The Nememiah Chronicles Collection

Chapter 19

The portrait of Marianne"s family was progressing well; I"d worked on it for nearly three weeks and was excited with the work I"d accomplished so far. Early each morning, Lucas brought me downstairs – he still insisted on carrying me, and I enjoyed it – being held in his arms was something I was getting very used to. After breakfast, which I was capable of preparing myself, I settled to work at the easel.

veryPainting had been a lifelong love of mine. From the time I could hold a pencil, I"d developed a love of drawing, which blossomed into a passion. My latent talents had been recognized by Mr. Tully, my sixth grade teacher, who"d suggested it was a talent worth developing.

Mom had been incredibly proud of my artistic ability. Although art classes were expensive, Mom insisted on enrolling me, and my love of art had developed into a passion. If I"d attended college, art would be my major – there was never an alternative. Despite my decision to skip college, I"d known some career allowing for artistic expression would be the only option I"d find satisfying. I"d managed to pay my own way for the past two years through commissions. While it didn"t provide a substantial income, it was enough to buy food and pay rent, for which I was grateful. And happy. During the difficult months on my own, painting was a solace, an island of peace in the centre of stormy seas. It didn"t matter how depressed or isolated I"d become, painting provided me the opportunity for moments of pure, unadulterated joy – it was probably the only thing which allowed me to remain sane during this turbulent period in my life.

With my current level of contentment, painting had become an even bigger passion. By confronting my personal demons and making steps towards making peace with them, painting had become a truly profound experience. For hours at a time, I worked on Marianne"s painting, watching her family coming to life beneath my brushstrokes.

Lucas was content to sit and watch – he"d quickly recognized how focused I became whilst painting and was happy to observe. Sometimes he played the piano, occasionally the violin – having an uncanny knack of selecting music that inspired me further. At other times he sat on the couch, perfectly still for hours on end whilst I worked.

Today he"d gone hunting with William and Striker. I was beginning to recognize the signs of a hunt being imminent – dark circles appeared beneath his eyes and darkened as the thirst took hold and his skin grew paler. When Lucas came back from hunting, it was delightful to see him with just the tiniest hint of color in his skin. It faded quickly, but I was proud that I could read the signs when he needed to feed, knew when it was important to keep him away from undue pressure. I was even beginning to control my reaction to his kisses. Admittedly, I wasn"t doing particularly well in that regard – he only had to brush a kiss against my lips and my heart started a crazy flip-flop in my chest, but I was trying hard.

particularlytryingHunting was something I found complex to understand and come to terms with. I accepted as an absolute, that Lucas and his Kiss were vampires and whilst my body required food, their bodies required blood. What I couldn"t get my head around was the hunting and I found the idea truly abhorrent. Lucas sensed my difficulty in this regard, making efforts to keep his discussions about hunting to a minimum and only mentioning it when necessary. On the other hand, Striker delighted in giving me blow-by-blow accounts of his adventures when he went hunting. He knew it made me nauseous, hence his amusement. He loved teasing me and knew I would screw up my nose and go pale when he spoke about his latest exploits with a bear, or whatever animal he"d been chasing. I"d tried to imagine the women hunting and couldn"t even conceive of what it would be like – the whole concept was completely alien.

For most of the morning I"d been working on Marianne"s father, his eyes were proving difficult to capture and I"d spent ages getting the coloring just right. I was alone – Ben had gone to work, Rowena was in Puckhaber searching for a book she wanted to purchase, Marianne and Acenith were shopping in Billings. Gwynn was visiting with Katie. Ripley was the only one in the immediate vicinity. I"d been astonished to learn he was an author of some renown amongst scholarly types, writing textbooks regarding key historical events from the past five hundred years. As he"d explained, who better to write historical text than someone who"d actually been there for the events? He was currently working on a project about the great fire of London in 1666, and given that he was in London at the time, he was more than qualified to write about the event. Ripley and Lucas had converted an old stable on the property into a writing studio and it was there that Ripley was currently ensconced.

These small periods spent on my own were pleasurable. Lucas worried about me being alone, concerned over the depression I still struggled with, but I"d assured him I was fine and enjoyed the time with the house to myself. Being alone had never been my problem; I enjoyed solitude and even more so now when my thoughts were no longer suicidal. Mom was available through the acceptance of my ability and the conversations I"d blocked for so long afforded me great comfort. She seemed closer now than she had at any time in the past two years. With the house empty, I was comfortable having long conversations with her, not bothering with mental dialogue – I could talk aloud and hear her responses in my mind.

