Vampires 101 (Twilight Hunters Book 1) A Vampire Romance (24 page)

“And what about your unfinished business? Did you get that figured out?” I tried to smile, but my lips just would not cooperate.

He nodded. “I did.”

“And what was it?” I wanted to know. Now he’d peaked my curiosity.

“You were my unfinished business.” He said it in such a matter of fact way, I wasn’t sure I’d heard him right.

“What do you mean I was your unfinished business?”

“I had to stay here and help you make the transition. If you hadn’t known me … you would have never believed. It would have been harder for you to see what’s all around you … to do what it is you have to do.”

“How long have you known?” I asked.

“Since I ran into that reaper. It took some quick talking, but I managed to get him to go to your boyfriend. They have the ability to materialize. It’s much harder for us ghosts.”

“So he’s the one that told you?” It made sense. If anyone might know what was keeping a spirit earthbound, it would probably be a reaper.

Chaz nodded. “The other side is aware of you. He told me that you have an important role to play in what is to come, and that you needed me with you for a time.”

My heart skipped a beat. “Did he say what that role was?”

Chaz shook his head.

“But do you really have to go?”

He grinned. “Cheer up Dude … it’s the natural order of things. Besides, I’ll bet they’re having one hell of a party up there. I’d hate to miss out.”

I choked on the words that were trying to come out of my mouth. I wanted to ask him to stay just a little while longer, but I couldn’t. That would be too selfish.

“Don’t be so down,” he laughed. “You never know. I might pop in on you ever now and again. If they let me anyway.”

Chaz took my hand in his, and in that instant I saw his life run through my head. He’d loved music, almost as much as breathing. It had been his life. His days had been filled with sunshine, while his nights were all about friends and parties. Life had been sweet, up until the day his little girl died.

Jeanie Marie was three years old the day she wandered across the street and fell into the river. He’d only taken his eyes off of her for a second, but that had been long enough for a busy three year old to get into trouble.

Now I knew the truth.

Riddled with guilt and sick with grief, Chaz had hit that tree on purpose, hoping to escape his misery.

His pain was so real to me that I could not stop the trembling that gripped my body. “I’m so sorry about your daughter.”

Chaz’s smile was bittersweet. “Jeanie Marie is waiting for me now. I can hear her calling for her daddy.”

“Well don’t keep her waiting.” Though I could not stop the tears, I was consoled with the knowledge that there was about to be a joyful reunion in heaven.

“You know everything will be ok don’t you?” he asked.

I nodded. He was right. No matter what else happened, life would go on, and the world would keep turning.

“And don’t worry about that boyfriend of yours,” he winked. “He’ll come around.”

With that, Chaz’s image faded away like an early morning mist.

* * *

It was nearly midnight, and still I could not bring myself to go home to my empty apartment. I wandered the streets of Pine View, oblivious to the dangers of the night. It didn’t matter; no one was paying any attention. Certainly not the two homeless men crouched behind a dumpster, doing their best to consume an entire fifth of whiskey in the shortest time possible. I was also invisible to the gang members that tossed a rock through the window of the Blue Moon Tattoo Shop, as well as the cop that responded to the alarm a few minutes later.

Not being noticed was fine with me. Being invisible was exactly what I wanted to be.

If Grams were alive, she’d say I was pouting. But I wasn’t pouting; I was nursing a broken heart. There was a difference.

Turning down 4th Street, I kept walking until I came to Madison Park. It appeared dark and deserted. That was good. I’d have a place to sit in quiet contemplation, without having to worry about being interrupted, or murdered.

Sitting on the swing, I kicked my feet until I was slowly moving back and forth. Leaning my head back, I gazed up at a million twinkling stars against a backdrop of black velvet.

“Damn it Damian! Where are you?”

It was the same question I’d asked every night for weeks. Always I was answered with nothing more than bleak silence. If not for the very real pain in my heart, I might have believed I’d imagined it all - that I’d imagined him.

Unlike other broken relationships, where there might be little mementos - photographs to remind me of what I lost, with Damian I had none of these things. It was like he’d never existed.

From behind, someone grabbed the chains of the swing and the motion came to an abrupt stop. In that split second before I gave myself whiplash turning to see who was behind me, my mind raced with possibilities.

It could be another reptilian searching for food, or it could be a human monster looking for easy prey. Hell, for all I knew it could be Jack the Ripper, dropping in from the other side to pay me a not so friendly visit.

But it wasn’t a monster.

Damian stood behind me, his eyes glistening in the dim glow of the nearby streetlights.

“Damian!” I could hardly believe that he’d actually come.

Please don’t let this be a dream!

But he seemed different somehow. His eyes were like black ice, and the fierce anger on his face was completely unfamiliar to me.

“Damian,” I repeated his name.

