Grim Echoes

Chapter 39 - Maeve

Maeve stared out the car window and asked herself how she ended up in the back seat of an SUV racing down the highway on its way to Springfield, Illinois, to find and destroy vampires. Less than a week ago she believed in the possibility of vampires, but certainly didn't know of their actual existence. Her life had been normal, well, as normal as her life could've been.

"That make sense?" Will asked her, his grey eyes in the rear-view mirror.

His question snapped her back to the present. Maeve's eyes flicked to his and then to her lap. She had no idea what he'd been talking about, but now, more familiar with his temperament, she knew better than to ask. She nodded.

"You hungry?"

She nodded again. She wasn't hungry.

"We'll stop at a diner in thirty. I heard they got good whiskey caramel apple galette. Anyway, point is, bloodsuckers are fucking sneaky. You never know what powers they have, till they show them," he finished.

That was what he'd been talking about. He'd probably told her important information on what vampires were capable of. And she'd zoned out. Great.

"Vampires do have similarities that can make things predictable for a mission," Ander chimed in.

He sat in the front, but she still saw his profile when he adjusted in the seat. Occasionally he turned and peeked at her, like he was checking to see if she was still there. Once he saw her, the tension would leave his face, and he'd turn back around.

"Nearly all of them have a mesmerizing gaze. As a rule, do not look any of them directly in the eyes. They also have some type of physical advantage, speed, strength, constitution," Ander continued.

"Constitution? No one says that. The fuckers are tough," Will cut Ander off.

Ander sighed, but made no retort. Instead, he picked up where he'd left off. "They all have some psychic talent. We have witnessed them use telekineses, moving objects that weighed at least 200 pounds. They are also able to dominate-"

Will turned off the highway. "I covered that and the damn nosy mind reading." Will cut Ander off again as he pulled into a parking lot.

Maeve was glad Ander had revisited the topic since she'd spaced out.

"So you 're good on the basics of vampires?"

"Sure. I guess if psychics, werewolves, angels and demons exist then why not vampires too?" Maeve's voice rose an octave.

Ander turned in his seat and peered at her, concern furrowed his eyebrows.

"Its just, it's a lot to remember all at once," she lied and looked at the diner through the window.

"Shit, yeah, and I'm not the best teacher," Will's voice contrite. "I'm not trying to be a dick." Will opened his door and stepped out.

Maeve's eyes moved back to Ander, who still stared at her.

"He is not, but he does not have a lot of patience. He is also on edge. It has been some time since we have seen more than one demon," Ander paused, "well more than one body possessed by demons, at the same time," he finished.

Maeve didn't know how to respond, so she didn't say anything.

"He is also not used to traveling with anyone but me," Ander explained.

Maeve pinched her lips together. She was convinced Ander often explained Will's behavior. "It's ok. Its is a weird situation,"

The door opened and Will poked his head in the SUV. "Are we eating?"

"Yeah, I'm starving,"

They had a quick lunch and, to Maeve's surprise, Will chose to sit beside her in the booth. As they ate, Maeve noticed the tension left his body and took on a more casual posture. The only give away that he remained ever vigilant was his repeated scans of the diner. She didn't think anyone else noticed, but she felt every time his eyes scanned the exits, patrons and staff.

Relieved when the conversation steered away from the upcoming mission by Ander. Instead he talked about current events, which only seemed to be mildly interesting to Will, and then switched the topic to movies. Will became very engaged in the conversation, and his eyes lit up when he speculated about the latest superhero crossover movie. Maeve grinned at his enthusiasm and wanted to lean against him when she laughed but didn't fearing Will wouldn't want her to touch him.

After lunch, Will's mood had greatly improved. Maeve took a chance and grabbed a brochure from the rack by the door for a museum for oddities on the way to Springfield. When they piled into the SUV, she showed Will the brochure and attempted to use her feminine wiles. She'd never honed those skills. With her dating history being scarce at best, she hoped she didn't look foolish. He gazed back at her with his strong jawline and sensual lips curved in amusement at her efforts. Finally, he smiled. His straight, even teeth flashed at her. Ander raised in eyebrow.

"Sure let's stop at the museum since its on the way," he started the SUV.

Ander's head jerked back at Will's words. Hours later they arrived at the oddities museum, which, as expected, was more fun than interesting. Maeve appreciated the effort the owner had put into the tiny museum. It had bizarre two headed creatures, ancient cursed items and stranger than fiction stories, but after the last few days everything paled in comparison to her new reality.

Delighted by Will's easy laughter, she blushed when when he touched her back. Even pensive Ander chuckled and enjoyed himself. His smile finally reached his eyes when she took his arm as they walked down a steep ramp to enter the cave of the beast. It was a wax figure of a local urban legend positioned under the building. Refreshed, they loaded back into the SUV and sped off into the night.