Valeria - A Short Story Collection

Chapter 5, Part 1 - The Vampire Ring

London, United Kingdom.

November 12th, 2146

*

Aidan POV

I checked my phone and looked around the busy street. It was 5.20 PM and the sky had dimmed while the lampposts had already been turned on.

She was late, which wasn’t usual for her.

I was just about to message her when I spotted her red locks bounce as she walked towards me. Of course, I felt my heart race as it always did when I laid eyes on her.

Tayrin and I had been dating for a month. She was actually in my class and we had been paired together for a project. I instantly realized that she was brilliant, and I almost struggled to keep up with her in class.

She was two years older than me, and I couldn’t understand what she saw in me. But at the end of the project, I plucked up the courage to ask her out, and to my complete surprise, she said yes.

I couldn’t explain it. We had just.. clicked.

Maybe this was the human version of being mates?

The frown on Tayrin’s face made me stop in my tracks.

“Hey.” I said.

Tayrin, didn’t reply. She wrapped her arms around my waist and hugged me tightly. I hugged her back while ignoring the sinking feeling that something was terribly wrong.

When she pulled away, tears lined her eyes.

“Sorry.” She said and dried her eyes. “I just really needed that.”

“It’s okay.” I replied and smiled softly. “You can come to me for a hug anytime, you know.”

“Thanks.” Tayrin whispered before a sob escaped her.

My heart clenched and I cupped her cheeks, wiping the tears with my thumbs.

“What’s wrong, Tay?” I asked.

“I’m sorry.” She said. “I don’t want to burden you with it all. It’s messy.”

I took her hand and pulled her through the café door next to us. She didn’t protest when I gently pushed her into a booth and sat down next to her.

“Tell me all about it.” I encouraged her.

Tayrin sighed.

“It’s my dad.” She began. “He’s missing.”

My eyes widened.

“Oh.” I said, unsure how to answer. “What happened?”

Tayrin sniffled and shrugged.

“He is a police officer.” She replied. “Everything was fine, until a few months ago. He was withdrawn, always seeming lost in thought. When I asked him about it, he told me it was a case he was working on. Then one day, he just decided to pack up and move to East Hendred. He said that he was working on something, but he wouldn’t tell me what it was.”

I frowned.

“How long has he been missing?” I asked.

“He stopped answering my calls on Thursday.” Tayrin replied. “When I didn’t hear from him, I decided to go by his apartment to check on him.

I found the place completely trashed. Like there had been a struggle.”

I stared at her.

“Did you call the police?” I asked.

“I was going to.” Tayrin replied. “But then I found this.”

She reached for her purse and pulled out a small, black notebook. She handed it to me and I flipped through the pages, my heart pacing while I read.

“I didn’t want anyone to think that he was insane.” Tayrin whispered. “I mean, it’s all crazy, isn’t it? If I called the police, they would probably just think that he was a lunatic that had turned psychotic or something.”

I nodded stiffly while my fingers traced the words in the notebook.

People abducted by vampires… Vampire sightings in East Hendred… 3 victims found, vampire attack?

“It’s crazy, right?” Tayrin said. “I found these kinds of papers all over the flat, scattered on the floor. I don’t know what to do.”

I gulped.

“Maybe it’s not so crazy, after all.” I whispered.

Tayrin’s eyes widened.

“What do you mean?” She asked.

I shrugged.

“Well, maybe something in these notes is the cause of his disappearance.” I replied.

Tayrin frowned.

“You don’t seriously think that there are actual vampires?” She scoffed.

I sighed and put the notebook down on the table.

“What if I told you that I know someone that might be able to help us find you dad?” I asked.

“You do?” Tayrin asked in disbelief.

I nodded.

“But you’re going to have to keep an open mind.” I added.

Tayrin frowned, but nodded hesitantly.

I stood up from the booth and held out my hand.

“Come with me.” I said.

Tayrin took my hand and I led her out of the cafe, looking for a taxi.

“Maxwell Building, please.” I said to the driver and Tayrin’s eyes widened.

“Why are we going there?” She asked.

“My sister is there.” I replied. “If there’s anyone that can help us, it’s her.”

Tayrin stared at me.

“Your sister works at Maxwell Building?” She gasped.

I smirked.

“Well… no.” I replied. “She is one of the owners.”

Tayrin’s eyes looked like they were about to pop out of her head, and I smiled reassuringly before stepping out of the car when the taxi stopped in front of the Maxwell Building.

