“So that’s who will be snacking on you?”
“No, Delia, he isn’t the one. The one who will be draining me of my blood scares the hell out of me. He just…makes me feel weird.”
“What did he do to you?”
“He hasn’t really done anything to me; he just gives me the creeps. Like yesterday, he made me go for a walk with him, and told me he expected me to have sex with him!”
“Is he hot?” Delia leaned in and smiled.
“Delia! It doesn’t matter how hot he is or isn’t, he shouldn’t say things like that!”
“Thank you, Lana. He didn’t come out and say it like that, though, and he could’ve been joking. He’s very cocky. He thinks he’s way above me.”
“But, is he hot?”
Sabine looked at Delia, and sighed. “He’s not bad, I guess.”
“Then, what’s the problem?” Delia shrugged as the other two girls looked at her incredulously. “Oh, come on! I’m only trying to lighten the mood. You know I don’t really think any of this is okay.”
“I know.”
“What does he look like, though?” Lana questioned.
“Well, he’s tall. I’d say probably 6’2” or 6’3”. His hair comes to a little below his chin, and it’s kind of a dark, chestnut brown with golden tones. He seems muscular, but not bulky, more on the lean side. Oh, and his eyes are really bright green, I think. I tried not to look him right in the eyes too much. I was afraid he’d mind fuck me or something.”
“Can they do that?” Lana’s eyes widened.
“I think so. I mean I don’t know what they can do, but I’m pretty sure they can control humans if they want. I know some of them can read minds, and the whole super speed thing is definitely true.”
“Well, as much as I hate to, I have to go to the library before next period. Can we get together later, girls?”
“Absolutely, Lana. See you after school. We’re still walking home together, right?”
“Yep.”
*
“You should go buy a lottery ticket now that you’re 18!”
“Yeah, because it would do me so much good if I won!”
“You could give the jackpot to me if you did!” Lana looked at Sabine with a big, toothy grin.
Sabine and Lana continued to walk down Main Street toward their houses. They’d grown up a few houses apart from each other, and had been friends for as long as either one could remember. Walking home together was a daily ritual where they would gossip about everything that happened during the day, and stop at the little convenience store on the corner to grab snacks to eat while they continued their gab fests at one of their homes. Today, it was Sabine’s home they’d chosen. The sun was bright, and the breeze was warm. They elected to sit on the swing on the back porch, until it was time for Lana to head home for dinner.
They’d been sitting for close to a half an hour when Lana noticed an envelope on the table. “What’s that over there? Did your mom leave you a note or something?”
Sabine crinkled her brow and walked over to the table to pick up the envelope. “I don’t think so. She usually just texts me if she needs to tell me anything.” Sabine picked the letter up, and carefully opened it. She pulled a piece of paper out and began to read to herself.
Are you ready for me to show you those things I’ve learned?
She wadded the paper up, and threw it in the garbage can sitting at the edge of the porch.
“What did it say?”
“It was from that pig that I’m supposed to spend the rest of my life with. He asked me if I was ready for him to show me the things he’s learned.”
“What the heck does that mean?”
Sabine arched her right eyebrow and crinkled her nose. “He told me he expected me to act like a wife, since apparently that’s the relationship I’m supposed to have with him, and I got grossed out and left. When I left, he told me I’d be begging him in no time to show me all the things he’s learned about sex. That’s what he meant. He’s such a pig.”
“He’s probably just messing with you. I mean, is he happy about this arrangement?”
Sabine erupted with a sarcastic laugh. “That’d be a big fat no, I’m sure.”
“Maybe he thinks he can get out of it somehow if he messes with you enough.”
“Maybe, but unless I die, I think he’s pretty much stuck. Even if something happened to me, he’d probably be paired with whoever the runner up might’ve been.”
“Well, if he’s hot, you know Delia is all in to be a runner up on her birthday. She’s so crazy sometimes. I still think he’s probably just trying to get a rise out of you, though.”
