“We will have to go back soon,” Synrith said, breaking the silence.
“Back to … earth?”
“Yes.”
She waited for him to continue.
Synrith stared into her eyes and kissed her gently. She smiled.
“Okay…” Cheryl finally murmured. “What happens when we go back?”
“I’ll need your help.”
“To do what?”
“We have to take down Rafe and his pack. I’ll first need you to seduce Jet –”
“Not that again.”
“Yes, we’ll need Jet on our side, and my voice won’t keep him loyal alone. He is a very good being deep down, but he is also arrogant and when his mind gets set on something there’s no stopping him.”
“That sounds a little like you.”
Synrith frowned and sat up a bit. “I’m much smarter than he is.”
“Are you really?”
He nodded. “You’ll see. But … I need you to befriend him at the very least. He must remain loyal to us. And then with him in one corner, you go to the vampires, and you turn them against Rafe and the wolves.”
“What?” Cheryl gasped. “They won’t listen to me.”
“We will work on your strategy later. But this is no small thing. Once we have Jet and the vampires as allies and the wolves are destroyed, we will also destroy that horrible contraption of his.”
“The time portal?”
“Yes.”
Cheryl thought for a moment. “I’m not sure I know where that is.”
“Who does?”
“Well … Reiko. He’s a vampire…”
“Then we’ll find out from him. The thing is far too dangerous to be left out in the open for anyone to use. When you think about it – with all the manipulations Rafe could get away with by using it – it’s a wonder we’re here together right now.”
Cheryl nodded. “I’ll do whatever you ask of me.”
“Ooh,” Synrith cooed. “That’s so sweet.”
“Shut up,” Cheryl punched him.
Synrith laughed.
“Seriously though – when we do all that – what then? Will we just stay in the building while you… govern the shifters or whatever…”
“Don’t worry,” Synrith assured her. “We can always take our little holidays here. This is our place. We own it.”
“You own it,” Cheryl corrected. “I’m just a new girl you’ve brought home with you…”
“No,” Synrith said earnestly. “You’re much more to me than that.”
And then the sound of his voice began to fade.
Cheryl rested into him and let her eyes close. So much was behind them.
Even more was in front.
She just wondered, if this happiness, their happiness, was really going to last…
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Cheryl didn’t see it happen. Her body didn’t even feel it. But things moved all around her. Changes took place in the air she wasn’t aware of. When she did finally awake from her slumber and open her eyes, she noticed that the room was dark, and it was night time outside. She then felt for her lover beside her and found that he was gone.
“Synrith…?” she murmured out loud.
He didn’t appear to be lurking in the shadows of the room. The double doors at the end remained closed.
Cheryl pulled the covers back and moved her feet over the edge of the bed. She opened and closed her eyes a couple of times. She then got up and walked to retrieve her fallen dress. There was no trace of Synrith’s clothes in the room. He must have left her to sleep.
Cheryl paused a moment. Her attention was directed at the open window beside her. She walked out to it and saw a purple moon hovering in the sky. She watched it a moment, and just as she was pulling away she saw something incredibly strange and almost frightening.
The moon’s color washed away in a single motion and became red.
Red, like blood.
Cheryl backed away from the window sill and turned to walk towards the doors to leave.
Then, before she was a few feet away from it, the handle pushed down and one of them slowly swung open.
There was a dark figure behind the door.
“Synrith…?” Cheryl said hopefully.
The figure approached. As the light of the moon hit his face, Cheryl saw that it was not her lover, but someone else entirely.
It was Cado.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
“Still having those nightmares again?” Cado remarked walking beside her.
“Huh? What are you – What –?”
He planted his lips to her shoulder, causing her to recoil in fright.
“Don’t worry, I wouldn’t bite you,” Cado said. “Hey. What’s got into you?”
“Nothing,” Cheryl murmured, backing away. “Nothing … I…”
“Go on. Tell me what’s on your mind.”
Cheryl’s neck reared back. She was at a loss for words. She didn’t know what to make of any of this.
“Maybe you should rest a little more,” Cado murmured. “I could join you.”
“Can I … freshen up first?”
Cado nodded. “Please do.”
“Okay.”
Cheryl backed away from him and out into the landing. As she found her way to the stairs leading down, she could hear the vampire laughing quietly under his breath.
“What the fuck is going on here?” Cheryl whispered to herself, hurrying down.
The rooms downstairs were dark and unlit. Shadows moved across the walls. Glasses clinked. People whispered. Fire crackled.
The carpet at her feet leading out into the courtyard was no longer the color gold.
It was pitch black.
She followed it out there, wincing as the bright red moon bore down at her. It was so surreal. She’d woken up to someone’s nightmare. There was no cause or explanation for anything.
To both Cheryl’s right and left, she saw groups of robed figures moving in the dark, huddled together. She followed one branch around the courtyard until they stopped, forming a ring.
