Heather Graham - The Keepers - Christmas in Salem

But when he reached Dead Horse Beach, following up on what she had said about August’s fondness for the place, he was afraid he was too late. Looking out, he saw nothing at first.

And then … something, a leap of motion in the depths of a wave. He narrowed his vision and focused, and he felt as if his heart leaped into his throat.

August Avery was out there, all right—struggling like crazy with Sam.

Daniel was good at everything vampires were supposed to be good at—he’d been forced to be, enduring hours of training with the council. Vampires were like everyone else, really. Some people had a talent for music, some for art and some with numbers and gadgets and electronics. He had never been fond of turning into a bat or a wolf. He’d grown up being taught that all creatures had a right to walk the earth, and that a man—any man—owed compassion and aid to every creature on the earth. Becoming a wolf or a bat did nothing to further any of those ends. However, he’d learned to use his speed, his tremendous strength and the power of his mind to compensate for his unwillingness to shift. And so, in the blink of an eye, he was out there in the water, wresting the struggling August away from Samantha, who had to be growing exhausted.

After all, she was only using borrowed powers—the gift every Keeper received.

But those powers could never equal his. On the other hand, she had what he never could: humanity. The ability to really see and appreciate the sunlight, to function as effectively in the light as she did in the dark.

None of that mattered now, though. The water was close to freezing and while August Avery was a fool, he wouldn’t die, only turn into a popsicle.

Samantha, on the other hand …

“My God!” Sam gasped, head just above the water. “He really is intent on this!”

“I’ve got him—I’ve got him. Get yourself out of the water,” he told her.

She nodded. He’d always respected her for being realistic about her own abilities and limitations, as well as those of everyone around her, both human and Other. She could be stubborn, but not when it came to getting something done.

She made it to the shore, although once she crawled up on the sand she started shivering so violently that she almost seemed to be engaged in some form of St. Vitus dance.

Daniel tossed August, who was gasping and choking, down on the sand by her side. Then Daniel used his enhanced ability for speed to burst into a nearby convenience store and rush back with a huge thermal blanket that he wrapped around her—making a mental note to find a way to pay the owner later.

August shivered and sputtered, but not for long.

“What are you trying to do, August?” Samantha demanded. “Don’t you know it’s impossible for you to drown?”

“But not Samantha,” Daniel said harshly.

“I bit someone,” August said, his voice filled with self-disgust and loathing. “I bit someone. I don’t know what happened to me. I was upset … hurt. I don’t know. I wanted to feel … better. No, strong. As if I couldn’t be hurt. I was horrible. I deserve to die.”

“You didn’t kill her, August. She’s going to be all right. She’ll have some nightmares, and she’ll be sick for a few days, but she’ll be fine. Yes, you behaved badly—horribly. What you did threatens our very existence. But you’re lucky. We’re all lucky. She didn’t die, and what happened can be explained as a college prank, someone going a little loopy. And you stopped, that’s the point. The good in you won out. You hurt her, yes—but you stopped. You’re not a killer. You did know better,” Daniel said. “That doesn’t demand a death sentence.”

August looked at them both. “Oh, yeah? I betrayed us all. I was evil at heart. I brought on the darkness!”

Daniel was startled when Sam laughed at that.

August appeared to be indignant. “What? You think I couldn’t have caused this?” he demanded.

“August, I don’t think any vampire could have caused this,” Samantha said. “I wish I could believe that it was a vampire—because then I could do something about it. But I think it’s a different form of Other who brought this about. It’s just not in our realm. Not to mention that the darkness began before you bit that girl—the darkness has been coming on for a while now.”

“So what? Is it going to last forever?” August asked. “I can’t bear it!”

“Hey,” Daniel said, hunkering down by him. “Vampires love the dark. We shouldn’t be suffering the way so many other people and Others are. Fairies—they must be struggling. And the leprechauns—when it’s dark too long, they get ridiculously grumpy. And human beings—they get seasonal depression, cabin fever. Come on, August. It can’t be that bad.”

August looked at Samantha. “I am so sorry. I really didn’t want to hurt that woman. I just—I just want to stop the hurt in me. ”

“As your Keeper, and since you did stop before really hurting that poor woman at the concert, I am willing to think about probation,” Samantha told him. “What you did is wrong, but you know that. Come on, August—it can’t be that bad.”

“I think—I think I was caught on video. People will know what I did,” August said.

“I can get in and get rid of the video,” Daniel said.

Samantha nodded. “And one of us can go see the victim. A little hypnotism will get rid of her memories.” She smiled. “You might deserve a little jail time, but I don’t want attention focused on the vampires. You don’t need to learn remorse—you know remorse. Except that you know damned well that you can’t drown, so what were you trying to do?”

“I thought if I froze, perhaps my head would break off,” August said.

“August! That’s terrible. You have a family—people who love you.”

“You think? My father is always furious with me.”

“Fathers are always furious with their sons,” Daniel assured him.

“I don’t want to live,” August said bleakly.

“August—all this over a girl?” Samantha demanded. “Come on. Life is like that for all of us—sometimes we fall in love with someone who just doesn’t love us in return. But we get over the hurt and move on. And if you can do that, then the right person can find you—the person who appreciates you for all the incredible things you are.”

“It’s not just Ciara,” he said wistfully, meeting Samantha’s eyes. “It’s the world. Love has left the world. That’s why it’s dark. No one loves anyone anymore.” He waved a hand in the air. “No one stays together. Nothing means anything. Why bother?”

“Of course people stay together,” Samantha said.

“My parents are talking about splitting up,” August said. “Love is all a lie, a joke. Christmas cheer, the spirit of the season—hah!”

“You’re wrong,” Samantha said passionately. “There’s a lot of love and goodness out there. All the time. The point of the holiday season is that it’s a good time for all of us to stop and think about what we have, about all the wonderful things in our lives.”

“Yeah? Well, what are they?” August demanded.

“Come on, August,” Daniel said, shaking his head. “Life may be tough right now, but you have a lot to be grateful for—you had it good growing up. And you’re special.”

“Yeah, special. ”

“Privileged,” Sam said, her patience growing thin. “You’re a vampire. You have strength that others couldn’t begin to possess. You can literally soar, and you can run like the wind. Yes, you have responsibilities, too, because you’re part of a special breed. But you have people who love you, an entire community that cares fiercely for you, and if one love affair goes wrong, you can move on and look for the next.”