Darkness Reigns (Darkness Trilogy)

by L. M. Justus

  “This can’t be it,” Reed said.

  Nathaniel shut off the motor and removed the key from the ignition. “Let us go speak with Marcel.”

  “Should we wake Sarah up?”

  “I’m already awake,” Sarah said with a yawn.

  They clambered out of the SUV into the cold and crunched over the snow and ice to the other car where Marcel stood waiting. Trudy and Sophie emerged from the vehicle, rubbing sleep from their eyes, breaths puffing in the air.

  “Isn’t this invigorating?” Marcel asked. He stretched his arms to the sky and inhaled deeply. “I love that smell.”

  “Uh, no offense,” Sophie said, “but . . . where the hell are we? Where’s the city?”

  “City?” Marcel chuckled. “Radisson is more of a village, or town you could say.”

  “But there’s nothing here except trees,” Sophie said.

  “Yes, yes, right in this very spot there is only wilderness, but Radisson is a few kilometers east. My cabins are in the opposite direction. We have enough supplies to last a few days. After you have settled in, I will show you the route into town. Unfortunately, they do not plow the road all the way to the lake, so we will have to proceed on foot. I promise the chalets are winterized, although it will take some time to get the heat circulating and the water running.”

  “I’m afraid to ask, but how long do you think it will take us to walk to the cabins?” Sarah asked.

  “Oh, not more than a half hour to reach the first cabin,” Marcel replied.

  Sarah cringed. “I was hoping you would say something closer to five minutes,” she said, exchanging a glance with her sister.

  Trudy popped the car’s trunk and started rummaging through their belongings. “Guess we’d better bundle up then,” she said. She pulled out a winter hat, scarf, and mitts and put them on. The others followed suit and donned as much winter wear as they could manage.

  Loaded down with baggage and supplies, the group set out into the woods with Marcel in the lead. Everyone was quiet, concentrating on setting one foot in front of the other.

  An eerie howl split the air far in the distance.

  “There aren’t any werewolves out here, are there?” Reed asked.

  “There are no such things as werewolves,” Nathaniel answered.

  “That you know of.”

  Sophie snickered nervously, but Nathaniel only frowned.

  “I would have sworn on my life a few months ago there was no such thing as vampires,” Reed continued. “Look how that turned out.”

  “Okay, let’s keep moving, people,” Sarah said. “Otherwise we’ll be here all night.”

  Nathaniel could not have agreed more.

  Reed

  We made good time on our trek through the forest; no one was ‘dilly dallying,’ as Nathaniel would have said. Sarah, Sophie, and Trudy were cold and tired, and even though the chilliness didn’t bother my vampire self as much as it did them, the thought of a warm fire still sounded damned appealing.

  A sharp wind whistled through the pine trees, causing clouds of snow to swirl around us. It was cold and the creaking tree branches made it seem a little spooky. My imagination was doing a good job of ruining the peacefulness of the calm winter night.

  The moonlight grew brighter when we popped out into a small clearing next to a lake. It was a small body of water and I could see across to the other side easily. There didn’t appear to be any buildings along the shoreline other than the one standing to our left. Marcel’s ‘chalet’ was a lot bigger than I’d expected and pretty frigging sweet for a cottage. It was significantly larger than my house had been back home. Constructed of logs, stripped of bark and lacquered, it stood two stories high and had a wraparound porch. Despite being in the middle of nowhere, someone must have been coming out to maintain it every once in a while because it didn’t look run down.

  Marcel trudged through the snow up the steps and cleared a spot with his foot, revealing a woven mat on top of the porch’s wooden boards. He pulled open the screen door and then turned the knob on the second door without unlocking it. It swung open to a darkened interior and everyone filed inside.

  “Please, make yourselves at home,” Marcel said. “I will start the generator to get the electricity going.” The front door slapped shut behind him when he left, leaving us standing in a clump in the middle of the room.

