by Suzy Shearer
She heard a rustle in front of her and her heart leapt to her throat, as a small lizard peeped out from the grasses at the base of a tree.
“Hell, you scared me.” Laughingly she spoke to the lizard.
“I thought you were one of those things, those stroganoffs. No that wasn’t the word. Strin…stron…oh hell, one of those vampires!”
She watched the tiny lizard as he darted across her path to disappear in the grasses opposite her. Her heart was slowly settling back to where it belonged.
She thought sometimes blissful ignorance was the best way to go. Now she knew such horror existed in the world she would never feel safe again. No matter how hard she tried to pretend, the fact was, vampires existed. She could bury her head in the sand and run away but it was not going to alter the facts.
Picking up the rucksack, she strapped it onto her back and began walking again. The more she thought about it all, the more confused she became.
Julie was so glad when she saw the fence line to her property. Her side fence sloped gently up a hill toward the start of the long mountain ridge. The old house she lived in had been her mother’s. She never knew her father, she and her mother had lived in the house until she was twenty. She had left then when she was working as a programmer for a large company and rented in the City.
Then her mother was killed when she was twenty-five.
Shocked and grieving, she had quit her job and moved back to live in the house.
Now she knew about the things that go bump in the night she was starting to wonder about her mother’s death. The police had told her they had found the house unlocked, the back door wide open, and her mother missing. Her body was found, a few weeks later, by a bushwalker. The police told her she had been killed by a wild animal. They told her the body had been slashed, broken, and drained of blood.
Julie now believed her mother was taken by a vampire.
Like Julie, her mother was psychic and had sometimes said she thought there was someone in the yard calling her. Julie had dismissed it but now she wondered if her mother was lured to her death by a monster.
She pushed aside the fact that she, too, had heard voices. Tried to pretend they had not called her at night. Tried to pretend she had not sometimes been tempted to go to them.
Unlocking the side gate, Julie went up to the house. It needed some work done on it. It was almost one hundred years old. She loved it. It had a wide verandah all around the house. There were three very large bedrooms, although she had turned one into an office, but it was mainly filled with her collection of fiction. There was a formal dining room, a family area adjacent to the big old-fashioned kitchen with a large pantry and a formal living room. There was a small en suite that her mother had installed and a family bathroom. Most of the windows had stained glass features. The house had character and charm with plenty of room to expand, she just needed to save enough money to start.
She threw her rucksack in the laundry, and checked on her chickens, giving them fresh water and food. After collecting a couple of eggs, she went inside and threw herself on the couch, thankful to be home. Although, even though she tried to ignore it, she was saddened that she would never see Tomas again. He was constantly in her thoughts, much as she tried to pretend he wasn’t. She actually felt acute pain in her heart each time she thought of him and the knowledge she would never see him again.
Unless she was greatly mistaken, she was heartbroken by the loss, but it was too late now. There was no way to find him or him her. It was too late now to walk back to where the tent was. She had made her choice by leaving but now she was thinking her choice was completely misguided.
* * * *
Tomas came awake and knew immediately something was wrong, Julie was not beside him. He crawled out of the tent, calling her name. He looked around the clearing for her. She was nowhere to be seen. Frantically he called her name again and again. Using his mind, he searched for her but, because there had not been a blood exchange between them, he could only mentally search around half a kilometre.
She was gone!
Tomas screamed and raged for ages.
Where was she?
Had she left voluntarily and, if she had, why?
Had a strigoi taken her?
He was angry at himself for not making an exchange when he had taken her blood, now she was lost to him. He had no idea where she lived, where she was now. She was a target for any strigoi in the area. He stormed around, throwing things for an hour or so.
He was still raging and throwing things when Michael appeared.
“Ah, tantrum time, I see, kid.”
Tomas whirled around to face Michael, fangs bared, claws out, his eyes blazing red.
Michael sat on a nearby rock, looking at Tomas. He didn’t speak, just waited for him to settle down. Tomas continued to kick at rocks, cursing and yelling.
After a few minutes, he slumped to the ground in front of Michael.
“She’s gone,” he moaned.
“Who? Julie?”
“Who else?” he replied sarcastically. “Yes, Julie. When I woke there was no trace of her.”
“Didn’t you do a blood exchange?”
“No, I was too busy trying to stay alive. I had no choice.”
“Well you should have, at least you would be able to locate her.”
“Oh gee, Michael,” he jeered, “don’t you think I know that? Anyway, did you do a blood exchange when you first met Louisa? Did Matei when he met Charlotte? No!”
Michael had the grace to look sorry. He had felt Tomas’s anger and come to the camp.
“She could have been taken.”
“What time did you go to sleep, Tomas?”
“Just after sunrise.”
“And she was there?”
“Yes.”
“Think. If you went to sleep after the sun had risen and she was there, there is no way a strigoi could have taken her.”
Tomas hit his forehead with his hand, “Arg…I’m not thinking straight.”
“Do you know where she lives?”
