Emerald Eyes (27 page)

He finally managed an attempt at composure. “Okay…Is there anything else?” he asked, despair written all over his face.

“He had to turn her.”

He squint his eyes shut, face taking on a gamut of expressions before opening his eyes again.
“No! No! No!”
He grabbed his head with his hands and then dropped them down to his sides. “She will hate me forever! And I can’t blame her.” He glanced at his wife and back and Joe, and then rushing to the door and yanking it open, he dashed out.

Tickling Feather ran to the door and called out after him, but Joe came up to her and told her to let him go. Chuck needed to try and sort things out.

“But tonight’s the full moon!” she said, looking up into her grandfather’s saddened face.

“I know, Ticking Feather. I know. I’ll have to alert the rest of the tribe. The reservation needs to be put on alert.”

“He could change before tonight, as upset as he is,” she said.

“Exactly why we need to put everyone on alert.”

“I’ll help. I’ll alert the families. The kids need to be kept inside.”

“You do that. Now, I have a lot to do. But you must be very careful. I do not want you alone.” He spoke to the two young men guarding the apartment; told them to stay with Tickling Feather as long as it was necessary.

“Wait!” Tickling Feather said, as he went to leave. “Don’t kill him, grandfather!”

He stopped and stared lovingly at his granddaughter and then said, “Ticking Feather, we will do all we can to avoid that. But you know very well, we may have no choice.”

She breathed out. “I know.” Then ran back into the apartment and slammed the door, crying bitterly.

Debra Jean eased the Jeep into Madison’s drive. She had a letter from Madison’s mother again. A registered letter. Her gut feeling was that Madison still wasn’t writing to her mother. She knocked on the door, but no one answered. “Must be at Devin’s.” She returned to the Jeep and headed to Devin’s, got out and knocked on the door there.

Devin and Madison were in the kitchen where he was cooking them an early afternoon breakfast. “I’ll get it,” she said. “It’s Debra Jean.”

He smiled, pleased. “You’re learning to hon in your senses. Good!”

Debra Jean jumped back with a start when the door suddenly swooshed open and Madison stood there, looking a little pale but very lovely, dressed in black silk pants and blouse. Her hair down and big hoop earrings in her ears. She smiled pleasantly. “Debra Jean! Good to see you!”

“Another letter from you mother. This one is registered. I need you to sign for it.”

“Oh…crap! I am so terrible. I keep forgetting to write her.”

Debra Jean shook her head and laughed gently.

Madison said she’d be back in a second and disappeared into the darkness of the room and then suddenly reappeared with a pen. She signed the slip and handed it over to Debra Jean. “Sorry about that.”

“No problem. Gave me an excuse to see you. You doing okay?”

“Yes and no.”

With a curious tilt of her head, Debra Jean asked? “How’s that?”

“I lost the baby,” she sadly replied.

Debra Jean was at once sympathetic. “Oh, honey. I’m so sorry!” She gave her friend a big hug and then pulled back. “You’re really cold! Are you okay?”

“Yeah…Been a little sick. But I’m okay now. Devin keeps the house cool, we like it better that way.”

“Oh! I see. I think,” she replied. “Well, I smell bacon. You must be getting ready to eat. I’ll get back on my route.”

“Thank you, Debra Jean!”

“Just doing my job…and don’t be a stranger. Alex and I miss you guys.”

Devin appeared at the door just then. “We’ll be around.”

“Oh…hi!”

“Hi to you too,” he said, smiling ambiguously.

“Catch you two later.” She returned to her Jeep and left.

Devin told Madison breakfast was ready and they went to eat.

Debra Jean was just a short ways past Madison’s cabin when a very large wolf suddenly ran out from the woods from the side of the road and she slammed on her brakes. She’d never seen a wolf in these parts before, and was completely surprised. The wolf stopped in his tracks in the middle of the road and arched its head around, red eyes staring menacingly.

“Shit! I didn’t know wolves had red eyes,” she muttered.

The wolf altered his course and slowly began padding towards her, lips curled back, snarling.

“For the love of God!” she cried aloud, gunning the Jeep, causing it to lunge forward and stall.

Instantly, the wolf was growling by her window. It was tall as the Jeep!

