Darlings of Darkness: A Vampire Anthology Part 180

This was not a conversation I wanted to have over the phone with her. I did not want to say anything until I'd read through the journal, but opening it scared the h.e.l.l out of me. It was sitting on my nightstand as I talked to Katie and I was not about to get into it with her on the phone.

"Listen, I have one early cla.s.s I can't miss on Friday. I'm driving down there right after that, okay?" she said.

"That would probably be a good idea, but I don't want to mess up any plans you might have."

She hesitated for a minute then continued in a softer voice, "This is serious, isn't it? Are you okay, Sarah?"

I felt a sob trying to make its way through my voice. I tried like h.e.l.l to get it under control.

"We'll talk when you get here," I said. "I love you."

"Love you, too."

After a quick shower, I braided my hair, pulled on a pair of faded Levi's and a hoodie, and went down the hall to check on Alex. When I knocked lightly, there was no answer at first. Then the door opened and I saw Alex was not just up, but dressed as well. There was a small bandage at his temple, covering the cut that Nelly and I had tended to last night. Other than that, he looked fine. Better than fine, actually.

He had put on an old pair of my Dad's jeans and a dark gray sweater my Aunt Lillian had knitted for my Dad years ago. His blond hair fell over his brow in golden waves and was still damp from his shower. He grinned at me sheepishly, showing an adorable dimple in one cheek.

"Thanks for your help last night."

"You're welcome." I went to the bed and began taking the sheets off it, feeling his eyes on me. There were so many questions I wanted to ask him about himself, but I could not find the nerve to get that personal with him.

"Do I make you nervous?" His question was sincere instead of teasing.

"A little, I guess." I folded up the blanket and duvet and put them on the padded bench at the end of the bed. "How did you end up out here? We're not exactly close to town."

His green eyes grew serious and I felt my heartbeat speed up.

"I'm here because of you, Sarah."

I suddenly went very still. Inside, my mind began buzzing with a million little frightening thoughts. He was crazy. He was a stalker. He was going to kill me. I tried to slow down the insistent warnings screaming at me.

"What are you talking about?" I laughed, doing my best not to appear nervous.

"This is going to be hard for you to hear." He sat on the bare mattress regarding me with eyes full of apology and concern. "Your mother sent me here."

No. No. It was too much. I wanted to be far away from him at that moment. I wanted everything around me to disappear because even the word "mother" sent s.h.i.+vers of agony down my spine. Tears began to blur my vision but I managed to wipe away the moisture before it went rolling down my cheeks.

"I don't know my mother," I choked out. " I want you to leave here. Now."

I left the bedroom, slamming the door behind me with a bang and not looking back. That did not just happen, I told myself. It was all a huge mistake and he was talking to the wrong person. He didn't know what he was talking about. He did not know anything about my family. He certainly could not know my mother. There was no way.

I b.u.mped into Nelly, who was carrying a pile of towels toward the huge linen closet near the top of the stairs. The towels scattered onto the floor.

"Sorry, Nelly." I didn't bother helping her pick anything up. I had to get out of there.

I left the main guesthouse, walked around to the side of the property and headed down the wooded lane in the direction of the meadow. By then, the tears were streaming down my cheeks, leaving cold wet trails of moisture across my face as I navigated my way down the gra.s.sy lane. The tall gra.s.s on either side of the lane sparkled with morning dew. I heard the robins in the oaks along the lane waking and chirping in their typically optimistic tones.

I stopped when I came to the horse pasture. Lenny, the huge chestnut carriage horse was snapping at the yellowing gra.s.ses with his big teeth and taking small amounts into his mouth. His jaw was working to chew while his lips and nose searched for more. His long tail would snap this way and that, batting at a fly on his hindquarters. He paid me no attention.

His pasture mate, the smaller black mare called Messenger had noticed my arrival and stared at me as I stood there near the fence. She glanced half-heartedly over at Lenny and then slowly began to walk over to me, her beautiful black hide gleaming in the early morning sun. Her velvety soft ears p.r.i.c.ked curiously in my direction.

As usual, she stopped five feet from the fence and just looked at me.

There was some kind of connection between Messenger and me. She had arrived three months ago after my father had seen her at a horse auction in Greenville and insisted on buying her. For the most part, she had spent all her time with us grazing and bullying Lenny in the pasture. Her previous owner had claimed she had been well trained and an excellent mount for a young lady.

The connection we had was not about how well she moved under the saddle. I had never ridden Messenger. There had been many times in the past when I had pulled myself up onto Lenny's back and ridden him around the pasture or even went trail riding with friends from high school. I knew horses. I was comfortable working around them.

