Despite James’s insistence at being happy with them as friends, after he met Amy the pressure had been taken off Serenity. She’d been able to relax into the friendship without worrying about a second agenda.
Of course, Amy had been a little harder to convince at first. Naturally she’d thought something was going on between Serenity and James, but once Serenity’s condition became obvious and Amy had been assured James had absolutely nothing to do with it, Amy soon relaxed.
In the end, Amy quickly became a friend as well.
A year after they met, James and Amy were married and not long after, Amy announced her pregnancy. Their son had recently turned one and the little family couldn’t be happier.
Serenity and James walked down the street until they reached a small coffee shop. Tables and chairs were set out on the sidewalk.
“You didn’t need to come pick me up,” Serenity said, pulling out a wrought iron chair at the nearest table and sitting down.
James sat opposite. “I don’t mind. Amy said we never get the chance to see each other anymore, what with these new shift patterns I’m doing, so it seemed like a good opportunity to catch up. Besides, until you get yourself a car, I’ll feel bad heading back to the same part of the city without offering a lift.”
Serenity grinned. “I’m doing my bit to save the planet,” she said. “This city has too many cars already without me adding to the problem.”
The waitress appeared beside their table, catching their attention, and James ordered two lattes.
“So how is the new job going?” Serenity asked after the waitress moved away with their order. James Bently had taken the job of Police Sergeant a little over a month ago.
“Good,” he said, nodding. “I miss some parts of the old job and there’s even more paper work, but it has its good points. I’m enjoying the extra responsibility and at least I’m not picking drunk kids up off the street anymore.”
“That’s great, James. I’m so pleased everything is working out for you.”
“Yeah, well things are kind of hectic at the moment. I’m sure you’ve heard about what’s been happening in Angeles Forest…”
Serenity nodded. A spate of murders had occurred in the area. No, ‘murder’ implied the killings were planned or methodical in some way. These were frenzied attacks.
At first, the police thought dogs may have been used as the flesh had been ripped from the victim’s bodies like an animal attack but, after forensic analysis had been conducted, they discovered the few bite marks clear enough to get imprints from were those of a human. The thought chilled her to the soul. She found the possibility of one person doing such a thing to another unthinkable.
Now the police thought more than one person might be involved. In the cases of more than one victim being attacked at once, both victims had been easily overpowered with no signs of a struggle. This suggested someone else must have been present, restraining the other victim while the killer did his worst. To inflict so much damage would take time and the police found no signs of rope burn or any other restraints being used, and no drugs were found in the system of any of the victims.
The first victims, a young newlywed couple, had been out hiking for a few days in Los Angeles National Forest. They weren’t reported missing until a week after they’d left—they were on vacation and no one thought it strange that they hadn’t been heard from. By the time their bodies turned up, most of the evidence had been corrupted.
The police had no idea who was committing these heinous crimes. The perpetrator seemed to disappear into thin air.
The body of a young man was the first of the victims to be found. Initially, the cops thought his murder to be a horrific, isolated case, but then the bodies of the first victims were discovered, happened upon by a park ranger. By the time the bodies were found animals had gotten to them, making the forensic work nearly impossible. Even so, they were obviously dealing with the same killer, or killers.
Several weeks passed before another two walkers were reported missing. By this time word was getting round. Patrol officers had been assigned to the Angeles National Forest, but the area covered a thousand miles of forest, impossible to cover. The most worrying thing was that the killings were getting steadily closer and closer to the city. Where the first had been in the depth of the forest, where only very experienced hikers would go, the latest had been a dog walker.
The area drew millions of visitors every year and, while the police warned people to stay on designated trails and to camp only in the provided sites, not everyone listened.
Visitor numbers had dropped off, but still people thought, ‘it couldn’t happen to me’. Even worse, groups of young men went out, looking for trouble.
No one knew if the killer, or killers, were moving closer to the city because of the absence of people from the centre of the forest, or if they moved closer with intention?
Whatever the motive, whoever was committing the murders left no traces for the police to follow.
Serenity pulled her thought from the murders; James wouldn’t want to discuss them again. He dealt with all this horror at his job. He wouldn’t want to come for coffee with a friend and have work brought up again.
“So you made the right choice by taking the job?” she asked. “No regrets?”
James shrugged. “It wasn’t a difficult decision. With Amy not working we needed the money, so no regrets.”
They fell silent as the coffee arrived. Around them the street lights flickered to life and the café’s outside lamps came on. The cars streaming past all started to put their headlamps on.
Night had fallen.
“What about you?” he asked. “How’s life treating you?”
She mimicked his shrug. “Busy, but that’s good. Helps keep my mind off other things.”
She trailed off, not needing to mention what consisted of the ‘other things’. James had been with her through everything and knew most of what she’d experienced, though he didn’t know the whole truth. Some things, she would never tell him. She wouldn’t put him through the dilemma of knowing one of his friends had killed.
“You know Amy and I will help out wherever we can,” he said. “All you have to do is ask…”
“You guys help enough,” she said, shaking her head. “I couldn’t ask for any more.”
