Chapter 4

“Charles? Are you just going to sit in here all day?” she asked.

“Unlike humans, vampires do not need to move as much. I have sat in the same location for weeks at a time. In this case, I have been taking the opportunity to figure out what the proper next step would be in regards to you. I think tomorrow morning once you arise, we will make sure that your parents are home. I have had a vehicle brought here for our use. Have you spoken with any of the vampires?”, I asked.

“Most of the vampires are locked in their rooms and have not come out. I have only seen one for a brief moment but as soon as he saw me, he immediately vanished.” she said with a bit of confusion.

I actually laughed a little at that. With a slight smile I explained, “you probably saw Darryl. He is still a very young vampire and not comfortable around humans. As for the sudden disappearance, Darryl simply moved faster than you could perceive the motion. It only appeared as though he vanished. Do not worry, Darryl is harmless. He is just simply scared of humans. He came to us from across the sea where vampires are far less accepted in the human world. If I remember correctly, Darryl actually was locked in a dungeon for over 50 years with little to no food ever provided. He lived on animals such as rats and anything else he could get his hands on. Luckily one of the jailers showed kindness enough to provide him with sustenance to keep him from going crazy. In the end, the jailer actually left the door open for him to escape. But that story is for another time. It is getting late and I know you have been extremely busy all day. Please feel free to go to bed and get some rest whenever you need. I actually have some business that I need to attend to. I will let Darla know that I am leaving for a short time. I am sure she will be more than happy to watch over you.”

Before she even realized she asked the question, “may I go with you if you leave?”

With a smile, I said “unfortunately under this circumstance, you would not be safe to travel with me. I must go settle a dispute between two groups of vampires. Although the chance of violence remains minimal, having a human within range would cause an added distraction. I could not guarantee your safety at that time. Do not worry, I will return before daylight.”

Although Sara seemed disappointed and disheartened by the fact, she seemed to regain some of her luster held with her personality naturally. Sara said, “I hope to come back here one day but I don’t think my parents will let me. Maybe you can visit me from time to time.” Her eyes held almost a yearning for a positive answer from the suggestion.

“Do not worry Sara, you are still far too young to understand everything that my world has to offer which includes the dangers you would face, however, once a human knows about our world, most find the knowledge hard to forget. Besides, I have no intention of leaving you with your parents if your safety and well-being remains in question. I plan to check on you from time to time.” I said.

With a very large smile and a slight bounce Sara left the room. I had contemplated much while Sara remained with Darla. I remained unsure as to my next steps but under the circumstance I had more pressing issues to take care of. Slowly I stood and walked out of the room toward the front door. Making sure that Sara could not see me, I took two steps forward and changed into my true form. With two large thrusts of my wings, the power generated easily lifted me from the ground as though I weighed nothing more than a bumblebee. I climbed in altitude and gained speed while slowly angled toward my destination.

After resolving the issue between the vampires, I glided back to where Sara slept. Landing quietly as a feather on the ground, I immediately reverted back to my normal human form. As I opened the door to the coven I found several vampires holding a conversation in the front foyer. Most vampires moved about during the night even if they did not leave. I went to the room where Sara slept to check on her. Darla sat dozing in the chair across from her bed. Without a word I walked into the room and Darla looked up. With a smile, she got up and walked out of the room. I could tell that Darla needed rest but she was not going to let this young girl out of her sight in my absence. Darla was the reason why I knew Sara remained safe while I dealt with issues within our world.