  Moonlight barely filtered in through the curtained windows, but I could see everything clearly. We were in a large common room with a cathedral ceiling, an assortment of couches, side tables with lamps, and a huge stone fireplace begging to be lit. A hallway led off to the rear of the cabin and a set of stairs twisted to the upper floor.

  “I’m going to start a fire,” I said. “You guys try to find some matches.”

  “And a flashlight,” Sophie added. “Not all of us can see in the dark.”

  “I shall see what I can do,” Nathaniel said.

  Sarah followed me to the fireplace where we discovered neatly organized piles of newspaper, kindling, and wood. There were also tools: a poker, a little shovel, and of course, a lighter.

  “Never mind the matches, Nathaniel,” Sarah called over her shoulder. She grabbed the lighter off the mantel and gave it an experimental flick. When it flared to life, she grinned at me.

  “Awesome,” I said. I crumpled up some paper and stuffed it into the fireplace. Sarah and I placed the kindling around the newspaper and then lit it.

  The paper caught fire immediately, and Nathaniel raced over to turn a handle at the side of the mantel. “If we do not wish to asphyxiate ourselves,” he explained, “you need to open the flue so the smoke exits through the chimney.”

  Sophie flopped onto a couch, crossing her long legs at the ankles. “Huh. I didn’t know vampires could get asphyxiated.”

  The front door opened and Marcel stepped inside. “Success!” he said. He flipped a light switch, turning on the giant chandelier hanging over the room. “The heat will circulate quickly if we turn on the baseboard heaters, so if you would like to explore and choose bedrooms, feel free. There is a recreational room in the basement as well, which was intended for vampires to spend the daylight hours, but you are most welcome to use it for entertainment whenever you like.”

  “You don’t need to ask me twice. Toodle-oo,” Sophie said, not wasting a second, immediately taking off upstairs. Trudy nodded her thanks to Marcel and headed for the hallway on the main floor. Nathaniel cleared his throat and followed Trudy, keeping his eyes averted from the rest of us.

  “I believe I left my book unfinished, the last time I visited this place,” Marcel said, crossing the room. “I should like very much to continue with it, after I give Gabriel a quick call to update him on our status. If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to head downstairs to phone him. Oh, and before you two remove your winter coats, you should go look at the stars. They are truly amazing out here, far from city lights and pollution.”

  Sarah looked up at me and I shrugged. Why not?

  “I’ve warmed up enough to take a quick walk outside,” she said.

  Marcel smiled, almost sadly, and waved goodbye as he left the room.

  “I suppose as much as he loves this place, he’s missing Gabriel?” I guessed.

  “You have no idea,” Sarah said. “Every time I look at him, my mind is practically flooded with thoughts of Gabriel. I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone else as obsessed with someone as that. It’s verging on ridiculous.”

  “Aw, the poor guy. He’s come all the way up here to keep us safe and give us a cozy hideout.” I elbowed her in the side and she pushed me away, trying to suppress a grin.

  “All right, let’s go outside,” she said, pulling her mitts back on.

  We stomped through the untouched snow until we reached the edge of the lake. I tilted my head back to check out the view. Just as Marcel had said, the cloudless sky revealed an incredibly breathtaking display of stars.

  Sarah gasped. “Oh, my God,” she whispered. “Mar
cel wasn’t kidding.”

  Tiny pinpricks of light plastered the sky above us; I’d ever seen anything like it. “Amazing.”

  “Look! A shooting star,” Sarah said, pointing.

  A dot of light moved across the sea of stars, but it wasn’t moving very fast. An airplane?

  “Oh, wait a minute,” she said. “I think it’s a satellite. Never mind.”

  I turned to her and bit my lip to stop myself from laughing.

  “I almost made a wish on a satellite,” she giggled, and then I did laugh.

  “Well . . . satellites fall out of the sky eventually, don’t they? Then your wish would’ve come true,” I said.

  “Shut up,” she said, and hit me in the arm.

  I looked around at the pristine snow; it sparkled as if it was winking at me, inviting me to jump in. “Hey, I’ve always wanted to make a snow angel,” I said. “C’mon.”

