“My baby?” He laughed. “Not a chance!”
“Another baby?” I laughed, and the bantering continued until we saw the quaint Victorian homes that was the trademark of Cooperstown. I had been here before and they didn’t allow any form of progress within the town. That meant no McDonalds, Wendy’s, or modern pizza places. Main Street was lined with quaint, old fashioned shops, and the locals wanted to keep it that way. In fact, everything in the town closed up tighter than a drum by 6 p.m. You were out of luck if you wanted anything to eat after 9 p.m., but if you sweet talked them, they would probably rustle you up something to eat in the local bar. They were open until 11p.m.
“We’re home,” Rick sang, as we passed through Main Street, following the road to the other side of town.
“Don’t remind me,” I said under my breath.
Rick smiled, but didn’t say anything. Good. I didn’t want to get that started again.
We followed the road as it curved gracefully around Otsego Lake. It really was a beautiful town. Cooperstown was a resort community, home of the Baseball Hall of Fame, Doubleday Field, and Cooperstown Village, a village with people reenacting the pioneer days. Although it was cute, they seldom got it right. It wasn’t as glamorous as they made it out to be. I guess if I had to be anywhere, this wasn’t such a bad place to be after all.
We followed a narrow road down a long drive. Within minutes, we pulled in front of a two-story Victorian home, constructed with stones in earth tones in variations of tan, brown, beige, with a bit of teal and burnished copper thrown in sporadically. Even though it was dark, I could see each detail and hue with divine clarity. In the front was a wide front porch that wrapped gingerly around the house. The house was located on the outskirts of town on the lake, looking as if it had been there all along; as if it had grown up from the ground along with the surrounding vegetation. Also, the acres of land the house rested upon were secluded, surrounded by trees, providing shelter from prying eyes.
“So, what do you think?” Rick asked, speaking of the house. “I picked it out a few days ago.”
Actually, I loved the house. It was perfect, but I wouldn’t admit it to Rick. “Eh, it’ll do,” I said, smiling.
Rick smiled, too, and shook his head. Being with Rick was so easy. I could easily be myself with him, something I haven’t been able to do with anyone for a long time. It really was good to be home again.
I walked around the car to the hatch back to help Rick with the bags, and saw familiar, very large black cases containing our own arsenal.
“What?” I asked Rick, eyeing all the black cases. “Are you expecting us to be attacked by terrorists? Or perhaps an army?”
Rick shrugged, reaching for a case. He lifted it with ease even though it was quite heavy, at least, to a human. “Well, you never know.”
“But where’s our clothes?” I asked, casually lifting a huge black case, looking around.
Rick pointed to two small duffle bags in the corner, and lifted another case with his other hand.
“That’s it?” I asked. That wouldn’t be enough to get me through a day. “You call that clothes?”
Rick shrugged, feigning nonchalance. “Since when did you become a fashion geek?” he asked casually.
I rolled my eyes and lifted another very large black case from the trunk.
Together, we took all the cases into the house in one trip. The foyer contained only an ornately decorated mirror within a metal gold leafed frame. The foyer spilled into a spacious living room with broad plate-glass windows overlooking the lake. The view was spectacular, encompassing the lake and the surrounding forest on the other side. Even in the moonlight, the deep hues of the green forest were in sharp contrast to the muted blue water. The room contained beige furnishings, so as not to detract from the spectacular view, the showcase of the room. The furnishings only included a couch and love seat, along with a rocker resting by an antique end table and a lamp, and another high-backed armchair, another side table and lamp.
To the right was a deep fireplace, unfettered by a screen, with utensils hanging to the right. It was housed in the same stone as the rest of the house and had an old-fashioned pot hanger inside on the right. This quaint fireplace reminded me of the old days, cooking on the open fire every night years ago in my father’s home.
To the left was a wooden stairwell leading to a loft where the bedrooms obviously were. It was rustic, but fit within the home beautifully.
“You like?” Rick asked, bringing me back from my reverie. The case he set down was so out of place in this room, like a vampire just landed in Wonderland.
