Chapter 14

A/N: A lot of you asked me what were the differences between Dayer and Nighter vampires. Part of them are explained in You are the Answer, Ch. 22, a bit in this chapter, a bit in the picture above, but if you want to know more, join the facebook group CatMint5's Funky Monkeys and read the document I uploaded today (Humans & Humanoid Species 101, Sentinel Training Edition). The link will be in the comments.

*****

I opened the door and let Keri walk into the mall first. Some people carrying large bags with the logos of different stores were bustling about, others were casually leaning on the railing looking at the crowds on the floors beneath them and then there were those sauntering in and out of the shops.

"The Milk & Cream is on the second floor," I told my friend and the two of us stepped onto the escalator.

"Nervous?" She asked, noticing me fidget.

"A bit." I hugged myself and bit my lip. "A lot." I then admitted. "We left it at an awkward goodbye last night; I'm not even sure Riley would want to see me."

"Was it your fault?"

I nodded.

"From what you've told me about Riley," she stepped off the moving stairs and I followed suit, "he'll forgive you as soon as you say a sincere 'I'm sorry'."

We headed towards the big sign that read Milk & Cream. Keri reached for the door, but I grabbed her wrist.

"Wait."

She turned around with a raised eyebrow.

"Look." I nodded towards the large window.

He was behind the bar, a jolly smile on his lips as he served a little girl with a huge ribbon that held her ponytail. She sat between two adults - probably her parents - but by the way her head was tilted, I could tell her attention was on Riley and Riley alone. He was speaking fast through his grin, animatedly swinging his arms. Whatever story he was narrating, it ended with applause from the girl.

I felt Keri's gaze on me so I swirled around.

"What?"

"You seem so content," she murmured and I turned to the window again, this time looking at my reflection and not inside the café.

She was right: I had a smile on my face and my body was relaxed. Just watching Riley joyful did that to me; it made me calm down. The little girl perhaps played a part in easing my nerves as well; seeing my mate interact so positively with a kid once again made me dream of the two of us adopting. Riley would be wonderful with the children; they will be very happy with us.

"Let's go." I muttered and headed back towards the escalator.

"But..." She must've stayed in her spot at first as a few moments later I heard her heels hurriedly clatter. "I thought you wanted to see Riley?"

"And I saw him." I stepped on the escalator.

"What about apologizing?"

I sighed.

"I still want to do that, but... He just seems so cheerful right now." The image of Riley smiling down at the girl prevented me from turning around and running into the café. "I don't want to ruin that by reminding him of how last night ended. I'll visit him on Tuesday, as usual, and I'll apologize then."

"Well," her hand landed on my shoulder. "You know Riley better. If you think that's the appropriate way to handle this, so be it."

Her hand fell and she puffed.

"But I was really looking forward to meeting him."

I didn't need to look at her to know she was pouting.

We walked to her car in silence. Once inside, Keri turned on the engine and we rode off to the movie theatre so I could get my own vehicle from the parking lot there.

"He is kind of skinny," she pointed out, stopping at a red light.

"I know." I frowned. "It worries me, but he seems healthy. I guess it is just the way he's built."

"Maybe he'll put on some muscle mass after he moves in with you. I know you'll make sure he's fed and you are still planning on teaching him to fight, right?"

"If he wants to." I nodded. "But I will encourage him to at least learn some basic defense moves."

"Good call." The light shone green and the car turned a corner. "We can't always be there to protect them, no matter how much we want to," she murmured with a thoughtful expression.

I placed a hand on her knee and squeezed it.

"You'll find him," I whispered. "You'll find your own version of Riley."

She barked a laugh.

"And what if he's nothing like your Riley? What if he's crude and a complete jackass?"

I shook my head and let go of her leg.

"Doubt it. That's not your type."

She entered the parking lot and stopped her car next to mine. The distant sound of sirens greeted me as I got out.

"I have a few errands to run," Keri said before I managed to close the door. "I'll see you later at the... Hold on a sec." She reached towards the back seat and pulled her ringing phone out of her handbag. The sirens were getting louder.

"What's up, cous?" She asked, one hand pushing the phone towards her, the other covering her ear to drown the noise from the street. I could see the police cars in the distance.

"You do that," Keri uttered and hung up the phone, her face pale as she turned to me.

"There's been another one, Rhys. There's been another murder."

The police cars flew by us, their sirens blaring.

*****

Nothing changed, no matter how many times I flipped through the pages; I still couldn't find an answer or even a hint. I dropped the old book on the desk and leaned back in the chair, rubbing my eyes. The door to the pub's back room opened and Keri walked in with another, much newer book.

"Don't think that will help," she nodded to the one in front of me. "I've been through the pack's history record many times, but aside from the rival packs we've already ruled out, I couldn't find anything that might tell us who is targeting us or why."

