14. Special Delivery

Chapter 14

Special Delivery

A lice smashed the gas pedal to the floor. Her black SUV revved and pushed well beyond the speed limit for US 33. The highway was dark, except for the occasional car light traveling in the opposite direction, as it approached the witching hour. She was well beyond the lights of the Columbus city limits and into developing farmland. She let off the gas momentarily to pass a straggling car before pressing the accelerator again as the car revved forward.

“Hugo, what did you do?” Alice asked. “What did you do?”

She was tormented by the agony of the hours long drive. Uncontrollable thoughts raced through her mind. Was he dead? Was he still alive? Was it worse?

Alice gripped the wheel tighter as she approached the exit for Newbury Grove. She slowed and, without stopping, turned on to US 42 and once again pushed the SUV to its limits as she raced for home. The darkness of the less populated highway enveloped the car; only the headlights fought back to light the path.

She passed Wildgrove Park and entered the Newbury Grove town center. The tires screeched as she turned through traffic signs without stopping. After a few more turns, she was home on Ravenhill Drive. She slammed on the brakes as she approached her purple house. The tires jumped the curb. She didn’t care. She only thought of one thing: Hugo.

She exited the SUV, sprinting up the walkway and porch stairs. She froze. Laying against the front door, face nestled into the corner and covered by his black leather jacket, was Hugo.

“Hugo!” Alice shouted before covering her mouth in abject terror.

He was in the same spot as the picture and wasn’t moving. She rushed to his side, throwing off the leather jacket. His neck and shirt were covered in blood. His blood.

“Hugo, can you hear me?”

He didn’t move.

She shook him. “Hugo, please wake up.”

He was lifeless.

Tears welled in her eyes. “No. No, no, no, no.”

She tried the door. It was locked.

The defenses held.

Max’s muffled bark came from inside. She pulled a brass key from her pocket, unlocked the door, and opened it. Hugo slumped forward as the door gave way. Max rushed to see who was entering the house. She tried to nestle against the slumping Hugo.

“Not now, Max,” Alice said as she pushed her back.

Alice threw Hugo’s arm over her shoulder, snapped her fingers, and as if some unseen force assisted her, she lifted Hugo off the ground. His limp legs and Chelsea boots dragged along the hardwood floor as Alice brought Hugo to the living room. She snapped her fingers, and the door slammed shut.

Shrieks of terror came from her reflection in the upstairs bathroom. “Hey, you, help me. He’s not responding,” her reflection yelled.

“I’m working on it,” Alice yelled back up. “Give me a moment.”

She dragged him into the living room and plopped him onto the red velvet, Victorian couch. He collapsed onto the cushions, properly exposing his wounds. Two trails of blood flowed like dried riverbeds from healed wounds on his neck down to his shirt.

Max sniffed Hugo and placed her head on the couch. She let out a low whimper. The reality of the situation washed over Alice. Tears flowed down her cheeks.

“Hugo, what did you do?”

She peered over to the hourglass sitting on the end table. Her sadness turned to a fleeting moment of joyous eureka.

“The Lovers’ Kiss!” Alice shouted.

She ran out of the living and opened the basement door. With a snap of her fingers, the lights turned on. She stumbled down the creaky wooden stairs into the basement. She rushed to the wine cellar door and flung it open without the assistance of the arcane. The candles in the wall sconces roared to life as she entered.

She rushed to her work bench, frantically pulling open her apothecary cabinet drawers. She opened a few, not able to find what she was searching for until she found a vial filled with blue liquid. She clutched the bottle and hurried past wine racks filled with various bottles waiting for their trip to Ez’s nightclub.

A special rack stood in the corner of the wine cellar filled with more than a dozen blackish-green bottles. Each with a special label marked The Lovers’ Kiss Hugo & Alice . She grabbed a bottle and raced out of the cellar, not even stopping to shut the door. She charged up the stairs and back into the living room.

“Glass!” she shouted.

She set the bottle and vial on the end table. She darted out of the far entryway, through the hallway, and into the kitchen. She flung open cabinet doors with a snap of her fingers to expose the hidden wineglass. With her prize in hand, she returned to the living room.

Max still held her gaze on Hugo’s unresponsive face. Her tail wagged, not with excitement, but low swipes of concern. Alice set the glass down, and with the same movement, palmed the vial filled with blue liquid. She took hold of Hugo’s shoulders and jostled him, so he was upright, leaning his head back against the couch .