He held his hands up in mock defense. “The offer is open. Especially if you needed, say, an evening off for a date…”
She faked a scowl. “I don’t have time for dates, and anyway, I’m fine on my own. I don’t need the complication.”
“You can’t be on your own forever, Serenity.”
Serenity raised her eyebrows, lips pressed together, but remained silent.
“Okay, okay. I’ll drop it,” he said reluctantly.
Serenity picked up her coffee and took a sip. She wished James hadn’t brought up her total lack of a social life; the topic only brought painful memories. Easy for him to be flippant; he had found his soul mate. She’d found that person and lost him again. How was she ever supposed to settle for someone else?
As though the thought of Sebastian conjured up his presence, she sensed him near, like fingers lightly touching the nape of her neck or the sensation of someone standing right behind her.
Serenity spun around in her chair, her heart beating out of her chest. The street looked normal. A young couple strolled by holding hands, the girl laughing at something her boyfriend had said. An older woman walked a small dog, dragging the animal along as it tried to stop and sniff at the legs of a newspaper stand. The owner of an antiques shop across the street pulled shutters down over the shop windows with a pole, the sound clattering across the street.
She shook the thought from her head. This was no different than the thousands of times she’d believed him close. Yet if that were true, then why did her heart race? Why were the hairs on the back of her neck standing up as though a cold wind had kissed her?
“Are you okay?” James asked, reaching
across the table to lightly touch the back of her hand with his fingertips. The contact brought her out of her reverie and she shook her head slightly and frowned.
“Yeah, of course.”
“Someone walked over your grave, huh?” he asked, grinning. He must have seen the look on her face and remembered how close she had come to death, as the smile faded. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t tease you about finding a date. I’m sure someone will come along when the time is right.”
Though the events of four years ago remained a secret between them, they rarely discussed the time. James had only experienced a brief encounter with Madeline, but it had been long enough to leave him shocked and questioning his new reality. His world had been opened up. All of the things he’d never thought possible—ghosts, demons, vampires—had suddenly become a reality. Of course, Serenity had been more deeply affected. Her life had been completely and irrevocably changed by the events of four years ago, and though she’d been left scarred and with her own demons, she would not change a thing.
After all, she’d been left with a constant reminder of Sebastian.
Serenity didn’t want to be sitting here anymore. All the warmth of the night had disappeared, every muscle in her body tense. She felt as though she was waiting for someone to reach out of the dark and grab her.
“Can we go?” she asked, taking another gulp of her coffee.
“Of course,” James said, his brow creasing in concern. “Do you want me to ask if we can get these to go?” He nodded to the still full coffees.
She shook her head. “No, I’m fine.” Then she remembered her manners. “You get your one though. I’m fine, honestly.”
James wedged a ten dollar bill under the sugar canister, leaving his un-drunk coffee where it was. “A little less caffeine will do me good,” he said, offering her a smile.
From the other side of the street, Sebastian snarled. He wanted to leap at the man and tear out his throat. His back bristled in fury. It killed him to witness her with someone else. Even though he’d told her to get on with her life, seeing her with another man wasn’t easy.
He wanted to reach into his own chest and rip out his heart. Maybe that was his issue? His heart had broken, turned into something black and damaged. He wasn’t the same person as when he’d met Serenity. Now he was different, and not for the better. Before Serenity, he’d been dead. Now he was dying every minute—every second—of the day.
Rage fired from within, burning through every muscle. He wanted desperately to kill, take his rage out on whoever was closest and lose himself in the rush of blood he knew would follow. Every male human suddenly became the enemy.
His legs crumpled beneath him and he curled into a ball, trying to fight the instinct threatening to overwhelm him. His long coat hung down either side of his body, his arms clutched over his head. He felt his body changing and he hunched around himself, fighting the struggle within.
People continued to walk by on the busy street, unaware of the darkness and danger they passed.
“Hey, man,” a man’s concerned voice asked from above. “Are you…”
“Don’t!” Sebastian put out one hand, stopping the man in his tracks, the other still clutched over the top of his head. Sebastian struggled to get the words out. “Don’t come near me.”
The young man was little more than a boy. Sebastian knew if he raised his head, the boy would never be the same again.
His fangs jutted from his mouth, visible over his lips. The fangs did not grow, but instead the musculature of his jaw changed so they became more prominent when he needed to feed. No longer were they tucked away in the corners of his mouth, hidden beneath his lips. His eyes would be glowing yellow in the dark.
Sebastian didn’t need to worry. The young man heard the growl in Sebastian’s voice and quickly hurried away
Sebastian forced himself to bite back his anger and control his emotions. Slowly, the need to kill ebbed away and he regained his humanity once more.
Allowing himself to unfurl, he stood straight. He wasn’t here to get Serenity back, he reminded himself. He wanted to find out what the monster was and learn if his fears were real. Once done, he would go back to Europe and leave her to her life.
