“It will be hard for her, for you both, but you should not withhold this from her.” Cain turned back to look at Mia. “Sometimes the truth hurts, but lying can hurt a person more.”
“Yeah, I know. If…I mean, when Mia wakes up, will you tell her I was asking after her?”
Cain nodded his head. Lee stared at him for a minute before leaving.
***
What the hell is that annoying beeping? Mia moved her head to the side. Ouch, shit, that hurt. Okay, I’ll just open my eyes a little. Why is the room so dark? My head! Stop that damn beeping. Right, guess I’ll have to fumble around in the dark. Mia lifted her arm out to the side and a sharp stabbing pain hit her. “Ouch! What the hell’s wrong with my arm?”
“Nurse, she’s awake. Mia, stay still. You have a drip in that arm.”
“Cain? What are you doing here? Why’s a drip in my arm?” Cain wouldn’t be sitting in a pitch black room. Oh, God, I’m blind!
“Try to stay still. The nurse is coming.”
“Why can’t I see anything?”
“You were in an accident. You have been in a coma for four days. Your face and eyes are very swollen.” The nurse walked calmly into the room.
Mia took a deep breath and then clenched the sheets in her fists. She remembered the headlights mounting the sidewalk. “Jenny, where’s Jenny?”
The nurse took hold of Mia’s arm. “Now, I’m going to give you an injection. It will help with the pain and calm you down.”
“I don’t want to calm down. Where’s my friend?”
“Jenny is in another room. She is doing well. Lee was here a couple of hours ago.”
Mia could feel herself going fuzzy. She tried to fight it. “The baby….” And the required effect of the drug kicked in.
***
Oh, great, that beeping is still going on. “Hello, anyone?” I guess not. She tried to open her eyes. Today she could see a thin line of light. She carefully lifted her hand to her face. That’s sore. My face feels spongy, like it’s not my own. I must look like the elephant man.
“Mia? Oh, my God, Mia, look at you.”
Mia moved her head slowly toward the sound of the voice.
“There’re so many machines plugged into you!”
Mia held her good arm out. “Jenny!”
Cain pushed Jenny’s wheelchair closer to the bed. She took hold of Mia’s hand.
“Is Cain with you?”
“Yeah, he got me from my room. No one else would bring me.”
“Is the baby okay?”
Tears started rolling down Jenny’s face and she started to sob. She squeezed Mia’s hand. Tears started to slip out of the swollen slits of Mia’s eyes too.
“Oh, God, no! I’m so sorry, Jenny.”
Cain decided to leave the two of them alone. As he exited the room, two police officers were walking in his direction.
***
The police eventually left after assuring Mia that Justin would not be able to hurt her again. He was in jail and he was going to be put away for a very long time; they had charged him with attempted murder. Her head spun. She couldn’t believe any of it, yet she knew it had really happened. Justin had tried to kill her. He had proven he was capable of murdering her. Had he been that way for all of the time they lived together?
Her head was beginning to hurt again, tears escaping from her eyes despite keeping them tightly shut. When she finally had the courage to open them, Cain was standing at the end of her bed. Emotion overtook her. She bit her bottom lip, trying not to fall apart.
He couldn’t even raise a smile for her. He was so angry he wanted to kill this Justin. But the police already had him safely in custody. Justin had better hope they never let him go. He slowly sat down on the bed and took Mia’s hand. “I am so sorry I was not there for you.”
He looked as if he might cry. She didn’t even know if he could cry. “I sent you away.”
“I should have ignored you.”
She managed a smile, even though it hurt. “When have you ever refused me anything?”
“I would give you the world if I could. I would give my life for you not to be here, for him not to have hurt you, for me not to have hurt you.”
She managed to squeeze his hand, and in barely more than a whisper she spoke truth to him. “You should go. This is only causing us both more pain.”
He looked like she felt, as if someone had just kicked the life out of him.
“I still love you, Cain, but you have to appreciate that I can’t be around you. I can’t allow myself to feel like this about you. I couldn’t bear to see your love for me die as I grow old and feeble while you stay young and strong.”
She had just torn his heart out again, but that did not matter; he was scared for her. What if it were her who Vasile was after? “I understand. I don’t want to upset you, but will you at least wear the pendant?”
“I don’t know. Maybe.”
Cain smiled and gently placed the pendant in her hand. He kissed the top of her head and left the room. But there was no way he was going to leave the hospital, not until he was sure Vasile was gone.
Three days later Grandpa John and Peter came to collect Mia from the hospital. It was finally time for her to go home. For the first time in a very long while she was happy to return to the place where she had grown up.
Peter was helping her into the car when she noticed Cain watching them. She smiled a long and gentle smile before turning away. Their journey was uneventful and passed in a hazy dream for her. When they eventually stopped she saw they were pulled up outside her mother’s old house.
“What are we doing here? I thought I would be going to your house, Grandpa.”
“This is your home,” Peter said.
“No, this is your home, Peter. I gave it to you.”
“Okay, then I won’t charge you rent for your room.”
He winked at her and she relaxed some more, admitting to herself it was good to be back.
