Between Darkness & Light

by Theresa Van Spankeren

  Explaining that would take too much energy. Silently, I waited for him to continue, but when he didn’t, I questioned, “Kali?”

  He tilted his head worriedly. Another moment of silence went by before he said, “Tell me if I understand you correctly. You want to talk about the choking later, but you want to know how Kali is now?”

  “Yes.”

  The clarity of my answer seemed to reassure him. “She is stable. Mary Anne is still in with her. She took quite a beating. Her face is pretty swollen, but miraculously there don’t seem to be any broken bones.”

  I trembled in fresh anger, which sent a bolt of agony down my right side again. I drew in a sharp breath, trying to stem the pain.

  “Easy, Julia. Don’t aggravate your injuries. She’s resting comfortably.”

  The movement had cost me precious energy. Sleep was trying to drag me back under, but I stubbornly resisted. Considering everything that’s happened the last five years, I was surprised Samuel was the first person I saw and not Matthew. Although I was glad to see him, something didn’t seem right.

  “Fire. Matthew? Where?” I stammered, trying to form my question. I grimaced at the nonsense that came out. Samuel frowned. Concentrating, I attempted again before he could speak. “Was fire Matthew? Where is . . .?”

  There was no mistaking the troubled look on his face before he answered. “Yes, it was him.” Samuel watched me as he continued, “He wasn’t hurt. He . . . I think – well, let’s discuss this later too, all right?”

  I frowned but was too tired to argue. “Yes. Later,” I agreed. He stood and carefully pulled a light blanket over me. I gazed at him in sudden panic. He was leaving the room. I didn’t want to be alone. “Please. Don’t go!”

  Samuel turned back to me, startled. “I’m not leaving, Julia. Just getting ready for bed.” His eyes softened in concern. “Sleep, Sunshine. I’ll be here when you wake up.”

  My eyes slipped shut. I awoke once more when I felt the glass touch my lips, just enough to drink the nourishing fluid before being claimed by dreamless sleep.

  Chapter 13

  I woke to the reassuring sight of my bedroom at the villa. The wardrobe, table, and a chair came into clear focus when I opened my eyes. The pain was at a tolerable level which allowed me a chance to think through things. I thought the brief conversation with Samuel had been real, but I couldn’t be sure. After all, he had called me Sunshine. It was possible I had hallucinated the entire thing while in the throes of feverish pain.

  Glancing down at myself, I noticed the light blanket covering me. “Samuel?” I whispered, remembering vaguely that he said he would be here when I woke up. Unless I imagined it, of course.

  “I’m here, Julia. How are you feeling?” Samuel asked, appearing at my right side.

  Cautiously, I turned my head to look at him. No dizziness, no pounding headache. That was a good sign. Dozens of questions flooded my mind, but I remembered he had a few too. “Better, I think. How long was I insensible?”

  “About four nights,” he replied. He gently touched my right temple. “You had us worried. You refused to take any nourishment most of that time. Can you explain that? I know you were too weak to talk about it last night.”

  “I don’t remember much of that, but I assume the memory of Gregory’s blood was the cause. It was the foulest, most disgusting blood I ever tasted.”

  Samuel’s eyebrows shot up at my words. “Gregory? Don’t you mean the Hunter, Stefan?”

  “One and the same,” I murmured, suppressing a shiver.

  Apprehension filled his blue eyes. “Julia, I know he looks a little like him, but Gregory died a long time ago.”

  I met his gaze, unflinching. “I know that, Samuel. Yet, it was the same person, the same soul. The eyes were the same.” He opened his mouth to interrupt, but I kept talking, even as my voice grew hoarse. “He knew Marie’s name, the color of her eyes. He said the exact words uttered to me during our marriage. He talked about murdering our daughter, and asked me if I wanted him to murder Kali as well. Damnit, Samuel, it is him! I don’t know how, but it is!”

  Seconds ticked by as we stared at each other. Maybe he read my mind, watched my memories of a few nights ago. Telepathically, I was weak as well. Too weak to keep someone out if they wanted in. If that was what he was doing, I was just glad I didn’t have to relive the nightmare.

