In no time we are flying over the Riverwalk, I take lead of Keane and we land just outside my warehouse haven where, there, sits the very nice car Myra described. A Jet black Mercedes C series, four door sedan with its sleek body style and alloy wheel rims sits gleaming under broken street lamps. The windows and windshields are tinted so dark it’s indiscernible who is inside.

Keane and I stare at the darkened front windshield as it fades revealing, a petite bleach blonde behind the wheel. She sits absolutely still until I begin to approach the car and her blonde head tilts. She shoots up a single finger directing us upstairs; the windshield fades back to black. I look up to see the lights of my haven have been illuminated; I return my stare to the car as I walk toward the door to the warehouse.

Keane and I take the rickety elevator up to the fifth floor; I reach down to fling the gate up when he remarks on my dwelling, “You live here? Cian?” Sympathetic undertone dances around my name.

I don’t have the chance to defend my haven before we recognize a familiar voice, “Of course he does, self-flagellating bastard that he is.” I look inside and see Fallon dressed to the nines in a black pinstripe suit.

“Fuck me! Fallon!” Keane rushes past me to happily embrace our brother, but I am less than receptive to not only his arrival but his impudence in breaking into my warehouse. I slowly cross the elevator threshold and slide the gate to latch. Fallon uncrosses his legs and rises from his seat on the old couch. He tosses his long bone straight brown locks over his shoulder, grabbing Keane in a tight hug. I saunter over and see a black cylindrical case strapped to Fallon’s back and before I have the opportunity to ask Keane comments on our outdoor eye-sore, “Nice ride brother, who’s the girl?” Fallon ignores him for the time being.

“Do you have no love for me brother?” Fallon says to me, arms open, “How many years has it been?” He chuckles and looks to Keane for explanation.

“Don’t mind him; Cian is dealing with some serious shit at the moment. What brings you in to town?” Keane is still hoping to keep the peace; I too wanted to know why Fallon is in New Orleans.

“Right. I’ve been in Las Vegas with Collette,” he turns and holds his hand out, motioning toward the oversized windows of my haven, “and I heard through the vampire grapevine the former King was returning to New Orleans. I figure Madliene is in for some of her own serious shit, eh? Oh and before you ask, no; I didn’t register with her. Will I? No, I won’t. Look, two seconds…” Fallon slides his hand into his front jacket pocket and retrieves a high tech cell phone. He slides the screen up, presses a button and puts the device to his ear. “Come up my darling, all is well.” His tone is sickeningly sweet. He then slides the phone down and back into his pocket, “Send that contraption down for Collette.”

“If she’s intelligent enough to push a button, she can make it up here on her own.” I say relinquishing my wariness of Fallon’s arrival and embrace my brother, “Good to see you brother,” I pull away from his now smiling face.

“There, that wasn’t so bad was it?” And he chuckles again, waving his hand around the air of my haven, “Not nearly as bad as this. Cian, how long have you lived here?” Once again I am interrupted, Collette has reached the fifth floor and we were about to meet Fallon’s latest flavor. “Help her with that thing Cian, she’s mortal.”

I slowly walk over to the elevator, flip the latch and tug it open, as I do so in my peripheral I see a mass of long wavy bleach blonde hair, straight bangs covering her extended lashes as I focus on her, we lock eyes and I proceed to quickly look her over.

Collette is a rail thin young woman of no more than twenty-one with hazel eyes so light, they are almost yellow. Her button nose is also obviously augmented and her pillow lips are painted a deep burgundy. Her overly large, fake breasts are holding her long hair hostage off the side of each of them and for the second time tonight someone blows past me to get to Fallon.

As I turn around, he is holding his arms out to catch the slender beauty, dressed in black tight leather pants, driving jacket, and black stiletto heels that clatter across the floor before she jumps to land in his grasp. Her heels click together as they grip around his waist. Keane and I look on as they all but consummate their relationship in front of us. Fallon lowers her to the ground when Collette proceeds to sicken us further, “I missed you.” She says batting her long lashes at Fallon.

“And I you, my love.” He says before taking her chin betwixt his thumb and index finger, pulling her to him and planting a gentle kiss on her surgically perfected nose. “Gents, this is Collette.”

Fallon spins the girl around to present her to us, Keane takes her hand and states his name and then motions to me, “This hard-ass is Cian.” I offer my hand to her and in her reluctance she turns to Fallon who nods in approval.

