Chapter 4
She walked down the street, several buildings from her hotel when she spotted a figure across the street several paces ahead of her. He was tall, dark hair, wore a dark cloak, walked with a cane and was strolling in the same direction as she. She had learned to pay attention to her dreams since her "Inner Guides" were instrumental to her in finding vampires. Over time, she came to rely on "them" because "they" always led her in the correct direction. Focusing on the man across the street, he looked similar to the man in her dream and this had her full attention, so she continued to follow him.
Was this the same man? They both possessed dark hair, a cane and were tall. The only difference being, this man had no child walking with him. Her dreams of vampires were never so cryptic before. She wondered about the symbols of this particular dream. What did it mean when the man burned up when the sun touched him? That happened to vampires; could her dream be saying that he was a vampire? She shook her head in disbelief. Maybe the dream was a warning to stay away from any relationship because of her responsibilities. What man would be able to understand and accept what she was destined to do? Remembering the child in her dream, she wondered if this could be the man she had to find for someone else's sake. So many questions and so few answers.
As her attention came back to the present, she realized she had to concentrate harder to focus on the task at hand . . . scout for vampires. Remembering her dream and seeing this man across the street diverted her attention. On the other hand, were her "Guides" trying to warn her about HIM? She decided not to fight the attention she was giving this man. There was a reason why her "Guides" gave her the dream and she would follow her instincts, by following the man.
They were in perfect synch with each other. They walked with the same cadence and when he stopped, she stopped. She recognized this synchronicity when she stalked vampires. She felt an incredible urge to cross the street and approach him. It was not her style to approach men or vampires this way, however, she had a strong compelling incentive. She was attracted to him. Vampires had never appealed to her before and never one of passion.
After following for a while, the mystery man stopped. As he started to turn around to look across the street in her direction, she swiftly turned to look in the shop window next to her. Using her slayer powers to detect for vampires, she sent out "feelers", like radar, to see if she could detect his presence. She knew there was a vampire in town, but some unknown force was blocking her signal. When she turned back to look across the street, the man had disappeared.
Looking at the place she last saw him, she crossed over to the other side. She arrived near an alley and looked into the darkness, hearing a loud clunking noise and whispers. Her mind became very clear and focused, her heart started to pound faster. A forceful energy surged throughout her body with an alertness and clarity that gave her the power to kill supernatural creatures. She carefully and cautiously entered the alley, walking the full length on high alert. She reached for her stake inside her coat pocket and pulled it out. "Stay calm and focused, Maeve," (pronounced Ma-Eve) she whispered to herself. "If it is a vampire and feeding, I WILL destroy him." She continued to hear voices and could sense strong conflicting emotions of anxiety and satisfaction. She was ready!
As she got nearer to the end of the alley and her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she saw two figures ahead. One was a girl of about twenty with her clothes torn and a cut on her cheek. Blood was dripping down her neck, her body shook and she had been crying. Maeve looked at her neck to see if there were any marks but could not tell in the dark. The other person was a man, tall, standing in the shadow next to the girl, holding her arm with one hand and a cane draped over the other arm. Maeve could not see his face but noticed he wore a cloak. As she approached them, her hand clinched tightly around her stake. She looked at the frightened girl and noticed the man let go of her arm.
She spoke to the frightened girl, "Are you ok?" Before the girl could say anything, the man stepped out of the shadow and approached Maeve.
She focused all her attention on him. She repositioned her stake so the point aimed straight ahead but held it low, by her side and next to her leg. If she had to, in a single jab, she would swing the stake at heart level and end the vampire's existence. If he was a vampire, otherwise she would kill an innocent man, her greatest fear. Holding it tight and low, she knew the girl could not see it but the man watched her every move. She knew he saw the stake by her side and she did not try to conceal it. As he walked into a lighted area in the alley, she saw his face for the first time, a very handsome face.
He wasn't acting like any vampire she ever encountered. Her "Inner Guides" were not helping her identify this one.