  The expression on his face changed and he moved back, slowly sinking into the chair next to my bed. “Reincarnated? I know it can happen, but I’ve never heard of it happening this soon.”

  I let out the breath I didn’t even realize I had been holding. “Ask Kali. She seems to have a better idea of what’s going on than I do.”

  “She’s resting. I’ll question her about it when she’s healed more.” I nodded. He twisted around and reached for something on the table closest to him. “Your throat must be parched still. And you probably have lots of questions.” He turned back to me with a glass of water this time. He lifted my head slightly and I gratefully drank it all.

  I pondered a moment as the water moistened my throat. He was right about the questions. I was torn between asking about my own injuries and asking after Matthew. Now that I knew I didn’t imagine our conversation, I worried about his absence and the strangeness Samuel displayed when answering my query. With a sigh, I decided my first priority had to be myself. Already, the throbbing in my right arm and leg was intensifying again.

  “How badly am I hurt? Psychically, I feel drained as well.”

  Samuel’s expression was a blend of amusement, anxiety, and concern. I frowned at him. “According to the little Kali has been able to tell us, you retaliated against the Hunters attacking her by using telepathic power without the ka-tet’s aid. She said she never felt anything comparable. Instead of confusing them or pushing them away, you caused them pain, so much that they dropped to the ground half senseless.”

  “They made me furious. I had intended to use the ka-tet’s power to throw them down the road, but I sensed something else and I used that instead,” I replied. “Apparently, using it drained every bit of energy I had. I probably shouldn’t have used it.”

  “Perhaps not,” he agreed. “But during battle we tend to react first and think later.”

  “I don’t even know what it was.”

  “One of your gifts is manifesting, but it’s weak and using it drained you.”

  “How many do we have?” I asked in confusion.

  Samuel shrugged. “Depends on the vampire. Some only have one. Others may have several.”

  Worry about that later, I told myself and repeated, “How badly am I hurt? I seem to feel more pain on the right side.”

  The amusement drained out of his eyes. “Lots of bruises, cuts, and sprained muscles.”

  “That hardly qualifies worrying about me dying. What aren’t you telling me?” Without thinking, I tried to move my right arm to grab his and pain engulfed me so intensely my vision went white. My shriek pierced the air without me knowing it had formed.

  I felt the blanket get pulled partially off as Samuel disappeared from sight. Panting, I focused on the source of such agony. Most of my right arm was red and blistered, which was bad enough, but almost halfway up there was a spot that appeared black, except where it was oozing blood. The sight of it caused me to start screaming again.

  Seconds later, Samuel had cold wet pieces of cloth wrapped around it. “Julia!” Panicked and light-headed, I barely heard him. He cupped my face between his hands and yelled, “Julia, stop! Breathe!” My last scream died away and I stared at him as I tried to catch my breath.

  “Samuel, is everything all right? Do you need help?” Mary Anne called from the doorway.

  “It’s fine. Julia saw her arm, that’s all,” he called back, his gaze and hands never leaving my face.

  “I’ll see if Stephen is awake,” she said simply.

  “I know it looks bad, but it will start healing now that you are drinking blood,” Samuel said.
<
br />   “Looks dreadful and feels even worse,” I replied.

  Samuel nodded as he stroked my cheeks. “Don’t make any sudden movements. That will minimize the pain,” he said as he eased away.

  I remained still as I heard someone enter the room. Stephen leaned over me a second later. His face was pale, but his green eyes shone with delight. “You’re awake! I was starting to wonder if you were ever going to wake up.”

  I smiled at him the best I could. “Stephen, thank you. I know you helped me a lot the last few days,” I whispered.

  He nodded as Samuel spoke. “We’re keeping this brief, Stephen. You’ve already given quite a bit the last few days. You just need to give enough to heal her arm so she can hunt later tonight. No knife required this time.”

  Stephen nodded and stared at Samuel across from me. I saw his eyes droop slightly and realized Samuel had hypnotized him. I was grateful since I didn’t think I could do it myself. Samuel placed Stephen’s limp wrist over my mouth and I bit down, sucking the rich nourishment for all it was worth.

