The Twilight Star

by Laura E. Collins

  “No, Evie!” He tried to push me off.

  I took my finger and smeared some blood on it and put it directly in his mouth, pushing it inside as best I could. That simple act changed everything. He growled angrily. It was a sound I had never heard from him before. Somehow he summoned some strength and locked his arms around me, dragging me into the bed next to him. I suppressed a shriek as I felt his mouth clamp down on my neck over the cut and the sharp pain as his fangs lengthened and punctured my skin. I willed myself to stay still as I felt him pulling my blood out of me. After a few moments, my head became light and I felt as though I was floating away. I was at peace. I could die like this . . . I thought drowsily, and somehow I didn’t care.

  “Eythan!” I heard the king’s voice call. He sounded so far away. “Eythan, enough!”

  There was movement surrounding us. Lots of people. I felt Eythan’s grip on me tighten as he growled. Strong hands pried at his face while other strong hands worked to undo the death lock he had on me. Still yet another pair pulled on me, attempting to sever the connection between us. I gasped and weakly opened my eyes as the king was able to pull his son’s mouth away from my neck. Eythan snarled in desperation as he fought against the other vampires, half-vampires, and guards in the room.

  I felt weightless as I was lifted out of the bed and whisked away by someone while Princess Emeley held pressure on my neck with a cloth. Behind me, I could hear the chaos continuing as Eythan struggled with his father to get out of the bed.

  “Give her back!” Eythan shouted. “She’s MIIIIINNNE!,” he bellowed again furiously. A door slammed shut behind us as they carried me quickly far down the hall to another room. My consciousness gave out as I was laid upon a bed.

  Chapter 29

  A few days passed slowly after Eythan drank my blood. I’m not sure how much of it he took, but I was definitely still dragging despite Emeley’s persistent hovering and fussing over me to eat, drink, rest, and regain my strength. I had been told that Eythan survived, but I was not allowed to see him yet. They wanted to be sure he could control himself around me. I had to admit that I felt a little apprehensive about seeing him again. He could easily finish me off if he wanted to.

  One evening, I sat at the elegant vanity in the room that once belonged to some noble woman and stared at myself in the mirror, removing my bandages. What happened to my life? My pale self-reflection stared back at me. For so long I wanted to return home . . . part of me still did . . . but now I knew my chances were slim to none. The portal had come and gone. I believed that Sarah had found her way to it, perhaps before I did, and possibly made it home. My friends were dead, all save for Sam. Thank goodness she could babysit that wretched grimoire and keep it silent for me so I could rest. I only hoped I wasn’t putting her in danger. My thoughts returned to Eythan. Despite my apprehension, I longed to see him . . . to see with my own eyes that he had healed.

  Suddenly, I detected the slightest silent motion behind me and as I turned in my seat, there he was standing behind me.

  “Eythan!” I said as I rose and turned to him.

  “Evelyn,” he breathed, staying planted where he was.

  For a few moments we stood and stared at each other not knowing what to do. I’m pretty sure he was not supposed to be in here unchaperoned after our last encounter. I blinked and he moved faster than I had ever seen him move and I found myself pulled into a tight embrace.

  “Evie . . . are you all right? Did I hurt you?” he asked with a voice full of concern.

  “I’m fine, Eythan . . . I’m fine,” I reassured him. “Did it work? Are you cured?”

  He smiled down at me. “You are so clever, Evie. It worked like magic,” he responded as he kissed my forehead gently.

  I pulled back a little so that I could get a good look at him. The swelling in his arm had vanished along with the black veins. It did indeed seem like a miracle.

  “You cured me. I know you do not believe in magic, . . . but you are magical. Your blood is like nothing I have ever tasted. It is like the sweetest nectar and yet . . . it seemed like the most bitter poison. I will never drink from you again,” he said with conviction as he pressed his forehead against mine.

  I wrapped my arms around his neck and raised my lips to his. I wanted him . . . I needed him. From the moment I first laid eyes on him I have desired this. He tightened his embrace around me and drew me to him, kissing me passionately, parting my lips and deepening our intimacy.

  “Evie, have you any idea what you do to me?” he whispered between kisses.

  I was too busy responding to his kisses to answer. My fear melted away. I knew he would never harm me and we were free to love each other. Our hands roamed over each other, undoing laces, gently coaxing off any clothes that separated us. As he eased me on to the bed, I felt like I was home. I had no idea what tomorrow would bring. We could die facing Hadreah’s wrath, but for tonight . . . I was his and he was mine.

  ∞

  “It has been more than ten years since I have seen his face. I cannot stand to think of what she has done with him all this time . . . the wrongs that she has made him do, the people she has commanded him to slaughter, the things she has done to his body. It makes me sick! And it is only so that he could win her trust to eventually fight back. He must have seen it coming and acted accordingly to save himself for me.”

  I said nothing as the sadness in Princess Emeley’s eyes and her tone of voice brought tears to my eyes. I know only too well what she felt, having recently been there myself. Being separated from the one you love in such a brutal way . . . there is nothing else like it.

  “Evie, please. Can I look inside at your memory of him?”

