The Secret

Chapter 7

Dear Mom,

         I needed to tell you how much I love you. Ever since dad died we stopped seeing eye to eye, but no matter what I have never stopped loving you. You have to understand why I chose to follow in his footsteps. I needed to; I made a promise to him that I would try to rid the world of this evil. He told me you would never be happy with my decision and I never understood why. You were just like dad, fighting for the same cause.

Rebecca had to stop reading for a moment, her eyes were to blurry to read anymore. She didn’t understand what her mother was talking about. They never talked about her grandparents; she had always just assumed they had passed before she was born. It had always just been mom and her, together in the lonely world.

Mom I want you to know that I would never put Rebecca in danger. I love her more then I could ever imagine. That’s why I have to do this; my last job is to bring peace. Mr. Duskiv said if we could come to a peace agreement with them I could leave. I want to be able to with Rebecca and not have to worry about her ever having to know the evils of this world.

“What in the world!” Rebecca almost yelled out into the night. She couldn’t believe what her mom was saying. She couldn’t wrap her head around it. All of a sudden she was hit with so many emotions it was making her dizzy. She didn’t know who to trust, from what she was reading in this letter everyone she should be able to trust is keeping a secret from her.

Mom this last mission is a bit dangerous, I have to be on guard at all times. Some people aren’t very happy with the idea of peace, but it needs to be done. Please mom, if anything happens to me take care of Rebecca. Help her to live a normal life and keep her safe. Don’t ever let her join this life and please don’t ever her tell her the truth about us. I love you more then you know.

By the time Rebecca finished the letter the sun was coming up on the horizon. She didn’t know what to do, all of a sudden she felt like a stranger in the home she had been so comfortable in for two years. How was she going to face her grandmother or even Mr. Duskiv? Rebecca carefully folded the letter back up, placed it in the hidden compartment then ran back to her room. She didn’t want to have to face anyone right now. She didn’t think she could ever face them again.

By the time Rebecca got to her room the tears were coming faster and her mind was spinning. She closed and locked the door behind her, sat on the floor and buried her head into her lap.

Aiden finally arrived in Bath late in the afternoon the next day. It was a small quiet town that looked as if it hadn’t upgraded over time. There were your typical little houses that were scattered in communities close to the town square. There were a few larger Victorian style homes that were scattered outside the communities. It was inside one of those that the girl he was sent to look for lived, but he wasn’t sure which one. At this moment all he could think about was finding something to eat and then getting settled. As a vampire he could go days without sleep, but each day that he didn’t get rest meant that he was getting weaker no matter how much he fed.

He turned down the main road that led right into the center of the town. People were walking everywhere; old little shops had people bursting out of it. In the center of the town stood a large clock tower surrounded by a park. Children laughing and running, people having picnics and fishing in the pond, the world around Aiden was so normal. It all was as if there was no evil in the darkness that people had to worry about. As Aiden watched the people he started to remember his life as a human.

He used to run through the park with his sister as a child. His mom always told him that he was in charge, he was the man of the house and it was his job to protect the family. That’s exactly what he did, and that’s exactly what ended his life.

A honk shook Aiden out of his memory; he sat up straighter and continued to drive out of the main part of town towards the outskirts where the thick woods sheltered the town form the world around it.

Just before Aiden made it to the long winding road that led to the woods, he caught a glimpse of long golden hair. “No it can’t be!” Aiden exclaimed out loud as he quickly pulled his car into the parking lot next to the store.

Aiden got out of the car a leaned against the side. He had to get a better look at the girl he saw coming out of the shop. He spotted her quickly in the crowd; she was abnormally gorgeous, looking almost like an angel. Anybody that was standing next to her looked just looked dull compared to her. That’s exactly how he was able to spot her; vampires can spot their own kind no matter how crowded the area was. To humans they just looked beautiful like a god or goddess, but to each other they could see an aura that radiated more than anyone. A vampire could tell a lot by looking at each other’s aura. He could tell by looking at her that she was must have just eaten and probably was well rested.

Aiden didn’t understand why another vampire was here. The law that was set for them stated that each coven had designated places they could travel to. This helped to keep the peace between each coven. As a vampire it was wrong to kill another that was the old law and that was what has remained since the first ones. When you got to different covens together in one area there was always a fight over humans and territory.

“So why is she here” Aiden thought. He would have to make sure he kept an eye on her, but for now it might be best to try to stay off radar. As of right now she didn’t seem like she knew he was there, he will defiantly need to be careful.

Aiden got back into his BMW and headed towards the woods. Once he fed he would find a place to stay close by so he could complete his mission.

