Obsessed (Book #12 in the Vampire Journals) (17 page)

“Why?” he
demanded.

Caitlin held her
arm up and traced along the line of her blue vein with her finger.

“I’m a vampire,
Caleb. The last vampire. The circle of history begins and ends with me. I can
determine whether we exist or whether we don’t, whether Scarlet is human or
whether she’s a vampire. The secret of the vampires runs through my veins.”

Caleb shook his
head, flooded with grief.

“I don’t want to
lose you,” he spluttered.

“Only in this
time and place,” she replied. “Elsewhere, I will be alive.”

“That’s not good
enough for me!” Caleb cried. “I only have this time and place to be with you.
It doesn’t matter if you are alive in another world, or another plain of
existence. This is it for me. And I want you by my side.”

But Caleb could
tell by his wife’s expression that she was determined. Nothing was going to
change her mind. Saving Scarlet had always been her goal, and nothing was going
to stop that, not even her love for him.

“This is bigger
than us, Caleb,” she said. “This is about the world and everyone in it.”

Caleb sighed,
defeated.

“What do we have
to do?” he asked.

Caitlin wiped
the tears from her eyes and gazed back adoringly.

“We need to go
to Sage’s estate,” she said. “It’s on the Hudson river. Scarlet will be there.
Once I am with her, I will be able to cure her.”

Caleb nodded.

“I suppose now
is the time you conjure up an airplane for me to fly?” he joked, trying to
lighten the dark mood.

Caitlin smiled.

“I have one
better,” she said. She held up the box from her grandmother’s attic. “It will
take us to where we need to be. Whatever time and whatever place.”

Caleb reached
out and held her hand. It broke his heart to think these were among the last
moments he would share with her. He wanted to savour them, to remain in the
lost vampire city forever. But it was not to be. They had to save Scarlet.

“Let’s go,” he
said.

Caitlin flipped
open the lid of the box, and together they were sucked inside.

Vivian soared
through the sky, her veins on fire with exhilaration. Thanks to Scarlet’s idiot
of an uncle, she was within a hair’s breadth of ending her nemesis’s life. As
she flew, she could feel the stake in her back pocket, urging her to kill
again, reminding her of just how powerful and addictive that sensation was.

As Vivian flew
she wondered whether Blake would have turned yet. Nothing would be sweeter for
her than having him by her side as she ended Scarlet’s life.

She decided then
to take a quick detour past his house. If he had indeed turned, she could bring
him along for the ride. That way she’d witness his all his firsts—his first
feed, his first flight—just like a good sire should.

When she reached
Blake’s house, the first thing she noticed was the sprays of blood on the
window. She leapt onto his porch roof and peered in through his bedroom window.
Her heart dropped. Blake wasn’t there. His bed was messy, as though he’d thrown
off the covers she’d placed over him in haste.

So he had
turned, she thought. But where had all that blood come from?

Vivian pulled
open the window and climbed inside. She stood in Blake’s empty bedroom and
listened for sounds of life. She could hear a slurping sound coming from
downstairs.

She paced over
to Blake’s bedroom door, which was ajar, then stopped dead when she saw a pair
of women’s feet through the crack in the door. As she maneouvered her sightline
into the open gap, the rest of the woman’s body was revealed to her. She was
dead on the floor, her eyes open and staring upwards, a stream of blood coming
from a wound in her neck. Vivian recognized her. It was Patrice. Blake’s
live-in housekeeper. She was young and strikingly attractive. And now, dead.

Vivian smiled to
herself. She had never liked Patrice, always viewing her as competition. What’s
more, she and Blake were evidently soul mates. That Blake had awoken as a
vicious killer caused her no end of delight. She imagined the two of them on a
rampage together, prowling the streets, killing whomever they so desired.
Nothing made her heart swell more than the thought of a life with Blake, flying
across the world, inflicting suffering and pain on the weak and vulnerable.

Vivian stepped
over the dead body and went down stairs hurriedly. She followed the drops of
blood and each step made her more excited to see Blake as a fully turned
vampire.

Vivian pushed
open the door and there was Blake, standing there in a daze.

“Vivian,” he
said breathlessly.

Then, quicker
than the blink of an eye, he strode forwards and swept her up in his arms. He
pressed his hungry mouth against hers, tasting her, smelling her sweet scent.
He wrapped his arms around her body, pulling her closer and closer into him.
The kiss was a thousand times more powerful than the ones they’d shared as
humans and Vivian sunk into him, reveling in the new sensations. She never
wanted this moment to end. Blake had never been so passionate with her before.

