Vampires.
I felt nauseated with fear at the thought that this could be real. I pushed back the bitter taste of panic, as I tried to approach the situation with a calm mindset. I’d read so many books about the creatures, but they were just fiction. I’d never believed they could exist. It was impossible. My mind raced back to the first time I met Mikel. I thought about his strong arms and how I felt when I was around him. I’d felt something real for him and I missed him, but he was a vampire and a liar. I couldn’t trust him or the feelings I’d had for him.
He wasn’t human.
My perception of reality was quickly unraveling. I couldn’t be sure of anything anymore. I didn’t know what was real and what was fantasy. I also had the sickening feeling that something unimaginable was happening to me. I could feel it in the vibrations that pulsated and echoed in my brain and body. It was as if my nerves were super charged with electricity. Everything I’d known to be true was now a fabrication of the truth. I had no place to go, no family, and no one I could trust. It was how I’d grown up in the orphanage, yet this time it was much worse.
It was life and death.
I stared up at the deep blue sky, so dark it was almost black. The moon was high, resolute in its attempt to shine its light through the spaces between the branches of the trees towering over me. I rose to my feet and dusted off the dirt that stuck to my legs. I began walking again, crushing dead leaves as I followed the silent pull leading me further into the woods.
I came to a small clearing among the trees, looking around the forest, I contemplated which way to go. My sight was obscured by the dense fog that surrounded me. As I was squinting through the dark and the mist, I realized there were no other sounds in the forest. Not even the wind blew through the leaves. It was an unnatural stillness. At once I was afraid of being in the Vanishing Woods. My shaky, shallow breaths sounded loud and alarming. I tried muffling the sound I was making, not wanting to attract any attention to myself. I became fully aware of what was lurking in the dark among the massive trees. I understood what happened to Danny, Vincent, and the missing hikers and hunters.
Was the fog growing denser or was it my imagination?
I was having trouble seeing clearly through the tears and the white haze. I wiped the tears away and squinted through the darkness that was all around me. I ran in the direction I was facing, not knowing if it would take me deeper into the woods or if it would lead me back to the road. Tree limbs reached out pulling on my shirt and scratching my arms, but I kept going. My foot caught on a protruding tree root, tripping me and I hit the solid ground. I laid on the ground with the wind knocked out of me when I heard leaves rustling behind me. I immediately turned over and awkwardly got to my feet. I felt the chill of light breeze blow and I let out the painful breath I was holding.
It was just the wind. I told myself as I inspected the cuts on my arms. There were a few small scratches on both forearms and a longer and deeper one on my right arm. With the dim light of the moon I assessed the gravity of my injuries and presumed they were minor without the need of emergent medical treatment. I blinked hard and surveyed my surroundings. I was at another clearing or it could be the same one. I grasped the terrible realization.
I was lost.
Nothing but trees and more trees, there wasn’t any distinguishing sights or marks to help me find my way back to the road.
“Analey, this way.”
I looked towards the sound of the voice but there was too much fog to clearly see in any direction.
“Hurry, please.” The disembodied voice urged me.
I squinted to the point my eyes were almost closed and saw something or someone moving through the white mist.
“Candice, is that you?” I called towards the apparition.
I checked my head for injuries, thinking I was hallucinating. The illusion that was Candice moved closer and became visible through the haze.
“Follow me but hurry. He’s almost here.”
I started walking towards Candice, calling out to her as I broke out into a jog. I tried keeping an eye on her as I watched the ground for tree roots. “Candice, wait. Who’s coming?”
I’m not supposed to be here, so please come with me.”
