The Return of Nicholas Collins

***

"Our best bet is for you to focus on Roni," Nicholas said as he shut the front door behind him on the way out of the house. "Since you have a deeper connection to her than me, perhaps you can use her thoughts to locate her, while I try to zero in on the person whose after me."

Rachel nodded and bit her lower lip. They'd spent the last hour going over ideas on what they should do, while they fed. They both agreed that waiting was not the answer. It was obvious to them that the killer had taken Roni as bait.

Nicolas placed his fingertip under her chin and turned her head toward him. "Stop that," he said sternly. She relaxed her mouth as he stroked his thumb over the reddened lip, soothing the teeth marks away before tenderly kissing her. "We'll find her, Rach, and when we do, we'll bring her home."

A tiny smile trembled over her lips. Bring her home, Rachel liked the sound of that. The more she thought about Roni, about taking care of her, the more the idea of raising her seemed right. It would be the closest thing to a real family that she'd had since she'd became a vampire. Now if only Nicolas stayed after all this was over, her ultimate dream would be a reality.

Something in his eyes made her think that that dream was out of reach. More than anger and worry lined his face, there was also a sadness that she didn't understand. He looked like he'd lost something very dear to him.

He led her down the steps toward the center of the front lawn. "Are you ready?" He asked, his eyes beginning to glow.

Her teeth dropped down and she snarled, licking the tips. "I'm more than ready to take him out."

The glow in his eyes deepened and he returned her snarl. He brought their linked hands to his mouth and kissed her fingers. "Then, my love, lets go and get our girl back."

Rachel closed her eyes and held her breath. In moments she'd cleared her mind and opened it to accept the thoughts of those around her. She felt Nicolas' thoughts go to her very core, but that was because he was so near. Carefully she blocked him out and visualized an ever growing arch around herself. Rachel set her senses free and gasped as the sounds and smells of nature assaulted her.

Panic set in as chirps of night birds, the nibbles of hungry squirrels and the footsteps of roaming animals over took her. The wind sweeping through the trees and water rushing in a nearby stream joined the crowd of noise, turning it into a loud buzz inside her head.

Rachel tried to pull back, tried to pull away from the grip Nicholas had on her hand so she could cover her ears and block out the world, but he wouldn't let go. Instead he squeezed her hand and added his voice to the riot within her. Focus, Rachel. Listen to my voice, let it be all you hear and let the rest drift away. Concentrate, love, I know you can do this.

She wanted to jump out of her skin and into a pool of complete and utter emptiness. God, it brought back the memories of when she'd first been turned by Nicholas.

The world had been completely different then. Villages were spread out far and wide, sometimes a days travel or more to get there. And the population was no where near the billions of today, but back then it had almost drove her mad with sound until she learned to block it all out.

Just as he had back then, Nicholas was there once again to draw her back. He murmured quietly, stroked her hand that he held with his thumb and calmed her. Then, as if he waved a magic wand, it all faded away, leaving only the buzz of Roni's thoughts and his voice within her.

She sighed as some of the strain left her muscles. "Thank you for saving me, yet again, Nicholas."

"Nothing to thank me for, love. It's meant to be that we save each other."

"I love you," she whispered as she leaned up and brushed her lips across his, then hovered there to feel his breath on her skin. "Let's go save Roni."

For a time they walked one of the paths that lead away from the house, stopping at intervals to make sure they were headed in the right direction. Every step was placed carefully to keep from drawing attention to their location.

Roni's thoughts bombarded them, easily breaking through the barriers they'd erected to silence the sounds of nature around them. Over and over, as they left the path and pushed their way through the thick growth, the message never changed. Stay away, it's a trap.

Rachel wanted to reply back and reassure her that every thing would be all right, that Nicholas and her knew that the man was using her to trap them, but she didn't. The possibility that the killer was watching for any signs that they were communicating with Roni were to great.

Nicholas' thoughts burst through Roni's chant. Still as the tall pines that crowded around her, visions flashed behind her eyes, images that were not of his own and she realized that Nicolas had picked up on the killer's mind. Underneath the savageness, she felt Nicholas' anger and his hurt, but he had also blocked her out from part of himself. What she wanted to know was why?"