“I like,” I admitted with a smile, not trying to hide my obvious approval. Immediately, I set down my case and ran up the stairs at vampire speed. “I get to pick out my bedroom first!” I shouted, sounding very much like a teenager.
“Oh, no you don’t!” Rick shouted, zooming up the stairs behind, clearly amused.
In the end, I claimed the bedroom on the left. It was actually a suite, with an opulent bathroom to the left and a small sitting room on the right. Luckily, the house contained two master suits. Rick’s was a mirror image of mine on the other side of the wrap around loft. There were five bedrooms in all.
Once all the bags were stowed, the sun was beginning to make an appearance, indicating a new day, and the familiar burn in my throat could not be ignored. “You want to go hunting?” I asked Rick, who was in the kitchen already organizing utensils and pots and pans.
“Naw,” he replied. “I brought some human with me.” Actually, that’s what we called blood bags.
“You aren’t seriously doing human, are you?” I asked, accusingly.
Rick feigned innocence. “Not from the tap.”
“Who was it that told me that drinking human blood was unacceptable?”
“Hey,” Rick countered, “That was before blood banks.”
I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms.
“Now, don’t look at me like that,” Rick continued. “I haven’t killed anyone for years.”
I lifted an eyebrow, silently placing my hands on my hips.
“For dinner, anyway,” Rick amended, reaching into a chest freezer in the closet. He pulled out a blood bag and threw it at me. “I have a supplier in D.C. who can get me whatever I want.”
I caught it with one hand expertly—not so much as looking at it—then threw it right back. “No, thank you. I’m going hunting.”
“Hey,” Rick tried to sound convincing. “At least this way we don’t have to kill.”
I ignored the jab. “As I said, I’m going hunting … animal blood,” I said with a smile. My throat was burning. I had to eat soon.
“Wait a minute,” Rick replied as he punched a straw in the side of the blood bag as if it were a children’s juice pouch, then raised it to his lips. “Don’t forget! You need to register for school in the morning! Don’t be late!”
“That’s your job … Dad,” I said, laughing, heading toward the back of the house.
“I’ll go with you in the morning!” Rick called after me, then added, “when you get back on time!”
“By the way, pick me up some Mountain Dew when you’re at the store,” I said, changing the subject.
“You and that Mountain Dew!”
“Hey, don’t knock it until you’ve tried it,” I said as I started toward the door.
Rick laughed and shook his head as I waved over my shoulder and raced out the back sliding glass door next to the floor-length plate glass windows. Outside, bright rays of orange and red shot across the sky, mixing with the brilliant blue sky. I breathed deeply, feeling the air rush into my lungs, inhaling the sweet scents of the forest: evergreen, moss, freesia and baby’s breath were among them, along with various animal scents: bear, raccoon, and elk. A squirrel scurried by near my feet. I looked around to make sure no one was looking, and with reckless abandon, I darted at lightning speed into the forest. As the wind rushed past, blowing my brown hair behind me, I felt free.
There was nothing more freeing than running.
But as I ran, piercing azure eyes peering through blonde streaked hair crept repeatedly into my thoughts, along with those strong shoulders … but I quickly brushed the picture from my mind. As of tomorrow, he would be in my charge. I couldn’t help but wonder who was after this kid? He seemed to live quietly with his mother, unlinked to his father. Who was coming for him? I quickly averted my attention back to the hunt.
Even though I had no answers, one thing was certain: this was just the quiet before the storm and the best was yet to come. The corners of my mouth curled menacingly.
Bring it on.
Chapter 4: First Meeting
My feet flew with lightning speed through the surrounding mountains as the scents of evergreen, honeylocust, and pear trees zoomed by. I was almost to Canada when I caught the scent of big game. My throat burned. Lusting for blood, the animal inside me seethed for the kill. I slowed when I heard heavy footfalls above the ridge. Immediately, I jumped twenty feet into the air, expertly grabbing a branch and silently placing my feet on the same branch, crouched like Spiderman. But I didn’t have webs. I had weapons that were much more effective.