I stopped in my tracks as a man walked straight through the fading hallucination and Candice disappeared. He, the one Candice had been warning me about had arrived. At first, he was just a dark silhouette veiled within the fog, but as he moved through it, the haze lifted, and I could see clearly again. He stood several feet from me, watching me as I stumbled backwards and into the trunk of a tree. The incredible petrichor that insinuated rain was imminent, struck with such force that I could no longer form a rational thought. The man smiled and instantly was in front of me, trapping me between him and the tree. I wanted to run, but I was physically and emotionally incapable of moving. All the adrenaline had rushed out of my body and I felt every cut, bruise, and sore muscle. I fought the urge to fall to the ground, exhaustion had robbed me of the strength to stand any longer. As I gave in to the fatigue, he reached out and caught me. I let myself be taken into the arms of this obviously dangerous man, as I heard Mikel’s voice pleading with me to run. The pungent smell of rain filled my senses and weakened my knees, but the mysterious stranger held me steady. My instincts told me to fight---to run, but I didn’t. Instead I looked up at my captor. He glared at me with piercing green eyes and his black hair blew slightly in the breeze, one short strand falling onto the right side of his forehead. I looked away and tried to break free, but he was stronger than I could ever be. His hands tightened around my arms and I could feel the pain from his crushing grip. I was in the arms of a killer and I could sense the gravity of the situation. I was terrified but I’d never seen anyone like him. His eyes were hard, burning with vehemence but they were wild and passionate. His black hair was darker than the sky on a moonless night, tousled perfectly, adding the most exquisite contrast to his green eyes and fair skin. He had me pressed so close to him that I could feel his muscular body as it radiated with strength and desire, the desire to kill me. I knew I was in the deadly arms of Larson Cardamone.
twenty~ five
larson
Istood exactly five miles into the woods off the dirt path leading in from Raven Road. The trail entrance met with the tar pavement where the bend in the road slightly straightened out but then changed direction and curved again. Dusk made its entrance bringing a thick fog with it and the warmth of the day had dissipated as nightfall cloaked the unassuming town of Shadowmist. I noticed the chill in the air, but it didn’t feel cold on my bare forearms. Instead, I inhaled the scent of the crisp cooler temperature. The weather didn’t affect me, nor did the mist obscure my vision.
I waited impatiently for Analey to reach the forest, my muscular body flexing with anticipation. I’d been watching her closely all afternoon and had witnessed the stagnate retelling of Mikel’s story. Mikel had always been so noble and boring. I was looking forward to a good fight with him. Maybe I could force some of his wicked nature out. I was filled with excitement at how her body tensed up at the mention of vampires. She was scared, and that pleased me. I wanted her to fear me, to see the terror in her eyes when she finally came face to face with true evil. Everyone thought this woman was something exceptional with her special powers. I wasn’t impressed with her, but my father insisted she was a force to be reckoned with and he was no fool.
I’d decided to retreat to the forest, miles from where Mikel sat disclosing all his family’s secrets. I’d had the feeling that was where she would run to once she had heard enough of Mikel’s galling family saga. Hours later my aggression grew, as did my impatience. I was growing weary of waiting, but finally I heard her ragged breathing coming down the first curve of the road. My vampire instincts were on high alert. I held my breath; I didn’t want my thirst to betray me at such a critical moment. Aloes had strictly demanded that I fetch the girl and bring her to him. The idiot Burdock had failed and now the
duty fell directly on me. I was thrilled at the chance to bring my father’s ultimate enemy to him. I wasn’t privileged with the specific details of my father’s plan, but I knew enough for it to provoke malevolent eagerness in my soul. After my cruel fate had robbed me of my only reason for existing, I felt entitled to dispense my own share of brutal chastisement back to the mortal world. I’d entertained the idea of taking my own life and join Anaiyah in death, but I wasn’t certain of what waited my wicked soul (if I had one) and feared she wouldn’t be on the other side waiting for me.
I heard the leaves crushing under the girl’s feeble steps and pushed all thoughts out of my mind. I heard her sobbing and talking to herself; I almost felt bad at how easy it was going to be for I’d been hoping for more of a fight. I was in the mood to shed some blood (as well as drink it).
