My Beloved (26 page)

“I love you,” he murmured softly and kissed the top of her when she lay her head back down on his chest.

She grinned against his skin and kissed his chest. “I love you too.” Her brain registered how, if she were human, she knew she would feel incredibly bashful and embarrassed of lying so bare next to him, but none of those feelings were there. Only love and a feeling of bliss. A frown marred her face as her eyes looked down his sleek and hard body. “I bit you more times than I thought,” she muttered almost more to herself.

He laughed and playfully smacked her bare bum. “Likewise. I have to say you were quiet the hellcat.” That statement did cause a blush to appear, but not so prominently. She was feeling thirstier than ever.

“Why do I feel so thirsty?” she asked as her eyes sought out the blood bottle. She flitted over to it then flitted back to lay by his side. Taking a swig, she offered him a drink.

He took it with a chuckle. “We exercised quite a bit. Our body needs more blood, just like a human would need more water.” Makes sense, she thought. He brought the blanket over them that lay over the back of the couch and covered them both. “Sleep. I'll wake you in a little while. We're going to have to train when we get back.”

That statement made her yawn as she nodded tiredly. “You sleep, too,” she mumbled and snuggled closer to him. He chuckled again and agreed. After that little session, they both need rest. Good thing he paid for a day in this room.

Wendy

Snow began to fall as Wendy ran to defend herself. Her breath was coming out in pants as it showed in the cold December air. Her eyes swept along the dead-looking forest for any signs of life, but found none. Feeling frustrated, she closed her eyes and listened. When she heard a twig snap, she took off to whatever made the sound. Suddenly though she was tackled from the side, making herself and her attacker fall to the ground. The ice-like ground sent shivers down her spine as she groaned and looked up to a smirking Darcy.

“Never focus on just one sound. Open yourself up to everything. Had you not been so focused on Vincent breaking that twig, you would’ve heard me coming at you.” He grabbed her hand and helped her up gracefully, as the rocky terrain crunched under her hiking boots.

Huffing and brushing herself off, she glared up at him. “You can make it just a smidge easier, you know. You move like a ghost,” Wendy said, looking down at her now snow soaked pants.

“You know that's not how it will work when there's a real fight,” Vincent spoke as he emerged from the trees.

Sighing, she nodded and gave Darcy a mischievous smile. “Again,” she conceded and let them both run away from her. Taking a deep breath, she tried to concentrate again.

After more hours of practice and failing, she was finally able to pinpoint the both of them. It took her so much time to learn to do this because she was still clinging to her human thinking rather than her newly turned vampire way of thinking. When she subconsciously let go, she then was able to detect several things at once. Like the faint crunch, a mile or so down the terrain where a rabbit ate, then the slight thrumming of a humming bird’s heart in the next clearing over. It was all so amazing! Her ears snapped to the right when she heard a foot fall onto the earth, but also heard the slight swooshing of a flitting body. Smiling to herself, she turned at the last second to dodge Darcy’s attack.

“Ow!” he cried out when she nicked him with a small amount of her ability. She grinned then turned around again before giving Vincent the same token as he tried to sneak up on her. All Vincent did was wince as he grinned at her.

“Good job. Now again.”

Her mind felt exhausted but complied. A thought occurred to her though. “How about I try my hand at the stealthy part? I hide and try to sneak up on any of you?” she offered. Vincent agreed, saying it would be good to come at it from a different angle.

Minutes later, she was deep in the woods trying to dispel her scent and any noise that could give her away. Wendy was slightly tired of training so hard lately, but she knew that her vision would surface in just three days. That being said, she wanted to be ready for whatever comes at them. Her eyebrows furrowed when she heard the stomping of feet and low arguing.  Curiosity got the better of her as she flitted toward the noise. Stopping to hide just behind a few large bushes, she gasped.

“Jamie! We have been walking for hours now! I don’t think you know where you are going!” Markus growled as another branch smacked him in the face.

She smirked back at him and flipped him the bird. “I know where I’m going. The fortune teller told me and pointed on the map here.” She held up a crinkled map that had a circle drawn on it. Wendy couldn’t believe it! It didn’t make sense! They weren’t supposed to show up for another three days!

