B007Q4JDEM EBOK (23 page)

“You seem frightened,” h
e frowned and sat beside me again.

“I just...have a lot on my mind, about last night. I saw you attack her.”

He glanced away temporarily,
“I'm sorry you had to see that.”

“Don't apologize. It was jus
t sort of unexpected, and scary,
” I said honestly, “I never thought you could
be like that
.”

He laughed quietly, “I can do plenty of frightening things, Alexis. The important thing is that I don't, unless necessary...such as last night.”

I nodded mutely as I considered this. “I don't think I want to practice hunting anymore.”

“If that's how you feel, I won't pressure you to continue, but I think it might be wise of you to reconsider.”

“Why
!
? For what purpose! I nearly got myself killed last night!”

He cringed at my words. “That was of no fault of your own. Paul is more to blame for that than anyone else. You did exceptionally well.”

I shook my head and sighed. “I just don't know if I can handle it.”

“Don't
change your mind just yet, Alex,” h
e pulled me close again, “What you are doing is a good thing, and I will always make sure you are safe.”

“I
guess
,
” I sighed in defeat.

He smiled and kissed me lightly on the forehead. “You'll have plenty of time to think once you have rested.”

A mere week had passed before I was out on the battlefield again. I fought solo this time. My feud with Paul was not over and I hadn't spoken to him since the incident
, despite his constant phone calls
. I stalked through the cemetery again – my father was right about it being a common feeding ground. I found my target leaning against the base of one of the many tall trees. He eyed me hungrily, a devious smirk painted across his pale face. His skin was rugged and dirty, and his build was tall and muscular.

“Fancy meeting you here,” h
e said casually, flipping a golden coin in his left hand.

I eyed him curiously, “Were you expecting me?”

“Word has been going around
that there's a raven amongst these parts
,” h
e laughed, “
I just had to come and see what all the fuss was about.
I never imagined it would be a little girl such as you!”

Where could he possibly have caught word of that? My eyes didn't leave his. I had anticipated a scene similar to my prior visit to the graveyard, but instead it appeared that I was the victim. I reached for my crossbow, but he was much too quick. The coin flipped one last time, landing with a quiet
clink
against the top of a nearby
gravestone
. His cold hands were suddenly wrapped around my wrist, preventing me from grabbing my weapon.

“You will be the first
raven
I have tasted,” h
e grinned, leaning his face toward my throat.

“You won’t be tasting anything tonight I’m afraid
,
” I replied calmly. With my available arm, I punched him hard in the jaw. He fell back, stunned by my strength, but within seconds his laughter resumed.

“A feisty one, I see,” h
e grinned. “You are
just
making this more enjoyable for me. I haven't had a challenge in a long time.”

“
I’m glad you are having so much fun right before you die
,
” I replied bitterly. He sprung at me, but I rolled out of the way. My head slammed into a rock behind me. I was hardly aware of the damage at first. The man's nostrils flared as the scent of
my
blood reached his nose and he licked his pale,
thick
lips hungrily. My fingers found the spot on the back
of my
head; I could feel moisture against my fingertips.

The distraction was enough for him to get the opportunity he had anticipated. I staggered to get up, but he lunged toward me with full force. The stone behind me crumbled beneath our combined weight. I could feel the rough rock stabbing into my back as I laid there helpless for a moment. His mouth opened wide, revealing his
stained
yellow
fangs. I shuddered and tried to block out the memory of Salem, but it was impossible.

“You are truly making
this too easy for me, raven!” h
e snarled, his lips nearing my throat once more.

“You
got lucky
,
”
I kneed him as hard as I could between the legs
,
sending him hurtling over my head and behind me. Grabbing
my crossbow
I turned and
pointed it toward his chest.

“Considering the rumors
I have heard of your family's
shooting
skill, that’s
not going to do you much good
,” h
e barked with laughter.

“Unfortunately for you, I have
better aim,
” I pulled the trigger. The arrow whistled through the air, and the vampire, caught up in his own banter, was too slow to realize what was happening. I grimaced as he fell to the ground, a bloodcurdling scream emitting from his gaping mouth. My eyes were wide with horror as I watched the vampire's body contort in misery. Despite what he was, I couldn't control the pain I felt at watching him die.

Salem appeared at my side from someplace unseen. He wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me away from the horrific sc
ene. “I was afraid for a moment,” h
e whispered, “I almost intervened.”

“
How does it not affect you like it does the rest of them
?” I asked, “The blood, I mean.”

“There is a difference between huma
n and animal blood,” h
e commented after checking my scalp – the damage wasn't severe. We walked away from the dying vampire. “
Over time I have not only grown accustom to animal blood, but
I
enjoy it.
Your blood actually smells – and probably tastes – quite foul to me
now
.”

“Thanks,
” I
said sarcastically
.

“You
were quite impressive out there,” h
e smiled, although it wasn't an expression of happiness.

