“All this time, all they wanted to do was give you a cell phone. Wow Stephan your friends are generous aren’t they. If only they offered to fix Scarlet’s bathroom door, then maybe I would have added them as my friends on Facebook.” Kayla’s sarcasm at this point had turned to music to his ears at this point. They amused him more than they irritated him. He was glad that she could find humor in a situation that would have turned tragic in a second.
Scarlet laid her hands on his bare chest, as he tightened his arms around her. “Do you know how good it feels to be in your arms again?” She kissed his chest before laying her head on his chest. She had become accustomed to the odd beat of his heart. It was unique just like he was.
“I hope it’s just as good as you feel in my arms. Warm, tender, and most of all protected. Safe.” He let out a sigh before planting pecks on her forehead.
“I am safe, aren’t I? To think five minutes ago we were being bullied by four gorillas.” She chuckled. It was funnier now that she was safe.
They all turned towards the vibrating sound. Kayla reluctantly pulled out of Solara’s arms. She had forgotten about the phone she had shoved into her pocket. It was now vibrating. She pulled it out to see Marcie’s name as the caller ID.
“She has been calling all night. I wonder what is wrong with her.”
“She has been calling your phone too. Five missed calls. You had better answer it and find out what’s wrong.”
Kayla tossed the phone to Scarlet. “You answer it. She probably wants to know whether on not to go first base with a guy or something.” She kicked Vincent’s foot before sinking in the chair beside him.
“Hallo Marcie. Sorry, we couldn’t… yes he is here. Why do you want to talk to him? Ok, I understand.” She held the phone out to Stephan. “It’s for you.”
***
Stephan took the phone from her. He was puzzled, besides that one time, he and Marcie weren’t that close that she would be calling him.
“Hello?” the line was silent for a few seconds before Marcie spoke again.
“Stephan… Stephan is that you? You have to help me!” The desperation in her voice was obvious. The three vampires in the room exchanged a look that Scarlet didn’t understand. She was the only one who couldn’t hear the other side of the conversation.
“Marcie? What’s wrong? What do you want me to help you with?” he looked around the room wondering if he was the only one startled by this conversation.
“You have to help me. I’m at the diner and there is someone… No! Let go of me!”
“Marcie? Who’s there with you? Vincent, go to the diner. Now!”
Vincent took off without questioning the order. Scarlet was panicking. She followed them as they walked out of the house. “Stephan, what’s going on?” She tried to speak up so that she could be heard above Solara and Kayla’s voices.
“Hallo Stephan.”
Stephan froze when he immediately recognized the voice. His hand curled into a fist. His breaths became uneven and ragged as his chest heaved. He pulled Scarlet into his side as if protecting her from the man on the other side of the line. She could feel his skin getting hotter as the seconds passed.
“Zen!”
His rage increased with each passing second. Solara was already at his side. He had only heard of Zen and never seen him. But he hated him, he was the link to his sister’s death. Although he had decided to put his revenge aside, now it was all he wanted. The opportunity had presented itself and he was going to take it. He took off before Stephan could stop him.
Stephan gently pushed Scarlet to Kayla. He needed her away from him, he didn’t want to hurt her when he phased.
“It has been a while, hasn’t it. I came to visit you and I found this pretty girl. She has been very hospitable and very kind.”
“Zen you better not hurt her.” Stephan was now running in the same direction as the other two.
“No! I wouldn’t hurt her. She is such a lovely person. But she did offer me a meal and I couldn’t refuse her. I didn’t want to hurt her feelings.” He let out a cold laugh and started humming.
Stephan knew what he meant by that. He also knew that hum only too well. It was the same tune he hummed when he watched his men kill Sotera. He knew she was dead but hoped she wasn’t.
He wished that Zen would linger in the diner long enough for him to get there. He was going to kill him and watch his cold corpse burn. The phone was still held tightly against his ear. He was hoping that he would hear her voice or her cry. A slight indication, no matter how small, that she was alive.
***
Scarlet didn’t understand and no one was telling her what was going on. She trembled in Kayla’s arms as she tried to make sense of what she heard. They were all just pieces, like in a puzzle that she had to fit together. The phone call from Marcie who she assumed was at the diner, their reaction to what she said, and a man named Zen, them taking off one by one, Kayla’s somber face and Stephan’s anger. She felt the heat on his skin and his eyes the obvious indicator.
Something was happening that they weren’t telling her about. She ran the clues in her mind once again, wondering what Marcie had gotten herself involved in. There was one thing that would warrant two vampires and a half breed to go to her rescue.
She pushed out of Kayla’s hold and ran into the house. She grabbed her car keys and ran to her Clio.
“Where are you going?” Kayla blocked her way. “Stephan told me that I shouldn’t let you move from here.”
“When did he…” she trailed off realizing how idiotic her question was. “I’m going to the diner. I know there is something wrong, you can’t fool me.”
Kayla took the keys from her hand. “Nothing is wrong. Let’s get back to the house and wait for them to come back. Ok?”
“Seriously K? I may not read minds or have a super hearing but I am no fool. Please tell me what could be so ok that two vampires and the most powerful immortal would run to help her.” She had her hands on her waist. “Let me guess, a table fell over right. I can see it written all over your face K. You may have turned into something else but I still know you. Walking dead or not.”
Her fingers were in her hair scratching a non-existent itch. She was getting frustrated as she walked in circles. “So are we going there together or should I walk.”