Katherine laid in her bed awake for most of the night. Now she could feel the rays as they came in through the large bay window by her bed. Ms. Shepherd already knocked on her door numerous times since dawn but each time she told her to leave her alone.

She needed to be alone with her thoughts, so much was going on and she knew that most of it was her fault. The letter her daughter had written to her kept replaying over and over in her head and she had no idea what to do at this point. She wasn’t a woman who was at a lost, she had hunted vampires and had established herself as an elder within the hunters community. People looked up to her, but she agreed with her daughter, she did not want this life for her granddaughter. Unfortunately she couldn’t think about only her granddaughter, she had to think about the whole human race. Without the hunter’s vampires would run rampage through the world, humans would become extinct. Sacrifice one to save thousands, that’s what needed to be followed, but she didn’t want to accept that.



























Chapter 8

Rebecca didn’t remember when she finally fell asleep, but she woke up lying on the floor in front of her room. She was still feeling upset over the letter and decided that she needed to get out of the house. She looked at the clock and it was already lunch time. All Rebecca wanted to do was slip out without being noticed. She couldn’t face any of them, they all knew the secret but none of them told her.

She hurried up and slipped on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. Quietly she opened her door a crack and peeked out. “Good the coast is clear” she thought as she slipped quietly out of her room and went for the stairs.

At the top of the stairs she listened to see if she could hear anybody in the front foyer. The only noise that could be heard where pots banging in the kitchen and the faint sound of someone talking towards the parlor.

Rebecca hurried down the stairs, grabbed her tennis shoes from the closet and ran out the front door. When she got to the front garden she slipped her shoes on her feet and jogged to the end of the property line where the woods connected. Even though she was told continuously in the two years she had lived here not to go into the woods, she did anyway. The woods became her thinking place. She could hide away from the world and think about her mother, and right now she had so much filling her head that she thought it would burst.

Once she was in the woods she walked towards the creek she found a few weeks ago. That had become her secret spot. When she got there she sat done on the edge of the creek nestled into the curve of a huge willow tree.

As soon as she sat down the feelings started to flood through her again and no matter how hard she tried to fight it the tears came full force and completely covering her sense of sight. She had to make a decision on how she was going to deal with this, but she just didn’t know how. She had never stumbled across a secret like this, she who always just kept to herself and stayed guarded. I guess this is her punishment for letting her guard down, for feeling happiness for once in her life.

She wanted to just run far away and never look back but a small voice kept telling her that was a stupid idea. Where would she go, and how would she survive? So option two was to confront everyone in the house. For some reason that seemed scarier than running away.

Aiden had just finished feeding when he heard the faint sound of crying. He turned to start to walk back to his car but something kept pulling at him to go see who was crying. Quiet he walked between the trees, as he got closer he saw her. Sitting right in front of him was a girl sitting inside of a nook in a tree, knees pulled up and her face buried into them. She didn’t sense that he was there so he purposed himself to walk loud like the humans do.

Crack…

A branch broke under his foot and he saw the girl jump. When she turned to face him he could believe his eyes. There she was right in front of him, those eyes so filled with sadness. It was her, the girl from the picture, the one he was meant to find.

“I didn’t know anybody came here.” She said in a tiny angelic voice.

“Why was she so sad?” Aiden wondered as he stared at her. He felt an unfamiliar feeling in his chest. It was one that he hadn’t felt since he changed. As he stared at her the tears where still coming down her face and she didn’t seem to care at all.

“I was just walking back to my car and I thought I heard crying, are you ok? Aiden asked her trying to make sure he was showing the appropriate amount of sympathy. For some reason he wanted to just grab her, but not to hurt her, just to comfort her. It made him sad to see her upset, and he didn’t understand why. He didn’t know her, she could be a hunter, but something in him told her there was no way this angelic being could possibly be a killer. He hadn’t met many hunters, but the few that he did were cold. Their eyes looked almost like black holes, murderous almost.

“Oh I’m fine, or at least I will be. Are you new around here, I don’t think I have ever seen you before?”

“I just got in this afternoon; I felt like I needed a change so I just up and moved away, this is kind of like a little vacation from reality.”



Aiden could have sworn he saw the glimpse of a smile cross her face but the second he saw it the smile was gone.

“I think I could use one of those myself but I don’t have those kinds of luxuries.” Then she started to turn around and walk back into the woods.

“Wait, where are you going?” Aiden asked before she could disappear from sight.

“Back home its time I face some issues now that I had a chance to clear my head. Maybe I will see you around sometime though.”

“I hope so; my name is Aiden by the way.” He said with one of his charming smiles. He didn’t want her to leave just yet, he wasn’t sure what it was but he was intrigued by her.

“Well hello Aiden, my name is Rebecca” she said as she walked over to him. “If you didn’t already know there is a community picnic tomorrow. If you are staying in town awhile then maybe you would like to go.”

