Tainted Happiness {Formerly Returned} (Book 4) (Completed)

Chapter 3

Kait POV

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I slowly walked over to my best friend, not sure what to do. She was knelt by Vince's body in a tight ball with tears streaming down her face. I sat down next to her, giving her as good of a hug as I could given her position. She didn't say anything, she just sat there. Time didn't fly. It felt like we were paralyzed by it. We didn't know just how long we sat there, doing nothing at all but mourning. Vince and I never really got along, but I still considered him one of my dear friends. It was only because of Melanie that we even talked occasionally. Nevertheless, I still mourned, mostly for Melanie. I couldn't stand to see my best friend in that much pain. There was one thing that I knew was on both of our minds and that was whether or not Vince would become like Dave.

"Mels, we'll have to burn the body." I said once she stopped crying.

"Somehow I knew that." She said, leaning her forehead into my shoulder and giving me hug.

"I'm scared that he'll become like Dave if we don't have him cremated."

"Me too. But why did he kill Vince? Why him? He wants you, not me. Why didn't he kill Cory? That's what he wants. He wants no one in his way of getting you back." She muttered.

"Maybe he's trying to weaken us and cut us down one by one until he only has us two left." I pondered.

"If that's true, then it will probably be Cory or Laura next." She muttered.

"No doubt he'll probably be watching us, just like he used to. Somehow, I need to come up with a plan to get everyone out without him knowing." I said, staring off into space.

"Didn't you build a set of tunnels when you were getting ready to go Strigoi?" Melanie wondered, recalling the time when I was beginning to act upon my Awakening myself idea.

"I started to. I only got to a cabin that I built in the middle of Maumee Bay State Park and an abandoned warehouse in Toledo. Why? You don't think that we could continue those tunnels, do you?" I explained.

"That was my thought. We could create tunnels to go to all the places we would need to go, minus the public places like supermarkets or the mall of course, but we could build tunnels to go to places like a secret home in the middle of the woods where we'd keep everyone but us. Now, we'd let them come back and forth, but we'd also keep the tunnels a secret somehow with like a bookshelf, or a moveable computer desk or something. It's just an idea." She trembled.

"No, it's a pretty good one and it just might work." I said, beginning to ponder over how we could pull it off.

"How good are you with Earth magic?" Melanie asked.

"I'm not nearly as good with Earth as I am with Spirit and Fire, but I might be able to pull off something to make the tunnels. I could teach you some of what I know." I replied, "If that's what you meant with that question."

"You know me well, Rosa." Was all she said.

I still wondered how Dave could get through the wards. It shouldn't have been possible. He was one of the Strigoi. At least, I thought he was one of the Strigoi. I was really quite unsure of what he was. He seemed like a Strigoi, but then again, most Strigoi have red eyes, not multicolor and white skin, not blue-tinted skin. It honestly scared me that I didn't know what he was. I wanted to know, I needed to know. I couldn't just not know what my ex husband had turned into while he kills my best friend's husband right in front off all of us. More importantly, how could I kill him? The only original way that we didn't try was burning him. Then again, why would I want to have an ex husband bonfire in my front yard? The only people I could think of to call were probably the most corrupt out of everyone that dealt with Vampires: the Alchemists. If anyone would know, it would be them, but then try were also the last people I wanted to deal with. They hated my kind and all other vampire or vampire-related species. They were also my only hope at this point.

"Rose! Dimitri! Janine! I need your help!" I called out.

"We might be able to help." Rose said, coming down the stairs.

"Who would be the least corrupt Alchemist that I could get ahold of?" I asked.

"Why do you need an Alchemist?" Melanie and Janine asked in unison.

"One, to figure out the proper way to dispose of Vince's body. Two, to see if they have any records of what my ex husband turned into." I said.

"You must be desperate. You never want to associate with the Alchemists." Dimitri responded.

"I am. I just got done on the internet and I found nothing even remotely useful. Unless any of you have any idea as to what that monster was?" I stated.

"I think I know someone to call." Rose said, pulling out her phone and dialing a number.

About a day and a half later, Sydney Sage arrived at my door.

"Rose says you've found another type of Vampire." She said.

"At least, I think he's a vampire. None of us are entirely sure as to what he, it, exactly is." I responded.

"What exactly is it like?" Sydney asked.

"Pale skin with a blue tint, strangely colored eyes, two sets of fangs, smells atrocious, almost sounds like a demon when it speaks, stronger and faster than any known Vampire." Melanie summarized.

As if it was planned, we heard the doorbell ring right after Melanie's summary ended.

"I hope that isn't who I think it is." Sydney whispered.

"I'll get the door, Kait!" Cory called out.

"Like hell! If that's Dave, he'll kill you just like he did Vince!" I yelled, running to the door.

"I smelled company." My ex husband spat when I opened the door.

"Sydney! You're in luck! You get to meet It." I called out into the kitchen.

"It is just like you guys described it to be." She said, wide eyed with fear.

"Who is this?" Dave yelled.

"Why do you deserve to know?" I spat.

"Because I'm your ex husband! I deserve to know everyone who comes through this house!" He shouted.

"Not anymore. Goodbye David." I bellowed, slamming the door in his face.

"Watch, he's gonna break the door down." Cory stated.

"I'm sure he will. We just have to wait ten minutes before he does. Or he'll break in using a window or something." I responded, right before we heard the living room window break and saw Dave climb in.

"See?" I stated.

"Someone get a stake! He's going to kill us!" Sydney demanded.

"It won't work, we tried that a few days go. Neither will decapitation and I'm not a huge fan of an ex husband bonfire in my living room. Given the current info we have, fire will probably only make him stronger." I said.

"I see why you called me now!" Sydney yelled while being chased by Dave.

"Someone trip him!" She yelled, passing by us. "Or just do something! Make him stop!"

As soon as he hit the floor after I stuck my foot out to trip him, he morphed into an ape-like creature.

"Well, that's new." I said as he ran out the way he came.

"So he can shapeshift, too? Any reason why you failed to mention that?" Sydney asked, breathless.

"I didn't even know." I stated.

This just kept getting stranger and stranger.