Fateful

by Cheri Schmidt

  Ethan rapped on the window again. “Danielle,” he said, his voice muffled through the glass, “unlock the door, I’ll take you home.”

  She looked at her bloodstained hands.

  “Danielle, please, you’ll be safe with me, I give you my word,” he urged tenderly.

  After another hesitation, she silently unlocked the door and slid to the passenger side of the car, dragging the many folds of her dress with her. Ethan jumped in and locked the doors again. That earned him a startled and frightened look from her.

  “Just in case I was followed,” he said.

  “Who would have followed you?”

  “Anyone could have. Lucas is still out here.”

  He pulled an immediate U-turn and gassed the Jag in the opposite direction from which she’d been going. Of course she wasn’t going the right way, she wasn’t even remotely surprised.

  They sat in silence while she struggled to control her erratic breathing. She felt safer, even after he’d said she couldn’t trust any of them. Danielle had to trust him, never believing he could ever harm her.

  “I’m sorry, Danielle, if you even knew the thoughts that went through my head when I…” His hands tightened on the steering wheel, then he continued without finishing the first sentence. “You would understand why I let you leave alone … I didn’t trust myself.”

  “Why? What were you thinking?”

  Ethan lifted one hand to press his fingers to the bridge of his nose. “I wanted to take you to my—just as Alex suggested and—” But his words cut off abruptly as he shook his head. “No. No, Danielle, we will not discuss this.”

  Changing the direction of their conversation, he said, “After you left I began to worry about you. I knew you wouldn’t be able to find your way and I knew Lucas was out there somewhere still thinking about you. I knew I had to fight the curse to get you home or I could lose you.”

  The sight of a curse-entranced Sophia flashed back into her mind. “Is Sophia upset with me?” she asked, swiping at another wave of tears.

  “She is upset, but not with you. She feels intensely guilty for the way she looked at you, and probably had thoughts of draining you right there in the kitchen.”

  Ethan paused to look at her. She felt his gaze, but just stared into her lap and continued to cry.

  “Danielle, please remember we were meant to feed on mortals and the strong aroma of your fresh blood triggered the power of the curse—in all of us. But the rest of us have come across that scent at one time or another. It’s easy to run into someone with a fresh cut or scrape, especially with the way I search the streets looking for other vampires at night. I can resist it if I’m not thirsty, but only if I remove myself from the odor as quickly as possible. I can’t linger while breathing in that succulent scent without being influenced. That’s why I will always see the curse for what it is and not the blessing of immortality the others do. That’s why I let you leave without me. There’s always the risk we could become murderers. If anyone would have been thirsty tonight, you wouldn’t have made it out alive.”

  “This is my fault. Sophia shouldn’t feel guilty. I should have been more careful,” she said while she continued to push the relentless tears from her cheeks, but drew her hands away when she recalled the blood on them. Was she covered in it? Looking down, she could only see one spot of blood on her dress but wondered if she’d smeared her face with it while trying to control the tears, and reached for the sun visor. While she saw her face was clean of blood, she did notice she looked like she’d been crying with black tracks of mascara running down her face. Choosing two uninjured fingers she tried to scrub it away.

  Ethan handed her a handkerchief, which she took. “It was an accident, no one blames you. We made a mistake in assuming nothing like this could happen. It’s my fault for wanting you there. Beon was right, I was too arrogant.”

  Danielle laughed with self mockery as she looked at her cuts. At least they weren’t bleeding anymore, but they were caked with dried bits of blood. “How can you even stand to be in the same car as me right now?”

  “It helps that I’m not thirsty right now … and, Danielle, I love you. You needed me and I wanted to be here for you. Because of those things, I can ignore how appealing you smell right now.”

  She drew in a little wet sounding sniff. “I’m sorry I cut myself and ruined everything.” Ruined the perfect Jane Austen fantasy date.

  Ethan pulled to the side of the road, stopped the car, and reached his hand out. “Let me see.”

