Shiver (Night Roamers)

by Middleton, Kristen

  I went over to the sectional and sunk down. My wrist was sore and so was my head. “Yeah, that’d be great, thanks.”

  “Okay. Don’t forget to let Rosie know you won’t be in this week.”

  “That’s right,” I said, reaching for my cell phone.

  First I called Duncan’s phone but it went to voicemail, then I called the diner to let them know what had happened.

  “Well, I’m glad you’re okay, honey,” said Rosie. “You just take it easy now and when you’re ready to come back, you give me a call.”

  “Rosie,” I asked, “you haven’t seen Ethan or any of his friends around lately, have you?”

  “No, it’s been a couple of months since I’ve seen those boys. But there was a young man in last night asking about you.”

  I raised my eyebrows. “A young man? Really?”

  “Yes, about your age, really nice looking, too. I’ve never seen him before. I figured it was someone from school. He just asked if you were working and I told him you’d be in tonight. Obviously, you won’t.”

  “I doubt it’s someone from school,” I murmured, wondering what that was all about.

  “Well, he may come around again and I’ll try and get more information. By the way, you haven’t seen Duncan around, have you?” she asked. “Sonny stopped by earlier, just frantic with worry. I guess he’s missing now.”

  I sighed. “No, I haven’t, not since last night.”

  She sighed. “Dear God, I hope nothing happened to him, he’s such a nice boy. First, those girls were murdered Friday night, and now he’s missing. There are some strange things going on in this town.”

  Thinking about the possibility of Duncan, who was so good and kind, being murdered made my eyes fill with tears. “There sure is.”

  “Well, listen,” she said. “I’ve got to get going. Take care of yourself, and like I said, when you’re ready to come back, just call me.”

  I brushed a stray tear from my cheek. “Thanks, Rosie.”

  I hung up with her and went into the kitchen where my mother was currently fixing me a tuna fish sandwich. I sat down at the counter and watched her, wondering if she’d even eaten lately. She was thinner than ever.

  “I spoke to Caleb,” she said, smiling brightly. “He said he’ll swing by around ten tonight.”

  I nodded. “Thanks.”

  She leaned forward and brushed a strand of hair from my eyes. “Don’t worry, honey,” she said softly. “They’ll find Duncan. I know how much you care about him.”

  As far as finding him went, I wasn’t so sure about that, but I also knew that Caleb was the only one who might have answers. I forced a smile. “I hope so.”

  She went to the fridge, grabbed the milk, and poured us each a glass. Then she slid one over to me and sat down. “Just don’t give up hope. That’s what you’ve always told me.”

  I stared at my sandwich and nodded. “Speaking of which, what are you going to do about dad?”

  She looked at her milk and grimaced. “I don’t know. I’m not even positive that he or anyone else is really following me. Maybe it’s my imagination?”

  “Maybe it’s Ethan. I told you he was here last night.”

  She pushed her untouched glass of milk away. “That’s what he mentioned when I filled him in on what was happening. In fact, he doesn’t want either of us leaving the cabin until he gets over here tonight.”

  “Mom,” I said, staring at her thin, bony cheeks. “When was the last time you ate?”

  “I had some eggs for breakfast. I’ve just been kind of nauseated lately. Maybe I’m pregnant,” she said with a teasing smile.

  I groaned. “No, don’t even say that. That’s cruel.”

  Her eyes twinkled. “Oh, it wouldn’t be so bad, would it? The pitter patter of little feet, toys strung out everywhere. Reruns of Barney playing, over and over…”

  Bottles of blood, warming in the microwave…

  I shivered. “Don’t even go there. Aren’t you, like, a little ancient to be having babies now anyway?”

  Her jaw dropped. “I’m not that old. Women are having babies in their forties all the time. I’m not even forty.”

  “Well, whatever the case may be, you need to eat. You don’t look healthy at all.”

  “I’m fine, just worry about yourself and keeping that wrist straight,” she said, looking at my bandage.

  I moved my wrist slightly and winced, it was pretty tender. “I will.”