The gates leading outside opened at once and a giant black stallion with a man in a cape riding him emerged. Chained to his feet from behind were other horses of another color.
The gates closed as the rider descended the stallion and unchained him, letting him run free.
Then he stepped away out of the path of the robed figures.
Cheryl was horrified with what she saw next.
The chained up horses weren’t horses at all – they were unicorns - and the as the hoods were peeled back and the figures revealed – she saw –
“No!” she screamed. “No, no!”
One of the vampires looked back with half an interest.
Before Cheryl could scream again however, a hand was placed to her mouth and she was pulled off to one side.
His arms were strong. His chest was wide.
His scent familiar.
As Cheryl turned to face her assailant, she could not deny herself hope once more.
“Synrith? Is it you…?”
He stepped back, still holding her at an arm’s length.
“Thank God I found you, Cheryl,” Reiko began. “I’ve been looking for so long.”
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
“Ugh,” Cheryl cried. “Get your hands off me.”
Reiko released her.
She backed up against the courtyard wall while he advanced further.
“I’m here to help you,” Reiko said. “To help Synrith.”
“Where is he?” Cheryl demanded.
“Not here,” Reiko said. “But I know the way. I just need your help. Can I count on you?”
“What do you need my help for? I thought you were –”
“Please, we need to go,” Reiko insisted. “Before Cadogan finds us.”
“How can I trust you? You’re one of –”
“So are you,” Reiko quickly reminded her. “But that doesn’t mean you believe in this
, right?”
Cheryl sighed. “Okay. Where are we going?”
“Just stay close to me. We’re going to get out of here.”
And what could Cheryl do but trust and follow him? All around her – this darkness, this horror – it meant that Synrith had lost. Whatever they were going to do or should have done, it failed. They didn’t get a chance to try at all. The waves of time had moved again and Rafe or Cassandra or Jet – someone had gone back to stop Synrith from claiming victory against them and now left his kingdom to the vampires, herself included.
But Reiko knew what he was doing.
After some careful evasion of wandering vampires in robes, they found a side gate they were able to pass through and together hurried out into the pathway in front of them. Once they had run far enough, and Synrith’s kingdom was but a speck on the horizon – then Reiko was able to explain more.
“We have to wait here for a bit,” he said. “We’re waiting for a storm.”
They were at the edge of the forest by the creek, with endless grass plains in front of them. Dark clouds were gathering, but there was no sign yet of rain.
“Why a storm?” Cheryl asked.
“There’s one coming soon. It’s only in the light of the storm that we will be able to see the door to the first world.”
“What’s happening there? Where is Synrith?”
Reiko sighed and sat down. Cheryl joined him.
“I only know the rumors,” he said. “And what Cassandra’s told me.”
“What’s that?”
“Well, she has the old dragon building now. Synrith’s ‘castle’ as he called it. It’s where she’s been running her operations. Sending vampires out every night, and bringing more in by the following morning. It just grows and grows. But that’s not the worst part.”
Cheryl stared at him, her ears attentive.
“The dragons that were there – they’re all gone. I heard they’re at Rafe’s manor with his wolves. Jet … he was involved in the beginning. But now he’s been reduced to a withering servant of Rafe. The dragons are all being brainwashed into thinking the wolves are their masters. Rafe is training them for a battle against the human military. He wants government wiped out. He wants to take over the whole fucking country.”
“And Synrith?”
“They said his screams for help can be heard in the manor’s dungeon. They’re keeping him alive for some reason. Alive and powerless. Which is why we need to set him free. So we can stop this from happening.”
Cheryl was silent for a moment. It was a lot for her to take in.
“I still don’t understand why you’re not on the vampire’s side,” Cheryl said. “It’s who you are.”
“Are you kidding?” Reiko laughed. “I am on their side. What do you think’s going to happen to us once they wipe out the police force and military? You think they’ll let Cassandra run that building? You think they’ll let Cado have this place? Oh no. It’s going to get very ugly for us.”
“But if we set Synrith free, how do you know he won’t destroy you on sight?”
“Because I know you, Cheryl,” Reiko said. “You’re a good person and he loves you. I know with you there, Synrith will do what’s right.”
Cheryl nodded.
Then she saw a streak of red lighting light up the sky.
“It’s starting,” Reiko said, standing up.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
With the moon’s pale glow across the field, lightning flashed in every direction, leaving nothing more to see than the horrifying red. But when the lightning was gone for the briefest of moments, the outline of the magnetic green doorway could be seen. The same way that Cheryl and Synrith had come in, they were now going out.
What lay on the other side of that door though – what nightmarish changes to reality – Cheryl wasn’t sure she’d be able to deal with it.
Not alone.
“On the count of three,” Reiko said, getting into position. “One … two … three!”
The pair took off a blinding pace across the field as rain crashed down on them and the fog of red and black consumed all that was visible.
But they knew where they were going.
Within a few moments they came tumbling through the magnetic field and into the dark room at the bottom of the stairs in Synrith’s old building.