  Her eyes widened. He’d just finished telling her how tempting her blood smells at night and now he wants to see the open wound? “Are you completely mad?”

  He rolled down his window, filled his lungs with fresh air and then held his breath. He grasped her wrists and looked, apparently not giving her a choice in the matter.

  Danielle dropped her head against the headrest and turned her eyes to the roof of the car, it’s Dr. Deveroux again. He looked carefully for a moment. Yanking the cravat loose of his neck, he gently wrapped her palm with it. The keys had done more damage than the small piece of broken teacup. “You don’t need stitches, it’s superficial.”

  He shifted his Jaguar into gear and continued on to her house. “I won’t come inside your room tonight. Keep the cuts dry so they seal up fast. We’ll be watching for Lucas or any other vampire who may have taken an interest in you, and I’ll see you tomorrow.” He then kissed her swiftly on the forehead and once she was safely inside, he left.

  It was eleven, and she wasn’t expected back until twelve-thirty. The volume on the television was set low, but she managed to sneak past a sleeping Brianna and get to her bedroom. Danielle really didn’t want to explain her tearstained face or her bloody hands.

  Weary from the night’s events she, washed her face, bandaged her wounds, removed the gown with some difficulty and fell asleep before she’d changed out of the chemise.

  Chapter 20

  Monster Deveroux

  That night, Danielle had her most frightening dream yet and it wasn’t about Lucas. Ethan was the monster of her dreams this time.

  Cold hard stone surrounded her, but the coldest thing in the bleak room was easily Ethan. With eyes a frightening, and unnatural silver, like those of a wild animal reflected in car lights, she knew he was very thirsty and weak, yet still dangerous. What troubled her more, however, was the distressing fact that she couldn’t see the Ethan she knew in the depths of those eyes, he was gone. He’d pinned her to the floor, his sharp, pointed fangs exposed, and he was leaning in to bite her on the neck. Somehow Danielle knew it wasn’t to transform her, he meant to kill her. She was going to die at his hands, the hands that she’d trusted.

  Screaming his name, Danielle woke up and knew from her volume that everyone must have heard her.

  Seconds after she’d screamed Ethan appeared on her bed, seemingly from thin air. He’d left the window open in his haste, she realized, when a breeze caught her lace curtain and lifted it away from the wall. Apparently to make sure his sudden appearance didn’t cause her to scream again, his hand was already over her mouth. But he’d materialized so quickly, she didn’t actually have time to even think about that.

  Danielle avoided his eyes because she knew it was still early, the sun wouldn’t be up for a while, and so his powers were still strong. With caution, she let her gaze rise to his face. He was guarding her from his enchantment, but his attentive concern was impossible to miss. Clearly he had the early morning watch, and he’d heard her scream, otherwise she was fairly certain he wouldn’t be in her room now.

  “Are you all right?” Ethan removed his hand from her mouth.

  Relief swamped her at his gentle words and she knew this wasn’t the Ethan of her nightmare, but the Ethan she knew and loved. She flung her arms around his neck not wanting him to disappear. But he pried her grasp from him and did just that.

  Wondering why he would leave so soon, she searched for him. Then when her bedroom door burst
open, she understood the sudden disappearance.

  Brianna came running in, followed close behind by her aunt and uncle. They all looked dazed, like they’d just sprung from a deep sleep. “Dannie, are you okay? We heard you scream,” Brianna asked warily.

  “I’m sorry I woke you. It was just a bad dream, that’s all.”

  “I swear I heard you say Ethan’s name,” Brianna pressed further.

  “I don’t remember what I said.” The words came out slow, mainly because they weren’t exactly true. “Like I said, it was just a dream. I’m sorry I disturbed your sleep. But really, I’m fine.”

  “Danielle, why is your window open?” asked Uncle Nick, frowning probably because it was a bit too chilly for that.

  “Um ... I was hot, now I’m cold.” She got up and closed the window.

