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Chapter 146
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2024-10-29 19:42:56Stefan kissed her hand one more time and then spun around and left the room.
Cali stared down at the back of her hand as Stefan disappeared out the door. Kissed by a vampire two more times, she thought. She didn’t know if the Peas were right about how good her night was going to be, but it had certainly turned into one damn fine afternoon. She sat down at her desk and began writing the note. Maybe she’d get to hear about some more cool stuff once Leesa talked to Stefan.
Leesa saw the folded yellow note taped to her door as soon as she stepped out the elevator. She pulled it off the door before inserting her key into the lock but didn’t open it until she was inside her room.
Stefan stopped by this afternoon. Said he needs to talk to you (and Rave!). Very important. He said he’d be back and hopes you’ll wait in your room for him. P.S. He kissed my hand TWO MORE times!
Leesa rolled her eyeballs. Cali really was incorrigible.
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Leesa forced her gaze away from Stefan’s black eyes. She knew Rave wouldn’t like it if she let Stefan carry her, but he would probably understand, especially if what Stefan wanted to talk to him about was as important as he said.“If you are going to carry me somewhere, why not just take me out near the volkaane settlement and wait while I fetch Rave?”Stefan shook his head. “I wish I could. But my kind do not venture within ten miles of the volkaane settlement, just as they do not come near our lair. If any of them were to sense my presence before you could get to Rave, it would mean trouble—big trouble.”Leesa realized Stefan was right. “Yeah, I guess it would at that,” she said. “Let me think for a minute.”She stood up and limped over to the side window. She stared out into the night, not really seeing anything, while she considered the problem. Dominic had a car, but he was no easier t
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Rave arrived at Leesa’s room shortly before eleven o’clock. Leesa had decided she would give him until midnight, so she was wide awake and fully dressed when he walked in through her open door. She bounded up from her desk and gave him a big hug.“You made it,” she said happily. “I’m so glad you got my message.”“I told you Max would come in handy one of these days,” Rave said.“I think it was plenty handy I could use him to tell you I love you,” Leesa said. She stepped back from his embrace. “But this is even better.”“I’m glad you added it wasn’t urgent.” Rave took Leesa’s hands in his and kissed the top of her head. “Otherwise, I would have been worried. So, what is it? I’m more than just a little curious.”Leesa sat down on her bed and pulled Rave down next to her. “It’s a little bit strange and a little bit
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“He and his partner are hunting indiscriminately…and often. They have killed eight humans in the area already. They will kill more if they’re not stopped. You volkaanes protect humans from my kind—that is your incentive here, Rave. Mine is that my people do not want to risk the attention these newcomers are drawing.”Leesa thought about the killings Caitlin had told her about. She had suspected they might be the work of vampires, and now she knew for sure. The deaths were certainly garnering growing attention.“He’s right, Rave. The killings have been all over the news.”She could see the wheels turning in Rave’s head as he considered what Stefan had said.“All right,” he said to Stefan. “If you come up with a suitable plan, I will help you.”Stefan nodded. “Here is what I propose….”The following night, five figures waited in the
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The strange fellowship was moving through the hills above a large reservoir just north and west of Meriden when Rave detected a hint of the new vampires. He quickly motioned the party to halt. The vampires were to the north, closer than Rave would have liked. Interference from the vibrations of his three vampire companions was partly to blame, but there was more to it than that. As Stefan had warned, there was something just a little off about the renegade vampires.“They are about two hundred yards ahead of us,” he told Stefan. “Moving slowly east to west on a path that will intersect our own.”“Good,” Stefan said. “My comrades and I will move ahead, projecting as much of our power as we can without being obvious about it. Hopefully, that will be enough to mask your presence. I think Jarubu’s arrogance will work in our favor as well. He will be anxious to end what we started last time, and I intend to give him the chance
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With Rave out hunting extra powerful vampires with Stefan and Dominic, Leesa definitely didn’t want to be alone tonight. Instead, she stopped off at Cali’s room when she got back to the dorm. The door was open so she walked in.Cali was sitting on her bed watching television. She looked up when Leesa entered the room.“Hey, Lees. Just a minute. I’m in the middle of a really good part.” She turned back to the screen.Leesa pulled off her parka and sat down on the bed beside Cali. It took her a moment before she realized what Cali was watching, but when a pair of fangs appeared in the mouth of a really good-looking guy, it became clear it was one of vampire shows that were so popular nowadays. Leesa never watched any of them—she had more than enough supernatural stuff in her life, thank you—so she didn’t recognize the show. She guessed it was probably True Blood or Vampire Diaries.After a moment, Cali paused
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Leesa didn’t know that Rave was less than ten miles away, and that the hunters had located their quarry.Hidden from sight nearly a hundred feet back in the trees, Rave and his companions heard the vampire battle begin. As planned, they waited a few moments, listening closely to be sure the vampires were fully engaged. When Rave was certain the time was right, he gave the signal. The three volkaanes raced silently forward to join the fray, weaving through the trees with blue flames flickering from their fingertips as they turned up their magical fire. They didn’t hesitate when they reached the struggle.As always, speed and surprise were the volkaanes’ main advantages, and they were even more important now, against these unnaturally powerful vampires. Rave launched himself toward Stefan and Jarubu, who were locked in hand-to-hand combat. Dral and Bain hurled themselves at Melissa.Twisting nimbly in midair, Rave avoided Stefan and threw himself
