Vampire Dating Agency (11 page)

CHAPTER
FORTY-ONE

The vampire Brock Ferns peered over
the side of the statue, his fingers adjusting the cuffs of his jacket. At first
his eyes were beady, small, unsure. As Haley stepped back from Jason a smile
began to form on Brock’s face. He relaxed.

“Well, well,
well,” Brock mused.

“Buzz off,
friend,” Jason said coolly.

“I don’t
believe we’ve met,” Brock said without taking his eyes off Haley. “Perhaps you
could introduce us?”

“I don’t know
who he is,” Haley mumbled.

“It’s not for
you to know,” Jason said.

“Well,
whoever you are,” Brock went on, “you should know that I have a date impending
with this fair princess, here. I’d really hate for someone to come in between
us.”

Jason took a
small step towards Haley.

She felt him
slip something into her hand.

“I
apologize,” Jason said. “I didn’t know she was meant for another.”

“Really?” Brock
frowned. “You don’t want to get busy then?”

“Some other
time,” Jason murmured.

He nodded to
both of them and then walked away in the direction of the house.

Brock watched
Jason’s back intently, before taking a step towards Haley.

“Who was
that?” Brock asked.

“I don’t
know,” Haley gushed. “I just ran into him out here.”

“I sense your
anxiety,” Brock said. “Did I … just save you…?”

Haley
shrugged.

“Is that it?
Or is it something else?”

Haley shook
her head.

“You’ve been
a naughty girl anyway. Trying to escape this place.”

“I wasn’t – I
wasn’t trying to escape –”

“Just off
taking a stroll out here are you then?”

“I was going
home. There’s a difference.”

“Why on earth
would you be going home, may I ask?” Brock questioned. “Have you no desire to
follow through on my proposal?”

“I just … I
don’t really feel safe here.”

Brock put his
hand through her hair. “Don’t worry. I’ll protect you.”

Haley put her
hand to his. “But I don’t know you.”

Brock
grinned. “Of course we don’t know each other. And that is what I am looking
forward to the most.”

CHAPTER
FORTY-TWO

The house didn’t smell right going
back in. There was something off in the air. Something metallic.

The noise
blared in Haley’s ears. The music, the vibrations, the constant chatter and
laughing – it could only feel so deep for so long. Eventually the endurance
shifted to outright pain. The curtains were coming down. The illusions, falling
away…

She followed Brock
in silence as he led her up to the top floor, the same floor where the Count’s
study was located. She peered round the corners wondering if he would be
lurking there, after her blood. It was only a matter of time before he would
be.

Haley hadn’t
put in the earpiece. Not just yet.

Since Jason
had forced it into her hand on his departure, she had not thrown it away,
instead managing to slip it into her bag when Brock wasn’t looking. She wasn’t
entirely interested in what the team had to say to her. She wasn’t part of the
mission anymore. The house had beaten her.

They stopped
at the far end of the corridor where there was a dark blue door, the same color
as the key he’d given her. Brock took out his own key and put it in the lock,
opening the door. He went in before she did.

Inside the
room was a small candle-lit table, with a chair facing either side.

Behind them
there was a bar and buffet of sorts, with dishes laid out already prepared. Brock
beckoned her over to it.

“I’m not much
of a food-lover,” he admitted. “But perhaps you would like something.”

Haley didn’t
feel as though she could eat.

“No
thank-you.”

“A drink
then?”

“Alright.”

“Sit down at
the table. I shall bring it to you.”

Haley
complied, heading over to her place at the table. She sat down and folded her
hands together, feeling awkward. Nervous. A thought struck her that this was an
opportunity to learn more about Brock Ferns. She could make a deduction if she
wanted, as to whether he was the killer they were looking for. But… But, she’d
already said she wasn’t going to do that…

Brock
approached the table with a tray containing a bottle of white wine in an ice
bucket. At the table he set it down, uncorked the wine and filled her glass. To
his own glass he removed a flask from his pocket, filled with a dark red
colored liquid – presumably blood – and filled his with that.

Then he sat
opposite.

“Let’s just
have a small sip and enjoy the silence,” he suggested.

Silence?

Haley peered
round and realized it was silent up here.

The whole
world had been shut out.

She sipped
from the glass.

“So then,” Brock
beamed. “Our first date. What would you like to talk about?”