  “And you’re sure you’re fine?” asked Aunt Charlotte.

  “Yes, I’m sure, please go back to bed.”

  “Very well then, goodnight, Danielle,” said Uncle Nick.

  “Goodnight.” They finally left and shut the door behind them.

  Lying back down, she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. She opened them to find Ethan had returned. He sat down on the bed and leaned over to kiss her on the neck, which was one of the safest places for him to kiss at this hour, but his movement was almost identical to how he leaned down in the dream. Instinct took over, and she cringed away from him. Could Ethan look any more crushed then he did right then? He obviously now knew this nightmare hadn’t been about Lucas.

  “The dream that drew that terrified scream from you was about me, wasn’t it?” he asked, ill at ease.

  She gulped, knowing she had to tell him the truth. “Yes, I’m sorry.”

  “Tell me about it.”

  A deep sigh. She didn’t want to tell him about it because this was the worst thing that could possibly happen between them.

  “Danielle, I need to know.”

  With reluctance, she told him, even knowing the details of it would cause the look of deep worry holding his expression to deepen.

  But as she watched him process this dark information, the agonized features of his face shifted as they became calculating. “You don’t normally have prophetic dreams, correct?”

  “Right,” she said slowly wondering where he was going with this.

  “How was I different in this dream, compared to the other dreams? Was I glowing white?”

  She hadn’t thought of that before, and had to relive the dream to remember. Her muscles tensed, she closed her eyes tightly and then answered, “No, you weren’t glowing at all, you looked like I see you now.”

  “But my eyes were silvery instead of blue?”

  “Yes.”

  “Was I pale?”

  “Yes.”

  “This room, what did it look like? Where was it?”

  “I have no idea where it was, and there wasn’t anything in it.”

  “No furnishings?”

  Danielle shook her head, still confused.

  Surging to his full height he began pacing her bedroom.

  Still very sleepy, Danielle couldn’t seem to help it when she began dozing as he tried to wear a path into her rug. Suddenly he was there lying next to her as one arm wrapped around her, and her eyes flew back open. After momentarily tensing, she forced herself to relax, snuggling further into the comforting embrace. She didn’t feel threatened by him, even after the dream, because that’s all it was. “It was just a silly dream,” she murmured in a sleep drenched voice.

  “I need to find the cure before anything like this does happen.”

  “It won’t, I trust you.”

  Ethan was silent for a few moments, but his body was practically thrumming with something she suspected was determination. “I’m going to Benjamin to ask him about the prophecy.”

  “But—” As she rolled to face him, Ethan quickly closed his eyes. “Isn’t he the first vampire?”

  “Yes, he’s the only one who can help me with this. Beon and Seth have spoken to many vampires, but they haven’t been able to come up with anything to help us. We have to figure this out on our own.”

  “Where is he? Is it dangerous to go to him?”

  “We believe he lives in Moldova.” A charged pause hung between them before he said, “I’ve heard he is dangerous, but I have to try. I must try.”

  “How will I know you’re safe? Could he kill you?”

  Self-mocking laughter left his lungs. “You just had a dream about me killing you, aren’t you worried about that?”

  “No.” Danielle thought again on what she’d seen in his eyes. Ethan simply was not a murderer. “I know you could never do that to me, and you never let yourself get that thirsty. It just doesn’t make any sense. My dreams are usually complete nonsense anyway. And this one was likely brought on by eating chocolate cake so late.” Well, that and what happened with Sophia, but she wasn’t going to voice that.

  “Danielle, my killing you is still a risk, and always will be unless I find the cure. If I never find the cure, we can’t stay together. We can’t be with each other at night, and we can’t even look at each other in the eyes right now. What kind of a relationship is that?”

  She didn’t like the way he was talking. Was that true? If he didn’t find this Benjamin would he really break it off with her? He just couldn’t! They knew each other. Danielle wasn’t surprised when silent tears slipped down her face dripping onto her pillow. “Don’t go. Take me with you,” she pleaded.