“
Do I scare you
?” I asked in wonder.

“You don't, but what you are capable of certainly does. I'm very fortunate to know you will
never turn against me like that,” he paused and looked at me, “y
ou won't, will you?”

“Of course not!”

“Good,
” This time his smile was pleasant and cheerful. “I was thinking tomorrow, perhaps we would go back to the creek.”

“That woul
d be nice,
” I said as we walked to my car. “Will you be eating innocent bunnies again?”

He glared at me momentarily,
and then shrugged, “P
ossibly. I should, actually.”

“You don't eat as
nearly as much as I would imagine
,
” I spoke quietly, opening my door and getting in.

When he was inside he looked at me. “I don't enjoy it the
same
way they do. Let me try to put it in a perspective you might understand. Food is intended as fuel, but humans are weak and easily give in to temptation, ignoring that fact. They will eat and eat, no matter how full they might be, simply because they enjoy the taste. That's similar to how a vampire feeds...they will go beyond what is necessary to keep them going, because they thirst for more.
I may have grown fond for the taste of animal blood, but I only drink what I need.
”

As I thought this over, Mark's wretched voice came to mind
“Once I smelled her blood, oh...it was hard to control my thirst for more! The hunger was far too powerful.”
I felt sick to my stomach thinking about it, about Janet.

“That makes sense,
” I mumbled as we d
rove to the old Victorian. “I’
ve done some thinking, Salem...and I sort of want your opinion.”

“On what?” There was
edge
to his voice.

“My house,
” I replied simply. “Now, before you say anything – I'm not going to sell it.”

He smiled at that. “Good.”

“I want to rent it out. I was thinking I co
uld offer it for cheap to Jason,
” I noticed the unsettling look on Salem's face and placed my hand against his, “His parents are going through a divorce. It would be good for him, and I think it'd be good for me, too. I don't want to stay there anymore, especially when
I could just stay at yours
.”

There was a hint of a smile in the corners of his mouth. “Are you asking to move in with me?”

“I might as well be already, right?”

“Considering you sp
end every night there, yes,” t
he sound of his
laughter was
pleasing to my ears
. “If that's what you want to do, I won't stop you. Giving it to Jason leaves you the opportunity to visit the house whenever, also...so you aren't completely giving it up.”

“
Right
.”

His expression changed suddenly when we pulled into the driveway. He climbed out of the vehicle, despite it still moving, and raced toward the front door. I noticed in horror that the stained glass windows were shattered. Shards of green and blue sparkled under the porch light.

I deserted the car and followed Salem into the house. There was no evidence of theft, but someone had definitely broken in. I felt sick as I glanced around the living room, noting that the only things that had been touched were my belongings, which led me to
one
conclusion.

“I think I know who did this,
” I said angrily.

“Paul,
” Salem snarled furiously.
“His scent is lingering in the air.”

“This is bad, Salem...this is bad...” I mumbled as I realized what this meant.

“We shoul
d just be thankful we were away,” h
e said, calming d
own some. “But I don't doubt he wi
ll return. I will keep
a
vigilant watch for him, Alex...and if he tries anything, I cannot promise I won't hurt him.”

“I-I un
derstand,
” I stuttered, watching him gather a broom from the front closet and sweep up the mess of glass from the porch. “Do you want me to do that?” I offered as I ignored the haunting possibility of Salem killing my father, or vice versa.

“No, it's fine
,” he smiled, “b
ut, thank you.”

“What are you going to do about the windows?” I frowned. “They were so beautiful.”

“Do you really need to ask?” h
e laughed gently.

“Oh, right.
Magic,
” I replied.
He dumped the shattered glass into the garbage and glanced at me curiously.

“Does it bother you?”

“No, but I
want to try something. I want to make my own meal tonight.”

“Why? You don't like mine,” h
e put on a fake pout.

“Don't be silly,” I laughed, “It’s
just something I'd like to do, because I sort of miss it.”

“I understand,” h
e said. “Go ahead. But, I will provide the
ingredients
.”

“
Deal
.”

I told him each ingredient I wanted for my
dinner
. As I opened the mahogany cabinets, I watched in amazement as a box of Rotini noodles appeared with a jar of pasta sauce directly next to
it
. I glanced b
ack at him and grinned. “Thanks,
” I said and began prepping my pasta. The water boiled slowly on the black stove top, and my stomach was not in the mood to be patient. I was beginning to rethink my request to not have my food magically prepared.

“I had forgotten how long this can take!” I said miserably as bubbles slowly began to rise in the pot.

“Someone is
quite
impatient,
” Salem said playfully behind me. He was sitting at the dining room table, studying the empty holes on the front door.

“What's on your mind?” I asked as I dumped a small portion of noodles into the pot.

“Simply wondering what they should look like this time.”

“You don't want them to look the same as before?” I stirred the noodles slowly to prevent them from sticking.