Collette takes my hand and I gingerly shake it, “Hello.” I say and she responds with a slight smile.

“She’s my pride and joy brothers. Smart, stunning, and I have helped turn her into a skilled fighter. She’s my right hand and my lover all rolled into one. What can I say boys, I am truly happy.” He says and kisses her again on the nose. She remains silent.

Keane begins to ask Fallon another question but I am distracted by the buzzing in my back pocket, I reach back to retrieve it. Estella is calling. I excuse myself from the group but not before looking over at Keane who is eyeing me quizzically, “Estella.”

Before I can answer my phone I hear Fallon ask Keane, “Estella, huh?”

“E?” I say but she is frantic, her speech barely audible, “I’m on my way.”
I close the phone not paying a bit of attention to the audience I have attained as I slide it back into my pocket. “I’m going to Audubon, something is wrong.”

“Someone’s whipped.” Fallon says not aware of his ridiculous assumptions, which I ignore.

I turn to Keane, “You coming?”

“Uh, yeah…” He motions to Fallon and Collette, who I had momentarily forgotten in my frenzy to exit the warehouse, “What about…”

Fallon seems to have gained some grace in the last five minutes, “Let us drive you, I know you’re spent from the flight.”

“Nice!” Keane is like a dog, anticipating the ride.

The interior of Fallon’s Mercedes is of course leather and smells so. It is black with burgundy covering the front bucket seats and backseat. The dashboard is illuminated in red as Collette inserts and turns the key in the ignition, I notice Fallon is watching me take it all in, “She’s a beauty, eh Cian?”

“Aye,” I agree and sink back in the soothing rear seat, running my hands across the smooth leather of the arm rest and door frame. This is luxury, I will give Fallon that, but I jest with him even though inside I am sick to my core, my nerves are on high alert regarding Estella’s unknown predicament.

I don’t show this to Fallon who is seated comfortably beside me. Keane is in front toying with the switches and gadgets; tinting and lightening the windows with the push of a button, Collette drives silently as I ask Fallon, “Mercedes huh, what no Maybach or Bugatti?” I tilt my head smiling at him falsely.

“Well, after the Maybach was stolen and I wrecked the Bugatti, I decided to go with the Mercedes. It’s flashy without being too flashy, but in front of your warehouse a Ford Fiesta looks flashy.” He mirrors my head gesture. We smile at one another and as Collette turns left onto Tchoupitoulas Keane finally pipes up.

“Why drive in the first place Fallon? Have you considered red-eye air travel?” Keane is now the jester.

“I suppose it’s all because of my other love,” Fallon strokes the black cylindrical case now resting between his feet, “This, I’m sure you both are familiar with.” He opens the case and draws out his infamous Morningstar, “They want me to check it. In almost two thousand years she and I have been inseparable, I don’t intend to start now.”

“So where did you find Collette, Fallon?” Keane clearly lacks a brain to mouth filter. I roll my eyes at his bold inquiry but Fallon seems not to care, in fact he seems to thrive off of her and it clicks in me, I am envious of Fallon.

Strange thought as it may be, I finally realize it. I want what he has, not his car or his clothes or any of his blatant extravagance, but his relationship with Collette I am coveting. This makes my heart ache and my stomach turn; we can’t get to Audubon fast enough.

“I picked this little Philly up in a Las Vegas strip club; the music initially drew me in. Nine Inch Nails’ “Reptile” with its heady bass and industrial ticks coaxed me into the seedy dive and once I was inside I saw this heavenly creature gyrating and grinding before me. It was love at first sight.” He explains and then winks to Collette who is watching him through the rear-view mirror.

“She certainly is quiet.” Keane says while looking from Collette to me to Fallon.

“Aye, but smart and cunning.” Fallon is still longingly gazing into the front seat.

I can’t hold my tongue any longer, “Show me what this baby can do.” I say in hopes of reaching Audubon faster.

“Collette?” Fallon says.

“Sir.” She replies and I think, “sir”?

“Oblige Cian please.”

“Yes, sir.” Collette’s mouth stretches into a wide smile and she punches the accelerator, roaring the German engine to life. We are all thrown back into our seats as she flies down Magazine St. In no time we are at Audubon and I direct Collette to the stand alone townhouse segregated from the others.

Collette slows the car and before she can stop I am out and Estella is meeting me half way to the door, “Cian! Thank God!”
“What is it?”

