Craving: The Willow Creek Vampires Series

by Stephanie Summers

  “Safe from what?” asked Vivian.

  “Others of my kind. There have been those who have tried to harm the offering simply to cause problems for me here in Willow Creek. You see, if the citizens of this town believe I have gone against my promise to protect the person chosen, they could end our agreement and I may no longer be safe here. I do not wish to be slain while I sleep over a false belief that I have killed someone I did not.”

  Sabine shifted uncomfortably in her chair. What if the stranger from the park wanted her dead? Maybe he was playing mind games with her just to kill her later.

  “Have they ever succeeded?” asked Sabine.

  “Not as of yet, though that has not stopped some from trying,” Bastian replied.

  “Couldn’t you just pick another if she did run?” Rob asked. “I’m sorry, but I’d rather she left than to be hunted or stalked.”

  “No, I am afraid not. If I let someone leave with no consequences, then everyone would simply do the same. So you see, this is not an option. I assure you, she is in no real danger now that she is under my protection. I can keep her safe with no disruptions as long as she stays in Willow Creek.”

  “Why do you choose every ten years instead of at random times?” Sabine inquired.

  “Thomas Crowley put that stipulation into the agreement. He thought it best for the town’s people to be prepared. We occasionally share an offering if a blood mate dies before it is time to select another, but, more often than not, the lone vampire either leaves until it is time to choose again or they feed from animals in the forest. On the rare occasion a paired vampire is killed, we have released the offering from their duty, but that has only happened twice.”

  “Could I see the room I’ll be living in?”

  “Yes, of course; just as soon as you have had your fill of food and drink.”

  Vivian cleared her throat and began to speak. “Will we see her after she comes here? That’s been one of our concerns. We don’t want her taken from us.”

  “I would not dream of severing a family tie. There may be some planning involved, but she will not be cut off from you completely. Think of it as her being away at college or off living on her own in another city for the first time.”

  Sabine looked at her mother, and saw her eyes mist over. She didn’t know if Vivian was relieved or upset, but she hated to see her cry either way.

  Shortly after, Bastian took Sabine and her parents to the room she’d be living in. Though it was beautiful, it felt like too much for her. She wasn’t sure how her posters of the bands she liked or her pieces of artwork would look on the fancy walls. Her taste in music and style of painting would most definitely clash with the décor. This room was quiet with elegance, while her artwork mostly screamed with rage.

  As she looked around the room, she noticed clothes slung over the back of a chair and a few bags sitting about. She wondered who the mystery person was and concluded it was most likely a guest or someone that would be moving out before she moved in permanently.

  Almost two hours later, their visit was nearing the end. They made their way back down the long hallway and down the stairway while Bastian spoke of the paintings hanging on the walls and the artists who’d created them. She found herself intrigued by what she might learn from him. Maybe he’d even met some of the greats. Though he only looked to be about 30 years old, she knew he had to be way older than that. He was at least 200, judging by the timeline of the town. Should I ask him how old he is, or would that be rude? Doesn’t really matter. I guess I’ll have plenty of time to find out that kind of stuff while he feeds on me.

  “No, no, no, child. I will not be feeding on you. I require very little blood at my age, and, though my blood mate grows old, I am still satiated with her.”

  “Oh. I just thought I’d be with you.”

  “No, and since you are curious, I will tell you. I am 1400 years old.”

  “Wow! That’s old!” She quickly covered her mouth with one hand, and her eyes widened.

  Bastian chuckled, and said, “That I am.”

  The front door lurched open, and a dark figure entered. He stepped into the light, and she saw the familiar strands of hair blowing around his face from the light breeze following him through the door. Her breath caught in her throat.

  “Remy! Come, come! I want you to meet Miss Sabine Crowley.”

  He moved gracefully as his long legs carried him toward where the small group stood. “We’ve met. Last night in the park.”

  “Yes, unfortunately we did meet already. He was kind of rude to me, actually.”