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Leesa and Cali were most of the way through The Hangover 2. Leesa had thought the first movie was hysterical, but wasn’t finding this one nearly as good.“Anyone feel like a late night walk?”As usual, she had not heard Rave approach, but there he was, standing in Cali’s doorway with a big smile on his handsome face. She bounded up off the bed and threw herself into his arms.“You’re safe!”Rave kissed the top of her head. “I love it when you’re this happy to see me,” he said, smiling.“I’m always happy to see you,” Leesa said, “but sometimes I’m beyond happy. Did everything go okay? Is everyone all right?”“Everything went great. Stefan’s plan worked perfectly.”“Did Dominic need to help at all?” Now that Leesa knew Rave was safe, her worry shifted to being forced to leave Weston.“Not a bit. Thre
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Leesa smiled. How well he knew her—the knots of worry in her stomach had not yet completely disappeared. A quick walk would be just the thing.“Come with us, Dominic,” she said. “You can tell us what-ever it is you learned while we walk.”“You sure you don’t mind? It can wait until tomorrow if you would rather concentrate on enjoying your walk.”“No, please come,” Leesa said. “Otherwise, I’ll just be worrying all night about what you need to tell us.”Dominic nodded. “Okay. I can understand that.”“Let’s go, then,” Leesa said.She linked her arm around Rave’s and the three of them started down the sidewalk, heading toward the center of campus.This late, there were only a few other students outside, especially with the night being so cold—cold if you didn’t have your arm linked around a volkaane’s, that i
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Serena awoke to the sound of birds chirping and the smell of fresh coffee brewing. She rolled over lazily, reaching out for Raphael, but the space was empty. With eyes still closed, she frowned. Where is that man? That man had probably been out of bed since the crack of dawn, beside himself with nerves for today’s big event, she thought regretfully. They were to be married today. Their lives intertwined for all of eternity. What man wouldn’t have cold feet at the prospect? And they’d known each other such a short time, too. She opened her eyes and blinked a few times, and frowned again. She had awakened in the safe house. Last night, she’d killed a man in her own home, and knew she could never go back there ever again. She didn’t care how good the Brethren’s cleanup crew could restore her home. It would never erase the vivid memories and horrors of what had happened there. She and Raphael would have to find themselves a new home, together. Until such time, this place would be it, th
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It’s going to be a long day without Raphael, Serena thought, as she washed and dressed. But she carried on. With so many loose ends to tie up, final checks to be made, people and places to coordinate, she scarcely had time to think about anything else. Except for her father. In the quiet moments between the bedlam of planning a wedding, she reflected upon him and her heart ached. She had arranged for a nursing home staffer to drive him and his wheelchair to the Chapel of the Holy Cross for the wedding. They didn’t usually allow weddings there, but somehow, Raphael swayed their decision. Kemuel promised to wheel her father down the aisle beside her, and she loved him instantly for that. But her dream was to have him walk her down that aisle. A sob caught in her throat, and she quickly shook her head to whisk it away. None of that nonsense, Serena. Don’t be greedy. At least he is alive and here to be a part of it all. As the day waxed on to evening, Serena felt unsettled. She hadn’t s
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Raphael spent the next few days cloistered with Serena, away from everyone and everything, like a honeymoon before the wedding. But every morning he made creative excuses to tear himself away from her for a little while and work with Fred. To make sure she didn’t visit her father, he dropped her off at her shop first so she could plan a small wedding with Callie and catch up on the mountains of paperwork.The healing sessions with Serena’s father went spectacularly, and with Raphael’s charisma, he convinced the nursing home staff to keep any improvements secret from her. They thought it romantic that he came to help with his fiancée’s father’s rehabilitation. Everyone there rooted for him, amazed at his miraculous awakening. All of the therapists worked their tails off during his therapy sessions, wanting to see their severely stroke-damaged patient beat the odds and walk his daughter down the aisle.On the morning of the fifth day, Raphael got Fred walking without any assistance.“Co
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Raphael grabbed her hands. “Do it!” he demanded. He placed them on his temples and spoke to her through their bonded connection. She felt every thought he had had of Sirona over the years straight to the present down their threaded connection. She heard every thought he’d had of her, including every word he had spoken while holding her in his arms at Dr. Chappo’s estate. He sent her everything that filled his heart and soul about her, and finally, at last, she knew.She knew. And knowing was everything to her. He gently brought her hands away from his face, kissing her fingertips as he eased them down, and she took a few steps backward, looking at him as if for the first time. No one before had ever felt about her the way he felt about her, let alone express so strongly all he’d expressed when she’d lain dying in his arms.“You’re in love with me.” She gasped, astonished. Tears welled again in her eyes, but this time, for a very different reason.“Yes.” He took a bold step toward her.