My teeth gleamed in the moonlight as a menacing smile curled my lips, poised and ready. Silently I sprang from limb to limb as graceful as a lemur in the jungles of Africa. I inhaled deeply, tasting the air. The sensual aroma of big game and the sweet, sweet scent of the red, delicious blood filled my lungs. The animal in me snarled in anticipation. The blood of big game was the closest to human and was almost as satisfying. My throat burned and my heart pounded in anticipation, and yes there would be plenty of fight. Just a few minutes more.
I recognized the scent.
As lithe as a trapeze artist, I swung from branch to branch, then paused when I heard the footfalls again, listening to the position of my prey. Quietly, I flung myself from the branch twenty feet down, landing silently on the ground behind the beautiful animal, for ahead of me a few feet was a beautiful cougar. I closed in when it caught my scent and tried to run. We frighten most animals just by our scent. Powerful paws pounded the lichen intensely as I grabbed its neck, careful of its teeth. But it was no match for me. I quickly rolled the cougar onto its back, its ejected claws blindly raked the air.
Yes, it had plenty of fight.
Then one of its massive paws got in a lucky shot. Catching my shoulder, its claws tore into my flesh, ruining my white T-shirt. Three trails of blood ran down my arm and were already healing when the fierce beast caught the scent of my blood. It violently gnashed its teeth into the air, wanting the kill, as well. It was a race for survival as the cougar made one last ditch effort to free itself. It growled fiercely, turning its razor sharp teeth toward the scent of my blood, and clawed with all four paws attempting to free itself. But in a flash, I pinned its head within my powerful arms, as my muscles flexed, then quickly turned its head sideways until I could hear the pulsing veins buried beneath the folds of its skin and fur, beckoning to me to taste, to feed on the pleasures that only life-giving blood could bring.
A moment later, my razor sharp teeth cut through several layers of thick fur and skin, causing the powerful beast to howl as its blood soothed my throat, quenching the burn. In a moment, the cougar would feel no pain. Its howl cut off abruptly with a gurgle. I closed my eyes, relishing the moment as I drained the life giving substance from its body. But the blood would no longer give life to the beast. It would give life to me instead. The life essence in this animal was strong and would sustain me well. The cougar lazily made a few final swipes of its paws in a futile attempt to live, but I drank my fill until its veins ran dry and it lay limp within my arms. Then I laid its body gingerly upon the ground, and gently closed its eyes with my fingertips.
The insatiable burning within my throat was almost quenched, but not quite. The burning need for blood was not as strong. I could easily catch smaller game on the way. Then I decided to see some of the sights. Rays of light were beginning to make their appearance on the new day, but I had enough time. I ran, exhilarated, as the wind quickly rushed past my face, and my brown hair and black leather jacket billowed behind. I heard the powerful roar of millions of gallons of water rushing toward its final destination long before I saw it, but soon, a lightening in the forest alerted me to its end.
Looking down at my torn, blood-stained T-shirt, I quickly pulled my black leather jacket around myself, buttoning the front, then stepped out of the safety of the forest and onto the cliff’s edge.
The powerful rush of millions of gallons of water hastening down the Niagara River was truly an amazing sight. The view was better from the Canadian side, but I didn’t feel like going swimming and soaking my clothes for the run home. But the view from the American side was truly spectacular despite the dim light of morning. Deep blue water ran down the Niagara River, bending and turning, becoming white caps lining the top of the falls before spilling over, turning various shades of blue again. I marveled at the gallantry of the humans brave enough to go over the fall’s edge in nothing more than a barrel and shook my head. No wonder few lived to tell about it. Of course, I could do a swan dive from the top and wouldn’t suffer a scratch. Hum … maybe later.
Bright rays of light peeked through the clouds, refusing to be ignored. I knew it was time to start home. Rick would be upset if I was late, not that I cared, but it was never right for a lady to keep a gentleman waiting. Even Rick. I grinned broadly, shaking my head, thinking of him.
