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  "So each of them was looking for something?" Blake said.

  "Yes."

  "Do you know what?"

  "No."

  "Josh, walk me through what happened the night you ran into the first vampire."

  "Umm, yeah. I had walked Melanie home that evening. When I came to the alley something on the ground caught my attention."

  "What was it?"

  "I don't know. It glinted in the streetlight and I took a step into the alley and bent down to pick it up, and that's when I sensed the vampire. He was agitated. His mind was all over the place and he was looking for something. That's when he sensed me. He made some mental note that he might as well appease his hunger and that's when he came at me like lightning and threw me up against the brick wall, where I dropped my groceries."

  "Back up a bit...you said you bent down to pick up the item that caught your attention. Did you pick it up?"

  "I...I barely remember, yes, I think I did."

  "What did you do with it?"

  "I put it in my pocket as I stood up."

  "Do you still have it?"

  "No. It must have fallen out at some point, because there is nothing in my pocket but my iPod."

  "Do you remember seeing the item? What it looked like? What it was?"

  "No. Everything happened so fast I didn't have time to look at it in the light and when I thought about it later it wasn't in my pocket."

  "Hmmm. Okay, so you got thrown against the brick wall, then what?"

  "Ummm, he grabbed me around the neck with one hand and threw me back to the end of the alley where I landed and smashed an old pallet. He crept closer to me and I could see his eyes were bright red and he had fangs. Then he leapt at me and I grabbed the only thing I could reach and pointed it towards him as he descended on it. It had been a sharp scrap of wood. He couldn't stop his momentum. His face seemed to change to a more human form, his eyes turned green and he exploded into ash and dust. I dropped the wood and ran home."

  "Were you able to read anything significant from him during the combat?"

  "No, just that he saw the wood and couldn't stop and then it was over."

  "Nothing about the item he was looking for?"

  "No."

  Melanie jumped in, "I do remember when I touched the back door where the vampire broke in at Josh's, the words 'Black Orchid' came to mind. I don't know if that means anything."

  "Black Orchid?" Blake asked.

  "Yes."

  "Hmmm. That could be helpful. So what happened when you met the other vampire, Josh?"

  "I went back to the alley about a week later. I thought if I went back maybe something would stand out or make some sense. When I got to the back of the alley there was a man kneeling down over the ashes of the other vampire. We sensed each other at the same exact time and I turned and ran. He watched me from the end of the alley as I went into the corner store and I'm guessing he must have followed me to Lanie's."

  "What did you sense from him?"

  "He was angry with the other vampire. He was looking for something the other vampire had taken. He had a lot better control of his thoughts than the other vampire."

  "Good. So he must have sensed from you that you met with the vampire that had stolen his item and he thinks you have this lost thing. The good news is that if this is an intelligent vampire, which it sounds like, even if he does catch up with you, he's not going to take on another vampire, two werewolves, and a witch. As long as you don't go wandering off by yourself, you should be safe with us. If he gets either of you alone, however, that's when we will have plenty of trouble. The trick is going to be figuring out what it is he thinks you have and why it's so important.

  "The Black Orchid sounds familiar to me, so I will call Dominic tomorrow morning and see if he can't give us any information on its meaning or what it is. In the meantime, we'll introduce you to Dean and you should definitely stay here where we can protect you, if this vampire comes looking. Sally, could you ask Dean if he wouldn't mind coming over to meet our guests?"

  "Yeah. No problem." Sally excused herself as she went out the front door.

  Melanie asked, "Who is Dominic?"

  "Dominic Larsen is my uncle. He lives in Connecticut. He dabbles in vampire history as a hobby and is pretty well known in the vampire community. The Larsen family is one of very few blue blood vampire families left."

  "Blue blood?" Melanie asked.

  "Pure vampire bloodline. Dominic's sister, my mother Abby, was the first in our family to marry someone who wasn't a blue blood, so Devon and I are considered tainted blood."

  Sally and Dean walked in just then. Blake said, "Dean, I'd like to introduce you to a friend of Darby's. Dean Wolfe, this is Melanie Harper and Josh. I'm sorry Josh, I don't think I caught your last name."