  I wandered farther away from the cabin with Sarah close behind me until I found the perfect spot. Lowering myself onto the ground, I lay on my back and stretched my arms out to the sides, sweeping them up and down. It wasn’t difficult, especially with vampire strength, but it was still harder than I’d thought it would be; the snow was deep and there was a thin, icy crust at the top. Sarah plopped down beside me and made an angel of her own.

  After we got up to view our handiwork, we lay back down and continued admiring the glittering display of stars. The quiet stillness of the forest held us in a peaceful trance and I lost the sense of time passing. I wanted to stay in that moment forever, worry-free, relaxed, and at one with nature.

  “There’s only one problem with this,” Sarah said, snapping me out of my thoughts.

  “What’s that?” I asked. I was watching her now, instead of the stars, mesmerized by the puffs of air that misted out between her lips with every word.

  “I can feel the cold through my clothes. My butt’s freezing.”

  I laughed again, and it felt so good. How long had it been since I’d been genuinely happy? If only the feeling would last.

  I turned to the side and scooped Sarah off the ground. Then I rolled back, positioning her on top of me so she wasn’t touching the snow anymore. “Let me help you with that,” I said, brushing the snow off her back. My hands drifted lower until they cupped her bottom.

  Her mouth twisted and she narrowed her eyes at me. “How very considerate of you,” she said. Then she drew back, her head cocked slightly to the side, studying me.

  “Is everything okay?” I asked.

  She leaned forward again and her honey-brown hair fell in a curtain around her face. I reached up to comb my fingers through the soft strands and feathered my fingers down her cheek.

  “I wanted to make sure you’re all right. I mean, really all right,” she said.

  “I’ll survive,” I replied. And I meant it. “Sometimes I wish I could tell what you were thinking.”

  She leaned into my hand and closed her eyes. “I’ve wished a thousand times I couldn’t hear people’s thoughts. The things inside your head are meant to be private.”

  “Have you always been able to read people’s minds?”

  Her eyes opened again. “I picked up the odd thought or two when I was little, but the mind-reading kicked into overdrive when I hit puberty.”

  “It’s pretty incredible, if you think about it. Like the X-Men: people with mutant gene superpowers.” My hands were at her waist, slipping under her coat.

  “I suspect there are all kinds of people out there with secrets,” she said, lowering her face a little closer toward mine. “There’s probably a touch of truth to stories about fairies and mermaids and ghosts and–”

  “Vampires,” I whispered, our mouths almost touching.

  “Yes,” she breathed.

  Her lips were warm and soft, and I wished she weren’t wearing so many layers of clothes. She could hardly take them off in ten-degree weather though.

  Sarah pulled back slowly, her mouth lifting in an amused smile. “One-track mind,” she said.

  Oh, darn. Of course she’d read my lusty thoughts.

  I grinned sheepishly.

  Out of consideration for Sarah, I had reluctantly agreed to go back to the cabin so she could warm up. We were sitting next to the fireplace, which had a healthy blaze going. Sarah cupped a fresh mug of coffee in her hands and I nestled next to her while her sister entertained us.

  Sophie wasn’t trying to amuse us, but we couldn’t help watching. She had a laptop set up on the coffee table while she stood in an open space left from pushing the couches back. With the samurai sword I’d given her held firmly in a double-grip, she sliced the air, imitating the how-to video on the computer.

  “I’m surprised they have internet access up here,” I said.

  “Satellite,” Sophie said, executing another move.

  “Well, I’m glad you’re learning how to use that thing.”

  “It’s called a katana,” she said, pausing to look at us.

  “I don’t mean to sound too motherly,” Sarah said, “but be careful not to hurt yourself. Maybe you should practice with a stick.”

  Sophie rolled her eyes. “How will I get used to the weight of the weapon unless I use the real thing? Plus, I’d probably get a splinter from a stick.”

  “Why don’t I get a stick?” I suggested. “We can spar together. I don’t know anything about sword fighting, but I am fast. You know, vampire reflexes and all.” I stretched my arms above my head and cracked my knuckles.

