“Yes,” she nodded. “And I told you before, they were just some kind of allergic reaction, the insect bites are long gone now.”
“Mom,” I begged. “You have to believe me! Ethan was a vampire, Celeste is a vampire, and Caleb is definitely a vampire.”
She shook her head sadly. “This whole thing with your father has really taken a toll on you. I think the sooner we schedule a meeting with a counselor or therapist, the better.”
Before I could respond again, she kissed the top of my head and left the room.
This is insane, I thought. How in the world was I going to stop my mom from going to Vegas?
Feeling helpless and frustrated, I lay my head back on my pillow and closed my eyes, wondering what the hell I was going to do next. Within minutes I was fast asleep with the disturbing images of vampires, again, haunting my dreams.
Chapter Five
Sometime after eleven-thirty, my cell phone began to vibrate, startling me awake. When I recognized the number, I answered it immediately.
I cleared my throat. “Duncan?”
“We need to talk,” he murmured.
The sound of his voice stirred up some of the butterflies that had been dormant for the last couple of months. Although my hands were shaking slightly, I tried to remain impassive on the phone. “Um, sure, how about tomorrow night, after work?”
“Actually, I’m right outside; can you meet me by the garage?”
I smiled. “Sure, can you just give me a few minutes?”
“Yeah.”
I hung up and slipped on a pair of jeans, a light brown sweater, and my short leather boots. Because it was the end of October and the nights were getting frosty, I also grabbed a short gray wool jacket. Thankfully, Nathan and my mother were both sleeping, so I didn’t have to explain myself as I slipped out the front door and into the cool darkness.
“Over here,” called Duncan, as I stepped off of the porch. He was leaning against his white work truck, his hands in the front pockets of his faded jeans. Remembering the times we’d spent alone in his truck, I felt something tug at my heartstrings. Smiling hesitantly, I walked over to him.
“It’s chilly,” he murmured, looking up into the night sky. “Let’s talk in the cab.”
I nodded and went around to the passenger side and got in.
Starting it up, he turned on the heat and rubbed his hands. “Man, I forgot how cold it gets this time of year.”
Delighted that he was even talking to me, I didn’t trust myself to say anything that might ruin the moment. I just nodded and waited for him to tell me what was on his mind.
Staring ahead, he brushed a hand through his dark hair and sighed. “So, I think someone’s stalking me.”
My eyes widened. “Stalking you?”
Duncan turned to me, his silvery-gray eyes shining in the moonlight. “I noticed it a couple of weeks ago and it’s just gotten worse. There have been shadows and strange noises just outside of my house.”
The shadows didn’t shock me in the least, especially with vampires prowling around town. “What kind of strange noises?”
He licked his lips. “Whispers. Eerie voices in the darkness. And then, last night, I actually heard footsteps on my roof, right above my bedroom.”
I leaned back against the seat and folded my arms under my chest. “Well, it’s obvious, isn’t it?”
He narrowed his eyes. “What do you mean?”
“Vampires,” I said, staring out towards the dark woods, wondering if any were watching us at that precise moment. I really wasn’t worried about myself, but Duncan. He didn’t have any protection, not even from Caleb or Celeste. “Don’t you remember anything that happened last summer either?”
His face darkened. “The things that I remember have nothing to do with vampires.”
“Duncan, it had everything to do with vampires. The problem is that some of your memories have been erased.”
He stared at me for a minute and the shook his head.
“It’s the truth,” I said.
“Well, whoever erased my memories sure had a cruel sense of humor because they left only the painful ones,” he answered with a tight smile.
I reached out and grabbed his arm. I needed him to understand.
“Listen,” I pleaded, “you have to believe me, Ethan is a vampire, I swear to you, he is a vampire and he has this…this… control over my mind. I just couldn’t resist him. I wasn’t trying to hurt you.”
He shook my hand away. “Do you really expect me to believe that? That he somehow hypnotized you and made you do things? I saw you returning his kisses on the beach and you were definitely enjoying the hell out of them.”
I didn’t know what to say. Part of me wasn’t even sure what had happened on that night. Ethan had always been so seductive and irresistible. “I…”
Just then something landed on the hood of the truck with a loud thud and I cried out in shock.
“Holy shit!” gasped Duncan.
Ethan.
“Oh, my God,” I squeaked.
He stared at the both of us, a dark smile spreading across his handsomely familiar face.