Sacrifice is the second book in my Redemption trilogy. Sacrifice follows Abby as she travels back home to close that chapter of her life for good. While there she meets up with unexpected obstacles that she tries to deal with without Caleb's help.

The following is a glance inside her experience.

**“You’re in a better mood,” I whispered against his lips.

“I’m alone with you, in a hotel room and you just got out of the shower. What more could I want?”

He looked up into my eyes and brushed my wet hair off my shoulder and away from my neck. His fingertips left tingling trails of electricity on my skin. Then his lips were on my jaw, moving slowly down to linger at the bottom of my throat. I heard him inhale deeply and press his lips to my collarbone.

“No offense but you smell incredibly succulent.” He breathed against my heated skin.

“I take that as a compliment, you know.” My voice trembled with anticipation.

He laughed light cool breath on my neck. “Your body should be careful when tempting one such as myself. You never know what might happen.” I shivered when a tooth grazed my skin.

“That isn’t funny,” I scolded him, but it was without anger.

“Sorry,” he apologized, pulling back to look at my face. “I was only teasing.”

I reached up and traced the outline of his lips with my fingers. “That wasn’t nice.”

“Whoever said I played nice?” His nose tipped mine and then his lips—smooth as satin—brushed over mine again. “Listen at that little heart fly,” he teased.

Our hands traced each others faces, my eyes taking in every perfect feature—his hard square jaw, high cheek bones, full lips and perfectly shaped eyebrows. A model of perfection, a perk of being a vampire.

“Thank you for today,” he whispered when I dropped my hands to his shoulders.
My brow creased in the middle. “I thought you…..”

“No,” he cut me off, “I appreciate that you wanted to make me happy. After giving it some thought, I am rather satisfied that I got to see the place one last time.” His head tilted down with a look of shame on his face. “And, I’m sorry if I hurt your feelings when I got angry.”

“You didn’t hurt my feelings,” I assured him.

He looked up at me from under his dark lashes, “Promise?” He asked so innocently.

“Of course, silly.” Placing my hands on either side of his head, I pulled his face back up to mine. “No need to apologize.”

“Why are you so good to me?”

“Because you deserve it, but most of all because I love you.”
He shook his head. “You deserve better than me.”

“No,” I protested, letting my hands slide down off his face. “I deserve exactly you.”

He sighed contently in defeat. “I can’t imagine my life without you now. I love you so much that I can’t breath when I hear your voice. When you touch me my silent heart aches for more. I don’t know how I was surviving before you came along.”

**“I’m worried about you, Abby,” he whispered.

“Well, don’t be. You’d just be wasting your time.”

“See what I mean?” He pointed at my face. “You can’t even get angry with me. Your face shows no emotion, whatsoever. I hear you saying these words but there’s nothing to back them up.”

I didn’t understand what he was saying. I was angry. I felt it; I knew that I was angry. If he couldn’t see that then maybe there was something wrong with him.

“I don’t see your point,” I said, crossing my arms over my chest.

He sighed and closed his eyes for a moment. “I want you to feel something. I want you to yell at me and tell me to mind my own business.” His eyes went sad and he extended his hand out to me. “And, I want to feel you touch me. I want you to take my hand in yours of you own accord.”

I kept my arms folded and stared at his hand with a scowl. “I do hold your hand.”

“Only when I’ve taken yours first and even then your hand is limp inside mine. It’s like you don’t want to be touched, even by me.”

I shook my head, sighed and looked down at the floor. “What do you want from me, Caleb?”

I looked back up at him; his eyes were hurt by what I said. However, I felt no remorse.

“Why are you doing this to me?” I asked “I think I’ve been doing a pretty darn good job of handling this. I mean, do you want me to go into that depression I was in the first time this happened? Is that the kind of emotion you want to see from me?”

“No, of course not. How can you even think that?”

“Well, quite frankly I don’t know what to think.”

