Greater Vampires

by Trudie Collins

  She hadn’t heard him approach and he was tempted to turn away, but he couldn’t bring himself to do so. Instead he sat down beside her.

  “I miss him so much,” she sobbed as she wiped away her tears with her hands. More flowed so she gave up. She used to cry herself to sleep every night, but that had stopped a while ago. Now she managed to hold herself together. Except when she visited Simon.

  She wasn’t embarrassed that one of her fellow hunters was witnessing her being so weak and vulnerable; they would all understand.

  “We all do,” Craig said and put his arm around her. She turned to him, threw her arms around his neck and sobbed into his chest. Her tears soaked through his shirt and onto his skin, but he didn’t complain. He just held her until she regained control of herself.

  “Thank you,” she said as she pulled away. “I needed that.” She leaned forward and gave him a soft kiss on the lips. She looked him in the eyes then did it again. He didn’t pull away. The next thing he knew, they were locked in a passionate embrace.

  He had never kissed a girl like that before, other than Natalie. Natalie’s face filled his mind and reason returned to him. He had been so caught up in the moment he had not been thinking about his girlfriend. He unhooked Jane’s arms from around his neck and gently withdrew from her.

  “I’m sorry,” he said. “I can’t. I’m in love with Natalie.”

  He didn’t wait to see Jane’s reaction. He turned around and ran to his car.

  ————————————-∞————————————-

  Anna was nervously pacing in her kitchen, waiting for her brother to arrive. She had been given permission to tell Paul everything and had invited him over.

  “Stand still,” Luke said. “You’re making me feel tired just watching you.”

  “Sorry,” she said and picked up the kettle. She filled it and put it on just for something to do. When the doorbell rang she ran to the door.

  Paul was on the other side, alone. She had requested that he not bring his girlfriend with him, but she hadn’t been certain he would do as she asked.

  “Thank you for coming,” she said as she led him into the lounge. Luke followed them in and shook Paul’s hand in greeting. They had met a few times and got on well. He wondered if that would still be the case after Paul found out what he really was.

  Anna didn’t offer tea or coffee. Instead she went straight into what she wanted to say.

  “There’s something I need to tell you, but you have to promise me that you will not breathe a word of it to anyone, not even Danielle.”

  “That won’t be a problem,” Paul said. “Danielle and I aren’t exactly talking much at the moment. The only communication we seem to be doing is arguing.”

  Everything that Anna wanted to say left her mind as concern for her brother took over. “Are you okay? Do you want to talk about it?”

  Paul shook his head. “We’ll work it out. We always do. Now what is so top secret that I have to sign the official secrets act before you can tell me?”

  Anna glanced at Luke, who nodded his head. “I haven’t told you everything about Luke. You know he works with me and that we’ve been seeing each other for a couple of months, but there’s a lot more you should know.”

  “Seeing each other?” Paul said and raised his eyebrows. “Is that how you describe it? You’re practically living together. When was the last time you spent the night apart?”

  Anna ignored the question. “Luke is a little different,” she said, then glanced at Luke again. She wasn’t sure how to word what she needed to say.

  Luke helped her out by getting straight to the point. “I’m a vampire.”

  Paul turned to look at him. Luke opened his mouth to reveal his fangs. He expected Paul to flinch or jump away from him, but he didn’t react.

  He remained calm as he said, “Alright. Let’s suppose, for the moment, that I believe you. How does that work? Why isn’t Anna dead?”

  Between them, Anna and Luke told Paul everything. Not once did he say he doubted what they were saying.

  “You’re taking this remarkably well,” Luke said when they had said everything important.

  Paul shrugged his shoulders. “I always knew Anna would end up with someone unusual. I can’t say I imagined it would be something like this though.”

  “You have to promise me you won’t say a word to Danielle,” Anna said.

  Paul snorted. “Don’t worry. If I told her half of what you have just told me she would accuse me of being on drugs. So when do I get to meet Luke’s family?”

  Anna smiled. “I was hoping you would ask that. What are you doing tonight?”

  ————————————-∞————————————-

  Craig drove straight home, but when he got there he wasn’t sure what to do. He felt like he had betrayed Natalie and, in some people’s eyes, he had. He had no feelings for Jane and he was sure she didn’t feel anything for him, other than friendship. Visiting the graveyard had made them both emotional and they just got carried away. Under other circumstances, nothing would have happened. He knew this was true and was pretty sure Jane would agree, but would Natalie see that?

  He parked his car in the garage, but didn’t get out. He had no idea what to do.

  Finally he went into the house and looked for Sarah. He found her in the TV room, watching something with Katie, and asked if he could have a word with her. There was no sign of Natalie, much to his relief.

  Sarah took him to JD’s office. JD was training with Scott and Jonathon and wouldn’t mind them using it. Sarah sat in JD’s chair while Craig took a seat opposite. Then he told her everything.

  “What should I tell Natalie?” he asked when he had finished.

  “Don’t be an idiot,” Sarah said. “Why do you want to tell her anything? It will just hurt her. It meant nothing to either of you and Jane won’t say anything, so why not just forget about it?”

