Hexed and Bitten

Chapter 7

The crisp autumn air swirled around her, nipping at her pale skin and bringing with it the refreshing, pine-scented breeze of fall. Arabella jogged down the coastal path, her bright eyes scanning her surroundings while music hummed softly through her earbuds. The sun had barely begun to rise, casting long, pale shadows across the trail when she started her run. This had become a quiet ritual for her whenever she wasn't occupied by David, Vivianne, or her shop.

It was in these moments, jogging down to the shoreline of Collins Cove, that she felt a rare sense of peace, her mind cleared, and her body truly relaxed. Having lived decades, she had seen many beautiful sights and found plenty of places to try to quiet her mind, but none of it seemed to compare to the tranquility she found down by the water.

Other vampires would probably find the act of jogging like a normal, mundane human entirely odd, but it was surprisingly relaxing. She had learned how to slow herself down, to blend in, and to appear human from Maximus decades ago. Back then, they would run together in that quiet, in-between time before night had fallen away and morning began to rise. She learned how to control her speed, among other things, to blend in seamlessly. It had been one of her favorite things to do with him. He had been so patient, understanding, and kind back then. The thought of Maximus made her breath hitch. She didn't actually need to breathe, she was undead, after all, but old habits died hard. It also helped with her blending into the human world. She hadn't wanted to think of him, the monster who ripped her family away, destroyed her coven, and turned her into this. As much as she hated him, she loved him. How twisted was that? For all the pain he had caused her, he had also shown her love and kindness. He had shown her the man beneath the monster, and for the briefest of moments, she had thought she could get through to him. But she had been wrong. And now? Now she walked this earth alone, never to feel the warmth of the family she had gained with him. Never to see her sisters, mother, or coven again. She was utterly alone, and no matter what or who she spent her nights with, nothing would change her reality. Stopping at the edge of the path, she looked out at the dark, glassy water of Collins Cove, letting the biting wind quiet the lingering anger inside her. Dwelling on the past wasn't going to help her; she needed to focus on the present. She had built a quiet life here in Salem, no drama or complications, just a blissfully mundane existence.

You sure about that? A little voice hummed in the back of her head.

Suddenly, an icy prickle tingled down the back of her neck, that sharp, localized sensation that she wasn't alone, that someone was watching her.

Her eyes snapped up, scanning the line of bare trees surrounding the path. She spun around, searching frantically for whoever or whatever was stalking her. Even with her heightened, unnatural vision and sharp senses, she saw nothing. Pushing forward, she moved in a brief blur of speed, scanning the surrounding area for anything out of place. To her frustration, the woods were empty.

"What is wrong with me?" She growled under her breath, the sound vanishing into the wind.

Why did she keep feeling like she was being watched when there was nothing there? Was she losing her mind, or was something else going on? Pushing her frustration aside, she made her way back to her loft, opting to use her full vampiric speed to slip home unseen instead of jogging back like she normally would. Showered and dressed in fresh clothes, she gave Jinx a few of his favorite salmon treats and switched the television to the cooking channel just like he liked before heading back out.

With it being Sunday and the day after Halloween, she kept the shop closed for the day and instead headed down the street to her favorite diner to have lunch with Vivianne. Sitting in their usual vinyl booth, the warm scent of dark roast coffee and frying bacon filling the air, she played with the little plastic stir straws in the table holder, lost in her thoughts while she waited. That prickling feeling returned, creeping across her skin. Her eyes darted around the diner and out the window toward the sidewalk. To her frustration, all she found were normal people walking past and cars driving down the street. No one was looking at her. Even with her heightened sight, she found nothing.

Sighing, she went back to fiddling with the stir straws, trying to distract herself. She checked her phone and was just about to give up on waiting when Vivianne strolled through the front door with a wide, s**t-eating grin on her face. "Sorry," Vivianne said as she slid into the booth across from her, pulling her oversized shades up onto the top of her head. "I am spent." She looked totally relaxed, like she’d had the time of her life. How she wasn't hungover after the amount of booze she had consumed the night before, Arabella had no idea. "Hello girls," an older waitress stopped at their booth. She wore a worn yellow uniform with a name tag on her right breast that read Jean. She offered a kind smile, her greying copper hair pulled back into a severe bun.

"Hey, Jean. Can I get a black coffee, scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, and hash browns, please?" Vivianne asked brightly.

"For sure, Viv. And you, Ari?"

"Another coffee, please, scrambled eggs, and bacon."

