Chapter 22
Tap.
Tap. Tap.
Tap.
My feet tap away on the surface of my floor. My pacing is getting on Wes’ last nerve as he throws a glare my way.
“He might be just doing his job we do look for something to do to kill time,” Vincent finally speaks he is resting his shoulder on the wall looking out the window.
Wes shrugs and then looks at me waiting for my reaction.
“Doing his job? It seems as if he is stalking me. He appears at my workplace the day after I beat him it seems more like he is looking for revenge.”
I seethe still pacing the small living room, I breathe in through my nose trying to calm myself as I remember that Hannah is in my bedroom asleep.
“So what do you want to do?” Wes asks but it seems as if he already knows the answer.
“I’m going after him.”
“Abigail, think this through,” Vincent finally tears his eyes away from the window and looks at me.
I know that vampires don’t age but Vincent’s eyes seem as if they have aged ten years in the last few minutes.
“You go after him there will be others ready to come after you. You’re one of a kind as far as we know and you already showed him you’re resourceful let him take the next step.”
“Hell no,” I yell at him and then regret it as I hear the bed squeak in protest as Hannah moves.
“You’re on edge because you haven’t fed,” Wes says and that’s when my hunger lets its presences known.
“I know that.”
The ringtone blares and we all fall silent.
It’s my phone.
I stare at it as a bad premonition rises within me. The caller ID states its Mason.
I answer it and pull the phone to my ear, “Hello?”
“You would be interacting with humans,” the voices whisper harshly into my ears and I’m sure if I were human a chill would be running down my spine.
“Where is he?” My voice comes out as a whisper.
“Walk out of the apartment and meet us...alone in the clearing from yesterday or else your friend here makes a delicious snack.”
“Chris if you touch — ” the line goes dead and I let my phone drop to the floor. “He has Mason,” my anger is making my body tremble and my fangs protrude filling my mouth with venom. “Stay with Hannah, protect her at all cost.”
Wes is ready to come with me but I glare at him.
“I don’t have time to fight you stay with Hannah and protect her, please.” Wes steps back and nods.
“Be careful. Vincent is going with you.” Vincent is by my side in a blink of an eye.
“I need to go alone.”
“I’m coming whether you want me too or not. I’ll stay away from them but close enough to help you if you need it.” Wes pleads with me with his eyes and I nod.
I run out of there with Vincent on my heels after a couple of seconds Vincent disappears and my feet step out of the concrete into the ever-growing lush green forest. I run faster knowing that Mason is with them.
My feet skid to a stop as he comes into view. There is a harsh breeze making my hair whip in all directions.
The wind doesn’t just pick up my hair but it carries Mason’s scent to me, letting me know he is close by.
“What took you so long?” Chris smiles at me, he is still wearing his suit from earlier.
“Fuck you! Where is he?” I snap my anger getting the best of me.
He smirks at me and snaps his fingers making the trees behind him rustles as Mason is pushed out into the clearing. Mason’s body flings forward as he drops onto his knees. His head lifts and his eyes land on me. My fangs retract as I take him in.
He’s alive.
“Abigail, run!” He gets up and makes a run for it but the vampire that comes out from behind him grabs his shoulder and slams him into the ground with ease.
The vampire is wearing a cloak just like the ones from yesterday his eyes are covered by the hood. Mason groans and huffs as he tries to breathe.
“Leave him alone. I thought we had a deal!” I snap at Chris as he keeps his gaze on me.
“Our deal was I leave you and your buddies alone, this one wasn’t part of the deal.”
He smirks at Mason on the ground, who is glaring at him. Mason’s eyes go to me questionably.
“What do you want?” I snap at him.
“What I want is simple...you!” He shrugs and Mason looks at him perplexed.
“Me?”
“You have no idea the kind of power you possess and you would be a great asset to me and my coven.”
“If I decline?”
“He dies!” He shrugs.
It seems as if he is picking out a place to eat lunch instead of ending someone’s life.
