Vanessa and Veronica Ch. 07

She quickly told them of the brief interaction between her and the unknown vampire.

When she was finished Luc spoke.

"Giving her back isn't going to change anything, he still wants someone to die."

"Then I'll meet him." Ethan said.

"He doesn't want you." Luc said, "He wants you to suffer as he has."

"How do you know this?" Ethan asked.

"I don't know" Luc replied, "I just do...."

"What else do you know?" Ethan asked.

Luc put his arm around Vanessa, "he wants one of our mates and he doesn't care which one. Victoria is exempt but only because of her age."

"Where is he?" Ethan asked.

"Close and whoever he is? He is much older than you, the things that he can do attest to that."

"Is there anyway to stop him?" Katrina asked.

"Other than killing him? Nothing." Luc replied, "And he plans on dying. He knows exactly who he's fucking with but he simply doesn't care."

"Shit." Ethan swore, "We need to find him."

"No." Katrina said, "He'll come here. " Maybe we can leave the body on a table in the front and we can catch him then."

There was a long silence as everyone thought about Katrina's suggestion. Reluctantly they all agreed that there was really no other option.

Luc and Rik went to retrieve the corpse from the garage while Ethan carried a table from the house to the front yard. Katrina and the girls got blankets to cover the table and the corpse with and a pillow for her head.

As they situated the body on the table, Ethan touched a bony cheek.

"I am so very sorry for what we did to you and your mate." he said knowing how inadequate the apology was.

They all turned to walk back to the house when they heard the sound of rustling blankets. As one they stopped, turned and gasped. The body was gone but the blankets and pillow lay in a heap on the table.

Ethan looked around trying to sense the vampire but he was gone for now.

******

He kissed Rosie's cold bony cheek and held her close to him.

"I am so sorry to have used you like that but they needed to see you." he said as he laid her gently on the bed and began to undress her. "Soon we will be together."

Twenty minutes later the corpse that had been at one time Rosalind Jean Palmer was dressed and lying on the bed holding a fresh bouquet of flowers in her hands.

He kissed her cold lips, murmured a promise to return soon and vanished.

******

Three couples and one child sat together in the living room waiting for something to happen. Each of them were hoping that whoever the vampire was would be appeased by the care that they had given his mate and would either go on his way or confront them openly.

"Mama I'm hungry" Victoria said standing and heading toward the kitchen.

"You stay here." Veronica said, "I'll go get you something, anyone else?"

"I'll come too." Rik said.

"No, I'll be fine; she just wants her cookies and a glass of milk." Veronica replied.

Ten minutes later she hadn't come back. Rik went to the kitchen to see what was keeping her. He let out an anguished cry as he saw the back door flung wide open and a bouquet of dead flowers in the doorway.