call of night: beyond the dark (5 page)

Call of Night
                                                                                                                                            34

Katya never really took the chance to fully enjoy the mansion, she also never had the time alone before to do so. She wasn’t certain when Julius and Xavier would return, Xavier was hunting for his next meal; his brother was discussing business after his late snack. She never used magic in the mansion not when there was a chance the brothers would catch on. Katya had a plan the first night she met Julius, his was to seduce her into darkness without the knowledge of what was already in her heart. Katya couldn’t help but laugh as she opened the book of shadows and read aloud the spell that would keep Julius and Xavier from entering inside the mansion. The rage they would feel would be no concern of hers. When the more sinister evil would come into their town and tear everyone to pieces, she would be safe.

She only thought of herself, same as she did when she was a child being immortal wouldn’t have made a difference.

Katya didn’t expect to see her sister again after their last talk, still wasn’t sure why Lily would choose to remain in Thornton Lake she knew there was something Lily was keeping from her. Katya thought for certain the first thing Lily would have done was leave the town get as far from her as she could and the last thing she would have wanted was to see their father.

It was impossible to resist what they were bound to become once they were bitten, Lily knew that she didn’t like it but she knew.  She also knew in the end either way she would have gave in, there was no cure.

Call of Night
                                                                                                                                            35

The temptation was incredibly strong; there was a battle bigger than the darkness itself both sisters would have to face, one only Katya would be prepared for.  Katya could see Lily in her mind and she could see Micah as well as the look of betrayal in his eyes. It was satisfying to her. Micah was never the vampire Katya thought he would have been. It wasn’t difficult to imagine what kind of mortal he was, although Katya couldn’t blame her sister he was a nice distraction for her of course for Lily it wasn’t enough.

Lily could hear her thoughts building inside her mind. Who would choose immortality to remain forever hidden?  She did choose to embrace it; she could never get her old life back, although it wasn’t much different from her new one except for the constant endless need for human blood.

Katya enjoyed it; she enjoyed seeing the pain and life slipping away from her prey, turning them was an even bigger thrill.

It wasn’t all a loss there was beauty all around; Lily didn’t need daylight to appreciate it.

Alex knew how it was to experience every moment, his thoughts were filled with beautiful images she had never seen before; he had traveled kept the memories locked inside his mind, it fascinated her. Yes, there was reason why she felt drawn to him, the pull she felt toward him was undeniable, inevitable. As a vampire, Lily began to understand destiny a little more.

She didn’t know love as a mortal and was in no hurry to search for it, she was the type of person to let it come find her even if it took centuries. There was always a perfect person for someone and Alex opened a new door for her.

Call of Night                                                                                                                                            36

Lily didn’t notice Micah had left the motel; it had been his sanctuary for so long, Lily didn’t bother to question if he would return perhaps she should have; it was none of her concern at the time. When Alex touched her it sent a strange and powerful vibe through her, it was addictive, making it harder to even just have the thought of turning him. How could she take everything that he’s known? Would she be able to let him walk away without ever knowing what could have been? Would life as a vampire still be filled with darkness?

Call of Night                                                                                                                                            37

It was a challenge for Sheriff Arnold wearing a smile as the folks in town greet him during their daily routines when inside he was carrying a heavy secret that could cost him their loyalty even though it was to save their lives they would see it as betrayal. If what Peter had said was true, it was more than worth it. It was up to his daughter to determine whether it was fact or a load of bull. He was meeting her for lunch at their favorite diner; she had Sundays off although she was given more. The waitress served Maggie her usual coffee as her father walked in the door and took his seat. She hadn’t slept in days; maybe weeks denying it to him would’ve been impossible.

“Don’t know why you chose that profession I really don’t.” He knew it wasn’t such a great way to begin their conversation and there was no way to talk her into changing her career not now she had been doing it too long.

“Because people deserve to have the answers they need just to get through a single day.”  Having such compassion and kindness in her heart was something her father was proud she had, but never came easy when dealing with the dead. 

