Chapter CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
AT FOUR IN THE MOURNING, Abbey was awakened by a pounding on her door. She got up and found Arym in her Justin Bieber pajamas staring at the door. It was strange to be frightened of her daughter, but there it was. The girl gazed at the peephole but didn’t dare look through it. She knew another vampire was just beyond the door, but what to do about it? They had been told that some old vampires loved to take advantage of new vampires, knowing how utterly confused they were.
“Is he out there again?” her mother called to her.
“He’s calling me.”
“Don’t you dare go out there!”
“I’m not. He wants me to invite him in, but I’m not going to do that either. But you don’t know how bad I want to go out there.”
Abbey knew that if she decided to open that door, there was absolutely nothing she could do about it. Her daughter could probably break her in two if she so desired. Arym’s strength and capabilities far outmatched hers. Vampires weren’t allowed in the building. She went to the window and looked out; there was usually a security guard. What she saw was disconcerting, to say the least. The guard was flat on the ground, probably dead. She grabbed her cell off the coffee table with shaky hands and called Alexander.
Alexander and Tessy arrived in less than five minutes, and Abbey was so happy to see him that her heart jumped. Her knight in a black trench coat. The vampire outside her door had run off as he sensed the red sheriff approaching.
“Are you okay?” asked Alexander.
“We’re fine, but this is the second night a vampire has tried to get at her. He stands outside the door and calls to her. The police won’t even show up when you call them. They pretend they’re coming, but they don’t.”
Alexander turned and looked at Arym, sitting on the sofa. “Whatever you do, don’t invite him in. New vampires have a distinctive scent; it’s not far-reaching, so maybe he was walking by the building when he detected it.”
Abbey smiled at him. “Do you think you could stay here tonight and catch him?”
“Great minds think alike. He killed the security guard, so we’ll see if he’s dumb enough to return. I doubt he’ll ever be back, but who can say for sure.” Alexander knew the vampire wouldn’t return, but he would stay the night if it would calm her mind. The family had been through so much.
The sheriff wasn’t sure what kind of vampire Arym would be. If she had strong magic developing, that vampire might have wanted to grab her in exchange for a spell or two from an unscrupulous wizard. It was uncommon for people that were bitten to turn into wizards, but impossible things were occurring. It seemed that everyone was looking to augment themselves these days. But Alexander wasn’t good at detecting certain kinds of supernatural, so it was only a thought, perhaps a weak one. However, he was getting strange vibes from the girl.
“Alexander, would you like some green tea or coffee?”
“Green tea would be excellent.”