by Unknown
Before Rhonda could ask any other questions, Anna was tugging at her wrist. “Come on. I’ll show you your room.”
Reluctantly, Rhonda turned from Gabe and followed Anna into the building. They walked down a long hallway until Anna motioned to one of the doors. “You’ll be staying in here. I don’t think you have a roommate yet.”
“Thanks,” Rhonda said, shooting Anna a small smile. There was something about Anna that she genuinely liked. She seemed . . . genuine. It had been a long time since Rhonda had been friends with someone so down to earth. She imagined that, even in a human life, she and Anna would have been friends.
As Rhonda was about to open the door, a redheaded woman walked down the hall, eyeing her. It made her feel really uncomfortable. The woman came to a halt in front of them. “Hello, Anna. Who’s your friend here? She doesn’t look familiar.”
Anna turned to Rhonda. “This is Veronica Hart. She’s our Vampire Geography and Tracking professor. You’ll be starting her class soon. And, Veronica, this is Rhonda. She’s one of Gabe’s offspring.”
Rhonda noticed that Veronica was glaring at her. “It’s nice to meet you,” Rhonda offered, unsure of why the woman was staring at her like she was a bug.
“Likewise,” Veronica said curtly before walking away. As she walked down the hall, her black heels clacked against the tiled floor.
Rhonda turned to Anna. “Do I have to take her class? She doesn’t seem too nice.”
Anna shook her head. “I don’t know what’s gotten into her lately, but . . .” She trailed off, opening the door to Rhonda’s room and pulling her inside so that no one would hear them. In a lowered voice, Anna said, “I think it’s because she’s in love with Gabe. She’s the vampire who created him, you know.”
“Oh,” Rhonda said quietly, looking down at the floor. She hadn’t actually considered who had turned Gabe into a vampire. For some reason, Rhonda had assumed that he had been born this way. She wondered if Gabe felt the same type of connection with Veronica as she felt with him. “What makes you think that Veronica’s in love with him?”
“You mean, besides the way she just acted towards you?” Anna said, laughing. “She didn’t like Lexi either. It was obvious that she wanted to take Gabe away from Lexi. I think it might have even worked.”
“Who’s Lexi?” Rhonda asked curiously.
Anna stared at her with wide eyes. “You mean, Gabe hasn’t told you about Lexi?”
Rhonda shook her head. “No, I’ve never heard him mention her. Not that I’ve had that many conversations with him yet.” It was actually kind of strange how Rhonda felt such a strong connection with Gabe, but when it came down to it, they actually didn’t know each other that well. All she knew about him was that he liked strawberry milkshakes. Was that enough for them to build a relationship on? What if they didn’t agree about a lot of things?
“Lexi is the girl who Gabe is in love with,” Anna replied.
Rhonda tried not to let Anna see the surprised – and angry – expression that crossed her face. How could Gabe do this to her if he was in love with someone else? This was definitely going to complicate Rhonda and Gabe spending the rest of their lives together. Unless. . . .
If Rhonda could find a way to get rid of this Lexi girl and make sure that she would leave Gabe alone for good – poor heartbroken Gabe would have no choice but to spend the rest of his life with the girl who would help him put the pieces of his life back together. That would have to be Rhonda, obviously. Once Gabe saw how much Rhonda cared about him – how much she was going to sacrifice to make him happy – he would want to be with her forever.
And Rhonda loved the sound of that.
Chapter 21
****
Gabe listened to the sound of the phone ringing as he called his mom for the fifth time since he’d returned to Huntington. Deciding not to leave her yet another voicemail, he hit the ‘end’ button on his cell phone.
Where could his mom be, and why wasn’t she answering him? It made no sense why she would just up and leave without telling him beforehand. Gabe was sure that he had made it very clear that his mom was to stay at Huntington until he got back from Long Island. So, why wasn’t she here?
Gabe didn’t even hear the sound of the door to his dorm room open. When his eyes were covered with a pair of cold hands, he jumped.