  She stood up. “Listen, I’m going to take a shower and read for a while before Caleb gets here. Nathan should be home pretty soon.”

  I nodded and watched her leave. I was going to have a talk with Caleb about her, as well. She was obviously starving to death and I knew it had to be something related to whatever he’d done to her. My only consolation was that she didn’t appear to be a vampire yet.

  After I was done eating, I went upstairs with my cell phone, to try and reach Duncan again. I was terrified that Ethan had killed him, and I felt more than a little responsible. As expected, Duncan didn’t answer.

  Sighing, I checked the time and noticed it was after eight, so I decided to take a shower and then wait for Caleb, too. I carefully removed the bandage before getting in and it was a total pain in the ass, taking me almost forty-five minutes to finish my shower. When I was finally done, I wrapped my wrist back up, slipped on a pair of sweats and a T-shirt, then stepped back into my bedroom.

  “What the hell?” I hollered.

  She looked up. “Oh, hi.”

  Celeste was lounging on the bed, painting her perfect nails with my new copper nail polish.

  “How did you get in here?” I snapped.

  She smiled. “You left your balcony door unlocked. That’s very dangerous, you know. There are things out there….” She shuddered.

  I crossed my arms under my chest and glared at her. I was still irritated that she was making herself at home. “So, what… you fly, too?”

  “Not very often,” she answered, blowing on her tips. “Tonight, I drove. Flying is a killer on the hair.”

  The image of someone like her flying through the darkness was almost comical. Tonight, she was definitely dressed to party in a shimmery silver dress and dark stiletto heels. Her fiery red hair was piled high above her narrow shoulders and she wore silver cross earrings on her lobes.

  “Don’t those earrings bother you?” I asked incredulously.

  She touched her ears, then threw her head back and laughed so hard, I saw a hint of fang. “Why, because they’re ‘cross’ earrings?”

  “Well, yeah.”

  She waved her hand at me. “No, not at all. I like garlic, too, by the way. And don’t get me started on holy water. I’d bathe in it if I had to; wouldn’t bother my skin one bit.”

  Obviously, my knowledge of true vampires was crap. I’d already learned that they could survive in the sun. Because of their extremely sensitive eyes, they just preferred… not to.

  I sat down across from her on an oversized lime and pink beanbag chair. “So, did you hear about Duncan?” I asked, gauging her reaction.

  Her eyes softened. “My dad told me about it. It’s tragic.”

  “Tragic?” I looked at her in horror. “It’s a nightmare. Ethan showed up last night, I ended up in the hospital, and Duncan is missing,” I grumbled. “Tragic is even an understatement.”

  “I’m sorry for your loss,” she answered. “Obviously, if Ethan got his hands on him and he’s missing, he’s… dead.”

  “What if he isn’t dead? You have to help me find him,” I begged, hating myself for having to do it.

  She sighed and stood up. “I’ll do what I can – because we’re almost family now. Plus, I really like Duncan. He’s a cutie.”

  Cringing, I ignored the “family” comment. “Have you or any of the others seen Ethan around?” I asked.

  She turned to me. “No, but Ethan will be found only if he wants to be found.”

  Just then, my mom knocked on the door and
opened it. “Nikki, Caleb’s here already. Oh, hi, Celeste,” she said, smiling. “I didn’t know you were in here.”

  “I decided to drop by to see if I could help in any way.”

  My mom walked over and gave her a hug. “Oh, you’re such a sweetheart.”

  As sweet as a ghost pepper, I thought.

  We followed my mother downstairs, where Caleb was lounging in the great room. As soon as he saw us, he stood up and gave us one of his electric smiles.

  “Good, you made it, Celeste,” he said, stepping towards her. He hugged her close and I caught him whispering something into her ear.

  She nodded.

  “Anne, sweetheart,” asked Caleb, after releasing his daughter. “Do you have any coffee? I’m simply wiped out.”

  My mother smiled at him adoringly. “Of course, I’ll fix you a cup. Black, right?”

  “Yes. Thanks, hon.”

  She nodded. “Anyone else?” she asked.

