“Rachel...” Holly began.
“No. Just go away, all of you. If I have to help my husband myself I will. I’ll find out what’s wrong. I know him and there’s no way he’d do those things anymore. Maybe at one time he did, but not now.” I pointed to the door. “Leave,” I said. Before I could watch them go I headed into the bedroom and slammed the door behind me.
Stripping down I threw all my clothes in the garbage, then took a long hot shower. A while later I heard Maggie pawing at the door. I had forgotten all about the poor little thing. I let her in and bent down to pet her as she slobbered all over me.
“Sorry girl,” I said. “Didn’t mean to leave you behind.” After she settled down I fed her and she took her usual spot on the couch. I sat beside her and began thinking. I had to find a way to catch Gavin, who was much stronger then I was, and find out what was wrong with him and how to fix it.
And then it was there, a faint ringing in the corner of my mind once again, Gavin was reaching out to me. Our sporadic mental connection was trying to reassert itself. It had been easy at first, but over time the connection had worn off. The line was now faint, but definitely there.
I closed my eyes and tried to get a hold on him. It was like he was trying to show me something. I could tell he was trying to form an image but all I was seeing was darkness. I felt cold and closed in. It felt like death…then I felt the pain. This must have been what he was feeling when he doubled over. I doubled over myself, reeling from the agony of it. Then as quickly as the connection had been there, it was lost again.
“I know you’re in trouble,” I said out loud, “but I don’t know what to do. I don’t know how to help you.”
I thought about what Ian had said about how Gavin could be anywhere in the woods and beyond. It was like looking for a needle in a haystack, and then it hit me. I knew someone. Someone who probably knew these woods better than any vampire. Another race of people who had lived there for thousands of years undetected.
Grabbing my sneakers I headed out into the night and walked until I knew I was on the cusp of the sanctuary. Not wanting to use my pendant to enter the grounds; I kept quiet and stayed on the outer perimeter. This was where I had met these creatures for the first time, or at least one in particular… Aries.
Aries was the leader of the satyrs, creatures thought to be mythical, but in fact had led quiet lives in the woods of Soldiers Cove, and other places too, but mostly here. They were dying out now however, as they needed human women to provide them with sons and modern times being what they were, not many women go wandering through the woods alone at night. They could breed with nymphs but those creatures were dying out as well (and now there was one less thanks to Gavin) but they were single minded and wanted the guarantee of a son only a human woman could give. A nymph might produce a female who would then be a nymph herself.
Now that I was here I had no idea how to find him. Gavin and I had attracted him once when we needed to see him by getting physical with each other, but I was alone now and I didn’t want him to turn his pheromones on me. The pull of satyr magic is too strong for any human woman to resist, and last time I saw him I had only been vampire for a couple of weeks and his pull was very strong indeed. So strong in fact that he had tried to seduce me. If it hadn’t been for Gavin I might be carrying the feral creature’s son right now. I had no idea what it would be like now that I was half way through my transformative year.
“Well, this is a nice surprise indeed,” I heard a husky, familiar voice say. I turned to see Aries standing there smiling at me. He was just as beautiful as I remembered. A lean muscular body, long wavy chestnut hair, liquid dark eyes. He was like a dream. His elfin ears and horns on the top of his head were the only thing that gave him away from the neck up. And from the neck down, well, the very hairy legs and hooves were a dead giveaway that he wasn’t human in the least.
“Aries,” I said, “I need your help.”
“I live to serve little one,” he said taking a step toward me. “Have you lost your mate?”
“Well, yes. That’s why I need your help.” Every hair on the creature’s body bristled, and his pointy ears seemed to wiggle a little bit.
“Help you I shall then. No worries lover, I’ll give you a fine strong son.” It hadn’t occurred to me that he would assume that was what I wanted. Then I felt the pull. It was just as strong as it had ever been. Six months of being a vampire had done nothing to quiet the attraction he could invoke, and I was helpless to even try resisting. The pheromones rendered my vampire defense useless as my fangs refused to run out.
I dropped to the ground and squeezed my eyes shut to try and block him out. “Aries stop. Please, I’m scared something is wrong with Gavin and I need you to help me look for him. He’s killed Nina.” Immediately the pull ended. When I looked up Aries was standing there, his jaw clenched in anger, his mouth a hard straight line.
“She was my brother’s mate. Why would he do such a thing?”
“I don’t know. I need to find him and help him before he kills a human. If he does that the council will execute him. I can’t let that happen. Please Aries, I love him.”
Aries turned his back on me, crossing his arms and speaking coldly. “Why should I not kill him to avenge Nina?”
“Because, I’m asking you not to. I need you to find him; you know these woods better than anyone. You and your men could help me. Please Aries?”
“So you are asking me for a favor?” He smiled and turned to face me once more, the icy tone melting into sweetness. “What price would you be willing to pay for this?”
