by J Wells
His ginger hair falls over his face, covering a mass of freckles. His colouring is so in tune with his amber eyes.
“Got her locked in there, have you?” Ernest walks forward and tosses his head.
His jacket hardly holds onto its fastening; he is a portly man, who looks older than his years due to his receding hairline, his round face oozing contempt.
“Well, let the games begin I say. We know how you love to play games, don’t we?”
I hear Charles laugh and feel Caspar’s strong arms as he pulls me away from the door, restraining me. His strength far outweighs my own, his prominent muscles bulging.
The door squeals open.
“Twenty seconds’ head start,” Charles pipes up. “You remember, don’t you?”
Like fleeing rats they disperse into the maze.
“Rose, run!” I yell through the crack as the wooden door shuts behind them.
“One … two … three…”
I writhe in Casper’s arms.
“Get your fucking hands off me!”
“One … two … three…” he begins over. “Lucian, I can go on like this all night,” he barks, “if that’s what you want. Things are going to change around here.”
“What the fuck are you talking about? I’ve only ever been good to all of you.”
“Good?” He laughs aloud. “You’re holding out on us, mate, you know you are.”
“Bullshit!” I shout back.
“No, Lucian,” he sneers, “it’s not bullshit. You bring a human into our home and expect us to act normally. Well, we want to have some fun.”
“You can’t kill her, Caspar, she’s human, and you know the rules we all abide by.”
“She’s a suicide and you know it … you’ve known all along.”
“That was over two years ago, man.”
“Time makes no difference, we can still smell it. You’ve read the small print as have we, and yes, we know the rules, which we will abide by.” He shakes his head, his auburn hair whisking across his face. “We haven’t the taste of human blood on our lips, but tonight we shall feast. And think, Lucian, if her touch can bring back our reflection, then what could her blood do?”
What can I say when I know he is right? It’s not often I’m lost for words. What have I done? Why did I bring Rose back here? I saved her from death once, but how can I save her from bloodthirsty vampires with an insatiable hunger?
“One … two … three…” he counts again, while all I can do is stand in silence.
I’ve left the glow of candlelight and its smoky trail behind. I reach for my mouth and stifle my panting breaths. Lucian’s words echo through my mind, so as instructed, I run. With arms outstretched, my hands smack into the mirrors’ cold veneers. Frantically I paw at the glass in search of an opening. I can hear my breaths until the silence is broken by shrill laughter and footsteps.
My head shoots to the left from where the sounds approach, and as my face becomes wrapped up in my long hair, my head shoots round to see what is behind me. My feet spin in an off-centre circle and every hair on my body stands on end. My arms and legs are all of a quiver. I feel like prey as I stand alone in the dark; they come unseen to hunt me down.
I hear their Indian-like cries, the constant hand-to-mouth dirge appearing to close in from every side. My ears pick up a snapping sound that I can’t place. I shout out, jumping from one foot to the other. Now the snapping is starting to make sense. The noise that I hear is coming from florescent glow sticks as they snap and are brought to light. They gleam in varying colours as they skim across the floor and hit my feet, and I jump to avoid them. I spin round, looking into one gilt-edged mirror and then the next, each within a luminous light. Some allow me my reflection, others do not.
How have the footsteps gone so quickly and where to? And what about the laughter? A disturbing silence settles in my ears. With the additional light, I can see that the mirrors surrounding me are set in a hexagonal shape. In and out of darkness I turn, squinting up at the points where the mirrors meet. From every corner a dark shadow looms, like gargoyles sitting in statuesque poses. I can’t believe what I see as my head flicks from one to the other. I stifle my screams with my hands for fear they will hear me, and in sheer panic I fall back onto the marble floor with a thud. I shuffle back on my knees until the cold glass holds me on either side. Trapped in the corner, I gain a little confidence and peer back up. I see their eyes as one by one they open, and I’m held within their amber stare. They must have blinked, as their eyes have gone.
I cover my face with my hands. There is nowhere left for me to run. I want this nightmare to end and can’t hold my nerve much longer. I open my fingers and peer out into partial darkness as the nightly shadows reach out for me.