“Maybe, but he’s over 400 years old. His views on women can’t be that great. Think about it.”
“Maybe he’s evolved.”
They both laughed.
“Yeah, right. That’s why he’s leaving me pervy notes, because he’s so evolved.”
“Geez, Sabine. What are you going to do if he tries to rape you?”
“He won’t try. If he wants to, he will. What could I do to stop him? The only thing that might help me is Bastian, if what he says is true about no one hurting me.”
“Hey! Maybe he’ll end up being the love of your life!”
“Kill me now.” Though she was disgusted on the outside, she pondered the possibility for a split second.
“You could be like all those movies and TV shows where the vampire guy ends up being dreamy, and you can’t live without him and he would die for you.” Lana sighed as she smiled dreamily at the notion.
“You want me to puke, don’t you?”
“Maybe that stuff was based on real stories. We know vamps are real, even though the rest of the world doesn’t seem to. Maybe there are other people out there that know about them, too, that had some kind of sexy rendezvous with one.”
“Possible, I guess, but I’m pretty sure they weren’t based on Remy. He’s too creepy.”
“Remy? That’s a sexy name.”
“You’re getting to be as bad as Delia!”
Remy sat out of sight on the roof above them. He’d positioned himself so that no passersby could see him, and he stayed still so he wouldn’t be heard. Listening to the two girls talk almost made him laugh. The thought of him being the romantic hero they thought he might be who would fall deeply in love with her was ridiculous. He hadn’t been in love in centuries, and didn’t even know what love felt like anymore or if he was still capable of such a thing.
When his wife, Beatrix, died, it almost destroyed him. His father tried to arrange another marriage for him almost immediately. When he refused, he was forced into hard labor and stripped of the few luxuries he had. His father didn’t understand why he refused, since his marriage to Beatrix had been arranged as well. He’d grown to love her almost immediately, despite the fact that he’d resented her at first.
I suppose this situation is similar. Bastian has arranged our marriage. Even if we aren’t officially married yet, we might as well be. We won’t fall in love, though. Lust, maybe. She is cute, even if she is a twit.
He briefly considered jumping down from where he sat and scaring the hell out of them. It would be quite amusing, but he had to get back. Bastian would be waiting for him. Maybe next time.
*
Sabine and Delia sat outside a little café in downtown Willow Creek, sipping iced cappuccinos. They often met there on Saturday evenings to chat and to kill time when they were bored.
“Don’t make it obvious, but you need to look. There is a really hot guy over there looking at us,” said Delia.
“Oh no.” Sabine rolled her eyes. “What does he look like?”
“Just look. You’ll know as soon as you see him. He’s practically staring a hole through you.”
“I really don’t want to.”
“Why not? You’ve never passed up the opportunity to look at a sexy guy before.”
“Because I know when I turn around I’m going to see Remy looking
back at me.”
“Sweetheart, if that’s Remy, then I don’t feel one bit bad for you anymore. That guy’s body is practically smoking he’s so hot.”
Sabine slowly turned her head to the right. It was him. She turned her head to the left to look away from him, and he was sitting in the chair beside her. Both Sabine and Delia jumped and screeched.
“What the hell? Why do you do that?”
“Because I can. Now, who is your lovely friend?” Remy turned to Delia and smiled as he took her hand and kissed it.
“Delia, Remy. Remy, Delia. Now, what do you want?”
“Can I not just visit with my beloved and her beautiful friend?”
Delia blushed.
“I am not your beloved, and I’d rather you didn’t. Just leave me the hell alone until I turn 21.” If he left her alone, maybe she could get over her strange attraction to him.
“If only it were that easy. You see, I’m stuck in this shitty little town from now until you cease to exist. So, why not mess with you when I get bored?”
Delia began to giggle. Sabine glared at her. “I’m sorry, Sabine! He is kind of funny, though.”
“No, he’s not. Not at all. He’s a prick, and I think it’s time for me to go home now.”
