In Love With A Vampire Page 5

  Rellie had to admit that Kalista was a good storyteller. Her last sentence intrigued her, and she pricked her ears as if listening to some juicy gossip.

  Maybe Rellie should let Kalista finish her story, since she was being so stubborn. After all, even though Kalista’s accounts seemed ludicrous and far-fetched, they were interesting to listen to, like something from a science fiction, or thriller.

  “OK, go on,” Rellie prodded, pushing the pile of papers aside and resting her arms on her desk, glancing attentively at Kalista. Rellie kept a straight face, trying not to appear too interested in Kalista’s story.

  Kalista’s lips curved with a wide smile, and she continued. “I don’t know who he was or where he came from, but I do know his name … Lipton. He’s this completely good-looking man with wings, and he had really charming features, with nice eyes, perfect teeth … you name it … he has it all. He looks just like a Greek God.”

  Rellie couldn’t help but smile inwardly. Kalista’s story sounded so enticing, and Rellie found herself drawn to it for some strange reason she couldn’t understand. Rellie refused to believe Kalista’s story, but somewhere deep in her heart, she couldn’t help but feel that there was some truth to it. Maybe Kalista was just a damn good storyteller.

  All of a sudden, Kalista’s face became dark and gloomy, as though an awful thought had just struck her.

  “What is it?” Rellie asked, feeling a slight concern for Kalista’s sudden change of emotions.

  “Lipton …” She trailed off, her eyes becoming watery. And then, she sighed. “Lipton was not real at all. He was just a disguise. I’ve thought that he was a real person. He felt so real, pure and genuine that it is still unbelievable to think that he was just a facade, a decoy … to deceive me.”

  “What do you mean?” Rellie admitted that Kalista’s sudden shift of story was keeping her on the edge of her seat.

  Kalista shook her head, as if she were still confused. “Lipton was actually the vampire in disguise. I thought Lipton was my savior. I thought he was going to rescue me from Catan. I thought I could trust him. Oh, God. Lipton’s eyes … when I gazed into them … they were so pure, unadulterated purity. I trusted him. He felt so real to me that I thought we were connected in some ways. But I was a complete fool. It turned out that he was just a disguise to distract me, to lure me deeper into Catan’s trap. Lipton transformed from this good-looking warrior into the hideous form of this wicked vampire, Catan.”

  Kalista paused, her shoulders shuddering, as though she would break into sobs any minute now.

  Rellie digested everything Kalista had said. It seemed to her that this Lipton person, or imaginary person, had deeply affected Kalista inexplicably. From Rellie’s perspective, it felt as though Kalista probably had feelings for this … Wingman, this almost God-perfect Lipton.

  Kalista finally let loose her dam of tears, and Rellie had to draw out a few tissues for her to wipe her tears.

  “Catan is a good master of disguise … I’ll give him that,” Kalista said in between sobs. “You know what the funny thing is? I felt as though Lipton and I could be … you know … more than friends. I just felt that pure connection. He didn’t seem evil to me at all. He was just so … perfect.”

  “But you only met him momentarily, right?” Rellie guessed. “It couldn’t be that long of an encounter, right?”

  Kalista was finally able to calm down a little, and said, “But it felt like eons to me. It felt as though I had known him for a long time, on a deeper level. I know this all sounds silly … but I just can’t explain it.”

  Rellie felt a little awkward, not knowing quite what to do with a distraught Kalista. She was a vampire reporter, not your average Aunt Martha who dished out advices for those with angst issues.

  “But all along, he was Catan in disguise,” Kalista groveled, tossing the damp, used tissues into the wastebasket. “Why is Catan so good in everything? Why is he so powerful? He’s such a good actor … he had me fooled. Life isn’t fair. And you know what the funny thing is? Catan, the most evil vampire in the world, spared my life because he was in love with me.”

  Rellie’s eyes widened in surprise. “He’s capable of love? This wretched evil vampire is capable of love? And he loves you?”