“Will you be there?” Aiden asked.

“Yes, my grandmother is expected to attend. The town looks up to her because apparently my family has been around for awhile. At some point one of my relatives was Mayor.”

“Well if you are going then I will to, I would love to talk to you more.” With that there was no question that a smile was on her face.

“Alright I will see you tomorrow at the picnic but right now I really do have to go. It was really nice meeting you Aiden” and with that she turned and walked away.

Chapter 9

Rebecca was still smiling when she got to the front door. She couldn’t believe it; just an hour ago she was crying and contemplating running away. Now she had a smile on her face that no matter what she could not get rid of, and all because of one person, Aiden.

She had never met another person that was a gorgeous as him. She couldn’t even think of any celebrities that would compare to him. His eyes seemed to hypnotize her, the beautiful blue that reminded her of a clear summer day. She felt as if he was allowing her to see into his soul when she stared into them.

The sound of someone opening the door shook her from her thoughts.

“My dear I didn’t realize you were out here.” Mr. Duskiv said.

“I went for a walk this morning. It’s so beautiful you know.” She said with a smile still on her face.

“Yes my dear it is a lovely day. I’m so glad I ran into you; have you come to a decision about our agreement?”

That one little question made Rebecca fall of the cloud she was floating on. Everything from last night came flooding back. What could she do, she had to make a decision right here and now. All of a sudden a calm feeling washed over her and just like a light bulb had gone off inside her head, she had her answer.

“Actually I have decided to accept your conditions.” She was trying so hard not to seem at all nervous but as she started to answer him she got a sick feeling in her stomach. She had no idea what she was getting herself into, at the moment she wasn’t sure about anything at all. One thing was certain though, if she wanted to come find out about the family secret and her mother’s death she had to follow along with the game, and that’s exactly what she was doing.

Rebecca gave Mr. Duskiv a smile and walked into the house.

By the time Katherine left her room it was already evening. She finally decided that when the time was right she would sit down with Rebecca and tell her everything. It was only right that the child be told what really caused her mother’s death as well as be able to have all the facts before she made a decision to accept Jonathan.

As Katherine walked downstairs she heard voices coming from the kitchen. As she walked through the door she saw Jonathan sitting talking to Rebecca. The huge grin on his face told her exactly what the conversation was about without needing to ask.

“She said yes, didn’t she” Katherine asked staring directly at Jonathan. She didn’t even try to mask the anger that was welling up inside of her.

“Yes Katherine she did. I was told this morning when we ran into each other on the porch. I think she made a very wise choice. Her training will start next week and classes will start in a few months.”  Then with a chuckle he added, “I am trying to talk her out of a local college though but she just doesn’t seem to want to leave this place.”

“I thought I told you to take a day or two to think it over” Katherine shouted at Rebecca, she didn’t mean to yell at the poor girl but she couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Little Rebecca couldn’t do this, she was not a fighter, she didn’t belong in that life.

All over again Katherine started to feel the same anguish she felt when Sophia told her she was to start training. “This cycle will never end” Katherine thought. Then in a cold whisper she looked directly into Rebecca’s eyes,” Well my child you just sealed your fate.” With that she turned and briskly walked back to her room.

When she got to her room she sat down and her desk and began to right a note. She couldn’t stay here while her granddaughter went through with something that could get her killed. As much as it broke Katherine’s heart she had to leave. Tomorrow after the picnic she was going to head to the vacation home her husband had bought her before he died.

When she finished her letter she called for Ms. Shepherd.

“Yes ma’am did you need something” Ms. Shepherd asked when she arrived at the door.

“I need you to do something very important for me, I am going to be leaving tomorrow after the picnic, I want to be sure that Rebecca gets this letter. I also do not want you to say anything to Rebecca or Jonathan. The last thing I need from you is to please look after Rebecca. I know that I can trust that you will do everything in your power to keep her safe. She is headed down a dangerous path and I need you to protect her.” As hard as she tried she couldn’t help but to let the tears fall from her eyes. She knew that she could count on Ms. Shepherd; she had protected Sophia many times. Ms. Shepherd was the only staff member in her house that knew what the family really was, there were times that Ms. Shepherd had even saved them.

“Promise me you will protect her” Katherine said through the tears that were now running faster down her face.

“Ma’am you know I will keep her safe, I knew the moment that man stepped through our door that trouble was headed our way. I give you my word Rebecca will be alright. “With that Ms. Shepherd took the letter from Katherine’s hand and left the room.

