by Blythe Baker
The windows shuddered and slid open.
But I quickly realized how stupid that idea was, because more water came pouring in.
It crashed against the side of my face, filling my mouth and nose. I coughed and sputtered, trying to push my hands against the waterfall that was quickly filling the inside of the car. Soon the water was up to my knees, and less than a minute later, it was up to my waist.
“Athena,” I yelled. “Get out!”
But you –
“Go!”
I heard her claws against the glass of the window, and saw her tail disappear through the window.
My window had only come down a few inches. It was enough for Athena to slip out, but there was no way I’d even be able to get my shoulders through.
The window was now partially submerged in water, and the water was almost up to my ribcage.
The water was freezing, so cold that it had numbed me all the way through. My back muscles were spasming with shivers, and my mind was clouded with fear.
I was going to die here, wasn’t I? There was nothing I could do.
I grabbed at the door handle, and shoved my weight against it. The pressure outside in the water was stronger than any sort of weight that I could throw against it.
Marianne, come on! I heard Athena cry. You’re running out of time!
I knew that. I pressed my finger against the button for the window, but it wouldn’t move down any further. It was stuck.
I was stuck.
The water was now up to my chest, stealing the last of the air from my lungs with its icy sloshing. I clung to the door handle, hoping that I could push the door open.
The water reached my neck, my cheeks, my lips…
There was a rush of pressure from beside me, dragging me against the edge of the car.
Something closed around my wrist, and I screamed into the water, my mouth filling with its filthy iciness.
Whatever it was tightened around me, and pulled me from my seat inside the SUV.
I bashed my head against the metal of the car, and stars blinked in front of my eyes. The water pressed in on my eardrums, and the whole world was silent underneath its surface.
Darkness closed in around me, and I lost consciousness.
12
Marianne…Marianne.
I heard my name, but it was distant. Somewhere far away. Almost like it was across a canyon. Through a dense forest. From underneath water.
Marianne…
Water. Cold water. Colder than ice, leeching all the heat from my body, coating my lungs, stealing my breath –
Marianne…
I tried to take in a breath, but I couldn’t. It was as if my lungs had forgotten how. I fought against it, struggled against the pressure.
I remembered. The car. The rain. The surging creek.
But I wasn’t cold. It took me a moment, but the memory of cold was all I had.
In fact…I was warm. And soft. And comfortable.
Marianne!
My eyes snapped open, and I found myself staring up into Athena’s tiny face, her dark nose almost pressed up against my own.
Oh, thank goodness…she said, licking my cheek. You’re awake.
I took a deep breath…and pain shot through my body.
Easy, be careful, Athena said. You…were injured when you were pulled from the car.
I grabbed my head, which had started throbbing. But where I thought I’d find hair, I found a bandage instead.
“What…happened?” I asked, slowly sitting upright. The muscles in my back ached like I’d been carrying a thousand pounds on it.
I blinked and looked around.
“And…where am I?”
The room was completely unfamiliar to me. My legs were tangled in the red silk sheets and grey down blankets of a lavish bed, so large that I was sure it wouldn’t fit in my tiny cabin. The bed was a four poster, made of dark, rich wood.
The crackling of a fire made me look to the far side of the room, where a stone fireplace crawled up the wall, something that looked like it belonged in a castle instead of a home.
The windows behind me were pitch black, and the rain continued to hammer against them like it had hammered against the side of my SUV.
My SUV.
“Athena, what happened?” I asked. “The last thing I remember was – ”
“Good, I was hoping to find you awake…”
The door into the room swung inward, and Cain Blackburn stepped inside.
My heart twisted into painful knots. Both pleasure and fear surged through me as I stared up at his handsome face.
He smiled kindly as he walked around to the side of the bed, and he took a seat in the chair beside me.
“How are you feeling?” he asked, his deep voice cutting through my confusion at waking up in such a strange place.
“Um…I’m not really sure,” I said, touching my bandaged head once more. “What happened to me?”
“Your car was run off the road by the overflowing river,” Cain said. “Thankfully I was out, watching the storm when I saw it happen. I managed to get your door open just as you would have been submerged under the water…”
I gaped at him. “You…saved me?”
He nodded, rather humbly, too. “I was glad I got there when I did. That’s the problem with electrical systems in cars…it makes it that much more dangerous when they stop working.”
“Yeah…” I said.
“You sustained minimal injuries,” he said, folding his hands in his lap. “A small cut to the head, and a swollen wrist that might be sprained, but apart from that, I think you made it out alright.”
“I…I don’t remember any of that,” I said, my head starting to spin. “So…where am I?”
“I brought you back to my home,” Cain said. “I apologize for the impertinence. It was the closest place, and with the town being out of power, it didn’t seem wise to move you very far, not when you were bleeding.”
“No, that’s fine,” I said, and then my cheeks colored. “I’m dry, though…”
“Ah, yes,” Cain said. “I had one of my maids come in and dress you. I didn’t want you to get sick. Your fox seemed to think it was alright.”