Closing her eyes, she reached out to Vincent. It was difficult since she hadn’t done it in a while. She couldn’t form words but sent her distress instead, making it clear she needed his help.

“How?” he asked quietly a second later next to her. It would have made her jump had she not expected it.

“Well, we never said that vision I had was normal. If anything, we should have expected things to not exactly happen like what I saw.” Her frustration was evident in her voice but was no louder than a breathy whisper so as not to let the two know who were still arguing thirty feet away.

“Well, this was obviously right, just not the date. Darcy is on his way with Anya in case we're dealing with more than one vampire.” He wrapped an arm around her shoulder for comfort.

Moments later, Darcy and Anya were there but hid themselves by the bushes as well.

“Damn it, Jamie! We should just turn back and try something else! My man berries are freezing off!” Markus growled, but his comment made Anya snort with laughter, which in turn made the duo freeze.

“You heard that?” he asked Jamie slowly and took out a wooden stake that surprised all of them.

Wendy muttered, “Well, I guess my vision was wrong in something else too.”

Jamie looked at him, shocked. “What the hell? Why do you have that?” she asked, looking around her carefully.

“I told you a vampire took my sister. I'm just showing up prepared.”

Wendy turned to Vincent with wet eyes. “Please, don't hurt him. Let me talk to him first,” she pleaded.

“If he tries to hurt you, I'm sorry but I will have to step in,” he said with such seriousness that Wendy didn't doubt him for a moment.

Nodding, she went to step out when a blur rushed past her, causing her to cry out in shock. All of them jumped out from the bushes when a male vampire had Markus by the neck, snarling with red eyes. Jamie jumped away screaming at the suddenness of it all.

“No!” Wendy snarled as a blanket of rage settled over her bones from seeing her brother in harm’s way. Without thinking, she flitted to the vampire and grabbed him by the back of his neck and flung him away with such force that the male lost his grip on Markus and hit a thick tree, causing it to snap.

“Protect them. He's mine,” Wendy growled. No one messes with her loved ones just because they were hungry.

Vincent backed off and stood guard, knowing she had to do this. He didn't want her to, but he also knew there was no stopping her, at least not without hurting her.

“What the hell is going on?!” Markus yelled, gripping his neck as it turned an angry shade of red. His eyes darted all around, landing on Vincent. “You!” He tried to get up but was a little too weak.

“Relax. Answers will be given after your sister is done. You may not want to watch this,” he advised as all eyes turned to the slowly stalking Wendy.

“Argh! I'm so thirsty!” the male cried out angrily and tried to swipe at her, but with his thirst clouding his mind, it made his moves sloppy.

Wendy grabbed him by the scruff of his shirt and slammed him against a nearby tree. “How dare you try to hurt them!” she screamed and with a yell that would make any warrior woman proud, she sunk her fangs into him, cutting at the artery before finally taking a broken branch and stabbing him in the heart. Instantly he was ash, giving him no chance to even scream.

Turning around, she heard Markus and Jamie gasp as her hair was wild and blood dripped from her chin. Her eyes slowly turned from a frightening black to her normal blue. “P-Please... don't be afraid of me. I'm still me,” she spoke weakly, not liking how she could smell fear coming from her brother. Jamie looked stunned. Taking a deep breath, Wendy grabbed her necklace for support, feeling instantaneous comfort.

“I-I think I need to sit down,” Markus muttered, looking like he was going to be sick.

“You are sitting down,” Wendy offered with a grimace type of smile. Soon though, he gave his consent to talk about it back at the house. It was dark after all. Only the moon provided light, since the snow has long since fallen. They would've flitted but both Jamie and Markus weren't comfortable with that. It pained to see the slight fear her brother had for her, but at least he wasn't running.

*****

“Someone start explaining before I stake tall, dark, and creepy like I've wanted to do since I woke up from that dream,” Markus demanded, glaring at Vincent with such hatred Wendy was surprised Vincent didn't back hand him. Not that she wasn't grateful, it just didn't seem like Vincent.

“The only reason I'm not beating his face in is because of your request, Firefly,” he uttered in the silent room. Markus scoffed, showing he didn't mind going around with him too.

