by DM Wolfenden
Mia giggled. “I think she’d have a heart attack, or more likely call the men in white coats.”
Cain laughed.
Mia’s phone rang. “Hi, Mom.”
“I’ve booked myself on the two twenty tomorrow afternoon.”
“What about work?”
Mia whispered to Cain, “She’s getting the two twenty flight.”
“I have a few days’ leave I can take. I’ll book the return flight after I’ve seen for myself what’s going on.”
Cain whispered, “We can get one of the men to pick her up at the airport.”
“Okay, Mom. I’ll meet you at the airport, one of the guys will drive me there.”
“Okay, see you tomorrow.”
Mia was disappointed. She’d wanted this time to find out who the real Cain was, and what her feelings were for him.
“What are you thinking?”
She shrugged her shoulders. How could she tell him what was really on her mind when she wasn’t sure herself?
***
They had the horses saddled and went for a ride, but Mia didn’t enjoy it as much as she could have, she was too preoccupied with thoughts of Cain and her mother. What will she say to him? Will she approve of him? She really did not know what might happen.
That evening the nightmares woke her again. When she opened her eyes Cain was next to her, holding her tightly. “Will you tell me about them?”
She closed her eyes to try and control her breathing. After a few seconds she opened them and looked at the wall. Her body was still trembling. “They are nearly always the same. Phil is chasing me in the woods, and he catches me, then starts hitting me, laughing all the time, and then tells me he has just killed my mother. I call out for you to come, but you’re not there, and then he starts to strangle me. That’s when I wake up.”
“You know I will always be there if you need me, don’t you?”
“I know.” Mia eventually fell back to sleep, and when she woke Cain was sleeping at her side. It was the first time she had ever seen him asleep. She watched him for a few minutes, then did a double take and looked more closely; his chest wasn’t moving. She held her breath, put her hand on his chest and listened. He’s not breathing! She shook him. “Cain! Cain!”
Cain bolted upright. “What’s wrong? What happened?”
“You weren’t breathing.”
He grinned. “I was, but my kind breathe very slowly. We stay incredibly still during slumber.”
All she could say was, “Oh,” so relieved that she had not lost her precious Cain.
“I think Mrs Bates has been in. I smell food. Are you hungry?”
“I’m starving.”
“I’ll meet you downstairs.” Cain left Mia to get ready.
***
When Mia arrived downstairs, Mrs Bates had left breakfast prepared for her.
Cain looked at her, sadness behind his eyes. “Mia, I have to go home today on business.”
The corners of her lips twitched. “Is this because my mother is coming?”
“That is part of it. I think she should get used to the ranch before she meets me, don’t you?”
Mia almost cried with disappointment. Cain is scared. Nothing like a mother’s wrath. “When do you leave?”
“I will drive you to the airport to meet your mother and catch the next flight. Cody will follow us and bring you both back. Once you know when your mother is leaving, call me, and I will change your flight to a later one.”
“Oh, okay. Thanks.” It felt like someone had punched her in the stomach and all the air had been removed from her lungs.
“Is everything all right?”
Her face was solemn. “Yes, everything is fine.” But she felt she had been cheated out of her time with Cain. How was she going to discover what his feelings were for her? Why did he feel the need to save her and give her this ranch yet never show the least bit of romantic intention toward her. His feelings for her were an enigma. Would they remain so forever?
Cain noticed how Mia’s body language changed; he needed to make the most of the time he had left with her. “We have a few hours before we have to leave. Is there anything you would like to do?”
“Can we take the horses to the lake?”
“Yes, I would like that.”
Bryce saddled the horses and they headed off side by side.
***
Mia was sitting with her feet dangling in the water and Cain was sitting next to her. Okay, she thought, I’m just going to say it. She took a deep breath. “Cain, you know I believe you and that you’re a vampire.”
“That does not scare you, does it?” He knew she was comfortable with what he was.
She giggled briefly. “You don’t scare me.” Her face reverted to serious. “The opposite in fact.”
“The opposite? So I make you feel safe?” He could not help but try and tease her. He crouched on all fours, baring his teeth.
Mia shook her head and laughed. “I’m trying to be serious, Cain! You make me feel more than safe. I think… No, I know…I’m in love with you.” She closed her eyes not daring to see his reaction.
Chapter 35
Cain put his hands either side of her face. “Mia, you should not say that. I am not someone who deserves your love.”
“Why not? All you have ever done is help me, and protect me. You saved me from the bad guys.”
“But I am the bad guy.”
“No, you’re not! Not to me anyway.”
Cain held her in his arms. “My little angel, I will always love you. You are like a daughter to me. But you don’t love me.” The thought of Mia being attacked like Helena’s love, Karl, caused him to hold his breath. “I could not…I will not put your life in danger. Do you understand?”
“But I’m not your daughter and I don’t want you to say that.” She fought back the tears. “I can’t help the way I feel.”
“Mia, you see me as some kind of knight in shining armor. But believe me, it is not love.”
“I can’t help how I feel. And you’re not the bad guy. You would never hurt me. I just know you wouldn’t.”