“God help me!” she screamed and desperately tried to start the car. As fate would have it, it just wouldn’t catch.

The wolf walked off, briefly standing still, and then turned and charged at the window, slamming into it. It cracked and the vehicle rocked. Once more, he loped off and again turned for another strike.

“Start! Damn you!” she screamed hysterically. It finally caught and she pulled out just as the wolf charged. But it was suddenly on the hood. She couldn’t see and lost control. The car came to a jolting stop; hit something hard. Her head bounced off the steering wheel, even though she was buckled in. A bump on her forehead instantly rose.

The wolf was at her window again. She just knew she was a goner and screamed for all she was worth.

Madison suddenly looked up from her breakfast at Devin, eyes wide. “Debra Jean!” She bolted from the table.

He was instantly in front of her. “It’s still daylight, Madison! You’ll burn!”

“She’s my friend!” She snatched her sunglasses off the buffet and flashed out.

Devin shook his head, grabbed his own sunglasses and zipped out too.

Eyes on the wolf charging at her door again, Debra Jean instinctively leaned away as far as she could and shut her eyes tight. This was it. She would never see Alex again. Tears gushed in torrents. There was a hard thud against the door and the glass splintered, but she didn’t open her eyes. Just sat there praying quietly that Alex would be okay and expecting the worst.

The wolf suddenly yelped out in pain, and from the noise and commotion she could tell it was fighting with something. She dared to open her eyes and looked out the shattered window. She couldn’t tell exactly what or who it was that was fighting the wolf, but she thought it looked like a person.

She peered in closer to the shattered glass, trying hard to make out what she was seeing.
“Madison?”

Devin suddenly appeared, seemingly out of nowhere, and the wolf immediately backed away from Madison. “Holy shit!”

The wolf stood there for only a moment, scrutinizing its enemies. It clearly understood it was outnumbered and took off, disappearing into the woods on the side of the road. Madison zipped over to Debra Jean, ripping the now badly dented door off its hinges and tossing it to the side of the road. “Are you okay, Debra Jean?”

Debra Jean simply bobbed her head that she was and stared, amazed and bewildered.
Alex had been right!
Then she noticed ugly blisters quickly forming on Madison’s face. “You’re burning, Madison!”

Devin was at her side now, face blistering too. “We have to get back inside, Madison!”

She acknowledged his words with a shake of her head but spoke to Debra Jean. “You sure you’re okay?”

“I think so.” She pulled her cell phone out of her shirt pocket, eyeing the two vampires with awe. “I’ll call Alex.”

“We have to go!” Devin stated emphatically.

“Call if you need us!” Madison said and, taking Devin’s hand, they vanished.

Debra Jean sat, pondering all that had transpired, with eyes peeled on the woods and surrounding area until she saw Alex’s silver Silverado coming down the road towards her. She’d also phoned the post office and told them she’d been run off the road by a large deer and had run into a tree. (No one would believe a wolf. They were supposed to be rare in these parts.) Someone else would have to finish delivering the mail, to send out a wrecker to pick up the badly damaged Jeep. She’d have to use another until that one was repaired.

Just as Alex drove by, stopped and turned around, pulling up behind her, another postal Jeep came up. It was the mousy but sweet Franklin Dobson. He walked up to the car just as Alex did. They said hello to one another. Debra Jean handed the mail bag over to him and told him that was all that was left to deliver.

He took it and commented that the wrecker would be there shortly, and he was glad she wasn’t hurt worse than what she was, but she did need to get that bump attended to.

She assured him that she would. He took the mail, said goodbye, returned to his Jeep and pulled out.

Alex hovered by the door, staring in at her. An eyebrow went up. “God! I’m glad you’re okay, babe!”

“Thanks to Madison!”

“Yeah…” he said, reaching in to help her out of the Jeep. “You say
she
fought off the wolf? It wasn’t Devin?”

“It was definitely her. And these awful blisters were forming on her face,” she said, raising a hand to her own cheek. “Bad blisters! Devin was blistering too!”

He cleared his throat. “That can mean only one thing, you know.”

“She’s a vampire now too?”

“Yep! ‘Fraid so. But she was pregnant. She must have lost it.”

“She did. Just told me when I stopped off at Devin’s to deliver a registered letter to her from her mother.”