  Sophie’s face lit up. “Great idea!”

  “I think it’s a terrible idea,” Sarah protested. “No offense guys. That’s an accident waiting to happen.”

  “Go make some breakfast, Sarah. We’ll be fine,” Sophie said.

  “Don’t say I didn’t warn you then,” Sarah replied, shaking her head as she walked into the kitchen.

  I dashed outside to find a branch that would fit the bill. The sun was creeping up for the day; the sky had brightened and turned a pinkish purple.

  The first two contenders for my sparring weapon were too short and flimsy, but I found a nice solid branch on my third try. The prospect of fighting with Sophie had my blood pumping with excitement, and it looked like the feeling was mutual.

  I held the stick out like a sword and whipped it back and forth. I couldn’t help picturing myself hitting Sophie’s annoying ass with the branch, giving her a small bruise or two. I might even have felt bad thinking such nasty thoughts except I was sure she was imagining even worse things about me.

  I entered the cabin with my makeshift weapon and Sophie gave me a challenging leer. I leered right back at her and prepared to do battle.

  What a perfect way to welcome the new day, I thought, grinning widely.

  Nathaniel

  When Marcel invited everyone to seek out bedrooms within the cottage, Trudy had departed down the corridor at the rear of the building. Nathaniel followed her without thinking, realizing belatedly that the others may have viewed this action with suspicion. He was not completely ignorant of the snickering and whisperings behind his back on each occasion he and Trudy had ended up together, just the two of them. Sophie had been the least subtle of them all, winking in an absurdly exaggerated fashion when he and Trudy had gotten into the smaller vehicle for the first leg of their journey north.

  Now that Nathaniel had begun walking down the hallway after Trudy, he felt he should continue on his current path as though he knew where he was headed. Knowing the others were watching his retreat, heat spread up his neck and over his cheeks, but he kept walking without looking back.

  The hall stretched along the entire back section of the cottage, starting at the right side and leading off to the left, behind the stairwell that led to the upper floor. Trudy turned the corner and leaned her head inside the first door.

  “This one looks good,” she said, turning to Nathaniel.

  He drew to a stop and scratched his head. “Yes. A fine room indeed.” What was that strange lum
p in his throat? And why was he acting like a bumbling idiot?

  A smile warmed Trudy’s face and she licked her lips. “Would you like to come in?”

  “I . . . oh, yes. Let me turn on the heater for you,” he said, wondering if the heat from his face might have provided enough warmth to make the room a comfortable temperature.

  Trudy placed her bag at the foot of the bed and unzipped it. She searched the contents briefly, pulled out a brush, and started running it through her hair. Nathaniel remained quiet, waiting until she finished. When she was done, she placed the brush on the bedside table and turned to him. She tilted her head slightly to the side, her gray eyes searching his face.

  “I wanted to say . . .” he began, and paused. “I do not know why, but when I am near you, I seem to lose control of my mental faculties.”

  Her eyes widened and then she burst into laughter.

  His heart sank. He was ordinarily so well spoken; it unnerved him to fail so utterly at expressing himself properly.

  “I’m sorry!” Trudy apologized, tears of merriment shining in her eyes. “Oh, Nathaniel–that’s sweet, and so . . . you. I’m really sorry, I didn’t mean to laugh,” she said, sobering. “I can’t believe I make you–a wise, strong vampire–nervous.”

  Nathaniel berated himself for spewing such nonsense. “I apologize, that did not come out as I intended. What I meant to say was . . ." He stopped again, the only words that came to mind sounded like gibberish.

  “You’re attracted to me,” Trudy said.

  Nathaniel felt his stomach plummet to the floor.

  “The feeling’s mutual, if you hadn’t noticed,” she continued, face flushing. “It’s my turn to apologize. Sorry for blurting it out like that, but I figured one of us should get it over with and say something. There were so many times I wanted to, when we were alone in the car, but it’s awkward isn’t it? Like being a teenager all over again. Frankly, Reed, our resident teen, seems to be doing a lot better in the romance department than we are.”