“I’ll join you and if you beat me. If I win we both leave and you leave everyone I know alone. You win and I’ll join your coven.”
“Not this again!” Chris shakes his head and sighs.
“What scared that I’ll kick your ass again?” His brown eyes lock mine, his anger rising and the red invading his iris’s.
He is becoming his vampire self. “You’re on.”
My fangs protrude further than ever before and I know my eyes are glowing their purple hue color.
Mason’s eyes grow wide as Chris’ eyes gleam as he has finally found his long lost treasure.
“You’re the lamia Venator.”
“The what?”
Chris grins, “you have a lot to learn, the vampire that hunts vampires. We know very little about your kind, you’re probably the only one of your kind. You can’t drink human blood because the hunter then becomes the hunted. Your blood makes every vampire close enough to you go into a feeding frenzy. You drink vampire blood and it doesn’t happen.”
Mason seems as if he is ready to pass out.
“So I’m the lime venato?” My brain tries to wrap its head around what he is saying.
“The lamia Venator,” the voice comes from behind me and Vincent is next to me in record time. “He wants to use you for your power.”
The vampire behind Mason hisses and within a second is in Vincent’s face.
My body reacts to his attack and I rush at him from the side my hands wrapping around his neck as the silence falls between us but it doesn’t last long.
The silence is disturbed by the cracking of the vampire’s neck. His hood falls back revealing a young-looking vampire before he drops to the floor he is not dead but ‘knocked out’ he can be out for a few minutes up to a couple of hours.
“Abigail,” Mason yells as he just witnesses what I did.
“Let him go,” I snap at Chris as he looks over the vampire at my feet.
“You’re quick, strong, but that temper is what going to get you killed.” He says calmly.
“Do you think I asked for this? All I wanted was a normal life and then by some cruel hand, I end up like you. I don’t want to hurt innocent people so fate decides for me to go after the very thing that created me. All I want is to be left alone but it appears that I am going to have to lose all my humanity and stop fighting what I am. I am going to stand up against you and every other vampire that wants me on their side.”
The grin from Chris’ face wipes off and his eyes flame into the blood-red that I have never seen before I have a chance to flinch he turns to face Mason.
“No!”
Vincent and I run to him I get to Mason and Vincent goes to Chris.
The boom shakes my eardrums as their bodies collide. My arms wrap around Mason but he jerks himself away from me.
“Stay away from me,” he looks at me his eyes full of fear.
“Mason please,” I say.
He shakes his head as the sound of a cry makes me turn and Chris is standing before me with Vincent’s head swing from his hand. Mason's body convulses and he gags behind me.
“Vincent!”
Vincent’s body lays limp on the ground and Chris glares at me his nose flare and he throws the head in my direction landing by my feet.
“He’s next,” Chris points to Mason and Mason swallows loud behind me.
“Stay close he is not going to touch you. You’re going home to your beautiful daughter, do you hear me?”
“Oh Hannah,” he whimpers.
“The one that is going to die is you,” I scream at Chris as we both run to each other.
Chris grips my shoulders and whips me to the side like a rag doll and he turns his attention to Mason. I am on my feet in a quick movement and run at him.
Mason turns away from him and runs toward the trees.
Chris is much faster and he kicks Mason square on his back sending him tumbling to the ground.
I jump onto his back and wrap my legs around his torso. Chris swings me all around trying to throw me off my hands grip his head and his neck is exposed to me my fangs protrude getting ready to sink into his neck.
Chris must have felt his end coming he takes on last shake throwing his body to the ground sending me flying off of him.
I jump to my feet and run to Mason who is on his feet as well.
“This is not the end. We know who you are and things are just going to get worse for you.”
With that he is gone, I turn to face Mason who’s face is white as a ghost and the fear on his face makes me back away from him.
“I’m sorry Mason I should have stayed away from you. I never wanted this to happen and especially not to you.”
“Don’t,” he stops me and then turns away walking into the forest away from me, leaving me behind with Vincent.
Vincent died because of me and now Mason hates me because he knows what I am.