“I wonder what happened.”

“I don’t know. She just told me she lost it.”

“Now that she knows you know they have a little secret, she’ll probably tell you.”

“I hope so. Gads!”

“She did take a chance coming out in the daylight to help you.”

“I am fully aware of that. I hope she and Devin both heal okay.”

“I’m sure they will, as soon as they get out of the daylight,” he said, opening the passenger door for her and helping her in. “I think we should take a trip to the emergency room. Have that bump looked at.”

“No.” She shook her head. “I’m fine, Alex. I just want to go home and get drunk off my ass tonight. I was almost killed by a werewolf, wrecked the Jeep and found out my best friend is a vampire!” ”

He sniggered then as he started his Silverado up. “Okay, babe. I can’t think of a better excuse for you to get plastered tonight. In fact, you have one
hell
of an excuse.” He grinned, turning slightly sideways but kept his eyes on the road.

“Gosh! I love you!” she said, eyeing him proudly. Then flinched and raised her hand to her forehead. “Damn sore!”

“Sure you don’t want to have it looked at?’

“No. Let’s just go home.”

“All right.” He pulled out just as the tow truck was pulling in. “Let him worry about it.”

“Damn right!” She agreed.”

There were a few minutes of silence and then Alex suddenly said, “You think the wolf will come back?”

“Nah! Not soon! Madison gave him a good fight. And it
really
didn’t look too anxious to tangle with Devin. He won’t be back soon.” She glanced in the side mirror. “Hey! I can see the tow truck with the Jeep already. He sure isn’t wasting time!”

“Phillip’s Wrecking and Towing has been around for a long time. I’m sure he has it all down pat now.”

“Obviously he does.” She turned her head and looked behind them and then faced forward again. “And Franklin must be long gone. Off finishing my route for me.”

Alex smiled and turned his attention to the road. “At least it appears that it all turned out okay.”

“Yeah…I sure hope so.”

It was around five p.m. when Chuck came too, lying naked close to his tent. “Shit!” he rolled over. There were some bruises and scratches on his arms and legs, but they were healing. There was no doubting it. He had tangled with someone or something again. And it wasn’t human or animal. Had he tangled with Devin again? He stood and made his way over to the tent and went inside where he had a bag of clothes stashed. He quickly dressed in his jeans and a red and black, checkered shirt. He ran the comb that was there through his hair and slipped on fresh socks and his boots. It would be only a few hours and the full moon would reach its apex, and he would transition again, for the entire night. “Shi-it!”

His life truly sucked now. He did remember being very upset. He’d almost killed Madison and had caused her to lose the baby.
Their
baby!

Tickling Feather could bear him more kids, but Madison would never have that chance again. For that reason, he truly loathed himself. He was a monster in more ways than one. Ticking Feather deserved better than he. He had done her no favors in marrying her. This could only end badly. He wondered if there was some way the marriage could be annulled. Figured it could with white man’s law, but he wasn’t sure about the Indian laws on the subject. He was determined, though, to ask Indian Joe. Staying married to Tickling Feather was just out of the question now. She would only end up getting hurt, and even killed. She was a beautiful, warm and loving young woman who deserved a normal life. And a normal life was not something he could give any woman. Not ever!

He headed out walking for the village, hoping that not everyone would be afraid of him now, but if they were, he could hardly blame them.

The first thing Devin did when he and Madison arrived home was tenderly grasp her face in his hands and examine her closely. “Good! Not too bad. Healing nicely. But you took a chance, my love.”

“You’d do it for me, wouldn’t you?”

“Not a question.” He kissed the top of her forehead and then released her.

“Well, I couldn’t let
Chuck
rip her to shreds, now. Could I?”

“Nor could I let you go alone.”

She touched the side of his face with her right hand. “You’re healing okay too.”

“I had no doubts that I would. But you are a much younger vampire. Burns from the daylight usually don’t heal quite as quickly for newbees.”

“Doesn’t having the blood of an older vampire like you help?”

“Somewhat my dear. Still…Just don’t take any chances unless it is absolutely necessary. Okay?”

She rolled her eyes up to his glistening ones. “Gawd! I’ll never get over how awesomely green your eyes are! They sparkle like emeralds. Especially when you look at me the way you are now.”