I am yanked to my feet by members of Lucian’s family. I attempt to rebalance, and as my gaze meets the mirror my reflection is joined by each one of them as their fingers touch me. I can see them all as their smirks grow into smiles of exuberance. I’m pulled closer and look towards their reflections, and although the light is dim, I can see their fingers running over their faces and through their hair.
“Look at your face, Rose, for this is the last time you will see it.”
I swallow back my fear; my stomach is tied in knots.
“Tonight, brothers, we shall feast,” one of the vampires calls out.
A hand sweeps up before my face. Squirming, I watch as its nails grow longer and longer before I feel their sharp points press into my chest.
“Get off me!” I choke out my words.
I throw myself from side to side, though their arms only hold me tighter. I scream and yell out, feeling the most awful pain. A burning sensation rips though my skin. The hands have gone and my head spins as I fall to the floor in a lightheaded daze. Gradually I allow my eyes to look up and I see that they are still here, though they stand further back now. God, they’re mocking me, is my first thought. Their fingers are pressed against their chests in the very place that blood seeps from mine.
“Felix,” a voice cries out, “is this human pain? Is this what they feel?”
“I’ve no idea, Benedict, but I know it hurts.”
I see a number of vampires scampering away, holding onto their chests.
“What the hell are you?” a voice thunders.
I suck in my breath as I am pulled up by the scruff of the neck and left to dangle. His eyes are in mine.
“Are you the devil?” he asks.
“Put her down, Charles!” another vampire calls out.
Charles, a tall, gangly man with a thin face, holds me tight.
“I will not!” is his reply.
His voice falls into silence, replaced by throaty grunts and sniffs, and his eyes drop. I feel his rough chestnut hair as it brushes against my face. I can’t contain my trembles and my whole body gyrates. His wet tongue laps its way across the open wound on my chest; he’s like an animal, licking at me hungrily.
With a brief lift of his head I can see the white flash of his fangs.
“Madam, you taste good enough to devour.”
“Kill me, come on, get it over with,” I shout, as I know there is no escape.
I just want it over, and close my eyes. I see Jai’s face, his smile; it’s as if he’s here. In an instant he gone and someone else takes his place. I swallow back a gasp, for as I imagine my final breath, it is Tristan’s face I see.
I don’t think I’ll ever open my eyes again as I wait for the stabbing feeling of teeth piercing my skin. Brightness filters beneath my eyelids. Am I dead? Has this atrocity already happened? The euphoric state I think I’ve reached is suddenly awoken by deathly screams.
My eyes snap open. The mirrors are filled with vibrant orange flames that jump and spit, lapping around the maze, yet there is no fire, just a reflected illusion. My thoughts are taken as Charles, the vampire who has me by the scruff of my neck, is snatched away by what I can only imagine are invisible hands. His gangly body is flung towards t
he rectangular glass and dissolves; like water the mirror ripples as he passes through and then sets again. The maze is in a state of utter panic. Vampires are pushing and shoving as they fall over one another in their attempt to escape, and their raucous screams merge into one. My eyes are fixed on the mirror that holds Charles inside. Trapped within the reflective glass, I watch golden flames lick at his feet and arms. Charred and black, his skin peels like butter. There is such terror in his face, but his cries go unheard.
As I peer down, my body sways and I hold my arms out to balance myself as the marble floor beneath me begins to quake. I hear a sound, like a mass of chattering teeth. The gilt-edged frames tremble, and my stare is fixed on the mirrors as they crack, emitting shards of glass, which leaves their perfection scarred and broken.
“Rose!”
“Tristan!” I shout.
It is like I am looking at a god as he hovers high above me in the apex ceiling. Like a swan he has the most beautiful white wings and exudes such elegance.
I blush, since I realise he is wearing the smallest pair of pants. His muscular torso holds such perfection, almost as though he has been airbrushed. He stretches his body, taking up the pose of an arrow, and dives down towards me. His grey eyes almost dance their way into mine, and I gasp as he sweeps me off my feet. Cushioned by the firmness of his biceps, he takes me high into the apex.