Sebastian peered around the corner. Across the street, Serenity stood from her chair and picked up her belongings. She looked well. Over four years had passed since he’d last lain eyes on her. He worked out her age; she would be thirty-two now, the same age he’d been when Madeline stole him from his family. She’d cut her hair slightly shorter, so the locks brushed her shoulders, framing her big dark eyes.
The extra years on her fascinated him—he found the whole aging process mesmerizing. He wished he could touch her face, trace the fine lines apparent around her eyes.
The police officer placed his hand on Serenity’s lower back, gently guiding her around the table.
Sebastian gritted his teeth and forced himself to turn away. He would let them go for the moment. He didn’t trust himself to follow them home tonight; didn’t think he could handle the pain of watching them play happy family.
Had she forgotten him so easily? As soon as he’d left, had the police officer taken his place?
Sebastian was angry at himself for ever thinking what had been between them was real. Maybe she’d only seen him as a means to an end—a way of getting rid of her husband. Sebastian tried to tell himself as much, but it didn’t ring true. He knew what she’d been through and how she’d begged him to take her with him. It didn’t make sense that she’d gone through so much for no real reason.
Yet the presence of this man in her life made him question; had she ever really loved him?
Chapter Three
Serenity stood behind James as he opened the front door to his house. The home—a large three bedroom, with a generous front yard and on a good street—put Serenity’s small, two bed apartment to shame. She didn’t hold their success against the couple. She was proud of what she’d achieved over the last few years. She’d built a life by herself, without relying on anyone else.
However, she would be lying to herself if she didn’t admit she experienced a little pang of jealously toward the couple sometimes, but not for their material possessions. When she saw them together, with their son, she envisaged a family. Perhaps the family would have been hers if she’d accepted James early on, but the relationship wouldn’t have been real. She couldn’t love James when she was always going to be so utterly in love with someone else.
Amy appeared to greet them before they even made it through the front door.
“Hey, you two,” she said, a warm smile on her face. “You didn’t stay out long.”
James smiled and bent to kiss his wife on the mouth. “You talk like we’re teenagers coming home.”
She shrugged. “I just thought you might take some advantage of being childless for once.” She peeped around James’s broad frame. “Hey, Serenity.”
“Hi,” she grinned. “How’re you doing?”
At only five-feet-two, the other woman was shorter than Serenity by five inches. With shoulder length blonde hair and cheeks that always had healthy glow to them, Amy was all curves and smiles. Serenity couldn’t help but love her.
“Fine, thanks. They’re asleep.” She motioned her head to the front room. “Come and take a look.”
Serenity followed Amy into the living room. Curled up on the couch, thumb in his mouth, was their son Noah. The boy had Amy’s fine blonde hair and rosy cheeks, especially as he slept. Beside him lay a little girl, a couple of years older, also asleep.
Serenity crouched down beside the girl. A fan of dark eyelashes rested on her pale cheeks. Clutched loosely in one hand was a piece of muslin cloth; her comfort blanket. Serenity reached out and pushed a strand of dark, wavy hair away from her face.
“Elizabeth,” she spoke gently. “Hey honey, it’s time to go home.”
The girl stirred, and pulled her muslin blanket closer to her face, but didn’t wake up.
/> “She exhausted herself running around after Noah.” Amy’s voice came from behind Serenity.
Serenity stroked her daughter’s cheek. It was cool to touch. “She does love Noah.”
“Yeah. I love watching her fuss over him. She always seems to know exactly what he wants, like she’s talking for him. ‘Amy, Noah wants some juice’, or ‘Noah’s feet are cold’.” Amy laughed. “I guess that’s kids for you—always a bit more perceptive than adults.”
Serenity smiled to herself. Elizabeth wasn’t just perceptive with Noah, she did it to everyone. “As long as she’s not in your way.”
“Of course she’s not. She’s a pleasure to have.”
“Elizabeth?” Serenity said again, a little louder. “You need to wake up now.”
Elizabeth’s eyes fluttered open. She rubbed at her eyes with the back of her hand and pulled herself to sitting.
“Hello, Mommy.”
“Hi, sweetheart. It’s getting late. We need to get home now.”
“I helped Amy bath Noah, and we had spaghetti for dinner.”
“That’s great, honey,” she said, gathering her daughter in her arms.
“Let me drive you home,” James offered.
Serenity’s apartment wasn’t far but night had long since fallen and the memory of someone watching her still clung to her. She wanted to turn down the offer out of politeness, but she didn’t want to take her sleepy daughter out in the dark.
“Thanks,” she said, reluctantly. “You guys are too good to me.”
What she said was true. They didn’t need to provide her with the free child care so she could take her night course in Contemporary Architecture. Serenity didn’t have any other real friends—only acquaintances—and she wouldn’t manage without them.
James drove the ten blocks to her apartment. Elizabeth had fallen asleep in the back again and Serenity climbed out of the car and lifted her daughter from the back seat.
The Serenity Series: Box Set: Books 1-3 Page 24