  Josh said, "Josh Brenner." He stood up as did Melanie, and shook Dean’s hand.

  Dean stood about six foot two inches with a very broad chest. His hair was short and messy and his eyes were hazel and kind, however his eyebrows made him look stern. He had a day-old beard, and after he shook hands with Josh he took his place behind the very petite Sally, wrapping his arms around her shoulders.

  Blake explained Josh and Melanie's situation briefly to Dean, who nodded at pertinent information. When Blake was done he said, "So what do you think?"

  Dean said, "Well, I think that the safest place for Josh is where we can be close. We keep this guy at a distance, at least until we can come up with more information and form a better plan."

  Blake said, "That was our thinking too. I thought I could call Dominic tomorrow and we can have him check into what the 'Black Orchid' might mean. Maybe the name will ring a bell."

  "Sounds like a plan. Are you okay with all of this, Josh? Melanie?" Dean said as he set his chin on Sally's head.

  Josh said, "I feel a little uncomfortable putting you into danger, but since we are not really prepared to deal with vampires, I guess we should accept your offer."

  "Great. So what do you say to dinner at Paddy's and then you two can crash in Darby's room?" Blake offered.

  Josh started to fidget before saying, "Ummm, dinner sounds great. I'm starved but well, we aren't really, ummm, together."

  “Oh? Really, but I thought I saw...I'm sorry, I shouldn't have assumed," Blake said a bit embarrassed. "That's fine. The couch is pretty comfortable. One of you is welcome to it."

  Josh looked at Melanie and said, "You should take the bedroom. I'll take the couch."

  Melanie put her foot down. "No. There's no way you can be comfortable all scrunched up. I'm shorter. I'll take the couch and I won't take ‘NO’ for an answer."

  Josh raised his eyebrows and knew it was useless to argue.

  Rowan interjected, "Well, whoever takes the bedroom will have to put up with Harry."

  "Harry? Who's Harry?" Josh asked nervously.

  "Harry is Darby's rather large cat. Since she left, he has claimed the whole bed as his own and he takes his claim very seriously. Trust me, you'll know him when you see him. And when I say large, I mean very large, twenty-five pounds plus. When he gets on the bed you’ll know it. In the morning, he'll wake you up by standing on your chest and squeaking, not meowing, like a mouse until you get up and put food in his dish."

  "Well, that's good to know. Okay then. Let's go get something to eat," Melanie said.

  Chapter 8

  Paddy's just happened to be the little bar at which Melanie and Josh had asked the bartender for directions. Apparently, it was a local dive, but they had the best burgers for miles. Josh and Melanie felt pretty comfortable since they had already been there earlier. After eating, they sat and talked for hours with Blake, Dean, Rowan, and Sally. Dean and Blake teased each other relentlessly, like brothers. Josh found himself envying the two and their relationship.

  Blake could tell that Josh was enjoying himself and loosening up a bit, even though he kept pretty quiet. At one point, Blake said to Josh, "I hope you don't mind me saying this, but your t
elepathy powers are amazing. I’ve never encountered anyone quite as gifted. I'm surprised, though, that you leave your mind open for anyone to see."

  Josh was shocked. "What do you mean?"

  "Well, usually someone with your abilities doesn't leave themselves open for invasion from others. They are usually taught early on how to block others from meandering around in their minds."

  That's when Blake realized Josh didn't have anyone. All the thoughts Josh had of being alone and not being able to turn off the voices, how isolated he had made himself in trying to control the voices on his own, came to Blake in a flash.

  "Oh, Josh. I'm so sorry. You didn't have anyone to teach you, did you? That must have been miserable not being able to control the constant murmuring and buzz of people’s thoughts wafting through your mind all the time. If you would allow me, I think I could help teach you how to turn it down a notch or so? It's harder to learn when you are older, but I think you'd catch on quickly with how strong your powers are."

  Melanie smiled at Josh from across the table. She knew how much it would mean to him to be able to control his power. Josh smiled at Blake and nodded. "Yeah. I'd like that. But I don't want to put you out, I mean, you are already putting us up in your house."