Startled and dazed, they helped each other up and dusted themselves off.
“I’m not doing that again,” Cheryl muttered.
“Yeah,” Reiko said. “Okay. Let’s get out of here.”
After climbing the stairs and finding the nearest elevator, they were able to get to the ground floor of the building without being interrupted by anyone.
Once on the ground floor though – it was a different story. A broad shouldered vampire guard was standing at the bottom of the elevator waiting for them.
Reiko quickly bowed his head and moved past him quickly, while Cheryl attempted to follow.
But the guard stopped her. “Excuse me,” he said. “Who are you? Where did you come in?”
Reiko turned back. “She’s with me,” he said. “Leave it.”
“Does your girlfriend know about this?” the guard asked.
Reiko shrugged.
“I better call this in,” the guard said. He walked round to unmanned reception desk and picked up the telephone. “Hi … yes, hi Cassandra, I’m downstairs with –”
Reiko raised his boot into the air and jump-kicked across the desk to smash the guard in the face with it. The pair struggled to the ground and an alarm was tripped.
The sound of more guards rushing out the fire escape vibrating across the floor. Cheryl quickly ran to Reiko’s aid.
The guard had his hands around his neck, choking him.
“Go,” Reiko wheezed. “Just go.”
Instead, Cheryl wrapped her arms around the guard’s neck and pulled him upward.
Then she snapped it.
His body fell in a heap.
“Thanks,” Reiko said, standing up.
They both climbed over the desk as a dozen more guards stormed out from behind them, chasing in hot pursuit.
Without time for the sliding doors at the entrance to open before they got there, Cheryl and Reiko crashed through the glass and continued to run at full speed towards Reiko’s motorcycle parked at the curb.
“Cassandra’s going to kill me for this,” he said once they were seated, and kicking into gear.
Cheryl looked behind them as the crowd of vampires faded into the darkness of the road.
“If she loves you, she’ll understand,” Cheryl said.
Reiko was silent for a moment. Then he said: “I wonder if that’s true.”
CHAPTER TWENTY
Reiko parked the bike on the other side of the road from Rafe’s manor. Adjacent to them, were the beginnings of the walls leading towards the driveway up ahead. Cheryl could see that the wall was too far for them to climb up, even as vampires.
They got off the bike and stared up at them.
“You weren’t thinking about going over?” Cheryl asked.
“I was thinking about it,” Reiko said. “What are our alternatives?”
“I’m not sure. Do you want to go round to the other side? See if it’s easier to access?”
“Maybe,” Reiko said. “Maybe … I don’t know.”
“What is it?”
“What happens if they spot us? For all we know they’re watching the wall from the other side. We wouldn’t know until it was too late.”
“I guess you’re right. And … if we get over there anyway … it’s not like we’re invisible. We’re going to be spotted by somebody at some point.”
Reiko nodded. “How do you feel about talking to Jet?”
“Pardon me?”
“Talking to Jet. Do you think he’d listen?”
“What good would it do? Isn’t this Rafe’s army? Jet’s … like his servant now or something?”
Reiko shrugged. “That�
�s only what I heard. They may have been exaggerating. The dragon’s still probably listen to him. If you can convince Jet that Rafe’s doing the wrong thing, then maybe he’ll side with us.”
Cheryl considered for a moment.
Then she said, “No. Jet hates vampires.”
“I know, but –”
“He really hates them, trust me. We’d have a better chance talking Rafe down.”
Reiko stared at her. “Do you think that’s possible?”
Cheryl shrugged. “He seemed willing to work things out with Synrith before. I don’t know what happened. I thought they were going to strike a peace treaty together. Except…”
“Except what?”
“Synrith wasn’t going to go through with Rafe’s request. He was going to backstab him.”
“Gees,” Reiko muttered. “I wonder why it didn’t work out.”
“Yeah…”
They fell silent a moment.
“There is one other thing we could try,” Reiko said finally.
“What’s that?”
“Well, technically we vampires are allied with Rafe. We could come … as allies. And then feel him out. Maybe … find a way to the dungeon so we can free Synrith when he’s not looking.”
Cheryl nodded. “That’s the best idea so far.”
“Alright,” Rafe said. “I’ll … try to create a diversion once we’re inside the manor. And you try and get away. That’s probably the best we can hope for.”
Cheryl nodded.
“Are you ready?”
“Yes,” she said. “I think I am anyway.”
“If we don’t make it, then at least we tried,” Reiko said.
“You know you’re a really good friend,” Cheryl said. “I just wanted to say I appreciate that.”
Reiko nodded. “I do what I can for a fellow vampire.”
They smiled.
Then it was time to go.
The pair moved quietly around the side of the wall until they reached the iron gates blocking off the driveway. Reiko placed his hand on the intercom. “Hello…?”
No answer.
Reiko pressed it again. “I’m here to see Rafe. If he’s available.”
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