  Celeste and I both shook our heads.

  After my mom went into the kitchen, Celeste quickly headed for the door.

  “You’re leaving already?” I asked.

  “She’s going to make sure we’re not being watched,” interrupted Caleb. “I sensed another presence when I arrived.”

  I looked towards the windows, which were covered with blinds, and my stomach clenched. “Oh,” I said.

  “Don’t worry; it’s probably nothing, maybe a deer or bear. Now, sit down,” said Caleb, motioning towards one of the club chairs, “and tell me what happened, last night.”

  I sank down into it. “Um, okay.”

  He moved across from me and leaned against the arm of the other chair while I gave him a rundown of the last twenty-four hours. I watched as his face darkened when I mentioned Ethan.

  “He’s lucky to be alive,” he growled, standing up. He began to pace. “I let him live and now he dares to disobey me? This won’t do.”

  The last time I’d seen Caleb this angry was when he’d caught Ethan trying to seduce me. That was the night he’d banished Ethan from Shore Lake. The last time I’d actually even spoken to Ethan.

  I swallowed. “So, do you think he killed Duncan?”

  Caleb turned to me, his eyes glowing slightly. “Probably, he’s always been a loose cannon. Never liked to follow the rules much, either. After meeting you, he became even more unruly.”

  Normally Caleb didn’t frighten me, but the way he was looking at me now was a little unnerving. There was a definite hunger fueled by rage that I saw reflected in his eyes, and something told me he was trying to restrain himself.

  I stood up and moved farther away as nonchalantly as I could. “So, do you think he murdered those girls, too?”

  I watched as his eyes began to glow even brighter. I guess talking about dead girls fired him up.

  He licked his lips and nodded. “Possibly. I think it was definitely a Roamer. There was blood missing from the girls.”

  “What about the others in your group? Maybe they killed them and not Ethan?”

  When he smiled this time, I could see his sharp fangs. “Oh…I know where this is going,” he said, leaning forward. “The thought of him feeding on humans scares you.”

  “Well, yeah!” I said. “And to be honest, you’re kind of scaring me right now, the way you’re looking at me – like you’re ready to pounce or something. Caleb, I seriously doubt my mom would be too happy if something happened to me and you were the only person around.”

  He closed his eyes for a few seconds, and when he opened them back up, I noticed a change. “Sorry,” he smiled. “I haven’t fed for a while. Sometimes the hunger is so strong, it takes control.”

  “Great,” I muttered. “Maybe you should feed before you come to visit from now on.”

  “Don’t worry,” he said. “You’re safe with me. I can control it.”

  From the way he had been looking at me before, I wasn’t so sure.

  “What about my mother?” I asked.

  “What about your mother?”

  “She’s starting to look like a holocaust victim.”

  He frowned. “It’s the cancer. I told you before. It’s ravaging her body.”

  I raised my eyebrows. “Are you sure it’s not from being bitten by you?”

  He licked his lips and smiled. “I don’t think you know what you’re talking about.”

  “You told me…”

  Just then, we heard screams of terror coming from the kitchen, and Caleb disappeared through the doors with lightning speed.

  I jumped up to follow him when the front door crashed open. As I turned to look, something grabbed me and I was whisked outside into the darkness.

  Chapter Eight

  I struggled with my captor as we sped through the darkness, but he tightened his hold until I could do nothing but await my fate. When we finally stopped, we were in some kind of cold, abandoned factory. The moment we landed, his mouth began ravaging my flesh.

  “Ethan,” I gasped, trying to dislodge myself from his embrace.

  “Oh, God I’ve missed you,” he groaned, his lips trailing a wave of heat all along my neckline.

  With all my might, I shoved him away. “Please,” I breathed, as his icy blue eyes locked with mine. The raw hunger reflected there terrified me and I took a step back.

  He glanced down at my bandaged wrist and scowled. “What happened to your arm, are you okay?”

  I stared at him incredulously. “Okay? Am I okay? You just kidnapped me and the last time we were together… actually, the last two times… you almost killed me.”