  "It's not a problem. Really. Besides it would be interesting to see if you can link."

  "Link? What's that?"

  "Those that have very strong telepathic abilities can sometimes link others into their telepathic minds. For example, linking two non-telepathic minds with his own. The one with the telepathic ability serves as a battery for the other two and all three can communicate that way. Some can link a few people, from a close proximity, others from more of a distance. Depending on the energy the telepath can produce, sometimes this can even be done over long distances."

  "Huh! I had no idea things like that could be done."

  "It's amazing what the mind is capable of. Do you know if the ability runs in your family?"

  "I was adopted. I have no idea."

  "Well then, who knows, maybe you have werewolf or vampire blood in your family. Many who have telepathic abilities do. Vampires and werewolves are not always born with all the abilities of a vampire or werewolf. There are those born from werewolves that don't ever change, but they have other characteristics that are more pronounced instead. Like in any race, there are always anomalies or mutations, whether it be blue eyes instead of green, or telepathy instead of changing to a wolf, no one person is the same."

  "That's amazing. I would like to learn more about that."

  "Well, there's the bookstore for starters. Sally could show you some books on whatever you want to know. Right, Sally?"

  "Yeah. No problem. Since we have to keep an eye on you anyway, hanging at the bookstore could be a good place for both."

  Melanie was glad to see Josh open up and enjoy himself. She knew she had brought him to the right place, even if it had been for protection instead of education. At least when all the danger is over, maybe he will have found some friends and a new sense of confidence in his abilities.

  The rest of the evening was full of pleasant conversation and great food. When they went back to the house, and said their 'good nights' to Dean and Sally, Rowan gave some much-needed clothes to Melanie. Melanie got set up on the couch after a nice shower and getting into some jammies. Josh too took advantage of a nice long shower and settled into Darby's bed. He turned his iPod on as he could hear the minds of those nearby and he just wanted to rest. Without having Melanie close to him, he could not block out the voices so casually, but he was looking forward to learning how to do so from Blake. Once in bed, he fell asleep fast. He hadn't realized how the stress of the last few days had tired him so.

  The house was quiet and Rowan and Blake were in bed snuggled together when Blake said, "So why do you suppose those two aren't together?"

  "Melanie and Josh?"

  "Yeah."

  "I couldn't say about Josh, but I can guess about Melanie. Darby told me a bit about her. She lost her parents in a car crash that all three of them were in. Melanie was the only survivor and was in a coma for quite a while after. When she woke she had the power of psychometry. She was shipped off to her Aunt's where they treated her like a leper because of her powers. That's when she started wearing the gloves all the time. Her aunt insisted, in an attempt to make her more normal. When she went off to college, she never heard from them again.

  "She was terribly shy in college. Darby and she met up in one of their classes and Darby kind of took her under her wing. She even got her to socialize a bit. She ended up meeting a guy, named Jack Kaufman, and started dating him.

  "When all seemed as if things were taking a turn for the better, Melanie had a premonition about Jack. He was in a car at night with another girl Melanie didn't know and the car veered off a bridge and into the water. Jack and the girl were killed.

  "Melanie was beside herself and searched high and low for Jack to warn him. She told him about the premonition including the unknown girl in the car. He accused her of being a freak and said that he didn't appreciate her accusing him of infidelity. He demanded she leave his fraternity house.

  "Later that night, Jack did attend a party across the river, meeting up with a girl he had been dating on the sly for quite some time. After a night of drinking, he lost control of his car on the bridge and Jack and the girl both drowned.

  "When Melanie found out she slipped into a catatonic state for a few days from the shock. Darby helped her as much as she could, but she refused to socialize with anyone but Darby after that. It was all Darby could do to keep Melanie in school for another couple of months to graduate. She also helped Melanie find an apartment and get her settled once out of college. She even hooked up Melanie with an art dealer who fell in love with Melanie's paintings and promoted her work all over the United States. Her paintings have become quite well known over the years, but despite Darby's efforts, Melanie still refused to socialize. Darby said that Melanie almost never left that apartment. Any socializing she has done has been via email or website blogs.