“We need to get back. Your mother will be arriving at the airport in a couple of hours.” Cain kissed Mia on the top of her head.
Mia pushed him back. “And we need to talk about this, Cain.”
“I am sorry, there is nothing to talk about. Please do not be sad. You will see when you get a little older that I am not the one for you.”
She huffed and her lips pouted. “That’s the problem, isn’t it? You still see me as a child.”
Cain spoke calmly. “You’re only twenty. I am nearly a hundred years old. You are still a child.”
Mia could not look at him because if she did, she’d surely break down. She wiped a stray tear from her cheek and jumped up. And then she proceeded to mount Twinkle unaided. All the way back to the ranch, she never spoke. When they were sorting the horses, she looked coldly at Cain. “I’ll ride to the airport with Cody,” she said sounding very distant.
He couldn’t bear to see her expression, to know he had hurt her. His gut twisted and he felt sick for the first time in decades. “Mia, please, it doesn’t have to be like this. I don’t want to hurt you.” No more than I already have.
“Too late. It would have been better if you just said you didn’t care about me. Like I need another father to mess me up.”
“Mia, I won’t lie to you. I may withhold the truth to protect you but….”
She cut him off with a glare. “Protect me from what? You? Your kind? I don’t get it!”
“There are lots of things that you don’t understand and you should never have to.”
“That’s not an answer, Cain. What is it I should be afraid of?”
Maybe hearing the truth would make her understand how they could never be anything more than friends. “There are people out there who hunt and kill my kind. My kind hunts and kills my kind. I cannot allow you to get mixed up in any of it. It would kill me
if anything happened to you. What if you became a target for another vampire, or for a human looking for revenge because you were with me? This is how my world is; death and violence are part of my existence. I will not drag you into it.”
Mia’s eyes lit up. “So you do care about me?”
“If you were killed or seriously hurt…. I am sorry, the thought is unbearable and I cannot allow that. We will never be more than this, Mia. You have to accept that.”
She looked pleadingly at him. “You can’t allow these thoughts to get in the way of us. There are no guarantees in life.”
”To me, you are my family, you are all I have. I would give you anything you asked for. I would give my life for you. But I do not have those kind of feelings for you.”
He looked away, unable to bear the hurt in her eyes. “I am sorry. Cody is here. You should go with him.”
Her lips began to quiver. “I am never going to see you again, am I?”
He would try to stay away from her. He knew it would be almost impossible, but she didn’t need to know that. “No, you won’t. I should have realized what was happening. You will be better off with me out of your life.” He got in his car, trying to avoid looking at her.
She swallowed hard. “How can you say that?”
He stared straight ahead, avoiding her eyes. “Goodbye, Mia.”
She watched him drive off, tears streaming down her face.
After a few moments where she just stood, stunned, starting at the road dust, Cody spoke quietly, at her elbow. “I apologize for intruding, Miss Taylor, but we should go if you don’t want to be late meeting your mother.”
Mia wiped her face and tried to compose herself. “I’ll be ready in a minute, Cody.”
When Cody and Mia pulled away from the ranch, Mia felt like she had lost a part of herself. Even the ranch did not seem to have the same appeal.
Cody looked worried. Every now and then he would glance across at her. “Is everything okay, Miss Taylor?”
She didn’t want Cody feeling any more uncomfortable than he was already. And she had not considered how he might feel before he spoke to her. “It will be, and call me Mia, please.” He gave her one of those wry smiles, the kind that convey pity to people when you know there is nothing you can say or do to make them feel better.
***
Vasile sat in a darkened area of the bar. Smoke filled the air along with the stench of BO, vomit and spicy food. His tailor-made pinstriped suit had caused a few stares from the locals. A small weedy-looking man with greasy hair approached him.
Vasile said, “I hope this is not going to be another waste of my time, Caleb.”
Caleb grinned, his blackened teeth on show for the world. “How nice to see you again, old friend.” Vasile ignored that. “You didn’t give me much to go on,” Caleb said, taking a large brown envelope out of his stained backpack and placing it on the table. “But I have several possibilities.” He leaned in toward Vasile.
Vasile backed away. “You need a bath and a toothbrush.”
Caleb grinned as he removed the contents from the envelope. He placed photo after photo in front of Vasile. Vasile pounced on the last photo.
“What information do you have on these two?”
Caleb leaned forward, put his elbows on the table and clasped his fingers together in front of his face. “Hah! That Helena? A lot. She used to frequent the music scene. On him, not much.” He laughed crudely. “Now, let’s talk money.”
“No matter how much I despise you, you have a way of getting information. You know my conditions. Fail me, and I will make you pay in blood.”
“You will not be disappointed.”
Vasile tucked the photo into his inside pocket. “Good. Name your price, Caleb.”
“So what did the good lady, Helena, do to get your attention?”
Vasile ignored him.
***
Vasile cautiously approached the ranch. He sensed the presence of another vampire. He retreated, leaving more distance in the hope that if he stayed far enough away he would still be able to watch what was happening, but would remain undetected by another of his kind. He could hear the raised voices; a female and a male vampire, the silly human had fallen in love with this vampire. Then when they emerged from the house he saw him, the one that had attacked him with the humans and the female vampire so long ago. He could still feel the cold steel as it sliced his hand.
