by Maddie Foxx
Seth thought about Tessa and how he had planned to be with her with Raphael, but even that was lost to him. His mind raced enough thinking about how badly Carrie was injured and how horrible he felt about not helping her in her hour of need. If she died, he didn’t think he’d be able to handle how he’d really feel about it or if he’d be able to help Melody over her loss. It was one thing for Melody to lose her mother as to parental custody and quite another to have her gone from this Earth to never return. That’s the kind of loss that doesn’t go away. It haunts you a lifetime.
* * *
Tessa’s eyes adjusted to the darkness as she merged onto the trail next to the boarded-up store, just like the man back at the store said. She braked hard when a large log came across the trail and she cut off the engine, making way on foot. So far, this was working out better than she’d planned. On foot, Jason wouldn’t be alerted she was coming up on him, or so she hoped.
Her senses became further accustomed to the area, and she was able to hear every sound—the crickets, the water rushing in a stream close by—and the smell of smoke from a fireplace. She was closing in on Jason and he had no idea what he was in for. His history of abuse would end that night. She wasn’t only saving Carrie but every other woman he would come into contact with if she allowed him to live.
How women got themselves into situations with men like Jason baffled Tessa. What had happened to Carrie for her to decide to hook up with the likes of him of all people? Tessa would have thought that after she gave up custody of Melody that she would have straightened up her life. What was it about Carrie that led her so far astray? There were worse things than being a single parent, surely.
Tessa hunched down as she approached a cabin, which appeared out of the darkness. Smoke trickled from the chimney and the one window was illuminated. She heard someone pacing the clapboard porch of the cabin and as viewable by the full moon overhead, it was Earl. He hurled a goober into the bushes as he spat, lighting up a cigarette from the fragrance, which wafted her way. She could sense his heart was beating at a steady pace, the blood racing through his veins. A wolf howled in the distance and he inhaled sharply, squashing his cigarette on the ground. Should I have taken him out when he was outside? No, I need to be sure who else is in that cabin before I take action. Earl wasn’t her prime target, Jason was.
She crept closer to the cabin silently. The sound of a mountain lion’s roar took her out of her deep thought, but Tessa willed herself to remain calm. It couldn’t be Brendan and Chase, she knew it couldn’t. Not even the wolf howls that drew much closer swayed her from her target. She peeked through the window where Jason was tipping back a whisky bottle, but she didn’t see Earl anymore. Tessa stiffened when she heard a door open and close. They must have a backdoor to the cabin!
Within seconds she made the decision to throw open the door and strode inside, slamming the door behind her.
“What the hell?” Jason said as he scrambled to his feet.
“I’m here to rid the world of your abusive ass. I won’t allow you to harm another woman.”
“Bitch, what are you talking about?”
Tessa’s fangs extended as she was ready to pounce on Jason, but before she was able to move much closer, she felt a sharp pain in the back of her head as a bottle smashed against it. The last thing she remembered before going out was the sound of the men’s laughter and the smell of whiskey tantalizing her senses.
* * *
Tessa was swinging just as high as she could, her ears hurting from the sound of Katlyn’s shrill cry. She put her feet down, digging them into the dirt as she saw Bobby Martin kicking sand in her eyes. Tessa raced over and socked him in the mouth, watching in fascination as blood specked the ground. She was transported to her parents’ house and told they didn’t have enough money to send her to college, that she’d have to find her own way. It wasn’t the words she focused on but the emotionless expressions on their faces. That house wasn’t full of love, only indifference.
Tessa stiffened as she felt her clothing tugged from her body, the hands of a man touching her in places she didn’t want to be touched by Earl or Jason. She struck out yet was restrained by the chains around her wrists. Her eyes snapped open and Earl was unbuttoning his shirt. “When I’m through with you, I’m going to turn you into the sheriff. I’m sure he’ll be interested to know a vampire lives in Creeksboro.”
“Earl, this might not be a good idea. She looks really pissed,” Jason remarked.