The hands were quickly removed, and there was a loud giggle. “Guess who?”
Gabe felt someone run their lips over his skin and give his neck a kiss. He knew that kiss all too well. Veronica.
Whirling around to face her, Gabe said, “What the hell are you doing here?”
“I saw Anna in the hallway,” Veronica explained. “So, I figured you were back. You know how I knew you were in your dorm room, though.”
Gabe shook his head in disgust. “I would appreciate it if you would try to not find me unless I make it clear that I want to be found.” He was getting sick of Veronica using their special bond to figure out where he was. It was getting old.
“Tsk, tsk. There’s really no reason for you to be so mean,” Veronica said, shaking her head. “I just wanted to see how you were.”
“I’m fine,” Gabe told her. “I’ll be better once you leave my room.”
Veronica’s delicate features twisted in anger. “Fine, but answer me one question first. Why did you bring home offspring?”
“This isn’t my home,” Gabe said coolly. “And you know I don’t like the term ‘offspring’.” Offspring was a fairly old-fashioned term that was used to describe newborn vampires. They were considered the offspring of the vampire who created them. The whole idea sickened Gabe, though, because it implied that there was some sort of mother or father relationship with the vampires they created. It wouldn’t be so bad if it weren’t for the fact that many of these so-called offspring ended up spending the rest of their life, as lovers, with their creators.
“Fine, why did you create another vamp?” Veronica said sweetly. “Is Lexi not enough for you?”
“This has nothing to do with Lexi,” Gabe shot back at her. “And, to be honest, it’s really none of your business, either.”
Glaring at him through her green cat-like eyes, Veronica walked away from him and slammed the door behind her.
Lying on his bed, Gabe couldn’t help but wonder how long it was going to be before Lexi got back. He had taken for granted how uncomplicated things were with her in comparison to the other women who were trying to force their way into his life.
*
Austin knocked on the door of Anna’s dorm room. It was opened, and Anna stared back at him. She had changed into a pair of short black leather shorts and a hot pink and black zebra print tank top. Her hair was pulled into a short ponytail on top of her head. Austin’s breath caught in the back of his throat at the sight of her beauty.
“Hi,” Anna said quietly, looking down at the ground.
Austin could tell, from the look on her face, that Anna was still mad at him. “Look, I wanted to apologize to you. I’m so sorry I lied to you.”
“You didn’t lie to me, Austin,” Anna said, her face softening.
“I know, but it feels like I did. I should have just told you that Mary-Kate came to see me instead of hiding it from you. I just . . . I wanted us to have a good time. I didn’t want to even think about Mary-Kate. I was only concerned about you.” Austin sat down on Anna’s bed, patting the down comforter.
Anna sat down beside him, tucking her legs under her. “I understand. And I forgive you. But –” She took a deep breath. “There’s something I need to know.”
Austin looked over at her, losing himself in her chocolate brown eyes. “What is it?”
“Well,” Anna began, looking down at the linoleum floor. “I like you. And I know you like me, too. So, what does that make us?”
Austin smiled. She was so damn cute. “What do you want it to make us?”
Anna looked over at him. “I want to be your girlfriend.”
“
I was hoping that’s what you would say,” Austin said. He couldn’t control the grin that crossed his face as he took her in his arms, pulling her close to him. Anna tilted her chin and, closing her eyes, pressed her lips gently against his. Austin felt the knots in his stomach twist as they shared their first kiss.
When Anna pulled away from him, Austin whispered, “I’ve wanted to do that for so long.”
“Me, too,” Anna agreed. She started to say something else, but they were interrupted by the sound of a loud knock at the door.
Anna climbed off the bed and flung the door open. Gabe came into the room. “There you are,” he told Austin. “Ben wants to see us. It has to do with the book.”
“Okay, cool,” Austin said, standing up. He felt a feeling of hope wash over him as he followed Gabe out of the room, holding hands with Anna. As long as things went according to plan, Lexi and Dan should be back with them really soon – possibly even tonight.
