Chapter Six

Agatha rushed to place her hands-on Kira’s shoulders to prevent her from rising up out of the coffin while she shouted to Tim and Edwin, “Ye men need to stand back now.  She is a vampire who has been without blood for several centuries.  I must have a chance to be with her before she sees ye.”

Tim wasted no time running to hide behind the trunk of an ancient oak tree, but Edwin didn’t move. Agatha warned him a second time before she turned her focus on Kira.  He backed up, but didn’t hide.  He might be crazy, but something told him he didn’t need to.

He listened intently as Agatha reintroduced herself to Kira. She reminisced about the events that led up to placing her in the magical coffin and then explained the reason it was imperative that they flee as quickly as possible. 

A squirrel skittered up the tree next to him. With minimal thought or effort, Edwin caught it and walked toward the newly awakened vampire.

Holding the traumatized squirrel out for Agatha, he said, “Here,” and then retreated.

Agatha took the squirrel and handed it to Kira, who greedily drank its blood. When she’d finished, she asked for more.  With a speed and proficiency that shocked him, Edwin caught two more squirrels and delivered them to the beautiful vampire.  This time, he personally gave them to her.

Kira eyed Edwin warily with emerald green eyes that bore into him with an intensity he never thought possible.  For the first time since they’d dug her up, he worried for his safety.

“’Tis foolish of ye to expose yourself to a starving vampire,” Agatha growled.  “Get thee away or I cannot be held responsible.”

“What about you?” Edwin asked timidly.

“She will not kill me, but I cannot say the same for thee,” Agatha said briskly.

The reality of the situation suddenly sank in.  Fear consumed Edwin and his heart threatened to explode in his chest as he rushed to join Tim behind the thick oak tree.

“Are you out of your mind?” Tim hissed when his friend skidded next to him.

“I think so,” Edwin panted.

“I can’t believe any of this is happening.  Vampires… witches… this is like some sci-fi nightmare,” Tim complained.  “It was supposed to be a simple hunting trip with a few friends.”

“Speaking of friends.  I wonder how Mark is doing with the SUV.  I’d like to get the hell out of here,” Edwin whispered.

“Do you plan on leaving them behind?” Tim asked in a hushed tone.

“Do you want to ride in an SUV with a three-hundred-year-old, hungry vampire?” Edwin asked. “I don’t care how beautiful she is.  I, for one, do not.”

 “She is a beauty, isn’t she?” Tim said as he watched Agatha release her hold on the vampire as she majestically emerged from the coffin. 

“She’s magnificent,” Edwin said with an awestruck tone.  After shaking his head to clear it, he added, “and she’s also lethal.”

They were taken by surprise when Kira suddenly took off into the forest, leaving Agatha to magically dispose of the coffin and close over the hole to the point it looked as if they’d never dug into the road.

“She has gone to feed,” Agatha informed them as she approached the tree they hid behind. “She shall return satiated and ye shall be safe.”

“What does she plan on feeding on?” Tim asked warily.

“Blood is what she requires,” Agatha said as she gave him a puzzled look.

“Animal or human?” Tim persisted.

“Ah, now I understand,” she said with a smile. “Kira is a kindly soul.  Now that her head is clear and she thinks like her old self, she seeks only animal blood. She will hunt for a larger beast, such as a deer or a wolf; something that can afford to donate blood without loss of life.  Had she not been in such immediate need of blood, she would have spared the squirrels.”

“I was only trying to help,” Edwin said self-consciously.

“Aye, that ye did.  ‘Twas good, quick thinking on thy part. Ye are a brave man, Edwin Jameson,” Agatha said warmly.

The sound of the SUV coming up the narrow road caught their attention.  Tim rushed to greet Mark and forewarn him of the events that took place in his absence.   Still believing he was the victim of one of Tim’s pranks, it took Kira zipping back through the woods at high speed to convince him otherwise.

Tim and Mark hovered at the SUV while they watched Kira approach Agatha and Edwin.  Neither had the nerve to venture closer. Mark couldn’t help voicing his concern over Edwin’s sanity, after which Tim informed him that he’d already brought that very topic up to Edwin.

“Crazy or not, you should have seen him,” Tim said enthusiastically.  “Such balls.  I hi-tailed it behind the nearest tree as soon as Agatha said to hide, but Edwin just stood there.  The witch reprimanded him and told him to hide several times, but he stayed put.”

“So, you’re calling her a witch now?” Mark said with the shake of his head.

“What would you call her?” Tim asked impatiently.  He was beginning to grow tired of Mark’s resistance to what was plainly in front of him.

“Crazy,” Mark replied.

“The only crazy one here is you, buddy,” Tim said. “Being frozen in place and teleported here should have been enough to convince you. It’s like you have a mental block or something.”

“Okay, so she’s a witch.  I’ll go with that if I need to,” Mark murmured. “What about the girl. You aren’t going to tell me she’s really a vampire, are you?”

“It was magnificent watching as she emerged from the coffin.  It was nothing short of majestic.  Edwin captured three squirrels for her to feed on before she took off to find a larger animal,” Tim said.

“I would have liked to have seen that,” Mark said as he watched Edwin shuffle his feet and bow his head while in what looked to be deep conversation with the two women.

“I thought we were supposed to book it out of here asap?” Mark said.

“Which reminds me,” Tim said eagerly.  “How much trouble was it to get here?”

“None, really,” Mark said with a shrug. “The caretaker plowed the drive and the roads are cleared.  The only real snow I had to deal with was what’s on this road.”

“How far in are we?” Tim asked.

“About three-quarters of a mile,” Mark replied.  “I’m getting edgy.  I want to leave.”

“I’ll go ask what’s up,” Tim said as he tapped the hood of the SUV and headed toward Edwin and the two women.

He reached them just in time to hear Agatha inform Edwin that he was to be bonded and mated with Kira.  He studied his friend’s reaction with wonder and concern. He seemed almost pleased by the news. Had the witch put a spell on him or something?  Edwin had always had an aversion to commitments. It was that way since he was a child. It had been some time since he’d gotten together with his old friend, but he couldn’t imagine him shedding such a deep-rooted phobia over the matter of months.  Had he received counseling from one of his colleagues for it?  Even so, Kira was a vampire! 

He had to be under a spell.