Tomas shook his head.
“What about a last name?”
Tomas closed his eyes for a moment remembering when he asked her who she was. “Smith, Julie Smith.”
“Well, that is a start. Okay, first things. Let’s get back to Louisa, she sent me to make sure you were both okay when we felt your anger. Pack the tent up. I’m guessing your mate would like it back.”
Tomas glared at Michael but stood and dismantled the tent, rolling it into the sleeping bag. He nodded to Michael and then transformed into a large eagle. Picking up the sleeping bag with tent inside in his talons, he flew off, not bothering to see if Michael was following. Frankly he was too upset to care.
He landed on the small balcony of their apartment, Louisa opened the door and went to kiss his cheek but he dropped the bundle on the ground and strode past her. Michael landed a few minutes later and kissed his mate.
“He is not a happy man,” she said, “What can we do?”
“See if we can find his missing One. Trouble is, this is a very large place and it’ll be like looking for a needle in a haystack. At least we have a name if nothing else.”
They walked into the lounge area. Tomas was sitting on a couch, his hands in his face.
“Tomas.” Louisa touched his shoulder and said gently, “We will find her.”
He looked up at her. Normally a smile lit up his face but today it was filled with anguish. He shook his head.
“I’ve lost her.”
Louisa knelt in front of him. “We will find her,” she repeated. “Come, let’s check the computer.”
She stood and held out her hand to him. Reluctantly he took it and she led him to the table where she had set up her laptop. Michael came over and stood behind her, his hands caressing her shoulders. She patted one hand before beginning her search.
“Okay, her name?”
“Julie Smith.”
Louisa punched in the nam
e into the local phone directory. Tomas gave a groan when about thirty “J Smiths” came up. There were also a few dozen more with a different first initial.
Michael grinned at him. “At least it is a start.”
Tomas could not find anything amusing in his statement and just glowered at him.
Louisa looked at Michael, and on their private bandwidth she said, “Stop teasing him. Remember what it felt like when you thought you had lost me.” She sounded angry with him. “You forget he is a grown man because you are so old!”
Michael sobered. Those hours when he thought Louisa was lost forever had been the longest in his life. He finally realised what Tomas must be feeling.
“I’m sorry Tomas. I treat you like a kid, but I’m sorry…” He held out his hand. Tomas looked at it then clasped it. “You must be going through hell. I know I did when I thought I’d lost Louisa.”
Desperately he urged, “Just help me find her.”
Michael nodded. “Let’s start with this list of names. If we take about ten each we should be able to cover them all tonight.
Louisa printed out a list of the names and their addresses.
“Tomas, if she isn’t in this lot, don’t panic. This is only the main city. There is still the outlying and then the rural areas to call up. I just thought we could cross these off first as they are the closest. Then there are all the other ‘Smiths.’”
“Thank you, Louisa.”
“Remember, while we are searching, don’t forget to look for traces of the strigoi at the same time,” Michael reminded them.
They each took a list and then flew off into the night to investigate.
* * * *
By eight o’clock, Julie was soaking in the bath. There was a small en suite off the master bedroom that her mother had installed. It had a shower and toilet. The original family bathroom still had a bath, although the shower was gone to make enough room to install a second toilet.
Lying there, Julie thought about things Tomas had told her. Each time she thought about Tomas she felt like crying. She would never see him again and already her heart felt emptier. If she thought too long it was like a knife tearing into her heart, the pain was so acute.
She recalled he mentioned that being a psychic human was something that the vampires loved. That would mean she would attract them.
However, how would she know?
The more she thought about it, the more she was convinced that was what had happened to her mother. She thought about the voices she heard in her head late at night when she thought she was asleep and dreaming. Over the years, on a few occasions, they had called to her, but she had never answered them, always thinking she was asleep.
What if they were the monsters trying to get her?
What if one had lured her mother outside and taken her?
Maybe all her life she had been lucky. What if one had found her when she was camping?
Julie bit back a sob, if she started crying, she doubted she would stop. Suddenly, the night was no longer a friendly place. She wouldn’t sit in her yard at night looking up at the stars. Never again would she camp in the mountains she loved, never would she be able to walk in the quiet and peace of the night.
What if one forced it way into her house?
How could she defend herself against it?
She let out a sob. A few days ago, her life was blissfully ignorant of things that go bump in the night, now she felt like she was living her life in fear. That the rest of her life she would become a prisoner in her own home after sunset.
Getting out of the tub, she dried off and looked at herself in the mirror. She had lived forty-two years without knowing and had survived, was she going to let this knowledge turn her into a hermit afraid to leave her house?
Maybe.
She stared at the face looking back her and shook her head. If she thought rationally, she was in no different place than before. Instead, she was armed with more knowledge now. When she got those creepy feelings or thought someone was calling her, she would make damn sure she didn’t listen or act.
She smiled at the woman in the mirror.
Then she looked at herself critically. Tomas had said she was beautiful.