  Too soon, I felt the delicate flesh and delicious blood get yanked from me. I felt the low growl as it rolled off my lips. “No more,” Samuel replied and deftly removed the young man from my grasp and presumably the room.

  I closed my eyes and waited a minute until the smell of blood wasn’t in the air anymore. After seeing my arm, I could guess why Matthew hadn’t been around. I spoke, not knowing if Samuel was still in here. “I figured out why Matthew hasn’t been here. His power got a little out of control and he doesn’t want to see me.”

  “No. He has stayed away because he’s afraid you don’t want to see him,” Samuel replied softly.

  I opened my eyes and tilted my head to the left this time to see him. “Why would he think that? I thought he didn’t want to see what damage the fire caused.”

  Samuel frowned. “He saw the damage. He thinks you’re afraid of him, of his power.”

  “Why? I am not sure I understand. What happened?” I asked in confusion.

  “You were hurt terribly by it.” Samuel sighed. “When we arrived after sensing Kali’s distress, we found her unconscious and the two Hunters you stunned coming to. Mary Anne went to her aid, while Matthew, Jeffrey, and I tried to fight our way to you. Stefan . . . Gregory . . . whoever he is, had almost a full team of Hunters with him. Jeffrey fought another two, while Matthew and I battled the rest. Past all of them, Gregory was dragging you in the opposite direction. There were lamps lit nearby. Matthew used them to create a line of fire that drove off his opponents so he could go after you.”

  Samuel glanced down at me, and when I didn’t speak, he continued. “We could see you struggling weakly against him. Even covering distance as quickly as he was, Matthew feared Stefan or one of the other Hunters would kill you before he got close enough. He didn’t know that the Hunter had stabbed your arm. He made the difficult choice to injure you slightly to protect you until he got there.”

  I glanced at my wounded arm, still wrapped in wet cloth. “The stabbing made the burn worse,” I mumbled as I realized the darkened and bloody part of my arm had to be the same area.

  Samuel nodded. “He never lost control of the fire. It did as he intended, arcing over the flesh where the Hunter held you and creating a barrier between you. Matthew was the first one to reach you. I wasn’t close enough to see, but he said you cowered away from him when he tried to pick you up.”

  I winced. Knowing this, I understood why he had come to the conclusion he had. “Samuel, I don’t even remember seeing Matthew. I remember seeing the fire and screaming for help. That’s all.”

  He smiled kindly at me. “I don’t doubt that. We tried to reassure him, but . . .” Samuel shrugged.

  Carefully, I flexed my right arm slightly. A sharp pain flooded through it, but it wasn’t as debilitating as it had been just a little while ago. Stephen’s blood was working, although I was careful not to jostle that arm unnecessarily as I used my left arm to prop myself up in a sitting position. Samuel was startled by my sudden movement, but helped me upright so I was sitting against the wall and pillows. “Call Matthew,” I said.

  Samuel nodded, and called Matthew through telepathy. I heard it, but it sounded fuzzy. Seriously, how much psychic power did I use against those Hunters? Or did it have something to do with that soul trauma the woman in white talked about?

  “Samuel, I do not think this is a good idea. I don’t want to scare her more than I have already,” Matthew called as he walked to my door. Looking up, he caught sight of me sitting in the bed and stood still.

  “Julia wants to talk to you. She would have called you herself, but she’s still weak.” Matthew’s eyes darted between us, but otherwise he remained motionless, as if Samuel had said “yell at” instead of “talk to.”

  I studied him. His brown hair was disheveled, his eyes bloodshot, and his skin was almost as pale as mine or Stephen’s. I looked back at Samuel, trying to communicate my surprise and concern with just my eyes.

  The telepathic connection wasn’t clear, but I still heard some words, felt Samuel’s own concern. I could figure out the ones I missed.

  “Matthew,” I said and he jumped as if I had struck him. I continued, wanting to reassure him as fast as possible. “I know what happened, what you did. I’m not upset with you. Actually, I think I owe you a thank you.”

  “How can you not be upset with me? I burned you terribly, Julia.” His gaze was unfocused, seeing how I had looked when he reached me that night.

