62. Brody
Brody
Ileave Ari on the dance floor with the girls from the makeup app.
The secret act was not Ed Sheeran. Instead it’s some K-Pop idol I’ve never heard of, but apparently his songs are pretty catchy and everyone’s having a good time.
Ari is dancing around like a lunatic, hopped up on champagne and the fact we’re getting a dog.
Who knew it would take something so simple to make her so happy?
Our hotel room overlooks Hyde Park and I take a moment to enjoy the view of the moon turning all the trees to silver.
I still can’t quite believe we made it. That I’m here tonight, with Ari, winning an award.
I shouldn’t waste too much time up here, I need to celebrate with my girlfriend.
But there’s something I need to do first.
The summoning incantation goes off without a hitch and soon there’s a huge leather clad man in my suite.
“Fancy hotel,” Victor says as he looks around. “I hope this means what I think it does?”
“It does,” I say and hand over a small box. It’s about the size of my phone but it’s heavier than it looks at just under one and a half kilos.
“You really did it, huh?” Victor opens the box and peers at the gold bars inside.
“I won’t bore you with how hard it is to take money from a legitimate company and convert it into gold to repay a demon loan, but let’s just say I’m now an expert in anti-money laundering legislation.”
Victor laughs and then puts the lid back on the box.
“There is one other thing,” I say. “I’ve been doing some research.” In truth, a lot of research, mainly involving an almost forgotten corner of the University of Exeter library. “I think I found something.”
He stares at me, his silver irises glinting in the artificial light of the room. “Whisper,” he says, taking a step towards me.
“True love can break the curse,” I tell him and then step back to study his face.
He smiles, but there’s a sadness to it. “Who could love me?”
I pick up my iPad from the coffee table next me and unlock the screen. I turn it to show Victor. The logo is black and silver.
Horny Devils.
“Our next venture.”
I don’t tell Victor about the other thing I found, buried in an archive of letters between an Augustinian nun who lived in the Priory at Abbotskerwell and her sister. It tells of a terrifying night when the sister witnessed her husband being set upon by a group of fanged men.
The letter continued. He has not been the same since. His temper grows and he has an insatiable appetite for raw meat. I fear he is turning into one of them.
Mary wrote those words to her sister in 1895.
If they are true then vampires can be created and not just born.
If they are true then maybe I can become one of them.
Maybe I can spend forever with Ari.