I watched him reach down to pick up the suitcase I let fall to the floor. “Believe what you want,” he said, brushing past me into the hallway. “I love you and I only want to help you be happy but I don’t know how to do that.”

I stood there watching him walk down the hall with my luggage in hand.

After I deliberated for a moment about whether or not moving in with Caleb was a good idea, I shrugged off the little spat as nothing consequential and grabbed my cosmetic bag off the bed. I knew Caleb couldn’t stay mad at me for very long.


** Pulling out my cell phone from my pocket I quickly dialed Sean’s number. After the third ring he finally picked up.

“Hello?” His voice sounded a little groggy.

“Sean, it’s Abby. Someone broke in my house.”

“What? When?”

“I don’t know,” I said, a bit annoyed by the stupid question. “Sometime while I was out with you guys tonight.”

I heard him clear his throat and sound a little more aware than a second ago. “Are you alone?”

“Yes. No one was here when I came home.”

“Stay where you are and don’t do anything until I get there. I’m calling it in so you may hear a bunch of sirens in a few minutes. Don’t be alarmed.”

Great, sirens, that’s all I need for the neighbors to get an eye full. I’ll be the talk of the neighborhood again for two straight weeks after this.

“Okay, I’ll be waiting.”

Pacing back and forth nervously, I debated whether or not I should call Caleb and let him know what was going on. I promised I’d let him know everything that was happening to me but did that really include something like this? I mean, would it really be worth having him worry about me that much more?

There was no question. No, it wouldn’t. I was not going to upset him more than what he already was by my absence. What he didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him.

Sean was right. It was literally minutes before the police cars started showing up, lights flashing and sirens blaring like some wild concert. I opened the door to let them all inside while at the same time glancing around at the other houses for neighbors peering out there windows. It was no surprise to see lights coming on all down the street.

Immediately, the officers began looking at the damage and taking pictures of the evidence. I felt like I was a part of a CSI crime scene. One big burly looking cop began asking me questions and by the time he was finished I felt like I answered a hundred before Sean entered the house. Some I had to answer twice.

I was so relieved to have him save me from the chaos. I was already nervous by the break in and all these officers in my house were making it worse.
He quickly walked over and wrapped his arm around my shoulder and asked if I was all right.

I nodded. “Yes, I’m fine, just shocked that someone actually broke in. I’ve never had that happen before.”

“It’s a good thing you weren’t home. You did the right thing by calling me first so I’d know for sure that you were okay.”

I smiled and then creased my forehead looking at the broken window and the mess on the sofa. “I don’t understand why they did it, whoever it was.”

He tilted his head in confusion. “What do you mean? Didn’t they take anything?”

“No, that’s just it, nothing is missing. Everything of value is still here. The only things that seem to have been touched were the sofa cushions and my suitcases.”

Sean looked as confused as I felt. “Why would someone go through your clothes? Unless they were some kind of sick pervert but even with that it doesn’t explain why they didn’t take one item.”

“Thanks Sean, now I’ve got the mental picture of some old geezer sniffing my underwear.”

He crossed his arms over his chest and frowned at me. “I’m serious, Abby. None of it makes any sense.”

“You don’t have to tell me that, Sean. I’m just as baffled as you are.”

I watched him for a few minutes looking the room over obviously going over scenarios in his head, tapping his chin every now and then. The other officers had finished their jobs, said a few words to Sean and me, then left.

“You can’t stay here tonight,” he said, still looking around.

“What?” My mouth fell to the floor. “Where am I going to go? I can’t afford a hotel room.”

He looked down at me as if I should have already guessed what he was about to suggest. “Why not stay with Chloe and Heather for the night? I can take you over and then Chloe can bring you back in the morning.”

I slowly shook my head and watched his brow rise slightly at my protest. “No, I don’t want to inconvenience them. Heather is already having to deal with a sprained ankle and I’m sure they’re both asleep by now. I don’t want them to have to get up and make me a bed for the night.”

“That’s the most ridiculous……Abby you know they wouldn’t mind.”

