Change of Fate (The Briar Creek Vampires, #4) by Jayme Morse & Jody Morse (8 page)

To Gabe’s dismay, Craig’s blank expression
didn’t reveal anything either way. “I haven’t fed in a while,”
Craig replied, shrugging his shoulders. “You, of all people, should
know what that’s like.”

“Wait, so let me get this straight,” Rhonda
said from her place next to Craig on the bed. “
Both
of you
are vampires?”

Gabe watched, bewildered, as Rhonda ran the
blade of her pocket knife across the creamy white flesh of her
thigh, slicing the skin open. She watched, amazed, as a trickle of
blood ran out before the wound evaporated into new flesh. She
traced the knife over the same section of skin, this time making a
longer, deeper cut.

Gabe knew that becoming a new vampire could
turn even the most strong-willed suicidal, though Gabe was
beginning to question how stable Rhonda had been before he had
changed her.

Gabe and Craig nodded in sync. “Yup, we come
from a town of vampires,” Gabe replied.

Rhonda’s cheeks were growing red with anger.
She turned to Craig. “And you were going to drink from me, too?
Without even asking me if I’d be okay with it?”

Craig shrugged. “Sorry, but . . . if you
weren’t a vampire, would you have allowed me to just drink your
blood? I had to show you how good it felt first, and then you never
would have wanted me to stop.”

Scoffing, Rhonda shook her head and stood up.
“You know what? I thought that maybe you and I could be friends,”
she said, turning to Gabe. “After you explained to me what
happened, I sort of understood. I don’t know if I can ever forgive
you, though.”

Rhonda stormed out of the hotel room,
slamming the door behind her and leaving Gabe and Craig to stare at
one another awkwardly.

*

In the next room over, Austin was drying off with a
white fluffy towel from the dip that he and Anna had just taken in
the indoor pool. As she bent over to pick up the clothes that she
was going to change into, Austin couldn’t help but notice how
beautiful she was. Her bikini top accentuated her cleavage, and the
bottom hugged her curves in all the right places.

“I’m going to take a shower,” Anna said, flashing
him a smile over her shoulder. Austin nodded, and after hesitating
for a moment, Anna went into the hotel bathroom. Moments later,
Austin heard the sound of the shower being turned on as the water
gushed out.

Austin couldn’t do this anymore. There was no way he
could live another moment pretending that he was still Mary-Kate
Lawrence’s boyfriend. It’s not like her father could do anything
about him not wanting to stay with Mary-Kate. As far as Greg
Lawrence was concerned, Austin was six feet in the ground right
now. The only way he would ever find out that he hadn’t really died
would be if Mary-Kate were to rat him out.

Grabbing his cell phone from the nightstand, Austin
did the first thing that came to his mind. He dialed Mary-Kate’s
phone number. The call went straight to Mary-Kate’s chipper
voicemail message. “Hey, it’s me! Mary-Kate Lawrence. Leave a
message, and I’ll get back to you as soon as I possibly can.” There
was a loud beep.

“Look, we need to talk,” Austin began. He paused and
decided to change the direction of where his voicemail was going.
“Actually, scratch that. We don’t need to talk. I’ll just tell you
why I’m calling. This isn’t working. I can’t be with you anymore.
I’m in love with someone else. I’m sorry.”

Austin hit the ‘end’ button on his cell phone and
looked up. He hadn’t even heard the shower water turn off until he
met Anna’s dark brown eyes as she stared back at him. Anna’s lips
were in a tight line. “You ended it?”

Austin nodded. “Yeah, I think it was time. Long
overdue, really.”

“Probably,” Anna agreed. She sat down on the bed,
hugging the fluffy white hotel towel against her bare skin. “I’m
not going to say I’m not happy because I am,” she said slowly. “I
think maybe you were a little harsh, though.”

Austin glanced over at her. “Harsh how?”

“You just ended your relationship through a
voicemail, Austin,” Anna said, giggling. “That’s almost as bad as
breaking up with someone through a text message or email.”

Austin knew that Anna was right. It probably was
harsh – and it might have even seemed a little weak, like he had
been too afraid to end it in person. Austin shrugged and said,
“Well, it’s too late now anyway. It’s done. . . . It’s over.”