I blanched. “You can speak with her?”
Cain shook his head. “No, but when she didn’t attack me at the suggestion, I assumed it was alright.”
I glanced at Athena.
I was in agreement that you shouldn’t get sick. And he wasn’t in the room when you were changed.
I sighed. That was a relief.
“I must admit, I was terribly worried about you,” Cain said. “How is it that you find yourself in these dangerous situations, time and time again?”
“I don’t know…” I said, picking at a scab that had formed on the back of my hand. “I keep asking myself the same question.”
“I also was wondering,” Cain said. “Why were you out in this storm in the first place?”
Suddenly, the reality of why I was frightened to see him came back to me.
“Oh, I – ” I said. “I was actually trying to get to my cabin. I went out to get some things, thinking it wasn’t really that bad, and realized as I was driving that I really needed to just get going home…”
“I see…” Cain said, his gaze sharpening somewhat. I could see that he didn’t buy my story completely. “Well, I regret to inform you that you will not be traveling home until this storm passes, and from what I was able to catch on the news before the power went out, it’s not going to let up for some time. I would just feel better knowing you were safe here for the evening.”
“I take it my SUV is a lost cause, too, huh?” I asked, slumping back against the mountain of pillows on the bed.
“I’m afraid so,” Cain said. “I have sent some of my fledglings out to look for it, but it seems it was already washed down the river. When the storm clears, I’ll send them back out, but there’s likely no rescuing it from that much water damage.”
; I sighed. “I loved that SUV…”
“Well, don’t fear too much,” Cain said. “My plan was to buy you a new one – ”
“No,” I said, sitting up straight, shaking my head. “I mean – thank you, Cain, really, but…it wasn’t your fault what happened. I couldn’t accept something like that…”
Cain didn’t seem fazed. “I don’t see the problem. I see someone I care about in a difficult situation, and I want to do what I can to ease her burden.”
“You’re not offering to send me flowers or take me out to lunch because I’m having a bad day,” I said. “You’re offering to buy me a new car.”
Cain shrugged. “Money is of little value to me. Besides, I have more cars than I know what to do with. Why don’t you come down with me and pick out the one you like best?”
My face turned scarlet. “Cain, I couldn’t, really – ”
“I insist,” Cain said. “Trust me when I say that it isn’t as great a sacrifice as you seem to think it might be.”
I stared at him, and saw his green eyes fixed on mine. He chuckled.
“I must admit…I rather like the look in your eyes when you’re flustered,” he said, his voice low.
My face burned even hotter. I couldn’t take my eyes from him, but guilt colored my feelings.
Cain couldn’t possibly have killed Ruth…right?
“What are you thinking?” Cain asked. “Something changed in your eyes.”
“Oh, I –I’m just tired is all.”
“I’m sure you are,” Cain said. “Why don’t I have some tea sent up here for you, and give you the chance to rest? If you’d like, I can always come up and check in on you again soon.”
“That would be nice,” I said. “Thank you.”
He gave my blanketed knee a pat and smiled at me before sweeping from the room with the grace of a dancer.
I stared after him.
You can pick your jaw up off the floor…Athena said, curling up beside me on the bed.
I gave her a cool look before settling back down beneath the blankets. “He wants to give me a car…” I said.
I know his gesture is going to cloud your judgment of him, Athena said, licking at one of her paws. But I still think you should remain cautious, especially while you’re in a house full of vampires.
A chill ran down my spine. She was right.
There was a buzz on the side table that made me jump, my heart suddenly beating rapidly, reminding me that I was alive. I looked and saw my cell phone nestled in a bag of rice, presumably to dry it out.
I reached into the bag and pulled it out, dusting the rice off.
It was Aunt Candace.
“Hello?” I asked, answering the phone.
“Oh my gosh, there you are,” Aunt Candace said. “I’ve been trying to call you for two hours. Where are you?”
“Um…well, you’re not really going to believe this,” I said.
My phone beeped, and I glanced at the battery. It was at five percent.
“Oh, my phone is about to die,” I said. “But I’m okay. I had a bit of an accident – ”
“Accident?” Aunt Candace repeated. “What kind of accident?”
“It’s fine, I’m alright,” I said, gingerly touching my forehead. The wound underneath my fingers throbbed slightly. “I’m actually…at a friend’s house,” I said. “I’m going to wait out the storm. It would be silly to try and drive home in this.”
“Well…alright,” she said grudgingly. “As long as you’re okay.”
“Yeah,” I said. “The power’s out, so the cell phone towers probably weren’t working.”
“Well, I’m glad I caught you,” she said. “Make sure you call me tomorrow when you get home, okay?”
“Sure thing,” I said. “Bye, Aunt Candace.”
“Goodnight, sweetheart.”
I hung up the phone and looked down at Athena.
“Well…tonight took a turn I wasn’t expecting,” I said. “Life is just full of surprises lately.”