I thought about Gavin out there all alone, sick and scared. I needed him home with me. I needed to protect and take care of him and make sure he would be safe and alive. The thought of his execution, and then having to live for hundreds of years without the blood bond seemed like sheer torment.
“Anything... I’ll do anything you want if you’ll just help me. Catch him, subdue him and bring him to me and I’ll give you whatever you want.”
The satyr came toward me. I froze. He reached over and ran both his hands through my long brown hair, avoiding my skin and looking me over quite intently. “And you know what I want don’t you?”
“Yes. And if you do this, I’ll give it to you.” I felt sick but I swallowed hard and steadied my voice, making the pledge. “I’ll give you a son.”
The satyr sighed like someone had just told him he was going to live after having to face a certain death. “My sweet girl,” he said his face hardening once again. “Consider him found.”
Chapter Twelve
Walking home through the darkness I thought about what I had just done. A deal with the devil perhaps, but one that would be well worth it if it meant a chance to save Gavin’s life. The obvious question of what consequence it would have on our marriage had to be ignored for now. Maybe it wouldn’t come to that. I thought, rather naively perhaps, that there was something I could do to repay Aries for his assistance that didn’t involve what I’d agreed to, but I had an awful feeling in the pit of my stomach that no other bargain would ever be enough.
Wandering into my backyard I immediately triggered the security light. Even though I didn’t need it anymore it was still something that comforted me. Ian was sitting on the back step looking up at the night sky. I stood directly in front of him but didn’t say a word.
“I know what you’re thinking,” he said, finally breaking the silence. I didn’t move. “You think we don’t care enough about him to try and stop him.” He met my eyes finally, “You couldn’t be more wrong.”
“And why is that?”
“None of us wants to see him dead. But sometimes you just have to face reality. People we love change. Gavin’s been through many changes.” I didn’t say anything for a long moment, but took a seat next to him on the step.
“You keep saying that. Keep talking about the things he’s done in the past, but don’t you think we owe it to him to find out what’s really goin
g on?”
“I want answers just as much as you do Rach,” he said.
“And I intend to get them. Ian, he reached out to me tonight. I felt him in my mind and it was darkness and pain. He was cold and frightened. Don’t you think if he was really what you think he is that it would be anger and hatred? Or just emptiness?” He didn’t have an answer for that. “None of this makes any sense.”
“I’ll give you that,” he said. We sat in silence for a moment. I rubbed my forehead as a slight pain crept across it. “Look at me,” he said. I looked him directly in the eye. “Your blood hunger will be back soon, and you’re no good to Gavin or anyone if you haven’t fed. Come on,” he said standing up. “We’re going hunting.”
“Where will we go?” I was in no mood to argue with him. As much as my heart wasn’t in it I knew he was right. Reaching in my pocket I tossed him the keys to the truck.
“We’re going camping,” he smiled.
We drove into St. Peter’s and headed for Battery Park. A small picnic park that had a pretty little campground further toward the back. We parked the old truck in a hollow of trees across from the lighthouse. In the daytime it would be used for picnics, but the truck wouldn’t be easily seen there at night. We quietly made our way on foot to the entrance of the campground, but Ian stopped me, making me crouch down at the foot of the old lighthouse to stay hidden.
“Wait here,” he said. “Stay low until I come and get you. I’ll prepare something nice,” he said winking. I couldn’t help but smile. After about half an hour I was beginning to wonder if he was ever coming back. The headache was beginning to creep back in and soon the pain would be sharp and blinding. I would be thrust into full hunger mode and if that happened right here next to a campground full of sleeping humans I wasn’t sure there would be any left come morning. Going on a bloody rampage would not help either one of us in the least.
“Ok, come on,” he said, taking my hand when he finally showed up. He led me through the campground where lots of tents and campers were all packed in very close together. Then we came to a more private spot with just one tent sheltered by tall trees. Ian unzipped the closure and motioned for me to go inside. There, lying on top of a double sleeping bag, was a young couple totally naked, each on their backs.
“They’ve been influenced, so you’re free to enjoy.” I was impressed. I had blood influenced people myself but never with this kind of result. I could wipe out memories but not compel humans to stay one way for very long. Usually I just had enough time to get away before it wore off. And poor Gavin didn’t really have a knack for it at all. He could do it, but he needed to concentrate very hard, and most of the time, actually touch foreheads with people, which could be tricky to say the least.
“You can feed without killing right?” he said sounding worried all of a sudden.
“Yes,” I assured him.
“Good. They will be out of it for at least half an hour so have fun. I’m going to find a little something for myself since we’re here.” He turned to leave but I grabbed his wrist.
“Thank you,” I said. I meant it. He leaned over and kissed my forehead.
“Anything you need I’m always here…but listen…could we keep the blood influence to ourselves? It’s a long story but I’m kind of…banned from doing that here.”
