Claimed By The Lycan Read online

  “Melody,” I snapped, staring back at her in disbelief. “We were at the club trying to find you. We probably just saved your life and you’re worried about getting busted because of the I.D.?”

  She didn’t say anything.

  “People were being murdered right in front of us,” said Susan, turning back to look at her. “Once they start investigating everything, the cops are going to find out that you were there anyway. I’m sorry, but they need to know everything and I’m not lying.”

  Melody groaned. “Yeah, I suppose you’re right.”

  “I still can’t believe it,” I said, turning past Ruth’s Diner. “The guys from ‘Venom’ are vampires and werewolves? Seriously?”

  “I guess so,” said Susan. “We all saw what was happening.”

  “Do you honestly think anyone will believe us?” asked Melody.

  “They have to,” I replied. “I just wish I would have taken a picture with my phone.”

  “There was no time,” said Susan. “I mean, it wasn’t as if we were prepared for any of that.”

  There was a loud thud on the roof of the car and we all screamed in shock.

  “What was that?!” cried Susan, moving closer to me as she stared out the side of her window as if someone was going to break it and try grabbing her.

  Shaken, I pulled over to the side of the road. “I don’t know. Maybe a bird? I hope…”

  “No fucking way,” whispered Susan in horror as the gargoyle from Club Nightshade leaped from the top of my car to the pavement in front of us. It opened its mouth and let out a monstrous roar.

  Terrified, I threw the car in reverse, and punched it. The tires squealed in protest as we raced backwards.

  “Watch out! There’s something behind us!” screamed Melody, staring back out the window.

  Before I could blink, we slammed into whatever it was and there was a loud thud under the tires.

  “OhmyGod!” screeched Melody, as we rolled over whatever we’d hit.

  I slammed my foot on the brake and the car came to a quick halt.

  “What did we just hit?” asked Susan, her voice shaky. “What the hell was it?”

  Trembling, I looked at her. “Maybe it was that thing. It could have flown around and came at us from the back.”

  “Then who cares if we hit it,” said Melody. “We just need to get the hell out of here!”

  I caught a movement in the corner of my eye and Melody screamed as Susan’s door was ripped away from its hinges.

  “Susan!” I cried as the winged monster dragged her out of the car, kicking and screaming.

  “Help me!” she shrieked, trying to get out of the beast’s grasp.

  Crying, I jumped out of the car and raced toward them. “Leave her go, you freak!” I screamed, beating on the gargoyle’s head with my fists. The scales made my skin bleed, but I ignored it, along with the pain, and kept punching.

  “Chelsey!” screamed Susan, still frantically trying to get out of the gargoyle’s grasp. “Help me!”

  The monster screeched angrily and then backhanded me. I flew backwards and my head hit the pavement, the pain overwhelming, but all I could think about was saving Susan. I scrambled back up and then cried out in horror as the beast leaped into the sky, carrying her like a ragdoll into the darkness.

  I closed my eyes and fainted.

  WHEN I FINALLY came to, I was lying in a hospital bed, wearing a hospital gown. Confused, I tried to sit up, but the pain in my head took my breath away.

  “You’re awake,” said a nurse, peeking her head into the room. She was tall, with short curly red hair, and green glasses.

  “Yes,” I replied in a raspy voice.

  She walked inside and began examining me. “How do you feel?” she asked, checking my pulse.

  “My head hurts. A lot,” I replied, wincing as I moved it.

  Her smile was sympathetic. “I’ll get the doctor and I’m sure he’ll order something for the pain.”

  “Is my mom here?” I asked. My head was a little fuzzy and I couldn’t exactly remember why I was even in the hospital.

  “Uh, no. Let me get the doctor,” she said, walking away. “We’ll return shortly.”

  I closed my eyes and tried to remember what happened. After a few seconds, the memory of Susan being carried away by the monster came back to me and my breath caught in my throat.

  Was she okay? Had I been dreaming?

  Someone knocked on the door as I tried getting out of bed to search for my phone.

  “Yes?” I answered.

  “Hey, sleepyhead,” said a man wearing a white lab coat.

