"Go ahead," I replied, leaning back in the seat. "Have your fun." Rick was laughing so hard he was crying. "Oh, thanks, I needed that!" he said, now dabbing at his eyes. He knew how much I hated small towns. Boring. Not enough action. But if we were trying to protect someone, that's the best place to be. In a small town, you can hide in the open and no one will notice a thing. Cooperstown was in upstate New York and as small as small town gets. "Okay," I said, having had enough. "You've had your fun." A second later, Rick was still trying to suppress a smile. "If you were anyone else ...""Yeah, yeah ..." Rick replied. "You'd miss me too much." "Yeah, like a hole in the head," I mumbled, then changed the subject. "What's his name?""Who?" Rick was still dabbing at his eye, trying to collect himself. I punched him in the arm. "Okay, okay! I surrender!" Rick was still smiling, but managed to pull himself together. "The kid's!" I said, trying to get Rick to focus, which
Suddenly, a nervous looking brunette man with wild eyes in his late teens opened the door. The pheromone level this guy excreted was maddening! See, when humans are nervous or scared, their body emits pheromones that vampires can detect. It helps us track our prey. For his sake, it's good that I wasn't dying of thirst, because his crimson blood was pulsing deep within his veins under the thin skin of his throat, calling to me ... "Jeez," I said, throwing back my head, closing my eyes. "Not now." And I was supposed to keep a low profile. Immediately, the guy threw open his overcoat, revealing a sawed-off shotgun. Probably sawed it off himself. His hands shook as he pointed it at the frail cashier behind the counter, who held up his hands and looked at me apologetically. "How much?" I asked the cashier casually, indicating the items on the counter as if nothing out of the ordinary was happening. "Didn't you hear me, bitch?!" the young man yelled into my ear. The shotgun in his hand
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 mys
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 an
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. Today, there were no more orphanages, but if there were, they would ask too many questions, questions I couldn't answer. There were laws against it, as well.The white-tailed deer wasn't much of a challenge, but I had already had my workout for the night. After I had my fill, 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 was 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
We weren't waiting long when the principal come out of his office and shook our hands, welcoming me to the school, then handed me a class schedule. Of course, the honors classes wouldn't be a problem. I could take any college course, earn any degree, and repeat every line from every textbook that I read verbatim. So, high school honors classes would hardly be a challenge, but we knew that Zachary was in all honors classes. My having an honors schedule increased the chances of our having the same classes. "Welcome to our school, Lisa," Mr. Hartrell, the principal, said with a smile plastered across his face. "I hope you feel comfortable here, Lisa, and come to think of us as a family, as well." "Why thank you, Mr. Hartrell," I answered sweetly. "I'm sure I'll find the accommodations here delightful." Rick gave me a dirty look as if to say, Smart Ass. Sorry, I just couldn't resist, I replied to Rick in my mind, then I looked at him and shrugged. He rolled his eyes, without Mr.
"Sorry I'm late, Ms. Parks," Zachary said in a low voice. "I was cut off by some idiot out there and couldn't find a parking space."Ms. Parks smiled sweetly. "Not a problem, Mr. Davis. This time." The later was a warning. "Now," the sweet demeanor returned, "go take a seat." He nodded, then hurried to the vacant seat next to mine. This just kept getting better. I said nothing, but watched inconspicuously. I was 5'4", but he was much taller, 6'2" to be exact. My sense of measurement was perfect, having experience over the years. He had broad shoulders that fell to a narrow waist and hips. I could tell he had nice legs under his trousers and arms that bulged from over training and years of playing sports. His sun-streaked hair was cropped short on the sides and the back like in his picture, was parted inconspicuously toward the side and fell lazily over one eye. He wore tan khakis and a nice white dress shirt. A bit dressy for a student, but on him, the look was very becoming. And I
"Zac, what do your parents do?" I asked, casually making conversation as we walked to class. Secretly, I really needed to know what he knew about his father. "Well, my mother is an interior designer here in town, and my father is an architect in Washington D.C.," Zac said, the faraway look returning. So, he knew nothing. Dr. Abbott probably wanted to keep his son in the dark as much as possible. I guess Abbott thought that what his son didn't know wouldn't hurt him. Fat chance. We talked animatedly as we walked to class. Zac was very easy to talk to. Then, my thoughts traveled to what he said when he came late to class. I forced myself from his mesmerizing eyes to focus on my mission. "What did you say when you came into class late this morning?" I asked Zac innocently as we walked. "About some guy cutting you off in the parking lot?" It bothered me ever since he said it. I wondered if there was more to it than that. "Yeah," Zac said, anger returning to his eyes. "The guy just came