  “Because I feel I should tell her,” Craig said. “I love Natalie. I don’t want to keep anything from her.”

  “Trust me. You want to keep this from her. No good will come of telling her.”

  She was right, but Craig still had his doubts. What if Natalie did find out somehow? She would never forgive him for not telling her. If he didn’t speak to her first, she would never believe it meant nothing.

  “Only you can decide what is the right thing to do,” Sarah said, “but my advice is to say nothing to anyone. I won’t speak to anyone about this, except Jason of course, but you know you can trust him to not let this go any further.”

  “Maybe I should speak to Jonathon. I’m sure this sort of thing has happened to him before.”

  Sarah laughed. “I wouldn’t bet on that. Until he got together with Katie, I don’t think he ever had a relationship, just a lot of one night stands. He hasn’t kissed another woman since he and Katie became exclusive. If he had, JD would know about it, then so would I.”

  “Would you want to know?’ Craig asked. “If the same thing happened to JD?”

  Sarah thought for a minute. “No, I don’t think I would. Had it meant anything, then I would want to know as it would indicate that there was a problem with our relationship that we would need to work through, but two emotionally vulnerable people sharing a kiss is completely different.”

  Sarah and Craig talked for a while longer, but by the time JD knocked on the door, Craig was no closer to a decision on what he should do.

  They invited JD in and told him everything. JD agreed with Sarah. If Craig said anything to Natalie he would be hurting her just to ease his conscience.

  Craig thanked them for their advice then left them alone.

  “What do you think he will do?” JD asked.

  “I honestly don’t know,” Sarah said.

  As soon as Jane got back, she took Craig aside. She apologised, assured him he meant nothing to her and that she wouldn’t say anything to anyone. She was prepared to take full responsi
bility for what had happened.

  Craig confessed that he had already spoken to Sarah and JD, and the reason why, and Jane said she understood. She also agreed with them that he should not tell Natalie.

  As Craig went to leave the room, Jane grabbed his arm. “What are you going to do?” she asked.

  “I don’t know,” he said. “Right now, I really don’t know.”

  Go away Sarah

  “Why am I nervous?” Paul asked as Luke parked his car in the garage.

  “Because you’re about to be introduced to a group of very powerful vampires,” Anna said.

  “I promise they won’t attack you and drink your blood,” Luke said. “We try not to do that sort of thing at home. Other than me and Anna, of course, but I don’t drink from her very often.”

  “I’m not sure I really want to know about that side of your relationship,” Paul said. “It seems a little too much like discussing your sex life.”

  Luke had phoned Gavin, letting him know that they were taking Paul to the house, so all of the family would be there.

  They were seated in the dining room, but instead of interrogating Paul, as they had Anna, they allowed him to ask all the questions. And he had a lot. As her only relative, he wanted to know everything about the family that Anna was becoming involved with. Not that he would be able to do anything about it if he heard something he didn’t like.

  The evening went well and time passed quickly. Paul was asking more questions to Helen than anyone else, Anna noticed, but she didn’t comment. He was on the verge of flirting with her and, had he crossed that line, she would have put a stop to it. She didn’t particularly like Danielle, but she and Paul had been together for a long time and generally they seemed happy.

  It was very late by the time they left and Paul asked if he could stay the night at Anna’s house. Danielle would be asleep and would get angry if he woke her.

  “Is everything really okay with you and Danielle?” Anna asked as she poured three glasses of wine.

  “No, but we’ll work things out,” Paul said. “We always have done in the past. Now can we please talk about something else, like when I am next getting invited to vamp central.”

  ————————————-∞————————————-

  A few nights later, Sarah was working late, so JD took the opportunity to redecorate their room. Craig watched in fascination as he moved between his room and the arena, taking weapons with him.

  “What are you up to?” he finally asked him.

  “Do you really want to know?” JD asked.

  “Would I be asking if I didn’t?”

  “There’s no need for sarcasm. Be careful I don’t make you do an extra training session for showing lack of respect.”

  “You can’t do that,” Craig said, smiling as he spoke. “I’m asking Sarah’s husband, not my trainer.”

  He didn’t like the way JD smiled back at him. “Actually, you’re wrong. Currently I am laden down with weapons, that makes me your trainer right now.”

  The smile dropped from Craig’s face. JD enjoyed teasing Craig, but knew when to stop. “Come with me,” he said. “I have something to show you.”

  He led him to the room he shared with Sarah. The walls were covered with swords and a variety of other weapons. Almost everything that JD owned personally he had moved from the arena. There was a few empty spaces on one wall, which JD filled with the weapons he had in his hands.

  “What do you think?” he asked.

  “Why have you turned your bedroom into an armoury?”

  JD glanced at the door, making sure it was closed before answering. “Sarah mentioned once that she wanted to make love surrounded by weapons. I refuse to do so in the arena so I thought this might work.”

  “I don’t want to hear any more,” Craig said and practically ran from the room, making JD laugh.

  Sarah arrived home in time for dinner, but only just. She had been due to train with JD that evening, but JD cancelled their session, claiming that she would be too tired after such a long day at work. In reality he didn’t want her to see how bare the arena was before she saw the bedroom.