Finally they
pulled apart. Blake’s eyes were wide with astonishment, as if he were
experiencing the epitome of pleasure.

“You’re
amazing,” he gushed, tucking some of Vivian’s hair behind her ears. “How can I
ever repay you for the gift you’ve given me?”

Vivian was
overwhelmed with emotion. She’d dreamed so often of being with Blake, of being
loved, truly loved by him, but the experience of it was more than she could
ever have hoped for. The look in his eyes when he gazed at her was so powerful,
exciting and enthralling. Blake was hers, and hers forever. She knew in that
moment he would do anything she asked of him. She’d won.

“There is one
thing,” she said.

Blake’s gaze
burned into her, his eyes roving over her body and setting every single one of
her nerves on fire.

“What is it?” he
said. “I’ll do anything.”

Vivian licked
her fangs.

“Come with me.
We’re going to kill Scarlet Paine.”

Without
hesitation, Blake followed her out the door, and as they leapt together into
the sky, it was then that Vivian realized that the human Blake was truly gone.

*

Vivian was
delighted to see the town below her in utter chaos. Teenage vampires from their
high school roamed the streets, causing destruction everywhere they went. Cars
were tipped over and set alight. Houses were broken into, the families living
in them rushing into the street in blind panic.

She looked over
at Blake and smiled. He returned the gesture, and Vivian thought that nothing
in the world would make her happier than she was in that moment. Nothing but
killing Scarlet Paine.

The first house
on their tour was Maria’s. Vivian had hated Maria, not quite as much as
Scarlet, but certainly because of her best friend status with the freak she so
despised.

“Follow my
lead,” Vivian said to Blake as they touched down on the garden path.

Together they
strolled up to the front door. Vivian knocked loudly.

After a moment,
it was answered by a bleary eyed woman. She was clearly Maria’s mother, with
the same colorings—dark hair, dark eyes.

“What?” the
woman said, peering through the crack in the door suspiciously.

“Is Maria here?”
Vivian asked.

“Who are you?”
came the blunt reply.

“I’m Vivian.”
She touched her chest then gestured to Blake beside her. “This is Blake. We’re
friends of Maria’s from school.”

The woman
scoffed.

“If you were
friends, you’d know that Maria’s been committed. She’s in the institute and
she’s not coming out any time soon. Now get the hell off my property.”

She slammed the
door in their faces. Vivian turned to Blake, too excited to even hide her grin.

“This day is
literally getting better and better,” she said with glee. “Maria’s gone mad!”

Blake tried to
share in his sire’s enthusiasm but something about the situation didn’t sit
right with him.

“Oh come on,”
Vivian snapped, admonishing him. “Scarlet’s best friend has lost it. Isn’t it
hilarious?”

Blake managed to
muster a smile.

Vivian rolled
her eyes, frustrated by his lack of enthusiasm.

“Come on,” she
said, grabbing the front of his t-shirt and pulling him after her. “Let’s try
Jasmine’s house next.”

The couple took
to the sky. Vivian was still on a high from the news of Maria’s mental
breakdown. When she finally got to Scarlet and had the opportunity to torture
her, she was definitely going to goad her with that nugget of information.

Jasmine’s house
was farther out of town. Here, the effects of vampirism had not yet taken hold.
Everything seemed pretty normal, quiet because of the time of day. A dog barked
in a garden. A broken gate clanged in the wind. All the lights were off as
everyone was tucked up safely in bed, unaware of the chaos that was going down
just a few blocks away.

Vivian indicated
to Blake where they were headed and they set down on the ground in unison.
Vivian was buoyant, enjoying herself so much.

Blake reached up
and touched his fangs, looking almost shocked by their presence and she
remembered how it had felt when she’d first been turned. Her initial feelings
were anger and fear. She’d been confused, disorientated, and her memories had
been patchy. Maybe Blake was still transitioning, or finding the whole
transformation uncomfortable? Maybe she just needed to give him a bit of time,
and soon enough he’d be filled with murderous intent, her equal in all
measures.

“Okay, time to
pay a visit to Jasmine,” Vivian said, getting back on task.

She strolled up
to Jasmine’s front door and knocked. The house was in darkness, people in the
neighborhood sleeping, oblivious to the danger that was about to be unleashed
on them.

After a long
moment, the door swung open and a man stood there in his boxers, holding a
baseball bat above his head.