After Ms. Shepherd left Katherine started packing up the things she would need. While she was packing she started to say a silent prayer of protection for her granddaughter, but she could help feeling as if everything was not going to be alright. She only hoped that this time her intuition was wrong,















Chapter 10

The next day Rebecca awoke to a beautiful morning. Just as she was getting out of bed Ms. Shepherd appeared at the door.

“Child, you have a visitor this morning. He said he met you in the woods yesterday. You know I thought we told you never to go into those woods. I tell you sometimes I think you are worse than a toddler…”

“Aiden is here, in the house as we speak.” Rebecca said cutting Ms. Shepherd off mid sentence. She didn’t want to her the rest of what the women had to say, she didn’t care nothing was going to ruin this day for her.

“Yes child I believe that is what he said his name was” Ms. Shepherd said as she started to make the bed. “You know he is very polite, that boy must come from money, brought up well I tell you. You certainly could learn a few things from that one I tell you.” Ms. Shepherd turned just in time to see Rebecca run out the bedroom door and head for the stairs. “My dear child get back here, you are still in your night gown.”

Rebecca stopped short just as she reached the landing of the stairs. She could just make out Aiden’s shadow across the floor of the front hall. She turned and ran back to her room and threw on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. It wasn’t what she had planned on wearing today but it certainly would have to do for an unexpected visit.

“Thank you Ms. Shepherd” she said as she ran back out the door and down the stairs.

As Ms. Shepherd watched the girl fly out of the room she couldn’t help but to smile. Rebecca was so much like her mother. Deep down though Ms. Shepherd knew that the girl was going to be heartbroken by the letter she had to deliver later that day. Ms. Shepherd sat down on the edge of Rebecca’s bed and prayed that the girl would be alright. She knew that she was strong but she didn’t think the girl was strong enough for what was going to come.

As soon as Rebecca made it halfway down the stairs, she stopped and took a deep breath. Her heart was pounding so fast she was sure it could be heard through the entire building. “Calm down Rebecca, calm down” she kept telling herself over and over, until finally she could breathe easier. Rebecca wasn’t used to having visitors let alone a guy coming to see her. She didn’t even care how he figured out where she lived she was just happy he was here. There were a ton of girls, who in Rebecca’s opinion were so much prettier and more outgoing then her, but he chose to want to get to know her. No matter what she was not going to ruin this.

As soon as she got to the bottom of the stairs she saw him. He look amazing standing there with his back to the stairs admiring the artwork that her grandmother collected. He had black leather boots, fitted light blue jean, and a button up shirt with sleeves delicately rolled up exposing his forearm. His hair not quite as dark as hers had a slight wave to it, and even though it was styled to look like he just rolled out of bed you couldn’t see a single hair that was out of place. She felt so plain standing there with her straight long hair that never laid right and her clothes that she always thought were too good for her to wear.

The next thing she knew, she was staring straight into dark blue eyes and she felt her knees go weak. Aiden must have sensed it because he moved closer to her and placed her arm gently through his.

“Here let’s go sit down.” He said smoothly as he led them to the parlor.

“I wasn’t sure if this was the right house, I asked a few people in town where you lived. I really hope that’s alright with you. I thought maybe we could go to the picnic together instead of meeting up there. Plus I really wanted to see how you were doing, you seemed pretty upset yesterday.”

“No it’s perfectly fine, it’s actually a pleasant surprise that you are here” Rebecca said feeling the burning in her cheeks. “I am doing much better though, yesterday was just a really rough day but everything is working out now.”

“Well that’s good to hear, I never like to see a pretty face crying” with that Aiden gave her one of his biggest breath taking smiles.

“You’re too kind but I will have to make sure I keep that in mind, No crying in front of Aiden.” Rebecca laughed. She wasn’t meaning to flirt but she just couldn’t help it. Everything about him made her want to melt into the floor.

Just then Rebecca heard the sound of heels clicking on the hardwood floor of the hall.

“Can you excuse me a minute.”

“Yes, is everything alright” Aiden said with a hint of concern in his voice.

Rebecca smiled “yes” and then got up and walked into the hall to catch up with her grandmother.

Rebecca found her grandmother by the kitchen door, sadness filled in her eyes. Rebecca hadn’t seen much of her since yesterday when her grandmother walked in on her talking to Mr. Duskiv.

“Nan I wanted to ask you if maybe we could talk tonight. I know you’re not happy with my decision but there are a lot of things that I feel we really need to discuss.”

“Rebecca there really isn’t anything left for us to talk about. You made your decision and nothing I say can change that. Once you say yes to Jonathan you cannot go back on your word. You decided not to listen and now you have to deal with the consequences of your decision.” Katherine said without even glancing at Rebecca. “I think its best that you run along and get ready; we will be leaving for the picnic in an hour sharp.”

