“Unless…,” her voice trailed off. “Don’t even think that Sage,” Samuel said sharply, reading her dark thoughts. “We won’t let that happen. I won’t let that happen.” She looked at Samuel, amused and smiling at his feistiness. “I’m glad that you’re back,” she said, giving him a hug. He held her close, inhaling her scent and resting his hand on her thigh. “You smell like jasmine,” he purred. “You smell like spices…,” she grinned, leaning into his chest, “myrrh.”
“This isn’t the first time I’ve smelled it,” he said. “Even when you’re not in the same room, the scent lingers.”
Their eyes still closed tight, they continued to enjoy each other’s scent. Feeling flushed, she took a breath and, opening her eyes, gazed at his devastating beauty. He was staring at her with intensity, his eyes beaming with an amber glow, taking slow breaths to ease his growing desire. “I’d better go,” she said, feeling vulnerable against his intense stare. “We have much to prepare for.” He nodded, still taking deep breaths, letting her go. She looked back once more before walking out the door. “It’s time I confront, Cristian,” she thought, wiping her brow.
Randi pulled her car to the curb as Rafael jumped inside with a plastic bag in his hand. “Thanks,” he said. She nodded her head silently. “So did you get your supplies?” she asked.
“Yes,” he replied. Rafael noticed that they weren’t driving the same route as before. “Where are we going?” he asked. “I’m taking a different way home,” she said. She pulled to the side of the road opposite a police station, taking the key out of the ignition. “What’s going on?” he asked. “That’s what I’d like to know,” she said staring at him. “I want the truth. Did you have anything to do with the disappearance of Mr. West’s manager?” “No,” he said, perplexed.
“Then why are the police looking for you as a person of interest?” she asked. “What!” he exclaimed. “The police have been searching for you,” she continued. “Seems you had been hanging around the gallery and you spoke to this Robert guy. That’s not all,” she said. “His body was found today. He’s dead.” Rafael swallowed hard.
“So I’m going to ask you again: Did you have anything to do with his disappearance?” she asked. “I didn’t,” he said. “I had nothing to do with his disappearance. A vampire was behind it,” he said. “How do you know?” she asked. “Because I found his body!” he yelled. “I was at the cemetery waiting for the vampire queen to show up, but this thing showed up,” he said. “It wasn’t human. I found Robert’s body and I got out of there. His body was found?” he asked again, surprised.
“Yes,” Randi said. “It wasn’t made official yet.” “Then I’ll need to get out of town after I kill the vampire queen,” he said. “You can go to the police station and clear this up,” she said. “No!” he yelled. “I used Robert’s credit card to pay for the supplies,” he said. “It makes me look like I’m guilty even though I’m not.” He looked at her fearfully. “Can you help me? Please.”
Jillian hung up the phone after talking to the director of the art gallery. “Friday, the gallery will be hosting a masquerade ball in honor of the portrait’s return at the grand hotel,” she said to Christopher who was staring at framed pictures of Cristian when he was a little boy. In one photo, he was dressed in a baseball uniform; in another he was dressed as a superhero for Halloween; in the last photo, he was dressed as a boy scout.
“This might be our only chance to try to save our son. This doctor that this guy Rafael told you about,” he said. “We need more information about him and if he’ll be able to help.” “I have an idea,” Jillian said, wringing her hands.
“This might kill quite a few birds with one stone.” She picked up the phone and dialed a number. “Rafael, this is Jillian. I have an idea that I think might help us both.”
Anna looked around in the grand living room for Sage. “Where’s Sage?” she asked. “She probably left to talk to Cristian,” Billy said. “That’s where she went,” Samuel said with an uncharacteristic huskiness to his voice. Billy stared at him, curious. “They need to fix whatever happened between them,” Samuel said, staring at Billy from the corner of his eye. Anna shrugged her shoulders. “Love sometimes isn’t always enough nor does it conquer all,” she said. “You’re such a skeptic,” Samuel said. “Not so,” Anna replied. “I just don’t look at the world through rose-colored glasses, that’s all,” she said. “I see things for what they are. Anyway,” she sighed, “we need to get costumes for this masquerade ball. Who’s coming with me?”