I stepped into the clearing, where she had stopped after realizing she was lost, and I summoned her with my supernatural powers. My piercing eyes smoldered in her direction and she obeyed. Moments later I had her in my tight grip. Her scent was inundating, forcing my thirst to rise and threaten my self-control.
“If it was up to me, I would end you now,” I hissed as my body trembled with the desire to kill her. I restrained myself, though.
I looked into her eyes and for the second time that night I almost lost my bold resolve. Regret shot through me as I peered deep into her silvery eyes, but I denied what I was seeing. It isn’t possible. I thought as I took in a deep breath of her distinctive, nectarous scent.
“No, I don’t believe it. It’s a trick, a mind game,” I gasped. Horror and disbelief filled me, and I shoved her away from me. She fell to the ground, striking her arm and knees on sharp stones. The fragrance of her delicious blood seeping through her pants competed with my will to do as my father demanded--to not kill the girl.
I seized her once more, ignoring the intense burning in my throat. “Don’t look at me,” I ordered, and the she dropped her gaze to the ground. I took her to my car and drove off.
I drove fast and furious to my family’s estate. I took the bending and curving road with ease as I pushed the black Lotus to go as fast as it was built to go. The British auto had a top speed of 180 miles per hour for the race models. Mine was tailor made for me to go 30 miles per hour faster and I took advantage of the swiftness of the automobile. The road rose in a steep hill before descending and curving, but I didn’t adjust the speed to the twists in the road, as I kept the gas pedal pressed down to the floor board. I drove in a straight direction for half a mile before the hills and curves appeared again. The trees slowly receded as the granite peaks of the mountains loomed in the short distance ahead of me. The Lotus tore through the winding road along the mountain range as I turned onto a narrow unpaved road leading to the Cardamone house.
My father was not due back in the country for a few more months, but he wanted me to lock the girl in the basement cell he had prepared for her. His plan was to separate her from anyone she cared about and slowly break her. The vagrant mortal had been compelled to end his relationship with her and soon she would be all alone again.
I blindfolded the girl so that I wouldn’t have to look in her eyes again. What I saw there, deep in her soul, frightened me more than anything or anyone I’d ever encountered. I ignored the rapid beating of her heart and the gasping sounds of her breathing. I turned to look at her only once. A quick glance over told me she was scared and injured. She sat rigid in the passenger seat with the blindfold over her eyes. Her lips pressed in a tight line, quivered as she tried to keep from crying. She was hugging herself tightly and she drew her shoulders up in a tense posture. A couple of times she grabbed the sidebar to keep herself from being slammed into the door as the car raced around the curves. Blood seeped out through the jagged tears of her jeans, soaking the fabric around her knees. I kept my eyes away from her and her blood.
A manor emerged at the end of the road. Eight large white columns supported the large balcony stretching the length of the house and extending over the front entrance. A neat white gravel pathway ran between the long sweeping limbs of two large willow trees that draped over the green front lawn. Behind the house, immense mountain tops lined the backdrop of the landscape.
I turned off the engine and at almost the same time I was at the passenger side door, opening it and pulling the girl out. I carried her up to the house, taking the steps leading up to the porch, two at a time. I unlocked the African blackwood door and stepped through. The foyer had dark hardwood floors and soaring ceilings with a crystal chandelier. I didn’t bother with the lights as I walked through an arched doorway and into the living room. It had the same floor and high ceilings as the entrance. The basement was towards the back of the house, down a narrow set of stairs which, with the girl draped over my shoulder, I descended. I unlocked the large steel door and as I stepped in, I triggered the automatic lights. I removed the locked latch of the heavy metal door of the cell where she would wait for my father and dropped her to the ground.
“Please, make yourself at home,” I said as I slammed the cell door shut.
I left the basement, the metal bars still reverberating and echoing through the room as I entered the main part of the house. I went directly to the bar and drank bourbon straight from the bottle without bothering with a glass. For the first time in a long while, I wished alcohol could have some effect on me. I fell to the couch with the empty bottle in my hand and mulled the unimaginable possibilities.
