My day starts with a plan. First, I'm going to talk to Gabe. Either he hasn't been at home for two days, or he's avoiding me. That won't work with me. I need answers, and I know how to get them. This morning I'm driving to the ASU campus to track him down. I'll sit in on a lecture if I have to, but we are going to have that conversation.
***
Once on campus, I'm pointed toward The Center for Archaeology and Society building. The Roman columns at the entrance of the massive stone building bring to mind a Greek or Roman tabernacle, while the many windows make me think of an old southern mansion. I briefly skim the directory to find the department I'm looking for. Various sub-departments and professors are listed, and I know I'm heading in the right direction when I find Dr. Gabriel Devereux's name on the list.
Class must be in session because the campus is usually much livelier. Taking the stairs to the third floor and following the signs, I find a young woman behind a counter working on a computer. She looks up and smiles when I walk into the office.
"Can I help you?" she asks.
"I hope so. I'm looking for Gabe Devereux. Can you tell me where to find him?"
"Oh, Professor Devereux isn't in at the moment. May I give him a message for you?" She looks at me expectantly.
"No, that's all right. When do you expect him back? Maybe I could wait?" I ask.
It might be interesting to see how he handles a class or to snoop in his office.
"I'm sorry. Professor Devereux is away on a family matter, and we don't know when he will return. Would you like to speak with one of his graduate students?" she offers, trying to be helpful.
Interesting.
"When did he leave?" I ask.
"I believe he left Saturday evening." She answers instinctually, but I can see by the change in her body language that she's reconsidering giving out so much personal information.
I thank her and leave. Strange. He didn't mention anything to me about leaving. I call his cell number again. I'm starting to feel like a stalker. Again, I get his voice mail. This time I leave him a message.
"Hello, Gabe. It's Sam. I've been trying to reach you for the last couple of days. I hope everything is okay with you. Can you give me a call when you get this?" I ask, then hang up. I'm not even across the campus when my phone buzzes. I dig it out, and look at the number, it's Gabe.
"Hello, Gabe?"
"Samantha! Are you all right? What's wrong?" he asks, sounding concerned.
"I'm fine. Is everything right with you? Where did you go? I stopped by a couple times, but you've been MIA since our date." I don't tell him that I'm at the university hunting him down. No reason to make him think I really am a stalker or worse—clingy.
"I'm sorry. I...I was called away for personal reasons. I'm in London at the moment, family business. When I saw that you left a message, and that I missed a couple calls from you, I was concerned. I don't always have a signal where I'm at. And you don't keep the best company, after all," he says.
"London? Your family is in London? Is everything okay? You left so suddenly." And I have a million questions for you...
"Yes, I have family all over, but my father and uncles live in England. Everything is fine. My family can be...rather demanding. I'll explain more when I return. Unfortunately, I don't know yet when that will be. Could be a few days or a few weeks," he says.
I don't have weeks.
"Oh, I was hoping to talk to you about the other night. Can you call me when you get back?" I ask, sounding disappointed.
"Yes, that's a better conversation to have in person. I'll call when I'm back. And Sam, be careful. I don't think you understand what you're playing with. You do know that a vampire is behind the murders that have been happening in Phoenix, don't you?"
"Don't worry, Gabe. I'm not playing with anything. I kind of fell into it. And yes, I'm aware of the connection to the murders. By the way, do you know what I can use to defend myself from a vampire?"
Not all of my questions can wait until I see him again. I could be dead before he returns. Zac has me in his sights, and I can't keep waiting for him to strike first.
No need to concern Gabe. He seems to have his hands full at the moment. It's nice to have family, even if they are demanding.
"Yes, but there is a lot to discuss. In the meantime, I left a package for you with Henry. There are some items in that package that can help. Good-bye, Sam."
My nickname sounds endearing when he says it. He has always called me Samantha, even though I told him he could call me Sam months ago.
"Thanks, Gabe. Good-bye." I put my phone away. He left me something. He knew I might need help, and he did something about it. I'm impressed. I was right, Gabe does know things. I hope he returns quickly so we can play twenty questions.
***
I stop by Henry's desk on the way up to my condo, and sure enough he hands me a package. I wait for the privacy of my kitchen before I pour the contents onto the kitchen table. There are two vials of red liquid and a folded note, along with an ancient-looking pendant necklace.