Painting was interrupted by a characteristically human problem – my stomach growling for food. Washing up the brushes, I headed into the kitchen to scrounge up some lunch. I would be eternally grateful when Jerome removed the plaster from my limbs – he"d promised it would only be another week or two before he could take them off. Having to rely on Marianne and Rowena for assistance in the shower was becoming tiresome, although I appreciated their help; I was looking forward to having a shower in privacy. Not to mention the thought of indulging in a good scratch – my skin was becoming unbearably itchy beneath the plaster.

I grabbed the makings of a sandwich from the refrigerator – pastrami, cheese, mayonnaise. Rowena kept the refrigerator remarkably well stocked, considering she was only feeding one person. She delighted in bringing home all sorts of delicacies to tempt my taste buds. She was improving at bringing home reasonable quantities for one person – initially, she"d purchased huge amounts of food and I"d only consumed a fraction of it. Local charities received anonymous donations of food until Ben stepped in; warning Rowena the volume of groceries she was donating each week was suspicious.

I was putting the containers back in the refrigerator, when Mom appeared in my mind, her forehead creased with worry and alarm in her green eyes. She had my attention instantly and I tuned into her words. Having embraced this side of myself, I found it easier to recognize the voices and the images were becoming clearer. It was as if I"d fine-tuned my brain to get better reception, much like tuning in to a radio station or television channel.

“There"s danger approaching, Lottie. You need to get your keys and leave the house. Now!”

There"s danger approaching, Lottie. You need to get your keys and leave the house. Now!”With a heavy frown, I wondered if I was losing my mind. My psychic "moments" didn"t frighten me since I"d accepted them, but this was something new and strange. I"d never received a warning about danger before. Standing frozen on the spot, with the refrigerator door open, I heard Mom"s voice again.

“Get out of the house, Lottie! There"s danger coming. Take your car and go, get away from there!”

Get out of the house, Lottie! There"s danger coming. Take your car and go, get away from there!”Mom sounded tense, her tone filled with urgency. I glanced out the window, looking for anything untoward. The trees were still and silent and there was no sign of movement in the near vicinity. The hair on the back of my neck stood on end. The day I"d been attacked in the woods, I"d been unable to hear or see anything and the vampire had been able to sneak up on me.

“Lottie! You must leave, now!”

Lottie! You must leave, now!”Instinct took over and I threw the last of the food in the refrigerator, turning to leave the kitchen and locate my keys. I didn"t have a clue where they were, didn"t know where to look. The last I"d seen them was when Striker had shown me my Christmas gift. Where would they be?

“Lottie, put the sandwich in the refrigerator. Don"t leave proof that you"ve been here.”

Lottie, put the sandwich in the refrigerator. Don"t leave proof that you"ve been here.”I did as Mom said, throwing the plate with my freshly prepared sandwich into the refrigerator, and ensuring no other food was left out. Mom"s last words confirmed what I"d already guessed – whatever danger was coming, was vampire. A vampire who hunted humans.

I hobbled into the living room, my gaze flickering around the room helplessly. Closing my eyes, I tried to picture the others when they went out to their cars. I"d seen them do it many times and tried to recall where they kept the keys. With sudden clarity, I remember they kept them in a small drawer in the desk by the entrance. Wrenching the drawer open with such force that the contents spilled onto the floor, I dropped the drawer with a clatter and searched through the scattered items until I found my keys and swiftly snatched them up.

Hampered by the heavy cast on my ankle, I stumbled through the kitchen and followed the path to where a large eight-car garage sat away from the house, surrounded on three sides by trees. I slipped through the door and fumbled for the light switch, blinking furiously against the sudden glare of overhead fluorescents.

Mom continued to urge me forward as I made my way through the garage to where my car sat, and I wrenched open the garage door. My fingers shook as I unlocked the car door, the anxiety increasing as I watched for signs of danger outside. The key finally slid into the lock and I yanked the door open, falling onto the seat. Slamming the door shut, I shoved the lock down firmly and stuck the key into the ignition. The Volkswagen started smoothly and I silently breathed thanks to Striker for his recent efforts. Shoving the gearstick into reverse, I pushed my foot down on the accelerator.

