Chapter 33: Truth, Part 1

I watched Zac for hours, until the sunlight streamed gently through the window. I loved watching him sleep, tossing and turning. His body glistened in the faint sunlight as it caressed his gorgeous body, warming my heart.

Suddenly, I heard a familiar bird call out the window. It was Rick, using the same signal he used during the Revolutionary War. I sighed as I pulled myself away from Zac, and then slid agilely out the window, landing silently upon the ground.

"Hey, what did you find out?" I asked about our intruder. "Who was it?" Whoever it was got way too close for comfort.

"Don't know," Rick said, his eyebrows pulling together as he sighed. "It was a male, though, but I didn't recognize his scent."

"What do you think he was after?" I asked, trying to think about it rationally. I wasn't worried about myself or Rick; we could handle ourselves. "You think they were after Zac?"

"Probably," Rick replied, then continued. "Since he has a million dollar price tag on his head."

"Do you think they picked up Zac's scent?"

"Hard to say," Rick said, shaking his head.

"What do you think they were after at our house?" I asked, trying to piece the little bits together.

"They probably came into town and caught our scent," Rick said, then sighed. "They were probably curious about us. Who knows?"

"Well, curiosity killed the cat," I replied, my green eyes flaring. I thought for a moment, then asked. "What do you think that guy from The Mirage wants with Zac? To get to Abbott?"

Rick's eyebrows pulled together, thinking. "I'm not sure. Probably. I really can't think of any other reason. Zac is the son of a CIA head. That would seem logical."

I shook my head, taking a heavy sigh deep into my lungs. "But what would they want with Abbott? Why would whoever it is want to risk attracting the attention of the humans? I mean, to offer a million dollar bounty on a human? Ridiculous!"

"If they're after Zac to get Abbott," Rick added, looking up at the window again. "I'm wondering what they want Abbott for and how they even found out about him."

"It just doesn't make sense," I said, trying desperately to put the pieces together. "We need to touch base with Abbott to let him know what we found out." Then, my lips pulled down into a frown and my eyes flared. "And we need to have a serious talk with him and find out what he knows."

"And what he's been up to," Rick added.

"Exactly," I replied. "Think I might go pay "V" a visit at The Mirage, too. It appears he knows a lot more than a typical bartender would."

"Sounds good," Rick said, "but I'm coming with you."

I rolled my eyes. "That's a given. We'll take Annie with us, too."

Rick rolled his eyes as I laughed. If he only knew.

"Well, I'll take it from here, Abigail," Rick said, glancing up at Zac's window. "It's almost daylight. Go home, take a shower, and get ready for school."

"Are you trying to tell me I stink?" I asked, smiling, lightening the mood.

One side of Rick's lips curled mischievously. "Well, if the shoe fits."

"Hey!" I said, hitting him lightly on the arm.

"Watch it!" Rick joked, rubbing his arm. I wasn't fooled. He was much tougher than he looked. "Go on home, Abigail. Get ready to meet Zac at school." Rick's eyes were gentle, remembering what it was like to be in love.

"Well," I began, smiling, "since you put it that way ..." I laughed quietly. "Thanks, Rick. You're the best."

Rick gave me a half smile, his eyes dancing. "Did you just say I was the best?"

"Now, wait a minute," I replied, backing away. "I didn't mean it that way! I said it figuratively."

"Go ahead and admit it, Star! I'm the best agent, the best vamp, the best friend ... admit it!" Rick joked, clearly enjoying my discomfort.

"I never said that!" I said, heading for the forest. "Thanks, Rick!" I called over my shoulder, waving.

"Yeah, yeah," Rick said, not more than a whisper, but I could hear him perfectly, as I turned my head and stuck out my tongue playfully. As I darted into the woods, I heard him laugh mischievously behind me.

I ran into the shadows, just as day was dawning. The sunlight was making its way to earth, peeking through the clouds. Not many humans were up yet, so there wasn't a danger of being seen. What in the world could anyone want with Abbott? And how did they find out about Abbott in the first place? There were too many questions and not enough answers, but I knew one thing was certain: we needed to speak with Abbott and we needed to speak with him now. I had a feeling he knew much more than he was sharing.

I looked up at the sun to see how much time I had. There was time and I needed to hunt. The burn was manageable, but I wanted to power up before I engaged whatever was coming ... and I didn't want to take a chance around Zac. So, I quickly ran into the forest as birch and maple passed by at vamp speed. The wind blew through my face and hair. It really felt good to be free.

Within minutes, I found a lone black bear with its body stretched out, its whole length against a tree, trying to push over a small sapling, probably after some berries. As soon as it saw me, it reared up on its hind legs, bared its teeth, and growled fiercely. It was around eight feet tall standing upright. It stepped toward me and attacked me with one swipe of its paw, as a guttural growl rose from deep within its chest. It caught my scent, and then backed away, dropping down on all fours, poised to run. But I was faster.