  Remy’s lips parted. Looking down at Sabine, he ran his tongue over the just barely extended sharp point of one of his fangs. “Nonsense. I was only telling you how dangerous it was to be alone at night, what with all the rogue groups of creatures always looking to terrorize the town. I don’t think caring about a young girl’s wellbeing is being rude at all.”

  “Sabine, what does he mean you were by yourself? I thought you were at Delia’s house.”

  “Thanks—Remy, was it? I needed some time alone to deal.” She glanced out of the corner of her eyes at her parents, but saw nothing that would indicate they were too upset.

  “Oops. Mummy and Daddy didn’t know you were alone? Even dumber than I thought,” he sneered.

  Rob’s whole body tensed. He was on the verge of saying something when he knew he should keep his mouth shut. He was torn between defending his little girl and staying quiet to keep the peace between his family and the vampires.

  “Remy!” Bastian’s voice boomed and echoed through the hall. “You may not have been rude last night, but you are being rude now. Stop.”

  Remy looked at Sabine, only to find her smirking at him. He most certainly was not going to enjoy his time with her, the little brat. The sooner she died, the better. Maybe she’d have a little accident and he could be out of this mess and back to his home in London in no time.

  “I apologize for Remy’s behavior. He will not be so difficult when you come here to live. He will have three more years to get used to the pairing.”

  “Wait. He’s who will be biting me?”

  “Yes. You will be sharing his quarters as well.”

  Sabine threw her head back and glared at the ceiling. “Bloody hell.”

  “Told you,” Remy said with a sly grin.

  Chapter 5

  Cool fingers slid around the back of Sabine’s neck, pulling her close to his body. Her head tilted away while his tongue traced the artery that thumped with every beat of her heart. His body was firm pressed up against her own, and the thought of making love to him threatened to ignite her flesh. His skin began to warm more and more with every second he touched her. The tips of his fangs gently pricked her skin as she waited for the euphoria to set in. She longed for that glorious high.

  Euphoria never came. Instead intense pain exploded from her neck. Balling her fists up, she pulled back and punched him as hard as she could in the side of the head, but it made no difference. He continued taking her blood against her will. Her body instinctively jerked and her fingers scratched at him as she tried desperately to get away. She grew weaker. Her sight faded until all she could see was a hazy mist and a bloody smile hovering over her.

  Sabine jerked in her sleep – startling herself awake. The dream had seemed so real. She looked around the room half expecting Remy to be hiding somewhere watching her. Her hand shot up to her neck, frantically feeling for anything abnormal. She found no wounds and no soreness. It was just a dream, right?

  As she closed her eyes, she could feel his tongue on her. The euphoria she anticipated turned her on until the pain had hit. How would she even know if it was euphoric or not? Maybe it just simply wouldn’t hurt. Would he make it painful? Would that be how it was? Would he be cruel to her and make it hurt every time he bit her? Bastian had assured her no harm would come to her, but this was an ancient vampire capable of Christ only knows what. It’s not like Bastian was someone she could full
y trust, and she didn’t trust Remy to not hurt her.

  Droplets of sweat formed on her brow and her hair was wet with perspiration. Yuck. Time for a shower. Her feet dangled over the edge of the bed. She stretched and tried to shake the dream from her mind. She managed to pull herself completely out of bed and shuffle to the bathroom. While in the shower, flashes of Remy pulling her near and putting his lips and tongue on her danced in her head. That’s it. I’m a nutjob! He’s a monster, and I’m having dreams about him that turn me on. What kind of person in their right mind does that? Shit, I’ve had crushes on some shady boys before, but this is just insane. The so called bad boys I know couldn’t hold a candle to this guy.

  “Sabine? Are you almost done?”

  Pulled back to reality, she opened the shower door and yelled her reply to her mother. “Getting out now, Mom! I’ll be down in a few minutes.”

  “Okay. You have company, so you should probably hurry.”