Refocused on Roni, whose thoughts were filled with desperation and warning, Rachel mentally let go and followed the stream of urgency until her will settled inside the young girl. Tears, rage and fear clawed at her and then beneath those layers of emotion, Rachel was surrounded by the strength of Roni's caring.

Roni, be quiet! Rachel didn't mean to be harsh but she knew that it was the only way to get through the panic. When the repeated warnings stopped, and she was sure that she had her attention, Rachel spoke once more. Don't speak out loud or he will know that Nicholas and I are here. If you understand, then just think of your answer and I will hear it.

Rachel frowned with worry at how weak and shaky Roni's inner voice sounded when she replied. Yes, I understand.

Good. Now, I know your eyes are closed, but I need you to open them. Do you think you can do that for me?

Please don't make me, Rachel.

Anxiety filled the air and raised the hair on Rachel's neck. Sweetie, if there was another way I wouldn't ask, but you're going to have to be my eyes for me so that I can try and find you.

Rachel hated to wait and itched to force Roni into doing what needed to be done. The vibe of silence that came from the girl raked over already taut nerves. The urge to scream crawled up her spine as the beast in her pushed and pushed at her to take the decision from the girl's control.

A whimper broke the quiet and Rachel suddenly found herself staring through Roni's eyes. How did humans get by with such poor vision. So many shadows, she thought, and then Roni blinked. A rage burned in her belly when she saw why the girl hadn't wanted to open her eyes.

Rachel struggled to keep her voice calm. That's great, Roni, and I know that took a lot of guts for you to do. She heard the beats of the teenager's heart start to race and knew she needed to hurry. All right, I see the gorge in front of you, Roni. Now, what I need you to do is slowly turn your head to the left and right.

Very little movement occurred, so Rachel asked once more, which got her the same results. You're not moving your head much, sweetie, are you hurt?

Misery flooded Roni's thoughts and washed over her. Rachel, he, he has me crucified. Rachel felt the tears pouring down Roni's face. My head was free to move until, until a little while ago. He, he said he didn't like how I kept looking at him. Then he climbed up on something and wrapped rope around my forehead and, and tied my head to the cross.

The growl that came from Rachel would have sent the bravest of beasts running for their lives. It was feral and angry. The sound burrowed into the ground, into the hollow of trees, waking sleeping animals and scaring them to the bone.

The urge to bust through the tangles of tree limbs and dense bushes sprang to life. The only thing to stop her was the grip of a rock hard fingers digging into her shoulders.

"If you follow that instinct to attach, Rachel, you'll be the cause of Roni's death."

She reached up and dug her nails into the softer skin on his wrist and pulled his hands from her body. She whirled on him with eyes that were filled with a beastly glow. "I could have him killed before he ever reached her."

"Rachel, the cross that Roni is attached to is rigged up to fall if anything should happen to the attacker." She stared in disbelief at him, thinking he'd gone mad. "If you tackle him or drag him to the ground, make his feet shift in any way from the spot in which he stands on, it's going to trigger a switch that will release the rope holding the cross suspended over the edge of the cliff."

She slammed her claws like nails into the tree beside her and sank them deep, removing a chunk of the trunk when she pulled them free. "When I get through with that bastard, he'd going to wish he'd killed me when he'd had the chance."

Driven by her need to rescue Roni, she stalked off into the woods determined more than ever to save her. She never hesitated when Nicholas' voice slammed into her mind. What the hell are you doing?

Twigs snapped beneath her feet. I'm saving Roni, that's what I'm doing.

If you're planning a sneak attack, you sure are going the wrong way about it.

Rachel snorted as she shoved and broke a small branch off the tree in front of her. Why be quiet, Nicholas? He wants us to come and knows that we will come after Roni. Besides if he knows we're out here, then perhaps he'll let his guard down enough for us to attack.

With every step that took her closer to Roni, the more Rachel felt her fear. Bile rose into her throat and her stomach churned as her system sucked in the intense suffering that came from the young girl.

You know, Rach, it would be really helpful if you told me what my part in your plan is.

