Fangs for Freaks (Book 2: Half-blood vampire series)

Chapter Seven

Uh, these were not the actions of a wicked vampire slave master. These were the actions of a mother who’d had her children taken from her. Uh-oh. What was the deal here? What had I done?

“Let’s all step inside, if you please,” I suggested, taking the despondent Cookie by the elbow and guiding her onto the porch.

I glanced at Thomas, whose expression was devoid of emotion, except for the clenched jaw and muscle ticking by his ear. We entered the house and I immediately went in search of Tina and Sage. I found Sage upstairs and told her Cookie was here to see her and she squealed with delight. She pushed past me to greet her and I had the sinking feeling this was going to turn out very badly… for me.

I saw Sophie and asked if she’d seen Tina. “Not since yesterday, mum.”

I made the rounds upstairs, knocking on doors and getting no response. I hurried downstairs to witness Sage and Cookie hugging each other and Sage telling her all about her adventures to date. Including the attack by vampires, which had Cookie checking her over from head to toe to make sure she was truly safe. The look she shot me was pure venom. How dare I put her little girl in danger, it seemed to say.

I smiled weakly and hurried to the library. I slipped inside the bookcase and called to Tina. Where was she?

I found Angie watching television and asked if she’d seen Tina.

“Nope, not since yesterday. She was on the computer after Lucy when I went to bed.”

I stepped into the sleeping dorm. I noted two beds were unmade, and assumed they were Lucy and Angie’s. I opened the door to the next partition and found one bed slightly askew, but the others were perfectly made up. Had Tina slept down here last night or had she gone upstairs?

I hurried out of the dorm and asked Angie, “Where did you sleep last night?”

“In the first bed. I didn’t make it yet. Is that okay?” She seemed concerned, especially after seeing the expression on my face.

“I can’t seem to find Tina,” I told her and she immediately jumped up to help me look.

“She probably slept upstairs and didn’t hear you call her,” Angie tried to reassure me but I was beginning to panic. Something wasn’t right, I could feel it.

We made our way to the main living room, where Cookie demanded to know where Tina was.

“Still looking, ma’am. I’m going back upstairs to check again.”

“What’s going on?” Lucy asked, cup of tea in hand as she wandered in from the kitchen.

“We’re looking for Tina, have you seen her?” Angie asked.

Lucy shook her head no.

I took the steps two at a time and this time I opened each room to look, I didn’t just call her name.

The first bedroom was filled with excess furniture that Ileana had moved from her room, but no Tina. The next room was empty. Ileana’s room was also empty, unless you counted Ileana and Sophie, both a little miffed that I just barged in. Neither had seen Tina.

Next to her was Lucy and Angie’s room; no luck there so I took a deep breath and pushed open Sage and Tina’s bedroom door. To my surprise it was empty as well. Where could she be?

I quickly searched the bathroom and showers, then my room. Where could she be?

“Did she go to feed or something?” I asked the girls. I turned to Thomas, who’d followed behind me. “Check with Security and see if she left with one of them.” Thomas immediately snapped open his cell phone and walked down the hall to check it out.