When they found Ben, who was sitting on a sofa in the lounge, he said, “We have a problem.” Judging from the saddened look that crossed Ben’s face, Austin could tell that things weren’t going to go according to plan; it wasn’t going to be that easy to get Lexi and Dan back after all.
Chapter 22
****
Belinda’s house smelled like cinnamon, ginger, and a few other scents that Lexi didn’t really recognize. The woman hovered over the stove, watching the pot as it bubbled over.
Lexi felt her neck. She’d convinced Belinda to give her one of the bat pendants so that she wouldn’t have any run-ins with vampires while they were here. Belinda had ended up giving her both pendants. Lexi had stuffed the second pendant inside her jeans pocket.
“What happened to your face?” Lexi asked quietly. She didn’t know if now was the right time to ask, but the tears had been streaming from Belinda’s eyes like a waterfall. Lexi figured that she might as well talk about something – anything – that would get the woman’s mind off Albert, who they had left lying by the river bank. Dan was on the front porch, watching out for him.
Belinda turned and glanced over at Lexi. “Albert and I went to our hunting cabin, and the people from church knew about it. They caught it on fire.”
“Why?” Lexi asked.
“They believed I was a witch. They would lynch me if they knew what I was doing right now.” Belinda chuckled. “Being involved in witchcraft is not acceptable in our society, even when it’s used for the greater good.”
“Not in our society, either,” Lexi murmured. She remembered watching a Lifetime movie about a girl who was harassed at school because she practiced witchcraft. It was weird how, as much as technology progressed over the years, people were still set in their ways. She wondered if witchcraft would ever be accepted.
“What’s it like, the future that you come from?” Belinda asked, tossing her long braid over her shoulder.
Lexi shrugged. “We wear different clothes. They come in bright colors, and we show off more skin. We have the internet, reality TV shows, and –”
“The internet? TV shows?” Belinda asked, a baffled look on her face.
Lexi laughed, realizing that Belinda wouldn’t know about any of these things. “We have these things called computers. They’re, like… boxes. And you can talk to anyone you want, from all over the world, using them. And televisions – or TVs – are these boxes which let you watch actors put on plays, sort of. Except TV’s getting kind of dumb lately. We just watch people go to the beach and get drunk.”
“Oh, my, it does sound different,” Belinda murmured, turning back to the pot. She glanced back at Lexi. “This isn’t going to be done for a few hours. Maybe you and Dan should go see what it was like to live in the 1800s, since you’re here already.”
Lexi nodded, realizing that this was Belinda’s cue to make her leave so that she could have some time to herself.
“Are you hungry?” Belinda asked. “You may take a biscuit and jam with you.”
“Yes, I am hungry actually,” Lexi replied, feeling her stomach growl at just the thought of food. “Thank you.” She grabbed a biscuit from the basket on the table and slathered on blueberry jam from the jar that Belinda handed her. As she went out of the house to find Dan, she savored the deliciousness of the biscuit, but realized how much she could go for a slice of pepperoni pizza right now.
Dan was still sitting on the porch, staring at the place where Albert’s body laid completely motionless. As Lexi approached him, he looked up and smiled. “Well, what did she do for you?”
“She refuses to tell me, but she’s cooking up whatever it is,” Lexi said, shrugging. “It won’t be done for a few hours. She basically told me I had to leave for now. I figured we could take a walk or something to kill some time.”
Dan nodded. “Sounds good to me. I don’t think he’ll be waking up any time soon. If I remember right, it usually takes forty-eight to seventy-two hours before you wake up after becoming a vampire.”
“Guess I should get ready for two to three days of sleep then,” Lexi said, as they walked down the porch steps.
“Do you really think Belinda’s planning to let you change into a vampire?” Dan asked, glancing over at her.
“I think so,” Lexi replied. “Don’t you?”
Dan shrugged. “I got the impression that she was planning something else, but you may be right.” As they continued down the dirt path that led to the road, he turned to her. “What do you miss most about home?”