  “I don’t know if he really loves me, for his heart is as black as coals. But I do know that on some extent, he has some feelings for me. That was why he couldn’t bear to kill me. He wanted me to be his slave lover … but I adamantly refused. I’d rather die than be his lover. I mean, how could I ever love this cold-blooded vampire? He has killed countless numbers of innocents because of his bloodlust …”

  Suddenly, all the colors on Rellie’s face drained away. She blanched, Kalista’s last sentence sending chills across her spine. Images of those dead bodies found scattered all over Wartwick flashed across her mind. He has killed countless numbers of innocents because of his bloodlust rang across her mind with an alarming pitch.

  Could the deaths of all those victims be connected with this vampire Kalista had mentioned? It all just seemed plausible. Maybe this was the vampire who was responsible for the deaths of all those innocents. He sounded like the prime suspect in Rellie’s book. This vampire … who called himself Catan, according to Kalista.

  The name Catan now piqued Rellie’s interest more than ever. Somewhere deep in her heart, she felt that Catan had a connection to all the killings. But she didn’t know much about him, and she had to dig more information about this vampire if she was to get to the bottom of this mysterious vampire-related killings which happened over the span of a few months in Wartwick.

  “Wait,” Rellie said, gesturing her hand for Kalista to stop talking. “This Catan vampire … how much do you know about him?”

  Kalista gazed at Rellie with a look of curiosity. “Hmm … why do you seemed so curious about Catan all of a sudden? I can see it in your face. A minute ago, you didn’t look so keen at all. And now, I can see question marks all over your head.”

  Rellie didn’t know if Kalista was aware about recent spate of killings that had been going on in town. And somehow, Rellie had a hunch that Catan was the mysterious killer behind all those savage attacks. There was a vampire hunt for the killer, but until now, the police couldn’t identify the vampire killer. If Rellie could learn more about Catan, maybe she would unearth more clues to the killing, and possibly bring the killer to justice.

  “Have you heard about the deaths happening in Wartwick?” Rellie asked, pulling out her notepad. She was going to start jotting down points which could become important clues in the case.

  “Deaths?” Puzzled lines creased Kalista’s forehead. “What deaths?”

  Rellie sighed. Kalista was probably so caught up in her own Catan-and-Lipton experience that she was unaware of the notorious killings in town. So Rellie briefly filled Kalista in on the murder incidents, and Kalista listened intently with great interest.

  “Oh my God!” Kalista gasped incredulously. “I think I’ve heard about them from the news or something, but I guess I was just too overwhelmed by my own recent vampire experience that I just wasn’t so focused on the killings.”

  “It’s tragic, right?” Rellie said somberly. “Believe it or not, but somehow, I suspect that this Catan vampire you’ve been talking about … is the mysterious notorious killer. It’s just my gut feeling. That’s why I want you to work with me. I want you to tell me as much as you know about Catan. Anything. Don’t leave out a single detail, OK?”

  “B-but … I don’t know much about him … other than the fact that he tried to kill me and then decided to spare my life because I think he developed some feelings for me. So yeah, that’s about pretty much I know about him …” She trailed off, leaning against the edge of Rellie’s desk.

  Rellie was quiet for a moment, wondering where to go from there. So Kalista didn’t have much information about Catan, and it all seemed like a dead end to her. But … maybe, just maybe … there was a way around it.

 
All of a sudden, Rellie’s eyes glinted when she had an epiphany. She snapped her fingers. “I got it. Didn't you say that Catan love you or something?”

  Kalista looked warily at Rellie, as though she had just said the most ludicrous thing ever. “Um … yeah? Where are you going with this?”

  “I’m pretty sure that Catan will come back for you. You just need to lure him back. After all, I think he’ll miss you, considering that you’re his object of affection.”

  “What? You want to use me as a bait?”

  Rellie nodded. “In a way, yes. That’s the only way we’ll nab him. After all, he’s pretty elusive.”

  Kalista was deep in thought for a moment. “Hmm … I think it could work. But how are we going to lure him?”

  “Don’t worry about the details. I’ll sketch out a plan.”

  “You do know he’s one crazy vampire, right? He could hurt me. I think this whole plan sounds dangerous to me.”