“Maybe not but I would. I’ll be fine Sean. Whoever it was that broke in is most likely long gone by now especially if they heard the sirens. It was probably just one of my nosey neighbors anyway.”

He growled and rubbed his forehead reminding me of Caleb when he got aggravated with me. “I cannot consciously allow you to stay here alone after a break in, Abby, you know this, look at that window it’s wide open.”

“Sean, I…..”

“Abby, please don’t argue with me. You heard the news this evening. A lot of people are being murdered and I don’t want to take the chance on the next person being you.”

I sighed and took him by the hand looking up into his eyes. “Nothing will happen to me Sean, I promise.”

“It’s impossible to know that. You can’t make those kinds of promises and…….if you won’t go somewhere else tonight then I’m just going to have to stay here with you.”

** I felt defeated and helpless; it was no use. Guilt and pain washed over me like a tsunami and my heart ached like someone was squeezing the life out of it. Heather was probably right now being drained of her life and it was my fault. It made no sense to continue searching for her. I had no idea where to look. For all I knew he could have her in the next city by now.

Feeling the impact of my many emotions crushing my heart, I sank to the bottom step and cried relentlessly with my head in my hands. I’d felt guilt before but this guilt was much worse. My own carelessness had inadvertently caused the death of my long time friend.

Nothing could be worse than this, not even my own death. The way I felt, I’d probably welcomed it. Or had I spoken too soon?

A voice coming from the darkness quieted my sobs, clouded my thoughts and sent me jumping to my feet. My stomach knotted and sank to my knees and for a second I thought my heart had stopped from the shock.

“Abby Sullivan?” The sultry male voice asked.

It was unfamiliar but I had an odd feeling that I should know this person. The intention behind his tone was undecipherable but gave me goose bumps all the same.

Squinting, I peered hard into the darkness, stumbling backwards until I felt the coolness of another brick wall against my right shoulder.

“Who’s there?” I asked, my voice shaking from fear. I felt my fingers trembling against the brink and my body shivered.

“You mean you don’t recognize your old boyfriend?” Slowly, Drew stepped out of the shadows at the end of the wall into the dimness of the light. “And we meant so much to each other.” He grinned wickedly, perfect teeth glistening in the light.

Every muscle and fiber in my body went cold and limp all at once. “Drew,” I gasped in a weak, almost inaudible voice.

“Oh, so now you remember,” he said sarcastically. “I thought I was going to have to….” he cleared his throat, looking at my bare legs longingly. “Refresh your memory.”

Little by little he stepped closer. With every step he took, I cringed closer to the brick wall. The entire situation felt like a big bad case of déjà vu. With everything in me I prayed for an intervention.

“Don’t you have anything to say to me?” he asked, stopping just a few feet away. “Haven’t you missed me at all?”

“I know what you are,” I squeaked out.

“Really? What am I?”

His taunting stance made me feel small but I forced myself to straighten my posture and face him. “Why can’t you be a good vampire? You don’t have to kill people.”

Throwing his head back he laughed loudly, mocking my plea. Crossing his arms over his chest he leaned his left shoulder against the wall and stared at me. “I have to admit, I am surprised at how educated you are. Myself, I never knew anything like this existed. A way of life where I could be my own person while at the same time ruling over others, well, you people to be exact.”

“You used to be one of us you know,” I informed him, scowling into the dark; the bitter taste of fear in the back of my throat.

“Yes but now I can be in charge of my life forever, never having to answer to any one, doing whatever I want. That’s all I’ve ever wanted out of life and now I have it.”

“Hence the reason we broke up.”

“I know, I know. I shouldn’t have done what I did I’ll admit but I’d do it again for the chance to be what I am now. You wouldn’t believe the power, the vibrancy I feel.” He flexed his muscles.

“You might be surprised,” I said, crossing my arms to match him.
At this point I was beginning to feel like he didn’t want to hurt me, which helped my body to relax a little. Maybe there was a part of him who still cared for me and maybe, just maybe, I could use this opportunity to talk some sense into him.