Rebecca couldn’t believe the way her grandmother was treating her. The women wouldn’t even look at her and she didn’t understand. All she said was yes to be trained, how was that such a bad decision. She knew there was a family secret but really to treat her like this. If anyone should be acting this way it should be Rebecca.

“I’m not riding to the picnic with you, I’m going with Aiden he’s new here and I thought I should show him around town. He’s in the parlor if you want to say hello to him.” With that she turned around and walked upstairs to change her clothes. The quicker she could get ready the quicker Aiden and she could get out of this house. At least he could distract her for a few hours until it was time to come home.































Chapter 11

“Aiden, why did that name sound so familiar to her?” Katherine thought to herself. Something just didn’t feel right. “He’s new in town…” Rebecca had said. In all the years Katherine had lived in Bath one thing she learned is that it was very rare to see new travelers. Being a previous hunter she knew that the ones that did come through had a dark secret and needed to be removed before they could wreck havoc on the town. Still till this day she was supposed to uphold the commitment she made years ago.

Katherine turned around and faced the direction of the parlor. She could try to sneak up on Aiden but it would be no use if he truly was what she thought he was. She remembered from her training that there was no way to be able to sneak up on them, there hearing was enhanced. She was taught that they could here you coming from miles away. Right now he was so close he could probably hear her heart pounding in her chest.

Phillip had said once that there were very few humans that could master the cat like skills. Only those could sneak up on an unexpecting vampire. Unfortunately she was never able to master the skill, “Sophia could though” she thought with a sudden tug at her heart. She hurried to push the thought of her daughter from her mind.

Slowly Katherine started to walk towards the parlor. Just before she reached the doorway to look in Rebecca appeared looking absolutely gorgeous in her red sundress. For a moment Katherine thought it was Sophia, she couldn’t get over how much her granddaughter looked just like her daughter.

Rebecca just looked at Katherine then turned her attention towards Aiden.

“Sorry that took so long, we can go if you’re ready.” Rebecca had a smile playing on her lips. With that Aiden appeared in Katherine’s view, as soon as she saw him her heart started to beat faster. It was Levine’s “son” if that’s what you called the person who changed you.

“Nan, are you alright” Rebecca asked with concern on her face.

Aiden just looked at Katherine; he should have known the woman probably recognized him from when he first came to the coven. “Here let me help you to sit down, Rebecca maybe you should get her a glass of water.”

Aiden grabbed Katherine by the arm and led her to the couch in the parlor while Rebecca ran to the kitchen.

When Rebecca was out of sight she looked at Aiden “what are you doing here with my granddaughter?” she said in a cold menacing voice.

“I am not here to hurt her; I just needed to see if another hunter existed. She’s not one is she though? If she was she would have tried to kill me already.”

Katherine just looked at him, she wasn’t sure if she should believe what he was saying to her. She knew Levine for a long time but the word whispering around was that he was the one that killed Sophia. “Just know that if you lay one finger on my flesh and blood you will find all the hunters after you.”

Just then Rebecca walked back into the parlor carrying a glass of ice cold water. “Are you alright Nan, you scared me.”

“Oh Rebecca I’m fine, I didn’t sleep well last night and in my old age I’m feeling it today. I think you should go on to the picnic. I’m going pass on this one I think rest is in order for me.” In the back of her head though she knew she had to get out of here fast and head to Montreal. Something was not right and she needed to warn the leaders before more vampires found their way to Bath.

“Are you sure Nan I can stay if you need me?” Rebecca always had such a huge heart.

“No go dear, show Aiden about our town but please come home before nightfall.” Then looking right at Aiden, “You never know what kind of evil lies in the darkness.” With that Katherine got up off the couch at headed upstairs to her room.

“Do you still want to go?” Aiden asked looking right into Rebecca’s eyes.

“Of course, there has just been something’s going on around here. You know how it is people don’t always see eye to eye. Besides I promised to show you around town.”

“Well I am so happy I have you as my private tour guide.” Aiden said as he grabbed Rebecca’s hand. “Let’s go, you have a lot to show me in a little bit of time.”

Together they walked out the front door hand in hand. Rebecca’s heart fluttering away, she couldn’t believe her luck. Just two years ago she was a nobody, now she lived in a gorgeous old Victorian home, never had to worry if she was going to have clothes that fit or food in her stomach. She was given the ability to go to school and she had an incredible irresistible guy who seemed to want to spend time with her.  The only thing she wished she could change was the fact that she had stumbled across a family secret that she just couldn’t get out of her head. “Not right now though, I will not think about, it not while I’m getting ready to spend the day with someone like him.” She thought to herself as a smile started to play on her lips. She couldn’t help but notice Aiden staring at her. 

