The smell of sugar cookies permeated the air reminding me I needed to check the batch in the oven. I usually don't make sugar cookies, I prefer something chocolatey, but I had used the last of the chocolate in the brownies I'd baked earlier. Worrying about Stefan's disappearance had set me off on a baking and cleaning spree. The apartment was now as clean as the day I moved in and there were enough sweets to satisfy a class of kindergarteners, but still no sign of Stefan.
My imagination had been doing its best to torment me with possibilities. Keeping busy had helped put a damper on my wild thoughts but I was running out of things to do. Though there hadn't been any signs of life from him, I was fairly certain he wasn't dead because I hadn't felt a breaking of any sort in our connection - I had experience there and knew it would happen if he died.
As I prepared the last of the cookie dough for the oven, a growing sense of unease nagged at me, urging me into action. I couldn't just sit still and wait for something to happen. I knew how to hunt vampires, just follow the trail of ghosts left behind by their victims, and I had practice in killing them. My gut told me bringing Stefan home wouldn't end peacefully.
Accepting the inevitable, I went to my closet and pulled out the two boxes I'd avoided unpacking. The first box held photos and other memorabilia of my life with Adam. Kneeling on the floor of the closet, my throat tightened up and tears threatened to spill as I pulled the box closer. My hands trembled as I began to unfold the flaps but I changed my mind and quickly reversed my movements before seeing any of the contents. I didn't have time to relive the past right now.
Moving the box to the side revealed the second, larger box I had been looking for. The contents were less dangerous and were mostly useful items I didn't want to get rid of. Opening it quickly, I rifled through until I found the handgun and silver bullets Adam had given me when he was concerned about the Tri-Cities' seethe coming for me. Standing upright, I pushed around the items stored on the top shelf of the closet until I found the box holding a few stakes and a silver tipped hunting knife. I kept digging around but couldn't find the small jewelry box with my lamb necklace. Fear gripped me as I realized where I would find the necklace.
Dropping back to my knees, I opened the first box that held my dearest memories. This time I couldn't contain the tears that broke free as I moved the pictures aside in search of the necklace. One of the photos caught my eye, so I picked up the frame to stare into the face of the person I used to be and the man that held my heart for so long. We were so happy together. Jessie had snapped this picture on one of the few evenings we had together alone, just the three of us. The house was always busy with werewolf business, though it never bothered me; I just valued the gift of an evening alone as a family. A movie had just ended and Adam had made some comment about the terrible plot. I had laughed and kissed him just before Jessie made us pose for the picture. His beautiful smile frozen in time still took my breath away.
Wiping the tears away, I gently placed the picture to the side with the others I'd taken out of the box and continued on with my search. Finding the jewelry box at the bottom, I opened it and moved as quickly as I could to remove my wedding ring and Adam's dog tags from the necklace, trying my best not to get stuck again. I had been sitting in my closet for close to an hour staring into the past and couldn't afford to spend more time in this spot. As I moved to put everything away, I found myself unable to box it all up again. Placing the jewelry box on top of the pictures, I decided to leave them all out and find a proper spot for them another time.
As soon as I stepped out of the closet, I noticed the smoke in the air and smelled burnt cookies. Rushing into the kitchen, I pulled the cookies out of the oven and dumped them straight into the sink. Running water over them helped stop the smoking but didn't get rid of the smell. I'd deal with that later.
With my vampire hunting kit ready, I took a moment to call out to Stefan again before leaving. He'd been able to answer me mentally before but I hadn't heard anything from him since his disappearance. Lack of response left me with an aching need to find him. Something was definitely wrong if he wouldn't, or possibly couldn't, answer me after I'd tried so many times to contact him.
Driving around for hours in search of ghosts led me to a dilapidated side of town where the city had stopped caring to maintain the roads and the residents cared even less about their houses. The rough looking neighborhood had a few people milling about in the late afternoon sun but it wasn't a busy area. My search ended at a large home that looked like it hadn't been updated since it was built decades ago. The paint chipping off the wood paneling was probably the original coat and the tin roof had long since rusted over. There were boards over the windows that would block out any sunlight, which was as much a sign of vampires as the ghosts scattered around the overgrown yard.
I parked directly in front of the house since I didn't plan to be inside long and grabbed the bulging bag stuffed with my supplies. At the last minute, I had added a blanket incase I had to get Stefan out during daylight hours. The front door was unlocked, so I pushed it open and stopped in the threshold to scent the air. Stefan had definitely been in here recently, as well as three or four other vampires. Being well acquainted with Stefan's blood made me quickly realize I could smell it in the air over the strong scent of death and decay. That realization was enough to push me inside the house, though the ghosts surrounding me warned of danger ahead.
The entryway was simply a long hallway that ended at the back door of the house, like old country houses I'd seen that were designed to be cooled by a breeze instead of central air. Though the house was dark, my eyes adjusted quickly and I was able to make out my surroundings. There were five doorways along the sides of the hallway, which made searching easy enough. The first doors to my left and right were open to empty rooms. Walking slowly further into the house, I found the next two doors to be shut. Slowly opening the one to my left, I found the source of the decay. Two dead people were in this bedroom. A man was slumped in a corner and looked as if he'd starved to death and a teenage girl was curled up in the fetal position on a bed in the center of the room. No one else was in here, so I quickly moved across the hall to the other closed door.
This room was full of sleeping vampires. Four vampires were on bunk beds that looked like they had once been meant for young children, if the bedspreads were any indication. Scenting the air again, I knew none of these vampires was Stefan, though one of them matched the scent of the vampire that had been outside my apartment. Closing the door again, I moved on to the end of the hallway where the last doorway led to a kitchen.