  Ethan stepped towards me and gripped my shoulders. “No. That’s not true,” he murmured. “I’d never harm you, not intentionally.”

  “You drained me of too much blood, Ethan. And then last night…”

  He raised his eyebrows. “Last night?”

  I glared at him. “Yeah, last night! You showed up and scared the shit out of me and Duncan! The truck rolled, I ended up in the hospital and Duncan… where is he, by the way? What have you done with him?”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he answered with a totally perplexed look. “I just got back into Shore Lake tonight.”

  “That’s bull crap!” I hollered, hitting him with my good arm. “I saw you last night. Don’t lie to me!”

  “I swear I wasn’t here. In fact, I’ve been with Drake in New York and it wasn’t until tonight that Julian found me and told me what was happening. I rushed back here to make sure you were okay.”

  I stared at him, wondering if he was insane. The person staring at me last night was definitely Ethan. Unless he had a twin – a vampire twin – there was no mistaking his handsome face. He had to have been lying.

  “You’re not going to tell me what you did to Duncan, are you?” I whispered in horror.

  “I haven’t seen that guy since the night I left.” He ran a hand through his dark hair. “Obviously something is going on around here and I’m being framed for it.”

  I snorted. “Now, why would someone do that? And how would it even be possible?”

  He smiled bitterly. “I’ve made a lot of enemies, Nikki,” he said. “And some of those beings have incredible powers, well beyond even my capabilities. You can’t even imagine the things they can do.”

  “Are you saying there are more dangerous things out there than you Roamers?” I asked incredulously.

  He threw his head back and laughed. “Roamers? That’s a riot. I see you’ve been talking to Celeste.”

  I crossed my arms under my chest and frowned. “Well, you’re certainly not human. I mean, you drink blood and can obviously fly like the wind.”

  “I may not be human… anymore, but we have the same feelings, Nikki, and urges…” he answered with a seductive tilt of his lips. “Ours are just more intense.”

  I felt my face turn red and attempted to change the subject. “So, um… you think you were framed? Well, what are you going to do now?”

  With a determ
ined look in his eyes, he moved towards me, and soon I was back in his arms and something inside of me began to stir.

  I cursed myself. Why couldn’t I resist him?

  “What am I going to do now?” he whispered into my hair. “Well, I’m glad you asked...”

  “Please, just bring me home, this isn’t right,” I pleaded, closing my eyes, breathing in his sweet butterscotch scent.

  For the love of God, how could anyone resist him?

  “Right? It’s totally right.” He inhaled deeply, “God, you smell wonderful.”

  Since he was both man and vampire, I wasn’t sure if smelling wonderful to him was a good or bad thing. Before I could consider the consequences of smelling good, he raised my chin and captured my mouth with his. When his tongue pushed through my lips and sought mine, I gave in and pulled him closer, taking in his heat.

  I opened my eyes.

  Heat?

  It was obvious that he’d recently fed.

  Fed on Duncan?

  “You’ve fed?” I choked, pushing him away.

  He shrugged. “It’s been a while, but I’m in complete control. Don’t worry,” he said. “I just need to feel you. That’s all I want.”

  He grabbed me again and just like before, I surrendered and forgot about everything else. I melted into his arms, returning his kisses freely. Soon, his mouth moved down to my neck and his hands were under my sweatshirt, exploring my breasts. When he pushed my bra away and lowered his mouth to my nipples, I shuddered in pleasure.

  “So beautiful,” he whispered, licking my flesh, sending shivers all the way down to my toes. “My sweet little …Nikki…”

  “Yes,” I breathed, wanting to be his forever.

  His mouth was magical, making me forget about everything but the moment. I slid my hand into his soft hair and drew him closer to my breasts. “Ethan,” I whimpered as the fire he’d ignited grew hotter between my thighs. Soon I was trembling, my body aching for something that both frightened and excited me.

  “Say my name, again…” he growled, his voice husky with desire.

  I threw my head back and moaned as his mouth ravaged my flesh, making me delirious with need; a need so strong I was willing to do anything for him at that moment. “Oh…God…Ethan…”