“What?” She asked feeling slightly embarrassed as if he just heard the thought in her head.

“Nothing I was just thinking how lucky I am that you decided to spend the day with me. I don’t think you realize how beautiful you are.” For once in Aiden’s life he actually meant what he was saying to a human. He didn’t know what it was about Rebecca that caused him to feel this way. He was just so comfortable with her, and there was a part of him that wanted to protect her. “Pull yourself together, you have a job to do and the whole Coven is depending on you.” He had to keep reminding himself that over and over. He just couldn’t see her as a hunter, she was so pure and her heart was so large.  He did have a job to do though, and no matter how much his heart ached for her when she wasn’t around he needed to remain loyal to his coven.

Aiden opened up the car door for her and when she was settled inside closed the door behind her. As he walked around to his side of the car he couldn’t help but notice the face peeking out through the curtain on the second floor. What surprised him was the fact that the person who was peeking out the curtain was not Katherine but the face of Sylvia Shepherd. Aiden couldn’t help but to feel shocked, he heard the story of her death from the elders of the Coven. “She certainly doesn’t look very dead to me” Aiden thought to himself. He made a mental note to check in on that situation as well. This simple job was turning into much more then Aiden had ever dreamed it would be. He wasn’t about to back down now though, the stake of the whole Coven rested solely on his shoulders.































Chapter 12

The ride into town was a quiet one.  Rebecca didn’t know what happened from the time he closed the car to door but he acted like he wanted to be away from her. She tried to have a conversation and all she got in return was one word answers or grunts. “Did I do something wrong” she thought to herself. So instead of trying another attempt to start up a conversation she just decided to stare out the passenger side window the rest of the way into town.

Aiden was lost in thought the entire drive to the park. All he wanted to do was go back to the room he was renting in the next town and really sit a put these pieces together. Things are not how they were supposed to be, everything should have been easy in and out. By now he had planned to be able to head back to the Coven but he couldn’t see that happening now. Something deep inside kept telling him that Levine knew more than he was letting on. He had learned long ago to listen to his intuition and now as a vampire that intuition had saved his life many times.

It wasn’t until the car had stopped and he heard the passenger door open that he realized where he was and that he had completely ignored Rebecca the whole car ride. “Great, now I’m going to have to try to do some damage control.” He felt bad about letting his thoughts control him but when he looked at Rebecca’s face his heart felt like it was breaking in two.

Quickly Aiden jumped out of the car and ran to her side offering Rebecca his hand to help her out.

Rebecca looked up at him confused, “You don’t have to do that.” She said and got out without touching Aiden.

“Rebecca I’m so sorry I ignored you, I don’t have a good excuse. I…” Aiden paused not sure what to say next. He couldn’t just come out and tell her the truth but he really didn’t want to lie to her either. “Sometimes when I’m around you I find that I get nervous and I don’t really know what to say. My thoughts become jumbled.” Aiden said as looked down at his shoes, he wasn’t lying to her he really did feel that way and he still couldn’t figure that out either.

“It’s alright I forgive you.” Rebecca said and then with a sly smile, “this time at least. I’m warning you though I’m not someone that is quick to forgive a second time.” With that she reached out and offered him her hand.

Rebecca didn’t know what it was about Aiden that made her feel so confident when they were together. One thing she did know was that she really liked it, once again she was able to have a smile on her face.

Together they walked out of the parking lot towards the park where pavilions had been set up specifically for the picnic. Even though they were early, lots of people had already arrived. The smell of hotdogs and hamburgers wafted through the air and the sound of children playing could be heard. Rebecca turned and looked at Aiden. She couldn’t get over how beautiful he looked in the sun. His blue eyes that earlier when he was sitting in the parlor were dark blue now were bright and sparkling.

Rebecca couldn’t help the smile that was playing on her lips. The look on Aiden’s face reminded her of what a child might look like the first time he walked into a candy store.

“Have you ever been to a town picnic before?” Rebecca asked

“Actually no, I grew up in a large city. People tend to just keep to themselves not really caring for others around them.” as Aiden said that Rebecca noticed a touch of sadness.

“Well you defiantly will not find that here, so hope you are ready for people being in your business.” Rebecca turned herself so she was standing directly in front of Aiden. He was a head shorter then her so she stood on her toes so she could look right into his eyes. “I think you will really like it here, I know I’m glad you decided to stop in Bath.”

Before Rebecca even knew what was happening Aiden leaned forward and softly kissed her on the cheek. “I’m beginning to think I made the right choice.”

“Rebecca you decided to come!” Without needing to turn around Rebecca knew exactly who that voice belonged to.  “And I see you brought a friend.”

Rebecca turned around just in time to see Michel’le walking up to them, her long black hair bouncing with each step she took.