“What the hell, Jason? Since when are you going soft? This is the only way to teach a woman how to act. Hold her down for me.”
Jason backed away as Tessa stood. “I want no part of this.”
Earl moved closer and Tessa watched him, hissing when he drew too near. He moved to a table and took out a stun gun. “Have it your way then.” He zapped her in the stomach and Tessa fell to the ground. She didn’t hear or see anything, only blackness. Her only thought was that she’d be violated by Earl and there wasn’t a damn thing she could do about it.
CHAPTER THREE
Tessa moaned in pain, but it wasn’t radiating from between her legs, thank God. It was her stomach where she was hit with the stun gun and her wrists from the chains, which held her, but that wasn’t what really awakened her. It was the smell of the blood of a human, and plenty of it.
She slowly opened her eyes and what she saw shattered her mind. Both Earl and Jason were dead; at least she thought it was them. It was hard to tell by the shape of their mutilated bodies. She stared at the ceiling and bits and pieces of them were there, too.
Tessa moved to her feet and made her way over to a wall where a key ring was. She unlocked the heavy chains from her wrists and they fell to the floor. She stared over to where they were attached to the wall, but they were loose. What happened? The last thing she remembered, Earl had hit her with the stun gun. She couldn’t recall anything after that. Tessa felt her head and mouth, coming back with blood. It was in her hair, too, as she further investigated. It also covered her breasts, stomach, and thighs.
She sat down on the floor, rocking herself for a moment, but she knew it wasn’t wise to stay there. But how would she be able to leave in her state? She was covered in blood. She’d be arrested for sure.
Tessa went through the cabin and found her clothing in the corner. It had been cut from her body, but her cell phone dropped out of the pocket of her jeans. She hastily picked it up and called the one person who would be able to help her: Paige.
When Paige picked up, she asked, “Tessa, where on Earth are you? Raphael came over not long ago looking for you.”
“I’m in trouble, Paige. I need you to help me, please. I also need you to bring me clothing.”
“Where are you?”
“I’m at a cabin that was Jason Traxler’s grandfathers.”
“I should have known. I know exactly where that is. I’ve been staking it out myself. I’ll be there in half an hour.”
When the phone cut off, Tessa noticed it was almost daylight. Paige had better get here before daybreak. She stepped over the remains and it took all of her willpower not to feed on any of it. No, she refused to do that. Jason had left the cabin, so why was he back in here? At least, Tessa thought it was him. She found an arm with a watch that looked like the one he wore. There was no running water in the cabin and no way to clean up, so she sat back on the floor. Her mind reeled. Did she do this, and if she did, why couldn’t she remember?
* * *
With dark sunglasses, pants and shirt on, with a large floppy hat firmly pulled low over her face, Paige made it up Mill Creek Road. She wasn’t sure what shape she’d find Tessa in, but it couldn’t be good. Her tone alone was one she’d never heard before. She should have known Tessa would go after Jason, but she sure snowed her on that one. Tessa was acting a little too agreeable, actually. She didn’t want Paige to know what she was about to do, but why did she feel it necessary to do it herself? Brendan would have taken action against Jason even
tually.
She took the turn toward the woods and found the ATV parked in front of a fallen log. This must be where she had gone in and she must have gone the rest of the way on foot. Paige brought a bag from the passenger’s seat of the truck and made way for the cabin. Luckily, it was supposed to be quite cloudy, although the sun hadn’t risen yet. However, Paige had found a way to go out during the day if she had to. It took a lot out of her, but sometimes it was just necessary, and it seemed like she was about to have one of those ‘necessary’ days. She’d not let Tessa go it alone. If she had done something to Jason, Paige would just help Tessa cover her tracks. It was as simple as that.
Paige pushed open the door to the cabin and the stench of fresh blood floored her. She pressed a hand over her nose as her fangs instinctively grew in her mouth. She searched the carnage of the room before finding Tessa huddled on the floor, hugging her knees. Not only was she quite naked, but covered in blood!
* * *
“Tessa,” Paige said.
