They sat with me for the rest of the day which I thought was nice. I told them they didn’t have to do that but they insisted.
Holly took her hands and placed them on my cheeks about halfway through the evening when there was a lull in visitors. “You haven’t fed recently have you?” she said.
“No, not for a week or more.”
“That’s far too long for someone your age,” she said, her voice turning up an octave with alarm. “As soon as Gavin comes home you tell him you need to hunt. If he’s not back by midnight I’ll take you myself, just call.”
She was right. I needed to feed and soon. I wasn’t comfortable going by myself just yet. I had killed a few times and was scared that in the heat of the moment, I wouldn’t be able to stop. The results of blood hunger could be disastrous. I might start to hear people’s thoughts and conversations without being able to control it, or I might also decide to eat the entire church at the funeral tomorrow. Either of those outcomes didn’t sound very practical and would most likely be the way to a quick council meeting and a stake through the heart.
Finally the wake ended at about eight o’clock. I didn’t feel like driving so Holly drove me home and Daniel followed in the pickup.
“I don’t know what I’d have done without you guys today,” I said as we pulled into my driveway.
“No worries girl. We’re family,” she said, giving me a quick hug. I teared up a little on hearing her say that. Gavin had been right. I may not have any blood relatives left, but I did have family, and in a way these people were more family to me than my blood family had been. They accepted me without question, flaws and all. Daniel parked the truck and hopped into the car with Holly, then sounded the horn as their tail lights headed down the driveway and out of sight.
I let myself into the little house and was greeted by a lonely Maggie. She wagged her tail and jumped and licked until she was satisfied that she was not alone anymore, then headed outside to do her business. While she did that I changed into more comfortable clothes. Yoga pants and a tank top. After today I wished I never had to get out of them again. Sometimes I missed being a recluse. There was something strangely comforting about being all alone in the world. Yes, there were times that the loneliness was crushing and weighed heavily on you, but it was also calming in a sense.
Just as I opened the door to let Maggie back in Ian appeared from the woods. He gave me a big smile and wave from across the yard.
“Hey!” He was way too cheerful for the mood I was in, but I had to be polite.
“Hi. Here for your stuff?”
“Yeah. Gotta get all moved into the sanctuary. I think I’ll be sticking around for a while.”
“That’s great. Gavin will be happy to hear it.”
“Where is he by the way?”
“Sick in the woods somewhere. The deer blood didn’t agree with him, he’s been gone all day. He didn’t even come to the wake.”
“Oh no,” he said apologetically. “That was today wasn’t it? I’m sorry Rach, that was my fault.”
“No worries. Doesn’t look like it made you sick though.”
“Nah,” he said pounding his fist against his stomach. “Once you’ve had the blood of tigers you build up a tolerance. I used to hunt them all the time just for the hell of it.”
I opened the screen door and let him in. “I’ll just be a second and then I’ll get out of your hair.”
“Take your time,” I said. I didn’t mean it. I felt nauseated and wanted to be alone in the worst way. Actually I wanted to be alone with my AWOL husband. I was starting to get worried.
Just then the blood hunger hit me full speed like a freight train. I tried to make it to a chair but missed and landed on the floor taking the chair crashing down with me. Everything blurred and spun out of control. The pain in my stomach, like fire and razors all at once, was tearing me apart from the inside.
Ian heard the noise and ran into the kitchen. “Shit, what’s the matter?” he said trying to turn my head toward him so he could examine my eyes. He studied me for a moment. “Blood hunger,” he said, “of course. You’re just a baby. When did you eat last?”
“A week ago,” I choked out between doubling over with waves of hunger and nausea. “Gavin and I take some of each other’s blood every day, but today…”
“He wasn’t here. Not acceptable at all.” He sounded angry. He ran his fangs out and took off his jacket. “I’m going to give you some of mine,” he said rolling up his sleeve as quickly as he could.
“No,” I said. A blood exchange between vampires was an intimate act, usually a sexual one, and even though the hunger had brought me to my knees, it still felt wrong.
“You’re suffering. Come on, just enough to get you through. I’ve got lots and it’s stronger than Gavin’s. I’m older so it will hold you a couple of days.” He bit his wrist and put it to my lips. I turned my head away. “Don’t be so friggin’ stubborn you. I’m just trying to help. Gavin will understand.” He was right. Gavin would be the last person who would want me to suffer. With that I took his wrist to my mouth and sucked as hard as I could.
I took a lot. Ian stayed very still and turned his head away, being as proper as he could. I was his brother’s wife after all and I could tell he wasn’t letting himself enjoy it. The first time I had taken Gavin’s blood he had obviously become aroused. Ian was simply waiting the process out. As I pulled away from his wrist he simply smiled. There was no sign of anything unacceptable at all.
“Better?”
“Yes, thank you.” I felt much stronger. He looked me in the eyes again examining them.
