Vampire Babysitter (Camren)

Chapter 14

I combed the yard, dutifully searching for anything that seemed out of the norm. There was not a blade of grass out of place, just as had been the case the last several times I had checked. I circled around the house, sniffing the air and scouring the landscape for any sign that would get me a step closer to Camila.

The intermingling scents of concrete, dirt and evening rain mingled. There was no trace of the culprit. It was equal parts frustrating and mind-boggling. How had someone been able to get inside the house without leaving a trace? They had to leave their scent somewhere. I was a goddamn vampire. If my superior senses couldn't catch the faintest whiff of the assailant, what hope was there?

I stopped cold as the answer hit me like a ton of figurative bricks. My quicksilver mind snapped together pieces of information like a puzzle, reasoning out a new theory. I didn't know why it hadn't already occurred to me.

Demi frowned when I burst into the room wheres she was watching over Selena. She stood, her features brushed with concern.

"Is something wrong?"

"I know who took them," I declared, confident in my logic.

Demi glanced at me anxiously. "Did you find something?"

I shook my head.

Confusion settled over his expression. "Then how...?"

"Because there's nothing. That's it. When we first found Selena, what did you smell?"

"Blood." Demi grimaced at the memory.

"And?" I pressed.

Demi wondered where this line of questioning was headed, but scoured her memories nonetheless. She came up blank.

"Was there anything else notable?"

"No, there was nothing. Not a single distinctive scent."

Demi's gold gaze was growing concerned. "Laur, what are you trying to say? You're not making any sense."

"Think about it, Demi. If anyone was here we should have known it immediately. We would have smelled them. Human or vampire, everyone has a distinctive scent. Everyone except one person."

Demi's voice was soft as the answer dawned. "Afton."

I nodded, eager for her to reach the same conclusion I had.

"You think the Volturi are behind this? That's a strong accusation."

"It's the only thing that makes sense," I reasoned, certain my hypothesis was correct. "It's common knowledge that's how they disappear. They use Afton's gift for altering scent and it's like they were never there. They didn't want us to know they were here."