CHAPTER
FORTY-THREE

Over the next half hour, Haley began
to learn more about the man sitting opposite her. Brock Ferns had only been a
vampire for around six months. Before that he was still in college, studying
film and television. He worked most nights at a golf course as a gardener or
something. He had a girlfriend who he’d been with for about year. He lived in a
shared house outside of home, but both his parents were still alive. Just a
normal, run of the mill fellow, as he presented himself. And then by chance one
night after a drinking session with his buddies, he’d wandered off into the
wrong alleyway and the next thing he knew he was in a hospital morgue, covered
in blood. He’d been pronounced dead at the scene, and in some way it had been
correct presumption. In other ways, not so much.

“Do you
remember anything about the attack?” Haley asked.

“Nothing,” Brock
said. “But that was mostly due to my intoxication. I was blacking out before it
happened.”

“What
happened to your girlfriend?”

“I … I broke
it off with her.”

“You saw her
again, after?”

“We were in
bed together and as I went to kiss her affectionately, I accidentally took a
bite out of her neck. Don’t worry. She’s okay. She didn’t turn. But it was
enough for me to know that I couldn’t control myself. And… That I need to be
with someone who can embrace who I am.”

“How did you
wind up here? In this place?”

“Well, I …
After I began my search for others of my kind, I learnt about this place and
thought it would be a prominent hunting ground. Unfortunately, they’re quite
strict with their rules and regulations here. It’s definitely catered more to
finding a partner, rather than a blood supply.”

Haley thought
carefully about her next question.

“Have you
ever killed anyone?”

“No,” Brock
smiled. “Not yet.”

“Really?”

“I have hurt
some people. I have … cut through skin and flesh. But even though I am now
inclined to want to ravage those who cross my path, I still am the same good
person I was before I turned. I still have the same values.”

“But you were
hoping this place would be a ‘hunting ground’?”

“Well. One
does fantasize.”

Haley took
another drink from her glass. It was now finished.

“Another?” Brock
said offering.

“I don’t
know…”

“Go on.”

He poured.

And blood for
himself too.

“You know,
I…” she began.

“What?”

She
hesitated. “I found a woman who’d been hurt earlier.”

“What do you
mean?”

“Someone had
thrown her off the balcony. She was in the garden. All in pain and everything.”

“But she’s
alright now?”

“I … I don’t
believe so.”

“I’m not
following you,” Brock said. “Did you call for help?”

“Yes, and
they tried to cover it up. I think they finished her off as well.”

“Who did?”

“The people
who run this place.”

Brock put his
hands together. “Well, now I understand why you were trying to run. You think
there’s someone going around killing people.”

“It would
seem so.”

“But – it
would surprise me,” Brock said. “I have met the Count of course, and well, if
for instance
I
was caught hurting any of the women here, he would break
my arms off in his fists.”

“Is that what
he said to you?”

“I don’t
recall the exact description,” Brock said. “But it was something along those
lines.”

“So … you’re
sure it wasn’t you then?”

“Wasn’t me –
what?”

“That pushed
the girl off the balcony.”

Brock stared
back at her. “Are you actually asking me that?”

“I want to
see what you say.”

Brock leaned
back in his chair, appearing hurt. “No, it wasn’t me. Why would I do something
like that? All I care about is finding someone who can make me feel not so
fucking alone…”

He wasn’t
looking at her.

He wiped his
eyes with a tissue.

Haley leaned
forward. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to accuse you.”

“Are you sure
about that?”

“I just want
to know where you stand on all this.”

“I’m … I
might be a vampire. But I’m a cool vampire. You know. I ain’t going to fucking
kill people. I’m not sick. I’m not deranged. I’m chill.”

Haley found
herself smiling. “You know what, Brock?”

“What?”

“I think I
believe you.”

CHAPTER
FORTY-FOUR

The conversation had now turned to
Haley. Who she was. What she was doing with her life. Haley did her best to
tell the truth about everything, only leaving the Paranormal Police outside the
conversation. It was strange in a way, because she actually did feel as though
she could confide in Brock. He seemed relatively normal, easy going. He wasn’t
allied with this place. Like her, he was just a participant. The more they
talked, the further away Haley began to feel from her problems. Where she’d
first felt as though she’d been taken hostage by Brock, now she felt as though
she could leave at any time. Whether it would be safe for her outside this room
was another story. But inside here, she felt safe.