“Drew, don’t you understand that you can have all those things and still have no need to kill people. There are other ways……”

“Abby, Abby,” he shook his head, pushing away from the wall. I took a step back out of reflex. “You are still a very beautiful girl, there’s no question, but I have to say you are so obtuse. Do you really think that’s all we’re doing? Rampantly killing people? Though of course, some do have to die in the process.”

“In the process of what? I-I don’t understand.”

Glaring wide-eyed, I watched as another one of his wicked grins crossed his face and then in the flash of a second his eyes went dark and bloodshot, then flickered red. I sucked in a large amount of air and took more steps backwards. He followed.

“If we’re going to rule this world one day we’re going to need a bigger army.” He licked his lips, sliding his tongue along the two sharp points of his teeth. “And, I think I’ve just found our newest recruit, or my dinner, which ever comes first.”

I don’t know what made me think he’d let me by with it but acting on instinct and adrenaline I turned and ran down the end of the alley.

Before my brain had time to realize what had happened, I slammed into the hard stone of his body with a whoosh of air escaping my lungs and fell to the ground, landing on my butt. Momentarily dazed, I felt a strong hand wrap around my throat and pull me up off the ground, feet dangling in the air.

The strength of his grip was cutting off my oxygen and my eyes were slowly getting blurry.

“You can’t run away,” he growled. “You’re fate tonight is unavoidable.”

“Like Heather’s,” I squeaked through closing windpipes.

“Heather will make a perfect addition to our little club,” he chuckled darkly. “And, so will you….by my side.”

With a hiss and flash of his teeth he tilted my head to the side. My body trembled and quivered with fear and lack of oxygen. I wanted desperately to scream out loud but there was no air left in my lungs. Gradually, I could feel each breath I took get smaller and smaller.

Suddenly, I heard another voice speak from behind us.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” the spine chilling sinister voice threatened.


**“Caleb is a lucky man,” he continued ignoring my flushed face. “I envy him you know—how happy he is. How happy he is with you.” With every word he spoke I could feel his stare penetrating the skin on my face like flamethrowers but I wouldn’t dare look at him. Embarrassed, I kept my eyes fixed on the pattern. “But I don’t just envy his happiness. I envy the very thought of being in love and knowing I had someone who loved me in return.

“I’ve seen how he looks at you and how you look at him. Just the mention of his name lights up your eyes. Never in the long century that I’ve been what I am did I ever believe our kind could feel anything else except the God forsaken bloodlust and the hatred for humans.” His voice had elevated into almost a shout at the end.

“Secretly,” he mumbled in a quieter tone, “I’ve always wanted to know what it would feel like to lust, to hunger for something different. But I’ve never been able to imagine ever experiencing that kind of desire.”

All the different emotions coming out of his mouth were making me more and more uncomfortable by the minute. My fingers fidgeted nervously as I tried to distract myself but the best thing for me to do would be to somehow redirect his thoughts away from me. Gulping hard I lifted my eyes slowly and reluctantly to meet his—they were raging with an all too familiar passion.

“But you were with Selena,” I pointed out, voice shaking, trying to think of the only other person I’d even known him to be with. “Didn’t you two…..?”

“Yes,” he answered quickly, sounding a little irritated by the mention of her name. “But that wasn’t love or lust or any kind of desire at all, not even close. She was merely my….servant to use as I pleased however I wanted and she was more than willing to give it up if she thought it would gain her any kind of power or authority.”

I thought at first my plan at redirection had worked when he had gone silent but before my brain could register his movement, he was suddenly sitting next to me on the bed inches from my face. My heart pounded hard against my chest and I knew he could hear every staggered beat. I sucked in a gasp of air and held my breath watching his warm cocoa eyes stare deep into mine.

From the corner of my eye I saw his hand reaching up toward my face—my pulse began to race and my palms felt sweaty. To my relief he stopped just an inch from my cheek. Letting out the air in my lungs I could finally breath normally.

