Craving: The Willow Creek Vampires Series

by Stephanie Summers

  The water cascaded over his back. His skin warmed with the water as steam collected around him. He turned to let the water flow over his chest and down the rest of his body as he lost himself in thought. Maybe this won’t be so bad. Would Bastian know for sure if I choose to feed on others? I could always make them forget if I have to. Maybe I’ll get lucky and she’ll die an early death. I could try to get away after she’s gone. Surely, Bastian won’t want to keep me here against my will when he knows what I’ve endured in my past. It seems ludicrous that he would go through all of this nonsense for two centuries just because he fancies being able to say publicly that he is vampire. I’ve told numerous humans of my true nature, and I haven’t been hunted or staked as of yet.

  His thoughts turned to the girl he’d been paired with. Where is she going to stay? Certainly not with me. She better have her own living quarters far away from me. I have no desire to use her for anything other than a bite to eat now and then. I can’t imagine ever having anything in common with a mortal teenager. I’ve been around for over 400 years. The notion of an 18 year old being a mature adult suitable as a companion for me is laughable.

  It wasn’t long before Bastian summoned Remy. The sensation rushed through him, and he was immediately compelled to get out of the shower and to Bastian as soon as possible. He raced into the bedroom, throwing on a pair of dark jeans and a white t-shirt.

  Bastian sat at a desk writing as Remy entered the office only seconds after being summoned.

  “Apologies for being away this morning. I had business to attend to that couldn’t wait.” Bastian continued writing without looking at Remy as he addressed him.

  “What kind of business?” Remy moved closer and stood just in front of the desk.

  “All in good time, my boy. All in good time.” A wolfish smile spread across Bastian’s lips as he looked up at Remy.

  A feeling of uneasiness rippled through Remy’s body. “So what am I doing here? You’re running off to take care of top secret issues, yet I’m supposed to be your second in command now.”

  “You will know everything I know and everywhere I go in due time. I want to catch up with you first and get to know you again. If we didn’t have the bond we share you would be a stranger to me. A lot must have happened in the last hundred years or so. Where have you been?”

  “You know where I’ve been. You always know where I’ve been. You can find me at any time you like. Why bother with all the tedious details now?”

  “As you wish, Remy. You are correct. I can always find you. It would do you well to remember that should you have the urge or desire to leave.” Bastian’s expression became serious. A chill went through Remy’s body. That didn’t happen often, but, when it did, it was always Bastian exerting his power and control over him.

  “I won’t be running away, but, when this girl dies, I want the opportunity to discuss leaving.”

  “Of course, Remy. I hope by then you will understand the importance of this place and won’t want to leave me, but we can leave the option open. Now, onto business. I trust you want to go out this evening to explore your new surroundings, so I will make this brief. Your blood mate’s name is Sabine Crowley. She will not be coming to us until she turns 21, three years from now. I do not really know why Thomas chose that age back when the covenant was established, but it is what it is. Seems rather silly to me. What difference does three years make? I suppose he thought at 21, in those days, the offering may be near the end of their life, and it would be less time they would be trapped here, but I digress. When Sabine comes to us, she will share your living space with you, and you will oversee her day to day life.”

  “No bloody way! That is preposterous. As big as this place is, and she has to room with me? Put her somewhere else. Are there no other rooms she can live in?”

  “This is not up for discussion. She will be living with you. She will be safest close to you. On the rare occasion I allow you to leave on business or for pleasure, you must take her with you and return as soon as I say.”

  Remy understood there was no point in arguing. She might be required to stay in his room, but he didn’t have to share his bed with her. Let the thing sleep on the floor.

  “Forgive me for asking, and I mean no disrespect, but why summon me now? I’m quite familiar with the ‘rules’ you spoke of last night. Why not wait until she turns 21?”

  “Because she is your responsibility now. She may not be here with us yet, but it is up to you to ensure she does not run…or die. Once word gets out that the pairing has been made, she may become a target from those who wish us harm. For all intents and purposes, you are to view her as your wife. There will be a vampire wedding ceremony on her 21st birthday to make it known.”

  His jaw clenched. “May I take my leave now?” He tried hard to cloak the irritation he was feeling. Bastian could kill him or make him suffer with one look, and if he stayed much longer, he ran the risk of letting his tongue get him into trouble.

  “Yes. You may go.” Remy turned and began to make his way to the door. “Oh, and Remy? If you must feed tonight, I suggest you hunt a deer because you are forbidden to feed on anyone from Willow Creek, with the exception of Sabine once she moves in with us. Everyone else is off limits, and I don’t want you leaving town right now.”

  *

  Her phone rang, jolting her awake. Judging by the ringtone, it was Delia, most likely calling to see if she was ready to come over for her birthday celebration. Though she knew she’d be alone indefinitely, she couldn’t stand the thought of being around anyone for very long at that moment. She ignored the call, and tapped out a text instead.

  I’m not coming tonight. Bad news. I’m sure I don’t have to elaborate. I’m fine, but I’m not in the mood for partying. Let Lana know. I will talk later tomorrow night after I find out more details.