“You should be good for a bit. Remind me to kick my brother’s ass next time I see him. A week without hunting at your age is a bad idea.”
“I know, but with my Aunt and everything it’s been crazy.”
“I suppose you’re right,” he said, helping me to my feet. Poor Maggie was huddled in the corner, whimpering and trying to figure out what was going on.
“I better get going,” he said. “Tell Gavin I’ll be back tomorrow. I’m sure he’ll be home soon.” I nodded and wished him a good night. Then he was off.
Feeling better than I had all day I managed to unpack the truck and put the food in the fridge that hadn’t been eaten and tidied up a bit. It was almost midnight now and I had gone a little past the point of simply being worried for my husband. I was getting angry.
I tried his cell phone but there was no answer. During the time we were trying to find out what Samuel was up to we had figured out a way to form a mental connection that was still available to us now and then. Sometimes one of us could stretch out with our mind and touch the other. The effects were wearing off somewhat now but at times it was still there, usually in the moments when we were feeding off each other, or simply touching. He was nowhere near me now, but I made the decision to try.
Closing my eyes I stretched out attempting to find him. For a moment he was almost there but then the connection was lost, and replaced only with darkness. I’d have to find him the old fashioned way. Slipping on my sneakers I headed to the woods. This was the direction he went in when he left so perhaps he wasn’t far. I wandered in a little way and called his name. No answer.
I walked on for almost half an hour and was just about to head back when I turned and came face to face with the man I called my husband. His hair was all muddied and knotted, and his skin an odd yellowish color. He was emitting a sound I’d never heard before. Not a growl exactly, but a low pitched angry moaning that sounded evil and sadistic. He was feeding.
On his lap was a dead nymph. I knew her. Her name was Nina and she was one of the last nymphs left in these woods. Their extreme rarity and beauty were a sight like no other, now there was one less.
Her beautiful, colorful wings had been torn off and thrown to the side like garbage leaving two gaping and bleeding holes in her back. Her mouth and eyes opened wide in a cold dead stare, as if she’d been taken by surprise. Gavin had eaten alm
ost all the way through her neck and her head was barely still attached by a simple thin strip of skin and muscle.
I was horrified and struggled to stifle my urge to scream. Just then he looked up and saw me. “Oh hey. You want some baby? Here, you can have the head.” He tore at the head and with one smooth motion ripped it completely from the dead nymph’s body, hurling it at me with a playful toss. I moved just in time to have it land on the ground at my feet making a wet, squishy noise like a smashed pumpkin on Halloween as it did. I screamed but Gavin continued to drink from the neck unmoved.
Panicking I turned and ran for the house. “Come back baby,” he called after me. “Don’t you want some?” With that he let out a deafeningly cruel laugh, reveling in the euphoria of the kill he had just made. Bolting for the house as fast as I could go, I ran without looking back, shaking and petrified.
Chapter Eight
I ran all the way back to the house and slammed the door behind me. I locked it too, not that it would stop Gavin from getting in but I felt I had to. Not knowing what to do I slid down onto the kitchen floor, rocking back and forth with my knees to my chest. I was more frightened than perhaps I’ve ever been. Shocked and terrified of the one person who, up until that very moment, had been the only one I ever really felt safe with.
My own husband had killed an innocent creature, one he knew was rare and disappearing, drank her blood and then threw her head at me like he was casually tossing me a softball. Just then there was a tapping on the kitchen window. I froze. With my back to it I shook violently, too afraid to turn around.
“Rach!” I heard Gavin yell from the other side. “Here, you forgot this.” I turned, standing just in time to see him take a long stride, rear back and throw the head toward the window. As the gruesome thing made its impact the glass shattered landing everywhere, and the severed head rolled across the kitchen floor coming to rest by my foot. Before I could react Gavin disappeared. I leaned out the broken window just in time to see him head back in the direction I had come from.
My hands trembled furiously as I reached into my pocket for my cell phone. Muttering nonsense to myself as I had during the worst of my mental illness I found Holly’s number and hit the button. “It’s ok. You’re ok. Everything’s ok,” I whispered to myself as the sound of Holly’s phone ringing played in my ear. I didn’t believe what I was telling myself, but the words were coming out none the less.
“Hey,” she answered. I lost it.
“You need to get over here now! Gavin was just here and he’s done something horrible. I’m scared.”
“I’m coming,” was all she said. I stood anxiously at the window hoping he wouldn’t come back and trying not to look at the head that was lying on my floor. Maggie had run under the bed and was doing some whimpering of her own.
Holly and Daniel seemed to take forever; it could have been five minutes or five hours. In the white cold grip of raw naked fear every moment feels like an eternity. In a fit of desperation I opened up the kitchen cabinet where I used to keep my many bottles of medications, none of which had ever really worked, and began rummaging through it, hoping to find something I hadn’t thrown away. Even though I was fairly certain it wouldn’t help I downed a handful of tranquilizers upon finding them. When they finally arrived the first thing they saw was the head of poor Nina.