He took a step back at the same time that I jumped to my feet.

“I’ve come for only one reason,” he said, his voice so cold it sent a chill straight into my heart. “You are now free of the Anunnaki … and you are free of me. There is no longer any need for you to have a Watcher.”

“Because I’m joining the Hunters?” I asked, unable to keep my voice from quivering.

He nodded, but the movement was so subtle that I wasn’t even sure I’d seen it.

“But I thought you wouldn’t care about that … that me being free of the Anunnaki is what you wanted?”

Again he nodded. “It is.”

Suddenly my misery was so profound that I could actually feel the pain squeezing at my throat and chest. “Damian I am so sorry. I didn’t mean what I said. I just didn’t know because I couldn’t remember.”

His eyes softened, but only slightly. “I know,” he said in a voice so low that I could barely hear him. “But you didn’t believe in me … you didn’t trust me. It’s not really your fault. You can’t trust me because I’m different. That will never change,” he added, this time the sorrow in his voice was unmistakable.

Every fiber of my being wanted to scream at him and beg him not to go away from me. I knew that’s what he intended to do.

Damian shook his head. “You and I … we were never meant to be.”

“No!” I tried to scream, but it came out sounding more like a sob. “That’s not true. I love you.”

Stepping around the swing so that he was standing next to me, he reached out to caress my cheek. “Just like you … there was a time I believed we could overcome any obstacle, but I don’t believe that anymore.”

“No Damian.” These were the only words I could manage to utter before I was enveloped by raw pain so overwhelming that it ripped the breath right from my lungs.

He offered me a faint - haunting smile. “Cassie … you have important work to do. That part hasn’t changed.”

I shook my head violently. “But not without you.”

“I’d only be in the way. I’m the bad guy … remember,” he whispered.

My tears were unrelenting. “I don’t care.

“Don’t cry Princess. I will always hold you close to my heart.” He leaned into me and brushed my lips with a kiss.

Then as quickly as he’d appeared, he was gone. It happened so fast that my eyes had no time to take it in. It was like he was never there.

In the grip of pure agony, I collapsed to the ground, rocking back and forth as I wept out loud.

Emotionally and physically exhausted, I fell into a deep - almost comatose sleep.

* * *

The cheerful birdsong seemed so out of place in my deep hole of self-pity and misery, all I wanted was to block them out. That might have been possible, if it weren’t for the hand that had a hold of my arm, shaking me awake.

“Go away,” I moaned.

“Get up … unless you want me to haul you in.” The male voice was sharp and unyielding.

I gradually opened my eyes. At first all I could see was a pair of black boots and black pants, but as my gaze continued upward, I saw the shining metal of a silver badge. I could see in the officer’s eyes, he was absolutely sure he’d just stumbled onto a tweaker, who had decided to spend the night in the park because she was too messed up to get home.

At least he was partly right. I’d been too messed up to get home.

“I hope you have a good explanation for this. You must have cut every rose in the city to do this. How did you manage to get all these flowers to the park?” he demanded.

Flowers!

What was he talking about?

I pushed myself into a sitting position and tried desperately to see what the officer was seeing. All I saw were blotches of red and white lying in the grass a few feet away.

“What is that?’ I asked.

“I don’t know,” he barked. “Why don’t you tell me?”

Though it wasn’t easy, I managed to get to my feet, but still all I could see were splotches of red and white roses.

“What is it?”

Wrapping his fingers around my arm, the officer backed me up several feet. “Can you see it now?” he asked, a note of sarcasm in his voice.

My heart sang with delight. Spelled out with red and white flowers were the words: I LOVE YOU.

I knew then that Chaz was right. He loved me and he would be back. For the first time in weeks, I was blissfully happy.

# # #

Skinwalkers Series

Book 1 – Bad Moon Rising

Immortal Destiny Series

Book 1 - Born to Darkness

Book 2 - Night Breed

Book 3 -Wolves and Black Roses

Book 4 -Tears of the Vampire

Realm of the Wolf Series

Book 1 - Wolf Dance

Book 2 - Moon Calling

Novellas

The Pirate’s Dark Revenge

Soul Eater

Song of the Annunaki

Phantom Rider

Short Stories

Tahitian Magic

Mabasa’s Fire

Indian Outlaw

Seducing the Wolf

Dreamscape Seduction

Lorraine Kennedy is the author of the Immortal Destiny and Skinwalkers series, as well as the Realm of the Wolf Series. She is also the author of several novellas and short stories. Ms. Kennedy was born and raised in Utah but has lived in several different states. She attended Weber State University, majoring in Criminal Justice and at one point studied Anthropology.  Lorraine Kennedy and her family now make their home in Utah. You can get Lorraine Kennedy news by visiting her on the web at www.lorrainekennedy.com