Everything was almost perfect; the treaty with the Ipswich coven had been firmly re-established, and Arabella could now live a normal, human, lifespan.
Rogan and I had started to officially date, though once a month we kept our distance, for his safety.
There were only two downsides to the last twelve months or so; 1. No one had heard hide nor hare of Esther since my encounter with her in Lincoln, and 2. Dead bodies had started to turn up unexpectedly all over the country, all with the same MO.
So far, 26 bodies had turned up, all with their throats torn out and their bodies drained of blood. It was becoming an epidemic, almost like a supernatural Jack the Ripper in the 21st century.
In a way, I was happy that Mathias had taken Nadia out of the country for six months, yet on some level, not having Mathias here, terrified me.
"Is everything okay babe?" Even 18 months into our relationship, Rogan's deep, Northern Irish accent took me by surprise. I hadn't even noticed him come into our room, nor had I noticed when he'd turned off the radio.
"Yeah. Everything's fine." I turned away from my desk and forced a smile.
"Nina. Don't lie." I sighed and looked down at my hands, where they rested in my lap. There was no point hiding anything from him, not now that our mating bond had been allowed to develop past it's preliminary stage.
"Fine. I'm worried. This is the longest I've been away from Mathias in a really long time; what if something happens to them? Nadia's only human, after all."
Rogan smiled, it was a sad kind of smile, and brushed a strand of hair from my face.
"But Mathias isn't. He won't let anything happen to her. They're home in a couple of days, darling, and you'll see, everything is fine." He kissed my forehead gently, and then headed for the door. "Coffee?" I grinned and nodded. Coffee was always good.
Just as the kettle boiled, my phone began to ring. I pulled it from my pocket to find an unfamiliar number; I answered regardless.
"Hello?"
"Tell me the stories are true. Tell me vampires can't cross open expanses of water." A feminine, Irish accent answered back.
"Wait, Esther? How did you get this number?"
"Really?! Not important Nina! Just tell me, are the stories true? Tell me they can't cross open expanses of water!"
"Fresh water, yes, saltwater no."
"Thank god." That was it, the line went dead.
Two days passed; two days spent pacing the living room. Something was wrong, something was brewing, I could feel it in the very marrow of my bones.
I couldn't get rid of the feeling, no matter what I did, and on one could seem to settle me; not Rogan, not Arabella, not even Mathias.
In those two days a further six bodies had turned up, with the same MO as the previous twenty-six, only these were closer to home; the latest addition found just miles out of the city.
"Nina, relax. Nadia and I are fine, and we're going to find the psycho who's doing this." Mathias's words were meant to be comforting, but something in my gut wouldn't let that comfort lie.
'Unless they find us first.' I thought to myself, a heavy unease weighing in my stomach.
Mathias's POV
We'd spent six full months together, travelling the world, and somehow, I still couldn't get enough of her. Even after 18 months together, the sight of her made my heart skip, the smell of her skin captivated me, the vibrancy of her eyes against her skin took my breath away.
