Chosen (Book #4 of the Vampire Legends) (6 page)

“We have to
search for them,” Hunter said quietly.

“Them who?”
Penelope asked.

“My parents,
silly! Isn’t that why we came?” Hunter said.

“Why are we
whispering?” Rachel asked curiously.

“In case there
are guards here. We don’t want them to find us. We don’t want to risk being
kicked out for good,” Hunter said.

“But wouldn’t
they recognize you?” Rachel said. “Didn’t they used to work for you, too?”

“These guys turn
over quickly here. Nobody stays working for my parents for long. They’re hard
to be around and certainly hard to work for. So, no, they wouldn’t recognize me
and even so, they wouldn’t let anyone in who is unannounced. My parents do not
take kindly to people showing up unannounced. Especially strangers,” Hunter
said.

A pang of
nervousness ran through Rachel’s body. She began to panic at the thought of his
parents not being welcoming or accepting of strangers. She hoped they would
like her. Actually, what she really hoped was that they would be home. That
they would still live in this old castle.

The three of them
quietly exited the closet and headed down a narrow hallway, also built of
stone. It was like this entire house was erected with stones both inside and
out. It was the coldest and most unwelcoming place on the planet, Rachel
thought to herself. Who would ever want to live in a place like this?

The hall was lit
up with candelabras, that hung from fixtures in the wall, which let off a soft,
warm light. Their glow helped Rachel find her way in what would have been an
otherwise pitch black hallway. The floors creaked beneath them as they walked which
made them jump. They didn’t stop moving though, they were on a mission and weren’t
going to let anything get in their way.

At the end of the
hall they came to the top of a double staircase that arched it way up from the
main foyer below. The staircase was grand, perhaps the most grand entrance
she’d ever seen in her life. It reminded her of the houses she used to see on
MTV’s Cribs show. The stairs wound down onto a large black and white marble
foyer, standing there at the door were four guards, holding up their rifles and
ready to attack. Rachel’s heart stopped for a moment as she looked at Hunter to
see what he was going to do about this. She knew he was a smart guy and would
be able to figure this out.

Hunter then
started walking backwards, back down the hall they’d just came from and then
turned to them and motioned for them to follow him. They walked down another
adjacent hallway, similar to the first and then over to a wooden door with a
large brass handle. He opened it slowly as it creaked open. Then he poked his
head in and had the girls wait in the hallway until he came to get them. Rachel
stood there with Penelope in silence as they waited for Hunter to return. After
a few minutes, he came back and motioned them on. They crept through the door
and down a narrow spiral staircase that smelled like chlorine. It was an odd
smell for a castle Rachel thought but didn’t dwell on it. To her it smelled
like she was at a hotel going down the hall towards the indoor pool. Then she
wondered if maybe there was a pool inside. It was a pretty big castle and
although parts of it were run down, others were quite lavish. It was a weird
dichotomy.

Hunter turned and
said, “I think I know where they might be if they are here.”

“Where?” Rachel
asked.

“The wine
cellar,” Hunter said. “It’s underground but we can get to it from inside.”

“Wine cellar?”
Penelope questioned. “That’s a strange place to hang out.”

“It’s not just
any old wine cellar, it’s more like a wine tasting room. It’s quite big
actually and has chairs and everything. It’s like a family room, but for
drinking wine. My parents love wine, especially when they mix it with blood
from their most recent feed. It really gives them a high,” Hunter said.

“Interesting,”
Rachel said.

“I’ve never tried
it,” Penelope added.

“It’s actually
pretty good,” Hunter said.

As the continued
to spiral down the stairs, Rachel heard a noise coming from below them. It was
a man’s voice, speaking softly and slowly. She couldn’t make out the words he
was saying, but she knew they were not alone in that castle. There were many
people around, and she wasn’t sure if this voice was the voice of Hunter’s
father or the voice of a guard. She hoped it was his father speaking, but
didn’t know what his voice sounded like so wasn’t sure.

As she got closer
to the voice, she could hear him perfectly but realized he was speaking in
another language. Could this be the old Coven Code she thought to herself? Was
this her father speaking in the very language she’d come to ask about?