“Come on.” I said and took her hand.

We walked into the lobby and the receptionist smiled politely as she greeted us.

“Hi.” I said. “I’m looking for my sister, Valeria.”

The receptionist’s eyes flashed with recognition before she nodded to a burly security guard standing a few feet away. His eyes glazed over for a moment, and I realized that the receptionist probably was a werewolf that couldn’t mindlink, whereas the security guard was most likely a lycan.

“She’s in the penthouse.” He said curtly and the receptionist smiled.

“Queen Valeria will see you now.” She said and gestured towards the elevators.

“Thank you.” I replied and pulled Tayrin towards the elevators.

“Queen Valeria?” Tayrin asked as the elevator doors closed.

“Yeah, it’s kind of a thing around here.” I replied awkwardly. “It’s easier to let her explain.”

The elevator dinged and the doors opened to reveal Tyson and Valeria’s spacious living room. I walked inside and saw Tyson stand up from his seat at the dining room table. Stacks of papers and a laptop littered the table and I smiled awkwardly.

“Hey.” I said. “Sorry, are you in the middle of something?”

Tyson chuckled.

“Please give me a reason to get away from all of that.” He replied and gestured to the table. “Negotiations are tedious work.”

I saw Valeria pulling out a baking tray from the oven and the smell of food wafted towards me.

“Hi Aidan.” Valeria grinned. “I made some pizza, you want some?”

“Sure, thanks.” I grinned back while Tyson studied Tayrin curiously.

“Who’s your friend?” He asked.

Valeria walked up to us and grinned.

“Are you Tayrin, perhaps?” She asked.

Tayrin nodded.

“That’s me.” She replied shyly.

“It’s nice to meet you.” Valeria said and turned to me. “Why do I get the feeling that this isn’t just a social call?”

We sat down on the sofa while Valeria served hot plates of pizza.

“So, what’s going on?” Valeria asked and I smiled at Tayrin encouragingly.

“You can trust her.” I said softly.

Tayrin nodded and repeated the story she had told me. I handed the notebook to Valeria while Tayrin kept telling what had happened.

“So you think it’s related?” Valeria asked.

“I don’t know.” Tayrin replied. “It’s just crazy notes. But they were everywhere in his flat and now he’s missing.”

“They’re not crazy notes.” Tyson said as he peered over Valeria’s shoulder. “Some of these facts about vampires are actually correct.

“How much do you know about vampires?” I asked.

Tyson shrugged.

“My sister Violet is mated to one, so we’ve learned a lot more about them these past few months.”

Tayrin stood up.

“Are you trying to tell me that vampires are real?” She asked.

I took her hand and gently pulled her down on the sofa again.

“Remember I said that you need to keep an open mind?” I asked.

Tayrin’s eyes darted between me, Tyson and Valeria and she frowned.

“Are they vampires?” She hissed.

“We’re not vampires.” Valeria smiled. “We’re lycans.”

“Lycans?” Tayrin repeated. “Like werewolves?”

“Yes.” Tyson replied. “I’m the lycan king. Valeria here is my queen.”

Tayrin turned to me.

“So that’s why the receptionist said ‘queen’ earlier.” She said.

I nodded.

“How long have you known about this?” she asked. “There’s a whole…um… supernatural world out there, and you’ve known about this?”

“I’ve known since Valeria and Tyson met.” I replied. “But you can’t tell anyone.”

Tayrin scoffed.

“Of course not.” She replied. “No one would believe it. Hell, I don’t even know if I believe it.”

“Where did you say your father moved?” Valeria asked.

“East Hendred.”

Valeria glanced at Tyson and raised an eyebrow. Tyson nodded.

“It’s vampire territory.” He confirmed.

“Can we go there?” I asked Tayrin. “Maybe there are more clues in his flat about who took him.”

“You shouldn’t go alone.” Valeria protested. “I’m coming with you.”

“Umm, we can’t just waltz into vampire territory.” Tyson said and held up his hand.

“Maybe Alex can help us?” Valeria suggested.

“The vampire king?” I asked.

“Vampire king?” Tayrin repeated.

“Even though humans can move freely through our territories, they guard their borders strictly.” Tyson explained. “They’ll let you pass because you’re human, but Valeria and I will be detected immediately. We need to ask permission from Alex to enter the town.”

“Oh.” Tayrin said while Tyson stood up, taking out his phone.

“I’ll make the call.” He said. “Let’s go to East Hendred.”