  I glanced up at her in shock, remembering how it felt the first time she took a spin through my mind.

  “I promise I will not go further back than that night. I won’t look at anything else. It will not be like last time. Please, Evie, . . . I just need to see him.” The pleading in her voice almost broke me. Despite what happened last time, she was one of my only friends now and I trusted her.

  “As you wish,” I acquiesced.

  She smiled and sighed as she gingerly approached me. I stood next to the desk with the evil grimoire on it and held still. When she was in front of me I closed my eyes when she began to reach her arms up, gently placing her thumbs over my eyes as before. A second was all it took before she connected with me and I saw the events of that night replaying in my mind’s eye. I heard her gasp when she saw my memory of King Marstyn Pharys and how he had saved my life and helped me up. After I left him and began running back, she let go and stepped back with a satisfied sigh. When I opened my eyes, she had tears in hers.

  “Thank you, Evie . . . thank you,” she breathed. “He is my mate.”

  My mouth dropped open in surprise. No wonder she wanted him back. I knew enough about vampires to know nothing was more important than that. It also explained why she never remarried, . . . why she still waited for him.

  “I want him back, Evie,” she said with determination.

  “I will do whatever I can to help you, Emeley,” I promised.

  She raised her chin at me and smiled, letting her hope shine through.

  Over the next few days Eythan and I did not do much other than rest and lounge around my living quarters and show affection for one another. I knew the instincts inside me were so strong for a reason. I have never felt something so powerful for another person in my whole existence. I was meant to be with him. It was simply written in the stars. Despite the circumstances, I had never felt happier. Being a half-vampire, Eythan recovered faster than I did. I knew it would take my body weeks to restore the blood he had taken to survive. Unfortunately, we may not have weeks before we had to face Hadreah again.

  Each day that passed in peace felt like a blessing. On the fifth day, I meandered down to Emeley’s treasure room with my guards in tow to peruse the new findings from the open portals. Leaving my bodyguards at the door, I began to sor
t out anything I could use in a war. I asked that the motorcycle Paul and I used to escape on be brought back for me to look at to see if there was anything else that I could do with it. It was actually a twin to the one that was outside in the passageway. I had that brought in too. I was pleasantly surprised to see that the one we used to ride off on actually had a full tank of gas, meaning it stopped working due to a mechanical issue. With some help from my guards, we siphoned the gas out and transferred it to the other bike without spilling a drop. Using the identical key, I cheered in happiness when I actually got it started.

  I worked in silence separating things that I could and could not use. My revolvers were laid out neatly on a table next to a grenade that scared the shit out of me. The pin was conveniently still in place. I frowned, checking to see if there were any more bullets for the guns, finding only one. The super soaker was also part of my arsenal.

  Quiet footsteps pulled me from my concentration as a pair of strong loving arms surrounded me.

  “I wondered where you went,” Eythan said softly into my ear before pulling me back into him. I turned and kissed him.

  “I just wanted to see if there was anything that I can use against Hadreah,” I said truthfully.

  “You should be resting.”

  “I’m feeling better. Besides, I can’t stay in my room with you forever.”

  He kissed me thoroughly. “And why not?”

  I laughed lightheartedly, pushing him away. “Because there is an evil witch out there that wants us all dead.”

  “This is true,” he admitted. “Have you found anything useful?”

  “I wish I had more of these,” I said as I held up the last bullet I had left. He took it from me and studied it.

  “How many do you need?”

  “As many as I can get,” I said absently, turning back to the collection.

  “I will have the silversmith start immediately,” he said.

  “Wait! You can make me some bullets?” I said incredulously.

  “This is made out of metal. Using this as a template, I am sure we can manage it.”

  “That’s amazing! I can’t believe I didn’t think of that already! Thank you!” I gushed, giving him a kiss.

  “What about this, . . . do you have any of this here?” I asked, showing him a small vial of gasoline from the motorcycle. He unstopped the cork and sniffed it.

  “There is nothing like this in my world,” he said.

  My hopes fell. I really wanted something flammable to fill the super soaker with. “Well, I have a few cans to open over there to see what is inside. Maybe I’ll find something.”

  “I will leave you to it,” he said, kissing me before taking the only bullet I had and left me.

  Well at least that was some good news. If I could get close enough, perhaps I could just shoot Hadreah. My thoughts disturbed me. Harming other people . . . killing them. This was not me. These were not my beliefs or how I was raised, but I had no choice. I had never been in a war nor been surrounded by this kind of violence and I can see why the royals make the kinds of choices that they do. It was kill or be killed and I had no other option but to go along with it at this point.

  I picked up a thin metal chisel and used it to pry off the rusted cap from one of the metal cans on a nearby shelf. The label had long been worn off but the seal was tight. I crinkled my nose from the familiar sharp scent of paint thinner. Jackpot! Although it was not gasoline, it was flammable. I brought a pitcher over and poured the paint thinner into it, then carefully poured it into the colorful plastic super soaker, placing the cap back on it. Pleased with that, I moved on to another can, which turned out to be rancid dog food. Yuck! I made a face as I quickly tossed that into my waste bin.