  “I have to do this for us, Danielle, and you cannot go with me. Benjamin doesn’t have a problem with killing mortals.” Shifting closer, Ethan brushed her tears away with his own cheeks, knowing she was crying even if he never looked at her directly.

  When her only response to his words was to shed more tears, Ethan changed tactics and began exploring her face with his fingertips. As always the touch soothed her, and she pushed at his chest trying to escape it, because she could also smell the curse magic and it was starting to affect her.

  Darn him, she thought when he only drew nearer. That wasn’t what she needed and the potion that made her want the death he could give further saturated her senses. It wasn’t long before she was doing the same to him, dragging soft fingers over his profile, over his cheeks, into his hair.

  Taking a peek, she noticed his eyes were still closed and she could look as much as she liked without being overpowered by his trance-like gaze. Danielle felt herself become pulled into a burning moment of which something sweetly innocent became something more without ever crossing lines. They had been closer than this physically during the day, but for some reason, this limited contact, before the sun made its morning appearance, felt more intense. Danielle slid closer, pressing her wet cheek to his.

  They had never allowed themselves to be this close at night, not even the first night they tested his influence on her, and while she knew in the back of her mind this wasn’t wise ... as her brain became drunk with dark magic she found she didn’t particularly care.

  Aware of the fact Ethan wasn’t allowing himself to breathe, she believed it was because he didn’t want to smell her blood, and secretly thanked him for it. Or, she thought, as she smashed against his body, maybe it was so he wouldn’t overpower her with his super-potent breath.

  Knowing full well it was probably reckless of her, Danielle decided she could partake in the less-potent version from his skin. She slid her nose under the line of his chiseled jawbone, filling her lungs selfishly with his delectable bouquet. Moving her nose up to meet with his, she stole the forbidden kiss she wanted.

  Danielle had no idea why he allowed it, but she kept going, wondering when he would call a halt to something she knew wasn’t allowed.

  She never stopped tracing his skin with the pads of her fingers, dragging them along his nape and then into his hair. With palms sliding up her back, he grasped handfuls of hers. She sighed, and rolled her head back. Had she really just exposed her neck to a vampire? Did her curse-po
isoned brain care? When Ethan accepted the invitation and pressed his lips to her skin, her breaths came faster as he tickled her throat with feathery kisses.

  During the day this contact would have been perfectly fine, but at night … they were playing with fire. And it seemed that neither one of them was willing to stop. It’s possible that they sensed an impending change headed toward their relationship, a change they couldn’t stop.

  He traced his lips down to her collarbone and tickled her further, gliding them across her sensitive skin. He slid his powerful fingers along her neck, across the top of her shoulder and onto her arm, where he gave her a tender squeeze. The chemise had slipped from her shoulder. Never had his fingers touched that bare skin before, and she knew she was enjoying this way more than she should. Ethan was driving her crazy, and she completely forgot about her nightmare. She felt safe, not vulnerable, even with her throat unprotected. Of course, she soon noticed that her heart was now racing, and she wondered dazedly if he could hear it, if it bothered him....

  When she placed her hand on the side of his cheek, trying to bring him back to her, Ethan hesitated, and turned his face away as if he feared he had bad breath. Watching his expression, she thought she saw an internal battle wage within before he took a big breath of air, held it and turned back like he was diving deep under water. As Ethan pressed firmly closed lips to hers, Danielle wondered if maybe they were underwater. But the thought was almost too far away to really grasp with the logical and responsible parts of her brain.

  In a sudden move, his mouth again found her neck ... her jugular? She felt his lips part right before cold air sank through the blankets and she realized he was gone. Now standing, Ethan stumbled a couple of steps backward. He looked down at her briefly before looking away.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Y-you’re d-driving me insane.”

  “I’m sorry,” her mouth said, but her mind said, get back here and....