrying for nothing, Jason mused as he regarded the Vampire’s inscrutable expression. He hates being in crowds of us. There’s not a chance he’ll go.

  His ambivalence about Augere’s participation brought both relief and regret. He felt momentary disappointment that Augere might decline after all. While he recognized the potential dangers, given Augere’s proclivities as Vampire, he liked Augere and wanted to be his friend, or at least, more than just an employee. They dressed alike; they enjoyed many of the same interests; they even appeared to be the same age, though Augere looked younger than Jason’s twenty-four years. From the beginning, it had been far too easy to fall into the assumption that they could be friends.

  But Augere did not immediately decline. He asked Jason if he was sure he would not prefer to go alone. Augere was giving him an out, and the smart and safest thing to do was take it.

  Jason almost always recognized the smart thing to do. But because he was sometimes his own worst enemy, he didn’t always do it.

  “I hope you wouldn’t be bored, is all.” Jason said with a weak smile.

  Augere asked about the travel arrangements, about the hotel, how long the drive was. Jason provided the information and explained that if tickets were purchased by the end of the week, they were a real bargain.

&
nbsp; “Then there’s just money for food—” he gave Augere an apologetic tilt of his head—”and incidental expenses, things you might want to buy there.”

  Augere nodded absently at Jason’s comments but still seemed preoccupied and hesitant.

  If he kept him away from the tarot card readers, really, what was the harm? Augere had existed for more than two centuries without his secret being widely exposed to the world. Of course, he should go.

  “Okay. Yes.” Augere said. “Obtain the tickets and make the arrangements.”

