Love Bites

Shocked

He banged a third time, still nothing. Marcus used his mind and reached out into the house, room after room, empty. Extending further he found Cassandra round the back. Wondering where the hell Cal was Marcus made his way round the back to find out.

The back garden of the Luciens' mansion was not just big, it was obscenely big; it stretched for miles in every direction. Directly behind the house sat a paved patio area area with slate grey rattan and cream cushions sofas, with a matching table and large, cream parasol. Following on from the patio was a pool, not a bog standard pool but a lagoon style pool with bubbling jets, a waterfall feature and built in sun loungers just beneath the water line. To the right of which stood a chrome and frosted glass pool house, complete with walk in showers, changing area and a steam room. The green lawn stretched out into the distance down towards the gardener's shed and a small vegetable patch that he tended. The whole garden was bordered by towering firs which afforded the Luciens their much needed privacy.

Marcus shuddered at the surfacing memory of finding Selena in the pool house stark naked experimenting with a friend, a female friend. Marcus had hidden behind the large silver towel rack for a long time watching the pair. The thought, even all these years on, aroused him all over again. Selena would be his. One day. She couldn't keep turning down him down forever.

He glanced around the garden but couldn't see Cassandra, meaning she was down the bottom end, out of sight behind the row of conifer trees that hid the gardener's shed and vegetable patch from sight. He crossed the expanse in no time and rounded the bushes, Cassandra was stood with her back to him.

Confused, he asked, "What are you doing?"

Cassandra jumped with a gasp and wheeled round, one hand flying to her rapidly beating heart, the other trying and failing to shove something behind her back. Her grip failed and it slipped from her fingers and landed with a dull thud at her feet. 

Confused Marcus picked up the spade. "What are you doing?" he asked again. This time his voice was low, slightly dangerous, as if the wrong answer would unleash hell. The problem was, the right answer would unleash it too.

"I...well, I mean. Cal...err..." Cassandra stuttered. Marcus, out of all the vampires Cassie knew, was by far the worst. Nasty and ruthless, she doubted he knew what remorse actually was. With all her power, he still scared her.

"Well?" he demanded. "Cal, what?" He went to side step Cassandra but anticipating his move she countered it. He didn't need to see the proof of what she was about to tell him. "Cassandra, if you don't explain to me right now what's going on, I swear to God, I don't care who owns you, I'm going to rip your fucking throat out!" he snarled.

Cassandra swallowed hard, fear beating a drum in her chest. "It's...Selena." she finally conceded.

"Selena, what?" Marcus pushed past the wretched witch. Behind her was an open pit and at the bottom lay Selena, grey and dry. He stumbled backwards, rounding on Cassandra. His eyes were flaring between red and black, finally settling on black.  "What happened?" he asked quietly, his aggression gone. 

"She learnt a few homes truths that didn't sit so well." Cassandra replied simply.

"Like what?"

She resisted the urge to smile at his pain as told him everything. She did not sugar coat her words, she was enjoying his pain. "It was Cal who ordered me to dispose of her body. I thought this way, at least, she would still be on Lucien property."

Marcus stared at her for a moment, processing what she had just said. The sun beat down on them and the wind whispered through the trees, as it always had done, yet now Selena was not here to enjoy it. He turned and was gone. 

Cassandra let the smile she had been holding back break loose. She began to whistle as she continued to bury the dead half-vampire.

                                                                                             ***

When Marcus stopped he found himself in the woods on the outskirts of town. Selena was dead, Tobias was dead, and where the hell was Cal? Not at his family home grieving. Not with his fledgling teaching her their ways that was for sure. Angry and upset Marcus pulled out his phone determined to find his friend.

"Hello," Call answered on the fourth ring.

"It's me," Marcus identified himself needlessly. "I know about Selena, your dad, all of it."

Silence.

"I'm here for you, mate." Marcus said sincerely. As angry as he was with Cal's recent absence he was still his best mate, and he needed him right now.

"Yeah?" Cal replied numbly.

"Yeah. Where are you? I'll come over."

"No need. I'm fine."

"No offense, but like fuck you are!" Marcus scoffed. "Man, I feel this pain pretty fucking sharp. I can't imagine how you're feeling."

"Seriously, Marcus, I'm fine." Cal told him matter-of-factly. "Selena was a bitch. Dad was a bastard. They're dead. End of." 

"End of?" Marcus repeated, incredulity burning.

"I've gotta go, Tasha needs me."

With that Marcus was listening to the dial tone. He couldn't believe Cal's reaction or his damn priorities.