I quickly turned and ran with lightning speed toward home. In minutes, I was within the cover of the deep forest of evergreens and silver maple, watching forest animals quickly scamper out of my way. Suddenly, I caught the scent of white-tailed deer on the bluffs, as rays of light peered through the canapé above. I knew I didn’t have much time. Hiding, I silently stalked the herd, spotting my prey, when they caught my scent and tried to run. Bolting like an arrow from a hunter’s bow, I quickly took one down. As I sank my razor sharp teeth into the sinew and muscles of its neck under its fur, the life giving blood rushed down my throat, promising to quench the burn. The deer struggled, but was no match for my powerful grasp, and soon grew limp as its veins ran dry.
Years ago, I used to take the deer meat to orphanages to feed the hungry bellies of the children. At that time, the caregivers welcomed any food donations they could get, for it was difficult to provide enough food to feed forty some children. They didn’t ask questions.
The white-tailed deer wasn’t much of a challenge, but I had already had my workout for the night. I wiped a spot of crimson blood from my lips.
Evergreens brushed past me in a blur as I ran, quickly making my way back home. Home. We had just arrived and already I thought of it as home.
Twenty minutes later, I walked into the front door of our cottage. It was really more like a mansion, but there as something about the stone walls that made me think of it as a cottage.
“Well,” Rick was waiting in the kitchen with a cup of coffee, probably not having rested, not that he needed any. Looking around, Rick must have worked through the night making the house livable. “It’s about time you got here!”
“Hey, I have plenty of time,” I countered, then looked at the clock and quickly poured myself a cup of coffee. Twenty minutes left to spare. Not bad. “See? I told you I’d be on time!”
“Well, the days of miracles aren’t over,” Rick joked, washing up the dishes. “It’s good to see that some things have changed for the better!”
I thought back through many times over the years when I arrived just in time to save the day. “I’ve reformed.”
“Hah!” Rick laughed. “Yeah, right!”
Placing the cup gingerly on the counter, I turned for the stairs. “I’m going to get ready. Are you going like that?”
Rick looked dashing in a black button-up shirt, blue jeans, and black boots, his bronze curls neatly coiffed. “What? Do you want me to wear a suit?”
“No, you look dashin
g! Don’t change a thing!” I said, smiling.
“Yeah, you say that to all the guys.”
“No, only to my father,” I laughed, heading up the stairs, as Rick’s laughter followed.
I carefully shut the door to my suite, and quickly jumped into the shower. It had a wide shower nozzle, allowing pulsing water to caress my entire body. A moment later, I dried off, wrapping the towel around me, then headed back into the bedroom and pulled open the duffle bag filled with my clothes. In it were a few pairs of jeans: one black, two regular pairs of blue jeans; a few shirts; and a dress. A dress? What was Rick thinking? And where was my leather? Then I found what I was looking for: a cute, short plaid uniform skirt in variations of blue and an Armani white button-up shirt. I slipped into it, leaving the shirt untucked. I donned a pair of low strappy heels, then added a thin navy lady’s tie, leaving it loose around my neck under my collar. I looked in the mirror and approved. I looked just like any other high school student.
I quickly ran a brush through my long brown waves, threw my wallet into my backpack and slung it over my shoulder, then ran with vamp speed down the stairs. Rick was already waiting with the keys to the Mercedes SUV in his hand.
“Tonight, I’m going shopping,” I announced. Let’s see … I’ll need clothes, a decent but not over-the-top car, and a decent cell. I’ll have to ditch mine soon. In my business, it’s good to change cell phones periodically so it isn’t hacked.
Rick shook his head. “We’re not here for a fashion show,” he said, opening the door.
“I can’t very well bring my Mercedes SLS AMG now, can I?” I replied, walking out. “I need a car, too, Rick,” I interjected. “I can’t very well run everywhere or depend on you to take me.”
“Why not? That’s what fathers are for!” Rick teased, opening the passenger door for me.
Star, Starland Vamp Series, Book 1 Page 4