  I slumped back against the pillows. “Hi.”

  The nurse walked in behind him and they both approached the bed.

  “How are you feeling, Chelsey?” he asked, looking at a clipboard.

  I sighed. “My head hurts.”

  “I’m sure it does,” he replied. “You have quite the lump back there.”

  “Can you tell me if there was a girl named Susan Fields who may have either visited me or was admitted here?”

  The doctor removed his reading glasses. “No, not that I’m aware of. Is she a friend of yours?”

  “Yes. She was with me before I blacked out. Where are my mom and dad? Hasn’t anyone contacted them?”

  He sighed. “I’m not sure where they are. We found your home phone number and tried contacting them, but they haven’t returned any of our calls.”

  My eyes widened. “How long have I been here?”

  “Since last night,” he replied. “I’m rather surprised myself that they haven’t called us back.”

  “You left a message?”

  “Of course we have.”

  “What about my cousin, Melody Fairfax? Did she bring me in? Maybe she spoke with them?”

  “No, actually a young man brought you here, along with your purse and cell phone. Then, he pretty much vanished,” said the doctor. He tapped his pen against the metal on the clipboard. “I wish I had more information to give you. But, right now, that’s all I have.”

  “You really don’t know who brought me here?”

  “Guess not,” he replied. “Look, Chelsey, the sheriff will be in to see you sometime this evening. He has some questions for you. Maybe he can help you get to the bottom of all this and figure out where your parents are.”

  “I hope so,” I replied. “Do you know where my things are? I need my phone.”

  “They’re in here,” said the nurse, opening the closet door. She pulled out my purse and walked it over to me.

  “Thanks,” I replied, taking it from her. I unzipped the top, pulled out my cell phone, and then quickly dialed my mom’s cell phone.

  “We’ll be back in a minute,” murmured the doctor, his smile reassuring.

  “Thanks,” I replied as mom’s phone continued to ring. When she didn’t answer, I left her a message and then dialed my dad.

  “Dad, it’s me. I’m in the hospital, the one in Shore Lake, I believe,” I said, staring outside into the darkness. It was after eight, and I couldn’t imagine why they hadn’t been to the hospital yet. It had been over twenty-four hours since I’d last spoken to them. It made no sense that they hadn’t at least tried to call me. “I can’t get ahold of mom, either, and… I’m scared. Please… call me.”

  Next, I tried calling both Melody and Susan, but neither of them answered. Upset, I sent them both texts.

  Maybe they were still with Aunt Jody?

  I searched for her name in my contact list and dialed her as well, but got the same results. My eyes filled with tears as I tried my mom again. “Mom, please call me,” I begged. “I need to hear from you.”

  As I hung up, there was another knock at the door.

  “Yes,” I said, wiping the wetness from my cheeks. “Come in.”

  A man with dark hair poked his head in the door and smiled. “Excuse me? Chelsey Fairfax?”

  “Yes.”

  “I’m Caleb Smith, the sheriff here in Sh
ore Lake. Do you have a few minutes?”

  “Yes, of course,” I replied, sitting up straighter. “I’m so glad you’re here. You have no idea…”

  He chuckled. “Now that’s not something I hear every day.”

  Smiling grimly, I pulled the blanket in tightly. “I’m scared, Sheriff. I don’t know what’s going on, I don’t know where my parents are, and I think my best friend might be dead.”

  His eyes widened. “Whoa,” he said, reaching into the pocket of his brown uniform. He pulled out a pen and a small notepad. “Now you’re scaring me. Chelsey, I think we’d better start from the top. Tell me how you ended up with that bruise on your head. What do you remember?”

  “Uh, okay. Have you spoken to my parents?”

  He sat down in a chair next to me. “I’m trying to locate them. Have they been traveling lately?”

  “No,” I said, and then proceeded to tell him about my cousin Melody.

  “You say she’s missing?” he asked.

  “Well, she was and then I found her. But… now she is again. I think.”

  He frowned. “I’m confused.”