  It had to be Delia and/or Lana, no doubt stopping by since she’d bailed on her two best friends the night of her birthday and fell right into bed without calling either of them after her meeting with Bastian. She prepared herself for all things vampire. Her best friends would inevitably want details from the night before. No way was she telling them about her sick attraction to the vampire she was paired with. She couldn’t even think of his name without making herself feel weird.

  Since it was her friends visiting, she didn’t feel the need to get fancy with her clothes. It was supposed to be warm, so she slipped into some shorts and pulled on a t-shirt of her favorite band, Ferrum.

  There were some minor similarities between Remy and the lead singer of Ferrum, Ash London. She began to rationalize that her attraction to Remy was due to the tiny resemblance between the two. Both of them were pretty tall and had longer hair. Ash was bigger, though. He was physically imposing, and she thought to herself that even someone like Ash would be no match for a vampire.

  She finished the ensemble with a pair of Chuck Taylors. They were her go-to shoes. She had drawn her own designs on them, and changed the laces out to violet colored ones to make them uniquely hers.

  She hurried down the steps toward the living room. Her friends always made themselves at home, and Sabine knew that’s where they’d be. Hell, the girls had probably made a snack already.

  “Sorry it took me so long. I didn’t know you were com-” Remy sat slouched on the couch as if he were bored and had waited an eternity for her to appear.

  “How could you have known? It’s not like you can read minds.”

  “I was expecting my friends to be here, not you.”

  “Am I not your friend, Sabine?” He stuck out his bottom lip and furrowed his brow.

  “Not at all.”

  “You’re hurting my heart.” His hand lingered lazily over his chest.

  “You’d have to have a heart in order for me to hurt it.”

  “But I do have a heart.” In an instant, he stood an inch away from her grabbing her hand. He placed her hand on his chest. “You feel that?”

  “No.” His chest was every bit as firm as it’d been in her dream, but much colder than she’d imagined.

  “Oh…That’s right. I have a heart; it just happens to be dead.” He looked down at her and laughed, failing to mention that his heart did actually beat. It just didn’t beat anywhere near the same speed as a living, breathing human being. “Come walk with me. I suppose I should see if you’re as annoying as I think you are.”

  “No. I don’t think that sounds like a good idea at all. I don’t want anything to do with you until I’m forced into it.” She turned to walk back upstairs to her room.

  “Need I remind you that I could force you now if I wanted?”

  Stopping dead in her tracks, she whirled around to face him. “Wow. You really know how to treat a girl, don’t you?”

  “Actually, yes, I do. I’m quite good at treating a lady, and doing really nice things to her…I mean, for her. However, that kind of treatment is only reserved for the special ones.”

  “Gross. I don’t want to hear about your sexual escapades.”

  “Too bad. Now, come on. Let’s go.”

  “Fine,” she said through gritted teeth.

  She yelled to her mother to tell her where she was going. How her mother didn’t protest was beyond her. The meeting had gone alright, but her mother couldn’t possibly just magically be okay with everything…unless, he made her be okay with it.

  They stepped out the door and into the sun.

  “It’s a shame you didn’t burst into flames just now. I guess you must be really old.”

  “That would depend on how you define old, but age has nothing to do with it. We can all go in the sun. The only thing age affects is how weak it makes us. A new vampire can only stand short periods of time before becoming too weak. They can even be vulnerable to humans if they’re in the sun too long. That’s why you don’t see many of our young out and about on a bright day.”

  “So, it doesn’t make you weak if you’re older?”

  “No, it still weakens us, but the older we get, the more we’re able to tolerate it. See, as we get older, our abilities become stronger. Even though the sun weakens me, I am still far superior to a human and could defend myself against other supernatural creatures if need be.”

  “Can you read minds? Bastian told me not all of you can.”