In the center of the room, a figure was lying on top of a dining table. At first sight, I thought it was another dead human, until the scent hit me. Stefan was on the table with his limbs spread and secured in place with silver chains. He looked emaciated as he had when I found him years ago after he had gone for months without feeding, but he hadn't even been gone 24 hours. I ran to his side to try freeing him from the chains but they were secured with padlocks. His wrists and ankles were wrapped tightly, leaving burn marks where the silver touched his skin. Afraid to try tugging him free, I pulled the flashlight out of my bag and searched the room for the key without luck.
Assuming I knew where it was, I headed back to the room where the vampires slept. Tip toeing quietly around, I finally found a key ring in the hand of one of the vampires. He smelled like the same vampire that had been outside my apartment, but now his scent mingled strangely with Stefan's. Suddenly, I understood why Stefan looked so bad. These vampires had taken his blood.
Nervous to touch him unarmed, I pulled a stake from my pack and held it at the ready while I worked the keys free. Apparently vampires don't relax when they die for the day because he had a strong hold on the prize. When I finally managed to pry his hand open, the vampire's eyes flashed open and he hissed as we locked eyes. Panic made me jump and shove the stake through his chest. He must have been a young vampire because he didn't move again. Though I didn't think the stake would kill him without me beheading him, I knew it would at least keep him still until Stefan and I escaped.
Rushing back to Stefan, I freed him as quickly as possible and tried to wake him to see if he could stand. We were running out of time if we were going to make it out of here before the other vampires woke. No matter how young they were, I wasn't any match for three fully functional vampires who would be angry I stabbed their friend and Stefan wouldn't be any help in this state. He looked much worse than I had initially thought. The other vampires must have drained him nearly dry. I knew young vampires needed the blood of an older vampire to survive but this didn't make sense. Why would they drain him?
He began mumbling but the only words I could make out were "Mercy" and "No". Ignoring his advice, I covered his exposed flesh as best I could and hoisted him over my shoulders in a fireman's hold. Balancing his weight while holding my bag wasn't easy but I managed to get him to the door. The sun was nearly set as I made it down the broken sidewalk to the car. My worry at being caught in the act of stealing their prisoner had me rushing to get away from the vampires, making me nearly drop Stefan as I did my best to get him into the back seat. While I was struggling to get his tall frame into the car, the blanket slid off one shoulder exposing an arm to the sunlight. He hissed in pain before I managed to get him covered again. Thankfully, I had prepared ahead and brought an extra blanket to cover him up more fully for the ride home. A tall man would never fit into the trunk of my tiny car.
I began to relax as I drove away putting more and more distance between us and the vampires, though I wasn't sure where I was going yet. Going back to the apartment right now was a bad idea, but I had to stop somewhere. Stefan would need blood as soon as he woke and I couldn't do that while driving. Choosing a shady looking motel where no one would ask questions about two people in a car, I parked and considered how much of a problem I had on my hands while I waited for Stefan to wake.
When Stefan wasn't hurt or stressed, I couldn't safely give him enough blood to keep both of us healthy. In the state he was in, he would need much more blood than I could offer if I planned to survive. I leaned my head back against the seat as I considered my options. I had no idea who else Stefan fed from or how to contact them.
Before I could come up with a plan, Stefan began to stir in the back seat. His groans of pain as he sat up tugged at my heart and all concern for safety left my mind. I climbed into the back of the car to sit next to him.
"I need blood, Mercy, but I can't take yours," he croaked. His voice sounded dry, like a person who had been stuck in a desert without water.
"Yes, you can." I insisted as I turned to face him fully. "I trust you not to hurt me."
"I don't trust myself," he said but that didn't stop him from leaning closer to me and sniffing my neck. The move was unnerving but I tried not to flinch. Showing fear to a predator is dangerous. He looked at the lamb necklace I was wearing and said, "Use it if I get out of hand."
I nodded and debated on the best way to give him blood in the back seat of a tiny car. His face hadn't left my neck, so I didn't think offering him my wrist would work and I didn't want him to pin me to the seat, which would cut off any chance I had at moving against him.
"Lean back," I said as I pressed gently against his shoulders. To my surprise, he complied and sat back against the seat but his hungry eyes never left me as I removed my necklace. I looped it around my hand then moved to straddle his lap. The position was awkward but gave me the most control. Careful not to touch him with the silver lamb, I leaned forward and exposed my neck to his mouth.
He didn't hesitate to sink his fangs deeply into my neck, which made the sensation was more painful than usual. I bit my lip and closed my eyes as I breathed through the pain while he drank. His deep pulls of blood lessened and slowed to a pace I was used to. The pain subsided, replaced by the euphoria I was familiar with. I found myself moving against him as his hands began to wander across my body. My empty hand moved to feel his shoulders and chest as the muscle beneath my touch filled out back to its usual size. His arms tightened around me, holding my body firmly against his as he continued to draw blood from my neck. My face rubbed against the side of his as a soft moan escaped my lips.
The pleasure began to fade as the dizziness set in. I could feel my heart fluttering and my breathing became irregular, alerting me that Stefan needed to stop. I was sure he would notice the signs and stop on his own but he kept sucking at the wound in my neck. "Stefan, you have to stop." I whispered but he didn't let go.
Realization set in and I knew the predator in him had taken over. I did the only thing I knew would work and pressed the lamb against him cheek as I began to recite scripture, "The Lord is my shepherd…"
Stefan released me immediately and shoved me off of him across the car. My back and head hit the door before I crumpled in a heap slightly on and off the seat. Blackness began to grow around my vision but I kept my eyes open long enough to see Stefan's eyes change from bright red back to their normal brown as he realized what he'd done.
