“No, actually that’s really good news! The further away Daray goes, the less of a chance he’ll have of running into Donovan. It will keep him safe. Right?” I glanced over to Lakylee, hoping she agreed.
She gave me a quick nod and retreated back over to the group of werewolves. I hoped we found Daray soon because I wanted them to be happy. It was a dark kind of love they shared, but true nonetheless. If I hadn’t come here, or used the Ouija board that night with Ginata, maybe their love would still be growing strong. I needed to fix things between them because if Daray could love Lakylee, I’d be free to love Jayce forever, with no interference from nightwalkers.
The night crept along and through various discussions we decided it would be best if we didn’t all stay in one place. Nothing was happening except mingling, which was a good thing; however, there was also an increase in tension between some of the old allies and the newcomers. With so many newcomers arriving during the night, it was becoming difficult to keep track of everyone and this was quite frustrating. Another problem also arose; with so many gathered at the grand house, there wasn’t any possibility for Donovan to get close. There were simply too many of us, which put up a wall he’d never be able to cross. We needed to split up in order to find him or allow him to find me.
Aiden was on the same page. He announced to the group, “We will be splitting up and keeping our groups fairly small. They will be large enough to ensure that no one is taken off guard as this helps lessen the risk for all involved. Groups of four will be okay as long as each group is accompanied by a number of fairies.”
Some mumbled, but overall, heads were nodding. Everyone seemed to be in agreement so far.
Aiden continued. “One new rule must come into play, so fairies, please listen up. Your glow power is only to be used to find Donovan or as a defense mechanism against his followers. Please be careful not to use your glow around any ally nightwalkers.”
There were many fairies available and it was quite helpful having the power of their glows on our side.
The first group consisted of Lakylee the half-breed, Sauda the vampire, Kynthia the shifter, Gabriella the unicorn and a number of fairies. They were going to Uncle Dane’s house. Donovan was there last, so it seemed like the best starting point to try and pick up any trail from him.
Before departing Lakylee shot me a less than thrilled look because of the fact that Sauda was in her group. I shrugged, there wasn’t much I could do; Aiden was the one who paired them up.
The next group he announced consisted of Layla the shifter, Taini a werewolf, Jayce and a very nice looking vampire guy, who I’d never gotten introduced to. They were going to be on lookout down at the beach.
Jayce walked over, gave me a quick kiss and nonchalantly turned away to head out.
Funny, he thought I’d let him go just like that. “Why you? Why do you need to go? You’re supposed to be here with me!” I grabbed his arm trying to keep him from moving further away.
He turned to face me and I saw the fear and the fight in his eyes. “Shanntal, I have to do this. We need as many daywalkers as possible in the groups. We’re clearly outnumbered here and it’s the only way to even things out and make sure everything sticks to the plan.”
“But—”
He cut me off with a passionate kiss. “I love you, Shanntal, and I need to do this because of how much I love you. I’ll be fine, so please try not to worry. We are going down by the beach only because it’s where we’ve had run-ins before.”
“Jayce… that’s what I’m afraid of.”
“I’ll be back before you know it.” He wouldn’t change his mind. “Kaleb and Kael will stay with you. I know you’ll be safe with them around.” He gestured to them to come over.
“I love you, Jayce. Please know how much because I can’t live without you.”
“I know,” he said, kissing my forehead.
I let go and held my breath as I watched his group disappear into the darkness. Something inside me wanted to give Aiden a piece of my mind. How dare he send Jayce out to search for Donovan? Jayce was supposed to be safe. He was supposed to be here with me. I kept my mouth closed because I knew deep down inside he had to go, because we all needed to play a part in this.
I listened as Aiden gathered the next group consisting of the other unicorn, Allayna the shape shifter, Fadan and Keita, who were both werewolves. They were instructed to take watch by the vampire house.
Allayna expressed some concern, “Aiden, I’m not sure about this. Don’t you think it’d be a better idea for us to have at least one vampire in our group? After all, we are going to a vampire house.”
“My decision is final. This is for your safety.”
“My safety?”
“We’ve already agreed it would be better for non-vampires to watch over the house. Remember it is their home after all.”
“We?” she challenged.
“Yes, we, as in the elements. We as a whole are making the groups and doing it in a way, that will protect and benefit everyone.”
Allayna nodded, seeming satisfied by his response. Their group assembled and a moment later they headed to their stakeout point. A few fairies followed closely behind.
The once crowded house had really begun to clear out. There were only a few of us remaining and it was time for us to find out what our roles were going to be in all this.
Aiden went on to say, “We elements need to be kept safe, so we are locking ourselves together in a room. While we are locked away, we ask that you only call upon us if absolutely necessary. Every time we use our powers we become weaker, so we will only use them under dire circumstances.”