However, one afternoon during my first (and last) semester of business college, I tried to ride Lenny. I found I could not do it. I was petrified. The fear had very little to do with him. He was a big baby who wouldn't throw anyone. Nevertheless, the idea of being up on his huge back and me possibly falling to the ground scared the h.e.l.l out of me. After walking around on him for just a minute or so, I realized I didn't have the guts to push him into a faster gait.

When I slid down off his back that afternoon, I realized something inside me had changed. The carefree girl that I had been was gone. Maybe forever. I should have fought it by getting back up on that old draft horse and making him gallop faster than ever before. Instead I pulled the bride and saddle off him and trudged back up to the barn with a different att.i.tude.

Responsibility had reared its ugly head and I began to throw myself into the routine workings of the Inn. At least I had the guts to handle that. Cleaning toilets, doing laundry, changing sheets, dusting, taking reservations over the phone, greeting guests, and pouring coffee became my lot in life. I never tried to ride Lenny again.

When Messenger first arrived, my Dad encouraged me to take her for a ride and enjoy myself. She was mine, he had insisted. My own horse. I did love her. After I had finished my work for the day, I would bring her into the old red barn and brush her down. I would run the brush over her sloped shoulders and along her spine, watching the dust and dander dance in the light of the late afternoon suns.h.i.+ne. I would talk to her for hours about everything I didn't feel comfortable telling anyone else. I brought her chopped up carrots, apples, and celery. Afterwards, I returned to the back door of the house with horse s...o...b..r all over my hands and a big smile on my face.

But I never did try to ride Messenger.

Deliberately trying to pull myself back to the present, I grasped the top board of the sun-faded fence and took deep breaths. I was going to be okay. Everything would be just fine. My Dad would have wanted me to be strong. Strong enough to move forward, keep the Inn operating and maybe even growing. He had counted on me to be strong.

A plaintive whine and a paw on my leg drew my attention down to my side. Sadie, our Golden Retriever met my look with soulful brown eyes and a slow wag of her wavy tail. She was worried. Although she was primarily an outside pet, Sadie would occasionally be invited inside the house if all of the guests were dog friendly and had no allergies.

I stroked her head and leaned down to give her a hug, "I'll be okay, girl. Things are just a little weird right now."

"She's concerned about you."

I looked up and found Alex leaning against the fence a few feet down from me. I jumped back in surprise. Sadie turned toward the stranger and paused, tilting her head slightly.

Alex kneeled down to her level and smiled, "Hey beautiful."

That was it for Sadie. Her tail whipped back and forth and she hurtled herself into Alex with her tongue hanging out and a huge dog grin on her face. She knocked him to the ground, covered his clean s.h.i.+rt with dirty paw prints and his face with s...o...b..ry dog kisses. He took all this canine attention gracefully-as gracefully as one can while on the ground-and laughed softly.

"Sadie! Enough." I told her sternly. All I wanted was for this guy to disappear. The fact that my dog was crazy about him did not change my opinion. I turned away from them both and headed back to the main guesthouse. I could try to bond with Messenger later. Getting away from Alex was my top priority at the moment.

"Hey, wait up." I heard Alex jogging up behind me and Sadie's happy panting following closely behind.

"You need to leave. This isn't a halfway house." I told him without hesitation.

The main house loomed ahead of me, looking serene and peaceful in the morning light. The wide front porch, dotted here and there with potted plants and rocking chairs was otherwise empty. The short cut lawn and half circle driveway were still wet with morning dew. I realized that it would only be a few weeks before the leaves would begin to change and eventually fall, covering everything in brilliant gold, red, and brown leaves. The smell of wood smoke would be in the air. Families would gather around the fire pit in the back garden roasting marshmallows and hot dogs.

I paused for a moment, thinking of all the preparation needed for the busy fall season ahead. However, I could not concentrate on it at all right now. I felt like I was standing on the edge of some gigantic crevice, staring down into the darkness full of unknown terrors. Fear made me freeze where I was. I wondered vaguely if I was having some kind of a panic attack.

"Sarah?" Alex closed the distance between us and stood next to me on the wet gra.s.s, his amazing eyes fixed on my face.

I couldn't look away from him. He held some secret knowledge that was about to change my life forever, but I was sure I did not want to hear any of it. Escape seemed completely impossible. This was my fate, staring me in the face with earnest apology.

"Your mother sent me." He searched my face for some sign of acceptance. "I met her in California, and she sent me here to help you."