She thought it
was too good to be true, but hoped it wasn’t. As the came to the bottom of the
staircase, Hunter put up his hand and motioned for them to stop and wait again.
The girls stood there waiting, as Hunter peered around the bend, looking to see
if the coast was clear.

“Who goes there?”
the man’s voice shouted out.

Hunter jumped
back and nearly banged his body against the wall.

“Who goes there?”
the man asked again, loudly.

Hunter waited, as
the footsteps grew near. He quickly motioned for Rachel and Penelope to hide,
so they ran back up the stairs until they were out of view. Rachel admired this
about Hunter that he would take the brunt of their actions for them. He didn’t
want them to get hurt and was simply trying to protect them from any danger
that might be on its way.

The voice got
louder and stronger as it neared the stairs and continued asking “Who goes
there?”

Rachel didn’t
know why Hunter wasn’t answering but figured he had a plan in doing so. Then,
the man’s body appeared. He was tall, heavy set, and bald. He wore a maroon
robe and plaid slippers and was holding a glass of wine.

“Hunter?” the man
said. “Son? What are you doing here?”

“Hi Father,”
Hunter said. “I know, I should have let you know I was coming but it was really
a last minute emergency and I had to come without warning.”

“You know we
don’t like surprises like this. Your mother is not happy about this,” his
father said.

“Aren’t you kind
of glad to see me?” Hunter asked.

“It’s been a
while, Son. Your mother and I have moved on,” he said.

Rachel couldn’t
believe her ears. They’ve moved on? What was that supposed to mean. Were they
over him? Was this like some sort of relationship that is broken up? She
couldn’t figure out how his father would say such hurtful things to him.

“Hunter? Is that
you?” his mother’s voice rang out. “What are you doing here?” she asked in an
angry tone.

“Mother, I’m
sorry to burst in like this,” Hunter said. “I really didn’t mean to.”

“Why are you here
anyway?” his mother asked. “Don’t you have better things to do than to come up
here?”

“It’s nice to see
you, too, Mother,” Hunter replied sarcastically.

“Don’t be snippy
with me,” his mother said. “You’re the one who started this whole thing anyway,
so don’t blame our resentment on us. This was your doing, Hunter.”

“Mother, stop it.
Not now, we have some important things to discuss with you,” Hunter said.

Rachel watched as
his mother looked around. “We?” she asked. “Who is we?”

She could see his
mother’s face turn red and her skin becoming blotchy with hives. Was she that
fearful of people that she broke out in rashes?

“Oh, right. I
meant to tell you. I have two friends with me,” Hunter said in a calm voice.

He turned around and
said, “Rachel. Penelope. Come down here and say hello.”

“Don’t tell me
you brought strangers into our house,” his mother reMarced.

“You know your
mother and I don’t like to be surprised like this Hunter. Just seeing you was
surprise enough, but now you brought others. You should know better than to do
this,” his father replied.

Rachel slowly
crept down the stairs hoping to make a good impression on his parents. After
all, these could be her future in laws. She was feeling a bit panicked at the
thought of meeting them, especially under these circumstances. She knew this
wasn’t going to go over well, especially with the news she had brought.

“Mother, Father
this is Penelope and Rachel,” Hunter introduced.

“Why did you
bring them?” his mother said coldly, shaking her head in disapproval.

“I had to. It’s
important. It’s about Benji,” Hunter said.

“What’s so
important with Benji that you came back after all these years?” his father
asked.

Rachel knew she
shouldn’t butt in, but she had to. It was too hard for her to listen to Hunter
skirt around this pressing issue. “He’s in trouble,” Rachel said softly. “He’s
dying.”

“Dying?” his
father asked calmly as if he didn’t really care that much.

“Yes! He’s dying.
I have to save him, but I need your help,” Rachel said, cutting to the chase.

“We can’t help
you, sorry young lady,” her mother said.

“What do you
mean? You can’t help me?” Rachel questioned.

“No! We can’t and
we won’t!” his mother answered.