“What is it?” he
said, lowering the bat when he realized that it was just two kids standing on
his doorstep. He glanced over their shoulders at the quiet street. “Why aren’t
you at home?”

Vivian looked at
Blake, then back at the man.

“We’re friends
with Jasmine,” Vivian said. “From school. Is she here?”

The man looked
suspicious.

“Of course she’s
here. It’s the dead of night. Can’t whatever it is you have to talk about wait
until the morning?” He went to close the door, muttering to himself about
teenagers and hormones and drama.

Vivian shoved
her arm forward, stopping the door from being closed. The man looked stunned.

“Sorry, sir,”
she said, in her sweet, innocent voice. “This is really important. Jasmine’s
been hanging out with an older guy. I’m really worried about her.”

Beside her,
Vivian felt Blake stiffen. He didn’t seem to be deriving any pleasure out of
Vivian going round trying to wreck Scarlet’s friend’s lives. But Vivian didn’t
care about that—she was having way too much fun taking in the sight of
Jasmine’s dad’s horrified expression.

“She’s what?” he
bellowed.

“I know,” Vivian
replied. “I didn’t want to get her in trouble but the thing is, I’m worried
about her. This guy is a total bum. I think he’s been to prison.”

Jasmine’s dad
had heard enough. He turned and roared Jasmine’s name up the stairs. Lights
flickered on from a room upstairs. A woman appeared on the landing wrapped in a
white dressing gown.

“What are you
screaming about, Hal?” she demanded.

“Get Jasmine!”
he shouted. “Get her down here right now!”

The woman
disappeared from view. Vivian was filled with excited anticipation, waiting to
see what punishment would be inflicted on Jasmine. She looked at Blake but he
didn’t look back at her.

Instead of
Jasmine appearing at the top of the stairs, it was her mom who reappeared.

“She’s not
there!” she shouted, rushing down the stairs.

When she saw
Vivian and Blake on the doorstep, her frown intensified.

“Who are you?”
she barked.

“We’re worried
friends of Jasmine’s,” Vivian said. “We think she’s met a guy, a bad guy.
Scarlet Paine introduced them, you see, and everyone knows how messed up
she
is.”

Jasmine’s mother
was becoming increasingly flustered.

“Hal. Hal,
where’s our daughter? We have to find her!”

Vivian was
thinking the same. She was hoping Jasmine would lead her to Scarlet, but it
looked like she hadn’t made it home from high school today. Either she was out
there with Scarlet already, surrounded by Kyle’s vampire army, or she’d already
been turned. That meant Scarlet was with Becca. Becca lived way out, and though
it wouldn’t exactly take Vivian long to fly there, she really didn’t want to
miss out on any of the chaos happening in the center of town. She was itching
with her desire to hurt Scarlet then join in the rampage.

“We can help
you,” Vivian said to Jasmine’s terrified parents. “Why don’t you call her
cell?”

The woman was in
such a flustered daze she did exactly as Vivian said. Vivian grinned to
herself, loving how powerful she was, how much she could mess with people’s
emotions. But Blake was still and silent beside her.

“She’s in town!”
the woman cried. “It sounds like there’s a party or a riot. I can hear
screaming!”

Jasmine’s mom
was working herself up into a panicked frenzy. Hal tried to calm his wife down
but she was becoming frantic.

“Is she with
Scarlet?” Vivian asked.

But the woman
was pacing, too overwhelmed to ask the question Vivian needed answering. She’d
hung up her phone before Vivian even got a second chance to demand the answer
from her.

Hal started
pulling a jacket over his pyjamas. He handed one to his wife, then reached for
his car keys.

“We have a
quicker way of getting there,” Vivian said.

Jasmine’s
parents look confused. Vivian turned to Blake.

“You take him,”
she said, nodding to Jasmine’s portly father. “I’ll take her.”

Blake frowned.

“What are you
doing, Vivian?” he said. “You’re messing with these people. It’s sick.”

But Vivian
didn’t care. She smirked.

“I’m having
fun,” she said with a sneer. “You should try it some time.”

With that she
sprang forward and grabbed Jasmine’s mom, sweeping her up into her arms and
leaping into the air. The woman screamed murder, completely taken by surprise
by the speed at which Vivian flew, and the height she climbed.

“What are you?”
she shouted.

Vivian laughed
manically, enjoying the thrill of causing the woman to experience such absolute
terror. She flashed her fangs at the woman.