Tessa looked up at Paige like she was her savior. “Thanks for coming.”
Paige helped Tessa to her feet. “What happened?”
“I came her planning to kill Jason, and Earl if he got in the way, but things got out of hand.”
“I see. It looks like Jason, or I think that’s Jason and Earl. Kinda hard to tell since they’re missing their heads.” Paige walked over to the wood pile in the corner, thrusting a piece of small kindling through their hearts. “Just in case,” she said. “But if you killed them, why are you naked?”
“Actually, I don’t know if I killed them or not. I mean, I did come here to kill them, but Earl hit me on the back of the head. He’d cut my clothes off by the time I woke up and I was chained to that wall. He was planning to rape me. I didn’t really even get a chance to defend myself because he used a stun gun on me.”
“What happened after that? He didn’t—did he?”
“I don’t feel like he raped me, but I don’t remember killing them either. I was chained to that wall, but when I woke up they weren’t connected to the wall and they were loose. I was only secured around my wrists. I found the key and took them off. Earl found out I was a vampire and planned to turn me in to the sheriff. Jason actually left when Earl was planning to…you know. Anyway, Jason went outside. I’m not sure how or when he came back inside, or what happened to either of them. I wish I could remember more, but I can’t.”
Paige nodded. “We need to get you cleaned up.”
“There’s no running water. I already checked.”
“There’s a stream not far away. Just clean yourself up and come back here. I’ll take care of the remains.”
Tessa nodded and did what Paige told her to. She waded into the ice-cold water and rubbed her body briskly until it was nearly raw, working her fingers through her hair until she hoped the blood was washed free.
When she finally surfaced, she stared down a white wolf. His jaws snapped and he howled before racing off into the forest. Paige appeared at the door. “Was that a wolf I heard?”
“Yes, but he left. That’s the last thing I want to deal with.”
“Was it Raphael?”
“No, this one was a white wolf. Raphael is gray.”
Paige handed Tessa her clothing and she donned the jeans and tee-shirt quickly. “Did you get rid of the bodies yet?”
“Yes, so don’t worry about that anymore. I’m afraid we need to set fire to this cabin.”
“But won’t that bring the sheriff out here? They’ll assume somebody killed Jason,” Tessa said.
“And what if someone comes out here to check on Jason and sees all that blood in the cabin? There simply is no choice. There are no nearby trees, so it shouldn’t cause too much trouble.”
That was the last thing Tessa needed to worry about, starting a forest fire. “I don’t think that’s a good idea at all. One spark is all it would take. I’d hate to ruin the entire forest just because we’re trying to destroy evidence.”
“Not to worry. I'll send out Angus to do it. I won't tell him you were ever here. Nobody will ever know except for me. I recommend you do the same and keep this between us. There are ramifications for killing a human, even ones such as Earl and Jason.”
Paige led the way back to her truck. “Follow me. I know of a place that has a hot shower where you can get some sleep and get yourself together. You can go home tonight.”
Tessa nodded. “But what if Raphael comes looking for me?”
“You'll just have to come up with a good story about that one. You can't expect me to come up with a lie that would be believable to him. I'll simply tell him I haven't seen you since last night after you checked on Carrie.”
“What about Seth? Did he ever come back to Shadow Creek?”
“No, and I can't help but wonder about that. I thought he'd remain glued to Carrie's side. I sure hope he's not feeling responsible for what happened to her.”
Tessa fired up the ATV and followed Paige back toward Shadow Creek, taking a turn into the abandoned ranch of her neighbor. When Tessa hopped off the ATV, she asked Paige, “Why are we here?”
“Look, it has running water and power. It's like a home away from home. Nobody ever comes here so it's safe.”
“How does it still have power?”
“Seems like he was stealing it from Shadow Creek. I just never bothered to have the connection severed. It's good to have a place to hide out in.”
Tessa followed Paige to the door and walked in when it was unlocked, but Paige didn't come in. “I'll park the ATV in the barn. I better get back to Shadow Creek before anyone starts asking questions.”