He was intrigued; why did some vampires prefer the company of humans? He could not fathom it. He was a god; they were insects, a disease sent to destroy whatever they touched. He listened intently; the female human would be returning with her mother. Good! He would stick around and see what the appeal was with this human and her mother. The vampire, the one called Cain, owed him, flesh for flesh.
***
Mia could hardly contain herself. Jess arrived in the airport terminal and Mia ran straight into her arms. Unable to control her emotions, she began to cry.
“What happened, Mia?”
“Mom, I’m so confused.”
Her eyes narrowed. “What about? Where’s your friend?”
“He had to leave on business.”
Jess raised one eyebrow. “Oh, really?” Yeah, I bet he did. So just what is his game? She studied her daughter for a second. “Is that why you’re upset?”
“Yes. Well, no.” Mia nodded then shook her head.
Jess gave her a sympathetic smile as she handed her a tissue. “I think we need to have a long talk, darling.”
Mia wiped her eyes and nose. Her face was blotchy. She took in a ragged breath. “Okay, Mom, as soon as we get to the ranch. Cody, one of the ranch hands, is outside waiting in the car to take us there.”
***
Cain watched Mia leave with her mother. How could he cause her so much pain? He wanted to hold her, to tell her everything was going to be all right. If he were able to change how he felt, what he was, he would do it for her. But he had to stay strong; his feelings weren’t important.
Something else was bothering him as well. As he had left the ranch he had an uneasy feeling, like there was an evil presence close by. He had shrugged it off at the time. He was upset, and had hurt the one person in the world he never wanted to hurt. Now it was playing on his mind. Had there been something? Or perhaps someone else there, watching them at the ranch? He took a few steps toward the door and then froze. I’m being over protective. He peered out of the window. Cody was holding the car door open for them. Cain closed his eyes, a familiar feeling tearing at his gut. Is it just the thought of losing her forever? He turned away from the window.
***
Jess was astonished when they drove up to the ranch. “Wow! I thought places like this only existed in movies.” She was still wondering why someone would give it away for no reason. And her Mia was puffy-eyed and this tore at Jess’s heart. “I’m sorry, sweetheart. We’ll talk about all of this a bit later when I’m settled in.” Jess was determined to find out what had her in such a state.
It wasn’t much later that Mia told Jess she had fallen in love with Cain, and that he wasn’t interested in starting a relationship with her. She explained how he was rather strange and had many odd ways about him, leaving out anything to do with him being a vampire.
“Oh, honey, that is so sad.” Jess’s heart was bleeding for her daughter. “But just hang on in there. If something’s meant to happen it will, and if you’re meant to be together you will be. But there’s nothing you can do about if you’re not meant to be a couple.”
They cried together for a while before either of them could talk any more. Eventually the laughs caught on half-sobs, as they both reached for tissues to wipe their eyes. Jess did not tell Mia that she was rather relieved that Cain hadn’t tried to take advantage of her very fragile and emotional daughter. Jess considered she’d been through enough in her young life. But at least this man was decent. He had made his intentions clear to her at last, even if it was a little too late. If only he had done it
sooner, before Mia had developed feelings for him.
As the day progressed, and Jess was introduced to all the staff, Mia cheered up a little. The last of the guests were leaving and Mr Bates told Mia that when the ranch did not have any guests they often held a barbeque and a few drinks in the evening. All the staff came. He asked if Mia and Jess minded if they did that this evening.
Mia and Jess were more than happy for them to carry on as normal. They joined the happy group at the campfire around eight. Mia was looking forward to spending time with them all in a more relaxed atmosphere when they didn’t have guests to look after.
She raised her face to the velvety black sky, studded with myriad diamond-bright stars. The barbeque had been wonderful. Mia felt she now knew more about the ranch hands and Mr and Mrs Bates. And the whole evening had been a relaxed affair.
Jess was relieved to see her darling Mia joking and singing along to Cody’s ranch songs with Mr Bates on his guitar. Eventually Jess had to excuse herself. Feeling a little tipsy, she wandered off to get a glass of water and freshen up a bit. When she reached the front of the house a man appeared at her side.
He smiled pleasantly at her. She will do.
Jess gaily said, “Can I help you? I’m new here but I can go get someone for you.”
“I am Vasile. I have come to give you a gift.” He stepped closer to her.
“What are you talking about?” A cold shiver ran through her body and she took a step back. “What gift?”
“I want you to join me.”
The look in his eyes scared Jess and she made a dash for the door. She was too slow; the man grabbed her arm, and intense pain shot up into her shoulder. She screamed, her sheer terror sounding through the night.
Chapter 36
The closer Cain got to the ranch the more the uneasy feeling he had had earlier that day grew. He could hear the singing and smell the campfire, but sensed the presence of another vampire. He heard the shrill scream coming from near the main house. He started running.
Bryce and Cody were the first to get there, closely followed by Mia and the other ranch hands. Bryce saw a man with his wrist over Jess’s mouth. “Hey, what the hell are you doing?” Bryce bellowed.