  Rob tossed tiny bits of pineapple and ham onto an unbaked pizza while Vivian spread chocolate icing over the tops of yellow cupcakes. Shay haphazardly wrapped a t-shirt in a sheet of newspaper. Sabine smiled as she walked down the steps and the open kitchen came into view. The aroma was almost intoxicating. Every year, her parents did this for her, and it brought back so many happy memories of birthdays past. Just as soon as she’d forgotten how her life had turned to shit a few hours earlier, it came rushing back to her. How could she be excited to eat or celebrate at a time like this?

  “Here,” Shay said as she tossed the present she’d been wrapping to Sabine. She tore into the paper to find a fitted black t-shirt featuring a photo of Eric Northman from the television show True Blood.

  Sabine smacked Shay in the arm and chuckled. “You shit-ass! You think you’re sooooo funny, don’t you?”

  “Hey, I wouldn’t feel a bit sorry for you if you were paired with that Viking.”

  Ignoring her sister’s comment, she turned to her mom and dad. “Thanks so much for the dinner, Dad, and those cupcakes look fantastic, Mom.”

  “Glad you enjoyed it, Beanie. How are you holding up?” Sabine looked at her mother, and noticed the huge bags under her eyes and a few grays poking through her normally dyed light brown hair. Her mother appeared to have aged ten years in the short time Sabine had slept.

  “I’m okay, I guess. I’ve decided to go ahead and go tonight after I eat some pizza and a couple of those cupcakes, if that’s okay. I want to enjoy my birthday while I can.”

  “I think it’ll be good for you to hang out with the girls. Can you help Dad with the dishes first?”

  “Yeah.”

  An hour later, Sabine was out the door. She didn’t want to lie to her parents, but she couldn’t stand being in that house any longer. Now that she knew she couldn’t stay, she almost wanted to just go and get it over with already. Maybe the vampires would take her the next night when she met with them. She had no clue what to expect. She was only eight the last time this happened, and she wasn’t the least bit interested in all that at the time. She wondered if the boy that’d been chosen last time was stil
l there. What was his name?

  She walked about 15 minutes to Cleary Park. She’d snuck out God only knows how many times over the past couple of years, and this seemed to be where she would end up—whether she was meeting with her friends or some boy. This might be the last time she could spend time alone in the park, and she was going to enjoy the solitude. Once she moved to Willow Creek Manor she probably wouldn’t even be able to pee without some monster leering at her. It would be past curfew soon, but she no longer had to worry about that. She was officially an adult and was free to come and go as she wanted, for the time being anyway.

  She sat on the park bench for close to two hours alone with her thoughts. She managed to clear her head for a good portion of that time and just look at the sky as it darkened and the stars and moon grew brighter.

  As she sat there, the feeling of eyes on her chilled her to the bone as someone else’s presence enveloped her. She’d experienced a similar feeling so many times throughout her life and now wondered if she’d been watched all along.

  “You shouldn’t be alone like this in a place where vampires roam freely.” She jerked her head around and yelped. The stranger stood mere inches away. He hadn’t made a noise as he approached her.

  She gasped and placed her hand over her heart. “Jesus Christ! You scared the hell out of me.”

  “Mm, sounds delicious.” He closed his eyes to savor the sound of her heart beating rapidly inside her chest.

  “Leave me alone. I’m not afraid of you. You can’t do anything to me, anyway.” She stood to face him head on. He moved quickly to stand in front of her. Startled, she fell back on the bench.

  “Nonsense, you little twit. I could have you dead before you took your next breath, and you’d be none the wiser. Would you like me to show you?” He flashed his canines at her as they elongated and glistened in the moonlight.

  Okay, so maybe she was a little afraid. She hadn’t really been that close to a vampire, despite them being so visible at times. “I know you could, but you probably shouldn’t. You’d probably be in deep shit with Bastian if you did.” She swallowed hard as she tried to think of a way to get away from him.

  “Doubtful. Why would he care about some young girl too daft to know not to be alone after dark when it’s so easy to be snatched up? Look around you. There are no witnesses.”

  “He cares because I’m the one he’s chosen to feed off of for the rest of my life. You must not be too important if you didn’t know that already. Or maybe you’re not from here and are going to get an ass whooping regardless.” Why am I being mouthy? He might really kill me.

  “Bloody hell.” His brow furrowed.

  “Problem?” She arched an eyebrow.

  “You’ll see soon enough.” His canines retracted, and he turned to leave.

  She watched him walk away and found herself strangely drawn to the beast. He was mysterious and had a certain air to him, like he’d seen everything there was to see. She envied him if it were true. His British accent echoed in her ears. Her love of rock and roll had made her a fool for men with longer hair, and his flowed gently in the wind as he walked away. Now she wished she’d noticed the color of his eyes, but it’d been so dark and he towered over her which made it difficult to see. The fact that she was terrified hadn’t helped either.

  Chapter 4

  Her stomach cramped and muscles trembled as night began to fall. She hugged Shay tighter than she ever had before, fearing this could be the last time they’d see each other. She walked out the front door of her parents’ house, not knowing whether or not she would be coming back. Her legs weighed a ton, and she struggled to move.

