Otis took Nelly’s hands in his and said, “I would never bring the fruits of my hunts into your home, Nelly. You never have to worry about that. And your ward is rather like a vegetarian, so there’s no cause for alarm there either. We were simply making blood sausage for dinner.”
Nelly’s eyes lit up. “You’re cooking?”
Otis’s voice became softer, sweeter. “It’s the least I could do.”
Vlad almost retched at their flirting. It was the only obnoxious thing about Otis staying with them. He slipped his soiled shirt over his head and headed for the stairs, muttering that he needed to change… not that he thought they’d hear him. He still wasn’t sure how he felt about the obvious attraction between Nelly and Otis. On one hand, if they ended up married, he’d have the coolest family on the block. But on the other… the idea of them dating was kind of weird.
Plus, the thought of walking in on them making out was positively repulsive.
After slipping upstairs to his room and changing his shirt, Vlad took his time rejoining them for dinner. Otis cooked Nelly’s blood sausages and served them with a side of spiced potatoes and buttered asparagus. Vlad’s and Otis’s-much to Vlad’s delight-were served raw. Vlad lifted one up to his mouth and bit into it, his fangs popping through the fleshy casing. The feeling gave him an excited chill, but he said nothing to Otis about it. Even so, his uncle smiled at him as if to say, “See how pleasant it would be to suck the life out of people?”
After Vlad had drained three sausages, he sat back in his seat, surprisingly satisfied. Nelly smiled at him. “I’ll take care of the dishes. Why don’t you help Otis get ready?”
Vlad nodded and slowly turned his eyes to Otis, who had finished his meal some time before and was watching Nelly with a sad expression. Without hesitation, Vlad spoke to his uncle telepathically. “You’re going to miss her so much. I can see it in your eyes. Stay, Otis. Please.”
But Otis wouldn’t hear it. Vlad felt a definite crunch in his head, a signal that Otis had cut him off. Vlad pursed his lips. Otis stood and pulled a watch from his pocket, noting the time. “Thank you, Nelly. It would be nice to spend a moment alone with Vladimir before I leave.”
Vlad and Otis wordlessly carried Otis’s suitcases upstairs. Otis unzipped the largest suitcase, opened the large bottom drawer of the antique bureau Nelly kept in the corner of the library, and began moving neat stacks of his clothing from the drawer to his luggage. Vlad turned away, unable to watch his uncle choose to leave him and Nelly behind.
Otis’s voice sounded raspy. “Would you mind gathering my toiletries together? They go in the smallest bag.”
Vlad grabbed the bag and walked into the bathroom. He took his time filling it-not that he was concerned with neatness or that Otis might fret over leaving his toothbrush behind. He just knew what was coming. It was goodbye. And he really, really didn’t want to face it again. Every time Otis had left him behind, Vlad found it harder to be without him.
Not to mention the fact that whenever Otis wasn’t around, people tried to kill him.
As he slipped Otis’s shampoo into the bag and zipped it closed-slowly-his uncle appeared in the doorway, a meek smile affixed to his lips. “All set out here.”
Vlad handed him the toiletries bag, and Otis led him back out into the library. Once they were there, his uncle stopped, looking very much like he wanted to tell Vlad something, but he couldn’t seem to find the words. After a long silence, he said, “Trust only yourself in this world, Vladimir.”
Vlad blinked, uncertain what Otis was talking about. Did he mean not to trust even him? Was it his way of saying he wasn’t coming back? Vlad pushed the thought away and picked up one of Otis’s suitcases. As he helped carry the bags down the stairs and out to Otis’s car, he felt like someone had placed a cinder block on his chest. And the cinder block got heavier with every step he took.
Otis placed the bags inside his car and closed the trunk before joining Nelly on the porch. Vlad knew they were whispering, but didn’t care to hear just what. Time seemed to move very slowly. It was like falling. Vlad knew it was happening, that pain was coming, but he just couldn’t stop it. And then suddenly, Otis brushed his lips against Nelly’s cheek and time picked up again. The hurt of his uncle leaving swelled up inside of Vlad and poured forth out his eyes in hot tears. Otis moved down the stairs and without missing a beat or uttering a sound, he swept Vlad into a tight embrace and spoke with his thoughts. “I love you, Vladimir. I don’t believe I’ve ever told you that, but I do. And I want you to know that no matter what the future holds, I will return to you. Nothing can keep me from you. You and Nelly are my family, more so than even Elysia itself.”
The tears poured down Vlad’s cheeks. “Then why? Why can’t you stay?”
Otis’s breath was warm on Vlad’s hair. It reminded Vlad too much of his father and those long ago moments when his dad would rock him back to sleep after a nightmare. “ Vladimir, we’ve been through this. I can’t endanger you anymore than I already have. This goes further than the crimes I am charged with, Vladimir. D’Ablo and I have a tense history, and he would gladly draw out my pain by harming everyone that I have come to hold dear.”
Vlad sniffled. The panicky feeling in his chest had started to subside, but only a little. “Why hasn’t he found you yet? He has to know you’d come here.”
In Otis’s eyes lurked dark secrets, and Vlad yearned to know what his uncle was keeping from him. But Vlad wasn’t sure he was brave enough to ask. Otis said, “Vikas and other friends have been leading my enemies down false trails by placing drops of my blood around the world. And of course, I’ve placed glyphs all over Bathory to hide my presence here from D’Ablo himself, glyphs that I washed away earlier this afternoon. When I come back, I’ll place more.”
Vlad dried his face on his sleeve. When he spoke, his voice cracked. “When will that be?”
Otis sighed, and with a glance back at Nelly, he withdrew the keys from his pocket. “I don’t know. Soon, I hope. But I must leave now. Before D’Ablo realizes I am here.”
Vlad blurted, “Will you at least come back for my birthday?”
“I will absolutely try. But no promises.” Otis opened the driver’s-side door and slid into his seat. He gunned the engine to life and shut the door, then rolled his window down and smiled.
“Practice your glyphs. If you run into any problems, you know how to reach me.” He tapped his temple twice before backing out the driveway and heading down the road that would lead him out of town.
Vlad could only watch helplessly.
Time passed, but Otis’s car still kept shrinking.
Just like Vlad’s insides.
He turned and made his way into the house, headed straight upstairs, and lay on his bed.
He couldn’t recall having fallen asleep, but suddenly his chest tightened in panic and he sat bolt upright, his eyes searching the now pitch-dark room for his alarm clock. It was 2:00 A.M.
Vlad wondered where Otis was by now-if he’d already boarded his plane in Stokerton and was on his way to Siberia or if he’d changed his mind and had headed back to Bathory to stay. He reached out, just like Otis taught him, and tried to detect Otis’s presence. To his delight, he sensed that a vampire was near. Maybe two doors down.