“Jesus Mary and Joseph!” Holly cried. “Gavin did this?”
“Yeah,” was all I could get out. I was afraid anything more might induce a panic fueled sobbing fit and I was trying with everything I had in me to stay calm.
“Get it out of here,” she said to Daniel. “Then see if you can track him.” Daniel, unfazed by the head, picked it up by the hair and walked outside with it as if he were simply taking out the trash. I felt better for having it gone. I got the broom out and began to sweep up the glass, still muttering under my breath to myself and trembling like a leaf. Holly took it from my hands and gently sat me down at the table.
“I’ll help you do that later,” she said. “Tell me everything and leave nothing out.” I told her everything but didn’t mention Ian’s visit. That didn’t seem important. “Did you have any of the nymph blood?”
“No, of course not.”
“You look like you’ve fed though,” she said.
I knew I had to tell her but I was embarrassed. I didn’t want her to think less of me and for some reason I felt that feeding from Ian would have accomplished that. “I collapsed earlier from hunger, but Ian was here and he gave me some of his blood.”
“How nice of him,” her tone was cold. “Did he do anything else while he was here?”
“No Holly, of course not. He got his stuff and left. Said he was going to go get settled into the sanctuary.”
“Did he take any of your blood?”
“No!” Now I was insulted. “It wasn’t like that. Holly I would never…”
“I know you wouldn’t,” she said giving me a reassuring smile. “I’m not saying anything against you. Just curious is all. Has anything unusual happened with Gavin in the last few days?”
“Not really,” I said. “But there was this thing we saw on the news the night we found Maggie. After you left there was a story on about a girl who went missing back in the eighties. Her son was on TV. It really upset him. He said he was responsible.”
“Yes, he was.” She cast her eyes downward. “Rachel, Gavin was very violent and uncontrollable for a long, long time. We almost had to...” I put my hands up not wanting her to finish that sentence.
“That doesn’t sound like my husband,” I said.
“I know, but trust me, he did some terrible things. Even when he tried to be good he just couldn’t control himself. Dad made a huge mistake when he turned him. Gavin just didn’t have the temperament for this. He was too impulsive.”
“But he’s different now. He’s the one who taught me to feed without killing. He’s been nothing but kind and controlled to all the humans we come in contact with.”
“True, but he’s only been that way a short time Rachel. We could be seeing a resurgence of his old ways. Sometimes it just takes a reminder of the past to lure you back into it. Vampires like Gavin are like alcoholics who see beer commercials showing how much fun drinking is. Seeing that girl’s picture may have triggered him.”
“No, he was upset. He felt remorse. I didn’t see him all night after that. What are we gonna do?” I wasn’t sure I wanted to know the answer to that if it was going to involve talk of putting him into a death sleep.
“Well for now we’re just going to keep it between the three of us. He killed a nymph, and that’s terrible, but he didn’t kill a human so technically we don’t need to bring it to anyone’s attention. Hopefully Daniel can track him and when we find him we’ll figure out what’s going on.”
I was grateful for that at least. He had scared the hell out of me tonight but if Gavin could be found perhaps there was a logical explanation for why he did it. “Can deer blood make you act out of character? Daniel said it’s like being drunk right?”
“Yeah, but it wouldn’t do this.” So that explanation was out. “Don’t worry,” she said reading my expression. “Gavin is my closest sibling and I’m going to do everything I can to keep him safe.”
Just then Daniel came back. “No sign of him,” he said. “Can’t pick up his scent at all.”
“Shit,” Holly said. “You stay here. We’re going to go look together. If he’s out there we’ll find him. If he comes back here you call me right away.” They took off before I could object.
He needed to be found. As I sat at my kitchen table alone I prayed very hard, for the first time in years, that they would bring him home. This whole thing didn’t make any sense and I needed answers. I needed them to catch Gavin and calm him down so he could explain what the hell was going on. My kind, caring, sweet man had seemingly morphed into a monster overnight and I wanted to know why.
Chapter Nine
Holly and Daniel returned just befo
re sunrise with no results. There had been no sign of him coming back to the house either.
“We’ll look more after the funeral,” Holly said, her words shocking me back into reality. With everything that had happened the night before I had totally forgotten the funeral. Even though it was the last thing I wanted to do at that very moment I had to pull myself together.
After they left I put the kitchen table and chairs in front of the door. It wouldn’t stop Gavin from getting in but the noise would give me some warning if he tried. It was a strange feeling to be so afraid of him. I wanted him back with me, wanted to hold him in my arms and look into his eyes. I knew he needed me and was in trouble but I was terrified of what he’d do. I had barricaded myself into my room at the sanctuary when I’d been afraid of his brother, James. That fear had been raw and naked and unnerving. This was worse than that.
The Vampires of Soldiers Cove: One Crow Sorrow Page 5