The woman in the mirror was average height at five foot eight. Her hair was soft and curly, even if it had a mind of its own. The eyes looking back at her were blue-grey. She looked at her figure, maybe she was a little too padded, but she wasn’t too bad. In fact, she loved her curves. Truthfully she loved her body, the way she looked. Her breasts were full and her body shapely, if you liked your women with plenty of flesh on her bones. Well, anyway Tomas seemed to her that way.
Her eyes sparkled as they filled with tears. She needed to stop thinking about Tomas. She thought she’d done the right thing in leaving but she was desolate knowing she would never see him again. Now she was away from his influence she was realising that it made no difference. For the first time in her life, a man had made her feel alive and wanted and like a fool she had ran away.
Finally she realised she had made the biggest mistake of her life. The saddest part was she had no idea how to find him and he would have no way of locating her.
It wasn’t as if she could put an ad in the paper—“Looking for the immortal Hunter who saved me from a vampire.” No, she now had to face the fact that in her fear she had ruined her future.
Sadly Julie dressed and walked into the kitchen. She made herself something light to eat, a sandwich, and took it into the lounge room. She felt so lost. After eating, she just sat, remembering the feel of Tomas’s lips on hers, the feel of his hands on her body.
For goodness sake, she thought. I’m acting like a love-sick teenager instead of a mature woman. I need to just forget all about him.
However, that was far easier said than done. Finally, she stood and went to bed, her dreams filled with vibrant green eyes, soft long black hair, and a beguiling sexy smile.
* * * *
Just before sunrise, the three Hunters returned to the apartment. None had been successful in locating Julie. None of the houses they visited contained anyone with psychic abilities.
Tomas was despondent.
“Tomas, we still have all the outlying areas to cover tonight and then if that doesn’t find her, we do the rural areas. It was just easier to start here in the city. I’ll do a search now and print out the lists so we can leave as soon as we wake and eat.”
Tomas nodded but didn’t speak. Louisa and Michael went into the kitchenette. Louisa made them a mushroom omelette each. Louisa put one on a plate and took it out to Tomas, who said he was not hungry.
“Don’t be silly, Tomas. Starving yourself will not make it any easier to find Julie. Now eat!”
He took the plate from her and slowly ate.
Michael walked into the room. “I did find a strigoi trace along the way. I followed it a short distance, it was going back into the mountains near where you fought. Obviously, there must be a lair nearby. Once we locate Julie, I think we should start our search there.”
Michael looked at the others to see if they disagreed.
Tomas sighed, then spoke up. “Seems strange that there are so many in the one area. Do you think there is a Master somewhere here, directing the inexperienced?”
“We can’t discount that, Tomas. In view of the fact that there are or were three, it seems the best explanation. Anyway, let’s get some sleep and head out first thing tonight.”
Louisa and Michael bade Tomas a good sleep and headed for their room. Tomas sat on the couch for a while, then took himself into the bedroom, making sure the block-out drapes were fully closed. He lay on the bed and thought of Julie, how soft her skin felt, how she tasted when he drank from her. The feel of her lips on his.
He vowed that if he found her, regardless of whether she agreed or not, he would make the first exchange. There was no way he was going to suffer like this, especially when he knew there was still a strigoi in the area. He needed to protect her.
Chapter Six
Julie worked through the morning. She caught up on the few tasks that had built up while she was camping, even though she had only been gone a couple of days. She ran a successful website creation business called The Smithy. It enabled her to work from home and brought in a reasonable income to satisfy all her needs, although she did want to make some changes to her house. She just needed to save more if she wanted to start. There was plenty of room to extend and renovate, as it was set on two hectares of sparse bushland and she loved it.
But now she sat and wondered if its isolation was a good idea. Maybe she should sell up and move closer toward the city, even if she hated it. Still, if those creatures wanted her, she guessed they would find her no matter where she lived.
Perhaps she should get a dog, a big one that could be trained to protect her.
The more she thought about a dog, the better the idea felt. Suddenly she got an overwhelming premonition that she needed the dog now, that her very life depended on it. Never one to ignore her feelings, her mind now made up, she decided to get one as soon as possible. Today if possible.
Julie did some research on the internet and found a few breeders who specialised in guard dogs within an hour’s drive. She also found two shelters that took in rescued animals from pounds and abuse situations. If she bought a puppy from a breeder, she would have to train it and it certainly wouldn’t be able to protect her for a long time.
Julie decided to ring the rescue places, maybe they would have something suitable.
The first shelter had a German shepherd that they felt may suit although it was nine years old. Julie got the details, then rang the other. They also had a Shepherd but a younger dog, and they also had a young Rottweiler and also a young Bullmastiff.
Julie arranged to visit the shelter and grabbed a cheese and pickle sandwich before setting off. She was excited at the prospect. It had been years since she had a pet, although she did have the chickens that wandered around. She would have to find out if the dog would attack them, although they were in a secure large fenced-off area on her property with a coop inside it that could also be locked at night.