“Come on, Sabine! I’m sorry. Do you want me to come with you?”
“It’s fine, and no. I’m going home and going to bed. I’ll text you later.”
She stood up, and picked up her bag. Remy also stood up. She walked away, but felt him right behind her. Stopping suddenly, she crossed her arms and turned to face him.
“WHAT are you doing? Leave me alone!”
“I’m only seeing you home safely.”
“Well, since I know where I live and how to get there, I don’t need or want your help. Please, just go away.” Tears began to well up in her eyes, and she hoped he wouldn’t notice. She didn’t want him to get some kind of pleasure out of making her cry.
“It’s nothing to cry over. Why are you getting upset?” He placed a hand on her shoulder, and watched her intently.
Fire raged through every piece of her body. She dropped her bag and shoved his hand away from her shoulder as she looked up at him. “WHY DO YOU THINK I’M UPSET? I’m going to be your slave in less than three years, and all I want is to be free to live my life right now without you being around me! Is that too much to ask for?”
He peered down at her seriously. A chill shot up her back as she met his eyes. “You won’t be a slave. I promise you that.” And just like that, he was gone.
Chapter 7
Willow Creek, May 17, 2012
The week of Sabine’s 20th birthday left her with the perfect opportunity. All she had to do was get permission to go. Her favorite band in the whole world was playing a show only an hour and a half away from Willow Creek two days after her birthday. She’d been obsessed with them and Ash, the lead singer, for the last six years, and hadn’t had the chance to see them live. This very well could be the only opportunity she’d ever have.
She hadn’t asked to leave town at all in two years. Hopefully, she would be granted permission as a treat for her birthday. Once she was allowed, she could plan her escape. She hadn’t attempted to run since before she was chosen. Maybe they wouldn’t suspect she was going to bolt. The only way she could pull it off was if they’d let her out of town. Otherwise, she was doomed to spend the rest of her life with that jerk.
She’d only seen him from a distance a couple of times since she’d blown up at him shortly after her 18th birthday, though he still made regular appearances in her dreams; so much for getting over her attraction to him. He never acknowledged that he knew her, and hadn’t even looked at her when she did see him anywhere. Surprisingly, so far he had granted her the one thing she wanted, which was to be rid of him until she turned 21.
She drove up, and parked the old red Toyota her parents had given her for her 19th birthday. It wasn’t quite sunset when she knocked on the door. No one answered. Not knowing if anyone would even open the door, she knocked again. A moment later, the door creaked open. Gretchen, as stunningly gorgeous as she had been the last time she saw her two years before, stood before her.
“Sabine. To what do we owe the pleasure?” Gretchen smiled a warm, friendly smile at her.
“I hope it’s not a bad time, but I wanted to speak to Bastian. I need to ask him if it’s okay if I go to a concert out of town next week. I haven’t asked to leave before, so I wasn’t sure really how to go about it.”
“Come in. I’ll see if Bastian is busy. If he can’t see you right now, I’ll ask him when a good time will be for you to meet with him. Please, have a seat in the sitting room.”
“Thank you.”
Several minutes later, Bastian appeared. His looks hadn’t changed at all, though she didn’t really expect them to. “Sweet child! It’s so good to see you! What can I do for you?’
“Hello, Bastian. I hope I’m not bothering you.”
“Not at all.”
“Well, I haven’t asked for permission to leave before, but there’s this concert coming up, and I’d really like to go for my birthday. I’ve been a huge fan of this band for years now, and this is the closest they’ve ever played. So would it be okay if I go?”
Bastian was silent as he thought about her question. His eyes softened when he began to speak. “I do not see why not. Go. Have fun, but make sure you come back quickly.”
“Oh, thank you so much! I really appreciate it.” She made sure to think to herself that she’d never get away without being caught just in case he was listening in on her thoughts.
“You are most welcome. Who will you be going with?”
“Probably my two best friends. One for sure. The other has to see if she can get the night off from work.”