“Listen, I don’t
know what’s happened between you and your sons, but something has to change
here. This isn’t about a stupid argument that you got in years ago. This is
your own flesh and blood we’re talking about. Benji needs you now more than
ever. If you don’t help me that he is sure to die,” Rachel said.

“Young lady, come
with me,” his mother said, motioning her into another room.

“Sit down,” she
said to Rachel.

Rachel sat down
in an oversized, overstuffed velvet chair with a matching ottoman and looked
across at his mother who sat in an identical chair facing hers. The two sat in
the wine cellar which smelled of oak barrels and vintage grapes.

“Who are you
anyway?” his mother asked.

“I’m sorry, I
didn’t introduce myself properly. My name is Rachel Wood.”

“Rachel Wood, can
you tell me how you know my son?” she asked.

“I met him
recently and we have fallen in love,” Rachel said. She felt a little awkward
telling this to his mother, especially having just met her, but she couldn’t
resist. She had to lay it all out on the table for her. If she had any shot of
getting them to help her they had to understand that she was coming from a good
place and that she truly loved their son.

“Fallen in love
with Benji?” his mother asked.

“Yes, completely.
Head over heels for him.”

“So, what is the
problem here? Why do you need my help?”

“I need to find
the Red Amulet. I know you’ve recently been cured by it, and now I need it. I
have to bring it to Benji.”

“What do you know
about the Red Amulet?” his mother asked quizzically.

“I don’t know
much about it except that it can heal anything,” Rachel said.

“How did you even
know about it?” his mother asked.

“The last words
Benji uttered was about the Red Amulet. He didn’t say much about it and then
fell back unconscious. I think it’s the only thing that can save him at this
point,” Rachel said.

“What happened to
him anyway?” his mother asked seeming unconcerned.

“I don’t know,”
Rachel said.

“What do you mean
you don’t know?” his mother asked.

“I mean, I woke
up next to him and saw that he was bleeding uncontrollably. There was nothing I
could do to help him,” Rachel answered.

“You know what
happens if we lose all our blood right?” his mother asked.

“No? What?”
Rachel asked, suddenly feeling even more nervous than before.

“If we lose all
our blood we die and can never be saved, no matter what we use. The Red Amulet
won’t save him if he’s lost all his blood.”

“Well, I don’t
know if that has happened yet, and I hope there is still time. I have to find
the Red Amulet and bring it to him. Do you know where it is?” Rachel asked.

“I don’t know
where it is anymore. We sent it away after we used it, and I’m not sure who has
it now,” his mother answered. “Sorry, wish I could be more help to you.”

“Please tell me
you know who has it!” Rachel begged. “Can’t you remember who you sent it to?”

“I’m sorry young
lady, I can’t help you,” his mother replied.

“Yes you can,
you’re the only one who can help me decipher the Coven Code. Hunter told me you
could. Please don’t walk away now,” Rachel begged. “I need you.”

Rachel reached
into her pants pocket and pulled out the folded page from the old Coven book
and opened it up. She turned it around and showed it to Hunter’s mother to see.

“Where did you
find that?” she asked.

“I found it in
the old Coven Book at Hunter’s school. We just came from a party and nearly
died trying to get it,” Rachel said. “Now that I have it, it’s useless because
I can’t read it. I’ve never seen this language before in my life and Hunter
says you are the only one who can help me.”

His mom reached
out and took the page from Rachel, scrolling over the words with her eyes and
shaking her head and said, “I can read this, but it won’t do you any good.
Contrary to what many believe the answers are not found on this piece of paper.”

“What do you mean
the answers are not there. I was told that the page tells us how to locate the
Red Amulet. Is that not true?” Rachel asked wearily. “Please don’t tell me
there’s no information on that page.”

“I’m sorry, young
lady. There is nothing here that will help you,” she replied.

“What am I
supposed to do now?” Rachel asked.

“You said you are
in love with Benji. Is that true?” she asked.

“Yes! Of course
it’s true,” Rachel said without hesitation.

“How much do you
love him?” she asked.

Rachel thought
these questions were a bit irrelevant and out of place in this conversation
about the Red Amulet but went along with them as to not upset her, especially
after barging in on them without warning.