“I don’t have a girlfriend,” Kedar snapped defensively.
“Then whose perfume have you been reeking of at pack meetings?” Samantha retorted coldly.
“Not my girlfriend’s. You should know best of all that just because you’ve slept with someone doesn’t mean they’re your girlfriend… Or boyfriend.”
“So she was just a booty call?” Samantha scowled and turned to the now boiling pot of water. She didn’t know why she was so jealous, but she wasn’t going to analyze her feelings at this very moment.
“And that was all I was to you. So where’s the problem here?” Samantha could hear the hurt hiding under the anger in Kedar’s voice.
“No. That’s not what you were. Not at all.” Samantha whispered.
Kedar was silent.
“I already told you that I was done fighting, okay?” Samantha scuffed her foot on the floor then poured the macaroni into the boiling water.
Kedar stood and stepped close to Samantha. He put his hands on her hips and she caught her breath in her throat, “If I wasn’t just a booty call, then what am I to you?”
Samantha was silent for a long moment, trying to figure out exactly how she wanted to word her answer. She took a deep breath and she stepped away from Kedar, turning around to look at him, “You’re my friend Kit…” She started. She could see the hurt on his face, but she continued, “I shouldn’t have had sex with you. But that doesn’t mean that I don’t care about you…”
Kedar stepped back and looked away, “Oh…”
***
In the morning Chantal came to the house to pick of Danny and bring him to a licensed foster home. Samantha sat in the window sill, watching as she pulled up in front of the house and made her way up to the front door. She picked Danny up off the floor and brought him to the front door, opening it before Chantal could ring the doorbell.
“Morning Chantal,” Samantha greeted her, smiling and stepping aside so that she could come in.
“Good morning, Samantha. Where is Melody?” Chantal asked as she stepped into the entry way.
“She went to work already. But Kedar has been here with me helping me watch Danny,” Samantha said, “He was good, he didn’t fuss at all last night.”
Chantal nodded and looked around, “That’s good. Very good.”
Kedar came into the room and shook Chantal’s hand, “What’s going to happen to him?” He asked.
“Well, he’s going to be put back into the system and then someone will either foster or adopt him,” Chantal answered frankly.
“He’s a wolf Chantal. He can’t be placed with a regular family.” Samantha retorted.
“I can take him in for a while at least,” Kedar offered as he shrugged his shoulders.
“Melody is looking into getting her foster license so she can foster him,” Chantal responded, taking Danny from Samantha.
“Can we visit him until then?” Samantha asked.
“Once Melody sends in her background check and she’s been cleared. But after that of course you can.” Chantal responded, then she looked at Danny, “Say bye, Daniel…” She prompted. He simply hid his face in her curly blonde locks.
“Bye, Danny. Be a good boy,” Samantha said. Chantal walked out the door and went down the driveway to her car. Samantha watched out the window as Chantal got Danny into a car seat and then drove away from the house. She frowned to herself and she turned back to Kedar.
“We have to go talk to the pack. I’ll call Alex and have them set up a meeting.” Samantha said softly, going to walk passed Kedar.
He placed his hand on her hip and stopped her from going passed him, “I want to talk about us, first.”
“We already did, Kit. Come on.”
“Sam, come on. I just want to know if you mean what you said last night.”
“Kit…”
“You were cuddled up against me when I woke up this morning, with your head on my chest. I know you were sleeping…but you looked so happy and peaceful…”
Samantha looked away from him and he touched her cheek with his fingertips, “I really care about you, Sam…” She still didn’t say anything so Kedar pressed his lips lightly against hers. She leaned into the kiss and wrapped her arms around his neck. He smiled, but he continued to kiss her.
***
Two hours later Samantha and Kedar were pulling up in front of Alex’s house. Samantha had called an emergency meeting to inform the pack about her run-in with the vampires. They let themselves in, Kedar walking close behind Samantha. They went straight into the den, where the pack was waiting for them. Samantha quickly scanned the room and noticed immediately that Charlotte was not there. Samantha pursed her lips and sat down, Kedar putting himself beside her before Riley could.