Nodding, Jean grabbed the laminated menu she had initially put down, knowing they wouldn't need to look at it. They came here weekly and always ordered the exact same thing. Jean returned a moment later, the dark, rich aroma of coffee rising as she topped off Arabella’s cup before filling a fresh one for Vivianne.

"So, how did the rest of your night go?" Arabella leaned back, wrapping her hands around the warm ceramic mug and taking a sip.

"Ari, it was... wow," Vivianne let out a loud sigh, a satisfied grin spreading across her face. "I tell you, Jerry might be as dumb as a rock, but the man knows what he's doing in bed," she winked playfully. "I'm a little sore this morning." She laughed.

"Has Jerry, the egotistical egghead, tamed the infamous Vivianne?" Arabella raised a brow, making her friend chuckle.

"Ha! No way I'm settling down, especially not with someone like Jerry. But he is a fun time. I might take a few more rides before I move on," she winked again, that grin locked in place. Leave it to Vivianne to treat a man like a piece of meat. Though, to be fair, someone like Jerry routinely treated women the same way, so maybe it was only fair.

Jean returned a moment later, setting down two steaming plates loaded with crispy bacon, eggs, and napkins. Arabella got lost in the wonderful, salty taste of the food. She had such a soft spot for little diners like this, diamonds in the rough. Most people never gave them a second thought, choosing cleaner, flashier places, but this spot was the best place she had found in Salem. The food was simple, yet always delicious. Arabella didn't need to eat to survive, but that didn't mean she couldn't enjoy the simple human pleasure of it. Most books and movies got it completely wrong when it came to vampires, we could consume food and be completely fine. Of course, food didn't really do anything for our bodies, but it was delicious, so why not have it?

"You and David dipped out early," Vivianne said, picking at her eggs. "Did he get you home alright?"

"Umm... yeah... he ended up spending the night," Arabella glanced at Vivianne through her lashes, pretending to focus on her food. She still found it weird talking about this kind of stuff considering David was Vivianne's older brother.

"Oh, yeah?" Vivianne kept her eyes glued down at her plate, but the tight grip on her fork and the hard clench of her jaw told Arabella she wasn't happy hearing that. Was it just weird for her knowing her best friend was sleeping with her brother, or was it something else? The way David had looked at Vivianne and the unspoken tension between them the night before flashed through Arabella's mind. That nagging feeling crept back in. Something wasn't adding up, but instead of pressing further, Arabella left it alone, choosing to change the subject. The two women finished their breakfast in easy conversation before parting ways outside.

After saying goodbye, Arabella made her way back to Hexed & Bitten. Unlocking the heavy front door, she stepped into the quiet shop and headed straight upstairs to her loft to change into a comfortable sweater. Once settled, she headed back down to start restocking the fresh shipment of rare occult titles sitting behind the counter. Jinx immediately claimed his spot on the glass display case, sprawling out lazily to watch her every move as she began stacking books onto the dark wooden shelves. As she aligned a heavy, leather-bound spine, an icy prickle hit the back of her neck with sudden, violent force.

Jinx went rigid. His bright green eyes locked onto the front window, his ears pinning flat against his head as a low, territorial hiss rumbled in his throat.

Arabella froze. He felt it too.

Her gaze snapped toward the display window. Across the street, nestled beneath the dense canopy of oak trees lining the sidewalk, stood a tall, shadowed silhouette. It was completely motionless, shrouded in the falling twilight, but she could feel its gaze locked directly onto her like a physical weight.

In a single breath, Arabella abandoned human limits entirely.

The world seemed to slow down. She blurred across the shop floor, the front door burst open, and she crossed the street in less than a second, leaving the chime of the door trailing behind her. She slammed to a halt at the exact spot beneath the trees, her boot soles barely making a sound on the dry pavement as her predatory senses dialed to maximum.

There was no one there.

No footsteps fading down the street, no rustle of dry leaves, no sound of human breathing. But as she took a slow, sharp breath, her nostrils flared, and a cold shudder ran down her spine.

Leaving no sound or physical trace while vanishing that fast was impossible for a human. Beneath the earthy scent of pine and damp soil, there was a faint, unmistakable metallic undertone lingering in the autumn air.

Vampire.

Arabella stood alone under the bare branches in total, unyielding stillness, consumed not by physical exertion, but by the chilling certainty that she wasn't losing her mind at all. Someone was stalking her, and whoever it was, they shared her immortal blood.