“We will try our best to not bother you guys.” Kaleb said. It didn’t seem fair for them to become involved. Too much was much at stake and the entire world needed them. This situation was simply too dangerous.
Uncle Dane, Auntie Steph, Kaleb and Kael were told to stay by my side at the house. A few of the straggling nightwalkers that hadn’t made it into groups were directed by Aiden to patrol the area around the house.
We were as ready as we could be.
‘Donovan, tonight is the night. Tonight your evil world ends,’ I thought to myself.
‘Well said!’ Jayce said.
‘Are you at the beach now?’
‘Just about, but I wanted to say, I love you very much. I’ll be okay. I promise. No heroic moves, just whatever’s necessary.’
‘Please, Jayce, be careful. I love you.’
I didn’t feel our connection break and suddenly felt better knowing that. It left me feeling like he was still standing right beside me.
The moon was full and the breeze blew strong, blowing the winds of change through the night air. We all stood ready to put the changes into action.
Hours passed and nothing happened. The uneventful night dragged on and on, and I was getting annoyed. Where was Donovan? Why hadn’t he shown himself yet? I tried asking Jayce if their group had any luck, but couldn’t reach him. He wasn’t connected any longer. Aggravated, I stepped outside to walk along the terrace on the front of the house. I needed some air. Everyone had come together and it was a step in the right direction. So why wasn’t it working out how I thought it would?
We were willing to fight for these changes because they could make life better for everyone. I grew impatient with this waiting game. I wanted… I needed things sorted out. This had to be implemented before anyone else I cared about got hurt. Frustrated, I paced back and forth, trying to blow off some steam before I erupted. After a few minutes of pacing I began calming down and was able to stop and think about the bigger picture. No news was good news. Right?
In my moment of clarity I noticed how awfully quiet it was. Nothing moved. Even the earlier wild winds had died down to a silent breeze. No sounds came from anywhere, leaving the illusion that the eerie night had swallowed up the rest of the world. There were at least four nightwalkers nearby, yet I didn’t see or hear any of them. I stood still and held m
y breath, as I stared out into the darkness. The moon lit up the tops of the trees and reflected off the water, making it easier to see, but moments passed and still, nothing stirred. It was as if they’d all left.
I was about to turn around and warn the others in the house when I noticed the silhouette of a person coming up the driveway. I paused. Knee-high mist lingered on top of the driveway, giving the approaching individual quite the floating effect. Shivers rippled down my spine, my heart pounded harder and my palms began to sweat. Was I about to face Donovan, on my own, right here, right now? I swallowed hard and braced myself.
As the figure came closer, I bravely took a step off the terrace. The figure kept approaching, but as hard as I tried I still couldn’t make out who it was. Taking another few steps further away from the terrace, I proceeded onto the driveway. Only a small distance remained between the advancing individual and me. The mist cleared and I recognized the figure.
“Daray,” I shouted excitedly as I ran over and embraced him.
He didn’t take to my embrace; instead he remained hard and cold. “Shanntal.”
I let go of him and quickly stepped back. I’d forgotten how we’d left things. The last time we saw each other, a lot of hurtful things had been said and done. I was so relieved to see him, I never thought about how much my rejection had hurt him. “Daray, may we talk for a minute?”
“I suppose so.” He stood with his arms folded, almost resembling a statue.
“I never wanted things to be like this. Look at us now. We don’t even know one another. I want you in my life, but as my friend.”
He huffed.
“Daray, please.”
“Fine, say what you will, but just so we’re clear, I’m only here to try and figure out what’s going on. It seems like you’re the only one around who can explain.” His eyes shifted towards the door.
I followed his stare to see what he was looking at. Kaleb and Kael stood in the doorway with their gigantic chests pushed out even further than normal. Even though we had a truce with the nightwalkers, they still had their guard up when it came to me.
“Guys, look its Daray!” I said, trying to assure them that everything was okay without having to say the words aloud.
Kaleb nodded. “I can see that.” He never moved his eyes off Daray for a second. I looked over at Kael, who wore a similar unwelcoming expression.
“Guys, could we have a few minutes alone? We’ve got some things to talk about.” I didn’t want them to scare Daray off and I knew they meant well, but their pose was one ready for battle. I’d never be able to work things out with them breathing down our necks.
Kael nodded in agreement and pulled a reluctant Kaleb into the house by his arm. I let out a sigh. This was all so weird and strange, yet it seemed so right. Nightwalkers were once the enemy and now we were friends, even allies. Sure, there were some wounds that needed more time to heal, but I hoped that once the changes occurred they’d be able to mend completely.
I sat down on the steps and Daray sat alongside me. I looked over at him and my heart skipped a beat. He was so handsome. I couldn’t deny it. Any girl would’ve been happy knowing someone like him had searched for her for a century; happy someone like him could hold onto a love considering all the changes he’d been through. If I’d never found Jayce, I would’ve run away with Daray in a heartbeat. However, Jayce was my life now, just as Lakylee was his.