  Vivian, Rob, and Sabine traveled in silence through town, and up the winding road that led to the huge compound overlooking Willow Creek. It looked so out of place in such a small Appalachian mountain town. On the outside, it looked like a beautiful mansion that may have belonged to some kind of celebrity in the Hollywood Hills. Though it was beautiful, it gave her the creeps. The thought of how many people probably met their fate behind the huge oak doors chilled her to the bone. Would she be the next victim?

  As they pulled into the circled driveway out front, two men (presumably vampires) and the woman (definitely a vampire) who’d given her the scroll, waited for them. A look of indifference was plastered across all three of their faces. Before they could even completely stop the car, the vampires were at their doors quicker than the blink of an eye.

  “My name is Gretchen. We met yesterday. Welcome.” She opened Sabine’s door and slightly bowed as she held out her arm toward the huge house.

  “Hello, Gretchen,” Sabine said cordially. Yeah, we met alright, if you call handing someone a life changing scroll without so much as a ‘hello’, then, yeah, we met, ya freak. Gretchen’s gaze turned cold as ice as she peered at Sabine. Oh shit! I wonder if that mind reading thing is real. Sorry, Gretchen! I’m just stressed. I’m sure you’re a lovely vampire. Gretchen looked away, and the smallest hint of a smile crossed her lips.

  “Please, come with me. Bastian awaits.”

  They stepped through the front door, and Sabine was in awe of what lay before her. The place was immaculate. It looked as if it’d been snatched out of another time and place. Various paintings and tapestries adorned the tall walls, and an elaborate mural covered the vaulted ceiling in the front room. It reminded her of The Sistine Chapel—yet another place she could forget about ever seeing in person.

  A grand staircase sprawled out before them. They followed Gretchen up the stairs and down a long hallway to a formal dining room where a feast had been laid out on a table big enough to easily seat 20 guests.

  At the head of the table, sat an ordinary looking man. He had short dirty blonde hair and piercing blue eyes. Looking closer at him, Sabine realized this man was Bastian Florien. She’d seen him at different times from afar in town, but had never been very close. He stood gracefully, and walked toward her and her parents. If she hadn’t actually seen his legs moving, she would’ve thought he was floating for sure. Taking her hand in his hand, Bastian looked her over.

  “Ah, yes. Just as pretty as I thought you’d be. Such lovely brown eyes.”

  Her hand trembled in his as she struggled to speak. “Th-thank you, s-sir.”

  “Don’t be afraid, child. You are safe. You will never know any harm from here on out.” Except when you bite me. The corners of Bastian’s mouth turned up. “I assure you, it will not hurt if that is what you are worried about. We choose for it to be painful or not when we feed; so, no harm done.” He smiled warmly at her.

  Sabine gasped. He’d heard her thoughts; there was no doubt this time. She tried hard to not think of anything when suddenly she heard a voice. But she wasn’t hearing this voice with her ears. It was coming from inside her head. I can hear your thoughts, child, though not all of us possess this special gift. Do not ever be afraid to think. As old as I am, there is nothing you could say or think that would shock, anger, or surprise me. I would not want to stifle your creativity as I hear you are a blossoming artist. You will find anything and everything you desire to nurture your talent when you come here to live. I look forward to adding some of your work to my collection.

  Sabine began to grin as her parents looked at her like she was crazy. At least she’d still be able to do what she loved, and maybe this Bastian guy wasn’t so bad. Her nerves began to settle, and she wasn’t shaking nearly as much as she had been moments before.

  “Please, come in and sit down. Eat all you like. I would like to spend some time getting to know you and your parents. You have a sister, yes? I would like to have met her as well, but another time will be fine.”

  The small family took their seats close to where Bastian had been sitting. There was a whole turkey, a ham, an assortment of freshly baked breads and pastries, and all kinds of side dishes laid out on the table. It was like Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner all rolled into one.

  Bastian spoke at length with Vivian and Rob about their liv
es. He was interested in learning of their careers and how they’d grown up. He wanted to know details of Sabine and Shay, and things they’d experienced. It was all getting a little boring for Sabine, as she was more interested in getting to the details of the arrangement. She ate quietly while they finished their conversation.

  “Let’s get down to business, shall we? Sabine, you must have many questions. Would you prefer I answer them, or would you rather I explain the details?”

  “Just tell me, and I’ll ask if there’s anything else I want to know.”

  “Very well then. You have been chosen to fulfill the agreement made by your ancestors and myself. I protect Willow Creek from various entities that wish nothing more than to take over and cause harm, and, in exchange, one young adult who will provide sustenance is chosen every 10 years to be paired with a vampire residing here. We do not have to hide our nature, and the citizens of this town need not worry about being attacked by outsiders or drained by any of us. You, sweet girl, have been chosen.”

  “I have a question now.”

  “Go ahead.”

  “When do I move here?” Her heart thumped in her chest in anticipation of the answer.

  “You will come to live with us on your 21st birthday. For now, you will go about your life and live it as you would, with one exception. You cannot leave the borders of Willow Creek without first being granted permission by me. This is so we do not have to worry that you will run and to make sure you stay safe.”