If Austin had hurt Mary-Kate, he didn’t really care.
She hadn’t always put his feelings first. He’d tried to call to
tell her; it’s not his fault that Mary-Kate didn’t answer her
phone. Worrying about how Mary-Kate would feel was only going to
waste the time that he could be spending with Anna instead. And
spending time with Anna was all that Austin really wanted right
now.

Chapter 11

****

“What do you think we should do?” Lexi asked as Dan
smashed open the cantaloupe for her to eat for breakfast the next
morning. “There has to be a way we can get out of here.”

Dan glanced over his shoulder at her. Since vampires
didn’t need to sleep, they only sometimes chose to rest, Dan had
chosen to stand guard of Lexi last night, just in case any vampires
came back. Luckily, none did. “First, we need to figure out why
we’re here,” Dan said. “That will hopefully help us figure out a
way to get back.”

Lexi realized that she hadn’t told him yet what she
knew. “We’re here because of that witch,” she blurted.

Dan raised a dark blonde eyebrow at her. “Have you
been watching too much
Hocus Pocus
, Lexi? That Bette Midler
stuff doesn’t happen in real life.”

Lexi would have gotten angry at him or said
something back if he hadn’t just saved her life. So, instead, she
ignored his comment entirely. “That witch . . . you know, the one
who cursed the town of Briar Creek?”

Dan nodded, knowingly.

“She’s here in this time period. That cantaloupe you
picked? You picked it from her garden. That’s her house,” Lexi
explained, motioning over her shoulder to the house.

Dan’s face remained expressionless as he handed her
a piece of the melon, which he had sliced with his pocket knife.
“How do you know?”

“I accidentally ran into Albert,” Lexi responded,
taking a bite of the juicy fruit. When Dan gave her a confused
look, she waved her hand in the air. “It’s a long story, but . . .
I know it’s them. I heard Belinda – that’s the witch’s name – cast
the spell that made my bat pendant. That’s why I don’t have my
necklace. It’s in her house because she only just made it.”

“Well, then it’s settled. The first thing we need to
do is get your pendant back,” Dan said. As Lexi started to protest,
he continued. “It will help keep vampires from finding you like
they did last night.”

Lexi thought back to the guy hovering over her as he
went to drink her blood, his cat green eyes boring into hers, and
she felt shivers cascade down her spine. Dan was right; they had to
get that pendant back. She didn’t want to relive last night ever
again.

As Lexi was about to tell Dan that she agreed, he
added, “Other vampires aren’t the only ones who we need to hide the
scent of your blood from.” Lexi raised her eyebrows in question,
and Dan explained, “I would love to drink from you, too. It’s kind
of hard for me to control myself right now because I haven’t eaten
in a few days.”

Lexi felt her cheeks reddening. Normally, the idea
of Dan drinking her blood would repulse her. Today, it didn’t seem
to bother her, though. In fact, it made her feel flattered that her
blood smelled good enough for him to have a difficult time
resisting it.

Dan had turned away from her, sitting closer to the
river now, which made Lexi feel uncomfortable, so she decided to
get back to the issue at hand. “I, um, also spoke to my mom
yesterday.”

Dan turned around and looked at her with wide,
concerned eyes. “Are you feeling okay, Lexi? You do remember that
your mom died . . . don’t you?”

“I’m fine,” Lexi replied exasperatedly. She would
have been annoyed at him if the whole thing didn’t sound so crazy
to even her. “My mom visits me sometimes. Well, her ghost, that
is.”

“So, now you see Casper, too,” Dan muttered. When he
glanced up at Lexi and saw the seriousness in her face, he
continued. “Sorry, it just sounds weird. I’ll try to take your word
for it, though. What did your mom tell you?”

Lexi could tell that Dan still didn’t believe her,
but she told him about her mom’s visit anyway – careful to leave
out the part about how she shouldn’t trust everyone. Even though
her gut told her right now that she could trust Dan, there was
always a chance that could change. “She said you and I need to go
see the witch to ask her an important question. Except . . . I woke
up before she could finish telling me what it was, I think.”

Dan looked at her long and hard. Finally, he stood
and said, “Let’s do it then. Let’s go see the witch.”

“Just like that?” Lexi asked, laughing at Dan’s
impulsivity. “No plan or course of action or anything?”

