Free Vampire Dating Agency: The Finale by Rosette Bolter

 
    CHAPTER
ONE
     
     
    It was a shadow, nothing more. Not
quite a figment of the imagination –  as it had once existed – but with each
passing year the monster seemed a little less real. In his place, there was a
new monster. One whose misdeeds were hidden under cloth – one whose heart was
not reflected in the mirror. The eyes told stories, but then the stories might
have been lies. Even with her own playing games of pretend, she knew it was he
who had deceived her, rather than she deceiving herself.
    And who, was
she?
    Haley could
not see herself. Strapped and locked down to a seat at the back of the
helicopter, she puzzled over Brock’s last words to her on the castle’s roof.
    “You were
thinking about him, weren’t you?”
    And she had
allowed him to believe that she was thinking about him – him being Julian Echo,
the master Brock had betrayed to save her from his clutches. At that time there
had been no doubt for her. Julian was the killer, Julian was dead, and now she
and Brock were to live happily ever after.
    But ‘ever
after’ was not stagnant. It was not one perfect moment that would carry on in
repeating itself. Perhaps there was that moment for them, perhaps they had
shared all the trust and intentions two lovers dreaming the same dream would
have… But time changed people. Haley had changed. And now her husband was
someone she feared rather than believed in.
    Haley sighed.
    The memories
beneath them – the voices in her ears, the images in her mind –
    It was
perhaps, not all his fault. There was still a story behind his heart and
actions that accounted for good, even if that story might not have been true.
    The main
problem was that Haley didn’t know. She had found herself become fragile. Often,
afraid to speak.
    Brock had said
not to forget.
    Not to forget
how much he loved her.
    But hadn’t
the killer once uttered the same words to her?
    No, it was
not the return of Julian Echo that Haley most feared – it was that the man she
had been living with, sleeping with, looking after, and caring for – could be
one and the same that killed her family.
    That would
one day try to kill her.
    And it was
almost as though he knew it too.

 
    CHAPTER
TWO
     
     
    The room was dark. Like the inside of
a coffin. I didn’t want to rush anything from where I was, although there was
certainly a deadline to be had. I kept thinking about what I was going to say,
whether I should put on a fancy voice (although the synthesizer would hardly do
it justice) or change my speech patterns in a certain way to possibly confuse
her. What I thought about most of all, was how I wanted her to feel. It was
important at this stage in the game, that she didn’t completely flip out. I
didn’t want to terrorize her specifically. I just wanted to sharpen her
up.
    I cleared my
throat and put my mouth to the phone.
    Listening.
    Waiting.
    It rang out.
Voicemail.
    My fingers
curled. My eyebrows raised. I was not appreciating this setback.
    “Let’s try
again.”
    Beep, beep.
Beep, beep. Beep –
    Cut out.
    She’d
canceled my incoming call.
    “Hey!” I
shouted. “What the fuck?”
    I dropped the
phone. Stood from the bed.
    This wasn’t
right. It wasn’t right she should have any power.
    Of course,
she didn’t know it was me calling but – how could she ignore a stranger?
Was whatever she was doing, that important? That she couldn’t be disturbed!
    “This is your
last chance. I swear if you don’t pick up…”
    Beep, beep.
Beep –
    “Hello?”
    “Oh!” I
exclaimed. “Thank God! I was worried I couldn’t get a hold of you!”
    “Who is
this?” Haley demanded. “Do you know who you’re calling?”
    “Of course I
do, Haley. Do you know who this is?”
    A pause.
“No.”
    “Well, it has
been a while. Perhaps you’ve forgotten about me.”
    “Brock… Don’t
play games with me…”
    “Is that
really your assessment of this call? That it’s your stupid husband pranking
you? Really?”
    “What the
fuck