Chapter 4
There were four of them—vampires—including Mitchell. Or five, Eric figured, now that he was one of them, too. Lola was definitely his favorite, not that he was about to admit that to anyone, but he loved her spunk. She looked so sweet and quiet, but her looks were deceiving. She was outspoken, abrupt; she never sugar coated anything, and Eric found it refreshing. Especially since, for the last two weeks, Mitchell had been trying to hide all the downsides of being an immortal.
And there were downsides.
The first, and probably the hardest thing to swallow, was leaving his ranch and his family. The five of them had packed up and left the night Eric had become a vampire. Mitchell said it was better to just disappear. There was no point in drawing out the inevitable. It would only make it harder to let go in the end—and it would have to end. Sooner or later, his loved ones would notice that he did not age, and that would draw suspicion, and that suspicion would turn into fear. Eric wasn’t sure if he agreed, but the truth was, he was also glad he hadn’t had to try to explain where he was going and why he was leaving. His mother would never accept it.
But Willowberg wasn’t so bad. It was bigger than he was used to, but not overwhelming, and the cool thing about Willowberg was that Mitchell had decided not to hide their true nature here. Turns out after seven hundred and something years, Mitchell was sick of moving around. He had purchased all of the establishments and the land that Willowberg rested on, offering the residents prices that they could not turn down. It was really a no brainer for the townspeople, because Mitchell didn’t want any of them to move. They would all still live in their houses, and continue on with their work as they had before he had purchased everything. And he wasn’t expecting anything from them, well, at least nothing that they knew about yet.
As Eric strolled down the main street, people stopped in their tracks to stare at him. Not that that was really a new thing; people, more precisely women, always stared at him. After all, he had been attractive before the change (not that he let that go to his head or anything) but now, everything about him was more defined. His muscles, his jaw, his eyes, his height. Except, Eric knew that wasn’t the only reason they were staring. They were curious about the family that had just bought their town.
Eric was pretty sure that in a few hours, their curiosity would change to fear, and most likely, hatred. Even if he relished the idea of not hiding, he knew it probably wasn’t going to turn out the way they hoped. People feared what they didn’t understand. It was a fact of life. And Eric, for one, thought Mitchell’s idea of living in peace with humans was more of a dream than anything. Eric was certain that as soon as the townspeople found out that his new family survived on drinking human blood, the town, and Mitchell’s dream, would go up in flames.
They were set to expose themselves in just less than two hours. Angelle had been busy all morning setting up for the town meeting. It was to be held in their new home, and the chaotic preparations, well, more like the chaotic Angelle, had been so wired that Eric had needed to get out. She had more energy than any one person, vampire or not, should ever have. And she was driving him batty. She had this overly positive outlook on life, and most of the time, it was great, but right now … well, she was also a bundle of nerves about the meeting, and that made her chipper attitude even harder to handle.
Not ready to jump back into the pandemonium at home, and getting sick of all the stares, Eric veered off the main street, and took a small gravel path leading into the dense woodland surrounding Willowberg. He wasn’t sure how long he walked, enjoying the chirping of the birds and the rustling of branches in the crisp breeze, when he stumbled upon a small snow covered clearing. Sunlight broke through the canopy of trees in stripes of gold.
It was just a small grove, nestled in the midst of a bunch of weeping willows, but to Eric, it felt like an oasis. A haven just for him. And for a minute, he longed for the peaceful wilderness that surrounded his ranch.
He ventured in, brushing aside the long, flowing branches, and leaned against one of the willow tree trunks. He closed his eyes, taking in deep, fresh breaths of the winter air, clearing his mind, and enjoyed the silence.
Fear. Its tantalizing aroma teased his nose and made his mouth water. It was sweet and sour and salty. His nostrils flared, and he breathed it in with long deep breaths. He opened his eyes lazily, scanning the area for the source of the mouthwatering scent.
Eric was starving. He was always starving. But with that scent wafting around him, he was extra-starving now.
“Who are you?” a girl’s voice demanded from behind him, and the delicious scent increased. “What do you want from me?”
The sound of her voice was just as alluring as the scent of her fear. It was like an exquisite melody, filled with an intricate mix of chords, blending together perfectly. It was soft, sweet, and enchanting. Eric’s heart raced, thumping loudly in his ears. He spun around, following the sound.
The girl stepped out from behind a tree, wisps of golden light radiated from her skin; her fear pulsed into the air as if it had its own heartbeat. She looked up at him, her cheeks wet with tears, and his breath caught in his throat.
She was beautiful.
Silky blood red ringlets cascaded over her shoulders and her eyes … they were mesmerizing. The exact emerald green pigment of his own. Her slight frame had subtle curves, and the freckles that dotted the bridge of her nose were the cutest thing he had ever laid eyes on.