  Road trip was on!

  ~~~~~

  Jason and Augere checked in at the Paranormacon registration table once they had seen to their respective hotel rooms. Jason had decided they could miss the welcome party held the evening before; three full days of events was likely to be enough. They obtained their entry laminates, and he and Augere entered a warehouse-sized room where it appeared that most of the vendor’s booths had already set up. Almost immediately, they went their separate ways to look over the variety of items.

  As the event date had gotten closer, more celebrity names from the realms of horror literature and film had been added, as well as more vendors, and offers of merchandise for sale now included ghost hunting equipment, games, and costumes. There were going to be raffles and giveaways, and the diverse panel discussions covered topics ranging from the afterlife to surviving a zombie apocalypse.

  “So much stuff!” Jason stood and surveyed what he could see of the vast room, trying to decide which aisle of eye candy to work first. He watched a horror makeup demo for several minutes, then chatted with several celebrities from a popular TV series he didn’t watch but was familiar with. He browsed a table of assorted paranormal-themed books and merchandise and looked over several tables of collectible items, some of which appealed to him. He chatted with a young couple who made gothic-inspired jewelry and eyed some silver rings he would like for himself. He paused and watched with interest as a vampire-themed display was still being set up at one table. It was already eye-catching, with huge bat wings suspended over the red and black satin-draped table. Dracula figures, books, movie stills, and vampire-themed T-shirts held Jason’s gaze.

  The woman setting up the table, seeing his interest, paused in her task and engaged him in conversation. “They really could exist you know.”

  He thought he heard a seductive quality in her tone, and he stared openly at her. “Oh? What makes you say that?” He hid his amusement, curious to hear her reasons. He studied her, taking particular note of her appearance: a short and what he considered too-prim hairdo with the ends turned up slightly, gave her reddish brown hair a 60’s look he surmised wouldn’t have been flattering even in that era.

  He guessed her age at somewhere between thirty-five and forty-five. Her dark eyes were small— ‘beady’ came briefly to mind. She wore a too-loud floral print blouse featuring deep purple, pale lavender, and pink roses, a slim dark purple skirt that came just above her knees, and a long purple cardigan. Sturdy black shoes and black stockings completed the outfit. She hardly looked to him like someone who would have an interest in vampires.

  And just what would someone with that interest look like? He was amused at his own prejudice.

  She shrugged. “Why not? A lot of strange things have been discovered to be real that people once believed never could exist. I’ve been studying vampires for the past twenty-five years, traveling, and doing my own research. I don’t see why they couldn’t be real. In fact, I am very nearly convinced they are. You might be surprised at some of the things I’ve found out. Of course, some of what I have uncovered is just anecdotal, but still interesting. And what are your thoughts on the subject?”

  Her sweet expression felt contrived to him. She had both a coy and a pushy manner that put him off, and a kind of smug self-confidence accompanied her ingratiating smile. He wished now that he hadn’t stopped at her display table. He suddenly wondered where Augere was, inexplicably glad he wasn’t with him right now.

  Jason shrugged. “The enduring interest in the subject makes for some good literature and movies, I guess.”

  She gazed at him intently for a few moments. “I sense a darker side to you,” she said with a knowing nod. “I bet you have stronger feelings on the subject. Am I right?” She tilted her head in what was already an irritating manner. Her smile seemed annoyingly flirty and too saccharine to endure for long.

  “Not really.” He realized too late that his Gothically-inclined appearance probably said more about him than he intended. He turned his attention to the books on her table, feigning vague interest, just as a polite excuse before he could abruptly move on. His gaze lingered on one of the titles though: Vampires of Boston. He picked up a copy and turned the book over to read the back. There was a photo of the author on the back cover. It was the woman standing behind the display table.

  “Normally that sells for twelve ninety-five. But I can let you have that one and this other—” She turned to rummage through several cardboard boxes behind her until she found what she was looking for while Jason waited impatiently. She presented him with a different volume: Vampires of New Orleans “—for twenty dollars even.” She smiled ingratiatingly. “As I said, I do all my own research.” She was staring into his eyes now, making him feel even more uncomfortable. “I think you might find both of these to be most interesting.”

  Why? He wanted to ask her. Despite her annoying manner, he really was interested in both of her books, but he didn’t want to give her the satisfaction, or his money. Of the two, the Boston one intrigued him, especially since he lived there, and Boston wasn’t exactly known for its vampires. The book likely promised a lot more than it could deliver. The thought that he knew probably the only actual vampire in Boston, or maybe anywhere else for that matter, greatly amused him.

  “I’ve only just arrived at the conference. I’d like to look around some more before I decide on any purchases.”

  “Fair enough.” She smiled sweetly, with her head cocked in that same annoying way. “I’ll be here all weekend.”

  Even her vague accent—he couldn’t place the origin—comes across as smug and condescending. He was glad to move on.

  He browsed for an hour or so more before tiring. It was time to get coffee and maybe a light meal. Where was Augere? He felt anxious suddenly.

  Since acquiring the knowledge of Augere’s existence as Vampire, and having heard horror stories of things Augere had no qualms about doing even in public places, such as ripping the ear off someone he felt wasn’t fully listening to him, it had become clear to him, as much as he hated to admit it, that he could never fully relax, never let his guard down anytime and anywhere he was with Augere.

  It wasn’t so much a fear for the Vampire, who could certainly look out for himself. It was his own ever-present underlying fear that the truth of the well-kept secret would be horribly and suddenly revealed. He recognized part of that fear was his loss of control over that situation, and his perceived helplessness to do anything to stop it that was the root of his anxiety and discomfort. The thought of himself and Augere suddenly being vulnerable, to just what exactly he could not name or imagine, made him more aware of their circumstances everywhere they went, that thought always at the back of his mind.

  What would I do if he did something horrific in full view of a crowd? Would I step back, disappear into the throng as if I didn’t know him? Or would I stand by his side as the true friend I claim to be? Face it, Jason, you hope you’re never tested.

  He paused to look over a large display of collectible action figures and picked up a box containing an exquisitely detailed Countess Bathory Bathing in Blood, glad that he already owned it, considering what it was selling for now. The bloody image suddenly made him queasy, and his body stiffened, bringing a tension ache to his lower back.

  At the thought of Augere wandering among the crowd, Jason’s stomach lurched. He suddenly needed to reassure himself that everything was okay.

  He moved on through the crowd, silently repeating a mantra he had acquired from Augere’s previous assistant, Terrance: “You are not responsible for what the Vampire does or doesn’t do—let it go.”

  Easier said than done.

  He had to find Augere. Now.