Darien

Chapter 7

Several weeks passed that witnessed Rose and Darien getting closer and spending more time together. Though they worked opposite hours, they still managed to spend quality time as they were still able to date and have fun, despite him being a vampire. They didn’t make much of her being human and tried not to think of him outliving her. They simply enjoyed each others company so much that Rose sometimes forgets what he is.

On this occasion, what jarred her was the image of another young girl who had gone missing now resurfacing, her body mangled. Rose’s hand flew to her mouth as she watched the evening news. Right away, she thought about what Darien had told her about rogue vampires and their guests and she wondered if this was another killing. Just as she was about to take her phone from off the table in the corner, it rang, startling her. She reached for it and pressed the green button, opening the line. It was Darien. It was in fact, another killing, but this time they hadn’t had a chance to cover it up because this girl had gone missing. It appears as if they had kept her alive long enough to maximize their feed and had disposed of her soon after.

It was the word from Everest that the secret organization was starting to take notice and had threatened full scale eradication if this present trend continued. Anyone who was not found in possession of their card would be brought in and possibly executed. Darien was now getting overly anxious to get rid of these rogues and at the same time to prevent them from committing any more murders. The heat was beginning to escalate and he could already feel the burn. What was even more alarming is that a badge was found next to this young girl. When the number was tracked, it was found to be the property of David, Darien’s friend. Everest also acted on his behalf and they were trying desperately to plead his case. They had asked that they bring him in and Weston had ensured the highest level of caution in doing so. The records showed that he had been visiting the agency for his regular supplies and had not been much trouble at all. They however, felt the need to detain him for a few days just to be sure. David had cooperated fully, though despising the reason for being there.

Rose felt overwhelmed by this much information, and the same level of anxiety for Darien. She was not sure what would happen now, but anything that did would have an effect on their relationship. She hung up the phone and went to her window, pulling back the curtains to reveal the large, round moon in the middle of the sky. She whispered a little prayer for her lover as she stood there.

In that instant, Darien caught her prayer as a gentle breeze washed over him while he sat next to his gargoyle; this was a position that had come almost naturally now. He had grown nervous, especially after what had happened to David. Not only were the rogues doing what was unnatural here, but they were insinuating the registered vampires as well. Darien could only assume that was a flat out attack on him for threatening them. He went back inside for his coat and flew from his building. He kept going until he was deep into the forest on the outskirts of town. He kept pace until he emerged in the clearing where he had found them before. They weren’t around. He scouted the area for a while longer and finally gave up when he couldn’t determine their whereabouts. He ventured into the city, hoping to catch sight of any of them, but he never did catch the rogues; the one time he did catch one was too late and it was because he was new. He had never caught Taylor, and as a matter of fact, Taylor had stopped being so bold with his hunts though he still fed mainly on humans.

Darien decided to try a different approach and try and find Taylor instead. He knew where he would normally hang out and he was usually accompanied by two other guys: Helen and Jack. It was believed that Helen was his spouse so they were mostly together. Jack had pretty much drifted into the group when he was a newborn and they had basically adopted him.

Darien started in the direction that would lead him to Taylor and his posse. He wanted to believe Taylor could see reason in the agency cracking down and raking them all in. He got to the mini reservation just in time as Taylor was about to leave.

“My, my, my,” he began. “What brings you to this neck of the woods?” he asked.

“I have business to discuss with you.”

Taylor returned and then sat down on a rock protruding from the ground. He gave a sweeping bow to Darien, indicating for him to begin.

“Are you aware of the new posse in town stirring up trouble? I would think that you do since they mentioned you giving them permission to hunt here.”

Taylor laughed at the words coming from Darien. “Permission? This isn’t my town. I saw them come through here a few weeks ago. They asked if this was a good spot to remain. I told them it was alright to me. I guess they took that as ‘permission’.”

“And are you aware of the deaths lately that have been made public? And of the badge the police found on the scene that was hurriedly whisked off to the agency to prevent further questioning? And that the badge was that of David’s and he is now in custody pending investigation? And that the agency is threatening full eradication of all vampires?” Darien was fuming by this.

“Hold on a minute,” Taylor began. “I have been living here for years and though I haven’t blended in as fully as you have, I don’t plan on making trouble. I am aware of the murders, and as you know, even if I do kill a human, they have never found a body. I am not that stupid. Humans fear what they do not understand and the less people who know about us the better. I don’t want any of this any more than you do. As a matter of fact, I had every intention of finding them myself. Their sloppy way of feeding is an insult even to me.”

“Good. So let’s go,” he beckoned to Taylor.

“Whoa, just leave this to me. I am not running around with you. I will get to them and then I will find you. Furthermore, I need to feed as well and I am sure you would not want to witness that.”