She made a sound. It was soft and sounded as if she gasped and moaned at the same time. He watched as her eyes raked over him, taking him in. She tugged her bottom lip between her teeth, nibbling on it lightly, and Eric heard her heartbeat pick up, drumming in time with his own.
And then the oddest thing happened—he moved. But it wasn’t just that he moved, it was that he had absolutely no control over the movement. It was as if a rope was tied around him and he was being dragged, and suddenly, he was standing in front of her.
“Where am I?” she asked meekly, casting her eyes to the snow covered ground, and she took a small step back from him.
Eric ignored her question. “What’s your name?” he breathed, completely and utterly in awe.
She blushed, her cheeks turning an adorable pink. “Megan Caldwell, sir.”
He chuckled. “Please, do not call me sir.” He wrinkled his nose, and she smiled a smile that lit up like sunshine. “It sounds so old.” He extended his hand to her, and she laid her porcelain one in his palm. “I’m Eric. Eric Carter.”
Suddenly there was a loud snap, and Eric sprang forwards. His head spun, and he felt slightly woozy. He leaned back against the willow, attempting to steady himself. He blinked a few times, focusing his double vision, and took in a deep, gusty breath. That’s when he realized that Megan’s soft hand was no longer clasped in his own. He scanned the clearing and took in deep breaths as he searched for her. Nothing.
Megan was gone.
Eric scrubbed at his face, trying to clear his head. There was no way she could just vanish. Not that quickly. She was just a human. He had smelled her blood, sweet and fresh, and he had heard it pumping through her veins. As he raked his hands over his face, he felt a dribble of wetness at the side of his mouth. Drool. I dozed off, he realized. It was only a dream. And in that moment, his heart burst into millions of sharp-edged pieces.
Eric stared blankly at the ground for some time before he pulled himself up, and started aimlessly down the path towards home. The whole thing had seemed so real. He could still smell Megan’s sweet scent; still feel her fear clawing at his heart. All of it was so real. He had never had a dream like this before, and when he did dream, he rarely remembered a single detail once he woke up, but this was different. He could still feel her and see her, as if he was in two places at once. In the back of his mind, he could see her smile, hear her heartbeat …
“You’re late,” Lola said, as he walked through the door, and honestly, Eric didn’t remember how he even got home. Lola stood in the kitchen, leaning against the icebox, with her arms crossed over her chest. She wore a soft pink cotton dress, and her thick blond hair flowed over her shoulders. She would have been gorgeous if it wasn’t for the dirty look she was giving him right at that moment. Okay, Eric had to admit, she was still gorgeous with it, but it was really contradicting the sweet and innocent look she was trying to portray.
He cracked a half grin, trying to shake the bottomless feeling that had grown inside him. “Don’t complain. My being late today will only make the times when I am early so much more special.”
She choked on a laugh. “Oh, look at you. You think you are just so charming, don’t you?”
Eric winked. “I don’t think, I know.” Lola laughed, grabbed a dishtowel from the counter, and threw it at him as he strolled into the kitchen. He caught it easily, dropping it on the table, before plopping down in a chair.
He saw Lola watching him from the corner of his eye, and after a moment, she blurted, “Are you okay? You look a bit …” She paused, and wrinkled her nose, before continuing, “Lost.”
Eric ran a hand through his hair, and then, with a sigh, he glanced at her. “I…” he started, but his voice sounded wrong. Empty and hoarse and rough. He cleared his throat, ran his fingers through his hair again, and plastered on a goofy smile that he hoped didn’t look as fake as it felt. “I’m good.”
Her blue eyes sparkled, and she arched a challenging brow. “You can talk to me, you know, ummm, if you want.” It came out awkwardly, and by the way she was shifting back and forth, from one foot to the other, he was sure that she was probably regretting asking. Lola wasn’t the share your feelings type.
Eric grinned. He couldn’t stop it. He felt his lips curve, and his heartbeat picked up, thrumming against his ribcage. Lola sat down beside him, waiting for him to start talking. Should I tell her? he wondered. He wanted to. Really wanted to. Maybe if he talked about it, it would help.
He met her eyes, and her awkward smile widened to what he thought was supposed to be encouraging. He opened his mouth, the words on the tip of his tongue, but then panic gripped his chest, and his throat closed up. What will she think of you? a voice in the back of his mind questioned. He couldn’t let her know that he had found the girl of his dreams—literally—in a dream. Lola would think he had lost his mind. He was supposed to be a vampire, a demon, not a lovesick fool pinning over an illusion.
So instead of letting the words he wanted to say come out, he shrugged and said, “Really, I’m fine.”
It was clear as crystal that Lola didn’t believe him, not for a second, but she didn’t push the subject, and in Eric’s opinion, she looked relieved to get out of the conversation. “Fine, then get your butt upstairs and get ready. The townspeople will be arriving any minute now.”