He smiled and chuckled once under his breath at my expression. It was on my face but I couldn’t even tell what it must look like. As he breathed, his cool breath blew in my face filling my nostrils. Then his eyes went soft and thoughtful again. I looked away and focused on his mouth moving as he spoke.

“Often I’ve wondered what it would feel like to be Caleb,” he whispered softly. “To feel the warmth of your skin under my cold hand or your hot breath on my lips. These last few days have been torment on my curiosity.”

I opened my mouth to tell him to stop talking about such things when I met his eyes head on and they were so innocent in their truthfulness, revealing his want and need for companionship. And even though I was getting angry with him for complicating our situation, my heart ached for his sadness and his pain.

“I wonder…” He whispered again stopping to search my eyes.


**“There’s a bit of a problem,” Caleb told Damon.

Damon’s voice was cagey. “What kind of
problem?”

“There are some kids already waiting to get in for the concert. They look as if they’ve been camping out all night and day in the parking lot.”

“Well, just tell them to leave,” Damon said as if Caleb should have already knew to do that.

“I didn’t want to scare them and raise suspicions. Angry groupies are not what we need right now to ruin the entire plan.”

“I’ll take care of it,” Sean spoke up stepping away from us girls. “I’m still in my uniform, they’ll listen to me. I’ll simply tell them there is no loitering.”

“Okay,” Caleb agreed, “But make it quick.”

“Do you need another ride?” Damon asked Sean jokingly.

With a narrowed glare Sean answered, “No thank you, I think I’ll walk.”

I couldn’t help but laugh along with Damon and Caleb but Chloe didn’t seem to be in the mood. I stopped smiling the moment I caught her eye.

From the corner of my eye I saw Caleb and Damon walking in our direction. Caleb slid is arm around my waist and kissed the top of my head. I leaned into him and folded my arms to match Chloe. We stared at each other for the longest second and then I couldn’t take the awkward silence any longer.

“Well, we’re here, what now?” I asked, waiting for either Caleb or Damon to speak.

“When Sean returns Damon and I will set the C4,” Caleb answered, mumbling against my hair. “It shouldn’t take much to do the job especially with the diesel fuel.”

I sighed and stared down at the ground nudging around a pebble with my foot. “Why can’t there be another way?”

“I wish there could be sweetheart.”

We were all silent while waiting for Sean to show up, each of us trying not to lock eyes with someone else. Overhead the sun was setting while casting an array of colors across the puffy white clouds that had been gray earlier.

It had been days since I really looked at the sky. Used to, I would stare at the sky to simply take in its beauty or watch the stars twinkling outside my bedroom window. I haven’t appreciated the stars in a long while. I haven’t appreciated much of anything lately—there’s been no time.

Everyday comes a new worry or new obstacle. I feel like I never get time to breathe anymore let alone stare at the sky. Grandma would tell me I put too much responsibility on myself. But the sad part is everything that’s been happening is my responsibility and my fault. I have to see this through, there’s no other alternative. What other choice did I have?

After several long minutes of agonizing—not to mention awkward—silence, Sean finally decided to grace us with his presence.

“They’re gone,” he said breathlessly. He held his chest as he tried to slow his breathing. “It took a bit of persuading and threatening them with jail time but I finally sent them packing.”

“Good,” Damon said, pushing his body away from the dumpster where he was leaning. “Come on Caleb let’s get this over with.”

With one last kiss to my forehead, Caleb was gone again. Deep down I couldn’t wait for all this chaos to be over with so that I could go home with Caleb and think about nothing but his arms around me and his kisses. Before, I took for granted the touch and feel of Caleb’s kisses, his fingers touching my skin but after this I’m going to savor each one.

Now, there was nothing to do but wait.


**“How long will they be inside before the bomb goes off?” I asked out loud still staring at the arena.

“Only a few minutes,” Caleb answered, his cool breath saturating my hair. “The timer is set for ten minutes after it’s been triggered giving them enough time to get in position.”