“Nah, we might as well get it over with. Come on.”
Dan reached for her hand. Reluctantly, Lexi interlocked fingers
with his and allowed him to help her stand up. She still felt a
little weak and dizzy, but she felt much better than she had last
night.

As they ascended the river bank and began walking
through the witch’s yard, Lexi felt herself getting nervous. Her
palms began sweating, and it felt like her heart was going to thump
its way out of her chest. Once they neared the dirt path that led
to the front porch, Lexi stopped dead in her tracks.

“What’s wrong?” Dan whispered to her.

Glancing at the dark house, Lexi shrugged. “It just
doesn’t feel right. I’m scared.”

“Don’t worry,” Dan replied. “I’ll be here with you
every step of the way. Come on.”

Hesitantly, Lexi followed Dan up the front porch
steps. Dan knocked loudly on the front door, and, together, they
waited. Trying to keep her legs from shaking, Lexi tapped her foot
against the wooden floor boards of the porch to distract herself.
After no answer, she finally said, “It doesn’t seem like anyone’s
home. Let’s go.”

Just as Lexi stepped off the porch, she heard a loud
creaking sound. Whirling around, she saw the woman staring back at
them. Her brown curly hair was pulled into a braid, and her green
eyes were filled with a look of curiosity.

What was most frightening was the woman’s face.
There was a large burn mark that covered the lower portion of her
face. It began at her nose, creeping all the way down her neck.
“May I help you?” the woman asked. Lexi immediately recognized the
woman’s voice. It was Belinda.

“Umm,” Lexi stumbled, taking a step back up the
porch steps. “I – I don’t know.”

Belinda raised her eyebrows. “What is it that brings
you here, child?”

“I – I don’t know where to start explaining,” Lexi
began. She looked over at Dan, who gave her an encouraging nod.
“We’re from the future.” When Belinda stared back at her with a
blank expression, Lexi explained, “We opened up a book, and it
sucked us in. I know it sounds crazy, and you probably won’t even
believe it, but –”

Belinda let out a loud, cackling laugh. “Nonsense!
Of course I believe you. What reason have I not to?” The woman
muttered something under her breath. Lexi was pretty sure she heard
her say, “It must have been a time travel incantation.”

Lexi glanced over at Dan. The hopeful look in his
eyes told her that he actually believed her about the witch.

“What I’m having a harder time understanding,”
Belinda continued, “is why it is you’re standing on my doorstep if
you’re from this future place that you mentioned.”

Lexi twirled a piece of blonde hair around her
finger nervously. “I don’t really know. You see, my mom is a . . .
spirit.” She examined Belinda’s face for a reaction; the witch
nodded understandingly. Of course, a witch wouldn’t have any
troubles believing in spirits. “And she told me that I had to ask
you an important question, except . . . I don’t know what question
that would be.”

Belinda tapped her foot against the wooden floor.
“Would you like to come in so you can think about this question
that you speak of?”

Lexi turned to Dan, who shrugged. “Might as
well.”

Belinda opened the door wider, allowing them to come
inside. “Please ignore the state of my home. I don’t normally have
many visitors . . . and we haven’t had any visitors since the
accident.”

Lexi nodded. She assumed that Belinda was referring
to whatever accident had caused the burn mark on her face, and she
had a feeling that the accident had to do with what she had
overheard Albert and Matthias talking about. It had sounded like
the people who believed Belinda was a witch had something to do
with this. From the size of the burn, Lexi couldn’t help but feel a
twinge of sympathy for the woman.

Once they were in the kitchen, Lexi took a seat at
the white wicker chair at an oak table. Dan plopped down in a chair
next to her. “Damn, furniture was uncomfortable in the 19th
century,” he whispered, quietly enough so that only Lexi heard
him.

“Would you like some tea?” Belinda asked. Dan shook
his head, “No thanks.” Lexi said, “Yes, please.”

Once Belinda brought the cup of tea and placed a
plate of cookies in front of her, Lexi had to prevent herself from
scarfing them down. Living off of strawberries, cantaloupe, and
tomatoes for the past three days was really taking its toll on her
appetite.

“So tell me, child,” Belinda said, as she sat down
in a chair across the table from her and folding her hands in her
lap. “Why does your mother’s spirit linger?”

Lexi gulped. She hated talking about her mom’s death
as much as it was, but it was even more awkward talking about it to
a complete stranger. “I think it’s because my mother was
murdered.”