  “I’ve only been able to hear someone’s thoughts here and there over the centuries. It’s not something I’ve focused on much. I probably could develop the skill if I wanted, but why? So I can hear even more incessant chatter? Anyway, I don’t want to give away all my secrets. So tell me about you.”

  “There’s not much to tell. I’ve known for a long time that I would probably be the one chosen, and I’ve felt trapped. Because of that, I live a pretty boring life. There’s really been no point in putting much effort into anything; though, for some reason, I’ve managed to keep my grades up at school. That was a huge waste of time, I guess.”

  “It’s never a waste of time to gain knowledge. If there’s anything I’ve learned, it’s that the more knowledge you have, the better you’re prepared for whatever you’re faced with.”

  “Gee, thanks, Dad. That was some awesome fatherly advice.”

  “You have no idea how happy I am that I’m not your father, or anyone’s father for that matter.”

  “You never had kids before you were turned?”

  He shook his head. “None that lived. My wife was pregnant twice, but the babies were stillborn. She died in childbirth with the second one.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that.” For the first time since she met him, she saw past the vampire to the man he used to be, and her heart ached for his loss.

  He waved her off. “Ancient history. None of those kind of feelings remain.”

  “If you say so. How old are you, anyway?”

  “I was 24 when I was turned, and I’ve walked the earth for 406 years.”

  “Remind me to hit you up if I need help in my history class.”

  “That would be cheating, Missy. I’ll have no part in that.”

  “I forgot. Vampires are known for their strong moral and ethical values.” Sabine rolled her eyes at him. “The more you talk, the more you sound like my father. You can deny it all you want, but you’re giving me paternal vibes.”

  “Yuck.”

  “That’s what you’ll be to me, right? Like a parent or some kind of authority telling me what I can and can’t do all the time.”

  “Not quite.” He cocked his eyebrow and turned his head slightly toward her as they walked.

  “Don’t look at me like that. It creeps me out.”

  “You brought it up. I was told that I am to consider you my wife.”

  “Yuck.” A shudder ran up her spine.

  “Brush up on your skills, my dear. I expect you to be well versed in wifely duties when you bed with me.” He draped an arm around her shoulder.

&n
bsp; “Okay. I’m out.” She threw up her hands, and turned around. Not only was he a vampire, but he was also a pig. The attraction she felt toward him was dwindling by the second.

  “Relax. I won’t rape you. I’m not a complete monster. Anyway, you’ll be begging me to show you all the things I’ve learned over the last 400 years.”

  It was too late. She wasn’t hearing anymore. Remy laughed to himself, and let her go. Hello new favorite pastime. I could get used to working her last nerve.

  Chapter 6

  The cafeteria of Crowley High bustled with activity. Students crowded around tables, more concerned with social time than eating. The three girls went to their usual table in the back and sat down. So many sets of eyes darted in her direction, but every time she looked up, their gazes shifted away.

  “I guess the news is out,” Delia said.

  “You noticed that, too?” Sabine picked at her food, trying to ignore the attention she was receiving.

  “Yeah. Everyone keeps gawking at you and then looking away. You’d think they’d offer a thank you or something.” Delia glanced around at their peers.

  “That won’t happen, but Delia and I do understand the sacrifice you’re making. I don’t like it at all, and I understand that it isn’t easy,” Lana said.

  “Thanks. I’m just glad you girls are still 17 and safe from it all now. Supposedly, I’ll still be able to see my family and you guys. We’ll see.”

  “Doesn’t sound like you’re too sure about that one.” A slight frown appeared on Lana’s face.

  “I’m not. I don’t know how I can ever fully trust anything Bastian said until I’m actually there. I mean, how many times has anyone seen the others after they’ve gone there to live?”

  “Was he scary?” Delia inquired.

  “That’s the weird thing about all of it. He wasn’t scary at all. He seemed pretty interesting. He acted supportive of me being an artist, too. Told me I’d have access to any supplies I might need so I could keep painting.”

  “That doesn’t sound too bad,” said Lana.