His laboured breaths are warm and sweet as they escape down the side of my face. The propulsion of his wings slows and I’m cooled by their melodic beat. I relax into his chest. My heart races, but I know I am safe as his lips graze my forehead.
“Nothing can harm you now,” he murmurs.
I jerk back as I’m released. He clenches his fist, punching it into the air. I jump, nearly slipping from his grasp following an explosion below. Glass is blown out of the gilt-edged frames, and like a broken mosaic it settles on the floor in thousands of tiny pieces.
“Tristan, are you doing this?” I feel the palm of his hand touch my cheek. I don’t move my head, but behold his sultry grey eyes.
“Job done.” He smiles.
As I reach up to lay my hand upon his, he takes it in his own, placing it over his beating heart.
“This beats for you alone.”
His head lowers, and as he brings his lips closer to mine, our noses touch.
“Right, Tristan, you’ve made you point, now bring her down!”
The shock is apparent, and Tristan almost drops me as Lucian’s voice bellows from below. His hands slide to my waist, and I feel his fingers interlink and wrap my arms around his neck. With the gentle flutter of wings, I feel us moving lower. I can hear commotion, cross words. Lucian’s voice is like thunder. I see him throw his anger at the girl with black hair that hangs past her waist.
“Jazlynn, he was meant to stay in the dungeon, why the fuck did you let him out? Ten days you and Edmond were both told. It was your job to keep him there!”
“They’d have eaten her alive, Lucian. She was a suicide, remember?”
“Yes, they know because it was you who told them,” Lucian barks.
“They didn’t need telling! They can smell her, her scent is everywhere.”
“Regardless, the angel should have stayed in the dungeon. Do you think I would have let them harm her? No, I’d have saved her.”
“But you didn’t!”
Now it’s Edmond’s voice I hear. He sounds just as angry as Jazlynn.
“God damn it, Lucian,” he continues, “just let her go, let her live her life! She’s not a vampire, and if she stays here it’s only a matter of time before somebody gets to her. She’ll be turned or killed, but either way you lose. She will never be yours. Let her go while you still can; set her free, and her angel.”
I press my head against Tristan’s chest and peer down. A portly man charges in.
“Felix, not now!” Lucian shouts.
“Lucian man, I agree with you. She’s different, there’s something special about her. When Charles dug his claw into her skin, every one of us felt her pain. Could she possibly be the elixir to life we have been waiting for? So I say we keep her.”
“Either kill her or let her go, she’s not staying in the castle.”
“Caspar, who asked you? You’ve done enough damage for one day.”
My mind is eased slightly as Tristan’s finger strokes my cheek.
“It’ll be okay,” he whispers as we float down to hover inches above their heads.
Lucian’s arms fly up as he tugs at Tristan’s ankles, and we are yanked to the ground. With our feet back on the marbled floor, Tristan’s white-feathered wings shake before folding in like a beautiful fan and disappearing.
“Good God, man,” Lucian barks, “have you no respect?”
With a click of his fingers Edmond unbuttons his shirt, removes it and throws it for Tristan to catch. As he slips his arms through the sleeves, Lucian grabs my wrist. His arm encircles my waist and I see pure hatred etched in his stare.
“All that power!” his voice thunders. “I stood with my fingers around your neck squeezing away every ounce of your life and you did nothing. Why, Tristan, why?”
“Lucian, I am a man of God and not permitted to use any form of violence without good reason.” There is no anger in his words, and his voice is gentle. “Sometimes,” he adds, “it’s the bigger man that wins. Violence doesn’t pay and very rarely gets the best results.”
“Has Charles slipped from your memory? Did he willingly walk into the mirrors and set himself alight?” Lucian hollers.
I clasp my hands over my ears, almost deafened.
“Yes, my friend, he did,” Tristan utters with sarcasm.
I can feel Lucian’s annoyance as his fingers embed themselves into my forearm. Tristan’s face straightens.
