Hexed and Bitten

Chapter 8

The air smelled faintly metallic, the only hint that another of her kind had been out there under the canopy of the trees, hidden in the shadows, watching her. Kneeling, she inspected the ground, finding no prints, though that didn't mean anything, not for her kind. Whoever this was, this wasn't the first time they had watched her.

The night, she had gotten back to find Jinx agitated, the party, her run, the diner, and now there at the shop. She hadn't felt them the first time, if that had even been the first time. Someone was helping them; the only thing that could mask another vampire was magic, which meant whoever this was had a witch or warlock aiding them. They had gone to a lot of trouble to keep themselves hidden, so why were they showing themselves now? What game were they playing, and why did they seem so obsessed with her? She had come across other vampires since being banished from the family and Maximus. A few weren't her cup of tea, but she had never crossed any of them before, so why was this one focused on her? If she had been new to Salem, she might have thought it was a territory dispute, but Arabella had lived in Salem for a year now, there was no way this was a territory issue.

She had crossed paths with vampires since moving here as well and never had a problem. There were other creatures lurking in this world. Could it be one of them? A witch or warlock? No, she had never come across one powerful enough, but then again, she was only 134 years old; she couldn't definitively rule it out. Could it have been a hunter? Most hunters were humans, and even those trained exceptionally well could never move the way her shadow admirer did. No matter the training, they were still only human, limited by that simple fact. Sighing, she leaned her head back, looking up at her shop's ceiling. The exposed beams were one of the features she loved most about the space. She loved the craftsmanship. This building was one of the older ones, and its rustic charm had called to her. She had a soft spot for old things.

Whoever this person or creature was, she wasn't going to run. She loved it here in Salem and wasn't going to let anyone chase her off. If this creature wanted a fight, they were in for a rude awakening. If she hadn't been banished, she could have called Maximu, she could have called—

"No," she growled aloud, cutting off that thought before it could finish.

She didn't need them. They had all abandoned her, watching as Maximus kicked her out of their home. Of course, she could have stayed, agreed never to leave his side, but as much as she had grown to love Maximus, being caged in that manor was slowly killing her. She would have ended up a shell of a person if she had stayed. Arabella wished the others had at least tried to stand up for her. If he had gone with her... but she knew Otto would never betray Maximus. He would always choose Maximus over her. It wasn't until she walked out that door with nothing but the clothes on her back that she truly understood they could never be. Her heart had to break for her to finally understand it: it was never meant to be. She was always meant to leave, to be on her own. Her cold, still heart ached in her chest at the thought of him. Picking up Jinx, she got up from her chair, made her way over to the counter, and plopped him down. Giving him one last scratch, she turned and headed into the back of the shop to her office. If she was going to figure out who was stalking her, she needed a little help. She might have lost the last family she had after her mother and sisters were taken from her, but that didn't mean she hadn't made a few friends over these last fifty years. Maybe it was time to cash in a few favors.

"Who do I need to thank for pissing you off enough to call me?" a silky voice purred through the phone.

"Hello, Tara," Arabella replied.

"How long has it been?" Tara mused.Arabella could picture Tara sitting with her legs crossed on her desk, a carefree smile on her face.

"Awhile, but this isn't a social call," There was no point beating around the bush with Tara, she probably already knew why Arabella called anyway, given her gift of sight.

"Always straight to the point, that's what I love most about you," she chuckled in amusement.

"I seem to have found myself a stalker, and I think he or she is a vampire, but I'm not sure."

"I see," Tara hummed thoughtfully. Gone was the playful tone, replaced by a seriousness Arabella knew all too well. "I'll need to come inspect this myself." It wasn't a request, she was coming whether Arabella wanted her to or not.

"How soon can you get here?"

"I have a few loose ends to tie up, but once I'm done, I can head your way. It shouldn't take me more than a week or so."

"Thank you."

"Anything for you, Bella."

Bella. She hadn't heard that name in a long time. One of her aliases had been Bella, but it never fit, it never felt right, that is unless Tara was using it. Tara wasn't just anyone, she was the only person Arabella didn't hate hearing say it.