The tires slipped on the wet gravel, sending a shower of pebbles underneath the wheel rims. Glancing in the rearview mirror, my eyes widened as I spied three strangers standing on the driveway, their eyes intent as they watched me. Their pallid skin left no doubt this was whom Mom had been warning me about and I slipped the car into first, slammed my foot down on the accelerator, and slewed down the gravel driveway. Forcing my gaze away from the rearview mirror, I focused on keeping the car on the drive, driving at breakneck speed towards the highway.

When I turned onto the main road, I risked a glance at the rearview mirror, terrified to think they might be following me. Lucas had explained how fast vampires could run and I"d seen firsthand, the incredible speed of the creature that"d attacked me. I wasn"t taking the risk of slowing down, and drove at reckless speed down the highway, checking the mirrors every few seconds to ensure I wasn"t being followed.

I"d almost reached town before I began to relax and tried to figure out what to do next. Where should I go? My first instinct was to drive as far as possible from Lucas"s house, away from those creatures. But where? Whom should I turn to for help?

On the outskirts of Puckhaber, I saw the sign for the hospital and slowed, realizing salvation was at hand. I would go to Jerome; he would know what to do.

Puckhaber Falls Hospital was located on the eastern side of town; a moderately sized brick building, surrounded by thick woodland on two sides and nestled next to the Fire Station.

Entering the car park, I searched for the most unobtrusive place to park, not wanting to draw attention to myself if the vampires had followed. Turning off the ignition, relief flooded through me, knowing Jerome was close by. I unclipped my seatbelt, leaning my forehead against the cold steering wheel for a few seconds. My heart was racing and I took a steadying breath to try to settle my nerves.

Feeling a little calmer, I scanned the surrounding area for signs of danger before unlocking the door. I"d parked in such a way that the entrance doors were as close as I could manage, with a clear walk between them and me. I wasn"t certain I"d been followed, but I wasn"t willing to take any chances.

I listened for another few minutes, observing everything and everyone around the car. It seemed safe, only a couple of people were walking through the car park, and two paramedics were closing up their vehicle in the emergency bay. Satisfied I hadn"t been followed; I unlocked the door and slipped out, resisting the urge to run.

The reception was busy, with a number of people waiting to see the three Doctors on duty. The hospital catered to the residents of Puckhaber Falls and the surrounding areas, and was invariably busy. The queue lined up at the desk was lengthy and I took my place at the end of the line, glancing around the waiting area nervously and checking individual faces. I hoped I"d done the right thing by coming here – of course, I might be worrying over nothing. They could be friends of Lucas – maybe I"d panicked needlessly. Although I was sure, Rowena would have mentioned expecting visitors before she left. And why the urgent warning from Mom? I doubted my mind was inventing those messages.

Another thought occurred to me – why hadn"t Marianne see them coming? Marianne had proven quite accurate regarding events that involved me and yet there"d been no mention of these visitors. Ripley didn"t appear to have heard them either. That omission was understandable, Ripley had readily admitted he struggled to hear minds surrounding me, it seemed the sheer number of voices inside my head were a disruption to his ability. He had a hard time hearing my thoughts through the hubbub of voices in my head – perhaps he"d deliberately tuned out because of it.

Guilt flared when I thought about Ripley – I"d abandoned him at the house with those three vampires. I hoped they weren"t dangerous – perhaps I"d done the wrong thing leaving him there, and not warning him. Rowena had told me they were all very capable of looking after themselves – but in that situation – Ripley alone with three of them. I began to feel faintly nauseous and perspiration broke out across my forehead as I fretted over the encounter.

I finally reached the Information Desk and spoke to the receptionist, a rotund, officious looking woman in her late forties. “May I see Dr. Harding please?”

She glowered at me over tortoiseshell glasses. “Dr. Harding is busy right now.”

“It"s important. I"ll only take a minute of his time,” I pleaded quietly.

“I"m sorry; we"re very busy this afternoon, as you can see.”

“Please, it"s very important I see him right away—”

“Charlotte!” Jerome appeared beside the desk, offering me a compassionate smile.

“She needs to wait her turn, Dr. Harding,” the Receptionist announced, glaring daggers at me across the desk.

“I"ll be the judge of that, Robyn,” Jerome smiled, but his voice was cool as he spoke to the bossy receptionist. “Charlotte is a friend of mine. I requested she drop in today but I"m afraid I forgot to mention it this morning. I"ll be a few minutes, and then I will see my next patient.” He linked my arm through his and drew me towards a corridor, away from prying eyes in the waiting area.