“It sounds like you will have an excellent time. Now, do you mind staying and speaking with me a little?”
“I have some plans with my parents and my sister in about an hour, but I can stay for a few minutes.”
“What is the name of this musical group you are going to see play?”
“Ferrum.”
“Hmmm. Ferrum? I think that might be one that Remy listens to sometimes. The name seems familiar to me, and I am sure that is how I have come to know that name. I do not take to modern music very often. I prefer the classics.”
Remy has good taste in music. That’s a shocker. I wonder if he’s here. Not that I want to see him. I don’t. Hopefully he isn’t.
“Remy is out at the moment. No need to worry about running into him, but I am curious. What has he done to make you despise him so much?”
“Nothing—recently. Right after I turned 18, I felt like he was harassing me at times.”
“Oh. How so?”
“He would say rude things to me, and pop up out of nowhere to bother me when all I wanted was to be far away from all of this.”
“I see. What made him stop?”
“I kind of yelled at him, and he just stopped. I don’t know why he actually listened to me.”
“That does not sound like my Remy at all. I hate to speak ill of my progeny, but he has always had a habit of being rather obnoxious. He has never let up just because someone told him to stop. You must have said something that resonated with him.”
“If he’s always been so obnoxious, why did you turn him in the first place? I can’t imagine wanting to spend an eternity with the guy.” I don’t even want to spend a minute with him, and yet I’m stuck with him anyway.
“I will leave that to him to decide to tell you or not, but I will say he has always been a fighter, and he has been surprisingly loyal to me since he arrived two years ago. I know it was the last thing he wanted to do when I summoned him to come here, but still he has stayed.”
Sabine smiled and nodded. She had nothing nice to say, so she kept her mouth, and her mind, shut.
“Would you like a drink or something to eat?”
“No, I’m okay. Thank you. I’m s
upposed to have dinner with my parents.”
“Oh, yes, of course. I will let you get back to the rest of your evening.”
“Thank you, again!”
“I expect you to be back in Willow Creek by the morning after the concert.” With that, he turned and left her sitting alone.
While driving home, she devised a plan.
*
The band was every bit as great as Sabine thought they would be, and she didn’t want to leave. Though she hadn’t seen them perform before, she knew they always played her favorite song last, but she had to get moving now in case anyone was following her.
“Delia,” she shouted over the crowd. “I’ll be right back! I have to pee!”
“Now? I think they’re almost done!” Delia’s arms swayed above her head as she danced along with the music.
“Yes, now! I’ll be quick.”
“Okay! Meet me by my car if you get lost or can’t find me when you’re done.”
She pushed her way through the crowd, hoping to blend in and not be noticed. She pulled out her cell phone after looking at the note she had scrawled on the back of her hand, and opened the app that would allow her to get a taxi. It was really convenient. She didn’t even have to talk to anyone so she wouldn’t have to worry about being overheard. She could touch the screen a couple of times, and a taxi would be on its way. A confirmation flashed on her screen that she’d be picked up in about five minutes.
She had to keep reading the notes she’d left for herself in her purse and on her hand so that she would remember why exactly she was leaving. Once anyone left the borders of Willow Creek they magically seemed to forget the vampire population that resided there. If she didn’t keep reminding herself, she might give up altogether and go back. She would regret losing the one chance she had to escape.
Now, all she had to do was to get out unnoticed. Then, she’d be on her way to the airport, which was a short 15 minute drive if traffic wasn’t bad. If she could get through security and board the plane, she’d be free. New York City was where she was headed, and if she couldn’t blend in there, then she had no chance of escaping anywhere.
Her heart pounded. Her palms began to sweat. She trembled. She expected to be stopped any second, and it came to her as a total surprise when she had not only been able to get in the taxi, but also to the airport and through security without anyone stopping her. She stood anxiously at the gate, waiting to board the plane.
Craving: The Willow Creek Vampires Series Page 5