Chapter Thirteen

1 WEEK LATER

ROSE

I was sat in the lounge watching TV on my laptop doing some more school work much to Ricky's annoyance who was trying to get my attention by shooting me the famous puppy dog eyes. Everyone else couldn't believe that I was able to ignore Ricky and their focus was on me instead of the TV.

"Ricky stop annoying Rose while she's doing school work, maybe we need to get you neutered to stop your horniness."

I chuckle as Chris's threat seems to work and Ricky backs away from me looking scared out of his mind.

"Oh, you wouldn't dare Chris. I'm not that horny."

"You're the horniest vampire in the room Ricky, even hornier than Vinny and Ryan."

Ghost hit the nail on the head. Earning mumbled protests from both Vinny and Ryan, who were sat on each other's laps looking cute as a bug in a rug.

"Go to hell Sola." Ryan shoots Ghost the finger making everyone in the room laugh including me.

My eyes are drawn to the TV screen where the news came on out of the blue, it wasn't scheduled for another hour. Chris sits down on the arm of the sofa and turns the volume up cutting everyone's laughs off.

"We interrupt this program to bring a breaking development in the case of the four missing students. Unfortunately despite the countless search parties, the bodies of Tony Perry, Jaime Preciado, Jade Thirlwall and Leigh-Anne Pinnock turned up dead this morning in a ditch just off the main roads skirting the edge of the woods. Early reports state the necks had been snapped after the bodies were drained of blood through two holes in the side of their necks. Do we have a serial killer on our hands?"

Chris switches off the TV cutting off the news reporter. I close my laptop and put a hand on top of his to try and calm him down, because if looks could kill everyone in the room would be dead.

"Okay, who killed those students? I don't want any lies."

"Chris, none of us would do something like that. We're not stupid; we know not to bring attention to ourselves."

Ryan huffs defending the vampires in the room. Chris shrugs off my hand and slams his fists on the coffee table making the wood splinter.

"We're the only vampires in this town; the bodies were drained of blood in the same fashion as we feed off people."

Chris was getting angrier with each passing second. This was turning into a toxic environment and I wanted him to cool down before he ripped someone's head off to put them in their place.

"Come on Chris, you're coming with me to the store before you kill someone."

Getting up off the sofa I grab his hand and all but drag him out of the room.

~Store~

"Why did you bring me here Rose? I need to be getting to the bottom of which vampires under my roof is murdering high school students."

I roll my eyes at a pouting Chris as I push the trolley around the store.

"Shouting at them won't get any results, Chris. You need to think logically, out of all of them who is capable of that much murder."

I grab some more Pop Tarts and throw them into the trolley while Chris thinks over my suggestion. Everything in my gut was telling me that Ricky was involved in the murders somehow, especially after waking up to see him covered in blood the other night.

"Who do you think it could be Rose? I value your opinion."

I sigh, "as much as this pains me to say I think Ricky might be involved. The day you pulled me into the office when the students went missing I woke up next to Ricky who was covered in blood. Plus he met them briefly and threatened them after they were mean to me."

Chris looks shocked at my confession. People would try and defend their boyfriend, but here I was potentially throwing him under the bus.

"We'll do some more research into all of them Rose before we blame Ricky. He can be a messy eater sometimes."

I nod in agreement and we continue walking up and down the aisles chatting about nothing and everything until we push the trolley past a group of women who stare up at Chris in horror and go back to whispering not so quietly amongst themselves.

"I thought Chris was a myth, a bedtime story to make sure the kids don't go out after dark."

"I heard he's a vampire and lives just beyond the old cemetery which surrounds the woods where those poor students were found dead."

"Come on Chris let's get out of here and back to the house."

Chris looks stunned and allows me to guide him towards the checkout where the girl stares with wide horrified eyes. I shake my head and clear my throat.

"Take a picture it lasts longer."

We quickly leave the store after paying and get in the car not wanting to make eye contact with anyone else. Chris had never been questioned or gossiped about before when we went shopping but the murders changed everything.