“Well, no actually it won’t.” Damon interrupted. We all stared at him bewildered. I for one was getting tired of all the extra surprises tonight.

“Why not?” Caleb asked confused like the rest of us.

Damon lowered his head for a second appearing to take a deep breath. When he looked up his face had gone hard almost expressionless. His eyes were flat, blank and the smooth cocoa color had deepened. For that moment he looked like the old Damon I’d met last fall and I was suddenly worried.

“Because I disabled the timer when you weren’t looking,” Damon confessed, his voice low and toneless.

Caleb’s body stiffened at my side. His jaw tightened and his eyes were furious. I held his arm as tight as I could in fear he’d do something irrational.

“Why on earth would you do that?” Caleb growled.

I stared at Damon in disbelief. I thought I knew him better than this. What was he thinking? Or better yet, what was he planning?

“Because I’m going to blow it myself,” Damon admitted, still without any sign of emotion.

“What?” Caleb and I said together—his arm reaching out to pull me closer.
“Are you crazy?” Caleb asked.

Damon didn’t answer. For a long moment they stared at each other neither of them speaking or moving. Except for their eyes. I watched closely as their eyes twitched every now and then as if some exchange was being made. Caleb didn’t have a psychic bone in his body but they knew each other well enough to know what the other was thinking; after all they called themselves brothers for years before things went sour between them.

This entire situation had gotten completely ridiculous. Just when I was on my very last nerve, Caleb nodded his head once in agreement with whatever he’d saw in Damon’s eyes.

“It doesn’t have to be this way you know,” Caleb told him.

“I want it to be,” Damon said coldly. Caleb nodded again.

All I could do was stand there befuddled. They’re cryptic language was confusing me but it wasn’t until Damon turned away without another word or even an attempt at a glance at me did I come to understand what was going on.

Fear and anger—fiery anger—rose up in my chest. I shook myself loose from Caleb’s grasp and stomped after Damon. “Damon wait,” I choked out above the nausea in my stomach. He ignored me. “I said wait!” I felt Caleb try to hold me back but again I shook him off.

This time Damon turned to look at me so abruptly I rocked back on my heels nearly falling down. His face was still hard like a statue but his eyes had softened. I knew he couldn’t look me in the face and keep up the charade of being the tough emotionless guy.

Slowly, I sauntered up to him staring straight into his eyes. He watched me carefully until I was right under his nose.

“I know what your thinking and you can’t do it.” My hands were balled into fists on my hips. “You’re not destroying yourself, not after everything…….”

“There’s nothing for me in this world anymore, Abby,” he whispered.

“Not even your friends?”

“I’ve tried to live differently and yes it’s been easier this past week or so with you but when you’re gone I’ll be struggling all over again—it’s too difficult. Have you forgotten what happened in that alley? I’m miserable, Abby. I want it to be over. Can’t you understand that?”

My fists unclenched and melted limply at my sides, while my mouth hung open. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. “No I can’t,” I muttered in disbelief. I heard him sigh and then begin to speak but I cut him off. “You can stay with us—Caleb and me. You can come back to Bangor with us, it’ll get easier I promise.”

“Abby….” he began, shaking his head.

“I won’t lose another friend to this, Damon, I won’t!”

“Friend?” He shook his head again when I nodded. “That is exactly why I can’t stay with you here or anywhere else.”

“But…..” I began to whine still not ready to give up.

Damon touched one finger to my lips to quiet me—my cheeks grew hotter.
Damon’s face finally softened the rest of the way and his eyes seemed to melt like liquid chocolate as they stared intensely into mine.

Then he whispered, “Do you remember that story you told me about Esther and the Jews?”

“Yes,” I gulped trying to swallow down the lump in my throat. His hand lifted again just a few inches in an attempt to touch my face but fell back down as he remembered where we were and who was behind us.

“Think of me that way,” he continued. A slight shimmer glinted across his eyes—tears. “In a sense, I’m giving my life for those……I care about. A sacrifice you might say.”