“Hello, I was just going to come look for you” Rebecca said still a little embarrassed by the kiss Aiden just gave her.

“Yeah sure you were” Michel’le said looking right at Aiden. “Seems to me you were a bit busy”

Rebecca turned and looked toward the picnic; she didn’t want them to see the bright shade of red she was turning.

“Since she’s not introducing me I’ll just do it myself” she stuck her hand out towards Aiden “I’m Michel’le, you must be new around here.”

“Yes I just came into town the other day” he said as he took her hand. “Rebecca has been so kind as to show me around town.” Then Aiden took her hand and gently kissed it.

“My look at you with all your gentleman manners” Michel’le said, then looking at Rebecca “you better keep an eye on this one; girls will be lining up to steal him. Well anyway I wanted to say hello, I have to go help out at the hotdog stand but don’t leave without saying bye.”

She turned and gave Rebecca a hug and started to walk away, “Oh and Aiden it was very nice to meet you.” She said with a flirtatious smile.

When she was out of earshot Rebecca looked at Aiden “I’m so sorry for that, she is an amazing friend but she is also very straight forward.”

Aiden laughed and grabbed Rebecca’s hand, “It’s really alright she’s nice, I can see why she’s your friend. So what do you say you start showing me around?”

Rebecca looked at Aiden and laughed, “Yes I am being a horrible tour guide aren’t I.”

Aiden gave Rebecca’s hand a squeeze, “No you’re the best one I ever had.”





Chapter 13

“He’s there in Bath now” Kristopher said

“Good, do we know if he has found the girl yet?” Levine said as he flipped through the book in front of him.

“Yes there has been conformation he has made contact.”

“Ok, good then everything should be moving just fine,” then looking at Kristopher, “the second he calls let me know.”

“Yes, Sir I will keep you updated.” With that Kristopher turned and left the room.

If everything went as planned the girl will be rid of and Aiden could come back home without anybody knowing what was going on.

Sylvia briskly walked to Katherine’s room and knocked on the door.

“Come in”

When she opened the door she saw Katherine standing suitcases packed ready to head downstairs.

“You can’t seriously be leaving her now that he is here are you.” Sylvia said with disgust in her voice. “I can’t stay here he saw me, if he tells them I’m still alive and helping humans they will come after me.”

Katherine knew the woman was right, but she had to go. She had to tell the leaders before a war broke out between the vampires and humans.

“Sylvia, you are my dearest friend and I owe you my life. I have to go though and warn the leaders. Something is brewing and I can’t just sit here and do nothing while the world we live in falls apart. The letter I wrote to Rebecca explains everything, I even told her about you in it. She will start her training tomorrow and she will protect you. You are our family.”

Sylvia looked at Katherine for a long minute, she trusted this woman. Her judgment and her love is what kept her here through the years. She met Katherine when Katherine was a new hunter. The poor girl was only 15 years old, trying to take down a group of vampires by herself. Sylvia was part of the group.  When things started to get really bad for poor Katherine Sylvia went against her family and stepped in to save the little girl before she died. Once the others were disposed of Sylvia faked her death and traveled back here to Bath with Katherine. She swore to Katherine to always protect this family even though she was considered the enemy. Sylvia had kept to her word and she intended to keep her word now even if that meant the end of her life.

“Katherine you know I will keep her safe, but I really don’t think he is someone she should be hanging around.”

“Sylvia dear he isn’t going to hurt her, I made sure of that. Besides if he wanted to kill her he would have done it by now. His aura isn’t like the others, he doesn’t want to kill.”

Sylvia had almost forgotten that she taught her how to see the aura’s that only vampires were supposed to see.

“I trust you know what you are doing” Then Sylvia turned to go downstairs. When she got to the stairs she turned “Katherine please be careful, I don’t think the poor girl could stand to lose you especially now.”

Rebecca and Aiden walked hand in hand through the park, while Rebecca showed him all the places she had grown to love. Aiden found himself completely lost in her world and want to know more about her.

Finally Rebecca stopped by the bench at the edge of a lake that was in the middle of the park. “This is where I go to think, well most of the time anyway. If I’m at home and need to get away I go to the woods. I can just sit her all day and get lost staring at the water. When I first moved here after my mom died…” Rebecca stopped herself; she didn’t like to talk about that with others. She got so tired of the sympathy that people gave her, and she didn’t want that from Aiden.

“You don’t want to talk about it do you?” Aiden asked looking at her. She could see the care and concern in his eyes.

“No I stopped talking about it a long time ago, I didn’t want people to think they needed to feel sorry for me.”

“Well you can tell me, I promise no feeling sorry for you at all” Instead Aiden got a goofy look on his face that made Rebecca laugh. “There that’s what I wanted to see” he said as he put his arm around her.

