Everyone had gone home. The only people left in the house were Carter, Eleanor, Autumn, and me. Three Hunters were locked up in a house with the very monster that they were hunting. Their specialized warding did not affect me, their silver blades were useless, and all of their knowledge of the supernatural held no answers for them. But luckily for them, I was no threat. Instead, I was probably the best protection they could ever have.
They came to the guest side of the house and kept insisting that I stay with them for the night, especially after the run-in that we had with the vampires. They were worried that something might happen to me with all of the different threats looming so large. So, they set me up in their guest wing, and they wouldn't take no for an answer.
Autumn was anxious as we all spoke, thinking I'd end up going home or something. As soon as they broke my will to resist my own urges, I just agreed.
Carter and I sat on the counters of the small guest kitchen, drinking a few beers, talking about my darker half. He wanted to dig in on the monster and find ways to research old legends and stories that could help us learn more. He told me that he had contacts in other parts of the world who were looking into anything that could help us figure out what we were dealing with. In his mind, he knew that the answers would come. It was only a matter of time. At least that's how it usually worked, but I was no ordinary beast.
Carter was ready to call it a night, and Eleanor had just finished setting up the guest room.
"I guess it is that time," Carter said, finishing the last sip of his beer.
"Yeah, I could use some sleep. Today was… eventful," I laughed, shaking the empty beer bottle in my hand.
"Yes, it was," he said, standing up. He got a little more serious for a second, "We can talk more tomorrow. If you want to stick around in the morning, there are always new things to learn."
"Sounds good," I said. I looked at Eleanor, "Thanks again for the room. You really didn't have to do all this. A couch would have been fine."
She smiled, "Please, it's nothing. If you need anything, just make yourself at home, go get something to eat, drink, watch TV, whatever you want. Make yourself at home." She emphasized again, really wanting me to feel comfortable.
"Well, thank you." I was undeserving of their care. If only they knew what I was, undoubtedly, they'd be acting differently.
"Good night. We'll see you in the morning, Sam."
"Good night," I replied. Then they headed up the few steps and down the hall to the primary side of the house.
I walked into the bedroom and flipped the light switch. The bed looked so comfortable that I walked straight to it and slid under the warm blankets. I hadn't slept like that in forever. Soft sheets on a warm, clean mattress weren't my reality. I was in heaven.
As I lay in the dark, I thought about all they were doing for me and how much they cared about me. I felt my throat tighten, followed by my eyes watering up. I started feeling like I was actually a part of a family. I was motionless in the dark, thankful for everything I was experiencing with the Chasses. Still, I was getting choked up about something else.
All of the things I was getting from them only reminded me of everything back home. Well, where home used to be. I remembered the late nights with Vicky, lying in bed, and talking about the family we wanted. I thought of our entire lives together and how much we loved each other. I remembered being with my own family and my brother. Then, I remembered that sweet little girl's face that night in the house. I replayed the only memories I had of Caydee. Her small frame, her tiny little lungs rising and falling, her quick heartbeat. I read through her little book in my mind again. This was what real pain felt like.
For that moment, I was glad to be alone.
I was lying in bed for about an hour before I heard the doorknob twist, and someone slip through the crack before closing the door back. She was all but silent as she crept through the dark room. It was funny watching her try to avoid furniture that I could see so clearly with my blackened eyes.
Autumn's heartbeat was erratic. She was nervous, excited, and all the other things you'd expect from a normal human. I, on the other hand, was scared. I knew what probably lingered in Autumn's mind. But I was hesitant to do it. I was worried about what that would do to her.
I didn't know all the answers, and I didn't know what it would mean if we got too physical. I didn't want to do anything that would hurt her.
I said nothing as she snuck through the room and flawlessly slipped under my covers.
"Hey," was all she said to announce herself as she inched under the sheets.
"Hey," I whispered. "What are you doing?" I was still nervous about it. I wanted it so bad, but I was scared of the consequences.
"This," she said just before her lips pressed into mine. She didn't need to talk anymore. She and I knew what she wanted. There wasn't room for anything else.