“Your aunt told us that you were attacked, why did you wait until now to call a meeting?” Colin asked as soon as Samantha was sitting.
“She was injured, she needed her rest…” Kedar snarled, responding for Samantha.
“Both of you need to hold on. We aren’t going to wait for Charlotte?” Samantha interjected.
“No, we are not, Samantha. If she isn’t going to be here when we tell her to be, then it’s her own fault if she misses anything important,” Colin responded, “Now Samantha, explain yourself.”
“As Kedar already said I was injured and I needed rest. I took the boy I found to my aunt and was sleeping the rest of the day. I could have died, Colin. My first priority was not calling you.” Samantha responded bitterly.
“And what of the vampires?” Colin inquired, annoyance plain as day on his face and in his voice.
“I killed them. Had I not shown up Samantha would have been dead, as she was patrolling alone, which I had advised you all not to do,” Kedar grumbled.
“And did you learn anything from the encounter?”
“They were fledglings, but they were cocky. Very cocky.” Kedar replied.
Just then Charlotte walked into the room. Everyone turned to look at her and she stepped further into the room, hanging her head. She took a seat on the floor and Colin stood up.
“Why are you late?” He asked, his voice so calm it was clear that he was very angry under the façade. He raised his eyebrows when she did not answer right away.
“Zach is missing…” Charlotte responded in a soft voice.
Everyone jumped up and started talking at once, the room erupting in a loud roar.
“Everyone, quiet!” Colin snapped, and the noise died down quickly, “That is not an excuse, Charlotte.”
“My boyfriend has been missing for two days and I was talking to his parents because we’re all very concerned. You’re telling me that it isn’t an excuse?”
“Hold your tongue and show some respect to your superiors. The pack comes above all else. Now don’t speak for the entirety of the meeting. We will discuss the consequences of your disrespectful behavior afterwards. Do you understand?” Charlotte nodded slowly in response, “Good. Anyway, Kedar, how do you two know that these vampires are fledglings?”
Kedar explained to Colin and the pack what he had explained to Samantha, who was watching Charlotte intently. While Kedar spoke, Charlotte received a text message. Samantha did her best to peak around Kedar and over Charlotte’s shoulder, hoping to read the text. All she could see was that the text was from Zachary. Samantha pressed her lips together in a thin line and she sat back.
“That little lying bitch…” Samantha thought to herself, folding her arms across her chest. When the meeting was over Samantha and Kedar hung around, waiting for Charlotte to leave. When she did Samantha and Kedar got into her car and the followed her.
CHAPTER 14
Charlotte walked up to where she and Zachary were supposed to meet. He had text her almost forty-five minutes ago, but she was hoping he would still be there. She wondered why he had wanted to meet her on a beaten, overgrown path in there forest and she reached into her purse and pulled out her pepper spray. Zachary stepped out from behind a tree and
grabbed her shoulder. She screamed and quickly turned around, pepper spray in hand, but Zachary grabbed hold of her wrist.
He smiled, “It’s me, relax.” He said.
“Zach… Oh thank goodness you’re alright,” Charlotte exclaimed, throwing her arms around him. He smiled sheepishly and held her away from him, refusing to step out of the shadows.
“Alright is probably not the right word…” He whispered.
“I don’t care what the right word is! You’re alive! And you’re here! We have to tell your parents!” She replied excitedly. She grabbed his hand and she froze; his skin was as cold as the January afternoon air. She pulled her hand away quickly and put her hands in her pockets.
“No, we can’t go see them…” Zachary protested.
“Why not?” Charlotte went to grab his wrist, but she hesitated and then put her hand back into her pocket, avoiding looking him in the eye. She had this feeling in her stomach that she knew why, but she didn’t want to believe the feeling in her gut.
Zachary shook his head, “I can’t… Listen, Char, I can’t… I can’t see my parents anymore. I shouldn’t have even come to see you. I can’t see anybody. They told me so.”