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A bundle of nerves, that’s what she’d turned into. Since leaving her father’s, Serena had been nothing but a bundle of nerves, rehearsing over and over again what she would say to Raphael up on the Rock. Looking all around her now, frightening memories kept popping into her mind, making her think that at any moment, Steve or Wheezer were going to jump out and nab her. Unfortunately, she had gotten to the summit way too early, and now paced like a caged bobcat. It had to stop. The bad guys are dead, Serena. Think positive, and let go the past. So, finding a suitable rock to sit on, Serena decided to do a little meditation to soothe her worried heart. “When I see him, I’ll know the right words to say,” she notified the birds. It may sting for a bit, but it’s for the best.****Raphael showed up at the base of the mountain with time to spare, and noticed Serena’s Jeep already parked. Perfect, he thought. He checked his pocket for the millionth time, making sure the ring box hadn’t fallen
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Raphael watched Serena leave the nursing home from behind one of the bushes in the front. She seems in good spirits, he thought. Only when he saw her disappear down the street did he dare to venture out of his hiding place. He walked into the nursing home and headed straight to the reception desk.“Hello, I’m here to see Mr. Sikes.” He smiled amiably at the receptionist.“Wow, two visitors in one day. Fred’s a lucky guy. Sign in right here, please. You’ll sign out before you leave. Take this badge so we know you belong here. Room 103 is down the hall, make a left, and he’s at the end on the left.”He looked at her name tag, and winked. “Thanks so much, Judy.”Walking down the hall, he found himself fidgeting with the badge in his hand. Am I actually nervous? Hell yeah! Raphael, the man, is about to meet the father of the woman he loves. Raphael, the man, is about to ask for this guy’s daugh
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Great! Just great! There’s a leak in my bedroom ceiling. Wait a minute, that’s not right. I’m not in my bedroom. I’m locked away in Dr. Chappo’s house. She remembered more. Being bound to a gurney, her body broken and dying. But I’m not lying on a gurney now, and I actually feel great. How could she be dying and still feel great? And what’s with the rain shower on my face? Slowly her eyes fluttered open, and she gasped.It was raining. Angel’s tears. Raphael’s tears, to be exact.She lay in his arms, and from the way he shuddered and sobbed, she thought maybe he didn’t know she lived. To be honest with herself, she’d only realized this fact just a few moments before. Iridescent wings were outstretched and trembling though no breeze made them flutter so.She gently raised her hand to caress his cheek and whispered softly. “Shh…there now, Raphael, shh. It’s all right. I’m ok
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Raphael noticed a knob on the box. It made sense to dial it to its lowest setting. He followed the tubing to its clamp on Serena’s side and decided to completely clamp it off. Now, no more blood could flow. But he still needed to get the needle out of her arm. He found gauze and tape on the tray stand and proceeded to extrude the catheter from her arm carefully so as not to injure her. He replaced it securely with the gauze and tape. His hands shook. I can’t fall apart like this right now! He quickly shrugged off the threat of paralyzing fear.“Hey, Raphael, this guy says his name is Steve. Isn’t that the name of one of guys who assaulted Serena?” Gabriel asked.“Yes, yes it is,” he said through gnashed teeth. Rage filled him and he clenched his fists, trying to gain some semblance of control. “Bind him, tightly. Make sure he can see Dr. Chappo. I’d like him to see what happens to assholes like him when they choose
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Searing hot pain shot like lightning throughout every inch of Serena’s body. Well, every inch she could feel, which left her very disturbed indeed, because she couldn’t feel anything past her waist. She could barely breathe without severe pain ripping through her chest and back. She knew what that meant—broken ribs. But what about her legs? Where were they? And why did her wrists feel shackled? Oh, dear God! What’s become of me? Her shallow breaths quickened. Her heart raced and fought for freedom behind her aching chest. Tears burst through her closed eyes and flowed untapped down the sides of her face.A voice sliced through the whooshing sound in her ears. A voice she knew all too well, and had come to despise with every molecule in her being.“Uh, Doc, I think she’s coming ’round. What do you want me to do?” Steve asked.“Hmm? Oh, nuffin. Nuffin, Seeve. Jus’ keep watchin’,” Dr. Chappo sl