  "So given Melanie's past, I'm amazed she's here. I'm guessing she has very strong feelings for Josh, but is scared to death. I'm guessing Josh knows nothing or very little of her past or he'd know what she's sacrificed for him. Or he just doesn't have any feelings for her at all.”

  "Well, that is definitely not the case. It's plain as day in his thoughts that he's head over heels for her, but for some reason he seems to think she thinks of him as just a friend. This is the confusing part, all the flashes I see of him and her in his mind, seem to show signs of her flirting with him, albeit very shyly, but it seems obvious to me."

  "Obvious to you, but maybe he doesn't have much experience in love. Maybe he's never been in love. Maybe he doesn't know what he's feeling. And if he's confused about what he's feeling, then maybe he's just as oblivious to her all too subtle attempts at showing him her feelings."

  "I hope they figure it out soon. He could really benefit from a solid relationship. From what I can sense, he's really isolated himself from everything. I hope teaching him to control his talents will help. I've never sensed anyone so telepathically strong, not even among vampires I've come across."

  "I'm sure your helping him will mean a lot. Must be hard not being around others that have the same powers. I know I feel incredibly thankful to have Dean around to answer questions for me. I'm sure you feel the same about Dominic.” She paused for a moment. "Do you think maybe Melanie's right about Darby and Devon? Have we misread the situation?"

  "I don't know. I think our theory certainly makes better sense then Darby's, but given all we've been through this last year with them and Sally and Dean, I don't know? We did what we thought was right and that's all we COULD do at the time. I guess we will know in time. I miss them, though. Devon would have been better at dealing with this situation with Melanie and Josh, I'm sure of it."

  "Darby too. I have no doubt, but we are helping and I think gi
ven the situation, we are their best hope at getting them through this, at least for now. Did you email Dominic about that Black flower thing?"

  "Yeah. If I don't hear back from him by the time we get up in the morning, I'll call him. He's pretty good about checking his emails, though, so as soon as he gets it I'm sure he will start looking into it."

  "You're a good man, Blake. You have a loving heart and a caring soul and I love you very much." She kissed him on the neck and held him tighter.

  "Well, you're pretty amazing yourself, Rowan. I love you too." He kissed her on her forehead. "Sleep well."

  "You too and sweet dreams."

  A deep gray fog swirled around the image that was trying to come into focus. Like an archeologist blowing the dirt away from a hieroglyph he had just vaguely seen under centuries of dust and debris, the fog dissipated slowly to the left and a scene appeared. It was Josh walking away. His curly disheveled blonde hair shone in the sun like gold. He was clothed in what seemed to be what he had been wearing for the last couple of days: his leather jacket, jeans, and a flannel shirt. He was walking towards the door of a building, as if in slow motion and he turned a 180 and smiled, still walking away, then turned another 180 again, completing his circle and continued to walk towards the door. He turned the knob and went inside. The person watching this scene started to turn away, when the horrific sound started to rumble through the ground.

  The scene snapped back to the glass door that had just let in Josh and a small glowing orange ball that had appeared within the building. It was growing in size very fast, but the scene was still in slow motion. The ball was now the size of the entire door and still growing when the rumbling sound turned into a blast of shattering glass. Like diamond shards, the glass shot away from the building in all directions reflecting light and then falling to the ground like rain. Mixed in with the glass were tiny pieces of wood, brick, and other debris. Smoke billowed from all openings of the building and pyres of flames engulfed everything. She could hear a woman's scream. Slowly the words screamed formed a name, "Josh". The slow motion now changed to live speed and the building was an inferno of flames and smoke and tiny explosions from within. Black soot already formed above the doors and windows. The feeling of total devastation and great loss enveloped everything and the constant screaming of the woman's voice was overwhelming among the tears and heaviness of despair. Reality set in and she realized the screaming she was hearing was coming from within her. Melanie sat up straight. She was breathing hard and her face was wet with tears. A premonition.