  “The injury I already had made it worse, Matthew. It wasn’t your fault,” I said and gestured with my left hand for him to come in.

  “You flinched or screamed any time I touched you. I thought you hated me. I decided it was best to stay away,” Matthew said.

  “Maybe I should leave you two alone for a while,” Samuel murmured as he got up on my left.

  “You don’t have to leave, Samuel,” I said gently as Matthew edged his way into the room a little bit. I wanted to talk to Matthew, especially about the woman in white, but I didn’t want to push Samuel away either.

  He squeezed my good hand and said, “I should check on Stephen and the others.” I smiled at his answer. It was the answer he would have given before his depression. He was looking after the group again. He left the room and I looked back at Matthew.

  “Matthew, I’m sorry you got that impression.” My eyes filled with tears. “I doubt I even knew it was you. I don’t remember seeing or hearing you. I probably thought it was him.”

  “Stefan?” Matthew questioned as he processed my words.

  My gut clenched as I nodded. “Yes, Stefan. Gregory.”

  A similar look as Samuel’s crossed his face, but instead of trying to correct me, he walked closer and said, “What do you mean?”

  “Water, please,” I murmured, feeling scratchiness in my throat. Matthew walked to the table and filled up a glass. He turned back and cautiously pressed it into my left hand. I figured he still thought I was going to swing at him. I drank all of it and handed it back to him.

  Matthew set the glass down and sat down in the chair on my left side. He nodded for me to continue and I did, spilling everything from our conversation with Lane to my encounter with the woman in white. He didn’t interrupt me, although I noticed the fear and guilt seemed to fade from his eyes as I talked.

  “I thought that bastard was just a pile of ashes by now,” he muttered, shaking his head.

  “So did I,” I whispered. “But he’s here and he can and has hurt me. I was never free of him.”

  “It seems destiny wants you to face him.”

  I groaned and closed my eyes. “I don’t want to. I faced him every day for three years. I don’t know what retribution I have incurred to suffer this again.”

  “You weren’t strong enough to fight him then. Perhaps that’s the difference.”

  I shivered. “I’m not s
ure if I’m strong enough to fight him now.”

  “I think you are.”

  I frowned. “Right. That’s why he was dragging me off down the street.”

  “He dealt you quite a shock emotionally. You needed time to recover.”

  “Hence the trip to the in-between,” I finished. I pondered a moment. “Matthew, in your journal, did those who saw the dead ever talk about a spirit appearing at a different age than they were when they died?”

  He leaned forward and whispered, “Are you thinking she

  is your –?”

  I cut him off before he could say the words. “I don’t know. The woman in white seems familiar and I thought it odd that there were rose bushes everywhere in the in-between.” I sighed, feeling drained. “But Marie was a baby when she died and this girl appears to be Kali’s age. That’s why I’m asking.”

  Matthew was quiet a moment. “I’ve only read about one or two cases of a spirit appearing different than when they died. If it can happen, it seems rare.”

  I reached over and squeezed his hand. “Thank you. Maybe I’m so desperate to see my daughter that I think I’m seeing her everywhere.” I took a deep breath and continued, “Whoever she is, I’m more concerned about the things she last told me. About soul trauma, and destiny tampering and . . .” I trailed off. “Who is causing this?”

  He rubbed his forehead several times. Samuel’s voice suddenly spoke from the doorway, startling me. “Matthew, when have you ever heard of a soul reincarnating this soon?”

  We looked toward the doorway. “Reincarnation before a full century has gone by? Never,” Matthew replied with a frown. “Something isn’t right about this, Samuel.”

  “How long have you been standing there?” I turned to Matthew. “Is he cloaked?”

  Matthew shook his head. Samuel’s expression was unreadable when he replied, “I’ve been here a little while. I think Kali has some explaining to do when she’s well enough.”

  I nodded, but couldn’t help wondering how much Samuel had heard. He still didn’t seem comfortable acknowledging my visitors. “I am really beginning to miss my telepathic powers. I can’t talk to anyone and can barely sense any of you,” I said.