  Sarah was too concerned about Craig to question JD’s reasons. Ever since his kiss with Jane, he looked uncomfortable around her and the bags under his eyes suggested that he wasn’t sleeping properly. If he didn’t pull himself together soon, Natalie would know that something was wrong.

  After dinner, Jonathon suggested a game of poker and all of the hunters agreed to join in, along with Natalie. To everyone’s surprise, JD called it an early night and took Sarah up to their room.

  “I have a surprise for you,” he said as he positioned himself in front of the door, barring her way. He opened it up and let her look inside.

  Sarah gasped. Swords, knives, Sai, Kama, Shuriken and Dragon stars lined the walls. “I know weapons turn you on,” JD continued, “so I thought you might like this.”

  “I definitely married the right man,” she said as she dragged him into the room and closed the door.

  The next morning, at the 5 o’clock training session, JD noticed Sarah looking at the half empty walls of the arena then blush. He also noticed others looking around in confusion.

  “Nobody say a word,” he warned, “or this hour is going to feel really long.”

  None of them were brave enough to ask where the weapons had gone and by the next morning, most of them were back.

  ————————————-∞————————————-

  A couple of nights later, Craig decided to tell Jonathon what had happened with Jane and ask for his advice. Everyone was beginning to notice that something was bothering him, even Natalie.

  All of the household had turned in for the night, so Craig knocked on Jonathon and Katie’s bedroom door. Hearing no reply, he tried the handle. It wasn’t locked, so he went in.

  The sight before him stopped him going further than the doorway. Jonathon was tied to the bed, blindfolded, with earphones attached to an iPod in his ears. He hadn’t heard Craig knock and had no idea he was there.

  Hoping to sneak out without anyone knowing he had seen anything, Craig turned around and walked straight into Katie, who was carrying a bottle of chocolate sauce.

  “Oh,” she said and went a bright shade of red.

  “I didn’t see a thing,” Craig told her. “Trust me, I’m going to do everything I can to wipe that image from my mind.”

  He left the room and Katie closed the door behind him. There was nothing she could do about him catching her and Jonathon having a little fun, so she put it from her mind and walked over to the bed. She untied her dressing gown, let it fall to the ground, then climbed onto the bed. She kissed Jonathon passionately then set to work with the chocolate sauce.

  Craig looked rather ill when he entered the room he shared with Natalie.

  “Are you alright?” she asked when she saw the expression on his face. “You look like you have seen a ghost.”

  “Worse than that,” he said then told her what had happened. “You have to swear not to tell anyone.”

  “I promise,” Natalie said, as she tried not to laugh. “Why were you going to see Jonathon anyway?”

  Craig took a deep breath. It was now or never. “There’s something I need to tell you,” he said, then proceeded to confess everything.

  ————————————-∞————————————-

  Sarah was just drifting off to sleep when she heard shouting. Natalie was screaming at Craig so loudly that everyone in the house could hear.

  JD, whose hearing was much more sensitive now that he was a vampire, was the only one who could make out what she was saying.

  “Oh shit,” he said. “The idiot has told her. She’s not taking it very well.”

  Sarah slipped out of bed and was in the process of putting her dressing gown on when the hunt alarm went off.

  “Perfect timing,” JD said sarcastically. “Get into your h
unting suit. We will have to deal with the fallout of Craig’s actions when we get back.”

  Upon hearing the alarm, Craig opened the wardrobe door and took down one of his hunting suits.

  “Don’t you dare,” Natalie yelled at him.

  “It’s a hunt Natalie. I have to go.”

  “Now? You want to go now? One minute you’re telling me you’re having a fling with Jane and the next you’re going off on a hunt with her?”

  “Calm down Natalie. I am not having a fling with Jane. The kiss meant nothing. It was just two emotional people getting carried away.”

  Natalie glared at him. “If you leave now, I won’t be here when you get back.”

  Craig dropped his suit and walked up to Natalie. “Please don’t do this. We can talk when I get back.” He went to take her in his arms but she pushed him away.

  “We talk now or not at all. Your decision.”

  Craig sat down on the bed and put his head in his hands. This was not going at all as he had planned.

  ————————————-∞————————————-

  “Why do you have what looks like chocolate sauce on your cheek?” JD asked Katie. Both she and Jonathon looked away. Neither of them would meet his eye.

  They were by the front door, waiting for Scott, Craig and Jane to arrive. Doc walked up to them and handed the address they were to go to to JD.

  “I wouldn’t bother waiting for Craig if I were you,” he said. “From the shouting still coming from their bedroom, I don’t think he will make it.”

  JD nodded his head. “I wouldn’t let him anyway. His mind would not be on the hunt and he would be a liability.”

  As soon as Scott turned up, JD passed him the address. Jane was just behind him so JD gave the usual pep talk. This time, however, he added something.

  “I suppose everyone can hear Craig and Natalie arguing. Some of you will know what it’s about, others don’t. It’s between them and none of our business. As soon as you leave the house, put it from your minds. Concentrate on the hunt.”