It was the only option left to her. Kayla had her keys, she didn’t have time to look for the keys to the Mustang and she was sure Solara had his.
“Scar, please try and understand, I can’t take you there.”
“Fine!” she began walking down the street when Kayla gave in. “Fine just get in the car, but you do what I tell you to at all times. Deal?”
“Deal!” she was heading for the Clio when Kayla spun her around to the Covet. “We’ll take Solara’s car, yours is too slow.”
She didn’t complain when Kayla flew down the street. She knew she was just as anxious as she was to get there. Scarlet held her hands together as if trying to reassure herself that everything was fine.
***
When Stephan got to the diner, Solara and Vincent were standing near the garage. He wondered why they stood so far. When he got closer he was hit by the overwhelming stench of fresh blood. He knew she was dead and Zen had gotten away.
The two men stepped to his sides. They strained against their natural urge. The overwhelming smell of blood appealed to them, but they fought against it. It was Marcie and they couldn’t bear to take pleasure from her death.
“He left when I got here.” Vincent’s voice was thick with emotion. “When I went into… he was gone by the time I got out. When Solara got here we went to the garage.”
All the anger drained from him and sadness took over. His past had claimed another life and he was worried about how Scarlet would take it.
A figure came out of the shadows, the three of them charge towards it immediately. They stopped when the moonlit his face. It was Xavier, he had his hands raised above his head in surrender.
“We caught his scent and it led us here. You are not the only one looking for that parasite. I also have a score to settle with him.”
He had answered all their questions in one sentence. Stephan didn’t need any details. He turned towards the diner and stared through the glass window.
“The others are still following his scent. They have orders to bring him back here when they catch him.” Xavier spoke again, but the others barely paid attention.
Stephan leaned towards the window, there was something on the walls that had caught his eye. He took a deep breath before opening the door. His hand was trembling on the knob. He walked into the diner and froze at the door.
In all his years of his existence even when serving with the Conselho, he had never seen such a ruthless act.
The others walked in behind him after seeing him stop. Xavier was first because the blood didn’t affect him. Vincent was last because he had been in there and was hesitant about going back in.
Marcie’s foot was tied with a rope on one of the ceiling beams. Her naked body swung side to side mid-air. She looked like she had been crushed by a tanker. No blood dripped from her and Stephan could only imagine that he drained her before hanging her. Her head sat on the kitchen counter, its eyes open and lips parted.
He slowly walked to it and pushed back a strand of hair that had fallen to her face. When he turned to examine the room, he saw his name and a smiley face traced on the wall in blood. In her blood.
Stephan,
Just thought I would send you a greeting,
Zen.
Stephan heard a car pull up, but didn’t catch any human scent. He assumed it was from the main road and he confirmed it when Xavier’s men walked through the door, their faces mirrored their leaders. Even as beasts they had never witnessed such cruelty.
“Stephan. What is… what is this?”
He immediately recognized Scarlet’s voice and wondered why he hadn’t sensed her before that. His answers stood there with him, all four of them. Their scent had masked hers and the loud heartbeats drowned the sound of hers.
“His scent disappeared when we got to the water,” Nikki spoke as her eyes were fixed on Scarlet.
He rushed to her side. She had her hand over her mouth, trying to silence the sobs that ripped through her throat. Her eyes were wide in horror. She looked around taking everything in.
Kayla stood behind her, her eyes roaming around the room. Her eyes rested on Marcie’s body, then her head, and finally the bloody writing on the wall.
Solara wrapped his arms around her. He was worried about how she would handle all the blood.
“I know the smell is making you uncomfortable. We should go.”
His concern was met by resistance. She pushed out of his arms and spun to face him. When he tried to put his hands on her shoulders, she leaned away from them. Her eyes were slit and her upper lip raised in a sneer.
“She is… I mean she was my friend. How could you think that?”
She forgot her anger when Scarlet’s hysterical shriek rang in the air.
“Cut her down! Now! Get her down.” She was struggling against Stephan’s arms as he tried to hold her back. He finally managed to tuck her into him.
Kayla didn’t hesitate, and in one fluid moment, she leaped into the air and cut the rope with her teeth, dropping Marcie’s body into Vincent’s arms. She held her hand out for Solara’s jacket. She wanted to cover her nudity, even the dead deserved the respect. Solara shrugged out of his leather jacket and covered the headless body.
“Let me go!” Scarlet was still struggling in Stephan’s arms.
Stephan released her before she could hurt herself against his hands. But he moved with her, he shadowed every movement she made.
She bent over and put her hands on her knees. She was struggling to catch her breath amidst the sobs.
“Marcie! Marcie!”
Stephan stepped behind her when she stood up straight. Her eyes were settled on the head on the counter. She was looking into the lifeless eyes. Stephan didn’t stop her as she walked towards it. She stretched out her hands towards it.
“No!” Kayla and Solara shouted in unison.
She left Vincent’s side, he still held the body in his arms. But it was too late. At that moment Scarlet had been faster than her. She picked up the head and held it in front of her. They watched motionless as she then cradled it to her chest.
“Marcie.” Her voice was weak and lifeless.
They didn’t know how she would react if they forced it out of her hands. They circled her, watching and waiting.
“Take it from her.” Xavier’s voice called out from behind them. He and his men had been quietly watching them until that moment. “It isn’t healthy for her.”
They knew he was right, so they went for it at the same time. Stephan held down the top of her arms as Kayla yanked the head out of her hands. He carried her to the corner and cradled her on the floor. Scarlet wept in his bare chest.