"It has to be someone connected to the Bullets; why else would they kill in Woodbury?"

"I wish I knew." She sighed and sat on the desk.

"So what's this?" I nodded to the volume.

"A gift from our allies." She handed it to me.

Humans & Humanoid Species 101, Sentinel Training Edition.

"The Sentinels gave you this?"

She nodded and I opened the book on a random page.

The top said Section III - Vampires and beneath it was a table about Dayers and Nighters.

Origins.

The First Nighter (also known as The Unnamed King as his name was erased from historic records) was a greedy human who challenged the Great Spirits of Nature (according to some religious beliefs - the Angels) and who was cursed by them to live forever in a mutated body with a never-ending thirst for blood. He later escaped the cave he was held captive in and created more Nighters by killing humans and then reviving them with his blood. He used his newly-created army of Nighters to attack the humans in what is now known as The First Great War.

The first Dayers were Gifted humans who had turned into Nighters, but managed to preserve or eventually regain their rationality and decided to fight with the humans and shifters against the Nighters in The First Great War. At that time, they still kept the Nighters' abilities and appearance, as well as their bloodlust, but refused to harm humans and shifters and therefore fed on animals and other Nighters. As a sign of gratitude, after the war was over, the Spirits of Nature gave them back their human appearance, lessen their thirst for blood and made it possible for them to have children. After that transformation, the terms Dayer and Nighter were created to distinguish between the human-like, in control of their thirst vampires and the cursed, bloodthirsty vampires, whose habits are mostly nocturnal.

My eyes ran through the other categories: appearance, health, strengths and weaknesses, diet...

"How does this help us?" I asked, flipping to the front of the book and scanning the table of content.

Section I - Humans and humanoid species

Section II - Shifters

Section III - Vampires

Section IV - Hybrids

Section V - Gifteds

"Adrian thought that if we see ourselves through the eyes of others - you know, in the way shifters are described here - we might get some ideas about the killer because of the different point of view. It's worth a try, I guess." She shrugged, sounding unconvinced, but hopeful.

"Adrian... That's the dark-haired human Sentinel who has a vampire for a partner, right?" I asked, turning the pages to Section II. It started with a basic overview of what shifters were and how they came to be.

"Adrian Monroe and Sasha Mavis, yes. It's a bit odd seeing a Dayer in the Order of Sentinels," Keri admitted.

I closed the book and looked up at her.

"So, do you want me to look this over or...?"

"No, I'll do that." She took the volume from me. "I'll give it to you and Anthony later, just in case I miss something." Her gaze lowered to the Silver Bullets - History Record. "I guess by the same logic, I should let you keep perusing that one."

I ran my hands through my hair and let out a large puff of air.

"As you've said, we've been through it dozens of times already. We are currently at truce with all nearby packs, we even have relatives in some of them, there are no records of anyone gong rogue, except for..."

"She's probably dead by now."

I nodded.

"What about her heirs? Did she have any children?"

"Uncle said they lost all contact with her, but she left the pack on her own accord to be with her mate; I don't see why she or her children would hold a grudge against us. But I thought about that too and asked Adrian to see if he can find any info on her."

"Good." I straightened in my chair. "So you don't need me tonight?"

"Actually, I was hoping you won't mind staying here and helping me brainstorm who might be targeting us."

"Tonight? But..."

Riley.

"Your dad already went," she said as if she read my mind. "He knew you'd be busy, so he said he was going to keep an eye on Riley tonight."

"On his own?"

Out there, on his own, with the murderous shifter possibly still in town...

Keri bit her lip.

"I'm sorry, Rhys. I can't afford to have our able man away right now."

"I know," I muttered, looking down. Riley was my priority, but for Keri the pack came first. She was the Alpha; the responsibility of the Bullets' wellbeing rested on her shoulders.

"Their M.O. is to strike and leave town afterwards," she tried to reassure me. "That's why it is so difficult to catch them; because they always run after they commit the crime."

"And yet you've tripled the patrols around our territory." My voice was edgy and she pulled back, her eyes rounding. "I'm sorry; I'm just..."

"Worried, I know."

I cleared my throat and looked about the room, my eyes landing on the bookshelves.

"So where do you want to start?"

*****

A/N: Do you miss Riley?

I do! But there are a few things that had to happen before... Yep! The going-out-on-an-official-date chapter :)

Can't wait to write that from Rhys' POV. Anyway, the boys are finally meeting face to face again in the next chapter (Ch. 15).

So what do you think of this one?

Please VOTE if you enjoyed it!

PS: The Sentinels Adrian Monroe and Sasha Mavis are occasionally going to pop up in We are the Answer and Sentiments & Reason. And, of course, in Alec's book where they will play a bigger role as I've already hinted on facebook ;)