18. Wolfram
Chapter 18
Wolfram
I made love to her again and it was even more wonderful than the first time. I’d fallen for this woman and there would never be another who could fill that emptiness within my soul.
Finally, we fell asleep in each other’s arms, and I held her as she spooned against my chest, my chin resting on the top of her head.
I woke sometime before morning to a light sound I couldn’t define. Sliding from the bed, I left Reese’s room and paused in the hall.
The soft creak of the old Victorian house whispered secrets to me I couldn’t quite understand. My vampiric senses remained on high alert because every shadow could be a threat. Minutes stretched on as I listened for the sound that had pulled me from Reese's warm embrace. Had it been a figment of my imagination? A settling of the old timbers that made up this grand home?
Deciding it was nothing, I turned back toward the bedroom, my heart aching to slide into the warm space beside Reese. But a faint rustle, like the softest whisper of fabric against skin, drifted up from the first floor.
My instincts screamed, and my heart released a heavy thud of warning. There was an intruder in the house.
I had to move carefully. Mistifying within the confines of the home could be risky. I needed to remain solid, to rely on the stealth and speed that had kept me alive for centuries.
With preternatural quietness, I descended the staircase, my bare feet making no sound on the carpeted steps. Silvery moonlight filtered through the windows, illuminating the path to the ground floor.
The kitchen was my first destination. The scent of Reese's herbs and spices was strong here, but beneath that, I detected the faintest trace of something else—an unfamiliar cologne, perhaps, or the tang of fear-laced sweat. I scanned the room, my eyes catching the subtle glint of the full knife block on the counter. Everything appeared undisturbed.
Next, I moved to the dining room, the heavy mahogany table a silent sentinel, the chairs neatly pushed in. The chandelier above created shadows on the wooden floor, but there was no movement, no sign of an intruder here.
The living room was much the same, the plush sofas and overstuffed armchairs frozen in time, waiting for the dawn. The fireplace remained cold and empty; its hearth clean other than the torn scraps of Wilber’s brochure.
I crept down the hallway, past framed photos and artwork, my senses tuned to the slightest anomaly. The air hung thickly, swallowing all sound. I paused outside Reese's office, finding the door slightly ajar. The room beyond remained shrouded in darkness, the only sound the soft ticking of a clock on the living room mantel.
With a deep breath, I nudged the door open, scanning the room for signs someone had been here. The moonlight here was weaker, the blinds drawn tight, but my night vision was more than sufficient to make out the contours of the room.
Reese's desk appeared as she'd left it, her laptop closed, stacks of papers neatly arranged on either side. Bookshelves lined the wall beyond, filled with volumes that spoke of her love for the written word. Nothing appeared out of place.
Yet the sense of an intruder's presence lingered, a phantom whisper gliding across my skin. My heart galloped in my chest, not for my own safety, but for Reese's. Whoever dared to invade her sanctuary would face me, and I would show them no mercy.
I moved through the room, my senses straining for any hint of the unwelcome guest. I was a predator in the night, silent and deadly. My fangs ached to descend, my hands to form claws that would rend flesh and bone.
But there didn't seem to be anyone here. The office was empty, the house quiet once more. Had the intruder fled, or did they hide in the shadows, watching, waiting?
As I turned to leave the office, a whisper of movement caught my eye. A shadowy figure emerged from the long, dark draperies, their form cloaked in darkness, the details of their face obscured by a hood. I couldn’t tell if they were male or female, human or paranormal.
I bolted toward them, my vampiric speed fueled by a surge of fury. But as I closed the distance, my foot struck something lying on the floor. I stumbled, barely catching myself. I barely glanced at the shadowy object that had nearly felled me, an unrecognizable thing in the dim light.
It felt wrong, out of place.
I did not stop. The intruder had rushed from the room, and I would not allow them to escape. I gave chase, my every instinct screaming at me to catch them, to protect Reese from whatever threat they posed.
When I burst into the foyer, it echoed with silence. The figure was gone, vanished as if they’d never been here. The quiet mocked me, a reminder of my failure to apprehend them. I paused, my senses straining for any hint of their presence. The house remained still, the only sound was the clock and slam of my pulse in my ears.
I tested the front door. Locked, just as we had left it.
A yelp pierced the night, the sound coming from the seaward side of the house. My heart lurched up into my throat, and I sprinted down the hallway, my bare feet slapping the hardwood floors. I flung myself into the kitchen, my reflexes bringing everything into sharp focus.
The back door stood wide open, and briny wind rushed in, making the curtains above the sink billow. Why hadn’t they triggered my tripwires? I’d look at the cameras later and maybe I’d find an answer.
I ran to the door, my mind racing. When I stepped out onto the small deck, the cool night air lifted goosebumps on my skin. The woods bordering the building on either side loomed, their dense foliage full of shadows, the leaves chittering in the wind.
I scanned the area, my night vision thrusting through the darkness. Then I saw them, descending the stairs cut into the cliff face, their movements frantic. They reached the bottom and glanced up, though the moonlight didn’t reveal anything about their hooded identity. Whirling, they raced down the path to the sea.
I mistified, reappearing on the beach.
But though I scanned the area, my senses seeking in all directions, I found no one.