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"Give me five minutes, and I'll join you," I told Killian, and he nodded and left.
When I closed the door, Marian appeared on the stairs wearing my shirt. “Was that Killian?” she inquired with a yawn. “Is something wrong?”
"I'm not sure yet," I said while snaking my hands around her waist. I kissed her temple, then her lips, and she hugged me. "Sleep okay?" I asked in an attempt to change the subject, and she nodded.
I wasn't going to say anything now without proof Isaac was dangerous. I would only make her defensive; that wasn't how I wanted our morning to go. This wasn't how I wanted it to begin either, but if Isaac was slaughtering animals, he'd turn on people soon.
“Did you?” she questioned. “You didn’t have another nightmare.”
I combed her hair back, watching as the silky strands slid through my fingers. “I didn't, and for the first time in a long time, but I think we should talk about last night and us if you're okay with that?"
She stepped back but kept her hands around me. “Sure.”
"Can you stay until I get back? I'm going to see what's happening with Killian, and I'll be right back," she bit down on her lip and looked away, and I kissed her. I pulled her forward, crushing her to me and her head fell back as she moaned. "Stay until I get back."
“I don’t have any clothes,” she spoke softly, and I kissed her neck and cupped her naked ass cheeks.
“You don’t need any,” I pressed my fingers into her plump flesh. "You look better in my shirts than I do, so keep wearing them. I have to go, okay?"
She sighed but nodded, and I kissed her quickly once more. If Isaac was the one that killed that deer, I was unfortunately right about him, and Marian would have to be warned. I wasn't sure if I was happy or not about this. I was glad she'd see him for what he was and stay away, but I knew her. She saw him as a friend, and this would hurt her more than it would hurt me.
***
Killian and I walked in silence until I picked up on the familiar stench of blood. It was strong in the air and was starting to develop a foul stench since the deer was killed hours ago.
“The killer’s scent already faded, so you won't be able to say if it's Isaac or not, but if it’s not him that did this, we have a problem,” Killian said, pointing to a clearing ahead.
Through the trees, I glimpsed the dismembered body of the animal. When we got closer, I stooped down by a chewed-up front leg that was separated from the poor animal's body.
“It looks like an untamed killing,” I said. “They dismember their prey.”
Standing up, I picked my way through the animal’s severed body parts and innards, careful not to touch or disrupt the area. Killian said nothing while I did what I was good at, and after a few minutes, I was sure only one vampire had made the killing, and the animal was killed perhaps seven hours ago based on the appearance of the carcass and smell.
Then there were the bite marks.
While similar, vampire bites weren't identical. If there were no bite marks, I could take note of the blood splatter.
Blood splashes left behind by vampires were different from other creatures. Rogue wolves left puddles of blood, witches and demons had other ways of killing, and vampires left sprays of blood. Untamed vampires relish in a kill which was why they dismembered their prey.
"One untamed vamp," I told Killian. "This animal was killed roughly seven hours ago and dismembered after being drained, not before or during."
"How do you know?" Killian asked, and I pointed at the blood. There wasn't much of it.
"There isn't much blood here," I pointed at the few patches that had oozed from dismembered parts. "It fed first."
I looked around the forest. This vampire was hungry, I thought to myself. Untamed, they often ripped into their victims while feeding, but this one did it after. It couldn't have been Isaac when I'd seen him purchase blood bags.
All that blood would satisfy his appetite.
“What are you thinking?” Killian asked. “Is there something else?”
"It was hungry, starving," I told him. "An untamed with this kind of bloodlust can't walk around during the day as casually as I've seen Isaac do. I'm not sure if it was him, but we won't know until we find him."
If Isaac had done this, he would have attacked Marian long ago. He would have attacked the first warm body he saw. Still, no one knew anything about him, and despite being friends with Marian, that was a new friendship. I doubted she knew much about him or at least enough that might help us with this.
"If it's not him, he isn't the only vamp in town then," Killian growled while eyeing the deer. "That's a problem."
"I'll look into it," I offered, and Killian shook his head.