Between them, Peter and her Grandpa managed to cocoon yet not smother her with their love. Life back home was gentle, unhurried and without pressure. Within a few weeks she had slipped back to her normal self and back into life in a small town. She would have to return to New York at the end of the month for the trial, though. She was not looking forward to that. She confided in Peter her fear of seeing Justin again. What if he was found not guilty?
Peter assured her that with the eye witnesses and the hospital reports, he would not get away with what he did, and if by any small chance he wasn’t found guilty, Peter would see to it personally that he would never be able to hurt her again. At that Mia threw her arms around his neck, planting a kiss on his cheek.
***
With Justin pleading guilty the trial only lasted four days and he was given a fifteen-year jail sentence. Grandpa and Peter stayed with her through the whole of the trial, which helped. But she didn’t think she could have done it without Jenny. Jenny and Lee looked like they were finally getting back to normal and promised to stay in touch.
When Justin was sentenced, he looked at the judge and asked if he could speak. The judge granted him permission. Justin turned to face. She glared back at him, balling her hands into fists.
He looked through the accusation in her eyes. “I just wanted to say I’m sorry, Mia. I never meant to hurt you.”
At this Peter shook his head. He called Justin a junkie woman beater and a child murderer, just loud enough for Mia to hear.
Mia breathed in and stood up. She looked at the judge, who raised her eyebrows. “And what about the baby, do you even care?” She pointed at Lee and Jenny, who were holding each other, unable to stop their silent tears. “You killed their baby, and none of us will ever forgive you. I hope you rot in hell.” Her hands were shaking as she sat back down, then she suddenly smiled.
Cain stood at the back of the courtroom throughout the whole trial. There had not been any sign of Vasile, and Mia was looking more like her old self, although he thou
ght she still needed to put on a little more weight. He was about to turn and leave before everyone else did, when Mia spotted him. She gave him a warm smile, a quick wave, and turned away. At last she was getting her life back on track, she might even be happy again. She wasn’t wearing the pendant, but he thought this was just a matter of time.
A month after the trial, Mia decided she had finally put New York behind her. She was enjoying living in her mother’s…okay, Peter’s house with him. They were just friends, but she could not imagine being anywhere else, or with anyone else.
She had thought a lot about Cain since the trial and yes, she did still love him. She had forgiven him for her mother’s death. She understood that Jess would have killed her at that moment when she tried to attack her. And if Jess was anything like Cain she would have probably taken it very badly, maybe even ending her own life for harming or killing her own daughter. In that event, the result would have been no different except Mia was still alive. Cain would never have hurt her mother intentionally. He had no choice but to protect her from Jess, and it was purely accidental that in throwing her Jess had been slammed through the bedpost. The blame lay solely on the monster, Vasile.
***
Mia had started wearing the pendant a couple of weeks ago and tonight she was making a special dinner for Peter to thank him for being there for her. Peter seemed to become emotional after the meal.
He sat opposite Mia. He crossed his legs, lifted his glass up off the table, and then put it down without drinking from it. He uncrossed his legs and picked up his glass again.
Mia watched as he stared into the glass, swirling the contents around. “What’s wrong?”
Peter put the glass down again. He didn’t meet her eyes. “Nothing.”
“Nothing? Really?” She grinned.
Peter finally looked up. His hair had flopped down over his face. “I…erm….” He shuffled in his seat for a few seconds. “Well, it’s just that…I want us to get back together. I love you.”
Really, Peter, you get drunk and this is what happens? Why do men always get horny when they’re drunk? She sighed, got up, and walked over to him. She bent down beside him and she looked deep into his eyes. “Peter, you know I love you as a friend. You are my best friend. I don’t want to ever lose that friendship. But I’m not ready for a relationship. Not with anyone.”
She put her arms around his neck, and gently kissed his cheek. “We’ve both gone through an emotional time. You feel sorry for me, maybe a little guilty that you weren’t there to protect me. It wasn’t your fault.” She managed a sad half-smile.
He gently drew her toward him so he could look her in the eyes, so she could see how serious he was. “Yeah, I feel guilty I wasn’t there for you, but that’s not why I’m doing this. I would never hurt you. You don’t have to be afraid.”
He’d had too much to drink. She started collecting the plates from the table. “You’ll feel differently tomorrow.”
“I don’t think I will,” he muttered and sulked away to his room.
She sat down, plates in her hand. “Oh, great,” she whispered to no one.
Later that evening Peter walked sheepishly into the living room. Mia was watching TV.
“Hi, sleepy. Feeling better now?”
He held his hands up. “Okay, okay. I was a jerk. It was just the drink. Sorry.”
“You want a coffee?”
“Love one, and something for my head.” He sat down on the sofa next to Mia.
She stood up and gave him a quick peck on the forehead. “I’ll go get your gun.” She quickly ran toward the door.
“Hey, that’s unfair.” He picked up the remote. “Did you see the news today?”
“No, I was busy wasting my time making you a meal.” She laughed lightly as she walked toward the kitchen.
“There were reports of two women murdered in a small town out Denver way.”
“Is that so unusual?” she called from the kitchen. “There are always more crimes nearer the cities. What’s so special about these two?”
