Vampire Interrupted (Wicked Good Witches Book 8)

by Starla Silver

  Never going to happen. She needed to get a handle on the panic attacks.

  Josh stared, dumbfounded. He’d seen the gargoyles before. He and his father had helped uncrate and place them on the Howard Estate.

  “Looks like you’ve gotten yourself a rather unique pet, Melinda.” Josh smiled, dumbfounded and amused.

  “William claimed they wouldn’t act like pets, but this guy doesn’t seem to fit into the un-pet-like category.” She got a kick out of the wide smile it gave her when she rubbed its head. It reminded her of a happy pit bull she used to know that belonged to a friend she’d used to have. She imagined that dog was long dead, and that friend, off going to college if no longer living on the Isle. So many reminders of all she had lost because of fear.

  The gargoyle slipped into the shadows trotting alongside Melinda as they made their way out of the woods. Charlie wondered, with the gargoyles being able to sense things, if perhaps this one was sensitive to Melinda and her anxiety. He was grateful, as it improved her mood and she was much calmer now, knowing it was nearby.

  “Finnegan,” Melinda suddenly blurted out as they reached the parking lot.

  “Finnegan what?” asked Charlie.

  “The gargoyle. I’m going to call him Finnegan. Or Finn for short.”

  “Why Finnegan?” Charlie questioned with a bewildered smile.

  She shrugged. “Just popped into my head. And it seems right. Huh, Finn?” she aimed at the beast sitting in a shadow. It snorted out a nonsensical reply. “I think he approves,” said Melinda.

  “How do you know it’s even a he?” inquired Josh.

  “Um… I guess I don’t,” she replied. “But I’m guessing it’s a he.”

  “Call him whatever you like,” said Charlie. “But he’s an outdoor pet. He will not be sleeping inside.”

  Melinda jabbed at his arm, like she’d let the thing sleep inside. Then again, it didn’t seem like such a bad idea. Her own personal alarm system sleeping on her bedroom floor. It suddenly didn’t seem like such a bad idea to Charlie either.

  A gargoyle for a pet. Why not?

  They bade Josh a goodbye. He drove off in his truck, Charlie giving him a wave and the promise of a shared six-pack, soon. It was about midnight. The Isle quiet except for the rushing of waves crashing against the shore. The air wafting off the ocean was heavy and misted. A haze sinking across the streets.

  Sounds of downtown, late night tourists planning on closing down the pubs.

  Melinda, confident with Finnegan as her shadow, sauntered ahead, giving Charlie and Lizzy some alone time. She didn’t need to see them making eyes at each other, or listen to them get all awkward trying to talk.

  Their walk got tense far too quickly without the distractions of a third person.

  Charlie wanted to hold Lizzy’s hand and aimed to but talked himself out of it. What was it earlier, about seemingly simple things being ridiculously difficult! Hadn’t he just gotten over this problem, after realizing how stupid he’d been being afraid to ask her out.

  He’d never been apprehensive with Nina, the Guardian. But that had been a relationship of convenience for them both. This thing with Lizzy was so much more. He didn’t want to mess it up, and yet so far, that’s all he was doing.

  He huffed despondently and Lizzy stopped.

  “Is it always going to be this diificult with you?” She shook her head and held out her hand. “If it makes you feel better, I agree to your dinner date tomorrow evening.”

  “I wasn’t going to let you disagree.” He grabbed her hand before she could get away from him. “However, I was thinking, maybe dinner is a bad idea…”

  She yanked her hand out of his with a testy groan.

  “I didn’t mean it like that,” he insisted. “It dawned on me we’ll probably be out searching for the vampire again.”

  “Uh, huh.”

  “So we’d have to cut dinner short, or end up canceling it all together.”

  “Right… because you can see the future?”

  Charlie sucked in. “You’re not making this easy.”

  “You’re making it way too hard. You like to fail at things before you’ve even tried.”

  He grumbled out, “I was trying to plan ahead. Be smart about it. I thought changing our date to lunch would be a better way to ensure we didn’t have to cancel. It makes sense to me.”