“You’re forgetting about your own health, Maggie. That’s important too.”

Maggie nodded and took a sip of her coffee. “It’s just been a crazy week.”

She drifted off for a moment, took her mind to another place.

Call of Night
                                                                                                                                                                 38

He had seen her that way before only once the day they buried her childhood best friend. How was he to explain what he needed to tell her? He knew it wasn’t exactly something she wanted to hear, it wasn’t really something he wanted to know himself.  The waitress brought their usual lunch plate even though Maggie wasn’t feeling much like eating.

“More bodies keep coming in.” She pushed away her plate as she spoke.

What would she think of him? The question immediately popped into his head. She had seen it for herself, the bodies all the same. It was no serial killer they were looking for.  It would take time for either of them to adjust to the new world.

“Peter Gould came into the department with some interesting information for what’s been happening around here.” He couldn’t wait anymore; although he didn’t want his daughter to carry all that he had to he didn’t want her to think she was losing her mind.

“Peter, the man everyone thinks should have been locked away in an insane asylum?” Maggie thought it had to be a joke at first, her father wouldn’t let Peter waste even an hour in his day.

“Some of what he had said made a little sense.” When he finally said it out loud, he felt relieved.

Maggie shook her head in disbelief wishing she had taken an aspirin before leaving the house. “You’re falling into his crap.”

“How many people have disappeared not just in the last year? How many have we found with their lives gone?” The Sheriff was frustrated; to him it had all been his fault when anything went wrong in the town, he should have protected them like he had sworn he would do.

Call of Night
                                                                                                                                                          39

“What are you getting at dad?”

With no hesitation he placed a hand written note with bold ink, her eyes widened as she read the one word;

Vampires.

Peter Gould had handed him the note just before he left the department. Everything was starting to add up. Maggie wasn’t looking forward to another work week and her nights would become even more restless.

It would be impossible to walk the streets in the dark and not wonder about the people whose paths she was crossing, how would she tell if they were human at all?

Walking to her own door made her feel as though she wasn’t alone. Setting her alarm for six thirty in the morning made her wish time would stand still, she always dreaded when the sun came up but always enjoyed her work doing what she could to help others when they lost someone close to them especially when she knew just how they felt.

Sometimes she wished she was still a kid when her dreams were made up of fairytales and woke up smiling; now it was nightmares and she woke in fear. She never told her father about them and never intended to.

Call of Night
                                                                                                                                                          40

Occupational hazard when your career becomes overwhelming. The last thing she had ever expected was her ex-boyfriend on that table, a man she had gave five years of her life to.  It was at night when her mind took control over her. When she saw him standing there in the shadows, she couldn’t tell if she was awake or dreaming. He looked the way he had when they first met, when she first fell in love with him.

She placed his hand on his chest as his eyes never left hers.

“You can’t be here.” She said trying to control her tears.

She never had the chance to make things right, never had a chance to say goodbye.

“I wasn’t ready to leave.” Evan’s voice, his touch always left her weak in the knees.

He kissed her, every inch of her burned with passion. Maggie knew that moment the alarm would go off, he would be gone as much as she had wanted it to be real; he made everything for her seem like there was nothing at all wrong with the world, he made it feel the way it should have been.

It would have been natural, if he were still alive.

When he was gone, there was a hole in her heart; though she knew she could see him again and until then it was going to be a long day.

For once, she looked forward to sleep and her dreams had never been so sweet.

Call of Night                                                                                                                                                          41

             
As she entered the office she wanted more than anything to be in her bed and to snuggle between the warmth of the covers.  After everything her father had told her, after she started putting the pieces together she had wished it wasn’t too late to change her career. All the bodies that had been brought in, their bodies drained of blood and the bite marks. They thought they were sadistic killings which would’ve been a little easier to handle, lock up the killer and throw away the key, he’d rot in a jail cell. Vampires were everywhere, killing one may save someone’s life but there would always more. She couldn’t say she agreed with her father by keeping it a secret, was it really going to save them?