Outcry - Completed

Chapter 14

Rayne awoke the next morning to the bright rays of sun peeking through the curtains in her room, feeling well-rested. She yawned, stretched, and stared up at the ceiling, her mind immediately going to work.

She found it odd that her sleep patterns had evened out and were not as fretful as before. Since she'd been staying with Camden in his home, the nightmare had not bothered her once. She couldn't explain it. Could it be because she wasn't lying in her own bed where she felt the most threatened?

No, that's not it.

If that were true, then she wouldn't have had it that night at the hotel. Was it the secure feeling of being around Camden? She was near him at the hotel, but still, it had presented itself. Of course, she hadn't really known him them. She hadn't known that he was a vampire and what he was capable of.

Maybe so.

Throwing the covers off, she swung her legs over the edge of the bed and stretched yet again. She didn't bother to look at the clock. They had no new leads as far as she knew and nowhere to go at this point, so there was no need worrying about the time.

Rayne went through the motions of showering and making herself presentable for the day. She dressed in a pair of jeans and a Washington State University T-shirt, with a little makeup and her long auburn hair pulled into a high, straight ponytail.

She ventured from her room and down to the kitchen where she grabbed a banana and stood at the counter wondering what the day would hold for her. She knew she had a lot of thinking to do after everything she'd learned last night.

Vampires and zombies. Who knew?

Finishing her fruit, she tossed the peel and pulled out her phone. She typed a quick message.

"You up?"

A few seconds passed before her phone sounded with a reply from Camden.

"Vampire, remember? No sleep required. Come on up."

She put her phone into her pocket and climbed to the second floor, followed the hall around to his dark corridor, and laughed as he opened the door before she could knock.

"You know, I can't decide if it's creepy or not that you can watch me on camera," she said jokingly.

He laughed and closed the door behind her. "It's not creepy. As adorable as you may be, it's for security purposes only. I assure" He said almost mockingly.

Rayne rolled her eyes and fought against the blush that attempted to grace her cheeks. "Sure it is."

She looked around the room that she had seen for the first time yesterday, and her eyes landed on the bed. She inhaled sharply and quickly turned away to stomp down the embarrassment that flooded her system.

Camden crossed the room back to his computer and sat in the chair.

"Why don't you have shutters installed to keep the sun out during the day? It would beat staying cooped up in here."

A small smile played at the corner of his mouth. "I already have them."

She shook her head and furrowed her eyebrows. "Then why don't you use them?"

He shrugged. "I figured it would be more comfortable and easier for you to adapt to everything happening around you, if you could see outside."

She shook her head. Was he being serious? He was giving up his freedom during the day so she could feel more comfortable?

"That's ridiculous. Close the shutters and come out of this dungeon."

Camden laughed. "It's ok Rayne, I've already banned you from going outside. The least I can do is let you look at it."