  Rellie raised one eyebrow. “Hurt you? I think it’s highly unlikely. After all, how could he hurt the woman whom he has feelings for?”

  “OK, if I do this … what will I get out of this?”

  Rellie tapped the tip of her pen against her notepad. “OK, I’ll write your story. Just sit down and we’ll go through your Maze of Doom experience once more.”

  Kalista’s face brightened a little. “You’re going to publish my story? You actually believe me?”

  Rellie knew that Kalista’ story was a little too good to be true, but when it concerned the ghastly deaths of those innocents, Relie had to find something to believe in … and she believed that Catan was behind this, and that she had to do everything in her power to bring the killer to justice.

  “Yes, I do,” Rellie said, adjusting her glasses again. “So shall we get down to business?” She pulled a swivel chair out for Kalista to sit on.

  Kalista grinned. “You’re on.”

  4. Into The Dark

  Jesse had been thinking about someone a lot lately, and it was really getting on her nerves. A few days since her last encounter with Lipton, images of his attractive features still haunted her, teasing the corners of her mind. Even when she was sleeping on the same bed with her own husband, occasional flashbacks on how handsome Lipton looked would seep into her mind.

  She was racked with guilt every time she thought about Lipton. Of course, the slight pleasure of the thought would be rekindled, but Jesse would force her thoughts of him away, wishing that she’d never been rescued by him that night. And then she would have never met him. And none of this would have happened to her.

  Jesse rolled around sleeplessly in her bed that night, trying to figure out what was wrong with her, and why she was thinking about another man when she was already married.

  Jesse rolled to one side facing the body of her sleeping husband, and gazed at beatific expression on his face. She was the luckiest vampire woman alive to have such a caring, understanding husband like Ken, who had compromised many things during the course of their marriage because she was a vampire and he was a human.

  She lay a hand on Ken’s chest, which was heaving up and down in a regular rhythm, as he snored softly in his sleep. He was her everything. She would never give her heart to anyone else, but only him.

  As Jesse felt more relaxed and the thoughts of Lipton started to dissipate, pastel images of Ken and her frolicking around on a scenic beach whirled comfortingly inside her mind. She smiled with her eyes closed, trying to cling to as many beautiful memories she had shared with Ken.

  She shifted position, rolling to the other side, her back facing Ken. She pulled the comforter up to her chin, slowly drifting into sleep. Then, she felt an arm wrapped around her, caressing her gently.

  “Oh, Lipton … that feels good,” Jesse whispered, loving the feeling of being cuddled.

  The moment she uttered his name, she felt a sudden pang of guilt. Her heart sinking, she jerked her eyes open. What had she done? Did she mention his name? She realized that the arm that had tangled around her had retracted.

  “Lipton?” Ken murmured drowsily, his voice hoarse. “Who-who’s … Lipton?”

  Jesse whirled around to face Ken, her heart hammering in her chest as guilt overwhelmed her. The look of disappointment of Ken’s face shattered her inside out.

  “Who’s Lipton?” Ken bristled, jerking up from his bed and switching on the lights.

  As light flooded the room, Jesse squinted her eyes against the glare and sat upright, propped against the pillows.

  She gazed at Ken, not sure what to say. She wished she could come up with a white lie, but the guilt constricted her chest and made the words get stuck in her throat.

  “I-I …” Jesse stuttered, pushing away the tangles of hair from her face. “I-I … don’t know who is … um … Lipton.” Even Jesse herself didn’t feel convinced at her own lie, but she hoped that Ken would believe her.

  Ken studied Jesse’s face for a second, as if trying to tell whether if she was telling the truth, but the expression on his face told Jesse that Ken wouldn’t let go of this matter so lightly.

  “Who’s Lipton?” Ken repeated, rubbing his sleepy and watery eyes.

  “He’s … no one you should be concerned about,” Jesse said weakly, placing a hand on Ken’s shoulder, but Ken shoved it away.

  “Is he some guy you’re seeing?” Ken persisted, trying to figure out who this Lipton guy was. “If he is, then I want you to tell me the truth.”