  Melinda kept moving, leaving the two of them to argue.

  Her brother had really gotten himself into a heap of trouble, falling for Lizzy Deane.

  “You know what I think, Charlie Howa…” Lizzy’s tirade cut off. Charlie wrapped his arm around her tiny waist and snatched her body off the ground, pressing her into his hardened chest.

  “Don’t finish that sentence,” he warned.

  She grinned. “Men… you’re so easy to rile.”

  He groaned, swearing she was goading him on purpose.

  “You have beautiful eyes, Charlie.” The silver of his wolf danced hungrily underneath the moonlight.

  “I think I’m supposed to say that to you.”

  “I suppose…”

  His lips were so close to hers, she swallowed his breath. He breathed her in, salivating in the sweetness escaping each pore, his tongue craving to taste it with a greedy impatience. His brain worrying where a kiss would lead to, and if he’d be able to stop himself from taking it too far.

  His head cocked to the side, no intention to kiss her.

  He sniffed. Once, deeply. A second time more slowly. There was something mixed in with the sweetness. Something not Lizzy…

  A flash of movement in the corner of his eye.

  “Vampire,” he snarled, his grip on Lizzy tightening.

  It was close. And moved slow enough for Charlie to catch it. Meaning, the act was intentional. Lizzy and Charlie remained perfectly still. Breath held. Each searching over the other’s shoulders.

  A scream up ahead.

  Charlie and Lizzy gasped.

  Melinda…

  He dropped Lizzy to her feet, grabbed her hand, and they ran to find his sister. She was back against the wall of a closed store, grasping her chest.

  “I’m okay!” she shouted. “Finn caught a scent and ran off towards home. Something flew by… I could feel the movement of the air, but couldn’t see it.” It was identical to the movement William made when whooshing by her.

  “It’s the vampire,” confirmed Charlie.

  And it was heading toward the mansion. He hadn’t gotten all the extra precautions set up to ward off vampires. Michael and Emily were there, unaware. He shot a tormented glance down at Lizzy. Stay or go?

  “Go!” she urged adamantly. He took off into the darkness. He could run faster if he let enough of the wolf free. And if he stuck to the dark sides of the streets, he wouldn’t be seen. Lizzy and Melinda took off at a pathetic human speed, determined to catch up. Melinda dialed Michael, woke him and explained, then called Mack and told her shakily as they ran. Not a minute later, siren blaring, her police car screeched to a stop. The women hopped in, and Mack screamed off.

  Minutes later, they were catching up to Charlie, who was in the driveway searching for any sign of the vampire. Lizzy and Melinda hopped out of the car. Mack did as well, Melinda giving a start when instead of a gun, the sheriff pulled out a crossbow loaded with a wooden stake. A backup bulged out of her jacket pocket.

  Four beastly shapes thundered by them headed for the back of the house. The gargoyles were making a lot of noise and giving chase… the vampire was close. And for some reason, here, toying with them. Why dare come so close?

  Charlie followed the gargoyles, everyone else behind him. Around the back, he stopped and crouched, silver scouring the yard for any sign of movement. Lights flew on, Michael had flung the switch and he and Emily came flying out the back door from the kitchen. Dressed. Half awake. As confused as everyone else.

  “Stay there,” ordered Charlie.

  Michael guarded Emily on the steps.

  The s
heriff came up alongside Charlie. “Anything?”

  “Not yet.”

  More commotion, from deeper into the back of the yard, near the small orchard of fruit trees. Charlie crept forward, his eyes and ears focused, with Mack at his heels. Everyone else followed, paying no attention to Charlie’s orders to stay back. There was a shout coming from underneath the trees. A female voice…

  Charlie approached cautiously with Mack ready to fire her crossbow.

  They all stopped when the gargoyles worked their way out of the orchard, a body bouncing between them. A woman. They sniffed her, investigating her. Knocking their big heads into her.

  The woman’s dress was torn, hair disheveled. Polish chipping off her fingernails. She looked a mess, considering the last time anyone had seen her she’d been dressed in high heels, a sleek dress suit, with not a single hair out of place, while reporting the local island news.