“I can’t deny that I inflicted harm on Charles,” Tristan adds whilst buttoning up the shirt. “I used my powers to protect Rose, she was reason enough. Given the same circumstances, wouldn’t you?”
“Bravo, bravo!” Lucian claps his hands. “My, how your true colours show. Your actions are whiter than white in front of my lady. Well, angel, it is time your wings were clipped. Edmond!” he shouts. “Throw him back in the dungeon, and leave the bastard there to rot.”
“Lucian, that’s enough!” Unable to hold my tongue, I can’t help but interrupt. “You say you want my love…”
Looking away from Tristan, he walks his fingers down my arm.
“More than anything,” he utters.
With force I smack his hand away.
“Do you think half-killing my friend and throwing him into the dungeon will achieve that?” I spit. “I hate you!” I look at Lucian’s family, with their ghastly faces. “I hate all of you vampires.”
“Edmond, don’t just stand there, do as I say, take him to the dungeon. And, Rose, as for you…” He taps his shoe on the broken glass. “Jazlynn, take her to your bedchamber and don’t let her out of your sight.”
“You bastard, Lucian!”
I jerk my head around.
“Don’t you dare look away from me.”
On Lucian’s request, my eyes narrow to meet his stare.
“What the fuck have I got to do? Tell me how to win your heart.”
“Lucian, you can’t.” It is so pleasing to see the hurt I’ve caused him. “Do whatever, I’ll never love you.”
Our stare is lost.
“Jazlynn, get her out of my sight,” Lucian hisses between his sharp teeth.
Jazlynn takes my arm. I watch Edmond as he walks towards Tristan, clamps his arms around his neck and holds him in a headlock.
“No, let go of him!” I cry, pulling my arm from Jazlynn’s grasp.
“Edmond, release him,” Lucian demands.
Edmond’s arms slip away. Pale faced and semi-conscious, Tristan slides to the floor. I run to his side, crouch down and throw my arms around his neck. His ash-blonde hair shrouds his face; even semi-conscious he is beautiful. Then I look again. No, he i
s perfect. The touch of his stubble sends tingles up my fingers, and though only partially open, I melt into his eyes.
I hear Lucian’s steps near.
“So now I see…”
I turn and gaze up as he throws his head into the air.
“This,” he splutters, “I needed to see for myself. This, no he, is the reason you won’t love me.”
I feel Tristan’s arms as they hold me back, and feel his hair brush the underneath of my chin.
“I don’t love Tristan.” My eyes widen. “We are just good friends.”
“Who are you trying to kid? You forget, I’m a vampire, my senses are heightened far beyond your own. I pick up so much more than any of you humans.”
Lucian walks towards me.
“Is it the acceleration of your heartbeat I hear?”
He reaches down and strokes the skin on my arm.
“Ouch!” he bellows, pulling his hand away, which he fans in front of his face. “As you sit in his arms I can feel your body temperature rising. Look at him, Rose, and tell me you don’t love him.”
I am unable to look back into Tristan’s eyes. Glancing down, I both feel and see goosebumps as they prick up on my arms. My breaths are so deep I can hardly catch them. I don’t know what I’m feeling; I’ve never experienced such height of emotion. My body is caught up in a sensual warmth. I can feel Tristan’s head lift and I instinctively look down into his steely gaze.
My words have been stolen, leaving me unable to speak. I think back to the times we spent together, the laughs we had. I felt so low after losing Jai, and it was Tristan I always went to, his arms always there for me. Maybe it was betrayal, my feelings for Jai and guilt that got in our way. Why couldn’t I see what was happening? Unknowingly our friendship was growing into so much more than I would ever allow myself to admit. The thought of losing him sends a shooting pain through my heart, almost eating me up inside. Tears sting the back of my eyes; I think they say it all.
“Okay, you win, you get your wish.”
“Lucian, you’re letting us go?” My words stumble out in sheer excitement.
“No, you’re getting ahead of yourself.” He beckons. “Edmond, I think it would be a good idea if you were to make our guest more comfortable. What say we have him rest in a bedchamber not far from my own?”