Charlotte took a step back, realization setting in. She shook her head, “They, who’s they? What are you talking about…?”
“Char, they told me it would be a better life for me. That I would feel like never before. Told me I’d be able to do things I couldn’t do and said I’d been given a gift and that I needed to embrace it. The woman… The woman that was there said I had undergone some type of transformation… That I’m a whole new being and that I should be in her debt. She told me that if I heed her warnings and do as she said that I would be powerful… Unstoppable. Sh-She told me that I would never die…” His words were rushed, panicked. He paced back and forth in the shadows, talking with his hands all the while. Charlotte knew. She knew exactly what he was talking about, exactly what had happened. She swallowed hard and bit her inner lip to fight back the tears.
“What are you talking about Zach? You sound like a crazy person!” She knew what he was talking about, she didn’t have to ask. He didn’t smell like he should have, almost like day old burgers, instead of musky yet refreshing menthol. It made her stomach churn and the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. She knew exactly what was going on, what he had become. But she couldn’t believe it. She refused to believe it.
Zachary ran his fingers through his hair, getting aggravated, appearing to be stressed out. Possibly nervous. Charlotte couldn’t tell, “The woman… She told me to call her mother. She told me… She told me she gave me the gift of vampirism. Charlotte… Charlotte I think I believe her…” His voice waivered and cracked, his hands shook. He looked at Charlotte, and their eyes finally met. His eyes almost appeared to glow with a red tint, but were still blue under the crimson film. “I’m scared, Charlotte… And I’m so hungry…”
Charlotte thought that she was going to throw up. She turned her back on Zachary and wiped tears from her eyes. She looked up and saw Samantha and Kedar standing hidden in the trees. Samantha shook her head and put her finger to her lip. Charlotte was furious that they had followed her out here, but she took a deep breath and turned back to Zachary, knowing what she had to do to protect the pack.
“What have you been drinking, Zachary Gold? Vampires don’t exist. You should just go home, eat something and go to bed.” Her voice was firm underneath the pain.
Zachary frowned and furrowed his brow, the hurt clear in his inhuman eyes, “Charlotte…” He whispered, stepping close to her, almost out of the shadows.
“Just go home, Zach…” Charlotte turned away, her eyes meeting Samantha’s. She simply nodded and Charlotte closed her eyes. She couldn’t do it. She couldn’t kill Zachary. “I can’t…” She mouthed to Samantha as tears rolled down her cheeks.
Zachary grabbed her arm and spun her around, his icy cold fingers gripping her tightly, “The woman told me that her name is Anastasia. She said that you’re part of some sort of pack and that if I don’t do as she says that she is going to kill you.” His voice was harsh, angry. It had lost all traces of fear and aggravation. The tenderness of Zachary’s normal tone was gone and was instead replaced with malice. Charlotte’s heart beat faster and she wrenched her arm out of his grasp, panic rising in her chest. She heard Samantha and Kedar shift, ready to protect their pack member if need be. Charlotte stumbled back, into the dying light of day.
“What do you know about the pack?” She snarled, every muscle in her body tightening, preparing to attack.
Zachary’s face instantly softened. He rubbed his temple with one finger and took a deep breath, “Anastasia said that you are werewolves, which I didn’t believe at first. But if I’m a vampire then I mean, the werewolf thing is plausible. But, she said that your pack is keeping her from her hunting ground. She promised that if I did as she said she would spare your life. But I don’t want to be a monster like her… I wanted to warn you… So I can protect you… I can help you and your pack, but you need to get me in with your leader… The alpha I think she called him…”
Charlotte’s heart sank, and she closed her eyes again. She heard the rustling of the bushes as Samantha and Kedar made their way to her, standing on either side of her. She felt Kedar’s hand on her shoulder as he pushed her behind him.
“How the fuck does she know about our pack?” Samantha practically hollered, anger emanating off of her small frame.
Zachary stared at Samantha, speechless. For a small girl she was quite intimidating. She clenched her fists and stepped forward, but Kedar reached out and touched her shoulder lightly, letting her know to stay back. Zachary still didn’t respond, but he turned his eyes to Kedar, who scowled at him.