I knew it wasn’t her. It couldn’t be her. She had died over 200 years ago. This girl was at best a very distant relative, but nothing more. Dismissing the idiotic idea, I was left with one other option. The legend of the venom, bonding predator to prey could be true. I’d hadn’t experienced it before, although I’d turned many with my blood, but I couldn’t reject the concept. Nothing made sense to me and I knew I needed something more than alcohol.
I needed blood.
Human blood.
twenty~ six
analey
As soon as I heard the second door slam shut, I removed the blindfold, relieved to get the incredible scent of the vampire away from me. I sat in the center of a large jail cell. Three of the four walls were solid concrete; the fourth was part of the door and was made of steel bars. There was a small area in one corner of the cell with a sink and toilet. I cringed at the thought of having to take care of my needs in the exposed bathroom, but I knew when the time came, I would have no other choice, unless the vampire decided to kill me sooner than later. Using the metal bars, I pulled myself up and inspected my injuries. I had three small cuts on my left forearm, one on my right and a larger cut on the upper part of my right arm. My blue jeans had ripped, exposing gashes on my knees and there were several bruises in various places on my arms and legs. I hobbled to the sink and washed the dirt off my hands, then dried them off on my jeans.
“Jerk,” I said as I limped to the cell door.
I wrapped my hands around the steel bars and shook them, but they didn’t move. I had no idea why this vampire was keeping me prisoner. Why didn’t he just drink my blood like any normal vampire would have done? I tried shaking the bars again. Anger-fueled tears ran down my face and I thought about yelling but knew it would do nothing to benefit my dire situation. It would more than likely just provoke my captor. I thought about Mikel, but I didn’t think he would come looking for me. He had no way of knowing some deranged vampire had abducted me, so he wouldn’t know to search for me.
Fear slowly crept in, replacing my anger. I sat in the corner of my cell, hugging my knees. I was cold, but my trembling was caused by panic, fear of my approaching death.
I didn’t want to die.
I wanted to see my friends again. Not just Kian and Kami, but I missed Erica and Nicolas. The small boy had tried to warn me of the bad man, but I’d waved off his nightmares as nonsense. I believed him now. I didn’t have the luxury to question how Nicolas could have known any of what had happened to me. I swallowed it as the
truth as I swallowed the lump in my throat.
More tears fell down my cheeks. One slid down my face to my arm, landing on the ground beside me. I angrily wiped it away with my foot. In the corner of the cell, I curled up on the cold hard ground. My eyelids felt heavy and I forced them to stay open, but the unbelievable, terrible events of the day left me worn out and I fell asleep.
When I awoke hours later, there was a quilt over my body and a pillow under my head. I stretched, every muscle in my body sore and the cuts stung. I wondered what time of the day it was.
Was it still evening or was it the next morning? I had no way of knowing as there were no windows in the dungeon.
“It’s six in the morning,” a low, deep voice answered.
I looked around wide eyed, but it was pitch-black in most parts of the basement. There was a dim light directly about the space in front of my cell. I squinted at the corners of the room, searching for the source of the voice. That’s when I saw him. The vampire sat across from me, hidden within the shadows.
“What?” I asked when I saw the pale glow of his skin. His black attire blended in with the darkness of the room where he sat against the wall with his legs drawn up resting his hands on his knees. He kept his gaze down, not making eye contact, as he spoke to me.
“You asked the time. It’s 6 a.m.,” he replied.
I wasn’t surprised that he could read hear my thoughts. Most vampires (at least in books and movies) had mind controlling powers.
“What do you want with me?” I demanded in an unsteady voice.
“You really don’t know, do you?” the vampire asked.
“Who are you and what do you want?” I tried shouting but my hoarse voice came out weak.
Edge of Forever: The Death and Life of Analey Rose (The Immortal Souls Book 1) Page 19