“I need to
know more about you,” Brock said touching his forehead. “I don’t mean the
superficial stuff. Who you are as a person how the world sees you. No. I need
to know about what’s inside of you. What’s in your heart. I need to know what
you crave…”

“Wow,” Haley
murmured. “This is getting intense.”

“You think
that now,” Brock laughed. “Wait till we get to the anal.”

“Shut up!”
Haley exploded. “There’s no anal happening here. That’s off limits.”

“Wow,
really,” Brock beamed. “Not even on a first date?”

“No.”

“With a guy
you like?”

“No.”

“Who’s inside
your mind?”

“Definitely
not. And you’re not inside my mind anyway.”

“We shall
see.”

Haley laughed
again, finding herself pulled in by his charm. She took another drink of wine
and realized she was tipsy as well.

“But
seriously,” Brock said reaching for her hand across the table. “Who are you?
Tell me. Please, tell me…”

Haley
blushed. “I’m no one.”

“Who was your
first love?”

Haley
blinked. “I don’t know. My Mom? My pet dog Mr. Goldstein?”

“Don’t fuck
with me now,” Brock said. “Who first stole your heart?”

Haley
shrugged.

“Do you not
want to tell me? Is it still raw?”

“No,” Haley
gushed. “I mean. I was … young.”

“Well, derr.
No shit Sherlock.”

“It doesn’t matter
now.”

“I want to
know about it.”

Haley sighed.
“Why?”

“Because I
want you to entertain me. It’s … not a one-way street either. I’m sure, in a
very short time, you’ll find me rather amusing.”

“I’ll just …
I’ll answer your questions. But I’m not telling a story…”

“Who was he?”

“A friend of
my cousin’s. We only met the one time.”

“How do you
mean?”

Haley rolled
her teeth around. “We were on holiday. Up at my Uncle’s beach-house. I was
thirteen. My cousin’s friend was fifteen… We… Had a moment…”

“Describe
it.”

“It was
nothing. We just … held hands. Everyone else had gone inside. We standing on
the beach. Looking up at the stars. And he … held my hand.”

“What
happened next?”

“Nothing. He
was gone the next day. I used to dream about him afterwards. I really wanted to
see him again, but for whatever reason, it never happened.”

“But you’ll
always have that moment.”

Haley crushed
her shoulders together, reeling. “Can we talk about you now?”

“You want to
hear about my first love?”

“I … Just
tell me a story.”

“Alright…” Brock
thought for a moment. “You know when my I moved out of home I decided to change
my name.”

“Really? What
was it before?”

“It’s not
important. I just felt … like I wanted to be someone else. I told you I had a
girlfriend, didn’t I?”

“Yep.”

“She wasn’t
my first love. No … I was … much younger. In the middle of my adolescence. You
know what that’s like. Bleeding high school.”

“Well, don’t
beat around the bush. Who was she?”

“I’m trying
to remember. She was either a friend, or a sister, or some kind of relative to
my friend, who I was staying at his parents’s holiday home by the sea. I only
met her the one time.”

“Sounds a bit
like my story.”

“No, no it’s
very different. You see she and I … we, well, we had an understanding. I think
– she had an awesome nose. Like it was so small, and so cute. It was her
defining feature. Or I could be thinking of someone else. Anyway, we were at
edge of the water together. Looking out one night at the stars and I … I think
… I think I held her hand a moment. But then it was over. And I had to go back
home and…”

Brock trailed
off.

Haley stared
at him. He stared back.

Was it …
could it … but …

Brock burst
out laughing. “Got you! Ha, ha, ha!”

Haley’s jaw
dropped in shock. Then she picked up her half filled glass and tossed the wine
at him.

“Hey,” Brock
growled.

He jumped
around and leered at Haley as though he was about to pounce.

Haley got out
of her chair and stepped back, just as she was tackled to the ground.

She could
feel his hands on her, wrestling her, and the alarm clock was about to go off
again.

She reached
for his elbow, looking to disable it, only…

Only…

Only to
realize Brock wasn’t attacking her.

He stared
down at her from above as they were huddled on the floor together, his eyes
searching hers.

“Sorry,” he
whispered. “I was just joking around.”

“I know,”
Haley muttered.

“I want to
show you something now. Are you ready?”

“Nothing
vulgar is it?”

Brock’s body
tilted back a bit. “Guess you’ll have to wait and see.”