The vibrations from Roni's soul hummed in Rachel's blood. No more than thirty yards from where she stood, she knew the girl hung helpless and in danger. She looked around her and then up at the tree in front of her. It looked sturdy enough to hold her weight and more, she thought, before she started to climb upwards.

Your part is to keep him distracted, Nick. She grunted and pulled her body up and over a solid branch, and then looked for a way to quietly jump from tree to tree until it took her to Roni. I'll let you know when I'm in position and then you can take him out.

Precise, silent movements and correctly timed jumps made the Tarzan like path she took through the trees easy and in ten minutes she was standing five feet above the limb that held Roni suspended over the gorge.

Branch by branch she carefully lowered herself. It was hell on her hands moving so slowly, but she knew she couldn't afford to rush. One wrong move and that idiot could kill Roni just by shifting his foot.

Just above Roni, Rachel crouched down and then stretched out length wise on top of the limb like a cat that was about to lay down for a nap. Watchful of her actions, she looked down, traced the series of ropes that had been used to see if she could figure out a way to free Roni without triggering the booby trap.

Deep in concentration, her eyes where locked onto a section of knots when the sound of Nicholas' voice broke her train of thought. It wasn't that he was in danger, she knew he could take care of himself. It was the calmness she heard in him and how familiar he seemed to be talking to the attacker. But the next thing she heard nearly made her drop out of the tree.

"Why don't you let the girl go, Chad? She has nothing to do with me, so why keep her hostage?"

Chad! Chad! All this time Nicholas knew and hadn't told her.

Why the hell didn't you tell me this jerk was Chad? She slammed the question into Nicholas' mind before she could stop herself.

Rachel, not now! He lashed back at her.

The growl that filled the air was low and menacing. So inhuman and threatening that Chad aim his small flashlight haphazardly around him, searching for what had caused the noise.

The underlying message beneath that growl was clear. If he escapes or you somehow just let him go by accident, I will hunt him down like the murdering animal he is, and when I'm finished with him, you won't have to worry about seeing me again, I will not want anything to do with you.

Rachel looked away from him and returned to inspecting the rope beneath her. She didn't mean to be so rough with him. Her heart ached for him because she could feel his hurt deep in her bones, but Nicholas had to make Chad pay. Too many people had died, or been physically hurt from his violent acts of revenge.

***

Nicholas' blood boiled like lava and rushed through his veins with the power of an erupting volcano. He was so mad that his vision was tinged with red.

He knew what needed to be done. He didn't need Rachel, or anyone else for that matter, to tell him what he had to do. Even though Chad had killed people he'd known or cared about without mercy, he could not see himself killing the man who use to be the young boy he loved like a son.

Chad's attention was back on him and Nicholas' took a small step forward as he asked, "Did killing all those innocent people around me really make you feel better about the death of your mom?"

Chad aimed the light straight at Nicholas' face. The sharp beam stabbed like a knife into his sensitive retinas, blinding him. "Don't you dare say anything else about my mother."

Nicholas growled in pain and rubbed the heels of his palms into his eyes.

"You lost any right to even think about my mom, much less talk about her when you let her die."

Chad turned the light away and relief flooded into his aching eyes. "I did not let her die, Chad. She chose to do what was right for her." His face was wet from the bloody tears seeping from his stinging eyes. "Don't you think I tried to change her mind? Do you honestly think that I wanted her to die, Chad?"

"Yes, I do. You're a heartless monster who walks among the living. You feed off their bodies, their emotions. Why should mom have been any different than the rest you've drank from or killed.?" His laugh was harsh, cold and full of painful memories. "I bet that you were thrilled that she was dying. It gave you a new way to watch someone waste away to nothing."

"Shut your damn mouth, Chad." He was on the verge of losing it and doing the one thing he never thought he would have to do.

"I think I know how you must have felt, Nicholas." He grinned. "I know now what the excitement of stalking and killing someone is like." He glared at Nicholas with a crazed look in his eyes. "Even if I don't kill my victim it's still fun." He snorted and began to laugh. "God, if you could have seen the look on your's and that lifeless bitch's face as her house burned in front of you. It was worth losing my eyebrows to see that."