Once out of earshot, he spoke. “Are you alright? They didn"t hurt you?”

I stared up at him, bewildered by his apparent knowledge of what had happened at the house.

“Ripley and Marianne both called. They said three vampires arrived unexpectedly this afternoon.” He pulled a cell phone from his shirt pocket. “Excuse me for a moment; I"ll let them know you"re safe.”

He dialed a number and it was answered almost immediately. “Ripley, it"s Jerome. Charlotte is safe; she"s here at the hospital. Yes, I think you should come and collect her and let Marianne know where she is and tell her to please stop panicking.”

He disconnected the call and looked down at me, smiling warmly. “Let"s find somewhere we can speak privately, shall we?” He took my arm, leading me further down the corridor. Opening a door on the right, he led me into a small office. Jerome helped me into a chair and perched on the edge of the desk. “Now tell me what happened,” he requested calmly.

I breathed deeply, more relaxed now I was with Jerome. He exuded calm, radiating a serenity that soothed me. “I was making lunch and Mom warned me there was danger coming. She told me to get my car keys and leave as quickly as possible.”

If Jerome was shocked by this admission, he didn"t let it show. He knew from his visits to the house what I was able to do and had been fascinated by the whole concept. A smile played on his lips when he spoke. “It seems your abilities are more powerful than Lucas thought. Your mother was correct – you would have been in danger if you"d stayed there. From what Ripley said, those vampires are from Ambrose"s Kiss.”

“Did they want to kill me?” I heard the tension in my voice and a wave of queasiness engulfed my stomach.

“I can"t answer with certainty, but yes, it"s likely they would have killed you. Presuming they needed to feed, of course. It seems your mother is protecting you.”

I was suddenly faint, slumping back in the chair, I had the impression I was about to be sick.

Jerome was at my side in an instant, pressing against the back of my neck gently. “Here now, you"re okay. Put your head down between your knees, that"s a good girl.”

I did as he told me and stayed in that position for a few minutes until the dizziness passed. When I felt a tad calmer, I sat up again and Jerome studied me calmly. “Better?”

I nodded and he hobbled across the room to a small fridge, withdrawing a can of Coke and a chocolate bar. “Some sugar will help,” he announced. Seeing my startled glance, he grinned sheepishly. “I"m supposed to be watching my weight, but sometimes, in this place… a man needs some comfort food.”

I took the chocolate bar and tore open the wrapper and Jerome opened the soda before handing it to me. I nibbled the chocolate, letting the tiny shard melt on my tongue before I swallowed. “Thanks.”

“Lucas and his friends will keep you safe, Charlotte,” Jerome announced quietly. “They are very powerful, extremely strong vampires. They won"t let anyone harm you.”

“Why would those vampires have come back to Lucas"s place?” I questioned, taking another bite of chocolate.

“I don"t know. Perhaps they were just passing through. Lucas and the others will be able to tell you more, I"m sure.”

“Do you think they came… because of me? Did they come to kill me because of Ambrose?”

For a long moment, Jerome remained silent, considering his response thoughtfully. “I really can"t answer that, Charlotte.”

I knew it hadn"t been fair to ask him, he had no way of knowing what their plans had been. It was my paranoia and fear talking. “I know,” I responded in a tiny voice.

He brushed a hand across the top of my head in a fatherly gesture. “I"ve known Lucas, Ben and the others for three years. They are vampires and it took some time for them to gain my trust, but I believe in them, Charlotte. They will never, ever, let anything happen to you.” He glanced across to the window and smiled. “Ripley is here to collect you, I"ll escort you out.

We walked down the corridor and into the waiting room, where Ripley, Strider, and Lucas waited for us. I couldn"t fail to notice the admiring glances of the women in the room, watching the three striking men standing in the entranceway. Relief flooded through me when I saw Lucas and he strode across, pulling me into his arms. He kissed my forehead softly, his questioning gaze on Jerome.

“She"s fine, a little shaken up. Take her home.”

Lucas slipped his arm around my waist wordlessly and guided me towards the doors, Ripley and Striker following closely behind. Striker placed his hand on my shoulder and I felt the familiar blanket of calm descend over me. Stealing a glance at him over my shoulder, I saw the little smile playing on his lips and he winked. Despite his overwhelming size, I felt more and more secure in his company and was grateful for his ability to calm me.