To help me? I shook my head. No way. She wanted to help me now? Denial was burning a path through my veins, churning and melting me inside. I clenched my fists at my sides folding my arms over my middle.

"There's a lot more you need to know." Alex's voice felt warm to my ears, but the rest of me was cold. I wanted to curl up somewhere and just forget everything that had happened over the past month. My Dad pa.s.sing away, the doctor's heart-wrenching news about my mother, the journal. I desperately wanted to go back in time to my old life.

He looked around, taking in the quiet scene before us and smiled slightly, "How about we find you somewhere to sit down and I'll bring us out some coffee, okay? You need to calm down a bit, right?"

I nodded stiffly, "Yeah."

"No problem. Nelly's in the kitchen getting breakfast started and I've already got her wrapped around my little finger," he teased, trying to lighten up the conversation. He flashed me a smile, complete with those adorable dimples before heading up to the front steps.

Sadie remained with me, looking after Alex adoringly, but reluctant to leave me when she knew I was so upset. I scratched her behind her ears then went up onto the front porch. I found my favorite rocking chair and curled my legs up under me as I sat down. Sadie settled herself as close to me as possible, her big head resting on my knees, her eyes fixed on me.

I could not begin to understand why all this was happening. It was like a tidal wave of darkness, pulling me into murky waters. The emotions of the past few weeks were twisting inside of me, yanking me in many directions.

Nervously twirling a lock of my hair around my finger, I thought about Alex. Aside from the fact that he was completely gorgeous, he was a polite sort. However, I guessed there was probably a dark side to him somewhere behind those striking green eyes and chiseled features.

I heard the screen door open and close as Alex came out with two steaming mugs of Nelly's famous coffee. He must have checked with Nelly to see how I liked it because it had plenty of cream in it. I took a deep sip, feeling its warmth soak through me.

"Sarah, I know this has been a rough time for you. Losing your Dad must have been devastating."

I shook my head, "Look, we don't even know each other."

He settled himself into the rocking chair beside mine and leaned forward, "I know. I understand that. But I know a lot more about you than you might imagine."

"From my mother? You're right. I do find that hard to imagine, since she's been away for fourteen years." It was impossible to keep the bitter tone from my voice.

"There was a very good reason she had to leave."

I really did not want to talk about it. I tried to shut him out, to concentrate on the stark red cardinal hopping around in the fir trees surrounding the driveway. Anything else would be preferable to hearing about her.

The sunlight was beginning to sketch shorter shadows across the freshly swept porch and I wondered if I would even have time to clean the big cabin before the new guests arrived.

"Look at me." Alex had abandoned his coffee mug on the windowsill near our chairs and was kneeling in front of me. His stare was penetrating and harsh in the morning light. The planes of his face were hard with determination. He was not about to let me off the hook.

"Your mother isn't perfect. She probably would not have been a good Mom to you even if circ.u.mstances had allowed her to stay. But she sent me here because you need help. You have a role to play."

"I don't..."

"Let me say what I need to say. Please, Sarah." His expression softened somewhat in reaction to my confusion.

I set my coffee mug down next to his and crossed my arms. "Fine."

He inhaled deeply and lowered his head for a moment. It was just a slight hesitation, but he looked vulnerable. Almost like a little boy who wasn't sure what he was doing, and I felt something trip inside me. My heart warmed a little at the image and I found myself wanting to soothe him. I tried to harden myself against it, but the way his silky hair traced the edge of his jaw and the momentary slump of his shoulders drew me in.

Before I realized what I was doing, my hand was reaching out, and I slid my fingers through strands of his golden hair to touch his cheek. The contact immediately brought images into my mind so oddly familiar that I did not pull away. Instead of ghoulish shadowy figures that frightened me like before, I saw a woman dressed in a faded cotton dress sitting in the middle of a field. Her eyes were trained on a huge boulder across the field as if she were waiting for something. Her hair had been left loose, its ebony tresses sweeping back wildly in the wind. Then something changed. Incredibly, the huge rock began to move to one side, sliding almost soundlessly across the gra.s.s. The woman stood and her face lit with intense excitement.

The vision ended abruptly. Alex had moved away from me to the very edge of the porch, surprise evident in the contours of his beautiful face. I had frightened him.

"Don't do that, Sarah." Even his voice was edged with fear, nearly cracking in emotional turmoil.

"Last night, when I brushed against you..."

"Yes, it happened then too. I know."

Obviously, some kind of weird connection was happening between Alex and I that was beyond my understanding. However, I had a feeling he knew exactly what was sparking these visions.