Hold on, that was all he had to do till Rachel gave the okay, then he would pound Chad into the ground. He held his breath as Chad shifted his weight from one leg to the other, hoping that the switch to the booby trap didn't have a hair trigger.

Rachel, you'd better be ready to act because I don't know how much longer I can hold back.

I'm ready, Nicholas, just give me a sign before you make your move.

"Tell me, Nicholas, because I'm sure you have intimate knowledge, has the vampire bitch's bullet wounds healed?"

Nicholas stood there dumbfounded. All this time there had been a part of him that still believed in Chad. Believed him incapable of doing all the evil things that the police said he'd done. That belief was gone now. No one outside of Rachel's friends and Roni knew about her being shot.

"You heartless... Because of you, I nearly lost her." Nicholas shook with a white hot rage. His every muscle strained for an explosive release. His canines screamed in agony, like they were ready to rip clean away from his mouth.

"Heartless?" Chad pointed at him, stabbing the air with each word. "You're the heartless one, Nicholas. You let my mother die and leave me behind to be cared for by a relative who seen me as nothing but a burden."

"That's where you're wrong, Chad." Sweat dotted his brow from the effort he had to exert over the mad beast within his blood. "Heartless would have been forcing your mother to go on existing in a manner that she didn't want. You don't know the hours that we talked about it, the tears she cried for you because of the choice she made. She didn't want to leave you, Chad. She loved you and she regretted the pain she knew her death would cause you."

He saw Chad swipe his hand across his cheek and smelt the saltiness of tears in the air. "Just shut up! It doesn't matter what she regretted. Ever since mom died all I've felt is pain." He sniffed and wiped his face again. "Which is why you're about to feel even more pain, starting with your bitch's pain when this little girl dies."

In an instant Nicholas read Chad's thoughts, seen that he was indeed about to send Roni to her death. "Now, Rachel!" He shouted a split second before he lunged forward and tried to stop Chad from moving.

***

Like the bat that most people thought vampires changed into, Rachel swooped down from above and landed on the branch below with a solid thud. Over top of the grunting noises of fighting men, she heard a faint click come from near the ground and saw the rope slither away from her.

Roni screamed as the cross began to drop but Rachel, thankful for her quick speed, grabbed the rope and stopped her from falling into the gorge.

She lay her head against the rough tree bark and was about to sigh with relief when a small, but loud, explosion went off behind her. One moment she was high in the air and the next she was on the ground with the thick branch on top of her and the rope slipping from her hand.

Two different voices called out her name. One hysterical, both full of fear. She had no time to reassure Nicholas that she wasn't hurt because Roni and the cross were plunging into the gorge.

Rachel flung the heavy branch off her chest like it was a used toothpick. No thought for her own safety, she scrambled to her feet and raced toward the edge of the cliff. She had one chance to save Roni and risked it all as she left her feet and dove for the runaway rope.

She screamed as she crashed into the earth and her hands caught the last foot of rope before it slithered over the side. But it wasn't enough. The forward momentum of the heavy wooden cross, along with the extra added weight of Roni, dragged Rachel closer and closer to the edge.

The sound of shear terror ripped from her throat. One after the other, she kicked at the ground with her feet. In desperation she tried to dig into the dirt to catch onto a tree root, a hole, just anything that would keep Roni and herself from falling over the side, but it was useless.

The cliff's crumbling edge raced toward her. When she got her first glimpse of the trees and jagged rocks below in the gorge, she did the only thing she could, she screamed. "Nicholas!"

Chapter 12

Nicholas was in a fight for his life. He never expected to be in a battle like this with Chad, and he never expected him to fight back so hard. He knew that there was a good chance that Chad might be mentally unstable, but he had enough smarts about him to fight as he kept the flashlight beam aimed toward Nicholas' face while swinging a wooden stake toward his chest.

It was a constant struggle to keep the sharp point from plunging into his chest. Both of his arms had scrapes, gashes and holes in them from using them as shields. He had no intentions of hurting Chad. What he wanted to do was disarm him and make sure that he didn't escape. All that changed when Rachel's terrified scream ripped the night apart.