Everlasting Kiss (Everlasting 1)

Taking a deep breath, she told herself not to worry. Her father had been a hunter for over twenty-five years. He knew what he was doing.

Going upstairs to her bedroom, she glanced at the posters on the walls and the stuffed animals on the shelves. Impulsively, she took the posters down, rolled them up, and put them on the top shelf of her closet. The penguins followed the posters, all but the cute little black and white ceramic bird her father had given her for her sixteenth birthday. That remained in the place of honor in the center of the bookshelf.

She ran her fingers over the curtains. Maybe she would replace them, and the quilt, too. Her mother wouldn't mind.

Later, she went into the kitchen for a glass of milk and an apple, then went back upstairs where she spent forty minutes cleaning out her closet, boxing old clothes and shoes she knew she would never wear again, as well as some old games and dolls.

She was almost finished when she came across an old photograph album. Sitting on the floor, she dusted off the cover, then flipped through the pages. Funny, how pictures could instantly transport you back in time. She smiled at the images of herself and her brothers--pictures of the three of them at various ages gathered in front of the Christmas tree on Christmas Eve, all of them wearing new pajamas. Snapshots of them sitting at the kitchen table making cookies, cutting out valentines, decorating Easter eggs, or carving Halloween pumpkins. Funny, how every family took similar photos.

With a sigh, she put the album on a shelf in the closet, then unpacked her suitcase and hung up the clothing she had brought with her.

It was after four when she went downstairs.

"Hey, sis."

"Brandon! Hi. I didn't know you were home." Daisy smiled tentatively at the young woman sitting on the sofa beside her brother. "You must be Paula."

Paula was a pretty girl, with a fair complexion, brown eyes, and shoulder-length bright red hair. A sprinkling of freckles dotted her cheeks.

She stood up as Daisy entered the room. "And you must be Daisy. I've heard so much about you."

"All good, I hope," Daisy said, offering her hand.

"Of course it's all good," Brandon said. "I'm not telling her any of the bad stuff until she says 'I do.'"

"Good idea," Daisy replied.

Paula resumed her seat beside Brandon and Daisy sat in the overstuffed chair across from them.

"Where are Dad and Alex?" Brandon asked.

"Oh, they went out this morning," Daisy said. "They should be back soon. I hear you've been shopping."

"Yeah, Paula bought out most every store in town."

"Really?"

"Not quite," Paula said, poking Brandon in the ribs.

"Really," Brandon said. "This girl has a credit card and she knows how to use it."

"Brandon, stop it," Paula said, blushing.

"She doesn't like people to know her family's rich."

"Oh?" Daisy tried to keep her surprise from showing. Her mother hadn't mentioned that the O'Reilly family had money.

"My dad writes computer software," Paula said with a shrug. "He's very good at it."

"That's great," Daisy exclaimed with a smile.

"Well, we just stopped by to drop off a few things," Brandon said, rising. "And now we're going to dinner. You wanna come along?"

"No, I don't think so. I've been cleaning my room all day and now I just want to relax." It was partly true. She didn't want to leave until she knew her dad and Alex were okay. But mainly she wanted to be here if Erik showed up.

"Okay, sis, catch ya later. Tell Dad I'll be late."

Daisy waited until Brandon and Paula left the house, then grabbed her cell phone and dialed her father's number. There was no answer. Frowning, she disconnected the call and dialed her brother's number. Again, there was no answer.

It would be dark soon, so where were they?

She jumped when someone knocked at the door. She peeked through the peephole, hoping it was her dad and Alex. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw Erik on the front porch.

Unlocking the door, she smiled up at him. "Hi."

"Hi."

She stepped back so he could come in, frowned when he made no move to enter the house, and then remembered he couldn't enter a home without an invitation. "Come on in, Dracula," she said with a grin.

"Very funny," Erik muttered as he followed her into the living room. He took a quick look around. The walls were off-white, the carpet a deep shade of forest green; the furniture looked worn and comfortable but not shabby. There were books and knickknacks on several shelves, numerous framed family photographs on the fireplace mantel. The morning paper was spread out over the coffee table.

"Sit down," Daisy said, taking a place on the sofa. Her earlier smile had vanished. Worry lines creased her brow.

"What's wrong?" Erik asked, sitting beside her

"My dad and Alex went hunting this morning. They should have been back by now. They're not answering their phones..."

"Idiots."

"Can you find them?"

"Maybe, but it's doubtful." Boston had roughly six hundred thousand people. Finding two amongst so many could prove to be difficult. Then again..."I might be able to follow their car," he remarked, thinking aloud. Every vehicle carried its own individual scent.

"They took Dad's truck."

With a nod, Erik left the house with Daisy close on his heels.

He paced back and forth across the driveway, then closed his eyes, sorting through the myriad scents of gasoline, trees, and grass until he located the truck's singular smell.

"Well?" Daisy asked.

"Go back inside and lock the door."

"No way! I'm going with you."

"Not this time. You'll only slow me down. Keep your phone on. I'll call you if I find them. You call me if they show up here."

"But..."

"Daisy, we don't have time to argue about this."

"Oh, all right." She didn't like the idea of being left behind. She wasn't used to it. After all, in her own way, she was a hunter, too.

He kissed her quickly, and then he was gone.

Moving too swiftly for human eyes to follow, Erik followed the distinctive scent of the O'Donnells' truck, passing ancient red brick sidewalks, Federalist houses, and soaring towers made of glass. The trail ended near Dorchester Bay. Amid the smell of salt water, diesel oil, smoke, and fish, he caught a new scent, that of vampire.

He followed the vampire's scent to a luxury yacht. It took little effort to make the jump from the shore to the deck of the ship. There were humans below, and a vampire. The smell of blood roused his hunger.