“Of course,” I said, but my agreement came with a million silent questions. Ian was doing something wrong and it gave me an uneasy feeling, but not uneasy enough to distract me from the meal I had handed to me on a silver platter. I was consumed with hunger now and I needed to feed.
With that he left zipping the tent behind him. I focused all my attention on the couple before me. I felt the accustomed surge of warmth as my eyes came into focus and I knew they had turned black. Every vein, every pulse in the body, every nerve and breath could be seen as if looking through a microscope. All my senses sharpened and I could distinctly smell the soap on their bodies and the sweat that came afterward when they’d made love. I threw my head back as shivers of anticipation washed over me, consuming my very being and blocking out everything else that had been either important or trivial. The blood called, and only the blood remained.
My heart was racing as I took off my clothes and crawled over the man to feed from the woman first. She was a young brunette of perhaps twenty five with a lean and muscular body. I straddled her and put my tongue to her neck feeling for the pulse. It was steady and strong, and the thud of it sent shivers of excitement through my body. She was healthy and would yield a lot of blood.
My fangs ran out and I gently pressed down on her neck as close to the jugular as I could get without opening it. Directly opening that vein was usually bad news. If it started flowing it was like a fountain, and even a vampire might have a hard time shutting it off. One had to be careful.
The sweet liquid poured out and I sucked hard on her neck. She didn’t gasp or move at all, this was both good and bad. Good because she was helpless, but a little fear or lust in the blood was sometimes what made the whole feeding experience what it was. It had been so many days since I’d tasted an actual human I decided forgoing that for tonight might be for the best anyway. Fear or lust would just make me more hungry, more dangerous, more likely to murder them both along with god knows who else. Feeding could be a treacherous game.
The sensation was pleasurable enough though and I pressed my naked body against hers to be as close to her as I possibly could. Skin on skin I wrapped my arms around her back and pulled her up toward me into a sitting position as I curled my legs around her waist. I stopped to take a breath a time or two, blood running down my neck and onto my breasts and stomach as I did. I was right, she had a lot of blood to give.
Finally her heart slowed and I gently laid her back down to her original position. I healed her neck wounds, licking them with my tongue, and then moved over to the man. He was about the same age and also muscular. I had noticed two bikes leaning up against a tree outside the tent so it made sense that these two were in such good shape. Lots of people love to bike through Richmond County, and we love to taste them when we can catch them. Their flavor is exquisite, but they are the vampire equivalent of fast food. With only a handful of tourist attractions in St. Peter’s they usually didn’t stay in town very long. They were in and out of the little village so fast that they were somewhat considered a delicacy. Men usually had more blood to give than women and so this was a true rarity. I lowered my mouth to his neck as well.
Just as I was about to bite he flinched a little. Then his eyes fluttered wide open and he saw me and everything that I really was. My fangs exposed, eyes like coal, and my naked body covered in his lover’s blood.
“Oh my god!” he cried out. I put my hand over his mouth to stifle the scream his survival instincts wanted to let out.
“Shhh...” I said reaching into his mind to quiet him. “It’s all right. You close your eyes honey…rest…everything is just fine.” His eyes became heavy with sleep again, and a moment later he closed them and lay back down. In a brief instant I had come close to being totally exposed. Had he not responded to the blood influence I would have had to kill him, a small part of me was sorry it hadn’t played out that way. His heartbeat, however, didn’t slow. The residue of the raw stripped fear he had felt when he woke up and saw me was still coursing through his body, and the sound of the blood rushing so fast made my head spin.
I bit his neck needing to feed quickly if I was going to taste it. Sucking hard I pulled the sweetness of the adrenalin flavor into me. It was intoxicating. I bit him again more aggressively and the blood flowed generously. I sat, pulled him to me as I had done with the woman, and wrapped myself around his large muscular frame.
The sensation was exciting, and sexual. Blood and sex are one in the same to a vampire and I pressed myself hard against the man’s beautiful body, climaxing as I did so. Everything went out of focus and the world fell away for a few moments. The only thing that existed was my prey, and the blood. It was
peaceful, it was blissful, it was heaven.
The quiet ecstasy of feeding was suddenly interrupted by a scream from another camping space. “What the hell?” I put the man back down and closed his wounds as quickly as I could. Surely Ian wouldn’t be so unskilled at hunting that anyone would hear his prey screaming. Not if these humans were any indication.
Throwing my clothes back on I quickly ran out of the tent and opened my distance hearing. I was stronger now that I had fed and I ran full out without concern for who or what might spot me. I flitted in the direction the sound had come from, but it was all quiet now, eerily so.
The sound of footsteps caught my attention just then and I ran in the direction they were coming from as quickly as I could. Once again, I saw him. Gavin had a woman on the ground, fangs drawn about to feed. His hands were tangled in the woman’s curly mane of blonde hair, extending her head all the way back and I could tell by the way he was poised that he was going in for the kill.
The Vampires of Soldiers Cove: One Crow Sorrow Page 7