“Thanks, Paige. I owe you one.”
“No, this is the least I can do. I'll always be there whenever you need me.”
Paige left, first taking the ATV into the barn before driving the truck back to Shadow Creek. It felt strange for Tessa to be there, so close yet far away from Shadow Creek. How would she ever be able to pull herself together when she felt shattered by the events of the night?
Tessa stumbled her way up the stairs and into the bathroom. She adjusted the water to as hot as possible and crawled inside. There was soap and shampoo, and Tessa wondered if Paige had been entertaining over there with someone. Since she hadn't been seeing Clayton of late, Tessa wondered just who it might be. Tessa scrubbed her body until it hurt, just as she had in the river. Every time she thought of Earl putting his hands on her, she washed all the harder. Her wrists still hurt, as did the back of her head where she was hit with a bottle, as well as her stomach where she got quite the electrical current. That was why her wrists were injured, since the metal conducted with the jolt of that blasted stun gun. What happened after Earl hit her with that stun gun? Her body didn't feel like it was violated. Was she actually able to yank the chains from the wall and attack Earl? Did Jason race to his aid, killed by her, too?
After her shower, Tessa found her way into a bedroom, crawling under the blankets. She drew up her knees and hugged them. What happened might just scar her for life, but she couldn't allow it to. How on Earth would she ever be able to lie to Raphael about what happened at the cabin? Where would she say she had been all night? She then thought about Seth. Where had he gone? Back to Silver Creek, or into town to stay at the boarding house? It would seem that more than just Seth had a secret they couldn't share.
CHAPTER FOUR
Tessa sat up with the smell of coffee nearby. Paige smiled and sat on the edge of the bed. “Sleep well?”
“I’ve slept better. No matter how much I rattle my brain, I just can’t remember anything after I was hit with that stun gun.”
“Don’t try so hard to remember; sometimes that’s for the best. I wish I could so easily forget some of the things I’ve done. I’ve killed innocents without thought or care. It’s the reason I was left to die in the desert, but fate had other plans. I guess of all the things I’ve done or gone through, I most regret not being able to save my sister when I was turn
ed. Why did she die, but I lived?”
“It’s probably better not to wonder. Would you rather her be dead or that she was a vampire now?”
“I don’t know, but I’ve never completely gotten over her death all those years ago. In many ways, you remind me of her. Perhaps that’s why I bit you. Afterward, I knew I was wrong for doing so, but what can we do about it now other than carry on?”
Tessa rubbed her face. “How will I ever be able to lie to Raphael about last night?”
“You can’t remember, so you can’t say for sure that you killed anyone, Tessa. It won’t be a lie.”
Tessa swung her feet out of the covers. “Not a lie? I went to seek out Jason to kill him. It doesn’t matter if I ever remember what happened or not. I had the intent to kill him and it had to be me. If not, then how?”
Paige sighed. “Drink your coffee. I brought you the medication.”
Tessa took the pill and swallowed it, chasing it down with a coffee. “Strange. I forgot to take my pill yesterday and I haven’t eaten that I know of. But I don’t even feel hungry.”
“Perhaps you already ate,” Paige suggested.
“Don’t even say that. I won’t believe that I’d ever feed on those two worthless pieces of humanity. So, how is Carrie this morning? Any change?”
Paige fell silent, too quiet for Tessa. “What happened? She died!”
“Settle down now. It’s nothing like that. She did open her eyes for a few seconds. She closed them again, but it's a good sign."
“What if she wakes up and tells Brendan that it was Jason, and he searches for him but can't find him? Or worse yet, he finds out it's completely somebody else? What if I killed the wrong person and Jason was never guilty at all?”
Paige sat down on the bed, taking ahold of Tessa's hand while searching her face. “Look, you don’t know that Jason didn’t do this or if you killed him. And even if you did, he’s not guiltless; he’s abused Carrie in the past as well as other women in Creeksboro. You were knocked unconscious even. He hardly sounded like he didn’t deserve it to me.”