“It’s because of what was done to them,” he said slowly.
There was a long silence in the kitchen, no clattering of dishes, no movement at all. Mia was gripping the sink, her knuckles white. Peter went and stood behind her. Without looking at him, she said, “You mean the throats…. The blood….”
“The details haven’t been made public to avoid any panic, but the police have been making links since your mother’s death. There are cases before hers, and many cases since, all with the same MO, all unsolved.” He didn’t tell her that it was a very wide radius and that the circle seemed precisely centered on their town.
Prizing her hands off the sink edge, he drew her shaking body into his. He tried to silently lend her his strength and give her his promise of protection. They stood there a while, rocking slowly, and then he guided her back to the sofa where they sat with her cuddled into his lap.
“We’ve been put on high alert status. There’s a psychotic serial killer out there, and he’s getting bolder, killing more frequently. He may be in the Denver area right now, but he moves around a lot. Mia, I don’t want you going out alone.”
She nodded. “Okay, now I get the emotional outburst earlier.” It has to be a vampire. What if it’s him, the one that killed Mom? She started shaking again, and lowered herself down onto the floor. Everything was feeling like it was closing in on her.
“Mia, oh, God, I’m sorry. I didn’t want to scare you, but we have to be careful. You mustn’t ever leave yourself vulnerable, in a position where it could be you tortured and raped. He’s a long way away right now, but he’s moving around a lot, and…most of the deaths are within a hundred miles of here,” he finally admitted, hoping to drive home the importance of guarding her safety. He eased away from her. “I’ll get you a glass of water.”
As she watched Peter leave, she thought about what he had said. I need to tell him, but he won’t believe me. He’ll just think I’m crazy. I need to speak with Cain.
***
Mia was clawing at the hands that pinned her to the ground, his nails digging deeper into her flesh. She could feel his hot breath on her face; her nose wrinkled as the fetid air hit her. She opened her eyes, saw Vasile’s face only inches from hers. His open mouth showed two large fangs. Her eyes fixed on the blood that slowly dripped from them. He flicked his tongue over one of the fangs then threw his head back. As he slowly lowered his head, his jet black eyes reflected the moon. His gaze held hers for what seemed an eternity, and then he hissed before lunging at her throat. The fangs penetrated her skin and she turned her head to the side. A gurgled scream escaped her lips when she saw Cain lying next to her on the ground. Her eyes locked onto the blood and the large stake sticking out of his chest….
She woke up in a cold sweat, screaming, holding her throat. What she could remember of the nightmare stayed with her for the rest of the night. When she called Cain she could tell he was worried about the news of the bodies and the description of what had happened to them. Although he tried not to make it obvious, his reaction made her even more scared, more convinced it was the work of a vampire.
“Do you think it’s him? Vasile?”
It was better she knew the truth. “I do not know, but leaving the bodies to be found like that is either a warning to another vampire, or the vampire was disturbed before they could dispose of the bodies.”
She felt the chill, and her body tingled and shivered. “What kind of warning? A warning to us?”
“If it is Vasile, it could be his way of letting me know he is here, taunting me into a final showdown.” It was all he could think to say so as not to scare her even more. The truth was he believed Vasile was coming for her. He was sure of that now. Vasile had not been watching him in New York and he was more than likely after Mia at the farm. It was a mistake that Jess got in the way. “Are you alone in the house?”
“Yes. Peter’s at work.” Her voice quivered.
“Do n
ot leave. I will be there in one hour.”
***
Cain had never felt as nervous as he did now, standing outside the house. Eventually, he knocked on the door.
Mia opened the door, a smile of relief lighting her face; these were potentially dangerous times.
“I am glad you’re wearing the pendant.”
Mia could not help herself, she flung her arms around his neck. He returned her embrace.
“It would be silly of me to ask you if you would like anything.” She was giggling nervously. Her relief at his presence was fizzing like champagne through her veins, making her feel lightheaded.
But her mood soon changed when they discussed what Peter had told her.
Cain had done his own research on the findings. He had no doubts it was the work of a vampire. No human or animal would leave the bodies that way, only a vampire. But who was the vampire responsible? There was only one he could think of.
The day sped by, the two of them interacting like old times, comfortable in each other’s company. They continued talking until Peter returned home that evening.
Peter frowned at Cain, and then looked at Mia. His jaw clenched and he took a deep breath. He looked back at Cain and scowled. “Who’s this?”
Cain tried his best to hide a chuckle.
“This is Cain, he’s an old friend. A very old friend.” She glanced apologetically at Cain. “This is Peter and he’s usually more polite when we have guests.”
Cain stood up and held his hand out to Peter. Peter looked at it before reluctantly shaking it.
His eyes narrowed as he turned to Mia. “I’ve never heard you mention your old friend before.”
Mia snapped, “Stop being such an ass.”
Cain hid his smile. “I have to go, Mia. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
She walked him to the door. “I’m sorry about that.”
“There is no need to be.” Peter was trying his best to ignore them, so Cain raised his voice a little. “I’m staying in town, so if you need me, just call.”
Mia shut the door and stormed over to Peter. “What the hell was that?”
Peter shrugged his shoulders. “What?”