“Lisa is with Cody and I saw John sleeping at his desk,” Daniel said. “Then you’ll do,” she said, staring at the three men. They looked at each other worriedly. “I think I have some great costumes in mind for you,” she said biting her lip. “Somehow I don’t think I’m going to like it,” Samuel frowned.
Cristian sat in silence on the couch waiting for Sage’s arrival. “She’s not coming,” he thought glumly, getting up from the seat, when he heard her calling him. “Cristian,” she said standing behind him, her voice resonating against the wall. He got up, staring at her approaching cautiously. “So what happened with your parents?” she asked, keeping a distance between them.
“My parents still think you’re evil and they will never accept our relationship,” he said. She shrugged. “I’m not surprised after how your mother reacted toward me, and I don’t blame her.” “When she looks at me she sees someone who destroyed her son’s life.” “You saved my life,” he protested. “I turned you into the undead, Cristian,” she said. “I took your life. That’s what she sees.” She looked into the brown pools of his eyes so deeply she felt as though she could swim in them. “I never wanted to cause problems between you or your parents. That was never my intention.”
“I know that,” he said quietly. “I wanted to become a vampire, remember?” “Yes,” she sighed with resignation for that fateful decision. “Sage, don’t regret your decision,” he whispered, sensing her thoughts. “Cristian, I warned you of what being a vampire entails. It’s not fun and games. You give up the life you knew.”
“Anna was frosty toward me,” he said, shifting his feet awkwardly. “She blames me for bringing attention to you.” “I told her that when you painted the portrait, you didn’t know I existed,” she said pointedly, “and you still wouldn’t know if I hadn’t come to the gallery that night.” “Don’t say that,” he said.
“It’s true, Cristian.” “If I hadn’t come to the gallery that night, we would’ve never met.” “That night changed my life,” he said. “And who’s to say that our paths wouldn’t have crossed? What if you were somewhere overseas, and you saw an article about the portrait that would’ve brought you to New York—our paths still would’ve crossed.” He walked slowly toward her. “You can’t fight fate, Sage,” he said. “We belong together.” She glared at him, remembering the image she saw in her mind. “You weren’t thinking about me while you were being serviced at the nightclub,” she snarled.
He could feel her eyes staring into him like daggers. “Sage, it was a….”
“A mistake, right!” she shouted sarcastically, interrupting him. “I don’t want to hear it, Cristian. Who was she?” “She was someone I used to date in the past,” he said ashamedly.
“Seems she still knew where to find you,” she said. “Don’t let this incident tear us apart,” he said. She began to laugh. “Incident,” she said, incredulous. “That was more than just an incident.”
“Look we both had lovers in the past before we found each other,” he stammered. “You even told me that you only slept with vampires before me.”
“That isn’t the same, Cristian!” she yelled. “I didn’t have relations with another vampire since I’ve been with you. But you…,” she stopped.
“You let another woman…,” she gestured, staring downwards toward his pelvis. “I have to go,” she said, disgusted. “Sage, please let’s talk this out,” he said. “I can’t look at you right now, Cristian,” she said, vanishing.
Police tape depicting a crime scene surrounded the area in the cemetery where the decomposing body of Cristian’s manager was found. A lone figure stood over the open grave peering down. “On Friday, there will be a masquerade ball held in honor of the queen’s portrait,” the figure said. “There’s no way I’m going to miss out on all the action,” he said, lifting a clawed finger to his face. “All the torment and pain I went through wasn’t for naught,” he said.
“Robert paid the price, and Rafael only got a taste of what’s to come. He will see what pain feels like.” The figure turned out to be Pedro in the flesh staring into the grave. “Now that I’m finally back in my physical form, I will make myself known to the queen and to the others.”
“Especially that artist,” he frowned, his eyes enflamed. “He has to pay for staking me, and I look forward to returning the favor.”