My Love Forever (The Night Movers Vampire Series Book 1) (31 page)

Also if I had opted for the florist to deliver, people would know I had something delivered and may ask Alex about it. That was the trouble with living alongside of work and between Nik and Josh. We had very little privacy unless we were behind closed doors.

I decided that I would go now, quickly, and be back before no one had noticed that I had even left.

So I threw my car keys, purse and mobile phone into my new Kipling cross body bag that mum said was way too patterned and colourful for her liking. Then I got in my car, put on my favourite cd, and drove the short distance to the florists.

I pulled up outside the shop and was immediately struck by the Christmas display in the window. It wouldn’t be long until the big day was upon us. Less than six weeks to go and I hadn’t even thought of any gifts.

My life and the important people in it had changed so dramatically over the last nine months and I became a little distracted with the memories.

The crisp November air began to bite into my fingers so I left my melancholy moment with the window display outside the shop and went inside to plan for my future.

Chloe the florist was an absolute star who listened to everything I had to say and began putting together a balloon masterpiece.

The main balloon was a deep red shiny heart and attached to that was a plaited bronze and pewter coloured ribbon. Then instead of the champagne bottle weight I had originally asked for, Chloe suggested a small dark grey wicker basket that I could put the ring box in. She also did two miniatures of the larger balloon an placed them on sticks to slot onto the dozen red roses along with white gypsophila which she called baby’s breath. I touched my lower tummy when she said that. I was determined that I would feel this baby’s breath upon my skin as I held them. No one would take that away from me this time around.

As I turned to pay for my items I caught a beautiful scent which came from candle’s to the left of the till area. They were by a famous brand which my mum liked to use, but the name on this one made me smile. It was called first Christmas.

I bought two of them, one for Alex and me, and one for Nik and Gina as it was their first Christmas together too. I wondered if Alex trimmed up at Christmas. I certainly would be trimming up the cottage regardless. There was nothing prettier than twinkling Christmas lights and decorations to welcome you home on a cold winter’s night.

Chloe said she was in the process of bringing more decorations and lights in to the store over the next couple of days and I promised her I would call back in to take a look.

She joked that the ‘Santa Please Stop Here’ signs would probably be her biggest sellers when the children saw them. I thought of Alex, Josh and Nik and their playful office banter with Maggie, and I added a mini Christmas tree that had snow spray on it plus one of the Santa signs to my growing list of purchases. The sign was about a foot in length and was all metal with a spiked end. It had a vintage look to it with muted colours and that stopped the sign looking too babyish.

After I had paid for everything I popped the sign in my bag along with the candles and Chloe helped carry the flowers and balloon to my car.

Once everything was loaded into the car boot I popped over to the Red Lion to get the champagne from Mel. The Draymen had just pulled away so I popped round the back of the pub to where the cellar opened up to the outside.

I shouted down to Mel who told me to come down.

Just before I was two steps from the cellar floor I heard a noise behind me. Before I could turn to check it out a large hand covered my mouth and a strong arm grabbed me around my waist.

I didn’t need to see them to know who it was and for a moment I stilled as panic swept through me. But as quickly as that happened it began to disappear and was replaced by anger. I kicked out and jabbed my elbows into the vampires sides but he laughed and said, “I knew you would fight me little female, but you need to know that as a mere human you will not cause harm to me, so your resistance is futile.”

His English was heavily accented in either German or Scandinavian and it made me think of how the actors who played Germans in old war movies spoke. I couldn’t help but to laugh at that thought and the vampire released me from his grip.

I turned around and got my first really good look at the vampire we knew as Brian Vargan. He was well over six feet tall and was extremely handsome with classical features and deep blue eyes. He had broad shoulders and if he was human I would have said he lived at the Gym to get a frame like he had. He wore a black leather jacket and blue jeans which looked too casual for him.

“Like what you see?” He questioned with a smug look.

“Not really,” I answered truthfully. “I don’t think this look works for you Brandr.”

He gasped and took a step back from me, and that’s when I knew that Alex was right when he tried to identify this vampire.

Not two seconds later Mel came forward and tried to wallop him around the head with what I suspected to be the bottle of champagne I was going to buy. But Brandr was too quick and grabbed the bottle with vampire speed, and he punched Mel hard enough that she dropped head first to the hard concrete floor and didn’t move.

I scrambled down to the floor after her, turning her face towards me, and noticed the blood coming from grazing at her temple and hairline. I tried to feel for a pulse but my own heart was beating so fast that I couldn’t tell if hers was faint or strong.

Brandr pulled me away from Mel and I thought I saw her eyes open slightly as I was dragged away.

With a fierce grip to my ponytail and the collar of my coat I was pulled quickly towards the some stairs which I found led up to an area behind the main bar. I lost my footing as my feet stumbled over the bottles that had yet to be put away from the recent delivery, but Brandr only held on tighter to my hair and coat, not caring about what I bumped in to. He didn’t stop until we were in the main bar and he threw me down on one the bench’s next to the juke box. I still wore the cross body bag and the candles knocked together against my side and I thought I heard one smash.

“Tell me how you know my name,” he said angrily.

Now I could tell the truth I thought as I studied his scowling yet interested face. Or I could try and turn it around and try and reason with him, but I wasn’t yet sure how I could do that, or even if I should. I tried my best to access the bond that I held with Alex but he had closed himself off for his meeting. I had welcomed that fact earlier, when I had been planning and buying for my proposal, but now I wished the bond was open and he could sense my fear at this possibly life threatening situation.

“So you are refusing to speak to me,” he stated as he studied me closely. “I have all the time in the world for you to tell me Julia,” he smiled sadistically.