“We asked you a question, now answer it.” Kedar ordered, his tone pointed.
Zachary stuttered, “I-I don’t know what she knows. I just know what she’s told me. Which wasn’t much at all.”
“Well, we won’t be allowing you to meet with anybody.” Samantha stated very as-a-matter-of-factly. She crossed her arms across her chest and pursed her lips as Kedar nodded in agreement. She continued, “The pack and its safety is our first and foremost priority.”
“Bringing this leech around the pack would most definitely jeopardize the safety of every member,” Kedar finished her statement for her.
“Runt! Kit! He says that he can help us, give him a chance.” Charlotte pleaded, latching on to the idea that a vampire could retain his morality in hopes of keeping the young man she had fallen in love with. She knew it was a ridiculous notion, but that hope was all she had if she was going to keep her first love around.
“He could double cross us,” Kedar countered, frustration clear as he clenched his jaw.
“I wouldn’t do that. I’m in love with Charlotte. Nothing could change that. Besides… I don’t want to hurt anyone…” Zachary rebutted, as he reached out for Charlotte, who Kedar still kept behind him, out of Zachary’s grasp. She whimpered and tried to push around Kedar, but he didn’t budge.
Kedar took a step towards Zachary, his voice low and intimidating, “You do realize that unless you drink the blood of a human you’ll waste away and die? This isn’t a fairytale, vampires can’t live off of animal blood. It would be like a human with an A positive blood type receiving B negative blood during a blood transfusion. You don’t know anything about what you’ve become, and I suggest you brush up quickly. That is, if I don’t kill you right now anyway.”
“I’ll waste away and die then. So long as I can help Charlotte and keep her safe…” Zachary sounded defeated in his response and he shoved his hands into the pockets of his pullover sweatshirt.
Kedar turned to face Charlotte, “The only reason I haven’t killed him yet is because it would upset you, and upsetting you would upset Sam. Speak to your alpha if you must, but I would advise against it. This scum shouldn’t be anywhere near our homes. Remember, Charlotte, you’re putting the lives of y
our family in danger for a boy you met less than three months ago. And he isn’t even the same boy. He’s simply a monster parading around in his body. The boy you claim to love is gone.”
“You’re not even a part of this pack, how dare you speak to me that way. Mind your own damn business and don’t interfere with my fucking life. I don’t take orders from dirty rogues.” Charlotte snapped, finally having enough.
“Your mistake,” Was Kedar’s only reply before he stormed away.
“I don’t give a damn what you do, Charlotte. Just be aware that if anything… Unfortunate happens because of the decision you make you will be the one to blame. Nobody else. You should be protecting your pack, not some vampire scum…” Samantha snarled, glancing back at Zachary, and then she followed Kedar.
After a moment Zachary spoke, “I didn’t mean to cause problems between you and your friends.”
Charlotte rubbed her temples slowly, “Don’t worry, Zach. They’re just upset, and understandably so…” She stepped into the shadows, closer to her boyfriend.
He reached out and touched her face gently, caressing her cheek, “I’m so glad that I still have you…”
“Me too,” Charlotte whispered in response.
There was a long moment of silence that followed. Charlotte didn’t know what to say. She leaned her face into his hand, shuttering at the cold feeling of his once warm skin. She told herself it was something that she was going to have to get used to, and the thought made her heart sink. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to get used to it… She wanted Zachary, but was this the Zachary that she wanted? She closed her eyes and tried to push the thought to the back of her mind. Zachary’s shaky voice made her open her eyes and jump in surprise.
“Does this mean I’m dead?” He was barely audible, but the words made tears well up in her eyes once more. She swallowed the lump in her throat and she shakily placed her forefinger and middle finger on the inside of his wrist, searching for a pulse that she knew wasn’t going to be there. Vampires were technically nothing but walking, talking, animated corpses, but she hadn’t the heart to tell him that.
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