Chapter 14

Charlotte

I stood at the checkout going over Mrs McIntyre's shopping list. Samuel pushed the empty trolley towards the cashier. I scanned the items before I realised I'd missed the vegetables she'd requested.

"Samuel, could you please grab a whole mixed vegetable stew pack? I missed it," I said to him. He would be much faster than me with his super speed.

He glanced around before he nodded at me and vanished towards the aisles. I smiled at the cashier.

"He won't be long if you want to start scanning this lot," I said as I began to open up the bags Mrs McIntyre had given me.

I was busy packing the shopping into the bags in weight order when I felt a chill run down my spine. I glanced around, and I saw a man dressed in all black but with a grey jacket close to the exit. He was staring directly at me. As I studied his features, I realised he was a vampire.

We were a pale lot up here, but his skin tone was off. His hair was darker than Samuel's, but he was around the same build. The way he glared at me told me he wasn't a friendly vampire like the ones I'd met after being rescued. He had the same evil look on his face that I'd seen on Duncan's.

"Is this the right one?" Samuel asked.

I glanced towards Samuel in relief and held his arm, but when I looked towards the exit, the man was gone. I nodded, and he placed it onto the conveyor belt with the rest of the grocery shopping. As soon as the shopping was packed and paid for, Samuel began to push the trolley towards the exit. I stopped him and pulled the trolley to the side.

"I think I saw a vampire," I whispered to him while looking around to ensure no one heard me.

"Where?" Samuel said urgently while pulling my face towards him.

I pointed towards the spot where he had been standing no sooner had I pointed than Samuel shot off towards the exit. I looked around to see if anyone noticed Samuel's unusual speed, but it was mid-morning, and there weren't many shoppers or staff around. It wasn't long before Samuel came back with his face like thunder.

"What's going on?" I asked with a feeling of dread creeping up inside of me.

This was my home, and there were too many people that I loved in my little town to have a nasty bloodsucker around.

"I will explain in the car. I need you to describe him. Every single detail."

I swallowed as he put his arm around my waist and took the trolley with his other hand before he led me towards the exit.

This couldn't be good.

∞∞∞

"So, someone might have gotten hold of my contact details? Wait, what about Callum and Andrea?" I asked in a panic.

"Hey, calm down. The kids didn't have any ID with them, but Derrick sent someone to check everyone out. The children are safe. We are looking into Duncan's international links because we don't think this vampire is from the UK."

I blew out a long breath in relief, and my shoulders sagged downwards before I rubbed my face with my hand.

"We can talk about this after I've dropped Mrs McIntyre's shopping off. It's my last run."

Samuel started the car, but throughout the journey, I kept my eyes peeled for the mystery vampire. It didn't feel pertinent to tell him that I might be pregnant. It was impossible to buy a pregnancy test since he was always with me. His dormant vampire sperm wasn't so dormant in my womb. I had a feeling he would whisk me away from my family and home. Worried about everyone's safety, I nibbled on my lip. I was startled when Samuel gripped my hand and gave it a squeeze.

I gave him a weak smile and curled my fingers around his hand. That seemed to satisfy him as he turned his attention towards the road again.

"I will never let any harm come to you," he vowed.

"How long have you known about this other vampire?"

"I've been trying to track him down for the last week. This is the closest he has gotten, and I missed him," he said, sounding frustrated.

For the life of me, I couldn't understand why this creep was after me, but I hoped all the other people who escaped Duncan's dungeon were still alive.