Chapter 2

Present Time

The February wind rattled the polished windows and blew icy snow against the panes. After what seemed like an hour of swaying from both sides of the room with arms folded across the chest, Penelope perched up on the couch beside Stanton, who kept her firmly in his gaze.

He half-turned to her and clutched her arm, but made no mistake in evading her gaze.

“You know what? She'll be back soon, all we need to do is have faith some more.”

Penelope shot back with an arched brow. He just sounded like a stranger to the whole situation.

“I don't get. What do you mean by have faith some more?”

She turned to him, ready to lash at him with her words.

“Have you thought about Alec? How he would feel about this…. I guess not.”

“Everyone's equally worried about Annie, just as you are. That's why Cleo is out there searching for her.”

“Its getting dark. I don't have the luxury of time for a chitchat, besides, I can't sit here all day doing nothing.”

“So?”

“So…. I suggest you,” —she stopped to listen intently. “Someone's coming.”

She lifted her gaze to the door as Cleo breezed into the quarters on her three-quarter leather jacket and denim pants. She'd a sprinkled grey-blond hair which crept down to her forehead. Her spidery eyelashes framed her aqua-blue eyes.

Penelope jerked from the couch with eyes searching Cleo's face.

“Any luck finding her?” —The words flew from her lips.

“Well…” —Cleo folded her arms across her chest as she advanced further. “There's the good news and the bad.”

Penelope and Stanton stared at each other with flashes of surprise in their eyes.

“The good first.” Penelope responded, preparing her mind for the worst.

Cleo stopped midway and gazed at Penelope then to Stanton, who was ready to pull the words out of her throat if she hesitated to speak for another minute.

“Annie has been found.” she said.

The words brought a moment of relief to Penelope as she clasped her hands to her chest and heaved a sigh of relief, but her happiness was short-lived when Cleo's face became unreadable.

“And the bad news?” – The words seemed to drag themselves from Stanton's throat.

“She's dead.” Cleo revealed.

Penelope's heart pounded beneath her rib cages as the words found its way into her ears.

“She was dumped out by….”

Penelope bolted out of the room, leaving Cleo to hang on her words. Not much of a surprise to them, if there was someone who could comfort Alec, then she was the answer.

Meanwhile, Alec stood beside himself with arms shoved in his pockets as he stared at the bite marks on Annie. She was supposed to be his wife in the coming week, but here she lies in front of him as a corpse.

He tilted his head to both sides, as he examined the bite marks on her body while he wrestled with his thoughts whether to drive his fangs into her tender flesh and get a read on her mind. Perhaps, feeding her his blood and giving her a second chance to life would be best, but he wouldn't want to see her share his ugly fate. Either ways, one of these had to be done.

“I'm sorry it shouldn't have ended this way.”—Penelope's voice like a whip cut through his thoughts as she planted herself by the door.

“I should do the same to whoever did this to her.” —he turned to her with a painful smile. “Fortunately, I have a good guess.”

“No,” —Penelope breezed towards him and clutched his arm while she gazed into his blood lusted eyes and shook her head. “You don't have to do this.”

“Why shouldn't I?”

His voice matched the hardness of his gaze as he half-turned to the corpse behind.

“There she lies, dead! Yet, you want me to do nothing about it, is that what you mean?”

“No…” —Penelope brushed her fingers on his arm, trying to ease him of the growing rage.

“That's not what I meant. I need you….”

“I've lost everything I tried to keep!”— anger and nerves shook his voice. He stared deep into her eyes, blinking back tears. “Now I've to keep everything I've lost.”

He tossed his head downwards as tears ran the length of his cheeks.

“I can assure you, this isn't the end of the world.” —she framed his face with her arms. “You'll get another. Just like her.”

“Another?”

Something between a laugh and sob escaped his throat. “Need I remind you sister that it took half a century to meet someone like her? Now you suggest I throw all of that away?.. I can't.”

“You're getting me wrong, all I'm saying is…”

Alec killed the rest of words halfway in her throat by gripping her neck. Her words had begun to sting his patience.

“You don't have to shed blood.” she said, choking out her words.

“You're wrong.” —his voice went soft and almost dangerous as a scornful smile creased his face. “I do.”

He snapped her neck and vanished.