“Where are your keys, Charlotte?” Ripley asked. I reached into my jeans pocket and handed them to him. We passed a couple of young women walking towards the hospital and I saw them ogling my companions, so mesmerized that they stopped walking and stared. It wasn"t hard to understand why, the three men together were a devastating combination, with Lucas, and Ripley"s striking looks and Striker"s magnificent strength. The two women were quite obviously dazzled by them. I stole a glance at them as we passed and was certain I knew what they were thinking. I was so plain in comparison to these people. The usual tendril of doubt curled into my mind, making me wonder again, what Lucas saw in me.

“That"s not true you know,” Ripley murmured quietly. The surprise registered on my face and he continued. “Sometimes your thoughts are much clearer than others.”

Lucas exchanged a look with Ripley and pulled me a little closer, before kissing my forehead. His gaze flickered across to the two young women and a little grin played over his lips, before he pulled me into his arms and bent to kiss me on the mouth. My heart pumped like crazy and when he released me, I saw the amusement in his eyes. “You did that on purpose,” I accused, a blush creeping across my cheeks.

“Yes, I did,” Lucas growled softly against my ear. “If they are going to stare, we might as well give them something to look at.”

“They weren"t staring at me,” I grumbled.

Ripley threw the keys to his car to Striker, who caught them effortlessly. Striker unlocked the doors and Lucas helped me in, before settling beside me. He nestled me against his chest while Striker started the car, heading out of the car park and back through town.

“What happened this afternoon?” Lucas demanded, almost as soon as the car started moving. I repeated the story I"d told Jerome, giving Lucas the details of Mom"s warnings. Striker listened silently from the front seat and once we"d left the outskirts of town he sped up. I wondered how Ripley was coping with my Volkswagen, with its top speed of about sixty miles an hour.

“They didn"t touch you? Didn"t hurt you in any way?” Lucas"s voice was tight with anger.

I shook my head. “I left as soon as I heard Mom"s warnings. I don"t think they"d reached the door yet.” I paused, worrying my bottom lip anxiously with my teeth. “I feel terrible about leaving Ripley there. I shouldn"t have run.”

Lucas chuckled and in the front seat, Striker snorted. “I can assure you, Ripley is more than a match for three vampires. You did exactly the right thing, it was better that you weren"t there. It gave Ripley the opportunity to talk to them, make them understand the situation.” He looked down at me and traced his finger along the edge of my jaw. “I"m very pleased you did leave. Although I"m not certain that driving your car with plaster casts was the best idea you"ve had. You seem to have come through it unscathed, however.”

“Why didn"t Marianne know they were coming?”

Lucas regarded me seriously. “Marianne was telephoning the house, at almost the exact minute you were leaving. It seems you and Marianne work on a similar time frame. She had a vision of visitors, but as you know, Marianne"s predictions are frustratingly unpredictable. In this case, Marianne had seen the three men, but they were destined to pass by, head further south. Their plans changed abruptly when they picked up your scent, intermingled with Ambrose"s in the woods. They"d returned to search for Ambrose, but they followed your scent back to the house.”

Mulling over Lucas"s words for a few seconds, my mouth dropped open. “I brought them to your home? This is my fault?”

Lucas smiled. “Other vampires will visit us from time to time. It can hardly be your fault they followed your scent.”

I stared at the woods beyond the car window, shivering involuntarily. “Are they like him? Are they vicious and cruel, like he was?”

“Ambrose was in a league of his own in that regard. The other three do feed on humans, but not in the cruel way Ambrose did.” Lucas"s response was calm, his voice gentle. “I assure you, Charlotte, if we had known what Ambrose was like; I would never have allowed him entry to our home.”

I turned back to face him. “What happened at the house?”

“Marianne got through to Ripley and he went to meet them. Arrived only seconds after you left. They were curious about why Ambrose and your scent had become mixed together. Ripley has told them what Ambrose did and why he was killed. He has told them that you are part of our Kiss, and not to be harmed.”

It didn"t escape my attention that I was being classified as part of their group and despite my unease, I was delighted to think Lucas included me as part of his family. It didn"t serve to ease my concerns about the three vampires, however. “Will they accept what Ripley told them?”

Lucas"s eyes narrowed. “I believe so.”

“Will they really go away?”

Lucas frowned for a second, before deliberately smoothing out his expression. “I expect so. We will go out tonight and ensure they have continued on their journey south.”

I nodded, hoping they"d kept their word and left. The thought of them being somewhere out in the woods around Lucas"s home was unnerving.