Chasing Demons (Book 2) Rated R

Chapter 19

I hadn't thought about my birthday in a long time.

Dad had always made sure it was a special occasion, and for fifteen years I'd woken up to yellow tulips (my favorite), chocolate chip pancakes, and the happy birthday song, sang off-tune by Marcy and Luke.

Mom hadn't had the heart to continue the tradition after dad was gone and though there would be no tulips or chocolate pancakes this year, I found myself smiling just at the thought.

In six days, I'd be turning twenty-one. At a time in my life when I should have been planning on getting shit-faced and partying, instead, I found myself confined to a house in a foreign country, in the shadow of a vampire kingdom.

Vampires.

Of all things, vampires.

I shook my head, wondering how this had become my life.

I searched the cabinets, looking for alcohol. It's not like there was anything else to do while I waited for Christian to return, but, to my disappointment, I found none.

With a new mission, and against Christian's instructions I was sure, I found the credit cards Julian had left him and ventured outside.

Christian had been right before when he'd said spring was fast approaching. April 1st and even this mountainous town was starting to show signs of spring.

The snow, which had lightly dusted the trees last night had thawed to nearly nothing under the mid-afternoon sun. Trees, with their needle-like leaves and pinecones, filtered out some of the sunlight as I walked parallel to the road we'd used to reach Masline Apartments.

For a remote town at the edge of a mountain, the two-lane road was flowing with cars. Most of them were headed up the mountain, but it seemed like an exceptionally high number to just be campers.

I decided I'd mention it to Christian when he returned.

My cheeks were flushed from walking, and I followed the sounds of people talking in a foreign language, until, around a bend, I found the strip of shops from before, now busy with movement, chatter, and life.

It was easy enough to find a small food market with an attached gas station further into town. As I roamed the shelves, with their foreign markings, I found something that looked like Oreos.

Much to my dismay, the only alcohol in stock was beer, which I'd never been a fan of.

After paying, I left the market and headed back to the cabin, before Christian returned and gave me a huge lecture.

I ripped open my packet of Oreos with a little too much excitement. One fell to the ground. As I bent over to pick it up (three-second rule and all) I saw something flit past on the corner of my eye, and toward my left, near the forest.

A group of Romanian women walked past me on the opposite side of the road, heading into town. Neither of them seemed to notice the sudden movement in the woods.

I combed the forest again, searching for any sign of trouble.

But, maybe I was being paranoid.

It could have been an animal, a hiker, anything.

Still keeping a vigilant eye out, I chowed down my Oreos. Masline Apartments, with its fire engine red exterior could be seen just up ahead, up a hill.

I did a quick search outside the home, as another two cars idled past me on the road, climbing higher on the highway.

Maybe they were headed to Reader Nation.

A sliver of worry gnawed at my insides.

The sooner Christian returned, the sooner I could stop worrying for him.