“I hope this works, Max,” Alice said. “I’ve only used it on passed out drunks. I have no idea about vampire bites.”

She snapped her fingers, and the cork flew out. She placed the vial over Hugo’s open lips and poured the contents into his mouth. She wiped away some of the liquid that escaped through the side of his mouth.

Time stood still as she held her breath, the world around her frozen in fear. Hugo didn’t move. She ran her fingers through his coifed hair to the back of his head. She held him steady and fixated on his closed eyes.

“Hugo, honey, can you hear me?” Alice pleaded. “Please wake up. I need you. Please.” A tear trickled off her face.

Max whimpered. Alice waited. Hugo wasn’t moving.

Alice set his head back down and picked up the wine bottle. She bit down on the cork and yanked it from the bottle. There was no time for magical theatrics. The cork bounced as she spit it onto the hardwood floor. She poured the purplish-red liquid into the awaiting glass. When nearly full, she swapped holding the bottle for the glass. She poured the entire glass into Hugo’s mouth. Alice backed away and waited.

He didn’t move.

“Hugo, can you hear me?”

He didn’t respond.

Alice tensed up, and her body shook. She cupped her hands around her mouth and nose in disbelief.

“Oh, no. Please no.”

She glanced over to the hourglass. She twisted the ring of the hourglass to speed up time, but only a little.

Hugo’s hand twitched, and he made a gurgling noise. She normalized the ring.

“Hugo,” Alice said. “Hugo, can you hear me?”

Air rushed into his lungs as his chest rose and fell. He lifted his right hand and rubbed where he was bitten. Alice let out a joyous giggle. Hugo was alive .

He moaned as he continued to rub his neck. He shifted around in his seat, opened his eyes, and locked his icy blue eyes with Alice’s emerald greens.

“Hey,” Hugo mustered. “Please forgive me.”

Alice collapsed on top of him, burying her head into his shoulder. “Of course, you doofus,” Alice’s muffled voice said. “Just don’t let me think you died again.”

“I’ll try not to. Consider us even.” He wrapped his free arm around her back. Hugo ran his fingers through her purple hair, massaging the back of her head.

Alice and Hugo held each other. Sobbed together. Breathed as one. They didn’t want to let go.

Max barked, jumped on the couch, and broke their embrace. She nudged her nose in between Hugo and Alice, trying to join in the group hug. Her tail furiously wagged at the sight of Hugo moving around.

“Were you concerned about me too?” Hugo asked.

Max jumped up and landed on Hugo’s stomach.

He winced in pain. “Not there. That hurts. Get down.”

He pushed Max back with his arm. She jumped back down.

“Thank you,” Alice’s reflection yelled down.

Alice pulled back. She slid down to her knees, now positioned between Hugo’s legs. She grabbed the outside of Hugo’s legs and lost herself in Hugo’s eyes.

“I was so scared I was going to lose you,” Alice said. “I don’t know what I’d do if I did. I couldn’t breathe at the thought of being without you. I love you.”

“I love you too. I’m . . .” his words trailed off. “I’m sorry. I thought I was doing what was right. What I needed to do. This was all my fault. I needed to fix it.”

“Hugo, look at me.” Alice placed a hand on his chest. “None of this was your fault.”

“Yes, it was,” Hugo replied, sitting up. “If I didn’t lose my temper that day, they would have never found you. I put you . . . us in danger. The Raskins. This town. It was all my fault. Because I couldn’t find a stupid ring.”

Alice lowered her head and moved her hand back to his thigh. “It wasn’t your fault, Hugo. It was mine.” Her eyes lifted to meet his. “I should have taken care of this when it was first a problem. This is my mistake. I should have dealt with it sooner.”

“Then would you have met me?”

Alice lowered her head and half smiled to mask her sadness. “I guess not.”

Hugo leaned forward. He pulled up her chin, directing her face so he could look her in the eyes. Their faces were inches from each other. She sensed his breath, his aura, his presence. A jolt ran up her spine. Her stomach fluttered.

“Then it’s not your fault,” he said. Alice’s smile grew as his words gushed over her. “I couldn’t imagine my life without you. You’re the light of my world. I couldn’t stand the thought of you hurting. I had to try something. It almost worked too.”

Alice chuckled. “Yeah, almost. What was your grand plan?”

He tilted his head to the side, never breaking eye contact with Alice. “I met them at the restaurant. My plan was to stab Sebastian with a stake I made out of a wooden hockey stick. I taped it to my forearm, so they wouldn’t see it. After I took him out, I was going to fight her and stake her as well.”