13
I wasn’t sure what time it was when I woke up again. It couldn’t have been long, since Athena complained about not being ready to wake up. My mouth was dry, and I was wide awake, my heart beating quickly as I remembered everything that had happened that night.
“I’m just going to go get some water,” I said, sliding out of bed. My feet touched the cool wooden floor, and I gave myself a chance to stand. My muscles seemed to be able to hold me, and my head didn’t swim all that much.
I remembered that I wasn’t wearing the clothes I’d left my house in. I was wrapped in a thin bathrobe, with a pair of silk pajama bottoms and a cotton t-shirt on underneath. Comfortable. Warm. So much more comfortable than anything else I’d ever worn before.
Confident that I could walk, I pulled the robe more tightly around me and headed toward the door, careful not to make too much noise and wake Athena any more.
I stepped out into the hall, and my jaw dropped. It was like I’d gone back in time, or traveled to a different world. The hall was lined with plush blue carpet, and portraits hung from the dark stained wooden walls. A suit of armor stood guard at the end of the hall, and the long line of windows along the opposite wall were all dark. The sound of fat droplets of rain pelting against the glass was the only thing I could hear.
I glanced both ways, seeing almost identical paths in either direction, and bit down on my lip.
It was true that I was thirsty, but I was also curious. Here I was, in Cain’s home, a chance that I’d never had. I’d been in Lucan’s house multiple times now, but I’d never seen the inside of the Blackburn household.
And I found myself wanting to know more about the way vampires lived.
I slowly walked down the hall, doing my best to keep my footsteps silent as possible. That was easy on the squishy carpet.
The portraits along the wall were dark, and eerily lifelike. Their eyes seemed to follow me as I wandered, and I met each of their gazes as I passed by.
Were these humans or vampires? Were they related to Cain? Did these people live here right now?
I had no idea, but my mind formed question after question, and I realized with some sadness that I really hardly knew Cain at all…
I wonder where he is…I thought. I couldn’t imagine he’d gone back out in the storm, but who was I to assume that I knew anything he was doing?
I turned the corner in the hall, and found an immense, open foyer. A golden chandelier hung down from some floor up above, and as I walked closer to the banister, I realized it was some kind of tower, with a spiral staircase leading all the way down to the bottom floor, which was three floors below.
“Wow…” I said, staring down into the depths. I’d had no idea the house was this massive.
I looked around.
It was just another reminder that Cain was so different from me, so unfamiliar…
A chill ran down my spine as I remembered the reason why I’d been coming here tonight in the first place.
Stepping backward into the shadows, I felt the fear start to bubble up within me again.
Athena seemed adamant that Cain could still be the murderer. I had a hard time believing it, especially given the kindness he’d shown me. He saved my life. How could he so easily take another?
There’s only one thing I can do, I thought. I need to try and find Cain and ask him.
I had no idea where to begin in this enormous place, and I wasn’t even sure that I’d be able to find my way back to my own room.
With a sigh, I knew the best way to find him was just to start looking.
I turned down another hall, walking along in the dark and silence. I was surprised I hadn’t run into any other vampires when a sound at the end hall perked my ears up.
It sounded like music.
I drew closer, straining to listen to it. It sounded familiar, but I couldn’t…place it.
At the end of the hall, I found myself at the bottom of another spiral staircase. This one
was stone, and wound itself up around a much narrower tower, decorated with dark green banners and brass candelabras.
Thunder boomed overhead.
The music was growing louder, so I knew I was on the right path.
Slowly, hesitantly, I started up the stairs, staring up into the darkness.
I felt like I was living in a medieval story, wandering around a castle. I knew that the Blackburns had been living here in Faerywood Falls for a long time, ever since this part of the country had been settled, and the castle certainly felt like it had been around for that long. The walls were ancient stones, and the steps were smooth from years of people traversing up and down.
A chill ran down my spine as I reached a landing, and a door in the wall stood slightly ajar, and a bright light peeked out into the stairwell.
The music was louder, too.
And I realized where I recognized it.
“The music box…” I mouthed to myself, moving closer to the door. Was this Cain’s room? Was he sitting over the box, relishing his success?
My head started to swim as the magic in the box began to take hold, so I knew I didn’t have much time before I lost consciousness.
I moved to the door and peered in through the crack, and my eyes fell on not Cain, but a young woman, maybe no older than her late teen years, sitting on the floor in the middle of a large, round bedroom. She was wearing a simple white nightgown and was kneeling in front of a small, wooden box with the lid open.
My eyelids were growing heavy. I clutched the frame of the door, trying my hardest to push the grogginess aside, trying to block the sorrow that was threatening to flood into my heart.
The girl was hunched over the box, completely entranced by it. There was a single candle on the floor beside her, upright on a candlestick, the glow from the flame causing the rest of the room to be bathed in shadows.
I shook my head, focusing on the girl, and not on the music.
She had the box. That meant that Cain had stolen it back. Which meant…
I slumped against the wall, my head starting to throb again. The landing started to sway as if I was on the deck of a ship.
I groaned, and quickly slapped my hand over my mouth.