So he knew my name. That should come as no surprise. I mean he had followed me to my parents’ home and in a small village like this everyone knew who you were and who you were seeing.

“Don’t move. I will be back momentarily and I will punish you if I find you have disobeyed me.” He then went back behind the bar and I heard him close the trap door to the cellar and pour himself a drink.

Josh

I was just getting dressed when I heard my phone ring. I thought it would be Alex letting me know how his meeting with the local vicar had gone. We were on good terms with the last one because Night Movers had contributed enough money to get the roof fixed on the church. But as Alex wanted to get married within a couple of weeks I had a feeling the church would be getting yet another sizable donation so that Alex could get his way.

A quick glance at my phone before I answered told me it was Mel, my bar manager from the Red Lion.

“Hi Mel what can I do for you?” I said whilst putting my trainers on.

“Josh, I need you to come down here quick. There’s a man, who I think is actually a vampire and he has Alex’s girlfriend here in the bar. I tried to stop him but he’s really strong and quick and he knocked me out for a minute or so but I can hear him in the bar now. I’m in the cellar and I’ve left the outside doors open for you. Hurry please Josh. I don’t think I can take him down on my own.”

I felt like my feet were weighted down for a moment and I couldn’t move, but then I quickly grabbed my car keys and a few sharp long knives out of my kitchen while I spoke to try and calm Mel.

“Now listen to me Mel, under no circumstances must you try to go near him again. Just stay where you are and keep your phone on silent but expect my call shortly. I’m just setting off to you now but I won’t park in the car park so you won’t hear me pull up. Ok Mel?”

“Yeah ok.”

“I will be there in ten minutes,” I said hanging up now as I sped away from the compound and speed dialled Alex. The call went straight to his answerphone so I called him again and again until he answered.

“Josh, what’s up? I’m busy with father Stevens at the moment, can I call you back?”

“Vargan has Julia at the Red Lion. I’m on my way now. Mel rang to let me know. Mel is still there but she’s hurt.”

I heard a chair fall over as Alex got up and ran. I heard what must have been the Vicar yelling in the distance, asking if everything was ok, when clearly it wasn’t.

“Is Julia hurt Josh? Did Mel say he hurt her?”

“No Alex, she said she could just hear talking. Listen I am parking my car just across the road and I suggest you do the same. We don’t want to alert him to our presence. I will keep my phone on so you can hear what’s being said. We are getting in through the Drayman’s entrance around the back. I’m just heading to the doors now so I will let you know what I find out ok.”

Just keep her safe for me Josh. Julia and the baby mean everything to me and I can’t live this life if they aren’t in it.”

Alex’s voice broke on those last words. But as much as I wanted to speak kind words to him, now was not the time. The scent of blood hit me as I descended the cellar steps and when Mel came out of the shadows to great me I could see why.

“Thank god you are here Josh,” Mel said as she threw her arms around me and hugged me tightly.

I had never seen Mel as scared and anxious before and she wasn’t normally the touchy feely type at all.

“Let me take a look at that cut Mel,” I tilted her head to see little cuts and grazes to the side of her head.

“Do you trust me Mel? I can give you a little of my blood to help you heal from your injuries, but only if you want it. It won’t do anything other than heal your cuts but I would sooner have you at full strength so you can help if I need you.”

She hesitated for just a few seconds then said, “Ok Josh, I trust you, and I want to see this bastard take a fall.”

She seemed to stand taller in that instant and I knew then that the Mel I knew was coming back to me. I bit into my wrist and offered it to her. She placed her mouth on top of the cut looked directly at me and sucked.

Fuck me. If that wasn’t the single sexiest thing a woman had ever done. I was instantly hard and throbbing but I had to get my mind back on the game and get Julia safe. I pulled my wrist away and wiped some stray blood from Mel’s mouth.

Her cut would heal within minutes so I took off my t-shirt, grabbed a bottle of white wine and told her to clean the blood away from her head.

She did as I asked and as quietly as I could I climbed the steps up to the bar.

The trap door had been closed up but I could hear words being spoken by a deep voiced male.

He had a European accent and he kept on asking Julia how she knew who he was. In between that he was telling her how he thought it was funny that he was able to watch Alex for years without his knowledge due to him having herbs from a witch in the black forest that masked his scent to other vampires.

According to this vampire he had been watching and waiting for the right moment to strike out at Alex, and Julia was going to be his weapon. I didn’t like the sound of that at all. He also said that we only sensed him recently due to his system becoming resistant to the herbs.

He said it was also dulling his other senses but he could still smell the fear in Julia. She laughed loudly at this and said she had no fear of him. Not while Alex and her vampire family were around. But Vargan laughed too and said, “Look around dear Julia. There is no one here except you and me.”

Mel tapped my leg and I looked down to see that she had a fucking huge machete type knife in her hand.

“Mel what the fuck are you doing with a knife like that I whispered,” as I climbed down the steps.

“I thought you may be able to use it to kill the vampire. I’ve got others if you don’t think this is suitable,” she said with a shy grin.

She crooked her finger asking me to follow her. She opened up what used to be a cleaning cupboard and switched on a light.

To say I was shocked was an understatement. Mel had been in the army before she came to be my manager at the Red Lion, but I don’t think the army would have trained her to use weapons like this.

There were knives ranging from about four inches to around two foot long swords.  I touched the handle on the largest one and turned to a grinning Mel.

“This is fucking wrong on so many levels Mel. I mean look at them. This one is huge,” I said taking the sword/knife from its shelf.

“If you think that’s big, you want to see the one under my bed,” she whispered with a grin.

A gun cabinet was attached to the wall on the right. Mel produced a key from her jeans pocket and opened the tall cabinet. Inside was a shotgun, two hand guns and what looked like some sort of rifle.