"Until then."

"Until then," Tara repeated before the phone clicked dead.

In a week, she would be here to help figure out who this shadow stalker was. Hopefully, Arabella wouldn't have any more run-ins with them until then. Though a part of her hoped they would confront her, it had been a long time since she'd had a good fight. Most people in this day and age don't fight. It would be oddly thrilling to battle someone, especially someone who had lived as long as her, or longer. What a rush, as long as it didn't end with her death.

Unless, of course, this vampire was a fledgling. That could be a massive problem. Fledglings were unpredictable, wild, and aggressive, especially those without a master to guide them. Maximus and the others had hunted down many rogue fledglings who had lost their humanity and given in to bloodlust. He had even allowed her to join the hunt a few times, though he always insisted it was too dangerous because she was still young compared to the rest of them. It had always baffled her. He trained her how to fight, yet never wanted her to actually go on the hunts. She had never understood it. Why train her if he didn't want her out there?

Still, his training had come in handy when she was banished. On her own, she had used what he taught her to stay alive. Over time, she had learned other fighting styles, keeping up with different techniques. Being immortal had its perks, especially for someone as curious as her. She loved to learn, and eternity offered unlimited time.

The next couple of days flew by with no sign of her shadow stalker. Vivianne was back to her normal, goofy self, regaling Arabella with bedroom tales about Jerry despite her pleas to stop. It almost felt normal, like everything up to Halloween and the day after had just been a bad dream. Arabella slowly fell back into her routine, but like so many things in her life, it was only a matter of time before reality reared its ugly head.

"Ari!"

"Back here!" Arabella called from her office, where she had been holed up most of the morning, up to her ears in paperwork. She loved owning her own shop and being her own boss, but she hated the administrative side. Why couldn't she just run a shop without dealing with the boring logistics? If only she were that lucky.

"Hey," Vivianne said, poking her head into the office with a wide smile and a look that always spelled trouble.

"What do you need?" Arabella knew that look. Vivianne wanted something.

"Well, I know I'm supposed to work the rest of the week..."

"Is Jerry trying to whisk you away on an impromptu trip?" Arabella raised an eyebrow, a playful smirk touching her lips.

"No." Vivianne stepped into the office, her gaze dropping to her feet as she tucked a stray hair behind her ear. "I got a call from my parents."

"Oh. Is everything okay?" Arabella had never seen Vivianne look so small, so unsure of herself.

"Yeah, they just need me home for a family meeting."

"Family meeting? What are you, in the mob?"

"My parents are... odd."

Something in her hesitation and the waver in her voice made Arabella wonder what she was hiding. But Arabella didn't own Vivianne; she was entitled to her secrets and privacy. Arabella would be a hypocrite to pressure her for the truth. So, instead of compelling or pushing her, Arabella simply nodded in consideration.

"Okay, sure. It's slower now, anyway, with Halloween over."

"Thank you!" Vivianne darted forward, wrapping Arabella in a tight hug. "I promise I'll be back Monday morning with our ritual chocolate chip muffins and cold brews."

"You better," Arabella chuckled, hugging her back. "So... is David going as well?"

"Yeah, I think he drove out today to get to our parents early. I was going to go with him, but he didn't want to wait until later, so I'm stuck driving myself," Vivianne laughed softly.

Arabella opened her mouth to reply, but the loud jingle of the front door chimes cut her off.

"Thanks again, Ari!" Vivianne turned quickly, exiting the office to greet whoever had entered.

Sitting back in her chair, Arabella pulled out her phone and opened her chat with David, typing out a text before quickly erasing it. She hadn't heard from him since the morning after the party. It wasn't as if she had reached out either, she'd been preoccupied with the shadow stalker, and besides, they weren't exclusive. He didn't owe her anything, and neither did she.

So why was it bugging her that he hadn't at least texted to say he was heading to his parents' place? Why did it even matter?

Letting out a frustrated sigh, she tossed her phone onto the desk, determined to push any thoughts of David out of her head. She needed to finish her paperwork, especially since she would be running the shop solo for the rest of the week.