“How about I tell you my sad story” he said staring off at the lake.

“If you want but please don’t think you have to.” She said as she snuggled closer to him.

“Well I told you I grew up in a large city; it was just my mom, sister, and me. I don’t really know what happened to my dad, just one day he was there then the next he wasn’t. My mom had to work a lot so I was in charge of taking care of Sarah. Well one day mom came home from her second job, She wasn’t feeling well and Sarah just wanted leave her alone. I decided to take Sarah out to the park so mom could sleep; well we had about a three block walk to the park. Sarah held tight to my hand the whole time. We were at the last street standing on the corner, the park right in front of us when I noticed my shoe was untied. I let go of Sarah’s hand for a second to tie it and that was when a ball rolled out into the middle of the street. Sarah was so young she didn’t understand, she ran out to get the ball and that’s when the car came.” Aiden stopped talking and when Rebecca looked up at him she saw the tears coming down his face, her heart clenched with pain as she watch this beautiful man cry because of the guilt he felt over his sister’s death.

Aiden tried to continue but Rebecca wouldn’t let him. Instead she sat up straight and grabbed him into a tight embrace. “It wasn’t your fault you know that right. Sometimes things just happen.”

They sat like that, her arms around him fingers playing in his hair soothing him for a long while. Finally Rebecca felt Aiden start to relax and she let go of him. His eyes shining from the tears that had just been shed, she found herself lost for words, but that was alright words weren’t need right now. Rebecca sat herself up so she was level with Aiden, slowly she moved her face closer to his, looked straight into his eyes “You shouldn’t feel so guilty, you weren’t the one driving the car. There was nothing you could do.” Then without thinking she touched her lips to his in a slow gentle kiss.

As soon as their lips met it seemed as if the world had stopped. She didn’t know what happened; she never had this feeling before. All she knew for sure was that she was falling in love with him. All her cares and thoughts of family secrets slipped away. She felt trust and love coming from him and at that moment she made the decision that she never wanted to leave his side.















Chapter 14

Aiden walked back to the pavilion with his arm around Rebecca. He was still feeling a little shaky from the kiss that seemed to surprise her just as much as it surprised him. Even though he didn’t tell Rebecca the whole story about his sister’s death he still felt oddly close to her.

“So are you feeling hungry, I could get you something to eat if you want.” Aiden said to her as they stopped at a picnic bench that had long before been abandoned. Whoever was there last had left dirty napkins all over the table and mustard and ketchup spots on part of the seat.

“Actually yes I am kind of hungry” She said as she started to clean up the mess so they could sit down.

“Well just give me a minute and I’ll be right back.” Aiden turned to walk away but before he could take a step Rebecca grabbed his hand. “Don’t take too long. I might start to miss you.” Then she reached up and kissed him on the cheek.

Aiden gave her a dazzling smile, he was about to bend down and kiss her when something caught his eye. It was the hue of deep red walking past the food table.

“I won’t be long promise” he said and walked away. 

He walked towards the food table, but had his eyes still on the red hue he saw. Quickly he glanced back towards Rebecca and noticed she was talking to some people. “Good” he thought to himself and quickly ran towards the hue. As he got closer he slowed down. The hue was coming from whoever was behind the tree in front of him. Whoever it was though they hadn’t seemed to notice him coming.

Quietly he snuck, around the back end of the tree just in time to see that the hue was coming from the girl with the long golden hair. Just as he came full around the tree she jumped up snarling at him. Before he even had time to move, she had him pinned against the tree.

“What do you want?” She snarled at him.

“What are you doing here; you don’t belong in this sector.” Aiden said trying to free himself from the blonde girls grip.

“I choose where I belong, now why are you here sneaking up on me?”

“I am on an assignment from my coven leader.” Aiden said trying to sound as if he didn’t want to harm her.

“Well isn’t that funny, I’ve been sent here to this boring town as well. I’m supposed to be looking for a hunter.”

Aiden didn’t dare to speak, what is another Coven that doesn’t even belong in this sector need with Rebecca. He had to have her stay away from her, had to come up with something and quickly.

“I haven’t seen a hunter around here. I heard the one for this sector is dead.” Aiden said

The blonde girl let go of him “Yeah I heard the same, but I have been told she had a daughter and that the daughter moved her with her old hunter grandmother.

“Well you may want to check your information, I haven’t seen her and if she existed then Im sure I would have run into her by now.”

The blonde girl just looked at him, trying to decide if he was telling the truth or not. “Well I’m bored if you see or hear anything it will be in your best interest to contact me.” With that she pulled out a card, handed it to Aiden and was gone in a flash.