Carmen heard the front door open just as Vincent morphed into his vampire form and shot into the sky, leaving his clothing behind. She stood frozen in fear.
“Anyone home?” she heard Jarvis call out. That seemed to be the catalyst needed to break her paralasys and she ran from the kitchen screaming their names.
Front Hall
“Get in the house! Now!” she screamed at them. Jarvis stared at her as if she were insane.
“What’s going on?” Bianca asked, trying to see around Jarvis, who was blocking the door with his body.
“Don’t argue with me! Get inside now!” Carmen repeated, rushing toward them. She grabbed Jarvis by the arm and yanked him into the house, nearly throwing him across the hall.
“Carmen! What the hell is the matter with you?” Jarvis scowled, getting to his feet. She ignored him and grabbed at Bianca, pulling her inside as well.
There was a screeching noise overhead, sounding as if it were getting closer. Misty was still in the driveway,on her hands and knees trying to grab at something underneath the car. Carmen yelled out to her. “Misty, move your ass, now!”
“I dropped my lipstick.” Misty stated.
“I’ll fucking buy you a new one! Get in here now!” Carmen screamed.
“All right. I’m coming for fuck’s sake!” Misty sighed, getting to her feet. She had taken a step when the sound of wings flapping caught her attention. She looked up and screamed.
Misty had been down on the gravel trying to reach a tube of lipstick that had fallen from her purse and rolled under the car. Little did she know the screeching sound overhead, was actually Vincent in full form as a vampire. Heaving Carmen screaming for her to get inside now, and that she would buy her another one, had her a bit confused, till she looked up and saw the beast for herself.
“ARRRRRGGGHHHH!” Misty screamed, running at top speed, and nearly bowling Jarvis and Bianca over as she made it through the door. The trio then slammed the door shut, right as Vincent came flying at it. There was a huge crash, and continued infernally screaming as the beast pounded on the door for all it was worth.
“What the hell is that?” Jarvis cried, keeping his body weight up against the door, to keep whatever was on the other side out.
“It’s a vampire like us…but…never seen one that big before.”
All the kids looked to Carmen for answers.
Where was Shane?
Road near Shane’s house.
Thankfully, another driver stopped, and helped Shane call for a tow truck, which was pulling his car onto the back of a tilt tray. Looking towards his house, Shane got a bad feeling running through him and then asked the other driver, if he could just catch a lift up the road, so that he could get home to Carmen and the kids. Something was horribly wrong. Thankfully, the driver was heading that way, and told Shane to get in.
The car speed towards Shane’s house, where Vincent had been terrorizing his family.
<3>
Carmen was still in fear mode and was pressed against the wall, staring at the front door and listening to the thuds and snarls of an angry Master Vampire as it tried, and failed, to get inside their sanctuary.
“What the hell is that?” Jarvis shouted, his back pressed against the door. Using their strength, Misty and Bianca grabbed the heavy knick-knacks curio cabinet that had been in Shane’s den and brought it out to barricade the door more effectively. Jarvis moved away from the door with a sigh of relief.
“It’s a vampire like us…but…never seen one that big before.” Bianca stated. The three of them looked at Carmen, who was now going into shock, her whole body trembling as if she’d been caught in an earthquake.
“It was Vincent.” she whispered, sliding down the wall and curling in upon herself. “It was Vincent.” she repeated, wrapping her arms around her knees as she rocked back and forth.
“I think we better find Shane.” Misty stated, staring at the normally strong woman in surprise.
For once, Jarvis didn’t have a smart-ass comment, taking out his cellphone and dialing Shane’s number. His call went straight to voicemail and he hung up. This was something you didn’t leave to a voicemail message. “He’s not answering.” he stated.
“No…no…no…he’s okay….he’s okay…I want Shane! Someone find Shane!” Carmen was becoming hysterical. She wanted her mate. She needed him right this second.
The kind driver that gave Shane a lift from where his car broke down, pulled up outside the front gates of the estate. He was kinda shocked by the size of the iron gates, and looked at Shane, who pulled out a one hundred dollar bill and gave it to the driver.
“You live here?”
“Mhm, with my wife and kids. Hope I haven’t upset them keeping them waiting tonight. Thanks for the ride.”
“No problem…have a good one.”
Shane got out of the car, as the driver took off down the lane, and this was when Shane heard the god awful screeching coming from the front of the house.
“Carmen?!” Shane cried, for he recognized that sound. It was Vincent. That son of a bitch. Instantly, Shane pulled open the iron gates and started running down the long driveway as fast as he could, picking up speed, till he saw the shape of the head Vampire, pulverizing the front door.
“YOU SON OF A BITCH!” Shane roared, as he started to morph right on the driveway, his suit tearing off of him as huge wings appeared to rocket out of his back.
“FOOL…I NEARLY HAD HER!” Vincent screamed back in a vile tone as he turned away from the damaged front door. The last thing Shane ever wanted to hear, was that Vincent had hurt his wife. “YOU’LL NEVER HAVE HER!”
Shane flew at the Master Vampire, and with his fist threw a hard punch at Vincent’s head, landing true. The hit would send the Vampire hurtling towards a wall, which he hit with remarkable force. Shane was incensed beyond belief, not giving up. He went at him again, and this time, did great damage, as his claws sliced through Vincent’s neck. Black blood spewed out, and Shane was about to strike him again, when Vincent used his ability to shift into black mist, and took off into the air…escaping possible death by mere seconds.
Shane landed hard on the driveway, panting. He raised both fists in the air and let out a god almighty roar of anger, that Vincent got away, before looking back at the front door panting.
“Carmen…” he said mind to mind.