  Sighing, I started from the very beginning and told him everything. When I got to the part of how we used the fake I.D.s to get into Club Nightshade, his eyes narrowed. “Obviously, you know that’s against the law.”

  “I know,” I replied. “And… I realize that it was stupid. Very stupid. But, we did find Melody.” I proceeded to tell him the rest of my story, but when I got to the fight involving the band Venom, he stopped me.

  “Chelsey, were you taking any drugs last night? Any hallucinogens?”

  I shook my head vehemently. “No,” I replied. “Absolutely not! It was all real, Sheriff, I swear to God. I’m not making any of this up.”

  From the expression on his face, he obviously did not believe me. He scratched the side of his cheek. “Hmm… Well, why don’t you just continue?”

  I did, but when I got to the part of Susan being swept away by the gargoyle, he smirked. “Come on, Chelsey… you can’t expect me to believe that, now can you? Honestly, a gargoyle?”

  “You have to believe me,” I said, gritting my teeth. “It really happened.”

  “You’re talking about vampires, Chelsey.”

  “Yes, and werewolves!”

  He closed his eyes and rubbed the bridge of his nose.

  “Look, did anyone find my car?” I asked, getting desperate. “The gargoyle ripped the door right off of it. A human couldn’t do that!”

  Sheriff Caleb raised his pen again. “We did not find your car. I wasn’t even aware that it was missing,” he replied, jotting on his notepad. “But we’ll search for it.”

  “We were attacked about a quarter of a mile east from Ruth’s Diner,” I said. “It has to be there. Unless, Melody drove off with it. Have you spoken to her?”

  “No, I’m sorry.”

  My head began to pound even harder. Frustrated, I blinked back more tears. “What is happening? My family is missing and so is my best friend.”

  “We’ll find them,” he replied. “I’m sure they’re all fine. Confused, but fine. Hell, maybe they’re out driving around, trying to find you.”

  “They thought I was seeing a movie last night.”

  “Obviously they were wrong.” The sheriff stood up. “Let me make some phone calls and see if I can send someone out to your aunt’s place.”

  I grabbed a tissue and blew my nose. “Thank you, Sheriff.”

  “We’ll keep trying to get ahold of your parents, too,” he said, walking toward the doorway.

  “When can I go home?”

  “I’ll check with the doctor, and if you can leave, I’ll drive you home myself,” he said, putting the notepad in his pocket. “Maybe we’ll run into your parents.”

  “I hope so. Thanks.”

  He gave me a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry, honey, we’ll reunite you with your parents soon enough. Let me speak to the doctor and we’ll get the ball rolling.”

  “Okay.”

  After he left, I got out of bed and pulled my clothing out of the closet. I then went into the bathroom, washed my face and changed back into my sweater and jeans. A few minutes later, there was another knock on the door.

  “Yes?” I said.

  The door opened and the nurse from earlier appeared. “Here, I brought you something to ease the pain,” she said, holding two white pills and a small cup of water.

  “Thanks,” I said, talking them from her.

  “You might feel a little sleepy,” she said, staring at me as I swallowed them down. “But at least the pain will subside.”

  “What did the doctor say about my head? I forgot to ask.”

  “I believe you just have a slight concussion, nothing too serious. He’ll talk to you before you’re released.”

  “Okay. Does that mean I can leave soon?”

  “Yes, the sheriff is talking to the doctor now. I’m sure you’ll be checking out before nine.”

  It was almost eight-thirty. “Cool.”

  “Let me know if you need anything else.”

  “Thanks, nurse.” I squinted to look at her name tag. “Jennifer Gardener.”

  “You’re welcome, Chelsey.”

  After she left, I grabbed my cell phone. When I noticed that there was a message from Melody, I sighed in relief. I quickly dialed my voicemail and listened.

  “Chelsey, it’s Melody. Listen, you’ve got to get out of the hospital, now! And whatever you do, don’t go anywhere with Sheriff Caleb, he’s one of them, Chelsey. A vampire! I’m serious… don’t say anything to him about what you saw last night, either. If he finds out that you know what took place at Club Nightshade, you’re as good as dead. Now, hurry and meet me in the parking ramp. Fourth floor. I’ll be watching for you.” She began to cry. “They’ve already gotten to our parents, Chels. They’re all dead! Please, hurry and get your ass out to the parking lot!”