“It’s not the worst plan. Not the best, but not the worst.”

“Your reflection called it ‘the dumbest fucking thing she ever heard.’”

“I was being generous. Two vampires at once? By yourself?”

“She said the same thing. It almost worked. I stabbed him, but I hit something. Must have been a rib. I tried to push it in, but the stick broke. He grabbed me. She pushed me over with the table. I was on the floor, pinned between the table and chair. The last thing I remember was her toying with me before biting down. At least they didn’t take all of my blood. I do feel lightheaded, though. And my mouth hurts.” Hugo rubbed the top of his mouth .

Alice leaned back, her hands dragging to Hugo’s knees. Any sense of relief faded as her face turned pale. “Hurts like how?”

“It’s like a sharp pain. Stronger than a toothache. Like something is pushing against my teeth.”

Alice stood up. She shook her head in disbelief. “Oh, no. Please no.”

Hugo let out a howl of pain. He rubbed the front of his mouth. He rocked back and forth on the couch, trying to ease the pain. He covered his mouth with his hands.

Through a muffled voice, he said, “The pain is unbearable. It’s like my mouth is ripping apart.”

Max tucked her head and backed away in horror. She ran and hid under the black, high-back chair. Guinevere remained unfazed, floating in the air, not moving.

Alice took a step backward. “Hugo, I need you to be still.”

A shriek came from upstairs. “Get your ass up here now,” Alice’s reflection yelled down. “I need you.”

Alice sprinted upstairs. Her thick soled boots stomped down onto the hardwood like a thundering herd. She flew through the bedroom and into the bathroom. She nearly slipped on the tile floor, catching herself on the porcelain sink. Horror filled her eyes, widening as she was forced to watch the events unfold on the other side of the mirror.

“Fix him,” Alice’s reflection pleaded, holding back tears. “He just woke up, and now look at him.”

“What’s happening to me?” Hugo’s reflection asked.

He stumbled toward Alice’s reflection before falling forward. She caught him, propping him up. His body dematerialized, first his arms, and then his legs. The dematerialization spread to his torso.

“I don’t want to leave you,” Hugo’s reflection cried.

“I love you,” Alice’s reflection cried through her tears as she held on to what was left of Hugo’s reflection.

“I love y?—”

His reflection vanished.

“No!” Alice’s reflection yelled as she collapsed to her knees. She buried her head into her hands and sobbed. “No. Please no.”

Alice cupped her mouth in horror. Her greatest fear was coming true. They did more than drain Hugo’s blood. They did so much worse.

“Alice,” Hugo said from the bedroom. “I think I have a problem.”

Filled with a sense of urgency, she rushed out of the bathroom and found Hugo standing in the bedroom doorway, his fists clenched.

“I don’t think this is supposed to happen,” he said as he unfurled his hand.

In the center of his palm were his two, bloody incisors. Blood dripped from his mouth onto the hardwood floor. It pooled into blackish-red splatter—shiny and reflective. “What’s happening to me?”

Fear engulfed Alice, causing her hands to tremble as she faced the sheer horror of the situation, leaving her frozen in place. A million thoughts raced through her mind, yet she could act on none of them. She had no answer. She had to see for herself. She had to see their handiwork.

“Hugo, open your mouth,” Alice commanded.

Hugo opened wide, pulling back on his lip. Newly formed fangs had pushed out and replaced his incisors, washed red and dripping with blood. Alice bent over, clenching her teeth. She scrunched her eyes closed and tugged at her hair. She let out a barbaric yawp.

“I take it”—Hugo’s voice cracked, betraying his attempt to hide his sadness—“it’s not good.”

Alice let go of her hair. Tears fell down her face. “I’m so, so sorry.”

“Does this mean . . .?” Hugo asked. His face was sunken, his eyes red and holding back tears at the revelation of his new future.

Alice somberly nodded.

“Get in here,” Alice’s reflection yelled as she smacked her side of the mirror.

Alice peered into the bathroom .

“Bring him back. Bring him back now!” Alice’s reflection shouted.

Alice entered the bathroom with small steps. Her head went low, and her shoulders drooped. “I can’t.”

“Why not?” Alice’s reflection asked. “Bring him back.”

“I can’t,” Alice answered as her eyes met the mirror image of herself. “I can’t because vampires don’t produce magical reflections.”