Vampire Bride

Chapter Twenty Seven: Part Two

Maxwell

"Slow down, Morgan, take deep steady breaths and tell me again from the beginning, what exactly did you see?" There was a slight rise in Charlie's emotions earlier, but nothing to cause this frenzy that Morgan is in right now.

Her voice is distorted by constant sobs and a steady thump can be heard in the background. I assume it's her palm drumming against the desktop. "I saw her pull in and park next to my car like she always does, but almost immediately after exiting the car her path was blocked by..."

"By who, Morgan?"

"You probably think I'm crazy acting like this just from Charlie talking with some girl and getting into her own car, but..." Her crying gets louder and further away. I realize she dropped the phone.

"Morgan...Morgan. Talk to me, Morgan," I yell into the phone, hoping she hears me.

"She told me she thinks the people after her are the two people James had with him. Daisy. She was the one who blocked her path, she was the one to shove Charlie in the car and drive away. I didn't know what to do, so I called you. Am I overreacting or is Charlie in trouble?"

I'm not sure if Morgan in the fragile state she is in will be able to handle the fact that Charlie is in more trouble than either of us can handle. Not to mention even if I do have a plan there's no way I can put it into action. The sun blocks my rescue. Just how they planned it. I'm forced to sit here and pray she'll survive until sundown.

"Morgan, we both know the answer to that question. What I need from you is to stay calm and keep things under control there. Conduct her meetings, plan parties as if Charlie is just away on vacation and keep this between just the two us...understand?"

"Okay," she agrees in a raspy voice.

"I'll get Charlie back, all I need is time. Keep your phone by you and wait for my call." I hang up, not wanting to hear her weeping anymore. My eyes jolt to the closest clock; I have about twelve hours before the sun starts to set.

Relying on the connection between us to let me know where she is and if she's in pain or not is all I have. Hours go by with her destination unknown and her angrier than ever. I can't help but to think I should have acted differently this morning, how I should have insisted that she stayed here...but I did nothing and let her walk right out the door.

I instantly regret my nice guy demeanor. I should've made her listen to me and made her hate me in the process. At least she'd have a better chance at staying alive.

Sitting on the couch hunched with my head in my hands for who knows how long, it hits me. Searing pain and the sound of Charlie's screams fill my head. It's all an illusion created by the bond and only lasts a few seconds, but it doesn't make it any less real. "It's begun," I say to myself.

I knew it would happen, I knew it would emotionally kill me when it would start, but this is worse than anything I could prepare myself for. I felt awful when James had me trapped here when Charlie was faced with who we now know was Daisy's first encounter, but this is different.

Never in my three hundred years have I endured this kind of pain and I never want to again. It lasts less than an hour before silence. I wouldn't call it peace as it's more so recovering in agony.

A fist pounds on the front door. The anxious bangs echo throughout the suite. Unwillingly, I make my way to the door and reluctantly open it to reveal the woman who made this all happen. "Daisy."

"Don't sound so happy to see me. Can I come in? Then again I'm sure you would love to know what I know." She pushes past me and doesn't stop until she's sitting on the couch. She continues to talk all the way there. "You see, I'm here to make sure you don't do anything rash like trying to save dear Charlie when the sun is blazing out. We don't want you dead before you can see your bride die."