It almost looks like a trendy piece of costume jewelry, but a closer observation tells me it could be a priceless antique. Its intricate design looks Celtic, and the ruby stone in the center is tear-shaped, making me think of a drop of blood. A quick look with a magnifying glass, and I can tell that the chain is more modern than the pendant itself. As for the vials, they actually could be blood for all I know.
My hands are shaking when I open the note to read the message from Gabe.
S,
Wear the necklace at all times, even while sleeping. V can't harm the person wearing the pendant. Remember that it has no protection against others or humans.
Vials contain something that V can't tolerate. As a LAST resort, drink one of the vials. V won't drink from you while this is in your system. Its ability to repel will only last a couple of days, but other side effects may remain for months. Use this only if your life depends on it. Hopefully, the necklace is enough protection until I return.
G
Okay, that's awfully cryptic. Gabe doesn't simply know something about vampires, he might be an expert. He at least knows more than me.
And what the hell does he mean by "others?" Wait—I'm not positive I want to know. I'm barely able to digest the whole vampires are real crap. It still seems like a bad dream that I need to wake from.
Even though I'm excited to speak to Gabe about what he knows, I'm also curious about him. Who is Gabriel Devereux, really? I had made assumptions based on his esteemed position with the university that he is one of the normal people. Now I'm beginning to wonder.
Boy, do I know how to pick 'em. Where does a girl go to meet a nice average guy these days? Not that Gabe isn't ordinary. But how ordinary can he be if he keeps stuff like this around for fun? And there was that kiss—nothing ordinary about that. Hopefully, I can try that again when I'm sober, and see if it was as toe-curling as I remember.
So, I'm supposed to wear this pendant all the time. At least the chain is long enough...I won't have to wear it outside of my clothes if I don't want to.
While it's kind of beautiful, it certainly doesn't go with everything, especially gym clothes.
Is Adam aware that Gabe knows what he is? For that matter, do they know each other? That certainly didn't seem to be the case. Although they both were rather casual with one another, under the circumstances.
It's my hope that Adam returns tonight. I may stay on the balcony until he shows up. Maybe if I hold up a sign that reads "SORRY," he'll come back.
***
I make myself a salad for dinner and I'm still sipping sports drinks, trying to rehydrate from the damage I did to my body Saturday evening.
After a long shower I get ready for bed. I'm wearing a robe in case Adam shows up. I watch a little news. So far there haven't been any more murders that they know about. That's good. Maybe Zac the psycho vampire moved on to terrorize another large city.
I'm wearing the pendant Gabe left for me. I feel a little silly, but I put one of the vials in my purse and the other in a box on my nightstand. I can't help but wonder what's in them. Those longer-lasting side effects Gabe mentioned have me concerned, but truthfully I can't imagine myself drinking the contents of the mysterious vial. It's curious that he failed to mention what they were.
I turn off the TV and walk into my room to grab my novel. I'm attempting to stay up and wait for Adam to return. If he doesn't come soon I may resort to holding up that sign after all. After grabbing my book, I walk back to the living room and jump six inches in the air, letting out a short scream as I do.
Adam is standing in the doorway of the patio. His hands are casually shoved into his jeans pockets—expression unreadable. I think unreadable, but he only does angry or brooding.
And why can't he use the front door? I'm relieved to see him, but he still manages to rub me wrong for some reason and yet he completely slays me on those rare moments that he almost smiles...
So...angry and brooding are good. I can handle those looks because they make me mad. I know what to do with mad and angry. It's the other feelings that confuse me.
"Hi," I say, looking guilty and embarrassed. I pull my robe tighter as I stand there waiting for him to reply.
"Samantha. You are sober tonight," he states, watching me. I'm pretty sure it's only a statement. I don't think he's trying to start something, but then again...
"Yeah, about that. I'm sorry for what I said. You...obviously have a conscience, and you called it that night. I was...wrong. I don't normally drink like that. It's not an excuse, but I let the situation with Zac get under my skin and cloud my judgment." I steal little glances his way. I can't look at him directly.
He stands there a while longer watching me as though he's weighing the truth in my words. I hope he knows I'm sincere.
"Apology accepted. Shall we get back to business, or are you planning to invite me into your bed to...kiss and make up?" he asks in his usual over-confidant, self-absorbed manner.
Okay, I believe we're back to normal.