The house was surprisingly quiet when we got back. Chris helps me put the shopping away before we walk into the lounge to see Josh, Vinny, and Ryan watching TV like good little vampires. Chris clears his throat.

"Err where is everyone else?"

"They went out to feed. But the three of us decided to stay to show that we're not suspicious and have not kidnapped and killed anyone."

Vinny does the whole 'cross my heart and hope to die' hand gesture over his chest. Vampires needed to feed and the fact the three of them were willing to give up a feed to show their innocence was commendable.

Chris smiles, "thank you for being responsible. Now I'm going to go and round up the naughty kids."

~Next Day~

"Rose can you come into the office and bring Vinny, Ryan, and Josh please," Chris yells through the lower level of the house.

"Looks like we've been summoned." Ryan jokes, handing me a mug of coffee in the process.

The four of us shuffle out of the kitchen avoiding eye contact with everyone else who was suspicious as to why Chris only wanted to see the four of us and not them.

I close the office door behind us and we all take seats around the office, me choosing Josh's lap for comfort. Chris looks up from his own laptop and scowls before turning the screen to face us with the same news website open.

"We have another problem."

"What's happened, Chris?" Vinny questions and Chris plays play on the most recent news story.

"Breaking news, Vic and Mike Fuentes along with their girlfriends Perrie Edwards and Jesy Nelson have gone missing after not coming home last night from a party in town. Has the town serial killer struck again? And will these innocent teenagers be found before their time runs out."

I reach over and close the laptop going pale. Everyone outside of this room had gone out 'feeding' last night and four more students who happened to be my bullies had gone missing. Josh rubs my back.

"This is bad Chris. Nothing good will come out of this, we need to find out who's doing the kidnapping and murders and try to convince them to release these four students before they end up dead in another ditch."

I zone out as the four vampires create a battle plan and focus on my phone which vibrates with a new message off Oli.

Oli: Long time no speak Rose, do you fancy meeting up for coffee?

Rose: I could do with some Oli time especially with everything going on...

Oli: Let's say 30 mins at our normal haunt

"Hey Chris I'm going to have coffee with Oli, and don't worry I'll be careful and keep you guys on speed dial."

Chris agrees which surprised me. Then again if vampires were kidnapping people, I kind of already knew all the vampires in town so there wouldn't be a problem.

~Coffee Shop~

"Hey, Oliver."

Oli looks up from his phone and smiles.

"Hey, right back at you Rose. I ordered your regular."

Sitting down opposite my best friend I wrap my hands around the mug of piping hot coffee, I might just have a coffee addiction.

"What do you think about what's gone on Oli?"

I'd never seen a bigger smile on Oli's face than I was seeing now.

"I'm happy the jocks and cheerleaders have finally got what's coming to them. Now the school is more bearable and peaceful, I don't think any of the other students are complaining."

I was shocked he wasn't showing any emotion at all, yes we both had the right to hate the eight of them but I didn't want them to meet horrible ends.

"You could feel a little sad Oli, death isn't pretty and they did have families. I wonder if they'll catch the serial killer and bring them to justice."

Oli shakes his head, "they say the killers a vampire which rules me out. Everything will work out right in the end. How's Ricky?"

I was confused as to why Oli was asking about Ricky after mentioning vampires. Did he know something I didn't? No, he was a human.

"Ricky's good, we're still going strong."

Oli's smug smile sinks at the mention of me and Ricky still going strong. What Oli didn't know is that I suspected my boyfriend of murder.

"That's good, you deserve happiness, Rose. Anyway sorry I have to cut coffee short but my mum wants me back home, says it's not safe to be out anymore with a killer on the loose."

I watch Oli get up and hug me before leaving the coffee shop; he had a way of leaving not long after meeting up to hang out. But I didn't want to go back to the house anytime soon so I was going to stay and maybe have one more coffee or two.