<3>
Jarvis and Misty returned the cabinet to the den and opened the front door for Shane.
“Was that really Vincent?” Misty asked. “Fuck, he’s a big bastard!”
Bianca, who had stayed beside Carmen, an arm wrapped around the distraught woman’s shoulders, looked at them.
“Shane! Something’s wrong with Carmen! I can’t get her to respond.” she announced.
Shane morphed back a lot faster than he normally did. The reason for this was because he couldn’t get into Carmen’s mind, and that had not happened before. As soon as the cabinet was pulled back and the door was opened, Shane ran inside, and then saw for himself that Bianca had her arm wrapped around Carmen, and she seemed to be in a deep sense of shock.
“Shane! Something’s wrong with Carmen! I can’t get her to respond.” Bianca said, while the other two came back from pushing the cabinet back from the den. Jarvis looked to Shane and said. “He must have scared her stupid. We got here, and he was in the air. Carmen was screaming for us to come inside. I’ve never seen her like this before.Shane’s face was riddled with concern, as he asked Bianca.
“Give her to me.”
Bianca let her go, and Shane swept her up into a fireman’s hold, before carrying her into the media room, and then gently sitting down with her on his lap. He held her head to his chest, and stroked her back, though he himself was still shaking.
“It’s okay now…I’m home. He’s gone.”
Would she respond?
<3>
Not seeming to care that he was as naked as a jay bird, Shane scooped Carmen into his arms and carried her to the media room. Jarvis, showing a care he’d never done before, turned on a single lamp in the room before bringing over a blanket to wrap around Carmen’s shoulders as she sat in Shane’s lap. He herded the others from the room so Shane and Carmen could be alone.
Shane held her head to his chest, stroking her back in smooth, gentle movements. They had nearly lost one another. It was unthinkable.
“It’s okay now…I’m home. He’s gone.” he whispered.
Carmen wasn’t as far gone as the others thought. Once she caught the scent of her mate, she came back to herself, bringing her head up to look at him. “Shane.” she whispered his name, fear coloring every syllable. “Oh god! You’re here! You’re okay!” She wrapped her arms around him and buried her face into his neck, inhaling his scent. “Where were you? I tried to call you, but you didn’t answer! And I was alone…oh god I was alone with him! And he had me! And you weren’t here! Godamn you! You weren’t here!” She had started off in a whisper but each word she spoke went up in volume until she was practically shouting, punctuating each each word with a light-fisted punch to his shoulders and chest. “You weren’t here!” She wilted in his arms and finally the sobs came, great heaping sobs of relief that her mate was safe and with her once again. She held him tightly, never wanting to let him go again.
That had been way too close for comfort.
Every word, and phrase punched into his very chest and being, till she started to use her own fists. The poor woman had been home alone, and Vincent seized the opportunity to attack her. Little did either of them know that he had tampered with Shane’s car well before hand, so he knew that she would be a target, a sitting duck. Guilt washed over Shane, even though it was not his fault that he was not home when she needed him. It hurt him more than she would realize that she may of thought he failed to protect her, even though he just fought like a vampire possessed to protect them all. His face was ashen, as his brows knitted close together, and he sniffed as he tried to hold back tears that he could feel welling in back. The very thought of losing her would simply kill him, and this was a close call. He let her have her moment, hitting him again and again, before gripping him tightly and sobbing loudly. It didn’t matter if the kids could hear or not, he simply didn’t care.
All he could do was hold her. Shane couldn’t seem to find comforting words. It was like his tongue was tied in knots. He rested his chin on her head, and let out a loud sigh….
<3>
She sensed feelings of guilt and fear coming from her mate and brought her head up.
“I don’t blame you, Shane. That was my own fear talking. He surprised me and I wasn’t expecting to be attacked in my own home. Please don’t blame yourself. None of us knew.” she whispered. She smoothed her hand across the areas of his body she had struck, surprised to see a light glow beneath her fingertips. Where she had bruised him with her fists, the bruises had now disappeared. Well that was new!
Shane hadn’t spoken a word to her in response. She placed her hand against his cheek to draw his attention to her.
“I…Carmen Marquez, take you, Shane Williamson, to be my husband, in name, in honor and in blood. To have and to hold, today, tomorrow and forever. Forsaking all others and cherishing every moment, every memory we make together. With this ring upon my hand, I pledge, once again, my love, my loyalty and my commitment to keep you as happy with me as I am with you. No one will tear us apart. I will kill them if they try.” She repeated her personal committment to him that she had stated a few days before…and she meant every word, could feel it deep within her. Vincent would never get another chance at them again. Their love for one another and for the trio was too strong.
It was true. Shane was riddled with guilt in thinking he had let Carmen down. He couldn’t find the words, cause he knew once he started he would begin to rage of his hatred for Vincent. But for now, he had his beautiful wife in his arms, and she was even healing the very bruises she had made in his chest with a special aura that came from her own fingertips. A gift perhaps? It was certainly new.
Shane stared down at Carmen, as she said again her vows, that they had made to each other in this very room. They didn’t need no special ceremony, or even someone to officiate. They only needed each other. Shane had managed to get to the house, and beat Vincent off. In the future, he was going to have to face him again, only there would be only one standing when this occurred. Hearing her recite her vows once more, Shane found a reason to smile, though it was not the big Hollywood one he was famous for. More intimate.
He caressed her cheek with his fingers, his eyes saying many things, that his heart (if he had one) could convey. Instead, he kissed her deeply, with all the love he could muster, pressing his lips to her. Solidifying their union. Time and time again, their love had been tested…and once again it came through unscathed. They were truly soul mates in every sense of the word, and Shane only existed…for her.
<3>
