9. Liam
Chapter 9
Liam
I t has been a busy three days at the restaurant, but even as I labor over the perfect croutons, my mind is preoccupied with something else.
Or rather, someone else.
Andrea has been sending me reports that more blood has gone missing. It’s always a different hospital, though. Selene is pretty sneaky, I will give her that.
And despite surveilling the streets most nights, we have not crossed paths since the night of my meeting with Mom.
I haven’t seen the vampire she was talking to that night either. For all I know, they are the only two vampires in town.
Which I could sweep under the rug, but the missing blood is raising suspicion among the local doctors, and I have to stop it before something irreparable happens.
It seems that Selene really is trying not to hurt humans. If she’s been feeding on blood bags, at least no humans are getting hurt in the process.
I don't know how the world would react if they found out that supernatural beings were real and living among them.
I am stirring the sauce for the pasta when Marco comes back, grinning like he just won the lottery. “Hey, boss man ,” he says, excitement bubbling in his voice. “Got a special request out there for you, man.”
I glance at him, wiping my hands on my apron. “Oh yeah? Who’s asking for me?”
Marco’s grin widens. “You’ll see when you get out there. They’re sitting by the door.”
Hmm? Who could it be? Maybe it’s my sister or a regular who wants to compliment the chef. I tell Marco to keep an eye on the pasta and head out to the dining area.
As soon as I step into the restaurant, I’m hit with the buzz of conversation and the clinking of glasses. It’s packed tonight. My eyes scan the room until they land on a familiar face.
Alyssa, my aunt and my mom’s best friend, is sitting by the door with her hair pulled back and those stylish glasses perched on her nose. Her skin is toned, and her arms are covered by the long-sleeved black dress she’s wearing tonight.
I have known Aunt Alyssa for as long as I can remember.
She used to babysit me when Mariya was out of town.
I was also the ring bearer at her wedding.
She has also been the town’s Sheriff for the last two years and the only human who knows the truth about me and my family.
Beside her is Lennox, her Parisian wife, looking elegant as ever. She has bright red lipstick and a long flowing red dress. She always looks so out of place in our town, but I have never seen my aunt happier with anyone. She adores her wife.
I grin as I make my way over to them. “Well, well, well, look who decided to grace us with their presence,” I say, trying to sound casual despite my joy at seeing them. “I thought you were in Morocco checking out the art.”
Alyssa gives me a tight smile, and I can see the concern lurking behind her eyes. “Hey, Liam,” she says, her voice low. “Mind if we chat for a bit?”
My heart sinks a little at the seriousness in her tone. “Of course,” I say, trying to keep my own worry at bay. “What’s going on?”
“ Je suppose que ?a peut attendre jusqu’après le diner ,” Lennox says flashing me a huge smile. “I know she has been dying to get back to work, but at least let me eat first.”
Alyssa shakes her head as she stares at her wife. “ Oui, oui. You’re right. How about you come by the station tomorrow morning?”
I nod, not wanting to press her further. “Sure thing. Now, what can I get you two for dinner?”
Lennox speaks up then, her accent rolling off her tongue like music. “I sure have missed your cooking, kid. We’ll have the seafood linguine, please. And a bottle of your finest white wine.”
Alyssa nods in agreement. “That sounds perfect, Liam.”
“Coming right up. On the house, obviously.”
“Liam,” Alyssa begins to protest.
“You know Mom would skin me alive if she learned that I made you pay for dinner. Call it a welcome home present. I’ve really missed you guys.”
“We were only gone two months, you wuss,” she says.
“Be nicer to him,” Lennox replies, “And Liam, you better hurry and get back there. I am hungry and won’t defend you for long.”
I give them a quick smile before heading back to the kitchen to whip up their order.
But as I sauté the shrimp and toss the pasta, my mind keeps circling back to Alyssa’s unexpected return and the worry etched on her face.
I have a feeling that her coming back this early from her trip has something to do with the recent string of blood disappearances.
And if that’s the case, things are about to get a whole lot messier than marinara sauce.
Damn it, Selene! What did you do?
I wake up early the next morning, feeling a knot of anxiety in my stomach as I make my way to the sheriff’s office. Alyssa’s serious expression from last night worries me. I can’t shake the feeling that something big is about to go down.
When I arrive, Alyssa is already there, sitting behind her desk with a pile of paperwork in front of her. She looks up as I enter, her expression grim.
“Hey, Liam,” she says, motioning for me to take a seat. “Thanks for coming in.”
I nod, and sit down. “What’s going on, Alyssa? You seemed pretty concerned last night.”
She sighs, leaning back in her chair. “Yeah, well, there have been some troubling developments. Two people were found dead yesterday. They were drained of blood.”
My eyes widen in shock. “Dead? But how? I’ve been patrolling every night. I’m supposed to be the Protector. How did this happen?”
Alyssa’s gaze is sympathetic. She is handling this a lot better than I am. The last time she had a brush with vampires, despite it being decades ago, she nearly lost her life. Although, thanks to Mariya’s memory spell, she doesn’t remember it.
Right now, she seems almost detached from the severity of the news she is delivering. “I know, Liam. That’s why this is so concerning. We need to find who’s doing this before things escalate any further.”
I run a hand through my hair, trying to wrap my head around the situation. “Who were the victims?”
Alyssa hesitates for a moment before answering. “One was a bartender ‘Holt Jackson’ at the local bar, and the other was a traveler passing through town.”
I know Holt. He usually serves me most nights I am at the bar. I can’t believe that he is dead.
”I think we’re dealing with a pair of vampires,” I say, my voice grim. “They’ve been lurking in the shadows. They must be preying on innocent people.”
Alyssa’s brow furrows in concern. “Do you have any leads? Any suspects we should be looking into?”
I hesitate for a moment, debating how much to tell her. “I’m still investigating,” I lie. “But I’ll talk to my mom about it. She’s on the council, and she’ll know what to do.”
Alyssa nods, but I can tell she’s not entirely convinced. “Alright, Liam. Just make sure you keep me in the loop. This is official police business, after all.”
“Of course.” I say, suppressing the stab of guilt I feel.
As I leave the sheriff’s office, my mind is spinning with questions. How did this happen? And more importantly, how do we stop it from happening again?
As I step into the kitchen at Mom and Dad’s, Mom asks worriedly, “Liam, what’s going on? Alyssa told me there were two people murdered, but she didn’t give me any details.”
I take a deep breath. “It’s bad, Mom. Really bad. Now, in addition to the blood bag robberies, it looks like they’re attacking people.”
Mom’s eyes widen in shock. “Oh no! But how? I thought we had the situation under control.”
“Apparently not. I feel like I’m failing as Protector.”
“I don’t want you to think like that, Liam. You’re only one man. You can’t be everywhere all the time.”
“I know, but still…”
“We’ll figure this out together, Liam. I’ll call an emergency meeting of the council so we can plan our next move.”