  “Courtney Jessup,” mumbled Mack. Her crossbow lowered a few inches.

  Charlie was not so easily swayed. He approached her, not trusting this situation in the least. The gargoyles continued smelling the reporter and bumping into her body with their heads uncertain if she were evil, or not. They were perplexed by her.

  “Get these beasts off me!” demanded Courtney, once she saw Charlie and the others.

  “Why are you here?” Charlie questioned in return.

  The reporter bellied out a frustrated grunt. “Look, I came seeking out the Howard Witches. I’m not here to hurt anyone, but I do need help. HEY!” she shouted at Finnegan. The gargoyle bumped its head against her thigh. “Watch it!” she warned Finn irately.

  Melinda wished she knew more about gargoyles. She was certain William had meant to tell them more, but things had gone all chaotic before he had the chance. Regardless of her lack of knowledge, she knew what the gargoyle was thinking. She wondered if this is how her brother’s empathy worked. It was like the gargoyles sent out these silent signals that were easy to understand. Unsaid words and feelings sent in some type of telepathic frequency or something. Melinda was keen to sense them, although her brothers did pick up a little too.

  “The gargoyles can’t decide if she’s evil or not,” Melinda informed Charlie.

  “That’s what I was guessing,” he glanced at his sister. “How do you know, for sure?”

  “I can’t explain it really, just do. Like they shoved the thought into my head somehow.”

  They glanced at Michael, he shrugged. “Empathy doesn’t work on them. I get the same notion as Melinda though.” His arm was tight around Emily’s shoulders.

  “Um, hello. Can someone please call these things off,” Courtney called out, less agitated and more determined.

  “They won’t hurt you,” Melinda told her. “Unless they decide you’re evil,” she lied, instantly catching she should not reveal the fact the gargoyles were harmless.

  “I’m not evil,” Courtney shouted back to them. “At least, I don’t want to be.” Her demeanor changed, a desperation replacing the demanding impatience.

  Mack lowered her crossbow.

  Charlie chanced closing the distance between them, motioning for the rest to stay put. This time for real. They did. The situation had changed, they had no idea what was going on.

  The gargoyles backed away, disappearing one by one into the shadows.

  Finn made a bunch of noise aimed at Melinda.

  They’d decided she was not evil. It wasn’t like picking up a thought. Or an emotion. More like this vibration in her mind, that somehow wound into a coherent picture of what the gargoyles were trying to express.

  “Thanks, Finn.” Melinda gave him a wave as he vanished into a shadow.

  This situation was getting stranger by the second.

  Courtney straightened out her clothes the best possible. Although it did little good. From the looks of things, she hadn’t showered in days, and if they’d had to guess, she’d been living in the woods.

  Charlie approached, cautiously.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to freak everyone out,” the reporter claimed. “I need help. The kind only Howard Witches can give me.”

  “How do you know who we are?” asked Charlie.

  “You’re kidding, right? You’re famous, you know.”

  “Only in certain circles,” stated Michael. He joined Charlie, having left Emily with Lizzy and Melinda not too far away.

  “I think every other witch coven has heard tales of the Howard Witches. Including mine…” she admitted. “I’m a witch too.”

  “Impossible,” argued Charlie, thinking of when William had used his persuasion on her.

  “I am a witch. I swear it. You probably don’t believe me because of your vampire…”

  “You faked it,” Charlie surmised. It made more sense now. Her answers had been comical and flustered William; it had been rather humorous. Regardless, it didn’t mean he could trust this woman.

  “Yes. Thought it was funny at the time. I need to talk to your vampire. I said you guys, but really I need him. He does work with you guys, right? I’m kind of desperate, really need his help.”

  “Why his help?”

  “To help find the bastard who did this to me?” she opened her mouth and hissed.

  “Vampire…” Mack confirmed. “You’re the one killing everyone,” she charged.

  Charlie’s eyes flashed silver, a growl building in his throat. Every nerve on high alert in an instant.