Lexi considered the question. Before her mom had died, she would have been her answer, but it didn’t seem to make much of a difference now. Her mom was obviously able to follow Lexi anywhere she went, which was a bit of a relief. Gabe would seem like the most logical answer, but . . . it didn’t feel like she missed him. Sure, there had been times since she’d got here when she wondered what he might be doing or wished that he were there to help her out, but it wasn’t like she had been constantly thinking about him.
After a moment of silence, Lexi thought of something, even though it probably wasn’t what she missed the most. “Sleeping in a warm, comfortable bed, I guess. What about you?”
Dan shrugged. “My mom . . . and Austin, I guess.”
Lexi smiled. “I miss Austin, too. I’m kind of jealous, you know.”
“Of what?” Dan asked, raising an eyebrow at her.
“Well, here I have this awesome cousin who was willing to sacrifice everything – his whole life really – just to help me,” Lexi explained. “And you got to know him all these years, but I didn’t.”
Dan put his arm around her waist. At first, Lexi thought about pushing him away; sleeping on top of him at night made her feel safe, but did she really need his protection during the day? Deciding that she didn’t want to upset him – and that having his arm around her actually did make her feel safe, no matter what time it was – Lexi gave into his embrace. “I’m sure you’ll get to know Austin soon,” Dan said softly.
As they walked down the dirt road that would lead them to town, Lexi heard a rustling in the bushes. Whirling around, she glanced into the bushes. She didn’t see anyone. “Did you hear that?” Lexi whispered to Dan.
“Yeah,” Dan said, nodding as he stared into the bushes. When he didn’t see anything, he said, “Maybe it was just an rabbit or something. Come on, let’s keep going.”
Lexi nodded, but she couldn’t seem to ignore the feeling that nagged in the back of her mind that told her that something just wasn’t right. She just wished that she knew what.
Chapter 23
****
“So, what’s the problem?” Gabe asked, as he sat down in a chair across from Ben. There were a few other students talking in muffled voices on the other side of the student lounge, but they were out of earshot. Not that it really mattered. It’s not like they were keeping secrets about what was going on with Lexi and Dan.
Austin and Anna stood next to his chair, panicked looks on their faces.
Ben sighed and buried his head
in hands. “The problem is that none of us can time travel to save them.”
“Why not?” Anna asked in a soft voice.
“Well, first let me tell you that I haven’t been completely honest about rescuing Lexi and Dan,” Ben began, looking up and staring into each of their faces. “I didn’t want to let you down because I know that you all wanted to help Lexi. My memory was a bit foggy, yes, but I knew that the only way one can time travel using the book is if they are a Hunter. You see, the witch who cursed the town of Briar Creek is the one who implemented this rule when she gave me the Briar Creek family book. It’s a long story, one which I don’t have much time to go into, but she sealed the book so that only Hunters may time travel. But here’s the thing: only 2 Hunters can time travel through this book at once.” He paused to take a deep breath of air.
“Wait, wait, wait,” Gabe interrupted, throwing his hands in the air to halt the conversation. “That doesn’t even make sense. If only Hunters can time travel with the book, then why is Dan with Lexi?” He turned and looked at Austin. “Is Dan even with Lexi? Do we know that for sure or is he just hiding out somewhere?”
Austin shrugged. “Why are you giving me an attitude, man? I wasn’t there to witness it. Where’s Craig? He’s the one who told us that he saw both Lexi and Dan get sucked into the book.”
Gabe looked around. Where was Craig? The whole situation was beginning to seem really strange. First, Craig had claimed that he wanted to come along to rescue Lexi. Then, he had seemed more than a little interested in Rhonda. Not that Gabe could really blame him for that; Rhonda was definitely hotter than most of the vampires he had met in the past. Despite that, Craig hadn’t hung around to see what had happened to Lexi. Did he even still care? Why had he even bothered to go along with them in the first place? Things didn’t quite add up.