  “I’m not seeing anybody, OK?” Jesse was starting to lose her patience. “Lipton’s just a name … He’s probably a character from a storybook I read once. Really, Ken. This whole thing is just blown out of proportion. You have nothing to worry about. There’s no other man in my life except you, OK?”

  With those words, Ken started to calm down, and he bowed his head awkwardly. “I guess I got too carried away … I’m sorry. I don’t know why I got so riled up when you mentioned another guy’s name in your sleep. For a minute there, my ego was bruised.” He gave her a wry smile.

  Jesse chuckled sleepily. “Let’s not fight over such a trivial matter, OK? Like I said, Lipton is an imaginary character. Don't be jealous of someone who’s fictional, OK?”

  Ken nodded. “I’m sorry for acting so rashly. Let’s go back to sleep.”

  Ken flicked off the lights, and then cuddled under the covers with Jesse. Jesse showered light kisses on Ken’s face, and Ken returned the loving gesture.

  Moments later, Ken dozed off, and the soft snores started again. But Jesse couldn’t sleep. Her eyes opened, she gazed at the night sky through the half-draped windows.

  How could she have been so careless? What if it happened again … in the future? What if she made the same mistake again of mentioning Lipton’s name while in her sleep? Lipton was more dangerous than she had thought. He was a force to be reckoned with, according to Jesse’s book.

  As the thoughts clustered inside her head, she caught a dark shadow whooshing outside the window.

  Wait. Was there something outside? It was probably a bird or something. Anyway, Jesse was mentally tired, and her mind could be playing tricks on her.

  Then, she saw it again. The shadow. It moved so fast that she couldn’t make out what it was in the darkness outside. A sliver of moon hung in the sky, providing subtle illumination.

  A few minutes later, the same thing happened again. The shadow sliced across the air in split second.

  Jesse’s heart began pounding furiously in her chest. There was definitely something outside. Could it be Catan? Maybe the mad vampire had returned to finish her off since he’d failed to do so the last night?

  Anger washed over her at the thought of the vampire, and Jesse clenched her teeth. If it were Catan, then she’d have to get to him first before he got to her.

  Jesse slowly slipped out of Ken’s embrace, careful not to rouse him. She slid off the bed, and padded to the windows, her eyes scanning the surroundings outside. She waited for the shadow to emerge again, but this t
ime, it didn’t. Maybe she had better go outside and investigate.

  She crept out of the bedroom and down the stairs to the entrance. She opened the doors and walked out into the hostile winds that were blowing outside. A soft rumble sounded in the distance, signaling an approaching storm.

  Jesse patrolled the compound of her house, hoping to catch the culprit who was lurking outside. Using her vampire ability, she zoomed in circles around her house a few times, but still, she couldn’t find the culprit. Maybe he had already left. Maybe he would come back again. And if he did, Jesse would be ready for him.

  Jesse headed for the doors, ready to call it a night and to snuggle back in the bed with her husband. As she walked, she glanced a few times warily around her. Suddenly, she caught a glint under the arbor tree outside her house. What was that? How come she had not seen it before?

  She paused, curiosity getting the best of her. She zoomed toward the glinting object under the tree in absolute silence, and picked it up with her hand. It was a white feather, which had glinted under the dim moonlight.

  Realization set in, and the familiar anger returned.

  “Lipton,” Jesse muttered, her lips curved down in a frown. She glanced upward in the tree, hoping to catch a sight of the Wingman, but the canopy of leaves probably camouflaged him.

  The feather was definitely his, alright. It couldn't belong to Catan. Vampires don’t grow wings on their back.

  Lipton was probably hiding up in the tree, covertly looking at her.

  Jesse wanted to scream out his name, but she refrained. She would probably wake up Ken, and that was the last thing she wanted.

  Without hesitation, Jesse ascended the tree with ease, using her supernatural ability. Once she reached the peak, she shoved her way through the leaves, trying to locate Lipton.

  “Lipton, I know it’s you,” Jesse said, the leaves rustling as she scrambled through the leaves. “Come out wherever you are. What were you thinking? Why did you come here? I told you that I didn’t want to see you again. Wasn’t my message loud and clear enough?”