  “It’s not me. I swear it.” Courtney put her hands up in surrender. “I haven’t killed anyone. But if I don’t get help, soon, it will be me… please… I really do need help. And your vampire is the only guy I know who can help me track and kill the bastard who turned me.”

  Charlie was getting a clearer picture, but his hackles would not go down.

  “You’ve just been turned?”

  Courtney nodded with a hard swallow.

  “Have you drank any human blood?” he questioned.

  “No. Not a drop. But it’s getting hard. I’m getting so hungry and I’ve got no clue how to control the cravings. I’m hoping your vampire can help me. I did not ask to be turned. I don’t want this.” She looked down at herself. “Look at me. I’m a goddamned vampire. This was not in my career plan.”

  The Howards, Emily, Lizzy, and Mack all looked between each other. Uncertain.

  Charlie wanted to believe her. But he’d been tricked one too many times and was not willing to trust so easily. He would not allow another Eva Jordan into their lives.

  “I’ll come willingly,” Courtney insisted. “You can lock me up. You’ll get your proof that it’s not me killing people. Please. I don’t want to hurt anyone. Except the bastard who stole my life and changed me.”

  Charlie sighed. Locking her up would solve the problem, whether she was guilty or not. But if this was some kind of trick to broker her way inside the house… even the gargoyles couldn’t seem to decide if she was evil, or not. In the end, they’d backed down though.

  Melinda came up alongside her brothers. “The gargoyles don’t think she’s evil. It’s more like, they thought she should be because of what she is, but now, they think of her more like William. I think she’s telling the truth.”

  Charlie nodded. “Fine. We can put you in William’s cell for the rest of the night.”

  “I hope he can help me. I’m getting desperate.”

  “Yeah. Um…” Michael started but stopped. He didn’t want to reveal that William wasn’t around to offer any help. And if Courtney had recently been turned, and there was another vampire on the Isle responsible, this took the situation to a whole new level of desperation for all of them. He saw the same fears in his sibling’s gazes too.

  CHAPTER 11

  Courtney stepped purposely, forcing herself to take a normal human stride. She followed the direction Charlie told her to go. They brought her down to William’s cell and locked her inside.

  “Melinda,” called out Charlie. “Do we still have some of William’s ani
mal blood handy?”

  “Um, yeah. He left most of it.” She hurried to grab one.

  Courtney was a sharp woman who didn’t miss a beat.

  “I didn’t see your vampire hanging around, and you were not sure you had blood on hand. He’s not even here, is he?”

  “Sorry. No.” Charlie shrugged, unsure what else to say.

  She slunk down into a chair in a defeated slump. “I really hoped he could help me. I mean, there’s no cure for this. But he seemed to manage it well. The one that did this to me was… crazed. Wild. I’ve never seen anything like it. He’s got to be the one you’re searching for. The one killing people.”

  Sympathy melted Charlie’s distrust, just a little. Something in his gut told him this woman was telling the truth. She’d been turned into a vampire against her will, and this is why she’d been in hiding. And she didn’t want to be a monster.

  She was a witch, who knew enough about vampires to avoid drinking human blood. Once you did, it was so much harder to stop. And took many years of practice and determination to control the bloodlust. At least, this is what William had told them.

  Charlie imagined the cravings were intense and wondered how she was coping with this sudden change. Christ, the change in diet and having to avoid sunlight alone must be nearly impossible.

  He unlocked the door as Melinda came down with the blood and stepped inside. He went in and told Michael to lock the door behind him. Everyone else waited outside, listening.

  She accepted the blood eagerly.

  “God this dredge is awful.” But she sucked it down anyway.

  “I bet fresh deer tastes better.” He lifted an eyebrow in question.

  “God, the poor thing. I hated to kill it but I was so friggin’ hungry. It was either that or… you know.”

  “I’m starting to get the picture.”

  “I was still there, when you guys showed up and found my most recent meal.”

  “That’s why the trail ended,” Lizzy pieced together outside the cell door.

  “I thought about popping out right then, but I was afraid I’d scare you and end up with a stake through my heart before explaining myself.”