Chosen (Book #4 of the Vampire Legends). Emma Knight

      “I’m Hunter’s girlfriend. That’s why it is my business that another girl wants to see him so badly,” the girl replied. “My name is Penelope.”

      “Well Penelope, for your information, I am Benji’s girlfriend. So, you can calm down. I’m not after your man,” Rachel said, trying to get Penelope to stop being so jealous and threatened of her.

      “Oh! Rachel?” Penelope said, suddenly looking aware of who she was.

      Rachel watched as her facial expression went from mad to smiling as if they were long lost friends reunited for the first time.

      “Why didn’t you say so!” Penelope asked.

      “Well I didn’t realize I had to,” Rachel replied.

      The two of them walked out of the coffee shop together and then across campus to the large brick building where the art studio was located.

      “Hunter is finishing up a watercolor painting he’s been working on for weeks. It’s a landscape of the campus in the fall. He’s very proud of it,” Penelope said as they entered the building.

      “Oh, that’s nice,” Rachel said, trying to sound interested.

      All she really cared about was getting to Hunter to ask him about the Amulet. It was all she could think about. She knew every minute away from Benji could be fatal and she couldn’t bear to be away from him any longer—but if she went back without the Amulet she didn’t know what would happen. She knew she had to find it and hoped that Hunter would be the key to this mystery.

      As the two girls entered the art studio, Hunter stood there in the dim light, alone, painting with his headphones in. He didn’t hear them come in as he continued to paint the orange tinged leaves on his landscape.

      “Hunt,” Penelope says, tapping him on his shoulder, making him jump with surprise.

      “Oh! Penelope, I wasn’t expecting you,” Hunter said, turning around. “Rachel? What are you doing here?”

      “Hi Hunter,” Rachel said with a smile of relief. “I’ve come because you are the only person who can help me.”

      “What? What’s wrong?” Hunter asked, sounding concerned.

      “It’s Benji,” Rachel said, looking back at Hunter.

      “Benji?” Hunter questioned. “What’s wrong with Benji?”

      “He’s hurt,” Rachel said, beginning to tear up. “I’m worried he won’t make it.”

      “What do you mean he won’t make it?” Hunter replied. “Tell me this isn’t true.”

      “I wish it weren’t,” Rachel said, the tears flowing down her cheeks. “He’s hurt and I don’t know how to help him or how he got hurt in the first place.”

      “So how can I help you? I’ll do anything. Just name it,” Hunter said.

      “It’s the Red Amulet,” Rachel whispered, not wanting to say something she shouldn’t in a public place.

      Hunter looked around, “The Red Amulet? How do you know about that?”

      “The last words Benji said to me were about the Red Amulet and then he went unconscious. I didn’t know what it meant, so I tracked down Uncle Drew and Matilda who said you were the only one who may know since you still have ties with your great grandfather.”

      “I am the only person who my great grandfather still speaks to, but we don’t speak often. No, he doesn’t still have it. He told me that my mom was sick and he had to send her the Red Amulet to cure her,” Hunter said.

      “Is she OK? Your mom, I mean?” Rachel asked, worried.

      “I think so. I don’t talk to my parents much anymore. I’m not as close with them as I used to be,” Hunter replied with a sad face.

      “You didn’t call them to ask?” Rachel questioned with surprise.

      “Well, if she wore the Red Amulet, than there is no chance she wouldn’t be cured. It can cure anything, no matter how big,” Hunter said.

      “So where is it now then?” Rachel asked, thinking about Benji, still lying in the cave.

      “That’s the thing. I don’t know now,” Hunter replied. “I think my mom sent it back to my great grandfather. I just do not know.”

      “How can we find out. Is there anything we can do to find it?” Rachel asked, beginning to feel herself panic at the thought of not finding it.

      “I hope we can find it. It’s somewhere, we just have to find out where,” Hunter said.

      “Would the old coven book have any information about the Red Amulet?” Penelope butted in. “A long time ago I remember reading about the Red Amulet and how to locate it if it’s lost.”

      Hunter looked back at Penelope in surprise, “You’re right! What a brilliant idea!”

      “Where’s the old coven book?” Rachel asked quickly.

      “It’s in the Alpha Chi Delta library,” Hunter said.

      “Where’s that?” Rachel asked.

      “It’s a Greek organization off campus,” Hunter replied.

      “Can we go?” Rachel asked.

      “It would raise too much attention if we just walked in there in the middle of the day, but they have huge parties every night. In fact, they are having one tonight. Why don’t we go later, and we can slip in in the middle of the party. I can cover for you and distract them, so nobody will see you sneaking into the library,” Hunter said.

      “Why would it matter?” Rachel asked. “Why do they care if we look at the book?”

      “Because the fraternity is not just a fraternity,” Hunter said.

      Penelope and Hunter exchanged a glance, “Should we tell her?” Hunter asked.

      “Yes,” Penelope said. “She’s one of us now.”

      “Tell me what?” Rachel asked.

      “That fraternity is not all human. There are some of our kind in its ranks. They come from a different coven. We’ve been keeping the peace for quite a while, but I wouldn’t want to provoke them. I don’t want to start an all-out vampire war at school. You have to keep a low profile when you get that book. Don’t let any of them catch you,” Hunter said.

      “So when’s the party? We have to move quickly,” Rachel said.

      “It’s not till later tonight,” Hunter said.

      “Let’s go back to my place and wait until there’s time so nobody else sees you here,” Hunter said. “And you can fill me in on everything that’s happened to my brother since I’ve last seen him.”

       Chapter 7

      Rachel took a sip of the blood that Hunter had poured for her into an old ivory shot glass. She felt better after the first sip. She didn’t realize how hungry she was—in fact, she couldn’t remember the last time she fed. It must have been days but her adrenaline was keeping her going. Her mind was only focused on one thing and that was to save Benji. She couldn’t give into her needs at a time like this—she had to find the Red Amulet and save him.

      “So what have you and Benji been doing the last year?” Hunter asked.

      Rachel thought for a moment, then realized she couldn’t answer that question. She honestly didn’t know what they’d been doing. She couldn’t recall one thing that had happened since their jump into the water. The only thing she remembered was her crazy mermaid dream—and even that was becoming a bit foggy to her. She couldn’t help but wonder if she was losing her mind or if someone