  Caleb was a vampire?!

  Our parents were dead?!

  Choking back a sob, I grabbed my purse and rushed to the door. Just when I was about to open it, someone knocked from the other side.

  Crap, crap, crap!

  Trying to remain calm, I pulled the door open, and stood face-to-face with Sheriff Caleb.

  “Oh good,” he said, beaming a bright, white smile at me. “You’re ready. Perfect timing because I’ve been told that you can leave as long as you’re under my protection.” He nodded toward the lobby. “I’ve already signed you out, so we can just go. I take it you’re all set?”

  I swallowed hard. “Uh, actually, I’m almost ready, but my stomach hurts. I think I have to go to the bathroom. Can I just meet you in the lobby?”

  His smile fell. “Uh, sure. I can wait for you there.”

  “Good. I won’t be long, Sheriff. Thanks so much for doing this.”

  “No problem. You know,” he looked at his watch, “I need to call my daughter anyway. Tell her I’m running late. I’m supposed to be dropping off a late dinner for her.”

  “Good idea.”

  After he left, I waited a few minutes and then snuck out of my room and down the hallway. I then followed the signs until I found an exit that led to the parking ramp and then took the stairs. When I reached the fourth floor, my eyes scanned the cars, but I didn’t recognize any of them. I pulled out my cell phone to call Melody, when an old black Firebird with tinted windows turned the corner of the lot and sped toward me, its engine rumbling loudly. I held my breath as the passenger window rolled down and a hand waved at me.

  “Melody,” I said, sighing in relief as the car stopped next to me.

  She opened the door quickly, got out, and pulled the seat back. “Hurry, get in before someone sees you.”

  When I noticed who was driving, I stared back at her in horror. “What are you doing with him?”

  Slade looked up at me from inside of the car. “Get in, Chelsey.”

  “No way,” I said, taking a step backwards. “You’
re one of them. A vampire.”

  Slade smiled grimly. “Yeah, I’m a vampire, but I’m also your only hope. So, get in if you want to make it out of here alive.”

  Melody grabbed my wrist. “He’s right,” she said, her eyes haunted. “We’re both dead without him.”

  “I hate you,” I said, frantic for him to leave.

  “Hate? That’s a pretty strong statement. I don’t believe you,” he whispered, his emerald eyes searching mine.

  I took a few steps back and fortunately, he didn’t notice that I’d grabbed the dagger from the dresser. I held it behind my back. “It’s the truth.”

  He smirked. “You make a terrible liar.”

  My body trembled, but not from fear. It was the overwhelming desire for a man I couldn’t trust. A man who had a thirst for blood, and apparently… treachery. My reaction to him was infuriating. “Is that right? And you think that you know me so well?”

  He reached up and gently placed his index finger on the pulse of my neck. “I know what I feel.”

  I pushed his hand away. “Give me a break. You don’t know anything about what I feel.”

  “On the contrary. Your face is flushed and your heart is racing.” He grinned darkly. “You want me as much as I want you. Admit it.”

  I clenched my fist, wanting to slam it into his arrogant face. “What I want… is to kill you. That thought excites the hell out of me.”

  His eyes moved to my nightgown and he took another step toward me. “And you excite the hell out of me, Chelsey.”

  I looked down and cursed myself for allowing him into my chamber. The material was almost transparent in the soft lighting. I gripped the dagger tightly, wondering exactly what I was going to do with the damn thing anyway. “I swear to God, if you don’t step away from me, I’ll scream. I’ll scream so loud that everyone will come running.”

  He touched the top button of my nightgown and smiled. “I’d rather hear you scream in pleasure.”

  I stiffened up. “You’re a real prick. You know that?”

  His smile faded. “So I’ve been told.” He removed his hand, but his fingertips brushed the tip of my breast, making my sex quiver in pleasure.

  I nodded at the doorway. “Get out of my room. I’m not going to ask you again.”