  Later that afternoon, I headed back to the royal apartments with my bodyguards shadowing me. They switched off with another pair as I entered my chamber. I changed into a more formal gown with the help of a female servant by the name of Grace. She was quiet and kind, and possibly mystified that she was waiting on me. The smell of food lured me down the hall to Emeley’s apartment. On the way I passed a den with the door cracked open. Eythan and King Edreyan were inside speaking to each other in Eolahr so softly they were almost whispering. I figured it was regarding the war because it sounded like they were having a serious discussion. I continued on and knocked when I reached Emeley’s door. Formality seemed to have been forgotten as she beckoned me to come in. The halls seemed emptier than usual as many of the courtiers thought to be in league with Garrett Crievan, including his daughter Christabel, had all been exiled by the king. Eythan had been interviewing them nonstop since his recovery to weed out traitors to the crown and to me. It touched me in a way I’d never forget.

  “Have you heard anything yet?” I inquired.

  “Nothing yet . . . I am not sure if Marstyn will even be able to give us notice when she decides to invade. He has to be careful not to cast suspicion on himself.”

  Together we stood at her balcony and watched as the soldiers prepared for war.

  “Marstyn mentioned something in a message to me once,” she said softly. “It was a long time ago.”

  I waited for her to continue.

  “He said that when the final war with Hadreah is over, there will only be four monarchs left standing, but he could not see which four.”

  “Four monarchs?”

  “Yes.”

  “Well . . . that’s good news then!” I figured it out. “That means Hadreah will be defeated! You, Eythan, your father, and Marstyn will be the four monarchs. He’s been right so far, I trust him.” This bit of news had me feeling rather good. Emeley, however, did not look so sure. She seemed touched by sadness somehow.

  “I hope you are right, Evelyn. Any victory does not come without a price.”

  A few minutes later Eythan joined us as the sun set for supper. Afterwards, he returned to the Great Hall with the king to give the soldiers a pep talk while I retreated to my room to rest. I sat at the desk and pulled out Hadreah’s grimoire from my messenger bag. I carried it with me everywhere now. I opened the book and began to study the pages more closely. As disturbing as the images were, I hoped to learn something. Demonology is not my thing and I could not fathom why anyone would want to get involved with something so dark. I came across a page with a drawing of what looked similar to a Nevalth eel. After studying it for a few moments, I pulled my last eel scale out of my messenger bag pocket and held it in my hand over the book.

  I nearly froze in fear as I watched the words on the page literally shrink away from my hand holding the scale. Eyes wide, I lowered the scale and set it onto the page. The page went completely blank and the scale shattered into smithereens. I nearly had a heart attack as Eythan and the king stormed into my room with my bodyguards and were at my side in the blink of an eye.

  “What happened?” Eythan demanded in a concerned tone, putting a hand on my shoulder as the king prowled around, searching my room.

  “I’m not sure,” I said, my voice mirroring my confusion.

  “We heard a horrifying shriek come from within here. Was it the book?”

  “I didn’t hear anything.”

  “What did you do to the book?” The king gestured to the pieces of the scale.

  “I laid the scale on the book and the words on the page disappeared, then the scale shattered.”

  King Edreyan glanced at his son. “She knows! I will alert the soldiers,” he said as he hastily made an exit.

  “I don’t understand.”

  “The book, Evie . . . somehow you connected with Hadreah through it. She will know it was you!”

  “Too bad I didn’t stab the book,” I said regretfully, closing it, not wanting to see any more. I put it back into my messenger bag, sorry for the loss of my last Nevalth eel scale. I lost the other one in the fight with Lord Tanner in the cave what seemed like ages ago.

  “I think you broke it . . . I don’t feel its presence anymore.”

  “I’ve never fe
lt anything from it.”

  “Best not to take any chances. Please keep it close and guard it like you have been doing.”

  “No problem,” I replied.

  Satisfied that I was all right, he kissed me and went back to his strategic planning. I went to bed for some much needed rest. At some point during the night, Eythan joined me.

  The next day, I went back to weapons practice with Sir Leonard. Sam was kind enough to babysit the grimoire again as I practiced swinging a sword and stabbing hay bales. When I became winded, I stopped for a rest. The silversmith found me.

  “Miss Remington?”

  “Yes?”

  “His Highness, Prince Eythan, asked me to give these to you.”

  He placed a small pouch in my hands. I opened it and pulled out a silver bullet, an exact replica of what we had given him yesterday.

  “This is exactly what I need, thank you!”

  “I will get back to work to make more.”

  And so it went for another week. The king’s sentinels kept vigil night and day but there was no word on when Hadreah would strike. I trained, planned, and rested as much as I could. Sam and I took turns monitoring the grimoire just in case. Supposedly it was defunct because no one reported any sound coming from it. No that Sam or I could hear it whispering or chanting or whatever it did anyway.

  Just before dawn in Eythan’s chambers as he and I lay in each other’s arms, I woke to see him studying me. I inhaled deeply and snuggled into his embrace, enjoying his lazy smile, closing my eyes again. He used his free arm and skimmed caresses over my face.