“Babet…she’s gone.”

“What do you mean she’s gone?” I am livid that I allowed Fallon to talk me into the ride, I immediately want turn on him but my focus is diverted when I think of Scarlet and Henri, “Where are the children?!”

“Inside.” Estella has clearly taken on more than even she can handle, she is paler than usual and I can feel her exhaustion.

I blow past her and cross the threshold. Scarlet is playing with Henri when I enter and to my surprise she jumps up from the floor and rushes toward me. I am expecting the worst but I am surprised further when she crashes into me, wrapping her tiny arms around me, her delicate head resting on my sternum. For a moment I am still, and in shock; I recover and encase her into me. Henri, the most perceptive little boy known to man watches me with his sister before pointing a finger at me.

“Cian!” He shrieks, lifting his little body off the floor to teeter over and join us. Scarlet breaks from me, bends down and picks him up. He reaches up for my face, I bend to him and he traces his chubby little digits from my forehead to my chin and says, “Mamma.”

I straighten and turn to see through the still open door Estella is outside meeting Fallon and Collette. She looks terrible, as if she just ran a hundred miles. I walk out to collect her, “E, talk to me.” I say pulling her aside.
Before I can get a word out Fallon chimes in and I wish he wouldn’t, “Can we be of assistance?” His arrogant smile playing on his lips.

I refrain from tearing his throat out for the time being and respond, “No, thank you but I think the kids have had enough vampire interaction for a lifetime.”
Fallon simply shrugs this off, “Right. Collette and I are off then, we need to procure a hotel room…” he says nuzzling into her neck, “…sooner than later.” She giggles and they turn to leave.

Estella and I begin to walk back to the still open door; Keane is trailing behind, “I will return. I need to take care of some of my own business; okay?”
My eyes are wide as I turn to face him but he calms me immediately, “Shi, Cian. I need to take care of Shi.” I wave my hand and head toward the door. I see Scarlet has resumed entertaining her baby brother; I nod to her when she meets my eyes and I pull the door ajar. Estella and I still outside.

“Estella, talk to me.” Her hand is plastered to her forehead.

She takes a deep breath and looks deep into my eyes, “After we parted ways I arrived here and I didn’t see anything out of the ordinary, her car was here and the lights were on. But the closer I got I saw a cell phone in the driveway, it’s hers.” She pulls the device out of her cleavage and hands it to me. I pocket it and wait for her to continue.

“I, of course came in. The kids were nowhere to be found; I called for them to no reply. I started to read the energy but I was blocked. I tried, Cian. I tried over and over; I cannot penetrate whatever is surrounding the house.” She begins to cry, she is clearly spent from the constant attempt.

This is beginning to make sense; Madliene would of course put an enchantment on the house, but an enchantment that blocks Estella’s gift, why? Any gifts we possess would be beneficial for the situation. I pull myself from the daze.

“After I was dragged to the floor for trying so hard I heard Henri’s voice. That pulled me right out, I ran up the stairs and listened until he did it again, but he didn’t so I manually searched and sniffed them out. They were huddled together in an upstairs closet, Scarlet said it was the ‘plan’ her mother gave her.”

Clever Babet, “Let’s go in.” I say and open the door for Estella who is visibly weary. I close the door behind me and stride into the room where Scarlet and Henri are, Estella sits down with the little boy to take over for Scarlet, “Can I talk to you Scarlet?” She looks up at me and over to Estella who is already engaging Henri.

“Sure,” she says getting up from the floor. She kisses Henri on the top of his blonde head and waits for my direction. I motion for her to accompany me out to the terrace, but I can see Estella wants to hear what the teenage girl has to say. I instead direct her to the couch. She sat but kept her eyes on Henri; I sat beside her and composed myself as to how to approach the sullen teenager.

I take a deep breath, “Scarlet, what was the plan your mother gave you?”

The girl meets my eyes and it’s the first time I have had the opportunity to really take Scarlet in. Her eyes are exactly like her mother’s, vibrant lustrous green but her scent is different. The lavender is there but the undertone isn’t rose hips, its citrus flower. She’s gorgeous, like her mother and her great aunt but now I can see less of the teen in her eyes and more of a young woman. A transformation I was sure was due to the unfortunate chain of events transpiring before her.

Revelations of Cian

http://www.amazon.com/Revelations-Cia...