My worries all faded quickly as things started to heat up. I stopped thinking about the what-if and just focused on everything I had missed over the last two years. I grabbed her and pulled her in close, then rolled her on top of me. Her dark hair hung down in my face and on my chest. I knew that if I lost control of myself, I could easily rip her to pieces. I had to be careful with her. She was strong, but still only human. She was fragile.
We stayed quiet, moving slowly and continuously as we kissed in that dark room. I was relentlessly gauging my strength, careful not to get carried away. It was one of the most intense experiences I've ever had. I didn't want it to end. It was how I remembered it with Vicky, but amplified to a whole new level. I could feel her blood pulse against my hands as it pumped through the veins in her arms, and I could hear all of the rushes and changes of her heartbeat. There were so many new ways for me to experience things that it was overwhelming.
She slowly pulled back, "Sam… I really like you. It's more than like…" she struggled to find the words. "I feel safe with you, and that is saying something in my world. I've fought things that people don't even know exist, I've killed creatures with ten times my own strength, but with you…" She really dug from deep within as she spoke. "There is something about you that I can't explain, but I feel it."
She was silent for a few minutes, kissing me again, slowly. The intensity of the physical contact had slowed, which was good. My human mind wanted us to pump the brakes.
"I don't want to rush this," Autumn said. "I don't want to go too fast, but I want you to know that you mean a great amount to me."
"You mean a lot to me, too," I replied. "The last thing I want to do is ruin everything I have with you and your family."
She snuggled in close to me, lying her head on my chest, listening to my powerful breaths. She seemed… happy. I stayed as still as possible, sensing everything about her in those late hours, holding her tightly against me. We stopped before we got too far, which eased the burden in my mind. Just to have her lying beside me was heaven, and I didn't want it to be over.
This was different than in the back of her car. This wasn't a frenzied rush of lust and uncertainty. This was a real connection, with real emotion and vulnerability. It was the first time I had been this close to anyone in years, and I needed it to last forever. I was so comfortable that, for the first time in a long time, I didn't want to escape into sleep. However, her presence eased me into sleep anyway.
"Rise," the ominous voice broke through my sleeping mind. The image of the cloaked figure shot into my mind's eye. The same thing that I watched on the night I was killed.
I shot up in bed, chilling sweat beading down my face. The first thing I noticed was silence in the house, but where had the voice come from? Next, I focused and listened for Autumn's slow breathing next to me. She was still right there, unaware of any foreign voice echoing through her ears. She unconsciously adjusted herself after I shot up in bed, unaware of what was happening.
Everything was silent. I looked around in the dark room furiously as I searched for the source of the words… but I found nothing.
"Charlotte Gunderson," the deep voice spoke again. A violent flash of images shot into my mind.
I saw a woman… no, women… It was a party. No, it was a gathering. It was in a modern home. The lights were dim, making it even harder to see their already cloaked faces. Candles littered the edges of the room. The group of women sat in a circle, smearing blood on the floor in all kinds of different patterns. I only recognized one of the shapes, the biggest one in the center of the ring. It was a pentagram. Flashes of other things ripped through me incoherently, along with deafening blows of what can only be compared to thunder. Bodies littered the floor. Women's naked figures writhing in pleasure on top of multiple different men. Then, I saw the men being cut open and killed. They were sacrificed. These women… these witches were killing them and smearing the blood over themselves. I felt a dark, very dark power in what I saw. One woman paced between the figures on the ground. She was the mediator. I could see her guiding hand on everything taking place with everyone on the floor. All of the other women looked to her as they slit the throats of the unsuspecting men. She was Charlotte Gunderson, and they were all witches. Their faces were burned into my mind, every single one of them. Then, everything shot to black.
My eyes ripped open, and everything flew back into focus. The room was calm and silent. There was no voice, no images. Everything was as it had been. Autumn was still there, grasping my arm tightly in her sleep, unaware of the visions that just ripped through my mind.
You'd probably think that I was confused, but I wasn't. I knew exactly why I was shown these things. I could feel the reason in the images, but I felt the command in the voice. I was being sent for her, Charlotte Gunderson, and her alone. I had no clue what was watching me, or haunting me, or whatever was happening, but I did know that it wanted only one thing. It wanted me to kill her, to kill them all.
I would.