“Please. Can we be civil for a moment? Mark, do mom and dad know you're gone?” she asked after she made sure her face was clear of any blood.

“I told them I need to find myself. They expect me back in the next few days.”

It surprised her hearing this. “They let you go? Just like that, after having a major surgery only a couple months ago?” she asked dubiously.

His glare startled her before giving a bitter laugh. “Mom and dad have changed. Not a lot but enough to take notice. Mom is a mess and dad doesn't talk, like at all. I don't know. I guess after the dream they're better, but... why can't you come home?” he ended brokenly and stood up before hugging her to him. “I don't care if you now have fangs! You're still my sister!”

Tears welled in her eyes as she felt his hot tears pool at her neck.

“I'm so sorry, but I just... I can't. It's too dangerous. You shouldn't even be here! Look at what happened for being involved for only a couple of hours?! You get attacked!” She pushed him away just enough to look at his face. It was slightly comical since he had a good foot and a half on her, yet they both knew she could fling him like a rag doll.

“I don't care! I'm your big brother! I'm supposed to protect you, not the other way around!” He broke off with a growl before kicking the bar stool next to him. He stormed down the hallway.

“Can I have a minute with Jamie? You guys try to cool down Mark.” Wendy sighed and looked at her best friend.

“So you live here, huh? Where's your room?” Jamie asked, sounding weak herself. Wendy offered Jamie her hand to show her. With a shaky sigh, Jamie let her lead into a quiet room that had a large bed. “Well, at least you're living nice,” she joked with a grimace-like smile.

Wendy rubbed her eyes, feeling tired, and sat on the bed. “I’m so sorry you had to find out like this,” she muttered. With her senses, she felt Jamie climb up behind her and began to play with her hair like old times.

“I understand,” Jamie murmured and hugged her from behind. “Although you looked scary as hell out there. I know you're still the same girl who ate a worm on a dare when we were younger.”

Her joke made Wendy crack a smile. “Hey! I got five dollars out of that,” she said with a chuckle.

Jamie's hand stilled on the back of her head before she spoke. “You know what I'm thinking right now?”

Wendy turned her head and cocked an eyebrow. “What?” she asked but her eyes widened and a gasp left her lips when she saw Jamie held her necklace before her and clasped it around her neck.

“How it took you that long to do as I wished. You really are stupid and I have no idea how in the world Vincent got stuck with a nobody like you.”

Wendy felt frozen. Her eyes couldn't believe the deceit before her.

“J-Jamie? H-How? What?” A shiver crawled down her spine as Jamie laughed.

“I'm surprised Vincent didn't recognize me,  although I was fairly young.”

Wendy looked her over as it dawned on her. Gasping once more, she maneuvered off the bed. “Serryline, Serafine's sister. But how?! You should be dead! And you're wearing the necklace!” All these questions were partly because she needed to know and partly to distract her.

“Oh, dear Vincent didn't know that when my late sister cast that spell, it extended to her bloodline. As for the being alive part, well... it helps when you steal some souls. I've waited the last five years for you to finally grow a pair and dig up the old bag of bones. But wow, you were so dimwitted!” Her answers only caused more questions.

“Five years?! I've known you my whole life!” she yelled, hoping someone would hear her.

“Oh, you can scream all you want. They've been 'put on hold,' so to speak. And all those memories you hold so dear... nothing but implants by yours truly.”

Wendy knew she was in trouble so she tried to run but was flung and smashed against the far wall. She tried to bring her hands up to blow up the traitor but couldn't move a muscle. “What are you going to do? Why are you doing this? Are you going to kill me?” she asked in hopes that whatever spell she cast over her loved ones would wear off.

“Heavens no! That would defeat my whole plan. You see, because of your dear 'Vincent'” -she sneered his name- “my sister was left mad and eventually took her own life years ago. I promised her I'd get her the revenge she sought, while maybe having a little fun. So no, I'm not going to kill you.” She paused and walked slowly up to Wendy with an evil smirk as her hair seemed to glow a fiery red.

“I'm going to let my sister come back... using your body.”