“I’d like to start off by saying that I’m sorry. I’m sorry that things turned out this way for us. Our lives are destined to be entwined for all eternity, but just not the way we thought. It was our engagement that took us into the gardens and it’s the reason you became immortal. It’s the same reason I did. Don’t you see? We exist because of each other. Our very existence, the position we are in today, was the purpose of us meeting all those years ago. Destiny had a plan for us. Love was just the beginning of the time we’d share together. This destiny, right here, right now, will bring these two worlds together, they will become one. It has to be the reason we escaped the night death came for us.”
“Destiny? Is that what you call this? I call it irony,” he said harshly. “It’s ironic because I spent an eternity looking for my true love, only to find out that she doesn’t love me back. I’m cursed to walk the night, cursed to feed off the blood of the mortals. Destiny. Ha! I’m cursed to walk alone.”
“Daray, I don’t want you to be alone.”
“What are you saying?”
“I’m saying, you’re not alone. You never have been. Lakylee loves you more than I ever could. Your obsession with finding me held you in a place where you never had the chance to recognize what blossomed between the two of you. She loves you and can’t live without you.”
He looked at me. The hardened face he wore moments before was lost. “She loves me?”
“Yes, she does. Daray. We had too many challenges to face, so many odds stacked up against us. We lived in two different worlds.”
“It wasn’t always that way.”
“No, it wasn’t. I’ll always be thankful for the time we spent together. I owe you my very existence. I do love you, but as my friend. Jayce is the love of my life. I want to spend my eternity with him, just as he does with me. Lakylee wants to spend eternity with you by her side. Think about it, she’s been there all this time. She’d do anything for you.”
“Well, she did fill the void left by your disappearance.”
I nodded.
“Just between us, I actually stopped looking for you. It’s been about two decades since I really bothered trying anymore. I figured you were dead, in the stars, or perhaps even on the other side of the world. It wasn’t until I located you through the Ouija board that my hopes came back. When I found you down at the beach, I instantly knew our chance was over and I’d wasted my immortality on a prize that wasn’t mine. I saw the love between you and Jayce. Your sparks are visible to everyone. Your love is so strong.”
“Yes, it really is, but, Daray, you had a prize the entire time. You simply had your sights set on the wrong trophy. Don’t you understand?”
“I guess I do. Lakylee always comes into my thoughts, and she’s always been very loyal, and I feel quite lonely when she’s not by my side.” He looked over with a sensitivity I’d never known before. “I must find her and tell her how I feel,” he said, jumping up off the steps.
“Daray, please. Now’s not the time. Donovan’s very close and everyone has split up into groups to try and find him. It’s better for you to stay here. She’ll come back before dawn and you can tell her then.”
“I know you mean well, but you of all people should understand, I’ve got to tell her before its too late. I can’t live like I was before, I won’t let it happen again.” He looked at me for understanding.
He found it. I understood exactly what he meant.
I gave my old love and new friend a hug before wishing him well on his journey. It was so romantic; he was off to tell the girl who loved him exactly how much he loved her back. The thought of their reunion brought butterflies to my stomach the same way as Jayce did. Daray and I had both found our soul mates and above all else, remained friends while doing so. I watched him retreat down the darkened driveway.
As soon as Daray was out of sight I felt a strange chill in the night air. I tried spotting the nightwalkers that were supposed to be keeping watch. Still no sign of them, where were they? A creepy, growing, dark feeling rose up from the pits of my stomach. Something didn’t feel right. I walked further down the driveway, contemplating if I should head out in search of them myself.
A howl sounded, coming from the opposite direction Daray had headed in. Even though I heard it, I couldn’t shake my suspicion, something didn’t feel right. I couldn’t see anything visibly wrong, but the hairs on my arms stood on end and chills ravaged down my back. I decided it’d be best to head back to the comfort and security of the house.
I turned around. To my astonishment, I’d gone quite a ways further dow
n the driveway than I realized. The giant house looked very welcoming, the way the windows were all lit up. I heard a branch snap nearby. I rapidly moved towards the house. My uneasy feeling was growing stronger with every passing second. I stopped for a minute. I needed to listen. Silence. I decided to head off the driveway in order to make my way back, remaining somewhat hidden amongst the trees and shrubs that lined the driveway.
I pushed myself along while branches and twigs scratched and pulled at my clothes. I kept my hands up, trying to protect my face from the incoming branches. This was a much slower route, but I felt a bit safer knowing I was hidden. I looked up to see that I was really starting to close in on the house. I was only about fifty yards away. For a brief moment I debated going the rest of the way on the driveway, but I couldn’t shake the bad feeling I had. Nope, I’d stay here, this was working well so far.
Escaped the Night Page 25