"Alex, what is going on?"

He pressed his hands against his face and took a deep breath. "I didn't know it was going to feel like that. She didn't warn me."

"My mother?"

"Yes." He moved slowly back to the rocking chair he had been sitting in before and collapsed into it. "She said that we both might have an odd reaction if we touched. I had no idea it would be that powerful." With effort, he drew himself back up. "But that isn't even important right now. Sarah, do you have the journal?" His eyes were fixed on me again.

How could he know about that? Had my mother known about the journal too?

I hesitated for a moment, "Yes, I have it. Upstairs."

"You haven't read any of it yet?"

"No. I haven't had time. I wasn't ready to deal..." I felt the tears starting to burn in my eyes again and decided to stop talking before I started spouting like Niagara Falls. Rational thinking seemed like such a lofty goal at that point. What else could go wrong?

He sighed and picked up his mug from the windowsill. "Before I say anything else about your mother, I'm going to suggest you read some of the pages in the journal. I don't want to upset you. But I hope you decide to let me stay. I'm supposed to be here to answer your questions and help you, Sarah."

I wrapped my arms more tightly around myself. "We have a small cabin over by the creek. We have been working on renovating it. If you want to stay there, you can."

"Thanks."

I fixed my eyes on him in steady determination. "But I'm not entirely comfortable with this. Why didn't she just come herself to help me?"

His eyes were full of patient tolerance, the depths of them dark with some long held emotion. "Just read the journal. It will put everything into perspective."

It was worked out between Nelly and Joe. Alex would help Joe put a new roof on the big family lodge and take care of the horses in exchange for staying in the little creek cabin. I tried to stay out of it as much as possible. They knew I had approved of Alex staying and that was pretty much all that either of them needed to know. I was not about to tell them that he knew my mother. I felt strange being around Nelly then; knowing that she'd withheld the information about my mother being alive. Everything felt so wrong.

Alex fit into the daily operation of the Woodhaven Inn as if he had been here for years. He had completely charmed Nelly. He knew exactly how to respond to her numerous questions about his past in a way that was both teasing and unrevealing. He would turn her simple inquiries into a joke and have us all laughing before we realized he had not actually answered the question. I was not immune to his charms either, but his purpose here still disturbed me.

Later that day, I decided to head into town. I needed a change of scenery and I had not seen most of my local friends since Dad's funeral. As I drove down Main Street, the familiar trees, fences and houses I pa.s.sed gave me a sense of warmth and well being that I'd needed for a while. I pulled up in front of Roxanne's Diner and parked between a beaten-up old green pickup truck and a s.h.i.+ny new minivan.

The bell over the door rang brightly when I came in. I took in the familiar worn vinyl seats of the booths by the window and the myriad of eclectic art with a smile. I had missed this place. The owners, Roxanne and Mike Powers, had bought the place when I was still in junior high. Katie and I used to come in after school with our friends to hang out, flirt with the busboys, and catch up on the local happenings.

Roxanne was a tiny little thing. She probably weighed no more than ninety pounds soaking wet. She had platinum blond hair she twisted up into a bun. She always wore bright colored tights, ridiculously high heels and a tight fitting black s.h.i.+rt. Anyone who did not know her would probably gauge her as being somewhere around forty years old. However, I knew she was closer to sixty.

She had grown up in Tennessee and brought her southern accent and values with her to Indiana. She had married Mike in her hometown, and they had decided to open up a restaurant after visiting Brown County during their honeymoon. They had had a bit of a rough start, losing two babies to miscarriages. Roxanne never did have any kids of her own, so she treated most of the local kids as if they were her own when they came into the diner.

Mike was a different story altogether. Mike stood 6'5" and had the girth of a keg of beer. As far as temperament, he was the opposite of his wife in that as well. It was a good thing he was kept in the back cooking most of the time because the swearing and sarcastic comments that came out of his mouth would have put off the majority of tourists that came into town.

I made my way to my favorite booth and settled in, waving to a few locals I had not seen in awhile. I tried to ignore their curious glances and whispers. Everybody in town knew about my Dad's death. They also knew I was running the Inn on my own now and I was certain they were discussing my possible failure as a new business owner. I suppressed the urge to glare at them and tried to smile.

"Oh my Lord, look who's here!" Roxanne came tottering over on her high heels and leaned over to give me a quick hug. "Sweetie, how have you been?" She studied my face and patted my cheek. I got a brief whiff of her citrus-scented body spray before she pulled away and smiled.

"I'm hanging in there."