Karizma

Chapter 15

Ryleigh smiled as she stretched her body out against her sheets. She was lying on her stomach, tangled beneath the blankets. Her body felt both refreshed and depleted of energy. The whirlwind of last night consumed her mind, and her smile grew. Happiness, so this is what it feels like, she thought. She was surprised that she admitted the extent of her feelings to Kristopher, but she was even more surprised that he reciprocated the feelings. She bit her lip. Never in a million years would I have believed it if someone told me that I'd fall head over heels for a vampire, she thought. She rolled on to her side and reached her arm out beside her. Her eyes shot open.

The spot beside her was empty. She sat up and looked around the room but could not find Kristopher. She stretched out her magic to search her apartment and discovered that the rest of the apartment was empty as well. She inhaled sharply as she ran a hand through her hair. Right, our demons were only gone for one night, she thought. Reality came crashing down like a bolt of adrenaline. Ryleigh's cloak was still perfectly constructed, and she breathed a sigh of relief. She rubbed a hand over her face, and she closed her eyes. It's better this way, she thought. One night of happiness does not erase a lifetime of demons.

Ryleigh's eyes trailed to her window. Sunset. She was thankful that she still had tonight off; with her magic's exhaustion, and the exhaustion that Kristopher created, she needed tonight to rest. A knock at the door pulled Ryleigh out of her thoughts. She slid out of bed and pulled on a pair of jeans and a baggy t-shirt. She combed her fingers through her hair and walked through the apartment. Her magic crackled throughout her skin, and she froze in the living room. She stretched her magic out very slowly. There were two vampires on the other side of her front door. "Who is it?" she called.

"Officers Lou and David with the Vancouver Police Department. We are responding to a reported disturbance in the area," one of the men answered.

"I don't know anything about a disturbance," Ryleigh said. She felt her magic pool into her palms as it readied itself. Something was wrong.

"Please, ma'am, open the door. We would just like to ask you some questions, that's all," the man replied firmly. Ryleigh's magic enflamed in her palms, and she tensed. It was not the first time that she had heard of supernatural entities being in positions of power, like police officers and attorneys. Maybe there really was a disturbance in the complex, she thought. The last thing that she needed right now was to cause problems with vampiric police; it was going to be best to comply, rather than fight it. Ryleigh sighed and approached the front door. After a moment's hesitation, she opened the door.

Both police officers nodded at her as they entered the apartment. One of the police officers has spiked black hair with brown eyes. The other one had tousled brown hair with green eyes. She gripped the doorknob tightly as she closed the door behind them. She turned around and leaned against the front door. She refused to have her back turned to them in any regard. She crossed her arms over her chest. "What can I do for you, officers?"

"Ma'am, I'm Lou, and this is my partner, David," the vampire with brown hair said. "We were notified that there was a disturbance in the complex, and we wanted to talk to the residents for a better understanding."

"Of a disturbance? The call didn't go into more detail than that?" Ryleigh asked.

"Well, it did," David nodded. "A massive surge in power."

"I didn't notice any electrical issues."

"We're not talking electrical power," David said as his fangs descended.

Ryleigh's magic shot out and threw David into the wall. Lou charged at her, but Ryleigh dodged him and her magic constricted around him before he could react. She whirled around and pinned him to the wall beside the door. "We only wanted to know if you knew who gave off the surge," Lou said.